[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 5-2
Seasonal Record: 29-30 (t-4th, 9 GB)
Stars of the Week
Dick Lyons : 2 Wins, 17.0 IP, 3 BB, 3 K, 2.12 ERA
Ray Ford : 20 AB, 7 H, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .350 AVG, 1.050 OPS
Milt Fritz : 1 Win, 9.0 IP, 2 BB, 3 K, 0.00 ERA

Schedule
6-10: Loss at Sailors (2-3)
6-11: Win at Sailors (5-4)
6-12: Win at Sailors (7-1)
6-14: Loss vs Foresters (8-5)
6-15: Win vs Foresters (0-5)
6-16: Win vs Foresters (2-4)
6-16: Win vs Foresters (1-6)

Recap
Well would you look at that? A good week! The pitching was pretty tremendous, as for possibly the first time in the history of this dynasty, we had two pitchers in the top performers list! We won both our series' this week, taking two out of three against the Sailors, before working our revenge in Cleveland. We took three of four against the Foresters in Cleveland, the reverse of what they did to us last week in Chicago. We're now almost back to .500, and back within single digits of first place. A few more sims and we're right back in it, but by the reverse, another bad sim or two and it may be time to sell a few pieces.

One of those pieces that may be moved is Milt Fritz, who tossed yet another shutout. The 30-year-old vet allowed just 8 hits and 2 walks with 3 strikeouts in his second shutout in three starts. He's allowed two or fewer runs in four of his last five starts, and discounting his complete meltdown against the Stars, he's allowed 3 or fewer earned runs in his other 9 starts. Dick Lyons got two starts, including a complete game win on his 40th birthday. He allowed 5 hits and 2 runs with a strikeout, picking up his second win of the week. His first was an 8 inning win over the Sailors, allowing 7 hits, 2 runs, and 3 walks with 2 strikeouts. Lyons has been outstanding this year, now 8-3 with a 2.92 ERA (127 ERA+), 1.19 WHIP, 23 walks, and 12 strikeouts. Pete Papenfus made a pair of starts this week, and he looked like the young ace we once thought we had. He struck out 9 in each start, going 16.2 innings with 11 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), and 6 walks. His BB/9 is down a bit, 5.3 compared to 8.5 as a rookie and 6.6 last year, while his K/9 is a career best 9.2. I'm hoping Papenfus can turn the corner, as he's way too talented to keep struggling. Same goes for Jim Lonardo, who picked up another loss, allowing 9 hits, 6 runs (4 earned), and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts in 7 innings. Harry Parker tossed a gem, 9 hits, a run, and 4 strikeouts in a complete game win. Joe Brown struggled out of the pen, charged with 5 hits, 4 runs, and 2 walks, but he did strikeout 3 in 3 innings.

John Lawson had just an average week, 8-for-28 with 2 doubles, 2 runs, and 5 RBIs, but he had a lot of help. Ray Ford had another huge week, 7-for-20 with a double, homer, 5 runs, 6 walks, and 2 RBIs. Skipper Schneider continued his great start to his career, 7-for-19 with 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, 3 runs, and 3 walks. Skipper hasn't fielded as well as I expected, but he's hitting an impressive .345/.406/.471 (143 OPS+) with 7 doubles, 2 triples, and 14 RBIs, while walking 9 times compared to just a single strikeout. Carlos Montes had a nice return to the lineup, going 7-for-22 with a double, triple, steal, 2 RBIs, and 6 runs scored. Leo Mitchell had a decent week, 6-for-21 with a double, homer, 2 runs, and 3 RBIs. Ollie Page had a decent return to the lineup, 7-for-25 with 2 doubles, 2 runs, and 4 RBIs. Mike Taylor was just 4-for-18, but with 2 homers, 3 RBIs, and 3 runs scored. Leon Drake continued his rough season, just 4-for-23, but with a homer and 4 RBIs. It's been a season to forget for the 31-year-old who is hitting a pitiful .203/.250/.336 (61 OPS+) with 5 doubles, a triple, 4 homers, and 16 RBIs, while striking out almost four times (27) as much as he walks (8). The offense continues to be inconsistent, but at least this week, we managed to score enough when we needed to.

