[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 5-1
Seasonal Record: 23-16 (t-1st, 1.5 GA)
Stars of the Week
Cliff Moss : 29 AB, 17 H, 0 HR, 5 RBI, .586 AVG, 1.303 OPS
Merritt Thomas : 2 Wins, 4.0 IP, 0 BB, 0 K, 0.00 ERA
Ken Matson : 1 Win, 2 Saves, 7.0 IP, 0 BB, 6 K, 0.00 ERA

Schedule
5-23: Win at Wolves (5-2)
5-24: Win at Wolves (12-6)
5-25: Win at Wolves (4-3): 14 innings
5-26: Loss at Wolves (6-7)
5-27: Win at Cannons (7-5)
5-27: Win at Cannons (7-4)

Recap
Well now! What do we have here? Is this a 5-1 week against the top two teams? You betcha! I really thought we would get pushed down to the second division, but it couldn't have been any different, as the offense surprisingly came alive. We scored five or more runs in five of our six contests (although the one was almost two), and our only loss was a walk-off in game four of our almost sweep of the Wolves. As you might expect, Cliff Moss led the offense once again, and captured his second Player of the Week. The graying vet was an outstanding 17-for-29 with with 3 doubles, 5 runs, and 5 RBIs. The former #1 pick's triple slash is in the stratosphere, an elite .378/.428/.662 (206 OPS+) with 6 doubles, 3 triples, 10 homers, and 39 RBIs. With no homers this week, Al Wheeler tied him for the CA lead, but he still paces hitters with his RBIs and his batting average is two points behind Charlie Artuso for the lead. Moss has been our saving grace, but we'll need even more help from the rest of the lineup, as the Cannons are getting Fred Galloway back and the Wolves are getting Fred McCormick. It's not like we needed things to get tougher on us, but now our two biggest competitors added two elite hitters to their lineup and we just have to pitch to them.

With all the run scoring, Moss had plenty of support, including his new #2 Don Lee. "Rap" appeared in all six games, going 6-for-18 with a double, steal, 2 runs, 5 walks, and 5 RBIs. Jimmie James earned himself some more playing time, going 7-for-20 with 3 doubles, a walk, 2 RBIs, and 4 runs scored. Rich Langton got into the fun, 10-for-29 with a steal, 2 doubles, 3 walks, 4 RBIs, and 6 runs scored. Skipper Schneider went 8-for-27 with a steal, double, 3 RBIs, 5 walks, and 7 runs scored. Ken Mayhugh was 6-for-23 with a double, homer, walk, 2 runs, and 8 RBIs. Despite all the scoring, vets Dick Walker and Harry Mead didn't really separate from the pack, combining to go 15-for-54 with 2 doubles, a triple, 4 walks, 9 runs, 2 steals, and 10 RBIs. Walker has continued his slump from last season, with just an 87 WRC+ in 39 games, but Mead has a more respectable 103. It's a significant drop off for both, but if we're going to score runs, it doesn't really matter who it comes from.

Harry Parker was our lone two start starter, beating the Wolves while taking a no decision in game two of our double header. In Toronto, Parker went 8, allowing 8 hits and 2 runs with 3 strikeouts. The Cannons got to him with the longball, hitting two in 7 as Parker left with 7 hits, 4 runs, a walk, and 4 strikeouts. His HR/9 is doubled this season, which likely contributed to his higher ERA (3.58) and FIP (3.79), but at least his 2.8 K/BB is in line with his league best metric from last year. The double header also saw an impressive debut from George Oddo, who cruised through the first five innings before the Cannons got to him in the 6th. They scored four runs, including a pair of solo homers, finishing 7 innings with 8 hits, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts. He picked up the win, beating the now 0-7 Butch Smith. Oddo will continue to get starts if he can hold his own, but in weeks with less games, he may get a few innings out of the pen. Art White gave us a good start as well, picking up a patented complete game win with 8 hits, 2 runs, 4 walks, and not a single strikeout.

Rusty Petrick got the lone loss, doubling his earned run total in just one game. He allowed 7 of them with 9 hits, 6 walks, and 4 strikeouts in 8.2 innings pitched. His ERA jumped from 1.26 to 2.15 (172 ERA+), which now ranks second behind the Cannons Dan Adams (2.01). Billy Riley got rather unlucky, as a Dick Walker error cost him what could have been a seventh consecutive win, as five of his six runs allowed were unearned. He left after just three innings, allowing 8 hits with a pair of punchouts. Ken Matson then came in to earn the victory, tossing five scoreless frames with 3 hits and strikeouts. He then picked up a pair of saves, allowing just one hit with three strikeouts in an inning against the Wolves and Cannons. Matson has been far better out of the pen then the rotation, With two double headers this week and the one on Sunday, we need a sixth starter, so Matson will get another start. Matson wasn't the only pen arm to find success either, however, as Merritt Thomas won two of his four appearances, tossing four scoreless with five hits. Ben Curtin picked up a save in two appearances, pitching 5 innings with 7 hits, a walk, 2 strikeouts, and 2 unearned runs. Thomas and Curtin have yet to allow an earned run in 23.2 innings pitched, which has made the last couple of innings feel very secure.

