Fixing the Marlins!

[ayaghmour2]

June 26th, 2021: We opened up the series with Arizona against Jhoan Duran (5-4, 2.84 ERA, 1.30 WHIP) who skipped up one in the rotation. His opponent, Walker Buehler (2-1, 4.37 ERA, 1.56 WHIP). We'd get our first look at future superstar Brice Turang who will play second and leadoff. Unrealted, but I recently traded for him in an online league, albeit the 18-year-old version of him. We had to play almost two games, but we finally beat Arizona 3-2 in 17 innings.

Buehler was great, despite allowing 7 hits and 2 walks, he didn't allow a run and struck out 7. Drew Steckenrider allowed 2 0.1 innings, which forced this marathon to start. Max Povse left the game with an injury, and we were so depleted that Zach Davies, who started three days ago, had to pitch in relief. He got the win, 3 scorless innings with a strikeout and hit. I'd place Povse on the DL to callup a spot starter eventually.

We had 14 hits, and 11 of them were singles. Lewis Brinson went 1-for-8, but his hit was a walkoff homer off Matt Grace. Victor Caratini and Andrelton Simmons both had 4 hits. Simmons had a double, the rest were singles. The last extra base hit was a Brian Anderson double.

I don't really have a SP to callup since Nick Neidert is injured, but I'd transfer him to the 60-Day DL eventually if needed, although I had an open 40-man spot.

June 27th, 2021: Turns out Povse is just DTD for a few days, so I wouldn't DL him. Instead I'd option Steck for today only to callup 21-year-old Jairo Solis to make today's start. He's pitched just 1 game at AAA, but his start would have been today.

It was a pair of debuts as Riley Wade Smith and Jairo Solis dueled it out between two extremely tired teams. We both hoped for a quick, low scoring affair. Instead, we fell 7-4.

Solis, who will be optioned back down to AAA tonight, allowed 5 runs in 5 innings while striking out two. Corbin Clouse allowed the final two runs in 1.1 innings of work, but I couldn't be too mad since everyone had to pitch yesterday.

After failing to record a hit yesterday, Adam Hasley went 2-for-3 with an RBI, a walk, a steal, and a double. Victor Caratini was 1-for-3 with 2 walks, a double, and a run scored. Andrelton Simmons was 2-for-4 with 2 runs scored and a run driven in. Lastly, Nicky Delmonico was 1-for-4 with a double and a walk.

I brought Steck back up, and he should be fully rested tomorrow.

June 28th, 2021: We're up all the way to third in the Power Rankings, and the Mets are down to 5th.

Still tied in first, we looked to salvage the split with Jordan Montgomery (3-2, 4.42 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) taking on Taijuan Walker (6-5, 3.61 ERA, 1.23 WHIP). Still tired, we fell 5-2, as we had a trip to New York to look foward to.

Montgomery allowed 5 runs (4 earned) in 5.1 innings off 5 hits and 3 strikeouts. All four relievers who pitched today struck out at least 1 hitter.

Ryan Mountcastle scored 1 of the twko runs after doubling in the 1st. Nicky Delmonico went 2-for-4 and scored the other run. Dustin Fowler drove in him, and went 2-for-4 with a steal and the error that cost a run.

The Mets didn't play, so we were a half game down. We'd see Chris Sale (6-4, 4.84 ERA), Luis Marrero (4-3, 2.82 ERA), and Noah Syndergaard (4-7, 3.55 ERA) in a tough division battle with the Mets.

June 29th, 2021: We'd have reinforcements for the Mets, as Cole Brannen would be back with the club. I'd option Haseley back down to AAA to make room for the speedster. He still leads the entire MLB with 27 steals, despite missing a bit more then a week.

It would be a battle of tough southpaws, as Luis Marrero (6-3, 2.89 ERA, 1.05 WHIP) skipped Sale with the day off and Danny Duffy (6-3, 2.89 ERA, 1.05 WHIP). Brannen would get the first at bat of the game and play RF at Citi Field. Whoever won today would have sole possesion of first. And first would be occupied by us, as we won 4-1 in 10 innings after Nick Feight hit a three-run shot off Steve Nogosek.

No complaints about Duffy, who went 6.2 innings with just 5 hits, a run, a walk, and 4 strikeouts. Tyler Jay struck out 2 in 1.1 innings and Shiotani got the win with 2 strikeouts in 2 innings.

To make up for lost time, Brannen went 3-for-5 with 2 steals and a run scored. Ryan Mountcastle doubled him home in the 1st, and went 2-for-5. Lewis Brinson went 2-for-4 with a triple, a steal, and a run scored. Dustin Fowler was 2-for-5 with a pair of singles.

Austin Hays went 5-for-5 despite his Orioles falling to the Twins 9-5.

June 30th, 2021: Jameson Taillon (4-3, 2.90 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) look to give us a little ground in the standings against Noah Syndnergaard (4-7, 3.55 ERA, 1.05 WHIP) as we had to face the best the Mets have to start the series. Instead, we were shutout 5-0.

Taillon allowed 4 runs off 8 hits in 4.1 innings with 2 strikeouts and 2 walks. James Farris allowed a single run in the final 2 innings of the game. We also had just 5 hits, and all of them were singles. Cole Brannen swiped base #30 and Ryan Mountcastle got a steal as well.

30-year-old rookie catcher Joe Hudson went 5-for-5 as the Red Sox beat the Blue Jays 15-4. The former 6th rounder took the long way to the majors, but is hitting an impressive .312/.341/.519 in 20 games so far.

July 1st, 2021: I had a lot of little things to do before the much anticipated finale between the two powerhouses in the NL East.

To kick off the day I made a minor trade, sending 3B Joe Dunand to the Mariners for SP Griffin Roberts.

Roberts, 25, is a former 16th Rounder from the Cubs back in 2018. He's bounced around a bit, being traded to the Mets and then released in 2020. He had a little time off before sticking with Seattle, and then he intrigued enough for me in need of minor league pitching depth at the upper levels. His calling card is his slider, rated as a fully developed 89. He's rated as a 1.5/2, so there is potential for him later on.

I made a ton of personel extensions to a majority of my coaches in my system. I didn't, however, extend my current hitting coach, who I'd let his contract expire.

Caratini fell out of the top three in All-Star voting and Shiotani fell out of the top 5, although Brinson maintained second behind Mets LF Michael Conforto.

Next, the anticipated showdown between Zach Davies (3-5, 3.79 ERA, 1.32 WHIP) and Chris Sale (6-3, 4.64 ERA, 1.23 WHIP) in the must needed win and fight for first place. We limited the damage, and took a 3-1 series finale, winning our second straight series over the Mets.

Davies went 5 innings, allowing 6 hits and 2 walks, but just 1 run. He also struck out 4. The pen was strong, with Kenyan Middleton, Corbin Clouse, and Drew Steckenrider earning holds before Bulldozer Shiotani got his 27th save.

We survived a pair of errors from Brian Anderson and Andrelton Simmons, as neither cost us runs. Victor Caratini would be the game MVP, going 2-for-4 wiht a RBI double and a solo home run. Ryan Mountcastle went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a hit by pitch. Zach Davies had himself a game, going 2-for-2 with a run scored.

We have a small half game lead over the Mets with a 49-33 record. We'd have a tough test against the 47-34 Cardinals who had the 2nd Wild Card. Luckily, we were at home for the four game series. Coming up tomorrow, the International Free Agency Pool was released tomorrow. I'm not expecting to make a big splash, mainly since I don't have too much money left.

Speaking on money, we've actually had good attendance numbers this year, as we've sold out about 2/5th of the season, and we're actually ranked 15th in attendance, which is impressive considering the poor fan loyalty and relatively small stadium. Our attendencer per game is at 32,935, a significant portion of the 37,000 capacity. It's also over 12,000 per game increase over last year.

Here's a few screenshots of our statistics so far this season:

Let's keep winning!

[ayaghmour2]

July 2nd, 2021: The International Pool is really weak this year, which is a blessing in disguise with the little money I have to spend.

To open the series with the Cardinals, we sent Walker Buehler (2-1, 3.96 ERA, 1.55 WHIP) to the mound against Nick Pivetta (6-6, 3.24 ERA, 1.12 WHIP). Interesting tidbit, both teams are extremely young, with the only player in the 18 starters over 30 is the 31-year-old Andrelton Simmons. The Cardinals took the opener 3-1 in a pitchers' duel.

Buehler was great, just 4 hits and a walk in 5.1 innings. He struck out 7 and didn't allow a run. Tyler Jay, now 6-1, was charged with the loss, allowing a run on just a walk despite striking out two. Drew Steckenrider was charged with two runs in 0.2 innings as well.

We only had four hits, and three of them were Mauricio Dubon. He was 3-for-4 with an RBI double. The Mets won, so we are now hald a game back.

July 3rd, 2021: The Nationals will be without 36-year-old Max Scherzer for the rest of the year with a torn ulnar collateral ligament. The three-time Cy Young Winner is an impending free agent, so this will defiintely hamper is potential earnings.

Jordan Montgomery (3-3, 4.62 ERA, 1.33 WHIP) got the ball against Carlos Martinez (8-5, 3.67 ERA, 1.16 WHIP) as we looked to bounce back. Again, we fell 3-1.

Montgomery allowed 3 in 5 with 8 hits and 2 strike outs. And again, we had just four hits, but they were scattered throughout the lineup. Ryan Mountcastle hit a solo shot in the 4th and Dustin Fowler doubled in the 7th.

July 4th, 2021: Scott Kingery was activated from the DL and Ryan Mountcastle was the odd man out. I'm looking to try Mountcastle at short stop, a position he playe a long time ago.

Koby Allard of the Braves is now out for the year with a damaged elbow ligament. The 23-year-old lefty was 2-3 with a 4.10 ERA.

We needed to win the next two to split the series, and Danny Duffy (6-3, 2.77 ERA, 1.04 WHIP) was on the mound against Miguel Diaz (1-1, 3.63 ERA, 1.07 WHIP). Today wasn't 3-1, and we won 7-2 with a 5 run 7th.

Duffy was brilliant and didn't allow a run in 8 innings. He walked 1 and struck out 5. Max Povse was charged with both runs in the 9th, a pair of solo homers, although he struck out the side.

In his first game back, Scott Kingery was used as a pich hitter and left after getting hit in the head. For now, he'll just miss a game or two for precautionary reasons, but that sounds extremely eerie. Brian Anderson went 2-for-3 with a homer, a run scored, and two total RBI's. The struggling Lewis Brinson went 2-for-5 with a double, a steal, 2 runs scored, and 2 RBI's. Andrelton Simmons was 2-for-3 with a double and Nicky Delmonico drove in two with a double of his own.

July 5th, 2021: I signed a pair of International Amateur's to small bonuses. The first, 16-year-old 2B Juan Romero. The all bat, no glove Dominican recieved a $290,000 bonus. The second was 17-year-old SP Jorge Arellano who also agreed to a bonus of the same sum. Arellano has decent potential, rated as a 2* with a four pitch arsenal that features a plus slider and screwball.

2B Chris Torres at A+ Jupiter won the Florida State League Player of the Week. He hit .452 with a homer, 4 RBI's, and 8 runs scored.

We dropped down to 7th in the Power Rakings, and the Mets stayed put at 5th.

We needed to win today's match to earn the split, but had to face the rising star Alex Reyes (6-2, 2.08 ERA, 1.08 WHIP). His opponent was Jameson Taillon (4-4, 3.15 ERA, 1.18 WHIP) who looked to push his record above .500. Somehow, we lost 3-1 again, for the third time.

Taillon did all he could, going 7 innings without allowing a run. He walked and struck out 1, and allowed 3 hits. Drew Steckenrider allowed 3 hits as well, in 0.2 innings with 2 runs. The last run was charged to the closer Shiotani in the 9th.

Nicky Delmonico was the whole offense, a double and homer in four trips. Cole Brannen was 1-for-4 with his league-leading 31st steal.

Jerad Eickhoff tossed a 5-hit shutout in a 7-0 Nationals win over Atlanta.

This series was rough, as we're now 2.5 out of first and 0.5 a game behind St. Louis for the #1 Wild Card. We got to stay home for three against Colorado. We'd face Mashiato Tanaka (5-7, 5.66 ERA), Kyle Freeland (3-6, 6.12 ERA), and Vince Velasquez (5-7, 6.17 ERA). Hopefully, this could jolt the bats up.

July 6th, 2021: Before the series with the Rockies, I added one of their relief pitchers to my squad. 3.5/4* Tanner Rainey switched dugouts and was acquired for RHP Wei-Chieh Huang and 1B Darick Hall.

Rainey, 28, took Steckenrider's spot on the active roster. He had a relatively high 5.75 ERA, but that's excpected in Coors Field. His stuff is insane, and two of his three ptiches are plus-plus. Last year in Colorado, he had a 6-1 record with 3 saves and a 3.52 ERA to go with a 1.09 WHIP. He struck out 123 batters in 87 innings as well. He'd take the 8th inning role.

I found out where all my draft picks who didn't sign would attend school tomorrow:

12th Rounder CF Kelyn Critch (Dallas Baptist 2022)
13th Round RF Jorge Arroyo (Minnesota 2024)
18th Rounder 3B Erik Gregg (Baylor 2024)
21st Rounder 1B Bobby Wells (UCLA 2022)
23rd Rounder CF Savion Vilsaint (Toledo 2024)
25th Rounder SP Jon McKinley (St. John's 2024)
26th Rounder RF Phil Bromley (Vanderbilt 2024)
31st Rounder C Chris Bell (Pepperdine 2024)
34th Rounder SP Ronnie Bourgeois (Long Beach State 2024)
35th Rounder SP Radhakrish Masrani (Virginia Tech 2024)
37th Rounder CF Ben Anthony (Rhode Island 2024)
38th Rounder 2B R.J. Price (Lakeland 2024)
39th Rounder SP Omari Hariot (St. Louis 2024)

Ethan Hankins signed for just $410,000, so I think he wishes he signed with me now...

Anyways, Scott Kingery was back in the lineup as Zach Davies (4-5, 3.68 ERA, 1.33 WHIP) faced Mashiaro Tanaka (5-7, 5.66 ERA, 1.42 WHIP) in the opener. It took 10 innings, but we secured the 5-4 win with a Dustin Fowler walkoff homer off former Marlin Trevor Rosenthal.

Davies struggled, 6 hits and 4 runs in 4.2 innings. He walked 2 and struck out 5. Mac Povse tossed 2.1 perfect mop up innings, and Tyler Jay got his 7th win with a scorless 10th.

Fowler was 2-for-4 with a steal and scored twice. Kingery was 2-for-4 with a triple and RBI in his return to the lineup. Nicky Delmonico doubled and had a sac fly in four trips to the plate. Nick Feight was 2-for-4 with a double. Cole Brannen swiped another bag and was 1-for-4 with a run scored and a walk.

Bryce Harper hit his 300th career homer in a 3-for-4 game. He actually hit two homers in the game.

July 7th, 2021: Walker Buehler (2-1, 3.65 ERA, 1.51 WHIP) took the mound against Kyle Freeland (3-6, 6.12 ERA, 1.95 WHIP). I had to shuffle the lineup to give the tired Andrelton Simmons a day off. We had three tired players, so just 1 rested bat, Nick Feight, on the bench.

Okay, something is going wrong. We lost, but the score was 3-1. AGAIN! FOUR STRAIGHT 3-1 LOSSES! Something is up...

Worst part, Buehler left with injury after just 2 batters. A.J. Puckett tossed 4.1 mop up innings, allowing 3 hits and 2 runs, with a walk and 3 strikeouts. Despite earning the loss, he's next in line in the rotation with his 1.00 ERA with Miami. The 3rd run was off Max Povse in his 1.1 innings of work. Kenyan Middleton, Corbin Clouse, and James Farris tossed a perfect frame each to finsih the game. Middleton, since coming over from LA, has a nice 2.84 ERA, so he's definitely beneiftted from swapping teams.

We had 9 hits, but OOTP really wanted us to lose 3-1. Kingery hit a solo shot in the 4th, and went 2-for-4. Nicky Delmonico doubled in the 9th with 1 out, but we stranded him there. Victor Caratini had a pair of single in four trips.

Down in AAA, Mountcastle went 5-for-5 in a 5-3 win over the Omaha Storm Chasers. He's slowly getting used to short.

July 8th, 2021: We signed 1B/OF Juan Ventura to a $460,000 bonus. He's not the best player out there, but I like his versatility.

Fan vote update: Caratini is in third now, as LF Kyle Scwarber passed him up. Keibert Ruiz is in first, someone I passed up trading for waaayyyyy back in 2018. He looks a lot better now too. Lewis Brinson is staying consistent in second for left fielders. Shiotani got his way back into 5th.

There were three trades today, the Padres traded RHP Jacob Nix to Arizona for C Austin Allen. I like this trade for the Snakes. The Braves acquried RF Bryan Reynolds from the Pirates for former Marlin 1B Rowdy Tellez. I think the Pirates got the better deal, but I guess I'm biased in favor of my former players. Lastly, the White Sox traded RHP Dylan Cease to the Red Sox for 3B C.J. Chatham. Very even trade for the two Sox's.

