[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 3-4
Seasonal Record: 21-25 (t-6th, 13 GB)
Stars of the Week
Red Bond : 27 AB, 11 H, 5 HR, 13 RBI, .407 AVG, 1.429 OPS
Leo Mitchell : 29 AB, 12 H, 3 HR, 7 RBI, .414 AVG, 1.192 OPS
Skipper Schneider : 29 AB, 8 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .276 AVG, .576 OPS

Schedule
5-28: Loss at Stars (2-4)
5-30: Loss at Stars (3-5)
5-30: Win at Stars (7-3)
6-1: Win vs Foresters (3-11)
6-2: Loss vs Foresters (4-3): 11 innings
6-3: Loss vs Cannons (5-4)
6-3: Win vs Cannons (8-9)

Recap
Our lack of winning continued here, as we continue to lose more then we win, dropping to 13 games out as we begin June. Our showing this year has been nothing short of pathetic as we don't really have a path to returning to contention. May was a miserable month for us, finishing 11-17, and it's already looking like we may be sellers this summer. The Cougs haven't tore down in over a decade, but if we don't turn things around quickly, a lot of veterans will be on their way out.

One guy who could fetch a nice return is Player of the Week Red Bond, who earned the award with a huge power explosion. Bond had his first career three home run game in our 11-3 dismantling of the Foresters, and he finished his week 11-for-28 with a double, 5 homers, 13 RBIs, and even a steal. Bond is now hitting an elite .360/.438/.720 (200 OPS+) that is twice as impressive as the average FABL triple slash. His 13 homers are good enough for a share of the FABL lead, and he's added 6 doubles, 26 runs, 31 RBIs, and 18 walks. A guy who won't be shipped off is the speedy Leo Mitchell, who just reached double digit steals for the first time in his 16th pro season. Mitchell had a nice week too, including a pair of longballs in our 9-8 win over the Cannons. He had three this week after three last week, giving him 6 with his .333/.373/.525 (134 OPS+) batting line. 10-for-12 in steals, he's got a chance for a 30 steal season, something I never thought I'd ever type regarding our fan favorite slugger. But as great as those two were this week, a combined 23-for-56, there was little support, and the pitching wasn't great enough to pick up a winning week.

The best start came from Johnnie Jones, who went 8 with 6 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks, and 4 strikeouts. He got a no decision, the pen blew it as they have done so often, and I won't even get into David Molina's stats. The rest of the starts were more passable then good, evidenced by Pete Papenfus' complete game win. Yes, those are always nice, but with 10 hits, 3 runs, and just one strikeout, it really wasn't what we see from Pap. Sure, the one walk is just as crazy, but the 33-year-old hasn't been the dominant pitcher we know and love. Same goes for Donnie Jones, who split his decisions this week. Jones came two outs away from a complete game win in New York, allowing 10 hits, 3 runs, and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts. His control eluded him in Chicago against the Cannons, as our normally sharp ace walked 7 and didn't an a single batter. It came with 8 hits and 7 runs (6 earned) in 7.2 innings, one of the least Donnie Jones starts I've ever seen. Considering everything has gone wrong this year, maybe it shouldn't be surprising that the reliable Jones has had issues, as he's on pace for career worsts in ERA (3.46), FIP (4.16) FIP- (97), WHIP (1.39), GO% (0.46), BB% (9.7), K% (11.7), and K/BB (1.2). Yay!
Our roster will see a lot of movement, starting with the IL placement of Sal Pestilli. The 35-year-old cannot stay healthy, now missing six weeks with shoulder inflammation. It was nice seeing him match his 6 homers from last season in 31 games, but he's homerless in his last seven and has hit just .261/.341/.412 (97 OPS+) on the season. His 10 steals and 18 walks are nice, and his defense is great, but the days of his stardom may be behind him. Luckily Chubby Hall will be a decent replacement, as he's hit .360/.455/.512 (154 OPS+) in 101 trips to the plate, but the lineup will certainly feel weaker without Pestilli at the top.

Part of me wanted to make the now healthy Billy Brown the roster replacement, but he hasn't played since March 26th, and I'm sure could use some game reps before getting back to game speed. This will allow a potential debut for 24-year-old Clyde Parker, who will join the club from Milwaukee. Parker hit .292/.360/.396 (117 OPS+) in his first 41 games, providing the Blues with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, 18 walks, 18 RBIs, and 23 runs. His next at bat will be his first as a FABL player, though the former 7th Rounder was a member of the 40 last season. He's not the only new face, as we claimed a pair of pitchers off waivers. The more notable claim in terms of FABL experience is Jerry Decker, as just last year he started 29 games for the pennant winning Gothams. Decker went 16-9 with a 4.20 ERA (98 ERA+) and 1.56 WHIP, but he walked 146 with 92 strikeouts. This year he made 3 starts and a relief outing, allowing 30 hits, 12 runs, and 15 walks with 8 strikeouts in 21.1 innings. That's still way better then our pen, and it will lead to the DFA'ing of veteran southpaw Jim Kenny.

