[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 3-3
Seasonal Record: 65-63 (5th, 8.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
N/A: Email Glitch

Schedule
9-4: Loss at Stars (5-7)
9-5: Loss at Stars (1-7)
9-6: Win at Kings (12-2)
9-7: Win at Kings (6-5)
9-9: Loss at Foresters (5-9)
9-10: Win at Foresters (5-1)

Recap
We're back! Another 3-3 week! All is right in the world! The Foresters had a rough week, so we made up some ground, but now it's only a matter of time before we are eliminated from postseason contention. We let the Stars shake off their cold streak, taking the last two in the New York series, but we did manage to sweep the Kings and split with the Foresters. Still, not a very inspiring week, allowing five or more runs in four of our games, but at least we won the one run game! I also decided to bring Tip Harrison up from Milwaukee. The super utility man hit .268/.354/.407 (93 OPS+) with 18 doubles, 2 triples, 11 homers, 14 steals, and 54 RBIs in 457 plate appearances. He can play the outfield too, but with Pomales functioning as the fourth outfielder, Tip only spent his time on the dirt. He got 38 games at first, 30 at second, 32 at third, and 29 at short, with efficiencies of 1.095, 1.072, 1.070, and 1.050. He still has options left, so I expect him to function mainly as minor league depth, but eventually he'll turn into our most useful bench piece.

The bats were lively this week, with our double play duo of Hunter and Jones tearing the cover off the ball. In a Player of the Week worthy showing, Hunter went 12-for-22 with a double, triple, 3 walks, 3 RBIs, and 4 runs scored. Jones was arguably just as effective, 11-for-30 with a double, 2 homers, 9 RBIs, 6 runs, and 4 walks. John Lawson got into the fun as well, 11-for-25 with 4 doubles, 4 runs, and 5 RBIs. Ray Ford added 5 RBIs to his now third highest total in the CA (88), 11-for-29 with 6 doubles, a steal, and 5 runs scored. Leo Mitchell had another 5-hit game, making up for half of his hits that week. He finished 10-for-26 with a pair of runs scored. Rich Langton was 9-for-25 with 2 doubles, 2 runs, and 4 RBIs. Unfortunately, our catchers and center fielders had no effect at the plate, combining to go 8-for-47 with 2 doubles, 7 runs, and 4 RBIs.

I gave all the compliments to Jim Lonardo last week, but this week was a far different story. One of our two start starters, he lost to both the Stars and the Foresters, and failed to get out of the 8th in both outings. He allowed 24 hits, 16 runs (11 earned), and 5 walks with just 4 strikeouts in 14.1 innings pitched. Dick Lyons didn't fair much better, but he picked up a win against Cleveland and a loss against New York. The win was impressive, a complete game with 6 hits, a run, 2 walks, and a strikeout while the loss went just 6.2 with 10 hits, 5 runs, 3 walks, and a strikeout. Cy Sullivan looked rejuvenated a bit, a complete game win with 9 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts. Harry Parker also picked up a complete game win, but he was not as effective. He allowed 10 hits and 5 runs (4 earned) with 5 walks and 6 strikeouts. None of our callups got an inning, we just needed nine outs from the pen, but other then Lonardo, we didn't really pitch that poorly.

