[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 2-5
Seasonal Record: 17-16 (5th, 3.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Leo Mitchell : 29 AB, 12 H, 3 HR, 5 RBI, .414 AVG, 1.245 OPS
Billy Riley : 1 Win, 9.0 IP, 0 BB, 2 K, 0.00 ERA
Harry Mead : 22 AB, 7 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .318 AVG, .739 OPS

Schedule
5-13: Loss vs Stars (13-5)
5-14: Loss vs Wolves (4-1)
5-15: Loss vs Wolves (3-2)
5-16: Loss vs Sailors (6-5)
5-17: Win vs Sailors (0-2)
5-18: Loss vs Sailors (2-0)
5-19: Win vs Foresters (5-6): 13 innings

Recap
It is taking all my willpower to not start screaming... Why are we so bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, a +34 run differential is fun and all, but we've dropped 13 of 18, including 7 of 10 games in our current homestand. Before an extra inning squeaker, we were an even .500, and sit 3.5 games out of first a bit over a month in. It was our first one run game in seven attempts, a huge part of the reason we've gotten off to such a slow start. Even the Kings (2) have won more one run games then us, but at least our seven one run games is tied for the fewest. It was our first walk-off win as well (we've been walked off plenty), as we allowed just eight runs in our first five home games, and have recently decided that our fans deserved to watch us lose. Our run differential is best in the league, trailing only the Minutemen (+67) and defending champion Keystones (+35) of the Fed. You would think things would start evening out, but with our history of failure in close games, you never quite know.

Our offense continues its ineptitude, but as usual, Leo Mitchell is immune to the daily struggles of an FABL hitter. Yet again, Mitchell was robbed of a Player of the Week, as for some reason 12-for-29 with 2 doubles, 3 homers, 5 RBIs, and 4 runs is worse then 14-for-31 with 4 doubles and 9 RBIs. I mean, is it his fault no one can get on base for him? He's also riding a 21 game hit streak, and now up to #2 in the batting race as Hal Sharp has started to slump. His 193 WRC+ trails only Dick Walker in the CA, who himself had a decent week. The veteran went just 5-for-24, but he contributed with a double, triple, homer, a steal, 2 RBIs, 3 walks, and 4 runs. Harry Mead produced some too, 7-for-22 with a double, run, 2 walks, and 3 RBIs. Skipper has seen his bat freeze, going 4-for-26 with a triple and RBI, dropping him to a .141/.222/.172 (13 OPS+) line for May. His 89 WRC+ is the only one below 100 in our usual eight, and even his 1.100 efficiency is a bit lower then usual. I'll blame Harry Barrell's return from the war, giving yet another elite defensive shortstop a lot of innings. Something has to wake this lineup up, but despite the awful month of May we still rank 1st in average, slugging, hits, steals, and baserunning, as well as top three in everything excluding extra base hits (4th), walks (4th), and strikeouts (6th). I thought the return home would help, but we still have nine home games in the month and can move back into first if we pretend its April again.

Peter the Heater had a 295 pitch 22 inning week, beating the Foresters and losing to the Wolves. A mix of bad defense and bad offense cost him in Toronto, as we scored just one run on Bob Walls (5-1, 3.19, 9) and Chick Wirtz (3-1, 2, 7.45, 2), who the Kings got five runs on two days later. Two of the Wolves four runs came from a Skipper Schneider error, as Pap allowed just 6 hits and 4 walks with 6 strikeouts in the complete game loss. The Foresters got to Pap early, but we gave him a run in each of the first five innings. We were up 5-2 after five, but the Foresters rallied in the sixth. Brooks Meeks (.172, 1, 8) delivered his first homer of the season, launching a rather meek 98 mile per hour fastball 409 feet. Angered by the homer to the 8th hitter, Pap showed know mercy on Ducky Davis (3-2, 2.45, 18), striking him out on four pitches, and vowed to keep his team in the game. After plenty of success scoring early on, the teams were at a standstill, with both pitchers finishing eight innings. Pap delivered a scoreless ninth, but the Foresters opted to hand the ball to Dick Lamb (2-0, 2.13, 4). He got 8-9-1 to go 1-2-3. Some fans may have wondered why Papenfus was allowed to hit for himself, but Clyde Meyer trusts his veteran righty. He put up four zeros in extras, with his 151st pitch clocking in at 101. He was in the on deck circle when the game ended, as Harry Mead (.280, 1, 14) decided 14 innings would be too much to catch. He lined a slider to the right-center gap, scoring Hal Sharp (.371, 4, 16) to end it. This improved Papenfus to 5-1 with a 2.18 ERA (155 ERA+), third best in the CA.

