[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 3-4
Seasonal Record: 41-30 (t-2nd, 6 GB)
Stars of the Week
Henry Watson : 28 AB, 12 H, 3 HR, 11 RBI, .429 AVG, 1.305 OPS
Jerry McMillan : 29 AB, 15 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .517 AVG, 1.138 OPS
Gene Case : 25 AB, 8 H, 2 HR, 7 RBI, .320 AVG, 1.198 OPS

Schedule
6-25: Win at Stars (8-3)
6-26: Loss at Stars (1-2)
6-27: Loss at Stars (4-8)
6-28: Win vs Foresters (7-14)
6-29: Win vs Foresters (4-7)
6-30: Loss vs Foresters (8-7)
7-1: Loss at Saints (2-9)

Recap
Well would you look at that!? We were actually better against the Foresters (2-1) then everyone else this week (1-3)!

You're welcome Continental!

Yeah, believe it or not, we took two-of-three from the Foresters, and even hit Jake Pearson (3.2 IP, 11 H, 7 ER, 2 BB,K) hard in the process. As expected, the Stars had their way with us, and for some reason, we just refuse to beat the Saints. We can beat some of the best pitchers in the league, but no, Duke Edin (7.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) is too hard to solve and Hank Walker (5.1 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 5 K) completely imploded.

3-4 against a 30-41 team...

But hey! We're the only team that hasn't lost to the Imperials!

The offense is absolutely rolling, with Henry Watson (12-28, 2 2B, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 7 R, 3 BB), Gene Case (8-25, 3 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 7 R, 6 BB, SB), and Jerry McMillan (15-29, HR, 4 RBI, 10 R, 2 SB) continued to hit everything in sight. The only other struggle came in LA, where Sy Dunn (9 IP, 5 H, ER, 4 BB, 5 K) outdueled Hank Walker (8 IP, 3 H, 2 R, ER, BB, K) in an unexpected pitcher's duel. The top of our order had produced when called upon, and if we can keep it up maybe we can catch this Pioneers team. Walker and Bob Allen (7 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 5 K) could definitely be upgraded on, but even with them our rotation has the third lowest ERA in the Conti. July tends to be the month where trading ramps up, and now that the draft has passed, teams may be more willing to part with their prospects as the system got a healthy boost.

Looking Ahead
Two more with the Saints, who battered us in the opener and send Chicagoans Bob Nelson (5-2, 1, 3.10, 56) and Eddie Bowman (2-2, 4.78, 27) to the mound against former Saint Andy Logue (5-8, 4.20m, 53) and Bob Allen (5-3, 5.10, 50). Logue is the reason Ham Flanders (.381, 10, 57, 5) is leading the batting race in Montreal. Those two were traded for each other almost two years ago, and right now that deal's looking very good in their favor. HIs 176 WRC+ is best on the team, and after winning the first two Rookie of the Months he's the odds on favorite for the Kellogg award. If he was a Cougar he might be at second, and his bat would be a huge upgrade over the light hitting Buddy Byrd (.237, 2, 12, 10). That would greatly weaken the lineup, though Andy Gilman (.291, 16, 54), Harry Swain (.276, 3, 25), and former Cougar draftees Art Robbins (.290, 7, 51, 4) and Garland Phelps (.289, 5, 41) hit well. We need these two wins badly, but at this point I'd be happy with a split before our off day.

We'll use that to travel to Toronto, with three with the Wolves to end the road trip. Toronto is back below .500, 33-38 as they're without two of their best pitchers. Arnie Smith (7-3, 2.97, 99) is still there and dominating, a spiritual successor to the George Garrison and Joe Hancock's of old time, but the rest of the staff is easier to manage. Zeke Blake is not among them, as the 25-year-old has a 2.27 ERA (203 ERA+) and 2.53 FIP (54 FIP-) in 39.2 innings. Most of them high leverage, he's 5-4 with 5 saves and 4 holds, working to a 1.16 WHIP with 15 walks and 38 strikeouts. I'm sure they wish they still had Hank Lacey (6-3, 3.58, 63), and even Zane Kelley (6-3, 4.24, 51), but Blake has been their Arch Wilson (6-1, 4, 0.88, 15), who unfortunately allowed 2 runs off 3 hits and a walk in an eventful 8th inning. This snapped his scoreless streak at 21.2 innings, and considering we were already losing that game when the streak broke, I guess its as good a time as any. He was perfect his next time out, picking up a five out save against his former team. I expect Blake and Wilson to duel in this series, as the two pen specialists are often called upon with the game on the line.

Our toughest match comes on Sunday, as we start a three game series with the Kings in Chicago. They've hit the second most home runs, so at Cougars Park, expect to have a field day with Hank Walker (3-6, 5.33, 62). Hank Williams (.373, 24, 61) accounts for most of the homers, as the Batter of the Month hit 10 in June. That went with a .455/.544/.869 (255 OPS+) triple slash as the 2-Time Whitney Winner is making a case for a third. He's well protected, with Al Farmer (.290, 12, 39, 4), Charlie Rogers (.284, 8, 31, 5), and Ken Newman (.322, 11, 50, 7) around him, and we'll need our guys at their best to win the opener.

Minor League Reports
RHP Roy Weinberger (B San Jose Cougars): Notable minor leaguers are few and far between, so when Roy Weinberger struck out 7 in a 2-0 shutout win, he was front and center. Performances like this are no surprise, as the former 15th Rounder is 7-2 with a 1.27 ERA (258 ERA+) and 1.08 WHIP in 12 starts. The 20-year-old has 57 strikeouts to just 6 walks, never walking more then a single batter in a start. Unfortunately, we didn't get many pitchers in the draft, so guys like Weinberger had to stay here instead of receiving a draft day promotion. May's Pitcher of the Month is ready for tougher competition, but unless there's an injury there is no one to cut or demote ahead of him. John Roberts (6-2, 2.07, 33) and Art Ozbun (4-5, 2.15, 73) have had similar success, helping San Jose lead the C-O-W in rotation ERA.

Amateur Report
3rd Round, 50th Overall: 2B Dick Habeson
School: Shenandoah Valley State
1962: .282/.321/.370, 280 PA, 6 2B, 3B, 5 HR, 48 RBI, 11 SB
Career: .282/.321/.370, 280 PA, 6 2B, 3B, 5 HR, 48 RBI, 11 SB

So even though he isn't very good, I decided to give our 3rd Round pick Dick Harbeson the benefit of the doubt, promoting the first of our auto picks to Class A Rockford. The Shenandoah Valley State alum hit .282/.321/.370 as a junior, but nothing he did t here really stood out. The benefit now is that he's good enough to skip the early levels, so he could at least contribute to some of our minor league teams. With a weak arm second is his home, but he could be okay there with a little work. We have plenty of infield spots up for grabs, and he'll get to hit 7th on a 41-23 Wildcats team that ranks 1st in Runs (400) on quest for pennant twelve.