[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 4-2
Seasonal Record: 42-32 (3rd, 2.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Billy Riley : 2 Wins, 17.0 IP, 4 BB, 7 K, 1.59 ERA
Chick Browning : 11 AB, 4 H, 3 HR, 7 RBI, .364 AVG, 1.643 OPS
Bill Rich : 8 AB, 4 H, 1 HR, 6 RBI, .500 AVG, 1.375 OPS

Schedule
6-27: Win vs Cannons (0-7)
6-28: Loss vs Cannons (5-2)
6-29: Loss vs Cannons (10-4): 11 innings
6-30: Win vs Sailors (4-5)
7-1: Win vs Sailors (0-6)
7-1: Win vs Sailors (3-4)

Recap
As expected, the Cannons had their way with us, as even though we shut them out in the opener, they won the final two games to take the series, and eventually push themselves back into first place. Lucky for us, there was plenty of unexpected, as we swept the Sailors by riding the bats of Chick Browning and Bill Rich. Despite no Cliff Moss, these two were more then effective, as Browning launched three longballs while finishing 4-for-11 with 2 walks, 4 runs, and 7 RBIs. Rich was an even 4-for-8, hitting his first big league homer while driving in six in his debut week. The duo more then earned another week, as even with Johnny Peters joining the club, he's definitely not big league ready yet and it's not worth starting the talented 21-year-olds clock when there are better options in the system. Peters (18th) is one of many draftees to crack the top 500, joining Carl Clark (65th), Pat Todd (88th), Dutch Yoak (203rd), Jim Mako (222nd), Rupert Heinbaugh (335th), Alex O'Dailey (351st), and two AI round picks who I'll cover later tonight (or maybe tomorrow morning, this one came out a bit late). Our system ranks 4th with 162 points, with 9 top 100 prospects, 19 in the top 250, and 39 in the top 500. To make a little room in the system, we shipped out Leo Davis for cash, as he'll join the Pioneers. They have a ton of it and we are deep in debt, and every penny is going to help as we have to pay plenty of players this offseason.

Billy Riley did a complete 180 this week, starting off with a shutout against Rufus Barrell and the Cannons where he allowed just 4 hits and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts. Riley also finished off the double header and series sweep of the Sailors, going 8 with 8 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, and a strikeout. Game one went to George Oddo, who tossed a shutout of his own, charged with 4 hits and walks with 6 strikeouts in the second shutout of his young career. Both of these arms shook of minor slumps, and I'm hoping for more of the same from these two. Art White didn't have much luck, allowing 10 hits, 5 runs, and 3 walks in 7 innings pitched. Harry Parker went 7 too, charged with 6 hits, 4 runs, and a walk with 6 strikeouts in a rather unlucky start against the Cannons. They timed their hits well, including in the 11th when they got to Ben Curtin. It came in his third inning, which he left with two outs, as all six base runners (4 hits and 2 walks) scored after his first two frames were perfect. Curtin was better against the Sailors, saving a pair of games, but his ERA has jumped to 3.90 (92 ERA+) in 30 innings pitched. Our last start went to Rusty Petrick, who picked up a win with 8 innings, 7 hits, and 4 walks, runs, and strikeouts. Our staff had some struggles in June, now dropping to 3rd in runs allowed, but all five of our starters have a 100 or better ERA+, and I expect Riley, Parker, and White to put together quality starts down the line.

No one could match Browning and Rich, but our middle infield continued to hit despite both guys being glove first. Ollie Page is having a nice little resurgence, going 6-for-22 with a homer and two walks and doubles. Skipper Schneider went 8-for-23 with a double, 2 walks, 2 RBIs, 5 runs, and a steal. Don Lee continues to produce, going 8-for-23 with 2 doubles, 2 steals, 4 walks, and 7 runs. On the other side, Rich Langton's bat has gone ice cold, going just 2-for-22 to drop his June line to a miniscule .202/.302/.294 (71 OPS+) in 28 games. Harry Mead struggled as well, just 1-for-17 with 2 runs, 2 RBIs, and 3 walks. I expected both of these guys to be crucial to the lineup this season, but after Langton's hot start his OPS+ is down to 103 while Mead's is sub-100 at 85. Now that Lee is a qualifier, he's one of only two players with an OPS+ or WRC+ of 125 or better, which is not enough to make up for the three we lost last offseason. Still, we're up to 4th in runs scored, so if we can manage to keep scoring, we should be in the heat of things as we rush to the finish line.

