[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 4-2
Seasonal Record: 54-44 (2nd, 11 GB)
Stars of the Week
Harry Mead : 21 AB, 8 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .381 AVG, 1.244 OPS
Billy Hunter : 17 AB, 8 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, .471 AVG, 1.021 OPS
Clark Car : 7 AB, 4 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .571 AVG, 1.768 OPS

Schedule
7-21: Win vs Foresters (2-5)
7-22: Loss vs Foresters (3-2)
7-24: Loss vs Sailors (5-4)
7-25: Win vs Sailors (0-7)
7-26: Win vs Sailors (4-5): 13 innings
7-26: Win vs Sailors (3-4): 10 innings

Recap
Another nice two loss week, but we still dropped in the standings as the Stars refuse to lose. We dropped to 11 games out, and we continued to lose one run games. Sure, we won two of them this week, but also lost two. Both of those wins were in extras, something we haven't done much of. Since the All Star break we're 13-4, with all four losses of the one run variety. The Stars have been just as hot, 13-6, so we've made up just a single game on them. We need a lot of things to break our way, but the season won't end any time soon.

We pitched well this week, with just one start by a Cougar pitcher allowing four or more earned runs. That was Jim Lonardo, who went 8.2 innings with 10 hits, 5 runs (4 earned), 4 walks, and a strikeout in a loss. The rest of the starts were great, especially Harry Parker, who tossed a 5-hit, 1-walk, 6-strikeout shutout as we beat the Sailors 7-0. Parker has now won each of his last six decisions, and hasn't lost since June 20th. Joe Brown made a pair of starts, one win and one no decision. He beat the Foresters, allowing 7 hits, 2 runs, and 2 walks with 2 strikeouts. He then got a no decision in the first game of the double header, getting two outs in the 10th with 9 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), and 3 strikeouts. Dick Lyons made a vintage Dick Lyons start, allowing just 6 hits, 2 walks, and a run with a strikeout in an 8 inning no decision. Donnie Jones wasn't great, but he kept runs off the board. He walked 7 and allowed 5 hits and 2 runs with 3 strikeouts in an 8 inning no decision. The pen got a lot of work in, with Ben Curtin making four appearances of varying success. His control eluded him, walking 6 with 2 hits and 3 runs (1 earned) in 3.2 innings pitched. Pug Bryan and Milt Fritz picked up wins, Bryan allowing 4 walks in 2 innings with a strikeout and Fritz allowed 2 in a scoreless frame. I posted the Fritz trade too late, so he's still technically a Cougar, but Johnnie Jones will replace him tomorrow.

The offense wasn't great, but we'll get Ray Ford back and Billy Hunter had his first good week. The young infielder went 8-for-17 with 3 walks, a run, and RBI. Harry Mead continued his power surge, 8-for-21 with 3 doubles, 2 homers, 3 runs, and 6 RBIs. Mead now has 19 doubles, 12 homers, and 54 RBIs on the season to go with a strong .291/.351/.482 (137 OPS+) batting line. Cliff Moss did alright, 3-for-12 with a homer, 2 runs, and 4 walks. Clark Car made the most of his limited time, 4-for-7 with a double, homer, walk, 2 runs, and 3 RBIs. John Lawson was decent as well, 6-for-20 with a double, 2 runs, and 2 RBIs. Leo Mitchell has started to really cool, just 5-for-26 (although he did homer) this week and he's hit just .280/.330/.350 in July. I knew his red hot start couldn't be sustained, but he's still hitting a very impressive .327/.358/.452 (131 OPS+) with 10 homers and 50 RBIs. If he can get back on track, we'll continue to win games.

Looking Ahead
We start the week with three hosting the Wolves, who have scuffled as of late. They've lost 8 of their last 10 and are 7-10 since the break, dropping to 45-53 and 20 games out of first. They have a game lead over the Kings for 6th and are 8 clear of the Foresters. Former Cougar draftee Reginald Westfall (.281, 4, 47) was already starting to cool off, but now strained his back and will hit the IL for at least two weeks. This will hurt the offense that is already one of the worst in the league, but it opens the door for former 1st Rounder Hank Giordano. The 21-year-old outfielder is the Wolves 3rd best prospect and ranks 30th overall. "Gasser" has top-of-the-scale speed and a strong hit tool, spraying liners all across the field. Not much power, but in Toronto it's really hard to hit homers (Westfall owns a share of the team homer lead) and hitters do best with they can hit the ball hard and to all fields. He hit .279/.336/.394 (110 OPS+) in 86 games with AAA Buffalo, which was a bit lower then his .320/.378/.435 (136 OPS+) line with them last year. He'll split time in right with Gus Hall (.250, 3, 22) in a platoon, but I wouldn't be surprised if he keeps his roster spot even when Westfall is healthy again. Tom Frederick (.293, 1, 27, 8) is the only healthy hitter with an above average OPS+, and his 106 isn't all that great. Of course, their pitching is elite, so even if you limit the lineup, you might not win. George Garrison is trying to work his way into the Allen race, ranking top three in the pitching triple crown categories. The former 3rd Overall Pick is 15-6 with a 2.07 ERA (173 ERA+), 1.10 WHIP, 36 walks, and 96 strikeouts in 183 innings pitched. Co-ace Joe Hancock (10-10, 2.13, 71) has been extremely unlucky, and continues to prove why he's one of the best pitchers in the league. The emergence of Chick Wirtz (5-8, 2.61, 33) has helped, but Juan Pomales (9-10, 4.49, 26; .279, 16, 3) and Bob Walls (3-12, 4.28, 10) have been really easy to hit. We'll miss out on Hancock, but are stuck facing Garrison and Wirtz, which may make things really tough for us. I expect us to help increase their homer totals, but even with the tough pitching, I think the smaller park in Chicago should help us win this series.

