[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 2-6
Seasonal Record: 68-52 (3rd, 1.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Leo Mitchell : 30 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, .333 AVG, .842 OPS
Hank Barnett : 31 AB, 7 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .226 AVG, .778 OPS
Cliff Moss : 28 AB, 6 H, 2 HR, 3 RBI, .214 AVG, .741 OPS

Schedule
8-14: Loss at Wolves (0-4)
8-15: Loss at Wolves (1-2)
8-16: Win at Foresters (2-1)
8-17: Loss at Foresters (2-3): 10 innings
8-18: Loss at Foresters (3-5)
8-19: Win at Foresters (6-1)
8-20: Loss at Sailors (1-2)
8-20: Loss at Sailors (2-4)

Recap
This is what I get for getting my hopes up...

Our nightmare continues, as despite playing just one team more then twice on the week, we lost to each team we played twice. This not only dropped us out of first, but all the way to third, as we trail both the Wolves and Cannons by a game and a half, with the Sailors, who just swept us in the double header, just three games back. I'm truly at a loss at what is going on, as we have just completely imploded. It's not like we had a big injury, or started playing a lot of tough games, or were stuck on the road. We just stopped being good at baseball. We can't win at home or on the road. We can't score runs. We can't close out games. It doesn't matter who's on the mound or in the lineup. We just can't win anymore. And I'm not sure it matters anymore. At one point we led nearly every offensive and pitching category, and now its just 11 of 27. Everything that could go wrong has, and the teams behind us have put together impressive stretches while we falter. It's sad, but honestly, I think its already over. It's crazy to think we pissed away a 10 game lead, but the Cougars have done nothing to show me that there's any fight left. Baseball is one of those tricky sports where the whole is always far greater then the some of its parts, but despite all the talent, we aren't getting much surplus value. Despite all that, I still have to hold onto a little bit of faith. None of the roster has changed, it's all the same players that were 40-23 in the first three months of the season. You have to imagine things will start to click again.

Sure, most of the week was bad, but Harry Parker was great! He picked up one of the two wins, going 8 against the Foresters with 7 hits, a run, and 2 strikeouts. He made his first relief appearance since he was a rookie earlier in the season, tossing a 6-pitch 1-2-3 8th in our 4-0 loss against the Wolves. Not sure why Clyde Meyer put him in a game we couldn't score, but ya know, its easily the least of our problems. Mike Murphy picked up our other win, going 6 with 5 hits, a run, and 4 walks. Billy Riley was stuck with a no decision in our extra inning loss, going 9 with 8 hits, 2 runs, and 3 strikeouts. Ben Curtin was then walked off in the 10th, allowing a hit and walk while getting just one batter out. He pitched in two other of the games against the Foresters, picking up a save in 2 innings with 2 hits and a run.

Both Art White and Dick Lyons made two starts each, of course, losing both. White really struggled, pitching a pair of 7 inning, 4 run starts. He allowed 12 hits and 11 walks in the two outings, and after starting the season 10-0, he's now just 13-8 with an exactly league average 3.44 ERA (100 ERA+). His complete 180 in production has been a huge factor in our struggles, as he's found a way to be arguably the worst pitcher in baseball the past few months. Lyons looked good in one of his starts, however, going 7 with 6 hits, a walk, and a run. He had no luck against the Sailors, allowing 10 hits, 4 runs, and a walk in just 5 innings. Rusty Petrick was charged with a loss despite pitching well, but we couldn't score him any runs. He got walked off with one out in the 9th in our 2-1 loss to the Sailors, but he allowed just 5 hits and 3 walks with 4 strikeouts. Petrick finally got his season ERA below 4 (3.99), but he's vastly underperformed Jim Lonardo (14-11, 3.00, 35), which I definitely did not expect. In the pen, both Cal Knight and Merritt Thomas made two appearances each, tossing 3 shutout innings with just a single hit. Thomas also picked up a strikeout. The pitching was pretty solid, despite all the losses, but there is a lot of work to do if we want to turn things around. And we're running out of time to do it...

