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Eugene Church · 06-04-2011, 10:27 PM

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, June 18, 2024

2024 Ruthlandian East Mid-Season Recap

6-Team Skuffle In RU East
A wide-open race is roaring in the Ruthlandian East with 6 teams within 3 games of one another. Eastshore and Wynnamac are tied for the top spot, one game ahead of runners-up Marston and Sugar Valley and only 3 games in front of Beechwood and Belle Plaine, who are tied for fifth place. Last year's division champ Elnora is seventh, 10 games off the pace and Cold Creek is last, trailing by 12. There is no dominant team in the RU East this season. It's anybody's ball game among the 6 contenders. Most of the clubs in the division are just average teams and the pennant winner is not likely to go very far in the Pro Cup playoffs.

Manager Killer Brewster doesn't have the horses he had in the Eastshore Elegants (38-35) heydays 0f 2016 to 2021 when they won two Pro Cups and four pennants and finished no lower than second... however he has them tied with Wynnamac at mid-season... Melvin Key is one of the few players around from those good old days... the 30-year-old Key (11-2 2.92) is still on top of his game and is the ace of the staff... closer Milt Campbell (1-3 ) has 15 saves and a 2.05 ERA... 2B Gerry Garner (.306 BA/14 HR/43 RBI/36 R) is still around from the Golden Years... they just need more help.

Good pitching has Matt Donnelly's Wynnamac Sundowners (38-35) in a first-place tie... leading the rotation are youngsters Jimmy Nichols (5-1 2.09), Jason Meeks (6-5 2.47) and Lon Marshall (7-10 2.49)... all they need is better run support and the Sundowners would really shine... vet closer Jim Horton gives Donnelly good relief... Horton (5-1 1.88) has had a strong year so far with 14 saves... 1B Pete Simmons (.332 BA/4 HR/35 RBI), 2B Liam Cadbury (.301 BA/6 HR/30 RBI/43 R), 3B Dorak Aranda (.275 BA/10 HR/47 RBI) and Lil Hoss Burkhalter (.291 BA/4 HR/32 RBI) provide most of the offense.

The third-place Sugar Valley Rattlers (37-36) play in little bitty ballpark with a lot of runs and home runs... If Gibby Bobkins' pitchers can keep the team ERA under 4.00, the Rattlers do very well... Well, this season it's the best it has ever been... Sugar Valley's staff has chalked up a 3.32 team ERA (10th) at the halfway point in the season, led by Nick Moore (9-5 2.42), a 10-year-vet... plus the bullpen is one of the best in the IPA with a 2.22 ERA (4th)... closer Dallas Casey (2-1 1.50) has posted 14 saves... middle relievers Milt Baker (0-1 2.54) and Joe Christopher (1-3 2.06) have excelled, too... As always, the Rattlers do well at the plate with 75 homers (2nd), sparked by young vets 1B Dean Woods (.316 BA/16 HR/46 RBI), RF Randall Hawson (.313 BA/16 HR/38 RBI), LF Marty Beckett (.289 BA/15 HR/47 RBI) and second-year 2B Jan Kissinger (.356 BA/3 HR/35 RBI)... Sugar valley plays good defense, too, sporting a fine .976 fielding average (5th)... IPA fielding average is .972 FA.

The Marston Nine (37-36) are tied for third with Sugar Valley, both just one game out of first... it's been six years since the Nine was a serious contender in the RU East... skipper Johnny Walters has four quality starters in ace Ronald Schmitt (10-5 2.86), Wayne Taylor (11-7 3.89), Anson Thomas (6-6 3.31) and Warren Tate (6-9 3.81)... but lacks a bullpen... Marston is terrible in relief with a 4.44 ERA (32nd)... Walters had a better-than-average offense with LF Carlton Curtis (.369 BA/7 HR/34 RBI/39 R) leading the way... Curtis missed almost all of his rookie season last year with an injury, playing only 10 games... Curtis has come back with a vengeance and is second in the batting race... all-time great CF Russ Woodward, a .325 career batting is hitting just .280 this year, but he is very productive with 12 homers, 42 RBIs and has scored 52 runs... 1B Mel Hawkins tops the team with 16 roundtrippers, 54 RBIs, while batting .258.

