[ayaghmour2]

April 22nd, 1929
Toronto Wolves (3-4): 5
Chicago Cougars (2-5): 4

W: Willie Couillard (1-0)
L: Vince DaCosta (0-2)

We tried really hard to come back in this one, but our 3-run 9th fell just short. DaCosta didn't do terrible, allowing 5 runs (4 earned) with 12 hits, a walk, and 3 strikeouts in a complete game. Gary Sanders continued his hot start, going 2-for-2 with a walk, sac-bunt, run scored, and RBI. Rule-5 Pick Mike Smith had a clutch pinch-hit two run triple in the 9th before scoring the third run of the inning. Bob McCarty was 2-for-4 with a walk and RBI. Mack Deal was 1-for-3 with a walk and he scored twice.

April 23rd, 1929
Toronto Wolves (4-4): 11
Chicago Cougars (2-6): 2

W: Don Cannaday (1-1)
L: Johnny Douglas (1-1)

Well, this game was depressing... I really though we could win this series, or at least split, but the Wolves weren't having it. Douglas was pitiful, allowing 15 hits and 10 runs with 3 walks and just 1 strikeout in 6 innings. He hit much better, going 1-for-2 with a run scored. Clyde Lincoln was much better, tossing 3 mop up innings with 2 hits, a run, and strikeout. Joe Davis got the start in left, going 2-for-3 with a double and run scored. Art Panko was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

April 24th, 1929
Chicago Cougars (2-7): 3
Philadelphia Sailors (6-2): 6

W: William Jones (2-0)
L: Babe Wilder (0-2)

The skid stretched to four after we lost our first road game 6-3. Babe Wilder had another subpar start, going 7.1 innings with 11 hits, 6 runs, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts. John Dibblee was 2-for-4 with a double and run scored. Art Panko was 2-for-3 with a sac-bunt, run scored, and two driven in. Barney Green was 2-for-4 with a double and RBI.

April 25th, 1929
Chicago Cougars (3-7): 5
Philadelphia Sailors (6-3): 4

W: Dick Lyons (1-1)
L: Johnny Davis (1-2)
SV: Ace McSherry (1)

Our first road win came quicker then our first home win! And again, it happened against the defending champions! We managed to take the 5-4 lead in the 9th after Harry Simmons doubled home the pinch hitter Mike Smith with two outs.Simmons finished the game 1-for-4 with a walk. Dick Lyons got his first win of the season with a real good start. He went 8 innings with 7 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), 2 walks, and a strikeout. Ace McSherry got his first career save, allowing just 1 hit in a scoreless 9th. John Dibblee went 2-for-4 with a triple, walk, RBI, and 2 runs scored while playing both first and left. Bob McCarty was 2-for-5 with a run scored. Art Panko was 1-for-3 with a run, RBI, and hit by pitch.

April 26th, 1929
Chicago Cougars (3-8): 4
Philadelphia Sailors (7-3): 5

W: Maurice Demby (1-0)
L: Charlie O'Hare (0-2)

The Sailors flipped the script on us and took this one 5-4. You can blame it on Charlie O'Hare, who walked 5 and allowed 2 runs and 2 hits in his 2 innings after Cotton Taylor. Taylor walked 5 and struck out 5 in 6 innings. He allowed 4 runs and 3 hits in the no decision. He also wen 1-for-2 at the plate with a two bagger. John Dibblee went 2-for-3 with a sac bunt, run scored, and driven in. Art Panko was 1-for-4 with a run scored and two run double. Bob McCarty was 1-for-4 with a double and run scored.

April 27th, 1929
Chicago Cougars (3-9): 2
Philadelphia Sailors (8-3): 4

W: Dan Waldman (3-0)
L: Vince DaCosta (0-3)
SV: Oscar Morse (1)

The Sailors came away with the series after a close Saturday game. DaCosta went all 8, allowing 11 hits, 4 runs, and 3 walks with just 2 strikeouts. He went 1-for-3 at the plate with a run scored. John Dibblee went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Bob McCarty was 1-for-2 with a steal, two walks, and a sac-bunt. Barney Green was 1-for-4 with a double and run scored.

