[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 5-3
Seasonal Record: 24-23 (4th, 4 GB)
Stars of the Week
Sal Pestilli : 36 AB, 17 H, 2 HR, 9 RBI, .472 AVG, 1.263 OPS
Skipper Schneider : 25 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .400 AVG, .963 OPS
Chubby Hall : 31 AB, 9 H, 1 HR, 6 RBI, .290 AVG, .720 OPS

Schedule
5-30: Win at Saints (2-0)
5-30: Loss at Saints (3-6)
5-31: Win at Saints (5-3)
6-1: Win vs Wolves (0-5)
6-2: Win vs Wolves (1-5)
6-3: Loss vs Wolves (3-2)
6-4: Loss vs Sailors (4-1): 11 innings
6-5: Win vs Sailors (1-10)

Recap
Hey, would you look at this! Above .500! And we can pitch again! Seven of the eight games saw our starter allow three or fewer runs, and we got shutouts from both the Jones brothers. Donnie followed up his 2-hit, 2-walk shutout with a 1-hit, 1-walk shutout where he set down six Wolve on strikes in our 5-0 victory. He's now an even 5-5 with a much improved 3.69 ERA (107 ERA+) and 1.15 WHIP with 37 strikeouts and a 3.58 FIP (90 FIP-) in 78 innings pitched. Johnnie has arguably been our best pitcher so far, and he threw a 3-hit shutout with a pair of walks and strikeouts in the 2-0 win over the Saints. His second start wasn't as great, but back-to-back errors cost him two of his three runs allowed. Johnnie got all but one out, throwing 150 pitches and leaving with 6 hits, 6 walks, and 5 strikeouts. Now 5-4, Johnnie has an outstanding 2.86 ERA (138 ERA+), but he's walking (42) way more hitters then he's struck out (23). While always an issue, these are his worst walk (13.6) and strikeout rates (7.5) since becoming a full-time starter. If he can start finding the zone more, I'd be extremely encouraged, but for now I'm going to enjoy the lack of runs allowed.

We got an early injury scare against the Wolves, as Duke Bybee left with a mild abdominal strain. Little injuries like this are common for Bybee, who's had six day-to-day injuries lasting less then a week and a second lasting exactly one, since he returned from the Marines Corps. He left after three hits and four outs, but this opened the door for Charlie Kelsey to excel and save his roster spot. The struggling righty was in danger of losing his pen spot, especially with Harry Parker beginning rehab today, but he threw 7.1 stellar innings. Kelsey threw 105 pitches, allowing just 2 hits, a run, and 2 walks with 2 strikeouts. This dropped his ERA from 5.51 to 4.18 (94 ERA+) in 23.2 innings pitched. Now Ken Matson, who got the last out, may be in risk of being optioned, as he's thrown just 8.1 innings and allowed 8 hits, 5 runs, and a walk with 5 strikeouts.

Both Pete Papenfus and George Oddo made two starts, with Pap going 1-0 and Oddo 0-1. He didn't look great against the Saints, allowing 4 hits and 8 walks, but just one of his three runs were earned and he struck out 6 in 6.2 innings. Pap was back on it against the Sailors, as the 31-year-old veteran allowed just 6 hits, a run, and a walk with 7 strikeouts in the complete game win. The fireballer has now won four in a row, and with 50 strikeouts he's the only Continental Association pitcher with more then 40. His 3.51 ERA (112 ERA+) is back above average, even if his 4.47 FIP (113 FIP-) doesn't buy it, but a lot can be blamed on 10 homers in 84.2 innings. George Oddo has dealt with home run issues too, but he allowed just one in his loss to the Saints. Now 0-4, Oddo allowed 11 hits, 5 runs, and 2 walks with 2 strikeouts in 7 innings. His bad luck continued against the Sailors, as despite just a single run allowed, he didn't get a decision since we scored just one run. Oddo even pitched the 10th, allowing 4 hits and 4 walks with just 1 run and 7 strikeouts, which was enough to lower his ERA to an adjusted league average 3.93. The Sailors then got three in the 11th, including two on a Joe Scott (.273, 6, 20) home run, as Harry MacRae allowed 4 hits and the three runs in a shaky eleventh. Even with this misstep, it was still a very successful week for the pitching staff, as it's now back-to-back successful weeks. This is how we should have been pitching all year long, but with plenty of season left for the rotation to strut their stuff, I am more then confident in a strong bounce-back.

