[thehatfield]

ABL News & Notes
Ft. Worth Highwaymen sent 26-year old starting pitcher Juan Benitez to the Indianapolis Cows in exchange for 22-year old third baseman Nathan Head and 17-year old center fielder Tim Murdock. Head was the key to the deal for Ft. Worth as he is projected to be an above average offensive player somewhere down the line, whereas scouts predict Murdock should be out of baseball by the time he’s 20. For his part, left-hander Benitez was 6-7 in 16 starts with a 4.62 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 0.3 WAR. Opponents are hitting .224 (.254 BABIP) against him this season. It’s an interesting trade as both clubs have underachieved this year and both could use something to spark a strong final two months of the season.

Father time hasn’t quite caught up to 38-year old Tucson Omelets first baseman Joseph Ford as he took home the Washington League Player of the Week Award. Ford went 14-for-28 with two home runs and seven RBI to prove that he isn’t ready to be put out to pasture just yet. “I may be 38,” said a self-conscious Ford when picking up his award, “but I still know how to play baseball. And how to hit it.” The stats seem to suggest otherwise, however, as Ford has posted a -0.5 VORP and -0.6 WAR thus far on the season.

26-year old Seattle Hilltops superstar third baseman Bob Harrell took home the Fillmore League Player of the Week Award on the strength of a 12-for-27 performance at the plate with four home runs and eight RBI. On the season Harrell leads the entire ABL in home runs with 28, and is hitting .283 with a second-best in the ABL 72 RBI. Harrell’s WAR is presently 3.1.

Weekly Team Power Rankings
Top 5
#1 New Jersey Sentinels (127.0, +), #2
#2 Jacksonville Cannons (115.0, -), #1
#2 Detroit Street Toughs (115.0, +), #4
#4 Baltimore Pit Bulls (114.0, -), #3
#5 Seattle Hilltops (101.0, ++), #9
#5 Phoenix Imperials (101.0, +), #7

Bottom 5
#20 Charlotte Copper Kings (73.0, +), #21
#21 Manhattan Monocles (69.0, --), #17
#22 Chicago Violins (67.0, --), #19
#23 El Paso Biscuits (63.0, o), #23
#24 San Francisco Sawdust (53.0, o), #24

Game Results
Friday, July 6, 2012
Game 88: 7-0 WIN at San Francisco Sawdust
W: Jon Conner (11-3) L: Mike Lee (2-10)
HR – NJ: Russ Thompson (15), Ray Durham (2), Miguel Bravo (14)
Attendance: 18,188
Game Time: 2:27
Recap: Just 18,000 showed up at San Francisco Grounds for what turned out to be another masterpiece by a New Jersey starting pitcher as Jon Conner went the distance on a two-hitter while striking out 12. 1B Miguel Bravo went 2-for-3 with a walk, a home run and four RBI to lead the New Jersey offense, while RF Jesús Santiago, SS Kaz Tamura, and 2B Ray Durham each had two hits. Russ Thompson continued his recent barrage of solo home runs with a 447-foot bomb to left field in the 4th inning that ties Greg Wells for the second-longest in Sentinels history. San Francisco starter Mike Lee fell to 2-10, allowing five runs on eight hits including two home runs in 4.1 innings pitched. 1B George Hill had both hits for San Francisco, including a double in the 2nd inning. This was Conner’s second shutout of the season and second in three weeks as he blanked Charlotte on four hits on June 12.