Jordan Montgomery (3-4, 4.68 ERA, 1.35 WHIP) got the ball in the series finale against Vince Velasquez (5-7, 6.17 ERA, 1.63 WHIP). We needed this win, and win we did, with a three run 9th to take the final mamtch 6-5. Cole Brannen walked with the bases loaded, and then Dustin Fowler hit a walk-off, two run double off Justin Lawrence.

Montgomery didn't have a good start, allowing 4 runs off 7 hits in 3 innings as his ERA moved back up to an even 5. He did strike out 6 while walking just 3. The last run was in the 9th, charged to Yasukazu Shiotani, who allowed a solo shot and struck out the side.

We had 8 hits, half were doubles. Brannen was 1-for-4 with a double, and Fowler was 2-for-5 with his crucial double. Lewis Brinson had a pair of singles in 4 at bats. Andrelton Simmons was 1-for-3 with a walk and a 2-run double.

We're back to the #1 Wild Card spot, but still 2.5 games behind the Mets. Now 52-37, we'd head to Philly for four with the 44-44 Phillies. We'd see Nathan Eovaldi (4-6, 4.19 ERA), Mike Clevinger (4-6, 4.26 ERA), Aaron Nola (6-8, 3.41 ERA), and JoJo Romero (3-6, 3.47 ERA).

[ayaghmour2]

Real life sidenote: A while back I mentioned that in my universe P.J. Conlon, a Northern Ireland native, made his debut, and it would be cool if he did real life as well. Today, his dream will come true, as he had his contract purchased and will start today's game for the Mets.

July 9th, 2021: Walker Buehler was diagnosed with a strained oblique and will head to the DL for 7 weeks. A.J. Puckett took his rotation spot, and I called up RHP Victor Arano, who is 3-2 with 17 saves and a 2.32 ERA. He has 49 strikeouts in 31 innings with just 5 walks.

Danny Duffy (7-3, 2.54 ERA, 1.00 WHIP) started the series against Nathan Eovaldi (4-6, 4.19 ERA, 1.46 WHIP) as we started our seven game roadtrip before the All-Star break. The Phillies got the best of us 6-3 to start the four game set.

Duffy allowed 5 runs in 4 innings with 7 hits, a walk, and 3 strikeouts. Tanner Rainey made his Marlins debut, pitching the 8th and allowing a hit with 2 strikeouts.

Andrelton Simmons went 2-for-4 with a single and solo homer, driving a total of two runs. Brian Anderson and Duffy doubled, with the former scoring a run.

July 10th, 2021: Game two saw Jameson Taillon (4-4, 2.93 ERA, 1.14 WHIP) and Mike Clevinger (4-6, 4.26 ERA, 1.27 WHIP) battle it out at lovely Citizens Bank Park. We flipped the script, and won 3-1.

Taillon was as brilliant as usual, 1 run in 6.2 innings with 6 hits, a walk, and 5 strikeouts. Rainey finished the 8th with a strikeout and got a hold, as well as the newley called up Victor Arano. Bulldozer Shiotani got the save, his 28th.Scott Kingery went 2-for-4 with a solo shot against his former team. Nick Feight went 1-for-2 with a solo homer and two walks. Cole Brannen was 1-for-4 with a walk and another stolen base.

July 11th, 2021: Zach Davies (4-5, 3.87 ERA, 1.35) and Aaron Nolas (6-8, 3.41 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) started game three. The Phillies actually offered me Nola in a trade, but his almost $20,000,000 salary is a bit too much to handle. But now with Buehler hurt, who knows...

He was defintely showing off, tossing 7 scoreless in a 4-0 shutout win.

Davies allowed just 1 run in 7 innings off 5 hits, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts. Former Phillie Arano allowed 3 runs in the 8th on 2 hits and a walk, before Farris got the final out.

We had just 5 hits, all singles. Fowler was 2-for-4, but was caught stealing. Brannen was 1-for-3 with a walk and another stolen base, his 34th of the season. He's on pace for 60, 5 short of Juan Pierre's Marlin single season record. 60 would give him a tie for third with Dee Gordon's 2017 season.

July 12th, 2021: Ryan Mountcastle earned another American Confrence player of the week, this time hitting .556 with 6 homers and 14 RBI's. He has 22 homers and is hitting .378 on the season.

Down in AA, Pavin Smith won Southern League PLayer of the Week with a .429 average. He had 2 homers and 7 RBI's, while scoring 5 times as well.

We fell down to 10th in the Power Rankings as we're in a bit of a rough spot.

A.J. Puckett (1-2, 1.69 ERA, 1.05 WHIP) got his first Marlins start as we looked to earn the split against JoJo Romero (3-6, 3.47 ERA, 1.25 WHIP). In a hard faught contest, we edged them 4-3.

Puckett allowed a run in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, but settled down to complete 6 innings. He struck out just 1, allowed 8 hits, and walked 3, but it was a decent enough start considering he's pitched out of the pen for his first 15 appearences with Miami. Corbin Clouse pitched a perfect 7th to get the win. Tyler Jay earned his 14th hold and Shiotani got his 29th save.

Dustin Fowler hit leadoff today and went 3-for-5 with 2 doubles, a run scored, an RBI, and was 1-for-2 on steal attempts. Andrelton Simmons had three hits as well, although in just four at bats. Puckett himself doubled and scored in two at bats. Charlie Tilson went 2-for-3 with a walk and a double. Nicky Delmonico doubled off former Marlin Hunter Harvey in the 8th.

Now just 2 behind the Mets, we're off to Atlanta for three before the All Star Break. The probable starters are Sean Newcomb (4-1, 2.60 ERA), Mayky Perez (1-0, 1.80 ERA), and Mike Soroka (6-6, 4.04 ERA).

July 13th, 2021: Jordan Montgomery (3-4, 5.00 ERA, 1.42 WHIP) looked to finish strong before the All-Star break against fellow 28-year-old southpaw Sean Newcomb (4-1, 2.60 ERA, 1.09 WHIP). He did finish strong in the 3-1 victory.

Montgomery tossed 6 innings with 4 hits, a run, a walk, and 7 strikeouts. Tanner Rainey and Clouse got holds, while SHoitani picked up his 30th save.

Add another steal for Brannen, now with 35 in a 1-for-4 day. Brian Anderson was 3-for-4 with 2 solo homers and a double. Lewis Brinson hit a solo shot in the 1st, his 22nd of the season. All three runs came via the solo homer, and we're now in striking distance of 1st, just 1 back.

July 14th, 2021: Alex Reyes is out for the season after the medical staff found bone chips in his elbow. The 26-year-old was 6-2 with a 2.01 ERA in 19 starts, so this is a huge blow to our competitors, the St. Louis Cardinals.

Danny Duffy (7-4, 2.89 ERA, 1.04 WHIP) looked to bounce back after his last start against Mayky Perez (1-0, 1.80 ERA, 1.40 WHIP) who is making his second start of the season and of his young career. The Braves evened the series with a 6-4 victory.

Duffy allowed 4 runs in 4 innings off 6 hits and 6 walks with 4 strikeouts. Max Povse got the loss, allowing 2 more in 1.2 innings off 3 hits, with 1 strikeout. Kenyan Middleton tossed 2 no-hit innings in the 7th and 8th.

Brannen picked up another steal in a 1-for-3 game. He walked, tripled, scored, and dorve in a run. Victor Caratini his a 2-run shot off Perez in the 1st inning. Lewis Brinson doubled and singled in 4 at bats.

July 15th, 2021: Before finishing our final game of the first half, let's check out our 2021 All-Star selections. Jameson Taillon would be our lone representative, as he was selected to his 2nd All-Star game. He was today's starter (5-4, 2.83 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) and took on Mike Soroka (6-6, 4.04 ERA, 1.37 WHIP). We finished the road trip with a rough 6-2 loss.

Taillon allowed 6 runs (4 earned) off 7 hits in 4 innings. He walked and struck out two batters, and the error came from Nicky Delmonico. Former Brave Max Povse tossed 2.1 scorless mop up innings.

Add another steal for Cole Brannen, as he ended the first half with 37. He was 1-for-4 with a double, a walk, and a run scored. Andrelton Simmons, another former Brave, was 2-for-4 with a double and run scored.

We finished the first half of the season 55-41, 3 games out of 1st, 1.5 games out of the 1st wild card, and 1 game ahead of Atlanta for the 2nd Wild Card. We needed to turn things around, but I think fatigue was a major factor of our recent set of losses. We'd have a nice break before getting back to it.

Just a few little statistics of note: Brannen is really "running away" with the NL steal race, 11 steals ahead of his teammate Dustin Fowler for the lead. BRannen also has 8 more steals then the AL co-leaders Delino DeShields and Jose Peraza. And despite his struggles, Yasukazu Shiotani leads the entire MLB with 30 saves, and has a 6 game lead over the 2nd place in the NL Jamie Callahan of the Mets who has 24.

The next report will be a quick one over the All-Star break.

[ayaghmour2]

This will be a brief one:

July 16th, 2021: The mets lost backup catcher Patrick Mazeika for the year with a torn posterior curciate ligament. The 24-year-old was hitting .184/.295/.264 with 2 homers and 19 RBI's in 56 games behind defensive wizard Austin Hedges.

July 17th, 2021: The Rockies lost Trevor Rosenthal for the year with a ruptured bicep tendon. The 31-year-old was having a poor season, 1-6 with 11 saves and a 6.20 ERA. He did, however, strike out 37 in 24.2 innings.

The All-Star game took place today, with the Rays Brendan McKay (10-2, 2.16 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) taking on Noah Syndergaard (5-7, 3.21 ERA, 1.02 WHIP). McKay has been successful as a "two-way" player, hitting .315/.378/.552 but as a designated hitter, so he's just really a pitcher who hits on his off days. He has played 1 game at first, so that's a start. The NL starters look better, and the NL defeated the AL 12-8. Taillon did not pitch, but still earned the honor of being an All-Star.

July 18th, 2021: I made a move to bolster the bullpen, acquiring the Tigers closer Joe Jimenez for 27-year-old minor leaguer Phillip Diehl. I don't know what they see in Diehl, a 1.5* potetnial, but hey, I like Jimenez.

Jimenez, 26, is a 3.5/4* who has earned 12 saves in 34 games. He's 1-4 with a 4.81 ERA and 1.43 WHIP, and on a very affordable contract. He can touch 100 if he tries hard, but has a great three pitch arsenal out of the pen. To make room for him, I optioned Victor Arano to AAA and designated Brian Miller for assignment.

Jimenez will be the new eigth inning guy.

July 19th, 2021: We've stayed consistent at #10 in the Power Rankings.

Baseball was back tomorrow as we began a nice 10 game homestand with three against the Giants. Although not official, I'm guessing we'll see Madison Bumgarner (5-9, 3.38 ERA), Brad Keller (4-6, 5.04 ERA), and Andrew Trigges (3-5, 3.62 ERA) to start the second half. So far, July has been our only month below .500 (7-8) so let's hope that changes by months' end.

[ayaghmour2]

July 20th, 2021: We started the second half of the season at home hosting the Giants. Jordan Montgomery (4-4, 4.72 ERA, 1.37 WHIP) will face Brad Keller (4-6, 5.04 ERA, 1.31 WHIP). Montgomery was brilliant, so hopefully the second half suits him better, and we won 3-1.

Monty went 7 with 6 hits and a walk, while giving up the only run. He didn't have many strikeouts, just 2, but he still managed to get batters out. Joe Jimenez made his Marlins debut and got a hold, while Shiotani got his league leading 31st save.

Speaking of league leading, Cole Brannen added another steal in a 1-for-4 game where he scored. Dustin Fowler was 1-for-4 with a triple. Lewis Brinson doubled twice in 4 at bats, scoring once and driving in a run. Nicky Delmonico drove in two on a 6th inning homer.

July 21st, 2021: I outrighted Brian Miller to AAA as he cleared waivers.

Game two saw All-Star Jameson Taillon (5-5, 3.06 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) match up against Andrew Triggs (3-5, 3.62 ERA, 1.35 WHIP). It was a high scoring outing, and we fell 10-9.

Taillon was hit hard, 6 runs and 5 hits in 2.2 innings. He walked 2 with just 1 strikeout. Max Pocse allowed 2 more runs in 2 innings, and Tyler Jay allowed 2 runs in the 7th.

We had 11 hits, and all 8 starting position players had hits. Scott Kingery was 1-for-5, but had a three run homer. Dustin Fowler was 1-for-4 with a walk, 2 runs scored, 2 driven in, and a homer. Brian Anderson went 1-for-2 with a double and walk. Lewis Brinson was 1-for-4 with a double, run scored, and one driven in. Charlie Tilson had a pinch hit double and scored in the 8th. Cole Brannen was 2-for-3 with a walk, 2 runs scored, and one driven in.

July 22nd, 2021: The season finale took place between Drew Hutchison (0-1, 6.00 ERA, 1.78 WHIP) and Zach Davies (4-6, 3.70 ERA, 1.33 WHIP). The bats stayed hot, and the pitching held them off enough to win 8-4.

Davies went just 5, allowing all 4 runs off 6 hits, 2 walks, and he struck out 6. Kenyan Middleotn struck out the side in the 6th, and both Corbin Clouse and Tannery Rainey struck out two.

Lewis Brinson is having a better second half, going 4-for-5 with 2 runs scored, an RBI, a steal, and a solo homer. Dustin Fowler also went deep and stole a bag in a 2-for-5 game. He drove in three and scored twice. Cole Brannen was a homer away from the cycle and went 3-for-5 with 2 runs scored and one driven in. Brian Anderson had three hits in four trips, and Victor Caratini doubled and singled in five.

Despite taking two of three, we're now 4.5 back of the 60-36 Mets, despite our 57-42 record. We're also half back of the Cardinals, and will face their division leading Cubs, who are 58-39, for four in Miami. We'd be looking at Yu Darvish (4-2, 3.00 ERA), Patrick Corbin (9-3, 4.05 ERA), James Paxton (7-8, 4.37 ERA), and Kyle Hendricks (4-3, 3.66 ERA).

July 23rd, 2021: A.J. Puckett (1-2, 2.03 ERA, 1.15 WHIP) opened the series against the Cubs and Yu Darvish (4-2, 3.00 ERA, 1.36 WHIP). Puckett, Brinson, and Anderson are all hot heading into today's contest. They didn't really carry it in to today's game, but we still won 7-5.

Puckett did fine, but only went 5.1 innings. He allowed 6 hits, but just 2 runs, with 1 walk and 4 strikeouts. James Farris allowed 2 runs in 1.2 innings, but struck out 4 and got a hold. Middleton allowed a run finishing off the 8th, but we took the lead in the bottom half, so he got the win. Shoitani finished the 9th and earned the save.

Brinson had 1 hit in 4 trips, but it was a solo shot in the 6th. Delmonico homered as well, a two run shot, and also walked in 4 trips to the plate. Cole Brannen was 0-for-2, but walked three times and scored, although he was also caught stealing. Scott Kingery was 2-for-4 and scored twice. Andrelton Simmons was 3-for-4 with a run scored, two doubles, and three RBI's. Cheslor Cuthbert had an RBI, pinch hit double, in the 6th.

July 24th, 2021: It was a southpaw duel for game two as Danny Duffy (7-4, 3.13 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) took on Patrick Corbin (9-3, 4.05 ERA, 1.09 WHIP). We got the short end of the stick today, dropping it 7-3, despite out hitting the Cubs 8-7.

Duffy allowed 4 in 5 innings off just 3 hits. He struck out 8 and walked 2. Joe Jimenez allowed 2 runs in 0.2 innings and Max Povse allowed 1 more in the 9th.

Scott Kingery and Lewis Brinson both went 2-for-4 with a double. Brinson, however, drove in 2 runs. The last run was driven in by Nicky Delmonico on a single in the 4th.

July 25th, 2021: The Twins and Pirates made a three-player swap, with RHP Joe Musgrove heading to the Twins and RF Carlos Tocci and LF Marfrey Ortega heading to Pittsburgh. I like the Twins side better, but it's not too bad of a deal.

Jordan Montgomery (5-4, 4.43 ERA, 1.34 WHIP) will look to build off a solid outing against fellow lefty James Paxton (7-8, 4.37 ERA, 1.42 WHIP). It took 10 innings, but we walked off on a Lewis Brinson walk off solo homer, his second of the game, in a 3-2 win.

Montgomery pitched well, just 4 hits and 2 runs in 6 innings. He walked only 1, but struck out just 2. Max Povse got the win with a perfect 10th inning.

Brinson was 2-for-5 with the 2 homers, and Andrelton Simmons drove in the first run on a single in the 2nd. Brannen was 2-for-5 with a steal. Victor Caratini scored on the Simmons single, and was 2-for-4.

Our 1st rounder Ken Adeniran had himself a game, going 5-for-6 as out GCL squad beat the Phillies GCL squad 8-7. The now 19-year-old is hitting .328/.361/.409 with 11 RBI's and 8 steals.

