Last Gasp for the Season?
After that game with Toledo where we lost (again), things are feeling pretty down in the Chi-town front office. But the clubhouse is as happy as a lark to be 500 and just bobbing along (I really need Dick Williams in the clubhouse). If the Architects can somehow steal both of the next two games, I’m saying maybe there is a chance……..
Game #2 - Tuesday August 1st, 2056
Chicago 51-50 @ Toledo 61-40
RHP John Moore (6-2 3.43 ERA) vs RHP Patrick Fernandez (2-1 3.60 ERA)
A - 34,307
Chicago’s Tom Stone ties the game, 2-2, with a solo home run in the fifth. In the seventh, Marc Nakayama doubles in a run, and Stone hits a sac fly. Big win for the Architects!
Chicago 4, Toledo 3.
SP J Moore 8IP 9H 3R 0BB 5K W, CL P Wright 1IP OH OR S (23), C J Hunt 2-4 R, SS K Noseworthy 2-3 2R BB
HR - CH RF T Stone (8), Tol DH E Molina (26)
POTG - Chicago SP John Moore
Game #3 - Wednesday August 2nd, 2056
Chicago 52-50 @ Toledo 61-41
RHP Val Imbert (6-4 4.16 ERA) vs LHP Harvey Moore (8-6 5.34 ERA)
A - 34,306
Let’s pick things up in the seventh, when the teams are tied, 1-1. Chicago’s Cris Luna hits a solo home run. Chicago leads! Toledo’s Schnozz Park doubles in two. Toledo leads! Next inning, Reagan Osborn homers. Tie game, 3-3! It’s still tied, 3-3, in the 12th, when Toledo’s Luis González hits a walk-off solo home run.
Toledo 4, Chicago 3.
12 innings
SP V Imbert 6.2IP 6H 2R 1BB 5K, 1B R Osborn 2-5 HR R RBI, LF R LeRoy 2-5 DB R. C G Lee 3-5 DB, RBI, CF C Luna 2-5 HR R RBI
HR CH CF C Luna (12), 1B R Osborn (24), Tol - 3B L Gonzalez (17)
POTG - Toledo SP Harvey Moore
Summary - And with that extra inning 1-Run loss that feels like that was a cinematic way to say goodbye to the 2056 season. The club’s inability to close out 1-run games and lose in extra innings is the story of the season. So it just seems fitting to write RIP on the playoffs for 2056. Any eulogies will be done after the season.
We still have 41 games left and we are 10 behind the Neptunes for the wildcard and 12 behind Duluth. Neither team seems to be set to go on any massive losing streak, and we sure aren’t looking like we are going to get off the 500 merry a go round either.
International free agents are now available to be bid on and I am sure several teams will bid excessively to sign some 16 or 17 year old who can’t legally drink, smoke or vote. The Architects have $3 million in the budget, but if we don’t sign anyone that decreases our loss by $3 million. We might sniff around the edges for a player if we can, I won’t rule out signing 1 player. Don’t expect to see the club spending $3 million either.
Thursday August 3rd - Off-Day
On this off-day though we learned that our AA club Tinley Park was eliminated from the playoffs. It has been a very down season at Tinley Park and for the first time I am dealing with some solid prospects upset with the club’s record. That hasn’t been a problem much in the past seasons. Something we will need to review for next season.
Chicago Architects 52-51 4th in the US @ Detroit Thunderbirds 53-50 3rd in the US
August 4th-6th 2056
Detroit’s Thunderbird Park
It would be nice to catch and pass Detroit once and for all this season. The Thunderbirds have really exceeded any expectations I had for them this season. The guess was that they would be in a dogfight for 4th with Traverse City somewhere around 10 games below 500. So they are doing much better than that.
We begin a 3-game series with the Detroit Thunderbirds on the road.
We will meet in Thunderbirds Ballpark, which seats 40000 and plays like a neutral park.
With their record standing at 53 wins and 50 losses, the Thunderbirds have a winning percentage of .515. They are in 3rd place in the South of the Border, 11.0 games behind the leader. Their number of runs scored of 545 rank 4th in the USA, their .284 batting average ranks 1st. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 557 runs (5th) with their starters compiling an ERA of 5.19 which ranks 5th. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 4.94, ranking 3rd. When playing against our Architects this season, they have a record of 5 wins and 10 losses.
Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
RHP Motoyuki Inoue (9-10, 4.07 ERA) vs LHP Brian Miller (6-7, 7.35 ERA)
RHP Jose Cedeño (13-4, 4.05 ERA) vs RHP Joe Davis (5-7, 4.80 ERA)
RHP John Moore (7-2 3.43 ERA) vs RHP Bill Clary (7-7, 3.73 ERA)
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. 2B Paul Larocque (26, 3.0, 3.0)
4. 2B Trace Brunel (33, 3.0, 3.0)
5. SP Joo-seok Kim (27, 3.0, 3.0)
Game #1 -Friday August 4th, 2056
Chicago 52-51 @ Detroit 53-50
RHP Motoyuki Inoue (9-10, 4.07 ERA) vs LHP Brian Miller (6-7, 7.35 ERA)
A - 36,856
Chicago’s Motoyuki Inoue (6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 8 K) has been lackluster since the All-Star Break, but he returns to form today, taking a shutout into the seventh. He gets plenty of support. The Tect’s scored four in the first and five in the sixth. Marc Nakayama hits a grand slam.
Chicago 11, Detroit 1.
