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Monday, July 9th, 2035
(AP)
The Rum Runners take over the top spot after going 6-0 with sweeps of Denver and Philadelphia. They are now 47-35 on the year and five games back in the Lager. The Washington Bats also went 6-0 after sweeping Montreal and Toronto and are now back on top the Stout. Meanwhile Philly and Toronto went 0-6 while Montreal, Denver, New Orleans, and last week's champion Baltimore all went 1-5.
Power Rankings
1) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (123.2, ++)
2) Indianapolis Racers (122.1, +)
3) Syracuse Snappers (118.6, -)
4) Pittsburgh Millers (117.6, -)
5) Washington Bats (117.6, ++)
6) Carolina Tobs (105.4, -)
7) Hartford Whalers (102.0, +)
8) Wilmington Clowns (101.9, ++)
9) Batavia Red Jackets (100.4, +)
10) Miami Sharks (99.8, +)
11) Baltimore Bulldogs (97.9, --)
12) New York Knights (97.8, +)
13) California Kodiaks (96.3, ++)
14) Phoenix Roadrunners (95.4, --)
15) Windy City Blues (92.3, +)
16) Seattle Pilots (92.3, --)
17) New Orleans Dukes (88.1, --)
18) Los Angeles Dinos (79.8, +)
19) Pawtucket Patriots (70.7, +)
20) Philadelphia Freedom (67.6, -)
21) Maine Guides (62.9, o)
22) Denver BC (45.5, +)
23) Toronto Canadians (38.7, -)
24) Montreal Exports (21.5, o)
Performance of the Week
P C.J. McVicker - On July 4th against New Orleans he threw the first no hitter in the BLB since Pat Schick threw a perfect game on August 28th of 2033. He struck out three, walked three, and only threw 90 pitches during the 4-0 Kodiaks victory. On the year he's 7-3 with a 3.48 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. The former 2019 first round pick was traded from Syracuse to California last season and has previously played for Philadelphia and Seattle.
Injury of the Week
P Quincy Swaney - The 25 year old was the 23rd overall pick in the 2030 draft and this is second full season in the BLB. Last year he was 8-5 with a 4.60 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. This year he was 5-2 with a 4.39 ERA and 1.09 WHIP before he had to exit a game on July 3rd due to shoulder pain. He was diagnosed with tendinitis and will be out for at least two months.
Prospect of the Week
P Norm Knowlton - Selected with the 16th overall pick of the 2031 draft at 17 years old he spent almost four season in the Rookie League before moving up to AAA this season. So far in 18 games he's 7-6 with a 3.50 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. He throws three pitches that reach almost 100 mph but he's been criticized for his lack of effort sometimes. Scouts do believe he has room to continue to grow though. Unfortunately as the DK was working on this article he tore his meniscus on July 6th and will miss the rest of the season after surgery. Doctors believe he should have a full recovery though.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. The July 4th no hitter by McVicker also broke up the 24 game hit streak by Dukes center fielder Mat Weir who started the streak on June 4th. The 2033 All-Star MVP missed the All-Star game last season but is currently hitting .328/.380/.539 with 15 HR's, 43 RBI's and a 147 wRC+. He's also posted a +4.3 ZR in center this season over 79 games. He's part of the new breed of center fielders who are taking over the game with not only defense but their bat.
2. On July 3rd Batavia scored one in the first and Syracuse scored one in the fourth. No one scored again until the top of the 16th when the Snappers scored twice off a Stu Perry triple. The home crowd was all but sure the game was over but after Marco Taylor was hit by a pitch and Dave Marion hit a single up came Milt Shankman. He promptly doubled and Taylor easily scored and Marion went all the way around as he was waved home and tied it up without even a play at the plate. Two batters later Dave Behanna singled and Shankman rounded third, slid into home safe, and the home crowd erupted as the five hour game came to an end.
3. Ijsbert Roche led the league this week with three stolen bases. Who? The 25 year old was signed by Maine out of Belgium in 2026. He was released in 2029 after never making it out of the International Complex. New York signed him a few months later and he was moved to the Rookie League in 2030. He moved up to A in 2031, AA in 2032, and AAA in 2033 before playing sparingly for the Knights in 2033 and 2034. Now in 2035 he's starting at first base and hitting .261/.354/.438 with 9 HR's and 29 RBI's with a +3.5 ZR at first.
4. After last week featured Baltimore winning 12 in a row we've taken a u-turn as Toronto has now lost 12 in a row. During that time they scored 57 runs which is 9th best, but they posted a team ERA of 7.97 and allowed 98 runs, worst in the league. Nine of the losses have been interleague as they are 0-3 against Baltimore, New York, and Washington.
5. Seven wins separate first (Washington 49-33) from ninth (Windy City 42-39) in the Import. Meanwhile a half game separates first in the Bock (Phoenix) from the rest of the pack in Windy City, California, and Seattle. With the All-Star break coming after this upcoming week the second half will feature a bunch of GM's battling for a shot at some playoff revenue and a wildcard or even division title. We love it!
Stat of the Week
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| Most Consecutive All-Star Appearances (Top 25 Players) |
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