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ArquimedezPozo · 03-19-2023, 10:13 PM

Division 1

The New York Giants reclaimed the top spot in the D1 East with a 5-2 week that included a critical sweep of Brooklyn. Willie Rodriguez pitched a gem in the finale, with a complete game shutout victory striking out 11, while Matt Wood came alive for New York, hitting .526 with a .571 OBP. Brooklyn, by virtue of that sweep, went 2-5 to sink a game back of the Giants, though no one can fault Player of the Week John Brucia, who celebrated his 300th career home run with five more following it, for a six homer week. Brooklyn’s week ended, though, with two straight pitching failures: a 12-16 loss in extra innings to Tampa on Saturday, and an 8-17 loss to El Paso Sunday. All other D1 teams are below .500, though the Athletics are making a bit of a move, and are now tied with Chicago for third place at 31-34, with young CF star Mike Mitchell playing a big role.

The Angels kept things rolling, going 5-2 this week despite being absolutely destroyed by Monterrey in a 4-20 loss on Sunday in which Chase Maze drove in seven on two homers. Beyond that game, though, the Angels were largely dominant, with two consecutive shutouts against Tijuana on Friday and Saturday. Courtesy of that drubbing of LA, Monterrey kept pace, two games back. The Industriales, too, went 5-2 this week, but outscored opponents by a gaudy 51-24. The offensive explosion included big weeks by Joel Gamble, John Witherspoon, and - finally - Chase Maze, who busted out of a months-long slump with three homers and a .483 OBP. El Paso, too, hung around at three games back, led by DH Ralph Carter, though Mike Kepler, Brian Castrovinci, and Joe Rison were all relatively quiet. Tijuana, Seattle, and the increasingly terrible Denver Bears round out the Conference.

Player of the Week: John Brucia, RF, BRO: .381/.458/1.238, 6 HR, 8 R, 15 RBI

Top Hitters:
Chase Maze, 2B, MRY: .423/.483/.885, 3 HR, 3 2B, 9 R, 10 RBI
Ralph Carter, DH, ELP: .364/.462/.818, 3 HR, 6 R, 9 RBI
Mike Mitchell, CF, PHA: .393/.469/.786, 2 HR, 3 2B, 8 R, 6 RBI

Top Pitchers:
Armando Orozco, SP, CHI: 1-0, 15 IP, 1.80 ERA, 1.92 FIP, 19 K
Kenny Trent, SP, LAA: 1-0. 8 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.63 FIP, 15 K, 3 HA
Toshiyo Nimiya, SP, SEA: 16 IP, 1.12 ERA, 1.69 FIP, 17 K

League News

Monterrey made a move to improve its already solid bullpen this week, dealing away a bit of organizational depth in 1B Marty Luttrell to Milwaukee in exchange for RP Chris Voorhees, a righty with a fastball/cutter combo and a strong ground ball profile. Voorhees has had some success in Milwaukee after a career with Tampa, but in his one D1 year he struggled. It remains to be seen what he’ll give Monterrey, but they didn’t give up much to get him - a strange move on Milwaukee’s part, but a good one for the Industriales.
John Brucia hit a milestone then kept on hitting, as he was named Player of the Week after hammering his 300th career homer on Monday… and then hit five more over the rest of the week. Brucia’s 305 homers ranks second on Brooklyn’s list, only 20 behind former 1B Ian Garrison; Brucia is now 16th all-time in Division 1 homers, having moved past retired El Paso SS Mike Smart (300) and retired Expos LF Adam Burton (303) this week; he’s just two behind Jose Maldonado, who retired last season after hitting 307 D1 homers.
Monterrey starter Steve Smith threw a masterful two-hit shutout against his former team, striking out ten Potros Wednesday night as the Industriales won 10-0. It is Smith’s first complete game, and first scoreless outing of the season, and moves him to 4-5.
A season and a half into a disappointing run with Seattle, rumors are emerging from the Steelheads clubhouse that Josh Stennett may have requested a trade. Further updates as they become available.
The Tijuana Potros faced some tough pitching this week, as the club was blanked three times in four days. Saturday’s shutout by Kenny Trent of the Angels was the most dominant, as Trent allowed just three hits while striking out a career-high 15 as the Angels won 2-0.

