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(AP)
After a 6-0 week last week the Bats go 6-1 this week to push their lead to 10 games in the Stout and nine games over DL leading Hartford. Philly and Los Angeles also went 6-1 as the Freedom are trying to put a lock on the #1 wildcard spot while LAD is now one game ahead of Batavia for the #4 slot.
Power Rankings
1) Washington Bats (137.9, o)
2) Philadelphia Freedom (119.6, o)
3) Hartford Whalers (107.3, +)
4) Maine Guides (105.5, ++)
5) Miami Sharks (105.3, +)
6) Montreal Exports (101.8, ++)
7) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (100.8, --)
8) Seattle Pilots (98.6, --)
9) Denver BC (98.2, -)
10) Los Angeles Dinos (97.4, ++)
11) New Orleans Dukes (97.0, -)
12) New York Knights (94.5, -)
13) Pittsburgh Millers (94.3, --)
14) Batavia Red Jackets (91.8, -)
15) Indianapolis Racers (85.9, +)
16) Windy City Blues (82.5, -)
17) Syracuse Snappers (75.0, o)
18) Wilmington Wildcats (74.8, +)
19) Toronto Canadians (70.4, -)
20) Phoenix Roadrunners (70.3, +)
21) Carolina Tobs (68.0, +)
22) Baltimore Bulldogs (63.1, -)
23) Pawtucket Patriots (59.5, o)
24) California Kodiaks (58.6, o)
Performance of the Week
LF Manny 'Big Cat' Nieto - On August 10th against Phoenix the 30 year old Nieto had two home runs, drove in six, and scored three times in a 14-5 victory for the BC. His 372 foot, three run home run in the 5th blew the game wide open and Denver never looked back. On the season Big Cat is hitting .258 with 24 HR's and 60 RBI's with a 2.5 WAR.
Injury of the Week
P Kevin Clayton - The #1 prospect in the BLB got called up July 16th and had pitched in five games for eight total innings with a 3.38 ERA. On August 4th he came in against Santo Domingo and faced one batter in the 6th and one in the 7th before grimacing and leaving with severe shoulder pain. A MRI showed he had torn his rotator cuff and his recovery time will be over a year long. A brutal injury for the 21 who throws 100 mph and he is expected to undergo surgery sometime later this month.
Prospect of the Week
P Abu al Khayr 'Boy Scout' bin Awad - Signed out of Iran in 2026 the man with the longest name in the BLB has moved up to the #30 prospect in the league. At 21 he's currently in AA ball and is 9-8 with a 3.61 ERA and 1.27 WHIP this season. He gets along great with all his teammates and earned the nickname 'Boy Scout' after always being prepared before games.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Dave Wickline had the longest hitting streak in the BLB this season at 26 games before going 0-3 against Syracuse on August 10th. After hitting .359 but being hurt most of 2029 and a good part of 2030 he was placed on waivers and claimed by Pittsburgh at the end of last season. All though he missed over a month this year due to injury he's currently hitting .383 with 18 HR's and 45 RBI's with a 3.1 WAR.
2. On August 7th Maine and Pawtucket decided to play a game that was disguised as a double header. It was 4-4 in the 4th inning and still 4-4 going into the 18th inning. Finally Akiyuki Kimura for Maine scored on a double by Jayden Cooper in the top of the 18th and Ian Oberle got the win. The game time was 6 hours and 11 minutes and with a start time of 7:05 PM some fans reportedly didn't get home until 2 AM or later. A few days later the fans were treated to another extra inning game when it was 3-3 at the end of nine. Then in the 10th Maine scored three and had a 99% chance of winning before Pawtucket scored four runs in four straight batters and won on a Dave Ingram walk-off single which scored Robby Hall.
3. It looks like Johnny Swope might be finally waking up. After winning the Triple Crown last season he's had a very good but quiet year. This past week though he hit .360 with four home runs and six runs batted in. He had seven total home runs during the month of July. He's now hitting .275 with 31 HR's and 80 RBI's and Seattle is 1.5 games behind Denver for the Bock division lead.
4. Miami continues to stay en fuego and is now tied with Pittsburgh for the 4th wildcard spot in the Domestic. They are 19 games over .500 since June 1st and lately have been riding the much maligned Xavier Landress who is hitting .343 in August with 4 HR's and 11 RBI's. The 30 year old has been on several of the worst contract in the BLB lists but his ability against right handed pitchers has never been in doubt. If this guy leads the Sharks to a title the made for TV movie will be out by January.
5. Word out of Batavia is that they are selling. Not quite the total revamp that Baltimore pulled off last week but they are actively shopping starter Hoon Park who is 14-2 with a 2.62 ERA. Park was signed in January for this express purpose but after Batavia started out 13-8 in April many wondered if he could lead them to the playoffs. They are only one game out of the last wildcard spot but they have the second toughest schedule in the Import to finish the season and this decision might pay off handsomely down the road.
Stat of the Week
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| Most Wins While Pitching For A Losing Team (Top 25 Players) |
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