[BigRed75]

The Quendas hit a bit of a skid, and now find themselves looking up at the Vercelli Celts instead of on top of the division. The 26-19 record sees them 2 1/2 games out.

The #3 spot in the rotation continues to be a concern, as we are now working on our third pitcher in this spot this season. Luis Patino, after some stellar bullpen work (1-0, 0.76 ERA in 23.2 innings) gets the nod as Sixto Sanchez goes back to the bullpen. And Austin Riley in two years has gone from starting 3B to backup 3B to minor league 3B. Hitting below the Mendoza line, he's been replaced by Ke'Bryan Hayes, who gets his first taste of action as a Quenda.

In the DMV, the Beltways are battling back! After a horrendous 4-12 start, the team is actually playing .500 ball, running their record up to 17-25. Still in last place, but now out of the relegation zone (by 1/2 game, but still). The overall trend is encouraging. The bullpen is keeping us afloat and the bats are starting to wake up. 60% of the rotation was overhauled - the new guys might be playing replacement-level ball but that's still better than the negative-WAR turned in by the previous players.

And the good ol' Redlegs are plugging along, still at .500, which is where they were the last time I posted. In P440, where all the dominant teams are conveniently placed in separate divisions, that's good enough for a WC spot. I have managed to sell off some of the more "valuable" (read: 30-85 PP) cards from those five packs I opened eight hours ago. That, along with the points associated with a 20-3 drubbing, put me back above 1,000 PP. I decided to buy yet another pack, because I am a masochist.