Division 2
Boston pulled a bit further ahead in Week 10, with a 5-2 week that featured a convincing sweep of the West-leading Houston Buffaloes. The Bees outscored Houston 18-4 in the three game set, with Bryan Murphy blanking them in game 1, and Boston’s top-level offense scoring 10 off Buffalo pitching in game 2. Houston remains the best team in the game right now, but Boston showed they can hang with them. Detroit remains Boston’s closest competition despite a tougher week in which they were no-hit by San Diego’s Brice Asmus, and then two-hit the following night by Joey Dulin. Add that to a strong turn by Yusuke Kondo of the Solons and Detroit had a down week offensively, falling another game back. But Baltimore is fading faster, and was in free fall this week at 2-5, swept by Houston and losing two of three to the last place Monarchs. The Terrapins fell below .500 for the first time this season. Baltimore’s offense hasn’t been bad, but it hasn’t been nearly good enough to survive the revolving door at the back end of the Pins rotation, and there are signs that Eric Cool’s success as a starter is wearing thin. Randy Putnam and Corey Spry have been good, but there are three other days a week to worry about. Montreal, Ottawa, and New Orleans are bunched below Baltimore, at seven, eight, and nine games back apiece.

Houston had a two-faced week, sweeping Baltimore convincingly before being swept by Boston just as convincingly. The best news for Houston has to be the tear that rookie Aaron Ferguson went on, as the preseason Rookie of the Year favorite rebounded from a long slump to hit .464 with four XBH at the top of their lineup. Houston still has a major pitching problem, which Boston exploited, and will need to address it soon - they may be eight games up on the D2 West, but they need a championship in order to have real hope of promotion to D1. The most likely promotee is in second place: the Mounties may be eight games back but at 36-27 they’ve been more than respectable. That’s due to their best-in-division pitching staff, led by lefty Franklin Romero and staff ace Danny Tanon. With Leo Rodriguez and Colin Hannigan still underperforming, though, the offense could use a boost. There’s a big drop after Vancouver, with Sacramento 14 games back. Ft. Worth was 6-1 this week behind the hot hitting of Player of the Week Lorenzo Tapia, and Jesse Moeller had a good week with a couple homers; it would take a lot for Ft. Worth to contend, but a winning record and closing in on second place is hardly out of the question. And that leaves Kansas City and San Diego, who despite Brice Asmus’ heroics are tied for last in the Conference.

Player of the Week: Lorenzo Tapia, 1B, FTW: .500/.633/1.045, 3 HR, 12 R, 7 RBI

Top Hitters:
Rogelio Ventura, LF, BOS: .316/.480/.842, 3 HR, 5 R, 9 RBI
Kyle Hickenbottom, LF, NOL: .333/.400/.852, 4 HR, 4 R, 8 RBI
Aaron Ferguson, 2B, HOU: .464/.500/.679, 4 2B, 1 3B, 5 R, 4 RBI

Top Pitchers:
Steven Johnston, SP, KCM: 1-1, 16 IP, 0.56 ERA, 1.50 FIP, 19 K
Bryan Murphy, SP, BOS: 1-0, 9 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.01 FIP, 11 K
Brice Asmus, SP, SDP: 1-0, 15.2 IP, 1.72 ERA, 3.00 FIP, 13 K, 5 HA (no-hitter 9/14 vs. Detroit)

League News

Montreal added a solid bullpen arm Monday, trading a minor leaguer to Albuquerque for Antonio Hernandez. Hernandez, a veteran arm who helped Seattle take back to back D1 titles in 2033 and 2034, was having an outstanding year for Albuquerque and should provide the Expos some back end depth.
San Diego starter Brice Asmus made history this week, throwing the fourth no-hitter in San Diego franchise history as he blanked the Detroit Stars on Tuesday. The lefthander struck out eight in a narrow 1-0 win, though he walked three in the effort. Asmus is off to a great start in 2039, and this game is the feather in his cap so far.
Zephyrs OF confirmed today that he’ll be retiring at the end of the season, citing a desire to leave before his production had fully vanished. The 14 year veteran will leave with over 220 homers, 700 RBI, 500 walks, and 700 runs in his NABF career.