The offense, well, has some holes, but good thing we have two 7-Time All-Stars! Super Sal Pestilli was marvelous once again, capturing his first of hopefully many Player of the Weeks this season. The 33-year-old center fielder went 17-for-36 with 2 doubles, 2 homers, a triple, 3 steals, 3 walks, 7 runs, and 9 RBIs as he reached the 3 WAR mark through 46 games. This puts him on a 9.9 pace, which would be a new personal best. Sal's slashed a stellar .366/.410/.588 (166 OPS+) and his 175 WRC+ would be higher then the 156 he set in his Whitney Winning season. Shortstop Skipper Schneider hasn't quite hit at his level, but the tenth year vet went 10-for-25 with 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, 3 runs, 4 walks, and 2 steals. Like Pestilli, he's in the midst of his best offensive season, hitting a well above average .322/.405/.450 (130 OPS+) with an even higher 142 WRC+. Skipper's added 11 doubles, 3 homers, 3 steals, 23 RBIs, and a 23-to-7 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Again, Skipper is one of the top defensemen (5.9, 1.084) at short and he's been worth nearly three (2.7) WAR himself.

Beyond those two, there hasn't been much offense coming from the lineup, but some of the part-timers have done great. Otto Christian was 3-for-10, with all three hits of the extra base variety. He doubled and hit his third and fourth homers of the season, and he drew a pair of walks. The 26-year-old has now made 68 trips to the plate, and he owns a productive .250/.299/.517 (116 OPS+) line. Leo Mitchell hit his third homer, now just one away from his total last year, and went 2-for-6 with a walk. George Dawson got a start at second, and was 2-for-4 with a walk and RBI. Ray Ford went 4-for-11 with a walk and three runs, and Clark Car even went 4-for-13 with a double. George Sutterfield had a decent return to the lineup, 3-for-11 with 2 steals and 3 walks, runs, and RBIs. Even better, he's done well defensively in a small sample at second (0.3, 1.034), and for some reason the game thinks he's our #3 player (behind Skipper and Sal). That's definitely a stretch, but he's always had plenty of talent, and I have faith that he'll provide a few more weeks like this.

The draft pool was officially released today, which means we'll get a look at the first mock draft before the draft officially takes place on Monday the 20th (probably Tuesday or Wednesday in real life). I'm not overly thrilled with our class, probably because of the crazy awful lottery luck and lack of draft pick trading, but the mock has plenty of Cougar draftees. The guy I'm most excited about, second basemen Biff Tiner, ranks 10th on the mock and 5th on Dixie Marsh's first round list. Joining Tiner on the mock are 2nd Rounder Wilson McKinney (3.1), who I was somewhat worried wouldn't be ranked, 3rd Rounder Fred Crawford (3.8), 4th Rounder Buster Clark (3.13), and 6th Rounder Lou Jackson (5.8). It's honestly better then I expected, and along with Tiner, Marsh has Houston (19th), his number two pitcher, in his top 20, with McKinney and Crawford at 38 and 39. It's not great, but still potentially a solid haul to reinforce the #1 and near 200 point (194) farm.

