[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 1-5
Seasonal Record: 75-61 (3nd, 4.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Hank Barnett : 20 AB, 7 H, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .350 AVG, 1.200 OPS
Leo Mitchell : 26 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, .385 AVG, .907 OPS
Harry Mead : 16 AB, 5 H, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .312 AVG, .978 OPS

Schedule
9-4: Loss at Kings (1-6)
9-4: Loss at Kings (0-3)
9-7: Loss at Stars (1-2)
9-9: Win at Stars (4-2)
9-10: Loss at Stars (4-5)
9-10: Loss at Stars (9-10)

Recap
Well, see you next year!

This was the type of week that nightmares are made of, as we went just 1-5 and dropped to 4.5 games behind the Wolves. We let the Kings sweep us in the double header, scoring just one run off Jim Kenney (17-12, 2.88, 71) and Ike O'Donnell (7-4, 2.39, 43). The Stars series was arguably worse, as even though we won one of the four games, the three losses were all by a single run. Now 5 of our last 7 losses have been by a single run, and since July 1st, we are just 15-21 on the road. Luck for us, 15 of our last 18 games our at home, but at this point, I'm not sure how much that will matter. A few transactional moves as well, starting with Merritt Thomas hitting the IL with a hamstring strain. With a six week recovery time, that effectively ends his season. It was a great one for Thomas, who worked to a 1.96 ERA (176 ERA+) and 1.31 WHIP in 41.1 innings pitched. The 36-year-old vet finished an even 4-4 with 3 saves, 15 walks, and 10 strikeouts. We also added veteran Dan Fowler back on waivers, as the Chiefs cut him after hitting just .107/.138/.214 (-1 OPS+) in 29 trips to the plate for him. I don't expect much from Fowler, but he gives us a lefty bat with some pop off the bench.

Pretty much nothing worked out for us this week, and the pitching was no exception. Don't blame Harry Parker, who tossed 8 scoreless in a no decision. He was charged with 5 hits and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts, and has now thrown 19.2 consecutive scoreless innings. Art White pitched well until the ninth, but if we just scored for him, it wouldn't have mattered. Both of his runs allowed came in the 9th courtesy of a pair of .237 hitters via a Mel Hancock sac-fly and Cliff Ray walk-off single. White allowed 10 hits, 2 runs, and 3 walks with 2 strikeouts while falling to 16-9. Dick Lyons and Billy Riley both made a pair of starts, and they all went poorly. Lyons is starting to show his age, allowing 13 hits, 10 runs, and 3 walks with a strikeout in 9.2 innings pitched. Billy Riley allowed 21 hits, 11 runs (7 earned), and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts in 14 innings pitched. The pen wasn't great either, with bad outings from Ben Curtin and Rusty Petrick. Curtin made two appearances, charged with 7 hits and 3 runs in 3 innings pitched. Petrick threw 2.1 innings with 4 hits, 2 runs, a walk, and 2 strikeouts. Bill Anderson had a nice Cougar debut, throwing 3 innings with 2 hits and a win in 2 appearances. Cal Knight picked up the save, tossing a perfect frame. We still have enough off days for a four man rotation, but I'm not sure how many more starts I want to give Dick Lyons.

We didn't score many runs, but that's not to say we didn't have a lot of production from the lineup. Hammerin' Hank mashed as per usual, going 7-for-20 with a double, 2 homers, 3 runs, 5 RBIs, and 6 walks. Harry Mead went 5-for-16 with 2 doubles, a homer, run, walk, and 2 RBIs. Rich Langton went 6-for-17 with a double, steal, 2 walks, 3 runs, and 3 RBIs. Leo Mitchell helped keep up his batting title hopes, going 10-for-26 with 3 doubles, 2 runs, and an RBI. He's now just a point behind Marion Boismenu in the batting title race while hitting .367/.401/.488 (153 OPS+) with 26 doubles, 13 homers, and 79 RBIs. He leads the league in slugging, OPS (.889), hits (202), total bases (269), OPS+, and WPA (3.88) while ranking top 5 in average, RBIs (4th), OBP (2nd), runs (2nd, 85), and wOBA (2nd, .402). He's going to be crucial for us down the stretch if we want to claw our way back into things, but the 4.5 game deficit is going to be tough to overcome.