Division 3

Nashville is still on top in the East, but if Columbus keeps going like this they won’t be for long. The Sounds put up a respectable 5-2 record this week behind RF Eric Cano, C Miguel Navarro, and 1B Jonathan Cosner, but Columbus was 6-1, having lost just one of their last ten games. Ricky Ponce only had eight hits over the week, but five of them went over a fence; Phil Osborne, Fred Burdette, and Fernando Cruz were on fire all week as well. Atlanta is still hanging around, at 34-31 and eight games back courtesy of Sam Stanton’s MVP-level early year. And Memphis has bounced back some, giving the East a three way tie for fourth between the Blues, Cleveland, and Miami, all at 29-36.

While there’s a three way tie for last place in the East, in the West we’ve got three teams knotted in first. Calgary, Austin, and St Paul have identical 33-32 records in what is yet again the weakest conference in the Federation. And no one is really out of it: San Francisco is just two games back and hoping young hometown prospect Jared Kraft is about to turn a corner, while Salt Lake and Portland lurk three and four games back respectively. This is truly anyone’s conference right now.

Player of the Week: Sam Stanton, DH, ATL: .346/.433/.885, 4 HR, 6 R, 7 RBI

Top Hitters:
Ricky Ponce, RF, CMB: .296/.375/.852, 5 HR, 6 R, 10 RBI
Jeremy Almy, LF, AUS: .348/.407/.739, 2 HR, 3 2B, 6 R, 6 RBI
Rob Cady, SS/SP, SLC: .417/.500/.583, 1 HR, 1 2B, 4 R, 2 RBI

Top Pitchers:
John McNayr, SP, STP: 1-0, 16 IP, 2.25 ERA, 1.90 FIP, 20 K
Jared Kraft, SP, SFS: 0-1, 8 IP, 2.25 IP, 0.15 FIP, 13 K
Felipe Esparza, SP, STP: 1-1, 15 IP, 1.20 ERA, 2.50 FIP, 24 K

League News

It was not a good news day for the San Francisco Seals, as the team announced season ending injuries for two players today. Backup OF/1B Tom Gunter is done for the year following a brutal collision at second during Thursday’s game against Atlanta. Gunter had to be taken from the field after a head injury, and word came today that in order to recover from a concussion Gunter will be on the IL for the remainder of 2039. In addition, SP Mark Gurnee, who was 6-5 for the Seals with a 4.33 ERA, suffered a torn flexor tendon on Tuesday, and after getting a second opinion will be undergoing season-ending surgery.
St. Paul starter Felipe Esparza had everything working against Cleveland on Saturday, going the distance in a three-hit shutout, striking out 14 for the first time in his career. Esparza is enjoying a career year at age 27, and his devastating changeup was responsible for several swings and misses in the Saints’ 5-0 victory.
The market for relievers has opened early, and the Red Birds took advantage today, sending mior league 2B George Gagnon to the Gulls in exchange for reliever Brad Ward. Ward isn’t expected to play a major role in Columbus’s run, but could be a useful depth piece.

Division 4

The Crawfords just keep winning. The 1st place Pittsburgh club cut through Albuquerque, winning three straight with a combined score of 16-3, then took two of three from Milwaukee before dropping an 11-3 win onto Havana Sunday. Through it all, that killer pitching staff kept scoring to a minimum - only 14 runs in those seven games, while Pittsburgh’s #1 offense kept rolling. But Indianapolis has a pitching staff too, and the Clowns showed it with three straight shutouts against Havana, sweeping the Sugar Kings without allowing a single run. Indianapolis has major offensive holes, but if they finally get that pitching clicking, they could pose a real challenge. The gap between the best and the rest is growing in the East, with Charlotte now seven games back and slipping; the Tigers (31-34, 8 GB) still have a far better run differential than their record shows, but it’s getting later in the year now and this just might be who they are. Behind them, the Senators and Sugar Kings battled it out for fifth; Havana had a dreadful 1-6 week, getting outscored 45-13 as calls to drop them into the regionals grows.

