Originally posted by Cliche, Phoenix Talons GM
Hanging on to the Wildcard
I looked at my TN page and realized that I hadn't written one in nearly two months (season time). This puzzled me greatly, considering that all in all my team is doing pretty well. Maybe the season ending injury to
Emile Yost ruptured my memory.
Whatever the cause, the hiatus is over with now. Despite the Yost injury we're trucking along five back of Chicago in the JLM and holding a slim lead in the Wildcard hunt. It's a really good thing we picked up
Shamus Perfetto from Des Moines just before the deadline, because with Yost out he's been a big help. He hasn't been great in his first four starts, but he's been pretty solid. My main concern is that I thought I was going to be able to relegate
McGrevey or
Walker to the bullpen, but that's not possible now. Both will have to remain in my rotation the rest of the season. Thankfully I've also still got
Andy Nebraska and
Bill Walters who have been very steady #2 and #3 arms all season long. Walters is having his best season in more than a decade. The bullpen is as strong as ever, thankfully.
McKinley Washington has been monsterous, already talling 29 saves with a good shot at 40-plus. He owns a 1.39 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP. In fact, nobody in the bullpen has an ERA north of 4, hence the group leading the league with a 2.32 mark.
Jerry Dipoto and
Steve Olin are their usual selves, holding ERAs of 1.72 and 2.83 respectively. even mid-season callup
Robert Brocaro has gotten in on the act after a slow start, allowing just 7 earned runs in his last 22 1/3 innings.
Offensively the team has slowed down a bit, but is still a formidable force.
John F. Kennedy Jr. is not a full-time starter for the first time since he debuted in 1984. He is starting against left-handers while slap-hitting
Edwin Dussault starts against righties. Kennedy might not be the only starter replaced in the outfield as
Jeff Langenhan is in danger of losing his spot to top prospect
Leandro Fernandez Luna who has been very solid in Triple-A and has a high ceiling.
The teams sluggers have disappointed lately with
Joe Belinda in a serious slump and
George Peralta in a tailspin since May. Each of these guys should be very good hitters, yet neither can do much at the plate right now.
Gehringer,
Tawk and
Epstein continue to propel the offense with their high OBPs, but sooner or later someone has to drive them in with power. Don't be surprised if Luna and slugger
Vyacheslav Kelly are with the pro team sooner rather than later to give the club an offensive boost.
Speaking of the minors, my remaining prospects are doing well enough.
Fernandez,
Masutto and
Olmos were dealt in the deal to get Perfetto, but with both Luna and
Hayden Christopher looking good in Triple-A the pipeline is hardly barren.
"Boo" Ortega is coming along slowly in Double-A while closer
Christopher Delia has established that he's too good for A-ball.
The Next Crushing Defeat
We play two more against Louisville, then head to Hawaii for a set. We then host the Monarchs before taking on Chicago in what should be a key divisional series.