August 1, 2033
(AP)
The Bulldogs go 5-1 with a sweep of LAD and take two of three against Windy City to regain the top spot in the power rankings. They are now 70-34 on the year and 10.5 games ahead of Philly for the top spot in the Stout. Other big weeks were Maine and Phoenix who each went 5-1 while five teams won four games. On the flip side Montreal, Denver, and Seattle all went 1-5. The Exports are last in the Lager, Denver is last in the Bock, and Seattle is now .5 games back from Windy City for the Bock lead.
Power Rankings
1) Baltimore Bulldogs (128.2, +)
2) Pittsburgh Millers (122.9, -)
3) Maine Guides (107.0, ++)
4) Hartford Whalers (106.4, ++)
5) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (103.4, +)
6) Philadelphia Freedom (103.1, -)
7) Batavia Red Jackets (103.0, ++)
8) Indianapolis Racers (102.4, +)
9) Miami Sharks (101.6, --)
10) Phoenix Roadrunners (99.6, ++)
11) New York Knights (98.2, +)
12) Washington Bats (94.2, --)
13) Windy City Blues (93.9, o)
14) Pawtucket Patriots (92.5, o)
15) Seattle Pilots (91.0, --)
16) Wilmington Clowns (80.9, +)
17) Syracuse Snappers (80.5, -)
18) New Orleans Dukes (76.9, +)
19) Carolina Tobs (73.9, +)
20) Los Angeles Dinos (70.4, -)
21) California Kodiaks (68.6, +)
22) Toronto Canadians (66.4, -)
23) Denver BC (53.9, -)
24) Montreal Exports (39.2, o)
Performance of the Week
P Tom Gowans - On July 26th against Wilmington he took over the #1 top performance spot this season when he threw a complete game one hit shutout with 10 strike outs and no walks. The only hit was by Jaime Rush who singled in the top of the 7th. On the year Gowens is 6-4 with a 2.13 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 3.1 WAR. He was a 7th round draft pick by the Maine Guides in 2025 and was traded to SDR in 2029.
Injury of the Week
LF Robby Lee - On July 31st against Indy he was on first when Hector Jose singled. Lee easily reached second and tried to stretch it to third but ended up getting thrown out after a hard slide. He came limping off the field and left the game. An MRI showed he had torn his meniscus and will be for the rest of the season. The 25 year old was acquired last year from Toronto via trade and was hitting .270/.336/.465 with 16 HR's and 59 RBI's while playing right field. Last season he was an All-Star and won the Designated Driver at CF and with both him and David Perry out the Millers offense is sure to struggle.
Prospect of the Week
2B Laurence Youmans - The 20 year old was a 6th round pick by Seattle in 2030 and is playing for their AA team after getting called up from A a few weeks ago where he was hitting .303/.353/.408. In 28 games he's now hitting .345/.387/.448 with 1 HR, 14 RBI's, and 4 stolen bases.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Dusty Akkerman in LAD this season: 48 games, .252/.354/.477 with 5 HR's and 18 RBI's. Dusty Akkerman in PAW this season: 8 games, .296/.441/.889 with 5 HR's and 10 RBI's
2. Geoff Dail of Miami swiped four more bases this week giving him 20 on the season, which only projects him to reach 31, a far shot from the 50 or more he stole each of the last seven seasons. He is now 113 short of the all-time lead held by Jerry Daly and many are hoping he breaks the record due to Daly being caught up in the Virginia steroid scandal. At 32 years old either Dail is slowing down or he's not being given the green light as he's currently hitting .316, his highest since 2029.
3. The race could be close but Johnny 'Big Stick' Swope is in danger of missing out on winning an unprecedented 4th straight Stout Slugger award. He was named IL Batter of the Month for July and currently he's on pace for a .291 season with 43 HR's, 106 RBI's and a 5.3 WAR. Dusty Janson of Baltimore though is on pace for a .304 season with 50 HR's, 109 RBI's and a 6.7 WAR.
4. Ethan Beach of California is now 0-10 with a 7.26 ERA and 1.76 WHIP. He's lost 14 in a row, the longest streak in the BLB. He did start out the season with a win in AAA but since then it's just be a train wreck of a year.
5. The BLB all-time home run king Jamie O'Hearn broke his hand May 16th against LAD. He was healthy at the end of June but is still sitting on the Windy City disabled list come August. Reports out of Chicago say that the 39 year old has lost his desire to play and is contemplating retirement. His 612 home runs are now 40 more than second place Dani Alvarez and 155 more than the current active leader Dave 'Tapper' Ingram.
Stat of the Week
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Most Career Wins Without Being An All-Star (Top 25 Players, Wins Since First All-Star Game in 1978) |
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