Week 19
Current Week: 5-1 (67-51 .568 / +5.0)
Next Week: 2 vs Cape May Beacons, 4 @ Milton Brewers
Power Ranking: 3 (114.2, +1)
Fan Interest: 74 (+1)
Owners Mood: Good
Expectation: Close to .500
Home: 39-25 .609
Away: 28-26 .519
Runs Scored: 530 (4th)
Avg: .261 (2nd)
HR: 139 (6th)
SB: 43 (11th)
Runs Against: 496 (4th)
Starters ERA: 4.02 (4th)
Pen ERA: 3.72 (6th)
Def Eff: .710 (5th)
Top Performers:
Hitting: Giovanni Smith: .500-1-5 (7-14), 2 R, 2 BB
Pitching: Robert Shepherd: 2 GS, 2-0 1.17, 15.1 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 18 Ks
Week 19:
Game 113: Chadds Ford 3, Christiana 2
Robert Shepherd (10-10): 8.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 7 K
Jonathan Loeffler (SV 32): 1.0 IP, K
Naofumi Ohyashi: 3-4
Hank Davis: 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI
H: 7, LOB: 9
Game 114: Chadds Ford 5, Christiana 6 (10 Innings)
Eric Harmon: 6.1 IP, 9 H, 5 R, BB, K
Nate Rice (3-3): 3.1 IP, 3 H, R, 2 K
Hank Davis: 1-1, HR (19), 2 RBI (PH)
Giovanni Smith: 2-2, HR (2), R, 2 RBI
Shunyen Koyama: 1-3, 2B, 2 R, RBI
Naofumi Ohyashi: 2-5, 2B
H: 8, LOB: 8
Game 115: Chadds Ford 5, Christiana 4 (12 Innings)
Ying-Hua Ji: 7.0 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Oscar Robinson (4-3): 4.0 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K
Jonathan Loeffler (SV 33): 1.0 IP, 2 K
Naofumi Ohyashi: 1-5, HR (19), R, RBI
Matt Douglas: 3-6, RBI
H: 9, LOB: 11
Game 116: Chadds Ford 12, Wilmington 3
Juan Cuesta (3-3): 6.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 7 BB, 4 K
Giovanni Smith: 3-5, 3 RBI
Eugene Todd: 2-6, 2B, HR (11), 3 R, 2 RBI
Naofumi Ohyashi: 1-5, HR (20), R, 2 RBI
Donald Hampton: 2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI
H: 15, LOB: 8
Game 117: Chadds Ford 7, Wilmington 6 (10 Innings)
Gehrig Pearl: 7.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 7 K
Jonathan Loeffler (5-3, BS 4): 2.0 IP, H, R, BB, 2 K
Giovanni Smith: 2-3, R
Matt Douglas: 1-4, HR (8), R, 2 RBI
Leon Hernandez: 1-5, R, 2 RBI
Ramon Garcia: 2-4
H: 8, LOB: 6
Game 118: Chadds Ford 4, Wilmington 1
Robert Shepherd (11-10): 7.1 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 11 K
Pete Davis: 2-5, 2B, R, 3 RBI
Howard Porter: 2-3, 2B, R
H: 8, LOB: 5
Transactions:
Placed SP Nobukazu Higashi on the 11-day disabled list, retroactive to 08/10/2036.
Purchased the contract of SP Juan Cuesta from Triple A San Juan.
The injury to Higashi is a tough one to take... and now we have 2 rookies in the starting rotaiton. Hopefully they will be up for the challenge.
Injuries:
CL Dani Rubio, torn laburm, 11-day DL, 4-weeks
OF Julio Casanes, sprained knee, 11-day DL, 4-weeks
SP Nobukazu Higashi, bone spur (elbow) surgery, 11-day DL, 4-5 months
Other/Roster News:
none
GM Notes:
Pitching pitching pitching, that is what is keeping us going. So as long as our bats can continue to score runs for these guys we should be alright. There will be a lot of pressure on Gehrig and Pearl the final 2 months of the season. Rookies in a pennant race, could get really interesting, since they will be in the spotlight.
