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8/31/2054
What a week in the BLB as the Ale got flipped around, and a few more teams solidified their playoff odds. First up are the Hartford Whalers who had the happy unicorn by going 7-0. They are now second in the Ale and their playoff odds are up to 78.6%. Meanwhile the Indianapolis Clowns had the sad unicorn as they went 0-7. At 69-64 they are in 5th place in the Ale as their playoff odds plummeted to 19.2%. The two other top weeks belonged to the Lager as Dallas and Wilmington both went 6-1. The Wildcats are up to 98.5% for making the postseason as it looks like their new GM has brought both stability and prosperity to the franchise. On the other side of life New Orleans joined Indy by going 0-7, while a handful of teams went 2-5.
ELO Rankings
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| 1 | Washington | IL | 87-46 | -4.5 | 1604.6 | |||||
| 2 | Dallas | DL | 84-50 | 11.1 | 1578.8 | |||||
| 3 | Carolina | IL | 81-52 | 5.4 | 1554.2 | |||||
| 4 | Pawtucket | DL | 77-56 | 2.7 | 1548.0 | |||||
| 5 | Seattle | IL | 76-57 | 4.7 | 1541.9 | |||||
| 6 | Wilmington | DL | 76-57 | 10.4 | 1535.2 | |||||
| 7 | Los Angeles | IL | 74-60 | -0.3 | 1533.9 | |||||
| 8 | California | IL | 74-58 | -3.2 | 1533.4 | |||||
| 9 | Pittsburgh | DL | 72-62 | -8.5 | 1532.4 | |||||
| 10 | Hartford | DL | 72-60 | 16.1 | 1531.7 | |||||
| 11 | Denver | IL | 75-58 | -6.5 | 1519.4 | |||||
| 12 | Santo Domingo | DL | 71-62 | 8.5 | 1518.1 | |||||
| 13 | Syracuse | DL | 71-61 | -1.6 | 1516.9 | |||||
| 14 | Windy City | IL | 69-64 | -3.9 | 1500.7 | |||||
| 15 | Baltimore | IL | 66-66 | -8.4 | 1495.7 | |||||
| 16 | Indianapolis | DL | 69-64 | -17.5 | 1491.5 | |||||
| 17 | New York | IL | 62-72 | 7.6 | 1481.0 | |||||
| 18 | Montreal | DL | 58-74 | -4.7 | 1469.6 | |||||
| 19 | New Orleans | DL | 56-77 | -15.2 | 1468.1 | |||||
| 20 | Maine | DL | 52-82 | -2.8 | 1465.6 | |||||
| 21 | Batavia | IL | 49-85 | -0.5 | 1415.5 | |||||
| 22 | Phoenix | IL | 46-87 | 9.6 | 1403.3 | |||||
| 23 | Toronto | DL | 39-94 | 1.6 | 1380.3 | |||||
| 24 | Philadelphia | IL | 40-92 | 0.0 | 1379.2 |
Performance of the Week
1B Latif Won - When you go 7-0 during the week more than likely you had some great performances, and Won had one of them. On August 26th against Indy he turned in the 11th best hitting performance of the season when he tallied up five hits, two home runs, and drove in three during a 9-7 win. The 27 year old Won won the day. The former 1st round pick of the Bats in 2044 was traded to Hartford for Jeremy Stokes and several picks in 2046, and has started for the Whalers for six straight seasons. He was named to the All-Star team in 2051 and 2053.
Prospect of the Week
LF Kolton Adams - The oldest top hitting prospect in the league, and second oldest in the top 100, was signed by Pittsburgh on June 18th to the tune of $3.8m. Immediately ownership filed a grievance with the league office as their offer was supposedly for $38,000, not $3,800,000. It was denied. After an internal investigation it appeared that Ass GM Jimmy Warner, who last worked in the league in 2037 for Seattle, was unfamiliar with the fax machine that Millers management refuses to give up. So here Adams is, a former fourth round pick by the Whalers. News out of Pittsburgh is he's being called up due to roster expansion, and will be playing some in the DH role.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. The end of August is upon us as roster expansion denotes that the dog days of summer are over. In the Domestic we have six teams competing for four playoff spots, while in the Import we have only three teams competing for two spots, and it's a long shot for one of them, the Windy City Blues. So it appears all the 'fun' will be in the DL this fall. Wilmington currently holds the top wildcard spot and has as previously mentioned a 98.5% chance of making the playoffs. Next is Pittsburgh at 81.8%, then Hartford at 78.6%, SDR at 62.2%, Syracuse at 60.3%, and Indy at 19.2%. The Millers have the easiest remaining schedule while the Wildcats have the toughest.
