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09/06/2055
After winning 19 straight games the Bats finally stumbled as they lost two of three to Syracuse to close out the week. They are now 2-2 in September, or only five losses away from what they totaled last month. With doom in the air it seems they had a good run. There is no doom in the air though for the Dinos. They went 6-0 with sweeps of New Orleans and Wilmington. They've built a 6.5 game lead in the Bock and are looking to clinch their first division title since 2049. The other top week was Pittsburgh who went 6-0 with sweeps of Philly and New York. The Millers had their first winning month in August since they went 15-10 in April. Better late than never. Meanwhile Seattle, Pawtucket, and Hartford all went 5-1, while Maine and Baltimore went 0-6. Baltimore still has a 100% chance of making the playoffs, while Maine comes in at 64.8% as they fight with Indy and New Orleans for a spot in the postseason.
ELO Rankings
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| 1 | Washington | IL | 94-44 | -2.0 | 1613.3 | |||||
| 2 | Los Angeles | IL | 90-49 | 14.5 | 1587.1 | |||||
| 3 | Seattle | IL | 83-55 | 9.2 | 1571.1 | |||||
| 4 | Dallas | DL | 82-57 | -4.4 | 1567.9 | |||||
| 5 | Syracuse | DL | 84-56 | 6.2 | 1557.1 | |||||
| 6 | Pawtucket | DL | 77-62 | 8.0 | 1551.3 | |||||
| 7 | California | IL | 79-61 | 0.1 | 1538.6 | |||||
| 8 | Santo Domingo | DL | 77-61 | 3.7 | 1535.5 | |||||
| 9 | Windy City | IL | 78-61 | 8.8 | 1532.3 | |||||
| 10 | Baltimore | IL | 78-62 | -17.2 | 1521.2 | |||||
| 11 | New Orleans | DL | 72-67 | -14.4 | 1510.7 | |||||
| 12 | Pittsburgh | DL | 66-72 | 14.0 | 1508.2 | |||||
| 13 | Carolina | IL | 65-73 | -2.9 | 1501.0 | |||||
| 14 | Hartford | DL | 66-74 | 7.6 | 1498.3 | |||||
| 15 | Maine | DL | 71-67 | -14.3 | 1494.9 | |||||
| 16 | Indianapolis | DL | 72-67 | -0.3 | 1494.7 | |||||
| 17 | Wilmington | DL | 65-75 | -9.9 | 1479.1 | |||||
| 18 | Denver | IL | 60-79 | -6.0 | 1464.7 | |||||
| 19 | New York | IL | 57-82 | -6.4 | 1436.5 | |||||
| 20 | Philadelphia | IL | 55-84 | -6.6 | 1435.2 | |||||
| 21 | Phoenix | IL | 58-81 | 5.6 | 1430.8 | |||||
| 22 | Montreal | DL | 53-86 | 4.5 | 1424.0 | |||||
| 23 | Batavia | IL | 44-96 | 0.6 | 1389.1 | |||||
| 24 | Toronto | DL | 42-97 | 1.6 | 1356.9 |
Performance of the Week
LF Josiah White - Only White was able to crack the top performances last week with the 25th best hitting performance of the season on August 30th against Phoenix. In four at bats he had three hits, two home runs, four RBIs and scored three times as Dallas pounded the Roadrunners 14-2. After the game Phoenix manager Pat Adams was quoted saying, "we didn't put up much resistance." That might actually be an overstatement. On the season the 28 year old White is hitting .256 with 15 HRs, 61 RBIs and 37 SBs.
Prospect of the Week
Damon Squyres - The Clowns used their second round pick in 2052 to take Squyres out of Suphur High at 17 years old. Since then he's steadily moved up from an unranked prospect, to his current position of number 56. Scouts think he will have above power, can play either corner outfield position, and has the speed to swipe 20+ bases a season. This season in AAA he's hitting .314 with 11 HRs, 63 RBIs, and 15 SBs.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Surprise, surprise...the Bats won the month of August. With a 23-7 record they not only secured another division title, but they put away any doubts of who was the best team in the game. Right behind them though were the LA Dinos who went 20-8. LAD went back to back as champs in 2048-2049, and Washington went back to back in 2052-2053. These two met in the playoffs in 2049, 2051, and 2053...looks like were right on track for a 2055 postseason match-up. Other top months were Pittsburgh at18-10, and Philly and Syracuse who each went 18-11. On the other side of life Toronto went 5-24, while NYC went 6-23. Toronto is still in a dogfight with Batavia for the first pick in next years draft, but they are the odds on favorite now. Some team leaders: Washington scored 145 runs (NYC 78), Phoenix smashed 40 HRs (Den 8), Phoenix swiped 50 bases (Tor 5), LAD allowed only 76 runs (Pho 180), and opponents hit .225 against Seattle (Pho .314).
2. Micheal 'Balls' Montoya of Maine now has a 31 game hitting streak, one short of California's Stan Sikes season best 32 earlier in the year. The streak started on July 4th against Pittsburgh when he came into the game hitting .311. That was when he played for New Orleans. After being traded to Maine he's now hitting .370 for the season, and .433 for the Guides in 30 games. A hitting streak of 31 or more games has only happened 20 times in the history of the BLB, so 'Balls' is lucky 21. Due to injuries the most games he's ever played in a single season was 79 last year when he hit .354. At only 27 years old he isn't close to retirement yet, but like so many before him the "what if he could have stayed healthy" question will be asked by more than a few.
3. Rodrick Madhubuti is on pace for 54 home runs, which would be the first 50+ home run hitter since J.D. Rice did it a decade ago in 2045. With only 105 total hits, and 46 of them being home runs, Madhubuti has become the 'swing for the fences' icon in the BLB. Already 28 years old, this is the first season he actually got to stay and play in the majors the entire year, and he's proved his worth. Coming into this season he had 66 total major league games under his belt, with a whopping overall -0.2 WAR. This season alone he's put up a 4.4 WAR, and he could easily have this type of production for the next five plus seasons. After signing a minor league contract out of the Ivory Coast with Syracuse at the age of 17, we for one are thrilled to see that he stuck with it and is getting his time to shine.
4. In the record watch, Carolina's Charlie Spence is now on pace for 370 K's for the season, a just ridiculous amount. He's currently at 315, which is 5th best for a single-season, and he's projected to have five more starts. One more start and he should move into 4th best for a single year, which would mean the leader board would read Christian Vines, Christian Vines, Charlie Spence, Charlie Spence. The two most prolific strikeout artists in the history of the game. Spence though has a long way to go to catch Vines. From 2043 to 2046, Vines won the Pale Ale every season. During that stretch he was 66-21 with a 1.90 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and amazing 39.4 WAR. There has been no better stretch by a pitcher...ever. He was also 25 years old when he started that streak. Spence turned 25 this season.
5. What's on tap? How about some monster four-game series to end the week. Starting on September 9th we get to see Indy at New Orleans, while Los Angeles flies across the country to take on Washington. The first match-up features two teams with identical records fighting for a wildcard spot. Indy has won four of the seven games so far this season, and needs to rebound after a dreadful August where they went 10-19. New Orleans meanwhile went 17-11 in August, but has lost five straight and is 0-4 in September. They lost infielder Lucas Anderson two weeks ago for the remainder of the season, and they haven't looked the same since. As we mentioned above, 2055 is the year LAD and Washington should meet again in the playoffs. This year the Bats hold a 4-3 advantage over the Dinos, but over the seven games Washington only holds only a +5 run advantage. What an ILCS preview this could turn out to be.
Stat of the Week
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| Most .600+ Seasons |
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