We finish the week with the Cannons, a four game series in four days, but with an off day on Friday and double header on Sunday. The Cannons are in fourth and an even 50-50, 16 games behind the Stars and 12 above the Foresters. I mentioned Garrison's Allen Award case, but I don't think Rufus Barrell will let that happen. Deuce is on pace to surpass the 11 WAR mark, 17-3 with a 2.05 ERA (172 ERA+), 0.94 WHIP, 22 walks, and 120 strikeouts. He's been nothing short of elite, and ranks 2nd in ERA while leading for both strikeouts and wins. Billy Riley (1.83) is the only CA hurler with a lower ERA, and the Stars ace shared the win lead with Barrell. I'd bet on Barrell finishing better, but this will be a fun race to the finish with these two arms in what should end with a very interesting award vote after the season.

Barrell isn't the only bright spot in a down year for the Cannons, as Chuck Adams has emerged as one of the game's top power hitters. Adams has made 306 trips to the plate with .320/.366/.527 (148 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 14 homers, and 43 RBIs. He's tied with Bill Barrett for the homer lead, but Barrett has done it in over 100 more PAs. Adams also has far less protection then Barrett, who hits in a very strong Stars lineup. Other then Bob Griffith, who has taken just 62 at bats, just Adam Mullins (.284, 5, 31) and Fred Galloway (.268, 1, 36) have above average batting lines, and their OPS+ are just 107 and 104 respectively. Moxie Pidgeon (.222, 3, 17) has been cast off to the bench, as he's been worth less then a full run below replacement. Our staff should keep the lineup in check, and unless we're facing the former 1st picks Barrell and Carroll (6-2, 1.94, 39), our offense should produce adequate support. I'm still shifting my focus to next year, but I want to win as many games as we can down the stretch.

Minor League Report
2B Ossie Grogan (AAA Milwaukee Blues): It was a tremendous week for Ossie Grogan, who finished 16-to-34 to take home Player of the Week. He hit 3 doubles and 2 triples with 9 runs scored and 8 driven in. This upped his season line to .321/.380/.440 (126 OPS+) with 9 doubles, 7 triples, 5 homers, 8 steals, and 41 RBIs with an impressive 31-to-6 walk-to-strikeout ratio. The addition of Clark Car made Grogan's future playing time a little murky, but he's an excellent depth option who can be an effective hitter on a big league club. He also hits from both sides of the plate, but his glove is really good for only second. Second is a weak position in the league, and Grogan could probably start for a few teams already, and Weinstock thinks he can put "a hammerlock on the second basemen slot." He'll get another cup of coffee this September, and then work to earn a bench spot in the Spring. He's not better then Jones or Car yet, but when one of them or Hunter inevitably gets injured, it may be Grogan's turn to shine.

RHP Joe Crosby (AAA Milwaukee Blues): It hasn't been a great season for Crosby, who was added to the 40 in the offseason, but he was firing on all cylinders against the St. Paul Disciples. Crosby needed just 90 pitches in a 6-0 shutout victory, allowing just 5 hits with 4 strikeouts to improve to 6-5 on the season. "Boney Joe" has made 14 starts for the Blues, working to a 4.19 ERA (91 ERA+) and 1.44 WHIP with 38 walks and 39 strikeouts. Not the most exciting stats, and this start was just one of three where he pitched 7 innings, and the first where he finished the 8th. He only managed to hit the century mark for pitches once, which leads me to believe that he may not have the stamina needed to start in the big leagues. He'll keep starting for now, as Tom thinks he'll be a back-end starter and he just upped his fastball to 93-95. Another issue is his flyball tendencies, which don't work too well in Chicago. I do really like his stuff, as his fastball is a great pitch and his curve has sharp late break. His slider gets some whiffs too, and when he's locating his offerings, he'll get a lot of strikeouts. A lot of this profiles well for a late inning arm, but at just 23, he has a lot of time to continue to improve. He no longer ranks as a top 200 prospect, but pitching is very valuable as injuries can be around the corner at any time.

SS Dick Hamilton (C La Crosse Lions): Our highest rated prospect from the recent draft, Dick Hamilton is off to a great start down in La Crosse, hitting .351/.438/.597 (154 OPS+) with 6 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, a steal, and 11 RBIs. He had a huge game on the 25th as we dominated Marshalltown 23-3, going 5-for-6 with a walk and three runs scored. Hamilton is only in La Crosse right now as we have a lot of infielders ahead of him. Still, in a few more weeks I'll make room for him in Mobile regardless. Hamilton has hit really well, and showed decent discipline, walking (11) more then he strikes out (8). He has a good swing and should be a solid contact hitter, but I don't think he'll be a big home run hitter. I'm not sure if he'll have the glove to stick at short, but his offense is good enough that I can find a position for him on the field. I think he'll be our tiny second basemen to pair with the tiny shortstop Skipper Schneider, and he may make his way up our system very fast.