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Bub13 · 08-01-2017, 06:03 PM

As we segue into May, things start heating up. An eighth of the season is gone, and teams are getting a handle on their years now. By the end of May, all those close division races, where even the last place team is currently only a game or two under .500, will be spreading apart. There's still that early-season promise in the air, but for some you can already smell the desperation.

April 30, May 1-2 vs. TORONTO
The Jays are 11-9, not exactly where they want to be, but are only a game behind the Orioles. Hitting has been subpar, and pitching only average, and they have a run diff of +4. Reigning MVP Preston Sorensen is off to another good start (.338, 7 HR, 12 RBI) but this is a team built for power that is currently sitting 12th in home runs. The rotation is also struggling, with only one pitcher better than league average in ERA.

#23: WIN 9-3 ... 9 runs in the first four innings, two HR from backup Kelvin Moreno, and 8 strong innings from Brock. Neat.
#24: WIN 9-3 ... it's deja vu all over again...we pound three more HR, and Bobby Little makes his season debut (6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER)
#25: LOSS 3-4 ... Dunklee bashes his 10th, and we outhit the Jays 12-7 but also walked 6 and made 2 errors

Tough loss in game 3, but otherwise a positive series. CL Shewmake hurt his ankle, but should be fine in a few days and the trainer says it won't hurt his pitching. Next up are the Rangers, having a good start to the year, and then we're off to play the division-leading Mariners. ELSEWHERE...Minnesota 3B Paul Foster is AL Player of the Month, while Brooklyn SS Chris White snags the NL honor. Texas' Mike Rath (we'll see him next series) is AL's top pitcher, while the NL nod goes to Cincy's Jerey Miers....The Rays (7-18) and White Sox (8-17) are joining the Yankes (7-17) and Giants (ditto) for the League Stinkeroo title.

May 3-5 vs. TEXAS
The Rangers are hanging in there with a 13-12 start, coming off two straight wins vs the Indians. Teams stats look unhealthy (with a -13 run diff) but four regulars are hitting .300. Problem is, the other five guys are hitting below .250, and two are in sub-Mendoza territory. Mike Rath (5-0, 2.68) was AL pitcher of the month, but it looks like we'll miss him this go-round. After five starts, Aaron Burton is still sporting a fab 10.23 ERA. Too bad we'll likely miss him as well.

#26: WIN 7-3 ... Wiggins goes 3-4 with 4 RBI, and Martinez comes off the bench and knocks four hits...Clark struggles but wins
#27: WIN 11-0 ... Rath starts for the Rangers and we hang all 11 runs on him, including 5 HR...Casillas goes the distance, earning his first AL shutout
#28: WIN 5-2 ... the 10-ERA man got his number down to 9, but we still nailed another loss to him. Sorry...Brock strong again (7.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R)

Woo! Sweep! We destroyed their best pitcher to boot! More importantly, 2B Josh Robertson, in his 84th at bat of the season, knocked in his first run. So, uh, congrats? Now, off to Seattle for a fight for first place! ELSEWHERE...Richmond CF Aaron Riches (I know) had a 3-for-3 night against Philadelphia, raising his season average to .105 (9-for-86). He has more RBI than hits....Royals RF Hakaru Watanabe has been injury-plagued in his two seasons with the club, and has managed just 54 hits when healthy. Nineteen of those hits, though, have been home runs....Yankees 2B Danny Greenwald is working on a 24-game hitting streak.

May 6-9 @ SEATTLE
Needless to say, a big four-game set for both teams. Seattle's offense, so bad in recent years, has been quite good of late, as they're now 4th in runs scored and third in home runs. And thanks to a still-dominant pitching staff, they have a +45 run diff as well. 1B/DH Fernando Orozco (.322, 9, 22) has led the way, helped out by LF Enrique Cervantes (.306, 5, 23). Star CF Mike Wapner (.267, 6, 15) has struggled, and leadoff 2B Zach Davis is only hitting .184. Their entire staff has been solid, minus SP Sean Easter, sporting a tough 5.17 ERA, thanks mostly to yielding 9 HR (on pace for 52) in 38 IP.

#29: WIN 11-3 ... Groff and Dunklee homer and Little makes another quality start...we also injure their SP, Ferrie Janssens. We are a curse
#30: WIN 7-4 ... Jones has a poor start (5 IP, 4 R), but we knock out 13 hits and 2 more home runs againts the vaunted Mariners staff
#31: LOSS 9-10 ... the streak is over, thanks to a 13th inning walk-off hit...Clark continues to befuddle, and his ERA is now over 7
#32: WIN 12-1 ... 16 hits and 3 more homers...Casillas goes the distance again, praise be...McArthur four hits, Mullen gets two

Three wins out of four, and we're on top of the division by one, at 21-11. (Oakland is also running strong, at 18-15.) Very satisfying series, save for two items: Ken Clark is having a terrible year, with an ERA of 7.07, 44 H and 7 HR in 35.2 IP. He gets a lot of strikeouts with few walks, but seems to give up runs by the bucketload. Very frustrating; and second, closer Jack Shewmake tweaks his shoulder and is dtd for a week. He won't go on the DL, but I'm shutting him down for the next six days. We'll go with six relievers in the meantime. ELSEWHERE...Cleveland topped Detroit on the 6th 23-3, collecting 21 hits and 12 walks....The Cubs top the league with a 22-8 record, two games up on the Pirates (21-11, same as us). Minnesota and Kansas City share the AL East lead, also at 21-11.

