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Monday, September 24th, 2035
(AP)
The Racers stay on top with a 6-1 week as they now hold a two game advantage for HFA throughout the playoffs. The big winner though is Batavia who went 6-0, has won 13 in a row, and has moved into the 3rd wildcard spot in the IL. Not bad for a team that started the season 1-15. Other winning weeks belonged to New York and Washington who each went 6-1, while Maine, LAD, and Wilmington went 5-2. On the flip side Denver went 0-7 while Windy City and Phoenix have played themselves out of the playoffs and went 1-6 and 1-5 respectively.
Power Rankings
1) Indianapolis Racers (124.6, o)
2) Batavia Red Jackets (122.1, ++)
3) Syracuse Snappers (116.2, -)
4) Washington Bats (114.8, ++)
5) Baltimore Bulldogs (111.4, o)
6) Seattle Pilots (106.0, -)
7) Hartford Whalers (105.0, --)
8) Wilmington Clowns (103.2, ++)
9) California Kodiaks (103.0, +)
10) Miami Sharks (100.6, +)
11) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (99.8, --)
12) Pittsburgh Millers (99.4, --)
13) Carolina Tobs (95.4, o)
14) New York Knights (91.8, ++)
15) Windy City Blues (84.0, -)
16) New Orleans Dukes (83.8, +)
17) Philadelphia Freedom (80.4, -)
18) Phoenix Roadrunners (78.6, -)
19) Los Angeles Dinos (76.2, +)
20) Maine Guides (66.6, +)
21) Pawtucket Patriots (66.5, -)
22) Toronto Canadians (62.4, -)
23) Montreal Exports (44.7, o)
24) Denver BC (23.9, o)
Performance of the Week
RF Zachary Landen - The 30 year old came via free agency from Philly at the end of 2033 and has been a solid player for the Bulldogs. On September 18th against Seattle he had his biggest game in two seasons when he had five hits, one home run, drove in four and scored four times himself in a 12-1 victory. On the season he's hitting .277/.332/.413 with 14 HR's, 63 RBI's, and 1.5 WAR.
Injury of the Week
C Sean Covington - On September 19th against Montreal he went from second to home on a single and after a huge collision at the plate laid motionless for several seconds. He was called safe but no one seemed to care as trainers and teammates rushed to his side. He was eventually helped to his feet and taken to the hospital for precautionary measures. He was diagnosed with a concussion and will be out at least a month. Covington came to Syracuse along with Turell Morris in 2034 and this season is hitting .283/.316/.405 with 6 HR's, and 38 RBI's while being named to the 2035 All-Star selection.
Prospect of the Week
CF Mike Cortez - The 22 year old was signed out of Colombia in 2029 by New Orleans and this is his sixth season in A ball. What a season it was though as he hit .321/.392/.520 with 18 HR's and 75 RBI's while having a +16.6 ZR in center. He was just selected as the A Outstanding Hitter and also took home Platinum Stick and Gold Glove at centerfield. The organization is excited to see what he can do at the next level.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. The Bock title comes down to this week as California travels to Seattle for three games. Both teams are currently tied for the division lead at 85-65 with 12 to play. The Pilots have owned the Kodiaks this season as they have won seven of the nine games they have played. California can look no further for a reason than their starters who have posted a 5.09 ERA while Settle's Nehemiah Daniel has hit two home runs and drove in 13 runs. The winner of this series will more than likely get a nice first round bye while the loser might end up as the third wildcard in the IL.
2. Nothing tailspins faster than the Pittsburgh Millers division title hopes come the end of the summer. From April to the end of July they were +21 games. In August and September so far they are +2. Other late summer potential playoff collapses have been Phoenix (18-31), New York (21-30), Windy City (23-28), Carolina (23-28), Philly (23-27), and Wilmington (25-24). Of those teams only Carolina and Wilmington still have a chance to make the postseason.
3. Rookies hitters have been all the rage this season and the Refreshing New Brew award is going to be a tossup. In the IL Tom Gross (.291/.366/.574, 39 HR, 106 RBI) is battling Seattle's Fitzpatrick Fisher (.273/.350/.554, 32 HR, 75 RBI) and Baltimore's JD Rice (.298/.373/.528, 27 HR, 77 RBI) for the award. In the DL it's New Orleans slugger Elmer Caceres (.283/.357/.524, 37 HR, 98 RBI) against Toronto's Robert Jessee (.299/.365/.545, 33 HR, 94 RBI). Fisher is the oldest of the group at 25 while Jessee is only 21.
4. It looks like the only playoff race we still have is the Miami Sharks and Wilmington Clowns battling for the final wildcard spot in the DL. Miami has a two game lead with 12 games left against Toronto, New Orleans, Indy and SDR. Wilmington has 12 left against Maine, Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Pawtucket. The Sharks have the tougher schedule but get nine at home while the Clowns play six home and six away.
5. In what was certain a lock for the first pick next year the Montreal Exports are now 12-10 in September and have 37 wins, one less than Denver who sits at 38-111. The BC have gone an abysmal 3-19 this month with a 5.48 ERA while hitting .218/.280/.342. Every one of those stats is last in the league. The good news is they are both predicted to win over 40 games so the 1981 California Wildfire record of 39 wins hopefully won't be broken.
Stat of the Week
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