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July 11, 2033
(AP)
Pittsburgh went 5-2 to continue their hot streak and stay atop the rankings over Baltimore who went 4-3. Some other great weeks were Batavia and Miami who both went 5-1 as Batavia is now 46-43 and 1.5 games back for the final Import Wild Card spot and Miami is now two games ahead of Santo Domingo to hold the Lager lead. The best week though belonged to Seattle who went a perfect 6-0 with sweeps of Phoenix and Cali and are now tied with Windy City for the Bock lead. They have won nine out of their last ten and are 26-12 since June. They also have a big three game series against the Blues starting July 15th. Here come the Pilots!
Power Rankings
1) Pittsburgh Millers (127.8, o)
2) Baltimore Bulldogs (122.3, o)
3) Seattle Pilots (113.1, ++)
4) Miami Sharks (109.1, ++)
5) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (107.1, +)
6) Hartford Whalers (103.2, -)
7) Windy City Blues (102.1, ++)
8) Batavia Red Jackets (99.0, ++)
9) Philadelphia Freedom (97.2, --)
10) Washington Bats (97.0, +)
11) Syracuse Snappers (93.0, ++)
12) Maine Guides (92.0, +)
13) Phoenix Roadrunners (90.0, --)
14) New York Knights (86.1, --)
15) Pawtucket Patriots (84.1, --)
16) Toronto Canadians (83.7, ++)
17) Indianapolis Racers (82.9, --)
18) Carolina Tobs (80.8, o)
19) New Orleans Dukes (80.0, o)
20) Los Angeles Dinos (74.9, +)
21) Wilmington Clowns (71.9, --)
22) Denver BC (61.4, +)
23) California Kodiaks (59.0, -)
24) Montreal Exports (42.6, o)
Performance of the Week
1B Joy-shan Guo - Mr. Guo takes over the #1 hitting performance of the year when on July 10th against New York he crushed three home runs, drove in six, scored four times and walked twice in a 12-2 Red Jackets victory. On the season the 29 year old is hitting .236/.326/.429 with 17 HR's, 42 RBI's and a 0.7 WAR. Considering he's making $40 million this season I expect management wants to see more of these types of games.
Injury of the Week
P Pieter van Westen - One of the big "what if" guys in the BLB goes down again, this time on July 7th with a sprained elbow that will keep him out of the lineup for at least a month. When you print out van Westen's injury history you need a couple pages and when the 26 year old finally retires people will always wonder what a special pitcher he could have been if he could have stayed healthy. On the season he's currently 5-3 with a 3.55 ERA and 0.88 WHIP.
Prospect of the Week
1B A.J. Lugo - He won't be 18 until October but Lugo was discovered out of Guatemala by Santo Domingo and traded to Denver this May. He's only had three at bats in the rookie league and hasn't recorded a hit but scouts rank him as the #23 overall prospect and his potential is off the charts. He can play both infield and outfield and coaches love the fact that he's always asking questions and wanting to learn.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Like Seattle the Washington Bats had a big week and are now over .500 as they sit at 45-43. They are still 14.5 games out of the Stout lead but only two games back from the final Wild Card spot in the IL. This week's top dog was starter Dusty Borchers who in two starts was 2-0 with 13.3 innings pitched and zero runs allowed. Here come the Bats!
2. Congrats to AJ Ingle who recorded his 500th save on July 8th when he pitched the 9th in a 4-3 Batavia victory over New York. The 37 year old was a 2nd round pick in 2016 by California out of the University of Oregon. Over his 1053 games he's played on five teams, won four Last Call awards, been a nine time All-Star and won titles in 2025 with Indy and 2027 with Montreal. He's now 8th all-time in saves but well behind Hall of Fame closer Reynaldo Jimenez who recorded 762 over his illustrious career.
3. We talked about Dusty Janson having an outside shot at the batting Triple Crown but didn't mention the best chance belongs to Jarrod Peacock for the pitching Triple Crown. He's currently 9-4 with a 2.18 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 120 strike outs which puts him 2nd in wins and ERA and 1st in K's. With Pat Arballo and Pang Shuia leading with 10 wins and Manny Solis leading with a 2.13 ERA he's not far off in either category. His resurgence has been a big reason the Freedom are 49-39 and holding onto the #1 Wild Card spot in the IL.
4. When it comes to team fielding zone rating the Phoenix Roadrunners sit at +18.1, almost eight points higher than Pittsburgh who is in second. The main reason was due to Tom Lyon and Dave Chance playing the corner outfield spots and amassing a +14.1 between them. Both of them are currently on the DL but are now healthy and should be coming back to help out the Phoenix pitchers soon.
5. The All-Star rosters will be finalized after this week for the upcoming game in Carolina. Currently Dusty Janson and RJ Kapper lead their respective leagues in votes. With every team represented and 30 players per league on the team we expect at least 10-15 first time All-Stars this season. Exciting times for some of the younger players of the league.
Stat of the Week
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| Most Consecutive 12 Win Seasons (Top 25 Players) |
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