[DD Martin]

Oh Joy more Canadian team Games

We began the last round in the first half of the season against our enemies from up North of the Border. So far this year after last year’s breakthrough 12-12 record against Canada, the Architects are a disappointing 3-5. At least we are taking on 2 sub-500 teams in Windsor and Owen Sound, maybe we can get lucky and split these 4 games, or maybe dare we hope to win 3 out of 4. We could certainly use the boost.

Windsor Vigilantes 21-32 last in Canada vs Chicago Architects 29-24 3rd in the US
June 5th and 6th 2056
Chicago’s Pier IV Grounds

We have a 2-game series at home against the Windsor Vigilantes kicking off today. Here is my report on the opponent:

Going 21-32 so far this year, the Vigilantes have compiled a .396 winning percentage. They are in 6th place in the North of the Border, 13.0 games behind the leader. Their number of runs scored of 278 rank 3rd in the Canadian, their .285 batting average ranks 4th. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 308 runs (5th) with their starters compiling an ERA of 5.85 which ranks 6th. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 5.33, ranking 5th.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
RHP Y. Hulbert (2-1, 8.40 ERA) vs RHP M. Yoshida (2-3, 5.44 ERA)
RHP J. Cedeño (6-1, 3.42 ERA) vs RHP D. Floyd (0-5, 5.16 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. SP Tatsukichi Fujimoto (Age: 23, Overall : 3.5, Potential: 4.0)
2. 1B Craig Hargrove (32, 3.5, 3.5)
3. LF Mark Easson (23, 3.0, 4.0)
4. 1B Alain Colle (28, 3.0, 3.0)
5. SP Jimmy Burnett (26, 2.5, 2.5)

Game #1 - Monday June 5th 2056
Windsor 21-32 vs Chicago 29-24
RHP Matsusuke Yoshida (2-3, 5.44 ERA) vs RHP Terry Noble 4-1 4.88
A - 37,607

For those paying attention and clearly I was not as I neglected to hit send on my export. So because I have been using daily lineups, I didn’t correct the fact that Terry Noble pitched in yesterday's game. No surprise here that he got bombed. The GM/Manager is an idiot, which after spending so much money I am sure our owner agrees.

This game was over almost before it began. Windsor scored seven times in the top of the first. Chris Allen does the most damage, swatting a three-run homer. This made for a rather relaxing start for Matsusuke Yoshida (6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 2 K).Chicago scraped together just 5 singles in the game, at least 3 members of the bullpen pitched well. Windsor 8, Chicago 1.

RP J Johnson 3.2IP 1H 0R 1BB 3K, RP J Castro 3IP 1H 0R 3K, RP K Shannon 1IP 0H 0R, C J Hunt 2-3
HR - Win 3B C Allen (6), CH - none
POTG - Matsusuke Yoshida

Game #2 - Tuesday June 6th 2056
Windsor 22-32 vs Chicago 29-25
RHP Dan Floyd (0-5, 5.16 ERA) vs RHP Jose Cedeño (6-1, 3.42 ERA)
A - 37,167

Chicago’s Rodeo Leroy has a huge day. He goes 5-for-5 with two home runs, two doubles, four runs scored, and five RBIs. José Cedeño (7.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K) doesn’t do so bad himself. Chicago 10, Windsor 2.

LF R LeRoy 5-5 2DB 2HR 4R 5 RBI, 2B J Lambert 2-4 R RBI BB, RF T Stone 3-4 DB 2R 2RBI BB, SB, SS K Mulford 2-5 DB R
HR - Win 1B C Hargrove (13), CH - LF R LeRoy 2 (19),
POTG - Chicago LF Robert “Rodeo” LeRoy (7)

Summary - Will save our comments for after the Owen Sound 2-game series and wrap up Canada for the first half of the season.

Chicago Architects 30-25 3rd in US @ Owen Sound Waveriders 25-30 4th in Canada
June 7th and 8th 2056
Owen Sounds Waveriders Ballpark

Today we begin a 2-game series with the Owen Sound Waveriders on the road. The Waveriders play their games in Waveriders Ballpark, which can be described as a slight pitchers park. The building seats 40000 fans.

