[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 4-2
Seasonal Record: 70-65 (4th, 4 GB)
Stars of the Week
Sal Pestilli : 27 AB, 9 H, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .333 AVG, .935 OPS
Eddie Howard : 19 AB, 8 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .421 AVG, 1.206 OPS
Hal Wood : 21 AB, 8 H, 0 HR, 4 RBI, .381 AVG, 1.024 OPS

Schedule
9-4: Win at Kings (8-3)
9-4: Win at Kings (7-1)
9-6: Loss at Stars (4-6)
9-7: Win at Stars (8-3)
9-9: Win at Saints (6-4)
9-10: Loss at Saints (1-4)

Recap
We beat the Kings twice!?!?!?!

AND Sal Pestilli homered twice!?!?!?!

Are the Cougars ... dare I say it ... back???

Easy answer, probably not, but we improved another half game, now four behind the leading Stars, who we gave their only loss of the week. After the double header sweep, we split with them and Montreal, with all but two of our remaining games coming at Cougars Park. You'd think that would be a good thing, but we've been .500 (30-30) at home and done better away from home all season long.

What hurts most is the way we lost to the Stars, as a pair of errors cost Donnie Jones a four runs and his 16th win. Aside from that, the pitching really stepped up, especially the scalding Duke Bybee. Allowing just a single run for the third straight start, he went 8 with 8 hits, 3 walks, and 5 strikeouts to earn the win. It would have been nice for him to go all nine, but we were up seven and he was at 131 pitches. Johnnie Jones, however, went all nine, and he's the type who can throw 150+ pitches. He only needed 113 against the Kings, allowing 8 hits, a run, and a walk with 3 strikeouts in a huge win. The other double header start was Jim Morrison, who allowed 8 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), and 2 walks with 2 strikeouts in his complete game win. The Saints had more success against him, getting 6 hits, 4 runs, and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts in his 8 innings, but that was still a strong enough effort to keep us in the game. In fact, Pap had a similar start, 8 innings, 9 hits, 4 runs, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts, but for him we scored six on the Saints. It was really nice to have our pitching keep us in each game this week, and we have to keep our opponents to four or less runs a game to fight our way back in it.

Pestilli may have hit two homers, but the offensive star of the week was Eddie Howard, who was 8-for-19 with 2 doubles, a homer, 3 RBIs, 4 runs, and 4 walks. This upped his season line to a near average .302/.351/.385 (97 OPS+) in his first full year of a starter, and with a 103 WRC+, more walks (29) then strikeouts (21), and solid defensive play, he's been worth 2.4 wins above replacement in 120 games. Hal Wood kept up his good play, 8-for-21 with 3 doubles, a run, 4 RBIs, and 5 walks. Pestilli himself was 9-for-27, scoring and driving in five to up his season line to a shockingly below average .271/.344/.390 (96 OPS+). Even the king of below average hitting, Skipper Schneider, got in on the fun, going 6-for-19 with a pair of doubles and RBIs. Approaching 4,000 total innings at short, Skipper has accumulated over 300 zone rating in that time, and he's on pace to surpass the inning mark later this month, which should come before his 30th birthday. The offensive drought was a concern, but if he can heat up and help push us into first, all will be forgotten

Looking Ahead
Time for a ten game homestand, as after a Monday off day, we'll have to deal with the hottest team in the CA. That's the Cleveland Foresters, who looked to be completely out of it before winning eight of their last ten while the rest of the CA has waited for someone to run away with it. The biggest catalyst has been center fielder Sherry Doyal, who at 22 has already taken command of the offense. The former Pioneer first rounder has hit an impressive .314/.387/.507 (129 OPS+), but if anything, that undersells his production. His 145 WRC+ is higher then the slumping Leo Mitchell (140), and it comes with 30 doubles, 20 homers, 89 RBIs, 84 runs, and 60 walks, as he provides plenty of excitement for Forester fans. Even with the Jim Adams Jr. (.283, 6, 40, 4) injury, they've had no trouble scoring runs lately, getting production from youngsters Jim Urquhart (.279, 1, 52, 7), Larry McClure (.326, 12, 71), Lloyd Coulter (.350, 4, 26) and reigning Player of the Week winner Frenchy Sonntag (.258, 5, 21). Now that sluggers Lorenzo Samuels (.262, 19, 61) and Orie Martinez (.250, 8, 52) are starting to heat up, the lineup has really lengthened, and I'm beyond worried about this series. Three losses here would be heartbreaking, and since we have to deal with reigning Allen Winner Adrian Czerwinski (15-13, 3.71, 94), at least one game is projecting to be difficult for our offense. Good teams when tough series like this, and CA fans will get a glimpse at which one of these two contenders deserves the moniker the rest of the way.

