[trman73]

The Hammers are slogging through another season in Gold, out of playoff contention. So let’s take a moment to recognize the unique achievements of Dolph Luque.

Luque is a decent enough looking starting pitcher. 91-90-70 ratings with a 94 overall... seemingly fine for Gold. And when he’s good, he’s good. In the seven games he’s won, he’s pitched 52.2 innings and given up seven runs, good for an ERA of 1.20. But in the six games he’s lost, he’s allowed 35 runs in 27 innings, good for an 11.67 ERA. I have never seen such a bizarre combination of dominance and nightmarish incompetence from a SP. It all adds up to 7-6, with a 6.07 ERA, in 19 starts. You truly never know what you’re going to get with this guy.

On to the Warlocks, who are destroying Gold 346. At 67-25 we have a five and a half game lead... over the second-best team in the league. We lead our division by 20 games heading to the All-Star Break. The bullpen has a collective ERA of 1.93. Our two newest additions, Ted Williams and Pete Alexander, have been the best hitter and best pitcher in the league. Williams is on pace for .322-44-150 with 114 walks, a .433 OBP and a 1.048 OPS. Alexander is 11-3 with a 2.16 ERA and a WHIP of 0.95. This certainly looks like a team that will be back in Diamond next season.

Last, the Frogs, who are actually in Diamond, and succeeding. For a while we led our division and had the second-best record in our conference in Diamond 368. But we’ve fallen off in July, and now sit 5.5 games back in our division, although we are in a Wild Card spot for now at 50-44. But we’re 17-24 since June 1, and headed in the wrong direction. The dream of a Diamond playoff berth is slowly slipping away.