Looking Ahead
Off to start the week as we approach the All Star break. It's a week filled with home games, as we start with four games in three days with the Foresters. Cleveland has struggled as expected, 27-43 and 15.5 games behind their state rivals, but they got some good news as #8 prospect Richie Hughes returned from the Army and could slot straight into their rotation. The Chicagoan is arguably the best pitcher both currently and for the future in the Foresters organization, but it's not that too hard to surpass George Rotondi (3-10, 4.83, 38) and/or Ducky Davis (7-8, 3.65, 42). Ben Turner (3-11. 7.04, 26) is probably wishing he hung up the cleats this offseason while Jimmy Collins (3-4, 6.09, 22) and Clarence Linden (4-6, 4.86, 17) may be sweating that their rotation spot is in jeopardy. The lineup isn't great, and both Hank Stratton (.303, 2, 24) and Cal Howe (.273, 3, 34, 5) have started to slump. Elmer Lockwood (.343, 2, 17) has looked good since joining the lineup and either him or veteran Lou Balk (.287, 6, 31) could be shipped out at the deadline. Neither offer much with the glove, but their bats could help lengthen a lineup. One player who doesn't have to worry about a trade or an infusion of talent from the farm is Jim Adams Jr. (.269, 1, 28, 5), but a move off short could help as his -11.2 zone rating and .873 efficiency is a bright red flag. After how poorly we faired against this team last year, I'm expecting the worst, but this is a great way to pad our record before a tough weekend series.

We finish the first half with the Wolves, who like the Foresters, we'll see for four games in three days. They've started to slump a bit, dropping to 41-29 and a game and a half behind the Cannons. Depending on how the trio performs in the first series, this could be a battle for first place in the CA entering the break. For the first time since 1941, we'll have to deal with "The Reticent Reaper," as Fred McCormick (.325, 3, 12, 2) has reclaimed his spot at first and third in the order, moving Walt Pack (.312, 13, 47) to the hot corner and cleanup spot. McCormick has shown no signs of rust, and has been a huge boost for an already solid lineup. Charlie Artuso (.281, 4, 26) continues to produce elite level production at short, and outfielders Chink Stickels (.266, 2, 35, 10) and Juan Pomales (.274, 19, 5; 2-1, 1, 1.53, 3) are productive hitters. They have a strong rotation as well, led by George Garrison (8-4, 2.61, 64) and Chick Wirtz (5-5, 3.19, 35). They recently added Cookie Myers (9-1, 4, 1.95, 14) to the rotation, but even after an excellent start against the Kings, I'm not sold on his viability as a starter. If we can dodge Garrison, we'll have the starting pitching advantage in pretty much every possible matchup, and that may be enough to capture a split or better. The Wolves are very good and have star power we can't match, but they've been far better at Dominion Stadium (22-9) compared to the road (19-20).

One final note; I was working on cuts to get our C ball roster to 50, and I was looking back at old draft writeups of the guys I cut to see just how far I was off. I ended up stumbling upon our top prospect list from 1935, and let me tell you, it was something. The top 23 all debuted and just two of the thirty failed to debut. One of those was Bill Scott, the 7th Rounder who rose up to #47 on the prospect list before retiring at 23 to play basketball. 1935 was a much different time, as the Cougars the post ruptured elbow of Tommy Wilcox proved to no longer be the pitcher he once was. This inspired a write up to help fill an open weekend with nothing to write about.

