[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 5-2
Seasonal Record: 19-15 (t-2nd, 6 GB)
Stars of the Week
Leo Mitchell : 29 AB, 10 H, 3 HR, 4 RBI, .345 AVG, 1.077 OPS
Joe Brown : 2 Wins, 18.0 IP, 4 BB, 8 K, 0.50 ERA
John Lawson : 21 AB, 9 H, 1 HR, 7 RBI, .429 AVG, 1.173 OPS

Schedule
5-12: Win vs Foresters (0-4)
5-13: Win vs Foresters (2-8)
5-14: Loss vs Sailors (9-2)
5-15: Win vs Sailors (1-6)
5-16: Loss vs Sailors (4-0)
5-17: Win vs Cannons (1-10)
5-17: Win vs Cannons (2-4)

Recap
Great week for the Cougars, winning five of seven, and while we jumped up to second, we actually lost a game on the Stars who won six in eight. We only lost to the Sailors this week, who took two of three from us, as we really struggled with Philly's pitching. We did win the games we needed to against the Ohio teams, and I'm hoping we can build off this momentum. Best part of the week might be that I can trash the "Is it Time to Worry about John Lawson" article I was brainstorming (of course, the end conclusion was no), as he had a classic John Lawson week. The future Hall-of-Famer went 9-for-21 with 3 doubles, a homer, 2 walks, 2 runs, and 7 RBIs. Lawson, who has yet to have a full season with an OPS+ below 130, is hitting a bit below average .278/.309/.365 (95 OPS+) with just 5 doubles, 2 homers, and 18 RBIs. It's no coincidence a good week from our star meant a week filled with wins, and I'm ready for Lawson to lead us to many more wins.

Lawson may have been the best performer of the week, but Leo Mitchell gave him a run for his money. The now super slugger went 10-for-29 with a double, 3 homers, 8 runs, and 4 RBIs. Mitchell now has 8 homers, good for the lead in the CA and tied overall with Bobby Barrell and Walt Messer, and still ranks top three for batting average and RBIs. His 184 WRC+ is best in the CA, and he's hitting an elite .343/.377/.578 (175 OPS+) with 4 doubles and 22 RBIs. In just 34 games he's three homers away from his total last season, and he's already half way to his previous career high of 15 in 1940. Since becoming a full time starter in 1937, Mitchell has been one of the most consistent hitters in the game, with five consecutive seasons with an OPS+ between 133 and 139. Of course, he's taken the next step this season, with the only real difference the increase in home runs. He's still on track for about 100 strikeouts while his .346 average is actually lower then it was in the '39 and '41 season, while just six points above his career measure. His OBP is higher then just the 1940 season in his full seasons, but his slugging percentage this year is over 100 points better then his previous career high of .466. Looking behind the hood a bit, his BABIP is actually it's lowest as a starter (due in part to the homers) and he's on pace for his lowest walk% and double totals. Will the power stay? Who knows! But Mitchell has always been a well above average hitter, and while he's likely to cool down a bit, we're hoping he can maintain star level production as we look to return to the postseason.

Another guy who's been red hot is Clark Car, who after a nightmare of a first week, has done nothing but rake in a Cougar uniform. This week was no different, 5-for-15 with 2 walks, doubles, steals, and RBIs, with 4 runs scored. The 28-year-old is hitting a surprising .323/.397/.492 (157 OPS+) in 74 PAs with 7 doubles, 2 triples, 3 steals, and 12 RBIs. A very disciplined hitter, Car has walked 7 times and struck out just once, and he's made just a single error since week one. His efficiency is now an above average 1.051 with a 0.9 zone rating, and while Billy Hunter may be able to start rehab in a few weeks, Car has earned starts as we easy our star middle infielder back into things. Freddie Jones did well on the other side of the platoon, 2-for-5 with 2 walks, a run, and RBI. Ray Ford has gotten some time at second, and while he hasn't hit well to start the year, he had a nice 6-for-19 week with 2 doubles, a homer, 3 RBIs, 5 runs, and 2 walks. Harry Mead had another nice week, 6-for-18 with 2 doubles, 3 runs, and 3 RBIs. We're starting to score more runs, which is always good, and we now rank either 1st or 2nd in all offensive categories except walks (4th) and strikeouts (8th). The lineup has kept us in games, and since we pitched fairly well this week, we were able to win a lot. Things get better as Carlos Montes will return to his customary leadoff spot, and despite hitting above average, Orlin Yates will head down to AAA.