July 26th, 2021: Ryan Mountcastle won another Player of the Week, going 16-for-29 with 4 homers and 10 RBI's. He's pushing .400 on the season. It's time to change that, as I made room for him on the roster.

I sent Cheslor Cuthbert to the other dugout for 3B Josh Smith. Smith, 23, was a 2nd rounder back in 20019 and is rated as a 3.5* potential. He's got a great bat, and is hitting .287/.379/.448 with 4 homers and 29 RBI's for Class A South Bend in 174 at bats.

We're up to 6th in the Power Rankings, but the Mets are up to 2nd.

Mountcastle is replacing Anderson in the lineup, and will hit second today at third. Jameson Taillon (5-6, 3.47 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) took on Kyle Hendricks (4-2, 3.66 ERA, 1.07 WHIP) as we looked to take the series. We won the finale 4-2.

Taillon got a no decision, and went 6 innings with both runs charged. He allowed 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 2. Tanner Rainey got the win, pitching a scorless 7th, while James Farris earned the hold, and Shiotani got the save.

Taillon himself tripled and had a sac bunt in a 1-for-1 game. Victor Caratini, a fomer Cub, was 1-for-3 with a double. Mountcastle went 0-for-4 in his return to the big league club.

At 60-53, we're 5 games behind the Mets and tied with the Cubs for the #1 Wild Card. The 64-37 Mets will be our next opponent for three to finish our homestand. It'll be atough series, but we need to close the gap that keeps expanding. We're facing Jacob deGrom (10-4, 3.42 ERA), Michael Wacha (6-2, 3.34 ERA), and Chris Sale (9-4, 3.75 ERA).

The deadline is approaching as well, and I may have to make drastic moves to insure we make the playoffs. It's a 7 team race for 5 spots in postseason play. I need to make sure we're one of them.

[ayaghmour2]

July 27th, 2021: 5 games out of first, we hosted the first place Mets and Jacob deGrom (10-4, 3.42 ERA, 1.21 WHIP). Zach Davies (5-6, 3.86 ERA, 1.34 WHIP) took the mound for us as we looked to start the series out strong. Ryan Mountcastle took Rafael Montero deep for a walkoff homer to win the opener 3-2.

Davies pitched well, 7.1 innings, 6 hits, 2 runs, a walk, and 3 strikeouts. Tyler Jay got the win, now 8-1 on the year. He rossed 1.2 innings with 2 strikeouts, a walk, and a hit.

Mountcastle was 2-for-3 with all 3 RBI's in the game. He's making his presence felt. Cole Brannen was 3-for-4 with a run scored. Victor Caratini had a pair of singles in four at bats.

July 28th, 2021: A.J. Puckett (1-2, 2.17 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) took on Michael Wacha (6-2, 3.34 ERA, 1.26 WHIP) as we looked to win the series a day early. Both teams scored 5 runs in the 8th, but we came out on top 10-7.

Puckett allowed just 2 runs in 5.2 innings off 5 hits, 2 walks, and 6 strikeouts. Joe Jimenez struggled, and he hasn't been as good as expected, allowing 4 runs in the 8th, while just getting 1 out. The last run was charged to Clouse who got the final two outs, and eventually the win. Yasukazu Shiotani pitched a scorless 9th, and got the save.

Lewis Brinson had a monster game and was a triple away from the cycle. He was 4-for-5 with a homer, two doubles, 2 runs scored, and 4 RBI's. Dustin Fowler was 3-for-3 with 3 runs scored, 2 driven in, a double, and a steal in two attempts. Cole Brannen doubled and walked twice in 5 plate appearences, while scoring twice. Andrelton Simmons went 2-for-4 with a run scored, an RBI, and a double.

Down in Greensboro, 2B Hector Vizcanio did hit for the cycle, going 4-for-5 in a 13-8 Grasshoppers victory over the Greenville Drive. He's hitting just .205 in Class A, but was hitting .364 with Batavia.

Luke Voit of the Tecas Rangers was 5-for-5 in a 10-9 win over the Tigers.

July 29th, 2021: A pair of trades were made two days before the deadline. The Rays sent LF Oscar Rojas to the Royals for former Marlin and 3B Lucas Erceg. Win for the Royals, as Rojas is a much better player. The Phillies swapped RHP Nathan Eovaldi to the Cardinals for LF Tommy Pham. It's an even enough deal, but I'd say advantage St. Louis considering Pham is injured and has only played 8 games all year.

We looked for the sweep and to close the gap to just two with 32-year-old lefthanders Danny Duffy (7-5, 3.31 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) and Chris Sale (9-4, 3.75 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) battle in both pitchers' 20th start. The Mets bested us with 5 late runs to take the finale 5-2.

Duffy didn't allow a run in 6 innings, with just 4 hits and a walk to go with 9 strikeouts. Tanner Rainey allowed 2 in the 7th, Tyler Jay 2 (1 earned) in the 8th, and Kenyan Middleton one more in the 9th.

Cole Brannen may have been 0-for-4, but he walked and stole his 40th base of the season. Ryan Mountcastle had a monster game, 3-for-5 with 2 doubles and a run scored. Scott Kingery also had three hits, a double and two singles, while scoring a run and driving one in.

Tomorrow was an off day, and I'd look to swnig a trade. I didn't know what I'd do, but I'd probably do something.

July 30th, 2021: The Rangers sent 2B Andy Ibanez to the Giants for RHP Luis Cessa. I'd say the Rangers got the better end of the deal, although Ibanez is having a nice rookie season.

I acquired CL Koda Glover from the Nationals for RP Kenta Maeda. I signed Maeda to a minor league deal and was able to flip him for a solid reliever. The 28-year-old Glover has 20 saves on the year and a 1.93 ERA to go with a 0.91 WHIP. He's got three plus pitches, throws around 95-97, and gets almost 10 strikeouts per 9 innings. He'd take the recently acquired Joe Jimenez's spot on the active roster, and slide into the 7th inning role.

Tomorrow I might consider acquiring a first basemen, but for now, I'm done for the day. We'd head to Minnesota for two quick games against Blayne Enlow (4-3, 4.26 ERA) and Jose Berrios (7-5, 4.99 ERA).

July 31st, 2021: Today marks the trade deadline, but no one in the MLB made a move. I tried acquiring 1B Chris Devito from the Royals, but his price was far too high.

Eventually, I added a big bat, 1B Keston Hiura from the Brewers. It cost be SP Thomas Hatch, SP Doug Daniels, and starting 1B Nicky Delmonico. Delmonico was struggling, and Hiura is a significantly better offensive player.

The 24-year-old Hiura is a 3/3.5*, but if he was a better defender, he'd probably be a 4 or 5 star. He's got 78 contact and 91 gap power to go with 57 power, 64 eye, and 62 avoid K's. Not only that, he's hitting .285/.351/.495 with 15 homers and 54 RBI's, and has a lot more team control the Delmonico. It's a risky trade, but I think it will pay dividends, especially because the two SP's I gave up weren't that great anyways.

Jordan Montgomery (5-4, 4.33 ERA, 1.31 WHIP) was on the mound against Blayne Enlow (4-3, 4.26 ERA, 1.42 WHIP) to open up the quick two game series at Target Field. Hiura took the third spot in the batting order and will play first. The bats were silent, and we lost 3-1.

Montgomery was great, 6 innings with just 1 run, 4 hits, a walk, and 7 strikeouts, but he recorded a no decision. Tanner Rainey got the loss, allowing 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th off a hit and a walk.

Hiura went 1-for-4 in his Marlins debut, but we didn't have enough offense to beat the Twins. Dustin Fowler doubled, walked, and stole a base in four trips to the plate, while Cole Brannen was 1-for-4 with a caught stealing.

We needed to win tomorrow...

August 1st, 2021: Jameson Taillon (5-6, 3.44 ERA, 1.20 WHIP) took on Jose Berrios (7-5, 4.99 ERA, 1.39 WHIP) as we looked to earn the split. Our pitching was lit up, and we fell 13-6 to the now 60-47 Twins.

Taillon allowed 6 in 2.2 innings off 4 hits, 3 walks, and just 1 strikeout. Every pitcher excpet Corbin Clouse, who tossed a scorless 8th, allowed a run. Max POvse allowed 2 in 2.1, Kenyan Middleton 1 in the 6th, and James Farris four in the 7th.

Hiura went 3-for-4 with a double, a run scored, and two RBI's. Dustin Fowler was 2-for-4 with a double, run scored, and an RBI. Cole Brannen was 2-for-5, scored twice, and picked up a steal. Scott Kingery was 1-for-4 with an RBI double.

We got tomorrow off, but fell to 5.5 games back of New York, and half a game behind the Cubs for the 1st Wild Card.

August 2nd, 2021: The Mets stayed at 2nd in the Power Rankings, but we fell down to 10th.

Aaron Nola tossed a 3 hit shutout as the Phillies beat the Dodgers 5-0.

We had to look foward to three in St. Louis where we'd face the 63-45 1st place Cardinals. At 62-46, we're tied for Chicago for the 1st Wild Card spot and 5 behind the pesky Mets. We'd see Jack Flaherty (8-4, 4.78 ERA), Miguel Diaz (3-3, 3.04 ERA), and staff ace Carlos Martinez (10-7, 3.14 ERA).

Below are our stats so far as we enter the Dog Days of August. We've gotten worse each month, but we generally finish strong.

[ayaghmour2]

August 3rd, 2021: Zach Davies (5-6, 3.77 ERA, 1.32 WHIP) toed the rubber as we opened up the series in St. Louis against Jack Flaherty (8-4, 4.78 ERA, 1.26 WHIP). We needed to start out the series on top, and in a close one, we pulled ahead 2-1 to take the opener.

Davies was strong, 7 innings with 5 hits and just 1 run, while striking out three. Tanner Rainey got a hold, pitching a perfect 8th, and Bulldozer Shiotani threw a perfect 9th to earn his 35th save.

Cole Brannen was 2-for-3 in steals, bringing his total up to 43. He's on track for 64 this season. He was 1-for-4 with a run scored. Keston Hiura was 1-for-2 with 2 walks, a run scored, and an RBI. He's already got 3 RBI's in 3 games in a Marlins uniform.

August 4th, 2021: Game two of three saw A.J. Puckett (1-2, 2.26 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) and Miguel Diaz (3-3, 3.04 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) go head-to-head. It took 12 innings, but we pulled ahead with 2 in the top half to outlast St. Louis 4-2. Both teams scored single runs in the 6th and 9th, but we were the only team to cash in during extras.

Puckett was brilliant despite only striking out two. The 26-year-old went 6.2 innings, allowing just 4 hits and a run, and pretty much has locked up a rotation spot for next season. Shiotani blew the save, but pitched a scorless 10th as well. Tanner Rainey got the win and Corbin Clouse earned the save.

Cole Brannen was 3-for-4 with 2 walks, 2 runs scored, and 1-for-2 in steals. Ryan Mountcastle took Paul Sewald deep in the 12th for a 2 run homer. He was 2-for-6 on the night. Victor Caratini singled home a run in a 1-for-4 game and scored on an Andrelton Simmons single.

August 5th, 2021: Danny Duffy (7-5, 3.14 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) took on Carlos Martinez (210-7, 3.14 ERA, 1.08 WHIP) as the Cards looked to avoid a road sweep, although we'd do anything we could to spoil the home fans' outing. It took extras again, but with 1 in the 9th and 1 in the 10th, we finished the sweep with a 5-4 win.

Duffy could've been better, lasting just 5 innings with 6 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts to his name. Tyler Jay allowed a single run in the 7th on a Eugenio Suarez homer. James Farris earned the win and Tanner Rainey the save.

Scott Kingery was 2-for-4 with an RBI single off Paul Sewald in the extra frame. Andrelton Simmons had a double and two singles in four at bats, scoring twice and driving in two. Keston Hiura was 2-for-5 with a triple and a run scored. Cole Brannen was 2-for-4 with a double and 2 runs driven in. Lewis Brinson was 3-for-5 with a double and run scored.

Now 65-46, we're still 4 back of the Mets, but have a nice 3 game cushion over the Cubs for the 1st Wild Card. We'd head home to host the last place Nationals for three, and these were three must-win games. We'd see Jerad Eickhoff (4-5, 7.42 ERA), Freicer Perez (1-5, 3.77 ERA), and Mike Leake (3-12, 5.44 ERA).

August 6th, 2021: It's been a while since a season ending injury, but the Astros will be without SP Francisco Rios for the rest of the year with a damage elbow ligament.

Jordan Montgomery (5-4, 4.15 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) opened the three game series against Eickhoff (4-5, 7.42 ERA, 1.56 WHIP) as we'd look to keep our win streak going. The Nats had other ideas, scoring 5 in the 8th and 2 in the 9th to take a 10-6 lead after an error lead to 3 unearned runs. We battled back for 4 in the 9th and then 1 more in the 10th to win an 11-10 slugfest.

Montgomery actually pitched good, allowing just 1 of the 10 runs in his 5 innings of work. He allowed 4 hits, 2 walks, and struck out 3 as well. Koda Glover allowed a run in the 6th to his former team, and James Farris allowed another in the 7th. Kenyan Middleton got just 1 out in the 8th before allowing 4 runs (2 earned) off 3 hits and a walk). Corbin Clouse got the second out on a 5 pitch strikeout, but then Max Povse allowed 3 runs (2 earned) between the remainder of the 8th and the 9th. Tyler Jay pitched a perfect 10th, and improved his record to 9-2 on the year. He's actually the team leader in wins out of the pen, and has appeared in an impressive 58 games.

Offensively we had 16 hits, and all positional starters except Hiura recorded one, although he did get a walk. Lewis Brinson was a perfect 4-for-4 with a 3-run-homer in the 9th off Jesen Therrien. He had a steal, a walk, scored twice, and drove in 5 in an offensive explosion. Of course, Cole Brannen swpied a bag and was 1-for-4 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Brian Anderson hit a pinch hit homer in the 9th off Josh Ravin and Dustin Fowler hit a solo shot in the 6th off Trevor Cahill. Fowler was 2-for-5 with a total of 2 RBI's. Ryan Mountcastle made the error that cost 3 runs, but was 2-for-5 with a double and 2 runs scored. Nick Feight was 3-for-5 and scored once. It was a scary one, but the offense eventually pervailed.

Down in New Orleans, Garrett Hampson recorded 2 hits in a 17-7 loss to Las Vegas, the Mets AAA team, but boosted his streak to 20 games. Technically, in 2021 the Mets AAA team should be the Syracuse Chiefs, so if I remember, I'd swap the Aces to the Nationals and Chiefs to New York.

And in MLB News, Craig Kimbrel, now 33, recorded his 400th save in a Red Sox 6-4 win over the Astros. The veteran from Huntsville, Alabama is making a climb on the All-Time saves list, currently 7th and 22 saves behind Billy Wagner. He still has 252 saves to go to reach Mariano Rivera, but anything is possible.

August 7th, 2021: Two more pitchers saw thier season end today, the first RHP Kyle Weatherly of the Blue Jays. The Rookie tore his ulnar collateral ligament, and his 2022 is in jeopardy as well.

The often injured Julio Urias of the Reds was the second, tearing his labrum, which will cost him 13-14 months. This is his 4th major injury since 2018, and while he's still just 24, the former futuer star looks like a shell of his former self.

Jameson Taillon (5-7, 3.81 ERA, 1.23 WHIP) looked to right the ship against Freicer Perez (1-5, 3.77 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) who is having a season better then his abilities may be. Our bats stayed awake, while the Nationals' took a day off, and we crushed them 10-1.

Taillon did in fact right the ship, going 8 strong with 5 hits, a run, no walks, and 8 strikeouts. Corbin Clouse struck out the side in the 9th to end the Nationals' pitching staff's nightmare.

15 hits were used in the slaughter. Keston Hiura was the main culprit, going 4-for-5 with 6 RBI's and 3 doubles. Shockingly, he didn't score all game. Cole Brannen went 3-for-4 with a run scored, 2 driven in, and his 46th steal. Dustin Fowler picked up his 32nd steal despite going 0-for-4 with a walk and run scored. I didn't know how to check this, but I wonder when the last time a pair of teammates had over 40 steals each? We certainley had a change, although even two with 30+ is impressive. Even Ryan Mountcastle got in on the thievery, swiping two bags in a 1-for-3 game that saw him touch home three times and draw two walks. Scott Kingery was a perfect 4-for-4 with a double, 2 runs scored, and an RBI. Andrelton Simmons was 2-for-4 wiht a run scored, an RBI, and a double. Een Taillon got a hit, 1-for-3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

August 8th, 2021: The Astros announced a huge extension for superstar Lance McCullers Jr., despite his down season. The 27-year-old occasionally refered to as 'Snap Dragon 1' although not as commonly mentioned since 'Snap Dragon 2' Collin McHugh hasn't been his teammate in a while, agreed to a 7-year, $182,400,000 extension. In his career, he's 64-43 with a 4.01 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with 1,006 strikeouts in 927.1 innings.