2. It was covered on social media but last week Pat 'Melody' Nunes broke the all-time games played record held by Hall of Fame outfielder Jose Guzman. Guzman played from 1979 to 2001 and was a 13x All-Star and 1986 Domestic Stout Slugger. Nunes was the second overall pick of the 2026 draft, and broke into the league in 2032. He is now the BLB all-time leader in games played, hits, and total bases. He is second all-time in home runs, tied for third all-time in RBIs, fifth all-time in doubles, and ninth all-time in runs. The 45 year old is hitting .246 with 10 HRs and 34 RBIs this season, and hasn't made any indication of what his plans are for next season.
3. It's not often teams will spend a first round pick on a closer, but Pawtucket did that with Charlie Guevin back in 2040. He made his BLB debut full-time in 2045 when he pitched 95.1 innings as a middle reliever. The next season he was moved to closer, and he's been there ever since. This past week he notched his 400th career save against Maine, the 26th player in the history of the league to do so. On the season he's 4-2 with 33 saves and a 2.26 ERA. Lifetime he's now 45-38 with 401 saves, a 2.22 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 180 ERA+. He's also a 6x All-Star and 3x Last Call award winner, and he should have had a few more. In 2052 he was 4-3 with 45 saves, a 1.64 ERA, and he only gave up one home run all season long. He finished third in the voting. At 34 years old he has a team option for $16.5m next season, and it's anyone's guess what the Patriots will do.
4. It's not often a couple of All-Stars get into fisticuffs but we had a brawl on Friday that featured 2x All-Star Marco 'Monster' Husted against 8x All-Star and 2x Pale Ale award winner Reid Rothstein. In the fifth inning Rothstein gave up a 2-run home run to Phillip Cummings and up stepped the 26 year old Husted. On the third pitch he drilled 'Monster', and the fight was on. Rothstein is seven years older than Husted, but the tale of the tape has them both coming in at 6'2 and 200 pounds. Several solid punches were thrown before they were swarmed by teammates. After order was restored both were sent to the showers and the office of the commissioner reviewed the tape. Husted was given four games, but Rothstein was given eight due to his 'reckless disregard for the safety of an opposing batter.'
5. What's on tap? We're back to interleague as the IL and DL square off for the final time this regular season. We have a couple of possible championship previews as Seattle first hosts Dallas, then flies off to Wilmington to close the week. Throw in Hartford at California, Denver at Dallas, and Carolina at Syracuse...and well any of those possibilities could occur. Streak wise the Whalers have won seven in a row, Indy has lost seven in a row, and New Orleans has lost 10 in a row. Player wise Cameron Copland is back for the Rum Runners, and has won eight straight games dating back to last season, LAD's Tony Wysong has homered in three straight games, and Cade Hogan (PAW) hasn't lost in 14 straight starts.
Stat of the Day
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Top Seasonal Wins Leaders From 1978 to 2053
| Team | Year | G | GS | W | L | SV | ERA | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | K | HLD | CG | SHO | WHIP | |
| ** | |||||||||||||||||||
| ** | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh Millers | 1985 | 162 | 162 | 114 | 48 | 58 | 3.31 | 1472.0 | 1252 | 592 | 542 | 123 | 590 | 1283 | 53 | 10 | 13 | 1.25 | |
| Maine Guides | 1986 | 162 | 162 | 114 | 48 | 59 | 3.32 | 1463.3 | 1311 | 603 | 540 | 115 | 503 | 1241 | 61 | 12 | 10 | 1.24 | |
| Pawtucket Patriots* | 2016 | 162 | 162 | 114 | 48 | 66 | 2.67 | 1468.0 | 1198 | 459 | 435 | 121 | 367 | 1330 | 94 | 1 | 18 | 1.07 | |
| Death Valley Scorpions | 2027 | 162 | 162 | 114 | 48 | 65 | 3.06 | 1500.0 | 1357 | 547 | 510 | 146 | 367 | 1292 | 42 | 5 | 22 | 1.15 | |
| ** | |||||||||||||||||||
| California Kodiaks | 1999 | 162 | 162 | 113 | 49 | 60 | 3.41 | 1447.0 | 1339 | 615 | 548 | 105 | 535 | 1096 | 80 | 4 | 14 | 1.30 | |
| Death Valley Scorpions | 2005 | 162 | 162 | 113 | 49 | 51 | 2.99 | 1468.0 | 1175 | 518 | 488 | 94 | 522 | 1450 | 57 | 5 | 19 | 1.16 | |
| Washington Bats | 2038 | 162 | 162 | 113 | 49 | 67 | 3.46 | 1466.7 | 1371 | 610 | 564 | 168 | 382 | 1267 | 43 | 1 | 11 | 1.20 | |
| Carolina Tobs* | 2011 | 162 | 162 | 112 | 50 | 60 | 3.27 | 1462.3 | 1288 | 570 | 532 | 128 | 362 | 1380 | 72 | 3 | 15 | 1.13 | |
| Pawtucket Patriots* | 2013 | 162 | 162 | 112 | 50 | 64 | 2.97 | 1471.0 | 1291 | 519 | 485 | 116 | 364 | 1474 | 98 | 2 | 15 | 1.13 | |
| Seattle Pilots | 2029 | 162 | 162 | 112 | 50 | 49 | 3.39 | 1481.7 | 1384 | 597 | 558 | 165 | 339 | 1141 | 52 | 2 | 10 | 1.16 | |
| Seattle Pilots | 2030 | 162 | 162 | 112 | 50 | 66 | 3.51 | 1475.7 | 1396 | 614 | 576 | 184 | 414 | 1323 | 68 | 8 | 16 | 1.23 | |
| Batavia Red Jackets | 2036 | 162 | 162 | 112 | 50 | 66 | 3.70 | 1443.7 | 1357 | 626 | 593 | 181 | 449 | 1180 | 39 | 2 | 18 | 1.25 | |
| Wilmington Wildcats* | 1982 | 162 | 162 | 110 | 52 | 57 | 3.06 | 1482.7 | 1290 | 555 | 504 | 115 | 416 | 1249 | 74 | 7 | 15 | 1.15 | |
| ** | |||||||||||||||||||
| ** | |||||||||||||||||||
| Washington Bats | 2000 | 162 | 162 | 110 | 52 | 67 | 2.80 | 1481.3 | 1179 | 512 | 461 | 119 | 462 | 943 | 75 | 7 | 21 | 1.11 | |
| Maine Guides | 1981 | 162 | 162 | 109 | 53 | 44 | 3.33 | 1465.3 | 1311 | 606 | 542 | 118 | 470 | 1125 | 36 | 16 | 12 | 1.22 | |
| Washington Bats* | 1983 | 162 | 162 | 109 | 53 | 56 | 2.83 | 1464.0 | 1159 | 512 | 461 | 135 | 340 | 1313 | 63 | 15 | 22 | 1.02 | |
| Pawtucket Patriots* | 2014 | 162 | 162 | 109 | 53 | 63 | 3.02 | 1469.0 | 1286 | 519 | 493 | 120 | 318 | 1447 | 97 | 4 | 21 | 1.09 | |
| Seattle Pilots* | 2026 | 162 | 162 | 109 | 53 | 53 | 3.26 | 1487.3 | 1391 | 580 | 539 | 150 | 365 | 1329 | 70 | 11 | 11 | 1.18 | |
| Washington Bats* | 1988 | 162 | 162 | 108 | 54 | 58 | 3.36 | 1471.0 | 1265 | 603 | 549 | 108 | 464 | 1046 | 109 | 8 | 14 | 1.18 | |
| ** | |||||||||||||||||||
| Windy City Playboys | 2005 | 162 | 162 | 108 | 54 | 47 | 2.74 | 1462.7 | 1152 | 496 | 445 | 95 | 457 | 1545 | 72 | 4 | 29 | 1.10 | |
| Pittsburgh Millers | 2006 | 162 | 162 | 108 | 54 | 62 | 3.30 | 1468.3 | 1301 | 557 | 539 | 131 | 456 | 1376 | 57 | 7 | 15 | 1.20 | |
| Maine Guides | 2008 | 162 | 162 | 108 | 54 | 54 | 3.21 | 1464.3 | 1302 | 558 | 523 | 101 | 524 | 1261 | 57 | 9 | 21 | 1.25 | |
| Washington Bats | 2031 | 162 | 162 | 108 | 54 | 56 | 3.14 | 1468.7 | 1335 | 561 | 512 | 143 | 341 | 1152 | 52 | 9 | 16 | 1.14 | |
| Seattle Pilots | 2040 | 162 | 162 | 108 | 54 | 55 | 3.50 | 1471.0 | 1314 | 609 | 572 | 199 | 386 | 1445 | 48 | 0 | 9 | 1.16 |
** Virginia teams struck from record
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