Week 4
Current Week: 7-0 (21-4 - GB)
Next Week: 2 @ Ocean City Tourists, 3 @ Annapolis Admirals
Power Ranking: 1 (-)
Fan Interest: 94 (-)
Owners Mood: Ecstatic
Runs Scored: 129 (4th)
Avg: .294 (1st)
HR: 32 (t-2nd)
SB: 22 (1st)
Runs Against: 81 (1st)
Starters ERA: 3.02 (1st)
Pen ERA: 2.75 (2nd)
Def Eff: .725 (2nd)
Game 19: Baltimore 3, Norfolk 4 (11 innings)
Cornell Pearson: 8.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 8 K
Armando Lopez (2-0): 2.1 IP, 1 H, BB, 2 K
Jeff Lewis: 5-5, 2B, HR (4), 3 R, RBI
Alejandro Diaz: 2-5, HR (4), R, RBI
H: 9, LOB: 1
Game 20: Baltimore 2, Norfolk 5
Vaughan Griffith (2-0): 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, BB, 9 K
Dalton Whitaker (SV 7): 1.0 IP, 2 K
Jeff Lewis: 3-4, 3B, HR (5), 2 R, RBI
Wally Lambert: 1-3, HR (3), R, RBI
Augusto Rodriguez: 1-3, HR (1), R, 2 RBI
H: 7, LOB: 5
Game 21: Baltimore 3, Norfolk 4
Miguel Contreras (2-2): 5.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R, BB, 5 K
Dalton Whitaker (SV 8): 1.0 IP, H, K
Henry Hamer: 1-2, HR( 5), R, 3 RBI
Augusto Rodriguez: 1-3, R, RBI
H: 6, LOB: 5
Game 22: Baltimore 2, Norfolk 4
Marcos Estrada: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K
Jeremy Jones (1-0): 0.1 IP
(DBL Debut)
Jesus Ramirez (SV 1): 1.0 IP, H, K
Augusto Rodriguez: 3-3, HR (2), R, 3 RBI
Sergio Galvez: 2-3, R, RBI
H: 9, LOB: 7
Game 23: Washington 0, Norfolk 6
Paul Brown (4-0): 8.1 IP, 2 H, 7 K
Jeff Lewis: 2-4, 3B, R, 2 RBI
Alejandro Diaz: 2-4, HR (5), R, RBI
Sergio Galvez: 3-4, 2 R
Wally Lambert: 1-4, HR (4), R, RBI
H: 10, LOB: 5
Game 24: Washington 5, Norfolk 10
Cornell Pearson (3-1): 7.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, BB, 4 K
Ramon Granados: 3-5, 3 2B, R, 3 RBI
Sergio Gavlez: 2-3, R, 3 RBI
Alejandro Diaz: 2-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI
King Brock: 3-5, 2 R
Wally Lambert: 2-3, 2 R, RBI
H: 18, LOB: 10
Game 25: Washington 3, Norfolk 5
Vaughan Griffith: 7.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 4 K
Jeremy Jones (2-0): 0.1 IP, K
Dalton Whitaker (SV 9): 1.0 IP, H, K
Sergio Galvez: 3-4, HR (2), 2 R, 2 RBI
Mark Bolton: 2-4, RBI
Wally Lambert: 1-5, HR (5), R, 2 RBI
H: 11, LOB: 9
Cavaliers News:
Injuries:
IF Mario Reyes, 3 weeks, Fractured finger
RP Luis Martinez, 4 months, Torn Laburm
SP Claudio Perez, 2-3 Months, Ulnar nerve irritation
SP Carlos Coronado, 12-13 months, Reconstructive elbow surgery
Luis Martinez missed 4 days with a torn fingernail, then comes back, throws in a game and tears his labrum. He will miss 4-5 months. Martinez is supposed to be my next closer. He has great stuff, throws over 100 MPH and has the makings of being a beast out of the pen. I am hoping this injury doens't hurt his progress, I have big plans for this kid.
Other/Roster News:
Luis Martinez has been placed on the 11-day DL, and Jimmy Jones was added to the 40-man roster and called up. Jones was a 6th round pick in the 2017th draft and is a 2.5 star player. He is 25, throws left and has a 0-0 2.45 record in 3.2 IP so far this season. I will be looking for players to fill the void in the pen, these injuries are starting to add up.
