[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 2-5
Seasonal Record: 18-20 (5th, 7.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
John Lawson : 25 AB, 12 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .480 AVG, 1.079 OPS
Bobby Mills : 6 AB, 4 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .667 AVG, 2.048 OPS
Mike Taylor : 17 AB, 6 H, 0 HR, 6 RBI, .353 AVG, .979 OPS

Schedule
5-20: Loss vs Cannons (3-1)
5-21: Loss vs Cannons (5-2)
5-22: Loss vs Sailors (3-1)
5-23: Win vs Sailors (3-4)
5-24: Loss at Stars (9-11)
5-25: Loss at Stars (10-16)
5-26: Win at Stars (8-1)

Recap
Well, I guess we suck... An awful 2-5 week, and to make matters worse, we actually won our only one run game. So there really are no excuses for playing as awful as we did. Add injury to insult, and two more Cougars hit the DL, and not day-to-day, but actual injuries. Luckily neither are that long, but that's four hitters who we won't have use of for this week. The first injury is an elbow strain for Billy Hunter, who will miss 4-5 weeks before likely a one week rehab stint. It hasn't been the greatest season for the 25-year-old, who has really struggled at short and is hitting just .286/.330/.378 (97 OPS+) with 3 doubles, 3 triples, and 10 RBIs. This means Skipper will take over full time at short, and the 19-year-old did have a good first week in the big leagues. He was 8-for-25 with 2 doubles, 4 runs, and 3 RBIs. The other casualty was replacement center fielder Art MacDonald, who's herniated disc will cost him two weeks. He also hasn't hit very well, just .211/.375/.263 (81 OPS+) in 24 trips to the plate.

The pitching was bad, but you can blame the defense for part of it. In the 16-10 loss to the Stars, only six of the runs were earned.... You can't totally blame the defense for Milt Fritz, however, who allowed 10 hits and 9 runs (7 earned) in just 2.2 innings pitched. Eddie Quinn definitely showed signs of his injury, and in his two starts allowed 19 hits, 14 runs (9 earned), and 5 walks with just a single strikeout across 12 innings pitched. Our other two start starter was Jim Lonardo, but he looked like his old self. The 35-year-old went 16 innings with 16 hits, 6 runs (4 earned), 2 walks, and 9 strikeouts, picking up a win and loss. Harry Parker tossed a complete game victory, 6 hits, 3 runs, 4 walks, and a strikeout to his credit. Dick Lyons got a loss, but went 7 with 7 hits, 3 runs, a walk, and 2 strikeouts. Allen Purvis had two very weird outings, as all seven runs he allowed were unearned. He pitched 6.2 innings with 12 hits, a walk, and a strikeout. Joe Brown and Pug Bryan both looked good, combining for 7.2 scoreless with 5 hits, 2 walks, and a strikeout.

The offense was bad, but John Lawson continues to hit like a superstar. The 37-year-old was 12-for-25 with 2 doubles, 5 runs, and 2 RBIs. Our catching duo was effective, 9-for-25, while Taylor had a double, triple, 3 runs, and 6 RBIs. Orlin Yates had to take full duty in center, 4-for-16 with a homer, 2 RBIs, 3 runs, and 4 walks. Bobby Mills was a top performer off the bench, 4-for-6 with a double, homer, and 4 RBIs. Rich Langton continued his awful start to the season, 5-for-26, but with 6 runs scored and 2 more driven in. Ray Ford and Freddie Jones were ice cold, combining to go 10-for-56 with 2 doubles, a triple, a homer, and 8 RBIs. Ford has hit well on the season, but Freddie is sporting a pitiful .252/.321/.283 (70 OPS+), which I can only hope is just a bad stretch of games and not the start of something more.

Looking Ahead
We can only hope for a better week, and even the regular 3-3 week would be welcomed at this point. Still more with the Stars, but both games will be played in Chicago instead. New York is also disappointed with their start, an even 19-19 and 6.5 games behind the Cannons. They may be without Dave Trowbridge, who sprained his knee and will be day-to-day for 2-3 weeks. The 41-year-old is hitting a strong .325/.367/.428 (126 OPS+) with 10 doubles, 4 homers, and 17 RBIs. The knee seemed to hamper his progress, finishing last week just 5-for-21, although he did score six times. Switch hitting shortstop Joe Angevine is still hitting well, maintaining a .309/.333/.421 (105 OPS+) line with 10 doubles, 2 triples, a homer, 8 steals, and 24 RBIs. On the other side, the pitching has had a lot of struggles, with Dixie Lee continuing to carry the staff. Chuck Cole has allowed 6 or more runs in three of his last four starts, now 2-4 with a 4.37 ERA (87 ERA+), 1.42 WHIP, 15 walks, and 24 strikeouts. Vern Hubbard continues to get shelled, 2-3 with a 6.59 ERA (58 ERA+), 1.87 WHIP, 18 walks, and 19 strikeouts. We really need to get back on track with a pair of wins, but I'm keeping my expectations low, as the already struggling lineup is down a lot of bats.