We looked to push our win streak to 6 with Zach Davies (6-6, 3.63 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) taking on Mike Leake (3-12, 5.44 ERA, 1.42 WHIP). We could not, as the Nationals rallied for 5 runs in the top of the 11th and won 10-5.

Davies allowed 5 runs on 12 hits in 6 innings while striking out 4. The other 5 runs were charged to Max Povse in his 2nd inning of work. He walked 4, struck out 4, and allowed 4 hits in 1.2 innings.

Lewis Brinson was 2-for-5 with a run score, a run driven in, and his 19th steal. We would likely have all 3 outfielders steal 20 bases this season. Scott Kingery was 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles. Cole Brannen was 1-for-6 with a solo homer and Victor Caratini was 1-for-4 with a 2-run homer and a base on balls.

We'd have tomorrow to recover before hosting the Philadelphia Phillies.

August 9th, 2021: While the Mets still remain at 2nd in the Power Rankings, we creep closer to 6th.

The Nationals and Orioles made a rare trade, swapping minor leaguers Kyle Johnston and Andrew Vaughn. Don't know what the Orioles were thinking, considering the 2B Vaughn is the much better player, but you can never have too much pitching.

Matt Purke, who missed about 3 months with bone chips in his elbow, has been sent to A- Batavia to begin a rehab assignment. I'd leave him there until rosters expand in Septmeber. I would, however, have to clear a 40-man roster spot for him eventually.

Now at 67-47, we sat 5 games behind the almost unbeatable 72-42 Mets, although we had a nice 3.5 game cushion over the 2nd Wild Card spot, a tie between St. Louis and Pittsburgh, who are tied for the NL Central lead. Chicago and Atlanta are half a fame behind both of them.

Quick note on the Mets, between July and August, they are an unbelievable 27-11, and 4 of those losses are against us. They also rank top 3 in all pitching categories. They're a really scary team,

Anyways, we'd face the 4th place Phillies, and they are projected to send former Met Marcos Molina (10-6, 3.49 ERA), JoJo Romero (3-7, 3.57 ERA), and Mike Clevinger (6-9, 4.38 ERA).

With the upcoming series, I decided to check in on how the Scott Kingery trade has played out so far: Kingery has produced, hitting .254/.305/.414 with 15 homers and 48 RBI's to go with 11 steals. He hasn't been as expected, but I definitely can't complain either. Hunter Harvey has spent most of the time in the Phillies pen pitching 43 innings in 36 relief appearences and 1 start. He has a 1-4 record with 1 save, a 4.40 ERA, a 1.26 WHIP and 50 strikeouts to go with 20 walks. Former #3 overall pick Tyler Callihan has spent all of the season in the GCL, hitting .361/.449.470 with 3 homers and 28 RBI's.

I may have botched that pick, as #5 Overall Pick Benni Vogel is a 4/5 CF and despite his struggles in his rookie year, his potentials are 73/82/100/81/64. On draft day they were much lower, but he was still a 4* prospect. Another player I missed out on is tearing things up for the Mets, the 32nd overall pick RF Dominic Fletcher. He's a 3/4.5 who was just a 3.5* on draft day. He's hitting .279/.358/.500 with 16 homers and 77 RBI's in his rookie campaign and is one of the few good hitters on that team. Taking him away would have been crucial. Even 2nd round pick 2B Sahid Valenzuela, who I passed on twice, is a 2.5/4.5 and just made his debut on the 5th for Arizona. He's grown a lot from being a 2.5* on draft day. These are just a few of the guys who have debuted in the majors, as I'm afraid to know who else I missed.

There is some good news for my drafting, as 2018 2nd Rounder J.P. Gates is now in AAA and approaching the majors. The SP/1B still has solid potential, and could join the big league club this year or next. Can't say the same for anyone else, but three more of my top 5 picks are progressing well throughout the system.

One more brief stat of note, only half of starters (Walker Buehler 2-1, Danny Duffy 7-5, Jordan Montgomery 5-4) are over .500, but as a team, we are 20 games over .500. If you look to the pen, Tyler Jay (9-2), Max Povse (6-4), James Farris (5-1), Corbin Clouse (4-1), Drew Steckenrider (3-2), Matt Purke (2-0), Brent Suter (2-0), and Tanner Rainey (2-1) are all over .500. My starters (counting Alex Balog) only account for 30 of the 67 wins. This makes sense, considering we are 13-4 in extra inning games (1 win to Zack Davies) and 28-11 in one-run games, a majority of which include comeback wins.

[ayaghmour2]

August 10th, 2021: Our series hosting Phiadelphia opened with A.J. Puckett (1-2, 2.17 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) hosting JoJo Romero (3-7, 3.57 ERA, 1.25 WHIP). Coming into the game, Andrelton Simmons is a perfect 4-for-4 against Romero. Make that 5-for-6 as we won the opener 5-1.

Puckett tossed a gem, going 8.1 innings with just 1 walk, 1 run, 4 hits, and 5 strikeouts to lower his Marlins ERA to 1.83. Tanner Rainey got the final 2 outs of the game.

Simmons was 2-for-3 with a double and one of our four stolen bases. Lewis Brinson was 2-for-4 with a three run homer and a stolen base, his 20th of the year. Cole Brannen was 0-for-2, but walked twice, drove in a run, scored, and of course, stole a base.

August 11th, 2021: The Angels are going to be without left handed reliever Holby Milner for the duration of the season. He tore his flexor tendon.

Game two saw Marcos Molina (10-6, 3.49 ERA, 1.23 WHIP) who is currently day to day with a strained abdominal muscle. He'd face Danny Duffy (7-5, 3.23 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) as we looked to take the series a day early. The Phillies started strong, scoring 5 in the 1st, but we battled back for 8 in the 4th. Both teams scored 1 more in the 5th, and that was all in the 9-6 win.

Duffy didn't have his best game, allowing 6 hits, 5 runs, a walk, but he struck out 4 in 3 innings. James Farris, now 6-1, got the win, tossing 2 innings while allowing just 1 run. Kenyan Middleton, Tyler Jay, and Tanner Rainey earned holds, and Yasukzau Shiotani picked up the save. Rainey struck out the side in the 8th, and he's really blossomed since leaving Colorado.

Andrelton Simmons was 1-for-4 with a walk, a double, and 3 RBI's. Brian Anderson went 2-for-4 with a run scored and 2 RBI's. Keston Hiura tripled home a run to record his 10th RBI in 10 games. Lewis Brinson and Dustin Fowler both went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. The only difference is Brinson scored once and Fowler scored twice.

The win also gave us a 5 game cushion over the 2nd Wild Card, but we're still 4 games out of first.

August 12th, 2021: We lost 4th Rounder Josh Windom to the year with radial nerve compression. Hopefully, it won't hamper the 19-year-old's future potential too much, especially considering his start to pro ball hasn't exactly gone as plan. He'll finish 2021 1-7 with a 7.26 ERA, 1.82 WHIP, and 23 walks compared to 13 strikeouts.

We looked to finish off the sweep with Jordan Montgomery (5-4, 4.03 ERA, 1.27 WHIP) taking on Mike Clevinger (6-9, 4.38 ERA, 1.26 WHIP). The Phillies Rhys Hoskins has really had Monty's number, 11-for-21 with 2 homers. We scored three in the 8th to edge out a 8-7 win and the sweep.

It was a rough start for Montgomery, allowing 6 runs off 7 hits in 2.2 innings. Ironically, he got all 5 of the outs via the strikeout. Max Povse allowed the last run in his 2.1 innings of mop up, allowing 5 hits, but striking out three. Corbin Clouse got the win, pitching a scorless 8th and Shiotani got the save, despite walking two and needing 25 pitches to finish the side.

Andrelton Simmons had a monster game, goign 3-for-3 with a walk, a three-run homer, and 5 total RBI's. Cole Brannen was 2-for-5 with 2 RBI's, but was caught stealing. Dustin Fowler was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Scott Kingery scored three times and went 1-for-2 with a walk and hit by pitch. Former Marlin Hunter Harvey was charged with the loss, allowing the 3 runs in the 8th.

Garrett Hampson is up to 25 games with his hit streak. When rosters expand, he's going to be a nice spark to add back to the big league club.

August 13th, 2021: Today was an off day that we could spend in beautiful Miami.

The Braves lost LHP Max Fried for the year with shoulder inflammation. He was 5-4 with a 4.58 ERA and 1.36 WHIP with 68 strikeouts and 30 walks in 77 innings.

Now just 3.5 back from the Mets with a 70-47 record, we'd host the 74-43 first place Dodgers. They'd send Alex Wood (3-7, 3.95 ERA), Clayton Kershaw (3-2, 3.53 ERA), and Danny Salazar (11-2, 3.09 ERA). Let's get revenge for the earlier sweep!

August 14th, 2021: Wood (3-7, 3.95 ERA, 1.20 WHIP) and Jameson Taillon (6-7, 3.65 ERA, 1.19 WHIP) swaured off in today's matchup. LA got the best of us, winning 3-1.

Taillon allowed all 3, allowing 4 hits in his 5 innings. He walked 1 and struck out 6. Koda Glover pitched 2 innings of relief effort, striking out 4.

Dustin Fowler was 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles. Andrelton Simmons was 2-for-4 with an RBI, but also committed an error. Scott Kingery was 2-for-4 as well.

Guess who just tossed a 2-hit shutout? None other then Angels SP Alex Balog, in a 3-0 win over the A's. He's now 5-9 with a 5.21 ERA on the season.

August 15th, 2021: Zach Davies (6-6, 3.81 ERA, 1.31 WHIP) took on Clayton Kershaw (3-2, 3.53 ERA, 1.08 WHIP) as we looked to bounce back. Nolan Arrenado loves facing Davies, 7-for-10 with a homer. Leading off for the Dodgers happened to be CF Anthony Alford. Well, there were no homers hit today, as it took 14 innings for a run to be scored. KestoN Hiura hit a walk off single off Kenley Jansen as we shut out the Dodgers 1-0.

Let's start with the bad: Dustin Fowler was injured in a collision at a base, suffering a herniated disc in his neck and will head to the DL for just 1-2 weeks.

Davies was amazing, going 8.1 innings, allowing just 5 hits and a walk, while stirking out 3. Tanner Rainey pitched the 10th and 11th and struck out 4. Tyler Jay allowed 3 hits in the 12th and 13th, but struck out 4 as well. Corbin Clouse earned the win, now 6-1, striking out 2 and walking 1 in the 14th.

We had 15 hits, and just 1 of them was not a single. Charlie Tilson, who replaced Fowler, went 2-for-5 with a steal, a run scored, and a double. Keston Hiura, who won the game, was 4-for-6 with a walk. Lewis Brinson was 3-for-5 with a walk.

Garrett Hampson's streak was ended today, but I considered calling him up to replace Fowler.

August 16th, 2021: Despite my better judgement, Hampson earned the callup. I only had three natural outfielders on the roster, Brinson, Tilson, and Brannen, but Dubon, Anderson, and Hampson can all play a little outfield. Kingery can too, but he's still starting at second.

August 16th, 2021: We jumped the Mets in the Power Rankings, now 5th and they are 6th. We're also just 2.5 games out!

We looked to win the LA series with A.J. Puckett (2-2, 2.05 ERA, 1.06 WHIP) facing Danny Salazar (11-2, 3.09 ERA, 1.06 WHIP). Hampson was in the lineup and played SS. We almost shut the Dodgers out again, but they scored 1 in the 9th to make it 7-1.

Puckett was brilliant, and what a steal he' been off waivers. He tossed 7.1 scorless innings with just 1 walk, 5 htis, and he struck out 5. The former Royals 2nd Rounder seems to have found his spot in Miami after moving around a bit earlier in his career.

Ryan Mountcastle was great, 3-for-5 with a homer, a steal, 3 runs scored, and 2 RBI's. Keston Hiura doubled and tripled in 5 at bats, scoring once, and driving in two. Cole Brannen was 2-for-5 and scored twice. Both Scott Kingery and Charlie Tilson were 2-for-4, with the latter also picking up a stolen base.

We'd hit the road to play the last place Nationals as we started a long road trip. We'd see Randall Delgado (3-7, 3.27 ERA), Jerad Eickhoff (5-5, 7.13 ERA), and Freicer Perez (1-6, 4.50 ERA).

[ayaghmour2]

August 17th, 2021: Danny Duffy (7-5, 3.52 ERA, 1.15 WHIP) to the mound against Randall Delgado (3-7, 3.27 ERA, 1.27 WHIP) to open the series in our nations' capital. It was a wild one late. Up 1-0 in the 6th, they scored 2 in the 8th to take the lead. We put up 3 in the top of the 9th, but then allowed 2 in the bottom half. In the 10th, Brian Goodwin walked off former National Koda Glover, and the Nats won 5-4.

Duffy was great, allowing just 1 run off 5 hits in 7.1 innings. He walked 1 and struck out 5. James Farris allowed a run in the 8th to blow the save, and Yasukazu Shiotani allowed 2 in the 9th, and the run in the 10th was charged to him as well.

Cole Brannen swiped bag 48 and doubled in 5 at bats. Andrelton Simmons hit a 3-run homer in the 9th and had two singles as well. Ryan Mountcastle was 2-for-4 with an RBI double. Lewis Brinson was 2-for-5 with a double and scored.

Down in the GCL, 3B Ismael Mayen went 5-fpr-6 in a 15-1 domination over the Rays.

August 18th, 2021: Jordan Montgomery (5-4, 4.46 ERA, 1.31 WHIP) got the ball against Jerald Eickhoff (5-5, 7.13 ERA, 1.55 WHIP) as we looked to bounce back. Today was another rough one, as we lead 4-0 before allowing 2 in the 7th and 5 in the 8th, to fall 7-5.

Montgomery pitched well, just 2 runs in 7 innings, allowing 4 hits, walking 1, and striking out 6. Tanner Rrainey struggled, getting just 1 out while allowing 2 hits, 2 walks, and 5 runs. He actually struck out two, but one got on from a dropped third strike.

Cole Brannen picked up another steal and was 0-for-2 with a pair of walks. Lewis Brinson had a piar of solo homers in four at bats. Brian Anderson was 1-for-4 with a three run homer in the 7th.

August 19th, 2021: The Yankees lost SP Bryse Wilson for the year with a torn flexor tendon. The 23-year-old made 16 starts in 21 games and had a 4.69 ERA.

We looked to avoid the sweep with Jameson Taillon (6-8, 3.71 ERA, 1.18 WHIP) facing Freicer Perez (1-6, 4.50 ERA, 1.60 WHIP). We really, really, really couldn't afford to lose today as well, but the Nationals have killed us this season. Luckily, wer picked up a 7-3 win in part to a 4 run 4th.

Taillon didn't do too well, lasting just 4.2 innings, allowing 5 hits, 3 runs, a walk, and striking out a pair. Max Povse got the win, his 7th, after 1.1 hitless innings with 3 strikeouts. Kenyan Middleton earned a hold with 2 perfect innings and James Farris tossed a perfect 9th.

Charlie Tilson delivered a key 3-run homer in the 4th and went 1-for-4. Andrelton Simmons went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, a walk, and a run scored. Victor Caratini went deep in a 1-for-3 game with 3 RBI's, a walk, and run scored.

We took a flight to Milwuakee where we'd meet Milwaukee for four. We're 73-50 and just 3.5 game out. Milwaukee hasn't had much success, and is in 4th with a 59-64 record. They project to send Jimmy Nelson (5-8, 4.67 ERA), Osvaldo Hernandez (6-4, 3.82 ERA), Brandon Woodruff (8-8, 4.80 ERA), and Carson Fulmer (7-5, 3.46 ERA).

August 20th, 2021: Zach Davies (6-6, 3.58 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) took on his former team and teammate Jimmmy Nelson (5-8, 4.67 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) to open up the four game set. We edged the Brewers 2-1.

Davies had a brilliant outing, just a single run in 8 innings with 4 hits, a walk, and a single strikeout. Shiotani earned the save, his 38th of the sesaon.

Charlie Tilson has done well in the starting lineup, and today he was 2-for-4 with a triple. Victor Caratini doubled home both runs in the 4th with a double. Ryan Mountcastle was 2-for-4 with a run scored and 2 steals. He's not very fast, but an excellent base runner.

Former Marlin and now Pirate CF Carlos Tocci went 5-for-5 in a 7-4 win over the Cardinals. Just 25, he's had major league at bats with Texas, the Cubs, the Nationals, the Twins, and now Pirates. He was in our system, but never suited up. We acquired him for Jarrett Parker and then later in the offseason moved him to the Cubs with Justin Bour for Thomas Hatch and Chase Smartt.

August 21st, 2021: A.J. Puckett (3-2, 1.87 ERA, 1.04 WHIP) got the start against Osvlado Hernandez (6-4, 3.82 ERA, 1.30 WHIP) in game two. Today's outing took 12 innings, but we took advantage off an error and won 3-2.

