08/19/2047
We take a month off and come back to find the Dallas Drillers in the #1 spot after a 6-1 week gives them a three game lead in the Lager. The news of our travels though had to be California's 15 game winning streak. Far and wide we heard about it, as the Kodiaks are now 82-38 and have a 13.5 game lead over LAD in the Bock. That's old news though as the other big winners of this past week were Washington (5-1), and Hartford, Pittsburgh, New York and Syracuse who all went 5-2. On the other side of life Maine went 1-5, while Toronto, Phoenix, Indy, SDR and Wilmington all went 2-5.
Power Rankings
1) Dallas Drillers (124.4, +)
2) California Kodiaks (124.0, -)
3) Washington Bats (111.1, o)
4) New Orleans Voodoo (108.5, +)
5) Syracuse Snappers (107.0, +)
6) Pawtucket Patriots (106.4, -)
7) Los Angeles Dinos (103.6, -)
8) Pittsburgh Millers (99.2, o)
9) Montreal Exports (97.5, o)
10) Baltimore Bulldogs (94.8, +)
11) Denver Bulls (89.5, -)
12) Batavia Red Jackets (87.9, +)
13) Phoenix Roadrunners (87.5, +)
14) New York Knights (87.3, ++)
15) Seattle Pilots (84.9, ++)
16) Wilmington Clowns (83.5, -)
17) Philadelphia Freedom (82.0, o)
18) Toronto Canadians (78.8, -)
19) Indianapolis Racers (75.0, --)
20) Windy City Blues (73.5, o)
21) Carolina Tobs (72.0, +)
22) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (72.0, -)
23) Maine Guides (59.9, -)
24) Hartford Whalers (52.0, o)
Performance of the Week
1B Cody Masengill - The first basemen was cast off by Santo Domingo a few months ago and ended up in Syracuse for a lowly fourth round pick. He hasn't exactly lit the diamond on fire there, but on August 16th against Indy he turned in the #1 batting performance of the season. In four at bats he tallied up four hits, three of which were home runs, drove in seven, and scored three times in an 11-0 Snappers victory.
Prospect of the Week
RF Dwight Bell - The 24th overall prospect in the land sums up the California franchise. Playoffs for over a decade straight, two titles since 2036, and yet they get pick 1.3 of the 2045 draft and take Bell. This season in the RL he's hitting .357/.446/.595 with 11 HR's, 58 RBI's and six stolen bases. Scouts believe his power potential is at the top of the charts, and his ability in the outfield could translate to being able to play all three positions.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. After starting out 12-10 in April, Dallas has become who we thought they were as they have won 17 games in May, June, and July. Not total...but 17 in each month. They have the second best record in the league and are 1st in the DL in runs scored, OBS, starters ERA, and stolen bases. They are second in total ERA, runs allowed, hits allowed, batting average, and OBP. They have an 83% chance to win the division, and their remaining opponents winning percentage is second worst only to Wilmington.
2. Christian Vines went from 10-3 to 18-3 just like that after picking up a win in each of his last eight starts. During that stretch the Snappers have outscored their opponents 48-19 and Vines has K'd 70 opposing batters. His ERA is currently 2.55, which is fourth in the Domestic, but he still has a strong chance to win his second straight Triple Crown (third overall) and his unbelievable fifth straight Pale Ale. There were whispers his career was over after losing his control this off-season, but the 'Great One' has shown that even though he isn't the king of the mountain anymore he's one of the top pitchers in the game.
3. The Domestic wildcard race appears to be between Montreal and Wilmington for the final spot. Montreal sits at a 55% probability to take that spot, but the Clowns have the easiest schedule in baseball the rest of the way. The Exports only trail Pittsburgh by 2.5 and Syracuse by 3 games though, so it might not be the Exports fighting for their playoff lives. In the Import the divisions seem to be set already with Washington and California leading the way. The wildcard though is well...wild...as LAD and Baltimore are near locks to go, but then the final two spots are up for grabs. We have Batavia, New York, Phoenix, Denver, and Seattle all in the hunt. Throw in Philly who's right behind New York and we are excited for the excitement!
4. Speaking of those Knights they are 56-65 and you're telling me they have a chance? Well when your PYT is -8 sooner or later the ball will bounce your way. Seattle comes in second with a -6 PYT, so when they have a 24% chance at 55-63 we aren't too surprised either. Who's the luckiest team this season, well it's those lovable Snappers who have a +6 PYT, Montreal is second at +4, while Pawtucket and California are +3. Don't tell Pawtucket they are lucky though as they lead the league in the categories of most players on the injured list this season, the most IL days, and the most money lost on the IL. Time to find a new trainer?
5. What's on tap? The BLB gods have blessed us this week as we get the division leader battle. In the Import we have the Kodiaks traveling to Washington, and in the Domestic we have the Drillers traveling to Pawtucket. How often do we get two 1v1 match-ups in the same week? Can California shake the dreaded Bats curse...so far they are 1-7 against them this season. Everyone already knows the 3-14 postseason record since 2040, so for the sake of Cali fans social media they are hoping they can win the series. Meanwhile Pawtucket is only five games above .500 since July 1st, while Dallas is plus 16. The Drillers are hot, hot, hot...and after knocking Pawtucket out of the playoffs last season they are now 5-2 against them this year.
Stat of the Week
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Lowest Batting Average While Hitting X Home Runs (First Occurrence) |
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