[ayaghmour2]

August 5th, 1929
Brooklyn Kings (48-56): 8
Chicago Cougars (41-61): 14

W: Dick Lyons (12-9)
L: Jim Langley (9-12)

We scored *11* runs in the first inning only got one batter out, striking out Dick Fessel while every other Cougar he faced reach base and scored. That inning proved to be extremely helpful, as Dick Lyons pitched pretty poorly but didn't really have to worry. He went 7 innings with 10 hits, 7 runs, 4 walks, and 3 strikeouts. John Dibblee went 3-for-4 with a walk, homer, 2 runs, and 4 RBI's. Bob McCarty was 3-for-4 with a triple, walk, RBI, and 2 runs scored. Mack Deal was 3-for-5 with a double, walk, 2 runs, and an RBI. Harry Simmons was 3-for-6 with a double, 2 runs, and 2 RBI's. Bill Ashbaugh was 2-for-4 with a walk and run scored.

August 6th, 1929
Brooklyn Kings (48-57): 2
Chicago Cougars (42-61): 3

W: Charley O'Hare (7-3)
L: Leon Thompson (11-11)
SV: Ray Powell (1)

The finale saw much less scoring, but we managed to finish the homestand with a split. Charley O'Hare was excellent, 7.1 innings with 6 hits, 1 run, 4 walks, and 3 strikeouts. Bill Ashbaugh was 2-for-4 with a double, steal, and 2 runs scored. Art Panko was 1-for-3 with a two run homer. Luke Nixon was 1-for-2 with a double, walk, and RBI.

August 9th, 1929
Chicago Cougars (42-63): 3
New York Stars (56-48): 4

W: Dick Richards (10-6)
L: Joe Foley (0-4)
SV: Phil English (14)

The two days off lead to a loss in the lone game in New York against the Stars. Joe Foley finally allowed less runs then innings, allowing 12 hits, 4 runs, and 4 walks with 2 strikeouts in 8 innings. John Dibblee was 3-for-4 with a run scored. Bob McCarty was 2-for-3 with a steal. Bill Ashbaugh was 1-for-2 with a double, run scored, RBI, and 2 sac-bunts (not sure why he'd even be sacrifice bunting...). Fred Barrell was 1-for-3 with a walk, run scored, and RBI.

August 10th, 1929
Chicago Cougars (42-64): 8
Baltimore Cannons (60-48): 11

W: Buzz Ham (5-5)
L: Ace McSherry (0-5)

We opened up the Cannons series by giving away a game we should've won multiple times. We blew a 5-3 lead and 8-7 lead capped off with a Joe Welsh walk-off three run homer of Ace McSherry. He allowed 5 runs and 6 hits with 1 strikeout in 1.1 innings. Dick Kadlec went 7, allowing 10 hits, 6 runs, and 5 walks with 3 strikeouts, but was 2-for-3 with a stolen base, run scored, and RBI. Joe Davis was 2-for-5 with a stolen base, double, triple, run scored, and three driven in. Fred Barrell was 2-for-4 with a triple, run scored, and sac-fly. Art Panko was 2-for-4 with a triple, walk, RBI, and 2 runs scored. Bill Ashbaugh was 2-for-4 with a double, run scored, and walk. John Dibblee was 2-for-4 with a double, run scored, and walk.

August 11th, 1929
Chicago Cougars (42-65): 1
Baltimore Cannons (61-48): 4

W: Rabbit Day (13-9)
L: Dick Lyons (12-10)

The bats fell asleep as the Cannons took the first two of four. Lyons went 8 with 6 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks, and a strikeout. He was also 1-for-2. Luke Nixon was 1-for-4 with a triple and RBI. John Dibblee was 1-for-2 with a walk, hit by pitch, and run scored.

Stars of the Week
John Dibblee : 18 AB, 10 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .556 AVG, 1.414 OPS
Art Panko : 8 AB, 4 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .500 AVG, 1.806 OPS
Bill Ashbaugh : 16 AB, 7 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, .438 AVG, 1.151 OPS

Looking Ahead
We finish the two with the Cannons (61-48) who sit 9.5 games behind the first place Sailors (70-38) who are in the midst of a 10 game win streak. We'll then head to Brooklyn (48-59) and Montreal (55-54) for four a piece. Brooklyn is 6 games ahead of us for 7th in the CA.