Puckett was excellent, just the 2 runs in 8 innings, while allowing 6 hits, walking just 1, and striking out 5. Tyler Jay became the first Marlin with double digit wins, improving to 10-2 with 2 innings with a hit and a walk, while striking out 4.

Scott Kingery drove in Cole Brannen for the go-ahead run in the 12th on a triple. Him and Charlie Tilson both singled and tripled in the game. A.J. Puckett drove in 2 runs himself in a 1-for-2 day with a walk. He singled home Tilson and drew a bases loaded walk that scored Brian Anderson.

August 22nd, 2021: Danny Duffy (7-5, 3.39 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) took on Brandon Woodruff (8-8, 4.80 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) as we looked to take the series a day early. The bats came to play, and we won again, this time 8-4.

Duffy allowed hald the runs in 5 innings off just 2 hits, 3 walks, and he struck out 6. James Farris allowed the other two runs in 1.2 innings, but struck out 4 and allowed only a single hit and walk. Him, Koda Glover, and Tanner Rainey got holds. Rainey's 8th was eventful, despite the ball not going in play. He walked three and struck out three. Shiotani earned the save, and he's just 1 away from 40.

Cole Brannen swiped his 50th bag and went 3-for-5 with 2 runs scored. I gave Garrett Hampson a start in center to get him at bats, and he rewarded me with a 3-for-5 day. He scored twice, doubled twice, and dorve in a run. Lewis Brinson hit his 32nd homer, got a steal, scored twice, and drove in 3 in a 2-for-4 game. Andrelton Simmons was 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and 3 RBI's. He also stole a base.

Another former Marlin farmhand is in the news, as Rowdy Tellez went 5-for-5 in a 7-6 Pirates loss to the Cardinals. Acquired from Atlanta this season in a trade, he's really broken out, hitting .316 with 11 homers and 31 RBI's since the midseason trade.

August 23rd, 2021: A few pieces of news before we went for the sweep:

Class A- Batavia C Brhayan Campos won New York-Penn League Player of the Week. The 22-year-old hit .636 with 2 homers and 5 RBI's to raise his average to .440 in 25 at bats.

We lost prospect 2B Cadyn Grenier for the year with a torn ACL. Hopefully the former 2nd Rounder from Kansas City will be completely helathy to start next year.

We're also up to 4th in the Power Rankings, but the Mets are 3rd. The top two teams are the Astros and Indians, the latter who our next series is against.

But first comes today's game, Jordan Montgomery (5-4, 4.33 ERA, 1.27 WHIP) vs. Carson Fullmer (7-5, 3.46 ERA, 1.23 WHIP). I forgot to mention that Nicky Delmonico and Keston Hiura got to face each others former teams, as well as RF Teoscar Hernandez and LF Christian Yelich. Interesting enough, the Brewers are also playing Troy Tulowitzki at second. We finished the sweep with a nice 4-2 win.

Montgomery was amazing, 6 scorless with 5 hits, 2 walks, and 8 strikeouts. Both runs were charged to Koda Glover in the 7th. Corbin Clouse earned a hold, and Kenyan Middleton pitched the 9th and earned a save.


We had 7 hits, and the only Marlin with more then one was RF Cole Brannen. He was 2-for-4 with a solo homer. Keston Hiura was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, and a run scored against his former squad. Victor Caratini drove in a run and scored in a 1-for-4 effort with a double.

The sweep brought us to withing 2 of the Mets, and extended our Wild Card lead to 8 over the Cubs, who have a 1 game lead over Atlanta. The Indians are 1 game better then us, leading the AL Central at 78-49. We'd end our road trip with three against reliever-turned-starter Addison Reed (7-7, 4.68 ERA), Trevor Bauer (10-7, 3.20 ERA), and Mike Shawaryn (3-7, 3.91 ERA). It'll be a tough one, although both Walker Buehler and Dustin Fowler are nearing returns. Buehler would probably get at least 2 rehab starts, while Fowler could join right away. As well as Hampson has done, I rather have Fowler in the lineup.

[ayaghmour2]

August 24th, 2021: Well, I guess it'll be longer without Walker Buehler, as his recovery time is now unclear. It's not a setback per se, but he won't be ready any time soon.

Jameson Taillon (6-8, 3.78 ERA, 1.19 WHIP) opened the final series of the roadtrip against Addison Reed (7-7, 4.68 ERA, 1.31 WHIP). We were bested in the opener 6-1.

Taillon allowed just 2 of the runs in 6 innings. He allowed 7 hits, 4 walks, and struck out 5. Tyler Jay struggled, allowing 2 runs and 2 hits in a third of an inning James Farris allowed 2 runs in an inning of work off 3 hits as well.

We managed just 6 hits, all singles. Garrett Hamspon got to hit in the lineup with the DH, and went 2-for-4. Nick Feight drove in Brian Anderson for the only run of the game.

Kevin Keirmaier had himself a game, going 5-for-6 in a 7-6 Rays loss to the Orioles.

August 25th, 2021: Game two saw righties Zach Davies (7-6, 3.45 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) and Trevor Bauer (10-7, 3.20 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) square off. The bats came to play, and we evened the series with a 8-4 win.

Davies did allow 4 runs in 6.2 innings off 10 hits and 4 strikeouts. Tyler Jay and Tanner Rainey picked up holds, and Shiotani finished the game with a 4 run lead.

We managed 15 hits, including 3 from utility man Mauricio Dubon who was making a start in left. He stole two bases, scored twice, and drove in 2 runs with a solo homer off Cody Allen in the 9th. Brian Anderson went 2-for-5 with a solo shot. Keston Hiura was 2-for-6 with a double, triple, and run scored. Charlie Tilson was 2-for-4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

August 26th, 2021: I sent Dustin Fowler on a quick rehab assignment to A- Batavia and would recall him on the 28th when we started our season with Atlanta.

A.J. Puckett (3-2, 1.90 ERA, 1.02 WHIP) dueled Mike Shawaryn (3-7, 3.91 ERA, 1.26 WHIP) in the rubber match of the series. Indians superstar Francisco Lindor loves facing Puckett, 7-for-14 with a homer. The Indians got 4 in the 7th and won the finale 6-4.

Puckett was not at fault, charged with just 1 run in 5.1 innings. He walked 3, struck out 5, and allowed 2 hits. Kenyan Middleton was charged with the loss, allowing 4 runs in 1.1 innings, but just 1 of the runs was earned. Victor Caratini made a throwing error and was charged with a passed ball. Koda Glover also allowed an unearned run in 1.1 innings, with 2 strikeouts, and a hit.

Ryan Mountcastle was 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, and two runs scored, but suffered a mild hip strain while running the bases. He's just day-to-day and may just miss one game. Keston Hiura was 2-for-3 with a double, 2 runs scored, and 2 RBI's. Scott Kingery was 1-for-4 with a steal, his 15th of the season.

Our road trip was finally over, and we'd head home tomorrow on an off day.

Arizona's CF Andrew Toles went 5-for-5 in a 6-1 win over the Phillies.

August 27th, 2021: The Indians will be without RP Tyler Clippard for the rest of the year. He has an arthritic elbow, but should be back to 100% for next season.

Now 4 games back, we'd host the 71-59 Braves who hold the 2nd Wild Card spot. Our 78-52 record gave us a 7 game cushion ahead of them. We'd see Sean Newcomb (7-4, 2.65 ERA), Patrick Weigel (2-2, 2.96 ERA), and Luiz Gohara (8-9, 4.25 ERA).

August 28th, 2021: I welcomed back Dustin Fowler to the big league club and sent Garrett Hampson back down to AAA.

We opened our homestand with Danny Duffy (8-5, 3.40 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) facing Newcomb (7-4, 2.65 ERA, 1.05 WHIP). I gave Mountcastle the day off and Fowler was back in the 2nd spot and played CF. There was a ton of late game scoring, but we walked off 7-6 on a Nick Feight pinch hit RBI single.

Duffy allowed 4 runs in 5.2 innings with 6 hits and strikeouts. Anderson made an error and cost James Farris an unearned run in 1.1 innings. Yasukazu Shiotani got the win after tossing a perfect 9th.

Fowler made his presence felt, 2-for-5 with a three run homer. Andrelton Simmons trippled home a run and scored a run in a 1-for-4 outing. Scott Kingery had a pair of singles in 5 trips to the plate, and scored once as well. Cole Brannen was 1-for-2 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored.

August 29th, 2021: Game two saw Patrick Weigel (2-2, 2.96 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) face Jordan Montgomery (6-4, 4.11 ERA, 1.26 WHIP). Despite being outhit 10-7, we won the contest 7-5.

Montgomery had a rough start, 6 hits in 3 innings with 3 runs and a single strikeout. Max Povse earned his 8th win of the season, workign 2.1 innings with 3 hits 2 runs (1 earned), a walk, and 2 strikeouts. This time Simmons made the error, and we've allowed a lot of unearned runs as of late. Corbin Clouse, Tyler Jay, and Tanner Rainey got holds and Shoitani got his 40th save.

Scott Kingery and Lewis Brinson both hit 2-run homers. Brinson was 1-for-3 with a walk and Kingery was 2-for-4. Keston Hiura was 1-for-4, scored, and drove in 2 on a triple. Cole Brannen was 1-for-5, doubled, and scored.

August 30th, 2021: Walker Buehler is ready to begin rehab and will head to Class A Greensboro. I wanted him to get at least two starts before rejoining the big league club.

We fell to 5th in the Power Rankings and the Mets now rank #1 in the MLB. Their 84-48 record is now the best in the NL.

We looked to finish the sweep with Jameson Taillon (6-9, 3.75 ERA, 1.22 WHIP) facing Luiz Gohara (8-9, 4.25 ERA, 1.40 WHIP). Lewis Brinson is definitely happy to see him, as he is 7-for-18 with a pair of longballs against the southpaw. He took him deep again in the 4th, and we got the brooms out after a 4-3 win.

Taillon wasn't very sharp, 7 hits and 3 runs in 4.1 innings. He walked 1 and struck out 4. Corbin Clouse earned his 7th win after striking out 4 in 1.2 innings. James Farris and Koda Glover earned holds and Yasukazu Shiotani earned his 41st save.

Brinson was 2-for-4 with a single to go with his 2-run homer. Victor Caratini also took Gohara deep, and was 1-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, and 2 runs scored. Andrelton Simmons was 2-for-3 with a double. Scott Kingery was 2-for-2 with 2 walks and a two bagger.

We looked to keep up the hot streak as the Mets came to town for three. They held a 3 game lead over us, but with today's win, we will finish the season at least .500. It's the first time since 2009 that the Marlins will finish .500 or better. We'd see Michael Wacha (8-4, 3.58 ERA), Noah Syndergaard (10-7, 2.94 ERA), and Jacob de Grom (13-4, 2.97 ERA). With a sweep, it's all tied up in the NL East.

[ayaghmour2]

August 31st, 2021: Here's a great story: Brewers righty Brandon Woodruff donated his kidney to his brother to save his life. The 28-year-old was forced to retire, but he has no regrets, as much as he loves pitching.

The Dodgers will be without Alex Wood for the year after he fractured his elbow. The lefty was 7-7 with a 3.62 ERA in 21 starts.

The last day of August featured a premier matchup between Zach Davies (8-6, 3.53 ERA, 1.26 WHIP) and Michael Wacha (8-4, 3.58 ERA, 1.26 WHIP). We gave the fans a show, and took the opener 3-2.

Davies allowed just 2 runs in 8 innings. He allowed 2 hits, 2 walks, and struck out 4. Tanner Rainey earned the save, his second of the year.

Cole Brannen stole his 51st base in a 2-for-5 performance with a run scored. Brian Anderson launched a 2-run homer off Wacha in the 6th. Nick Feight and Andrelton Simmons both went 2-for-3. Feight also drew a walk.

Down in Jupiter, Nolan Gorman went 5-for-5 in a 6-2 win over Lakeland.

Connor Justus extended his hit streak to 20 in a 10-1 Angels win over the Orioles.

September 1st, 2021: Today rosters expand, so I decided to make a few roster moves. I was forced to add Ryan Mountcastle to the DL with the flu, as he will miss about a week. I transdered Nick Neidert to the 60-Day DL to recall Matt Purke.

I also recalled LF Adam Haseley, Joe Jimenez, and 1B Evan White.

You'll never guess who won the AL Pitcher of the Month? Alex Balog! He was 3-1 with a 2.23 ERA and 30 strikeouts. And Rowdy Tellez won NL Rookie of the Month! All these ex-Marlins and I'm still 82-52!

A.J. Puckett (3-2, 1.89 ERA, 1.02 WHIP) got the start against Noah Syndergaard (19-7, 2.94 ERA, 0.97) in the second of three. Brian Anderson took over 3B for Mountcastle for the time being and Evan White hit 6th and played first. The Mets evened the series with a 5-1 victory.

Puckett had a rare bad outing, 5 runs and 9 hits in 4.1 innings. He also struck out just 1. James Farris tossed 2 scorless innings and struck 2.

Evan WHite went 1-for-3 in his major league debut, but was also caught stealing. Lewis Brinson was 2-for-3. Andrelton Simmons dorve in Brian Anderson on a double.

Ramiel Tapia had a monster outing, 5-for-6 as the Rockies beat the Giants 9-6.

September 2nd, 2021: I added one more player, RF D.J. Peters.

We played out the rubber match with a lefty duel, Chris Sale (10-5, 4.13 ERA, 1.18 WHIP) vs. Danny Duffy (8-5, 3.52 ERA, 1.12 WHIP). Sadly, we dropped another, and fell 7-3.

Duffy allowed 4 runs off 8 hits and a walk in 5 innings, while striking out 4. Tyler Jay allowed 3 in 0.2 innings off 2 walks and a hit.

Dustin Fowler was 2-for-4 with 2 runs scored and a solo homer. Keston Hiura was 1-for-3 with a walk and 2 RBI's.

Carlos Correa went 5-for-5 in a 10-7 Astros win over Oakland.

It was rough losing the series to the Mets, but we still had a 7 game cushion over the 2nd Wild Card. We hit the road to Philadelphia for three. We'd see Mike Clevinger (7-11, 4.68 ERA), Sixto Sanchez (5-6, 4.19 ERA), and JoJo Romero (5-9, 3.62 ERA).

September 3rd, 2021: I added another reinforcement for the Phillies series, former Phillie Victor Arano. I'm hoping dominating AAA helped with his MLB struggles.

Jordan Montgomery (6-4, 4.23 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) opened the series in Philadelphia. We faced Mike Clevinger (7-11, 4.68 ERA, 1.35 WHIP). It took 11 innings, but Cesar Hernandez walked off Max Povse for a ginel in a 3-2 loss.

Montgomery allowed 8 hits in 6 innings. He allowed 2 runs, a walk, and 4 strikeouts. Shiotani was charged with the run in extras.

Dustin Fowler was 1-for-4 with an RBI and a double. Andrelton Simmons was 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Scott Kingery and Adam Haseley were 2-for-5 against their former team.

Connor Justus' hit streak was stopped at 22 in a 4-0 win over the Rangers.

September 4th, 2021: The Orioles will be without SP Michael Baumann for the rest of the season with a bone spur in his elbow.

We looked to stop our 3 game skid with Jameson Taillon (6-9, 3.82 ERA, 1.23 WHIP) facing Sixto Sanchez (5-6, 4.19 ERA, 1.18 WHIP). We dropped another, falling 8-5.

Taillon allowed 4 runs in 4.1 innings off 5 hits, a walk, and 3 strikeouts. Adam Haseley allowed 3 runs in an inning, and I might have to uncheck the "two-way" position player box... Matt Purke also left with injury.

Brian Anderson was 1-for-4 with a 2 run homer in the 1st. Dustin Fowler hit another 2 run homer, and was 2-for-4 with a double and run scored. Evan White hit a pinch hit double in the 8th.

Around the league, two hitters had 5-for-5 days: Jose Altuve and David Dahl.

Checking the stadings, we have now fallen to 6 out of first, so the wild card looks like the position we will fill.

September 5th, 2021: Zach Davies (9-6, 3.47 ERA, 1.22 WHIP) took the mound as we looked to avoid the sweep. We'd see JoJo Romero (5-9, 3.62 ERA, 1.23 WHIP). We were swept, falling 5-3.

Davies allowed 4 runs in 5 innings with 7 hits, a walk, and a strikeout. Joe Jimenez also gave up a run. He tossed 13 scorless innings in AAA. Evan White was 3-for-4 with a run scored, one driven in, and a steal. Scott Kingery was 2-for-4 with a run scored, one driven in, and a steal.

Down in AAA Brett Sullivan hit 3 homers in a 10-2 win over Iowa.

Tomorrow would be an off day as I could regain my sanity. We're 7 back but 7 above the Cubs, who have a 1 game lead over St. Louis. This 5 game losing streak really sucks, but it's better now then in the postseason.

Our playoff probability is 100%, which doesn't quite make sense, but I hope it's right. Our Wild Card magic number is 16.

[ayaghmour2]

September 6th, 2021: Matt Purke is headed back to the DL with a strained abdominal muscle and he'll miss about 3 weeks. It's his second injury of the season and he's been limited to just 17 quality innings this year.

