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05/15/2056
We missed a week thanks to two-a-days, and we heard that Washington was on the decline. Then we come back and they go 7-0, outscore their opponents 37-12, are atop the Power Rankings, and had the biggest weekly gain in the ELO Rankings. Some things never change. Hartford and Indy also had good weeks as they go 5-2 to move solidly above .500 in the competitive Ale. On the other side of life California went 1-6 as they fall to 13-20 on the year. The last time the Kodiaks missed the playoffs was 2034. Good thing for them they have a patient and understanding GM, as we think they can eventually turn it around. If the season is considered lost though, and pieces start to move out of town, it was a heck of a run.
ELO Rankings
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| 1 | Washington | IL | 24-10 | 15.9 | 1588.1 | |||||
| 2 | Dallas | DL | 22-11 | -2.0 | 1548.6 | |||||
| 3 | Santo Domingo | DL | 21-12 | -2.4 | 1543.4 | |||||
| 4 | Baltimore | IL | 19-13 | -1.8 | 1530.2 | |||||
| 5 | Los Angeles | IL | 17-16 | -0.7 | 1530.1 | |||||
| 6 | Seattle | IL | 17-17 | -2.7 | 1527.8 | |||||
| 7 | Hartford | DL | 19-15 | 4.8 | 1525.0 | |||||
| 8 | Carolina | IL | 21-13 | 5.2 | 1523.0 | |||||
| 9 | Maine | DL | 19-13 | 4.2 | 1516.7 | |||||
| 10 | Pittsburgh | DL | 19-14 | 1.6 | 1509.7 | |||||
| 11 | New Orleans | DL | 14-19 | 2.1 | 1505.2 | |||||
| 12 | Indianapolis | DL | 18-14 | 2.3 | 1502.9 | |||||
| 13 | Pawtucket | DL | 17-17 | -0.0 | 1501.6 | |||||
| 14 | California | IL | 13-20 | -9.5 | 1496.5 | |||||
| 15 | Syracuse | DL | 13-19 | -4.9 | 1493.9 | |||||
| 16 | Denver | IL | 15-18 | 3.9 | 1483.2 | |||||
| 17 | Phoenix | IL | 16-16 | -5.2 | 1481.7 | |||||
| 18 | Wilmington | DL | 13-19 | -0.9 | 1478.2 | |||||
| 19 | Windy City | IL | 11-21 | -9.4 | 1477.8 | |||||
| 20 | New York | IL | 12-20 | 1.8 | 1464.9 | |||||
| 21 | Philadelphia | IL | 15-18 | 3.0 | 1462.8 | |||||
| 22 | Batavia | IL | 17-15 | -0.7 | 1457.0 | |||||
| 23 | Montreal | DL | 10-24 | -1.0 | 1427.0 | |||||
| 24 | Toronto | DL | 12-20 | -3.8 | 1424.5 |
Performance of the Week
CF Tom Holderness - The 24 year old won the Player of the Week award thanks in part to his May 8th performance against Syracuse. In a 13-1 win he turned in the best hitting performance of the season when he racked up five hits, drove in five, and scored four times...all without a home run. Did we mention that all of his hits were doubles! He hit an RBI double in the 1st, doubled in the 3rd, hit an RBI double in the 4th, hit an RBI double in the 6th, hit a two-run double in the 7th and flied out in the 9th. On the season he's now hitting .299 with 4 HRs, 13 doubles, and 22 RBIs. Did we also mention that his five doubles are the most any player has ever hit in a single game...in the history of the league! Congrats Tom.
Prospect of the Week
CF Brian Wheat - The rumored #1 overall pick by Toronto this season is only 17, but he looks to be an absolute superstar down the road. Can he hit for average, check...can he hit for power, check...can he run, check...does he have a great arm, check...can he field, check. Well that about sums up all we need to know. During his high school career he was a 3x All-Star while hitting .336/.405/.637 with 45 HRs and 144 RBIs in 160 career games, while also posting a +6.4 ZR in center field.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. After finishing in last place in the Ale in 2055, people wondered if the Millers would rebound. So far this year they are 19-15 but they are doing it with offense and offense alone. They are first in the entire league in average at .301, and the only team hitting over .290. They are also first in SLG at .506, and the only team above .485 in the league. They are second in runs scored, and third overall in home runs. Meanwhile on the pitching side of things they are 10th in the Domestic in starters ERA and 8th in runs allowed. Twenty-five year old outfielder Devin Welninski is hitting .431 (the only player over .400), and is on pace to hit 54 HRs while posting a ridiculous 13.5 WAR. More than likely their offensive output won't last, so we'll just call this the 'dead cat bounce'. Enjoy it while you can Millers fans.
2. The top three home run hitters in the Import are Neall Rabah, Andy Dillon, and Parker Lee...all Bats. Why oh why did the Dinos trade Rabah to the Bats the other GMs in the Import must be asking. He's a top five player in the league, rarely gets hurt, and about to turn just 31. With Dillon being 26, and Lee being 25, well it doesn't look like the Bats are going anywhere for a few more seasons. What's even crazier is that they have Julian 'Skeeter' Ludin (30), Owen Dooley (27) and Shan Waseem (28) also ranked in the top 20 of the league.
3. Carolina looks like they have righted the ship after last years 76-86 debacle. When you have the best pitcher and best hitter in the league, anything under .500 is hard to fathom. This season though they are 21-13 with Charlie Spence being 5-0 with a 1.83 ERA, and Evan Turner hitting .314 with 5 HRs and 16 RBIs. They are also enjoying playing at home, as their 14-4 record is second best to only Washington (who else) who is 14-3 so far at The Capitol this season. With 23 year old outfielder Val Schmit hitting home runs, and 22 year old 1B Clay Newhouse and 21 year old CF Spencer DeSimone now getting playing time, the Tobs could be the team of the 2060's.
4. The Patriots and Whalers decided to give the 35k+ in attendance on May 10th a special treat...as it was two for one night. After Pawtucket tied up the game 5-5 in the top of the 9th thanks to a two-run single by Scottie Viele, no one decided to score again until the bottom of the 20th. That run was thanks to a two-out error by Patriots second basemen Michael Aiken, who bobbled an easy grounder which allowed Kingsley Kiah to score. The total game time was seven hours and twenty two minutes as the teams used a combined 16 pitchers, gave up 30 hits, and left 32 runs on base. The rumor floating around the Pawtucket locker room was that Aiken was late for a date and just wanted the game to end.
5. What's on tap? It's an interleague bonanza this upcoming week as the leagues do battle. Some highlighted series: Indy at Washington (can the Clowns slow down Washington), Phoenix at Maine (the Roadruners are .500 in May), Batavia at Dallas (the Muckdogs are above .500 in May), and Carolina at Hartford (the Whalers are 19-15, and in fourth place in the Ale). Streak-wise the Bats have won seven straight, Carolina has won four straight, and Windy City and Cali have lost four straight. Devin Welninski (PIT) has a 20 game hitting streak, Gavin Tucker (PIT) has scored in eight straight games, and Tom Lemmings (SDR), Charlie Spence (CAR), and Damon Neckles (SDR) have won eight consecutive games.
Stat of the Week
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| Longest Postseason Drought | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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