[EMSoccerCoach]

WESTERN DIVISION

The defending Northern League champions have overcome a terrible job on offense - though partly affected by injuries to Art Fletcher, Justin Morneau and rookie Ted Kluszewski. With a next-to-worst .315 OBP, the Stingers are finding it hard to scratch out runs. But their league-best pitching staff has kept them afloat. That will be tested for the next two months, though, as ace Bob Veale has been shelved with an elbow injury. Combined with Rube Marquard, the pair has gone 24-4 in the first half. But Veale's injury, while considered a strain of the elbow ligament and not a tear, will keep him out until mid-August at the earliest. Despite ERAs better than the league average, #2-#4 starters Bob Shawkey, Carlos Marmol and Dave Stewart have gone 14-22. The offense will need to pick it up to give some breathing room while Veale recovers. George Mullin will take his spot in the rotation for now.

Pitching Staff Role T Pitcher G GS W L SV ERA WHIP Status Starter L Rube Marquard 18 18 12 2 0 2.42 1.08 Tired Starter R Carlos Marmol 18 18 5 8 0 4.12 1.33 Rested Starter R Bob Shawkey 16 16 5 6 0 3.83 1.21 Totally Exhausted Starter R Dave Stewart 14 14 4 8 0 3.73 1.41 Rested Starter R George Mullin 23 1 3 3 2 4.69 1.64 Rested Spot Starter L Mark Mulder 22 0 1 5 12 6.31 1.71 Rested Middle Reliever L Ed Siever 3 0 1 0 0 1.80 0.60 Rested Middle Reliever L John O'Donoghue 4 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.82 Rested Setup Reliever L Mark Mulder 22 0 1 5 12 6.31 1.71 Rested Setup Reliever R Joe Benz 28 0 4 1 3 4.32 1.20 Rested Closer L Wilbur Cooper 20 3 2 2 3 2.88 1.16 Tired

Catchers # B Player Pos G AB H HR RBI R BB K .AVG OBP SLG 39 R Randy Hundley C 64 205 46 4 20 17 7 31 .224 .250 .332 57 R Gary Carter C 30 90 22 3 20 9 7 17 .244 .296 .422

Infielders # B Player Pos G AB H HR RBI R BB K .AVG OBP SLG 24 S Don Buford 2B 29 108 26 2 7 13 10 12 .241 .303 .343 22 L Justin Morneau 1B 53 192 56 13 35 26 11 25 .292 .332 .547 10 L Wayne Gross 3B 76 244 66 6 24 27 22 25 .270 .337 .393 28 R Julio Lugo SS 43 75 13 2 12 7 5 19 .173 .222 .320 21 L Ted Kluszewski 1B 43 152 41 5 25 18 10 3 .270 .315 .441 6 R Paul Molitor 2B 19 34 12 1 6 4 1 4 .353 .371 .471

Outfielders # B Player Pos G AB H HR RBI R BB K .AVG OBP SLG 40 L Harry Walker LF 83 324 91 6 39 55 28 12 .281 .338 .432 13 L Al Zarilla CF 74 232 61 5 28 20 21 27 .263 .319 .371 67 R Socks Seybold RF 82 287 64 11 46 42 38 62 .223 .315 .404 48 S Roy White LF 68 199 57 4 29 24 21 21 .286 .353 .392 38 R Manny Mota LF 30 54 20 0 2 12 1 5 .370 .393 .426 15 R Jack Clark RF 64 186 47 9 25 29 17 24 .253 .315 .457

The heart of the order has been outstanding. After an 11-12 April, the Chicago Hitmen have gone 37-26. Babe Ruth and Charley Jones each missed a month to injury, but in the end the duo, joined by Roger Connor, make baseball's toughest 3-4-5. Frank Baker and Ed Delahanty have set the table brilliantly and now that the pitching is coming together the Hitmen seem poised for a run. The quartet of Ben Sanders, Howie Pollet, Len Barker and Denny LeMaster all have sub-4.00 ERAs, and after a rough start and a temporary cut from the rotation, Johan Santana has posted a 1.93 ERA over the last six weeks.

