[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 4-4
Seasonal Record: 7-7 (t-4th, 2 GB)
Stars of the Week
Walt Pack : 30 AB, 12 H, 2 HR, 8 RBI, .400 AVG, 1.104 OPS
Red Bond : 26 AB, 10 H, 3 HR, 6 RBI, .385 AVG, 1.182 OPS
Harry Mead : 17 AB, 6 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .353 AVG, 1.097 OPS

Schedule
4-26: Loss at Kings (5-9)
4-27: Win at Kings (10-8)
4-28: Win vs Saints (1-2)
4-29: Win vs Saints (1-5)
4-30: Loss at Stars (1-2)
5-1: Loss at Stars (3-4): 12 innings
5-2: Win at Stars (9-3)
5-2: Loss at Stars (3-5)

Recap
After having the most disappointing offense last season, things are really clicking early on, as we've scored an association best 67 runs through 14 games. Walt Pack led the charge this week, as the veteran third basemen took home Player of the Week. Pack went 12-for-30 with 2 doubles, 2 homers, 2 walks, 7 runs, and 8 RBIs. He's now hitting .333/.382/.569 (156 OPS+) with 3 doubles, 3 homers, and 10 RBIs. You could argue that Red Bond had the better week, as the sizzling slugger went 10-for-26 with 3 more homers. He drew 4 walks, drove in 6, and scored 7, and actually lowered his season line to .383/.444/.830 (242 OPS+) in 54 trips to the plate. Bond leads us in all triple slash categories with his .383 average, 7 homers, and 13 RBIs, and he ranks top three (3rd, 1st, t-1st) early on in the CA triple crown. I knew coming into the season that Bond and Pack would be the two biggest catalysts of our offense, and unlike most Cougars, they have not disappointed.

Again, it was more part-timers who supported the dynamic duo, but Harry Mead had an even year week, going 6-for-17 with 2 doubles, a homer, 2 runs, 3 walks, and 4 RBIs. Carlos Montes made the most of his time, 1-for-2 with a pair of walks. Same for Clark Car, who was 5-for-13 with a double, steal, triple, run, and 4 RBIs, and Ray Ford, who was 2-for-6 with 2 walks and an RBI. Sal Pestilli is still struggling, just 7-for-37, but he continues to hit extra base hits. This time it was 2 doubles, a triple, and a homer, so he's slugging .400 despite hitting just .185. Billy Hunter had a really rough week, just 3-for-21 with a walk and run scored. Same goes for Leo Mitchell, who was just 7-for-34 with a homer and 3 RBIs. Mitchell struck out six times and didn't walk, giving him 12 strikeouts to just 3 walks in his first 14 games. These three should all be hitting much better, and while it's still early, it's making me a bit nervous that Mitchell and Pestilli may have their best days behind them.

We struggled to keep runs off the board this week, but one guy who has stood up well is George Oddo. The guy I was worried about most, picking up a complete game victory over the Saints. He allowed just one run off 4 hits and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts to improve to 2-0 on the season. Donnie Jones had a much needed bounce-back start, but was still tagged with the loss as we couldn't score for him. Donnie went 8 since we were on the road, allowing just 6 hits, 2 runs, and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts. Brother Johnnie made two starts, and was excellent in the win and a little shaky in the loss. He beat the Saints, going all nine with 4 hits, a run, 4 walks, and 3 strikeouts. He went just 7 in the double header on short rest, but on the bright side he didn't give up any homers to the Stars! Still, 7 hits, 5 runs, and 4 walks isn't very fun, but he struck out 5 and kept the ball in the park. Including the Spring, this was his third start against them, and all three of his homers (in 53 innings!) came against the Stars.

The other two two-start starters were Pete Papenfus and Duke Bybee, and they both had a good and bad start. Papenfus was hit hard by the Kings, allowing 12 hits, 7 runs, and 4 walks with 4 strikeouts in just 6 innings pitched. He bounced back against the Stars, but left after 8 in a tie game. He looked much better, with just 4 hits, 3 runs, 3 walks and 6 strikeouts. Harry Parker then lost the game in extras, but a walk and Skipper error allowed the Stars to walk it off. He's not quite striking guys out like he does, just 14 in 23 innings, but that's still tied for 2nd in the CA. Bybee has had some strikeout problems of his own, with just 2 in 11 innings this week. He was the only guy to beat the Stars, going 8 with 7 hits, 3 runs, 3 walks, and 2 strikeouts. Like Pap, the Kings got to him, but we ended up coming back to win. Duke went just 3, allowing 9 hits, 6 runs, and a walk. The longball hurt him again, with two in this start and four in 18 innings this season. He allowed just 13 in 228.2 innings last season, so it's a shock to see such poor home run numbers early on. Charlie Kelsey finished his game, and was rather effective in 6 innings. He allowed 4 hits, 2 runs, and 3 walks, but we held on to win 10-8. He then threw an inning against the Stars later in the week, with a hit and strikeout in the scoreless inning. Ken Matson was busy again, throwing 6 innings in 3 outings. He was far more effective this week, just 4 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), and 3 walks with 5 strikeouts. I am a bit surprised that we haven't really dominated any games on the mound this season, but it's still very early, and I have plenty of faith -- maybe too much -- in what should be the best rotation in the league.