April 28th, 1929
Chicago Cougars (4-9): 11
Cleveland Foresters (6-6): 7

W: Clyde Lincoln (1-0)
L: Dick Dover (2-2)

After Johnny Douglas allowed 5 in the 6th (he did suffer a mild hamstring strain) we scored 2 in the 7th, 1 in the 8th, and 3 more in the 9th to take the opener in Cleveland against a struggling Foresters team. Douglas was good until the 6th, where most of his 14 hits and 7 runs (6 earned) happened. He walked 2 and struck out 3. Clyde Lincoln was brilliant, tossing 3 nearly perfect innings with a walk and a strikeout. The waiver claim now has a 1.23 ERA and 0.68 WHIP in 7.1 innings. Art Panko was 2-for-5 with 2 triples, 2 runs, and 3 RBI's. John Dibblee was 3-for-5 with 3 runs and an RBI. Harry Simmons was 2-for-5 with a triple and 2 runs scored. Gary Sanders was 2-for-4 with a double, walk, and 2 RBI's. Mack Deal was 2-for-5 with a double, RBI, and two runs scored. Dick Fessel was 2-for-5 with a run scored and two driven in.

Stars of the Week

Art Panko : 28 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 10 RBI, .357 AVG, .951 OPS
John Dibblee : 29 AB, 11 H, 0 HR, 5 RBI, .379 AVG, .902 OPS
Mack Deal : 26 AB, 9 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .346 AVG, .777 OPS

Looking Ahead: We'll play six games this week before an off day on Sunday. Three will finish the Foresters (6-6) series and the other three will be in New York against the Stars (6-7). The off day was likely a rain out in real life (we base our schedules off the MLB schedules) as we have a fourth game against the Stars on the 6th. We already sit 4.5 games behind the Sailors who have a 1 game lead over Baltimore.

Transactions: Andy Chastian and Roy Evans both cleared waivers and will head to AAA Milwaukee. LHP Bill Kutz signed a minor league contract with a $3,300 option and will head to AAA Milwaukee. The lefty pitched with AAA Portland last season, going 11-4 with 18 saves in 154.1 innings out of the pen. He had a solid 2.74 ERA (124 ERA+) and 1.22 WHIP with 89 strikeouts and 38 walks. His numbers the two seasons prior in AAA were much worse, but my scout is a big fan of his. We also claimed 30-year-old righty Joe Foley off waivers from the Chicago Chiefs. A Chicago native, Foley has two options remaining and really solid career numbers. In 852.1 career innings (including a league leading 315.2 innings in 1926), he's 55-39 with a 3.91 ERA (110 ERA+), 1.52 WHIP, and 198 strikeouts. He does walk a ton of batters, including a league best (worst?) 155 in 1926, however, he did start 46 games. He will join the rotation and is expected to start our next game.

Injury Report: Bill Ashbaugh isn't healthy, and his return is now listed as unknown. He will hopefully be back after tomorrow's sim, as his power is really missed in the lineup. We have a total of 2(!) home runs to start the season. As mentioned, Johnny Douglas left his start with a hamstring strain, and will head to the DL. Lincoln Lefty Elmer Wood will hit the DL with mild shoulder inflammation that will keep him out for two weeks. La Crosse 2B Bill Rose will miss five weeks with a fractured wrist.

Minor League Report: Milwaukee started off a quick 3-0 while Mobile (2-2), Lincoln (1-2), and San Jose (1-2) did not have as great of starts. La Crosse is a solid 4-2 to begin the inaugural season in the Upper Mississippi Valley Association.

SP George DeForest (B San Jose Cougars): His stay in LaCrosse was short (I wanted him to pitch in the Spring and then forgot to promote him), but it included a 6-hit and 9 strikeout shutout of the Waterloo Chiefs. In his two starts, he went 1-1 with a 2.65 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and 21 strikeouts in 17 innings.

SP Heinie Bretz (B San Jose Cougars): In his first start of the season, the righty tossed an 8 hit shutout the day before his 21st birthday. He struck out 4 in a nice 7-0 win over the Vancouver Mounties.

