[pauwoo]

Pittsburgh Steelers (51-33, .607, 1st NL East) @ Miami United (45-38, .542, 2nd NL East)
Tom Franzone has all the juice – internationally known, extremely popular, national Yuengling spokesman, leading all-star vote-getter in the national league… but, he might not even be the best player on the Steelers in the first half as Remildo Puente has not-so-quietly put together his best season as a pro so far. Puente has been fierce for Steel City - .325/.382/.586, with a .964 OPS, 3.4 WAR, 21 HRs, and 76 RBIs… the Seacaucus, NJ native is really putting it down this year and will be arbitration-eligible at the end of this campaign. Pittsburgh’s finances will likely be taut next year… entirely worth it though when the heart of your lineup already has 44 jacks and 138 RBIs before the all-star break. This one will likely be a tough 4-game stretch for us – Pittsburgh’s pitching is solid, hard to find much fault in their rotation and the bullpen has something snappy too, and their offense, Captained by Franzone, is as deadly as it gets. We’ll need to stay scrappy, step into the pocket, and reel off as many consecutive check hooks as we can if we are to approach the results we’re looking for here…

84 of 162: Robby Garrett (8-6, 4.26) @ Murray Wagner (5-3, 5.88)
Loss, 2-1. Oof… Murray was solid, better than solid really, and gave us a great 8 with 5 hits and 2 earned… wasn’t enough though as our offense went lame in this one… 2 for 4 day with an RBI for Saucerman, he’s now hit safely in two straight games, Anaconda and Crawford both went 0 for 3 (Crawford drew a walk though), Webster got the DH nod over OH HONG and did nothing with it (0 for 4), and Marshburn got caught with his hand in the honey pot. On the Brightside, Franzone and Puente didn’t hurt us. Well, that’s not entirely true as Puente drove in the winning run on a double during the top of the 8th… the kid is pretty good at baseball.

Elsewhere: Jonah Dove (CAR) smacked two balls out of the park in Carolina’s 5-4 win over the New York Jets… 37-years old and still going strong – Dove now has 20 jacks so far and a .942 OPS for the season – which, if it holds (it won’t), will be his best posting in that category during his 15-year major league career. Otto Isaac (LAK) hit his 19th jack of the season – he’s only played in 53 games this season and seems to be hellbent on making up for lost time. Easton Thorne, currently plying his trade in Triple-A with the Huntington Beach Bombers, went 4 for 4 with a solo shot and 2 runs in his clubs 7-5 win over the Hartford Whale… 37-years old and hanging on for dear life, Easton was purchased by San Diego from the Beaumont Bullies after playing in only 2 games for the Bush League club (that, of course, is after playing for 4 different BL clubs since 2077… with stops in Naperville, Shreveport, Nolanville, and Dearborn along the way – never give up on your dreams, kids)… Speaking of the Bush League and of the Beaumont Bullies specifically, their Catcher, Pancho Reyes, went 2 for 2 with 2 jacks, 4 RBIs, and 2 free passes in his clubs 11-2 win over the Roanoke Raccoons – the 27-year old Costa Rican, and former Pennsylvania Quaker, managed to get an extended cup of coffee in the bigs with Montreal before turning his attention to the BL in 2080… he’s hitting .235/.359/.569 with 14 HRs and 36 RBIs in 51 games with the Bullies thus far.



85 of 162: Vin Uhlman (8-4, 3.73) @ Julian Horne (9-2, 2.48)
Win, 4-1. We’d get 7 innings of work from Horne here with 8 hits, 1 earned, and 8 Ks, OH HONG went 1 for 3 with a 2-run HR, and Jerome Dial earned his 16th Save of the season… Magno hit two, two-baggers and scored twice, Anaconda registered his 20th double of the season, drove one in on it, and scored a couple of batters later, and Webster, at it again as the DH, acquitted himself quite nicely in a 2 for 3 effort where he’d drive one in and steal a base. We drew 6 walks as a club, stole two bags, and turned a tasty little double play in the bottom of the 7th that got Horne out of a jam.