San Antonio right now is as sure a thing as exists in the NABF, at ten games up on Las Vegas. There may be trouble on the horizon as offensive star RF Morgan Teeple was injured on a baserunning play and is getting checked out by specialists; the team will know a diagnosis soon. If Teeple is out for an extended period it could hurt San Antonio, but they have the luxury of wiggle room at the moment. If they falter, though, it seems unlikely it will be the 51s who will catch up: Vegas was 2-5 this week, getting swept by Albuquerque and dropping two of three to Washington as they descend down the standings. St. Louis, however, is headed in the opposite direction: the Browns were 6-1 over their last seven, with their only loss of the week a devastating extra innings walk off by Phoenix after nearly coming back to win it in the ninth. The Dukes, Brewers, and Firebirds are all 14 to 16 games back to close out the conference.

Player of the Week: Jason McCollum, 1B, CHR: .385/.429/.923, 4 HR, 2 2B, 4 R, 8 RBI

Top Hitters:
Ryan Johnston, 3B, STL: .444/.500/.722, 1 HR, 2 2B, 3 R, 5 RBI
Morgan Teeple, RF, SAM: .526/.640/.737, 1 HR, 1 2B, 4 R, 3 RBI
Paul Sallet, 1B, ALB: .385/.414/.769, 2 HR, 5 R, 7 RBI

Top Pitchers:
Eric Kronburger, SP, IND: 1-0, 14.2 IP, 0.61 ERA, 2.03 FIP, 14 K
Greg Smith, SP, IND: 1-0, 9 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.11 FIP, 13 K, 2 HA
Paul Boden, SP, CIN: 1-0, 9 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.77 FIP, 10 K

League News

Jason McCollum’s hit streak ended at 21 games Thursday as the Senators held the Charlotte star hitless at 0-4 in their victory over the Hornets. McCollum is in the middle of a standout season, hitting .349 with 11 homers.
All most Havana batters could do was shake their head while heading back to the dugout, as Greg Smith’s knuckler was nearly unhittable Friday. The young Clowns hurler went the distance against the Sugar Kings, striking out 13 while allowing just two hits and two walks. The 25 year old Smith is working his way into the Pitcher of the Year conversation along with Joel Ortiz of the Crawfords, Matt Haughton of the Senators, and teammates Jason Stanfill and Aaron Cottrell.

