The Denver Brewers of the W.P. Kinsella League

[Palaaemon]

Bird,

If you have time could you list each teams league stat rankings. Thanks man.

Have a Great night!

Palaaemon

[BirdWatcher]

Originally Posted by Palaaemon

Bird,

If you have time could you list each teams league stat rankings. Thanks man.

Have a Great night!

Palaaemon

Hey Palaaemon,
Sure- I'd be glad to do that sometime today.
But just to clarify, are you just looking for a breakdown of this season's stats by team and how the teams rank? And what stats in particular are you looking for? (Sorry- just trying to figure out how to best answer your question.)
Thanks!

[BirdWatcher]

Brewers record: 6-1 (week), 66-28, 1st place, MGL (season)

July 16-18, at Los Angeles: 8-5, 6-9, 5-3.

July 19-21, versus Phoenix: 8-1, 10-1, 5-1.

July 22, at Charlotte: 8-2.

Coming off being swept in a 3-game series in Brooklyn, the Brewers have to travel clear across the country (with one day off between series) to take on the Los Angeles Spinners in Avalon Park.
And somehow they find a way to get a gutsy come-from-behind win in game 1. Steve Green got the start and after several fine outings in a row he was just mediocre in this one, giving up 4 runs on 11 hits over 6 innings pitched in a no-decision. But the bullpen was mostly excellent (the exception being the recently acquired veteran lefty Chris Pollack) with Javy Bermudez (6-1, 4.08) picking up the win and Tim Shore getting his 17th save. Brett Taranto led the way offensively, going 3 for 6 with 2 RBI. Joe McPhillips only collected 1 hit but it was his 12th double of the season, he drove in 2 runs, picked up his 12th stolen base and one of the 2 Brewers outfield assists in the game (the other courtesy of Josh Schaeffer.)

L.A. got the win in game 2, with their veteran slugger Nate Bennett having his second great game in the series, this time hitting his 25th double and 10th homer of the season and driving in 4 runs. The Brewers got a poor start from veteran left-hander Erik Sloan (4-1, 3.95) who gave up 6 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks over 5 innings pitched. Brett Taranto stayed hot, going 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 1 driven in. Jake DiCesare, having recently returned from the IL and a rehab assignment in AAA, went 2 for 5 with 2 RBI and hit his 3rd double of the season.

The Brewers took the rubber match for a series win behind a strong start from staff Ace Sadahige Kawasaki (9-6, 2.51). Kawasaki went the distance, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits, striking out 7 and walking none. Zacarias Martell went 2 for 4 in the win, with a run scored and another driven in. Antonio Acuna hit his 6th homer of the season (in just 78 plate appearances).

Returning home to Denver the Brewers next opponent was the power hitting, poor pitching Phoenix Speed Devils. And the Brewers not only swept the Speed Devils but outscored them 23-3.

In game 1, Sekien Hamasaki (13-1, 2.09) continued to build his case for a Pitcher of the Year award, working 8 innings, giving up 1 run on just 2 hits, striking out 9 and walking 1. And Brett Taranto continued to build his league MVP case, going 2 for 4 with 3 RBI, though he did commit his 7th error of the season. Val Guzman went 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and hit his 3rd triple of the season in the victory.

More dominance in game 2 as Jim Atwell (11-4, 2.78) adds to his Rookie of the Year contender credentials. Atwell lasted 8 1/3rd, giving up 1 run on 5 hits while striking out 8 and walking just 1. Rich White was 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored and 2 driven in, collecting his 15th double and 9th stolen base. Jake DiCesare hit his 2nd homer of the season and Josh Schaeffer his 12th.

The Brewers complete the sweep with another pitching gem, this time from veteran Steve Green (7-6, 4.51). Green lasted 8 2/3rds, giving up 1 run on 6 hits, striking out 7 and walking 3. Walter Hackler, promoted from AAA with Javy Bermudez now out for the season, got the last out to pick up his 1st save of 1978. Little Joe Willemse led the way on offense, going 2 for 4 with 3 RBI and hitting his 8th double and 4th triple of the season. Zacarias Martell, having a good week at the plate, went 2 for 3 with a run scored and hit his 11th double.

