[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record:5-2
Seasonal Record: 19-9 (2nd, 2 GB)
Stars of the Week
John Lawson : 24 AB, 9 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .375 AVG, 1.048 OPS
Freddie Jones : 13 AB, 6 H, 0 HR, 4 RBI, .462 AVG, 1.115 OPS
Billy Hunter : 17 AB, 7 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .412 AVG, .941 OPS

Schedule
5-5: Win vs Sailors (6-7): 10 innings
5-6: Win vs Sailors (2-3): 11 innings
5-7: Win vs Wolves (2-4)
5-8: Win vs Wolves (3-4)
5-9: Loss at Stars (1-2)
5-10: Win vs Stars (7-4)
5-11: Loss vs Stars (3-5)

Recap
We swept the Sailors and swept the Wolves, but when we went to New York the Stars took two of three from us. They lost a game earlier in the week, so we're still two out of first, and the two of us are separating ourselves from the pack early on. The three one run wins are a little concerning, but considering were just as close to our 20th win as out 10th loss, it's really hard to complain about what's going on. Well, I guess I can complain about the injuries, as Billy Hunter is hurt again! He sprained his knee again, but instead of almost a month, we're thinking he'll just miss 1-2 weeks. This was a great week for Hunter, as he was 7-for-17 with 2 doubles and RBIs, and the 26-year-old has hit .328/.361/.431 (115 OPS+) in the early goings. Lucky for us, his replacement will be Freddie Jones, who is slashing .453/.514/.547 (189 OPS+) in 72 PAs thusfar.

Jones only made three starts this week, but was 6-for-13 with 2 doubles, 4 RBIs, and 5 runs scored. He'll get most of the starts at the keystone, with Ollie Page filling in a few times a week to keep Jones healthy. John Lawson had himself another nice week, 9-for-24 with a triple, homer, 3 runs, and 4 RBIs. Rich Langton did good in limited time, 4-for-11 with a double, triple, and 5 RBIs. Carlos Montes went 7-for-24 with a double, 3 runs, 5 walks, and 2 RBIs. The rest of the lineup didn't do much, but while Leo Mitchell went just 7-for-28 (with 7 strikeouts...), he did homer and drive in 5. Johnny McDowell was a perfect 3-for-3 with a double, run, and RBI in three pinch hit opportunities. Dick Walker will join the roster this week, and since Hunter got hurt, Stu Johnson will stick around and fill out the bench. Meyer wants Walker to get starts against righties and Ford against lefties, and while I won't leave Ford on the bench for all righties, I do think Walker will get a decent amount of time there.

The pitching was solid, but we got an injury scare with Eddie Quinn. He left his start against the Wolves after just two batters with back tightness, but he won't miss any time. It really hurt him, as it was his last chance to make a case for staying in the rotation, as Milt Fritz will rejoin the team. Quinn struggles in 31 innings so far, working to a 4.94 ERA (77 ERA+) and 1.61 WHIP with 16 walks and 9 strikeouts. To make room for Fritz, I'll be letting to of the 38-year-old Allen Purvis, who has managed to keep a roster spot since we claimed him off waivers way back in 1935. He's done well this season, 1-0 with a 3.21 ERA (119 ERA+), 1.43 WHIP, 10 walks, and 4 strikeouts, but I can't bring myself to cut Pug, Joe Brown has a ton of upside as a starter, and Ben Curtin is a leader and popular clubhouse figure. Purvis ended up pitching more innings for us (387.2) then any other team, and was 24-24 with 12 saves, a 3.74 ERA (114 ERA+), 1.53 WHIP, 161 walks, and 124 strikeouts. For his career, he's 43-54 with 19 saves, a 4.27 ERA (99 ERA+), 1.54 WHIP, 318 walks, and 254 strikeouts.

The only starter who really struggled this week was Jim Lonardo, who picked up two wins and improved to 5-1 on the season. He had a 10 inning complete game win to start the week and pitched 7 innings in our win against the Stars. Still, he allowed 23 hits, 9 runs (8 earned), and 2 walks with 7 strikeouts. Harry Parker was our other two start starter, winning one and losing one. He tallied 19 innings with 15 hits, 7 runs, 8 walks, and 5 strikeouts. Peter the Heater was outdueled by Chuck Cole, allowing 6 hits, 2 runs, and 6 walks with 6 strikeouts in 8 innings. Dick Lyons had a brilliant outing, 8 hits, 2 runs, and a walk in a complete game win over Toronto. The off day to start the week should really help refresh the staff as we head on a long road trip.

Looking Ahead
It took 28 days before our first off day, but the red hot Cougars will get a day to rest and recuperate before heading on the road. Our first stop should be the easiest, a pair of games with the struggling Foresters. As it's set now, we're looking at facing two former Cougars in Ben Turner and Dean Astle, although to be fair, four of the five Foresters rotation members have spent time in our organization. Turner has been unlucky, 0-3 despite a respectable 3.79 ERA (105 ERA+), 1.57 WHIP, 13 walks, and 8 strikeouts in his five starts. Astle has been okay, 2-4 with an adjusted league average 3.97 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 11 walks, and 15 strikeouts. The Foresters did get some good news recently, as Mel Carrol's deferment was accepted, so the Foresters will not lose him like the Wolves lost Fred McCormick. The 29-year-old known as the Harborcreek Hustler could end up being a hot commodity around the trade deadline, and he's hitting .320/.343/.526 (124 OPS+) with 3 doubles, a triple, 5 homers, and 13 RBIs. He hasn't had much help in the lineup, with the only other above average hitters behind him in Bill Moore and Dan Fowler. Both are hitting .300, but Fowler has 4 homers and 12 RBIs and a very impressive 146 OPS+ compared to Moore's 2, 13, and 119. 25-year-old catcher Ken Vance seemed poised for a big breakout season, but the switch hitter has been ice cold, hitting a pitiful .173/.195/.213 (7 OPS+) with 3 doubles and 7 RBIs. A lot of it is bad luck as he's struck out in only 3 of his 80 plate appearances, but he has not been able to find the outfield grass very often. If both teams keep playing like they have all season, we should have no issues, and with a little luck, this could push us into first place.