May 10-13 vs HOUSTON
Houston's hanging around so far, at 16-16, but with terrible hitting (.238, 16th place) and a -11 run diff, even a .500 record will be hard to maintain. RF Jeff Donaldson (.266, 7 HR) and 1B Caleb Francis (.252, 6, 21) are having the best offensive seasons. Lefty starter Jay Russo has been excellent, with a 5-1 record, 1.71 ERA, and 57 K in 47 IP, while set up guy Craig Leming has been nearly unhittiable (0.63 ERA).

#33: LOSS 2-5 ... Francis' 3-run shot in the first is all the Astros need...Dunklee hits his 13th
#34: WIN 7-2 ... Groff and Drayton get four hits apiece, and D knocks in 5...Little yields 8 H, 2 R in 6 IP
#35: WIN 10-0 ... Jones goes 7 four-hit, shutout innings...Dunklee hits his 14th, and Groff continues to love the leadoff spot, with 3 hits and a HR
#36: LOSS 2-7 ... guess who pitched today? Yeah, Clark: 9 H, 6 R, 4.2 IP, 3 HR. Will he be a deadline casualty, come July?

Man, it's hard to complain when you're 23-13 and 2 games in front in your division, but here goes: WTF Ken Clark? He's striking out more guys this year and walking fewer, but giving up a ton of hits (first time ever with more hits than IP), and is on pace to give up even more HR than last year (1.8/9 vs 2.2/9). Is this just a bad month? He did have two "star of the game" outings in April, but his last five starts, ugh: 23 IP, 38 H, 27 ER, 10.57 ERA. I've cut guys with the same numbers. I may have to move him to the pen soon. And I'm at the point where I may make Justin "9.00 ERA Last Year" Ragland our new starter, because at least 9 is better than 10, right? ELSEWHERE...Remember our best starter from last year, Tom DiFranco? The guy I decided not to re-sign? He's 4-0 with a 1.40 ERA with the Royals. Sigh.

Next up: Interleague Play!

