Wednesday, July 9, 2064
6 TEAMS STILL IN THE CHASE IN THE RU EAST
It's not as bunchly crunched as the Ruthlandian South, but the Ruthlandian East has a hassle of clubs still in the pennant chase... preseason favorite Wynnamac is in the driver's seat at midseason with a 3-game edge over runners-up Sugar Valley and Cold Creek... fourth place belongs to the Beechwood Jackrabbitts, trailing by 4 games... defending champion Elnora is 6 games behind in the fifth spot in the standings... and Belle Plaine is sixth and 7 games back in the race.
The Wynnamac Sundowners are one of the more successful franchises in the Islandian Pro Alliance... in the last 15 years the Macs have hoisted 7 pennants in their ballpark, won the Pro Cup in 2055 and finished no worst than third place... for the last two seasons the Sundowners came in second... last year they got beat out in a single-game playoff by the division-winning Elnora Clippers... the Macs are tired of the coming in second... they jumped out in front in the first two months of the season with a 37-17 mark... but they chilled down in June and early July, tailing off to 16-17... Wynnamac is the class of the RU East with fine starting pitching, excellent bullpen, good hitting, good scoring and good power... the Sugar Valley Rattlers have stayed right with the Macs, chalking up a 36-19 record in April and May, but they have gone into a slump, too, at 15-18... the Rattlers have fine pitching, but are woefully lacking at the plate... the Cold Creek Raccoons on the other hand, started slowly in the early months (26-24), then took off like a rocket in June (20-7), but have flopped badly in July (0-6)... the Raccoons just might have the pitching and hitting to pull it off... the Beechwood Jackrabbitts were 26-25 in the early going, then spurted with a 19-13 mark in June and July... boy, it would be something if the Jacks can have a winning season... it's been two decades since that happened... last year's RU East champion Elnora sputtered out the starting gate (8-16), but has prospered since with a 33-24 record... the Clippers may be getting ready to set sail for another RU East flag... and can you believe one of the worst franchises in IPA history is having a fairly good year... the Belle Plaine Musketeers have a winning record for the first time in 9 seasons... could this be the year for the Muskies?... maybe to break even, perhaps... but win the pennant?... not likely.
Nothing is going to Hoyle in the chaotic RU East... the baseball experts selected it this way: Wynnamac, Eastshore, Sugar Valley and Elnora... but Beechwood, Belle Plaine and Cold Creek are upsetting the order... beware the Elnora Clippers... they had a remarkable second-half surge last season and came back to upset Wynnamac... could happen again.
