[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 4-1
Seasonal Record: 73-34 (1st, 8 GA)
Stars of the Week
John Lawson : 25 AB, 12 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, .480 AVG, 1.060 OPS
Billy Hunter : 20 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .500 AVG, 1.200 OPS
Cliff Moss : 19 AB, 9 H, 0 HR, 4 RBI, .474 AVG, 1.000 OPS

Schedule
8-4: Win vs Saints (3-9)
8-6: Win at Saints (9-7): 11 innings
8-8: Loss vs Kings (8-4)
8-9: Win vs Kings (2-7)
8-10: Win vs Kings (6-7)

Recap
The Cougars keep on chugging, winning four games in each of the last seven weeks, and we extended our lead to eight. It's not over the Stars, they went 1-4 and dropped to third, but over the Kings, who we took two of three from this week. I'm not a fan of counting chickens, but it's looking more and more likely that the Cougars will return to the postseason for the first time since 1933. We also got a little good news on the draft front, as it's very unlikely Pete Papenfus will be able to enlist before the season ends.

Speaking of Papenfus, he actually had a rough start, getting our lone loss to the Kings this week. He allowed 12 hits, 8 runs, and 2 walks with 6 strikeouts in 8.2 innings pitched. Seven of the eight runs he allowed came in the 7th or later, which is a bit of a concern, but considering he hasn't lost a game since May, I can't really spend too much time being angry with the young fireballer. Milt Fritz was a Dick Walker and Billy Hunter error away from a shutout, allowing 5 hits, 3 unearned runs, and 7 walks with 4 strikeouts, which is surprisingly almost a third of his season total in nearly 100 innings. Jim Lonardo again looked like Jim Lonardo, 9 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, and a strikeout in a complete game win. Parker and Lyons both struggled, and both let Ben Curtin pick up their wins. Parker went 7 with 9 hits, 6 runs (5 earned), 5 walks, and 3 strikeouts while Lyons went 6 with 10 hits, 5 runs, and 2 walks and strikeouts. Curtin went 4 innings in two games, allowing 5 hits, 2 runs, and a walk with a strikeout. Joe Brown made two appearances too, just a hit, 2 walks, and a strikeout in 3 scoreless frames.

The offense was really good this week, as we got a ton of production all around the lineup. Our first base duo was effective, with Walker and Ford combining to go 10-for-22 with 3 doubles, 6 runs, and 6 RBIs. Walker added two more homers and a steal, and the former Sailor is hitting a superb .274/.380/.543 (148 OPS+) in a Cougar uniform. Billy Hunter started to heat up, an even 10-for-20 with 2 doubles, a triple, 2 RBIs, and 5 runs scored. John Lawson had a John Lawson type week, 12-for-25 with 2 doubles, 4 runs, and an RBI. Cliff Moss was 9-for-19 with a double, 2 runs, and 4 RBIs. Skipper Schneider had his first good week in what feels like months, 4-for-11 with 3 runs, 3 RBIs, and 7 walks. Mike Taylor made just seven trips to the plate, but was an even 3-for-6 with a solo homer. All seven hitters had weekly OPS+ above 165, and we managed to put up a ton of runs throughout the week.

Looking Ahead
Our homestand continues this week with two against the Saints. It looks like we'll see Karl Weiss, who has spent most of his season in AAA Minneapolis. He's made just one start and five relief outings, working to a 2.60 ERA (158 ERA+) and 1.27 WHIP with 3 walks and strikeouts. We'll also get ace Wally Doyle (10-10, 4.72, 122), who has struck out more batters then everyone but Papenfus. We should be able to get a lot of runs off them, and we won both games against them last week. They do have a good offense, but Jake Hughes (.298, 49, 7) has been ice cold, hitting .224/.267/.299 in August while dropping even further down to .200/.259/.240 in 7 August games. I like our chances in this one, but with how lucky we've been recently, I wouldn't be too surprised if we dropped one of these games.

We then get just a single game with the Stars before an off day on Thursday. The Stars have been ice cold, going just 2-7 in August and dropping to third at 65-43. Bill Barrett won't hit 50 homers this year, but the 21-year-old slugger has hit a robust .378/.480/.671 (202 OPS+) with 22 doubles, 5 triples, 29 homers, and 97 RBIs with over four times as many walks (83) as strikeouts (20). He's also already worth 8.5 wins above replacement, and seems like a lock to hit double digits on the season. His 1.151 OPS seems almost comical, and there is no one near as productive as Barrett has been this season. He's a big reason the Stars have scored the most runs in the league, but they do have a lot of talent in the lineup. Lew Seals (.251, 13, 70) has provided power and versatility and Ray Cochran (.304, 3, 60, 9) is coming off a Player of the Week. Neither can matchup to the ageless Dave Trowbridge, who's .331/.403/.450 (126 OPS+) line is about 43 times better then the average 43-year-old, and he has 23 doubles, 7 homers, and 67 RBIs in 102 games this year. The pitching is good too, but the injury to Chuck Cole (12-4, 2.30, 61) has really set them back. We only have to face one of their pitchers, and I'm hoping it's Lou Robertson (5-7, 3, 4.30, 29) and not Vern Hubbard (12-5, 2.99, 56), who is right behind Harry Parker in the ERA lead chase. It's just one game, which bodes much better for us then them, as even if we lose the series, it won't really effect our hold in the standings.

We hit the road after the off day, taking a trip to Brooklyn for three with the now second place Kings. At 66-43, they are half a game above the Stars, and we now have a winning record against them as well as every other team in the league. They just lost Vince D'Alessandro, who tore his quadriceps and should miss most of the rest of the season. The 25-year-old from Springfield hit just .275/.359/.371 (91 OPS+) with 18 doubles, 3 triples, 2 homers, 5 steals, and 37 RBIs. Al Wheeler continues his return to form, hitting two more homers in Chicago to increase his season total to 16. He's hitting a remarkable .313/.418/.541 (149 OPS+) with 12 doubles, 51 RBIs, and 52 walks. 24-year-old Jim Lightbody has really started to heat up himself, upping his batting line to .333/.423/.503 (142 OPS+) with 18 doubles, 4 triples, a homer, 7 steals, and 44 RBIs. The weakest member of the rotation got some good news, with Jack Goff (9-9, 4.71, 51) announcing he is having a kid, which makes our farmhand Danny Goff Jr. a new uncle. I'd love to give him a nice welcoming in the form of a classic Cougar crushing, as he's the weak link in a relatively reliable rotation. This will be a tough series, and a few losses could allow the Kings to assert themselves right back into the race.

Minor League Report
RHP Joe Swank (C La Crosse Lions): The teens in the Lions rotation continue to dominate, with Joe Swank tossing a shutout in his third career start. It's back-to-back starts without an earned run for our 7th Round selection. He's now 2-0 with a 1.14 ERA (363 ERA+) and 1.31 WHIP, but the 9 walks to just 1 strikeout are a little concerning. Swank ranks outside our top 30, but sits at 36th in the system and 399th overall. He's a soft tosser, sitting in the 83-85 range with his fastball, which might be the worst of his three pitches. His circle change is good and his curve is average, but OSA thinks his future is as a spot starter. Tom isn't as excited about him, but he's still very young and with a harder fastball, he can be a much more effective pitcher.

RHP Pinch Lenhart (C La Crosse Lions): Back-to-back shutouts now for Pinch Lenhart, who was much better in part two, allowing just 5 hits and a walk with a strikeout to improve to 6-0 on the season. Lenhart now owns a nice 3.04 ERA (136 ERA+) and 1.27 WHIP with 10 walks and 15 strikeouts in 50.1 innings pitched.