The Brewers conclude the week by travelling to Charlotte to take on the Sting and Val Guzman helps lead them to a win in game 1 with a 3 for 4, 1 run scored, 4 RBI game. Guzman hit his 8th home run of the season and stole his 13th base. Erik Sloan (5-1, 3.78) had a bounce back start, holding his former team Charlotte to just 2 runs on 6 hits over 6 2/3rds innings. Ben Flynn pitches the final 2 1/3rd to earn his 5th save of 1978. Both Bobby Erbakan and Brett Taranto went 2 for 4 in this one, with Bobby driving in 3 runs and Brett scoring twice.

After a very successful week the Brewers now hold a 12 game lead over their nearest challenger in the MGL, the Brooklyn Aces. Oklahoma City stays in 3rd place, 14 games back, and L.A. is in 4th at 16 games off the pace.
In the SJL, the Philadelphia Mud Hens have stretched out to a 5 game lead now over second place El Paso. The Seattle Alligators are staying tough and sit at 6 game back in 3rd place. And then 3 teams are tied at 7 games out after that: the Boston Berserkers, the San Antonio Keys, and the mighty Columbus Whalers.

[BirdWatcher]

Veteran Boston left fielder Cody Kane, one of the great leaders in the game and a 9-time All-Star, yesterday joined the 300 home run club in the WPK.




He becomes just the 7th player thus far to reach that mark, the others being Brad Tesh (301), Jamison Bash (307), Ju-ao Ju (333), Jesus Casiano (348), Jesus Hernandez (351), and the lone member of the 400 club, Nate Bennett (441).

At age 32, Kane remains an excellent hitter and is on pace for 22 homers this season and should have at least an outside chance of getting to 400 eventually, though some around the league worry that his apparent lack of durability might keep him from reaching that mark.

[BirdWatcher]

Yesterday Jesse Hartong, the Baltimore Lords 35-year old right-handed starting pitcher, earned his 200th career win, becoming just the 4th pitcher in WPK history to reach that mark.




Hartong has reached 200 wins without ever having won more than 17 in a single season as he has been a model of consistency and with his 10th win of this season yesterday he now has double digits wins in all 14 seasons of his career. It also helps that he is a true iron man, having never suffered a single injury of any note in his big league career.

The other 200 game winners are: Jason Wilson (205), Cheol-han Lee (205), and Jake Harris (211). Cheol-han of course is now retired and Harris finds himself languishing in AAA this year at age 39 and will likely not be adding to his total. Jason Wilson is 9-6 with a 4.64 ERA this season and although he is durable he is also 39 years old so he won't likely have enough left in the tank to approach 250 career wins.
So don't bet against the 35-year old Hartong to be the first WPK pitcher to get to 250 career wins before his career is over.

[Palaaemon]

Originally Posted by BirdWatcher

Hey Palaaemon,
Sure- I'd be glad to do that sometime today.
But just to clarify, are you just looking for a breakdown of this season's stats by team and how the teams rank? And what stats in particular are you looking for? (Sorry- just trying to figure out how to best answer your question.)
Thanks!

Just looking for the Team Stats Rankings on the Team Home Screen of each team for each league. Just clip and paste would be easiest, which I am sure you know that already. Also could you post an updated Standings list please so we can reference that with the stats. Thanks Bird!

Have a Great day my friend!

Palaaemon

[BirdWatcher]

(Okay, Palaaemon, I hope this suffices. I figure I'll just give everyone the raw data and then if you feel so inclined you can sort out the team rankings for yourself. )

SJL Team Batting Statistics:



SJL Team Pitching Statistics:



SJL Team Fielding Statistics:



SJL Team Finances:



SJL Expanded Standings:

[BirdWatcher]

MGL Team Batting Statistics:



MGL Team Pitching Statistics:



MGL Team Fielding Statistics:



MGL Team Fiscal:



MGL Expanded Standings:

[BirdWatcher]

With the non-waiver trade deadline fast approaching the Chicago Fire yesterday sent 26-year old right-handed starting pitcher Tony Rangel to the Pittsburgh Roadrunners for 23-year old outfield prospect Chris Caldwell.



WPK insiders consider it a good move for both teams. For the next to last place Fire it gives them another toolsy young player with great makeup who many consider underrated. For a struggling fourth year expansion club who has aging outfielders and whose best position player prospects are infielders, this is a good find.