We reached out to 38-yr old Pat Brooks and offered him a minimum deal. He will give us added depth and experience in our bullpen.
Yoelbi Mosca signed a 1-yr deal. I am not sure if he will get much playing time, but he has been sent down to AAA. He will get some swings in and if Lopez and/or Velez faulter he will come up strictly to run and field.
GM Notes:
I wish had some room for Francisco Gallegos, he is tearing it up in AAA right now, in the first 16 games he is hitting .452. Lambert, Galvez or Gallegos would need to be traded to make room for him on the big-roster. Something to think about for this year if we sustain any more injuries.
Paul Brown has been lights out so far this season. He has developed into an ace, he should be a nice fixture in the Cavaliers rotation for seasons to come. in 5 starts, Brown has thrown 37 innings and struck out 42, postin ga 1.95 ERA. He is 2nd on the team in K's behind Marcos Estrada. This starting rotation is really solid (yes there are still age concerns on Contreras and Estrada, but they are still better than other options out there).
Eric Helton has been awesome out of the pen, making me forget the guy I traded for to get him (Yoo-hyun Kim). Helton has throwin in a team high 16.1 innings of relief. Hopefully that doesn't burn him out.
Finishing April off with a 9 game winning streak makes dealing with the injuries much easier. The 3 pitchers that are on the DL were all supposed to play a big part in this 2023 Cavaliers team.
I have to come to terms with Augusto Rodriguez and that fact that he will never been the Glove Wizard winner he once was. Rodriguez made 4 errors last season in 424 total chances, 7 errors in 614 chances in his best season (2020), and 3 errors in 99 innings this season. He still has a +1.0 effeciency, but his zone rating has tumbled. The random no-trade clause I threw in his contract will keep him in Norfolk for 4 more seasons.
Ramon Granados has been playing 2B this season and I have been impressed with his efforts. He isn't a 2B, he is an outfielder. So far this season he has no errors in 30 chances, posting a 0.2 ZR and a 1.011 EFF. He isn't overly happy about playing 2B, but at the same time he is happy to be starting.
King Brock is off to a slow start, in regards to HR's and RBI's. So far this season he is hitting .321-2-8, on pace for 13 HR's and only 52 RBI's. He has posted 92+ RBI's in the past 6 seasons, hitting 27+ HR's. It will be interesting to see how he ends up. He is playing more 1B this season than DH, maybe that is affecting his hitting. He has played 22 games at 1B this season, which is the 2nd most of his 7 yr career. He played 54 games at 1B in 2020.
I blew this team up a little bit this off-season, and with the rash of injuries its starting to look like a wise decision. Without the trades and the budget freeing moves I wouldn't be able to reach out to players to fill in some of these holes created by the injuries. Its been a rough year so far. Hopefully we can catch a streak and stop losing the young pitchers.
Around the League:
Standings Leaders
DE Southern: Dover Generals: 15-10 (+1)
DE Northern: Newark Millers: 16-8 (+2.5)
MV Eastern: Annapolis Admirals: 14-11 (+0.5)
MV Western: Norfolk Cavaliers: 21-4 (+9.0)
Players of the Week:
Delaware: Domingo Valencia (Milton Brewers) 14-28, HR, 5 RBI's
MarVa: Jeff Lewis (Norfolk Cavaliers) 13-15, 2 HR's, 4 RBI's
Power Rankings:
1) Norfolk Cavaliers (168.2)
2) Newark Millers (126.0)
3) Dover Generals (115.0)
4) Milford Clippers (104.8)
5) Georgetown Sixteens (104.5)
News:- The Wilmington Iron Pigs acquired Leslie Bergeron from the Georgetown Sixteens for 3 minor-leaguers. Bergeron was hitting .313-3-19 for the Sixteens before the deal. The 30-yr-old will be the starting LF for the Pigs. The deal seemed to be a salary dump for the Sixteens, as the 3 minor-leaguers don't seem to have much of any prospect status.
- Tsuneo Sato has struggled with the Milton Brewers this season and has been placed on the "trading block". The 35-yr-old Sato went 7-15 5.21 last season, but hasn't managed to win a game yet this year going 0-4 11.78 in 7 games.