[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 6-1
Seasonal Record: 25-21 (3rd, 2.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Hal Sharp : 27 AB, 13 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .481 AVG, 1.252 OPS
Skipper Schneider : 23 AB, 11 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .478 AVG, 1.326 OPS
Leo Mitchell : 26 AB, 7 H, 3 HR, 8 RBI, .269 AVG, 1.163 OPS

Schedule
5-27: Win at Saints (3-1)
5-28: Win at Saints (10-1)
5-29: Win at Saints (5-3)
5-30: Win at Kings (6-5)
5-30: Loss at Kings (3-5)
5-31: Win at Kings (5-2)
6-1: Win vs Wolves (4-6)

Recap
Well now, would you look at that! The Cougars are back!

After getting embarrassed on our home turf, we've now won 8 of our last 9, and finished May an impressive 19-11 to cut the deficit to 2.5 games. We are now in third, behind the Cannons (28-19) and Stars (29-20), with the Cannons ever so slightly ahead in terms of winning percentage. The surprise is how we went 5-1 on the road, as we're still just 12-11 in games that aren't in Chicago. We're also now playing at exactly our Pythagorean record, something we almost never do. The bats are starting to wake up, the pitching was great this week, and things are finally starting to look better in the Windy City!

Hal Sharp has been good all season long, but this week the sweltering slugger was hitting everything in sight. He went 13-for-27 with 3 doubles, a homer, 5 RBIs, 8 runs, and 4 walks. The homer came in June, but Sharp hit .345/.397/.445 (128 OPS+) in May, which actually dropped his season line to 377/.424/.537 (159 OPS+). He's back on top in the batting title race, and is hitting nearly 20 points better then next best hitter. Skipper has also gotten hot, going 11-for-23 with 2 doubles, 3 walks, 6 RBIs, 9 runs, and rather shockingly, a pair of homers. He didn't have one coming into the week, but the defensive wizard produced a 126 WRC+ in May and is hitting a more then respectable .299/.351/.395 (102 OPS+) while appearing in all 46 of our games. And while Leo Mitchell was just 7-for-26, all seven hits were for extra bases, adding a triple and three doubles and homers. He walked three times, scored five times, and drove in eight to push his OPS+ (102) and WRC+ (107) back over 100. If Mitchell can keep this up, staffs around the league better watch out, as he's one of the most dangerous hitters in the game. Those three didn't get much support this week, but they were so good it made up for the non Ray Fords (5-14, 3B, 2 R, 3 RBI) taking a week off.

In a week with so many wins, it makes sense that the pitching did their job, and the Jones Brothers were beyond dominant. Both won both their starts, with Donnie spinning two complete games and Johnnie picking up one and an eight inning win. Both of Donnie's starts were eerily similar, as he allowed 6 hits, a run, and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts in Montreal before allowing 5 hits, 2 runs, and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts in Brooklyn. This snapped his three game losing streak, as he's back up to 6-4 with a 2.94 ERA (135 ERA+) through ten starts. Johnnie's complete game came in our 10-1 throttling of the Saints, where he threw just 93 pitches and allowed 7 hits and a run while striking out 5. The biggest thing was that he didn't walk a single hitter, something he tends to struggle with, and did struggle with, in his second start. He walked six Wolves which took him out after 141 pitches, leaving with 9 hits, 3 runs, and 3 strikeouts. Joe Brown bounced back from his rough start, picking up his 5th win by going 8.1 innings with 7 hits, 3 runs, 5 walks, and 2 strikeouts.