We're getting close to roster expansion and some faces we likely will see include recently optioned SP Ben Curtin. He was 1-2 with a 5.55 ERA
(83 ERA+), 1.79 WHIP, and 6 strikeouts in 35.2 big league innings across 5 starts. He has been better with Milwaukee, 7-7 with a 3.27 ERA (129 ERA+), 1.36 WHIP, and 58 strikeouts in 123.2 innings across 17 starts. He'll likely be joined in the pitching ranks with Cotton Taylor (6-8, 4.98 ERA (93 ERA+), 1.79 WHIP, 49 K with Chicago and 1-0, 4.43 ERA (95 ERA+, 1.38 WHIP, 15 K with Milwaukee). On the offensive side, we'll see the outfield trio of Vince York (.310/.353/.445 (106 OPS+), 8 HR, 68 RBI), George Jordan (.294/.333/.460 (104 OPS+), 5 HR, 15 SB, 42 RBI), and Johnny Johnson (.333/.376/.453 (114 OPS+), 6 HR, 48 RBI), but it will be hard to get all the bats in the lineup. SS Slim Bloom (.270/.349/.344 (80 OPS+), 1 HR, 11 SB, 41 RBI) is the only infielder guaranteed a spot even with his struggles. The outfield will likely have guys rotate in and out every game while the rotation will likely expand to a six man job.

Injury Report
AAA RP Michael Ivory, AA CF Harry Humphrey, and B SP Harry Parker will all return to their respective teams. Milwaukee lost CF Wally Yinger to a sore elbow which will cost him 3-4 weeks. Lincoln will be without 3B Cliff Everett for 1-2 weeks with an intercostal strain. Luke Nixon is dealing with a pair of day-to-day injuries so I'd let him rest up until he's healthy.

Minor League Report

SP Johnny Walker (C La Crosse Lions): B Ball proved to be too tough for the 19-year-old (2-4, 7.58 ERA (61 ERA), 1.88 WHIP, 19 K), but in his second start back down in La Crosse, he tossed a 6-hit shutout of the Waterloo Chiefs with 8 strikeouts and just 1 walk. In 15 starts with the Lions, the recent 3rd Round Pick is 11-2 with a 2.21 ERA (152 ERA+), 1.08 WHIP, and 108 strikeouts in 126.1 innings pitched. He'll stay here for the rest of the season, but I'd love to see Walker start next season in San Jose and end it even higher.

SP Ben Turner (A Lincoln Legislators): With Mack Deal already graduated and Fred Barrell set to graduate off our top prospect list, Ben Turner (#33rd Overall) will be our new #1 prospect. He just earned himself the promotion to Mobile, and he'll finish A Ball 10-10 with a 4.10 ERA (108 ERA+), 1.54 WHIP, and 31 strikeouts in 140.1 innings across 22 starts. He's just 21, but the righty looks like a future cornerstone in a rotation. He's got four solid pitches headlined by a 89-91 MPH sinker that generates a ton of ground balls. He also boasts excellent control and does an excellent job of limiting walks. This won't be his first shot at Mobile, but the 9th Round Pick from the 1926 draft will likely never see Lincoln again.

SP Gus Cain (AAA Milwaukee Blues): It was a rough start to AAA for Gus Cain, but he's allowed just 1 run in 17 innings with 13 hits, 2 walks, and 16 strikeouts after tossing a shutout over Kansas City in his 13th AAA start. He's now 4-5 with just a 4.42 ERA (95 ERA+), 1.43 WHIP, and 63 strikeouts in 95.2 innings. If it wasn't for his struggles with AAA batters, Cain would probably already have been in the majors filling in a rotation spot, but he has a few more outings left to prove he deserves a promotion before the seasons end. He's likely guaranteed a roster spot in the offseason, but I would love to see the side winding lefty put together a string of quality starts the rest of the way.