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08/01/2061
When the Maine GM 'Z' took a hiatus to hike the mountains of the Himalayas, he left his new assistant in charge...HAL. Led by some of the most advanced AI in the history of the world, HAL has now taken the Guides to the top of the Power Rankings and a four game lead in the Ale after going 5-1 last week. They finished the month of July with a stellar 18-6 record, their third straight winning month, after that disastrous 3-14 start. Never give up! The top week though belonged to Wilmington who went 6- 1. The Wildcats are now tied for second in the Lager as their up and down season rolls on. Other nice weeks were had by Indy, Montreal, LAD, California, Windy City, and Washington who all went 5-2. The not so nice week was had by Toronto, who was featured in the DK last week (sorry about that). They had the ugly unicorn by going 0-7.
Power Rankings
1) Maine Guides (115.3, ++)
2) Baltimore Bulldogs (113.0, ++)
3) Montreal Exports (109.0, ++)
4) Washington Bats (108.0, +)
5) New York Cyclones (107.7, --)
6) California Kodiaks (103.6, ++)
7) Phoenix Roadrunners (103.0, --)
8) Pawtucket Patriots (102.3, --)
9) Seattle Pilots (100.0, o)
10) Windy City Blues (98.0, +)
11) Wilmington Wildcats (97.3, ++)
12) New Orleans Voodoo (96.3, --)
13) Dallas Drillers (90.9, o)
14) Syracuse Snappers (88.6, o)
15) Denver Bulls (85.8, o)
16) Indianapolis Clowns (85.3, ++)
17) Los Angeles Dinos (83.0, ++)
18) Toronto Canadians (81.5, --)
19) Pittsburgh Millers (81.1, -)
20) Carolina Tobs (66.0, +)
21) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (65.7, -)
22) Batavia Muckdogs (65.4, --)
23) Philadelphia Freedom (62.3, o)
24) Hartford Whalers (49.9, o)
Performance of the Week
Charlie Spence - On July 29th Spence got to face his old team, the Tobs, for the first time. He didn't let his new team down as he pitched a complete game one-hitter while also striking out 11 batters. The only hit was had by Dominick 'Shock' Booth, who singled in the bottom of the third. Spence's outing was tied for the second best pitching performance of the season as he's now 6-1 with a 1.33 ERA for the Kodiaks. He also won the Import League Pitcher of the Month after going 4-1 with a 1.54 ERA in July.
Prospect of the Week
CF Cordell Fortunato - The junior had quite the 2061 season as he was named to the All-Star team, won Batter of the Month, was the Regionals MVP, won best hitter at center field, and then won the NCAA Outstanding Hitter award. He did all this by hitting .372/.456/.745 with 16 HR, 45 RBI, and 14 SB, while starting all 48 games for the Longhorns in center field. He will be eligible for the 2062 BLB draft.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. We're onto August. As talked about above the Guides were the winners of July with that impressive 18-6 record. On July 1st they were in third place, with a ridiculous -30 run differential, the only winning team in the league with a negative. Now at least they on the positive side, albeit it's only +1, but it's a start. The other top months were Seattle (17-8), New York (17-9), and California (16-9). The Cyclones are still holding off Baltimore and Washington by three and four and a half games respectively, while the Kodiaks and Pilots are now second and third in the Bock. Some team leaders: Windy City scored 133 runs (BAT/CAR 78), Phoenix hit 35 home runs (CAR 16), Phoenix swiped 44 bases (HAR 8) while Toronto hit .286 (BAT .221). On the pitching side Seattle allowed only 61 runs (HAR 135) and allowed opponents to hit just .208 (PHI .296).
2. With a +1 run differential and a PTY of +9 the Guides are doomed to fall eventually right? Well they also have a remaining opponents win percentage of .484, second lowest in the league. They sure aren't the flashiest team in the BLB as they rank around the middle in most statistical categories, but boy can they hit home runs. They have 130 on the year, which is first in the Domestic and second overall in the league, trailing only Phoenix. The Guides have been bolstered by a 2061 FA class that featured Frank 'Slugger' Memmi (30 HR), Grady Faulkner (17 HR), and Jerry 'Snake Hips' Coleman (11 HR). Not only have they hit the ball out of the park, but Faulkner and Coleman both played together for Indy when they won the title in 2056. In those playoffs Indy got by New Orleans in the DS, with Coleman being named the series MVP. They then swept the Rum Runners in the LCS, with Faulkner being named the series MVP. They ended up going on and taking down the Bats in five to win the Brew. Can they bring a little of that playoff magic to the Guides? Only time will tell.
3. The playoff race is getting a little less crowded, kind of, okay maybe not so much. In the Domestic there are still seven team in the Wild Card hunt, and from top (Pawtucket) to bottom (Pittsburgh) they are only 8.5 games apart. To be fair the Millers only have a 6.5%, so if we toss them out there are six teams separated by 4.5 games...for four spots. In the Import the Bulls are in the same boat as the Millers. They are currently six games out of the Wild Card, and hold a 4.5% chance of making the postseason. They do have a -4 PYT, which bodes well. Sadly they also have a remaining opponents SOS of .526, hardest in the entire BLB. The race as of now is for two spots, between three teams. California, Seattle, and Windy City are apart by only a game and a half. The Pilots have the easier schedule, and a -3 PYT, while Windy City has the hardest schedule (.510) and a +4 PYT. Looks like an uphill climb for the Blues, and a longer one for the Bulls.
4. Looking at some of our favorite numbers: Wilmington leads all with a +28.55 ZR (HAR -33.05), Wilmington has gunned down 44.4% of opposing runners (CAL 19.5%), Baltimore has a 14.95 wSB (PAW -12.89), LAD has successfully stolen 89.8% bases (PAW 56.3), Montreal has a total WAR of 38.3 (BAT 6.40), and New York has a FIP of 3.58 (PHI 4.37).
5. What's on tap? We're back to interleague as the Domestic and the Import square off. Last time things didn't go to well for the DL, but hey at least they've won four of the last five Brewmasters. Wer'e looking forward to seeing Baltimore head to Montreal, Phoenix fly to Pawtucket, and Seattle cross the country to Maine. Streak wise Maine, Indy, California, Baltimore, and LAD all have four-game winning streaks, while Toronto has lost seven in a row (again...sorry).
Stat of the Week
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