Tweet
08/03/2065
"Washington is lurking though. They are first in hits, second in walks, but fourth in runs scored. With a differential of only -16 we just know the train is coming...why...because it always does." It's not like we said we told you so, but we told you so. The train finally crested the hill this past week and is picking up steam as the Bats went 6-1 by sweeping Philly and taking three of four against Windy City. Thanks to last week they finished the month 15-10, the first winning month of the season for Washington, and are just two games out of the Stout lead. Well, it was fun while it lasted for Batavia and Philly. The other top weeks were Baltimore, Cali, Hartford, Wilmington, and Dallas who all went 5-2. Baltimore is just three games out of the Import Wild Card, while everyone else there are pretty heavy postseason favorites. On the other side of life Maine went 1-6 while Philly went 1-5. After the draft fiasco the league endured it appears the Guides aren't letting it happen again as they are in full tank mode for the first pick next season.
Power Rankings
1) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (116.1, o)
2) Dallas Drillers (111.6, ++)
3) Hartford Whalers (111.4, +)
4) Los Angeles Dinos (110.2, -)
5) Wilmington Wildcats (107.2, ++)
6) Windy City Blues (106.6, --)
7) California Kodiaks (101.4, ++)
8) New Orleans Voodoo (99.0, -)
9) Seattle Pilots (98.8, --)
10) Denver Bulls (98.0, +)
11) Montreal Exports (93.1, --)
12) Washington Bats (92.5, ++)
13) Baltimore Bulldogs (91.0, ++)
14) Indianapolis Clowns (87.1, --)
15) Pittsburgh Millers (86.5, -)
16) Carolina Tobs (86.1, ++)
17) Pawtucket Patriots (82.2, -)
18) Philadelphia Freedom (82.0, --)
19) Batavia Muckdogs (80.9, --)
20) Toronto Canadians (78.7, o)
21) Syracuse Snappers (68.3, +)
22) Phoenix Roadrunners (62.9, o)
23) New York Cyclones (59.3, -)
24) Maine Guides (49.9, o)
Performance of the Week
3B Micah Lumsden - Remember the guy who had some trouble at third but makes up for it behind the plate. Well Lumsden proved his worth once again a few days ago against Pawtucket when he smacked three home runs and drove in six. With Santo Domingo leading 1-0 in the top of the third, Lumsden hit a fastball from Brenden De Jong for a 3-run home run. It was his 31st home run of the season and put the Rum Runners ahead, 4-0. "It's the best feeling when you come through for your teammates," said Lumsden. On the season he's hitting .288 with 32 HR and 69 RBI. Nice.
Prospect of the Week
CF Aaren Hernandez - Scouts say "he has a killer swing and should be able to gun down runners from deep in the field", and we believe it. So far in 88 games for the Bears (BAL-RL) he's hitting .284 with 28 HR, 59 RBI, 19 SB and a +6.0 ZR in center. Drafted sixth overall in 2063, his work ethic and ability to drive the ball deep, play the field, and steal bases makes him someone definitely to watch out for.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. The much-needed calendar flip happened this past week as we're on to August. Who doesn't want it to flip would be the Dinos and Clowns, who went 17-8 and 17-9 respectively. LAD is now in second place in the Bock, while Indy finished the month over .500 for the first time all season. Third place went to the surprising Bulldogs who went 16-10. As mentioned before, even at 51-57 they are shockingly just three games out of the playoff hunt. On the other end of life Maine went 5-21 while Phoenix went 8-17. These two are in a battle for last place, with Maine now coming in with a 60% chance according to our friends at Stats+. Some team leaders: LAD and Indy scored 137 runs (MAI 54), SDR hit 43 home runs (MAI 19), Syracuse swiped 45 bases (PAW/WIL 5), and Hartford hit .299 (MAI .187). On the other side of the plate Batavia allowed just 75 runs (DEN 142), while opponents hit just .226 off Pawtucket pitchers (PHO .277).
2. In the 'we like playing these guys' round: Pittsburgh is 9-0 vs Maine, Hartford is 7-0 vs Montreal, Seattle is 7-0 vs NYC, Philly is 11-1 vs NYC, Pawtucket is 10-2 vs Syracuse, LAD is 8-1 vs Phoenix, Washington is 7-1 vs Phoenix, Wilmington is 6-1 vs Toronto, Hartford is 6-1 vs Wilmington, Cali is 6-1 vs Batavia, and Carolina is 6-1 vs Phoenix.
3. We missed it a few weeks ago but hats off to these first time All-Stars who were named to the starting lineup: SP Brad Zook (MON), 2B Corey Hughes (WIL), SP Solomon Dockery (LAD), 3B Dave Christal (CAR), LF Alec Echard (WAS), LF Zachariah White (DEN), and CF Garon Norgrove (WAS).
4. We're at the two-thirds mark and it appears the playoff picture is a little bit clearer. In the Domestic there are four locks (for the most part) in Hartford, Santo Domingo, Dallas, and Wilmington. The other two teams will be decided between New Orleans, Montreal, Pittsburgh, and Indy. New Orleans is at almost 80% to grab one of those spots, with Montreal next at 72%. It looks like once again the Ale will send one, and the Lager will send five. In the Import it's Windy City, LAD, and Seattle who are going to be playoff bound. With the final three spots falling between California, Denver, and what appears to be the entire Stout minus New York. Right now, the Stout has five teams separated by 3.5 games, with only division leading Batavia having a better record (by one game) than Denver, the fifth placed team in the Bock. It looks like the Bock might send five while the Stout sends just one. Maybe the Ale and Stout could join up to form a super conference of middling teams.
5. What's on tap? How about some interleague fun. Can the Bats stay hot against the best team in the Domestic after whipping the Import leaders last week?
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Streaking
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| Baltimore visits Wilmington on a 4-game win streak |
| California visits Hartford on a 4-game win streak |
| Denver visits Indianapolis on a 4-game win streak |
| Batavia visits Pittsburgh on a 4-game losing streak |
| New York visits Syracuse on a 4-game losing streak |
| Seattle visits Pawtucket on a 4-game losing streak |
| Preston Patterson (SEA) has a 12 game hitting streak |
| Vincent Manning (MON) hit a HR in 3 straight games |
| Levi Backman (BAL) has converted 21 straight save opportunities |
| James Forbes (LAD) has converted 17 straight save opportunities |
| Rice Cochell (SDR) has won 8 straight decisions |
| Jonah Gower (LAD) has won 8 straight decisions |
| Deondre Ivy (MAI) has lost 12 straight decisions |
| Rice Cochell (SDR) has won 8 straight decisions |
| Jonah Gower (LAD) has won 8 straight decisions |
| Deondre Ivy (MAI) has lost 12 straight decisions |
| Alex Landrum (NYC) has lost 9 straight decisions |
| Rice Cochell (SDR) hasn't lost in 13 straight starts |
| A.J. Stillman (CHI) hasn't lost in 10 straight starts |
| Rice Cochell (SDR) hasn't lost in 13 straight starts |
Who's Hot
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Stat of the Week
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| Most Consecutive 180 Strikeout Seasons (Top 25 Players) |
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