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ayaghmour2 · 08-01-2022, 06:46 PM

Weekly Record: 5-2
Seasonal Record: 6-5 (5th, 2 GB)
Stars of the Week
Leo Mitchell : 33 AB, 11 H, 1 HR, 6 RBI, .333 AVG, .838 OPS
Hank Barnett : 30 AB, 10 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .333 AVG, .911 OPS
Skipper Schneider : 27 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 5 RBI, .370 AVG, .948 OPS

Schedule
4-27: Loss at Stars (1-2): 12 innings
4-28: Win at Stars (5-3): 14 innings
4-29: Win at Stars (7-2)
4-30: Win at Saints (5-4)
5-1: Loss at Saints (4-7)
5-2: Win at Saints (8-4)
5-2: Win at Saints (9-2)

Recap
Despite the vastly improved record this week, we're still two games out of first. It was a very weird week, starting with a 12 inning loss followed by a 14 inning win. We then took the finale against the Stars and three of four from the Saints, sweeping the double header to jump above .500. We did get our first injury of the regular season, but it's just a sprained finger for Freddie Jones. It will just affect his throwing, and for about a week, so I think I'm going to nurse him through it. If things get worse, I can bring up Tip Harrison, who will start a rehab assignment. His injury buddy Cliff Moss is healthy too, so to make room for him, Aart MacDonald was DFA'd.

Jim Lonardo picked up a historic win, earning #250 in our 7-2 win over the Stars. Lonardo went the distance, allowing 7 hits, 2 runs, and a walk. It's much better then his first start, which saw 8 hits, 6 runs, a walk, and 2 strikeouts in just 4 innings pitched. This was Lonardo's 488th career game, now 250-178 with a 3.58 ERA (120 ERA+), 1.27 WHIP, 762 walks, and 1,321 strikeouts in nearly 4,000 innings pitched. He'll be 39 in June, and despite his age, he was pretty reliable last season. Our vet went 17-12 with a 2.94 ERA (112 ERA+), 1.19 WHIP, 69 walks, and 47 strikeouts in 279 innings pitched. Lonardo has been a Cougar since July of 1939, going 60-42 with a 3.45 ERA (111 ERA+), 1.26 WHIP, 175 walks, and 240 strikeouts. All 116 of his appearances have been starts, and he's about 50 innings away from 1,000 in a Cougar uniform. We're hoping for a big season from Lonardo, but his velocity is down from high 80s to mid 80s, and for the first time since joining us he is not listed as one of our top two pitchers.

Harry Parker did a complete 180 from last week, making a pair of starts. He got an unlucky no decision in our 12 inning loss, charged with just 4 hits, a run, and 2 walks with 7 strikeouts in 11 impressive innings pitched. He then picked up his first decision, tossing a complete game win over the Saints. All 4 of his runs were unearned due to a Skipper error, and Parker finished with 11 hits, a walk, and 5 strikeouts. We also got two good starts from Joe Brown, who also got a win and extra inning no decision. He went 9.1 in our 14 inning game, charged with 5 hits, 3 runs, and 5 walks with 2 strikeouts. He then beat the Saints, 6 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), and 3 walks with 4 strikeouts in a complete game win. Dick Lyons looked good despite leaving with two outs in the seventh, allowing 6 hits, a run, and a walk with 2 strikeouts. Johnnie Jones had a rough first start, charged with 12 hits, 7 runs, and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts in 7.2 innings pitched. The hits and runs are concerning, but there are signs of promise, as he walked just 2. In 24.2 innings last year, he walked 23, so just 2 walks in 10.2 innings pitched is a million times better. All the walks went to Ken Matson, who threw 5 innings in 4 games. He walked 7 with 6 hits, 4 runs, ,a win, and a loss. We're eventually going to need to move a pitcher down when Tip Harrison comes back, so if Matson doesn't turn things around, his option could work against him.

Harry Mead switched from worst to best, going 8-for-21 with 3 doubles, 2 runs, and 6 RBIs. Orlin Yates had a nice week, 5-for-12 with a triple, run, walk, steal, and 4 RBIs. Leo Mitchell kept things up, 11-for-33 with 2 doubles, a homer, 6 RBIs, 8 runs, a walk, and a steal. Sure he struck out 7 times, but that's always something we can live with. Hank Barnett had a good week, hitting his first Cougar homer while going 10-for-30 with a double, 5 RBIs, 6 walks, and 7 runs scored. Skipper went 10-for-27 with 3 doubles, a triple, steal, 4 runs, and 5 RBIs. Dick Walker had a rough week, going just 4-for-30 with a steal, RBI, 3 walks, and 4 runs scored. Billy Hunter didn't hit great, just 5-for-20 with a double, 2 runs, and 5 RBIs. He did do well in center, no errors this week and he's making most of the plays out in center. He's 28-for-30 on routine plays, 2-for-2 on likely, and 1-for-2 on even. Sure, he's no Carlos Montes, but as long as he doesn't hurt us too much in the field, it's likely to work well for us.