The game keeps telling me that Kenny is good enough to start FABL games, but I just don't buy it. He's coming off a 42.1 inning sample with a 6.59 ERA (58 ERA+) and 1.58 WHIP, and he hasn't shown much improvement this season. In 16 innings he's allowed 19 hits, 10 runs, and 7 walks, and I can't imagine a team taking a chance on a 30-year-old who's been awful the past two seasons. Decker is also a lefty, and he will fill the lefty pen role while giving us a decent spot start option. The other new acquisition is Sailors lefty George Polk, who was once one of the most exciting pitching prospects in the game. Still 25, Polk was once a top-25 prospect, but his four season FABL career hasn't gone as planned. He's 11-19 in 46 appearances, all but three which are starts, though his 5.01 ERA (82 ERA+), 1.68 WHIP, and 0.8 K/BB are all numbers that need improving. He's been mad in 9 games (6 starts) this season, 1-2 with a 8.50 ERA (50 ERA+), 1.94 WHIP, 18 walks, and 14 strikeouts. Another lefty, he'll replace Rule-5 pick Buzz Turner, who will be sent back to the Foresters. Turner hasn't been great either, with 14 hits, 6 runs, and 5 walks in his 9.2 innings. I liked his profile, but Polk has a lot more upside and I think we can unlock his still lofty potential. I'm not sure these two acquisitions make us any better, but it certainly can't make us any worse!

The last little roster news is the return of Frank Sartori, who the Toronto Wolves ended up releasing. Sartori made 8 starts, but went 0-6 with a 7.00 ERA (63 ERA+) and 1.84 WHIP. In 45 innings he has 29 walks to just 17 strikeouts, and he allowed 8 homers in his time with the Wolves. He'll head down to AAA as extra depth, and unless he dominates AAA, I don't see him getting any consideration for a promotion.

There is also some draft related news, as the pool was officially published this sim. All our draftees got stats for the 1951 season, and at some point before the in-game draft I'll cover our first ten new additions. My version of the mock has our first rounder Jack Craft as the 2nd choice, with 2nd Rounder Allie Eddy (2.8), 3rd Rounder Harry Rollins (5.6), 4th Rounder Morrie Phillips (5.9), and 7th Rounder Jim Sauer (3.13) all on the initial mock. On Dixie's list we got his 6th (Craft) and 11th (Eddy) ranked players on his first round list, but not much else he rates all that highly. I wasn't too fond of this class, so really all I care about is Craft and Eddy. Don't get me wrong, I do like Rollins and Morrie, but this class didn't feel like one with many stars, and I really like the two impact players we potentially added with our first two picks.

Looking Ahead
We have one more loss then the Cannons, who we open the week with in Chicago. The winner will take the series and the other's spot in the standings, and my bet is that will be the Cannons. The undefeated Rufus Barrell (5-0, 3.50, 23) takes the mound against our defacto ace Duke Bybee (4-3, 2.69, 30). Rufus is coming off a 8-hit shutout of the Foresters, so I'm scared he's found his mojo and will continue to do what he does best. Despite having a poor offense, the Cannons scored 13 runs in the double header. Two Cannons scored from David Molina (1-6, 7, 9.51, 11) walks, but that win cost them both Jim Hensley (.235, 2, 11) and Nick Remillard (.207, 1, 7). Remillard will need a roster replacement, expected to miss 3-4 weeks, though he already ceded playing time to veteran Charlie Rivera (.293, 2, 14, 3). I'm hoping they bring up former Cougar draftee Jim Mako, as someone may need to cover short while Hensley works through a strained back.

I'm hoping we can win the series there as our next guest is the only team with a worse record then us. That would be the 11-33 Toronto Wolves, who will almost assuredly beat us to end their streak. Only the Foresters have beat them since they swept us last month, and this series will determine how I feel about the rest of the year. Even George Garrison (1-8, 4.97, 25) and Joe Hancock (2-3, 4.88, 23) have fell victim to the struggles, but their FIPs of 3.47 (79 FIP-) and 3.78 (86 FIP-) want to blame the CA's worst defense. Future star John Wells (.234, 9) has looked over matched at the plate and poor at short, and perhaps an option down to the minors is the best way to get him back on track. He had a setback in injury earlier and is still yet to really get going. His struggles aren't alone, as only Fred McCormick (.254, 3, 21) has a WRC+ above 100 (103). Another series loss here would be devastating, especially since we will likely miss Jerry York (2-4, 3.34, 27). Him and Garrison pitched a recent double header, so aside from a spot starter, I see Garrison getting the call on short rest.

Toronto needs to be the start of a win streak, as after that it's four games in three days with the run away Sailors. 13 games ahead as of this writing, I don't see how we catch them. A four game sweep is about all that's possible, and I'm afraid to go into all the categories they lead. Though that's better then talking about how much better their players are then ours, I'll list them. Runs scored (275), base running (+8.9), ERA (3.29), starter's ERA (3.32), bullpen ERA (3.19), runs allowed (171), pitching WAR (9.3), hits allowed (396), opponents average (.246), homers allowed (26), and defensive efficiency (.723). I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared.

Minor League Report
AA Little Rock Governors: Just starting this by saying Frank Reece was Batter of the Month as expected. He hit .393/.448/.656 (189 OPS+) with 10 doubles, 5 triples, 20 RBIs, and 26 runs. At some point he's going to have to get promoted. That time is coming very soon.

This team is also so good it's contagious, as the recently demoted Jim Williams threw a no-hitter back on the team he dominated for last year. That came after 37 hits, 24 runs, and 16 walks in 30.1 AAA innings. There's something in the water here! They have more shutouts (8) then losses (7) and won 13 straight until a loss ended their week.

I also now know who I am going to take in the 1952 draft. Too bad we can't trade up for whoever wins the lottery. Since it certainly won't be us.

And I guess I should mention 29-year-old Bob Hobbs won Pitcher of the Month in the Century League. The career minor leaguer is 5-2 with a 1.80 ERA (183 ERA+) and 1.07 WHIP in 7 starts this season, and he could end up a future Cougar if he keeps pitching like this! I mean can he be worse then David Molina??? Is that really a sentence I had to type??? What happened to this guy...