[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 2-4
Seasonal Record: 66-55 (4th, 4.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Mike Taylor : 15 AB, 7 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .467 AVG, 1.571 OPS
John Lawson : 24 AB, 8 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .333 AVG, 1.039 OPS
Leo Mitchell : 25 AB, 9 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .360 AVG, .847 OPS

Schedule
8-20: Loss at Wolves (3-6)
8-21: Loss at Wolves (1-2)
8-22: Loss at Cannons (2-3): 14 innings
8-23: Win at Cannons (5-1)
8-24: Loss at Cannons (6-7)
8-25: Win at Sailors (13-1)

Recap
I can feel the season slipping away... It seems every time we get close to first, we start losing games, and that's exactly what happened this week. This week really hurt, as three of our losses were one run walk-offs, including one where we fell in 14 innings after allowing 2 runs in the 9th because of Moxie Pidgeon's first homer in August. We did not play up to our competition, as the 1st Place Wolves swept through us and the Cannons, 3.5 games out due to the Wolves hot week, took two of three. Sure, we slaughtered the Sailors, but we're now 4.5 games out with about a month left in the season. A good week or two and we could be right back in it, but we dug an unnecessary hole for ourselves as August winds down.

Billy Hunter was outstanding in his return to the lineup, 6-for-16 with 3 doubles, a triple, 3 RBIs, and 4 runs scored. Both of our catchers looked good, with Mike Taylor one of the best players anywhere this week. Taylor went 7-for-15 with 2 doubles, a triple, 2 homers, 4 runs, and 6 RBIs while Harry Mead was 3-for-7 with a double, 2 runs, and 2 RBIs. John Lawson had a powerful week, 8-for-24 with a double, 2 homers, 4 runs, and 6 RBIs. Leo Mitchell was 9-for-25 with 2 doubles, walks, runs, and RBIs. Rich Langton got into the fun too, 2-for-6 with a triple, RBI, and 3 runs scored. Orlin Yates, Carlos Montes, and Ray Ford, however, really had tough times this week, with the trio hitting just 8-for-76 a triple, steal, and 6 RBIs. We need everyone to hit next week if we want to keep our season going, but it may end up being too little too late, as the offense cannot perform with any sort of consistency.

The pitching was mostly wonderful, but Milt Fritz had a poor start and Pete Papenfus as unlucky one. Fritz made two starts, one where he allowed 6 runs in 8 innings and the other just one in a complete game victory. In total, he allowed 14 hits and 9 walks with 3 strikeouts. Papenfus got killed with errors, as 5 of his 7 runs were unearned. He went 8.1 as the Cannons walked us off (in fact, all runs came after a 5 run 7th), charged with 13 hits and 2 walks with 12 strikeouts. The 6-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio is really encouraging, and for the season, he has an improved 5.1 BB/9 and 7.2 K/9 in 129 innings. Dick Lyons was an error away from a shutout, allowing 3 hits and a walk with a strikeout. Jim Lonardo went just 7, and got a no decision, with 5 hits, a run, and 2 walks. Joe Brown tried to finish the game before another walk off loss, going an inning and a third with a hit, run, and 2 walks. Harry Parker was the unlucky pitcher in our 14 inning loss, getting one out in the 14th before we were walked off. He allowed 13 hits, 3 runs, a walk, and 3 strikeouts. Our starters managed to go deep in nearly every game this week, but for some reason that didn't translate into wins.

Looking Ahead
We do get two more against the Sailors, which should hopefully help us get on track as we had little issue with them in the opener. It is looking like we will see Walt Wells, who has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season. The 32-year-old is 18-7 with a 2.80 ERA (141 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, 77 walks, and 69 strikeouts in his fourth consecutive 200 inning season. We'll also see either Merritt Thomas or Dutch Sheldon, but with the Thomas injury I'm guessing it will be Sheldon. The 31-year-old is 13-12 with a 3.70 ERA (107 ERA+), 1.47 WHIP, 102 walks, and 85 strikeouts. Wells and Sheldon are their top two pitchers, but even if we can't score much on them, I think our pitching can do well against their lineup. Joe Watson is having a tough season, hitting just .291/.331/.453 (105 OPS+) with 20 doubles, 13 triples, 9 homers, and 64 RBIs. Not bad numbers, by any means, but after OPS+ above 140 the past two seasons, it's not what Sailors fans have been used to. They have made a change in the outfield, with 25-year-old Joe Scott getting a few starts. Most of the time has came off the bench, but he's hitting a strong .308/.398/.513 (139 OPS+) with 11 doubles, a triple, homer, and 22 RBIs. At least we can't get swept, already a plus, but we really need to win both and cannot afford to drop both.