03-19-2023, 10:13 PM	#111
ArquimedezPozo Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 226	Week 10: June 13-June 19, 2039 Division 1 The New York Giants reclaimed the top spot in the D1 East with a 5-2 week that included a critical sweep of Brooklyn. Willie Rodriguez pitched a gem in the finale, with a complete game shutout victory striking out 11, while Matt Wood came alive for New York, hitting .526 with a .571 OBP. Brooklyn, by virtue of that sweep, went 2-5 to sink a game back of the Giants, though no one can fault Player of the Week John Brucia, who celebrated his 300th career home run with five more following it, for a six homer week. Brooklyn’s week ended, though, with two straight pitching failures: a 12-16 loss in extra innings to Tampa on Saturday, and an 8-17 loss to El Paso Sunday. All other D1 teams are below .500, though the Athletics are making a bit of a move, and are now tied with Chicago for third place at 31-34, with young CF star Mike Mitchell playing a big role. The Angels kept things rolling, going 5-2 this week despite being absolutely destroyed by Monterrey in a 4-20 loss on Sunday in which Chase Maze drove in seven on two homers. Beyond that game, though, the Angels were largely dominant, with two consecutive shutouts against Tijuana on Friday and Saturday. Courtesy of that drubbing of LA, Monterrey kept pace, two games back. The Industriales, too, went 5-2 this week, but outscored opponents by a gaudy 51-24. The offensive explosion included big weeks by Joel Gamble, John Witherspoon, and - finally - Chase Maze, who busted out of a months-long slump with three homers and a .483 OBP. El Paso, too, hung around at three games back, led by DH Ralph Carter, though Mike Kepler, Brian Castrovinci, and Joe Rison were all relatively quiet. Tijuana, Seattle, and the increasingly terrible Denver Bears round out the Conference. Player of the Week: John Brucia, RF, BRO: .381/.458/1.238, 6 HR, 8 R, 15 RBI Top Hitters: Chase Maze, 2B, MRY: .423/.483/.885, 3 HR, 3 2B, 9 R, 10 RBI Ralph Carter, DH, ELP: .364/.462/.818, 3 HR, 6 R, 9 RBI Mike Mitchell, CF, PHA: .393/.469/.786, 2 HR, 3 2B, 8 R, 6 RBI Top Pitchers: Armando Orozco, SP, CHI: 1-0, 15 IP, 1.80 ERA, 1.92 FIP, 19 K Kenny Trent, SP, LAA: 1-0. 8 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.63 FIP, 15 K, 3 HA Toshiyo Nimiya, SP, SEA: 16 IP, 1.12 ERA, 1.69 FIP, 17 K League News Monterrey made a move to improve its already solid bullpen this week, dealing away a bit of organizational depth in 1B Marty Luttrell to Milwaukee in exchange for RP Chris Voorhees, a righty with a fastball/cutter combo and a strong ground ball profile. Voorhees has had some success in Milwaukee after a career with Tampa, but in his one D1 year he struggled. It remains to be seen what he’ll give Monterrey, but they didn’t give up much to get him - a strange move on Milwaukee’s part, but a good one for the Industriales. John Brucia hit a milestone then kept on hitting, as he was named Player of the Week after hammering his 300th career homer on Monday… and then hit five more over the rest of the week. Brucia’s 305 homers ranks second on Brooklyn’s list, only 20 behind former 1B Ian Garrison; Brucia is now 16th all-time in Division 1 homers, having moved past retired El Paso SS Mike Smart (300) and retired Expos LF Adam Burton (303) this week; he’s just two behind Jose Maldonado, who retired last season after hitting 307 D1 homers. Monterrey starter Steve Smith threw a masterful two-hit shutout against his former team, striking out ten Potros Wednesday night as the Industriales won 10-0. It is Smith’s first complete game, and first scoreless outing of the season, and moves him to 4-5. A season and a half into a disappointing run with Seattle, rumors are emerging from the Steelheads clubhouse that Josh Stennett may have requested a trade. Further updates as they become available. The Tijuana Potros faced some tough pitching this week, as the club was blanked three times in four days. Saturday’s shutout by Kenny Trent of the Angels was the most dominant, as Trent allowed just three hits while striking out a career-high 15 as the Angels won 2-0. Division 2 Boston pulled a bit further ahead in Week 10, with a 5-2 week that featured a convincing sweep of the West-leading Houston Buffaloes. The Bees outscored Houston 18-4 in the three game set, with Bryan Murphy blanking them in game 1, and Boston’s top-level offense scoring 10 off Buffalo pitching in game 2. Houston remains the best team in the game right now, but Boston showed they can hang with them. Detroit remains Boston’s closest competition despite a tougher week in which they were no-hit by San Diego’s Brice Asmus, and then two-hit the following night by Joey Dulin. Add that to a strong turn by Yusuke Kondo of the Solons and Detroit had