August 1, 2018
Code:
Team W L Pct GB Stk L10
Elliott Springs 42 31 .575 - L1 5-5
Silver Beach 42 31 .575 - L1 5-5
Lorris 41 31 .569 0.5 L2 2-8
Gentry Hills 37 35 .514 4.5 W1 6-4
Marsein 33 39 .458 8.5 W1 8-2
Allison 33 41 .446 9.5 L2 4-6
Tifton 32 40 .444 9.5 W3 4-6
Deepvale 31 43 .419 11.5 W1 6-4
League News
Not content to watch Elliott Springs and Silver Beach go toe-to-toe in another pennant race, the Lorris Greens are making it an interesting three-team battle royale atop the Bay League standings. None of the three teams are particular hot. Lorris especially has cooled down after taking over the top spot mid-month, which has allowed Gentry Hills to stand on the edge of it all and make noise about jumping in themselves.
It's hard to be sure just what the Greens are up to. Lorris was the only contender to make a trade in the month leading up to the trading deadline, and they made two curious moves in all. Early in the month, they dealt SP
Carlin Bonner and a minor leaguer (2B
Chris Laws) to Marsein for 3B
Lamont Cadray. If you're asking "who's Lamont Cadray?", then join the legion of Greens fans that wondered how he was worth a 8-4, 3.17 ERA starter. Granted, Bonner's been shelled regularly since joining the Knights, but it doesn't change the fact that he was pitching very well for Lorris. Cadray, 27, wasn't even selected in the inaugural Bay League draft, instead signing as a free agent with the Knights. He doesn't particularly strike you as a guy you trade an established veteran starter for: including the 50 ABs he's picked up for Lorris since the trade, he has a .263/.287/.400 line in 205 Bay League at-bats.
The second trade the Greens made is a little more sensible. Lorris sent 2015 2nd round pick SP
John Oliver and 2016's 4th round pick RF
Monty Childress to Gentry Hills for CF
Eugene Ashman. Oliver has a load of potential that he's still growing in to, but at age 26 the Greens clearly wondered if he'd ever reach it. Ashman, 26, is a solid center fielder, but may be best known for his speed (63 career SB in 83 attempts). It's not for his bat, anyway. In nearly 1000 career AB, Ashman is hitting .271/.317/.395. It remains to be seen if this will be a wise move. Oliver has the potential to be a solid #2 starter, while Ashman is one of those flashy players who looks better than he actually is.
Someone's lit a fire under a couple of underperformers. The Marsein Knights took off in July, going 13-8 to climb near the .500 mark. Some of that is due to a hot month by #2 starter
Kevin Beik, who won Pitcher of the Month, and some due to a hot month by CF
Travis Grawer, who hit .359/.451/.603 in July. There's still a long way to go for this to not be a completely lost season, but Knights fans have a little more to cheer about these days. You can also welcome
Ace Gervin back to the ranks of the league leaders. Gervin rode a... well, Gervinesque... month (.426/.576/.809) to Batter of the Month honors and is now hitting .349/.440/.581 for the season. Too bad his Ferrymen are now the not-so-proud owners of last place in the standings.
Monthly Awards
Batter of the Month: Ace Gervin (DPV): .426/.576/.809, 5 HR, 14 RBI, 22 runs.
Pitcher of the Month: Kevin Beik (MAR): 4-0, 2.23, 4 BB, 14 K, 32.1 IP.
Rookie of the Month: Josh Perry (GEN): .338/.405/.507, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 13 runs.
League Leaders
Code:
Batting Average Stolen Bases
M. Richardson (ESP) .358 C. Rock (LOR) 25
T. Smith (LOR) .356 T. Smith (LOR) 24
J. Lutz (DPV) .349 R. Isenhour (ESP) 21
H. Gervin (DPV) .349
OPS ERA
T. Smith (LOR) 1.046 J. Thompson (TIF) 2.35
A. Strong (ALL) 1.026 M. Marek (LOR) 2.75
H. Gervin (DPV) 1.021 B. Earl (GEN) 2.82
Home Runs Wins
W. Sebring (ALL) 18 B. Earl (GEN) 14
T. Smith (LOR) 16 F. Wise (ESP) 14
A. Strong (ALL) 15 M. Marek (LOR) 12
A. Thomas (LOR) 15
RBI Strikeouts
R. Gomes (ESP) 58 M. Marek (LOR) 163
A. Strong (ALL) 56 G. Williams (MAR) 152
T. Smith (LOR) 54 K. Richardson (ALL) 147
Runs Scored
W. Sebring (ALL) 60
H. Gervin (DPV) 56
T. Bohm (ESP) 54
C. Rock (LOR) 54