[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 4-2
Seasonal Record: 31-29 (4th, 8.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Red Bond : 17 AB, 5 H, 2 HR, 9 RBI, .294 AVG, 1.098 OPS
Walt Pack : 15 AB, 5 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .333 AVG, 1.102 OPS
Skipper Schneider : 24 AB, 8 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .333 AVG, .801 OPS

Schedule
6-14: Loss at Wolves (7-12)
6-15: Win at Wolves (9-0)
6-16: Win at Wolves (8-1)
6-17: Win at Cannons (7-3)
6-18: Loss at Cannons (6-7): 11 innings
6-19: Win at Cannons (6-2)

Recap
You see, normally when you got 4-2 you gain a game in the standings. Or even two. But usually the worst is when you maintain position or drop a game. But no, the Foresters are a team of destiny, and since they went a perfect 7-0, they extended their lead on the Stars to 7 games and their lead over us to 8.5. I can't remember the last time a lead like this happened early on (although there's the season we blew a double digit lead that we pretend didn't happen...), but they've won thirteen of their last fifteen, and we're actually the last team to beat them. They're our next stop too, so we have a chance to snap their streak, but a 15-3 June makes me believe this is their month, and possibly year, as we're staring another season of failure straight in the face.

Lucky for us, the offense came to life, as we scored six or more runs in each of our six games. Even better, Leo Mitchell had a vintage showing, an impressive 4-for-6 in our 7-6 extra inning loss. He was one of many part-timers who had their chance to shine, with young slugger Otto Christian going 3-for-8 with a double, walk, homer, 3 runs, and 4 RBIs. Another youngster Eddie Howard was 4-for-9 with a double, run, and 4 RBIs, while the grizzled George Dawson was 2-for-5 with a double and RBI. Him and George Sutterfield (2-7, R, 4 BB) will replace Clark Car (2-10, 2B, R, RBI, 2 CS...) at second, who was one of the only guys who didn't show up this week. After hitting .354/.392/.458 in the Spring, he's slumped to a pitcher like .189/.219/.242 (23 OPS+) line, and his 18 WRC+ is actually the same as Pap's and lower then Johnnie Jones (21) and George Oddo (52), who is actually hitting .273 with 3 doubles. Dawson (.294, 2, 147 WRC+) and Sutterfield (.233, 4, 118 WRC+) have been far better and both look good defensively. It's a sad fall from grace for Car, but at 35 he may be at the risk of losing his roster spot and ending up in the GWL.

Two of our struggling sluggers started to pick things up, with both Walt Pack and Red Bond hitting two homers on the road. Red's been hitting homers all season long, and has claimed the team lead with 11, but Pack now has just six on the season. After a nice 5-for-15 week with 2 walks, 6 runs, and 6 RBIs, he's hitting .250/.335/.441 (107 OPS+). That's respectable, but not close to the past two seasons where Pack recorded WRC+ and OPS+ of 130 or better. And at a 15 homer pace, it's almost ten homers shy of his Cougar low of 24 in 1947. Pack's no stranger from down seasons, but it's nice to see him get back on the right track. Same goes for Bond, who went 5-for-17 with a pair of doubles to improve his season line to a similar .249/.297/.491 (108 OPS+). If these two can return to their peak form, we might be able to move up the standings a bit more, and take on the league's... Number one pitching staff...

Maybe we can fix that!

Johnnie Jones' slump came far quicker then expected, as the Wolves crushed him in the week opener, allowing 6 hits, 8 runs, and 6 walks with just 2 strikeouts before leaving with two outs in the third. He did get a chance to bounce back, as the lone two-start starter, and he almost went the distance in our 6-2 win over the Foresters. He threw 148 pitches and got all but two outs, with both runs coming off a Mike Taylor (.353, 7, 26, 4) two-run homer in the third. He allowed 7 hits and 4 walks with 6 strikeouts, and after Harry MacRae recorded the last two outs, he improved to 7-5 on the season. His ERA is up to still above average 3.38 (118 ERA+), but his walk percentage is up to an even 14 percent.