Our next two games are about as must win as possible, as they're both against the last place Wolves. They beat us a third time last game we faced, but with wins here we'll finish 19-3 against Bernie Millard's club. As disappointing as this season has been, there's a lot of optimism when looking at the younger players, even if old friend Zane Kelley (2-4, 5.19, 14) has struggled in the Wolves rotation. Kirby Copeland, a rather unheralded prospect, as started looking like a quality bat, as the 24-year-old has hit .326/.383/.420 (108 OPS+) with a 121 WRC+, 2.7 WAR, 21 doubles, 5 homers, and 56 RBIs in 109 games. He's walked (37) more then he's struck out (29), and that's all with little protection behind him. He's not the only youngster doing well either, as Harry Finney (.320, 1, 29) seems to be the answer at second and Joe DeMott (.307, 1, 55) could be the guy at third. Neither have much pop, but they put the ball in play and get on-base, both desired qualities at a park like Dominion Stadium. The key will be finding the pitching, as Joe Hancock (10-8, 3.07, 100) will be 38 in November, and George Garrison (10-17, 4.03, 85) will need some help. Will that be former #1 pick Les Ledbetter, who is the only pitcher ranked above Bob Allen on the prospect list, or a lesser prospect like former Cougar draftee George Carter (10.80) or high strikeout arm Ray Hatch (1-4, 6.75, 33). It seems that once you get the pitching down, you can compete in FABL, and that's something I'm sure the Wolves organization is looking for.

Our week then ends with the first of two with the Cannons, who have lost 7 of 11 in September and dropped to 2.5 back of the Stars. They've started to hit a bit more, but it's still a pitching led team, with Rufus Barrell (14-12, 2.90, 107) leading an impressive rotation. Even Tony Britten (10-13, 4.09, 82) has a 100 ERA+, and his 3.60 FIP (88 FIP-) is far more palatable. I'll dive deeper into them tomorrow, but it won't get easier anytime soon, as we will have to be on our best the rest of the way if we want our season to end in anything other then heartbreak.

Minor League Report
RHP Bob Allen (AA Little Rock Governors): In case you were wondering, our future ace had no issue with tougher competition. In fact, he's even excelled. His six game winning streak may have been snapped, but the 8th ranked prospect has a 1.77 ERA (228 ERA+) and 1.20 WHIP in his 66 innings. He's struck out 36 and walked 27, and OSA thinks he'll be ready for Chicago in 1952. That seems to be a realistic target, though the former 10th Overall Pick will have to be added to the 40-man roster. Even among our prospects, he's probably not one of the top five in terms of current ability, so he will burn at least one option next season barring a drastic change. As good as Allen will be (Dixie thinks better then Donnie!), he's not ready for big leaguers yet, as his command and overall repertoire need some improvement. Lucky for us, he's an extreme groundballer, and he's yet to allow a Dixie League home run. That's huge in Cougars Park, and we'll always have a good defense up the middle. The best thing for him would be a velocity boost, as he's sitting in the high 80s with his fastball. Up to 91-93 and he could really start cooking, The real prize is his wicked slider, and that would get anyone to look silly. When he's ahead in the count, he can put batters away with it, and it might be one of the best pitches in the entire system. Once he refines his secondary pitches, he's got the talent to fully dominate, and with how close we've been to success his breakout cannot happen soon enough.

LHP Mack Lyons (B San Jose Cougars): He may not be anywhere near the pitcher his dad was, but Mack Lyons is having one heck of a run for the baby Cougars. The younger Lyon was brilliant against the first place Fresno Falcons, who the Cougars have moved within two games of. Even though his offense gave him one run of support, he pitched like he was up ten, allowing just 3 hits and 3 walks with 5 strikeouts. This improved him to 8-3 with a 1.81 ERA (243 ERA+) in his 9 starts. Unlike his dad, he's been walking (56) more hitters then he strikes out (48), so his 1.47 WHIP is on the higher side and his FIP (4.05, 91) is much closer to average. Basically a one-pitch pitcher, Mack has a really nice sinker, with a change and fastball that lag seriously behind. He hits 91 with the stellar sinker, and when he's commanding it well he can be unhittable. As tough to track as it is, better pitchers will eventually connect, so I really want his change to become a weapon. If not, it will be tough for him to start in the majors, and he may have to settle for a pen role.