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07/10/2062
In the short week formally known as the All-Star break, there was some cleaning that got done. California, Windy City, Baltimore, Montreal, and Phoenix all did a little sweeping as they went 3-0. Four of these teams should be postseason bound in a few months, with Baltimore the odd team out as of now. Maybe this is what the Bulldogs needed to light the fire.
Power Rankings
1) Montreal Exports (121.9, +)
2) New Orleans Voodoo (109.2, +)
3) Phoenix Roadrunners (106.7, ++)
4) Denver Bulls (106.3, --)
5) Windy City Blues (104.8, ++)
6) New York Cyclones (102.7, +)
7) California Kodiaks (100.7, ++)
8) Pawtucket Patriots (98.7, --)
9) Carolina Tobs (98.2, --)
10) Wilmington Wildcats (94.8, +)
11) Toronto Canadians (92.9, -)
12) Baltimore Bulldogs (91.3, ++)
13) Washington Bats (88.7, --)
14) Philadelphia Freedom (85.4, +)
15) Indianapolis Clowns (84.2, ++)
16) Dallas Drillers (82.3, --)
17) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (82.2, -)
18) Los Angeles Dinos (81.1, --)
19) Syracuse Snappers (79.9, +)
20) Hartford Whalers (79.6, --)
21) Pittsburgh Millers (79.3, o)
22) Maine Guides (77.4, o)
23) Batavia Muckdogs (68.6, o)
24) Seattle Pilots (48.1, o)
Performance of the Week
P Jake Stewart - We missed it two weeks ago but Stewart put on a clinic against Carolina on July 14th. In a five-hit shutout he walked just one while striking out 14 opposing Tobs. The former fourth round pick from 2052 is 9-6 with a 3.21 ERA over 18 starts this season and has become the ace of the Exports. He finished second in the Pale Ale race both in 2060 and 2061, and was just selected to his third straight All-Star game.
Prospect of the Week
LF Devyn Glover - In the all Exports edition of the DK, Glover is now the 16th overall prospect in the league as he's been tearing up A ball for the Knights. In 77 games he's hitting .312 with 13 HR and 41 RBI. His coaches love him and scouts refer to him becoming "a franchise cornerstone as a left fielder." Not bad for being the 17th overall player selected in the 2060 draft. The rich get richer.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. As the second half of the season starts up only Batavia and Seattle come in with a 0.00% chance of making the postseason according to our friends at Stats+. The Pilots are one of the premier franchises of the league, so they'll be back. Their fans might be a little confused though come October, as Seattle has only missed the postseason three times since 2022. Sadly for Muckdog fans they are used to that by now. They last made the playoffs in 2052, and since then haven't won more than 76 games in a season, while winning 68 or less games six times. This season they are on pace to win 67 games once again. With the seventh best minor league system things aren't looking great for the future either. At some point things have to turn around...we hope.
2. On the flip side New Orleans now boasts an 86 point first place lead in the system rankings thanks to two top five pitchers and a ridiculous eleven players ranked in the top 100. Did we mention they also have the second best record in the league at 56-38 and have a 99.9% chance of making the postseason? Well they do. The Voodoo last brought a trophy home in 2045, and since then have returned to the playoffs eleven times. That includes winning 94 games in 2058, and finishing third in their division! The Exports are the juggernaut of the league, but New Orleans is arguably the second best team in all the BLB.
3. We missed our shout-out to the Bulls last week, who before their three game slide had won nine straight and were tops in the BLB Power Rankings. When you go 23-6 in June, and are 12-2 in July, well eventually things just won't go your way. Especially when you are missing four really good players. Johnathan 'Stony' Wang is out another two weeks, while Vince 'Weasel' Ridgway and Oscar McKinney will be back after next week. Sadly stud reliever Chandler Magnuson went down this past week, and thanks to an injured elbow will be out the rest of the season. Magnuson was 6-1 with a 2.84 ERA in 82.1 innings pitched this season, and was a shutdown stopper for the Bulls. Can they persevere? So far to date their pitching has been great (1st in the IL in hits allowed, second in RA), but their offense is lacking. All though they are third in hits, they are seventh in runs scored, thanks in part to being 10th in home runs hit. McKinney, Ridgeway, and Wang have combined to hit 18 out of the park this season, so that will help getting them back. Might they go shopping for a big bat?
4. The 'Awful Ale' is back and worse than ever. Pawtucket now has a 9.5 game lead, in late July, and the Patriots are the only winning team in the division. Their R/D of 101 is second best in the league, while the rest of the Ale is underwater in that department and a combined -189. No one is pushing them either as Indy is in second place at seven games under .500, while Pittsburgh is in third at eight games under .500. Poor New Orleans would have a four game division lead if they were in the Ale. It goes without saying though that the Domestic is the weaker league right now. In our pretend All-Star game the Import won 17-0 thanks in part to having seven teams with 50 or more wins to the Domestic's four. Realignment?
5. What's on tap? Carolina gets the gauntlet this week as they host New York then travel to Windy City. The upstart Tobs are 54-42 and only a game back from the Cyclones in the Stout. Meanwhile Windy City is 51-41 and only three back from Denver in the Bock. We also get to see a division 1v2 which is really a league 1v2 as Montreal hits the road to New Orleans. The Exports have a 5-4 series lead this year as this is the last time they'll meet in the regular season. Come on schedule makers, it's only July. Save that series for September! Streak wise Cody Henning (MON) has a 16 game hitting streak while Spencer Stephens for California has blasted a home run in three straight games.
Weekly Milestones
3B Ja'Quan McLaren (DAL), 31 yo, reached 500 RBIs
RF Tony May (DAL), 26 yo, reached 100 extra base hits
C Joel Bell (WAS), 24 yo, reached 100 extra base hits
C Sean Catron (SYR), 29 yo, reached 100 extra base hits
P Keaton Bice (BAT), 29 yo, reached 750 strikeouts
P Dylan Montgomery (MON), 28 yo, reached 750 strikeouts
P J.R. Arnold (NYC), 32 yo, reached 750 strikeouts
P Addison Diehl (DAL), 27 yo, reached 250 strikeouts
Stat of the Week
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