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09/03/2063
Remember two weeks ago when Montreal went 0-6. Well they decided to go 6-0 last week to move back within 11 games of the Lager title. Will they win it? Probably not. But they are looking at being the top dog in the Domestic League Wild Card race. The other hot team is Hartford who went 6-1 after sweeping Indy and taking three of four from Toronto. The Whalers now have shot past the Clowns for first in the Ale with a dominating 68-65 record. Other nice weeks were had by California, Carolina, and Windy City who all went 5-2. The Tobs just continue to hang around the IL Wild Card while Cali and Windy City do battle for the Bock. On the other side of life Maine and Philly went 0-6.
Power Rankings
1) Washington Bats (128.8, o)
2) California Kodiaks (123.7, o)
3) Denver Bulls (115.3, +)
4) Windy City Blues (114.7, +)
5) Wilmington Wildcats (113.3, -)
6) Montreal Exports (105.4, ++)
7) Hartford Whalers (101.0, o)
8) New Orleans Voodoo (96.0, ++)
9) Carolina Tobs (96.0, ++)
10) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (96.0, -)
11) New York Cyclones (94.0, --)
12) Los Angeles Dinos (92.5, --)
13) Pawtucket Patriots (90.3, -)
14) Toronto Canadians (89.6, --)
15) Pittsburgh Millers (88.3, -)
16) Baltimore Bulldogs (82.8, +)
17) Indianapolis Clowns (82.0, -)
18) Seattle Pilots (78.9, +)
19) Batavia Muckdogs (74.2, ++)
20) Maine Guides (71.2, --)
21) Syracuse Snappers (67.1, o)
22) Dallas Drillers (60.7, +)
23) Philadelphia Freedom (56.5, --)
24) Phoenix Roadrunners (37.4, o)
Performance of the Week
CF Brian Wheat - Hard to believe he's only 24 but Wheat continues to be a top player in the league. Just wait until he enters his prime! This past week in a 9-5 victory over SDR he belted three home runs, drove in five, and scored three times. The 2x Stout Slugger and 5x All-Star is now hitting .299/.363/.587 with 32 HR, 94 RBI, and 17 SB on the season.
Prospect of the Week
RF Deontae Dennis - The 21 year old was the 3rd overall pick of this years draft by Hartford and is now playing for the AA San Francisco Seals. After crushing A ball for 17 games, Dennis went down the road from Fresno to San Fran where in 45 games he's hitting .306/.378/.503 with 7 HR and 30 RBI while also stealing seven bases. He can play any position in the outfield at a high level, can steal bases, and oh ya...can hit for average and power.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Here come the Whalers! With a 21-8 August record they went shooting up the standings and equaled Washington for the best month in the BLB. August 1st the Whalers were in fifth place in the Ale, on September 1st they were in first. They also had players win the Batter of the Month (Bateman), Pitcher of the Month (Brown), and Rookie of the Month (Lane). As we mentioned the Bats were just as good thanks in part to a pitching staff that allowed a league low 85 total runs, 81 of them earned. Other top months were Windy City who went 19-9, Denver who went 19-10, and California who went 18-11. Other not so top months were Phoenix who went 8-20 and Baltimore who went 9-20.
2. Looking at Phoenix (35-98) and Baltimore (59-74) it wasn't long ago they were dominating the BLB. The 2057 Import League champ was Phoenix, 2058 was Baltimore, 2059 was Baltimore, 2060 was Phoenix, and 2061 was Baltimore. The Roadrunners were shut out from winning the Brew, but Baltimore captured the 2058 title and barely lost the 2059 title to Toronto after they were decimated by late season injures. With free agency and the draft though teams rise and fall, unless you are Washington. Since 1983 they have missed the playoffs a combined 10 times. That's hard to comprehend. When you've made the playoffs 71 times, and won 12 titles, well that's pretty good. That is 'only' a 16.9% success rate though. Coming in higher are Pawtucket at 20.6% (7-34), and Maine at 22.2% (10-45).
3. Congrats to Jerry 'Snake Hips' Coleman who hit career home run number 300 this past week. The 36 year old was the first overall pick of the 2036 draft by Batavia, where he played from 2050 to 2054 before being traded to Indy. He played for the Clowns until 2058, then Seattle for two seasons, and is now in his third season with Maine. Ranked out by Power/Speed he's eighth overall all-time in that category, and he's one of six players in the history of the league with 300 or more home runs combined with 600 or more stolen bases. He's a 7x All-Star, won the 2055 Stout Slugger, and won the Brewmasters in 2050 with Batavia and 2056 with Indianapolis.
4. The Domestic League playoff race is still a jumbled mess as the Ale division is up for grabs, and there are six teams fighting for three Wild Card spots. New Orleans and Indy are two of those teams that are favored at 89% and 42% respectively, with Pittsburgh, Pawtucket, Toronto, and Santo Domingo holding on for dear life. Meanwhile the Import has become a little more interesting as Carolina won four in a row to end the week and has closed the gap with New York to three games. Both have a +2 PYT, the Cyclones have the tougher schedule, but New York is still heavily favored to take the final spot (85%).
5. What's on tap? Interleague is back as we get the following great series: California at Wilmington (Kodiaks 40-28 on the road, Wildcats 47-21 at home), Windy City at Montreal (both teams in second but the Blues are playing for the division), and New York at Hartford (can the Whalers stay hot and hold onto the Ale). Streak wise Montreal has won six straight, Santo Domingo and Carolina have won four straight, and Philly has lost seven straight.
Player Streaks
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| Brian Clark (DEN) has converted 26 straight save opportunities |
| Charlie Spence (CAL) has won 9 straight decisions |
| Mason Norton (PHO) has lost 12 straight decisions |
| Charlie Spence (CAL) hasn't lost in 14 straight starts |
Weekly Milestones
P Colin Holden (PIT), 31 yo, reached 100 wins
3B Ja'Quan McLaren (IND), 32 yo, reached 1000 hits
LF Zachariah White (WIL), 26 yo, reached 500 hits
CF Stefan Jamroz (NYC), 25 yo, reached 500 hits
SS Vern Morales (BAT), 23 yo, reached 100 hits
3B Jerry Coleman (MAI), 36 yo, reached 300 home runs
3B Seth McNeill (NYC), 23 yo, hit his first home run
C Jaydon Bradley (IND), 26 yo, hit his first home run
SS Zyaire Semijenov (HAR), 33 yo, reached 500 RBIs
CF Asher Kappler (SYR), 26 yo, reached 400 extra base hits
2B Justin Reaves (HAR), 23 yo, reached 100 extra base hits
3B J.C. Creamer (WAS), 24 yo, reached 100 extra base hits
2B Braxton Price (SDR), 23 yo, reached 100 extra base hits
P Douglas Okeyo (CHI), 33 yo, reached 2000 strikeouts
P Rice Cochell (SDR), 28 yo, reached 1500 strikeouts
P Isaac Bates (WAS), 35 yo, reached 1500 strikeouts
P Corbin Piracha (BAT), 37 yo, reached 250 strikeouts
P Cody Ayres (HAR), 31 yo, reached 250 strikeouts
Stat of the Week
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