[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 4-2
Seasonal Record: 51-47 (4th, 4.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Red Bond : 19 AB, 7 H, 3 HR, 7 RBI, .368 AVG, 1.211 OPS
Sal Pestilli : 28 AB, 10 H, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .357 AVG, .884 OPS
Pete Papenfus : 2 Wins, 19.0 IP, 8 BB, 10 K, 1.89 ERA

Schedule
7-25: Win vs Wolves (2-5): 10 innings
7-26: Win vs Wolves (2-4)
7-27: Win vs Wolves (2-3)
7-28: Loss vs Cannons (4-3)
7-29: Loss vs Cannons (6-3)
7-30: Win vs Cannons (2-8)

Recap
I should be happy about a 4-2 week, but it's hard when it's just wins against the Wolves and another team taking two of three from us. We also lost half a game in the standings, and with just four left against Toronto, who we are 16-2 against, that may be too big a deficit to make up. Now at the deadline, it's our last chance to make a move, and it seems like we have to hope that our guys just start playing better.

Thankfully, that's been the case for Red Bond, who now has nine homers in July. The 37-year-old hit three homers in his four games this week, finishing 6-for-15 with 7 RBIs. Bond has slashed a robust .353/.393/.694 (188 OPS+) on the month, improving his season line to a more Bond-like .286/.358/.483 (124 OPS+) in 364 trips to the plate. He was most of the offense this week, though Sal Pestilli hit his second homer, going 8-for-23 with 2 RBIs, 3 walks, 3 steals, and 5 runs. The now healthy Charlie Woodbury picked up right where he left off, going 3-for-10 with 2 doubles, 2 runs, and a walk. Eddie Howard saved his week with back-to-back 4-for-4s against the Cannons, and his 4 RBIs in the finale helped us avoid the sweep. We need more offense, especially from John Moss (1-20...), who not only has a career worst 76 WRC+, but his 9.0 zone rating (1.035 efficiency) isn't anywhere close to his career norms. I'm not sure why he decided to stop being a good player after joining us, but there really is something about the trades we make with the Kings...

Speaking of Kings, Pete Papenfus probably didn't like me saying that he wasn't dominant enough, so guess what he did??? Dominated!!!
Our vet won both his starts, even if the first took an extra inning. He allowed just 4 hits, 2 runs, and 4 walks in his complete game win over the Wolves, that ended with a dramatic three-run walk-off blast from our best and most consistent hitter Leo Mitchell. Pap, with help from his catcher, then avoided the Cannons sweep, striking out 7 with 5 hits, 2 runs, and 4 walks in his 10th win of the season. He's the second Cougar to double digit wins, as Donnie Jones picked his up three days earlier. He went all nine against Toronto, allowing 6 hits, 2 runs, and 3 walks with 4 strikeouts. Johnnie Jones got the last win of the week, his 9th, allowing 8 hits, 2 runs, and 2 walks with 7 strikeouts in the complete game win.

Even though the month technically isn't over, we are done for July (15-13), so I'll have the monthly screenshots at the end of the post. More draftees have signed too, but rather interestingly, after being unranked, 5th Rounder Hal Lewis as surfaced on the top 500 list. He's up all the way to 370th, good for 36th in our system. 6th Rounder Gene Meeker might have the same fate, as he was just signed this week, but is not listed on the list. We still have three human picks left to sign, with the deadline August 18th. Currently four of our 1950 picks are on the top prospect list, with all but Lewis in the top 100.

Looking Ahead
Off again to start the week, and we'll look to get some revenge on the Philadelphia Sailors. At 48-49, they're in fifth place, two and a half behind us and half a game ahead of the Kings and Foresters. The Sailors have taken a new approach this year, scoring runs instead of preventing them, and after a slow start they've done well for themselves lately. July saw them go 19-9, led by strong efforts from Al Duster (11-6, 3.23, 72), who was 4-2 with a 1.80 ERA and 23 strikeouts, and Billy Forbes (.319, 7, 51, 13), who hit .361/.408/.521 (139 OPS+) with 7 doubles, 3 triples, 2 steals, 2 homers, and 17 RBIs. Lucky for us, we'll miss Duster who picked up the win in an 8-0 victory over the Stars, leaving us with Charlie Gordon (8-6, 3.48, 60), Joe Hess (7-8, 8, 3.62, 74), and ace Win Lewis (6-7, 3.41, 76). A solid group, we'll need to keep the lineup in check, which has recently saw top 100 prospect Jerry Keith (.261, 2, 9) get his first chance at regular playing time. Batting fourth and manning third, he has now replaced longtime third basemen Marion Boismenu (.338, 2, 31, 4) in a somewhat surprising decision. It's the next step on a youth movement for the Sailors, who's first five hitters are now 26 or younger. I'm hoping our experienced pitchers can take advantage of the inexperience, but considering it's not the Wolves, we'll be lucky to win one of these home games.