Elsewhere: Cadillac Jaime, of the Newport Beach Gypsies (a Vancouver affiliate), went 3 for 5 with 2 ding dongs, 5 RBIs, and 2 runs in his clubs 8-3 win over the Spokane Steelheads… Jaime spent significant stretches in the majors over the last two seasons, but forgot to bring his bat each time and has a paltry .214 average in the top tier – let’s hope that the young man has finally closed up his holes in the strike zone a bit – we need guys named Cadillac in the Majors. 1B Mick Wallin, of the Continental League’s Stockton Sailers, went 3 for 3 with 2 bombs, 4 RBIs, and 4 runs in a 9-0 win over the Little Rock Rascals… in Little Rock – solid day for the Seals’ longshot prospect – and, SP Sylvester Cool, a mainstay of the Chula Vista Terrapins’ rotation, pitched a complete game, 4-hit shutout and fanned 13 batters in his teams 2-0 win over the Fairbanks (AK REPRESENT) Emperors. Cool, like Mick, is a long-shot to make the majors – but, you have to celebrate the little things lest life passes you by.

86 of 162: Beau Skrivan (8-2, 3.47) @ Kordell Littles (9-4, 2.58)
Win, 6-3. Tom Franzone did whatever Tom Franzone wanted to do in this one – 2 for 4, 2 JACKS, 2 RBIs, and 2 runs – but, none of his faithful teammates followed him into the breach and we managed to take home another win in this one… Kordell was strong against all comers, not named Tom Franzone, went 8, allowed 9 hits, 2 dingers, and 3 runs while fanning 8, OH HONG hit his 7th homer, Anaconda hit his 23rd, Jerome secured his 17th SV, Crawford hit a run-scoring double, and we, in back to back games, manage to give our hometown fans something to feel good about against the top club in the NL… this run we’ve been on is really something, man, on one hand I’m wondering when our luck will run out and in the other I’m thinking, “told ya so…”

Elsewhere: Otto Isaac is a man on a mission – he put his 20th ball over the fence today in a 4-3 loss against the NL West-leading San Francisco Seals… if the ol’ boy can keep it up he might work his way into the NL Boyce conversation before this thing is all said and done… Also hitting his 20th today was Aitor Cubas, his was one of 5 homers for Seattle in their 13-4 win over the Golden State Warriors, with one of the others coming from one of my sentimental favorites… FRODO GONZALES – get some, Frodo, do it for Middle Earth… Seattle, despite having a duo that is every bit as good (maybe better) than the Franzone-Puente combo in Pittsburgh, is languishing with the bottom of the pack so far this season with an abysmal 38-48 record. Also of note… Dallas’ Jo Jo Jackson hit his 18th of the year in a 6-5 win over Portland, and also added two more Ks to his league-leading total of 149, or, if you’re counting, 48 more than the next guy).