Saturday, July 7, 2012
Game 89: 8-5 WIN at San Francisco Sawdust
W: Jeff Burns (8-5) L: José Costa (3-10) SV: Justin Jones (24)
HR – None
Attendance: 19,674
Game Time: 3:02
Recap: Jeff Burns almost made it back-to-back shutouts for himself personally and for the team as he took an 8-0 lead into the 9th inning, but he ran out of gas as the Sawdust got to him for a run and then loaded the bases before reliever Rusty Baartwijk was ready to come in. Baartwijk allowed all three inherited runners to score, and then loaded the bases again by the time closer Justin Jones was summoned with two outs in the bottom of the 9th. LF Jackie Martin promptly singled home a runner that Jones had inherited, but the Sawdust were greedy and LF Ken Bullock threw out 2B Conrad Serdio who was trying to score from second base with a bullet throw to home plate to end the game. 3B Russ Thompson had three walks on the day, including two walks with the bases loaded. C Greg Wells, SS Kaz Tamura, and 1B Nick Copeland each had two hits for NJ. Martin, SS Manuel Flores, and C Roberto Perez each had two hits for San Francisco, while RF Adrien Ghisolfi was 3-for-5 with two RBI. The final line on Burns was 8.1 innings pitched, four runs allowed on nine hits and three walks, with eight strikeouts. San Francisco had at least one baserunner against Burns in every inning.

Sunday, July 8, 2012
Game 90: 9-0 WIN at San Francisco Sawdust
W: Brian Baker (8-7) L: Felix Rivera (4-10)
HR – NJ: Russ Thompson (16), Miguel Bravo (15)
Attendance: 18,691
Game Time: 2:44
Recap: Brian Baker made the most of his opportunity to pitch against San Francisco and gave the NJ bullpen another day off with a complete game three-hitter. Baker took a no-hitter to two outs in the bottom of the 8th inning when 20-year old right fielder Chet Steward singled to break it up. The Sawdust seemed to lay down for this game, as they fell behind 4-0 after the 1st inning, and trailed 7-0 after three innings. 3B Russ Thompson’s three-run home run in the 1st inning set the tone for the NJ victory. Thompson finished the day 2-for-3 with a walk, three RBI and two runs scored. The only bright spot for San Francisco was that relievers Albert Martinez and Lance Gowen each threw two innings of scoreless relief. 2B Ray Durham continued to roll, going 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.

Series Recap: NJ sweeps San Francisco for the third time this season to raise their season record to 9-0 against the Sawdust. Overall the Sentinels are 9-1 in their last 10 games. 2B Ray Durham was 5-for-11 in the series and has now hit in all nine games since being activated from the Disabled List. If not for the Jeff Burns 9th inning implosion, NJ could have shut out the Sawdust for the entire series. 3B Russ Thompson had two home runs in the series, and now has eight homers in his last 12 games. SS Kaz Tamura was 4-for-9 but went 0-for-3 in the final game of the series.

Next: New Jersey (58-32) goes home for an important three-game series against Jacksonville Cannons (55-35). The Sentinels now hold a three-game lead over Cannons in the Fillmore League Eastern Division and have an opportunity to widen the gap with a strong performance at the Princeton Fieldhouse. The Sentinels are 29-16 both at home and on the road so far this year. Cannons are 7-3 in their last 10 games, and just took two of three from the Manhattan Monocles. New Jersey is 4-2 against Jacksonville this season.

Roster Management Notes
It seems like all that is left for the Nick Copeland to Columbus for Phil O'Morgan trade to get completed are a couple of extra pieces. Columbus wants NJ's 26-year old outfield prospect Tom Covington included in the trade, while NJ wants to get back a quality starting pitching prospect if they have to include Covington. A deal will likely be finalized prior to the Jacksonville series.

The roster is bracing for possible shakeup, as the acquisition of O'Morgan will likely mean a demotion to AAA for either Rusty Baartwijk, Carlos Perea or Steve Adams. Meanwhile, a new backup first baseman would need to be called up to NJ as well.

The Sentinels also have a number of players who will be free agents or arbitration eligible at the end of the season that they may want to tie up at least for the short-term. The list includes relievers Jayson Miller, Frank Bradley, Adams and Perea, backup catcher Sterling Wells, and utility players Jack Deck and Ricardo Romano. O'Morgan would also be arbitration eligible if acquired. Starting pitcher Art Howard already received a two-year extension with a team option for a third year shortly after being acquired from the San Antonio Keys in May.