a down week offensively, falling another game back. But Baltimore is fading faster, and was in free fall this week at 2-5, swept by Houston and losing two of three to the last place Monarchs. The Terrapins fell below .500 for the first time this season. Baltimore’s offense hasn’t been bad, but it hasn’t been nearly good enough to survive the revolving door at the back end of the Pins rotation, and there are signs that Eric Cool’s success as a starter is wearing thin. Randy Putnam and Corey Spry have been good, but there are three other days a week to worry about. Montreal, Ottawa, and New Orleans are bunched below Baltimore, at seven, eight, and nine games back apiece. Houston had a two-faced week, sweeping Baltimore convincingly before being swept by Boston just as convincingly. The best news for Houston has to be the tear that rookie Aaron Ferguson went on, as the preseason Rookie of the Year favorite rebounded from a long slump to hit .464 with four XBH at the top of their lineup. Houston still has a major pitching problem, which Boston exploited, and will need to address it soon - they may be eight games up on the D2 West, but they need a championship in order to have real hope of promotion to D1. The most likely promotee is in second place: the Mounties may be eight games back but at 36-27 they’ve been more than respectable. That’s due to their best-in-division pitching staff, led by lefty Franklin Romero and staff ace Danny Tanon. With Leo Rodriguez and Colin Hannigan still underperforming, though, the offense could use a boost. There’s a big drop after Vancouver, with Sacramento 14 games back. Ft. Worth was 6-1 this week behind the hot hitting of Player of the Week Lorenzo Tapia, and Jesse Moeller had a good week with a couple homers; it would take a lot for Ft. Worth to contend, but a winning record and closing in on second place is hardly out of the question. And that leaves Kansas City and San Diego, who despite Brice Asmus’ heroics are tied for last in the Conference. Player of the Week: Lorenzo Tapia, 1B, FTW: .500/.633/1.045, 3 HR, 12 R, 7 RBI Top Hitters: Rogelio Ventura, LF, BOS: .316/.480/.842, 3 HR, 5 R, 9 RBI Kyle Hickenbottom, LF, NOL: .333/.400/.852, 4 HR, 4 R, 8 RBI Aaron Ferguson, 2B, HOU: .464/.500/.679, 4 2B, 1 3B, 5 R, 4 RBI Top Pitchers: Steven Johnston, SP, KCM: 1-1, 16 IP, 0.56 ERA, 1.50 FIP, 19 K Bryan Murphy, SP, BOS: 1-0, 9 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.01 FIP, 11 K Brice Asmus, SP, SDP: 1-0, 15.2 IP, 1.72 ERA, 3.00 FIP, 13 K, 5 HA (no-hitter 9/14 vs. Detroit) League News Montreal added a solid bullpen arm Monday, trading a minor leaguer to Albuquerque for Antonio Hernandez. Hernandez, a veteran arm who helped Seattle take back to back D1 titles in 2033 and 2034, was having an outstanding year for Albuquerque and should provide the Expos some back end depth. San Diego starter Brice Asmus made history this week, throwing the fourth no-hitter in San Diego franchise history as he blanked the Detroit Stars on Tuesday. The lefthander struck out eight in a narrow 1-0 win, though he walked three in the effort. Asmus is off to a great start in 2039, and this game is the feather in his cap so far. Zephyrs OF confirmed today that he’ll be retiring at the end of the season, citing a desire to leave before his production had fully vanished. The 14 year veteran will leave with over 220 homers, 700 RBI, 500 walks, and 700 runs in his NABF career. Division 3 Nashville is still on top in the East, but if Columbus keeps going like this they won’t be for long. The Sounds put up a respectable 5-2 record this week behind RF Eric Cano, C Miguel Navarro, and 1B Jonathan Cosner, but Columbus was 6-1, having lost just one of their last ten games. Ricky Ponce only had eight hits over the week, but five of them went over a fence; Phil Osborne, Fred Burdette, and Fernando Cruz were on fire all week as well. Atlanta is still hanging around, at 34-31 and eight games back courtesy of Sam Stanton’s MVP-level early year. And Memphis has bounced back some, giving the East a three way tie for fourth between the Blues, Cleveland, and Miami, all at 29-36. While there’s a three way tie for last place in the East, in the West we’ve got three teams knotted in first. Calgary, Austin, and St Paul have identical 33-32 records in what is yet again the weakest conference in the Federation. And no one is really out of it: San Francisco is just two games back and hoping young hometown prospect Jared Kraft is about to turn a corner, while Salt Lake and Portland lurk three and four games back respectively. This is truly anyone’s conference right now. Player of the Week: Sam Stanton, DH, ATL: .346/.433/.885, 4 HR, 6 R, 7 RBI Top Hitters: Ricky Ponce, RF, CMB: .296/.375/.852, 5 HR, 6 R, 10 RBI Jeremy Almy, LF, AUS: .348/.407/.739, 2 