The offense couldn't get it going, period, as evidenced by the trio of Skipper Schneider, Orlin Yates, and Dick Walker. They combined to go just 12-for-86 with 11 strikeouts. Skipper doubled, both Yates and Walker tripled, while Walker also picked up a steal with 5 walks. Not many members of our lineup had much success, but Hank Barnett and Cliff Moss supplied the pop. Both homered twice, while Barnett went 7-for-31 and Moss went 6-for-28. Barnett added a triple, 3 walks, 3 runs, and 4 RBIs while Moss walked 4 times and scored and drove in three runs. Leo Mitchell rebounded a bit, although he dropped further in the batting title race, going 10-for-30 with 2 doubles, a triple, 2 walks, and 4 runs. Obviously, the offense was subpar this week, scoring three or fewer runs in seven of the eight games, and we no longer lead the CA in runs scored. I'm not sure if we can right the ship, and even if we can, it might already be too late...

Looking Ahead
Well, last week we swept the Wolves in a double header and then they took the final two, so maybe we can do that to the Sailors! Now 64-54, we couldn't beat former Cougar farmhand Karl Wallace (13-8, 4.24, 44) and the rookie Win Lewis (1-2, 2.63, 31), so why should we be able to beat Doc Newell (9-12, 2.91, 75), who is still going strong at 36. We should have more luck with Dick Tillman (10-10, 4.90, 52), but with how many runs we've been scoring, we'll make him look like prime William Jones. Our pitching managed to keep Marion Boismenu (.376, 3, 59, 4) in check during the double header, and I'd love a few o'fers to help Leo Mitchell out in the batting race. The Sailors have recently added former 2nd Rounder Les Cunha (.281, 9) in to the lineup, and he had a big 3-for-4 game with a pair of runs scored in their 4-2 win in game two. His bat is a huge upgrade over the incumbent Ed White (.253, 3, 48), but it's yet to be seen if Cunha can replicate his impressive glove work. The bat has always been his strength, as evidenced by his 155 and 169 WRC+ in 36 AA games and 26 AAA games. Adding his name in the lineup card has lengthened the lineup and when you factor in an impressive month and a half from Alex Juris (.254, 5, 42), it is getting harder and harder to keep this team off base. Lucky for us, we can finally rest after that, as I'm sure those two days will be needed for us to lick our wounds.

After 14 games in 12 days, four games in three will feel like nothing, and even more so knowing there is another off day after. The Cougars will be up in Montreal, and hopefully the struggling Saints can help us right our ship. August has been tough for them, as they are 6-13 and have dropped all the way down to the cellar. Plenty has gone wrong for the Sailors, as a lot of their talented youngsters are overseas and their pitching has been hit pretty hard. While a lot has gone wrong, Bill Ross has been a bright spot, as he's been able to shake off an awful start to the season. Ross is 10-9 with a 3.28 ERA (109 ERA+), 1.26 WHIP, 29 walks, and 49 strikeouts as he's on track for surpassing 200 innings for the third time in the past four seasons. The former Cougar 3rd Rounder is the only pitcher giving the Saints above average starts, but they have to be excited about the early results from "The Thin Man" Jackie James. Ranked as high as 22 on the top 100 prospect list back in 1940, the former 2nd Round selection of the Cannons debuted this season and has now played himself off the list. He's made 15 starts for Montreal, going 5-6 with a 3.80 ERA (95 ERA+), 1.44 WHIP, 38 walks, and 39 strikeouts. Tom Weinstock expects him to be a dependable middle rotation arm in a rotation that will see Wally Doyle, Bert Cupid, and "Mr. Right" Pat Weakly (9-10, 4.24, 89). The Saints staff has allowed the most runs and scored second the fewest, as Vic Crawford (.273, 8, 66) and Jake Hughes (.294, 42, 21) have cooled off. I hate to say these are must win games, but if we can't win this series we can kiss the playoffs good bye.