LF Earl Johnson (AA Mobile Commodores): Starting last season, Earl Johnson extended his hit streak to 22 games with his quick start at the plate. In 4 games for Mobile, he's 6-for-15 with 3 walks and 5 RBI's. In 89 games with Mobile last season, he hit .353/.415/.517 (147 OPS+) with 3 homers and 53 RBI's, as the 21-year-old looks to force his way into the outfield pitcher.

Amateur Report:

1B Ed Jordan (Rainier College Majestics): The best hitter on the best team in the AIAA, the draft eligible junior went 5-for-6 in a 12-1 domination over the Travis College Bucks. The Majestics are an impressive 22-5, and while their rotation carries the tam, Jordan gives their weak offense a much needed boost. In 107 at bats, the lefty is hitting .318/.422/.908 (135 OPS+) with 4 homers and 19 RBI's. He's a little of a late bloomer, as he didn't play much as a freshman and while he was decent last year (114 OPS+) he really took the next step this season.

RF Sam Brown (Pierpont Purple): The freshman has taken the league by storm, as he's started his professional career with a 27 game hit streak that earned him the most recent Player of the Week in the Northeastern conference. He's hitting an impressive .382/.429/.673 (186 OPS+) with 9 homers and 25 RBI's. The lefty has a really solid contact power mix and a disciplined approach at the plate that will lead to a lot of walks, although it's not like anyone wants to pitch to him anyways. He's brought relevance back to Pierpont, as they're 16-11 and just 1 game out of first in the Academia Alliance.

RF Bobby Many (Whitney College Engineers): He's done everything he can to prove that he deserves to be taken in the first round, as the lefty slugger Bobby Many is hitting an insane .434/.532/.909 (244 OPS+) with 13 homers and 54 RBI's in just 27 games for Whitney College. A teammate of a recent 1st Round Pick of ours Harry Humphrey, he's just 2 homers away from the single season Engineers home run record and he just passed Rufe Mason (53) for their single season RBI record. The AIAA RBI record is definitely in reach, as he needs just 68 to break current Everett Eagles (B) 1B Wally Cox 1927 record. He's on pace to shatter it with 100. He doesn't even have the best average on his team, as freshman 2B Al Haynes is hitting .461. He was named Continental Region Player of the Week as well, hitting .455 with 5 homers and 17 RBI's.

SP Fred Collins (Henry Hudson Explorers): As a Freshman last season, Collins had his struggles, but he looks to have taken a giant step forward this season. After a 3-hit shutout of the Sadler Bluecoats, he improved to 5-3 on the season with a 2.56 ERA (189 ERA+) and 1.15 WHIP in 63.1 innings for the Explorers. A groundballer, Collins has a high 80s cutter with a curve, slider, and change. ERA estimators haven't been a big fan of his (4.85 FIP, 100 FIP-), as his K/9 has dropped from 8.6 to 2.7. Even then, Collins is definitely a name to keep an eye on.

SP Don Esposito (Chicago HS Wildcats): There are very few pitchers in high school who will throw two complete game shutouts in their career. But, the Chicago HS freshman from Mount Prospect Don Esposito already has two this season, including his most recent against the San Francisco HS Navigators. Esposito has been nearly perfect for the first place Wildcats, going 6-0 with a 1.24 ERA (264 ERA+), 0.73 WHIP, and 29 strikeouts in 51 innings. It's probably a little too early to declare him a future star, but the Cougars organization is definitely keeping close tabs on the youngster.

SP Harvey Childers (San Francisco HS Navigators): Even though his team may have been outplayed by the Wildcats, they have a dominate pitcher of their own in the southpaw Childers. The Navigators also lead their division, and Childers' performance has aided that. He's 3-0 with a 1.42 ERA (226 ERA+) and 1.11 WHIP in 31.2 innings. The senior may have been even better last season, going 4-4 with a 1.75 ERA (244 ERA+), 1.06 WHIP, and 84 strikeouts in 67 innings. Childers will be draft eligible this off-season, and he seems likely to be drafted in towards the beginning of the draft.