Next stop is Philadelphia for three with the Sailors, so Dick Walker will get to face his old team almost immediately. Philly has struggled early on, 10-14 and already 9 games behind New York. As a whole, the team hasn't hit much, but Bob Smith had a decent week and is hitting .397/.468/.529 (160 OPS+) with 5 doubles, 2 triples, and 8 RBIs. No word on who will replace Walker in the lineup, but there is a chance former 7th Overall Pick and top prospect Marion Boismenu will man first. A natural third basemen, he has experience at first as well, and has hit .353/.389/.353 (95 OPS+) in limited time. Another option could be their top prospect Johnny Zeidman, another third basemen, who ranks 18th in the league. He has a bit of experience at first too, and has hit .274/.378/.389 (104 OPS+) in 24 games with AAA San Francisco. They'll need some sort of a jolt to the lineup, with the generally reliable Joe Watson, Woody Stone, Jim Beard, and Rip Lee all enduring below average seasons at the plate. The pitching has been hit hard lately, with Herb Flynn, Doc Newell, and Chuck Murphy all seeing their ERAs jump. Lee Marshall was moved to the pen with the fragile Ray McCarthy claiming the five spot. He's shown flashes of greatness when healthy, and in 5 relief outings and one start this season he is 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA (141 ERA+), 1.62 WHIP, 9 walks, 7 strikeouts, and a save. Playing on the road is always tough, but I think we have the advantage here and should end up winning another series.

Our week then finishes with the first of three in Cincinnati. The Cannons have had a tough start after an exciting season saw them back in a pennant race for the first time in almost a decade. The early injury to Adam Mullins has been hard to overcome, and they are in seventh at 10-15. The pitching was superb last season, but most of the staff have really struggled this season. The only starter pitching well, at least before Roger Perry's no hitter, is Glenn Payne, who is probably the fourth best pitcher on the staff. The 27-year-old southpaw has pitched well, 3-2 with a 2.31 ERA (169 ERA+), 1.18 WHIP, 13 walks, and 20 strikeouts. The biggest surprise has been Rufus Barrell, who is 1-3 with a 6.48 ERA (60 ERA+), 1.77 WHIP, 13 walks, and 17 strikeouts. They've also had some issues at the plate, with the prolific slugger Moxie Pidgeon hitting just .240/.295/.354 (73 OPS+) with 2 doubles, 3 homers, and 17 RBIs. His corner outfield partner Mike Taylor is also having a down season, hitting just .262/.331/.383 (90 OPS+) with 5 doubles, 4 triples, 4 steals, and 11 RBIs. One guy who isn't struggling is Doc Love, who has been getting some reps in left with Pidgeon spending some time at first. The former Cougar has made just 43 trips to the plate, but is hitting a strong .395/.442/.526 (157 OPS+) with 5 doubles and RBIs. We get the teams with the three worst records in the CA this week, so we should be able to run through our opponents. Still, anything can happen on the road, and the Sailors and Canons both have a lot of talent, so we can't take anything for granted.

Minor League Report
RHP Ira Hawker (B San Jose Cougars): He struggled a bit last season in San Jose, and he started the season with a red arrow here as well, but I decided to push Ira Hawker and let him start the season in San Jose. My gamble has worked out so far, as Hawker improved to 3-2 with a 2-hit shutout as San Jose beat Tacoma 6-0. Hawker has yet to allow more then three earned runs in an outing so far, and owns a 2.20 ERA (167 ERA+), 0.95 WHIP, 9 walks, and 19 strikeouts. This is a huge jump in production for the 22-year-old, who got a late start to his pitching career. If he keeps this up, we can hopefully have him finish the season in Lincoln, something I didn't expect to happen this quickly. Hawker has added a bit more speed to his fastball, moving from 85-87 to 87-89 this Spring. The more speed he adds, the better pitch this will pair with his plus curve. His slider and change need more work, but both should end up as big league quality pitches. He also does a good job keeping the ball in the park, and turn a double play or two when needed. OSA likes Hawker more then Tom, thinking he could be a decent 5th starter, and the prospect people rank him 12th in our system and 130th overall. He's got a lot of developing left to do, but we may have to start speeding up his process.

RHP Harry Stewart (C La Crosse Lions): His dominant season just keeps on going, as the 18-year-old followed up his 3-hit shutout with a 7-hit shutout. Again on the road, but this time against the Waterloo Chiefs, who we pulverized 16-0 despite them being above .500 and 4.5 games behind the Lions. Stewart has now allowed just 16 hits and a single run in his last three starts, all of which were complete games. I didn't really think he was ready for San Jose, but he's now shaping up to be the next man up if we need an arm in San Jose. Including his 10 starts last season with the Lions, he's now 10-1 with a 3.41 ERA (130 ERA+), 1.33 WHIP, 30 walks, and 56 strikeouts across 116 innings pitched. I've always been a big fan of Stewart, and I'm hoping he can be a quick riser for a high schooler and if he keeps pitching the way he is, could end up as enticing trade bait if we need to make upgrades in the new future. I think he could end up a middle of the rotation arm, but OSA and Tom think he's more of a spot starter. I think that's a bit low, but he does rank 13th in our system and 157th overall.