Looking Ahead
Our stretch of 15 games in 13 days continues with another series with the Stars. This time we'll get four games in Chicago as we return home. They're a game behind us and 5-6, and have gotten very little production from their lineup. Despite being a respectable 4th in runs scored, they rank last in the CA with a .216/.293/.289 batting line. A lot of that is due to the enlistment of Bill Barrett, as their outfield has been abysmal early on. Former Cougar farmhands Chink Stickels (.204, 1, 9, 1) and Chubby Hall (.146, 2) have been ice cold, and former Rule-5 Pick Howie Smith (.171, 3) hasn't been any better. Even Dave Trowbridge (.200, 2) hasn't got things going. The surprising star of the offense is Mel Hancock (.324, 1, 7), who is coming off a season where he hit just .236/.316/.285 (79 OPS+) in just under 500 trips to the plate. Their pitching still is outstanding, led by one of the game's best pitchers in Billy Riley (1-1, 1.96, 9). Vern Hubbard (1-1, 3.12, 13) and Chris Clarke (1-1, 3.79, 3) returned to starting roles while newcomer Bill Keith (1-0, 2.65, 7) has looked good in his first two big league starts. I'm hoping we do better this time at home then we did Opening Week, and with all these games in a row, our pitching depth may prove crucial.

It will take 15 games before we take on a team who isn't Montreal or New York, where we'll head to Brooklyn for four games in three days. The Kings have been off to a surprisingly hot start, 8-3 and a game and a half ahead of the Cannons, Sailors, and Wolves. I'd say their schedule is helping them, but that would be a disservice for us, as they've played the Saints and Stars just like us. Former Cougar Jim Crawford has led the way for Brooklyn, a perfect 3-0 with a 0.89 ERA (375 ERA+) and 0.93 WHIP, but it comes with 5 walks and not a single strikeout. Harry Barrell (.312, 9) and Al Wheeler (.289, 1, 5) have to lead the offense by themselves as two of their best hitters Rats McGonigle and Joe Herman are off to war. They'll need guys like Tim Hopkins (.267, 3) or maybe even Vince D'Alessandro (.429, 3) to step it up if they want to compete, as well as a bounce back from ace Art White (0-1, 5.40, 4) who's last season ended early with injury. We should be their first real test, and I think we're come away with at a series win, or at least a split.

