[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 4-2
Seasonal Record: 53-48 (4th, 8.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Ray Ford : 17 AB, 7 H, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .412 AVG, 1.289 OPS
Doc Love : 24 AB, 9 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .375 AVG, .949 OPS
Carlos Montes : 26 AB, 7 H, 3 HR, 5 RBI, .269 AVG, 1.014 OPS

Schedule
8-3: Win vs Stars (1-7)
8-4: Win vs Stars (2-6)
8-5: Loss vs Stars (5-2)
8-6: Win vs Cannons (1-2)
8-7: Win vs Cannons (2-6)
8-8: Loss vs Cannons (7-6)

Recap
It was another great week, but we actually dropped a game in the standings. Still, 53-48 is a nice record and much better then I expected for this season. And this when the injury bug gives, the injury bug takes, with Billy Hunter rejoining the roster while Rich Langton heads to the DL. Langton tore a thumb ligament in the one run loss to the Cannons, and will now miss about 2-3 weeks. Langton has been in the midst of a down year, batting .265/.322/.393 (89 OPS+) with 11 doubles, 4 triples, 8 homers, 5 steals, and 41 RBI's in 367 plate appearances. This means Leo Mitchell will get everyday reps, and the lefty is hitting a similar .286/.345/.379 in about a hundred fewer PA's. Of course, right is the position he's had the least amount of experience in, but it will nice to see him get ore regular at bats without having to take away time from someone else. Plus, we also get Hunter back, who was hitting .303/.386/.538 (143 OPS+) before going down. I'm hoping injuries don't become a problem for the rookie, as that production could have really helped in our hot stretch.

Carlos Montes had an excellent week, bashing three homers and driving in five with a steal, six runs, and a triple. He was 7-for-26, and now has 6 doubles, triples, and homers in his first 48 FABL games. He's been the perfect leadoff hitter and he flashes the leather well out in center. Ray Ford has started to heat up, going 7-for-17 with 2 homers, 3 runs, 4 walks, and 5 RBI's. The All Star has bumped his average back above .300 and is on a 20 homer pace. I don't love his work at first, but he's showing no signs of a sophomore slump and he's developing into a very reliable hitter at the plate. Ollie Page had a great week, 8-for-19 with a double, RBI, and six walks. Page has looked comfortable at short in Hunter's absence, but will now get to return to the keystone as he learns his new position. The bat has disappeared for Page, but he's walked about as often as he struck out and still has a chance to reach double digits for triples and homers. The always reliable Doc Love had another good week, going 9-for-24 with a homer, 4 RBI's, 3 runs, and 2 walks. The recently turned 31-year-old has returned to form this season, carrying a .335/.382/.491 (130 OPS+) batting line with 19 doubles, 9 homers, and 53 RBI's. He sits at third in the CA batting race, behind Jim Mason and John Lawson, with just seven points between him and first.

We did great on the mound, with a lot of the runs caused by errors this week, and the pen needed to cover just three innings. Oscar Morse was robbed of a shutout, 2 hits, 2 unearned runs, and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts in a complete game win over the Stars. Milt Fritz got back on track, 5 hits, a run, and 3 walks and strikeouts in a complete game win to even his record at 10-10. Dick Lyons didn't got the distance, but allowed 7 hits and 2 runs with a single walk and strikeout in an eight inning win. Dave Rankin had the only "bad" start of the week, a complete game with 13 hits, 7 runs (5 earned), 2 walks, and 7 strikeouts, but that was after another almost shutout to start the week. He allowed 4 hits, an unearned run, and a walk with a single strikeout, but finished the week an even 1-1. Rankin is now 12-13, taking the decisions in all 25 of his starts. His ERA keeps improving, down to 3.44 (122 ERA+) and I can only imagine what the improved middle infield defense will do.

Looking Ahead
This week will really show how legit we are, as after a day off, we welcome both the Sailors and Foresters into town. We start with the second place Sailors, who at 62-41, are half a game behind Cleveland as they have lost one fewer game. The Sailors have a strong rotation, ranking third right behind us in the CA in terms of ERA. 33-year-old William Jones continues his ace-like career, this year 14-6 with a 3.28 ERA (132 ERA+), 1.35 WHIP, 75 walks, and 72 strikeouts in 186.2 innings pitched. Behind them is the no-hit king Doc Newell, who's 14-5 with a 3.50 ERA (124 ERA+), 1.34 WHIP, 44 walks, and 77 strikeouts in 182.2 innings pitched. The real star has been breakout lefty Walt Wells, who's 3.18 ERA (136 ERA+) is the best of the staff. He has a 1.33 WHIP, 42 walks, and 53 strikeouts, but the All-Star is just 9-7. The lineup isn't as great, but somehow waiver castaway Red Jackson has been league average for them. He's hitting .307/.341/.433 (97 OPS+) with 22 doubles and 39 RBI's, and seems to be handling the staff really well. They also have an interesting leadoff hitter in Jorge Nava, who despite a sub .260 batting average, owns a respectable 105 OPS+. Nava had 16 doubles, 10 triples, and 6 homers, but a rough -20.5 zone rating and .905 efficiency out in center.