With their record standing at 25 wins and 30 losses, the Waveriders have a winning percentage of .455. They are in 4th place in the North of the Border, 10.0 games behind the leader. Their number of runs scored of 252 rank 6th in the Canadian, their .275 batting average ranks 5th. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 238 runs (2nd) with their starters compiling an ERA of 4.58 which ranks 3rd. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 3.20, ranking 1st.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
RHP M. Inoue (3-0 1.89) vs RHP J. Honoré (4-5, 4.92 ERA)
RHP V Imbert (4-2 5.88) vs RHP P. Arthur (3-4, 4.91 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. SP Maynard Nicholson (Age: 25, Overall : 4.0, Potential: 4.0)
2. 1B Pablo Parrel (28, 4.0, 4.0)
3. LF Josselin Leroy (37, 3.5, 3.5)
4. C Prímio Lebrim (27, 3.0, 3.0)
5. SP Ilies Kieffer (26, 3.0, 3.0)

Game #1 - Wednesday June 7th 2056
Chicago 30-25 @ Owen Sound 25-30
RHP Motoyuki Inoue (3-0 1.89) vs RHP Jonathan Honoré (4-5, 4.92 ERA)
A - 28,832

Owen Sound’s Jonathan Honoré (6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 8 K) out-pitches Chicago’s Motoyuki Inoue (3.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K). Inoue picks up his first loss as an architect. Owen Sound’s Cruz Torres goes 4-for-4 with two doubles, one run, and one RBI. Rodney Collins singles three times, steals two bases, scores once, and drives in one. Owen Sound 6, Chicago 2.

5 hits and that is it
HR - CH 1B R Osborn (10) OS - none
POTG - Owen Sound SP Jonathan Honore

Game #2 - Thursday June 8th 2056
Chicago 30-26 @ Owen Sound 26-30
RHP Val Imbert (3-4 4.61) vs RHP P. Arthur (3-4, 4.91 ERA)
A - 25,983

In the eighth, Andrés Rodríguez singles in two, turning a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 Waveriders lead. In the ninth, Chicago’s David Kenney doubles, moves to third on a ground out, and scores on a sac fly to left. Tie game, 4-4. In the 10th, Yves Moreno doubles, moves to third on a wild pitch, then gets thrown at home on a squeeze bunt attempt. By the way, the bunter reaches first but gets picked off to end the inning. In the 14th, Reagan Osborn, who finishes the game with four bases-on-balls, singles, and Rodeo Leroy doubles him in. But not so fast! In the bottom of the 14th, Pablo Parrel walks, and Prímio Lebrim doubles him in. Tied game, 5-5. In the 15th, Spencer D’Urberville reaches second base on a throwing error by the shortstop. He moved to third on a sac fly to left (?), then scored the winning run on a Maynard Nicholson single. Owen Sound 6, Chicago 5. 15 Innings

1B R Osborn 1-2 2R 4BB, LF R LeRoy 2-6 2DB 2RBI BB, C J Hunt 2-5 DB R SP V Imbert 6.2IP 5H 2R 2BB 1K, CL P Wright 3IP 4H 0R BB, K, RP J Moore 3IP 2H 1R 2BB K
HR - CH SS K Mulford (2), OS - none
POTG - Owen Sound SP Paul Arthur

Summary - To summarize this set of 4 games in a few words….I hate Canada!!!! With this set of games going 1-3 and now 4-8 on the season it will take a huge effort to get out of the hole we are digging ourselves in these games. Duluth is 9-3 against the Canadian clubs and Toledo improved to 5-7 after this set of games. One reason why Detroit is hanging around, they are 8-4 in the Canadian games. Clearly the Architects are not doing their part in trying to help the USA clubs win the inter-divisional series for the first time in my 5 seasons running Chicago.

With this Canadian failure we are now 4 games out of 1st place and 3 games behind Toledo for the Wildcard and Detroit while sub 500 at 28-30 is nipping at our heels just 2 games back of us. Maybe the bright side of things is we are heading back to the US and to Detroit where we have gone 8-1 against the Thunderbirds so far this season and negating their Canadian record advantage. A big series for both clubs, for Detroit they could move into 3rd place with a sweep. For the Architects we could pick up some lost momentum after the 4 games with Canadian Clubs.

And not winning that last game that went 15 innings and taxing our bullpen only figures to cause us pain elsewhere.

Chicago Architects 30-27 3rd in the US @ Detroit Thunderbirds 28-30 4th in the US
June 9th through 11th 2056
At Detroit’s Thunderbird Park

We took a look at the Detroit Thunderbirds, our next opponent in an upcoming 3-game series, and here are the results. A neutral park, Thunderbirds Ballpark has room for 40000 fans.