HR, 3 2B, 6 R, 6 RBI Rob Cady, SS/SP, SLC: .417/.500/.583, 1 HR, 1 2B, 4 R, 2 RBI Top Pitchers: John McNayr, SP, STP: 1-0, 16 IP, 2.25 ERA, 1.90 FIP, 20 K Jared Kraft, SP, SFS: 0-1, 8 IP, 2.25 IP, 0.15 FIP, 13 K Felipe Esparza, SP, STP: 1-1, 15 IP, 1.20 ERA, 2.50 FIP, 24 K League News It was not a good news day for the San Francisco Seals, as the team announced season ending injuries for two players today. Backup OF/1B Tom Gunter is done for the year following a brutal collision at second during Thursday’s game against Atlanta. Gunter had to be taken from the field after a head injury, and word came today that in order to recover from a concussion Gunter will be on the IL for the remainder of 2039. In addition, SP Mark Gurnee, who was 6-5 for the Seals with a 4.33 ERA, suffered a torn flexor tendon on Tuesday, and after getting a second opinion will be undergoing season-ending surgery. St. Paul starter Felipe Esparza had everything working against Cleveland on Saturday, going the distance in a three-hit shutout, striking out 14 for the first time in his career. Esparza is enjoying a career year at age 27, and his devastating changeup was responsible for several swings and misses in the Saints’ 5-0 victory. The market for relievers has opened early, and the Red Birds took advantage today, sending mior league 2B George Gagnon to the Gulls in exchange for reliever Brad Ward. Ward isn’t expected to play a major role in Columbus’s run, but could be a useful depth piece. Division 4 The Crawfords just keep winning. The 1st place Pittsburgh club cut through Albuquerque, winning three straight with a combined score of 16-3, then took two of three from Milwaukee before dropping an 11-3 win onto Havana Sunday. Through it all, that killer pitching staff kept scoring to a minimum - only 14 runs in those seven games, while Pittsburgh’s #1 offense kept rolling. But Indianapolis has a pitching staff too, and the Clowns showed it with three straight shutouts against Havana, sweeping the Sugar Kings without allowing a single run. Indianapolis has major offensive holes, but if they finally get that pitching clicking, they could pose a real challenge. The gap between the best and the rest is growing in the East, with Charlotte now seven games back and slipping; the Tigers (31-34, 8 GB) still have a far better run differential than their record shows, but it’s getting later in the year now and this just might be who they are. Behind them, the Senators and Sugar Kings battled it out for fifth; Havana had a dreadful 1-6 week, getting outscored 45-13 as calls to drop them into the regionals grows. San Antonio right now is as sure a thing as exists in the NABF, at ten games up on Las Vegas. There may be trouble on the horizon as offensive star RF Morgan Teeple was injured on a baserunning play and is getting checked out by specialists; the team will know a diagnosis soon. If Teeple is out for an extended period it could hurt San Antonio, but they have the luxury of wiggle room at the moment. If they falter, though, it seems unlikely it will be the 51s who will catch up: Vegas was 2-5 this week, getting swept by Albuquerque and dropping two of three to Washington as they descend down the standings. St. Louis, however, is headed in the opposite direction: the Browns were 6-1 over their last seven, with their only loss of the week a devastating extra innings walk off by Phoenix after nearly coming back to win it in the ninth. The Dukes, Brewers, and Firebirds are all 14 to 16 games back to close out the conference. Player of the Week: Jason McCollum, 1B, CHR: .385/.429/.923, 4 HR, 2 2B, 4 R, 8 RBI Top Hitters: Ryan Johnston, 3B, STL: .444/.500/.722, 1 HR, 2 2B, 3 R, 5 RBI Morgan Teeple, RF, SAM: .526/.640/.737, 1 HR, 1 2B, 4 R, 3 RBI Paul Sallet, 1B, ALB: .385/.414/.769, 2 HR, 5 R, 7 RBI Top Pitchers: Eric Kronburger, SP, IND: 1-0, 14.2 IP, 0.61 ERA, 2.03 FIP, 14 K Greg Smith, SP, IND: 1-0, 9 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.11 FIP, 13 K, 2 HA Paul Boden, SP, CIN: 1-0, 9 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.77 FIP, 10 K League News Jason McCollum’s hit streak ended at 21 games Thursday as the Senators held the Charlotte star hitless at 0-4 in their victory over the Hornets. McCollum is in the middle of a standout season, hitting .349 with 11 homers. All most Havana batters could do was shake their head while heading back to the dugout, as Greg Smith’s knuckler was nearly unhittable Friday. The young Clowns hurler went the distance against the Sugar Kings, striking out 13 while allowing just two hits and two walks. The 25 year old Smith is working his way into the Pitcher of the Year conversation along with Joel Ortiz of the Crawfords, Matt Haughton of the Senators, and teammates Jason Stanfill and Aaron Cottrell. Attached Images