Joe Brown heard my doubts, and he took that as a personal challenge to preform. The Illinois native showed off to his home fans, picking up a pair of complete game victories against the Foresters and Cannons. Brown tossed his second shutout of the season against Cleveland, just 4 hits and 2 walks with 3 strikeouts in a 4-0 victory. He tried to follow that up with a second, but the Cannons got a single run off 5 hits and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts as we blew them out in the opener of the double header. He dropped his ERA way down to 3.31 (102 ERA+) with a 1.16 WHIP, 14 walks, and 21 strikeouts in 54.1 innings pitched. We also go a tremendous start from Harry Parker, who allowed just a single unearned run with 7 hits, a walk, and 5 strikeouts in a complete game win over the Sailors. Parker hasn't allowed an earned run in his last 18 innings, and he's done an excellent job keeping runners off base and the ball in the park. Jim Lonardo gave us two more quality starts, picking up a pair of 2-run complete games. He allowed 8 hits against Cleveland and 10 against Cincinnati, combining for 2 walks and 3 strikeouts to improve to 6-2 with a stellar 2.39 ERA (141 ERA+). Lonardo's been his dominant self since returning from an ankle injury last June, and he's stepped in well for our enlisted ace.

Dick Lyons, however, blew up against the Sailors, charged with 9 hits and 7 runs with 3 walks in just 3.2 innings. It moved his ERA up from 2.97 to 4.19 (81 ERA+), and while he is the highest rested pitcher due to the double header, I won't push him on short rest, poor start or not. This will give Milt Fritz, who didn't pitch this week will start our first game tomorrow against the Cannons, a chance to pitch his way into Lyons' spot. One bad outing isn't enough for me to give up on the longest tenured player in the league, but he'll be 42 in a month, and even the softest of tosses can't pitch forever. Lyons' start was the only one that required relief, as Hooks Camp did admirably in the blowout. He suffered through 5.1 innings of mop-up with 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts. Donnie Jones didn't have the best start, and picked up the other loss, charged with 6 hits and 4 runs (3 earned) with 5 strikeouts as the waiver pickup Scotty Thomas managed to shut us out. For the most part we kept runs off the board, and I'm hoping this week was the start of things getting back on track. Yes, we did take advantage of the 7th and 8th place teams, but the good teams beat the bad teams, and the Stars can only play .700+ ball for so long. So we hope...

Looking Ahead
Two more with the Cannons, who still sit in last at 10-25 and 15.5 games out of first place. The Cannons might have to mess with their rotation, as they have no 100% rested starters. The closes is Butch Smith (0-7, 4.76, 25), the struggling All-Star, who had to relieve youngster Clark Griffith in the third against the Stars. Other options include Glenn Payne (1-4, 4.38, 9) or Rule-5 Pick George Rotondi (0-0, 21.60) in the pen, or even an arm from AAA such as Jesse Bowen, Gordon Martin, Jack G. Thompson, or Dan Adams, who are all on the 40. Their pitching staff has a lot of question marks, and I fully expect our hitters to take advantage. Our pitching should also have a good time with their lineup, as they have a lot of struggling starters including Charlie Rivera (.195, 4), Moxie Pidgeon (.200, 9, 2), and Jim Hensley (.233, 1, 6), and while Pidgeon should turn things around, the other two are more useful with the glove then the bat. Of course, both Fred Galloway (.319, 1, 13) and Adam Mullins (.321, 12) are as good as it gets, but if we can keep those two in check, this may be a nice four game sweep for us.

Our homestand then ends with the Wolves, who enter the week 16-18. Toronto has been middle of the pack this year, but there is a lot of talent on this roster. Both Tom Frederick (.260, 1, 11, 2) and Charlie Artuso (.268, 2, 11) are reliable defenders, and each own an exactly adjusted league average batting line. If they can hit closer to their 1940 numbers then last year (although for Frederick it wasn't much worse), they could really set the lineup for the rest of the order. Walt Pack (.250, 1, 13) is off to a really slow start, but with Reginald Westfall (.339, 19, 1) and Mike Rollison (.331, 1, 13) now hitting around him, I imagine his production will start to rise. The pitching is more difficult to stifle, with the top two of Joe Hancock (4-4, 2.37, 26) and George Garrison (4-3, 2.53, 35) pitching a bit better then Jim Lonardo and Harry Parker. With a double header to end their week, their pitching also has a lot of uncertainty, so we may get the unlucky draw of facing both of the Wolves aces.

We then finish the week on the road with a three game series in Montreal. The Saints are tied for 5th with the Wolves despite the continued struggles of Red Bond (..217, 3, 13) and Bill Greene (.236, 13, 3). Bert Lass has started to heat up, picking up Player of the Week after going an even 15-for-30 with 2 doubles, a triple, and 4 RBIs. A .392/.410/.527 May has boosted his season line up to .350/.386/.450 (132 OPS+), his best triple slash since he put up a 150 OPS+ in 520 plate appearances as a rookie. Their top three of Jake Hughes (.343, 1, 11, 2), Heinie Billings (.341, 1, 10) and Lass have been very effective as of late, and then with Charlie Woodbury (.306, 3, 9) and improvements from Bond and Greene, their lineup could be one of the better ones. Of course, as it's been lately with the Saints, the pitching isn't up to par, but they've gotten a few surprising good starts from Karl Weiss (1-2, 1.93, 7) and Jake DeYoung (2-4, 2.78, 23) may finally be putting things together. If the Waco Kid Wally Doyle (3-4, 4.07, 34) can keep the ball in the park and cut down his hits allowed, the Saints may find themselves in the top four.

