[Bub13]

The AL beat the NL in the All-Star game, 11-9. MVP was Boston SS Pablo Delgado, who went 4-for-5 and helped spark a 7-run 2nd inning outburst. All six of our guys played, with Dunklee and Mercedes going hitless, and Groff getting two hits and a HR. Our three pitchers (Jones, Messinger, and Casillas) each threw an inning, and as they're the next up once regular games resume, my rotation may be out of whack for a couple of days. Hmph.

We're past the halfway mark of the season (89 games played), but this is still a good time to take stock of things. Our record is 63-26, 13 games up on the A's, 18 on the Rangers. We're first in runs and hitting, 4th in home runs and steals (an owner goal this off-season, believe it). Second in runs against, with the #1 rotation ERA, and 7th best bullpen numbers. Team defense is third. All to the good. We've also been relatively healthy: despite the crazy rash of dtd knocks, only two players have had their seasons largely derailed by injuries. Both are outfielders (Mel Carillo, Andy Sanchez), and both were penciled in to the opening day starting lineup. In fact, outfield has been plagued by breaks, strains, pulls and bruises all season: we've already run through 11 outfielders, with as many as six guys at once either on the DL or nursing dtd hurts. In addition to the above guys, Steve Hopkins is also out for another week, having suffered two minor-ish setbacks in his recovery. He should be back in a week. Joel Courtney, rescued off the FA scrapheap, should be fully healthy after our next series. Sanchez is back in a month; Carillo is done for the season.

Three-fifths of our rotation has been solid, but Hart and Heine still concern me. Hart is on-again-off-again, so he'll get hammered in his next start (just watch). Heine has been pretty bad most times, but has won 3 of his last 5 starts, and lowered his ERA over half a run of late. However, given that he makes over $17M and my owner wants me to cut payroll, Heine's likely on his last legs with us. Despite my constant complaining, the pen has actually been mostly dependable this season. Kieffer has not been money as the closer (4.43 ERA, 7 HR in 42 IP), but he's been good enough. The setup and middle relief guys have been good, but I'm still looking for consistency from the back end guys, and have rotated through Gouweleeuw, Randolph, Albring, and Miller (currently injured). I'll probably try out a couple other guys this month, maybe let's see what we're able to establish as we work through the summer.

On the farm, both KC (AAA) and Lewiston (AA) are playing well, and Eureka (A) has slowly turned things around, with the 32-57 record being a major improvement on how they stood just a few weeks ago. Beyond that, records don't matter to me, as long as players develop. Our #1 prospect, pitcher Cam Bornhoft, was rolling along in AAA, and was probably going to get a shot with the Isles soon, until he hurt his shoulder. He might be back for a September callup, might not. And further down the list, the three pitchers I took at the top of the 2039 draft (1st round, Supplemental pick, 2nd round) have not turned out to be the arms of the future I'd hoped. Taylor Barnett (1st rnd) is 22 and throwing okay in AA, and looks like he could still become a useful part. I'm still hopeful. Jamie Berisford (Suppl.) suffered his second elbow injury this spring, and at age 24, is looking like he might not make it past A or AA. Justin Sutton, (2nd rnd, also 24), a Hawaii native, was my dark horse guy, someone I wanted to become a hometown hero. After a good rookie season in Short A, he was subpar in A ball last year, and has been on the DL this entire season with an undisclosed injury. Very hush hush. He looks like a total bust at this point, sadly.

Okay, back to regular programming.

......

July 12-14 vs TORONTO
We took two of three from the Jays way back in the second week of the season, and they haven't really been on track since. Currently sitting at 43-44, in third behind the Marlins and the Red Sox, but they have won four straight. Sixth in runs for, 4th in runs against, with a +45 run differential, so it's not like they can't get things done. Their recent turnaround has coincided with the return of 4-time Cy Young winner Dave Henderson, who's pitched well in four starts but has no record to show for it. CF Tim Manske is delighting home crowds (.310/26/77), but Canadian superhero Preston Sorensen is having a waaay down year (.267/18/51) by his lofty standards.

HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (10-2, 2.33) / Leon Casillas (11-4, 3.84) / Eric Jones (11-2, 2.85)
TOR pitchers: Dave Henderson (0-0, 2.57) / Jimmy Wunderlich (3-3, 4.61) / Kevin Welch (6-5, 3.56)

#90: WIN 11-4 ... a 7-run first sends Henderson to the showers, and all the scoring is over after four innings...four hits for Henkel, three for Groff...McArthur hurt on the bases, diag. pending
#91: WIN 7-1 ... Hunter and White with a pair of hits and RBIs each, and Casillas goes the distance, scatters four hits
#92: WIN 4-0 ... McGowan and Gooding are the stars at the plate, each with a HR...Jones goes 8, as it must be against state law for him to pitch a complete game

Yes! A sweep against one of our big rivals, and one I didn't see coming. Pitching was the key, with our big three all throwing well.... McArthur, however, suffers two dtd injuries (wth with our OF injuries this year?), and so I should sit him for the next series. But will I.... RP Albring is sent back to AAA, and it's Frank Soto's turn in the pen.... ELSEWHERE: a handful of shutouts, plus a rash of 1-, 2-, and 3-hitters in the first post-all-star break series of games.... Cubs pitcher Bobby Morfin wants out, according to reports from the Windy City. Over a 12-year career with the Cubs, he's gone from decent MR, to a solid starter, and back to top-rank MR. He's also not your typical malcontent, bringing good intangibles. I'd consider making an offer for him, if he weren't making $18M this year.... Hot and Not: Austin is 47-43 this year, not great, but miles ahead of anywhere they've been in over a decade. Leading the way is 40-year-old 2B Jimmy Campbell, hitting .360 for the season, and nearly .600 the past two weeks. And SP Bryant Owens is 5-1 with a 1.73 in his last 8 starts.... Individual Spotlight: Original Islander Ryan Key is still puttering along, closing games for the terrible Portland Pioneers. After three years (and 230 games) with San Diego and Richmond, he was taken by Hawaii in the 33rd round of the expansion draft. He spent the next six-plus years with us, and is still our all-time games pitched leader, with 308 games. He also earned 21 saves, and was part of our championship team in 2039. But, along with the rest of the bullpen, he imploded in 2040, with a 7.23 ERA in 21 games, and a stunning 3.9 HR/9. He was traded to the Yankees that summer, for reliever Ricky Jimenez (terrible last year, but solid this year), and did okay. Still, he was traded over the winter, with a hot prospect, for 2B Chris Flock, who's had a bangup year for the Yanks. Key's been good but not great: his Ks are up, BBs down, and he has 21 saves, but a .376 BABIP, a career worst. He's 33, signed for one more year, and--like much of the team--is an unhappy camper, with the team's 35-56 record, and a handful of slackers ruining everyone's mood.


July 15-17 @ TAMPA BAY
Sitting at 40-52, last in the East, and coming off a series sweep at the hands of the just-as-bad Mariners. We swept them in three way back in early April. They're 15th in runs, 14th in runs against, and sport a -60 run diff. Three outfielders (two starters) and three pitchers are on the DL, and their replacements aren't measuring up. 2B Tim Ost (.341/11/45) and C Will Antonio (.315) have been the lone bright spots in the lineup, and pitcher Joe Ingram (now 29, and a Ray lifer) is having his best year.

HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (8-5, 5.12) / Billy Heine (8-5, 5.37) / Mike Messinger (11-2, 2.52)
TBR pitchers: John Swindell (7-4, 3.83) / Jose Hernandez (5-9, 5.82) / Joe Ingram (7-5, 3.09)

#93: LOSS 4-5 ... a four-run 7th kills us, despite Hart's good start up to then...Mercedes hits his 32nd, overall we outhit them 11-6
#94: LOSS 2-5 ... put this one squarely on Heine, who somehow stays in for six innings
#95: LOSS 1-3 ... just five hits for each team, but they get a 2-run HR, ours is a solo shot...Messinger is strong, batters are not

