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(AP)
The Guides stay on top by going 5-1, including a three game sweep of Pittsburgh, while Indy, Santo Domingo, Batavia and Washington all go 5-2. Meanwhile Toronto goes 1-6 while Pittsburgh, Carolina and Phoenix all go 1-5. In some team stats for the week Washington led the league with a 1.53 ERA, New York stole 12 bases, Hartford struck out 59 batters and Santo Domingo hit 12 home runs.
Power Rankings
1) Maine Guides (120.6, o)
2) Seattle Pilots (112.9, o)
3) Washington Bats (110.8, +)
4) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (108.7, +)
5) Hartford Whalers (103.4, -)
6) Indianapolis Racers (103.3, +)
7) New York Knights (97.5, ++)
8) Miami Sharks (96.1, -)
9) Los Angeles Dinos (95.2, o)
10) Denver BC (95.2, o)
11) Batavia Red Jackets (94.2, ++)
12) Pittsburgh Millers (93.4, --)
13) Pawtucket Patriots (91.6, -)
14) California Kodiaks (91.1, +)
15) New Orleans Dukes (90.6, ++)
16) Syracuse Snappers (89.4, --)
17) Philadelphia Freedom (82.6, +)
18) Baltimore Bulldogs (78.1, ++)
19) Phoenix Roadrunners (76.9, --)
20) Wilmington Wildcats (76.0, o)
21) Carolina Tobs (75.7, --)
22) Windy City Blues (69.6, o)
23) Montreal Exports (58.3, +)
24) Toronto Canadians (48.4, -)
Performance of the Week
RF Jimmy 'Razor' Downey - On August 4th against Pittsburgh he hit two home runs, drove in five runs, and scored three times himself in a 12-6 victory over the Millers. Just recently called up the 22 year old is now hitting .302 with 2 HR's and 10 RBI's in 16 games. He was a first round pick by SDR back in 2027 and played briefly in the BLB last season before spending all of this year in AAA Reno.
Injury of the Week
RF R.J. Kapper - After missing over a month due to a broken hand suffered on June 17th against Maine when he was hit by a pitch the Millers were more than excited to get their star back on the field. He picked right up where he left off by hitting .500 in 16 AB's before August 6th rolled around featuring a series with Maine again. After two fly outs and a triple he came up in the 7th and was promptly beaned again and had to leave the game. X-rays showed he now broke his finger and will be out another six weeks. In 69 games he is hitting .375 and was leading the BLB in average and WAR when he was injured the first time.
Prospect of the Week
LF Alex Lezama - The 20 year old is already on his 3rd organization after being drafted in the 1st round by Philly in 2029, being traded a month later to Montreal and then traded again in 2031 to California. So far though in A ball he's hitting .308 with 8 HR's and 59 RBI's while compiling a +1.4 ZR in center field. Scouts say that coaches love him and he's been labeled as a 'spark plug' in the clubhouse and on the field.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Turell 'Two Ton' Morris is safely back in the home run race lead with 35 after hitting nine last month. He's still on pace though for "only" 53 which would still be tied for 6th best all-time, with 'Two Ton' already holding 1st and 2nd place when he hit 69 and 61 in 2030 and 2031. Ron 'Vampire' Hutchison is currently in 2nd with 31 and those two are the only players with 30+ in the league.
2. After their smoking hot start California is now 15-18 in July and August and 58-53 overall. Mike Morla slowed down somewhat in July but so far in August is hitting .333. With Morla though goes the rest of the team as Cali only hit .243 as a team in July. They are still 2nd in the Bock though and their playoff odds sit at 73%, which is more than the GM and fans could have asked for at the beginning of the year. Also Morla still has a shot at the Triple Crown if he gets hot again. He's currently 4th in average, 3rd in home runs, and 2nd in RBI's.
3. Speaking of a Triple Crown the best contenders this season are starting pitchers Noel Graham and Dave Short who both play for Maine. The 29 year old Graham came to the BLB from Australia in 2027 and is currently 11-4 with a 2.09 ERA, 131 K's, and a 4.9 WAR. He's 1st in ERA, 2nd in wins, and 1st in strike outs. The 29 year old Short was a 5th round pick by Maine in 2023 and is currently 13-2 with a 2.18 ERA, 130 K's, and a 4.1 WAR. He's 2nd in ERA, 1st in wins, and 2nd in strike outs.
4. When you look at Graham and Short it explains why Maine has an absurd +115 run differential this season, bested only by Seattle who checks in at an even more absurd +126. How many other +100 teams are there...none. How many other +90 teams are there...none. Santo Domingo and Washington check in next at +82 and +81 respectively. The only team with a negative RD and a winning record is California who is -9 on the season, while Philly and Batavia are +6 and +7 but have losing records.
5. On May 11th AJ Ingle of Seattle was 2-2 with 5 saves and a 2.21 ERA. As of August 8th he's 2-10 with 23 saves and a 2.49 ERA.
Stat of the Week
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| Largest Single Season Improvement In Earned Run Average (Top 25 Players) |
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