[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 2-3
Seasonal Record: 36-36 (4th, 11 GB)
Stars of the Week
Carlos Montes : 8 AB, 4 H, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .500 AVG, 1.556 OPS
Red Bond : 10 AB, 5 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .500 AVG, 1.143 OPS
Leo Mitchell : 12 AB, 5 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .417 AVG, .950 OPS

Schedule
6-28: Loss at Stars (5-10)
6-29: Loss at Stars (1-6)
7-1: Loss at Stars (1-4)
7-2: Win at Saints (6-1)
7-3; Win at Saints (4-2)

Recap
Just for fun, we let the Stars get back on track, as they absolutely crushed us in New York. Luckily, we pitched pretty well in Montreal, and escape with a series win. Despite the poor overall week, we actually gained half a game in the standings, as the Foresters two in June and two in July. Their lead remains double digits, an even ten on the same Saints we just beat. The only issue is I keep sabotaging us by accidentally set pitch counts on Pete Papenfus. He's thrown just 20 pitches in his last four games which has led to way too much Charlie Kelsey. Remarkably, he pitched well both times, just two earned runs in each "start". In total, he's thrown 13.1 innings with 12 hits, 6 walks, and 4 strikeouts. The issue was then Rusty Watts, who allowed 7 runs off 5 hits and 2 walks while getting just 2 batters out. Guess I should have brought Harry Parker up a week earlier, he's with the team now,

i guess this is all my fault! Yay!

So I'm taking a step back. Max Wilder will have more control over the team, and if he does well he can stick around as the manager. I haven't loved how he's managed the rotation, but I have continued to make mistakes this season so much can really be blamed on him. He's one of many staff members on the final year of their contract. I expect to retain most, if not all, of them, but we have to show some fight in the second half of the season. I don't care if we don't catch Cleveland, but teams two through six are all within a few games, and eight is the defending champs who just took two of three from the first place Foresters. We need to finish atop this group to consider this season a success, and coming close to our 85 wins from last season may be enough to get three lottery balls.

A few highlights on the week, with the first being another stellar Donnie Jones outing. He had things going against the Saints, holding them to just a single run. He allowed just nine hits and didn't walk a batter, while setting seven down on strikes. This brought him back above .500 to 8-7, and he now leads the team with a 3.01 ERA (135 ERA+) and 65 strikeouts. Him and Johnnie have both won eight games and Donnie will get one more start before the break. Leo Mitchell is back at it as well, going 5-for-12 with 2 runs, 3 walks, and 3 RBIs. He had an excellent June, batting .389/436/.639 (184 OPS+) with 3 homers and 7 RBIs. I remember when months like that were expected, and we'll continue to bat him against righties.

A few of our draftees signed, with the highlights being 1st Rounder Biff Tiner and 4th Rounder Dick Huston. Tiner checks in at 30th to start, one spot below our 3rd ranked prospect Garland Phelps, which is pretty good for the 13th Overall Pick. The guy I wanted hasn't signed yet, but I can't be too upset with the initial placement. He'll report to La Crosse and will man second on Opening Day. He'll be joined on the roster by Huston, who ranks just outside the top 100 at 112. That's actually 13th in the still top ranked system, as we have eleven prospects in the top 100. Some of our other guys will eventually join the top 500, but I think those two will be the highest.

Looking Ahead
Eight games before the All-Star break, including a double header hosting the Stars to begin the week. We'll play them again on Tuesday, and it looks like we're getting some order of Vern Hubbard (8-5, 3.45, 37), Jack Wood (7-7, 3.25, 52), and Richie Hughes (5-5, 3.24, 49). That's the middle part of the second best staff this season, as the only the Foresters (264) have allowed fewer runs then them (297). I'd expect them to be second in offense, and sixth in pitching, not the other-way around, but that's what has happened this year. Most of their bats haven't done too much, but Bill Barnett did hit his way back into the lineup. The 26-year-old has been Bill Barrett's (.327, 23, 63, 6) sidekick, slashing .283/.400/.500 (134 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 2 triples, 8 homers, and 25 RBIs. Among players with more then 35 PAs, Barnett's 148 is second only to William the Conqueror's 182. He faced us just once this week, but was 1-for-2 with a double and a pair of walks and runs. The power of him and the Stars is always tough for our staff, and I'm worried we're going to struggle in this series.

Our short homestand is then interrupted by two in Brooklyn, who may still have new Cougar Charlie Woodbury (.243, 4, 10) on the roster. With 23-year-old Chuck Lewis hitting .300/.348/.508 (119 OPS+) with 15 doubles, 6 triples, 9 homers, and 43 RBIs, Woodbury was expendable, and perhaps Bob Schmelz will replace him once the trade officially goes through. The Kings offense doesn't need a jolt, as Ralph Johnson (.337, 14, 53, 3) is making a Whitney case and will be selected to his third All-Star game this week. Since OOTP forces relievers into the All-Star game, he may not be joined by Kellogg candidate Joe Potts (8-5, 3.23, 46), who could continue the trend of Kings winners since former Cougar draftee Leo Hayden (6-7, 4.97, 52) became the first winner in 1946. I think we'll avoid him, but we may have to deal with strikeout machine Bob Arman (6-6, 4.28, 67). Those are their two best hurlers this season, but they've gotten five quality starts from Jake Roberts (3-2, 2.45, 11), who came over from the Gothams in the Buddy Long trade. With such a good offense impressive performances from young pitchers could turn the Kings into a real force in the 1950s.