Well, that's a letdown. The bats went dry, and it was all she wrote. The only good thing is that no one else got hurt, and McArthur will be back at 100% for our next series.... ELSEWHERE: Twins 3B Paul Foster hit his 20th HR this week, against just 5 doubles. (In 2037 his ratio was 7-to-31.) For his career, he has 152 doubles and 278 homers.... Hot and Not: Yankees OF Tony Flores has 39 home runs, on pace for 69. New Orleans SS Chris Martin is batting .179 for the season, and is 2-for-34 in July.... Individual Spotlight: I try to keep my eye on the comings and goings around the league, so it's pretty rare for someone to have a 15-year career and go completely unnoticed. But 39-year-old 3B Johnny Winn has done just that. He's made nearly 1700 career infield starts and has made nearly no mark at all, just two Gold Gloves to show, one with Seattle and one with Arizona. A career .251 hitter, who topped out at 21 HR one season, but managed single digits as often as he hit double figures. After hitting .303 in part-time play with Texas last year, he signed with the Padres this year, but has hit only .196 and looks done. So long, Johnny, we hardly knew ye.


July 19-21 @ BALTIMORE
Fourth in the East, at 46-50, but only 4.5 games behing the Marlins for first. Most team stats are underwhelming: 8th in runs and AVG, 13th in runs against, and a -28 run diff. They are 5th in home runs, with six starters already in double figures. The bullpen is 15th in the AL, with ex-Isle Bryan Dever having a decent-enough year as the closer. Their best player is rising star, 24-year-old RF Cesar Alvarenga, hitting .317 with 18 HR. We took three straight from them to open the season.

HAW pitchers: Leon Casillas (12-4, 3.64) / Eric Jones (12-2, 2.66) / Rob Hart (8-6, 5.15)
BAL pitchers: Miguel Moreno (5-10, 3.43) / Hideyuki Asano (5-9, 4.28) / Andy Goeser (6-6, 4.77)

#96: LOSS 3-7 ... nine hits and a couple of home runs, but we can't put enough together, and now we have a four-game losing streak, longest of the season
#97: LOSS 3-4 ... Jones is left in too long, and gives up 3 runs late to squander a 3-1 lead...Robertson goes 3-for-3, batting .330 on the season
#98: WIN 11-1 ... ahhh, finally...Robertson moves to the leadoff and gets 2 more hits, and McArthur, Dunklee, and Mercedes each drive in three...Hart has a good game, two in a row now

It appears the dread mid-season slump is upon us, having put together a nifty little five-game losing streak. Just in time for eleven upcoming games against division opponents.... Steve Hopkins comes off the DL, so Dave White (.231/4/8 in 65 AB) heads out to KC. Hopkins went 1-for-5 in his return to the lineup.... Made one roster tweak which I hope sparks some more offense: Mike Hunter has been leading off all season and has just a .298 OBP to show for it. So I swapped him down to 9th and put Josh Robertson in his place. It's worked for one game so far, so I'll jump the gun and call it a success.... ELSEWHERE: This week brought the first big-splash trade of the month: Boston acquired OF Mike Blough from Pittsburgh for SP Kaz Matsuoka and prospect OF Cam Daley. Blough's had an injury-filled year, appearing in just 19 games, but he's a career .311 hitter who's capable of 40 HR and plays solid defense. I'm not sure where he'll play, as all three outfielders and their DH are having good years, but I guess it's a good problem to have. For the Pirates, while they definitely need pitching (next-to-last in NL runs against), this opens a huge hole in a so-so offense. Matsuoka gives them a true #1 starter they haven't had since B.J. Nault left after 2036. Daley, a 2041 first round pick by Oakland who's now been traded twice this month, looks like a future star, but is at least 3-4 years away.... Hot and Not: well, our five-game losing streak looked bad, and so does Oakland's current 5-game schneid, which has dropped them to 14.5 games behind us. And the top three teams in the NL East--New York, Brooklyn, and Richmond--are each 8-2 in their last ten. Five games separates them in the standings.... Individual Spotlight: In a league full of quality catchers, we always have to steal ours from others (first Austin Collins, now Alexis Mercedes). San Francisco's Adam Behling is another guy who might look good in an Islanders jersey one day. The 26-year-old is in his fifth year behind the plate for the Giants, is a two-time All-Star, a Gold Glove winner, and the defending NL batting champ (.345 last year). His 8.1 WAR also lead the league, and it was a crime that he received hardly any MVP votes. He's hitting .326 this year, and although his home runs are down (on pace for 14, after two years of 28), and is a team leader for the struggling Giants. He's signed through 2045, and with no decent catching prospects in our system, you never know...