Then we welcome in the best rotation of the CA, the Foresters, who hold the pitchers with the top three WAR's in the league. One of them is not like the others, that would be Lee Drouillard, but Dean Astle and Sergio Gonzales have been truly magnificent. I guess I should have given Gonzales more credit, as the 25-year-old is 14-1 with a 2.84 ERA (153 ERA+), 1.22 WHIP, 41 walks, and 76 strikeouts in 171.1 truly elite innings. Astle is just two years older, and the former Cougar prospect is 14-8 with a 2.92 ERA (149 ERA+), 1.18 WHIP, 42 walks, and 70 strikeouts in 188.1 innings of his own. These two are automatic wins on the mound, and unless we miss both of them, it will be a very tough series. The reason Drouillard is so different, is his starts are really not all that impressive. He's 10-12 with a 4.01 ERA (108 ERA+). His 1.20 WHIP, 35 walks, and 61 strikeouts are pretty impressive, but he hasn't had the ace level season of the other two. They did see an injury to veteran Lyman Weigel, who strained his forearm in a win over the Kings. He's 10-9 with a 3.95 ERA (110 ERA+), 1.34 WHIP, 60 walks, and 72 strikeouts in 150.1 innings. This could make room for Ben Turner, who is 3-0 with a 2.72 ERA (160 ERA+), 1.07 WHIP, 10 walks, and 19 strikeouts in just under 50 innings out of the pen. Of course, a big part of the pitching's success is the All-Star George Dawson. The superstar shortstop has a +26.5 zone rating and 1.129 efficiency at short. He's also hitting .323/.361/.415 with 13 doubles, 6 triples, 4 homers, 14 steals, and 52 RBI's, which combined with the stellar defense, is worth 5.1 WAR already. They could also welcome back T.R. Goins this week. The 36-year-old is hitting an adjusted league average .291/.351/.435 with 7 homers and 50 RBI's in 316 trips to the plate. This would be Goins lowest OPS+ since his rookie season in 1923 where he had a 94 OPS+. A healthy and effective Goins could be what the Foresters need to separate from the Sailors, but I'm hoping this week will bring us closer to those two and not drop us back under .500.

Minor League Report
RHP/OF Juan Pomales (A Lincoln Legislators): I've done a really good job giving him time at all positions, 4 games on the mound, 4 in left, 5 in center, and 5 in right, which was my biggest worry at first. I was afraid it would be tough to set this up without minor league 7-day lineups, and thankfully, it was easier then I anticipated. I know the arm is behind the bat, but he's looked respectable, 0-2 with a 4.72 ERA (95 ERA+), 1.61 WHIP, 8 walks, and 12 strikeouts in 26.2 innings against tough competition. Of course, "El Conejo" has been excellent at the plate, hitting .369/.417/.523 (143 OPS+) with 3 doubles, 2 triples, a homer, 4 steals, and 14 RBI's. The Cuban native will turn 23 in October, and I'm really hoping he'll be able to spend the entire season in Mobile next year. I'd love to see a little improvement from what he's doing right now on the mound, but things are off to a great start. I love his tools at the plate, and if he can add some velocity, he could be a legit two way star.

SS Hal Wood (B San Jose Cougars): He hasn't quite developed as quickly as I wanted, and the 23-year-old still finds himself down in San Jose. Taken 8th Overall in 1935, Hal Wood hasn't had the smoothest minor league career. He was in Lincoln earlier this season, but he didn't quite hit all that much after not doing all that great in San Jose either. Now, his Class B numbers look much better, with an above average .255/.345/.362 (105 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 4 homers, 7 steals, and 40 RBI's. My scout is still a big fan of him, but OSA has dropped him to 9th and 77th respectively. I'm not too worried, as Wood has great tools both on the field and at the plate. He does a good job at short, has great speed, and is an extremely aggressive hitter at the plate. He should eventually hit for a high average, and he's done well managing his walk and strikeout numbers. The only issue now is he looks more like a singles hitter, which doesn't play all that well in our park. I'd love to see more pop from him, but I do like how he hits line drives to all fields. He's an excellent teammate, always giving them props for good plays while never showing a lack of effort. The future is bright for Wood, and with all the middle infield talent in the system, I can really let him take his time.

RHP Billy Seawood (C La Crosse Lions): There are about a dozen young arms trying to establish themselves in C Ball right now, and 20-year-old Billy Seawood is doing his best to separate from the herd. A 12th Round selection in 1935, he made just one start last season. This season he's made ten, the tenth a 6-hit, 4 strikeout shutout of the Rock Island Steamboats. He's just 3-3 on the season, but Seawood is 3-3 with a 2.15 ERA (157 ERA+), 1.01 WHIP, 11 walks, and 21 strikeouts. Billy isn't the hardest thrower, but he sits in the mid 80s with an average fastball. His slider is a good strikeout pitch and his changeup is a decent third offering as well. He's very underdeveloped, but they all look like average pitches at worse. His stuff would never win awards, but he does a good job keeping the ball in the park and can locate his pitches well on the corner. I'm giving him a shot at Class B hitters now, and this should help secure more innings for him in the future.