WEEK 19
RECORD: 5-2
OVERALL: 84-34 +7
RUNS SCORED: 824 (58) 1st
RUNS AGAINST: 495 (26) 1st
OWNERS MOOD: Ecstatic
FAN INTERST: 87/100
SCHEDULE: 3 @ New York/3 vs Michigan/1 @ Edmonton’s
8/2 CHI 3 NY 1
Lee 9-6-1-1-3-7 W (13-2) Salinas, Collins and Miranda with RBI's. Chavez 2-3 2 SB (24) Andre Blakeway went down in the 5th with an injury. Doctors are concerned so he was sent for an MRI, and we're hoping it's nothing major.
INJURY NEWS- But it is. He subluxed his shoulder and will be out 6-7 weeks. The talk was whether or not to call up Cary Wallace or Cipriano Alonzo. Both are above average to great defenders, both hit right handed. Wallace is 24, and has a cup of coffee already, Alonzo is 22, and hasn't been in the big leagues yet. The two things that push this one way, are the fact that Alonzo plays 2nd and SS, to a high level, and Wallace plays 3rd and SS, to a very high level as well. I don't have anyone to spell Hudson at the moment. Lastly, Alonzo has 5* speed, and is an outstanding base stealing threat. He's added to the 40 man and called up and will backup vs RHP (with Lorenzelli starting at SS, and Alonzo at 3rd as a late innings guy) and start vs LH starters.
8/3 CHI 2 NY 0
Alonzo 2-4 2B (1) and both RBI's in IBL debut. Morgan 7.1-4-0-0-3-3 W (12-4) Pacheco H(9) Cruz SV (21) 3 double plays. Bentley (NY) 6.2-4-2-2-2-2 L (10-5 3.62)
CONTRACT NEWS-2014 All Star and 2012 Gold Glove winner in LF Thomas Hood agreed to a 3 year 37.5M dollar extension with Green Bay today. The 33 year old led the IBL in OBP last year (.447) and is having another good season (.282/.437/.363 in 113 games. He spent 8 years in Vegas, last year in Alaska and is a career .283 hitter and is 2nd all time (to Todd Helton) with a .416 OBP in 1137 games. He has 1190 career hits, 257 doubles, 46 triples 20 homers and 306 stolen bases with just 493 K's to 966 walks in over 5000 plate appearances.
8/4 NY 7 CHI 6
Pacheco relieves a bad Trujillo with a 6-5 lead, 2 hitters and 2 HR's later he takes the L (5-3). Hudson (32) Salinas 2 (24) homer, Salinas drives in 3 (95).
8/5 CHI 12 MICH 4
Jackson 3-4 2B (15) HR (20) 3 RBI's (55) Collins 3-4 2B (19) 3B (5) 2 RBI's (96) Chavez HR (26) Hall 8-5-3-3-2-14 130 pitches W (12-2)
8/6 CHI 17 MICH 2
Martinez 8-6-2-2-1-6 W (14-4) 17 runs 17 hits. Martinez 3 runs Ash 2-4 Salinas 3-5 2B (29) 3 runs 4 RBI's (99) Miranda 2-4 3 RBI' s (69) Chavez 2-4 HR (27) 4 RBI's (87) Knox 2-5 HR (8) 4 RBI's (23)
CONTRACT TALKS-In my never ending quest to find budget room I've reached out to some of the younger players who are arbitration eligible, in hopes of striking a club friendly deal. Dennis Ash was looking at a 5.6M arbitration number, or higher. I managed to convince him to grab security with a 4 year 23.48M dollar deal. Base salary of 3.3/4.3/7.3 and 8.3 will keep him here through 2025 at a price that's a bargain for the talent.
8/7 CHI 13 MICH 5
42-11 in 3 games. Coates 3-5 3B (2) 3 runs 4 RBI's (20) SB (4) McBride (MICH) 3-4 HR (2) 2 RBI's (21) 54 minute delay in the 5th costs Lee. Garcia W (3-0).
GREAT GAMES-31 year old 1B Ron Stokes was 3-4 with 3 HR's and 6 RBI's in a 10-5 Alaska win over Staten Island. Stokes is hitting .246-35-89 on the year.
8/8 EDM 8 CHI 7
Morgan 5-7-7-5-3-9 L (12-5) Zamora (EDM) 7-9-5-5-0-5 W (6-8) Peters (EDM) SV (32) Shaw 3-4 2B (22) 2 HR's (33) 2 RBI's (98)
WEEK 19 SUMMARY
FL POTW-David Walker (GB) 14-25 4 HR's 10 RBI's (.343-37-118)
CL POTW-Marcos Oginlara (LA) 11-25 4 HR's 7 RBI's (.281-28-71)
IBL SINGLE SEASON RECORD: BATTING AVERAGE
Gregory McCain (FRE) .3687 '14
Jesus Andrales (LV) .3680 '15
Jesus Chapa (NH) .3652 '21
Jesus Chapa (NH) .3648 '20
Todd Helton (PHI) .3599 '16
WEEK 19 POWER RANKINGS
1) Chicago (1)
2) Green Bay (2)
3) Alaska (6)
4) Las Vegas (3)
5) Boston (18) 6-1 week, 3 GB, 2 GB in the WC
OUT New Hampshire (6) New York (9)
AAA Tulsa (1) – 76-42 +20
AA Bakersfield (3) +2 75-43 +9
A(N) Belleview (4) +1 69-49 +4
A(S) Denison (6) -3 73-45 +3
SS Heavener (7) -1 28-15 +1
R Omaha (17) -1 22-21 6 GB
LEAGUE NEWS-Michigan has fired manager Will Bernard. Generla Manager Luis Suarez said the recent series in Chicago was the most embarassing 3 days in franchise history, and a change had to be made. Michigan, Corpus Christi and Edmonton are the only 3 original IBL franchises to have never made the post season. The Battlecats have never finished higher than 4th place, and are 657-919 lifetime. They've never been closer than 20 GB of 1st at seasons end, and that was the 2012 season. Since then they've never been closer than 29 games (last year). Many expected this to be the first .500 season in their franchise history given their huge crop of young talent breaking into the league. Bernard was Michigans 1st manager, from 2012 to 2015, he was in Philadelphia for 2016 (63-99) and then to Baltimore where he served as the bench coach for 4 seasons before returning to Michigan.