[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 3-3
Seasonal Record: 29-22 (t-2nd, 7 GB)
Stars of the Week
Henry Watson : 23 AB, 8 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .348 AVG, .984 OPS
Buddy Byrd : 18 AB, 6 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .333 AVG, .868 OPS
Bob Allen : 1 Win, 8.1 IP, 4 BB, 4 K, 0.00 ERA

Schedule
6-4: Loss vs Saints (7-5)
6-5: Win vs Wolves (0-2)
6-6: Loss vs Wolves (1-0)
6-7: Win vs Wolves (5-6): 10 innings
6-9: Win at Kings (6-3)
6-10: Loss at Kings (2-14)

Recap
As the Foresters run away with the Conti, I can at least take solace in knowing that it was us who held first for a little bit of time, as pretty much everyone else won't have a chance to reach them. That leaves us in the fight for second, as we are tied with the Stars and Cannons. The Kings are a game back and the Sailors two, but us second place teams are already seven out and I don't see that getting much smaller.

Embarrassingly, we got swept by the 18-33 Saints, who's only other series wins are against the even worst Imperials, but we finally broke our stupid losing streak with what was almost a Bob Allen shutout. My former 1st Rounder came two outs away from the shutout, leaving after walking former Cougar draftee Carl Clark on four pitches. Allen left with 6 hits, 4 walks, and 4 strikeouts, making way for the rookie Phil Means. Brought in for his ground ball tendencies, Means got the double play he needed to finish off the win, stopping the losing streak at eight. Unlucky for Means, he's been hit hard recently, as in his last five appearances, its the only one he didn't allow a run in. The worst came in our blowout against the Kings, where he failed to record an out and allowed 2 hits 2 walks and 4 runs. He's allowed 11 runs in his last 10 innings, watching his ERA jump from 2.70 to 4.86 (92 ERA+). More concerning is the 6.16 FIP (137 FIP-), and with a few more rough outings the former 17th rounder may be sent down to Milwaukee.

We had a few other good starts, starting with Roy Ellis' complete game win over the Kings. Ellis improved to 3-2 on the season, allowing 7 hits, 3 runs, and a walk with 6 strikeouts in the victory. This dropped his ERA down to 3.48 (128 ERA+) in 11 starts, and he's walked two or fewer hitters in all but one of his starts this season. Andy Logue got due to an undeserved loss due to Arnie Smith's shutout (9 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K), as Carl Clark's RBI double was the only blemish on Logue's record. He finished 7.1 innings with 7 hits, a run, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts, dropping to 4-5 on the season. The clubhouse leader returned to be a stabilizing force at the top of the rotation, maintaining a 3.68 ERA (122 ERA+) and 1.24 WHIP with 20 walks and 40 strikeouts in 71 innings pitched. Including this start, he has lost five of his last six, but he's allowed one or fewer runs in two of his last three. The pen struggled this week, with Means, Pug (3.2 IP, 4 H, 6 ER, 5 BB, 4 K), and Bob Burdick (5 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K) all getting hit hard. Of course, Arch Wilson (1.2 IP, H, BB) continued to not allow runs, dropping his ERA to 0.40 (1126 ERA+), now making 14 consecutive appearances without allowing a run.

We continue to struggle scoring runs, but at least Henry Watson had himself a nice week. The young outfield was 8-for-23 with 2 homers and 6 RBIs, putting him on a 21/115 pace. His .264/.294/.448 (90 OPS+) batting line is still below average, but he's been elite in right (3.6, 1.084) and has 20 extra base hits in 214 PAs. I'm hoping this is the spark he needs to return to form, but I have way less confidence in the offense then I did when the season started. Gene Case had himself a funky week, as while he was just 3-for-21, he was an impactful player. All three hits were homers, as he drove in 6, walked 5 times, and picked up his 6th steal in as many attempts. His third homer of the week was a late birthday gift too, as while we were off when he turned 24 on the 8th, he hit a huge two-run shot the next day to give us a 4-1 lead we'd hold. Buddy Byrd had himself a rare good week, 6-for-18 with a double, triple, walk, 2 runs, and 2 RBIs. Hitting just .225/.247/.341 (51 OPS+), he's one of the many guys I'd move on from if we had a better option, but considering he's just a one-year filler for Jack Gibson, he might get to hang out here the rest of the season.

Looking Ahead
We have a chance to start our week off with a huge series win, as Andy Logue (4-5, 3.68, 40) will be on the mound to take on the struggling Fred Washington (3-6, 5.23, 40). On paper, this is a great matchup for us, but Washington's FIP (4.14, 91) is actually lower then Logue's (4.65, 104), which might mean that Washington should be pitching much better then he is. Granted, Cougar pitchers always get killed by FIP because of our park being so much more homer friendly then the rest of the CA, so I'll still give Logue the advantage here. Of course, their offense continues to score the most runs (317), so I'd be very surprised if we come away with the victory. Hank Williams (.360, 17, 44) was a crucial part of their blowout win against us, a perfect 3-for-3 with 2 walks, 2 RBIs, 3 runs, and his 17th homer, and I'm sure he'll have no issues solving Logue in the finale. Kansas City has also made a lineup change, with Bill Denney (.247, 1, 6, 3) taking short, Cal Randall (.294, 5, 31), who homered in both games so far, moving to third, and the still day-to-day Ken Newman (.333, 9, 39, 6) moving to first. Denney improves the defense, and even though he can't hit, the rest of the lineup can, and he should improve their 9th rank for both efficiency and zone rating. As talented as this team is, they should be much closer to first then they are, and I still can't believe we have the better record.

