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ayaghmour2 · 03-12-2024, 09:22 PM

Weekly Record: 5-2
Seasonal Record: 16-17 (5th, 4 GB)
Stars of the Week
Leo Mitchell : 23 AB, 11 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .478 AVG, 1.127 OPS
Eddie Howard : 24 AB, 11 H, 0 HR, 6 RBI, .458 AVG, 1.042 OPS
Red Bond : 24 AB, 9 H, 1 HR, 6 RBI, .375 AVG, 1.000 OPS

Schedule
5-15: Loss vs Kings (7-5)
5-16: Win vs Wolves (3-4)
5-17: Win vs Wolves (3-11)
5-18: Win vs Wolves (1-2)
5-19: Win vs Sailors (3-4)
5-20: Win vs Sailors (3-10)
5-21: Loss vs Foresters (13-3)

Recap
So what happens when you sandwich an 0-6 week with two, far more respectable, 5-2 weeks?

Well, you're right back where you started, of course!

The tales of our demise may have been exaggerated, though I wouldn't hold my breath yet, as some rest and a return home was exactly what the Cougs needed to get back on track. As has been the case for nearly a decade and a half, you can thank Leo Mitchell, as the captain, fan favorite, and most importantly, my favorite, veteran outfielder has just been nothing but perfect this season. Mitchell was 11-for-23 in his first full week post-injury, contributing a homer, 5 RBIs, and 7 runs scored. He now boasts a pristine .458/.505/.602 (201 OPS+) triple slash through 93 PAs, and had he not missed a full week, he'd lead all qualified hitters by over 50 points in the batting race. Most impressively, however, may be the walks and strikeouts, as Mitchell has nine each so far. If this holds, his 9.7 BB% would be the first time in his FABL career he struck out in less then 10% of his plate appearances! Combined with 3 doubles, 3 homers, 13 RBIs, and 14 runs scored, Mitchell has managed to be worth 1.6 WAR despite being nothing more then a glorified statue on the outfield grass.

Part of the reason we had so much success this week, is because our Metronome actually had some help this week, with big weeks from Eddie Howard and Red Bond. Howard might have had the best week of his young career, as the first-year starter was 11-for-24 with 2 doubles and 6 RBIs. This brought his season line up to a far more respectable .302/.345/.358 (92 OPS+), and if he can start/keep hitting the ball with a little more authority, that OPS+ will be above 100 in no time. Bond, however, has no issues with hitting it hard, and he took Al Duster deep for his fifth homer in as many weeks. Bond finished the week a slightly worse 9-for-24, matching Howard's 6 RBIs, but contributing 3 runs and 5 walks, compared to his one of each category. John Moss had another strong week himself, 8-for-26 with 2 doubles, 3 walks, 4 RBIs, and 7 runs, with the highlight of his week a big 4-for-5 game in our 10-3 victory over the Sailors. Chubby Hall finally showed some signs of life too, as despite being 5-for-25, he did have a double, 2 homers, 6 runs, 6 RBIs, and 3 walks. It's nice seeing so many guys produce after very little involvement early on, and with Sal Pestilli's return to the lineup this week, it's hard not to be excited for tomorrow's slate of games!

Like Leo Mitchell, Donnie Jones has been tremendous all season, and had Red Bond not dropped an easy throw from George Sutterfield at second, he would have had his third shutout of the season. Instead, he allowed an unearned run in the 8th, finishing his complete game with 3 hits, 3 walks, and 4 strikeouts. Jones is now 5-2 in his seven starts, snapping his quick two game losing streak and bringing his ERA back down to 1.71 (203 ERA+). His 0.86 WHIP is arguably more impressive, and Jones has struck out 27 in 63 innings. Brother Johnnie will be back to start the week, but his replacement Zane Kelley looked good in his absence, going 8 with 11 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), 3 walks and 2 strikeouts before Jim Kenny allowed a hit and walk with a strikeout in his scoreless ninth. Scoreless doesn't come near describing his other outing of the week, as the Foresters thrashed him for 5 hits, a walk, and 6 runs, with a bases loaded strikeout of Sherry Doyal the only out he managed. Pete Papenfus came two outs away from a complete game win, but it was the right call, as at 150 pitches in a one run game he was getting tired. Pap struck out 7 with 9 hits, 3 runs, and 3 walks, leaving with one runner on due to his own error. Lucky for him, David Molina looked like himself against his old team, getting a pair of his former teammates out to end the game. That was one of the three one-run victories we managed this week, and even though this was the only time Molina was needed, it was great seeing the team respond with the effort needed to close out a few close ones.