Minor League Report
C Homer Guthrie (AA Mobile Commodores): A lot of Mobile love in this week's minor league report, but leading the way was backstop Homer Guthrie. Our 7th Rounder from 1942, Guthrie was named the most recent Dixie League Player of the Week, going an impressive 13-for-22 with a homer, double, 2 triples, and 6 RBIs. This upped his season line up to an impressive .299/.427/.398 (123 OPS+) line with 14 doubles, 5 runs, 3 homers, and 51 RBIs. The most impressive part, however, may be his 74 walks in 423 trips to the plate. The 23-year-old has one of the best eyes in our system, but he doesn't have the cleanest of swings. His results at this level have been impressive, and even though Gene Lee is blocking him in AAA, he could definitely play every day up there.

RHP Stan Flanders (AA Mobile Commodores): It's been a huge year for the 21-year-old, and his 10th win on the season was a special one. The former 10th Rounder tossed an 8-hit shutout with 3 walks and a strikeout as the Commodores defeated the Atlanta Peaches. Flanders has now thrown a career best 157.2 innings, working to a 3.03 ERA (131 ERA+) and 1.28 WHIP with 44 walks and strikeouts. A bit of a soft tosser, Flanders sits in the 86-88 range, and will have to rely more on his smarts then his stuff. His command still needs work, as he's still walking too many hitters, but for his age the results are extremely encouraging. For Flanders to succeed, he'll either have to paint the corners effectively, or flesh out the quality of his secondary pitches. He profiles as major league depth, someone who can start and relieve wherever he is needed most, but he's a lot further developed then most guys his age, and a high floor is always a huge plus.

RHP George Oddo (AA Mobile Commodores): Speaking of high floor arms... A day after Flanders' shutout, George Oddo decided to match him, holding the Peaches to 7 hits and 3 walks with 5 strikeouts. The also 21-year-old is now 9-3 with a 2.26 ERA (175 ERA+), 0.99 WHIP, 28 walks, and 58 strikeouts in 12 starts with the Commodores. This is in line with his 11 starts in Lincoln, as the 1941 8th Rounder was 8-1 with a 2.50 ERA (180 ERA+), 1.23 WHIP, 28 walks, and 65 strikeouts. Our 3rd ranked prospect and 39th overall, Oddo is likely to finish the season in Mobile, but perhaps he can start next year in Milwaukee. The towering righty has good stuff, featuring a solid high 80s fastball that is overshadowed by a dominant change and curve. The movement he gets on his offspeed pitches is insane, as his arsenal is filled with swing and miss stuff. Oddo does a tremendous job locating pitches, and the kid is max effort all the time. He has no trouble going past the 125 mark, and he has yet to throw less then 100 pitches in any of his outings. This kid is about as good as it gets, but with all the high octane pitching talent in our system, I'm afraid he's going to get lost in the shuffle. Of course, no pitcher is a sure thing, and you can never have too many, but I'd be hard-pressed to believe he'll never pitch in the big leagues.

1B Lou Thomas (A Lincoln Legislators): Our 9th Round selection in the most recent draft, Lou Thomas started his minor league career in Lincoln, and he's already up to Mobile. The 22-year-olds .280/.376/.410 (102 OPS+) batting line was really similar to his triple slash as a senior at North Carolina Tech. Thomas hit 4 homers and drove in 31 runs while adding 7 doubles and a triple. He walked (21) a bit less then he struck out (27), but he's a patient hitter and he'll learn to connect more frequently. Thomas projects to have a plus hit tool and he does a good job squaring up the ball, which leads to a lot of extra base hits. The power will be the key, as it is for any first basemen, so if he can go to a 10 homer hitter to 15 or 20, he'll play a long time in the FABL. We don't have many first base prospects in our system, a lot of time it'll be guys who move from another corner, so Thomas has no one in his way up to Chicago. We sent Cuno Myer (.365, 14) to Detroit, and I just brought Norm Anderson up to play first as Chick Browning will move back to the outfielder. Norm isn't much of a prospect while Thomas actually checks right inside our top 30. As a lefty, he can platoon with Ray Ford once Dick Walker (.214, 2, 27, 21) decides to call it quits, but if he wants to get regular starts, he'll have to make it to the big leagues before we eventually shift Leo Mitchell to first.