Los Angeles Kings (34-25, .576, 2nd NL West) @ Minnesota North Stars (31-29, .517, 3rd NL East)
As a case-study in what you get when you pair a tip-top offense with a pitching staff so inadequate that they are often mistaken for a collection of beer league softball players – Minnesota has performed admirably. Look, they’re above .500 and are doing it based solely on their offensive acumen… 12th in RA, Starters ERA, Bullpen ERA, FIP in the hurling department and fortunate to have some sticks that know a little bit about being clutch when the chips are down. These guys are 2-3 arms away from being serious… problem is that they will either have to be patient or give up some of the minor league prospects they’ve been tucking away over that last two seasons. Patience, in this case, will pay huge dividends if each of their prospects approaches their potential. Minnesota is a few years away from being a perennial threat – so, for now, we just need to stay focused and get the job done here.
60 of 162: Paul Yeager (5-4, 4.54) @ Adrian Hollyfield (2-2, 3.64)
Win, 5-4. Yeager picked up the win and our offense provided all the padding we would need despite Barbaccia giving blowing this one his best shot… Zody went 2 for 3 with a HR and 2 runs. Otto put his 13th out, and McTaggart, picking up right where he left off, hit his 9th long ball of 2078.
61 of 162: Trevor Dotson (4-2, 4.80) @ Dejuan Burns (6-3, 4.13)
Win, 5-2. Dotson gave us 8 superb innings, K’d 5, and only allowed two runs while Dick McTaggart finished 3 for 4 with a double, 3 RBI, and a walk. Ethan also put together one of his best days so far with a 4 for 5 game that saw him hit two doubles and score twice. Barbaccia actually managed to get the save in this one – it’s his 20th of 2078 and puts him in the top slot for closers so far this year.
62 of 162: Newton Weiser (7-5, 3.49) @ Octavio Cervera (2-6, 5.63)
Win, 10-1. A sweep and an exclamation point on the road in Minnesota! Newton gave up 1 over 8 (and added 7 K’s), McTaggart was clutch again – 4 for 5 with a triple and 2 RBIs, and Otto hit a GRAND SLAM in the top of the 3rd. Ethan went 2 for 5 with a run and was hit by an errant throw from pitcher Octavio Cervera that almost caused a bench-clearing brawl – the scene of OH HONG holding all 145lbs of Otto back from charging the mound on Ethan’s behalf solicited more laughter than derision from the home team – if he wants to play the role of Billy Badass he’ll need to beef up a bit.
Elsewhere: Tom Franzone, to the surprise of no one, took home the NL’s Player of the Week honors for his efforts at the plate – he went 10 for 22 with 3 jacks and 7 RBIs in 6 games played - .358/23/68 so far in 2078… and our sweep over Shawna’s North Stars moved us into a 2-way tie for 1st in the NL West with the Phoenix Suns – we’re making some power moves now and expect to have this thing under our thumb by the end of the month.
