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Monday, August 6th, 2035
(AP)
After Hartford went 5-1 last week they followed it up with a 7-0 perfect week by sweeping both Montreal and Pawtucket. The Whalers have now won 12 in a row and are 4.5 games back for the Ale lead. They have had a power surge as of late with Ron Hutchison hitting five home runs in the last six games, Colin Meade hitting three in the last seven, and Chris Pienda hitting five in the last 11. Other big weeks were Pittsburgh as they went 6-1 and Phoenix who went 5-1. On the other side of life Montreal, Toronto, and Pawtucket all went 1-6.
Power Rankings
1) Hartford Whalers (131.7, ++)
2) Pittsburgh Millers (126.1, +)
3) Indianapolis Racers (117.9, -)
4) Syracuse Snappers (114.7, --)
5) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (113.6, +)
6) Baltimore Bulldogs (108.6, --)
7) Seattle Pilots (104.7, +)
8) California Kodiaks (103.4, +)
9) Miami Sharks (103.1, +)
10) Carolina Tobs (102.6, --)
11) Phoenix Roadrunners (101.2, ++)
12) Windy City Blues (99.2, o)
13) Washington Bats (99.1, -)
14) Wilmington Clowns (94.7, -)
15) New York Knights (88.9, -)
16) Philadelphia Freedom (87.1, o)
17) Batavia Red Jackets (85.1, o)
18) New Orleans Dukes (84.3, o)
19) Los Angeles Dinos (66.7, +)
20) Pawtucket Patriots (65.0, -)
21) Toronto Canadians (55.9, -)
22) Maine Guides (52.8, o)
23) Denver BC (45.5, o)
24) Montreal Exports (17.4, o)
Performance of the Week
P Barton Mejia - On August 5th against New York he went eight innings and allowed no runs, three hits, and struck out 10 during a 4-0 Windy City victory. The 22 year old is now 8-4 with a 2.49 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 157 ERA+. He's currently ranked by scouts as the third best pitcher in the league.
Injury of the Week
P Leo 'Bananas' Evans - The first round pick way back in 2021 is now a 34 year old closer for the Bats. On the year he was 6-3 with 15 saves and a 3.44 ERA before he left the game on August 4th with a rotator cuff strain. He will be out for only a few weeks but Washington might have to limit his duty for when they need him come September.
Prospect of the Week
RF Sidney 'Doofus' Ishibashi - Recently selected to the 2035 RL All-Star team 'Doofus' is hitting .311/.369/.475 with 9 HR's and 58 RBI's in 80 games. He was the 3rd pick in the 2nd round of the 2033 draft and is currently the #93 overall prospect in the league.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Ron Hutchison is on fire. As mentioned he's hit five home runs in the last six games after hitting .306 with 11 HR's in July. He's also scored a run in each of his last 12 games. He now leads the league in both home runs with 35 and RBI's with 93, the later being 16 more than second place.
2. The Rookie League season is over this week and the playoffs begin August 13th. So far these teams have qualified: Boise Bluegills, Norfolk Captains, Stillwater Cowboys, and the Rochester Monarchs. With eight teams making it to the three round postseason there is still a lot up in the air as twelve teams have not been eliminated yet.
3. Interleague is back this week as some feature match-ups are Indy at Washington, Pittsburgh at Carolina, Miami at California and Seattle at Hartford.
4. We talked about Manny 'Big Cat' Nieto last week and he finished off the month by winning the IL Batter of the Month. For July he hit .386/.486/1.000 with 11 HR's and 18 RBI's. The last time he won that award was April of 2027.
5. Ian James of SDR and Robby Brooksher of LAD are both 33 years old and were drafted 1.1 in 2023 and 1.2 in 2022 respectively. James is currently 11 RBI's short of 1000 while Brooksher is 12 short. Together they have combined for 20 All-Star selections, 4 Stout Sluggers, 15 Designated Drivers and 5 DWI's. On a side note as good as though RBI numbers are when they hit 1000 it won't even crack the top 100 all-time list.
Stat of the Week
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| Most Losses The Season Before Winning The Pale Ale Pitcher Award (Top 25 Players) |
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