September 5, 2033
(AP)
The Red Jackets go from 9th to 1st with a 6-0 week after sweeping California and Philadelphia. Batavia has won eight in a row and is now 76-59 and second in the Stout. Coming in right behind them is New York at 75-60 who went 6-1 this week along with Indy and Seattle. The Pilots now have a 9.5 game lead over Windy City and are 25-8 since August 1st while Indy is only 6 games back in the Lager. Other big weeks were Washington and Santo Domingo who went 5-1 while Denver went 0-7 and Montreal and Wilmington went 0-6.
Power Rankings
1) Batavia Red Jackets (117.3, ++)
2) Seattle Pilots (116.7, +)
3) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (114.9, +)
4) Pittsburgh Millers (114.0, --)
5) Pawtucket Patriots (109.9, o)
6) New York Knights (108.9, +)
7) Baltimore Bulldogs (106.2, --)
8) Washington Bats (104.9, +)
9) Hartford Whalers (104.0, --)
10) Indianapolis Racers (100.9, ++)
11) Miami Sharks (99.4, o)
12) Maine Guides (98.7, --)
13) Philadelphia Freedom (95.0, o)
14) Windy City Blues (94.3, -)
15) Phoenix Roadrunners (88.3, o)
16) Syracuse Snappers (87.7, ++)
17) Los Angeles Dinos (75.1, -)
18) Toronto Canadians (74.8, ++)
19) New Orleans Dukes (70.8, -)
20) Carolina Tobs (65.3, o)
21) California Kodiaks (63.3, o)
22) Wilmington Clowns (62.1, --)
23) Denver BC (43.9, o)
24) Montreal Exports (35.3, o)
Performance of the Week
P Tom Sellers/P Manabu Hamada - The Pilots actually had two complete game shutouts this week with Sellers on August 31st against Carolina and Manabu Hamada on September 2nd against Denver. Both of them recorded a game score of 89 with Hamada allowing three hits with eight K's and no walks while Sellers allowed two hits with six K's and no walks.
Injury of the Week
P Quincy Swaney - The 23 year old was brought up to the BLB recently and in 14 games is 2-0 with a 0.43 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. Unfortunately on September 1st against Phoenix he came in during the 7th, recorded all three outs on eleven pitches, then was done for the night with shoulder pain. An MRI showed no significant damage but due to inflammation he will be kept out the rest of the regular season.
Prospect of the Week
P Evan 'Moby Dick' Penn - The 8th overall pick in the 2033 draft by the Freedom has had a rough go of it in the Rookie League by going 0-3 with a 10.93 ERA and 2.07 WHIP in 12 appearances. With that being said his high work ethic combined with what scouts believe to be an amazing future potential for striking out batters has him currently ranked #6 on the prospect list. At only 18 years old 'Moby Dick' has a long time to keep after it and flourish.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. The Stout could be a blood bath down the stretch as after Baltimore the next four teams (Batavia, Philly, New York, and Washington) are now predicted to make the playoffs. So not only will they all play each other a few times before the season ends but f the playoffs started today they would all be playing each other in the best of five wild card round.
2. Related to #1...want to know the last series of the year for the Stout? How about three games of New York at Batavia and three games of Washington at Philadelphia. Book your tickets now!
3. The 'Summer of Power' tour has continued for Johnny Swope. He just won the IL Batter of the Month for August after hitting .323/.404/.823 with 14 HR's and 25 RBI's. Since July 1st he's hit 23 home runs, 15 more than the Pilots runner up during that time Hidekazu Mizoguchi. Just give him his 4th straight Stout Slugger now.
4. The DL Stout Slugger should be Ron Hutchinson who came back from injury this week on September 2nd against Maine. In his first action since August 2nd he showed zero rust and was POTG after getting three hits, one of which was a home run, and driving in four. He recorded two hits, a home run, and an RBI the next day and then got no hits and a walk in three at bats in the final game of the series. He once again leads the entire BLB with 44 HR's and 107 RBI's and if he was in the IL would be in the lead for a Triple Crown with his .326 average.
5. In our 40/40 watch Seth Blankenship has been on fire lately and is closing in on potentially making history. In his last 19 games he's hit five home runs and swiped six bases and now has 33 and 36 respectively. He's on pace for 39 home runs and 43 stolen bases and is the first player in the 30/30 club since Bruno Damours did it for Baltimore in 2030.
Stat of the Week
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Most Wins With Two Different Teams (Top 25 Players, Sorted by Lower W Total) |
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