Looking Ahead
One more with the Foresters, who are one of the two teams behind us in the standings. Their domination against us is deserving of revenge, as Johnnie Jones (2-1, 1.93, 18) will take on either Ollie White (1-3, 6.21, 29) or Gordie Irwin (2-2, 3.07, 7) in the finale. Assuming he isn't rusty from his injury, he should have the advantage on the mound. All eight position players had a hit in their 13-3 win over us, though the game was close until an 8-run 8th blew us out of the water. Orie Martinez (.202, 1, 8) managed his first homer of the season, going 2-for-4 with a double and four RBIs. Production like that has been uncommon on the team, especially for Orie, but rookie backstop Larry McClure (.333, 4, 19) is playing like he wants to represent the CA at the All-Star game. Aside from the top two hitters in Jim Urquhart (.320, 9, 2) and Jim Adams Jr. (.272, 1, 8, 1), they haven't been producing many runs, and before beating us they lost four of their last five. This is a big game for us, as a win brings us back to .500. A mark I hope we never fall below again...

Our nice homestand then ends with three against the Cannons, who have only played close games this season. They've allowed and scored the fewest amount of runs, and for their credit they're 17-13 and a game and a half out of first. Even though it doesn't really matter who we face, we're stuck with Rufus Barrell (3-3, 2.42, 26) in the opener, and I expect to face their top three with Jim Anderson (2-1, 2.22, 20) and Charlie Griffith (3-3, 2.04, 19) following. Optimistically, the law of averages would expect declines from Anderson and Griffith, and with Sal (.314, 4, 6) back in the lineup, we should be scoring some runs. The key is then preventing them, and with just two batters with a WRC+ above 100 in the lineup, our top three should really be able to shut them down. In fact, the top two are Chuck Adams (.287, 3, 9, 1) and Denny Andrews (.240, 3, 13, 1), and they're only at 101 and 105. Mike T. Taylor has been awful, hitting just .171/.246/.234 (28 OPS+), and the double play duo of Charlie Rivera (.213, 1, 11, 2) and Jim Hensley's (.214, 1, 6, 1) combined WRC+ (123) would be tied for 30th among qualifiers with Hal Wood (.316, 17, 1). All of this points to us coming away with a series win, but form is a real thing, and theirs is much stronger then ours.

We'll then make a quick stop in Brooklyn, where we'll deal with the seemingly unbeatable Kings. Not only are they 21-14 and in first place, but they've beat us in each of the first five contests. As you might expect, we've had trouble with Ralph Johnson (.344, 10, 28), and despite a 23 point drop in WRC+ from last year, Pat Petty (.250, 4, 33) is leading the association in RBIs due to elite production with runners in scoring position. That's helped them outscore the other seven continental teams, which has made up for poor seasons from Bob Arman (4-4, 5.51, 30) and Leo Hayden (5-2, 4.55, 26), though they've gotten quality starts from our old draftee Ron Berry. He's won five of his seven starts, working to a 2.53 ERA (160 ERA+) and 1.32 WHIP in 57 innings. He has walked 30 batters while striking out just 22, so Kings will hope they can keep him in the zone more often. His emergence has been big for Brooklyn, as the cornerstone of the John Moss (.235, 1, 10) deal has outperformed the All-Star himself. Illinois native Charlie Rogers (.252, 1, 15, 2) hasn't been great, but the soon-to-be 21-year-old hit his first career homer in the second day of a double header to finish the week, and he's got 11 doubles in his first 168 trips to the plate. Earlier in the season, I would have thought a series like this would be a good one for us to steal on the road, but at this point a single win is enough to make me happy about the outcome of this series.

