[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 1-6
Seasonal Record: 67-59 (5th, 11 GB)
Stars of the Week
Gene Case : 27 AB, 8 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .296 AVG, 1.036 OPS
Jim Barton : 23 AB, 7 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .304 AVG, .913 OPS
Bobby Martinez : 24 AB, 8 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .333 AVG, .718 OPS

Schedule
8-27: Loss at Stars (0-2)
8-28: Loss at Stars (2-6)
8-29: Loss vs Foresters (8-4)
8-30: Win vs Foresters (3-8)
9-1: Loss at Saints (1-6)
9-2: Loss at Saints (6-10)

Recap
Streakiest team in baseball!

Dropping six here means we'll win five next week, as after a rare 3-3 week we had to pick one of the extremes. The only win came at home against the Foresters, as we lost both games in LA and Montreal. The Saints continue to be a thorn in our side, despite being on the brink of elimination, and we're now an insurmountable 11 games behind the leading Sailors.

I shouldn't be too surprise, I mean Jerry McMillan was out, and our lineup was much easier to manage. Gene Case did his thing, two more homers to reach 33, a useful 8-for-27 with a double, triple, 5 walks, 6 runs, and 6 RBIs. Our young first basemen surpassed 5 wins above replacement on the season, and he's on track to hit exactly 40 home runs on the season. Jim Barton, Mooney Vetter, and Chappy Sanders joined him with homers, with two of the three actually producing despite the poor record. Vetter didn't, as his solo homer was all of note in a 3-for-20 week, but the other two hit above .300. No walks for either, with Barton 7-for-23 with 2 doubles, a triple, 2 runs, and 4 RBIs, while Chappy was 6-for-19 with a doble. As crazy as it sounds, four singles is a good thing for our catcher, as he wasn't finding holes unless he was plastering the ball. After a poor start to the season, he produced monthly WRC+ of 97, 97, and 107, and somehow in 408 PAs he has an 88. It's not too long ago he was hitting below .200 and striking out 20+% of the time, now batting .251 with a 15.9 K%. In the end, sticking with him panned out, and there's a good chance we won't seek a catcher in the offseason.

For the first time all season, the pen blew up, with runs from Pug White (2.2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 K), Arch Wilson (1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, K), Bob Allen (2.2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 5 BB), and Earle Turner (5.1 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, BB, 2 K). Pug blowing up surprises me the most, and the only guy to keep runs off the board left his second outing with a minor calf issue. That would be Bob Burdick, 3.1 scoreless innings with a single, walk, strikeout, and hit, lowering his ERA to an impressive 2.83 ERA (159 ERA+) in 66.2 innings pitched. Believe it or not, that's now the best ERA on the staff, and if it stays that way it will come from a guy that I fully expected to waive before the season started. And then after getting a waiver claim. Or at least before the season ended.

But no! Bob Burdick prevailed! The perfect long man!

Looking Ahead
As it always does, a ton of injuries hit us in bunches right when rosters expanded, as five members of the organization got hurt this week. Thankfully, none are season enders, but it did greatly impact our September callups. It also led to be not placing Bob Decker on the IL, as while he is dealing with a sprained elbow, he doesn't play too much anyways. We have an off day this week too, and I'm hoping with limited play he can heal without an IL stint. There's not really a shortstop option to bring up from the minors, and he's out go-to backup at the position. A glove-first 24-year-old, he's not here for the .200/.294/.293 (53 OPS+) batting line, but he's an elite corner infielder and a solid middle one. Occasionally spelling Halliday at short, it's how he got hurt here, as he was starting the game to give our regular his first day off in ten days.

Even with injuries, we had a few guys coming back and a few signing as free agents, allowing us to end up with 28 players on the active roster. An increase of three, we added a pitcher, infielder, and outfielder, though I expect more to come as the month goes on. Starting with the add from outside the organization, I acquired a guy I once traded for George Oddo, 1961 FABL champion Jeep Erickson. Available from the Keystones on waivers, Jeep was once a highly touted power hitter, and in a 56 game debut in 1847 he hit .350/.403/.542 (153 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 3 triples, 9 homers, and 34 RBIs. As good as that was, he was never able to secure much playing time, as he slumped to a 83 WRC+ as a sophomore, and the 452 PAs he put up in year three have remained a career high. In fact, in the past decade he has just 408 FABL plate appearances, but he made at least once in each year for the Keystones. That accounts for all his time in the City of Brotherly Love, but it didn't come close to the 1,437 PAs he had in five seasons as a Miner.

I don't expect Jeep to get many at bats with us, but he's a useful pinch hitter who can still hit at 36. His .229/.267/.375 (65 OPS+) line doesn't inspire too much confidence, but he has a 4 rated gap power and avoid Ks. He's got a decent eye and solid pop, and the lefty swinger may still have some magic left. We just won't let him see the field.

Moe Holt may, as the 34-year-old vet will return to the roster after 75 games with the Blues. His time in Chicago was short, no hits in three separate pinch hit at bats, but Holt does have some positional versatility. For the Blues, he made 20+ appearances at second and first, and I wouldn't mind him at third or left if absolutely necessary. Skilled at putting the ball in play, he hit a near average .257/.317/.410 (101 OPS+) in 252 PAs, doubling 17 times with 23 walks and 25 strikeouts. Still an outstanding baserunner and stealer, he can pinch run or move runners over, and he's the perfect trail runner in a double steal. With one option left, he may be kept as depth, as both William Buttry and Bob Decker are ahead of him in the pecking order.

The lone pitcher is southpaw Doc Cook, who the Blues may quickly miss. Spending a chunk of the season as the stopper, the 25-year-old 4th Rounder was 5-6 with 15 saves, a 1.64 ERA (232 ERA+), 1.26 WHIP, and 53 strikeouts. The ERA obviously jumps off the page, and while some of that is luck, his 3.33 FIP (87 FIP-) is still fond of his work. Debuting for us last season, he's an option for a pen spot in 1963, and if he had more stamina he might have gotten one this year. A diminutive 5'7'' hurler, he's a one inning guy, but worked to a strong 2.96 ERA (152 ERA+) despite a 4.89 FIP (109 FIP-), 1.42 WHIP, and more walks (23) then strikeouts (18). 45.2 of his 68.2 innings came in Chicago, but down in Milwaukee this season he showed more length. He threw 93.1 innings in 58 appearances, including a few outings with seven or more outs. His audition starts early, and with Pug being the only other lefty he could see some innings.

We've got some games too, though the results may not matter too much. I envision us getting swept by the Saints, but after our off-day maybe we can start winning. The three in Toronto are must-win games, as I'm sure we'll struggle with the Kings. At 75-51, they're the only team within five games of first, just three shy of the leading Sailors. Though the most interesting player of the week may be the Wolves' Ed Savage, who currently ranks as the 16th best prospect in baseball. Called up for his debut, the 25-year-old from Benld, Illinois had an excellent debut week. On the 30th he had a stellar 5-for-6, including his first big league homer. Through 31 PAs, he's hit .538/.613/.923 (280 OPS+), and we'll definitely have to be careful of him. Same can be said of the now healthy Phil Colantuono (3-0, 1.90, 21), who looks even better then he did before his forearm inflammation. I think we'll get him in Toronto, and I'm curious to see how our weaker lineup will do with him.