[trman73]

We enter Friday with one team locked into a playoff spot and the two others hanging on for dear life.

It speaks to the balance in Gold 311 that the Hammers are 50-57 with a -20 run differential, and are just six games back in our division while also being just a half-game up in the relegation battle. Only one team in this league has a RD of +80 or above, and only one team is below -90. We’re not going to make the playoffs in this league, but we may stick around and cause some trouble. This team’s had a great run in tournaments this week, but all it’s gotten us is a steaming pile of garbage, and we’ve made no additions this week. Cliff Lee continues to impress though (8-7, 3.64, 1.13 WHIP), so our most recent add is having success.

The Warlocks have surrendered the top overall record in Gold 300 but are still 73-37 and have an eight-game lead over the 3^rd-place team, all but guaranteeing our promotion to Diamond next season. I really like this team and we now lead the conference in both runs scored and fewest runs allowed. We’re also first in Defensive Efficiency and ZR. Friday and Saturday are basically a waltz into the playoffs for us, as we have an 18.5-game lead in our division.

I expected the Frogs to go on an inevitable losing streak in D351, and sure enough, it came in June, as we dropped nine straight to fall into the also-ran category. Still, we’re just 6.5 back in a division where the leader is 56-53. We need serious bullpen help and it’s time to make a move. SE Randy Johnson has been really good in the bullpen for my Warlocks team, but I just can’t take him any more on the Frogs, as he’s posted a 6.12 ERA and 1.71 WHIP in four Diamond seasons. Team him with Live Taylor Rogers, and that’s a big, big problem with our LHP in the bullpen. Assuming we don’t go on a surprise run today to stay in it for Saturday’s games, I expect to drop The Unit tonight and see what we can find in the AH.