[Bub13]

The 2038 All-Star Game was played at Wrigley Field in Chicago, and saw the NL top the AL 5-4. Dunklee went 0-for-2, Casillas gave up 4 runs in .2 innings, and Shewmake didn't play. Afterwards, everybody comes home for our next series against the Yankees. After that, we'll be on the road for two weeks and return home for a four-spot against the Rangers. Later in August (and early September) we'll have alternating sets of a two-week road trip and a two-week homestand. All this oddness in the schedule works for me this year, as we'll finish up the season with our last thirteen games at home, culminating in what could be a decisive series against Oakland.

July 16-18 vs NY YANKEES
Surprisingly, the Yanks are no longer in last place in the East. Baltimore (11-30 since May 28) and Tampa Bay (7-19 in the last month) have sucked their way to the sea floor in their place. Not that the Yankees are any good, and at 39-49 they're doomed to miss the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season. Pitching has been above average (not surprisingly, given that they spent big on their rotation this off-season), but hitting has been rock bottom. Fan interest has dropped (rated at 50) and attendance sits at 20K per game this year.

#90: WIN 6-1 ... Jones keeps his strong rookie season going (7.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 6 K) and Dunklee powers another one to the moon (27 dingers now)
#91: WIN 2-1 ... Groff hits a 10th-inning solo shot for the walk-off win...Casillas leaves after one batter with a sore elbow, diagnosis pending. Gulp
#92: WIN 6-2 ... Rafael Aragon is a punk for hitting McArthur on the elbow after Yankee pitchers gave up four earlier home runs. Too bad we're done with these guys for 2017

Good news regarding both injuries: Casillas has a mild elbow sprain and will miss a week; McArthur has a bruised elbow that will only hamper his throwing, and for six days only. I'll probably DH him for the week and rotate Martinez in left with Moreno...This was a good time for a sweep, esp as we now depart on a taxing two-week road trip, starting with a swing through Florida. ELSEWHERE...Nate Johnson is the first to hit 40 HR this year. The Mets 1B has hit 47, 48, and 54 the past three seasons. Toronto 1B Preston Sorensen has the record for this 'dynasty' with 56 in 2035, and the wonderfully named Roderick Shoulders hit 55 for Baltimore in 2022.


July 19-21 @ MIAMI
Third place in the AL East, 47-45, 5.5 games behind the Jays. Pretty good hitting, fair pitching, bad defense, +30 run diff. 3B Sergio Torres is the runaway best player on the team even in a down year for him, .283/.346/.533, 22 HR, 73 RBI. Fun fact: the Marlins hit 290 home runs last year, setting the AL record. They have 115 this year.

#93: WIN 19-3 ... five home runs, including a Videira GRAND SLAM and two from Dunklee, who also hurt his elbow...MIA reliever Geoff Olsson's ERA jumped by 1.50
#94: LOSS 11-12 ... we hit three more HR, but they hit five, four off of guess who? Sigh...Dunklee now at 30 HR, but gets hurt again
#95: LOSS 3-5 ... not cool, guys, not cool...now Mullen gets hurt. And so it begins

Okay, time for a change. I send down reliever Chris Mayer, whose numbers have been getting worse over the last month, and demote former ace Ken Clark to the bullpen. Clark had made a couple of good starts, and I thought he was back, but has gotten bombed his last two outings. To take his place I call up Rob Hart, who has been nailing it in AAA (1.39 ERA, 141 K in 116 IP). I hope the future is now....It's looking like the annual midsummer injury parade is about to kick into gear: Dunklee now has two dtd injuries, and Mullen has one as well. Dunklee's are both minimal, but I'm going to put him on the DL for 11 days b/c I want to nip this crap in the bud. Too bad, tho, as he's been far and away our best hitter recently. Come back soon, Jeremy. Nate Hullinger is called up to replace him on the roster. ELSEWHERE...Oakland swept their last series and is now 7 behind us...Montreal's Matt Anderson is the latest to try his hand at a long hitting streak, and is up to 23 games now.


July 23-25 @ TAMPA BAY
This is a series we need to take, to keep making hay against the league's weak sisters. Tampa is pretty bad in all areas, save stealing bases (4th) and bullpen ERA (7th). They have six players on the DL, and one more pending.

