[ayaghmour2]

First off, I want to start out by thanking everyone who's ever layed eyes on this hobbled-together mess of words I like to call my dynasty report. Rather remarkably, it managed to hit 100,000 views, even if 15% of them are myself. It is far more then I ever expected to see when I started writing this a little over three years ago, and I hope you all have enjoyed this ride as much as I have. If you haven't already notice, writing about baseball and Out of the Park are two of my favorite things to do, and even though the Cougars have been rather disappointing in terms of championships, I have had so much fun taking people through our adventure. Writing these are often a highlight of my day, so hopefully I've brightened up a few minutes of yours! Here's to the next 100,000 views! And plenty more titles!

Weekly Record: 6-1
Seasonal Record: 10-9 (2nd, 1 GB)
Stars of the Week
Cliff Moss : 26 AB, 10 H, 3 HR, 11 RBI, .385 AVG, 1.368 OPS
Billy Riley : 2 Wins, 17.0 IP, 3 BB, 7 K, 1.06 ERA
Rich Langton : 25 AB, 9 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .360 AVG, .993 OPS

Schedule
5-1: Win vs Kings (1-5)
5-2: Win vs Kings (2-3)
5-3: Win vs Kings (2-5)
5-4: Win at Stars (7-1)
5-5: Win at Stars (6-2)
5-6: Win at Stars (8-2)
5-6: Loss at Stars (2-10)

Recap
No Saints, no problem! In a complete reversal of fortune, the Cougars ran off six straight before losing the second game of a double header, jumping from dead last to second and just a single game out of first. The CA is a jumble after three weeks, with 5 teams winning 9 or more games and the Sailors (8) are the only team below that mark. No team is more then three games out of first, as the 9-6 Toronto Wolves lead the 13-9 Kings on win percentage while reversed in games back. We've given the Kings five of their losses and have now won more games then the Saints, who have only one three other wins. A lot of this is due to the one-man wrecking crew known as Cliff Moss, who was named Player of the Week in his third Player of the Week worthy week. Moss went 10-for-26 with 2 triples, 3 homers, 5 walks, 5 runs, and 11 RBIs. The 38-year-old vet now paces all CA hitters with 7 homers and 23 RBIs to go with an astronomical .324/.395/.718 (204 OPS+) triple slash in 19 games. One of the few planned starters surviving the war, Moss is coming off an excellent season where he hit .281 with 19 homers, 63 RBIs, and a 148 WRC+. If we want to stay above .500 we'll need some more thunder from his bat, as he's been directly responsible from an impressive 35% of our runs scored.

And while the help behind him is minimal, it would be unfair to say he's doing it all by himself. Moss has a capable sidekick in Rich Langton, who has been well above average all season. Langton went 9-for-25 with a triple, homer, two steals, five runs, four walks, and three RBIs. The 33-year-old trails just fellow Cougar draftee Ed Reyes (.456) in batting average, hitting .408/.447/.500 (162 OPS+) with 2 doubles, a triple, homer, 4 steals, and 8 RBIs. No other batter with more then 50 PAs has both an above average OPS+ and WRC+, so we might have to alter the lineup a bit. The first step is more time for Don Lee, who had a big 5-for-15 week with a double, homer, 4 runs, and 4 RBIs. Lee is four shy of 50, but has hit an impressive .306/.444/.528 (168 OPS+). Orlin Yates is the far superior defender, so when guys like Harry Parker and Billy Riley in, Yates is a must, but with ground ballers the ball won't be hit to center as often. Yates had his first good week, as while he went just 3-for-15, he hit a pair of homers to increase his season line to a still puny .143/.217/.310 (45 OPS+).

A few of the vets produced too, starting with leadoff man Dick Walker. Walker went 6-for-25 with a double, homer, 2 RBIs, 4 walks, and 5 runs scored. Harry Mead went a similar 5-for-18 with a triple, 2 runs, and 2 walks. Walker and Mead now have almost matching WRC+ of 93 and 92, so this is definitely a stretch in the write direction. At 38, I'm not sure how much better Walker can hit, but Mead has produced a WRC+ above 140 in two of the last last three seasons. There's plenty of room for improvement from our talented catcher, but he does like to alternate above and below average seasons at the plate. There's a reason we rank seventh in runs, but I think we'll finish up middle of the pack.

We allowed only 13 earned runs in seven games, and seven of them were charged to a 44-year-old. Dick Lyons made the emergency start in the double header, and last just 3.2 innings. The Stars piled on 8 hits, 7 runs, and 2 walks with a strikeout, ending a stretch of four consecutive scoreless outings. He'll move back to the pen, and likely stay there, as we may have found a reliable enough fourth starter. That would be Rusty Petrick, who was a Skipper Schneider error away from a complete game shutout. In his first start of the season, he allowed just 6 hits, 2 walks, and the unearned run with 6 strikeouts. He's now allowed just one earned run in 21 innings, and his 0.43 ERA is nearly a point and a half lower then the second best Win Lewis at 1.83.

