[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 4-4
Seasonal Record: 87-49 (1st, 7 GA)
Stars of the Week
John Lawson : 33 AB, 11 H, 2 HR, 9 RBI, .333 AVG, .890 OPS
Skipper Schneider : 25 AB, 9 H, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .360 AVG, .967 OPS
Jim Lonardo : 2 Wins, 18.0 IP, 0 BB, 9 K, 1.50 ERA

Schedule
9-1: Loss vs Kings (7-5)
9-1: Win vs Kings (6-7)
9-2: Win vs Kings (2-4)
9-3: Loss at Stars (2-4)
9-3: Loss at Stars (0-5)
9-4: Win at Stars (4-0)
9-6: Loss vs Saints (7-2)
9-7: Win vs Saints (1-4)

Recap
It wasn't our best of weeks, but considering more games then days, and most of them against the two teams closest to us, 4-4 isn't anything to complain about. Our lead shrunk by half a game to 7, but I was very worried about this week and we escaped it almost completely unscathed. We did well against Brooklyn, taking two of three from them before the Stars took two of three from us. Brooklyn took two of three from New York, so the three of us basically played rock-paper-scissors with each other, as the four series did nothing to change the standings. With 18 games remaining, we have a magic number of 12, and a .500 finish should be enough to make our return to the postseason. We did have to deal with an injury, as Carlos Montes suffered an oblique strain on the first, so he'll hit the DL for a week or two. This will give Orlin Yates some starts in center, but I might give Cliff Moss a game or two out there so I could use Langton, Vargas, Ford, or Walker a little more.

Even with the eight games, Papenfus and Parker only got to start a game a piece, as they both pitched in the weekend series before. Peter the Heater was as dominant as ever, allowing just 3 hits and 2 walks with 6 strikeouts in a 4-0 shutout win over the Stars. It was the only game we were able to beat them, and Papenfus now has sole possession of the triple crown categories. That's because the Stars got the better of Parker, scoring 4 runs off 9 hits and a walk in 8 innings. Parker did strikeout three, but we had no chance of winning as we got just one run off Billy Riley (12-11, 3.92, 101). One of our two start starters was excellent, as Jim Lonardo beat both the Kings and Saints to improve to 13-8 on the season. Lonardo pitched complete games in both, just 11 hits and 3 runs with 9 strikeouts. He's had a rough go of things, dealing with injury and poor performance, but lately is been completely in control. He hasn't walked any hitters in over the past three starts, and he's walked two or fewer in each August start as well. We'll need at least three starters in the playoffs, and Lonardo tends to pitch better down the stretch. A few more starts like these, and I'll continue to lean on him down the stretch. Milt Fritz had some struggles, going just 7 innings in each of his two starts. He allowed 6 hits, 6 runs (5 earned), and 8 walks against the Kings and 7 hits, 4 runs, and 7 walks against the Saints. Joe Brown struggled in what may be his last start of the season, 9 hits, 6 runs, and 4 walks with 2 strikeouts in his only 6 innings of the week. Ben Curtin picked up a win, but struggled a bit in his 6 innings. He pitched in three games and allowed 3 runs and 6 hits with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts.

John Lawson led the offense once again, going 11-for-33 with 2 doubles, 2 homers, and 9 RBIs. He now has 27 homers on the season, one away from a career high of 28 in 1930. Skipper Schneider continues to stay hot, going 9-for-25 with a triple and solo homer. He's developing into one of the top shortstops in the league, and has spent the past few weeks in the top 20 players list. He's now at 14, one behind Boston's shortstop Lew McClendon. The two have similar batting lines, with McClendon at .288/.388/.395 (106 OPS+) and Skipper at .303/.358/.396 (105 OPS+), but Skipper's 21.2 zone rating and 1.086 efficiency are far better then Lew's -6.6 and .964. Skipper is four years younger and still can't buy a beer at a baseball game, and I think he's easily the most valuable shortstop in the game. He hit .390/.485/.488 in August and has always been projected to be an elite shortstop. More time will be given to Orlin Yates with the Montes injury, and the veteran outfielder went 6-for-19 with 3 doubles, 3 walks, and 4 runs scored. Most of the lineup had their issues, but part-timers Mike Taylor (3-7, 2 RBI) and Ollie Page (3-9, 3B, SB, 2 RBI) made the most of their limited opportunities. Cliff Moss continues his slump, just 4-for-21 to drop his season line to .271/.338/.409 (102 OPS+).

Looking Ahead
We get a much needed off day to start the week, as we embark on a 16 day road trip to end the season. We are 36-25 (.590) on the road, which is a pace better then the Stars (80-56, .588) and Kings (79-56, .585) have on the season, and they both have a lot of road games themselves. We start in Cincinnati, with the fourth place Cannons. They are 71-65 on the season and technically still alive, 16 games behind us and the last team with a record above .500. Injuries have decimated the Cannons staff, but they still have an excellent top three. Butch Smith (14-10, 2.94, 109) continues to provide ace level production with Roger Perry (9-10, 3.19, 79) and Glenn Payne (12-11, 3.19, 95) giving well above average innings. We'll likely get to see Jesse Bowen in one of those two games, who has made two starts in his big league career. The 25-year-old has looked good, a pair of complete games where he is 1-1 with a 2.50 ERA (160 ERA+) and 1.33 WHIP with 6 walks and 10 strikeouts. The Cannons do have a nice offense too, with a tough 3-4-5 of Adam Mullins (.323, 5, 41), Mike Taylor (.293, 11, 81, 22), and Moxie Pidgeon (.271, 15, 87). They don't really have a hole in the lineup, but our pitchers have been great and we should be able to keep them in check.

Next stop is Toronto, for three with the 61-76 Wolves. Walt Pack is searching for his first 20 homer season, sitting at 17 with a .296/.359/.444 (109 OPS+) triple slash. He's added 18 doubles ad 58 RBIs and with Fred McCormick back in the lineup next season, I expect he'll break many of his personal bests. The rest of the lineup has suffered from Fred's absence, with down years throughout the lineup. The staff is still strong, with double digit winners Joe Hancock (13-10, 3.37, 103), George Garrison (13-10, 3.57, 115), and Bernie Johnson (11-12, 3.85, 45) all tough to get runs off, especially in Toronto. I like our chances against anyone, but we can't take their challenge lightly.

We then finish the week with the first of three against the Foresters. Cleveland has the fewest runs scored and allowed, but they are 56-79 and four and a half above the Saints. The Foresters have brought Earle Robinson (1-3, 3.40, 16) to the rotation, and he has allowed two or fewer runs in each of his four starts. They're also now without young outfielder Eli Harkless (.263, 5, 36, 15) for the rest of the season, and they've brought up "The Rock of Rochester" Si Crocker with expanded rosters. He was part of the deal with Boston that sent out Bill Moore and Dean Astle to the Minutemen. He hasn't done too well, just 1-for-16, but the 23-year-old has legit power and it might take him time to improve the rest of his offensive game. 22-year-old Wes Parks has also been brought up, and the current 63rd Ranked Prospect is 3-for-12 with a double, triple, and 2 RBIs. We've done well against the Foresters this year, and I'm hoping we can get off to a quick star in that series.