Looking Ahead
We start the week with three in Chicago against the second place Wolves. They sit at 38-22 and half a game out of first, and depending on how poorly we play, they may retake first from the Cannons. Joe Hancock and Bernie Johnson have very similar stats, both 8-3 with ERAs of 3.19 (121 ERA+) and 3.10 (124 ERA+). Hancock has 31 walks, 45 strikeouts, and a 1.25 WHIP while Johnson has 20 walks, 23 strikeouts, and a 1.16 WHIP. The Wolves brought up former Cougar Juan Pomales, who has struggled in his first taste of the big leagues. On the mound he's 1-1 with a 6.06 ERA (64 ERA+), 1.59 WHIP, 7 walks, and 6 strikeouts, while at the plate he's hit just .077/.077/.154 (-40 OPS+) with a double and RBI. George Garrison managed to even his record at 6-6 to go with a 3.54 ERA (109 ERA+), 1.30 WHIP, 27 walks, and 42 strikeouts. At the plate, Charlie Artuso is hitting an impressive .308/.369/.462 (120 OPS+) with 16 doubles, 4 triples, 2 steals, 2 homers, and 25 RBIs. Tom Frederick is hitting a similar .312/.383/.460 (123 OPS+) with 12 doubles, 7 triples, and 18 RBIs. Reginald Westfall is on the DL with a hamstring strain, so Evanston kid Joe Smith is hitting .294/.336/.440 (105 OPS+) with 10 doubles, 2 homers, and 28 RBIs in his place. Fred McCormick is continuing his "down" season, hitting a still solid .322/.411/.436 (126 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 3 triples, 2 homers, and 25 RBIs. Somehow, the Wolves best hitter has been 8-hitter Clarence Howerton, who's slashing .312/.392/.474 (130 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 7 triples, a homer, and 32 RBIs. Toronto will be a very challenging test, as they are arguably the best team in out league, and unless we wake up soon, are my favorite for the pennant this season.

Off again on Thursday, before four in three games with the Sailors. They're still in third, 34-27 and 5 games out of first. Chuck Murphy continued his run of complete games, improving to 6-2 and dropping his ERA to 2.92 (131 ERA+) with a 1.29 WHIP, 21 walks, and 14 strikeouts. Only Walt Wells has been better, 9-3 with a 2.77 ERA (139 ERA+), 1.13 WHIP, 28 walks, and 39 strikeouts. Dick Walker is still yet to hit a homer, and his .238/.351/.345 (86 OPS+) line is very off brand for him. He does have 12 steals, 12 doubles, 5 triples, 21 RBIs, and 35 walks, but if they want to challenge for a pennant, they'll need him to turn things around. Joe Watson is on pace for a 25-15-15 season, slashing .295/.340/.491 (118 OPS+) with 10 doubles, 6 triples, 7 homers, and 39 RBIs. Don Homer has done a good job leading their lineup, hitting .310/.367/.417 (108 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homers, and 19 RBIs. Philly will be tough, and I think they'll want a little revenge for last week, and I can already see the 0-7 email in my inbox tomorrow morning.

Minor League Report
RHP Dick Strunk (AAA Milwaukee Blues): No runs. No hits. No errors. Nobody left on. That's what Dick Strunk did in a 3-0 victory over the Toledo Tornados. The 26-year-old was perfect, but let's be honest, it's more that the defense was perfect. He struck out just one, but got 8 ground outs and 18 flyouts, combining for 27 outs in a perfect game. That's now back-to-back shutouts for Strunk, who allowed 4-hits and a walk in another 3-0 win over Columbus. Strunk was struggling a bit before this red hot stretch, but he's 8-4 with a 3.64 ERA (111 ERA+), 1.22 WHIP, 25 walks, and 31 strikeouts in 99 innings pitched. I grabbed him off waivers from the Sailors this offseason, but he was dreadful in his 10 starts with their AAA ballclub last year. With San Francisco he was 4-2, but with a 7.85 ERA (61 ERA+), 1.67 WHIP, 13 walks, and 35 strikeouts. Strunk was added for depth, as I like his three pitch mix. He has a nice low 90s cutter, paired with a decent curve and slider. He has very good control, and even though he has just a 2.8 K/9 this season, he's add really good strikeout numbers in previous seasons. I used his last option this year, so he'll have to impress to earn a pen role next season, but a perfect game should really help his case.