As for the Roadrunners, they are currently sitting at .500 thanks to their talented lineup but are at or very near the bottom in pretty much every pitching category. Rangel may not be a tremendous talent, but he is certainly a step up over their current number 3 through 5 arms in the rotation. And while he might not have the best reputation as a clubhouse influence, he is durable and can give a club solid innings and almost certainly he will fare better now that he is with a club that can give him some run support.


But perhaps the biggest winner in the trade is young Mr. Caldwell. He well knew that he had no chance of getting much playing time in Pittsburgh on a team that has probably the most offensively talented trio of young outfielders in the game in Bill Winchester, Matt Van der Heyden, and Larry Leshane.

[BirdWatcher]

Brewers record: 3-3 (week), 69-31, 1st place, MGL (season)

July 23-24, at Charlotte: 3-5, 8-0.

July 25-27, versus Detroit: 1-4, 9-3, 11-3.

July 29, versus Portland: 4-8.

In the second game of three against the Charlotte Sting, former Brewer Justin Peacock, having a fine season (4-7, 2.89, 1.10 WHIP), doesn't get the win but does give his team a strong 7 innings to set up the win. His former teammate John Weaver started for the Brewers, giving up 3 runs (2 earned) on just 4 hits over 5 1/3rd innings without a decision. Ben Flynn (4-2, 4.60) took the loss in relief, giving up just 1 hit in his inning and a third but walking 3 batters and allowing 2 runs to score. Rich White went 2 for 3 in the loss.

The Brewers take the rubber match on Monday evening, easily defeating the Sting behind Sadahige Kawasaki (10-6, 2.35), who was pitching a no-hitter going into the 8th inning when he gave up a leadoff single and allowing a Jose Gutierrez 2-out single in the 9th to finish with a 2-hit shutout, striking out 4 and walking 1. Brett Taranto went 2 for 5 with a run scored and 3 driven in. Antonio Acuna continued his impressive play, going 3 for 5 with a run scored in the game, hitting his 4th double and picking up his 2nd stolen base. Geoff Bartholomew was in the leadoff spot in this one and collected a pair of doubles, to give him 6 in his limited WPK action this year, while scoring once and driving in 2 runs, and swiping his first base of the year as a Brewer.



The Brewers returned home to Denver to take on the Detroit Falcons, who have often played the Brewers tough in spite of never being a very good club. Though it should be noted that the Falcons do have a dangerous lineup including several talented youngsters (center fielder John Hemmah, first baseman Byron Whitehead, recently acquired catcher Zach D'Amico, and shortstop Blake Brock).
And in game 1 the Falcons got the win, with D'Amico and veteran future Hall of Famer Travis Johnson leading the way for the visitors. Sekien Hamasaki (13-2, 2.13) took the loss, giving up 2 runs on just 3 hits over his 6 innings pitched, though he did uncharacteristically walk 7 batters. But mostly he didn't get any run support. Of the Brewers 3 hits, 2 were doubles- one by Antonio Acuna (5) and the other by Rich White (16).

The Brewers bounced back in game 2 with Joe McPhillips leading the way. McPhillips, the 1974 MGL MVP, went 3 for 5 in the game, scoring 3 runs, driving in 2, hitting a pair of homers to get to 15 on the season, his 14th double, and also swiping his 13th bag. Bobby Erbakan went 4 for 5, hitting his 3rd home run. Jim Atwell (12-4, 2.83) got the win, working 7 innings and giving up 3 runs on 7 hits with 5 strikeouts and no walks allowed and he also hit his first double of the season, going 2 for 4 with 2 RBI. It should be remembered that Atwell was a 2-way player in college (first baseman) and even early in his professional career and while he's not the hitter Ben Flynn is, he can swing the lumber a bit.

And the Brewers get another series win with a blowout in game 3. Bobby Erbakan stayed hot, to put it mildly, going 5 for 5 in the win, hitting his 16th double and 4th home run, scoring once and driving in 3 runs. Joe McPhillips also had another big game, going 2 for 4 with 3 runs scored and 3 driven in, and he hit his 16th home run. And let's not forget about Josh Schaeffer who was 4 for 4 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI and hitting his 13th homer. Given that the Brewers collected 20 hits in this one that really just scratches the surface. The beneficiary of all this run support was Steve Green (8-6, 4.42), who lasted 6 2/3rds innings giving up 2 runs on 6 hits.


