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08/05/2058
The Bats thought they were the best in the land (and they just might be) after a 6-0 week that featured sweeps of Batavia and Seattle to end one month and start the next. They now have a 2.5 game lead in the Stout as Baltimore and New York try to hang on. Walking into the ring though like Shawn Michaels III, here comes none other than the Pittsburgh Millers. After pulling the 'unicorn' and going 7-0 with sweeps of Syracuse and Dallas, the Millers now find themselves...still below .500. In the Ale though that doesn't matter, as they now just trail the division leading Guides (also below .500) by a single game. The other top week was your PR leader Wildcats who went 6-1, while Phoenix and Batavia went 1-6.
Power Rankings
1) Wilmington Wildcats (122.7, o)
2) Washington Bats (120.0, ++)
3) Los Angeles Dinos (116.7, -)
4) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (112.7, -)
5) New Orleans Voodoo (110.0, +)
6) Baltimore Bulldogs (106.6, -)
7) New York Cyclones (102.1, ++)
8) Pittsburgh Millers (98.5, ++)
9) Toronto Canadians (97.6, -)
10) Dallas Drillers (94.3, --)
11) Carolina Tobs (93.8, ++)
12) Seattle Pilots (92.9, --)
13) California Kodiaks (87.5, +)
14) Maine Guides (85.1, --)
15) Indianapolis Clowns (83.9, --)
16) Montreal Exports (83.3, ++)
17) Phoenix Roadrunners (78.2, --)
18) Windy City Blues (76.9, -)
19) Philadelphia Freedom (71.7, +)
20) Hartford Whalers (69.7, ++)
21) Pawtucket Patriots (66.7, --)
22) Syracuse Snappers (66.7, +)
23) Denver Bulls (66.0, -)
24) Batavia Muckdogs (63.0, --)
Performance of the Week
LF Neil Wanat - The ninth overall pick of the 2054 draft is having a down season, but it looks like he's getting hot. This past week against Indy he pounded the Clowns with four hits, one home run, four RBI and three runs scored as the Wildcats blasted the Clowns 15-1. He's now hitting .277 with 14 HR, 47 RBI and a 110 OPS+ on the season.
Prospect of the Week
P Joel Thompson - A second round pick from 2054, Thompson is 22 years old and just mowing them down in AA this season. In 16 starts he's 10-4 with a 2.44 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 111 K, and only 22 walks. He's currently the 57th overall prospect in the league, all the way up from 95th just two short years ago. Scouts love his arm and fastball, but they are a little worried about his stamina. Still though in the day of the relief pitcher he could find great success both starting, or in a stopper sort of role.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. The month of July is over as the summer winds down once again in the BLB. This past month the Dinos were the hot team as they went 19-7 to post the best record in the league. They started the month with a 4.5 game lead in the Bock, and finished with a nice 8 game lead. They are now up to 9.5 as they appear to be running away with the division. Other top months were had by Wilmington (18-6), Baltimore (17-8), and Pittsburgh (16-9). On the other side of life Montreal went 5-20, while Batavia and Hartford went 6-19. Some team leaders: SDR scored 143 runs (BAT 67), Wilmington hit 37 home runs (HAR 12), Pittsburgh allowed just 72 runs (MON 168), and opponents hit .222 off of Seattle pitchers (MON .320).
2. The strikeout race is heating up as Levi Brown and Charlie Spence are tied at 213, and Ken 'Baseball' Burns is one behind at 212. Spence has finished first the last four seasons, as the last person to win the K award was Dwan Tamarovsky in 2053 when he struck out 280 batters to lead the league. Since then Spence has gone 332, 360, 365, and 322. This season he's on pace to reach 322 once again. If anything he's consistent.
3. Hats off to 36 year old Toronto 1B Al Flanagan, who was the Domestic League Batter of the Month. He showed those young whippersnappers on the Canadians that age is just a number by hitting .375 with 4 HR and 25 runs batted in. The last time Flanagan was the Batter of the Month was in his second season, when he was just 25 years old, and playing for Santo Domingo. Also hats off to 36 year old Toronto pitcher Ja-Ron Anstey, who was the Domestic League Pitcher of the Month. He was 5-0 with a 2.83 ERA in six starts. The last time he won that award was in 2049 while playing for New York.
4. Hats off again to 21 year old Toronto rookie outfielder Kelvin Kenney who was the Domestic League Rookie of the Month. Goodness this is getting out of hand Toronto. During July he hit .352 with 5 HR, 16 RBI, and 19 runs scored. Rookie Chase Calhoun won the Rookie of the Month for May and June, while Toronto let Indy slugger Darren Lane take home the trophy for April. Between Calhoun, Kenney, Olin Keele, Brian Wheat, Braden Tallman, Keon Pryor, and recently brought up Reese Bowman, the Canadians now have seven rookies in the lineup.
5. What's on tap? Back to interleague we go as LAD takes on Maine and then Santo Domingo, Baltimore travels to Pittsburgh and faces Indy, and Wilmington hosts Phoenix then heads to California. Pittsburgh and Washington have won seven straight, Santo Domingo and Carolina have won four straight, and Rick Anderson (PHO) and Derek Engledow (MON) have 14 game hitting streaks.
Stat of the Week
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| Most Consecutive 20 SB Seasons (Top 25 Players) |
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