The fifth-place Beechwood Bobcats (35-38) have the same record as Belle Plaine... they trail the leaders by only 3 games... it's been 10 years since manager Bret George had a losing season... the Bobcats pitchers have gone to pot with a pathetic 4.24 team ERA (32nd)... Ken DeGraw (11-6 2.82) is carrying the club with help from Marty Panko (10-8 3.79)... 25-game winner Frank Mullins is struggling badly with a 7-9 mark and an atrocious 4.83 ERA... Beechwood is average at the plate, but has some talented bats... IPA superstar CF Vic Valenti leads the team with 9 homers and 45 RBIs... a lifetime .330 hitter, at mid-year Valenti is down quite bit average-wise at .280... Valenti won the Golden Bat Award last year and also another Golden Glove... other contributors are RF Jojo Davis (.318 BA/5 HR/24 RBI), LF Miron Burczyk (.307 BA/7 HR/29 RBI/40 R) and SS Artie Morton (.280 BA/7 HR/33 RBI).

This year is the Belle Plaine Musketeers (35-38) best chance to make the first division in 10 years... skipper Dave Torregrossa has improved pitching and hitting... at the plate the Muskies are paced by some solid sticks: SS Slick Hammill (.303 BA/8 HR/35 RBI), RF Leon Bourque (.311 BA/10 HR/45 RBI/49 R), C Derek Roman (.328 BA/8 HR/32 RBI/39 R) and 3B Tyler Verret (.305 BA/7 HR/47 RBI/42 R)... on the hill the Musketeers have two standouts: starter Johnny Davenport (13-6 3.23) and closer Tiny Ladrieux (1-1) with 11 saves and a microscopic 0.35 ERA... Ladrieux has given up only 1 earned run in 26 innings.

Are the defending RU East champion Elnora All-Stars (28-45) as bad as they have played this season?... Sam Malone's team has stumbled badly and dropped down to seventh place, 10 games off the pace... Malone says they are losing too many one-run games... the All-Stars have lost 17 one-run decisions this season... a bullpen with a 4.01 ERA (29th) is the culprit, especially the middle relievers... Malone starters have done well with a 3.18 ERA (5th)... lousy offense and poor relief have combined to do in the All-Stars... Will Hamilton is 5-9, but has a 2.36 ERA... Lucien Vachon is 6-11, but has a 2.83 ERA... closer Bud Foster has been fine with a 5-1 mark and a superb 0.75 ERA... Malone's best bats belong to RF Travis Glass (.303 BA/9 HR/39 RBI) and 1B Benny Cortazzo (.291 BA/9 HR/29 RBI)... the team is hitting only .240 (27th) and is ranked 31st in scoring runs.

Manager Trip Holmes and his Cold Creek Catamounts (26-47) seem to be headed for the fourth last-place finish in the last six seasons... the Catamounts are 12 games out at the All-Star break with not much hope of getting higher... Cold Creek is anemic at the plate with a .223 team BA (32nd), one of the worst, possibly the worst in IPA history... it's hard to compete when your best hitter is LF Carl Glick with a .272 BA, 9 homers and 42 RBIs... Jon Howard (7-10 2.92) is the Catamounts top pitcher and a pretty good one, too... not a lot of talent after Glick and Howard.

Ruthlandian East Forecast:
It will come down to Sugar Valley and Wynnamac for the pennant... Will the Rattlers good offense and good pitching beat the Sundowners at the plate and on the mound? The experts think Wynnamac with its strong starters and quality offense will edge out Sugar Valley for the RU flag... Eastshore doesn't look good on paper, despite being in first place at All-Star time... the Elegants may have a tough time holding off the Beechwood Bobcats for third place... but should hold on to fourth, beating off Marston and Belle Plaine... Elnora could right itself and climb higher by season's end... Cold Creek will have to wait until next year... or the next... or the next...

