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07/06/2065
Hartford is back after a whale of a week where they swept Montreal and Pittsburgh. The Whalers now have a 16 game lead in the Ale and will be letting their AAA team beat up on their division mates the rest of the season while they rest their starters. The other top week was Wilmington who went 6-1, while Batavia went 5-1, and Philly, LAD, Washington, and Cali all went 5-2. The Wildcats have had a hard time generating runs (8th in the DL), but their pitching is unhittable. In the DL they are first in hits and runs allowed. On the other side of the rainbow New York went 0-7. They are now 1-28 since June 4th and have lost 20 games in a row. It's almost inconceivable.
Power Rankings
1) Hartford Whalers (135.3, +)
2) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (114.2, -)
3) Los Angeles Dinos (111.6, +)
4) Wilmington Wildcats (110.9, ++)
5) Dallas Drillers (109.2, -)
6) Batavia Muckdogs (105.4, +)
7) Seattle Pilots (105.0, o)
8) Windy City Blues (101.0, --)
9) New Orleans Voodoo (97.2, o)
10) California Kodiaks (96.2, ++)
11) Philadelphia Freedom (96.2, +)
12) Washington Bats (92.8, ++)
13) Carolina Tobs (91.3, --)
14) Denver Bulls (87.9, o)
15) Montreal Exports (86.1, --)
16) Toronto Canadians (84.8, +)
17) Pittsburgh Millers (83.8, --)
18) Indianapolis Clowns (83.5, -)
19) Baltimore Bulldogs (73.2, +)
20) Pawtucket Patriots (72.3, -)
21) Syracuse Snappers (62.7, +)
22) Maine Guides (61.7, +)
23) Phoenix Roadrunners (54.4, -)
24) New York Cyclones (35.7, o)
Performance of the Week
1B Rob Detling - When we think of Detling we think of New York, but he's now in his sixth season for LAD after playing seven for the Cyclones. Even at 32 years old he still has it, as he showed on July 2nd against his old team. In the best hitting performance of the season, Detling had four hits, three home runs, drove in six, and scored four times as the Dinos won 9-8.
Prospect of the Week
RF Chris Johnson - Drafted in the second round of the 2061 draft, Johnson was a very good HS player who started all 160 games over four seasons at Cullman High and hit .312/.382/.533 with 34 HR and 105 RBI's. Now 21 and in AA, he's lighting it up for Sacramento where in 63 games he's hitting .354/.453/.677 with 20 HR and 66 RBI. He isn't great in the field, but scouts think he'll have above average power and will find a place somewhere in the lineup as soon as next season.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. How 'bout them Muckdogs! Batavia took two of three from Washington and swept mighty Windy City to move to 44-39 in the season and first place in the Stout! Yes, the Muckdogs are first place in the Stout...in July...for the first time in since 2050. That was the last time they won the division as they won 107 games that year, one more than Washington. They then swept California in the Divisional Series, took down Seattle in the LCS, and beat Pawtucket to win their second title in 10 years. Back to the present though, where we wonder if they can hold on. With a run differential of exactly 0, and a PYT of +2, our friends at Stats+ give them only a 29% chance of winning the division, and a 67% chance of making the playoffs. Hey for a team where that usually read 0% and 10% around this time, the organization and fans will take it. They must find a way to generate some runs though. They are 20th overall in runs scored and only lead the Tobs by a half game. Lucky for them Carolina can't score either as they are 22nd overall in runs scored.
2. You know who can score...the Freedom. Philly is first in the entire league in runs scored with 446, 18 more than second place Hartford. The Freedom are also now 44-41 after a big week, boast a -3 PYT, and have tried to shore up their defense by moving Toby Foster to center. The first overall pick of the 2061 draft isn't DWI material there, but he's better than Rob 'Hit Squad' Morris. For a team that in the Import is 10th in hits and runs allowed, some added defense could mean the difference between a division title (their first since 2048) and completely missing the postseason. They last made the playoffs in 2052, and since then haven't won more than 67 games in a season. Since 2053 their 1,199 losses have been the most in the BLB, followed by Batavia at 1,159. Yet look at them both now, who would have thought.
3. Jahlil Straight won a title in 2027 with Montral as a reliever, in amongst a career that saw him go 53-48 with a 4.52 ERA. He retired in 2033 and got into managing in 2038 with the Elkton Generals of the Rookie League. Straight worked his way up to the BLB in 2049, taking over as the hitting coach in Hartford before becoming the manager in 2057. After two and a half losing seasons, he was fired before being picked up by Baltimore as their hitting coach. After three seasons there California hired him as their manager, where he went 96-66 last season and looked to have found a home. Instead after a 39-39 start, the Kodiaks sent him packing. When it comes to teaching, there is hardly a better coach in all the BLB. We doubt he'll be out of a job long, but where he ends up probably won't be a managing one.
4. With the month of June over, there was no one better than the Dallas Drillers, who went a leagues best 19-9. Posting a R/D of +27 and a league high .278 average they almost closed the gap on the Lager leading Rum Runners. Next up were those Rum Runners trying to do their best to keep Dallas at arm's length, as they went 18-11 along with the Millers. Finally came LAD and NO who went 17-11. We've talked about the beating NY has taken enough, but 3-24 is one of the worst months we can remember in a long, long time. Some league leaders: NO scored 157 runs (SYR 78), Philly smashed 58 HR (SYR 16), and Batavia swiped 57 bases (WIL/DEN 9). Pitching and defense belonged to Wilmington who allowed just 83 runs (NYC 187), while opponents hit .224 off LAD pitchers (NYC .305).
5. What's on tap? Interleague is back as the DL and IL do battle for the third time this season. We get a possible Brewmaster Cup preview too as the Windy City Blues travel to take on the Hartford Whalers. Hartford has won eight straight and has a run differential of +105 which is best in the league. They don't walk much (22nd overall), instead they just hit home runs (2nd overall). Windy City is seventh overall in home runs allowed, and third in runs given up. On the offensive side they are third in the league in home runs, and fourth in runs scored. Looks like this could be a series full of fireworks.
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Let's Go Streaking
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| Hartford visits Phoenix on a 8-game win streak |
| Wilmington visits Batavia on a 5-game win streak |
| Batavia hosts Wilmington on a 4-game win streak |
| Washington hosts New Orleans on a 4-game win streak |
| Los Angeles hosts Indianapolis on a 5-game win streak |
| Pawtucket visits California on a 4-game losing streak |
| New York hosts Dallas on a 20-game losing streak |
| Phoenix hosts Hartford on a 5-game losing streak |
| Justin Reaves (HAR) has a 18 game hitting streak |
| Jeremy Goodson (PIT) scored in 8 straight games |
| Donald Dworkin (BAT) hit a HR in 3 straight games |
| Isaac Rampone (SDR) has an RBI in 6 straight games |
| Levi Backman (BAL) has converted 13 straight save opportunities |
| Phil Cole (SYR) has converted 11 straight save opportunities |
| Jamel Thomas (DAL) has won 9 straight decisions |
| Derian Romary (HAR) has won 8 straight decisions |
| Deondre Ivy (MAI) has lost 9 straight decisions |
| Jim Miller (BAL) has lost 9 straight decisions |
| Erick Greenway (PHO) has lost 8 straight decisions |
| Jamel Thomas (DAL) hasn't lost in 13 straight starts |
| Derian Romary (HAR) hasn't lost in 13 straight starts |
Who's Hot
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Stat of the Week
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| Highest Career Games Started/Games Finished Combinations (Top 25 Players, Sorted by Lower of GS, GF) |
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