After a well-deserved day off the Brewers then hosted the Portland Wild Things on Saturday evening.
And a trio of former Brewers- Ruben Souffront, John Flores, and Rodrigo "RodRod" Rodriguez- helped the visitors to a win in game 1. Erik Sloan (5-2, 4.53) took the loss, giving up 7 runs on 10 hits over 5 2/3rds innings. Val Guzman went 2 for 4 with an RBI and hit his 4th triple in the loss. Josh Schaeffer hit his 14th home run of the season. And Ben Flynn went 2 for 2 at the plate while allowing 1 run over 3 1/3rd innings pitched.

[BirdWatcher]

For the 7th time in his WPK career, Brewers veteran second baseman Bobby Erbakan is named the MGL Player of the Week.

[BirdWatcher]

The current standings:

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



Many around the WPK consider San Antonio's team captain Bud Lindsay to be the greatest player of his generation. And certainly the 27-year old shortstop appears to be well on his way to contending for a third straight SJL MVP award at the end of this season.



MGL:



Phoenix veteran outfielder Ju-ao Ju has had two injury marred seasons since he won the MGL MVP award in 1975, but having turned 36 just a few days ago, Ju was named the Player of the Month in the MGL and is having a resurgent season, on pace to hit over 30 homers and drive in over 100 runs and put up a 5.4 WAR season. If he can stay healthy and maintain this pace it would mark the 8th time in his career where he reached at least those season totals in homers and RBI.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



Dan Bottom isn't the most well-liked player in the WPK, as he has a reputation of being a selfish player and a bit of a braggart. Then again, his high opinion of himself isn't entirely without basis in fact, as he is a very talented pitcher and did win the SJL Pitcher of the Year award in 1974. And though he might not be the best influence in the clubhouse, he is certainly one of the players on the field helping the keep the El Paso Dawgs right there in contention for their first SJL pennant.


MGL:



It's been a long road for unheralded 30-year old righthanded pitcher Raul Melendrez. After having been chosen by the L.A. Spinners in the 10th round of the 1969 draft, he found himself bouncing from organization to organization for years in search of an opportunity to pitch at the big league level, including a stint with the Denver Brewers where he got his first WPK appearance in 1974 and even got a championship ring. But his real break came when he was chosen by the Houston Cavaliers in the 13th round of the expansion draft that off-season. In Houston he finally got the chance to be a regular part of a big league rotation and he mostly acquitted himself pretty well pitching for an overmatched expansion club. Then in early June of this year he was traded by Houston to Charlotte for right fielder Adam Caruso. And now in his first full month back in the MGL the durable veteran, who is considered a strong clubhouse leader, earns Pitcher of the Month honors for the first time in his career. It certainly can't be argued that he didn't pay his dues to get here.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



John Freeman is becoming one of the most feared hitters in an already fearsome lineup, one which includes 2-time MVP Bud Lindsay, speedy center fielder Zach McClelland, budding superstar second baseman John Mussaw, and 5-time Silver Slugger (and 7-time Gold Glover) catcher Erik Buonopane. Freeman is a poor fielder and a mediocre runner at best, but at the plate he has pretty much no flaws, as he combines great contact ability with plus power, will rarely strike out and should be among the league leaders in on base percentage year after year.

MGL:



If Denver's young phenom starting pitcher Jim Atwell doesn't win the MGL Rookie of the Year award at the end of the season it will probably be because it went to Baltimore's tremendous late-blooming right fielder Robert Mustard, this month's MGL Rookie of the Month. Mustard is not only a gifted hitter, phenomenal runner, and above average defensive outfielder, but he might have the best makeup this side of Bud Lindsay or Jamar Clay. The 26-year old 1973 2nd round draft pick is quickly becoming known as one of the finest leaders and most admired role models in the game.

[BirdWatcher]

Who's Hot:
Let's face it, when a team is performing as well as the Brewers are this season a great number of players are likely to be hot at any given time.