06-04-2011, 10:27 PM	#2559
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,910	*The Islandian Times* Tuesday, June 18, 2024 2024 Ruthlandian East Mid-Season Recap 6-Team Skuffle In RU East A wide-open race is roaring in the Ruthlandian East with 6 teams within 3 games of one another. Eastshore and Wynnamac are tied for the top spot, one game ahead of runners-up Marston and Sugar Valley and only 3 games in front of Beechwood and Belle Plaine, who are tied for fifth place. Last year's division champ Elnora is seventh, 10 games off the pace and Cold Creek is last, trailing by 12. There is no dominant team in the RU East this season. It's anybody's ball game among the 6 contenders. Most of the clubs in the division are just average teams and the pennant winner is not likely to go very far in the Pro Cup playoffs. Manager Killer Brewster doesn't have the horses he had in the Eastshore Elegants (38-35) heydays 0f 2016 to 2021 when they won two Pro Cups and four pennants and finished no lower than second... however he has them tied with Wynnamac at mid-season... Melvin Key is one of the few players around from those good old days... the 30-year-old Key (11-2 2.92) is still on top of his game and is the ace of the staff... closer Milt Campbell (1-3 ) has 15 saves and a 2.05 ERA... 2B Gerry Garner (.306 BA/14 HR/43 RBI/36 R) is still around from the Golden Years... they just need more help. Good pitching has Matt Donnelly's Wynnamac Sundowners (38-35) in a first-place tie... leading the rotation are youngsters Jimmy Nichols (5-1 2.09), Jason Meeks (6-5 2.47) and Lon Marshall (7-10 2.49)... all they need is better run support and the Sundowners would really shine... vet closer Jim Horton gives Donnelly good relief... Horton (5-1 1.88) has had a strong year so far with 14 saves... 1B Pete Simmons (.332 BA/4 HR/35 RBI), 2B Liam Cadbury (.301 BA/6 HR/30 RBI/43 R), 3B Dorak Aranda (.275 BA/10 HR/47 RBI) and Lil Hoss Burkhalter (.291 BA/4 HR/32 RBI) provide most of the offense. The third-place Sugar Valley Rattlers (37-36) play in little bitty ballpark with a lot of runs and home runs... If Gibby Bobkins' pitchers can keep the team ERA under 4.00, the Rattlers do very well... Well, this season it's the best it has ever been... Sugar Valley's staff has chalked up a 3.32 team ERA (10th) at the halfway point in the season, led by Nick Moore (9-5 2.42), a 10-year-vet... plus the bullpen is one of the best in the IPA with a 2.22 ERA (4th)... closer Dallas Casey (2-1 1.50) has posted 14 saves... middle relievers Milt Baker (0-1 2.54) and Joe Christopher (1-3 2.06) have excelled, too... As always, the Rattlers do well at the plate with 75 homers (2nd), sparked by young vets 1B Dean Woods (.316 BA/16 HR/46 RBI), RF Randall Hawson (.313 BA/16 HR/38 RBI), LF Marty Beckett (.289 BA/15 HR/47 RBI) and second-year 2B Jan Kissinger (.356 BA/3 HR/35 RBI)... Sugar valley plays good defense, too, sporting a fine .976 fielding average (5th)... IPA fielding average is .972 FA. The Marston Nine (37-36) are tied for third with Sugar Valley, both just one game out of first... it's been six years since the Nine was a serious contender in the RU East... skipper Johnny Walters has four quality starters in ace Ronald Schmitt (10-5 2.86), Wayne Taylor (11-7 3.89), Anson Thomas (6-6 3.31) and Warren Tate (6-9 3.81)... but lacks a bullpen... Marston is terrible in relief with a 4.44 ERA (32nd)... Walters had a better-than-average offense with LF Carlton Curtis (.369 BA/7 HR/34 RBI/39 R) leading the way... Curtis missed almost all of his rookie season last year with an injury, playing only 10 games... Curtis has come back with a vengeance and is second in the batting race... all-time great CF Russ Woodward, a .325 career batting is hitting just .280 this year, but he is very productive with 12 homers, 42 RBIs and has scored 52 runs... 1B Mel Hawkins tops the team with 16 roundtrippers, 54 RBIs, while batting .258. The fifth-place Beechwood Bobcats (35-38) have the same record as Belle Plaine... they trail the leaders by only 3 games... it's been 10 years since manager Bret George had a losing season... the Bobcats pitchers have gone to pot with a pathetic 4.24 team ERA (32nd)... Ken DeGraw (11-6 2.82) is carrying the club with help from Marty Panko (10-8 3.79)... 