08-01-2017, 06:03 PM	#54
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	As we segue into May, things start heating up. An eighth of the season is gone, and teams are getting a handle on their years now. By the end of May, all those close division races, where even the last place team is currently only a game or two under .500, will be spreading apart. There's still that early-season promise in the air, but for some you can already smell the desperation. April 30, May 1-2 vs. TORONTO The Jays are 11-9, not exactly where they want to be, but are only a game behind the Orioles. Hitting has been subpar, and pitching only average, and they have a run diff of +4. Reigning MVP Preston Sorensen is off to another good start (.338, 7 HR, 12 RBI) but this is a team built for power that is currently sitting 12th in home runs. The rotation is also struggling, with only one pitcher better than league average in ERA. #23: WIN 9-3 ... 9 runs in the first four innings, two HR from backup Kelvin Moreno, and 8 strong innings from Brock. Neat. #24: WIN 9-3 ... it's deja vu all over again...we pound three more HR, and Bobby Little makes his season debut (6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER) #25: LOSS 3-4 ... Dunklee bashes his 10th, and we outhit the Jays 12-7 but also walked 6 and made 2 errors Tough loss in game 3, but otherwise a positive series. CL Shewmake hurt his ankle, but should be fine in a few days and the trainer says it won't hurt his pitching. Next up are the Rangers, having a good start to the year, and then we're off to play the division-leading Mariners. ELSEWHERE...Minnesota 3B Paul Foster is AL Player of the Month, while Brooklyn SS Chris White snags the NL honor. Texas' Mike Rath (we'll see him next series) is AL's top pitcher, while the NL nod goes to Cincy's Jerey Miers....The Rays (7-18) and White Sox (8-17) are joining the Yankes (7-17) and Giants (ditto) for the League Stinkeroo title. May 3-5 vs. TEXAS The Rangers are hanging in there with a 13-12 start, coming off two straight wins vs the Indians. Teams stats look unhealthy (with a -13 run diff) but four regulars are hitting .300. Problem is, the other five guys are hitting below .250, and two are in sub-Mendoza territory. Mike Rath (5-0, 2.68) was AL pitcher of the month, but it looks like we'll miss him this go-round. After five starts, Aaron Burton is still sporting a fab 10.23 ERA. Too bad we'll likely miss him as well. #26: WIN 7-3 ... Wiggins goes 3-4 with 4 RBI, and Martinez comes off the bench and knocks four hits...Clark struggles but wins #27: WIN 11-0 ... Rath starts for the Rangers and we hang all 11 runs on him, including 5 HR...Casillas goes the distance, earning his first AL shutout #28: WIN 5-2 ... the 10-ERA man got his number down to 9, but we still nailed another loss to him. Sorry...Brock strong again (7.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R) Woo! Sweep! We destroyed their best pitcher to boot! More importantly, 2B Josh Robertson, in his 84th at bat of the season, knocked in his first run. So, uh, congrats? Now, off to Seattle for a fight for first place! ELSEWHERE...Richmond CF Aaron Riches (I know) had a 3-for-3 night against Philadelphia, raising his season average to .105 (9-for-86). He has more RBI than hits....Royals RF Hakaru Watanabe has been injury-plagued in his two seasons with the club, and has managed just 54 hits when healthy. Nineteen of those hits, though, have been home runs....Yankees 2B Danny Greenwald is working on a 24-game hitting streak. May 6-9 @ SEATTLE Needless to say, a big four-game set for both teams. Seattle's offense, so bad in recent years, has been quite good of late, as they're now 4th in runs scored and third in home runs. And thanks to a still-dominant pitching staff, they have a +45 run diff as well. 1B/DH Fernando Orozco (.322, 9, 22) has led the way, helped out by LF Enrique Cervantes (.306, 5, 23). Star CF Mike Wapner (.267, 6, 15) has struggled, and leadoff 2B Zach Davis is only hitting .184. Their entire staff has been solid, minus SP Sean Easter, sporting a tough 5.17 ERA, thanks mostly to yielding 9 HR (on pace for 52) in 38 IP. #29: WIN 11-3 ... Groff and Dunklee homer and Little makes another quality start...we also injure their SP, Ferrie Janssens. We are a curse #30: WIN 7-4 ... Jones has a poor start (5 IP, 4 R), but we knock out 13 hits and 2 more home runs againts the vaunted Mariners staff #31: LOSS 9-10 ... the streak is over, thanks to a 13th inning walk-off hit...Clark continues to befuddle, and his ERA is now over 7 #32: WIN 12-1 ... 16 hits and 3 more homers...Casillas goes the distance again, praise be...McArthur four hits, Mullen gets two Three wins out of four, and we're on top of the division by one, at 21-11. (Oakland is also running strong, at 18-15.) Very satisfying series, save for two items: Ken Clark is having a terrible year, with an ERA of 7.07, 44 H and 7 HR in 35.2 IP. He gets a lot of strikeouts with few walks, but seems to give up runs by the bucketload. Very frustrating; and second, closer Jack Shewmake tweaks his shoulder and is dtd for a week. He won't go on the DL, but I'm shutting him down for the next six days. We'll go with six relievers in the meantime. ELSEWHERE...Cleveland topped Detroit on the 6th 23-3, collecting 21 hits and 12 walks....The Cubs top the league with a 22-8 record, two games up on the Pirates (21-11, same as us). Minnesota and Kansas City share the AL East lead, also at 21-11. May 10-13 vs HOUSTON Houston's hanging around so far, at 16-16, but with terrible hitting (.238, 16th place) and a -11 run diff, even a .500 record will be hard to maintain. RF Jeff Donaldson (.266, 7 HR) and 1B Caleb Francis (.252, 6, 21) are having the best offensive seasons. Lefty starter Jay Russo has been excellent, with a 5-1 record, 1.71 ERA, and 57 K in 47 IP, while set up guy Craig Leming has been nearly unhittiable (0.63 ERA). #33: LOSS 2-5 ... Francis' 3-run shot in the first is all the Astros need...Dunklee hits his 13th #34: WIN 7-2 ... Groff and Drayton get four hits apiece, and D knocks in 5...Little yields 8 H, 2 R in 6 IP #35: WIN 10-0 ... Jones goes 7 four-hit, shutout innings...Dunklee hits his 14th, and Groff continues to love the leadoff spot, with 3 hits and a HR #36: LOSS 2-7 ... guess who pitched today? Yeah, Clark: 9 H, 6 R, 4.2 IP, 3 HR. Will he be a deadline casualty, come July? Man, it's hard to complain when you're 23-13 and 2 games in front in your division, but here goes: WTF Ken Clark? He's striking out more guys this year and walking fewer, but giving up a ton of hits (first time ever with more hits than IP), and is on pace to give up even more HR than last year (1.8/9 vs 2.2/9). Is this just a bad month? He did have two "star of the game" outings in April, but his last five starts, ugh: 23 IP, 38 H, 27 ER, 10.57 ERA. I've cut guys with the same numbers. I may have to move him to the pen soon. And I'm at the point where I may make Justin "9.00 ERA Last Year" Ragland our new starter, because at least 9 is better than 10, right? ELSEWHERE...Remember our best starter from last year, Tom DiFranco? The guy I decided not to re-sign? He's 4-0 with a 1.40 ERA with the Royals. Sigh. Next up: Interleague Play!