Hanging in the DRL

Remember at the beginning of the baseball season, when we were all experts and predicted how the Del Rio League would shake down. The two most prevalent questions were "who would win" and "who's going to make the playoffs?"

The great thing is this week, that all gets settled.

You want to talk about a blockbuster Wednesday, we've got three interesting games.

El Rancho (18-4, 11-2) at La Serna (18-6, 12-1), 3:15 p.m. (Battle for the DRL Crown)
Whittier (11-11, 7-6) at California (14-11, 7-6), 3:15 p.m. (Battle for the postseason)
Pioneer (4-18, 1-12) at Santa Fe (8-14, 1-12), 3:15 p.m. (Battle for respect)

Here's the Breakdown -

First Game

The Lancers can clinch the DRL title outright with a win. They are one game up on the Dons and lead the series 1-0. Interestingly enough, from a postseason perspective, the DRL title carries extra incentive for the Lancers - respect. El Rancho has been ranked all year and that ranking will likely amount to a Dons first-round home game, even as the DRL second seed. That might not be the case for La Serna.

As for the Dons, it's simple. El Rancho needs to sweep to clinch the title. The Dons have already secured a top-2 finish in league. A win Wednesday would shift the title game to El Rancho on Friday.

Prediction: A split. El Rancho will win Wednesday and La Serna Friday. If the Dons throw Chris Villalobos on Wednesday, they should force a deciding game back at El Rancho. However, I don't expect coach Anthony Gonzales' group to get swept. The Lancers have a little more depth on the mound which will be crucial.

Second Game

You've gotta love this matchup of one-time contender Cal-Hi and one-time pretender Whittier.

The Cardinals are intriguing because they've posted good league wins this season over both El Rancho and La Serna. However, they also lost to Santa Fe earlier this year. Whittier is on a five-game winning streak and is starting to look like the team that knocked off Sherman Oaks Notre Dame in the St. Paul tournament - that's right, the L.A. Times No. 1-ranked Notre Dame (20-2).

As for the Condors, while they are 0-6 versus the big boys in league (El Rancho and La Serna), they're also 7-0 against the rest, including a 9-6 win at Whittier on April 4. While Cal-Hi has lost four in a row, the last six games of the season have been against the league's top teams.

Prediction: A Condors sweep. As much as Whittier has impressed this season, I just think Cal-Hi is the better team. Maybe Whittier will surprise me. The problem with the Cards is that they need a sweep.

Third Game

This might be the tightest of the three DRL season-finale series. It's been a tough season for Santa Fe, which has come so close this year. The Chiefs have been involved in six league losses this year by two or fewer runs. Santa Fe is a lot better than its record indicates as evidence by its solid showings in the Montebello and Don Lugo tournaments.

As for Pioneer, its lone win in league came against Santa Fe, 9-8, on April 4. Injuries and a lack of depth have really slowed down the Titans as much as anyone in league. Yet, the guys are still playing hard for coach Paul Magallanes and would love to finish the year with a win.

Prediction: Going with a Chiefs sweep. Santa Fe has been too close too often to let the last two games slip by. I love Pioneer's heart and I expect a good showing from the Titans nonetheless.

So, who do you like?