Pitching Staff Role T Pitcher G GS W L SV ERA WHIP Status Starter R Ben Sanders 18 18 9 6 0 3.36 1.23 Exhausted Starter L Howie Pollet 18 18 9 6 0 3.30 1.23 Totally Exhausted Starter R Len Barker 15 15 7 4 0 3.93 1.46 Rested Starter L Denny Lemaster 16 16 4 7 0 3.88 1.28 Rested Starter L Johan Santana 17 10 7 5 1 5.44 1.39 Rested Spot Starter R Joe Bush 12 4 3 2 1 2.88 1.40 Rested Middle Reliever R Dizzy Dismukes 7 0 0 0 1 7.71 1.63 Tired Setup Reliever R Joe Bush 12 4 3 2 1 2.88 1.40 Rested Setup Reliever R Bob Caruthers 16 5 4 4 1 5.04 1.36 Rested Closer R Brandon Lyon 19 0 2 3 9 6.75 2.12 Rested

Catchers # B Player Pos G AB H HR RBI R BB K .AVG OBP SLG 20 S Biz Mackey C 68 242 69 1 24 37 31 10 .285 .367 .409 33 R Geovany Soto C 32 83 17 3 12 12 8 17 .205 .280 .373

Infielders # B Player Pos G AB H HR RBI R BB K .AVG OBP SLG 19 L Roger Connor 1B 85 328 96 13 55 50 40 46 .293 .374 .485 30 S U L Washington 2B 42 125 34 2 13 19 14 9 .272 .340 .424 40 L Frank Baker 3B 83 329 101 4 39 48 35 25 .307 .373 .426 64 R Jack Glasscock SS 40 118 29 1 12 9 7 4 .246 .286 .347 19 S Garry Templeton SS 41 131 34 0 12 12 2 13 .260 .269 .351 49 L Frank Isbell 2B 42 118 29 3 19 20 6 10 .246 .283 .390 21 R Bert Campaneris SS 60 224 55 3 34 32 8 24 .246 .283 .366

Outfielders # B Player Pos G AB H HR RBI R BB K .AVG OBP SLG 13 L Babe Ruth RF 66 269 75 12 53 46 28 53 .279 .340 .461 83 R Charley Jones LF 62 238 61 21 56 47 32 55 .256 .347 .626 10 R Jose Cardenal CF 45 168 55 3 31 19 10 18 .327 .363 .464 14 R Ed Delahanty LF 56 243 68 7 32 39 17 63 .280 .331 .469 37 S Milton Bradley RF 31 94 22 2 14 15 8 11 .234 .288 .340 43 R Ron LeFlore CF 45 117 27 3 12 14 5 16 .231 .262 .342

Their draft was criticized again, their direction thought lacking. But, while the Milwaukee Bangers aren't there yet, the team has shown great improvement and sits five games above .500 at the break. They still own baseball's worst offense, but there is promise there. Jonny Gomes leads baseball in homers, and rookie Al Rosen has advanced faster than critics anticipated - fast enough that the team traded incumbent third baseman Joe Crede to Memphis for Tank Carr, who adds some pop at first base. The real promise, though, comes from the pitching staff, which ranks second in the Northern League. Eddie Cicotte, Smokey Joe Williams and Moose Haas - who was just given a 3-year contract - have each gotten stronger as the season has gone on. The only struggler is last year's #1 pick, John Montefusco, whose rotation slot is in question.

Pitching Staff Role T Pitcher G GS W L SV ERA WHIP Status Starter R Eddie Cicotte 17 17 8 9 0 3.61 1.45 Rested Starter R Smokey Joe Williams 18 18 9 8 0 3.90 1.29 Totally Exhausted Starter R Moose Haas 19 12 6 2 0 2.98 1.23 Rested Starter R John Montefusco 18 18 8 7 0 5.64 1.65 Rested Starter R Craig Swan 20 10 5 2 1 4.32 1.38 Tired Spot Starter R Pete Redfern 15 12 6 6 0 4.27 1.39 Rested Middle Reliever R Joe Coleman 31 0 2 1 2 2.91 1.02 Rested Setup Reliever R Pete Redfern 15 12 6 6 0 4.27 1.39 Rested Setup Reliever R Mel Stottlemyre 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 Rested Closer R Ed Reulbach 26 0 1 4 18 4.05 1.39 Tired

