(AP)
The Bats go a perfect 6-0 by sweeping Chicago and Denver, have won seven in a row, eight out of their last 10, and are 20-7 since July. They have a 10 game lead in the IL playoff race and seven game lead over the 2nd best record in the league. Just give them the Brewmaster's Cup now! Not so fast my friend. Remember the last two champions were 83 win New York and 88 win Hartford and there is plenty of time left for teams to make the moves to get them into the postseason. Some team leaders this week: LAD hit 13 home runs, SDRR scored 54 runs, Baltimore stole 15 bases, Washington had a 1.61 ERA and allowed only 10 runs.
Power Rankings
1) Washington Bats (135.9, o)
2) Philadelphia Freedom (112.6, ++)
3) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (107.4, ++)
4) Hartford Whalers (105.8, -)
5) Seattle Pilots (105.1, ++)
6) Miami Sharks (103.2, ++)
7) Maine Guides (102.7, o)
8) Denver BC (102.6, --)
9) Pittsburgh Millers (102.4, o)
10) New Orleans Dukes (98.4, --)
11) New York Knights (98.1, --)
12) Montreal Exports (97.8, --)
13) Batavia Red Jackets (93.9, -)
14) Los Angeles Dinos (93.3, -)
15) Windy City Blues (81.6, o)
16) Indianapolis Racers (79.9, ++)
17) Syracuse Snappers (74.1, o)
18) Toronto Canadians (74.0, o)
19) Wilmington Wildcats (73.6, --)
20) Baltimore Bulldogs (69.2, ++)
21) Phoenix Roadrunners (69.1, -)
22) Carolina Tobs (67.7, o)
23) Pawtucket Patriots (62.5, -)
24) California Kodiaks (53.6, o)
Performance of the Week
3B Ron Snider - On July 29th against Montreal he had four hits, two home runs, drove in five runs and scored four times himself in a 17-5 victory over the Exports. On the season Snider is hitting .306 with 28 HR's and 71 RBI's with a league leading 4.8 WAR. He is in his final year of his contract and negotiations were reported to get heated earlier in the year so it looks like the Millers are going to let him walk, which could make him one of the biggest free agent hitters the league has seen in years.
Injury of the Week
RF Dave Maldonado - On August 1st against Maine in the bottom of the 9th there was a collision at 2nd on a fielders choice. Maldonado went in hard and ended up laying on the ground for several minutes. A cart was brought out and he was taken to a nearby medical facility. Tests showed he had shattered his knee cap and will be out for the rest of the season. This is a huge loss for the Exports as the 29 year old is a leader in the clubhouse and was having a great year hitting .303 with 24 HR's, 75 RBI's, and a 3.4 WAR.
Prospect of the Week
LF Pat Raftery - The 22 year old was drafted with the 4th overall pick of the 2027 draft by Phoenix and has moved through the system while battling a few injuries. This season he started in AA before getting called up to AAA almost 50 games ago. He's hitting .312 with 8 HR's and 29 RBI's but has struggled in left field. He recently had a three home run game though where he drove in six and should be looking at getting a call-up one of these days.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Miami is 16 games over .500 since June and no one has been better. They are now 55-49 and two games out of the 4th wildcard spot in the DL. Suddenly things have become crowded as Santo Domingo, Pittsburgh, and New Orleans all have 58 wins, Maine has 57, and Miami has 55. Meanwhile Montreal is just holding onto the Lager with 60 wins and Hartford has a 6.5 game lead in the Ale with 64 wins.
2. Over in the IL Batavia currently sits in the 4th spot with a 52-51 record. A game and a half behind them is LAD and a game and a half behind them is Windy City. LAD has the easiest schedule the rest of the way and has the best odds but we won't count out Phoenix either.
3. The lines are heating up between GM's as the trading deadline approaches in another week and a half. We have breaking news that Montreal has acquired reliever Khalil Corey from Baltimore and starter Redford Jeralds from Indianapolis, as well as a few other players. Corey, even at 34 years old, is one of the premier closers in the league while Jeralds is 28, a clubhouse leader, and throws five pitches.
4. The Rookie League All-Star teams were just announced in the annual Pilsner vs Porter game. The Puhi Dolphins (LAD) currently lead the league with a 29-7 record while the Sacramento Bears (BAL) bring up the rear at 9-27.
5. Jarrod 'Putt Putt' won the IL Rookie of the Month for July. On the year he's hitting .285 with 19 HR's and 54 RBI's and in July he hit .344 with 7 HR's and 14 RBI's. Fielding wise though he has been struggling. His -8.7 ZR is tied for worst in the league among non first basemen and his .940 defensive efficiency is tied for 2nd worst for outfielders.
Stat of the Week
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Largest Changes In League Leading Stats (Top 25 Players) |
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