We were gifted we more impressive starts elsewhere, as Pete Papenfus came an out away from a complete game shutout. I would've liked Max Wilder to let him stay, it was 9-0, and there was just one man on first when he left the game. 146 pitches isn't too much, and I'm sure Pap could get Chink Stickels (.262, 2, 15, 3) out one more time. Especially considering Rusty Watts needed just two pitches to do it. Pap wasn't too sharp, 6 hits and 5 walks with just 4 strikeouts, but he still leads the association in punchouts and he's now 6-4 with a 3.08 ERA (129 ERA+). The better start was the revenge Donnie Jones got for his brother, allowing 5 hits, a run, and 2 walks with a season high 7 strikeouts in a complete game win. Jones has gone 3-0 in June, now with a 1.29 ERA (310 ERA+) and 0.94 WHIP through 35 innings. He's walked just 10 and struck out 21, and he's up to 7-5 on the season. Him and Pap have big starts against the Foresters this week, and I'm excited to see how the scalding hot aces will handle the hopefully overperforming run away leaders. The third start will go to Duke Bybee, who had a nice bounce back start out in Cincinnati. He did allowed a pair of homers, but Bybee limited the damage, scattering 7 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), and a walk while striking out four Cannons. He's won both of his last starts and has allowed just three earned runs in a pair of complete games. These three are pitching their best ball, which could be exactly what we need to put ourselves right back in the pennant race.

I mean, Pete Papenfus, Donnie Jones, and Duke Bybee versus Jim Adams Jr. (.352, 5, 34, 2) and his band of misfits? This should be easy ... right???

We'll see...

Looking Ahead
Going 15-3 in June, the Cleveland Foresters are on fire, and they seem to be running away with the Continental Association pennant despite not having a seasonal winning record in a year that starts with 194. The Foresters are off as well to start the week, but with a double header on Sunday, they will be pitching all their guys on normal rest. If you believe their starters ERAs, which range from 2.42 to 3.17, and we'll face that 2.42 with Augie Hayes Jr. (4-2, 2.42, 20) in the opener followed by Adrian Czerwinski (11-2, 2.98, 27), and John Jackson (7-2, 2.60, 28), which is what I consider the three "lesser" pitchers in the impressive rotation. Sure, we don't walk much, but Czerwinski and Jackson walk more guys then they strike out, and "Auggie Doggie" has similar walk and strike out rates. What they do well is keep the ball in the park, and it will be interesting to see how our sluggers respond in the spacious Forester Stadium. I have faith in our three headed monster keeping their lineup at bay, which has a new face at the top in Paul Porter (.349, 3) which has pushed their young star to fifth. Former Cougar Luke Berry (.269, 10) bats third, and is fresh off a 5-for-5 against the Saints. Entering the game he was hitting just .194/.316/.224 and I think it will be interesting to see how he does against his former teammates. These three games are crucial, as three wins here would give the rest of the association a chance to give the fans an interesting pennant race.

After that it's four games in three days with a team that should be in the pennant race, but are instead 18-40 and more then twenty games out of first place. So much has gone wrong for the two-time pennant winners, and they've given 30-year-old Cotton Dillon (.255, 1, 8) a chance to reclaim his regular right field spot. In both 1946 and 1947 he made 134 appearances with a WRC+ above 125 (139 and 126), and he hit a slightly above league average .256/.351/.381 (102 OPS+) with 17 doubles, 34 RBIs, and 39 walks in 319 trips to the plate. The spot was opened up by 10th ranked prospect Al Farmer (.301, 2, 6, 2) starting to play only against lefties. The infielder will be playing left, where he just made his first big league start at the position. "Buster" could one day be considered among the best players in the league, but at 23 he's far from a finished product. His production this season has been one of the few redeeming aspects of the Sailors start, and he'll definitely start games at short and second when Rip Lee (.218, 1, 13, 3) and Les Cunha (.267, 2, 21) need days off. I know this team is way better then they've shown, but we really need to take advantage of them while they're down. And with plenty of off days after, we won't have to worry about the double header as much as they do. I think with all this Ohtani to the Blue Jays rumors, I'm far too optimistic about our chances, and I really think we're going to put together an excellent week.

The in-game portion of the draft takes place tomorrow, and I'll post something on the fifteen new Cougars. Class C doesn't start until July 5th, so there's no rush to get guys signed, and we have a pretty full La Crosse roster. Most of the AI picks won't amount to anything, so a few of these guys will be returning. The ten guys I took will be signed at one point or another, but I like letting the left over guys get a chance to prove themselves before being released.

