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(AP)
In the back and forth battle for #1 the Bulldogs from Baltimore reclaim the top spot from the Millers after going 4-2 this week. All hail the Freedom though who were the true champions as they went 7-0 with sweeps of LAD and Batavia. They went from .500 to 38-31 and are now only two games behind New York for the top wild card spot. Speaking of the Knights they were 5-1 with a sweep of Denver and Miami was 6-1 with a sweep of Maine. On the other side of life the Guides and Denver went 1-6 while Syracuse went 1-5.
Power Rankings
1) Baltimore Bulldogs (121.0, +)
2) Pittsburgh Millers (120.4, -)
3) Philadelphia Freedom (113.1, ++)
4) Miami Sharks (112.4, o)
5) New York Knights (107.3, o)
6) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (101.9, ++)
7) Pawtucket Patriots (101.3, +)
8) Hartford Whalers (99.5, ++)
9) Phoenix Roadrunners (97.9, ++)
10) Seattle Pilots (95.6, --)
11) Windy City Blues (94.7, --)
12) Washington Bats (89.7, o)
13) Maine Guides (89.6, --)
14) Indianapolis Racers (87.1, o)
15) New Orleans Dukes (84.2, +)
16) Batavia Red Jackets (83.6, --)
17) Toronto Canadians (80.9, +)
18) Syracuse Snappers (77.9, -)
19) California Kodiaks (76.6, o)
20) Los Angeles Dinos (73.3, o)
21) Carolina Tobs (71.6, o)
22) Wilmington Clowns (69.4, +)
23) Denver BC (59.0, -)
24) Montreal Exports (55.7, o)
Performance of the Week
RF Zack Van den Heuvel - The 26 year old recently got called up and has played in only three games for Phoenix this season. On June 14th though in his first game he blistered the Washington Bats to the tune of two home runs and nine runs batted in during a 17-2 Road Runners victory. After the game he was quoted as saying "not much drama in this one" and he promptly went 0-4 with two strikeouts the next night.
Injury of the Week
P Efren Heise - Things go from bad to worse for the Guides as their 24 year old closer tore an elbow ligament on June 13th against Miami at the end of the 8th inning. He will be out for at least nine months and trainers are worried about the long term effects. On the season he was 4-3 with 16 saves, a 1.50 ERA and 0.94 WHIP.
Prospect of the Week
P Evan 'Moby Dick' Penn - The #8 overall pick of the 2033 draft debuted as the 8th best prospect in the BLB this week after the draft was made official. The 17 year old throws a slider, change-up and cutter and was rated as one of the hardest workers in the entire draft. He was 2-1 with a 2.81 ERA in eight starts in high school this year and struck out 16 in a game against the Basic Wolves in April.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Hats off to Dave Teel who notched his 250th career victory on June 17th when Hartford defeated Maine 6-0. At 39 year old this is his 19th BLB season after being picked by Windy City with the 7th overall pick of the 2014 draft. He's a nine time All-Star and nine time Designated Driver who is considered the greatest hitting pitcher of all-time. Over his career he's now 250-146 with a career 3.02 ERA and 1.06 WHIP and will be a first ballot Hall of Fame inductee. Teel might be best known though for being the first player to try and bypass the draft when Windy City signed him to a minor league contract. He was forced by the league to return to the Cape Cod league before eventually being drafted by Windy City.
2. Seth Blankenship hit .316 this week with two home runs and stole four bases and is a legit threat to be the first BLB 40/40 member. He's on pace now to hit .261 with 37 home runs and 46 stolen bases and is only getting better. At 22 years old he has moved into #20 on the Top Batters list and is the youngest player on that list by three years. When it's all said and done he could be one of the greatest players to ever play the game.
3. Washington is 34-35 and 12 games back from Baltimore for the Stout lead. With Dave Theisen out they can thank Pat Arbollo for keeping them afloat and giving them a shot down the stretch. In his last nine starts he's 7-0 with a 1.92 ERA and is currently 9-2 on the season with a 2.27 ERA and 0.94 WHIP.
4. Rumors are flying out of Wilmington that star pitcher and team captain JJ Plumley is currently very unhappy with the Clowns and their 27-42 record. The 25 year old is currently ranked as the top pitcher in the league despite being 1-6 with a 3.84 ERA. His 97 strikeouts lead the league and many are wondering if this two time All-Star might be on the move for a king's ransom soon.
5. With the draft now complete and some of the prospects who are playing in the BLB dropping off the list the Carolina Tobs now have the #1 ranked system in the BLB with nine prospects in the Top 100. Featuring CF Rory Elia, SP Sheldon Martin, 3B Phillip Klopf, CF Chet Sanchez, and SP Tom Benjamin the Tobs might be 29-41 and in last place now but in a few season that won't be the case.
Stat of the Week
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| Most Consecutive Times Winning The Defense With Integrity (DWI) Award (Top 25 Players, Position Indicated is First In Streak) |
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