Looking Ahead
Home sweet home! Well, not too sweet, as we have to start the week with a double header against the Sailors. At 65-61, they are a game ahead of us and seven and a half out of first. We'll get to see Herb Flynn and then probably Merritt Thomas, who has returned to the rotation. Flynn is now 11-12 with a 3.81 ERA (114 ERA+), 1.42 WHIP, 81 walks, and 58 strikeouts in 191.1 innings pitched. He's been the most effective Sailor pitcher, and the only one with an ERA below 4. Thomas has struggled and was demoted to the pen, with just 10 of his 32 outings coming from the rotation. He's 9-5 with 4 saves, but a 5.38 ERA (81 ERA+), 1.60 WHIP, 40 walks, and 41 strikeouts in 92 innings pitched. I like our chances against him, but this will definitely be a tough double header. We'll have to suppress Joe Watson and his .356/.418/.547 (142 OPS+) batting line while tip toeing around Dick Walker, Jim Beard, and Bob Smith who are all having slightly above average seasons at the plate. They do have some weakness in the lineup, with leadoff man Jorge Nava and 8 hitter Don Homer. Nava has really fallen off from three consecutive impressive offensive seasons to hit .250/.362/.342 (79 OPS+) with 22 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, 12 steals, and 33 RBIs. Homer hit well in the past too, but it happened in much less time. He's hit just .287/.362/.366 (84 OPS+) with 18 doubles, 8 triples, and 49 RBIs in his first season as a full time starter. The Sailors are excellent at drawing walks, best in the league, but they hit a lot of singles and almost no home runs. We've doubled their home run total (89 to 44), but both strategies have led to 65 wins.

Off on Tuesday, so we don't really have to worry about bringing in an extra starter, and we can relax before a three game set with the Wolves. Toronto recently cracked the 60 win mark, now 60-67 on the season and a game ahead of the Kings for 6th. This year Joe Hancock will have my vote for the Allen Award, as the Wolves ace is 15-9 with a 2.99 ERA (145 ERA+), 1.22 WHIP, 64 walks, and 105 strikeouts in his fourth consecutive 200 inning season. Former #3 overall pick George Garrison may end up with his first 200 inning season, but he's 5-11 with a 4.31 ERA (101 ERA+), 1.48 WHIP, 57 walks, and 61 strikeouts. Both Bernie Johnson (3.56, 122) and Bob Walls (3.59, 121) have been excellent, giving the Wolves an impressive top three in their rotation. Fred McCormick has gotten some help from former top 20 prospect Walt Pack, who has excelled in his rookie season. The 24-year-old is hitting a robust .345/.409/.538 (137 OPS+) with 15 doubles, a triple, 7 homers, and 35 RBIs in his first 225 FABL plate appearances. Tom Frederick has started to heat up himself, now hitting .328/.394/.466 (116 OPS+) fueled by a .421/.463/.553 September. For the season, he has hit 15 doubles, 3 triples, a homer, and 13 RBIs while adding 5 steals. These two can make the Wolves dangerous next season, taking some of the load off Fred McCormick. "The Reticent Reaper" deserves another Whitney Award, hitting an astronomical .390/.487/.672 (190 OPS+) with 36 doubles, 12 triples, 10 steals, 24 homers, and 105 RBIs. No one in the entire league can come close to McCormick, with no other player slugging .600. The next highest average is .365 for Mel Carrol and Tom Bird's .438 OBP is the closest to McCormick. Toronto was 17-12 in August and they are looking to show the league that even though they started awful, they will be back for 1940.

We finish the week with two against the Foresters. Their lead was cut to four and a half over the Stars, but there 73-54 record has been impressive. In a crazy year of underperforming across the CA, the Foresters have taken full advantage. Lou Martino is healthy and back in the rotation, but he still has just 128.2 innings on the season. He's now 8-3 with a 3.08 ERA (141 ERA+), 1.55 WHIP, 55 walks, and 36 strikeouts. Dean Astle beat us to improve to 14-11 with a 4.25 ERA (102 ERA+), 1.50 WHIP, 60 walks, and 58 strikeouts. George Dawson's returned to form a bit with the glove, improving his zone rating to 7.5 and efficiency to 1.044. His .307/.358/.392 (89 OPS+) line is improved as well, and he now has 18 doubles, 8 triples, 4 homers, 12 steals, and 55 RBIs in just under 600 trips to the plate. We managed to split with them in Cleveland, so I really hope we can take both games in Chicago.

