OOPS I did it again

[gehrig38]

CHICAGO, BROOKLYN, IN A 1 FOR 1 DEAL
BNN has learned the Chicago Iron Pigs have reportedly worked out a deal with the Brooklyn Islanders. Sources close to the Iron Pigs indicated that a trade has been reached in principle where 27-year-old RHP Matt Sainsbury will be swapped to Chicago with 25-year-old LF Jason Merchen heading to Brooklyn. Neither organization would comment on the report, saying it was club policy not to speak about a trade until it was finalized.

In 11 games this season, Merchen is batting .231 with 9 hits and 1 home run. He has scored 7 runs and driven in 5. He was acquired just two weeks ago from Portland.

In 12 starts this season, Sainsbury has notched a 5-3 record and a 3.03 ERA.

BACKROOM CHATTER
If you allow this to last even a minute it opens flood gates to unwanted and harmful personal behavior. Merchen is everything you could want in a 25 year old baseball player, physically. Still not done growing he's an elite bat with elite legs and a ++ defender. Our scouts rate him 2.5* now but a 4* player down the road. Gus Garcia, is, well he's Gus Garcia. A player who is pretty much the captain of this team and who never takes a pitch off. For him to go public meant to me that everything that could be done privately, was.

• But the solution is not a 5-day suspension. It's also not deal a potential star for a bag of balls just to rid the clubhouse of his toxicity.
• Matt Sainsbury is a 27 year old legit #3 whose still maturing. He's 46-54 4.31 lifetime with Brooklyn over 157 starts, 889 IP 865 K's to 275 BB and 916 H. He's also suffering from a severe blister at the moment. He's 5-3 3.03 this year in 12 starts.
• He will head to the IL and we'll sort out the rest when need be.
• For now Matt Chiquete is called up as our 4th outfielder.

[gehrig38]

WEEK 11
3 @ Fresno 3 vs New York 1 @ Las Vegas
RUNS SCORED: 362 (2nd)
RUNS AGAINST: 298 (4th)
OBP: .338 (3rd)
STARTERS ERA: 3.75 (2nd)
RELIEVERS ERA: 4.75 (10th)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .721 (1st)
ZONE RATING: +11.7 (4th)
ERRORS: 40 (8th)

RESULTS (38-32 2 GB)
2-1 @ Fresno 1-2 vs New York 1-0 @ Las Vegas
6/8- CIP 14 FRE 3 Sandberg (W) 6 IP 4 H 5 BB ER (6-2 3.70) Brumfield 3H 2 RBI (40) Deal 3H 2B (3) 3R Stachowski 3H 2 2B (5) 2R 4 RBI (6) Chiquete 2H 3R BB RBI
HR- Dames (4) McLain (15) FRE- Aquillon (15)
6/9- CIP 5 FRE 2 Merera (W) 8 IP 4 H 7 K 2 ER (9-0 2.39) Guinn SV (18) Garcia 3H 2B (17) 3B (2) 2R Guzman 3H SB (19) RBI (36)
HR- Cho (7) FRE- Schalk (8)
6/10- FRE 12 CIP 7 Morris (L) 5.2 IP 8 H 7 ER Eichele IP 3 H 4 ER Pedraza 3H R RBI (14)
HR- Krieg (9) FRE- Lutter (2)

• Ted Zeeryp (CHI) fanned 9 in a 4-hit CG SHO of Detroit 3-0. He's 8-3 4.07
• Travis Hilly (CLE) threw a 2-hitter fanning 5 in a 3-0 win over Austin. He's 6-5 2.12.

6/11- NYP 7 CIP 4 Bush (ND) 5 IP 4 H 4 BB 5 K 4 ER Gross BS (4) IP 3 H 2 BB 3 ER (2-3 3.91) Krieg 3H 2 2B (17) 2 RBI (30) McLain 3-3 HR BB
HR- McLain (16)
6/12- CIP 4 NYP 2 Avendano (ND) 6 IP 3 H ER Guinn SV (19) Garcia 2B HR 3 RBI (39) Brumfield 0-1 3 BB

• Francisco Ramos (AUS) went 5-6 in a 14-2 win over Denver

6/13- NYP 8 CIP 7 (10) Sandberg (ND) 7 ER 4 BB 3 HR 6.1 IP Guinn (L) IP HR ER Guzman 2H SB (21) 3R Nieves 4H R RBI (25) Down 7-1 after 7, 5 in the 8th and 1 in the 9th to tie it.
Matt Cameron 3-5 3 HR 3R 5 RBI leading off
HR- Brumfield (10) NYP- Kramer (17) Cameron 3 (16)

• Denver paid Austin back in a 10-2 win with Matt Schempp (DEN) going 5-5

6/14- CIP 13 LV 3 Merera (W) 7 IP 6 K 3 ER (10-0 2.49) Garcia 2-4 2 HR BB 3R 3 RBI (42) Guzman 3H HR 2 RBI (39) SB (22) Krieg 3H 2B (18) BB SB (5) 2 RBI (33) Dames 2H 2 R 3 RBI (23)
HR- Garcia 2 (13) Nieves (9) Guzman (6) LV- Santana leadoff HR (15)

• Staten Island SP Corey Pronovost will undergo Tommy John and miss the year and likely part of next season. The 28 year old was 5-4 3.89 for the first place Sharks who lead Philadelphia by 1 in the AL East. 25 year old Adam Williams will take his spot in the rotation.

LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- 2B Mike Bermudez (CLE) 14-25 4 RBI
NL POTW- LF Alex Bazaldua (EP) 11-24 4 HR 11 RBI

IRON PIG NEWS
Edwin Mejia (A) went 12-27 6 HR 17 RBI to win Class A POTW. Mejia was taken in the 9th round of the 2012 draft. He's hitting .291-9-24 through 34 games.

[gehrig38]

WEEK 12
2 @ Las Vegas OFF DAY 3 @ Washington 1 vs OKC
RUNS SCORED: 408 (1st)
RUNS AGAINST: 318 (2nd)
OBP: .341 (2nd)
STARTERS ERA: 3.75 (2nd)
RELIEVERS ERA: 4.47 (6th)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .722 (1st)
ZONE RATING: +10.4 (4th)
ERRORS: 43 (6th)

RESULTS (43-33 +1)
1-1 @ Las Vegas OFF DAY 3-0 @ Washington 1-0 vs OKC
6/15- CIP 4 LV 0 Morris (W) 6.2 IP 3 H 4 BB K (123 pitches) (9-4 2.89)
HR- Cho (8)

• Danny Eckenrode begins rehab in New Orleans today.
• Chicago Hitmen SS Jesse Halamicek went 5-6 in an 11-inning 7-6 win over Staten Island. The 22-year-old was their 1st pick last year, 25th overall, in the draft. He's hitting .270-6-27.

6/16- LV 10 CIP 9 Bush (ND) 2.1 IP 6 H 4 BBB 7R 6 ER Pedraza GS 4 RBI (19) Guzman 4 RBI (44) Krieg 2 2B (20) 3R BB SB (6) Dames 3H 3R
6/17- OFF DAY
6/18- CIP 5 WAS 4 Avendano (W) 6.1 IP 4 H 3 ER (3-8 4.63) Guinn SV (20) Eichele hurt. Brumfield 2 2B (15) HR 3R RBI (46)
HR- Brumfield (11)

• Eichele has an oblique strain and could remain available. Instead he'll head to the IL, and 22 year old Jeff Holton will be added to the 40 man and called up. He's thrown 24 IP in AA/AAA and has not allowed a run. In 24.2 IP he's given up 11 H fanned 31 and walked 5.

6/19- CIP 6 WAS 2 Sandberg (W) 6 IP 6 H 5 K 4 BB 2 ER (7-2 4.08) Alfaro 2 IP 3 K McLain 4-4 HR 2R 2 RBI SB (6) team steals 6
HR- McLain (17) Brumfield (12)
6/20- CIP 10 WAS 4 Merera (W) 6 IP 6 H 8 K 3 BB 3 ER (11-0 2.59) Brumfield 3H 3B (2) HR 2R 3 RBI (50) Garcia 2H 2B (19) 2 BB 3R Dames 3-3 2 BB 2R
HR- Brumfield (13) WAS- C White (8)

• OKC loses and we pull into a tie at 42-33 as they come to town for a 3 game series.
• 23 year old Ricardo Santana (LV) went 5-6 and hit 3 HR's and drove in 4 in an 11-3 win over OKC. Ricardo was the Aces 1st round pick (25th overall) in 2013.

• Joey Morris gets the ball in G1.

6/21- CIP 12 OKC 0 Morris (W) 6 IP 2 H 7 K 0 R Nieves 3-4 3 HR 5 RBI
HR- Nieves 3 (12) Garcia (14)

NIEVES JOINS THE 3 HOME RUN CLUB
Jose Nieves went yard three times in a Chicago Iron Pigs victory over the Oklahoma City Tornado at Iron Pigs Field.