25-game winner Frank Mullins is struggling badly with a 7-9 mark and an atrocious 4.83 ERA... Beechwood is average at the plate, but has some talented bats... IPA superstar CF Vic Valenti leads the team with 9 homers and 45 RBIs... a lifetime .330 hitter, at mid-year Valenti is down quite bit average-wise at .280... Valenti won the Golden Bat Award last year and also another Golden Glove... other contributors are RF Jojo Davis (.318 BA/5 HR/24 RBI), LF Miron Burczyk (.307 BA/7 HR/29 RBI/40 R) and SS Artie Morton (.280 BA/7 HR/33 RBI). This year is the Belle Plaine Musketeers (35-38) best chance to make the first division in 10 years... skipper Dave Torregrossa has improved pitching and hitting... at the plate the Muskies are paced by some solid sticks: SS Slick Hammill (.303 BA/8 HR/35 RBI), RF Leon Bourque (.311 BA/10 HR/45 RBI/49 R), C Derek Roman (.328 BA/8 HR/32 RBI/39 R) and 3B Tyler Verret (.305 BA/7 HR/47 RBI/42 R)... on the hill the Musketeers have two standouts: starter Johnny Davenport (13-6 3.23) and closer Tiny Ladrieux (1-1) with 11 saves and a microscopic 0.35 ERA... Ladrieux has given up only 1 earned run in 26 innings. Are the defending RU East champion Elnora All-Stars (28-45) as bad as they have played this season?... Sam Malone's team has stumbled badly and dropped down to seventh place, 10 games off the pace... Malone says they are losing too many one-run games... the All-Stars have lost 17 one-run decisions this season... a bullpen with a 4.01 ERA (29th) is the culprit, especially the middle relievers... Malone starters have done well with a 3.18 ERA (5th)... lousy offense and poor relief have combined to do in the All-Stars... Will Hamilton is 5-9, but has a 2.36 ERA... Lucien Vachon is 6-11, but has a 2.83 ERA... closer Bud Foster has been fine with a 5-1 mark and a superb 0.75 ERA... Malone's best bats belong to RF Travis Glass (.303 BA/9 HR/39 RBI) and 1B Benny Cortazzo (.291 BA/9 HR/29 RBI)... the team is hitting only .240 (27th) and is ranked 31st in scoring runs. Manager Trip Holmes and his Cold Creek Catamounts (26-47) seem to be headed for the fourth last-place finish in the last six seasons... the Catamounts are 12 games out at the All-Star break with not much hope of getting higher... Cold Creek is anemic at the plate with a .223 team BA (32nd), one of the worst, possibly the worst in IPA history... it's hard to compete when your best hitter is LF Carl Glick with a .272 BA, 9 homers and 42 RBIs... Jon Howard (7-10 2.92) is the Catamounts top pitcher and a pretty good one, too... not a lot of talent after Glick and Howard. Ruthlandian East Forecast: It will come down to Sugar Valley and Wynnamac for the pennant... Will the Rattlers good offense and good pitching beat the Sundowners at the plate and on the mound? The experts think Wynnamac with its strong starters and quality offense will edge out Sugar Valley for the RU flag... Eastshore doesn't look good on paper, despite being in first place at All-Star time... the Elegants may have a tough time holding off the Beechwood Bobcats for third place... but should hold on to fourth, beating off Marston and Belle Plaine... Elnora could right itself and climb higher by season's end... Cold Creek will have to wait until next year... or the next... or the next... Last edited by Eugene Church; 06-04-2011 at 10:34 PM.