RHP Grover Donahue (AAA Milwaukee Blues): Despite being passed on as a replacement for Eddie Quinn, Grover Donahue has gone on a tear. He's tossed three consecutive complete game wins, including a 4-hit, 3-walk shutout over Toledo as the Blues edged the Tornados 2-0. That's after Donahue won a 2-1 and 3-1 game against St. Paul and Toledo again, now 4-5 on the season. The former 2nd Round selection now owns a 3.33 ERA (121 ERA+), 1.47 WHIP, 38 walks, and 18 strikeouts in 83.2 decent innings across 10 starts. He never got a velocity boost, throwing just 84-86 with his fastball and cutter, as the 25-year-old also mixes in a curve, slider, change, and splitter. He never quite reached his peak, as I expected him to be a decent enough middle of the rotation starter, but now Donahue's future likely lies as a multi inning reliever. He does a great job keeping the ball on the ground, but his stuff isn't all that great. He can eat innings, but I'm not sure those innings will be all that impressive. He turns 26 in September, and I could see him getting a promotion to Chicago as a birthday gift this year. We do have a lot of other options in case of another injury to the pitching staff, but he is arguably pitching the best out of himself, Walker Pearce, Dick Strunk, and Cal Knight.

LHP Ed Wilkinson (A Lincoln Legislators): Make that two shutouts in four starts for former 4th Rounder Ed Wilkinson, who allowed 5 hits and a walk with 4 strikeouts as Lincoln silenced Terre Haute 9-0. That evened Wilkinson's record at 5-5, but he's been a much better pitcher then his record shows. He has a nice 2.99 ERA (131 ERA+) and 1.30 WHIP with 20 walks and 35 strikeouts in 10 quality starts. The 23-year-old is ready for AA, but the only guy I'd demote would be Johnnie Jones, and the last thing I want to do is move him down to Lincoln and make him more angry. Wilkinson currently checks in inside our top 30, ranked 24th in our system and 292nd in the league. The southpaw throws a nice low 90s fastball, the best of his five pitches. He also features a curve, slider, change, and forkball, but none of those four offerings are that impressive. He works best by finesse as opposed to overpowering hitters, but unless he develops an out pitch, Weinstock thinks he may be limited to emergency starts and long relief. His strong command and movement should allow him to limit the longball, but he will need to develop an outpitch or he'll have trouble with big league hitters.

1B Bill Dambreville (A Lincoln Legislators): It was a great week for the 22-year-old first basemen, who went 10-for-19 with 2 homers, 4 runs, and 5 RBIs. This was good enough for the Heartland League Player Week, and boosted the former 5th Rounders batting line to an outstanding .344/.413/.503 (152 OPS+) with 17 doubles, a triple, 4 homers, and 38 RBIs. One of our top prospects, he ranks 11th in the system and 171st overall, and is actually our 4th highest ranked position prospect. A lefty swinger, Dambreville features an above average contact tool, and should end up as a consistent .300 hitter. He has a great eye, walking (26) more then he strikes out (13), and he really bounced back from a rough first season. He hit just .280/.359/.370 (84 OPS+) with 14 doubles, a triple, 2 homers, and 36 RBIs. The two seasons merged into a respectable .308/.383/.429 (115 OPS+), something I could see him hitting in a full big league season. We don't have much depth at first base, so Dambreville really has no one in his way other then current starter Ray Ford. Ford just turned 29, but I don't think the hard worker is going anywhere soon. He actually has a similar line this season, .307/.353/.454 (122 OPS+) with 12 doubles, a triple, 6 homers, and 26 RBIs. Since Ford is a righty, as he gets older him and Dambreville could turn into an effective platoon pairing, but I'm not sure Dambreville will match the upside of Ford. Still, I'm a big fan of his tools, and I think he could be a modest producer at the big league level.