Looking Ahead
One more with the Sailors, who we split the first two at Cougars Stadium. We're set to see the red-hot Donnie Jones (5-5, 3.69, 37) to take on "Can't Buy a Win" Lewis (1-6, 5.09, 24), who got a no decision despite six excellent frames where he allowed just 5 hits, a walk, and unearned run in a no decision against the Cannons. Despite the elevated ERA, his FIP is a strong 3.68 (90 FIP-) with solid walk (6.8) and strikeout (10.2) rates. In the lineup, the Sailors did make a move, but it was not moving Rip Lee (.197, 1, 8) to the bench. Instead, former 9th Pick Al Farmer (.243, 1, 2) will replace Les Cunha (.265, 2, 19) at second, batting fifth between slugger Joe Scott (.273, 6, 20) and speedster Harvey Brown (.253, 1, 14, 8). Ed Reyes (.373, 3, 17) now has enough at bats to qualify for the batting title, something he's looking to win for the fifth straight season. He gave them their lone run in our 10-1 beatdown of them, and shows no signs of slowing down. I'm still feeling pretty good about this game, as Donnie seems to be really slinging it, but we can't underestimate someone as skilled as Lewis when our offense is basically comprised by two stars and nothing more.

The homestand continues with three against the Cannons, who have dropped to 24-22 and lead us by just a single game. Rufus Barrell (5-4, 2.99, 37) ran into a rough patch not long ago, as the surprise Foresters tagged him for 10 hits and 8 runs in just 3.1 innings pitched. We're set to get him in either the second or final game, with the other two projected starters veteran Chris Clarke (2-5, 3.84, 25) and rookie Tony Britten (4-4, 3.93, 27). I like our chance against both of them, and we actually beat Rufus last time (8 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 3 K) we were matched up against him. This time around they could have Adam Mullins (.400, 2, 11) back in the lineup, as he's healthy for the first time since early May now that his shoulder is back to 100%. They could use his bat back, as Paul Wilkerson (.273, 3) has just a 66 WRC+ in 23 games, and Denny Andrews (.194, 2, 21) just can't get thing going. There's only so much Mike Taylor (.321, 3, 16, 2), Chuck Adams (.291, 7, 30), and Fred Galloway (.297, 1, 14, 2) can do on their own, and the return of Mullins may be the spark they need to stay in the first division.

We then finish our week with the other Ohio team, welcoming the first place Foresters to town for three. At 28-19, Cleveland holds a 2.5 game lead over the Stars, as they somehow own the association's best staff (1st, 163) and a top offense (t-2nd, 203) despite having a mostly pieced together roster. They've made the shocking decision to replace Ivey Henley (.262, 2, 14) in the lineup with Luke Berry (.256, 5), who has gone 10-for-33 through his first two weeks in Cleveland. I'm not sure how long he lasts, but considering nearly all their offense comes from Orie Martinez (.280, 7, 24) and the finally healthy Jim Adams Jr. (.369, 5, 25, 2), it may not matter who they have patrolling left. The lineup could be reinforced with a midseason trade, with upgrades possible at left, center, short, catcher, and either second or third, wherever Adams isn't slotted in. They will be without 23-year-old shortstop Eddie Morris (.236, 1, 8), opening a spot back up for Glenn White (.286, 7), but they've been active on waivers early on, and we may see a few more claims as they look to bolster the roster.

The pitching has impressed too, as 1947 CA ERA leader Ollie White (4-4, 2.79, 36) looks like the same guy he was as a rookie, and 24-year-old John Jackson (4-2, 2.48, 19) has taken a huge step forward in year two. Both are highly touted young pitchers who have spent time in the top half of the top prospect lists, and they could form a formidable 1-2 punch for years to come. Between them is "The Mad Professor" Adrian Czerwinski (9-1, 3.05, 19), a righty from Chicago who could make it a true three-headed monster. White is the oldest of the trio at 25, so if these guys manage to reach their peaks, Foresters rotations of the 50s could rival the ones comprised of Dean Astle, Eddie Quinn, Roger Perry, and Ben Turner. They did recently make another rotation change, moving Kirby Brewer (1-1, 3.00, 7) to the pen in favor of former King and Pioneer Charlie Leist (1-2, 4.93, 8), but regardless of who we face it may be tough to come across runs. This is no longer the Foresters teams we are used to beating up on, and even at home it will be tough to come away with the series win.