All three guys we waived cleared waivers, but shockingly only Paul Richardson declined the outright assignment. He'll be released, and seems like an interesting option for a GWL team. The 33-year-old has pitched in 151 FABL games, going 25-31 with a 4.12 ERA (88 ERA+) and 1.31 WHIP. Leon Blackridge and Ray Struble will stick around as AAA depth, and both could be in line for a callup as a short term injury replacement. Blackridge will actually start for the first week, as Blues third basemen Johnny Carlisle will miss at least a week with back tightness.

Looking Ahead
We get our first off day of the season on Monday, and we'll use it to travel to Toronto for two with the Wolves. They have won more with the Cannons, so and depending on the outcome of the games on Monday, they could be 8-4 and in first place. We're scheduled to face Jimmy Gibbs (12-8, 3.23, 63) and Jerry York (11-12, 4.46, 84), with the latter 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA (509 ERA+) and 11 strikeouts in 12 innings pitched. A breakout form York would be huge, as the former 8th Overall Pick once ranked as the #2 prospect in baseball, and is a guy I thought would be really good for them. I'm hoping we can get some runs off him, but luckily the Wolves haven't been scoring too much. Young outfielder Dom Tripp has gotten off to a nice start to his career, going 6-for-13 with a double and four walks and Fred McCormick (.321, 27, 102) is hitting .295/.418/.614 (169 OPS+) early on. Unfortunately the only other hitters with OPS+ above 100 are Hal Wood (.281, 8, 94) and Charlie Artuso (.247, 5, 64, 9), with most of their everyday players off to slow starts. I'm hoping this can help get our staff back on track, but it's going to be very hard for us to put up runs. The Wolves have allowed just 27 runs, and they are the only FABL team to allow fewer then 40 runs this season. A split would be ideal, but I'm worried that if we drop these two games, we're going to really struggle on a tough road trip.

Next stop is three with the Cannons, who have given the Wolves all of their losses so far. Let's hope that ends once we get to this series, as we face one of the three teams currently tied with us for fourth place. We're stuck facing the always dangerous Rufus Barrell (14-13, 3.48, 135), who is sporting a fine 1.82 ERA (208 ERA+) and 0.89 WHIP with 13 strikeouts in 24.2 innings pitched. After that it's Charlie Griffith (18-8, 3.66, 97) and Les Bradshaw (12-12, 3.85, 92), giving us their three best. Luckily, we may not have to score many runs, as no team has scored fewer runs then the Cannons so far. Sam Brown (.333, 9, 84) isn't the issue, he's hitting .325 with a homer and 3 RBIs, but 1948 Continental doubles (40) and walks (110) leader Denny Andrews (.288, 16, 76) is hitting a miniscule .122/.196/.195 (4 OPS+) in 46 trips to the plate. This could end up being quite literally his worst first 50 PAs ever, Andrews owns a .263/.405/.451 (142 OPS+) career batting line and is coming of a 151 WRC+ season. I really hope he doesn't figure thing out until after we leave town, as vintage Andrews could really ruin this series for us.

Next stop is Philadelphia, where we have a Sunday double header against the Sailors. Last year's pennant winners are 9-5 and tied with the Montreal Saints for first place. Win Lewis (17-12, 2.88, 87) and Charlie Gordon (2-8, 4.14, 33) are a perfect 5-0 while David Molina (10-3, 26, 3.06, 102) has allowed just one run in 13.1 innings to start the year. The Sailors just added a former #1 pick on waivers in Vic Carroll (4-4, 2, 4.11, 29), and it's interesting to see if they use him to replace the injured Slick Wesolowski (15-11, 3.80, 92). What may be most interesting about the Sailors is they have not hit a home run yet. Despite that they're hitting .286/.365/.378 and rank second in the association with 64 runs scored. One of their most productive hitters has been former Cougar Solly Skidmore (.278, 2, 56), who is hitting .409/ with a 174 WRC+. If it was in Chicago, I'd guarantee a home run from them, but with the game at Sailors Memorial Stadium we might be able to keep them in the park. They're always tough to beat, but with the right pitching matchups, we may be able to split the double header.

