[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 4-3
Seasonal Record: 35-31 (4th, 2.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Pete Papenfus : 2 Wins, 18.0 IP, 4 BB, 7 K, 0.00 ERA
Hal Sharp : 27 AB, 11 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .407 AVG, 1.039 OPS
Leo Mitchell : 27 AB, 6 H, 3 HR, 5 RBI, .222 AVG, .806 OPS

Schedule
6-16: Loss at Cannons (0-2)
6-17: Loss at Cannons (1-7)
6-18: Win at Cannons (1-0)
6-19: Loss at Cannons (8-9)
6-21: Win at Foresters (1-0)
6-22: Win at Foresters (9-2)
6-22: Win at Foresters (7-0)

Recap
Now this was a strange week, and I'm not sure if I should be happy, angered, or relieved. We looked completely lost against the Cannons, scoring just two runs in the first three games. Luckily, we won one of those (more on that later), but it was crazy ineptness on offense. Finally, we scored runs in the finale, but they got even more, as we dropped the finale by a single run. Thankfully, we rebounded in Cleveland, as we swept the game with a pair of shutout victories. Somehow, we managed to gain a game on first, as the Cannons were swept by the Kings and the Sailors and Wolves took care of the Stars. We also dropped down to fourth, as the Sailors have been red hot, something we hope stops as they are our next foe.

For the second week in a row, we had a pitcher throw two shutouts in the same week, as the other co-ace Pete Papenfus sort of looked like the good 'ol Peter the Heater we've come to love and adore. The strikeouts still aren't quite there, but when you're not allowing runs, who cares! The first start was most impressive, as he handled the first place Cannons in the lone victory. With no run support, he needed to be completely on it, as he twirled a 5-hitter with 3 walks and 5 strikeouts. Then with a double header on Sunday, and potentially me messing up 7-day lineups (sorry Donnie!), Pap was brilliant on short rest, just 6 hits, a walk, and 2 strikeouts in our 7-0 victory. This snapped Pap's three game losing streak, and he's now an even 7-7 in his 15 starts. His ERA dropped from 3.54 to 3.03 (129 ERA+), and his 65 strikeouts are now best in the association.

Duke Bybee also made two starts, and he was rather unlucky to split them. We gave him just one total run of support, as he was the unlucky hurler in our 2-0 loss in Cincinnati. Bybee went 8, allowing just 6 hits, 2 runs, and a walk with 3 strikeouts to lose his fourth consecutive decision. He realized he needed to be better, and not count on his offense, and he dominated the Foresters in Cleveland. Bybee tossed a 6-hitter with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts in our second 1-0 victory of the week. His ERA is back below 4, down to a solid 3.58 (109 ERA+) despite his 5-6 record. It's now fourth in the rotation, as Joe Brown was clobbered by the Cannons, allowing 15 hits and 8 runs in 5 innings. Sure, he didn't walk any and struck out five, but his ERA inflated from 3.61 to 4.13 (95 ERA+). We also got two starts from Johnnie Jones, as he struggled in Cincy and excelled in Cleveland. The Cannons chased him out with two gone in the seventh, piling 7 hits, 6 runs, and 6 walks to just 2 strikeouts. He still had walk issues in Cleveland, with seven free passes allowed in his complete game victory, but he struck out 5 and allowed 7 hits. It's nice to see Johnnie 6-3 on the season after going 10-14 despite his stellar 2.64 ERA (122 ERA+), but his 4.8 BB/9 would be a career high. He does manage to work around it, especially with all those groundouts, and I don't think he'll ever avoid the free passes.