RF T Stone 2-5 2R, 1B R Osborn 2-5 R, DH M Nakayama 3-5 DB, HR 2R 5RBI, LF R LeRoy 2-4 2DB (39) R RBI BB SB, CF C Luna 2-5 2HR 2R 2RBI
HR - CH 2B J Lambert (19), CF C Luna 2 (14), DH M Nakayama (3)
POTG - CH Marc Nakayama (1)
Game #2 -Saturday August 5th, 2056
Chicago 53-51 @ Detroit 53-51
RHP Jose Cedeño (13-4, 4.05 ERA) vs RHP Joe Davis (5-7, 4.80 ERA)
A - 39,670
Can the Architect’s forge their way into sole possession of 3rd place? Not on this day. Detroit’s Melvin Akerval hits a three-run home run in the fifth inning. And in the sixth inning.
Detroit 11, Chicago 4.
2B J Lambert 2-5 DB R, LF R LeRoy 2-5 DB RBI
HR - CH none Det - 3B T Brunel (7), LF M Akerval 2 (12), RF S GIllis (11)
POTG - Detroit LF Melvin Akerval
Game #3 -Sunday August 6th, 2056
Chicago 53-52 @ Detroit 54-51
RHP John Moore (7-2 3.43 ERA) vs RHP Bill Clary (7-7, 3.73 ERA)
A - 39,670
Detroit’s Bill Clary (6.2 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K) and Joe Brown (2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K) shutout Chicago. Mal Johnston and José Díaz homer. Larry Thomson doubles, giving him a 20-game hit streak.
Detroit 5, Chicago 0.
HR - CH none Det - 1B M Johnston (16) DH J Diaz (11)
POTG - Detroit SP Bill Clary
Summary - The Architects were briefly tied for 3rd place and then dropped 2 games in rather uninspiring fashion. Now we sit in 4th 2 games behind Detroit and just 3 games ahead of Traverse City who sits in 5th. Home for 4 games against Canadian teams starting off with the upstart Kingston Comets.
Kingston Comets 59-47 2nd in Canada vs Chicago Architects 53-53 4th in US
August 7th-8th 2056
Chicago’s Pier IV Grounds
The club begins a 2-game series with the Kingston Comets at home.
The Comets are playing .557 ball this season, compiling a record of 59 wins and 47 losses. They are in 2nd place in the North of the Border, 3.0 games behind the leader. The Comets are playing well at the moment, having a 3-game winning streak going. Their number of runs scored of 594 rank 1st in the Canadian, their .290 batting average ranks 1st. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 561 runs (4th) with their starters compiling an ERA of 4.23 which ranks 2nd. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 5.61, ranking 6th. When playing against our Architects this season, they have a record of 1 wins and 1 losses.
Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
RHP Matsusuke Yoshida (6-6, 4.07 ERA) vs RHP Val Imbert (6-4, 4.08 ERA)
RHP Ralph Lapthorne (4-6, 5.11 ERA) vs Yale Hulbert (5-4, 6.75 ERA)
The top 5 players on their team are:
1. SP Roland Fuller (Age: 28, Overall : 4.0, Potential: 4.0)
2. 2B Johnny Peterson (25, 4.0, 4.5)
3. CF Bill Arnold (25, 3.0, 3.0)
4. SP Matsusuke Yoshida (32, 3.0, 3.0)
5. CF Wyatt McBryde (24, 2.5, 4.0)
Game #1 - Monday August 7th, 2056
Kingston 59-47 vs Chicago 53-53
RHP Matsusuke Yoshida (6-6, 4.07 ERA) vs RHP Val Imbert (6-4, 4.08 ERA)
A - 34,824
Kingston’s Wyatt McBryde hits a two-run single, a two-run home run, and a one-run RBI groundout. Matsusuke Yoshida (5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K) gives up one single over five innings of work. Chicago loses its 3rd straight and once again falls below 500 at 53-54.
Kingston 9, Chicago 1.
HR - CF W McBride CH - none
POTG - Kingston CF Wyatt McBride
Game #2 - Tuesday August 8th, 2056
Kingston 60-47 vs Chicago 53-54
RHP Ralph Lapthorne (4-6, 5.11 ERA) vs Yale Hulbert (5-4, 6.75 ERA)
A - 33,873
Chicago scores four in the fifth. John Lambert and Marc Nakayama homer (with Nakayama’s going for two), and Kennelly Mulford doubles in a run. Architects again even their record at 54-54 with the win snapping a 3 game losing streak.
Chicago 7, Kingston 4.
SP Y Hulburt 6.1IP 5H 3R 2BB 7K, 2B J Lambert 2-5 HR R RBI, LF M Nakayama 2-4 DB, HR 2R 2RBI, 3B T Arnaud 2-4 DB 2R, SS K Mulford 2-4 DB RBI
HR - Kin none CH - 2B J Lambert (20), DH M Nakayama (4)
POTG - Yale Hulburt
Summary - Well a poorly played 3-4 week with a 3 game losing streak in the middle. It is safe to say that the playoffs now would take a miracle, but we will go out there and try and win every game on the schedule. This club has pride although we haven’t seen a lot of it lately in my opinion on the field. I need to see more fight in this club.
Shout out to OF/DH Marc Nakayama who has come up and replaced Jose Aranda and hit 319 with 4 home runs and 16 RBI’s in just 80 plate appearances (11 walks). He will be a starter next season and we will give him more looks in the outfield as we wind down the season. It will probably cost Tom Stone some at-bats but Stone has really cooled off in the 2nd half but is still hitting 306 on the season.
There are some great players eligible in the IAFA class this year, but we will not be going all in or even have the ability to bid aggressively. More on that next week.