Minor League Report
RHP Fred Terry (AA Mobile Commodores): Run support can be fun, and Fred Terry took full advantage of the Commodores 14-run 2nd inning. Not only did he contribute to that, finishing the game 3-for-6 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs, but he threw a 4-hit, 1-walk shutout as Mobile throttled the Atlanta Peaches 22-0. Terry was one of five hitters to record three or more hits, including Ed Neal who went 5-for-6 with 2 doubles, 3 runs, and 3 RBIs. Tom Brownleaf's game, however, was most interesting, as he had a scheduled day off but was needed to pinch run for Billy Biggar in that hectic 2nd. Not only did he score, but he came back up with the bases loaded, and hit his 2nd home run of the season. His .300/.356/.550 (124 OPS+) batting line is almost identical to his .326/.364/.494 (125 OPS+) line last season.

Terry, 23, is an interesting prospect who has the ideal work ethic and a durable arm that allows him to pitch deep into games. In his first start he threw 141 pitches in a 7-5 complete game win. It's an impressive first two games for someone who was drafted in the 8th Round last season, and only had 8 starts in A ball. Those were very impressive, as the Yellowhammer State alum went 4-2 with a 2.98 ERA (142 ERA+) and 0.92 WHIP in 57.1 innings pitched. He had an elite 34-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and he allowed just one home run. There's no shortage of pitching in our organization, but if he keeps winning games like this he could pitch his way into a big league role. He's not one of our higher ranked prospects, just 40th in the organization and 446th overall. What works against him now is he's a sinker heavy pitcher, as his fastball, change, and splitter aren't always effective. Right now his sinker can dominate lesser hitters, but FABL hitters will eventually get to him. That could push him into a bulk stopper role, pitching most games for a few innings at a time.
LF Clyde Parker (A Lincoln Legislators): A guy who got a huge boost in the prospect rankings after the move to 24, Clyde Parker is doing a good job proving the pundits right. Despite hitting just .240/.320/.382 (98 OPS+) in 104 games for Class B San Jose, the 64th ranked prospect is hitting .457/.500/.657 (201 OPS+) with 3 doubles, 2 triples, and 3 walks. Sure it's just 38 plate appearances, but a 210 WRC+ is a 210 WRC+. I always envisioned Parker as a Leo Mitchell type player, and he's starting to show this season. He puts the ball in play a ton and the extra base power now will translate to home run power when he matures. Despite his good eye, he'll still strike out a lot, but I don't think it will ever be as pronounced as Mitchell. Parker has the tools to be an every day big leaguer and contend for batting titles, but if he doesn't hit he may move around a lot. He'll never bring much value defensively, and with athletic outfielders like Jerry Smith, Johnny Peters, and Henry Norman all ahead of him, playing time will be tough to secure.

Cougars in the GWL
RHP Karl Wallace (Los Angeles Knights): I almost covered Karl Wallace yesterday, but since I covered his teammate Elmer Hutchins yesterday, I'd just wait until he won Player of the Month. And as an added bonus, he took home Player of the Week. Wallace was brilliant in three April starts, going 3-0 with a 1.04 ERA (319 ERA+) and 1.00 WHIP. He started April with an 8-hit shutout, and if it wasn't for an error, he would have started his May with a scoreless outing. He left an 8-1 victory with two outs in the 7th, leaving with 8 hits, a walk, 3 strikeouts, and an unearned run. He's now 4-0 with a 0.80 ERA (413 ERA+) and 1.04 WHIP in 33.2 innings pitched, He has accounted for 40% of the first place Knights wins this season, and with as much run support as he's received he could lead the league in wins. He has plenty of support from Jim Hatfield (.403, 1, 8, 1), Ace Anderson (.375, 2), and Bennie Griffith (.327, 1, 8). When Elmer Hutchins (.333, 1, 6) returns the lineup is going to get even more dangerous, but his replacement Dee French has been very impressive. A former 20th Round Pick by the Kings back in 1943, French has been in independent ball since 1944, and is a rare "homegrown" prospect in the young league. His first week went well, 5-for-15 with 2 doubles, 2 walks, and 2 RBIs. If he keeps hitting, his versatility may keep him in the lineup, as he has experience at second, short, left, and center as well.