Minor League Report
RF Jimmy Hairston (AAA Milwaukee Blues): It was a great week for Jimmy Hairston, who went an impressive 13-for-22 with 2 double, a triple, 3 homers and 11 RBIs. Hairston has been great all season, slashing an impressive .306/.415/.530 (146 OPS+) with an elite 161 WRC+ to go with 5 doubles, 2 triples, 7 homers, 22 runs, 23 walks, and 26 RBIs. It's been a great all-around performance for the former 4th Rounder, who may find himself in Chicago if he keeps this up. Hal Sharp (51), Chubby Hall (96), Leo Mitchell (76), and Carlos Montes (34) all have WRC+ below 100, and Dixie think Hairston is more then ready for a callup and big league debut. He projects to be an above average hitter, due to a strong hit tool and excellent command of the strike zone. He's matched each strikeout this season with a walk, and tends to hold walk percentages in the double digits. Hairston isn't the only Blues hitter performing, as Johnny Peters (160) and Don Lee (139) are in the midst of outstanding seasons of their own, but I might cutting bait with some of the struggling vets to make room for the more exciting young outfielders.

LHP Dutch Yoak (A Lincoln Legislators): Last week we needed a pitcher in Lincoln, as Jim Williams (3-1, 3.03, 12) fractured his finger. I could have gone with the guy listed below, but I thought Dutch Yoak was more deserving. He rewarded my faith with a dominant start against the visiting Evansville Hawks. Yoak allowed just 6 hits and a walk, while striking out 2 in a 6-0 shutout victory. That's already Yoak's second shutout of the season, and when combined with his six starts in San Jose he's now 5-1 on the season. Scheduled to open the week in Gary against the Steelmen, the now 22-year-old Yoak is attempting to pitch his way back into our future plans. A highly touted high school arm, Yoak has stalled out a bit, and after making it to Lincoln in 1947, he endured a rough year back in San Jose last year. His stuff hasn't been flushed out yet, but he sits right below 90 and projects to have plus stuff when fully developed. His control has held him back in the past, but he has just 21 walks in 56.1 innings, with a bit more then twice as many (43) punchouts. There's a long way to go, but if all goes well Yoak could finish the season in Mobile, and a big season could grab the attention of a pitching needy team willing to devote a roster spot to him for all of 1950.

LHP Dixie Gaines (B San Jose Cougars): Part of me wanted to give him a shot to go 10-0, but I could no longer leave Dixie Gaines in San Jose. The 21-year-old southpaw ended things on a high note, winning his 8th start as the Cougars slaughtered the Mounties 18-3. Dixie went 7, allowing 5 hits and 2 runs with 8 strikeouts as he finished the week with the Cougars 31st win of the season. This came after being named Pitcher of the Month for May, going 5-0 with a 1.43 ERA (304 ERA+) and 1.01 WHIP with 35 strikeouts and just 7 walks. The newest member of the Lincoln Legislators finished with a 1.21 ERA (362 ERA+) and 1.02 WHIP. In 59.2 innings he struck out 57 and walked just 16, with five of the free passes coming in his most recent start. The former 4th Rounder allowed just one home run, and his 67% groundball percentage is one of the highest I've ever seen. High groundball percentages are expected for the soft tossing Gaines, who has a very tough sinker that keeps his infielders on their toes. It's one of five excellent pitches, with his change the cream of the crop. I like his splitter too, but all five pitches get excellent downward movement, with only the curve still needing some work. It's easy to get excited about the stats, but the raw talent excites as well. There's a reason he's ranked 40th among all prospects, and he should fit comfortably in a big league rotation. That won't be in Chicago for a few more years, but OSA sees 1951 as a reasonable debut year. But if he continues to baffle Single-A pitchers like he did a level below, it will be tough to keep him down on the farm for much longer.