But let's focus on a few at the moment, starting with the already established hottest of the hot, Bobby Erbakan.
Having gotten off to a very slow start in 1978, coming off surely his best ever season in '77, when he finished 2nd in the league MVP voting, Bobby then suffered through about a month long absence due to a sore elbow. He stayed fairly tepid at the plate upon his return in early June but then started to heat up in mid-June and has been terrific since then.
He now has a slash line of .317/.363/.458 and with his continued terrific defense at second base is on pace for a 4 WAR season in spite of missing a bit more than a month of the season.

His near double, Brett Taranto, has just been hot all season long. Taranto continues to lead the MGL in batting average (.351), RBI (71), and WAR among batters (5.0). He has a slash line of .351/.383/.529 and is on pace to collect 32 doubles, 14 triples, 21 home runs, and 21 stolen bases, while playing Gold Glove defense at first base.

And in spite of a bit of a sluggish start, sophomore left fielder Val Guzman is putting up fine numbers particularly with a surge at the plate in the past few weeks. Guzman has a slash line of .279/.373/.419 and is on pace for a 3.5 WAR season, providing very fine defense in left, good speed on the bases (on pace for 19 stolen bases), with some pop in his bat (he has 8 homers on the season and is tied for second on the club in RBI with 65.)

And obviously several members of the starting rotation (particularly Sekien Hamasaki, Sadahige Kawasaki, and rookie Jim Atwell) as well as veteran closer Tim Shore have been hot pretty much all season long.

Here is a look at the lineup and rotation:




And where the team stands in several statistical categories:





Who's Not:

It would be hard to identify Brewers who are not playing well at this point.
Earlier in the season one might have singled out Steve Green (8-6, 4.42, 1.32 WHIP) but in fact Green has been quite good since the All-Star break and he has the 3rd best BB/9 and is tied for 2nd best K/BB ratio in the MGL. He is also 8th in the league in FIP and WAR among pitchers.

John Weaver, one of the heroes of the 1977 KCS for the Brewers, hasn't been great as a swingman out of the bullpen, going 3-1 with a 5.32 ERA and 1.57 WHIP, but he isn't counted on that much.

Ben Flynn continues to underperform his reputation as a pitcher a bit (4-2, 5 saves, 4.36 ERA, 1.41 WHIP) but also continues to rake at the plate (.362/.393/.517) and is a fan favorite.

Veteran left-hander Erik Sloan, who was very good in his first several starts after returning from an 8 month layoff due to a partially torn UCL, has been struggling more of late and now has a 5-2 record with a 4.53 ERA in 8 games started, though his WHIP remains a fine 1.17, largely because of his staff best control.

The lowest WAR among position players (not counting rookie Jose Figueroa, who only has 43 plate appearances with the Brewers this season) is utility infielder Nick Ward, who remains a spectacular glove man but after clearly overachieving at the plate last season (.318/.387/.467 in 119 PA's), has reverted to the light-hitting which was always expected of him, with a slash line of .206/.304/.325 in 150 plate appearances this season.

The Farm Report:



AAA, the Chester Big Stick- 64-38, .627, 1st place:
The top prospect in the Brewers minor league system, with the promotion of Jim Atwell this year to the big league club, is starting pitcher Bryant Cox who is having a fine season at AAA. Cox is 12-6 with a 2.72 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. He has a FIP of 3.51 and a FIP- of 79. With a BABIP of an even .300 there is little reason to believe that his numbers aren't indicative of his actual performance this season. He should be a member of the Brewers roster after September 1st and will be given every opportunity to earn a spot in the rotation in 1979.


AA, the Nashville Red Wings- 47-54, .465, 6th place, 18 gb:

24-year old left fielder Eric Hammock hits 3rd in the Red Wings lineup and while his .301/.384/.493 slash line isn't eye popping all indications are that he has a chance to be a star player at the WPK level very soon. Although he plays left field for Nashville, he is mostly likely the future right fielder for the Brewers, particularly with his cannon arm.