Billy Riley didn't face the Saints, but he pitched like he did, tossing a 7-hit shutout in a 2-0 win over the Sailors. That's three shutouts in five starts, and all three of them have been walk-less. Granted, the other two starts were awful, as he allowed 17 hits and 12 runs with 6 walks in 15.1 innings pitched. That all equates to a still impressive 2.55 ERA (132 ERA+) and 0.87 WHIP. He has yet to allow a home run and has a stellar 2.20 FIP (65 FIP-). We got good starts from the Jones brothers, but neither picked up the victory. Johnnie was the victim of Slick Wesolowski's (6-1, 2.21, 35) 2-hut shutout. He allowed just 4 hits, 4 walks, and 2 runs (1 earned) with 4 strikeouts in the complete game loss. Despite a league leading 1.38 ERA (245 ERA+) he is just 2-2 in his 5 starts. He's allowed earned run in four of the five starts, but has walked (18) one more batter then he's struck out (17). Donnie also got his second loss, going all nine with 6 hits, 3 runs, a walk, and 6 strikeouts in a one-run loss to the Wolves. This was remarkably one of his better starts, as the young righty has allowed a fair amount of runs despite not many baserunners. He has a great 1.12 WHIP and has struck out (32) twice as many hitters, but that's not all that makes him valuable. Just like Papenfus, he can go deep into games, recording all but two outs of the potential 54 innings in his starts. He's surpassed the 140 pitch mark twice, but has gotten the job done in 130 or fewer for the other four.

Harry Parker and Joe Brown didn't fair well, with Brown in particular getting hit hard. He lasted just 3.1 innings, allowing 9 hits, 9 runs, and 3 walks with just a single strikeout as the Stars had their way with him. After a nice start to the season, he's allowed 21 hits and 16 runs in his last two starts. This has inflated his ERA to 5.60 (60 ERA+) and his WHIP to 1.47, but he's walked just 8 and struck out 14 in 35.1 innings pitched. Ken Matson mopped up most of the game, but left after finishing the 8th. He finished with 4 hits, 3 runs, and 4 walks with 4 strikeouts. Rusty Petrick got the ninth, allowing a hit, run, and two walks with two strikeouts. He pitched better Harry Parker's loss, striking out one in two perfect innings. Parker didn't walk anyone, but he was tagged for 13 hits and 5 runs in 6.2 innings against the Sailors. Even though him and Brown didn't pitch well, the other five starts were winnable games, and we only came away with two of them. Don't get me wrong, our pitching is unmatched, but I thought our lineup would be good enough to win games when we allow five or fewer runs.