"I was in a groove," he said. "Every pitch they tossed up there looked like a grapefruit."

For the day, the Chicago second baseman went 3-for-4 against Oklahoma City with 5 RBIs and 3 runs scored in a brilliant display of power hitting that led the Iron Pigs to the 12-0 win.

"I tell you what. I'm shocked because I didn't think that last ball had enough to get out," he told BNN reporters in the clubhouse following the game. "I thought it was just going to be a long out."

Jose Nieves hit a two-run home run off Vic Martinez in the 2nd, flied out in the 4th, hit a two-run home run off Josh Rideout in the 5th and hit a solo-shot off Corey Stitt in the 7th.

Nieves on the season is hitting .223 with 12 home runs. His stats include 32 RBIs and 35 runs scored. He entered June with a .194/.253/.366 slash line and has raised his average to .223 with a .305/.382/.729 slash line and 7 HR with 14 RBI's in 15 starts.

LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- LF Mike Brown (UT) 10-18 2 HR 8 RBI
NL POTW- SS Juan Colon (FRE) 11-22 3 HR 7 RBI

IRON PIG NEWS

• Matt Sainsbury is due off the IL on Monday. He will head to New Orleans and get 2-3 starts before we decide on how to work this. Right now he either supplants Bush (2-6 5.40) or Avendano (3-8 4.63) in the rotation or we extend the rotation to 6.
• He does have a history of health issues so there's that.
• We enter the halfway point of the season with the offense clearly having shaken off the early-season fog, the rotation starting to hit its stride, and the defense coming together. Jose Nieves streak has coincided with and assisted on this outstanding run we are on.
• Short Season Nashville and Rookie League Minneapolis kick off their seasons Tuesday.

Here is a look at the rosters/prospects for both:
NASHVILLE

• Top pick Mike Harper (19 5*) opened up at Albuquerque but it was clearly too early. 1-5 7.71 with 28 BB and 27 K's in 32.2 IP so he'll head up the Nashville rotation. At 19 it might have been too much too soon. 21 year old Mario Correa (3.5*) 2015 draftee Ruben Alcala (3*) and 20 year old Jake Ray (2.5*) have rotation spots along with free-agent Luke Benes (20 2*).
• The bullpen is headed by 2015 5th rounder Jerry Bryant (19 4*).
• On offense 2 4.5* prospects start their careers in IF Javier Herrera (18 2nd round 49th overall) and 1st round pick (37th overall) Campbell Hoyles (18).

MINNEAPOLIS

• Recently signed Richard Cabales (18 3.5*) and 2014 12th round pick Josh Miller (19 3*) are joined by 2015 6th rounder (205th overall) Nate Corbett (18 2.5*).
• The bullpen will be led by Manny Rodriguez (19 4*) a 2013 international free agent sign.
• On offense 2015 top pick Josh Buening (18 5*) and 7th round pick C Francisco Regalado (18 4*) will pace the hitters with 3* prospects Ryan Carpenter (18 1B) and OF Victor Analco (19) a 2013 International free agent signing.

[gehrig38]

WEEK 13
2 vs OKC 3 @ San Francisco 2 vs New England
RUNS SCORED: 452 (1st)
RUNS AGAINST: 360 (3rd)
OBP: .341 (3rd)
STARTERS ERA: 3.96 (3rd)
RELIEVERS ERA: 4.39 (6th)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .714 (1st)
ZONE RATING: +8.7 (5th)
ERRORS: 48 (t-6th)

RESULTS (47-36 +4)
1-1 vs OKC 1-2 @ San Francisco 2-0 vs New England
6/22- OKC 6 CIP 4 Bush (L) 5 IP 6 H 3 ER (2-7 5.40) Mendoza 2R 3 H 1 IP Krieg 2 HR 3 RBI (38) Dames 3-4 2B (12)
HR- Krieg 2 (11) Brumfield (14) OKC- Woods (7)
6/23- CIP 7 OKC 6 Avendano (ND) 5.1 IP 8 H 6 K 0 BB 5 ER Guinn (W) IP H K Deal PH walk off 2B (4) Chiquete 3H HR 2 RBI Brumfield 2H 2B (16) 2R BB RBI (53)
HR- Chiquete (1) OKC- P Ward (2) Hanson (10) Bernhardt (9)
6/24- SF 6 CIP 5 Sandberg (ND) 6 H 3 BB 4 ER 3.2 IP Guinn 0 IP HR (L) BS (4) Brumfield 4H 3 2B (19) 3 RBI (56)
HR- Stachowski (1) SF- Salinas walk off 2R HR (5)
6/25- CIP 8 SF 6 Merera (W) 5.2 IP 8 H 5 K 4 ER (12-0 2.78) Guinn SV (21) Garcia 2B (20) HR 2R 3 RBI (47) Guzman 3H HR 2R BB 2 RBI (49) SB (26)
HR- Garcia (15) Guzman (7) SF- Weems (10)
6/26- SF 9 CIP 5 Morris (L) 5 IP 10 H 8R 7 ER (10-5 3.15)
HR- Garcia (16) Guzman (8) SF- Henderson (8) Vega (4)
6/27- CIP 11 NE 6 Bush (ND) 6 IP 9 H 3 ER Gross BS (5) (W) IP 3 H 2 ER Brumfield 3H HR 2R 2 RBI (60) Garcia 2H 2B (21) BB Cho 2H HR 5 RBI (32)
HR- Brumfield (15) McLain (18) Cho (9)
6/28- CIP 4 NE 3 Avendano (ND) 6.2 IP 3 H 3R 2 ER Guinn SV (22)
HR- Brumfield (16) NE- Scott (8)


LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- 3B Allan Ronaldson (CBK) 11-22 5 HR 11 RBI
NL POTW- CF Jose Zambrano (WAS) 12-25 5 HR 10 RBI

[gehrig38]

WEEK 14
1 vs New England OFF DAY 3 @ Jacksonville 2 vs Atlanta
RUNS SCORED: 490 (1st)
RUNS AGAINST: 381 (3rd)
OBP: .343 (1st)
STARTERS ERA: 3.92 (4th)
RELIEVERS ERA: 4.40 (7th)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .714 (2nd)
ZONE RATING: +12.1 (5th)
ERRORS: 49 (5th)

RESULTS (52-37 +6)
1-0 vs New England 2-1 @ Jacksonville 2-0 vs Atlanta
6/29- CIP 4 NE 2 Sandberg (W) 8 IP 6 H 2 ER (8-2 4.14) Guinn SV (23) Brumfield 8th inning GW 2R HR
HR- Cho (10) Brumfield (17) NE- Cotter (18)

• John Slavin (SD) threw a 2-hitter fanning 3 in a CG 2-0 win over Los Angeles. He's 6-5 4.97. Slavin was 1-9 45 SV 4.38 for the Missions last year. He's spent the year in the rotation, this being his 17th start.

6/30- OFF DAY
7/1- CIP 6 JAX 0 Merera (W) 13-0 2.61 7.1 IP 4 H 9 K Chiquete grand slam 4 RBI (7)
HR- McLain (19) Chiquete GS (2)
7/2- JAX 14 CIP 7 Morris (L) 3.2 IP 8 K 7 H 2 HR 9 ER Krieg 3H 2 2B (23) 2R RBI (39)
HR- Guzman (9) JAX- Ramirez GS (13) Piepenburg (7) Wynott (4) Barr (4)
7/3- CIP 6 JAX 0 Bush (W) 7.2 IP 2 H 2 K 3 BB (3-7 4.93) Dames 3H SB (6) R 2 RBI (27) McLain HR 3 RBI (54) 2R
HR- McLain (20)

• Chris Andrezejewski (PIT) went the distance on a 5-hitter to beat New York 5-0 and improve to 5-8 3.40.

7/4- CIP 6 ATL 5 Avendano (ND) 7 IP 9 H 9 K 4 ER Gross BS (6) Guinn (W) 4-6 4.70 Guzman 2B (24) walk off GW HR 2R 2 RBI (56)
HR- Garcia (17) Guzman WO (10) ATL- J Smith (7) Searle (6)
7/5- CIP 9 ATL 0 Sandberg (W) 7.1 IP 4 H 5 K Brumfield 2-2 2 HR 4 RBI (70) 3R 2 BB McLain 3-3 2B (6) BB R RBI (56)
HR- Brumfield 2 (19) Roberts (8)


LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- 1B Juan Carbajal (CHI) 11-25 3 HR 6 RBI
NL POTW- CF Jon Smith (ATL) 10-19 3 HR 5 RBI

[gehrig38]

JUNE IN REVIEW
AL PLAYER OF THE MONTH- RF Carlo Ambrogi (WYO) .380-9-29 31 R .462 OBP
NL PLAYER OF THE MONTH- 1B Alex Aguillon (FRE) .382-9-32 21 R
AL PITCHER OF THE MONTH- Jim Bruckner (WYO) 3-0 9 Saves 1.29
NL PITCHER OF THE MONTH- Alberto Merera (CIP) 5-0 3.18 34 IP 30 K
AL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH- C David Watry (WYO) .341-2-19 (Wyoming sweeps the monthly awards)
NL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH- 1B Alex Aquirre (PHX) .385-3-19

IRON PIGS MONTH IN REVIEW

• Blake Reynolds (AA) went 5-1 2.70 to win AA Pitcher of the month. Reynolds was a 16th round pick in the 2011 draft.
• Edwin Mejia (A) hit .369-8-27 to win Class A Player of the month. Edwin was the 9th round pick in 2012.