A, the Bainbridge Brawlers- 38-63, .376, 7th place, 26 gb:

It can be a bit hard to find a bright spot on the woeful Brawlers club, but the continued development of outfielder Matt Catlett definitely qualifies. Catlett has a slash line of .322/.367/.480, is developing into a plus defender, and is almost surely the fastest and most gifted runner in the Brewers organization and possibly in the game of baseball. Outfield remains a strength for the Brewers throughout the organization, but Catlett is almost surely the most well-rounded, toolsy prospect in the system and will be given every opportunity to earn a starting role within the next 3 seasons, if not before.

short season A, the Jersey City Judges- 16-21, .432, 9th place, 10 gb:

Jersey City doesn't have many real prospects but left-handed starting pitcher Austin Bond, the Brewers 2nd round draft pick last year, continues to look like a young man who may have a future somewhere between the middle and the back end of the rotation eventually. In 8 starts thus far in 1978 he is 1-1 with a 2.74 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. With his great makeup (especially his strong work ethic and baseball smarts) and his perceived durability, the feeling is that while Bond's ceiling might not be the highest, his floor is pretty high.

rookie league, the Greensboro Bisons- 17-20, .459, 9th place, 6 gb:

This year's 1st round draft pick for the Brewers, right handed starting pitcher Eric Maisch, has already risen to 3rd best prospect in the organization. Maisch is 3-2 with a fine 2.35 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in his 8 professional starts thus far (with a .300 BABIP and 3.21 FIP). His journey to the big leagues has only just begun, but it's a promising start for the young finesse pitcher with a curveball that is already big league ready and projects to be elite.

Ulrik's update:



The most recent report received by the front office from the scouting staff, led by Scouting Director Ulrik Berthelsen, contained good news particularly for the pitching staff, with good development from relievers Walter Hackler (recently brought back up to the big league club) and Brandon Veach as well as future rotation fixture Bryant Cox, while John Weaver sees his stock fall.
Not much to report in terms of position players, though 24-year old second baseman Dustin Millman did receive some mention as it is believed he is improving his contact hitting ability a bit towards average to go along with his elite speed and very strong defensive skills. It's hard to see how Millman has a path to the bigs with the Brewers, but if given a chance he could be a solid WPK player.

[BirdWatcher]

Anyone who follows the WPK knows that the El Paso Dawgs were the doormats of the league for the first decade of its existence. In the past few seasons they have been on the rise and currently they sit just one game behind Philadelphia in second place in the Shoeless Joe League. And this talented crew is led in the clubhouse by their respected veteran captain, 34-year old 9-time All-Star third baseman Trevor Leach.



On Thursday Leach became the 14th player in WPK history to collect 2,000 career hits. And while there can be no doubt that he is proud of this achievement, anyone who knows Leach can vouch that his ultimate goal this year is to finally find himself and his team playing in the Kinsella Classic Series at the conclusion of this season, and to help lead the Dawgs to their first WPK championship.

[BirdWatcher]

Jake Harris is about as sure a first ballot Hall of Famer as the WPK has seen thus far, with the likely exception of Felix Lopez.
Harris was the most dominant left-handed starting pitcher of his generation, rivalled only by right-handed former Brewer Cheol-han Lee as the greatest ace of the first generation of WPK players. But unlike Lee, who stepped away from the game after a personally challenging but championship winning season last year, Harris, who is nearly 3 years older than Cheol-han, wanted one more season to show that he wasn't yet finished adding to his Dubuque credentials.

It hasn't worked out well for the 4-time Pitcher of the Year. He was rather unceremoniously released by the only WPK club he ever played for, the Columbus Whalers, in mid-April and, still not ready to hang up the spikes, signed a minor league contract with El Paso a few days later. Pitching for the AAA Honolulu Valiants since then has made it clear that there is nothing left in the tank, as he has gone a dismal 1-12 with an 8.52 ERA and 2.26 WHIP. Still the prideful former great hung on. But then the probable final blow to his great career was delivered- a torn flexor tendon in his throwing arm. The prognosis is that he will need at least 8 months of recovery before he can pitch again. But everyone not named Jake Harris is convinced that his career is now effectively over. The only question remains how long it will take for this reality to sink in for Harris himself.



And then how close he will come to being a unanimous inductee into the Hall of Fame in Dubuque, Iowa once the requisite time has passed for him to appear on the ballot.

[BirdWatcher]

Brewers record: 4-3 (week), 73-34, 1st place, MGL (season)

July 30-31, versus Portland: 4-1, 11-6

August 1-3, at San Francisco: 3-2, 0-1, 2-5.