Eric Harmon has been rather inconsistent this season. Last year his first in the bigs he went 12-16 4.54 in 34 starts, but this year he has only managed a 6-9 5.05 record. The biggest difference is more grounders are getting through, his BABIP went from .282 to .307, which in turn has increased his WHIP from 1.32 to 1.48. Not bad stats, but still not good enough. I am just hoping this is a sophomore slump and he will work his way through it and bounce back next year. Or if we are lucky he will find his groove the final 1 1/2 months of the season. He is my #3 now so I would like to see some consistency, in a positive way.
I have a dilemma going on right now. Should I offer 38-year-old Shunen Koyama a contract for 2037. He is hitting .255-9-31, but according to our scout he shouldn't be in the bigs. He plays 3 positions "ok" and he is a well known clubhouse presence. He won't cost much, just a roster slot and I am not sure I am ready to give that up... but with expansion hitting in 2037 it might be wise for me to sign him.
MR Dani Rubio and OF Julio Casanes will be coming off in mid-September. I am not sure what to do with them. I am guessing Rubio will need to be sent down to AAA after missing 4-months, but Casanes coming back after 6-weeks. Will he be better than Smith? It is September, but activating him will take Smith out of the lineup and the way he is playing right now I am not sure I can do that... looks like I will have a tough decision or two coming up.
We should have one more big week and then we head off into the tough competition with 2 games against division leaders Georgetown and Seaford... Then comes September which is going to be a rough month. We play a group of tough teams from the Admirals, Cavaliers, and Braves. That will be the month that will make or break us. The pressure will be on the rookies (Todd, Ohayashi, Smith, Cuesta, Pearl, and Matos). How will they hold up? Is Patterson going to be able to keep this team in check? I am hoping for a strong August finish, which should put us in a great slot of September. The Division is in our reach, and it is ours to lose. I just hope we can hold on.
Standings Leaders
DE Colonial: Seaford Blue Jays: 81-37 .686 (+21.0)
DE Northern: Chadds Ford Cannons: 67-51 .568 (+5.0)
DE Atlantic: Georgetown Sixteens: 73-45 .619 (+15.0)
WC: Christiana Blue Hens (DEN): 62-56 .525 (+2.0)
MV Beltway: Washington Senators: 71-47 .602 (+3.0)
MV Mountain: Richmond Cardinals: 80-38 .678 (+14.0)
MV Coastal: Norfolk Cavaliers: 68-50 .576 (+14.0)
WC: Annapolis Admirals (MVB): 68-50 .576 (+2.0)
Players of the Week:
Delaware: Anibal Corona, Seaford Blue Jays: 11-28, 4 HR's, 11 RBI's, 8 R's
MarVa: Javier Ramirez, Ellicott City Express: 9-17, 4 HR's, 10 RBI's
Power Rankings:
1) Seaford Blue Jays (128.6)
2) Richmond Cardinals (128.0)
3) Chadds Ford Cannons (114.2)
4) Georgetown Sixteens (112.4)
5) Washington Senators (111.3)
News:
Annapolis Admirals: Catcher Alonso Sierra hit HR #300 of his career during a 7-3 win against the Senators. At 30-years-old there should be a lot more HR's left in his bat.
Norfolk Cavaliers: Lost MR Gus James for 3-weeks with a sore shoulder. James was 1-2 2.08 with a save in 21 games this year.
New Castle Colonials: OF Teagan Welshman is still trying to prove he belongs in the bigs, and 5 for 5 does a lot to prove he does. Welsh went 5-5 against the Generals during a 13-3 victory.
Wood King of the Hill, No-Hits Royals:
Joey Wood was untouchable today at Kauffman Stadium, displaying a good fastball and wicked breaking balls in his 3-0 win against the King George Royals. The Richmond hurler did not allow a single hit, fanning 9 while walking 4. "This is great," Wood told reporters after the game. "Every pitcher wants a no-hitter. I just wanted the win but the no-hitter is a little extra icing on the victory cake." To date this season Wood is 7-4 with 11 starts and an ERA of 2.94 with 88 strikeouts in 95 innings.