Catchers # B Player Pos G AB H HR RBI R BB K .AVG OBP SLG 11 R Charlie Bennett C 78 251 68 7 34 33 33 35 .271 .352 .410 21 L Deacon White C 19 44 8 0 4 2 0 3 .182 .196 .250

Infielders # B Player Pos G AB H HR RBI R BB K .AVG OBP SLG 37 S Tank Carr 1B 83 308 83 12 38 48 36 54 .269 .356 .425 78 R Joe Tinker SS 81 332 90 6 32 47 9 15 .271 .289 .401 17 R Al Rosen 3B 85 331 85 10 46 41 31 33 .257 .322 .381 52 R Troy Tulowitzki 2B 51 126 24 1 7 12 11 19 .190 .273 .254 28 L Nick Johnson 1B 62 181 43 1 15 12 14 46 .238 .308 .315 17 R Jason Bartlett SS 8 8 2 0 0 1 0 0 .250 .250 .250 12 R Andre Thornton 1B 42 111 29 1 10 17 9 15 .261 .317 .324

Outfielders # B Player Pos G AB H HR RBI R BB K .AVG OBP SLG 36 R Jonny Gomes LF 79 274 65 22 47 42 22 63 .237 .305 .526 96 L John O'Rourke CF 80 292 73 14 45 37 35 71 .250 .326 .442 72 R Benjamin Boyd RF 58 200 50 5 35 23 21 34 .250 .321 .410 27 L Pete Hill LF 73 231 54 4 17 33 24 47 .234 .317 .346 97 L John Titus RF 19 60 21 1 8 8 2 1 .350 .381 .500 54 R Luis Terrero RF 56 120 36 1 6 12 11 24 .300 .364 .442

An 11-16 June and a 2-6 start to July have put the Indianapolis Engines back 10 games in the division. They are last in OPS and 8th in pitching, and the decisions being made are confusing to many. The outfield grouping of Stan Musial, Larry Doby, Jimmy Wynn and Bill Hinchman is bouncing in and out of the lineup. Inexplicably, Musial is again not being given the everyday job, despite batting .318 with an .820 OPS over the last two seasons. They then, in early June, traded Harry Davis - who still leads the team in homers with 11 despite being gone a month and is second in RBI - for Scott Sanderson, who was quickly booted from the rotation to the bullpen. Simply, it's a peculiar season in Indianapolis, and skipper Frank Selee is on notice.

Pitching Staff Role T Pitcher G GS W L SV ERA WHIP Status Starter R Andy Coakley 19 19 7 9 0 4.56 1.54 Rested Starter R Pud Galvin 20 14 5 9 1 3.66 1.13 Rested Starter L Ted Breitenstein 19 19 9 7 0 4.34 1.40 Totally Exhausted Starter L Erik Bedard 17 15 6 6 0 4.04 1.43 Tired Starter R Hank Wyse 15 14 3 9 0 3.92 1.39 Rested Spot Starter R Scott Sanderson 6 3 1 1 0 6.33 1.22 Rested Middle Reliever L Doc White 27 0 5 3 1 5.21 1.63 Slightly Tired Setup Reliever L Ferdie Schupp 21 0 1 1 0 3.15 1.45 Rested Setup Reliever R Scott Sanderson 6 3 1 1 0 6.33 1.22 Rested Closer L Hooks Wiltse 27 0 1 1 18 0.98 1.30 Rested

Catchers # B Player Pos G AB H HR RBI R BB K .AVG OBP SLG 88 R Les Nunamaker C 79 300 75 8 48 44 40 32 .250 .341 .397 41 R Stan Lopata C 26 54 11 2 5 9 5 8 .204 .267 .352

Infielders # B Player Pos G AB H HR RBI R BB K .AVG OBP SLG 12 S Lee Mazzilli 1B 79 264 77 4 30 43 44 25 .292 .393 .405 80 L Sam Wise 2B 64 194 43 8 33 22 22 42 .222 .298 .371 59 R Pedro Guerrero 3B 87 298 71 3 36 34 17 49 .238 .279 .332 74 R Hanley Ramirez SS 84 375 106 8 43 58 19 54 .283 .321 .411 14 R Ken McMullen 3B 63 120 25 2 11 10 3 15 .208 .228 .275 28 R Milt Stock 2B 50 73 18 0 4 6 5 12 .247 .295 .274 3 R Heinie Wagner SS 27 47 10 0 2 6 2 7 .213 .245 .298

