[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 1-6
Seasonal Record: 67-69 (5th, 15 GB)
Stars of the Week
Rich Langton : 31 AB, 13 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .419 AVG, 1.050 OPS
Leo Mitchell : 25 AB, 10 H, 1 HR, 7 RBI, .400 AVG, .983 OPS
John Lawson : 30 AB, 8 H, 1 HR, 8 RBI, .267 AVG, .757 OPS

Schedule
9-5: Loss at Sailors (4-5): 10 innings
9-5: Loss at Sailors (8-10)
9-7: Loss at Wolves (6-7)
9-8: Loss at Wolves (3-7)
9-9: Win at Wolves (7-0)
9-10: Loss vs Foresters (5-1)
9-11: Loss vs Foresters (9-4)

Recap
Well this week sucked... Not only did the Sailors sweep us in the double header, but the Foresters took both games in Chicago and we managed only one win out of three in Toronto. The team now slipped below .500, just 67-69, and fifth place seems like the position set for us. And to add injury to insult, we will be without Billy Hunter for the next two weeks as he sprained his knee in the 7-3 loss to the Wolves. Like Montes, he's slumped as a sophomore, hitting a respectable .291/.333/.429 (103 OPS+), but his defense has really struggled. He's made 46 errors, a .931 fielding percentage compared to .951 last year, and a -5.3 zone rating and .971 efficiency after +4.3 and 1.039 last year. In his absence, I'll be rotating in Ollie Page, Ducky Jordan, and Freddie Bennett at short until Hunter is healthy again. Carlos Montes also suffered a setback, so it's likely another two weeks before he's back in Chicago.

Obviously the week wasn't great, but Rich Langton continued to hit well. Langton was 13-for-31 with 4 doubles, a triple, and 3 runs scored and driven in. Leo Mitchell hit well too, 10-for-25 with a double, homer, and seven driven in. Elias Canady and Roy Moore both looked good in their few outings, 2-for-5 and 3-for-6, with Canady walking three times and Moore doubling. No one else really did much hitting of any kind, hence why we lost six of our seven games this week.

On the mound, Dick Lyons was brilliant, tossing two impressive starts. The first was in the 5-4 extra inning loss to the Sailors, 8 innings with 5 hits, 3 runs (1 earned), 4 walks, and 2 strikeouts. The second was even better, a 7-hit shutout in our lone win of the week against Toronto. Lyons' now 2.64 ERA (155 ERA+) is the best in the Continental Association, and trails just Jim Lonardo's 2.59 for best in all of baseball. The most impressive outing must have been Chet Peacock, however, who tossed 7 and two thirds out of the pen with 7 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, and a strikeout. This was after Milt Fritz allowed 7 hits and 7 runs with a walk while recording just two outs. No one else started well, with 5 charged to Pete, 7 to Harry, 5 to Brown, and 7 (4 earned) to Cy. Parker has really struggled, now four starts with five or more runs allowed, and a 6.97 ERA in his past 24 innings. Parker is an outstanding pitcher, I'm not overly worried, but I would have liked to see him put together a more consistent rookie season.

Looking Ahead
Off to start the week, before two with the Cannons. At 55-80, they sit in seventh place and are officially eliminated from postseason contention. They are two and a half behind the Stars for sixth, and they have recently promoted top 20 prospect and personally favorite of mine Charley McCullough. The 1934 8th Rounder has got into 14 games, batting .238/.373/.310 (84 OPS+) with a double, triple, and seven RBIs. Rufus Barrell still hasn't looked like he should, and now he has a mild hamstring strain to deal with. He's just 1-9 with a 6.15 ERA (67 ERA+), 1.35 WHIP, 24 walks, and 49 strikeouts in 74.2 innings pitched. Pinky Conlan is back, but he's 6-9 with a 4.73 ERA (87 ERA+), 1.55 WHIP, 47 walks, and 22 strikeouts in 16 starts and 8 relief outings.

