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Stole this from a former OSFL life that I had.
Baltimore Bullldogs
37-45 14 GB, 4th in Porter and 7 GB in WC
-We are on pace to have the absolute worse pitching performance in franchise history. Our silver linings have to be that the IL is pretty terrible right now so we are only 7 games out of grabbing a WC birth, albeit that is unlikely.
1995 First Half Highlights:
-Despite the cries about his defense at third base, Kyoden Kubota has been playing like a man possessed since late May. He's moved up to #3 on the Top Hitters List and an outside candidate for IL Slugger. Unfortunately, the old and new juiced up versions of Woodbury in Virginia will likely deny him that honor. Either way, Kubota has been awesome FA pickup for us over the last couple of years, especially since he has pretty much unseated Wallace as the face of the Baltimore franchise.
-Brad Cherry has been a pleasant surprise for us. I only expected him to be a backup OF but he has played his way into the everyday lineup. Hitting over .320 for the year, he has been a very reliable hitter at the plate. He's a testament of the success that you can have if you just leave the Pawtucket organization.
-Don Castor strained his hamstring last week, so the All-Star break couldn't have come at a better time. Despite leading the league in HR and RBI, Castor isn't really having a good year, missing the All-Star game for the first time since his rookie year. He'll also miss the Virginia series that opens the 2nd half of the season. This is fine since we pretty much have no chance whether he is in the lineup or not.
-Our pitching is horrendous. I cringe every time I watch a game waiting for the opposition to open a can of whoop-ass at any given time. The 2nd half of the season isn't expected to be any different since I really haven't changed much.
2nd Half Outlook:
-Another silver lining is that our bats have awoken a bit. We hit just 10 HR in April and 18 in May, but exploded for 33 in June and 16 through just 8 games in July. I expected our pitching to bad, but I wasn't prepared for the early power outage displayed by the squad. If guys start swinging like they are capable of doing, we may have an outside chance at a playoff spot.
-A couple of years ago, Dani Salcido was struggling as as starter. We put him at closer and he was nothing short of lights out, helping to get us to the playoffs. With Don McKay struggling this year, Salcido is once again being moved to closer for the 2nd half of the season. He will be a guy to keep an eye on as I believe this will do wonders for his confidence and performance in the 2nd half of the season.
-Another guy to watch will be Sze Zhu. I know that he was too green to be in the BLB and could've used another year in the minors. But after watching a lot of the games this year, I really think he has a chance to put it all together in the 2nd half of the season. He doesn't strike out a lot, has the 2nd best eye (walks) on the team behind Kubota, and lately has been hitting much better than earlier in the season. His average is not great but I've watched him play and I think he has the potential to replace a guy like Ivan Garcia at the plate.
Let me be completely honest, I don't expect to make the playoffs. We will, however, try to make the best of the 2nd half of the season and build for a true, playoff caliber team next year.
Baltimore Bullldogs
37-45 14 GB, 4th in Porter and 7 GB in WC
-We are on pace to have the absolute worse pitching performance in franchise history. Our silver linings have to be that the IL is pretty terrible right now so we are only 7 games out of grabbing a WC birth, albeit that is unlikely.
1995 First Half Highlights:
-Despite the cries about his defense at third base, Kyoden Kubota has been playing like a man possessed since late May. He's moved up to #3 on the Top Hitters List and an outside candidate for IL Slugger. Unfortunately, the old and new juiced up versions of Woodbury in Virginia will likely deny him that honor. Either way, Kubota has been awesome FA pickup for us over the last couple of years, especially since he has pretty much unseated Wallace as the face of the Baltimore franchise.
-Brad Cherry has been a pleasant surprise for us. I only expected him to be a backup OF but he has played his way into the everyday lineup. Hitting over .320 for the year, he has been a very reliable hitter at the plate. He's a testament of the success that you can have if you just leave the Pawtucket organization.
-Don Castor strained his hamstring last week, so the All-Star break couldn't have come at a better time. Despite leading the league in HR and RBI, Castor isn't really having a good year, missing the All-Star game for the first time since his rookie year. He'll also miss the Virginia series that opens the 2nd half of the season. This is fine since we pretty much have no chance whether he is in the lineup or not.
-Our pitching is horrendous. I cringe every time I watch a game waiting for the opposition to open a can of whoop-ass at any given time. The 2nd half of the season isn't expected to be any different since I really haven't changed much.
2nd Half Outlook:
-Another silver lining is that our bats have awoken a bit. We hit just 10 HR in April and 18 in May, but exploded for 33 in June and 16 through just 8 games in July. I expected our pitching to bad, but I wasn't prepared for the early power outage displayed by the squad. If guys start swinging like they are capable of doing, we may have an outside chance at a playoff spot.
-A couple of years ago, Dani Salcido was struggling as as starter. We put him at closer and he was nothing short of lights out, helping to get us to the playoffs. With Don McKay struggling this year, Salcido is once again being moved to closer for the 2nd half of the season. He will be a guy to keep an eye on as I believe this will do wonders for his confidence and performance in the 2nd half of the season.
-Another guy to watch will be Sze Zhu. I know that he was too green to be in the BLB and could've used another year in the minors. But after watching a lot of the games this year, I really think he has a chance to put it all together in the 2nd half of the season. He doesn't strike out a lot, has the 2nd best eye (walks) on the team behind Kubota, and lately has been hitting much better than earlier in the season. His average is not great but I've watched him play and I think he has the potential to replace a guy like Ivan Garcia at the plate.
Let me be completely honest, I don't expect to make the playoffs. We will, however, try to make the best of the 2nd half of the season and build for a true, playoff caliber team next year.
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