Our road trip then ends with two in Cleveland against the 39-83 Foresters. It's been a rough fall from grace, as the Foresters went from pennant contender to cellar dweller. Four of the five rotation members have ERAs above 4, while both Lou Martino and Ben Turner have been awful. Martino led the CA in ERA last year, but this season is just 3-16 with a 5.05 ERA (78 ERA+), 1.71 WHIP, 74 walks, and 48 strikeouts. Ben Turner is a similar 6-15 with a 5.03 ERA (79 ERA+), 1.65 WHIP, 63 walks, and 34 strikeouts. At the plate, Mel Carrol is hitting well, but a .343/.388/.474 (126 OPS+) line is not what he's used to hitting. The 28-year-old won the most recent Player of the Week and has 18 doubles, a triple, 14 homers, and 69 RBIs in 117 games. They do have the second most homers in the league, with Lou Balk, Bill Moore, and Dan Fowler all in double digits. Balk is one of the few hitters to keep up with Leo Mitchell's strikeouts, and he's hit a strong .299/.326/.492 (113 OPS+) with 27 doubles, 11 triples, 12 homers, and 46 RBIs. Moore is hitting a similar .293/.370/.453 (116 OPS+) with 35 doubles, 3 triples, 11 homers, and 60 RBIs. Fowler, however, is having an awful season, just .242/.324/.381 (85 OPS+) with 21 doubles, 3 triples, 12 homers, and 65 RBIs. Formerly a top-5 center fielder, Fowler had a 115 or higher OPS+ in each season from 1932-1938, but this should make two seasons of below average production. We cannot afford to drop any more games with Cleveland, and anything less then a sweep would be a major disappointment.

We're off on Friday, and will the return home for two with the Saints. Like Cleveland, we really need to beat Montreal, as they are 50-70 and the only other CA team with fewer then 60 wins. Spud Bent is hurt, giving Mark Burns a return to the lineup. He was great as a rookie last season, but has hit just .232/.312/.331 (71 OPS+) with 12 doubles, 2 homers, and 25 RBIs in just over 200 trips to the plate. To the right of him at short is Jake Hughes, who has looked good in his sophomore season. Hughes is hitting .312/.378/.429 (113 OPS+) with 13 doubles, 2 triples, a homer, 7 steals, and 41 RBIs in just shy of 200 PAs. Of course, neither compare to Red Bond, who is slashing a superb .328/.385/.538 (142 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 2 triples, 24 homers, and 78 RBIs. The team doesn't hit many homers, with the only other in double digits 32-year-old Vic Crawford. Last year was his first full season with a sub 100 OPS+, but he's back on track and hitting .269/.348/.469 (114 OPS+) with 31 doubles, 7 triples, 11 homers, and 59 RBIs. The pitching has really struggled, allowing the most amount of runs in the CA. Karl Wallace has done fine, but he's the only rotation member with an ERA below 4. He's 7-6 with a 3.70 ERA (106 ERA+), 1.35 WHIP, 35 walks, and 36 strikeouts in 16 starts and 11 relief outings. Wally Doyle is back, and while he hasn't been great, the 21-year-old is 5-6 with a 4.59 ERA (86 ERA+), 1.55 WHIP, 63 walks, and 58 strikeouts in 16 starts. These back four games may be enough for us to secure a winning week, but I think we have a good chance of going 5-1 with an outside shot at a much needed 6-0 week.

Minor League Report
RHP Joe Crosby (A Lincoln Legislators): It's been a tough season for Boney Joe Crosby, but in his 16th start of the season he was near flawless. The 21-year-old allowed just 5 hits and struck out 2 in a complete game shutout win over the Gary Steelmen. This improved his season record to 6-4 with a 5.38 ERA (73 ERA+), 1.54 WHIP, 43 walks, and 37 strikeouts. Definitely not the most inspiring numbers possible, and compared to his 19 starts in San Jose last year, his BB/9 is up and his K/9 down. His ERA and WHIP are way up as well, but it's tough to match a 3.32 ERA (147 ERA+) and 1.28 WHIP. The former 4th Rounder also missed about a month with shoulder tendinitis, but he's actually been better since returning. The down season has also affected his prospect rankings, as he dropped down to 21st in our system and 266th overall. I'm not overly concerned, young pitchers do have their struggles, and Tom Weinstock thinks he'll end up a back of the rotation arm. He does have a nice 89-91 fastball and his curve and slider should develop into quality offerings. Walks have hurt him a bit, and he'll have to improve his control if he wants to continue starting games, as he doesn't have the raw stuff to overpower hitters.

Likely no report tomorrow as I'm going to be very busy, and with no sims on the weekend I won't feel rushed to get something posted before the next sim. I imagine I'll wait until Saturday, but it may be up very late tomorrow.