We have today off, and it's also the final day of most of the minor league seasons. The only problem is mine have the possibility to play in the playoffs, so I can't bring up all the callups yet.

The newest Power Rankings have dropped us to 8th while the Mets maintain the top spot.

We've got a tough roadtrip starting with Atlanta. They're 73-66, but a shocking 16 games out of first. Lucas Sims (9-6, 3.79 ERA), Sean Newcomb (7-5, 3.42 ERA), and Patrick Weigel (2-4, 3.94 ERA).

September 7th, 2021: My top three affiliates are in the postseason, but Greensboro was eliminated on the final day, so I could bring up a wave of callups. I recalled Buehler from his rehab assignment as well as D.J. Wilson, Garrett Hampson, Pavin Smith, and Drew Steckenrider.

Wilson, 24, was acquired from the Cubs and is set to make his big league debut. He's got great speed and a solid bat, and was hitting .304/.397/.477 with 14 homers and 62 RBI's in 102 games with New Orleans.

Smith, 25, is the other newcomer to the big league roster. The 25-year-old and former 1st rounder hit 6 homers and 45 RBI's between AA and AAA, but has also drawn 66 walks in 398 at bats. He wil also be looking to make his debut.

The roster sat at 34/40, with 3 guys on the DL and 3 guys still in the minors. One of them, Tyler Saladino, will frombably be DFA to make room for top prospect Seth Beer.

A.J. Puckett (3-3, 2.26 ERA, 1.06 WHIP) will make possibly his last start of the season against Lucas Sims (9-6, 3.79 ERA, 1.15 WHIP). Pavin Smith hit 6th and played 1B in his major league debut. He was 1-for-3 with a walk in a 4-3 win.

Puckett allowed an unearned run in 6.2 innings off 9 hits and 3 strikeouts. Tyler Jay allowed 2 runs off 3 hits, but still got a hold. Victor Arano got one as well, and then Bulldozer Shiotani earned his 42nd save with a perfect 9th.

Cole Brannen had a short game, 1-for-2 with a walk and a steal before being pinch hit for by Keston Hiura in the 7th. Hiura walked twice in two plate appearences. Brian Anderson was 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, but made two errors. Scott Kingery hit a solo homer in the 1st with 2 outs. Dustin Folwer was 1-for-5, but drove in 2 runs.

Aroldis Chapman recorded his 300th save in a 4-3 Yankees win over the White Sox. The 33-year-old has a career 2.57 ERA and 1.04 WHIP, and has never had a K/9 less then 12.

September 8th, 2021: The Astros clinched the AL West today, and are the first team to a secure a spot in the playoffs. Last year's AL Pennant Winners, they are an impressive 85-46 with a 22.5 game lead over the Texas Rangres.

Danny Duffy (8-6, 3.65 ERA, 1.15 WHIP) took on Sean Newcomb (7-5, 3.42 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) in the middle game. The Braves battled back to a 7-4 victory.

Duffy was rocked, 5 hits and 5 runs in just 2 innings. He walked 1 and struck out 2. Max Povse had a great mip up appearence, 2.1 innings with 2 strikeouts and no runs. Corbin Clouse allowed 2 (! earned) in 1.2 innings off 2 hits, a walk, but struck out 2.

Keston Hiura finally got a homer in a Marlins uniform, despite hittig 15 with Milwaukee. He was 3-for-5 with a double as well. Victor Caratini had a double and single in four at bats and scored twice. Andrelton Simmons was 3-for-4 with a double and plated three runs, although he himslef did not score.

Jose Altuve recorded his 2,000th career hit in a 7-3 Astros win over the Orioes. He was 1-for-4, with 2,000 being a single.

September 9th, 2021: The series finale took place between Jordan Montgomery (6-4, 4.17 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) and Patrick Wweigel (2-4, 3.94 ERA, 1.23 WHIP) as we looked to take the series. We won a pitcher's duel 2-1 to take the series.

Montgomery went 6 innings, allowing 5 hits, 4 walks, a run, and he struck out 4. Joe Jimenez and Victor Arano got holds, and Shiotani earned the save.

Scott Kingery was 2-for-4 with a run scored, a run driven in, and a steal. Victor Caratini was 1-for-3 with a walk and double. Montgomery himself drove in a run in a 1-for-2 batting performance.

Well, we have the worst possible series coming up, four games in New York against the 91-51 Mets. At an impressive 84-58, we're still 7 games out, but have a 7 game cushion over the 2nd Wild Card spot. We'd see almost the entire rotation: Chris Sale (11-5, 4.00 ERA), Michael Wacha (8-5, 3.65 ERA), Noah Syndergaard (12-7, 2.78 ERA), and Jacob deGrom (13-4, 2.94 ERA).

September 10th, 2021: Three playoff moves happened, with the Nationals and Giants becoming eliminated from the postseason, and the Dodgers winning the NL West. The defneding champs are 88-55 with a 20.5 game lead over the 67-75 Arizona Diamondbacks.

I designated Tyler Saladino for assignment, and once he cleared waivers, I'd outright him and purcahse Seth Beer's contract. The 24-year-old power hitter launched 26 homers and drove in 95 RBI's in AAA. He's rated as a 2.5/4 and has massive power, 85/90 and a great eye 79/85 that allowed him to draw 120 walks.

The four game set that we needed to win all foru in started with Jameson Taillon (6-9, 3.95 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) and Chris Sale (11-5, 4.00 ERA, 1.18 WHIP). The Miracle Mets beat us 7-2.

Taillona llowed 5 unearned runs in a disatourous first when him, Simmons, and Kingery all made errors. He allowed just 1 hit, 2 walks, and he struck out 2 in 4 innings. In the 7th, James Farris allowed 2 runs and 2 hits, while striking out a single Met.

We had 9 hits, but we dug ourself too deep of a hole. Cole Brannen and Lewis Brinson were both 2-for-4. Evan White was 1-for-3 with a steal, a walk, and an RBI. Pavin Smith scored after a pinch hit double in the 8th. Scott Kingery doubled and scored in the 4th.

September 11th, 2021: Walker Buehler (2-1, 3.63 ERA, 1.51 WHIP) made his return to the big league rotation against Michael Wacha (8-5, 3.65 ERA, 1.26 WHIP). My guess is Buehler will pitch maybe 4 innings max. I was way wrong, but we fell 3-1.

Buehler went 7, allowing all three runs, 6 hits, a walk, and he struck out 7 in a solid return to the roster.

The offense, however, was asleep again, managing just the 1 run. Keston Hiura scored in 3-for-4 night where he was just a homer away from the cycle. Lewis Brinson drove him in during the 8th on a double. He also singled and was hit by a pitch in four plate appearences.

Septmeber 12th, 2021: Ryan Mountcastle will rejoin the roster after missing time with a serious case of the flu. I also recalled utility man Ti'Quan Forbes. The 25-year-old gives us great versatility off the bench, and he's an excellent defender in the infield.

We needed to win today's game as Zack Davies (9-7, 3.48 ERA, 1.23 WHIP) took on Thor (12-7, 2.78 ERA, 0.94 WHIP). Mountcastle was back in the lineup in the #2 spot and will play third. The bats' surged back with a 9-7 win with help from 3 in the 9th.

Davies had a rough start, 8 hits and 4 runs in 6 innings with a walk and no strikeouts. Tyler Jay had a rough outing, allowing 3 (2 earned) runs off 2 hits with just a strikeout the only out. Arano ended up getting the hold, and Shoitani the save, his 44th. Joe Jimenez left the game with a blister, but should be fine to keep pitching.

Cole Brannen had a big game, stealing base 54 and 55 in a 2-for-4 game with a walk, 3 runs scored, and 1 driven in. Mountcastle's return to the lineup was strong, 2-for-5 with a double, 2 runs scored, and 2 driven in. Lewis Brinson drove in 2 with a triple off Syndergaard, and walked as well in a 1-for-3 game.

Setpember 13th, 2021: I outrighted Tyler Saladino to AAA and as expected, purchased the contract of Seth Beer.

The Rangers lost RP Jhoulys Chacin for the season and most of next with a torn ulnar collateral ligament. He was set to make $7 million next year in the final year of a three year deal.

And a new set of Power Rankings pushed us to 6th and dropped the Mets to 2nd. We looked to split the series with Danny Duffy (8-7, 3.90 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) taking on Jacob deGrom (13-4, 2.94 ERA, 1.12 WHIP). Beer was in the lineup, and will hit 4th and play LF in his major league debut. Beer was injured in the 1st inning on a defensive play, but we managed to win 4-2 to earn the road split. It's minor back tightness that will cost him just 6 days.

Duffy earned the win and allowed just 1 run in 5.1 innings iwth 4 hits, a walk, and 5 strikeouts. Tanner Rainey allowed 1 more when finsihing the 6th, walking 2 and allowing a hit, but still recording a hold. Jimenez and Farris got holds as well, and Shiotani recorded his 45th save. Cole Brannen continues to chase 60 with his 56th steal. He was 1-for-5 with 2 RBI's. Mountcastle took Jacob Rhame deep in the 7th after striking out in his first three at bats. Adam Haseley, who replaced Beer, went 2-for-4. Scott Kingery was 2-for-4 as well, but doubled and scored a run.

We're still 7 out, but at least it's not 9 as it could've been. We'd head back home to face the Phillies for three. We'd see Jhonathan Diaz (0-0, 7.71 ERA), Mike Clevinger (7-11, 4.50 ERA), and JoJo Romero (6-9, 3.56 ERA).

[ayaghmour2]

Real Life Sidenote: I'm heading to Miami in real life today, and I'm going to catch a Marlins game tomorrow. It'll be fun to see the difference between what the real life Marlins and my Marlins did on May 10th, 2018. It'll also be fun to see a game in a new park.

Setpember 14th, 2021: The Los Angeles Angels have been eliminated from postseason contetion. They are currently 60-86 and a whopping 40 games out of first.

Jhonathan Diaz (0-0, 7.71 ERA, 1.71 WHIP) will make his first career major league start against Jordan Montgomery (7-4, 4.05 ERA, 1.30 WHIP) as we host the Philadelphia Phillies. Montgomery is just 3 years older, but has made 124 major league starts before today. Diaz was brilliant in his debut, as the Phillies won 6-1.

Montgomery allowed 4 runs in 4.2 innings with 8 hits, 2 walks, and 6 strikeouts. Both Max Povse and James Farris allowed single runs as well.

We only had 4 hits and the were all singles. Cole Brannen was 1-for-3 with a walk and scored the only run on a Victor Caratini single. He also picked up 2 more steals. He has 12 more steals then any other big leaguer, as well as the Red Sox, Yankees, Indians, Mariners, Mets, Phillies, Cardinals, and Rockies.

September 15th, 2021: The Detroit Tigers were eliminated from the playoffs today.

I designated the last healthy player not in the majors Manuel De Jesus Rodriguez. The 25-year-old spent his season down at the A and A+ levels, but pitched extremely well. I did that to purchase the contract of Jairo Labourt, a 2.5/3* 27-year-old with nasty stuff and great movement.

Jameson Taillon (6-10, 3.85 ERA, 1.23 WHIP) took on Mike Clevinger (7-11, 4.50 ERA, 1.32 WHIP) in game two. Seth Beer looked to make his first at bat, this time at first and hitting third. Beer was 2-for-4 with a solo homer in his first big league at bat in an 11-5 victory.

Taillon allowed 5 in 5.2 innings off 6 hits, 2 walks, and 6 strikeouts. A.J. Puckett, now in the pen, got the win after striking out the last hitter in the 7th. Victor Arano got a hold in the 8th, but we after scoring 4 in the 7th, we scored 4 more in the 8th.

Cole Brannen was 1-for-3 with 4 RBI's, 2 runs scored, and 2 walks. He hit a three run homer off ector Neris in the 8th. Nick Feight took Hunter Harvey deep in the 7th, and was 2-for-4 with 2 runs scored and 2 driven in. Dustin Fowler swiped two bags and was 1-for-3 with 2 runs scored and a walk.

24-year-old Rafael Devers boosted his hit streak to 20 with a pair of hits in an 8-7 Red Sox loss to the rival Yankees. Devers already has 827 hits in his young career, and won the AL Batting Title last season.

September 16th, 2021: Jairo Solis was activated from the DL and was added to the big league roster. The 21-year-old made 1 start in the majors this season, recording a loss with 5 runs and 5 innings.

The A's and Padres were both eliminated from the playoffs.

We looked to win the series with Walker Buehler (2-2, 3.66 ERA, 1.47 WHIP) taking on JoJo Romero (6-9, 3.56 ERA, 1.22 WHIP). D.J. Wilson hit 8th and made his major league debut in CF. He was 1-for-3 with a walk, but we fell 6-2.

Buehler allowed half the runs in 6 innings. He walked 3, struck out 8, and allowed 5 hits. Jairo Labourt allowed a run and just got 1 out, while Victor Arano allowed 2 more finishing the 8th against his former team.

Cole Brannen was 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles. Andrelton Simmons was 2-for-4 with a double and a run driven in. Scott Kingery, Lewis Brinson, and Victor Caratini also had doubles, their only hits of the contest.

I was extremely dissapointed to lose the series, but we had to keep playing ball. We'd host the 58-91 Natoinals for three. At 87-62, we still have a 6.5 game cushion on the 2nd Wild Card, but the Mets have a 8 game lead, and officially clinched a playoff birth with their win today.

Looking ahead to the Nats series, we'd see Miguel Almonte (3-3, 3.61 ERA), Randall Delgado (4-8, 3.19 ERA), and Freicer Perez (1-9, 5.20 ERA).

Septemebr 17th, 2021: The Indians clinched a playoff birth today.

The Tigers lost Michael Bacica, a 21-year-old, for the season with a ruptured finger tendon. The 4th Rounder back in 2018 was 2-7 with a 6.46 ERA in his rookie season.

Zach Davies (9-7, 3.67 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) got the ball in the opener against Miguel Almonte (3-3, 3.61 ERA, 1.34 WHIP) as we hosted Washington. It was a nice easy one, winning 7-1 with a 6 run 3rd.

Davies was great, 1 run in 7 innings with a walk, 5 hits, and 3 strikeouts. Puckett and Clouse both pitched an inning with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts.

Scott Kingery doubled twice and drove in three in four at bats, while also scoring once. Andrelton Simmons had a pair of singles in 4 at bats, and drove in a run. Victor Caratini was 1-for-2 with 2 wakls, a run scored, and another driven in.

Chris DeVito, a player I tried acquiring earlier in the year, hit 3 homers in a 9-2 Royals win over the White Sox. That's more homers in one game the Hiura has had in a Marlins uniform.

September 17th, 2021: The Indians clinched the AL Central, and both the Reds and Mariners will have to go another year without reaching the postseason.

We looked to get closer to clinching a spot, with Danny Duffy (9-7, 3.82 ERA, 1.16 WHIP) battling Randall Delgado (4-8, 3.19 ERA, 1.25 WHIP) as Duffy looked to become the first Marlin starter to win double digit games this year. It took 10 innings, but we edged the last place Nationals 5-4.

Duffy went just 5, allowing 3 runs off 6 hits, 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts. 5 pitchers pitched the 6th, 7th, and 8th, before Yasukazu Shiotani blew the save in the 9th. Drew Steckenrider pitched a scorless 10th, and was rewareded with his 4th win of the season.

Ryan Mountcastle walked it off with an RBI single after starting the game 0-for-4 with 3 strikeouts. Dustin Fowler had a monster game, 4-for-5 with 2 runs scored, 3 driven in, and a 2-run homer. He also stole his 36th base of the year. Garrett Hampson was 2-for-2 with 2 runs scored, a walk, and a steal. Ti'Quan Forbes was 1-for-4 with a double, a steal, and a run scored.

September 19th, 2021: We looked to finish off the sweep with Jordan Montgomery (7-5, 4.17 ERA, 4.17 WHIP) battling Frecier Perez (1-9, 5.20 ERA, 1.61 WHIP). We tired to battle back with 3 in the 7th and 1 in the 8th, but we dropped the contest 6-5.

We recieved a scare when Montgomery left the game after 2.1 perfect innings with a hamstring injury. Luckily, it's minor, and he'll be able to make his next start. But actually, not like the real life Mets and Jacob deGrom...

A.J. Puckett was charged with the loss, allowing 4 runs in 2.1 innings off 3 hits, a walk, and 3 strikeouts. In his defense, he had no idea he would have to entter the game. Max Povse allowed 2 more in 2.1 innings of mop up work. He has no excuse...

Andrelton Simmons went 2-for-3 with a two run homer off Matt Wisler in the 7th. Seth Beer was 1-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI on a sac fly. Cole Brannen (59) and Dustin Fowler (37) both swiped bags in the loss.

Here's a shocking one, the Tampa Bay Rays are headed to the postseason. At 89-62, they have clinched a spot, and shockingly both Florida teams (we're 89-63) look like they can make noise in the playoffs. What's most shocking is just recently they had 77 wins, and have won 12-6 in September at 17-10 in August.

