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06/07/2055
Another week in the BLB as the dog days of summer approach. This past week the two big winners were LAD and Indy who each went 6-1. The Dinos are one game out of first in the Bock, while the Clowns have a one game lead in the Ale. Meanwhile the Pilots gained 13.1 points in the ELO rankings as they beat up on Carolina and Windy City with a 5-1 week. Throw in Pawtucket who went 5-2 (the champions awake?) and Phoenix who went 5-2 (are they rising from the ashes?) and it was a great week for many a fan base.
ELO Rankings
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| 1 | Washington | IL | 37-21 | 0.5 | 1570.4 | |||||
| 2 | Seattle | IL | 37-20 | 6.4 | 1567.7 | |||||
| 3 | Dallas | DL | 35-24 | -13.4 | 1557.4 | |||||
| 4 | Los Angeles | IL | 37-22 | 13.1 | 1552.6 | |||||
| 5 | Syracuse | DL | 36-23 | -0.1 | 1545.0 | |||||
| 6 | California | IL | 35-25 | -8.6 | 1534.5 | |||||
| 7 | Windy City | IL | 35-24 | 8.0 | 1534.0 | |||||
| 8 | Indianapolis | DL | 37-22 | 8.9 | 1518.6 | |||||
| 9 | Pawtucket | DL | 29-29 | 2.8 | 1511.5 | |||||
| 10 | Pittsburgh | DL | 28-31 | -4.1 | 1510.0 | |||||
| 11 | Baltimore | IL | 32-27 | 4.2 | 1509.1 | |||||
| 12 | Maine | DL | 32-26 | -1.4 | 1504.3 | |||||
| 13 | Santo Domingo | DL | 29-28 | 8.8 | 1503.7 | |||||
| 14 | Hartford | DL | 28-32 | 3.1 | 1501.7 | |||||
| 15 | Wilmington | DL | 26-34 | 6.6 | 1492.1 | |||||
| 16 | Carolina | IL | 24-35 | 3.0 | 1491.4 | |||||
| 17 | New Orleans | DL | 28-31 | -2.8 | 1489.8 | |||||
| 18 | Denver | IL | 26-33 | -12.6 | 1487.3 | |||||
| 19 | New York | IL | 29-30 | -7.4 | 1485.8 | |||||
| 20 | Phoenix | IL | 29-30 | 7.9 | 1469.6 | |||||
| 21 | Montreal | DL | 22-37 | -12.8 | 1443.0 | |||||
| 22 | Philadelphia | IL | 19-39 | -2.6 | 1416.5 | |||||
| 23 | Batavia | IL | 17-43 | -11.9 | 1407.8 | |||||
| 24 | Toronto | DL | 19-40 | 4.3 | 1396.0 |
P Charlie Spence - On June 2nd Spence had just another day, at least for him. Over 7.1 innings he allowed no runs, four hits, no walks...and struck out 17 batters. When you strikeout 63% of the batters you face that is a pretty good day. In the end Carolina easily won 11-0 and Spence moved to 6-3 on the season. The Tobs are hurting after last years Brew appearance, but with Spence and Evan Taylor they'll be fine.
Prospect of the Week
RF Sean Gallina - The 20 year old has gone shooting up Maine's minor league system this season. After starting in the RL where he hit .375 in 11 games, he went to A ball where he hit .338 in 18 games. Then just a few weeks ago he moved on to AA where he's now hitting .455 in 14 games. Drafted in the 5th round (#115 overall) last year out of Stanford, he was a 2x NCAA All-Star and scouts believe he will be a starting right fielder for the Guides in just a few short years.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Nothing is more Bats than Zach Dunnum winning the Import Player of the Week this past week...in his first ever full week in the BLB. The 24 year old got the call-up in late May and played his first game against New York on May 26th. In four at bats he struck out three times, but was battling a hand injury. After healing up he got to play five games this past week where he promptly hit .571 with 4 HRs and 6 RBIs. Drafted in 2048 by the Bulls, he was traded to Washington last season for Scottie Viele, who signed a big contract with Pawtucket this past off-season. A defensive wiz, Dunnum is not known for his bat, but what an opening week for the kid it was.
2. With May here and gone lets look back at some of the winners, and not winners, of the month. The big winner was Syracuse who went 19-10. The Snappers increased their playoff odds from 74% to 97% as they continue to pummel teams at home. Their 20-6 record at Snapper Park is the best in the BLB as their 'Turtle' chant often echos throughout the park. The other top months were Denver and Dallas who each went 18-11. Dallas has been nothing less than an offensive force since construction on their park a few seasons ago. Their 155 runs scored last month led the league once again. Denver meanwhile has come to life as they try and compete in the 'Brutal Bock'. Finally we have Phoenix and Maine who each went 17-11. As talked about before the Roadrunners are on the rise, while Maine is looking to go from first to worst to first again.
3. Second year man Stan Sikes recently had his 32 game hitting streak come to an end on June 2 against the Dinos. The 21 year old is in his first full season and already looks like a star. His streak is tied for 15th all-time, and it's the longest the BLB has seen since Cory 'Boy Scout' Petit hit in 33 straight games in 2052. Sikes was the 18th overall pick of the 2051 draft out of Deer Park HS and he's on pace to hit .291 with 27 HRs and 30 SBs. He doesn't have blazing speed, but he is very good at reading pitchers and has been successful in 11 out of 12 attempts to swipe a bag so far this year. With room to grow it sounds like Cali might have found a 30/30 (or better) club member down the road.
4. We haven't seen this much buzz at the high school level for two player in a long time, but center fielder Brian Wheat and catcher Andy Christman are generating it. The 16 year old Wheat just finished up his junior year where he hit .429/.474/.829 with 15 HRs and 60 RBIs in 40 games. The 15 year old Christman just finished up his sophomore year where he hit .378/.455/.671 with 12 HRs and 32 RBI's. Christman is ranked by scouts as the top HS player in league, while Wheat is second. Christman was named the top hitting catcher for the year, Wheat was named the top hitting center fielder as well as the overall top hitter in the league. Potential back to back first picks? Time will tell.
5. What's on tap? This week we are back to interleague. Can the Domestic recover from the butt kicking the Import gave them last time the leagues squared off? The series we are most looking forward to is Indy at California. In a rematch of the 2043 Brewmasters, where the Clowns were in Wilmington and the Kodiaks won 4-2, we get to watch two of the best in the league. The Clowns come in to this week sporting a 37-22 record and first place in the Ale, yet they aren't that great at anything. If there was ever bulletin board material that might be it, but in the Domestic they are 7th in average, 5th in runs scored, 5th in home runs, and 7th in walks. On the pitching side they are 7th in hits allowed and 5th in runs allowed. Yet they are 15 games over .500 and sport a run differential of +31. Winners find a way to win. The Kodiaks meanwhile are 35-25, which gets them fourth place in the Bock. Offensively they are middle of the pack as well, but they are 1st in home runs allowed and 3rd in runs allowed. They are also fifth in the league in total ZR (+11.10).
Stat of the Week
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| Most Consecutive Seasons Without A Losing Season (Top 25 Teams) |
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