Minor League Report
RF Jimmy Hairston (AAA Milwaukee Blues): For the second time this month, Jimmy Hairston was named Player of the Week, so it stands to reason he'll be the Century League Batter of the Month. The 24-year-old went 10-for-19 with 3 doubles, 2 homers, and 7 RBIs to increase his June triple slash to an astronomical .458/.557/.812 (258 OPS+). The 92nd ranked prospect is hitting an impressive .315/.431/.554 (158 OPS+) with 9 doubles, 9 homers, and 33 RBIs. His 175 WRC+ is best among players with at least 30 trips to the plate (Ron Berry is actually second at 160!) on the Blues and he's drawn 32 walks and scored 32 runs, worth nearly two (1.8) wins above replacement in 52 games. I'm considering giving him a promotion to the big league club next week if he does enough to secure the monthly award. Carlos Montes and Hal Sharp are on the verge of losing their roster spots, and I'm not sure Clark Car isn't too far behind them. If we have a bad week, big changes could be made, and Hairston is one of the guys with an opportunity to replace the struggling players.

RHP Zane Kelley (AAA Milwaukee Blues): He didn't need to be great, he had ten runs of support, but Zane Kelley spun an impressive 3-hit shutout with 3 walks and 6 strikeouts. The 23-year-old improved to 6-3 in 10 starts, working to a 2.85 ERA (141 ERA+) and 1.16 WHIP with nearly twice as many strikeouts (42) as walks (22). His 3.28 FIP (82 FIP-) supports his overall body of work, and I'm finding it harder to keep him down in the minors. We haven't had a good stopper all season, but I'm not sure I want Kelley pitching out of the pen. He's got all the tools to start and he may end up being our most intriguing trade piece if any good players go on the market. If the Foresters run away with things, CA teams could sell some of their spare parts, and we could always use an extra bat. There's always a shortage of quality young pitching, and even without the high prospect rankings he's sure to attract some interest. I'd love to hold onto him, but we don't play enough double headers to warrant a six-man rotation, and I'm not sure I want to break us this rotation. I really like this rotation.

But Zane Kelley is just so good...

I just hope it's not another Johnny Walker situation...

1B Charlie Everitt (B San Jose Cougars): Some times the AI portion of the draft nets you good players, and after the human portion of the '48 draft there were still plenty of players left over I really liked. Charlie Everitt was one of them, and it's proved to be an excellent decision to select him. The 22-year-old Cowpens State alum had one of the best weeks any of our players will have this season, going 13-for-22 with with 5 walks, 5 RBIs, and a 264 WRC+. The big lefty is now slugging .356/.481/.501 (163 OPS+) with 11 doubles, 3 triples, 4 homers, 41 runs, and 31 RBIs. He's shown excellent plate discipline as well, drawing 46 walks while striking out just 19. He's been worth an impressive 3.1 WAR in 58 games, and if it wasn't for a log jam at first, he'd be up in Lincoln. A very talented hitter, Everitt projects to hit for a high average while drawing plenty of walks. He doesn't hit too many homers now, but at 6'4'' 230 you have to believe more home run power will come. If we can get him in the gym more to bulk up, he could become a deadly weapon at the plate, and he's perfect for a platoon at first. He's way better against righties (191 WRC+ then lefties (119), and he could fill the Red Bond spot eventually. There are plenty of road blocks in front of him, but he's a very gifted hitter who deserves an eventual audition for a major league lineup.

RHP Cliff Wallace (B San Jose Cougars): What better way to make your tenth start then a 5-hit shutout, as Cliff Wallace helped his Cougars win a tight 1-0 showdown against the second place Salem Warriors (36-22). That's big for San Jose, as they are an impressive 43-15 and seven games above those same Salem Warriors. Wallace has been one of the most unlucky members of the staff, 3-6 despite a 2.95 ERA (141 ERA+). He's struck out 49 in 76.1 innings with 29 walks and a 1.39 WHIP. This is great news for Wallace, who was in danger of losing his rotation spot. Now 23, the former 9th Rounder isn't the most enticing prospect, but he has some interesting qualities. The 6'5'' sidearmer hits 90 with his fastball and righties really struggle with his slider. Both pitches are great, but right now the change up needs a lot of work. He may struggle against tougher competition, He's deserving of a callup to Lincoln, and I think he'll get it once Harry Parker is ready to return from his rehab assignment. Wallace has already made 17 starts for the Legislators, going 4-8 with a 4.07 ERA (94 ERA+) and 1.71 WHIP. He's walked (84) far more hitters then he struck out (45), ,but last year his 0.8 K/BB was actually twice as good as two years ago. This year its up to 1.7, and if he can get over his command issues he'll be a much more effective pitcher.