Looking Ahead
Two more against the Foresters, who have dropped to seventh in the Continental Association. At 15-20, they aren't much further from first (6.5 GB) then last (5.5 GA), but we need to push them further down. They can adjust their rotation, but I imagine it will be Hiram Steinberg (0-5, 3.26, 24) followed by Bill Martino (2-4, 4.42, 40). With our luck, Steinberg will get his first win and the wild Martino will find his control. They'll get Donnie Jones (4-2, 3.21, 32) and Harry Parker (1-3, 3.35, 19), which will be a tough task for the Foresters lineup. They don't have much pop, with all eight of their homers coming from different players. One of those eight is budding superstar Jim Adams Jr., who is slashing .305/.381/.500 (139 OPS+) with 9 doubles, 7 triples, a homer, 2 steals, 16 walks, and 24 RBIs. His double play partner Glenn White (.366, 9, 1) has posted a 152 WRC+ in 18 games, but the defense at short has been neither good nor plenty. Leon Blackridge (.287, 1, 11, 1) suffered an oblique strain, so he'll missed both of the games in our series. Him or Hank Stratton (.291, 13) could be attractive trade pieces for a contender, which could bring more youth up to the big leagues. They have a top 100 prospect in first basemen Ivey Henley waiting in AAA, and by July top 50 prospect Bob Miller could be worth getting a longer look at third. While the rotation won't change much, the lineup may see plenty of new faces, as the staff will decide on who to keep when they're ready to compete.

Our homestand then finishes with a huge two game series against the Cannons. At 20-12, they are 1.5 games ahead of the Wolves for first, as they look for their fourth consecutive pennant. They have the number one scoring offense, led by All-Stars Sam Brown (.330, 1, 12, 1), Denny Andrews (.276, 4, 19), Al Wheeler (.284, 5, 17), Adam Mullins (.306, 1, 11), Chuck Adams (.315, 6, 29), and Fred Galloway (..269, 2, 15, 2). Even Charlie Rivera (.311, 4, 2), Gail Gifford (.239, 2, 5), and Mike Taylor (.333, 2, 9, 3) off the bench can produce, making the Cannons a real tough team to best in nine innings. As things stand, we'll miss Rufus Barrell (5-0, 2.56, 21), and he's really the only pitcher I'm worried about. Sure, Red Hampton (4-2, 3.27, 9) and Les Bradshaw (4-2, 2.94, 25) have decent looking numbers, but the Cannons defense is second to none. One arm that might be a factor in the future is Bob Arman (0-3, 6.91, 14), but the former 1st Overall Pick does not look like he can hack it yet. If he figures out his command, he could be an excellent #2 to Rufus, but with the run support Cannons pitchers get, he could end up winning some games he doesn't look his sharpest in.

We finish the week in New York for a quick three game road trip. The Stars are tied with the Sailors for third, but up slightly on win percentage due to their 18-14 record compared to Philly's 19-15. The Stars got Chuck Cole (0-3, 6.33, 10) back, who fractured his shoulder blade in the spring, but he has not looked any good. He last pitched in 1942, where he went 18-14 and tossed a league high 291 innings. His 2.29 ERA (144 ERA+) was elite, and he produced a 1.25 WHIP with 103 walks and 106 strikeouts. They'll need him to return to that form, but at 36, he may not be the same pitcher he once was. Henry Shaffer (4-3, 3.24, 32) impressed against the Wolves, which brought his ERA+ back above 100. Vern Hubbard (5-2, 3.16, 17) and Eli Panneton (2-2, 3.18, 23) haven't quite dominated, but both our excellent pitchers. Despite all this, they have still allowed the second fewest runs, and do a good job keeping their lineup in each game. Bill Barrett (.261, 8, 24, 5) and Bill Barnett (.319, 4, 19) continue to mash and even Rabbit Mudd (.310, 9) has a 137 WRC+. Bob Riggins (.272, 1, 5, 3) and Jack Welch (.329, 3, 19, 1) have been as good as advertised. It's going to be scary when all these guys reach their peak, and the most talented of all Ralph Hanson is still in C ball. The #1 prospect will be an elite shortstop, one of many talented youngsters in the fold. I have zero faith in winning this series, but they'll have to beat Pete Papenfus (5-1, 2.18, 50) and Donnie Jones (4-2, 3.21, 32) for a sweep. Joe Brown (2-3, 5.60, 14) will get a chance to redeem himself as well, making for a very interesting series in the Big Apple.