03-12-2024, 09:22 PM	#1364
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,132	Week 5: May 15th-May 21st Weekly Record: 5-2 Seasonal Record: 16-17 (5th, 4 GB) Stars of the Week Leo Mitchell : 23 AB, 11 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .478 AVG, 1.127 OPS Eddie Howard : 24 AB, 11 H, 0 HR, 6 RBI, .458 AVG, 1.042 OPS Red Bond : 24 AB, 9 H, 1 HR, 6 RBI, .375 AVG, 1.000 OPS Schedule 5-15: Loss vs Kings (7-5) 5-16: Win vs Wolves (3-4) 5-17: Win vs Wolves (3-11) 5-18: Win vs Wolves (1-2) 5-19: Win vs Sailors (3-4) 5-20: Win vs Sailors (3-10) 5-21: Loss vs Foresters (13-3) Recap So what happens when you sandwich an 0-6 week with two, far more respectable, 5-2 weeks? Well, you're right back where you started, of course! The tales of our demise may have been exaggerated, though I wouldn't hold my breath yet, as some rest and a return home was exactly what the Cougs needed to get back on track. As has been the case for nearly a decade and a half, you can thank Leo Mitchell, as the captain, fan favorite, and most importantly, my favorite, veteran outfielder has just been nothing but perfect this season. Mitchell was 11-for-23 in his first full week post-injury, contributing a homer, 5 RBIs, and 7 runs scored. He now boasts a pristine .458/.505/.602 (201 OPS+) triple slash through 93 PAs, and had he not missed a full week, he'd lead all qualified hitters by over 50 points in the batting race. Most impressively, however, may be the walks and strikeouts, as Mitchell has nine each so far. If this holds, his 9.7 BB% would be the first time in his FABL career he struck out in less then 10% of his plate appearances! Combined with 3 doubles, 3 homers, 13 RBIs, and 14 runs scored, Mitchell has managed to be worth 1.6 WAR despite being nothing more then a glorified statue on the outfield grass. Part of the reason we had so much success this week, is because our Metronome actually had some help this week, with big weeks from Eddie Howard and Red Bond. Howard might have had the best week of his young career, as the first-year starter was 11-for-24 with 2 doubles and 6 RBIs. This brought his season line up to a far more respectable .302/.345/.358 (92 OPS+), and if he can start/keep hitting the ball with a little more authority, that OPS+ will be above 100 in no time. Bond, however, has no issues with hitting it hard, and he took Al Duster deep for his fifth homer in as many weeks. Bond finished the week a slightly worse 9-for-24, matching Howard's 6 RBIs, but contributing 3 runs and 5 walks, compared to his one of each category. John Moss had another strong week himself, 8-for-26 with 2 doubles, 3 walks, 4 RBIs, and 7 runs, with the highlight of his week a big 4-for-5 game in our 10-3 victory over the Sailors. Chubby Hall finally showed some signs of life too, as despite being 5-for-25, he did have a double, 2 homers, 6 runs, 6 RBIs, and 3 walks. It's nice seeing so many guys produce after very little involvement early on, and with Sal Pestilli's return to the lineup this week, it's hard not to be excited for tomorrow's slate of games! Like Leo Mitchell, Donnie Jones has been tremendous all season, and had Red Bond not dropped an easy throw from George Sutterfield at second, he would have had his third shutout of the season. Instead, he allowed an unearned run in the 8th, finishing his complete game with 3 hits, 3 walks, and 4 strikeouts. Jones is now 5-2 in his seven starts, snapping his quick two game losing streak and bringing his ERA back down to 1.71 (203 ERA+). His 0.86 WHIP is arguably more impressive, and Jones has struck out 27 in 63 innings. Brother Johnnie will be back to start the week, but his replacement Zane Kelley looked good in his absence, going 8 with 11 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), 3 walks and 2 strikeouts before Jim Kenny allowed a hit and walk with a strikeout in his scoreless ninth. Scoreless doesn't come near describing his other outing of the week, as the Foresters thrashed him for 5 hits, a walk, and 6 runs, with a bases loaded strikeout of Sherry Doyal the only out he managed. Pete Papenfus came two outs away from a complete game win, but it was the right call, as at 150 pitches in a one run game he was getting tired. Pap struck