August 4-5, versus Baltimore: 6-1, 1-8.

After losing game 1 of a 3-game set against the woeful Portland Wild Things, the Brewers bounce back in the second game behind ace Sadahige Kawasaki (11-6, 2.29). Kawasaki worked 8 innings, giving up 1 run on 5 hits. Tim Shore pitched the 9th to earn his 18th save. Antonio Acuna went 2 for 3 with 2 RBI in the win and hit his 6th double as a Brewer while also swiping his 3rd bag. Rich White hit his 6th home run of the season.

And the Brewers took the series in the rubber match as they gave starter Sekien Hamasaki (14-2, 2.23) plenty of run support. Hamasaki lasted 6 innings, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits. Among the hitting heroes was third baseman Jake DiCesare who went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and 2 driven in and hit his 5th double. Josh Schaeffer went 3 for 4 and scored twice, hitting his 13th double in this one. Val Guzman went 2 for 3, scored 3 times, walked once and was hit by a pitch. And Brett Taranto collected just one hit but it was his 13th home run of 1978.

The Brewers than travelled out to the bay area to take on the San Francisco Velocity for three games.
In game 1 the Brewers had to claw back from an early deficit and found a way to tie the game in the top of the 9th and then held on to win the game in 10 innings. It was a good pitching match-up between Denver's Jim Atwell (7 IP, 2 ER, 5 HA, 6 K, 2 BB) and San Francisco's Dan Knauff (7.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 HA, 8 K, 0 BB) but ultimately it came down to the bullpens and the Brewers prevailed with Jason Gottula (5-4, 2.70) getting the win and Tim Shore earning his 19th save. Val Guzman's 10th inning double, his 17th 2-bagger of the season, provided the winning run. Josh Schaeffer and Jake DiCesare both stay hot with Schaeffer going 2 for 5 and hitting his 14th double and DiCesare going 2 for 4 in the victory.

But the Brewers bats went on hiatus in game 2 as the talented San Francisco 24-year old right-hander Jon Harrington, finally getting his chance in the rotation this year, went the distance to earn the shutout, scattering 9 hits. Steve Green (8-7, 4.25) took the loss, in spite of only allowing 1 run on 7 hits over his 7 1/3rd innings worked. Zacarias Martell went 2 for 4 in the loss, hitting his 13th double of the season.



And the Velocity get the home series win when Mike Stagner outpitches Erik Sloan (5-3, 4.82) in game 3. Sloan allowed 5 runs on 7 hits over 6 innings pitched. Josh Schaeffer went 3 for 5 in the loss and hit a pair of doubles to get to 16. And Brett Taranto went 2 for 4, collecting his 21st double and 14th stolen base.

The Brewers were happy to return home to Denver after suffering the series loss to the Velocity and would now take on the Baltimore Lords.

They got the win in the first game of the three game series, getting another strong start from Sadahige Kawasaki (12-6, 2.22). Kawasaki went the distance, allowing just 1 run on 6 hits. Josh Schaeffer continued his assault on MGL pitching, going 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored in this one. Brett Taranto went 3 for 3 and got his 15th stolen base. And Antonio Acuna was 2 for 4 and clubbed his 7th homer of the season (in limited PA's) while also swiping his 4th base. (Joe McPhillips also picked up his 15th stolen base and Bobby Erbakan, who had gone cold at the plate most of the week, hit his 17th double of 1978.)

In game 2 the Brewers saw a rare poor start this season from Sekien Hamasaki (14-3, 2.27), who gave up 6 runs (to be fair, only 2 were earned) on 8 hits over 5 and 2/3rds innings. His teammates also gave him little run support, though Brett Taranto did go 2 for 3 at the plate and backup catcher Kirk Patnode contributed a 2 for 4 game.

[BirdWatcher]

Denver's Gold Glove shortstop (and fan favorite) Rich White has been out of commission for several days and it was announced yesterday that he had suffered an oblique strain and is expected to be need at least three weeks of recovery time before he can return to the field.



With White headed to the IL, the Brewers have recalled 25-year old shortstop Geoff Bartholomew from AAA Chester. This season Bartholomew has put up a slash line of .359/.425/.469 in 235 plate appearances for Chester and .371/.436/.543 in 40 plate appearances in a Brewers uniform.