We get a much needed off day on Wednesday, and we get to stay home before welcoming the Saints. They've had a tough season, 16-23 and ten out of first, but the hardest parts have been the injuries to their young pitchers. Bill Stewart and top prospect Pat Weakley are both out for the season, while former top 3 prospect Wally Doyle will miss the next three weeks with a sore elbow. He's made 5 starts in Montreal, 2-2 with a 4.20 ERA (92 ERA+), 1.57 WHIP, 22 walks, and 17 strikeouts, but the 21-year-old from Waco has tremendous upside and should eventually turn into an ace quality pitcher. His fellow rotation mates all have ERA+'s below 100, with just former Cougar Bill Ross owning an ERA below 4. The 27-year-old is 3-5 with a 3.91 ERA (99 ERA+), 1.30 WHIP, 9 walks, and 22 strikeouts in 66.2 innings pitched. Veteran Ed Baker has struggled in his first season north of the border, 3-4 with a 4.87 ERA (80 ERA+), 1.45 WHIP, 18 walks, and 20 strikeouts. The offense is also having it's issues, but don't tell that to Red Bond. The 27-year-old star right fielder is slashing .340/.401/.587 (162 OPS+) with 8 doubles, a triple, 9 homers, and 24 RBIs. He's had some help from rookie Spud Bent, who is hitting a nice .299/.337/.494 (120 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 2 triples, a homer, and 11 RBIs while not striking out in any of his 83 trips to the plate. Clubhouse leader Adam Mullins is making his case for yet another All-Star selection, hitting .313/.408/.463 (133 OPS+) with 12 doubles, a triple, 2 homers, and 19 RBIs, and he has a beautiful. 22-to-1 walk-to-strikeout ratio in his 157 PAs. Our offense has sucked, so I'm expecting two really close games, but with a little bit of hitting, we should be able to win the series.

We then hit the road for three with the Cannons, who have absolutely owned us this season. Sure, they've owned everyone, 26-13 and now a game ahead of the Wolves, but they are 4-1 against us already, despite the Baltimore version last season barely beating us four times all season. They've scored more runs then all CA teams while simultaneously allowing the fewest, an almost surefire way to ensure you win a pennant. The new inflated coaching staff has done wonders, as all four former Baltimore Cannons have seen their ERA's plummet. Rufus Barrell, who's about to celebrate his 23rd Birthday, has blossomed into the star we all knew he would, 5-1 with a 2.86 ERA (133 ERA+), 0.97 WHIP, 12 walks, and 30 strikeouts in his first 8 starts. Glenn Payne has somehow been a little better, 5-3 with a 2.39 ERA (160 ERA+), although his 1.42 WHIP, 27 walks, and 27 strikeouts paint a slightly different picture. William Jones has looked wonderful in his first 8 starts in Cincy, 4-3 with a 2.74 ERA (139 ERA+), 1.22 WHIP, 18 walks, and 25 strikeouts. I've spent a lot of time covering the outfield, but the rest of the Cannons lineup hasn't been that great. The next best hitter has been Frank Covarrubias, but his .303/.330/.394 (97 OPS+) batting line is not all that exciting. Lucky for us, we can't get swept this week, but we might as well already mark up the first two games as losses, as I'm fully ready to be disappointed.

The draft started today, and I already made my first of two fourth round selections. After the second, I'll have a post, but I think I have a shot to get two guys I was comfortable taking first. We also had to make some callups, with John Johnson and John Barnard coming up from Milwaukee. I debated bringing up Johnson last sim, but decided to go with the youngster Skipper instead. Our former 3rd Rounder will be set to make his debut after hitting .267/.386/.397 (104 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 3 triples, a homer, 5 steals, and 11 RBIs. Barnard hasn't got much time in Milwaukee, but he's one of the few infielders on our 40 that isn't in Chicago already. I actually took him 15th Overall in 1933, but traded him to the Cannons before he ever appeared in a game for us. He's a good defender, but probably won't get much time, and I expect to option him next we assuming no setback for Drake.

