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07/01/2047
The Kodiaks go 4-2 and hold onto the top spot in the Power Rankings. California finished June with a 19-9 record and have built a seven game lead over LAD in the Bock. The top weeks though belonged to Wilmington and Pawtucket, who each went 5-1, while Phoenix rebounded to go 5-2. Some wrote off those pesky Roadrunners earlier in the season but here they sit, three games over .500 and in the final wildcard spot in the Import.
Power Rankings
1) California Kodiaks (124.3, o)
2) New Orleans Voodoo (116.2, o)
3) Pawtucket Patriots (115.8, ++)
4) Los Angeles Dinos (111.2, +)
5) Dallas Drillers (108.9, -)
6) Wilmington Clowns (108.5, ++)
7) Washington Bats (104.3, --)
8) Montreal Exports (97.6, +)
9) Batavia Red Jackets (96.8, +)
10) Phoenix Roadrunners (96.4, ++)
11) Baltimore Bulldogs (96.2, --)
12) Syracuse Snappers (91.6, --)
13) Denver Bulls (89.6, -)
14) Pittsburgh Millers (89.0, -)
15) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (83.3, +)
16) Toronto Canadians (81.8, +)
17) Carolina Tobs (78.8, -)
18) New York Knights (78.1, -)
19) Indianapolis Racers (77.5, o)
20) Seattle Pilots (72.8, +)
21) Philadelphia Freedom (69.8, o)
22) Maine Guides (68.8, -)
23) Windy City Blues (61.3, o)
24) Hartford Whalers (41.1, o)
Performance of the Week
P Stan 'Rush Hour' Dotson - We had quite a few top performances this week but 'Rush Hour' turned in the top pitching outing of the season when he no-hit Batavia on Jun 27th. Over the course of the game he struck out six and walked only two in a 3-0 victory. The 25 year old was undrafted out of Oklahoma State and is in his rookie season with the Pilots. In six starts he's 1-0 with a 2.17 ERA and 0.99 WHIP and could be a future star.
Prospect of the Week
1B Dez Swanson - The 23 year old is lighting up AAA for the Memphis Railcats (WIL) this season. Not only are the Railcats in first in the Northeast (Ale), but he's leading the league with a .345 average. He's also crushed nine home runs, driven in 33, and stolen five bases. He's was the 12th overall pick by the Clowns in 2044 and could be called up to the BLB any week now.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Pawtucket exploded in June as the Patriots went 20-7, the best record in the league. They have built a 4.5 game lead over Wilmington in the Ale, and are near the top in almost every pitching stat category. Their offense though continues to lag behind as their batting average is 10th in the Domestic, but they are 4th in runs scored. What will happen when a team that is 18 games over .500 starts to hit? As mentioned earlier California went 19-9, while LAD came in third with an 18-10 record. The Dinos have been to the postseason once since 2039, but they made some big offseason moves that are paying off. They are second in the BLB in runs allowed and first in the Import in average and hits. On the other side of life Hartford finished the month 2-25 after posting a 6.45 ERA and hitting .218, both worst in the league.
2. There are two players currently in the BLB from Israel, Denver's Jordon Wakil and Santo Domingo's Andre 'BBQ' bin Qutaiba. The later is 24 and was just named the Domestic Rookie of the Month after hitting .266/.322/.413 with 3 HR's and 12 RBI's. He's a phenomenal defensive outfielder, and has bounced between center and right so far this year. Coaches think after he gets more experience at center he could possible be a DWI level player.
3. Philly and Batavia played a twelve inning extravaganza on June 25th that featured 30 runs, 36 hits, 14 pitchers, and only four home runs. Batavia ended the 1st up 4-1, Philly stormed back and led 11-5 after the 3rd, then 13-11 in the 9th with two outs. Erick Timmons came up though and hit an inside of the park home run with a runner on to tie it up and send it to extras. In the 12th Batavia went walk, single, double, single, single, and sac fly before Philly finally ended the inning with two strike outs. The Freedom were unable to score again and the five and a half hour game came to an end.
4. As we approach the mid point we have a few names still in the Triple Crown race. Colby Hullinger leads the Domestic with 25 HR's and 68 RBI's, and his .350 average is currently fourth. On the pitching side the great one Christian Vines, even with control issues, is still 10-2 with a 2.41 ERA and 135 K's. He's first in K's (again), second in wins, and fourth in ERA. On the single season record watch there isn't one record on pace to be broken. Colby Hullinger though is on pace to join the 50/50 club, were he would be the only member. He's currently only one of two in the 40/40 club along with Ryan Hubbard.
5. What's on tap? How about a great series in both leagues to watch. In the Import the Bock leading Kodiaks travel to face the Stout leading Bats. Since 2039 the Bats are 67-42 against California, with a 14-3 playoff advantage. This season Washington leads the series 3-1 with seven games to play. In the Domestic we get Pawtucket at Dallas. Both these teams started the season hovering around .500 before taking off the past two months. In May/June the Drillers went 34-20, while Pawtucket went 37-12. Dallas is slated to start the bottom half of their rotation, which is as good as many teams top half, so it should be fun to see if they can continue to keep the Pawtucket hitters in check. If they can't and the Patriots chase those starters out, Pawtucket should fare much better against the Dallas bullpen, which is last in the Domestic in ERA.
Stat of the Week
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| Highest Innings Per Game Ratio (Top 25 Players, Min 5 Appearances) |
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