Pap ran into some trouble, but our ace still came away with the win. He went just 8 with 7 hits, 5 runs, 5 walks, and 4 strikeouts. The issue for him was the longball, as former teammate Hank Barnett got one off him in the first while Joe Rutherford added another in the second. Both were two run homers, and he fired of five scoreless before allowing the final run in the 9th. Duke Bybee was tagged with the loss, but it wasn't quite his fault, as two of the five runs he allowed were unearned. He followed up the shutout with a more rookie like start, going 7 with 7 hits, 5 walks, and 4 strikeouts. He was also named Rookie of the Month for May, going 4-2 with an impressive 2.76 ERA (144 ERA+) and 0.94 WHIP. Bybee made six starts and threw 49 innings, walking just 12 while striking out 25. Ken Matson heard we were looking for a stopper, and decided that wasn't going to fly with him, as he saved three of our six wins this week. He did okay, throwing 2.2 innings with 3 hits, a run, and 2 strikeouts. That doubled his save total for the year, and he now owns a 2.60 ERA (153 ERA+) and 1.44 WHIP with 14 strikeouts in 17.1 innings pitched. The staff has looked good so far, and we need to keep up this momentum as we look to remain above .500 for the eleventh straight season.

The last bit of news comes from Carlos Montes, who decided to be this year's Billy Hunter. Our center fielder will now miss five weeks with an oblique strain, and it comes right of the back of a stretch of three games where he was 5-for-15 with a homer and 5 RBIs. Montes hasn't hit much, just .247/.287/.376 (78 OPS+) in 23 games, but he's always good out in center. This again opens up center field for Don Lee and his 54 WRC+, while the once again DFA'd Max Rucker cleared waivers, and will return to Chicago. I debated bringing up Johnny Peters, but I would much rather prefer adding a glove first outfielder from outside the organization so I can avoid burning one of Peters' options. Whether we can find one or not is another story, but I will be adding some minor league depth that could replace Rucker later on.

Looking Ahead
Can the winning continue? Let's hope! After roughing Jerry York (4-2, 3.20, 32) up for 8 hits, 6 runs, and 4 walks in just 6.1 innings, we'll look to sweep the Wolves and ace George Garrison (3-4, 3.57, 26) at Cougars Park. With the double header, that means we'll throw Joe Brown (5-2, 3.45, 26) on short rest, something he should have no trouble with (100% rested), and after Pap's start the following day everyone will be back to the normal five day schedule. The Wolves are coming off a solid 17-14 month, but Charlie Artuso (.266, 1, 25, 4) has stopped hitting and they are getting zero production from their 5 through 8 hitters. Hal Wood (.300, 4, 31) and Chink Stickels (.290, 16, 5) have both seen their OPS+ drop below 110, so as long as we can keep Fred McCormick (.324, 8, 23) in check, I really like our chances. Of course, "The Reticent Reaper" is an all time great so this will be no easy task, but Brown has done an excellent job of this in the past, as the former Whitney Winner is just 3-for-21 against the Illinois native.

Our lengthy homestand continues with three hosting the Sailors, who have won both their June games rather handily (14-3; 4-0) and have brought their record back above .500 (24-23). Extra base machine Cotton Dillon was dubbed May batter of the month, as he slashed .364/.457/.670 (191 OPS+) and followed that up with a 3-for-6 with 3 walks, 3 runs, and an RBI in their double header sweep over the Kings. The 28-year-old got off to a slow start, but is hitting an outstanding .329/.415/.548 (150 OPS+) on the season with 11 doubles, 6 triples, 3 homers, 28 runs, and 31 RBIs while sporting an elite 23-to-6 walk-to-strikeout ratio. He's doing most of the run producing, as the Sailors rank 7th in runs scored, trailing only the Foresters. Luckily, Ed Reyes (.310, 1, 17) is back over .300 and his WRC+ is sitting at 110. He's one of the few positives there, as Rip Lee (.287, 18, 2) and Les Cunha (.233, 2, 24) have yet to get it going. The pitching, however, has been impressive, as they've allowed the fewest runs in the association. David Molina (4-1, 9, 2.15, 28) has been huge out of the pen and the top three of Win Lewis (5-4, 3.08, 29), Slick Wesolowski (5-4, 3.44, 32), and Al Duster (3-3, 3.83, 21) have been great. They could go with a six man after the double header, but we'll for sure miss Duster (he's on for the finale) and will miss at least one of Lewis and Wesolowski. This is a huge break for us, as I'm not too scared of John Thomas Johnson (1-0, 1, 2.55, 13) and Art Hull (0-1, 47.25, 1). We need to take advantage of the back-end of their rotation, and our staff should do a good job keeping them off the board.