The Hal Sharp show has been fun to watch, as the veteran slugger just mashes everything in his sight. Another great week for the batting title leader, as he went 11-for-27 with a double, homer, 4 walks, 5 runs, and 5 RBIs. His .373/.416/.551 (161 OPS+) batting line is leaps and bounds better then the rest of the roster, and it comes with 13 doubles, 9 homers, and 36 RBIs. Leo Mitchell refuses to hit for a high average, just 6-for-27 this week, but he hit 3 homers and drove in 5 runs. His .276/.315/.433 (102 OPS+) line is barely above average, but he matches Sharp's home run total with three more RBIs. It's crazy that the most consistent player, well, ever, can't seem to find his way, and it has to be worth the 2.5 games we're trailing. The promotion of Eddie Howard seems to have woken up Harry Mead, who was 5-for-15 with 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, and 3 runs scored. Howard's debut week went okay, as the rookie backstop went 3-for-10 with a run scored and driven in. Walt Pack had a decent week, 4-for-12 with a double, triple, and 2 RBIs. He hasn't been great, but a 105 WRC+ isn't terrible, and he sports a 1.3 zone rating and 1.024 efficiency at the hot corner. Still, the offense just isn't any good, ranked 7th in runs scored (274) and we're top three in just strikeouts (248), steals (30), and baserunning (+10.7) as nearly every non-Hal Sharp Cougar decided this is the year they'd be their worse. Luckily, there could be positive regression, and since we're still ever so close to the top, it hasn't quite done us in yet.

The lineup got some bad news with a setback for Carlos Montes, who needs 4-5 more weeks after he was approaching a return. Montes has appeared in just 23 games for us this season, and his .247/.287/.376 (79 OPS+) batting line left plenty to be desired. In his absence, Don Lee has gotten a lot of time, but his .201/.319/.257 (58 OPS+) line is way worse. The 11 steals are nice, but we're going to start seeing more of Billy Hunter in center. Hunter has improved vastly from his awful 1946, hitting .312/.382/.433 (122 OPS+) in 178 trips to the plate. And in a small 37 inning sample, he actually has a 0.1 zone rating (1.004 efficiency), much better then Lee's -4.4 (.945 efficiency). I'm not sure how long this experiment will last, but I'd love to find a Cy Bryant type defender who can at least help the pitching out in the field.

Looking Ahead
Good thing I did all the Amateur Reports over the weekend, as the draft starts the week, so we'll get to start signing players tomorrow. The mock has shuffled a bit, with Jerry Smith dropping to 5th and Garland Phelps to 11th. There's no change in Dixie Marsh's list which has held them at 5th and 11th, while the mock lists Dudley Sapp (2.5), Buddy Jenkins (3.5), Johnny Dickinson (3.14), Roy Gass (4.5), Harley Dollar (4.13), and last but not least, Ed Sutton (5.16). No extra picks in the AI portion, as we're stuck at 13th in each of the remaining rounds.

Our first test of the week is a pair of road games against the surging Sailors, who are now 38-32 and a game and a half behind the Cannons. While we've treaded water in June (11-10), they've been excellent, 16-9 and winners of five of their last six. They are also off to start the week, and could shuffle the rotation, but it looks like we'll get swingman John Thomas Johnson (4-0, 1, 2.04, 24) and ace Win Lewis (8-5, 2.54, 42), which should be more then enough to keep our lame offense under control. Donnie Jones (9-4, 2.36, 62) should be able to outduel Johnson, but with Joe Brown (6-5, 4.13, 42) likely facing Lewis, a split may be all we can hope for. Their offense has really started mashing, up to third (306) in runs scored as Ed Reyes (.335, 2, 26), Cotton Dillon (.289, 5, 47), and Woody Stone (.278, 6, 33) have been very productive. The rest of the lineup has had their struggles, but it looks like we caught Philly at the wrong time, and we could pay dearly.

