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08/15/2050
We don't often start with the 'loser' of the week but when the two time defending champion and division leader goes 0-7 it's newsworthy. Yes folks those lovable Dinos got swept first by California and then by Baltimore, and they now trail the division leading Kodiaks by 2.5 games. LAD hasn't had a losing month yet, so even at 4-9 after that disaster I wouldn't quite give up on them yet. On the winning side we had 6-1 weeks by those aforementioned Kodiaks who were joined by Pawtucket and New Orleans. The Patriots have built a 6.5 game lead in the Ale, New Orleans is only 2.5 back in the Lager, and California has a two game lead over Seattle in the Bock.
Power Rankings
1) Washington Bats (126.0, o)
2) California Kodiaks (120.5, o)
3) Pawtucket Patriots (118.4, ++)
4) Seattle Pilots (113.8, +)
5) Baltimore Bulldogs (111.9, ++)
6) New Orleans Voodoo (106.5, ++)
7) Batavia Red Jackets (106.4, --)
8) Dallas Drillers (103.2, +)
9) New York Cyclones (101.2, +)
10) Toronto Canadians (101.1, -)
11) Pittsburgh Millers (94.2, ++)
12) Hartford Whalers (93.5, --)
13) Los Angeles Dinos (92.6, --)
14) Windy City Blues (89.0, +)
15) Maine Guides (87.7, --)
16) Denver Bulls (86.5, o)
17) Montreal Exports (74.5, ++)
18) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (74.5, -)
19) Indianapolis Racers (71.0, +)
20) Phoenix Roadrunners (67.5, -)
21) Wilmington Clowns (59.1, +)
22) Philadelphia Freedom (59.0, --)
23) Syracuse Snappers (55.0, o)
24) Carolina Tobs (47.0, o)
Performance of the Week
CF Abel Kazaz - The 26 year old centerfielder was a scouting discovery out of Turkey back in 2040. He debuted in the BLB in 2046, took over the CF position, and hasn't given it back yet. This past off-season he signed a 4 year/$28m extension as his career +71.1 ZR was too valuable to let walk. Not known for his bat though he showed everyone wrong on August 12 against Windy City. In six at bats he had four hits, two home runs, and drove in six during a 13-6 victory. It doesn't appear to be a fluke either as his average of .305, 11 total HR's, and 114 OPS+ are all career highs.
Prospect of the Week
P Cody Nemes - The 99th overall pick of the 2045 draft is 25, back in AAA, and still looking like a future BLB star. This season in 11 starts he's 7-0 with a 2.07 ERA and 168 ERA+. He was brought up to the Bulls earlier in the season where he went 2-3 with a 5.18 ERA but then sent back down in July. We're hoping he gets another shot as his 101mph fastball and 6'5 frame make both the scouts and ladies swoon.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. The time is nigh. Robert 'Stretch' Jessee smashed two more home runs this week and is now sitting at 611 career home runs. One more and he ties the record by O'Hearn. This week Hartford plays at home against Wilmington and then Toronto. The Canadians drafted Jessee first overall back in 2031, and he played 1623 games in a Toronto uniform. During that time he hit 413 home runs for them. Wouldn't it be something to break the record against his old team.
2. Even though there aren't a lot of teams in the playoff hunt the division and wildcard races are looking to be quite interesting. After their big week the Patriots have a 6.5 game lead in the Ale, which is the largest in the league. Toronto has a 1.5 game lead in the Lager, Washington has a 3.5 game lead in the Stout, and California holds a 2.0 game lead in the Bock. Wildcard wise in the Domestic is still between the Millers and Guides. Pittsburgh currently leads Maine by one game, and their -9 PYT on the season has them the favorite, but it's anyone's guess who will prevail. In the Import it's a race between Batavia, Baltimore, California, Seattle, LAD, and New York for five spots. Currently the Cyclones are the odd man out as they trail LAD and Baltimore by three games for the final wildcard spot.
3. With the trade deadline over the players still in the game are stuck with the cards they have. Some shiny new cards at the trade deadline though might have helped. The shiniest might be Seth Cobb going from California to Dallas. Over the past four starts he's 3-1 with a 1.57 ERA and 0.84 WHIP. Currently on the year he's 8-7 overall, but he's been a double digit winner in every single season of his career except for one. This one should be no different as he possibly propels Dallas to the Lager crown.
4. Syracuse had seen enough of manager Dave Higgins as he was fired this past week by the GM. Taking his place is well known journeyman Diego Reyna. For those that don't remember Reyna won the Brewmasters with Maine back in 2031, before taking over Syracuse in 2034. He led the Snappers to two playoff seasons before managing a 36 and 34 win team in back to back years. After starting out 28-74 in 2039 he was fired once again. Since then he managed for the Freedom one season, the Patriots one season, and most recently Toronto from 2046-2048. After taking a year off he was said to be thrilled to be back at the helm of the Snappers. In his first week he then went 1-5.
5. What's on tap? We have a big Lager match-up as second place Dallas travels to first place Toronto. So far in six games this season the Canadians have taken five of them and outscored them by 26 runs during those victories. If the Drillers want to win the division now would be a good time to get some revenge. Also we have Seattle at Los Angeles. The Pilots currently sit in second in the Import wildcard race yet only have a 3.5 game lead over 5th place New York. Talk about tough times in the Import. Currently the Pilots and Dinos have split the six games they've played this season. Finally we have California at Washington. Both teams are tops in their respective divisions with them splitting the eight games they've played this season. Streak wise Ryan Anderson (Was) has won 16 straight decisions, Kentavious Saldana (Was) has won 10 straight, Duane Evans (Den) has a 12 game hitting streak, and Kade Pritty (Pit) has scored in seven straight games.
Stat of the Week
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