PLAYER OF THE MONTH- Bill Brumfield .297/.402/.622 9 HR 32 RBI
PITCHER OF THE MONTH- Alberto Merera 5-0 3.18
MINOR LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH- TIE
Edwin Mejia (A) .369/.430/.750 8 HR 27 RBI 20 R
Fernando Aviles (AA) .380/.463/.732 6 HR 19 RBI 21 R
MINOR LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH- Nick Terrell (AAA) 4-0 2.27 35.2 IP 26 K 0.95 WHIP

4 regulars with OPS of over 1.000 seems like a winning formula. The offense has clearly found its stride and Merera and Sandberg (who was 1 start from being taken out of the rotation) combined to go 9-0 in 11 starts. Bush with a .346 BABIP tells me that while he may have been bad, he wasn't that bad. Guinn's month is a bit worrisome.

[gehrig38]

WEEK 15
1 vs Atlanta 3 @ Pittsburgh 3 vs San Diego
RUNS SCORED: 529 (1st)
RUNS AGAINST: 401 (3rd)
OBP: .343 (2nd)
STARTERS ERA: 3.80 (3rd)
RELIEVERS ERA: 4.45 (7th)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .716 (2nd)
ZONE RATING: +15.3 (3rd)
ERRORS: 50 (3rd)

RESULTS (57-39 +9)
1-0 vs Atlanta 1-2 @ Pittsburgh 3-0 vs San Diego
7/6- CIP 11 ATL 1 Merera (W) CG 4 H 6 K 1 ER (14-0 2.50) Garcia 4H 2B (25) HR SB (8) 2R 4 RBI (58) Cho 4-4 2 2B (22) BB 3R RBI (35)
HR- Brumfield (20) Garcia (18) Dames (5)
7/7- PIT 2 CIP 1 Morris (L) CG 8 H 2 ER 2 K (10-7 3.62)
HR-Cho (11) PIT- McNitt (2)
7/8- PIT 3 CIP 0 Bush (L) CG 6 H 3 K 3 ER (3-8 4.81)
Andrezejewski (W) 8 IP 4 H 11 K (6-8 3.19) Shea SV (24)
7/9- CIP 7 PIT 5 Avendano (W) 7.2 IP 8 H 5 ER (4-8 4.80) Guinn SV (24) Garcia 3H 2B (26) HR BB 2R RBI (59) Cho 2B (23) HR 4 RBI (40)
HR- Cho (12) Garcia (19) PIT- Workman (10) Flores (3)
Sharpe (L) 6.2 IP 9 H 7 R 3 ER (7-9 3,82)
7/10- CIP 6 SD 5 Sandberg (ND) 6 IP 6 H 6 K 2 ER Guinn SV (25) Guzman 3H 3B (2) 2 RBI (59) Brumfield 0-2 3 BB
HR- McLain (21)
Merera (14-0) vs Juan Laurel (10-4 2.11 3x Koufax winner) tomorrow
7/11- CIP 5 SD 0 Merera (W) CG 6 H 5 K 2 BB (15-0 2.35) Laurel (L) CG 8 H 5 ER (10-5 2.27) Krieg 2B (25) 2 RBI (42)
7/12- CIP 9 SD 4 Morris (W) 8 IP 8 H 8 K 0 BB 3 ER (11-7 3.61) Krieg 2 2B (27) 3B (2) 2 RBI (44) Dames 2 2B (14) R RBI (32)
HR- SD Cole (2)


LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- 3B Matt Jones (CLE) 9-14 3 HR 7 RBI
NL POTW- SS Justin Ward (IND) 12-23 3 HR 6 RBI

1. Charlotte inked RP Dan Baker, a 2-time all-star, to a 2 year 5.8 million dollar extension.

IRON PIG NEWS

• Andy Williams (AAA) remains on a tear since being returned from New England. He went 11-23 3 HR 4 RBI to win another POTW award. He's now hitting .324-14-36 in 55 games.

[gehrig38]

ALL STAR BREAK
It's All-Star Game time -- time for the superstars to shine! Every year International Baseball League takes a break in the schedule to play the annual All-Star Game. It's a battle of the superstars -- the American League All-Stars versus the National League All-Stars. The All-Star Game will spotlight the best hitters, the best pitchers and the best fielders, all doing battle against one another, all trying to prove their league is best.

The American League roster will feature these outstanding players:

SP Bobby Bynum (DAL) - 7-2, 2.38 ERA, 87.0 IP, 1.07 WHIP, 6.9 K/9, 2.2 WAR (Injured)
SP Alberto Castillo (CHA) - 7-8, 3.63 ERA, 136.1 IP, 1.31 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 3.9 WAR
SP Rusty Francis (POR) - 9-7, 3.61 ERA, 142.0 IP, 1.30 WHIP, 7.2 K/9, 3.3 WAR
SP Chris Frisk (DAL) - 13-4, 2.54 ERA, 142.0 IP, 1.05 WHIP, 6.9 K/9, 2.6 WAR
SP Travis Hilly (CLE)* - 9-8, 2.54 ERA, 166.2 IP, 1.11 WHIP, 7.0 K/9, 5.6 WAR
SP Terry Kapitan (SI) - 10-0, 2.69 ERA, 130.2 IP, 1.20 WHIP, 4.8 K/9, 3.1 WAR
SP Ross Mims (DET) - 7-4, 3.34 ERA, 113.1 IP, 1.27 WHIP, 3.7 K/9, 1.7 WAR
SP George Stout (CBK) - 10-5, 3.03 ERA, 145.1 IP, 1.23 WHIP, 7.3 K/9, 3.8 WAR
RP Brad Eldred (AUS)* - 7-1, 1.78 ERA, 60.2 IP, 0.96 WHIP, 5.8 K/9, 1.0 WAR
CL Dave Castilleja (SJ) - 3-4, 27 SV, 2.92 ERA, 40.0 IP, 1.23 WHIP, 7.0 K/9, 1.1 WAR
CL Brian Myers (BOS) - 6-5, 24 SV, 3.49 ERA, 49.0 IP, 1.12 WHIP, 10.5 K/9, 1.4 WAR
CL Paul Schott (UT) - 2-9, 14 SV, 5.22 ERA, 39.2 IP, 1.18 WHIP, 7.3 K/9, 1.0 WAR
CL Jorge Torres (CHI) - 3-1, 11 SV, 3.10 ERA, 61.0 IP, 1.28 WHIP, 8.7 K/9, -0.3 WAR
CL Quincy Williams (POR) - 3-3, 27 SV, 1.83 ERA, 39.1 IP, 1.22 WHIP, 9.2 K/9, 1.2 WAR
C D.J. Biggs (CBK)* - .273/.384/.403, 216 AB, 5 HR, 1 SB, 117 wRC+, 1.8 WAR
C Pat Parnell (CHA) - .268/.333/.388, 250 AB, 5 HR, 96 wRC+, 1.8 WAR
C David Watry (WYO) - .281/.331/.414, 295 AB, 5 HR, 1 SB, 98 wRC+, 1.1 WAR
1B Kenny Andrew (CBK) - .334/.447/.697, 350 AB, 33 HR, 4 SB, 185 wRC+, 5.0 WAR
1B Josh Hardison (CHA) - .295/.344/.585, 366 AB, 26 HR, 144 wRC+, 2.6 WAR
1B Michael McVaugh (WYO)* - .308/.448/.674, 328 AB, 31 HR, 9 SB, 183 wRC+, 4.8 WAR
2B Jonathan Flores (PHI)* - .292/.358/.505, 295 AB, 14 HR, 131 wRC+, 2.3 WAR (Injured)
3B Omar Argueta (DEN) - .273/.356/.432, 322 AB, 11 HR, 3 SB, 113 wRC+, 1.6 WAR
3B Lakota Curtis (SJ) - .282/.349/.451, 284 AB, 10 HR, 3 SB, 112 wRC+, 1.5 WAR
3B Kile Lanning (CHI) - .294/.360/.438, 354 AB, 8 HR, 4 SB, 116 wRC+, 2.2 WAR
3B Jason Ligue (WYO)* - .280/.363/.450, 353 AB, 10 HR, 6 SB, 121 wRC+, 2.8 WAR
SS Devin Garland (WYO) - .306/.343/.503, 320 AB, 10 HR, 3 SB, 122 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
SS Scott Wamboldt (SI)* - .280/.352/.534, 339 AB, 21 HR, 4 SB, 133 wRC+, 4.5 WAR
LF Joe Davis (CHA) - .268/.357/.611, 339 AB, 32 HR, 11 SB, 151 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
LF Andrew Hubbard (POR) - .344/.416/.555, 337 AB, 11 HR, 8 SB, 157 wRC+, 4.0 WAR
LF Sergio Santiago (SI) - .339/.429/.500, 330 AB, 8 HR, 19 SB, 144 wRC+, 3.2 WAR
LF Jake Tillie (CLE)* - .287/.375/.513, 335 AB, 17 HR, 48 SB, 133 wRC+, 4.0 WAR
LF Jose Villa (BRO) - .330/.428/.524, 351 AB, 12 HR, 160 wRC+, 3.0 WAR
CF David Silva (DAL)* - .324/.370/.482, 355 AB, 4 HR, 16 SB, 125 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
RF Carlo Ambrogi (WYO)* - .393/.455/.699, 356 AB, 23 HR, 200 wRC+, 5.3 WAR
RF Mike Klotzbach (CBK) - .293/.383/.617, 324 AB, 28 HR, 14 SB, 156 wRC+, 4.1 WAR
RF Tristian Nicholson (DEN) - .269/.348/.561, 342 AB, 27 HR, 13 SB, 139 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
RF Zach Stewart (PHI)* - .289/.412/.749, 311 AB, 44 HR, 12 SB, 192 wRC+, 5.5 WAR