The last three games of the second half will be against the Saints in Chicago, and I really hope we can end it on a high note in front of our fans. Montreal is the closest team to the Foresters, but are just two and a half games ahead the Wolves and Cannons who are tied for sixth. Wally Reif (3-8, 6.47, 42) has had an awful start to the season while Pat Weakly (3-4, 4.47, 25) hasn't quite looked himself since returning from his sprained elbow. Despite lackluster performances from key starters, they've been able to compete, as their offense has scored a ton of runs. Maurice Carter (.308, 15, 53) is on pace to edge Red Bond's (.250, 11, 34) team single season home run record and they have impressive depth in the lineup. Bob Jennings (.329, 5) has filled in well while Montreal native Joe Austin (.312, 3, 31, 22) used his versatility to earn an Opening Day roster spot before hitting (and stealing) his way into the lineup. Even though we did well against them in Parc Cartier, their power will be dangerous at Cougars Park. This is one of the toughest ways to end the first half, but if we can finish on a high note it could do well for our second half success.

Minor League Report
RF Jimmy Hairston (AAA Milwaukee Blues): I don't know how he didn't win Batter of the Month after hitting .357/.461/.607 (179 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, 14 RBIs, and 16 walks in the month of June. That increased his season line to .303/.415/.512 (143 OPS+) with 11 doubles, 3 triples, 9 homers, and 37 RBIs. His next games will come in Chicago, as with the Hal Sharp trade finalized Hairston will join the big league roster. The first game will be his big league debut, as the currently ranked 100th prospect in FABL will get some starts in the coming weeks. A talented hitter, Hairston has an above average hit tool and Dixie thinks he could hit .330 with average power and a good eye. That makes for a very complete hitter, but his defense wasn't great in right (-5.8, .947) and that won't improve in the majors. Chubby Hall and Leo Mitchell will continue to get most of the at bats in the corners, but Hairston will have every chance to take them.

RHP Tommy Seymour (A Lincoln Legislators): He's lost a lot of his prospect shine, but former 1st Rounder Tommy Seymour has pitched well for the Legislators. His best start came this week, as despite not striking out any hitters, he walked two in a three hit shutout to improve to 5-4 on the season. The zero strikeout shutout came after nine in six innings, and he actually has 53 in 79 innings. Pair that with a 3.19 ERA (121 ERA+), 1.15 WHIP, and just 28 walks, and he's put together an outstanding first half. In the past Seymour has had decent numbers on the surface, but his 3.40 FIP (87 FIP-) and 1.9 K/BB are career bests. Now ranked 31st in our system and 230rd overall, he's started to regain some of the respect he once had as a first round pick. The soft tossing righty has yet to pitch above A-ball, but he's positioned himself well to an eventual callup this year. I'm still sorting through the system now, but as room is made for draftees, he'll have the chance to move up to Mobile.

RHP Lonnie Sis (B San Jose Cougars): Another guy who received a promotion, Lonnie Sis captured the COW Pitcher of the Month Award, going a perfect 5-0 with a 1.45 ERA (288 ERA+) and 1.07 WHIP. He struck out 29 and walked just 10 in 37.1 innings pitched, and the now 23-year-old (the 4th is his birthday!) is 9-1 in his 11 starts. He leads all pitchers in wins and ranks top five in the C-O-W in ERA (3rd, 1.92) and WHIP (5th, 1.19). "Sizzler" has started to make the most of his talent, and the former 5th Rounder is now able to showcase himself to the rest of the league. He's now Rule-5 eligible, and a strong showing in A ball could entice a team to give him a shot to make the club. His mid 90s cutter is what makes him special, but it's not that great of a pitch. Still, he's been able to consistently throw 100 pitches and he could eat a lot of innings when prompted. I'm excited to se how he responds to the upper level of the minors, and you can't count someone out when he works as hard as he does. You wouldn't know his dad was one of the most feared pitchers. Lonnie's just comfortable playing the game he loves day after day.

RHP Wally Eversole (B San Jose Cougars): After pitching strictly out of the pen down in La Crosse last season, Wally Eversole has gotten to start seven times this season. In the past three starts, he's allowed just one earned run. That came in the first one, where he allowed just 3 hits, a run, and 2 walks with 6 strikeouts. He followed that up with 2 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts, and an unearned run in a seven win victory. The true master piece came on the first of July, where he threw 109 pitches in a 3-hit shutout. Eversole again struck out five with three walks, winning his fifth consecutive start. A 9th Rounder back in 1945, he's been excellent to start the season, working to a 2.52 ERA (166 ERA+) and 1.14 WHIP with 26 walks and 29 strikeouts. A four pitch pitcher, Wally sits in the low 90s and features a cutter and curve. He's had some struggle finding the zone, and his 12.7 BB% is actually a career high, so tougher hitters may be able to wear him down with repeated at bats. Working in his favor is his intelligence, as he's good at beating hitters and when he has issues he finds ways to correct them.