Our weekend will be both exciting and challenging, as we get to host the first place Cannons Friday-Saturday-Sunday in a crucial early year series. This could determine first place at the end of the week, and if we want to be taken seriously, wins here are a must. Cincinnati is dealing with some lingering injuries, as star third basemen Denny Andrews (.351, 5, 27) is fighting back spasms and Fred Galloway (.247, 1, 8) is out with an oblique strain. Galloway going down opened up a spot for Al Wheeler (.404, 3, 16), who quickly responded with a Player of the Week award. He hadn't started a game yet, but in eight starts the 39-year-old slashed .471/.571/.704 (234 OPS+) with a double, 2 of his homers, 10 of his RBIs, and 8 walks to just 2 strikeouts. He's given a jolt to a lineup that has seen struggles from Chuck Adams (.258, 4, 22), Gail Gifford (.248, 3, 17, 2), Charley McCullough (.244, 6), and Jim Hensley (.281, 1, 14) while the expected regression has started to hit Red Hampton (5-4, 3.80, 9) and Les Bradshaw (5-3, 4.00, 26). Hampton has allowed 6 or more runs in each of his last three starts while Bradshaw has done the same in three of four. I'd love to continue the Cannons skid, but they're still a good team filled with crafty vets, who can still preform admirably on the biggest stage.

Minor League Report
RHP Babe Stinson (AAA Milwaukee Blues): I was a little worried when I started 22-year-old Babe Stinson at AAA, and while he's been overall good, it's been a very strange season for the righty. In five of his seven starts he's allowed one or fewer earned runs. Those other two? 8 and 5 (9 total). It's been a rollercoaster ride for the former 4th Rounder, who had just 6 starts in AA prior to this season, and they didn't look so good. He went 2-4 with a 4.93 ERA (70 ERA+) and 1.86 WHIP with more walks (28) then strikeouts (16). Stinson still walks too many hitters, allowing 34 free passes compared to just 21 strikeouts, but his 3.24 ERA (151 ERA+) and 1.56 WHIP are very impressive. It may be a small sample still, but his stuff has looked good when he's able to locate it. A five pitch pitcher, he's still refining his pitches, and as a junk guy who's cutter can only graze 86, he's going to need some reliable out pitches. His change is a wipeout pitch, when he can command it, but the other four are just average at best. He's got some work to do, but with more polish, he could be a useful back of the rotation arm.

RF Jimmy Hairston (AA Mobile Commodores): No Monthly Awards in the farm, but former 4th Rounder Jimmy Hairston took home Player of the Week in the Dixie League. The 22-year-old outfielder hit an even 16-for-32 with 3 doubles, a homer, and 12 RBIs. He's now hitting a robust .370/.409/.556 (144 OPS+) in 19 games for the Commodores. He didn't start in Mobile, as Hairston's first 17 games came in Lincoln. If you can believe it, he was even better there, slashing an elite .357/.378/.629 (174 OPS+). Between the two levels, Hairston has already accumulated two wins above replacement, along with 7 doubles, 3 triples, 7 homers, and 37 RBIs in 162 trips to the plate. Eligible for the Rule-5 draft in the offseason, a big season from Hairston is huge, as the young outfielder has taken his time climbing the ladder, and entered the season with just 57 games in A ball. He's shown plenty of promise, showcasing an excellent hit tool while displaying competent plate discipline as well. He hasn't walked all that much so far, just 9 compared to 23 strikeouts, but last year he drew 56 with 68 punch outs. Our outfield situation is rather crowded, especially since he's limited to a corner, but he's just barely outside our top teen prospects now that Bybee graduated. He's sitting at 11 and 109 respectively, in both cases just one spot behind Mike Bordes. I really like this kids bat, and while he still has was to go, the tools are in place for a reliable #2 hitter.