And the National League roster will have these elite performers:

SP Chris Andrzejewski (PIT) - 6-8, 3.19 ERA, 129.2 IP, 1.26 WHIP, 8.3 K/9, 2.4 WAR
SP Eric Davis (LA) - 10-4, 3.48 ERA, 147.1 IP, 1.06 WHIP, 7.1 K/9, 3.5 WAR
SP Nick Grieshop (WAS) - 7-6, 3.01 ERA, 119.2 IP, 1.17 WHIP, 6.5 K/9, 2.8 WAR
SP Juan Laurel (SD)* - 10-5, 2.27 ERA, 174.1 IP, 1.08 WHIP, 9.7 K/9, 7.4 WAR
SP Alberto Merera (CIP) - 15-0, 2.35 ERA, 142.0 IP, 1.01 WHIP, 6.9 K/9, 3.8 WAR
SP Ron Powell (ATL) - 8-4, 3.61 ERA, 107.1 IP, 1.17 WHIP, 7.0 K/9, 2.5 WAR
SP Sergio Ramirez (WAS) - 11-5, 3.02 ERA, 128.1 IP, 1.16 WHIP, 6.5 K/9, 2.1 WAR
RP Alberto Bajana (IND) - 1-1, 3.55 ERA, 63.1 IP, 1.22 WHIP, 5.0 K/9, 0.6 WAR
RP Colby Rossell (SF) - 7-2, 4.03 ERA, 89.1 IP, 1.33 WHIP, 5.5 K/9, 0.5 WAR
RP David Underwood (OKC)* - 2-7, 4 SV, 5.30 ERA, 35.2 IP, 1.54 WHIP, 4.5 K/9, 0.3 WAR
CL Sincere Guinn (CIP) - 4-6, 25 SV, 4.68 ERA, 32.2 IP, 1.19 WHIP, 8.8 K/9, 0.2 WAR
CL Rick McKitrick (SF) - 2-2, 25 SV, 2.48 ERA, 40.0 IP, 0.97 WHIP, 9.7 K/9, 1.4 WAR
CL Bobby Taylor (NE) - 3-4, 16 SV, 1.35 ERA, 33.1 IP, 1.14 WHIP, 7.3 K/9, 1.1 WAR
C Bryan Bernhardt (OKC)* - .277/.389/.457, 282 AB, 12 HR, 119 wRC+, 2.1 WAR
C Motoya Kaneshiro (PHX) - .292/.355/.490, 253 AB, 11 HR, 124 wRC+, 2.6 WAR
C Joey Syck (SD) - .269/.331/.497, 294 AB, 17 HR, 113 wRC+, 1.6 WAR
1B Alex Aguillon (FRE)* - .325/.438/.620, 332 AB, 24 HR, 1 SB, 152 wRC+, 3.3 WAR
1B Bobby Cotter (NE)* - .344/.402/.580, 381 AB, 20 HR, 148 wRC+, 2.6 WAR
1B Mike Geiselman (SD) - .299/.404/.503, 338 AB, 17 HR, 2 SB, 143 wRC+, 3.2 WAR
1B Chris Hanson (OKC) - .324/.436/.521, 336 AB, 12 HR, 159 wRC+, 3.1 WAR
1B Darius Harper (WAS) - .346/.416/.544, 309 AB, 11 HR, 153 wRC+, 3.0 WAR
1B Marco Lopez (IND)* - .336/.402/.577, 345 AB, 17 HR, 3 SB, 155 wRC+, 2.3 WAR
2B Matt Cameron (NY) - .307/.370/.550, 349 AB, 23 HR, 7 SB, 146 wRC+, 2.8 WAR
2B Justin Gonzalez (EP)* - .284/.371/.541, 327 AB, 21 HR, 1 SB, 137 wRC+, 2.0 WAR
2B Sean Kramer (NY) - .263/.352/.497, 334 AB, 21 HR, 1 SB, 126 wRC+, 2.9 WAR
2B Miguel Rodriguez (PHX) - .236/.332/.472, 326 AB, 19 HR, 2 SB, 99 wRC+, 2.1 WAR
3B Gus Garcia (CIP) - .317/.419/.594, 325 AB, 19 HR, 8 SB, 152 wRC+, 3.2 WAR
3B Kevin O'Brien (LV)* - .299/.381/.525, 341 AB, 19 HR, 1 SB, 145 wRC+, 3.2 WAR
SS Juan Colon (FRE) - .296/.359/.502, 307 AB, 17 HR, 1 SB, 128 wRC+, 3.7 WAR
SS Jared Piepenburg (JAX) - .263/.329/.385, 338 AB, 7 HR, 92 wRC+, 0.3 WAR
LF John McDermott (LV) - .329/.401/.637, 237 AB, 14 HR, 1 SB, 169 wRC+, 3.1 WAR
LF John Parillo (LA)* - .325/.375/.587, 252 AB, 15 HR, 154 wRC+, 2.5 WAR (Injured)
CF Rico Guzman (CIP)* - .298/.378/.477, 346 AB, 10 HR, 29 SB, 126 wRC+, 2.9 WAR
CF Ricardo Santana (LV) - .242/.317/.507, 363 AB, 20 HR, 15 SB, 113 wRC+, 3.7 WAR
RF Daniel Gonzales (WAS) - .326/.358/.550, 353 AB, 15 HR, 5 SB, 141 wRC+, 2.7 WAR
RF Mike Weems (SF)* - .363/.486/.605, 314 AB, 12 HR, 18 SB, 177 wRC+, 5.2 WAR

[gehrig38]

WEEK 16
ALL-STAR BREAK 3 vs El Paso
RUNS SCORED: 541 (1st)
RUNS AGAINST: 416 (2nd)
OBP: .344 (2nd)
STARTERS ERA: 3.84 (2nd)
RELIEVERS ERA: 4.36 (6th)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .715 (2nd)
ZONE RATING: +16,8 (3rd)
ERRORS: 51 (3rd)

• Carlo Ambrogi (WYO) went 2-2 to win the ASG MVP as the AL beat the NL 4-2. Rico Guzman started and went 0-3 and Gus Garcia was 1-1.

RESULTS (59-40 +10)
2-1 vs El Paso
7/17- CIP 4 EP 3 Down 3-1 bottom 9. Bush (ND) 6.1 IP 7 H 2 R 0 ER 9 K Cho 3H 2B (24) 2 RBI (44) Dames 2B walk off 1B
7/18- EP 8 CIP 1 Avendano (L) 4.1 IP 6 H 6 ER (4-9 5.06)
HR- EP- Bazaldua GS (24)
7/19- CIP 7 EP 4 Sandberg (W) 5.1 IP 5 H 3 ER (10-2 3.95) Guinn SV (26) McLain 2H GS 5 RBI (65)
HR- McLain GS (22) EP- Bazaldua (25) Hirabayashi (7)

LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- LF Sergio Santiago (SI) 8-14 2 HR 9 RBI
NL POTW- 1B Alex Aguillon (FRE) 7-10 4 HR 7 RBI

[gehrig38]

WEEK 17
3 @ Indianapolis 3 vs Phoenix 1 @ Los Angeles
RUNS SCORED: 568 (1st)
RUNS AGAINST: 444 (t-2nd)
OBP: .342 (2nd)
STARTERS ERA: 3.81 (2nd)
RELIEVERS ERA: 4.43 (7th)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .718 (1st)
ZONE RATING: +15.5 (5th)
ERRORS: 55 (t-3rd)

RESULTS (62-44 +8)
1-2 @ Indianapolis 2-1 vs Phoenix 0-1 @ LA
7/20- CIP 9 IND 4 (10) Merera (ND) 7 IP 4 H 2 ER Down 2-0 until 7th, down 4-2 into the 9th. Brumfield 4H 2 2B (22) 2 RBI (75) Garcia GW 2B (30) BB 2R 3 RBI (65) Pedraza 2H BB 3R RBI game tying 1B in the 9th
HR- IND- Hogarth (19)
7/21- IND 10 CIP 0 Morris (L) 6 IP 8 H 5 ER (11-8 3.77) Alan Henderson 0.2 IP 5 H 3 HR 5 ER (5.18) Hogarth (IND) 3H 3 RBI (72)
HR- IND-C Nicholson 2 (23) Stoddart (2) J Cobb (3)

• Matt Sainsbury will come off his rehab and go into the rotation with Ricky Avendano moving to the bullpen and lefty Alan Henderson being demoted to New Orleans. Sainsbury was acquired from Brooklyn last month and hurt at the time so spent the month in New Orleans. He's a legit middle to top end starter (3.5* potential). 18-31 4.44 the past two years in Brooklun with a 1.35 WHIP and 346 K's in 360.1 IP allowing 372 H. After a great 2014 (16-8 3.95) Avendano has struggled going 4-9 5.06 over his 20 GS. He'll even out the bullpen R/L wise for now. Sainsbury will open the Phoenix series on the 23rd. He was 5-3 3.03 with Brooklyn before the trade.