I also outrighted Manuel De Jesus Rodriguez down to Class A Greensborro.

Just a game below 90 wins and the season ticking down, we'd host the Braves in our last home series. We'd face Luiz Gohara (8-11, 4.64 ERA), Mike Soroka (9-12, 4.54 ERA), and Lucas Sims (9-7, 3.83 ERA). Atlanta is 4.5 games out of the 2nd Wild Card, so they really needed these wins. Our magic number for the playoffs was just 3, so get ready to start buying tickets for the Wild Card game in beautiful Marlins Park!

[ayaghmour2]

September 20th, 2021: The Power Rankings were published, with Miami down to 7th and New York set at 2nd.

Baltimore was eliminated from playoff contention today.

We started our final home series of the year against division rival Atlanta. Jameson Taillon (6-10, 3.99 ERA, 1.23 WHIP) took on Luiz Gohara (8-11, 4.64 ERA, 1.42 WHIP). We got 1 game closer to the postseason with a 6-2 win.

Taillon allowed both runs in 6 innings of work. He walked 1 and struck out 5. Joe Jimenez earned the win with a perfect 7th inning with a strikeout.

Dustin Fowler was 1-for-r4 with a three run homer. Scott Kingery was 1-for-4 with a solo shot. Taillon himself was 1-for-2 with an RBI.

Jose Altuve has boosted his hit streak to 20 with a 1-for-4 win over the Twins.

Our magic number ticked down to 2.

September 21st, 2021: The Phillies have been eliinated from postseason contention as well. Walker Buehler (2-3, 3.72 ERA, 1.46 WHIP) took on Mike Soroka (9-12, 4.54 ERA, 1.40 WHIP) as we looked to get one step closer to the playoffs. Instead, one step back, and we lost 5-1.

Buehler allowed 4 (2 earned) in 5 innings with 6 hits, 3 walks, and 6 strikeouts. James Farris allowed a run in 1.1 innings with a hit and 2 strikeouts.

Cole Brannen recorded his 60th steal in a 1-for-4 with a run scored. Dustin Fowler was 1-for-3 with a double and walk. Seth Beer had the RBI, and was 1-for-4.

St. Louis lost today, so our magic number is now just 1.

Rafael Devers improved his hit streak to 25 in a 7-1 Red Sox win over the Blue Jays.

September 22nd, 2021: The Mets and Rays won the NL and AL East.

Matt Purke rejoined the active roster and has recovered to 100%.

Zach Davies (10-7, 3.57 ERA, 1.22 WHIP) and Lucas Sims (9-7, 3.83 ERA, 1.15 WHIP) battled it out as we looked to clinch our first playoff birth under my control. 4 runs in the 9th off Shiotani and Steck gave Atlanta a 5-4 win.

Davies allowed 2 runs in 7 innings off 4 hits, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts. All 4 runs were charged to Shiotani, as his record fell to 4-7 and he blew his 8th save. He allowed 2 hits and 2 walks.

Cole Brannen had a great game, 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI. He even played a littler bit of shortstop after Andrelton Simmons left the game. Victor Caratini was injured in a collision at a base, and will be day-to-day with back stiffness. This is a tough injury, since my only catcher is Nick Fieght, so I can't DL him, only rest him. Feight went 2-for-5 with 2 runs scored.

Devers' hit streak is over at 25, as the Sox still beat Toronto 8-5.

September 23rd, 2021: Danny Duffy (9-7, 3.87 ERA, 1.18 WHIP) took on Sean Newcomb (9-5, 3.49 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) as we looked to earn the split and clinch a playoff spot. We couldn't buy a win, and lost 3-1. The Braves are playing for their lives right now, so it makes sense.

Duffy allowed 3 runs in 5 innings off 6 hits, 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts. Tyler Jay struck out the side in the 6th, despite allowing 2 hits.

We had just 5 hits, including a pair of singles from Scott Kingery. Dustin Fowler was 1-for-3 with a RBI, a walk, and a steal.

But St. Louis lost, so the 2021 Miami Marlins are headed to the postseason! I wouldn't say we're "fixed" yet, but we're on the right track! Anything is possible in the postseason.

Next up, Pittsburgh! At 90-66, we'd face the 85-70 Pirates who lead the NL Central for a three game set. We'd see Song-shil Su (6-16, 4.55 ERA), Tyler Glasnow (10-6, 4.30 ERA), and former Marlin Yonny Chirinos (7-10, 4.22 ERA).

September 24th, 2021: Jordan Montgomery (7-5, 4.10 ERA, 1.31 WHIP) opened up the series with Song-shi Su (6-16, 4.55 ERA, 1.43 WHIP). Former Marlins Brandon Lowe, Rowdy Tellez, and Carlos Tocci were in Pittsburgh's lineup. We kept losing, falling 8-5. I rather lose now then later, that's for sure...

Montgomery allowed 4 runs (1 earned) in 6 innings off 5 hits, a walk, and he struck out three. Tyler Jay wasn't so lucky, allowing 4 runs in 0.2 innings off 2 hits, 2 walks, and a strikeout.

Cole Brannen was 2-for-5 with a run scored and driven in, along with an 8th inning double. Pavin Smith drove in a run and scored in the 8th after a pinch hit double. Seth Beer and Ryan Mountcastle both hit solo homers. Mountcastle also walked and got a steal.

September 24th, 2021: Jameson Taillon (6-10, 3.96 ERA, 1.22 WHIP) matched up with Yonny Chirinos (7-10, 4.22 ERA, 1.14 WHIP) in the middle game. We got back on track with a 4-2 win, and clinched the #1 Wild Card spot and would host a competitor in the Wild Card game. We're significantly better at home, so I like our chances in the one game playoff.

Taillon got the win against his former team, tossing 8 strong innings with 5 hits, 2 runs, a wlak, and 5 strikeouts. Yasukazu Shiotani got the save, his 46th, striking out 2 and allowing a hit in the 9th.

Cole Brannen was 1-for-3 with a walk, a steal, and a run scored. Adam Haseley was 1-for-2 with a key 2 run shot in the 7th off Chirinos. Nick Fieght was 2-for-4 with a solo shot in the 5th. Andrelton Simmons was 2-for-4 with a single and double.

Altuve's hitting streak is up to 25, despite the Astros falling to the Indians 7-6.

September 26th, 2021: We finished the final game of the series with Walker Buehler (2-4, 3.71 ERA, 1.48 WHIP) facing Tyler Glasnow (10-6, 4.30 ERA, 1.27 WHIP). I think I'll bench Caratini for the rest of the season, in hopes to have him heal to full health. We dropped the finale in 14 innings 3-2. We were up 2-0 heading into the bottom of the 9th, but Shiotani blew another save.

Buhler was perfect and deserved a win. He went 8 innings with just 2 hits, a walk, and 6 strikeouts in a stellar performance. James Farris was charged with the loss, 2 hits and a run in 0.2 innings. Shiotani allowed 3 walks and a hit, despite striking out 2, in the 9th.

D.J. Peters had an interesting game. He tripled and scored, but struck out 5 times in the contest. Soctt Kingery was 3-for-7 with a pair of doubles.

Austin Hays of the Orioles hit three homers in a 11-10 loss to Tampa.

Tomorrow we'd have an off day, as we could recover before our final series of the year.

[ayaghmour2]

September 27th, 2021: The Final Power Rankings of the year have New York in 1st and us in 7th.

We're finishing the year with the 76-83 Diamondbacks. We'd see Taijuan Walker (14-9, 4.08 ERA), Yency Almonte (10-9, 3.99 ERA), and Jackson Stephens (4-4, 4.83 ERA).

Our 91-68 record is extremely close to the best season in Marlins history. The 1996 Florida Marlins were 92-70 and the 2003 Marlins were 91-71. Both teams were Wild Card teams, both teams made the playoffs, and both teams won the World Series. Coincidence? Let's hope not!

September 28th, 2021: We opened the final series of the year as we tried to put together the best Marlins season in history. Zack Davies (10-7, 3.54 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) would make possibly his last start in a Marlin uniform against Taijuan Walker (14-9, 4.08 ERA, 1.31 WHIP). We took the opener 5-1, tieing us for the most wins in a single season in Marlins history. Sadly, Keston Hiura was injured on a hit by pitch, and his diagnosis is pending.

Davies tossed 7 scorless with just 4 hits and a strikeout. Tanner Rainey was charged with the only run. He allowed a hit, a walk, and struck out a batter in the 8th.

Cole Brannen was the third batter hit and charged the mound, causing a brawl. He'll be suspended for the rest of the year. He was 1-for-3 with a home run, a walk, and his 62nd steal. This will end his season. Seth Beer launched his 3rd homer of the year, pinch hitting for Rainey in the 9th. Lewis Brinson was 2-for-4 with a double and 2 runs. Andrelton Simmons was 2-for-5 with a run scored.

September 29th, 2021: The 5 teams representing the NL are now official: New York, Chicago, Pittsburgh, LA, and us. We'd face either Pittsburgh or the Cubs, the former has a 1.5 game lead. The AL still has three teams competing for the 2 Wild Card spots.

Danny Duffy (9-8, 3.92 ERA, 1.20 WHIP) dueled Yency Almonte (10-9, 3.99 ERA, 1.31 WHIP) in game 161. Kiura and Brannen are both out of the lineup, along with Caratini. We shut the D'Backs out 7-0, and broke the record for most wins in a season for a Marlins team.

Duffy, in what could be his last start in a Marlin uniform, went 7 innings, allowing 3 hits, a walk, and he struck out 7. Povse and Puckett tossed scorless innings to complete the game.

We had 14 hits and a lot of doubles. Simmons himself had three in 4 at bats, scored once, and drove in three. Dustin Dowler was 3-for-5 with 2 runs scored, an RBI, a double, and a triple, just a homer shy of the cycle. Scott Kinger was 2-for-4 with an RBI and Adam Haseley was 2-for-4 with a double and run scored.

The Angels ended Altuve's streak at 27 today, and won 8-6.

September 30th, 2021: Keston Hiura has a concussion, and will miss at least the wild card game. Chances are Seth Beer will take his spot on the playoff roster.

The Red Sox and White Sox are the Wild Card teams as the Twins lost yesterday. The Sox are curently tied right now.

And we'd face Chicago, as the Pirates clinched their division.

In an effort to keep Montgomery, Taillon, and Buehler rested, I sent Jairo Solis (0-1, 9.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP) to the mound to make his 2nd career start and used a ton of backups to keep my starters rested and healthy. We'd face Jackson Stephens (4-4, 4.83 ERA, 1.62 WHIP). A slugfest killed out pen, and we dropped the final game of the season 13-10, since Arizona scored 8 in the 7th.

Solis lalowed 4 runs in 4.1 innings off 6 hits, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts. Matt Purke was hit hard, 6 runs (5 earned) off 3 hits and 2 walks, without recording an out. Tanner Rainey allowed the final 3 runs in the last 2 innings. He struck out 4, but walked 1, and allowed 4 hits.

Mauricio Dubon had a masterful day in the leadoff spot, 5-for-5 with, 2 steals, 3 runs scored and a double. Garrett Hampson was 2-for-4 with 2 runs scored, 4 driven in, and his 1st homer of the year. D.J. Wilson was 1-for-4 with a 2 run homer. Pavin Smith was 2-for-4 with 2 runs scored, a walk, and an RBI.

The regular season ended with a 95-69 record, 13 out of first, and 6 above the Cubs in the Wild Card race. This was the first time our season didn't end on the final day of the regular season.

We'd host the Cubs, and at home we ended the season 51-30. September, however, was not kind to us, as we were 11-17, our only month below .500. In comparison, we were 20-7 in August, so I wish we could play the Wild Card game then.

Checking out the leaderboards, there were actually a bunch of Marlins in various categories for the top 3. Andrelton Simmons was 2nd in the batting race with a .334 average, which would've been #1 in the AL. He also had the 3rd highest WAR, 7.4. Cole Brannen stole 62 bases, 19 more then 2nd place Xavier Edwards, and more then the Red Sox, Yankees, Indians, Mets, Braves, Cardinals, and the same ammount as the Rockies. Dustin Fowler's 23 game hit streak was the highest in the NL, and despite his struggles, Yasukazu Shiotani had 1 more save (46) then the Mets Jamie Callahan.

None of that matters now, hoever, as the whole season comes down to just one game...

Also, just realized I never posted our stats in August, but here's how we ended the year:

[ayaghmour2]

For the first time, I can actually enjoy the postseason, and the write up will be more then just the results:

October 2nd, 2021: I earned the achievement "Going to the Playoffs" and it is pretty self explanatory. I got my roster set up for the big game that would take place on the 4th.

Ryan Mountcastle was named the MVP of the American Confrnece in the Pacific Coast League. The slugger hit .395/.448/.724 in 84 games with 26 homers and 100 RBI's. He was also a perfect 10-for-10 in steal attempts and was worth an impressive 5.8 WAR in a bit more then half a season.

October 3rd, 2021: The White Sox and Red Sox faced off with Michael Kopech (10-8, 4.95 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) and the White Sox taking on Dylan Cease (7-8, 4.75 ERA, 1.46 WHIP) and the Red Sox. Chicago came to play, and they torched the Red Sox 10-2. 4 White Sox players went deep and Kopech didn't allow a run in 7 innings.

October 4th, 2021: It all comes down to this...

Jordan Montgomery (7-6, 3.99 ERA, 1.30 WHIP) took on James Paxton (11-10, 4.07 ERA, 1.40 WHIP) in the NL Wild Card Game. Our lineup: RF Brannen, 3B Mountcastle, LF Brinson, 1B Beer, C Caratini, 2B Kingery, CF Fowler, SS Simmons, P Montgomery. The Cubs: SS Ademan, LF Happ, 3B Bryant, RF Yoo, 1B Rizzo, C Contreras, CF Heywayd, P Paxton, 2B Guillorme.

If we lost, I'd be soooooooo mad...

Well, I wasn't as mad as I thought, and the Cubs won 6-2.

Montgomery allowed 5 runs, but just 3 of them were earned, in 2.2 innings. He allowed 6 hits and struck out 3. Koda Glover tossed 3.1 quality innings out of the pen with just 2 hits and he struck out 5. Buehler and Davies both worked out of the pen, but it didn't make a difference, as we couldn't score enough.

Our whole offense was 2 solo homers, one from Brannen and one from Brinson. We had 10 hits, but couldn't do anything with runners on. It's sad, but our season ends today...

I could care less about the rest of the postseason...

Eventually I had to activate NicK Neidert off the 60-Day DL, so I designated 1B Ti'Quan Forbes for assignment. He cleared waivers and was outrighted.

Here's what happened:

The Astros swept the White Sox

The Rays beat the Indians 3-2

The stupid Cubs beat the stupid Mets 3-1

The Dodgers beat the Pirates 3-1

The Rays beat the Astros 4-2

The Dodgers beat the stupid Cubs 4-2

Yes, the Dodgers made the World Series for the 5th straight year... I would've beat them, but I couldn't beat the stupid Cubs...

It was a thrilling 7 game series, and the Dodgers managed to repeat against the Rays. Alex Verdugo was 5-for-5 in Game 7 and was rightfully named series MVP.

The offseason starts tomorrow, as I look to build a team that won't have to deal with a stupid 1 game Wild Card.

Well, I guess I was more mad then prevoiusly thought:

[ayaghmour2]

Real life Sidenote: Today's game between the Marlins and the Braves will feature Caleb Smith and Mike Foltynewicz. In my dynasty, Smith never pitched in the majors, so I won't see one of my players pitch in person tonight...

It sucked losing the Wild Card game, but it's back to work as we look to acquire talent that will put us over the hump. I'm no longer satisfied with just making the playoffs, we have to win the East. And unlike the first two Marlins playoff teams, there will be no teardown. These Marlins may be fixed, but my work is far from finished...

I got my new budget, $122,000,000, but it's still 28th in the league. I've got a bit more then $12 million for free agents. That'll buy me a back up catcher and a right handed reliever...

The Angels fired Mike Scioscia, who has been with the club since 2000. I offered him a contract to be my GCL manager. I also promoted AAA Hitting Coach Dave Magadan to become my hitting coach, after letting Mike Pagiularo's contract expire. Magadan is rated as "excellent" and New orleans hit .289 last season, with Mountcastle and more looking amazing at the plate.

I extended qualifying offers to Danny Duffy and Zach Davies. I'm hoping both decilne, as I want the draft pick and the qualifying offer of $17.2 million is a lot to handle.

Arbitration Players:
SP Walker Buehler (1-year, $3,470,000)
SP Jordan Montgomery (1-year, $7,760,000)
RP Koda Glover (1-year, $1,630,000)
RP Tyler Jay (1-year, $1,180,000)
RP Joe Jimenez (1-year, $1,160,000)
RP Kenyan Middleton (1-year, $1,660,000)
RP A.J. Puckett (1-year, $938,000)
RP Matt Purke (1-year, $1,150,000)
RP Tanner Rainey (1-year, $934,000)
RP Drew Steckenrider (1-year, $1,340,000)
C Victor Caratini (1-year, $4,4770,000)
3B Brian Anderson (1-year, $934,000)
3B Tyler Saladino (Non-Tendered)
LF Lewis Brinson (1-year, $7,970,000)
LF Charlie Tilson (1-year, $1,220,000)
CF Dustin Fowler (1-year, $6,250,000)

I had a lot of pricey guys I needed to retain.