All-Star Rosters Announced…
For the American League, the roster includes:
SP Tristan Hutchison (CAR) - 7-3, 3.46 ERA, 78.0 IP, 1.17 WHIP, 9.7 K/9, 2.0 WAR
SP Matt Martin (CAR) - 8-5, 3.48 ERA, 126.2 IP, 1.14 WHIP, 7.3 K/9, 2.4 WAR
SP Gregory Morgan ATL) - 6-6, 2.89 ERA, 109.0 IP, 1.37 WHIP, 8.8 K/9, 3.0 WAR
SP Marco Ortega (LAG) - 7-8, 3.41 ERA, 137.1 IP, 1.25 WHIP, 8.5 K/9, 3.1 WAR
SP Casey Tucker (JAC) - 7-8, 2.99 ERA, 123.1 IP, 1.20 WHIP, 6.6 K/9, 2.3 WAR
RP Landon Sampson (GSW)* - 6-2, 2.00 ERA, 67.2 IP, 0.92 WHIP, 10.9 K/9, 2.0 WAR
RP Donovan Turnbull (PDX) - 5-1, 4.30 ERA, 23.0 IP, 1.09 WHIP, 11.0 K/9, 0.1 WAR
CL Don Haag (LAG)* - 2-2, 27 SV, 0.74 ERA, 48.2 IP, 0.84 WHIP, 13.9 K/9, 2.6 WAR
CL Garett Hag (SEA) - 2-5, 20 SV, 2.28 ERA, 43.1 IP, 1.41 WHIP, 10.0 K/9, 1.1 WAR
CL Brian McCullough (TOR) - 3-2, 27 SV, 2.23 ERA, 44.1 IP, 0.90 WHIP, 8.9 K/9, 1.3 WAR
CL Danny Switzer (CAR) - 4-4, 23 SV, 2.45 ERA, 33.0 IP, 1.12 WHIP, 6.8 K/9, 0.2 WAR
C Johnny Alavez (CHI)* - .309/.350/.470, 285 AB, 9 HR, 1 SB, 122 wRC+, 2.7 WAR
C Levi Lisimba (NYJ) - .291/.335/.410, 244 AB, 5 HR, 104 wRC+, 1.4 WAR
1B Luis Cavazos (DAL) - .270/.388/.480, 296 AB, 15 HR, 3 SB, 135 wRC+, 2.2 WAR
1B Pablo Madera (CAR)* - .377/.433/.598, 353 AB, 19 HR, 184 wRC+, 4.8 WAR
2B Julius Etcheverry (TOR) - .339/.363/.449, 354 AB, 6 HR, 16 SB, 116 wRC+, 2.1 WAR
2B Heathcote Kinton (PDX)* - .349/.411/.557, 350 AB, 15 HR, 16 SB, 164 wRC+, 5.2 WAR (Injured)
2B Telma Taveras (DAL) - .277/.342/.450, 289 AB, 9 HR, 11 SB, 113 wRC+, 2.4 WAR
3B Brantley Kirby (PDX)* - .322/.460/.460, 289 AB, 9 HR, 9 SB, 157 wRC+, 3.8 WAR
SS Jax Malagon (NYJ)* - .281/.371/.444, 320 AB, 10 HR, 8 SB, 123 wRC+, 2.4 WAR
LF Hudson Collier (TOR)* - .360/.414/.596, 317 AB, 15 HR, 1 SB, 177 wRC+, 3.7 WAR
LF Palmer Parker (SEA)* - .326/.393/.522, 341 AB, 14 HR, 1 SB, 154 wRC+, 3.6 WAR
CF Ethan Mullens VAN)* - .287/.378/.508, 327 AB, 17 HR, 18 SB, 143 wRC+, 3.5 WAR
RF Chance Bell (TOR) - .329/.383/.509, 346 AB, 13 HR, 8 SB, 139 wRC+, 3.2 WAR
RF Aitor Cubas (SEA)* - .265/.416/.517, 302 AB, 20 HR, 9 SB, 158 wRC+, 3.7 WAR
RF Jonah Dove (CAR) - .285/.401/.532, 312 AB, 20 HR, 7 SB, 148 wRC+, 3.5 WAR

