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08/03/2048
We stayed behind in Philly after the All-Star break, had a bit too much fun, and missed last weeks action. Have no fear, the DK is back again. This past week Pawtucket grabbed the Ale throne a little tighter after a 5-1 week. They now lead Wilmington by 3.5 and Maine by 5.5 games. Other top weeks were Indy, Batavia, Wilmington, Toronto and California who all went 5-2. On the flip side Santo Domingo and Pittsburgh went 1-6. The Millers are now 1-9 in their last 10, and their 13 year playoff streak is all but assured to be over. Look for California to continue on with the longest streak though as they will push it to 14 straight seasons this fall. On the other side of that streak Carolina, Hartford, and Indy haven't been to the postseason since they all went together in 2038. At least it was a good decade for them though as the Tobs won it all that year, Hartford won the year before and Indy brought the cup home in 2034.
Power Rankings
1) Toronto Canadians (120.3, o)
2) Pawtucket Patriots (115.3, +)
3) California Kodiaks (111.0, o)
4) Dallas Drillers (107.1, -)
5) Wilmington Clowns (100.4, +)
6) Philadelphia Freedom (100.3, o)
7) Montreal Exports (97.7, -)
8) Maine Guides (96.8, ++)
9) Los Angeles Dinos (94.0, -)
10) Windy City Blues (92.7, ++)
11) Batavia Red Jackets (90.7, ++)
12) Phoenix Roadrunners (90.2, o)
13) Baltimore Bulldogs (89.3, -)
14) New York Cyclones (88.3, --)
15) Syracuse Snappers (86.1, ++)
16) New Orleans Voodoo (85.8, --)
17) Washington Bats (84.5, -)
18) Seattle Pilots (83.6, o)
19) Denver Bulls (83.1, --)
20) Indianapolis Racers (76.7, ++)
21) Carolina Tobs (75.7, --)
22) Pittsburgh Millers (73.3, o)
23) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (72.1, --)
24) Hartford Whalers (47.8, o)
Performance of the Week
P Reid Rothstein - On July 29th against Baltimore he shut down the Bulldogs to the tune of nine innings, no runs, two hits, and 11 K's. Unfortunately it was 0-0 after nine, the Bats brought in reliever Brock Bumbarger in the 10th, and he promptly gave up three hits and a run and Baltimore won 1-0. On the season Rothstein is 13-3 with 1.87 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and 211 ERA+. He's the current favorite for the Import Pale Ale and is doing everything he can to keep the Bats afloat.
Prospect of the Week
C Justin Wyatt - Currently the 40th overall prospect in the land, Windy City's 2047 first round pick has turned into quite the slugging catcher. Currently in A ball he's hitting .245/.367/.494 with 18 HRs and 51 RBI in 72 games. Scouts think he has a lot of room to grow and the Blues should be excited to see what this 21 year old can turn into down the road.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. As we move into August lets take a look back at July. Toronto was in first place all by themselves after going 18-8. They have built a seven game lead in the very tough Lager, and look to be going back to the playoffs for the first time since 2039. Philly, California, and Pawtucket followed them closely though by going 17-8. Wouldn't you know it but those three teams lead their respective divisions as well. Hartford was on the other end with a 9-17 record while Indy went 9-16. The Whalers are now 30.5 games out of first, while Indy is 25.5 games back. Some team leaders for the month: Philly scored 144 runs (Har 79), Pawtucket allowed 78 runs (Har 143), Dallas swiped 40 bases (NO 6), Toronto K'd 257 opposing batter (Syr 141), and Pittsburgh hit 16 triples (Cal, Was, WC 2).
2. Center fielder Kody West of the Drillers already has one part of the 40/40 club done as he stole his 41st and 42nd base last week and leads the league. He's going to fall a little short on the other half though as he only has four home runs on the season. We do have someone in the running though, Wilmington's Jakob Lopez. So far this season the 2x All-Star is hitting .244/.331/.504 with 26 HRs and 34 SBs. That means he's on pace for a 40/52 season if he keeps it up. He would then join the likes of Colby Hullinger (2x), Ryan Hubbard, and Stuart Beale. Beale is on pace though for a 30/30 season, as is Preston Capps. For the 7x All-Star Capps it would only be the second time in his career he has accomplished that.
3. Speaking of Capps there are rumors on the streets that he might be available for trade. Apparently the Dinos are having a hard time re-signing him as his $40m a year price tag is a bit too steep. Would LAD though really trade him? They are 57-51, and even after going 12-14 in July, are first in the Import wild card race with a 90% playoff probability. They also brought up the overall #1 prospect in Dwan 'Chops' Tamarovsky to give them a push. In two starts he's 1-1 with a 4.38 ERA. The 6'4 Lithuanian could be the face of the league for the next decade if things play out like the Dinos hope they will. Anyways back to Capps. Currently ranked the 7th best hitter in the league, the 30 year old who goes by 'Cowboy' won the IL Stout Slugger last season and is showing no signs of slowing down. If he hits free agency look for him to get between $30-$35 million to take his talents elsewhere. Lifetime he's a .300 hitter with 223 HRs, 488 SBs, a 121 OBS+ and a 60.2 WAR.
4. The race to .400 sure petered out as Tyson Velez is now hitting .383 and Dane Jennings is hitting .374. After being at .401 on July 9th, Velez has hit a pedestrian .294 since then, including an 0-4 showing yesterday against Montreal. Jennings meanwhile peaked at .386 on July 15th but has hit .291 since. Velez would have to hit .432 down the stretch to get back to .400. He did hit .424 in May, and .423 in July, but that's probably going to be an impossible hill to climb.
5. What's on tap? How about the last interleague match-ups of the season! This week we get to see LAD at Wilmington, Maine at Philly, Montreal at Washington, and Dallas at Baltimore. Streak wise no team has won or lost more than four in row. Individual streaks have Hartford starter Sean Holt on a 10 game losing streak, and Toronto's Tommy Simpson homering in three straight games. Also Denver closer Christian Carroll started the season off with a loss against Pawtucket where he gave up five earned runs, while playing for Syracuse. Since then he's registered 27 saves without a loss or blown save, while giving up only four runs.
Stat of the Week
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| As Many Shutouts As Losses (Top 25 Players) |
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