#96: LOSS 4-7 ... fifteen hits, fourteen singles...SNAP OUT OF THIS DAMMIT
#97: WIN 9-3 ... ahhh...eighteen more hits, and a nice seven inning stint for Little (now 10-3)
#98: LOSS 1-2 ... yes, by all means, stop hitting now please...Hart's debut, goes the distance and looks okay (8 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 5 K)

I don't know how real-life GMs survive, when your team looks so good one minute and so bad the next. Maybe we're just too nice; we don't like seeing struggling teams be so sad....Hart at least looked good in his debut, and Hullinger hit well this series. Clark struck out both batters in his first relief appearance. Get used to it, Ken. ELSEWHERE...Consider New Orlean's pitcher Omar Castillo. In his latest start for the 39-62 Zephs, he pitches a 2-hit complete game shutout, striking out ten. The next day, the 32-year-old, with time running out on the productive part of his career, gets called into his manager's office. "You've been traded!" Great! Where to? "St Louis." As in, 47-50, going-nowhere-anytime-ever St Louis. Pennant fever, folks.


July 26-28 @ HOUSTON
We're back in our division with our first look at Houston since we split four back in May. Houston had hope back then. Now they're 12 games under .500, with terrible hitting and substandard pitching. Can they sweep us? It seems likely.

#99: WIN 6-2 ... hey, no sweep at least...Wiggins has 2 doubles and 3 RBI, and Mullen is back over .300 with 2 hits (remember when he was hitting .350? Me neither.)
#100: LOSS 2-4 ... Casillas is rusty in his return, giving up all four runs in seven innings...we mount a late comeback that falls short
#101: WIN 18-1 ... another crazy-ass game, with five home runs, 17 hits, and six walks...Brock throws a complete game

So maybe our "donate two wins to every losing team" program has finally come to an end? The Angels are up next, so we'll see....Dunklee comes back from DL in three days, and I'm not sure who he'll replace, as all my 1B/DH cohort are hitting well right now. Sadly, original Islander OF Kelvin Moreno might get the axe. ELSEWHERE...Oakland still lingering at 6.5 games back...Chicago and Pittsburgh are still duking it out in the NL Central, with the Pirates holding on to a half game lead. Cincy and Montreal have been quietly winning as well, and are now only 4.5 and 5 games behind, respectively....KC and Minnesota are also separated by just a half game, with no one else close.


July 29-31 @ LA ANGELS
Another weak hitting team, 16th in runs scored, 14th in AVG. They've managed a -72 run diff while sitting in 8th place in runs allowed. That's...something. Starting pitching has been an achilles heel, calf, shin, hamstring, and thigh.

#102: WIN 5-3 ... Groff 10th inning HR for the win!...Little hurt after 1 IP, and guess who comes in with 4.2 IP of shutout ball? Yes, it's Mr Clark!
#103: WIN 4-2 ... Hart is the anti-Clark once again, this time getting the win...two Angels are hurt running the bases...LA SP Jon Brown is now 0-10
#104: WIN 8-6 ... we try to bone the game by giving up a grand slam in the 9th, only for Wiggins to knock a 2-run blast of his own in the 11th

We'll have one more with these guys on August 1st...Trade deadline approacheth, and Austin wants to trade me Ryan Linder, who is dumb, slow, and strikes out a lot. They want Mike Hunter, who will eventually hit a ton of doubles and win a lot of Gold Gloves. No thanks. Baltimore then offers a 24-year-old never-will-be RP for Hunter. Um, no...Dunklee returns in two days, and I'm probably sending Hullinger back to KC, despite being 9-for-36 with 2 HR. I just can't carry three 1B on the roster.

Trade deadline around the league...Nineteen deals have been made in the last week. Most were fairly minor or involved teams not going anywhere this year, but a few are worth mentioning...
...three deals really, but the Yankees acquired three power-hitting 1B (two are prospects) for four pitchers, including plum recent FA Chris Smolak, who was sent to the Royals. Smolak's been terrible this year, but maybe playing for a good team will help. So this makes the Royals rotation pretty strong now right? Welllll...
...they sent 2038 all-star starter (and former Islander) Tom DiFranco to OAKLAND (nooooo) for a backup C and a 1B prospect. Bad move, fellas, bad move. I would like to veto this one, m'kay?
...New Orleans and Houston each make four trades. Only one is interesting, with the Astros sendinng powerful (200 K last year) but fragile (six seasons, but only three with more than 20 starts) pitcher Adam Spinrad to Portland
...Those of you actually reading this might remember Texas signing Japanese league superstar Ben Worley to a mega-FA deal in the spring. Well, today they traded him to Milwaukee for a retread backup OF and a decent prospect SP. Worley has not hit well, but does have 14 HR in 285 AB.

The heck with you, Oakland, for getting better. We'll show you.

Next up: The blazing August sun