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06/07/2060
We take a week off and come back to human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria...okay maybe not that bad. How about Toronto though suddenly being the leader of the Lager? With injuries still piling up they went 19-8 in May as they have shaken off the Brewmaster blues. More on that later. The top weeks though belonged to their Lager friends Santo Domingo and Wilmington, who each went 7-0. Thanks to the Lager playing the Ale, every Lager team is on a winning streak and every Ale team is on a losing streak. Looks like the 'Awful Ale' reared it's head again (at least for a week). Other top weeks were Carolina, Baltimore, and Washington who all went 5-2. Meanwhile on the other end Pawtucket went 1-6 and Batavia went 1-5.
Power Rankings
1) Seattle Pilots (133.5, o)
2) Baltimore Bulldogs (117.8, ++)
3) Toronto Canadians (112.2, o)
4) New York Cyclones (111.9, +)
5) Phoenix Roadrunners (109.9, --)
6) Syracuse Snappers (107.8, -)
7) New Orleans Voodoo (106.0, o)
8) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (101.5, ++)
9) Los Angeles Dinos (100.0, -)
10) Montreal Exports (99.5, o)
11) Wilmington Wildcats (99.5, ++)
12) Hartford Whalers (96.7, --)
13) Dallas Drillers (88.4, o)
14) Denver Bulls (85.4, +)
15) Carolina Tobs (84.8, +)
16) Washington Bats (83.0, o)
17) Pawtucket Patriots (72.8, --)
18) Pittsburgh Millers (72.4, --)
19) Indianapolis Clowns (68.5, ++)
20) California Kodiaks (68.1, +)
21) Maine Guides (68.0, --)
22) Philadelphia Freedom (67.2, -)
23) Batavia Muckdogs (62.2, --)
24) Windy City Blues (48.9, o)
Performance of the Week
1B Edward Schachter - The 24 year old helped the Muckdogs get their only win of the week as they blasted Seattle on June 3rd with a 17-5 victory. On the day Schachter had six hits in six at bats, hit two home runs, drove in four, and scored three times. The former first round pick is in his fourth full season with the Muckdogs and is hitting .308 with 17 HR and 45 RBI in just 56 games. He is the first player since 2055 to record six hits in six at bats, and only the fifth player to do so since 2049.
Prospect of the Week
CF Rutherford Mteule - At just 18 years old, Mteule is currently in the IC for Maine. He was discovered in the baseball hotbed Cape Verde Islands by Maine scouts in 2058 at just 16, and he's currently the 56th overall prospect in the league. Scouts think he can be an everyday center fielder who can make an impact on a top tier team. Obviously he has a long way to go, but coaches love his contact and power potential, and his work ethic is second to none.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. The month of May was here and gone once again, and no one was better than the Phoenix Roadrunners. With a 21-7 month they are now tied for the 3rd best record in the league and trail Seattle by just five games. They outscored their opponents by 34 runs with bother power and speed as they smashed 37 home runs and stole 60 bases. Another top month was Syracuse. The Snappers went 20-9 and now lead the Ale by two games. Finally we had Toronto who went 19-8 and won 11 straight games to close out the month. They just saw Olin 'Chief' Keele go down with a D2D injury to add to their woes, but they keep finding a way to win. On the other end of the rainbow Indy went 8-19, while Windy City went 8-20. Mama said there would be months like this.
2. We know it's early but there really isn't a single team out of the playoffs at this point. There are the 'haves' in Seattle, Baltimore, New York, Phoenix, Syracuse, but even the 'have nots' in Windy City, Cali, Batavia, Philly, and Indy have a shot. In the Domestic Wildcard the bottom two teams, Indy and Maine, are just 4.5 games back from the final spot. In the Import Wildcard it's a long road for Windy City (10.5 back), but California sits just 5.5 back. In fact in the playoff odds brought to us by our friends at Stats+, even the Blues have a 0.2% chance!
3. Welcome back to the BLB to Kenny West. The 3x All-Star, 2x BLB champ, and 1x Designated Driver (SS) and DWI winner (3B) recently signed a one-year deal with the Drillers. The 34 year old was playing at a high level last season in Santo Domingo (3.5 WAR) before breaking his kneecap in late September, just weeks after being named the DL Player of the Week. Originally the 8th overall pick of the 2046 draft by LAD, he was a rookie when the Dinos won it all in 2048, then their starting shortstop when they won it again the following season. Even if he can't play at the level he used to, he's a fan favorite who has a phenomenal work ethic that will add something to the struggling Drillers clubhouse.
4. Stephen Gibbs recently took home the Import Pitcher of the Month thanks to a 5-0, 1.32 ERA record in May. Considering he went 4-0 with a 2.94 ERA in April, and is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in June...well that means he's now 10-0 with a 1.83 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 209 ERA+. To say he's playing out of the norm would be an understatement, as the former fourth round pick in 2047 has a career stat line (previous to 2060) of 67-51 with a 3.39 ERA. Most team would love a top flight starter like that, but when he goes 'Super Stephen' it's only that much sweeter for the back-to-back Import League champions. Baltimore is first in hits allowed and second in runs allowed as they are trying to go back to the Brewmasters Cup for a third straight year. With Oliver Lanham being recently traded to the Clowns, they couldn't have asked for a better time for Gibbs to go ballistic.
5. What's on tap? We get some interleague fun as Toronto gets to match-up with the Bock's best. First they host Seattle, who's an impressive 22-9 on the road and show no signs of slowing down. Then they travel to Phoenix, who have started off the Month with just one win in six games. While that series is going on Seattle then gets to host Ale front runner Syracuse, who has also started out slow in June with a 1-4 record. Streak wise Wilmington and SDR have won seven straight, Maine and Pawtucket have lost five straight, Mitt 'Porker' Saginashvili (CAL) has a 16 game hitting streak, and Henry 'The Artist' Miller (MON) has scored in seven straight games.
Stat of the Week
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| Largest Improvement in Team Wins (Top 25 Teams) |
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