Minor League Report
RHP Jimmy Ballard (AA Mobile Commodores): No Dixie League starter had a better month then Jimmy Ballard, who took home the award after following up an impressive May with an equally strong June. Ballard went 5-1 with a 2.55 ERA (160 ERA+), 1.19 WHIP, 22 walks, and 25 strikeouts in 6 June starts. His ERA (2.42, 168) was actually lower in May, but he dropped his WHIP and BB/9 and improved his record. The 23-year-old has been impressive all season for Mobile, now 9-4 with a 2.87 ERA (142 ERA+), 1.34 WHIP, 50 walks, and 53 strikeouts. The 23-year-old has stayed healthy, something he's struggled to do so far, but he's still walking too many batters. His 4.0 BB/9 is hard to succeed with, but he has the stuff to strike out more batters then he walks. Ballard also keeps the ball on the ground, limiting homers while excelling at creating double plays, which allows him to bypass some trouble. With our pitching depth, a debut seems unlikely, but once the Rule-5 Draft returns a team may want to risk a roster spot on him.

RHP Willie Kader (B San Jose Cougars): Here's a pretty shocking Player of the Month. A 24-year-old reliever who we picked up from free agency last July, Willie Kader has done excellent in the pen this season. This June Kader went 4-2 with 4 saves, a 1.61 ERA (229 ERA+), 1.29 WHIP, 8 walks, and 42 strikeouts in 14 appearances. His 51 innings on the season have been very similar to his June production, as he's recorded 9 saves to go with a 1.59 ERA (232 ERA+), 1.27 WHIP, 19 walks, and 78 strikeouts. His 13.8 K/9 and 4.1 K/BB are elite, and he's been worth a remarkable 2 WAR as the Cougars' stopper. We have plenty of new arms to fill the lower level, so he'll return to A ball, as he's gotten innings for both the independent Pueblo Mountaineers and the Trenton Eagles. Kader was a former 20th Round selection of theirs way back in 1938, and he worked as both a starter and a reliever. He'll only pitch out of the pen for us, but the righty has interesting stuff, headlined by a fastball that can hit 97. In the pen that's all he needs, with the occasional curve or change to produce a strikeout. He Ks plenty of batters and his command has improved since he joined our organization. Kader is both a leader and performs well with the game on the line, but it's tough to get too excited about relievers.

RHP Lonnie Sis (C La Crosse Lions): Class C just kicked off their struggle this past week, but Lonnie Sis looked like he's been pitching all season. 19 on the 4th, Sis was in complete command against Rock Island, tossing a 5-hit shutout with just one walk and five strikeouts. This was similar to his stellar production for the Lions last season, as the son of a Hall of Famer went 5-5 with a 2.35 ERA (149 ERA+), 1.16 WHIP, 24 walks, and 46 strikeouts. No longer a top 500 prospect, there's still plenty to like about last year's 5th Rounder, who's one of the hardest workers on the team. He has a really nice curveball he pairs well with a good change, and his low 90s cutter is very effective on the edges of the zone. He may develop command issues as better hitters make him work in the higher levels, but I've liked what we've seen so far. He has time to add polish, but Sis' future may be hindered by his small stature. I don't see him adding much velo, so he'll need to command his pitches well if he wants to start in the big leagues like his father.

RHP Al Robison (C La Crosse Lions): Like Charlie Sis, Al Robinson picked up right where he left off, winning the start on Opening Day with 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, and 8 strikeouts in a 9-3 win over the Steamboats. He was even better in the encore, tossing a 5-hit shutout in a 4-0 win over the Waterloo Chiefs. Robison walked just one and allowed five hits while setting six Chiefs down on strikes. His two wins were good enough for Player of the Week in the UMVA. 19 in August, Robison performed well in San Jose, going 3-4 with a 2.42 ERA (145 ERA+) and 1.41 WHIP. While impressive on the surface, he walked (39) more batters then he struck out (29) and his FIP (3.66, 98) was right around the mean. Robison is one of those projectable types, standing at 6'4'' which creates plenty of downward movement on his pitches. As a groundballer you'd think he'd throw a sinker, but instead he mixes a high 80s fastball with a slider, change, and curve. He doesn't have one dominating pitch, but each one projects to be at least average. I expect him to be a slow developer, but if he keeps working he could reign in his command issues. He's yet to have a velocity boost and with his size he seems likely to get stronger as he matures. Right now he looks like no more then a spot starter, but at times he ranked in the top 500 and he's pitched well at every level.