7/22- IND 3 CIP 2 (11) Bush (ND) 7.2 IP 5 H 2 ER Guinn (L) 1.1 IP ER (4-7 4.63) Cho GT HR in the 9th.
HR- Cho (13) IND- Ortega (13) Hurt PH walk-off (1)
7/23- CIP 8 PHX 3 Sainsbury (W) 8+ IP 6 H 3 K 0 BB 3 ER (1-0) McLain 2B (7) HR 3 RBI (68)
HR- Pedraza (6) Brumfield (21) McLain (23) PHX- Perrizo (4)
7/24- CIP 5 {HX 0 Sandberg (W) 8.1 IP 3 H 6 K (11-2 3.70) Guzman 2H HR 2R 3 RBI (63)
HR- Guzman (11)

• Travis Hilly (CLE) fired his league-leading 3rd CG SHO in a 6-0 win over Dallas to move to 11-8 2.50.

7-25- PHX 4 CIP 2 Merera (L) 22 game winning streak halted 6.2 IP 8 H 9 K 4 ER (15-1 2.49) Brumfield 2H HR 2R RBI (78)
HR- Brumfield (22) PHX- Santiago (18) M Rodriguez (21)
7-26- LA 4 CIP 1 4R LA 1st. Morris (L) 7.1 IP 7 K 4R 3 ER (11-9 3.76)
HR- Brumfield (23)


LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- SS Scott Wamboldt (SI) 13-26 4 HR 13 RBI
NL POTW- LF Alez Bazaldua (EP) 8-19 5 HR 10 RBI

IRON PIG NEWS
Knuckleballer Jonathan Bailey (A) tossed 8 scoreless on Friday in a 9-0 win. He's 7-6 4.42.

[gehrig38]

WEEK 18
2 @ Los Angeles OFF DAY 3 vs Fresno 1 @ New York
RUNS SCORED: 602 (1st)
RUNS AGAINST: 472 (3rd)
OBP: .342 (2nd)
STARTERS ERA: 3.94 (3rd)
RELIEVERS ERA: 4.21 (6th)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .719 (1st)
ZONE RATING: +18.8 (4th)
ERRORS: 56 (3rd)

RESULTS (65-47 +9)
0-2 @ LA OFF DAY 2-1 vs Fresno 1-0 vs NYP
7/27- LA 6 CIP 3 Bush (L) 7 IP 10 H 6 ER (3-9 4.58)
HR- Brumfield (24) LA- Clites (5)

• Paul Schott (UT) recorded his 300th career save. The 36 year old is 63-67 2.76 ERA and a 4-time all-star and 2-time world champion. He won the Mariano Rivera award last year.

7/28- LA 3 CIP 2 Sainsbury (L) 7.1 IP 8 H 7 K 3 ER Boyce (LA) (W) 8 IP 6 H 5 K 2 ER (13-6 3.39)
HR- Brumfield (25) McLain (24)
7/29- OFF DAY
7/30- CIP 8 FRE 7 (10) Sandberg (ND) 5.2 IP 4 BB 7 ER Avendano (W) 4.1 IP 2 H 3 K Guzman 4H 2B (32) 2 SB (33) 2R RBI (64) Garcia 2B (32) HR 3 RBI (69) Brumfield 2 HR 2 RBI (84)
HR- Brumfield 2 (27) Garcia (20) FRE- T Clark (17) J Smith (12)
7/31- FRE 7 CIP 3 Merera (L) 3.2 IP 3 HR 3 BB 6 ER (15-2 2.77)
HR- Pedraza (7) FRE- J Chavez (4) T Clark (18) Colon (19) Luebke (10)
Morris vs Zach McMillion tomorrow.
8/1- CIP 2 FRE 0 Magic was in the air and on the mound at Iron Pigs Field, as Joey Morris held the Fresno Enforcers spellbound in his 2-0 shutout victory. The Chicago Iron Pigs pitcher went the distance, rang up 8 strikeouts, walked 1, and held the Enforcers to 5 hits.
"He just had us in his thrall," Fresno manager Peter Pero said. "We couldn't put anything together against him."
This season, Morris has compiled a 12-9 mark, 3.56 ERA and made 23 starts.

• Once again Zach Stewart's HR chase gets held up. He strained an oblique and will be out 2-3 weeks. He's sitting at .299-51-102
• IF Josh Logan (AA) went 5-6 in a 10-9 loss to Henderson. The 2011 15th round pick is hitting .292-5-34.

8/2- CIP 16 NYP 5 Bush (W) 5 IP 5 H 5 BB 5 ER (4-9 4.75) Brumfield 3H HR 2 BB 4R 2 RBI (86) Cho 4H 2 2B (26) 3B (1) BB 2R 3 RBI (48) Pedraza 3H 2 2B (7) 2R 4 RBI (26)
HR- Brumfield (28) NYP- Cameron (27)


LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- 1B Kenny Andrew (CBK) 9-19 3 HR 6 RBI
NL POTW- 2B Chris Nicholson (IND) 9-21 4 HR 9 RBI

[gehrig38]

IRON PIG NEWS
You can't always get what you want, but sometimes you find a deal anyway. The Baseball News Network is reporting that Chicago and Oklahoma City have made a swap with 24-year old minor league RF Daniel Perez, 22-year old minor league 2B Enrique Garza, 23-year old minor league LHP Augusto Campos, 26-year old minor league RHP Sergio Zapata, and a 3rd round draft pick being shipped to the Tornado and in return the Iron Pigs would get 25-year old LHP Drew Bruen and a 2nd round draft pick.

Chicago general manager Curt Schilling said the two sides were close to a blockbuster trade before agreeing upon a smaller-scale transaction.

"This is just a bit of housekeeping compared to what we wanted to do," he said. "I won't name names, but the potential deal we were close to making would have certainly grabbed some headlines."

A source inside the Chicago organization said the two sides might not be done dealing, and another transaction could be in the works.

Thus far this year, Perez is batting .239 with 3 home runs, 7 RBIs and 7 runs scored.

In 15 starts this season, Bruen has chalked up a 7-4 record and a 4.71 ERA.

BACKROOM CHATTER
Bruen is a starter in the long run. For now he'll take a spot in the bullpen and Aaron Prochaska will be optioned to New Orleans. This trade was far more about opening up some room in the high minors for IP and AB's. Perez was very good in limited time last year (.258-12-37) but we have a back-loaded organization when it comes to RHH outfielders.
The pick swap was a nice add.
Also on Sunday, we claimed RH Jonathan Montoya from Pittsburgh. The 24 year old is another power arm for the bullpen, and with options left he's sent to AAA.

[gehrig38]

MONTH IN REVIEW
AL PLAYER OF THE MONTH- RF Zach Stewart (PHI) .304-12-27 24 R (He's hitting .299-51-100 and on a 75 HR pace)
NL PLAYER OF THE MONTH- 1B Mike Geiselman (SD) .389-9-20 24 R
AL PITCHER OF THE MONTH- Brian Jaje (UT) 4-0 1.35 (former CIP, traded in 2011)
NL PITCHER OF THE MONTH- Sergio Ramirez (WAS) 4-0 1.78
AL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH- LF Aaron Jenkins (POR) .444-5-14
NL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH- SP Ed Den Herder (LA) 4-2 3.34

IRON PIGS MONTH IN REVIEW

• AJ Lanigan (AA) hit .309-5-15 to win AA POTM. The 2012 10th round pick is hitting .279-9-26 for the Hawks.
• 1B Fernando Aviles (AA) went 8-18 2 HR 7 RBI to win POTW. Aviles was an 11th round pick in 2012.