For the National League these players have been selected:
SP Hudson Dorsch (MON) - 9-4, 2.59 ERA, 128.2 IP, 1.21 WHIP, 8.1 K/9, 3.7 WAR
SP Peter Garcia (SDC) - 6-6, 2.59 ERA, 114.2 IP, 1.17 WHIP, 6.9 K/9, 1.8 WAR
SP Max Harrington (SF)* - 9-6, 2.76 ERA, 114.0 IP, 1.12 WHIP, 6.9 K/9, 2.9 WAR
SP Julen Morales (STL) - 9-4, 2.70 ERA, 130.0 IP, 1.24 WHIP, 7.0 K/9, 3.1 WAR
SP Rad Taylor (MIA) - 9-5, 2.49 ERA, 144.2 IP, 1.11 WHIP, 6.0 K/9, 2.8 WAR
SP Marcos Villalobos (SDC) - 8-1, 2.05 ERA, 96.2 IP, 1.20 WHIP, 8.6 K/9, 2.1 WAR
RP Maximiano Córdova (BRK)* - 2-2, 1.44 ERA, 50.0 IP, 1.04 WHIP, 10.6 K/9, 1.3 WAR
RP J.R. Orton (SDC) - 4-4, 2.88 ERA, 50.0 IP, 1.40 WHIP, 10.3 K/9, 0.5 WAR
CL Victor Carabott (SF) - 6-1, 25 SV, 0.82 ERA, 43.2 IP, 0.96 WHIP, 9.9 K/9, 1.5 WAR
CL Major Hansen (PIT) - 2-1, 30 SV, 1.46 ERA, 49.1 IP, 1.09 WHIP, 10.8 K/9, 1.3 WAR
CL Enzo Mercado (MON) - 1-4, 24 SV, 2.64 ERA, 44.1 IP, 1.31 WHIP, 12.6 K/9, 1.7 WAR
CL Dexter Moreau (PHI) - 1-3, 19 SV, 2.87 ERA, 37.2 IP, 1.12 WHIP, 12.4 K/9, 1.1 WAR (Injured)
C Rex Engelstad (PHX) - .320/.379/.517, 259 AB, 12 HR, 140 wRC+, 2.9 WAR
C Jayce Van Vorst (PIT)* - .313/.359/.471, 272 AB, 9 HR, 128 wRC+, 2.6 WAR
1B Quinn Charvat (SF) - .346/.452/.499, 335 AB, 10 HR, 161 wRC+, 3.1 WAR
1B Tom Franzone (PIT)* - .308/.380/.586, 338 AB, 25 HR, 1 SB, 158 wRC+, 3.0 WAR
2B Richard McTaggart (LAK)* - .297/.341/.435, 354 AB, 8 HR, 7 SB, 111 wRC+, 1.3 WAR
2B Ryder Nieman (PIT)* - .289/.355/.415, 294 AB, 5 HR, 15 SB, 110 wRC+, 1.1 WAR
3B Dontrell Gay (LAK) - .307/.347/.611, 303 AB, 27 HR, 1 SB, 161 wRC+, 4.0 WAR
3B Jason Spears (PHI)* - .317/.376/.502, 315 AB, 14 HR, 20 SB, 141 wRC+, 3.6 WAR
SS Ray Gerhold (PHX)* - .327/.444/.442, 312 AB, 4 HR, 13 SB, 147 wRC+, 4.4 WAR
LF Aris Anaconda (MIA)* - .309/.382/.591, 330 AB, 23 HR, 13 SB, 157 wRC+, 4.1 WAR
CF Otto Isaac (LAK) - .288/.366/.589, 219 AB, 20 HR, 3 SB, 159 wRC+, 2.2 WAR
CF Lynden Urmanski (STL)* - .302/.347/.422, 358 AB, 7 HR, 26 SB, 112 wRC+, 2.9 WAR
RF Butch Fuentes (DEN) - .337/.364/.572, 341 AB, 15 HR, 3 SB, 148 wRC+, 2.5 WAR
RF Remildo Puente (PIT)* - .320/.377/.572, 334 AB, 21 HR, 156 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
.
And, some low-key funny news: Golden State's Cristian Escamilla has a torn ulnar collateral ligament, an injury he sustained while trying to win a prize by knocking all the bottles over at the county fair. Now the good news: the injury, which was thought to be more serious, will keep the Warriors starting pitcher out of action for only about 9 months. So, the funny thing, or curious thing as it were, is that Escamilla is a 16-year old International Signee out of Venezuela, who, I imagine was at the fair trying to impress some young lass, when this whole thing went down… so, no parking lot rubbernecking for the kid, and, now, because of his misfortune, no more baseball for a while…

87 of 162: PJ Edmonds (8-7, 3.58) @ Harvey Allen (7-5, 3.04)
Win, 5-2. Dom Crawford bounces back from what had been, up to this point, a ho-hum series with a 2-run dinger, Harvey went 7 strong innings of shutout baseball while fanning 7 batters (including Franzone, twice), Anaconda scored twice, OH HONG drove in his 39th, and Funky gave up two runs in two innings of work (maybe he’s not ready…). We’ll enter the break on a 3-game winning streak against the best club in the NL, feeling footloose, and fancy free. Elvira will be happy, the houseboat will be stocked with my favorite whiskey, and I’ll savor this new-found job security for as long as I can.

Notes: We enter the all-star break with a .552 winning percentage, a game up on Montreal and in 2nd on the NL East table, Anaconda is second in the NL for WAR, Rad is 2nd for ERA at 2.49, Kordell is 1st in wins at 10 (how did he not make the all-star team), and we are the toast of South Beach… life is good. Of course, it can’t only be good news… Saucerman will miss the rest of July and most of August with a strained anterior cruciate ligament. Bummer biscuits – we’re gonna miss his contribution for sure.

Oh, and Yan made a trade… The San Diego Chargers have made a deal sending 31-year-old RHP Rush Briskin to the Miami United for 23-year-old minor-league 2B Chin-Wei Chang, 22-year-old minor league C Michael Mohamed and 22-year-old minor league C Blake Hunter. Both sides are said to be pleased with the way the trade worked out. Briskin has gone to the hill for 18 relief appearances this season, while notching a 2-1 record with a 1.46 ERA. The Miami reliever has limited opposing batters to a .188 batting average. Say what you want about Ms. Welli – my assistant GM is a supreme mustache collector!