out 7 with 9 hits, 3 runs, and 3 walks, leaving with one runner on due to his own error. Lucky for him, David Molina looked like himself against his old team, getting a pair of his former teammates out to end the game. That was one of the three one-run victories we managed this week, and even though this was the only time Molina was needed, it was great seeing the team respond with the effort needed to close out a few close ones. Looking Ahead One more with the Foresters, who are one of the two teams behind us in the standings. Their domination against us is deserving of revenge, as Johnnie Jones (2-1, 1.93, 18) will take on either Ollie White (1-3, 6.21, 29) or Gordie Irwin (2-2, 3.07, 7) in the finale. Assuming he isn't rusty from his injury, he should have the advantage on the mound. All eight position players had a hit in their 13-3 win over us, though the game was close until an 8-run 8th blew us out of the water. Orie Martinez (.202, 1, 8) managed his first homer of the season, going 2-for-4 with a double and four RBIs. Production like that has been uncommon on the team, especially for Orie, but rookie backstop Larry McClure (.333, 4, 19) is playing like he wants to represent the CA at the All-Star game. Aside from the top two hitters in Jim Urquhart (.320, 9, 2) and Jim Adams Jr. (.272, 1, 8, 1), they haven't been producing many runs, and before beating us they lost four of their last five. This is a big game for us, as a win brings us back to .500. A mark I hope we never fall below again... Our nice homestand then ends with three against the Cannons, who have only played close games this season. They've allowed and scored the fewest amount of runs, and for their credit they're 17-13 and a game and a half out of first. Even though it doesn't really matter who we face, we're stuck with Rufus Barrell (3-3, 2.42, 26) in the opener, and I expect to face their top three with Jim Anderson (2-1, 2.22, 20) and Charlie Griffith (3-3, 2.04, 19) following. Optimistically, the law of averages would expect declines from Anderson and Griffith, and with Sal (.314, 4, 6) back in the lineup, we should be scoring some runs. The key is then preventing them, and with just two batters with a WRC+ above 100 in the lineup, our top three should really be able to shut them down. In fact, the top two are Chuck Adams (.287, 3, 9, 1) and Denny Andrews (.240, 3, 13, 1), and they're only at 101 and 105. Mike T. Taylor has been awful, hitting just .171/.246/.234 (28 OPS+), and the double play duo of Charlie Rivera (.213, 1, 11, 2) and Jim Hensley's (.214, 1, 6, 1) combined WRC+ (123) would be tied for 30th among qualifiers with Hal Wood (.316, 17, 1). All of this points to us coming away with a series win, but form is a real thing, and theirs is much stronger then ours. We'll then make a quick stop in Brooklyn, where we'll deal with the seemingly unbeatable Kings. Not only are they 21-14 and in first place, but they've beat us in each of the first five contests. As you might expect, we've had trouble with Ralph Johnson (.344, 10, 28), and despite a 23 point drop in WRC+ from last year, Pat Petty (.250, 4, 33) is leading the association in RBIs due to elite production with runners in scoring position. That's helped them outscore the other seven continental teams, which has made up for poor seasons from Bob Arman (4-4, 5.51, 30) and Leo Hayden (5-2, 4.55, 26), though they've gotten quality starts from our old draftee Ron Berry. He's won five of his seven starts, working to a 2.53 ERA (160 ERA+) and 1.32 WHIP in 57 innings. He has walked 30 batters while striking out just 22, so Kings will hope they can keep him in the zone more often. His emergence has been big for Brooklyn, as the cornerstone of the John Moss (.235, 1, 10) deal has outperformed the All-Star himself. Illinois native Charlie Rogers (.252, 1, 15, 2) hasn't been great, but the soon-to-be 21-year-old hit his first career homer in the second day of a double header to finish the week, and he's got 11 doubles in his first 168 trips to the plate. Earlier in the season, I would have thought a series like this would be a good one for us to steal on the road, but at this point a single win is enough to make me happy about the outcome of this series.