PLAYER OF THE MONTH- Bill Brumfield .293/.430/.652 10 HR 19 RBI 1.082 OPS
PITCHER OF THE MONTH- Alberto Merera 3-2 2.74 42.2 IP 37 K 1.08 WHIP
MINOR LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH- 3B Andy Williams (AAA) .367/.440/.886 12 HR 23 RBI 1.326 OPS
MINOR LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH- TIE
Richard Cabales (R ) 4-1 1.38 39 IP 22 H 43 K 0.92 WHIP
Sam Simpson (A) 4-1 1.27 35 IP 15 H 33 K 0.96 WHIP

[gehrig38]

2 @ New York 3 vs Las Vegas 2 vs Washington
RUNS SCORED: 649 (1st)
RUNS AGAINST: 511 (4th)
OBP: .346 (2nd)
STARTERS ERA: 4.11 (5th)
RELIEVERS ERA: 3.98 (2nd)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .716 (2nd)
ZONE RATING: +18.1 (4th)
ERRORS: 63 (t-3rd)

RESULTS (69-50 +11)
2-0 @ New York 0-3 vs Las Vegas 2-0 vs Washington
8/3- CIP 6 NYP 5 (10) Sainsbury (ND) 5 IP 6 H 4 BB 4 ER Guinn (W) 2 IP 1 ER (5-7 4.50) Stachowski 4H 2 2B (10) R RBI (14) Deal GW 2B (5)
HR- NYP- K Terry (11)
8/4- CIP 13 NYP 4 Sandberg (W) 5 IP 6 H 5 BB 4 ER (12-2 4.12) Avendano 4 IP H 4 K Guzman 2H HR 2 BB 2R 3 RBI (68) Garcia 2 HR BB 3R 2 RBI (75) Krieg 2-2 2B (32) R 2 RBI (53)
HR- Garcia 2 (22) Guzman (12) NYP- Galan (22) Cameron (28)

• Alberto Castillo was in a mood to talk following the Charlotte Defenders contest against the Cleveland Gladiators, expounding to BNN reporters on his pitching philosophy. He had good reason to be excitable, having tossed a complete game shutout of the Gladiators, 4-0.
• "There are three important elements in pitching success: location, location, and location," Castillo said. "I was hitting my spots time and time again."
• The left-hander blanked Cleveland on a 5-hitter, allowing 2 walks and racking up 9 strikeouts.
• In 25 starts this year, Castillo has posted 11 wins while suffering 9 losses. He has pitched 174.1 innings, allowed 169 hits, struck out 142 and has a 3.61 ERA.

8/5- LV 7 CIP 6 Merera (ND) 7 IP 7 H 3 HR 5R 4 ER Bruen (L) 1 IP 3 H 2 ER (0-1)
McDermott (LV) 3H 2 HR 3R 2 RBI (65)
HR- Garcia (23) McLain (25) LV- McDermott 2 (19) Santana (24) O'Brien (23)
8/6- LV 5 CIP 2 Morris (L) 6.2 IP 9 H 5 ER (12-10 3.68) Domingo Deal 3H R
8/7- LV 10 CIP 6 Bush (L) 3 IP 7 H 8 ER (4-10 5.17) Brumfield 3-3 BB 2B (25) R 2 RBI (89)
Ricardo Santana (LV) 4-4 2B (31) HR (25) 2R 3 RBI (67)
HR- Stachowski (2) LV- Santana (25) W Williams (13)

• Newly acquired Drew Bruen will enter the rotation and lefty Joe Bush will head to the bullpen to get his game straight. Bush has struggled hard, 4-10 5.17 with a WHIP of 1.47.

8/8- CIP 7 WAS 2 Sainsbury (W) 5 IP 5 H 4 K 2R 0 ER (2-1 3.55) McLain 3-3 BB 3B (3) HR 2R 3 RBI (75) Cho 3H 2B (27) 2 RBI (50)
HR- McLain (26)
8/9- CIP 7 WAS 6 Sandberg (ND) 4.2 IP 9 H 5 ER Gross SV (2) Garcia 3-4 2R SB (9) Chiquete 3H 2B (10) HR 2 RBI (15)
HR- McLain (27) Chiquete (3) Brumfield (29)

• Cleveland Gladiators right-hander Travis Hilly used his full arsenal to shoot down the Portland Spartans, 10-0. All day long, he exhibited fine command of all his pitches, giving up 1 walk and striking out 5. Hilly allowed 5 hits in the victory.
• "It felt like my catcher and I were on the same page all day, and Portland was on a way, way different page," Hilly said.
• In 26 starts this year, Hilly has posted 13 wins while suffering 9 losses. He has pitched 209.1 innings, allowed 177 hits, struck out 156 and has a 2.41 ERA.

LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- 2B Sergio Loredo (WYO) 15-30 3 HR 7 RBI
NL POTW- RF Mike Clayton (ATL) 14-24 4 HR 7 RBI

IRON PIG NEWS

• Rookie league Minneapolis sent two Pitchers to the all-star game. 2015 4th rounder Richard Cabales (3.5*) 4-2 2.70 46.2 IP 51 K 1.22 WHIP and International Free-Agent Manny Rodriguez (4*) 1-2 11 Saves 0.44 ERA 20.1 IP 8 H 19 K 12 BB 0.98 WHIP. Rodriguez is the IBL's #72 prospect.
• 2011 top overall pick and epic disappointment to date, Mike Johnson had to wait several agonizing days to find out his diagnosis after suffering a broken kneecap on 08/03/2015. Today he received word from the Albuquerque doctor that he would be out the rest of the year. Team officials called it a huge setback but something they would have to overcome.
• Batting .444 to date, Johnson has no home runs and 1 RBI.
• Short Season Nashville had 2 players selected to the All-star game.
• SP Mike Harper (3-4 2.95) and SS Dustin Reis (.311/.404/.426). Harper was taken in the 1st round (33rd overall) last year and Reis was selected in the 11th round (365th overall) this year.

[gehrig38]

WEEK 20
1 vs Washington OFF DAY 3 @ OKC 2 vs San Francisco
RUNS SCORED: 704 (1st)
RUNS AGAINST: 524 (2nd)
OBP: .348 (1st)
STARTERS ERA: 4.00 (5th)
RELIEVERS ERA: 3.93 (1st)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .718 (1st)
ZONE RATING: +19.2 (4th)
ERRORS: 63 (3rd)

RESULTS (74-51 +15)
1-0 vs Washington 2-1 @ OKC 2-0 vs San Francisco
8/10- CIP 12 WAS 0 Merera (W) 8.2 IP 4 H 6 K (16-2 2.73) Guzman 2H 2B (35) 3R Garcia 3H 3B (7) HR 3R 4 RBI (81) SB (10) Brumfield 3H 2B (27) Nieves 3H 2B (17) 2 RBI (44) Cho 2B 2 HR 3R 3 RBI (53)
HR- Cho 2 (15) Garcia (24)
8/11- OFF DAY
8/12- OKC 3 CIP 1 Morris (L) 6+ IP 4 H 5 K 2 ER (12-11 3.66)
HR- Brumfield (30)

• In a seemingly effortless performance, Jared Ventura of the Phoenix Roadrunners shot down the Pittsburgh Miners, 3-0, on 4 hits. "Jared was just locating so well and using his pitches," Phoenix manager Marco Delgado said later. "He wasn't leaving anything over the plate."
• Ventura recorded 8 strikeouts and no walks in a strong outing. "When he needed to make pitches, he elevated his game," Pittsburgh manager Raul Chavez said in postgame comments to BNN. "We couldn't get a key hit off him." This year, Ventura has recorded a 12-8 mark. In 27 starts he has fanned 139 batters in 200 innings with a 3.69 ERA.
• Manny Martinez of the Chicago Hitmen went on a hitting spree against the Denver Saints pitching staff, racking up 5 hits in 5 at-bats, but to no avail -- the Saints put a damper on his day and prevailed, 10-6, over the Hitmen. "It was a heck of a day and I was kind of looking forward to a better ending than that," he said later. Manny Martinez hit a GRAND SLAM off Andres Angel in the 1st, singled in the 3rd, singled in the 5th, singled in the 7th and doubled in the 9th.
• Martinez is currently hitting at a .285 pace with 8 home runs and 45 RBIs. He has played in 110 games and scored 56 times.

8/13- CIP 10 OKC 2 Bruen (W) 7.1 IP 7 H 8 K 2 ER (1-1 3.75) Guzman 2H HR 2R 2 RBI (72)
HR- Guzman (13) OKC- Cooper (9) Woods (11)

• The strong arm of Brent Risinger dealt a lot of misery to the Revolution. He tossed a complete-game shutout to spark the New York Punishers to a 7-0 win. In today's contest at Judges Park, Risinger limited New England to 2 hits and had 9 strikeouts and 2 walks. This year, Risinger has a 7-14 mark in 26 starts with a 5.79 ERA. He has given up 162 hits in 147.2 innings, struck out 111 and issued 45 walks. Opposing clubs have compiled a .274 batting average against him.