The Thunderbirds are playing .491 ball this season, compiling a record of 28 wins and 29 losses. They are in 4th place in the South of the Border, 6.0 games behind the leader. Their number of runs scored of 303 rank 3rd in the USA, their .285 batting average ranks 1st. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 308 runs (4th) with their starters compiling an ERA of 5.45 which ranks 6th. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 5.35, ranking 4th. When playing against our Architects this season, they have a record of 1 wins and 8 losses.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
RHP Yale Hulbert (2-1, 8.40 ERA) vs LHP Dwayne Miller (4-3, 4.88 ERA)
RHP Yale Hulbert (3-1 6.86 ERA) vs LHP Bryan Miller (3-5, 7.41 ERA)
RHP Jose Cedeño (7-1, 3.33 ERA) vs RHP Joe. Davis (1-3, 3.68 ERA)

Yes, as you see again, I didn’t hit export again!!!!!! GRRRRRRRRRR

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. SP Bill Clary (Age: 28, Overall : 3.0, Potential: 3.0)
2. RF Stan Gillis (30, 3.0, 3.0)
3. LF Melvin Akerval (26, 3.0, 3.0)
4. 1B Mal Johnston (22, 3.0, 4.0)
5. SP Joo-seok Kim (27, 3.0, 3.0)

Game #1 - Friday June 9th, 2056
Chicago 30-27 @ Detroit 28-29
RHP Yale Hulbert (2-1, 8.40 ERA) vs LHP Dwayne Miller (4-3, 4.88 ERA)
A - 28,045

Juan Durán caps a four-run Chicago first with a two-run home run. Yale Hulbert looked to be back in form (6IP 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 K) and three Tects relievers make those runs hold up. Chicago 6, Detroit 2.

RF T Stone 2-4 DB 2R, LF R Leroy 2-4 R, RBI, BB, DH L Davis 2-4, SS Mulford 2-3
HR - CH C J Duran (6), 1B R Osborn (11), Det - 1B M Johnston (11)
POTG - Chicago SP Yale Hulburt (1)

Friday, June 9th , 2056 - Chicago Architects: SS Kennelly Mulford was injured while running the bases. The Diagnosis: hip flexor strain. This is a day-to-day injury expected to last 2 days. Mulford left the game but was able to start the next day.

Friday, June 9th , 2056 - Chicago Architects: Thomas Arnaud has suffered a setback in his recovery. He is not expected to recover for another 4 weeks.

Game #2 - Saturday June 10th, 2056
Chicago 31-27 @ Detroit 28-30
RHP Yale Hulbert (3-1 6.86 ERA) vs LHP Bryan Miller (3-5, 7.41 ERA)
A - 23,818

Detroit scored four in the first, with Art Loder hitting a two-run slam. Chicago ties things in the third, with Tom Stone hitting a grand slam. The Tects then take a 5-4 lead in the fifth. There only lead of the game is quickly erased. The T-Birds score six times in the bottom of the fifth. Melvin Akerval homers, Loder singles in a run, Dai-Lin Tah and Alan Stout single in runs, and Larry Thomson singles in two. Detroit 11, Chicago 6.

DH L Davis 2-2 2BB 2R, LF R Leroy 2-4 RBI,
HR - CH RF T Stone (4), Det - DH A Loder 2 (8), LF M Akerval (7)
POTG - Detroit DH Art Loder

Game #3 - Sunday June 11th, 2056
Chicago 31-28 @ Detroit 29-30
RHP Jose Cedeño (7-1, 3.33 ERA) vs RHP Joe. Davis (1-3, 3.68 ERA)
A - 25,100

The T-Birds score twice in the first, twice in the second, and twice in the third. Mal Johnston and John Nichols homer. Art Loder singles in a run. More surprisingly, he steals two bases. Detroit 9, Chicago 6.

RF J Justice 2-5 DB HR R 3RBI, SS Mulford 1-4 3RBI
HR - CH - RF J Justice (5) Det - 1B M Johnston (12), CF J Nichols (9)
POTG - Detroit DH Art Loder

(Loder was an Architect at one point early in our run here. He seemed to take joy in causing us pain these last 2 games.)

Summary - So after our 4-2 homestand we come out and drop 3 out of 4 against Canadian teams and then drop 2 out of 3 against a Detroit team that we were 9-1 against. With that 2-5 week things have certainly tightened up but not in a good way. We are clinging to 3rd place 1 game ahead of the Thunderbirds, but now find ourselves 6 games behind 1st place Duluth and 5 games behind 2nd place Toledo. The race for 3rd is not one that we as an organization are interested in.

The setback in 3B Thomas Arnaud’s recovery certainly can’t come at a worse time. Nor can the several fumbles in our pitching assignments (that’s on me). We need to get the ship righted and quickly before the All-Star Break or this 2nd half of the season could be a painful lesson in money spending and it not paying off. I don’t regret the Inoue deal, nor the Mulford deal honestly. I think those deals will pay off in the future if they do not this season. But it is time to pull up the boot straps and get serious if we are going to clear any of this payroll burden I have saddled the club with.