At least until they beat us here, of course...

We'll the return home for three with the Los Angeles Stars, who could still be in a tie with us for second come the series. Bud Henderson (0-1, 10.24, 3) is back and healthy, but with how poor he's looked in his first two starts, perhaps the Stars would have been better off sending him on a rehab assignment. I would have loved to face him, he'll instead get the Saints, while I expect Cal Johnston (3-4, 3.68, 40), Floyd Warner (2-6, 5.95, 41), and Dewey Allcock (5-1, 3.45, 39). Allcock has really impressed since his injury, as the All-Star has a better ERA, WHIP, and K/BB compared to his 1961 season. His 3.64 FIP (80 FIP-) is almost identical to this 3.45 ERA (131 ERA+), and his command has not been impacted by his torn rotator cuff. I don't expect to beat him, and with quality bats like Ralph Barrell (.261, 14, 35), Lou Allen (.330, 13, 32), and Charlie Barrell (.293, 9, 19) all slugging a ton of homers, the fans in attendance at Cougars Park may end with plenty of souvenirs to help counteract the feeling of getting embarrassed at home!

Don't worry, it gets even harder after that, as we're stuck facing the red hot Cannons for three in Cincy. They're fresh off a perfect 7-0 week, and they've won 10 of their last 11 to enter the tie in second with us and the Stars. The secret to their success has been Dallas Berry, who's slashed a remarkable .370/.495/.818 (227 OPS+) as he looks to capture his third Whitney. "The Can-Do Kid" has added 12 doubles, 20 homers, 42 runs, 51 RBIs, 39 walks, and even 8 steals, on track for almost 12 WAR in 142 games. The RBI leader has a lot of help, as the 1-2-3 of Milt Senecal (.284, 5, 16, 3), Bonnie Chapin (.303, 10, 31), and Babe Booth (.303, 1, 27) is on base often. The top of their rotation has struggled, with Jim York (4-4, 5.48, 45) and Jack Meeks (6-4, 5.02, 43) allowing more runs then they should, but the 21-year-old Charlie Warren has given them ace-like performances. The Chicago native is 7-2 with a 2.72 ERA (168 ERA+), 1.35 WHIP, and 42 strikeouts in his first full season as a starter. He's set to start the week, meaning we're going to have to face him, and I'm extremely worried for this coming week.

There might be another 0-7 on the way...

Minor League Report
LHP Mario Saucedo (AAA Milwaukee Blues): Woah! We haven't seen one of these in a while!

On the 8th of June, young lefty Mario Saucedo was a bit more lucky then good, as he faced 32 batters and did not allow a single one of them to reach on a base hit. Sure, he walked 6, but Saucedo struck out 5 to pick up his first win of the season. Regardless of the walks, it was impressive start from Saucedo, who missed a few weeks with shoulder inflammation. This was his second start since, and it was much better then his 3 inning start where he allowed 6 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks, all while failing to strikeout a single hitter. A hard throwing innings eater, Saucedo is one of our few actual pitching prospects, and injury aside he's off to a nice start in AAA. Through 38 innings he has a 3.55 ERA (103 ERA+) and 1.26 WHIP, but he's had some issues with his command. He has more walks (22) then strikeouts (19), but the stuff is really good. His fastball is elite, sitting in the 96-98 range, and it's one of the best heaters in our system. His change is wicked, easy to miss when sitting fastball, and it has significant downward drop. A useful spot starter, he seems to be at or near his peak, and he could be in line for his FABL debut this season.

LF Doug Lang (B San Jose Cougars): Taken in the 2nd Round of last year's draft, Doug Lang looks like a big miss by the prior regime, though maybe I shouldn't judge considering how I myself absolutely botched the most recent draft. Ranked 14th in our system and 266th overall, Lang has spent his season in San Jose, and it has gone well so far. The 23-year-old had a huge game this week in the Cougars 9-5 win over Fresno, a perfect 5-for-5 with a triple, RBI, and two runs scored. Lang is now riding a six game hit streak, upping his season line to a solid .290/.333/.496 (130 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 2 triples, 5 homers, 13 runs, and 14 RBIs. This is a huge improvement on the .203/.368/.305 (61 OPS+) line he had in La Crosse last year, as the lefty is finally showing some of the offensive potential that got him selected early. A poor defender, he'll have to hit if he wants to make it to Chicago, and with a decent contact tool he has a chance. Putting the ball in play will be big, as he's quick and can make a difference on the bases. He has a good eye too, so he won't be swinging at bad pitches, but as a corner bat he doesn't hit nearly enough homers. Still, he's a hard worker who can improve on his skills, but I just don't see more then a bench role at this time.