Outfielders # B Player Pos G AB H HR RBI R BB K .AVG OBP SLG 11 R Bill Hinchman RF 47 158 48 1 23 26 12 8 .304 .345 .443 22 L Stan Musial LF 68 211 56 2 17 23 17 19 .265 .317 .341 18 R Jimmy Wynn CF 67 146 43 6 29 22 19 31 .295 .373 .459 83 L Elmer Flick RF 70 217 53 4 41 24 24 43 .244 .339 .355 15 L Larry Doby CF 80 250 58 6 27 32 36 43 .232 .328 .344 23 L Mike Easler LF 20 49 12 0 2 5 3 9 .245 .288 .286

They are hitting a whopping .296 as a team and, despite a league-low 46 homers, are second in runs in the Northern League. They are sending out five .300 hitters (Cleon Jones, Ken Griffey, George Stone, Larry Doyle and Eddie Collins) and Frank Chance is hitting .288. The problem is pitching, which has allowed the most runs in the PBL. Rube Waddell, so counted on to lead the staff again this season, is 3-9 with a 4.83 ERA, and seems to be done as a top-flight pitching in the league. The team just traded Jack Lapp to Philadelphia for Jay Hughes, who won 18 games for Wichita's championship team back in the inaugural season of 2009.

Pitching Staff Role T Pitcher G GS W L SV ERA WHIP Status Starter R Jay Hughes 1 1 0 0 0 2.35 1.17 Rested Starter R Ricky Nolasco 18 18 7 10 0 4.67 1.14 Rested Starter L Johnny Schmitz 18 18 6 4 0 4.25 1.45 Slightly Tired Starter L Rube Waddell 18 18 3 9 0 4.83 1.38 Tired Starter R Ubaldo Jimenez 15 15 5 6 0 4.71 1.60 Totally Exhausted Spot Starter L Joe Kennedy 27 1 4 2 0 4.31 1.60 Tired Middle Reliever L Joe Kennedy 27 1 4 2 0 4.31 1.60 Tired Setup Reliever R Joe Wood 27 0 3 4 1 2.89 1.21 Slightly Tired Setup Reliever R Al Orth 11 0 0 0 1 6.32 2.04 Rested Closer R Chad Cordero 25 0 3 5 11 4.88 1.40 Rested

Catchers # B Player Pos G AB H HR RBI R BB K .AVG OBP SLG 94 R Frank Chance C 79 313 90 4 45 51 32 43 .288 .371 .425 41 R Bo Diaz C 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000

Infielders # B Player Pos G AB H HR RBI R BB K .AVG OBP SLG 20 L Wally Pipp 1B 39 122 32 5 27 14 12 14 .262 .328 .393 6 L Eddie Collins 2B 73 306 92 0 20 40 32 18 .301 .367 .366 13 L Larry Doyle 3B 85 328 104 1 43 47 31 14 .317 .371 .433 66 L Mike Moynahan SS 59 176 45 5 21 23 26 43 .256 .353 .381 22 L Bruce Bochte 1B 23 82 24 2 12 13 7 9 .293 .348 .427 95 S Donie Bush SS 63 200 53 1 25 37 21 13 .265 .330 .345 12 R Cesar Tovar 2B 42 89 26 1 11 11 0 6 .292 .293 .371

Outfielders # B Player Pos G AB H HR RBI R BB K .AVG OBP SLG 40 R Cleon Jones CF 74 315 97 2 49 36 15 41 .308 .337 .416 2 R Chet Lemon CF 63 183 45 5 25 25 12 26 .246 .293 .393 30 L Ken Griffey RF 77 275 89 3 40 51 40 24 .324 .407 .447 43 L George Stone LF 83 354 133 5 56 53 26 26 .376 .413 .494 67 L Jay Gibbons RF 80 299 72 11 47 36 26 44 .241 .309 .405 23 L Don Mueller CF 2 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 .333 .333 .333