Looking Ahead
No rest for the wicked, as we get nine games in seven days this week. We'll finish the series in Cincinnati with two more against the Cannons. At 21-17, they sit in third and a game and a half behind us and the Wolves. We lucked out and missed Rufus Barrell (3-0, 1.23, 20), instead tasked to beat grizzled vets Tom Barrell (4-1, 3.60, 20) and Sam Sheppard (4-0, 2.87, 11). That's not an easy task either, but avoiding Rufus at home is huge. We'll also avoid Fred Galloway, who can return at the earliest on the 1st, but we all know how good this offense is. They hit plenty of homers, with their 28 tops in the CA, led by Al Wheeler (.322, 10, 36) and Denny Andrews (.270, 6, 19) who own WRC+ of 179 and 150. Gail Gifford (.343, 3, 17, 5) has caught fire, with three 3+ hit games in his past four, but he'll be relegated to the bench once Galloway is fit. Their offense is tough, but they'll have to best Billy Riley (6-1, 2.50, 32) and Art White (5-3, 3.09, 11), at least giving us a fighting chance to keep pace with their run totals. The Cannons are notoriously a second half team, so I like our chances to at least split the remaining two games, but we're red hot and have a shot for a 20 win May.

The road trip then continues to Philadelphia for three games in two days with the Sailors. We finish May with a double header, and with all the congestion the pitching matchups will be rather unknown. We're likely to face talented 24-year-olds Win Lewis (4-2, 2.18, 29) and John Thomas Johnson (5-1, 1, 3.33, 17), who are responsible for almost half of the teams 19 wins. We'll miss vet Doc Newell (5-4, 4.61, 27), who is projected to pitch against the Saints to start the week, but I'd rather face him then either of the youngsters. The Sailors also feature a decent lineup, with a nice front four to produce runs. Frank Covarrubias (.340, 3, 17) and Ed Reyes (.372, 1, 22, 1) may spend their seasons competing for a batting title while Chick Wilhelm (.270, 2, 16, 1) and Joseph Mills (.303, 2, 20) have done a great job reaching base. If they want to compete, however, they'll need Bill Watson (.265, 2, 14) and Alex Juris (.261, 1, 11, 1) to maintain their production throughout the season, but there are plenty of room for upgrades in the order.

Our road trip doesn't end this week, but our aggressive stretch of games finally does. We finish off 15 games in 12 days in Cleveland, with four games in three days. It ends in a double header, which is our third in eight days. Cleveland shouldn't give us too much trouble, as they're likely ticketed for last and are already 15-24 and 8 games out of first. The pitching has been terrible, as Ducky Davis (3-5, 5.37, 27) has now allowed 9 runs in each of his last two starts, so the now 32-year-old George Rotondi (3-3, 4.76, 18) leads the team in ERA despite an 81 ERA+. Jimmy Collins (1-2, 8.36, 11) and Clarence Linden (0-4, 7.76, 3) have really been hit hard, so no matter who toes the rubber, even our offense should be able to produce runs. The Foresters also don't score much, ranked last there as well, but they do have some solid bats in the lineup. Jim Adams Jr. (.291, 1, 19, 2) still hasn't quite mastered shortstop, but his bat has looked good, and with Cal Howe (.321, 1, 23, 3) and Hank Stratton (.336, 2, 18) around him, they can produce runs at the top. Elmer Lockwood (.400, 1, 10) has earned more starts due to some timely pinch hitting, but after him and Bob Mullins (.254, 5, 16) you have four automatic outs. Former Cougar prospect Adolph Jacobson (.244, 2, 2) may get himself a few more starts, but they only have two players younger then 28 in AAA Rochester. It'll be another slow season for Forester fans, but with the war nearing its conclusion, their highly touted youngsters will finally make their grand arrivals.

Minor League Report
RHP Joe Swank (AAA Milwaukee Blues): Before settling on the Oddo promotion, I debated giving Joe Swank the call instead. Also 22, Swank had a tremendous spring, and was off to a hot start before stumbling against the Titans. He bounced back in the biggest of ways, tossing a 6-hit, 1-walk shutout with 5 strikeouts in a 3-0 win in Indianapolis. It was the first of two starts for Swank, who then tossed 7.1 effective innings in St. Paul, charged with 5 hits, a run, and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts. That improved Swank to 5-2 on the season with a 2.83 ERA (135 ERA+), 1.04 WHIP, 13 walks, and 33 strikeouts in 54 innings pitched. These are very impressive numbers for the righty taken a round earlier then Oddo back in 1941, who now ranks 8th in our system and 141st overall. A skinny right, Swank isn't the hardest thrower, featuring a high 80s fastball that pairs well with an outstanding circle change and viable curve. Swank's stuff is very effective, but what's better is his command of the strike zone. He should be able to keep walks down which can help him hold down a rotation spot. OSA thinks he'll be a #2, I think that's a bit too optimistic, but Swank seems like a dependable option for a long term rotation spot.

RHP Angel Lopez (AAA Milwaukee Blues): Lopez didn't take the demotion poorly, as he quickly went back to dominate AAA hitters. Things were working for the 26-year-old, tossing a 2-hit, 2-walk shutout with 4 strikeouts. If he could do this in the majors, perhaps we wouldn't need Oddo, but there seems to be a large disconnect between his success against big leaguers and minor leaguers. Last season he was outstanding, 17-6 with a 2.38 ERA (150 ERA+), 1.20 WHIP, 58 walks, and 72 strikeouts in 27 starts. I expect many more starts like this from Lopez for the Blues, but we may never see this level of production in Chicago.