I also designated Cam Bedrosian for assignment.

November 5th, 2021: Detroit claimed Cam Bedrosian, so I was off the hook for his salary. Every penny counts, as 3 million dollars were now able to be better allocated.

November 6th, 2021: The Phillies traded CF Odubel Herrera to the Indians for LHP Hunter Barco. I guess the Phillies wanted to shave salary, as the prospect Barco is not really that intriguing. He's not bad, but not worth Herrera.

November 10th, 2021: I remembered to switch the Natoinals and Mets AAA teams. The Syracuse Chiefs became the Mets AAA team and the Las Vegas 51s became the Nationals affiliate.

Andrelton Simmons was also awared his 7th Gold Glove at shortstop.

November 11th, 2021: Yasukazu Shiotani was awared 4 points in the Reliever of the Year race.

November 13th, 2021: Texas SS Anderson A. Teheda and Mets SP Luis Marrero were named Rookie of the Year.

November 14th, 2021: Astros A.J. Hinch and Dodgers Dave Roberts were namend Manager of the Year. Not sure how Mattingly didn't win Manager of the Year...

November 15th, 2021: Tampa's Brent Honeywell and Mets Luis Marrero were named Cy Young Award Winners.

November 16th, 2021: Houston's SS Carlos Correa and Los Angeles' 1B Cody Bellinger won MVP. Andrelton Simmons finished 6th win 107 points and both Lewis Brinson (8) and Zach Davies (1) finished much farther back.

November 24th, 2021: Zach Davies announced he was filing for free agency, but Danny Duffy accepted the qualifying offer. I instantly placed him on the trading block, and hopefully I'd be able to move him. Worst case, he'll spend another season in the rotation.

Tomorrow free agents file!

[ayaghmour2]

It wasn't pretty for the Marlins, but I saw all three players that were on the real Marlins that are still in my organization (see crappy pictures taken on my phone below) play. Drew Steckenrider was roughed up, allowing a grand slam to Ozzie Albeis and a 2-run homer to Freddie Freeman with a pair of walks (one intentional) and two more singles. All in all, he was charged with 6 runs which raised his ERA over 3 full points. Lewis Brinson went deep in the 9th off Luiz Gohara and was 1-for-4 with an RBI and he scored both runs, the first after reaching on an error. Brian Anderson played RF and was 0-for-3.

Here's what happened in my universe:

We gave Adam Conley (0-2, 4.67 ERA, 1.68 WHIP) the ball to face the Braves Brandon McCarthy (0-2, 6.12 ERA, 1.55 WHIP). We needed to win this game.

Atlanta had different ideas. They put up 2 runs in the 1st on a Dansby Swanson 2 run single. Shocked he hit the ball... He did go 3-for-5 and his hitting .354 so I guess OOTP fell for the hype. They didn't look back and finished us off 5-2, and out hit us 13-2. What a great game all around.

Cameron Maybin did double in the 1st, and then stole 3rd, I think, he did walk later in the game so it could have been then. Martin Prado had the only other hit, but Lane Adams and Miguel Rojas drove in Justin Bour and Prado with sac flies.

Adam Conley wasn't too great, allowing 8 hits and 4 runs while walking and striking out a pair. The struggling Jorge De La Rosa allowed the last run. He tossed 2/3rds of an inning and allowed 3 hits. Closer Drew Steckenrider got an inning, since we haven't won in forever, he needed to pitch.

Marlins park is actually really nice and definitely worth it. The food is really good as well, and I got my signature helmet nachos which I try to get at every park. It wasn't very big, but it was also cheaper then most places, and extremely delicious. I might try to catch the 3rd game of the series, but it was a fun experience, despite the 9-2 loss, although the Marlins looked a lot better then expected in every inning except the 6th, when they completely imploded.

It was fun seeing Caleb Smith pitch, as he looked pretty decent. I wish Steck had a better outing, especially considering how well he's done all season. I also saw Elizer Hernandez make his major league debut for Miami which is always cool. And both home runs were hit extremely close to where I was sitting, although not close enough where I could've made a play and brought home a souvenir.

[ayaghmour2]

Real life sidenote: I decided I'm also going to catch tomorrow's game, because why not? The tickets are less then $20 and nothing is better then watching a good baseball game.

Anyways, back to fake baseball!

I'm not going to say there will be drastic changes, but there are a lot of moves to hopefully be made. I wouldn't say anyone is safe, but there are some players that will most likely retain their spots. Victor Caratini isn't moving, despite his down year behind the plate and at bat, he's still one of best catcher's in the entire league. The three headed monster of Jordan Montgomery, Walker Buehler, and Jameson Taillon is safe as well, as they should be the head of my rotation for the next few years. The outfield also looks set, with Lewis Brinson, Dustin Fowler, and Cole Brannen locks to start next year. Andrelton Simmons earned himself a stay at short as well, but other then that, there could be a few new faces in the starting lineup and the back of the bullpen.

November 25th, 2021: Free Agents File! There's another stud Cuban SP Jorge Flores who came over, but he wants way too much money. As long as he doesn't join the Mets...

The top 10 Free Agents are as follows:

RHP Michael Feliz
RHP Chris Archer
RHP Zach Davies
LHP Andrew Miller
1B Miguel Sano
LF Nomar Mazara
1B Brandon Belt
LHP Zach Britton
LHP Alex Claudido
RHP Max Scherzer

Like always, don't expect these guys to call South Florida their new home, as I now have just a little over $1 million to spend thanks to Duffy...

Also, no team wants Duffy, so that's rough... I might have to waive him...

November 29th, 2021: I added 2B Jeremy Eierman to the 40-man Roster, as I did not want to lose the 2/3.5*. The 25-year-old was the 30th overall pick back in 2018 by the Dodgers.

December 1st, 2021: I think I just got a steal, as I sent 1B Pavin Smith to the Mariners for 2B Reizo Honda. Honda, 23, came over from Japan last year as an International Free Agent, as is rated as a 0.5/5*. He's an elite defender at second, with great speed, and massive power, both extra base and home run. As good as Smith is, Honda is way, way, better, especially with all the depth I have at first.

The opening on the 40 made room for SS Jeremy Arocho, another guy I couldn't afford to lose. A 2/3.5*, I acquired him in a 5-player trade with the Dodgers back in 2018. He's not the best defender, but he can play four positions, has a perfect eye, and a solid bat to go with great speed.

December 3rd, 2021: Early free agent signing for the almost always late signing CL Andrew Miller. He'll join the Giants, and pitch the 9th. In 733 games he has 191 saves. With Atlanta last year, he was 3-7 with 32 saves and a 2.43 ERA. He'll make abour $18,666,666 a year for three years.

December 4th, 2021: I traded minor league RF Conner Capel to the Braves for RHP Joe Labrie. This looks like a steal, as the former 8th overall pick. He's rated as a 1.5/4.5.* as as SP as he approaches his 25th birthday. Capel isn't a bad player, but he's no where near as good.

I designated LF Charlie Tilson for assignment to make room.

December 5th, 2021: Hall of fame voting opens today. Here's my ballot:

1B Jason Giambi
SP Tim Hudson
SP Mike Mussina
1B David Ortiz
CL Jonathan Papelbon
CF Juan Pierre
SS Alex Rodriguez
SS Jimmy Rollins
CL Billy Wagner
SS Michael Young

Yes, I voted for A-Rod, one of the best hitters and fielders of all time. I think him, Big Papi, hopefully Mussina in his final year, and possibly Curt Schilling, who I didn't vote for, make it.

December 7th, 2021: Tilson cleared waivers and was outrighted to AAA.

December 9th, 2021: I placed Danny Duffy on waivers. Perhaps someone bails me out...

December 10th, 2021: Three free agents signed as we approach the Winter Meetings.

Chris Archer joined the Cardinals on a 5-year, $72,500,000 contract. The Former Ray had a down year last season, 7-3 with a 5.05 ERA, but has a ton of talent.

Another SP went off the board as the Pirates signed Nathan Eovaldi to a 5-year, $55,900,000 contract. He split time with St. Louis and Philadelphia last year, as has put togehter two solid seasons, including 2020 when he waon 17 games.

Lastly, the Giants re-signed free agent 1B Brandon Belt to a 4-year, $51,200,000 contract. He had a down year, hitting .211 with 20 homers and 55 RBI's, but is an elite defender with a career .256/.353/.448 slash with 186 homers and 667 RBI's.

December 11th, 2021: The Winter Meetings commensed today, and were opened with a pair of Free Agent signings.

The Giants added LF Jurickson Profar to a 5-year, a little over $10 per year contract. The switch hitter can play a little bit of everything, and the former top prospect is a career .273/.360/.418 in 720 games with the Rangers.

Arizona signed Dylan Bundy to a 1-year, $5,100,000 contract. He had a rough season last year, and hasn't lived up to his potential. He's rehabbing a torn rotator cuff, but still rated as a 3.5*.

Duffy cleared waivers...

December 13th, 2021: The Mariners signed the rehabbing SP Max Scherzer to a 1-year, $7.7 million dollar contract. He's got 7 months left before the 37-year-old can pitch again.

The Giants signed the premier free agent of the class, 26-year-old RF Nomar Mazara. "The Big Chill" inked a 7-year, $269,000,000 contract that increase for four seasons before evening out at $44,000,000 a year. He's a career .291/.368/.509 with 167 homers and 597 RBI's. Best part is, the Giants are "rebuilding" right now.

Lastly, the Red Sox and Giants made a trade, sending LF Billy McKinley to the Red Sox for RHP Tanner Houck. Don't know what Boston was thinking...

I used 2B Logan Warmouth to entice the Rockeis to take Danny Duffy. I just have to pay 10% of the contract, and they'll take the rest. I recieve minor leaguer Connor Joe, but he's just there as a filller.

I now have $16,000,000 to spend!

I needed at least 1 starting pitcher, possibly a pen arm, and then maybe a veteran catcher, infielder, or outfielder for the bench.

December 14th, 2021: After letting Roberto Osuna file for free agency, the Blue Jays replaced him with lefty Alex Claudido. The former Ranger agreed to a 3-year, $52,000,000 contract to be come the Blue Jay's closer.

Former Marlin Yonny Chirinos is returning to Tampa, after Pirates traded him for 3B Christian Arroyo. Seems like a fair deal for both sides.

December 15th, 2021: The Winter Meetings ended today, with the Dodgers trading RF Yasiel Puig to the Pirates for RHP Song-shi Su. I'm hoping this signals the Dodgers giving up on free agent Sonny Gray...

December 16th, 2021: The Cubs signed South Korean free agent 2B Sung-hoon Baik to a 5-year, $41,000,000 contract. He'll join countryman RF Seung-ryong "Lion" Kim in the Cubs lineup.

The Twins sent RF Jeremy Ydens and RHP Noah Skirrow to the Phillies for 2B Cesar Hernandez. I like this deal for the Twins, as both prospects are lottery tickets.

December 22nd, 2021: I made a massive, massive deal, sending SS Luis Padilla and LHP Jairo Labourt to the Reds for RHP Tyler Mahle, SS Jose Isreal Garcia, and SS Trevor Hauver.

Yes, this is 5* prospect Padilla, but he's Rule-5 eligible since he was a minor league free agent signing, and I didn't have the room for him and couldn't afford losing him. And the haul, by the way, is huge:

Mahle, 27, has a decent salary attatched to him, but is a stud starting pitcher to give me a formidable rotation. He's rated as a 3.5/4, and is coming off his second straight sub 4 ERA year with 33 or more starts. He's got a great 3-pitch arsenal and can pitch late into games.

Hauver, 23, is more of a second basemen, but the 4th Rounder from last year's draft is rated as a 4.5* potential. He's got solid speed, a reliable glove, great eye, and solid bat. His best level was in Biloxi, where he hit .373/.485/.627 with 8 homers and 29 RBI's in 44 games.

Garcia, 23, however, is the real gem of the deal. He's possibly as good as Padilla, but a 2.5/4.5 with elite defense at short, great speed, and an impressive bat. He spent his season with AA Pensacola and AAA Louisville, with his best work coming in AA, hitting .279/.358/.367 with 3 homers and 49 RBI's. He as to be added to the roster to be protected from the Rule-5 draft, but he's definitely big league ready.

December 23rd, 2021: The Blue Jays really like signing relief pitchers, and they added RHP Will Smith to a 1-year, $4,280,000 contract. With the Mets, he was 2-1 with a 3.41 ERA.

I designated 2B Mauricio Dubon for assignment to open a spot on my 40-man roster for the Rule-5 draft tomorrow.

December 24th, 2021: The Reds decided to protect Padilla, despite him not playing above the A- level. For a rebuilding team, it made sense.

The Cardinals took 3B Ke'Brayn Hayes from me in the Rule-5 Draft. I claimemd him off waivers from Pittsburgh earlier this year.

I took someone from St. Louis, RF Carlos Soler. He's rated as a 2.5/4*, and despite his sturggles in AA, it was worth a shot to use him as a 4th OF. He can play all three spots, and has a 100 rated arm. He's got great speed and great power, and could be a steal.

I also lost RF Josh Stowers to the Blue Jays.

December 26th, 2021: Mauricio Dubon cleared waivers, but I shipped him to the Blue Jays for minor league C/1B Juan Kelly.

December 28th, 2021: Craig Kimbrel resigned with the Red Sox on a 3-year, $27,000,000 contract. He's appeared in 743 games with 409 saves.

Former Marlin Brad Brach is joining the World Champion Dodgers on a 3-year, $30,900,000 contract. He pitched the last season with the Rangers, and will join his 4th team in 3 years.

December 31st, 2021: I sent LHP Matt Purke back to the Mets for 3B/SS Caleb Balgaard. Last year's 2nd rounder has 3* potential, and I didn't really have room for Purke in the pen. He's got a solid bat and great glove.

I'll continue free agency as we welcome in the new year tomorrow!

[ayaghmour2]

January 1st, 2022: I signed C Christian Bethancourt to be my back up catcher. He agreed to a 1-year, $2,400,000 contract. He isn't the best guy, but he's got a cannon and can play a little bit in the field as well.

January 2nd, 2022: The Phillies signed 2B Jonathan Schoop to a 3-year, $20,300,000 contract. The 30-year-old is a career .267/.308/.470 hitter in 1,124 games with Baltimore and Oakland.

January 3rd, 2022: I claimed 1B Luken Baker from the Phillies and outrighted him down to A+ Jupiter.

January 8th, 2022: The Phillies added another back, this time 3B Kyle Seager as they look to make a return to the playoffs. He'll earn $38,400,000 for the next 4 years, with the final a vesting option requiring 135 games. The per year value is $9,600,000 through the length of the contract. The 34-year-old spent 1,627 games in Seattle hitting .260/.331/.446 with 257 homers and 850 RBI's.

January 12th, 2022: The Royals sent 1B Chris J. Shaw to the Tigers for C Michael Arroyo. It seems like a very even transaction.

January 13th, 2022: I signed LHP Aaron Loup to a 1-year, $1,700,000 contract. I kind of wish I didn't, as his ratings have declined since the offer, but he's good left handed depth. To make room, I designated Kenyan Middleton for assignment.

A bigger deal happened where the Cubs signed Cuban superstar Jorge Flores to a 7-year, $177,000,000 contract. Those stupid Cubs... "Beer Barrel" is definitely a star in the making, and at just 28 he's got 92/61/74 ratings for a perfect 5* overall.

January 18th, 2022: The Reds signed SP Zack Davies to a 6-year, $103,500,000 contract, which means I will recieve a compensation pick. It's ironic, cosindering I traded for SP Tyler Mahle, a former Red, so it's almost like another part of that trade. Almost 29, he's 70-53 with a 4.10 ERA and 1.30 WHIP, but last year was a career year, 11-7 with a 3.41 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 106 strikeotus in 31 starts and an extra inning relief appearence.

I also claimed CF Larry Ernesto off waviers from the Brewers, and remember this name. The 21-year-old will head to the DSL, and is a legitimate top ptospect, 4.5* potential with great speed, an elite defensive outfielder, and a nice bat with solid pop. Don't know why no one else placed a claim on him...

January 19th, 2022: We've got three new Hall of Famers, SS Alex Rodriguez, 1B David Ortiz, and SP Mike Mussina. A-Rod got 99% of the votes, Big Papi got 86.5%, and Moose got 82.6%.

Curt Schilling was dropped, his 10th year gave him just 69.9%. No one else got more then 35%.

The Yankees traded C Joey Bart to the Twins for RHP Zack Littell. Pretty even deal here.

January 20th, 2022: I outrighted Kenyan Middleotn to AAA.

The preseason is up next!