8/14- CIP 12 OKC 3 Sainsbury (W) 6.2 IP 6 H 3 ER (3-1 3.66) Guzman 4-4 BB 3R 2 RBI (74) Brumfield 2 HR BB 3R 3 RBI (97)
HR- Brumfield 2 (32) Cho (16) Krieg (12) Garcia (25) Chiquete (4) Guzman (14)
8/15- CIP 10 SF 4 Sandberg (W) 5.1 IP 6 H 5 BB 2 ER (13-2 4.26) Avendano SV (2) 3.2 IP 2 ER Roberts 3H SB (11) 2R RBI (47) Nieves 3-3 HR 2R 4 RBI (49)
HR- Nieves (13) SF- Henderson (12)

• In a remarkable performance, Minneapolis Berserkers (AA) starter Richard Cabales beat the Medicine Hat Fire Dogs, 4-0, in an impressive 3-hit shutout. "My arm felt good, mechanics were good and my stuff was working," he said later. "It doesn't get any better than this." The Berserkers hurler finished with 10 strikeouts and 2 walks. He showed pinpoint control and a sharp fastball. "It was a rough one for my guys," Medicine Hat manager Justin Sanders said, following the game. "We weren't at our best and their guy was." This year, Cabales has worked 60.2 innings with 67 strikeouts en route to a 5-2 record and a 2.82 ERA. Cabales was taken in the 4th round of this years draft, 141st overall.

8/16- CIP 10 SF 1 Merera (W) CG 3 H 7 K ER (17-2 2.64) Guzman 3H HR SB (40) 3R 2 RBI (77) Garcia 3H HR 2R 4 RBI (87)
HR- Garcia (26) Roberts (9) Guzman (15) SF- Corona (30)


LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- When it came to hitting the baseball, Mike LaFountain had few peers in the American League this past week.
The talented left fielder for San Jose tagged opposing pitchers for a .519 average and was voted the Player of the Week Award. Included in his stats were 14 hits in 27 at-bats, 5 homers, 9 runs scored and 9 RBIs.
LaFountain is hitting .246 this year with 16 home runs, 63 RBIs and 56 runs scored. He has 109 hits in 443 at-bats, 27 walks and a .290 on-base percentage. LaFountain has played in 119 games.
NL POTW- Chicago fans have something to crow about today as Chicago center fielder Rico Guzman nabbed the National League Player of the Week Award for his performance over the last seven days.
"I know there are times when it's hard to lay off pitches. Everyone goes through stretches when he's too eager to put the ball in play. You know, though, I feel like this past week I was able to get in the right frame of mind and just let things come naturally," said Guzman.
He posted a .500 average (13-for-26) this past week with 3 home runs, 8 RBIs, and 12 runs scored.
For the season, Guzman has hit .312 with 15 home runs and 77 RBIs. He has played in 114 games and scored 98 times.

[gehrig38]

Which active pitchers are leading the International Baseball League in career shutouts?

Travis Hilly, CLE, 18
Dan Wilkins, PHI, 12
Juan Laurel, SD, 10
Francisco Alvarez, CHI, 9
Dave Williamson, SJ, 9

Here are the current team power rankings for the International Baseball League:

Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) Chicago Iron Pigs (114.6, ++)
2) Fresno Enforcers (113.4, +)
3) Washington Jets (112.1, ++)
4) Las Vegas Aces (108.7, -)
5) Wyoming Cowboys (108.0, --)
6) Staten Island Sharks (104.5, ++)
7) Charlotte Defenders (103.5, +)
8) Philadelphia Patriots (101.8, --)
9) Chicago Hitmen (100.4, +)
10) Dallas Drillers (99.6, ++)
11) San Diego Missions (97.6, +)
12) Columbus Black Knights (93.9, --)
13) Los Angeles Storm (93.4, --)
14) Pittsburgh Miners (92.4, ++)
15) Denver Saints (92.3, -)
16) Indianapolis Lynx (91.5, +)
17) Atlanta Bombers (87.8, -)
18) Detroit Phantoms (87.6, ++)
19) New York Punishers (86.8, o)
20) Cleveland Gladiators (86.7, --)
21) Boston Colonials (85.2, --)
22) Austin Roughneck (85.1, -)
23) Jacksonville Panthers (79.9, o)
24) Portland Spartans (78.8, +)
25) San Jose Seahawks (75.3, ++)
26) Oklahoma City Tornado (75.0, -)
27) San Francisco Bears (73.5, --)
28) Utah Mammoth (73.3, -)
29) El Paso Huskies (70.5, --)
30) New England Revolution (69.6, +)
31) Phoenix Roadrunners (69.2, --)
32) Brooklyn Islanders (67.0, -)

[gehrig38]

WEEK 21
1 vs San Francisco 3 @ New England 3 vs Jacksonville
RUNS SCORED: 745 (1st)
RUNS AGAINST: 567 (4th)
OBP: .349 (1st)
STARTERS ERA: 4.07 (5th)
RELIEVERS ERA: 4.15 (4th)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .714 (3rd)
ZONE RATING: +18.0 (5th)
ERRORS: 67 (3rd)

RESULTS (77-55 +14)
0-1 vs San Francisco 1-2 @ New England 2-1 vs Jacksonville
8/17- SF 12 CIP 4 Morris (L) 4.1 IP 7R 6 ER (12-12 3.87) Alfaro 0.2 IP 4 H 3 HR 4 ER
HR- Brumfield (33) SF- Chester (15) D Curtis 2 (18) Weinberg (9) Corona (31)
8/18- NE 6 CIP 4 Bruen (ND) 5.2 IP 6 H 4 ER
HR- Deal (3)

• Derek Dames has a strained rib cage that looks to be a 1-2 week thing. He isn't asking for the IL, he wants to play, but the safe play is to not push it. The bigger question is do we insert Deal or Pedraza at SS and call up another IF or summon prospect AJ Lanigan from AA where he is tearing it up (.282/.368/.466)? he's ready, and the best defender of the 3.
• The decision is to give Pedraza the AB's, add, and call up, SS Carlos Davila from New Orleans and promote Lanigan to New Orleans.
• Carlos Davia is a 26 year old ++ defender up the middle. Nothing fancy with the bat, decent wheels but a dirt dog who plays all out. He's the best defensive 2B in the organization. He was a minor league FA signing back in our first year of existence. A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he's a RHH as well. He'll get some starts vs LHP.

8/19- NE 8 CIP 2 Sainsbury (L) 3 IP 2 ER 5 K came out with a tight back in the 4th. Guzman came out in the 8th with a back issue as well. Cho 3H 2 2B (31) Pedraza E (3)
HR- NE Hart (4)

• Both guys are not needing the IL but both are about a week or so from being ok. I''ll hold off on Sainsbury but with a 15 game lead I am going to put Guzman on the IL. This is a great opportunity to see our organization's depth.
• John Tite will be recalled. Tite, who's calling card is power, is hitting .280/.372/.549 with 22 HR and 57 RBI at New Orleans and had a super September last year when called up (.302/.348/.558 3 HR 7 RBI). Matt Chiquete will take over in CF.
• In a remarkable performance, San Diego Missions starter Juan Laurel beat the Los Angeles Storm, 6-0, in an impressive 6-hit shutout. "My arm felt good, mechanics were good and my stuff was working," he said later. "It doesn't get any better than this." The Missions hurler finished with 5 strikeouts and 1 walk. He showed pinpoint control and a sharp fastball. "It was a rough one for my guys," Los Angeles manager Edwin Perez said, following the game. "We weren't at our best and their guy was."
• This year, Laurel has made 28 starts, thrown 225 innings, fanned 235 batters and walked 48. His won-lost record is 13-7 with a 2.60 ERA.

8/20- CIP 6 NE 0 Sandberg (W) 6.2 IP 4 H 8 K (14-2 4.08) Holton SV (1) 2.1 IP 3 H
HR- Chiquete (5)
8/21- JAX 5 CIP 4 Merera (L) 5.1 IP 9 H 5 ER (17-3 2.80) Pedraza 3H
HR- JAX- Ramirez (26) Eggleston (45)
8/22- CIP 9 JAX 8 5R 9th to win Morris (ND) 6.1 IP 9 H 8 K 4 BB 4 ER Roberts 3H 2 RBI (56) Chiquete 3H R RBI (22)
Ramirez (JAX) 2B (23) 3B (6) HR (27) 6 RBI (79)
HR- Nieves (14) game tying 3R HR in the 9th JAX- Ramirez (27)

• Goose eggs were the order of the day for the San Diego Missions as starter Zach McMillion shut them out, 8-0, at Jets Park. The Fresno pitcher struck out 7 and walked 0 while allowing 4 hits. "McMillion was good but he wasn't flawless," San Diego manager Bob O'Halloran said. "We had a few opportunities to make something happen and we didn't do it. Not to take anything away from Fresno, but this is on us." So far this year, McMillion has a 12-12 record with a 3.55 ERA.