Off again before two with Montreal. They have a worst record then Baltimore, 54-81, and are also eliminated from the postseason. The Saints may have found their next Milt Fritz, bringing up top prospect and 19-year-old Wally Doyle, the now new youngest player in baseball. The former 8th Overall selection has made one start, 7 hits and 5 runs with 8 walks and 6 strikeouts in 6 innings pitched. The "Waco Kid" ranks 13th in baseball, and was taken a few picks after Peter the Heater. He looks like he could be an ace, something the Saints pitching staff really needs. Their best pitcher this season has been Karl Wallace, who is 10-12 with a 3.59 ERA (118 ERA+), 1.42 WHIP, 89 walks, and 74 strikeouts in 213.1 innings pitched. Jake DeYoung has had a homer issue, 30 already allowed this season, which has caused him to go 9-15 with a 4.08 ERA (103 ERA+), 1.31 WHIP, 37 walks, and 85 strikeouts in 227.1 innings pitched. Bert Lass remains third in the batting race, hitting a robust .350/.421/.469 (130 OPS+) with 34 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homers, and 43 RBIs with a 52-to-8 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Red Bond reached the 15 homer mark, and could potentially reach 20, with his .318/.366/.468 (115 OPS+) batting line.

We need all four of these wins, as we finish the week with the first of two with the Brooklyn Kings. The Kings are back in first, a half game ahead of the Wolves, and part of that is due to an untimely Joe Shaffner slump. Since August started he's 2-4 with a 5.33 ERA. He still has great numbers for the season, 14-12 with a 3.42 ERA (123 ERA+), 1.27 WHIP, 69 walks, and 75 strikeouts in his 226.1 innings. Chicagoan Bob Cummings has continued to impress, 13-4 with a 2.76 ERA (152 ERA+), 1.38 WHIP, 70 walks, and 86 strikeouts in 159.2 innings pitched. At the plate, Frank Vance has reached 20 homers, batting .304/.381/.512 with 30 doubles, 8 triples, 10 steals, and 77 RBIs. They could use a late season push from Al Wheeler, who's .260/.367/.462 (114 OPS+) line is not quite what he's used to. The Wonder Wheel does have a league high 25 homers and 94 RBIs as well, but his 2.8 WAR is no where near his former career low of 4.3 from 1931 and 1934.

Minor League Report
RHP Roy Carey (AA Mobile Commodores): It took just one start after his promotion for Roy Carey to throw yet another shutout. He improved to 13-2 on the season, after allowing just 3 hits with 2 strikeouts as the Commodores topped the Ironmen 7-0. The soft tossing righty has now made 20 starts, all but this one in Lincoln, and worked to a 2.33 ERA with 35 walks and 32 strikeouts in just over 150 frames. The 1936 2nd Rounder has flown up our system, going from La Crosse to Mobile in just two seasons. In each stint his ERA+ has improved and this season he's been almost unhittable. The 23-year-old mixes in six pitches, none of them really standout offerings, but his sinker is likely the best. It's an average pitch, but he's able to place every one of his secondary offerings in the strike zone. My scout doesn't like him, OSA doesn't like him, and the prospect rankings have him listed as 88th in our system. I really, really hope we have 87 prospects better then Carey, as that would bode really well for our future. Of course, more likely then not, Carey is just an overdeveloped filler arm, but you can never have too much pitching.

RF Chick Browning (B San Jose Cougars): I was a little worried when I promoted Browning form La Crosse that he wouldn't be ready for the tougher competition. Boy was I wrong! With the season winding down, the 20-year-old from Chicago is hitting .306/.394/.533 (148 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 14 homers, and 63 RBIs. These are outstanding numbers form the 20-year-old, and Browning's power has absolutely exploded this year. After just three homers in 109 games last year, Browning has 24 between La Crosse and San Jose in just about 50 more PAs. Browning has an excellent eye at the plate, and this has definitely helped him hit more longballs. He has consistent and above average bat speed and he's a very smart hitter. He looks to be a capable corner outfielder, but I've also allowed him to get some reps in center and at first. The lefty swinger may just be a corner outfielder, but he's developing into a very reliable at bat and I'm excited to see if he takes another giant step forward next year.