The true star of the week might have been Art White, who saved the pen with a pair of complete game victories. He outdueled his former team in Brooklyn, allowing 9 hits, 2 runs, and a walk in a 3-2 win. He then improved his record to that mark, allowing 8 hits, a run, and 4 walks with a pair of strikeouts in game one of our first double header of the season. White started out great last season, winning his first ten decisions, and once again his ERA (2.83) is far lower then his FIP (4.42). He's going to get a lot of starts for us this season, so we're hoping he doesn't have a second half slump once again. Same can be said for Billy Riley, who has not looked like the pitcher who finished 1944 with us. He picked up a second win against the Kings, allowing 5 hits, 2 walks, and an unearned run while striking our 3 in 8 solid innings. He then dominated the Stars and Dyckman stadium, picking up a complete game win with just 5 hits, 2 runs, a walk, and 4 strikeouts. He's an impressive 3-1 with a 2.97 ERA (132 ERA+) and 1.07 in his first five starts. Riley may have a Wilcox like adjustment, as he struggled post trade but settled down after his first Spring as a Cougar.

While there are fears White and Riley might not keep things up, I'll never worry about Harry Parker. Gone are the automatic complete games, but he finds ways to win games and has kept homers under control. He wasn't his normal self against the Kings, but he held them to just two runs on a walk and nine hits. Parker has yet to get past the 7th, topping out at 107 pitches. I may have to skip some starts for him to give him extra rest, but I'm not sure that would help much. The talent is still there, but I'm starting to entertain the idea of converting him into a stopper as he continues to move past 30. Even with his shorter starts, we didn't need the pen much this week, with 3 innings going to Ben Curtin and 4.1 to Ken Matson. Curtin picked up a save in two outings, allowing just one hit with two strikeouts in 3 innings pitched. Matson mopped up when Lyons left early, allowing 3 hits, walks, and unearned runs with a pair of punchouts in 4.1 innings. We have a long run of games coming up, so Matson may pick up two starts in a run of 12 games in 14 days.

Looking Ahead
We get two off days at home to prepare for a three game series with the Wolves. The Wolves lead the circuit at 9-6, but have played at least three less games then every other team. With the off days we're forced to face their best, and that means we once again have to deal with George Garrison (2-1, 2.20, 18). Now 27, he spent two years in the Navy, but was honorably discharged after his brother died in combat. He's my favorite for the Allen Award this season, and in his last full season he went 22-10 with a 2.52 ERA (131 ERA+), 1.20 WHIP, 70 walks, and 138 strikeouts. That came alongside stars Joe Hancock and Bernie Johnson, but he now leads a rotation that is headlined by Chick Wirtz (2-0, 3.12, 10) and Bob Walls (1-0, 5.95, 5). We'll have to deal with all three of them, making it hard for our weak lineup to rack up the score. Of course, that means they'll also face our best three, and while I'd take Garrison over anyone, Riley and White are far better then Wirtz and Walls. They'll score runs for their staff too, as their middle infield duo of Charlie Artuso (.400, 2, 9) and 31-year-old career minor leaguer Wayne Henderson (.353, 9) have been extraordinarily effective. The rest of the lineup hasn't been great, but Walt Pack (.231, 3, 12) will produce runs and Chink Stickels (.258, 1, 9, 1) and Juan Pomales (.288, 3, 2) protect him well. This will be our toughest test of the season, but at least we'll get to handle it in Chicago.

Based on last seasons results, it will get even tougher, as we host the Cleveland Foresters for three games in two days. They were our undoing last season, and the only team we failed to finish .500 or better against. They are a game behind us in the standings, but they're 6th in run scored and 8th in runs allowed. The back end of the rotation has been dreadful, as Luis Eireos (0-1, 11.57, 1), Ben Turner (1-4, 10.67, 8), and Clarence Linden (0-1, 12.79) all have ERAs over 10. It's a reach on my end, as Eireos and Linden have just a start a piece, but Turner has been thrashed in 27 innings. Their only starter who's been tough to hit, is the young Ducky Davis (3-1, 2.90, 19), so if we miss him I really like our chances to put up big numbers. The lineup has some thump, as an offseason acquisition I considered Hank Stratton has hit .386/.397/.579 (156 OPS+) with 5 doubles, 2 homers, and 11 RBIs. Cal Howe (.293, 9, 2) and Lou Balk (.329, 1, 14, 1) have made up for a slow start from former top pick Jim Adams Jr. (.230, 8), but beyond the top four our staff should have no trouble trying to navigate through it. This is the first half of our first long homestand, and I'd love to get off to a great start here.