8/23- CIP 12 JAX 4 Bruen (W) 12-1 lead into the 9th 8.1 IP 7 H 3 ER (2-1 4.15) McLain 3H HR 3R 2 RBI (84) Pedraza 2-3 BB SB (5) 2R 2 RBI (33)
HR- McLain (28) JAX- Eggleston (46)




LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- Kenny Andrew has the tools to stick in this league for many years. The 24-year-old first baseman of the Columbus Black Knights had a hot bat in the American League over the past seven days and won the Player of the Week honors.
Andrew batted .565 with 13 hits in 23 at-bats, 3 home runs and 7 RBIs.
This season, Andrew has posted a batting average of .345 with 164 hits in 475 at-bats, 45 home runs and 103 RBIs. He has also scored 100 runs, walked 93 times and compiled a .454 OBP.
NL POTW- Ricky Ramirez of the Jacksonville Panthers has just enjoyed one of the better weeks of his career. That fact was not lost on National League officials, who named him Player of the Week.
Ramirez logged a .417 batting average for the Jacksonville Panthers, racking up 11 RBIs and 3 home runs.
So far this season, Ramirez is batting .272 with 27 home runs, 79 RBIs and 81 runs scored. He has 120 hits in 441 at-bats, 85 walks and a .389 OBP. Ramirez has played in 123 games.

• Jim Bruckner of the Wyoming Cowboys pitched his way into the exclusive 300-save club today at Racersdome by saving the 3-2 victory over the Dallas Drillers. In his historic outing, he surrendered no runs and no hits in 1 innings. "Yeah, it can be a stressful job sometimes," the 31-year-old Bruckner told reporters after the game. "But there's a thrill that comes with being out there in a big situation every time. Hopefully I can close out a few more before I call it a career." Bruckner has notched 300 saves during his career.

• The latest out of Washington indicates that Nick Grieshop has re-signed with the Jets and that the 30-year-old starting pitcher is set to earn $54,000,000 over a 6-year span. Team officials tell BNN the deal will be officially announced at a press conference tomorrow. This year, Grieshop has compiled a 11-6 mark with a 2.75 ERA in 27 starts. Nick was acquired from OKC in a January deal and is 109-99 3.64 over 328 G and 265 GS. He was the 2nd overall pick in the 2003 Draft out of Rochester HS in Washington.

IRON PIG NEWS

• Dan Williams was dynamite at Tarpons Stadium, blowing away the Deering Counts in a shutout victory. The Milwaukee Hawks (AA) starter had everything working as he held the Counts to 2 hits in the 5-0 win. "He was pure nasty out there today," said Deering skipper Gabe Davidson. "I don't think any team in the league would've had a chance against what he was bringing." Williams finished the game with 7 strikeouts and no walks. This year, Williams has registered 4 wins and 3 losses in 10 starts with a 5.06 ERA while registering 44 strikeouts and 24 walks in 64 innings. Williams was Chicago's 3rd round pick in 2011 (86th overall).

• On Thursday Knuckleballer Jonathan Bailey (A) tossed a CG allowing 8 hits and fanning 2 in a 7-2 win. He's 8-8 4.61.

[gehrig38]

WEEK 22
OFF DAY 3 @ Atlanta 3 vs Pittsburgh
RUNS SCORED: 775 (1st)
RUNS AGAINST: 601 (4th)
OBP: .347 (1st)
STARTERS ERA: 4.07 (5th)
RELIEVERS ERA: 4.24 (6th)
DEF EFFICIENCY: .711 (3rd)
ZONE RATING: +17.0 (5th)
ERRORS: 70 (3rd)

RESULTS (79-59 +10)
0-3 @ Atlanta 2-1 vs Pittsburgh
8/24- OFF DAY

• Ricky Avendano will take Matt Sainsbury's start tomorrow as he's not fully healed yet.

8/25- ATL 11 CIP 1 Avendano (L) 5.1 IP 10 H 6 ER
Powell (ATL) (W) 12-5 3.63 7.1 IP 1 H 1 ER Jon Smith 5-5 2 2B (40) 3 R 5 RBI (66) SB (20)

• Chicago Hitmen pitcher Steve Taylor really got it done at Flightdome in a 1-0 shutout victory over the Dallas Drillers, shutting them down on 3 hits. "It was just one of those games where everything went right. I threw a lot of strikes," Taylor said. "And the pitches they did get to hit, they didn't do anything with them." The 25-year-old issued 2 walks and had 10 strikeouts in the Hitmen win. This year, Taylor has compiled a 11-8 mark with a 4.17 ERA.

8/26- ATL 6 CIP 5 Sandberg (ND) 7.1 IP 5 H 4R 2 ER Guinn BS (5) 0.2 IP 2R 0 ER 1 HR (6-8 4.07)
HR- Chiquete (6) ATL Rodriguez 2 (18) GW Grand Slam 5 RBI (71)

• The Detroit Phantoms met their match today in San Jose hurler Juan Martinez. He kept them guessing the whole game and spun a 4-hit shutout. "He just worked us over," Detroit skipper Juan Quintero said. "He probably didn't even need a shower after the game -- he barely worked up a sweat." In the 2-0 victory, Martinez whiffed 6 and gave up 3 walks.
• For the season, Martinez has compiled a 7-10 record with a 5.24 ERA.
• Joe McLain has a “bad wrist”, whatever that means and word is it could be a week or two depending on how much he plays. No IL as we're a few days from September call ups and Bill Brumfield and others can manage 1B.

8/27- ATL 5 CIP 4 Merera (ND) 6 IP 8 H 4 ER Holton 2 IP (L) 1 ER Garcia 2H HR 3 RBI (94) Brumfield 0-1 4 BB
HR- Garcia (27) AATL- D. Taylor (3) walk off GW

• Tim Bilinsky led the Indianapolis Lynx to a shutout victory, 1-0, over the Los Angeles Storm at Red Hawks Park. "My pitching coach told me before the game just to bear down and focus," Bilinsky recalled later. "He said no one was going to hit me if I'm throwing a good breaking ball with good location." Bilinsky yielded 6 hits and had 4 strikeouts and 1 walk in the standout performance. "I thought he put the ball where he wanted to," Los Angeles manager Edwin Perez said. "And that's just about the whole secret to pitching." This year, Bilinsky has worked 174.2 innings with 119 strikeouts en route to a 8-10 record and 4.43 ERA.

8/28- PIT 8 CIP 3 Morris (L) 6 IP 9 H 5R 3 ER 6 K 0 BB (12-13 3.95) Krieg 2H 2B (36) 2 SB (17) R BB
HR- Chiquete (7)

• Jerry Mull was in command in his outing against the Wyoming Cowboys. He hurled the San Jose Seahawks to a 4-0 shutout victory, yielded 3 hits and chalked up 2 strikeouts and 1 walk. "A complete-game shutout is fun territory for me," he told reporters in the postgame interview. "I had good balance and mechanics and was able to keep the ball down. When I do that, good things happen." On his stats sheet this season, Mull shows a 11-10 record, 29 starts, 189.2 innings, 93 strikeouts and a 3.70 ERA.
• Indy has won 8 straight and moved from 15 GB to 10 while we've gone 3-7 and lost 4 in a row.

8/29- CIP 9 PIT 1 Bruen (W) 8 IP 5 H ER 6 K (3-1 3.44) Garcia 3H 2B (38) BB R RBI (96) Roberts 2-3 2 BB 2B (14) 2R RBI (58)

• Rico Guzman off the IL, John Tite back to AAA for a day.

8/30- CIP 8 PIT 3 Sainsbury (W) 6.1 IP 7 H 3 ER 6 K (4-2 5.01) Roberts 3H 2 2B (16) 2R 3 RBI (61)
HR- Pedraza (8) PIT- Piva (24)

• Derek Dames suffered a setback and will be another week at least.

LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
AL POTW- Pitchers who faced the Columbus Black Knights last week were happy to see Kenny Andrew in the rear-view mirror. The 24-year-old first baseman was dubbed the American League Player of the Week for a 6-game tear that saw him hit at a .417 clip.
For the week he also chalked up 10 hits in 24 at-bats, 5 home runs, 6 RBIs and 6 runs scored.
This year, Andrew has hit at a .349 pace and produced 109 RBIs, 50 home runs and scored 106 runs.
NL POTW- Bryan Bernhardt has been in a real groove lately. The 23-year-old Oklahoma City Tornado catcher nabbed National League Player of the Week honors today after beating up on opposing pitchers all last week. Bernhardt's hot streak featured 9 hits in 16 at-bats, 2 home runs, 10 RBIs, 5 runs scored and a .562 average.
This year, Bernhardt is hitting .274 with 17 home runs.

IRON PIG NEWS

• September call ups:
• RHP Jonathan Montoya (2.5*) waiver claim from Pittsburgh
• C Gil Ermatinger always want a 3rd C when I can make it happen
• OF John Tite
• New Orleans is in the run for a title so I did not mess with the roster too much but if need be will reach down to get someone.
• There are 4 spots open on the 40-man roster.