Looking Ahead
A much needed off day to start the week, but all five of our games this week come against the Kings. The first two are at home, and then we follow that with another off day to travel to Brooklyn with the Kings. We get three on their turf before the final two off days of our season. I'm still in awe of how the Kings shut us down in the double header, and here is the perfect time for some revenge. I hope we don't see Jim Kenny (17-12, 2.88, 71) or Ike O'Donnell (7-4, 2.39, 43), who has seemed to take my comments personally, more then once, but we're guaranteed to see Kenny. Since Ike is their #5, he may hopefully be skipped, giving us two goes at Bill McGraw (6-11, 4.21, 80), Bud Hastings (10-10, 4.13, 55), or Clarence Barton (3-4, 4.47, 26). The Kings have yet to call up any reinforcements, so they could make some changes, but for now sub-70 WRC+ guys like Hal Reynolds (.197, 17, 64, 5) and Otto Deal (.240, 2, 38) will keep getting at bats. This will be our last chance to play the Kings, who we are 10-7 against. These games are huge, and while a 5 win week seems out of the question, it's about all we can do to get back into the pennant race.

Minor League Report
SS Jim Dickinson: He won't be healthy for another day, but I'm bringing up our former regional pick from 1941. Now 25, the Springfield native is an elite gloveman, working to a 7.3 zone rating and 1.103 efficiency at short this year, and in 383 games at short he boasts elite measures of 57 and 1.094. The bat isn't as developed, but he hit an impressive .285/.413/.382 (116 OPS+) in 137 games with Mobile last year, and he has a nice 116 WRC+ in Mobile this year. Injuries have cost him a majority of the season, appearing in just 59 games for the Blues this year. He hit a respectable .242/.393/.302 (99 OPS+) with 7 doubles, 3 triples, and 30 RBIs with an elite 52-to-17 walk-to-strikeout ratio. His walks and strikeouts have continued to work in the right way, going from 18/43 to 66/80 to 115/61 until his tremendous output this year. "Speck" currently ranks 14th in our system and 241st overall, profiling as an elite shortstop with tremendous plate discipline. He's really just a singles hitter, and he only has 5 homers in 391 minor league games, and it may take him a season or two before he hits his first big league homer. With Skipper at short, we don't have a need for an elite gloveman, but he's got experience at second and third too, and it never hurts to have too many quality defenders. A start at short will only come if we're eliminated, as the Iron Man Skipper has started 135 of our 136 games, and he still appeared in the game he didn't start. Dickinson is in a tough spot; good enough to start, but stuck behind the games best shortstop. He's starting to enter his prime now, but I value his glove far too much to let him start elsewhere. Unless of course, we package him for a player I just can't say no to...

RHP Harry MacRae (AA Mobile Commodores): Sometimes two pitches is all you need, as Harry MacRae continues to dominate the Dixie League. MacRae tossed his second shutout of the season, allowing 10 hits, a walk, and a strikeout. This improved the now 23-year-old to 14-8 on the season with a brilliant 2.72 ERA (145 ERA+) and 1.22 WHIP with 53 walks and 69 strikeouts. MacRae succeeds by keeping the ball on the ground, allowing just 4 homers in 195 innings. MacRae has a rubber arm, and earlier in the season he managed to throw 202(!) pitches in 13.1 innings, he's thrown 100 pitches or more in each start, and failed to pitch 8 or more innings in just one of his 22 starts. It feels like a waste to keep his stamina in the pen, even with just two pitches, and with how good they are, its tough to not let him starts game. He has a strong low 90s fastball and dominant curve, and both pitches have off the charts movement. He pounds the zone and lets the natural run of his pitches do the work, allowing him to miss bats and generate weak contact. He'll finish the season in Mobile, but my guess is he'll start games in Milwaukee next year, and could find himself pitching out of the Chicago pen later in the season.