08-01-2022, 06:46 PM	#858
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,133	Week 2: April 26th-May 2nd Weekly Record: 5-2 Seasonal Record: 6-5 (5th, 2 GB) Stars of the Week Leo Mitchell : 33 AB, 11 H, 1 HR, 6 RBI, .333 AVG, .838 OPS Hank Barnett : 30 AB, 10 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .333 AVG, .911 OPS Skipper Schneider : 27 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 5 RBI, .370 AVG, .948 OPS Schedule 4-27: Loss at Stars (1-2): 12 innings 4-28: Win at Stars (5-3): 14 innings 4-29: Win at Stars (7-2) 4-30: Win at Saints (5-4) 5-1: Loss at Saints (4-7) 5-2: Win at Saints (8-4) 5-2: Win at Saints (9-2) Recap Despite the vastly improved record this week, we're still two games out of first. It was a very weird week, starting with a 12 inning loss followed by a 14 inning win. We then took the finale against the Stars and three of four from the Saints, sweeping the double header to jump above .500. We did get our first injury of the regular season, but it's just a sprained finger for Freddie Jones. It will just affect his throwing, and for about a week, so I think I'm going to nurse him through it. If things get worse, I can bring up Tip Harrison, who will start a rehab assignment. His injury buddy Cliff Moss is healthy too, so to make room for him, Aart MacDonald was DFA'd. Jim Lonardo picked up a historic win, earning #250 in our 7-2 win over the Stars. Lonardo went the distance, allowing 7 hits, 2 runs, and a walk. It's much better then his first start, which saw 8 hits, 6 runs, a walk, and 2 strikeouts in just 4 innings pitched. This was Lonardo's 488th career game, now 250-178 with a 3.58 ERA (120 ERA+), 1.27 WHIP, 762 walks, and 1,321 strikeouts in nearly 4,000 innings pitched. He'll be 39 in June, and despite his age, he was pretty reliable last season. Our vet went 17-12 with a 2.94 ERA (112 ERA+), 1.19 WHIP, 69 walks, and 47 strikeouts in 279 innings pitched. Lonardo has been a Cougar since July of 1939, going 60-42 with a 3.45 ERA (111 ERA+), 1.26 WHIP, 175 walks, and 240 strikeouts. All 116 of his appearances have been starts, and he's about 50 innings away from 1,000 in a Cougar uniform. We're hoping for a big season from Lonardo, but his velocity is down from high 80s to mid 80s, and for the first time since joining us he is not listed as one of our top two pitchers. Harry Parker did a complete 180 from last week, making a pair of starts. He got an unlucky no decision in our 12 inning loss, charged with just 4 hits, a run, and 2 walks with 7 strikeouts in 11 impressive innings pitched. He then picked up his first decision, tossing a complete game win over the Saints. All 4 of his runs were unearned due to a Skipper error, and Parker finished with 11 hits, a walk, and 5 strikeouts. We also got two good starts from Joe Brown, who also got a win and extra inning no decision. He went 9.1 in our 14 inning game, charged with 5 hits, 3 runs, and 5 walks with 2 strikeouts. He then beat the Saints, 6 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), and 3 walks with 4 strikeouts in a complete game win. Dick Lyons looked good despite leaving with two outs in the seventh, allowing 6 hits, a run, and a walk with 2 strikeouts. Johnnie Jones had a rough first start, charged with 12 hits, 7 runs, and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts in 7.2 innings pitched. The hits and runs are concerning, but there are signs of promise, as he walked just 2. In 24.2 innings last year, he walked 23, so just 2 walks in 10.2 innings pitched is a million times better. All the walks went to Ken Matson, who threw 5 innings in 4 games. He walked 7 with 6 hits, 4 runs, ,a win, and a loss. We're eventually going to need to move a pitcher down when Tip Harrison comes back, so if Matson doesn't turn things around, his option could work against him. Harry Mead switched from worst to best, going 8-for-21 with 3 doubles, 2 runs, and 6 RBIs. Orlin Yates had a nice week, 5-for-12 with a triple, run, walk, steal, and 4 RBIs. Leo Mitchell kept things up, 11-for-33 with 2 doubles, a homer, 6 RBIs, 8 runs, a walk, and a steal. Sure he struck out 7 times, but that's always something we can live with. Hank Barnett had a good week, hitting his first Cougar homer while going 10-for-30 with a double, 5 RBIs, 6 walks, and 7 runs scored. Skipper went 10-for-27 with 3 doubles, a triple, steal, 4 runs, and 5 RBIs. Dick Walker had a rough week, going just 4-for-30 with a steal, RBI, 3 walks, and 4 runs scored. Billy Hunter didn't hit great, just 5-for-20 with a double, 2 runs, and 5 RBIs. He did do well in center, no errors this week and he's making most of the plays out in center. He's 28-for-30 on routine plays, 2-for-2 on likely, and 1-for-2 on even. Sure, he's no Carlos Montes, but as long as he doesn't hurt us too much in the field, it's likely to work well for us. Looking Ahead Our stretch of 15 games in 13 days continues with another series with the Stars. This time we'll get four games in Chicago as we return home. They're a game behind us and 5-6, and have gotten very little production from their lineup. Despite being a respectable 4th in runs scored, they rank last in the CA with a .216/.293/.289 batting line. A lot of that is due to the enlistment of Bill Barrett, as their outfield has been abysmal early on. Former Cougar farmhands Chink Stickels (.204, 1, 9, 1) and Chubby Hall (.146, 2) have been ice cold, and former Rule-5 Pick Howie Smith (.171, 3) hasn't been any better. Even Dave Trowbridge (.200, 2) hasn't got things going. The surprising star of the offense is Mel Hancock (.324, 1, 7), who is coming off a season where he hit just .236/.316/.285 (79 OPS+) in just under 500 trips to the plate. Their pitching still is outstanding, led by one of the game's best pitchers in Billy Riley (1-1, 1.96, 9). Vern Hubbard (1-1, 3.12, 13) and Chris Clarke (1-1, 3.79, 3) returned to starting roles while newcomer Bill Keith (1-0, 2.65, 7) has looked good in his first two big league starts. I'm hoping we do better this time at home then we did Opening Week, and with all these games in a row, our pitching depth may prove crucial. It will take 15 games before we take on a team who isn't Montreal or New York, where we'll head to Brooklyn for four games in three days. The Kings have been off to a surprisingly hot start, 8-3 and a game and a half ahead of the Cannons, Sailors, and Wolves. I'd say their schedule is helping them, but that would be a disservice for us, as they've played the Saints and Stars just like us. Former Cougar Jim Crawford has led the way for Brooklyn, a perfect 3-0 with a 0.89 ERA (375 ERA+) and 0.93 WHIP, but it comes with 5 walks and not a single strikeout. Harry Barrell (.312, 9) and Al Wheeler (.289, 1, 5) have to lead the offense by themselves as two of their best hitters Rats McGonigle and Joe Herman are off to war. They'll need guys like Tim Hopkins (.267, 3) or maybe even Vince D'Alessandro (.429, 3) to step it up if they want to compete, as well as a bounce back from ace Art White (0-1, 5.40, 4) who's last season ended early with injury. We should be their first real test, and I think we're come away with at a series win, or at least a split.