Same goes for the three with the Foresters, who have at this point lost one more game then the Sailors. While they're still in it at 7.5 games out of first, a pennant defense looks unlikely, as the Foresters seem to be more comfortable with their record below .500. 20 games in their Lloyd Coulter (.300, 2, 11) experiment seems to have gone well, and last week their effort to get younger was continued to with the promotion of Frenchy Sonntag. Ranked as the 36th best prospect in the league, the former 7th overall selection has gone 3-for-13 with a double, run, and two walks, though his promotion was out of necessity not desire. He's replacing star Jim Adams Jr. (.283, 6, 40, 4), who just tore his meniscus and may miss the rest of the season. It's a huge blow for the offense, as while Sherry Doyal (.306, 11, 67) responded with a Player of the Week and an audition for Batter of the Month (.365, 5, 24), their lineup lost a lot of its length. Larry McClure (.342, 11, 57) continues to redefine good offense for a catcher, but unless Lorenzo Samuels (.243, 9, 37) or Orie Martinez (.244, 4, 32) come to life, we may actually be able to keep the bats in check. With an off day on Monday and before our series, they can do whatever they want with their rotation, but my best guess is John Jackson (7-9, 3.82, 67), Gordie Irwin (10-4, 1, 3.09, 33), and Larry Beebe (3-5, 3.56, 31). On paper, that may look tough, but it's three unproven guys who walk more batters then they strike out, which could be an avenue we can exploit to victory.

Or you know, we'll just lose two of three...

That's the Cougar way!

Minor League Report
SS Elmer Grace (AAA Milwaukee Blues): A common name in trade talks, Elmer Grace just lost himself a 20-game hit streak because the AI pinch hit him late in a game, where he ended up going 0-for-1 with a strikeout in the only at bat. Unphased, and perhaps unaware of the streak, Grace responded with back-to-back three-hit games, including a huge performance in the Blues' 3-1 win over St. Paul, where Grace doubled twice and both scored and drove in a run. That made the difference in the game, and the now 77th ranked prospect has continued to show that he deserves to play in Chicago. A natural shortstop, not only does Grace have a 14.4 zone rating and 1.091 efficiency at short, but he's hitting an excellent .305/.378/.518 (145 OPS+) with 20 doubles, 4 triples, 16 homers, and 51 RBIs through 90 games. As nice as that production would be in Chicago, he's not even Rule-5 eligible in the offseason, and the 23-year-old would need a 40-man and 24-man spot opened for him. Aside from recent waiver claims Frank Davis and Billy Brown, there really isn't a player worthy (or unworthy?) of being replaced, and with Charlie Woodbury back and hitting, I'm not ready to take at bats away from him or George Sutterfield. That means for now Grace is stuck in Milwaukee, though he's already making a push for a roster spot to open next season. A switch hitter with a sweet swing, Grace provides far more value then just the glove, and with his arm he's an easy convert to third. We'll be giving him a few reps there as the Blues finish the season, and he can challenge Sutterfield, Woodbury, Billy Hunter, and Otto Christian for time in the infield next season.

RHP Cliff Wallace (AA Little Rock Governors): That makes four! After allowing just 4 hits and 4 walks with 5 strikeouts in the Governors 6-0 win in Memphis, Cliff Wallace completed his fourth shutout in sixteen starts this season, improving to 11-5 on the season. Wallace owns an impressive 2.96 ERA (139 ERA+) in 130.2 innings, working to a 1.32 WHIP with 50 walks and 69 strikeouts. The 24-year-old from Ohio continues his remarkable campaign, as the almost no-longer-a-prospect Wallace may have just secured himself a 40-man roster spot in the offseason. Ranked as our 37th prospect and 376th overall, he's gone unselected twice in the Rule-5 draft, but I don't see a way he would make that three. Sure, Wallace isn't the most exciting prospect, but he's had little issues in the Dixie League, and his slider is enticing enough without the rest of the profile. He's hitting 91 this season with his fastball, even if it's his worst pitch, while the change has shown flashes of greatness between bouts of inconsistency. He's been on most of this year, but even in his great starts his command eludes him for innings at a time. He's still a work in progress, and maybe no more then a filler pitcher, but if we have taken notice, others may too, and the once 9th Rounder may have a chance to pitch a few FABL games if he keeps things up.

RHP Mike Emerson (C La Crosse Lions): C-ball has been a weird place early on, where walks, runs, and strikeouts have been way too easy to come across. That's why it's not overly surprising that Mike Emerson managed to strike out 15 hitters in a 147-pitch complete game against the Marshalltown Maples. The 4th Rounder allowed 9 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), and 5 walks, but picked up his first win in four starts. Now 1-1, his 5.13 ERA (109 ERA+) is nearly ten percent better then average, and I'm sure his 1.86 WHIP isn't half as bad as it looks. The 39 strikeouts in 26.1 innings are pretty nice even with all the crazy results, and with too many guys and not enough time, Emerson will get his first test in San Jose. A 21-year-old former 4th Rounder, he's spent the last three and a half seasons with La Crosse, though this season has been far different from the rest. He does strike guys out a fair amount, without many walks, as is pitches move well and are not easy to take. This has given him some love from the prospect people, as he's snuck into our top 30, now 27th in the system and 257th overall. He's got a developing four pitch mix that could be headlined by good off speed pitches, and this year he's throwing a bit faster in the 86-88 range. He's projecting as a spot starter now, but with a few adjustments as he challenges himself with tougher competition, and he could work his way into a full time rotation role.