Minor League Report
LHP Ed Wilkinson (AAA Milwaukee Blues): Make it three wins in a row for 25-year-old southpaw Ed Wilkinson, who improved to 3-0 on the season with a 5-hit shutout as Milwaukee topped Indianapolis 4-0. He's walked a single batter in each of his four starts, and now owns a 2.45 ERA (164 ERA+) and 1.12 WHIP with 13 strikeouts in 33 effective innings pitched. A member of our 40-Man roster, Wilkinson will look to add to his 1 career FABL inning, and could be one of the first men up if we deal with an injury to our staff during the season. An intriguing five pitch pitcher, Wilkinson has a nice low 90s fastball and a changeup that was really working in his shutout. The change isn't a headliner pitch, same goes for the slider, curve, and forkball, but they're all reliable enough offerings and he's done good locating them. The former 4th Rounder is one of the few arms in our system who has never really dealt with control issues, keeping his BB/9 below 3 in each season since his debut year in '38, and it was an impressive 1.5 in 76 innings with the Blues last year. He doesn't have near the prospect shine as teammate Johnnie Jones, as Wilkinson ranks towards the back of our top 30, but he's gotten much better results so far and if the need in the majors is either short term or for the pen, I think I'd go with Wilkinson first. Tom Weinstock thinks he'd be a decent #5 due to his command, and I'd tend to agree with that assessment, but if he's starting games for us this season, we likely got hit hard with injuries and fell out of a pennant race.

SS Eddie Curtis (AAA Milwaukee Blues): Another member of our 40, I protected Eddie Curtis from the Rule-5 draft before last season, but the 24-year-old has yet to debut. He's doing his best to force his way up, hitting .404/.431/.431 (133 OPS+) in 118 trips to the plate. His batting line was helped immensely by a 6-for-7 game in the Blues' 17-10 slugfest win over Toledo. He scored three times and drove in a pair of runs, but all six hits were singles. In fact, Curtis has managed just two extra base hits, a double and triple, which is why his OBP is identical to his slugging. Curtis does have good speed, so I imagine he'll start to rack up some doubles and triples, but he's a more disciplined hitter (6 walks to 2 strikeouts) with a lot more grounders then liners, then an extra base guy. A hard working infielder, Curtis value lies most in his versatility, experienced at short, second, third, left, and right. Despite that, he's not the greatest defender, more solid with some missteps then above average. Weinstock has really started liking his bat, predicting him to be a .330 hitter in the big leagues, but this may just be wishful thinking. I think he's more of a utility guy who can offer some speed, but it may be hard for him to earn the playing time his hard work deserves.

RHP King Price (AA Mobile Commodores): After a rough start against the now second place New Orleans Showboats, King Price bounced back in a huge way. His offense made it so he didn't have to, but the 24-year-old Bluegrass State alum tossed a 4-hit shutout with 4 strikeouts and 2 walks as the Commodores annihilated the Chattanooga Reliables, who weren't too reliable in this one, 14-0. Price has looked much better in his four starts with Mobile this year as opposed to his first 14, where he was 7-4 with a 4.90 ERA (89 ERA+), 1.57 WHIP, 38 walks, and 47 strikeouts. His walk (3.2 to 3.7) and strikeout (3.9 to 3.7) rates are pretty similar in the 33.2 innings this year, but he has a much improved 3.48 ERA (132 ERA+) and 1.28 WHIP. My guess is that he's serving up less hard contact, as he's not allowing nearly as many hits. Yes, it's early, but his stuff is looking really good, and if he can take the next step and limit walks, he'll be an interesting option for a big league team. He has a great change and excellent knuckle curve, with a decent mid 80s cutter that has a lot of bite due to his sidearm delivery. He's not one of our higher ranked guys, just 34th in the system and 368th overall, and currently projects as more filler then anything. Of course, there are a lot of pitchers who may not be with their organization as we navigate the war, and someone with a high floor like Price may get a chance to fill in if he himself is not drafted.

3B Skippy Ellis (San Jose Cougars): Our 8th Rounder last year, Skippy Ellis started in San Jose, and returned their to start the season. He wasn't off to the best start, but Ellis had an outstanding week, taking home Player of the Week in the C-O-W League. Ellis went 14-for-32 with 2 triples, 4 runs, and an RBI to improve his season line to .324/.366/.371 (114 OPS+). Before this week, he had just a single extra base hit (a double), and on the 10th he was hitting just .274/.338/.288. A natural shortstop, Ellis has been getting a lot of time at the hot corner, starting all 24 of his games there. He hasn't looked great defensively, which is a little shocking considering his 1.107 efficiency at short last year, but I'm hoping it is inexperience and not a weak arm. He just celebrated his 23rd birthday on the 14th, and OSA thinks he could be a decent supplemental piece. He has a real nice contact tool, but he doesn't hit the ball very hard, and the chances he ever hits double digit homers in a year are very low. Still, his glove should be a big part of his game, and while his strike outs are up a bit this year, he did a really good job putting the ball in play last season. He's got a lot of work to do, but I think he can be a decent utility infielder who won't kill you at the plate.