Our next series is beyond strange, as our roadtrip quickly ends for one game hosting the Kings, before flying out to Brooklyn for two more. The Kings are just two under .500 (33-35) and helped us by sweeping the Cannons in Cincinnati. Brooklyn has somehow scored the second (323) most runs in the CA, and you can thank Ralph Johnson for that. The talented 23-year-old has slashed .309/.432/.556 (159 OPS+) with 11 doubles, 14 homers, and 50 RBIs while sporting an elite 45-to-22 walk-to-strikeout ratio. He's not the only young player doing well, as Chuck Collins (.292, 5, 22) may now be the best Chuck first basemen and Billy Bryant (.309, 4, 36) has had a strong rookie season. Former Cougar Solly Skidmore (.285, 24) is looking like a useful big league catcher while John Moss (.285, 3, 29) might be the best defensive center fielder in the association. The pitching has some holes, as Leo Hayden (3-6, 5.72, 45) has fought injuries and a sophomore slump, though his 3.37 FIP (83 FIP-) suggests that luck has not been on his side. Former Pioneer Buddy Long (7-8, 4.16, 38) hasn't quite been the guy they expected, but Johnny Slaney's (9-5, 2.71, 44) breakout has more then made up for it. This will be a tough couple of games, and I'm very worried about this week.

We end things in Montreal for a quick double header before this annoying roadtrip continues into the following week. Nothing has gone right for the Saints, who sit at 26-39 and find themselves last and 11 out of first. The pitching has let them down, as their front four all has ERAs above 5. That includes talented youngster Bert Cupid (4-9, 5.09, 41), who has had a huge sophomore slump of his own. The only effective arm has been Pat Weakly, who may deserve more starts the rest of the way. He's an unlucky 6-6 as his 2.74 ERA (148 ERA+) is just outside the CA's top four. I'd love to miss him, as he's done a good job against us, and owns a 1.27 WHIP and 49 strikeouts in his 13 starts. The offense is middle of the pack, fourth (291) in runs scored, as Red Bond (.281, 12, 46) could reach 30 homers and former top 10 prospect Otis Parker has slashed .308/.463/.538 (163 OPS+) in 19 games since his promotion from AAA. You would think we could get runs here, but we've not looked good in a while, and I'm very nervous about the rest of the season. I'm trying to make upgrades, but it's been tough so far, as we may be stuck running it back with the guys we have already.

Minor League Report
SS Al Clement (A Lincoln Legislators): Other then Hal Sharp, I don't think anyone in the organization is hotter then Al Clement. The former 2nd Rounder is riding a 22 game hit streak, slashing an elite .472/.518/.625 (210 OPS+) in 19 June games. This comes after a slow May where he hit just .276/.300/.362 (80 OPS+). I don't want to ruin the streak, but chances are when it ends he'll get promoted to AA, as his .343/.385/.455 (128 OPS+) composite slash is very strong. A light hitting middle infielder, Clement has just one homer in 231 PAs, but he's accumulated 15 doubles, 3 triples, 7 steals, and 27 RBIs so far. He's not one of our more highly ranked prospects anymore, just 31st in the system and 275th overall, and I'm sure that'll drop more once the draftees all file in. Still, there are a lot of things to like, as he's got great speed and has played good defense at third and short this season. He does put the ball in play a ton, but he won't walk, which could make it tough to find a lineup spot for him. As you might expect, he also took home Player of the Week, going 14-for-27 with 2 doubles, a triple, and 4 runs scored. He's more of a utility guy then an everyday player, but there's plenty of value in someone like him.

Cougars in the GWL
RHP Cy Sullivan (Oakland Grays): I don't think any former Cougar is as happy as Cy Sullivan that the GWL was formed to rival FABL. The 33-year-old vet is in the midst of another excellent season, and he threw his second shutout of the season and fifth in the past two. He allowed 9 hits and a walk while striking out 3 as the Grays beat the last place Hawks 2-0. Sullivan is now 9-4 on the season with an impressive 2.66 ERA (128 ERA+) and 1.16 WHIP through 14 starts. He's struck out 33 and walked 19 in 125.1 innings, and now owns a 2.86 ERA (121 ERA+) in 46 starts for the Grays. OSA also ranks him as the league's second best pitcher, trailing just Knight's ace Bob Cummings (6-5, 2.64, 48). The Grays are in the thick of things, 36-29 and 3.5 games behind the Centurions. Sullivan will be crucial for the staff, but Oakland has plenty of bats with Frankie Cohen (.420, 2, 38), Don Miller (.326, 1, 26), Hank Grant (.316, 27), and Larry Colaianni (.310, 1, 23).