Minor League Report
RHP Ray McNeill (AA Mobile Commodores): It wasn't a great to start to the season for the 24-year-old, but he followed up a one run complete game win with a 2-hit shutout. McNeill walked one and stuck out 7 as the Commodores beat the Atlanta Peaches 5-0. The 1937 7th Rounder is now 4-2 with a 3.00 ERA (147 ERA+), 1.04 WHIP, 14 walks, and 20 strikeouts in 51 innings. McNeill doesn't have the upside of some of our other pitchers, but he's more or less big league ready, with a develop six pitched repertoire. He's not a hard thrower, just 85-87 with his fastball, but he has a really nice change up and all six pitches are at least average offerings. Weinstock is a fan, expecting him to be a back end starter, and the prospect rankers slot him just inside our top 30 at 28, while 356th overall. He is Rule-5 eligible at the end of the season, which could help McNeill earn a late season callup, but he'll compete with Harl Haines, Johnny Ruby, Bill Seabolt, and Billy Seawood, who all also need a spot if I want to protect them.

LHP Ed Wilkinson (A Lincoln Legislators): Lots of shutouts this week in the Cougars organization, with former 4th Rounder Ed Wilkinson taking it this time. He's had a nice run of starts, 3 or fewer runs allowed in each of the last four, capped off with the 6-hit, 2 walk, 4 strikeout shutout. That improved Wilkinson's record to 4-3 with a 3.36 ERA (118 ERA+), 1.37 WHIP, 12 walks, and 24 strikeouts. He wasn't as effective last season with Lincoln, as he was 5-7 in 12 starts with a 5.46 ERA (98 ERA+), 1.54 WHIP, 20 walks, and 35 strikeouts. Ed has yet to find an out pitch out of his five pitches, but I do like his low 90s fastball, and unlike nearly every pitcher I write about, he has pinpoint command. He can pitch deep into games, and while not projected to top a rotation, he looks to be a reliable back end option. He's approaching our top 20, currently 23rd, and Wilkinson ranks 286th in the league. He does not need to be protected and I think he'll end this season at least in Mobile, if not all the way up in Milwaukee. You can never have too much pitching, and a guy like Wilkinson could end up being very valuable.

LF Ernie Martini (B San Jose Cougars): Strictly a bench bat last season, Tom Weinstock always liked our 14th Rounder Ernie Martini, and this year the prospect prognosticators started to give him some credit. Cracking the overall top 500, I decided Martini would be the next man up, and with a ton of injuries, it took about a week for him to start securing every day at bats. The 22-year-old from Chicago has really taken advantage of the extra playing time, slashing .357/.415/.429 (120 OPS+) with 4 doubles, a triple, 2 steals, and 17 RBIs. A versatile youngster, he can man second, short, left, center, and, right, but he's spent most of his time so far out in left. He's looked really good too, a 1.092 efficiency and 2.6 zone rating in 183 innings out there. Sure, it's a small sample size, but it's always encouraging to see good performance as opposed to poor. He's not the greatest hitter, lots of grounders when he's at the plate, but he has blazing speed and is great at turning outs into hits. He does barrel the ball up rather frequently, but he doesn't get much lift yet. Of course, we have a lot of far more exciting outfield prospects in our system, from Bunny Hufford to Jasper Wright, but none of them are from Chitown, and that is one of the best ways to stick in the system. Just ask Oscar Panduro, who's made it all the way up to Milwaukee despite never being ranked in the top 500. Martini is likely best suited as a 4th outfielder and pinch runner, but with the right coaching staff, he can really get his talent maximized.

RHP Ira Hawker (C La Crosse Lions): He did it again! Directly after a 2-hit shutout of the Burlington Bears, 21-year-old Ira Hawker twirled a 4-hit shutout, as La Crosse slaughtered the Moline Pioneers 11-0. Funny enough, Hawker lost his next start to them in a 5-4 game, but he allowed just a walk and 5 strikeouts in the shutout. He's shaken off his rough start to the year, and is now 3-4 with a 4.42 ERA (107 ERA+), 1.38 WHIP, 17 walks, and 22 strikeouts in his 7 starts. The first four all saw 6 or more runs allowed, but the former Minor League Free Agent has just two earned runs in his last three. I want him to start throwing harder, although going from 83-85 to 85-87 in the offseason was a start, as his stuff is just average at best. He does have a decent curve, but his fastball isn't the best, and his change will only improve as his velocity gets better. His slider is a filler pitch at the moment, but adding speed can only help his pitch mix. He's probably getting ready for a promotion to San Jose, but we have a bit of a logjam in the lower minors, as a lot of our youngsters aren't ready for AA or AAA.