Minor League Report
RHP Art Saunders (AA Mobile Commodores): Sure, the New Orleans showboat will end up winning the Dixie League pennant, but that hasn't stopped Art Saunders from bewildering batter after batter in the mean time. His fourth consecutive complete game victory was a 3-hit shutout over Birmingham, where the Commodores won 3-0 while Art walked one and struck out nine. This improved Saunders to 9-2 on the season with a 2.74 ERA (169 ERA+), 1.02 WHIP, 12 walks, and 56 strikeouts. Injuries have held him back a little, but excusing a pair of one week absences, he's been able to stay healthy. He just surpassed the 150 inning mark, the first time of his career, but he's added innings in each season. It started with 54 in 1936, 78.1 in 1937, and then 137 last season. Now 22, the former 9th Rounder is a well liked teammate who keeps his buddies happy and laughing whether the team is up 10 or struggling to score a run. One of our most exciting young pitching prospects, he's our fourth highest rated pitcher, 10th in the system, and 125th in the league. Weinstock wagers he'll end up a #5, but I think his outstanding command will take him further then that. He has a knee buckling curveball and lively low 90s fastball, paired with a sinker and change as well. I've been really impressed with his skill in limiting walks, a Lyons-esque 1.0 with the Commodores. He's never had a below average stint at any minor league level, and he's inching closer to being big league ready. Saunders may end up being used as trade bait, but regardless of where he ends up, I'm confident that he'll succeed and put together an impressive big league career.

RHP King Price (B San Jose Cougars): Our 9th Round selection this June, the now 22-year-old King Price was moved up to San Jose out of necessity, not because of his 5.52 ERA (113 ERA+) and 1.71 WHIP in 60.1 innings pitched. He's now made four starts in San Jose, and they have been outstanding. He's allowed two or less runs in each one, the most recent a 6-hit shutout as the Cougars crushed the Fresno Falcons 11-0. That improved him to 3-1, and dropped his ERA and WHIP to 1.27 (386 ERA+) and 1,16 with 11 walks and 27 strikeouts. He's struck out almost a batter an inning in San Jose, a marked improvement over his La Crosse numbers, while maintaining his somewhat high 3.5 BB/9. A polished sidewinder, the Bluegrass State alum doesn't throw very hard, just 85-87 with his cutter, but he gets a lot of movement and uses deception in his windup to record outs. His change will be the best of his three pitches, but his knuckle curve isn't that bad either, likely ending up better then his cutter. I don't expect his velo to improve much as he develops, and I would much rather see him improve his command instead. Absent from our top 50 prospects, Price's upside is limited, but he's got a much higher floor then most of our more exciting prospects. He should be able to rise up the system fast, but unless he makes some changes, he's likely to end up as a depth piece more then anything.

CF Bunny Hufford (C La Crosse Lions): If it wasn't for a logjam of outfielders in our system, Hufford would likely be up in San Jose instead. The reigning Player of the Week, the 57th overall pick in the most recent draft will at least finish his season here, ideally starting next season in San Jose. He was outstanding, 14-for-25 with 8 RBIs and 7 runs scored. This pushed his season line to .423/.523/.610 (162 OPS+) in 151 trips to the plate. He added 17 doubles, 3 triples, 9 steals, and 27 RBIs, and despite a three week strained hamstring, he showed no signs of the injury afterward. I was worried it may hurt his range a bit, but he still has a respectable 0.7 zone rating and 1.028 efficiency in 195 innings out in center. He'll turn 22 at the end of October, but since draft day, he's been a member of the league's top 100. Currently at 7 and 76 respectively, he sits right behind Skipper and Goff, our first and second round selections. I'm a huge fan of Hufford's speed and range, potentially his top two assets. He also projects to have above average contact, and he's definitely showing flashes of that now. He should work the count well, but I'm a little surprised in the lack of power he's shown so far. Yet to hit a homer, Bunny averaged 4 a season at Chesapeake State, and I thought he might be able to hit a couple longballs in pro ball. The outfield situation is very crowded, Leo Mitchell and Carlos Montes both rank inside the top 6 at their position, and Pomales and Goff expect to at least have part time roles in the outfield, and even after the Hall trade, we still have Rich Langton who hasn't failed to have an above average offensive season. Hufford has a tough road ahead of him, but he's got the work ethic coaches love, consistently challenging his teammates to do better in practice, and I think his work ethic will rub off on others while he uses it to work on his game.