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9/08/2053
The Bats, Canadians, and Wildcats all go 5-1 to and celebrate being the teams of the week. Washington is the first team this season to clinch a playoff berth, and with a 19.5 game division lead they have a 100% chance of winning the division and securing a first round bye. We like those odds. Meanwhile Toronto is now nine games over .500 since July 1st, and has a shot at the final wildcard spot in the Domestic. Finally the Wildcats have the third best record in the league since August 15th as the rebuild goes into effect.
Power Ranking
1) Washington Bats (126.0, +)
2) Dallas Drillers (117.1, -)
3) New Orleans Voodoo (109.8, +)
4) California Kodiaks (109.1, o)
5) Seattle Pilots (107.3, -)
6) Pawtucket Patriots (101.9, ++)
7) Toronto Canadians (101.3, ++)
8) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (100.1, +)
9) Maine Guides (98.0, --)
10) Pittsburgh Millers (96.8, ++)
11) Carolina Tobs (92.9, --)
12) Indianapolis Clowns (91.6, +)
13) Los Angeles Dinos (89.9, --)
14) Wilmington Wildcats (88.6, +)
15) Baltimore Bulldogs (87.1, --)
16) Hartford Whalers (86.5, +)
17) Denver Bulls (83.2, +)
18) Montreal Exports (82.3, +)
19) Windy City Blues (76.6, --)
20) Batavia Muckdogs (65.6, o)
21) Philadelphia Freedom (65.4, o)
22) Phoenix Roadrunners (63.7, +)
23) Syracuse Snappers (62.5, -)
24) New York Cyclones (57.7, o)
Performance of the Week
P Charlie Spence - Another young gun for the Tobs as Spence turned in the 8th best pitching performance of the season this past week. On September 7th at Hartford he went eight innings, allowed only one hit, struck out 10 and walked two as Carolina won 2-0. The 23 year old was the 10th overall pick of the 2047 draft and is in his second full season in the majors. This year he's 10-11 with a 4.09 ERA and 100 ERA+. He's won three of his last four decisions though and appears to be coming into his own, much like the rest of the team it appears.
Prospect of the Week
C David Mitchell - The soon to be junior is only 18 but accordingly to scouts from the OSA "it is early, and Mitchell is young, but his development prospect as a future catcher looks extremely promising." We couldn't have said it any better ourselves. This past season he hit .311/.458/.536 with 8 HR and 24 RBI, and won the Platinum Stick award at catcher while also being a 2053 NCAA All-Star.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Pat 'Melody' Nunes signed a one-year contract extension last week for a cool $1,600,000. If Nunes doesn't retire at the end of this season, and it appears he won't, he will turn 45 years old around Spring Training. This is his 21st year in the league, over two years longer than Robert Jessee, next on the list. This year the 44 year old is hitting .279/.332/.451 with 10 HR and 38 RBI. He's also made over $300,000,000 in his playing career. We suppose another $1.6m won't hurt.
2. The Domestic wildcard has become interesting as Pittsburgh, Santo Domingo, Pawtucket, Indianapolis, and Toronto are all within five games...and there are only three wildcard spots left. The oddsmakers currently have the Rum Runners, Millers, and Patriots favored, but there is a lot of baseball left. In the Import we have Carolina, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Denver, and Windy City for the final three spots there as well. The Tobs and Dinos are almost shoe ins though, so it appears the Bulldogs, Bulls, and Blues can compete in the Battle of the B's for the final ticket to the dance.
3. In the 'We Like Playing These Guys' summary: New Orleans is 9-0 against both Montreal and Santo Domingo, California is 9-0 against Denver, Washington is 9-0 against Batavia, Denver is 9-0 against Phoenix, Indy is 10-1 against Wilmington, Dallas is 10-2 against Montreal, and Batavia is 10-2 against New York.
4. Jannero Peter is 18-1 with a 1.66 ERA, 249 ERA+, and 245 K's on the season. The strikeouts get thrown in there because LAD's Dwan Tamarovsky currently has 260. It is doubtful that Peter can catch Dwan, but if he does he will win the pitching Triple Crown as his wins and ERA lead the Import. What's scary for the rest of the league is that the 25 year old, and former seventh round pick, has possibly not reached his potential yet. Coaches are working on his mechanics and believe he will only get better.
5. What's on tap? Maine and Pittsburgh run the gauntlet this week. First they face each other in a three game series. So far to date Pittsburgh has a 5-4 advantage, but Maine has been en fuego as of late. Then Pittsburgh travels to New Orleans, while Maine gets to host Dallas. Streakwise the Bats have won five in a row, Toronto and Pawtucket have won four in a row, Collin 'Prince' Maloney (DAL) and Rick Anderson (PHO) have 13 game hitting streaks, and Benjamin Racek (DAL) hasn't lost in 14 starts.
Stat of the Week
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| Most Consecutive 155 Strikeout Seasons (Top 25 Players) |
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