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Bub13 · 09-13-2018, 08:09 PM

August 1-4 @ LA ANGELS
If we could forget May and June, the Angels would be a game over .500. Problem is, they were 18 under those other two months. Neither hitting (17th) or pitching (15th) has been anything worth discussing. SS Juan Rodriquez (.346/26/83) is still outstanding, and 3B Tony Mendoza (.284/22/67) pretty good. After that...le déluge.

HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (7-9, 4.43) / Taylor Barnett (1-0, 2.25) / Ryuma Sato (8-4, 3.96) / Eric Jones (8-5, 4.13)
LAA pitchers: Leonardo Vigil (2-3, 4.13) / Khalil Smith (9-6, 5.96) / Alex Diaz (5-0, 3.03) / Joe Payne (3-3, 5.98)

#106: WIN 7-2 ... 5-hitter for Hart, but he did walk 4...four hits, two doubles, for Robertson
#107: WIN 6-2 ... another solid outing for Barnett: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 6 K...we score all our runs from the 7th on, thanks to 3 doubles and 2 HR...1000 FRANCHISE WINS!
#108: LOSS 10-11 ... cruising along with an 8-1 lead until we surrender 8 in the 7th...every starter gets a hit, so there's that at least
#109: WIN 2-0 ... Jones rolls again, this time with an 8-hit complete game...Masuda's 2-run double in the 6th plate the only runs of the game

Nearly a sweep, oh well. And we earn our 1000th win as a franchise, so that's fun.... Barnett looks good in his second start; fingers still crossed.... Stoneback still isn't hitting, and he gets hurt again in that 4th game, diagnosis pending. RP Dan Brown also tweaks his back, and is sitting for a week.... ELSEWHERE: That STL/AUS trade I made fun of last month is paying off for both teams. St Louis is 12-4--and has stretched their lead over Cincy to 15 games--with new 3B Andrew Crisp in the lineup, and he's hitting .300/3/18 in 60 AB. Meanwhile, Austin hasn't been quite that good, but starter Wes Lipinski has won all four of his outings, tossing 32 innings with a 2.25 ERA. They're a half game out of first, just behind the Padres.... Baltimore's Cesar Alvarenga is the first to reach 100 RBI. At .353/31/101, he's also leading the AL in batting. He's had 120 and 128 RBI the last two seasons, and is signed to a huge contract, making $36M per through 2049.

August 5-7 @ MINNESOTA
It's a battle of division leaders as we head to the Twin Cities to take on the Twins. At 58-50, they're deadlocked with the Indians, and both are ahead of the White Sox by three games. Good hitting--7th--and so-so pitching--13th--combine for a tiny +3 run differential. The rotation ERA is 16th, and not a one of them has a number below 5.30. Top starter Erik Presley, signed away from New Orleans this winter, is done for the year, and two 3B are out for another month.

HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (12-3, 2.74) / Rob Hart (8-9, 4.28) / Taylor Barnett (2-0, 2.40)
MIN pitchers: Chris McMichael (5-5, 5.72) / Andy Goeser (7-5, 5.53) / Paul Cole (8-8, 5.56)

#110: WIN 8-3 ... we rally with 5 in the 7th, led by a rare HR for Gooding this year, just his 2nd...3 H, 3 RBI for Cannon...Mess hurt, will miss his next start
#111: WIN 12-3 ... 4 H and RBI for Robertson, who then gets hurt...30th HR for Cannon...3 H for Simmons, now batting .351
#112: WIN 9-2 ... third straight quality start for Barnett, going another 7 IP...12 hits, including 5 doubles and 2 HR

Did not see this one coming. Offense is back in first overall, and even team defense is now top six; first time in a while for that.... Stoneback's horrible season continues, as he's out for six weeks with a hamstring strain. IF Edward Ospina gets his first big league summons. He might go back down for a day, since Messinger hurts his back and will likely miss his next start. We're off on the 11th (after our next series), and have a double header on the 12th, so I'm not sure if he'll pitch or not, or who will get the nod if he can't go.... ELSEWHERE: Austin lost stud rookie OF Phil Imel (.337/31/93, contending for a triple crown) for three weeks, but some hot play has them currently in first in the NL West.... Minnesota's lost six in a row, still clinging to 2nd place.... Yankees made-of-glass CF Daizo Yonamine just suffered his TENTH dtd injury of the season.... Philly 1B Yuhei Adachi (.272/22/65) has a 22-game hit streak, but is going to have to step up if he wants to top 40 HR for the 4th time in his 5-year career.

August 8-10 @ MILWAUKEE
MLB had the Brewers winning 85, but they're limping along at 54-58. Still, they're only 5.5 out of first, so I'm saying there's hope. Hitting is 10th, but they've cracked 182 home runs, good for 3rd in the AL. Pitching is 12th, with a bad rotation but the 3rd best bullpen. That last number is especially good considering that they've got five relievers on long-term DL right now. RF Colby Sandu is 2nd in the AL with 36 HR, on pace to surpass 50 for the second year running.

HAW pitchers: Ryuma Sato (8-4, 4.09) / Eric Jones (9-5, 3.87) / tbd
MIL pitchers: Nick Shockley (5-5, 4.88) / Oscar Maldonado (7-3, 5.11) / Travis Calhoun (4-5, 4.20)

#113: WIN 5-4 ... tempers rise when Sato beans Tom Risberg, but nothing flares up...4 doubles and a HR pace our attack, with Rich driving in two for the GW
#114: WIN 4-2 ... Cannon's 2B in the 6th and Wright's HR in the 7th plate runs and give us the win...Jones is solid through 7 and two RP combine for 4 K (and 3 H) for the save
#115: LOSS 7-9 ... 4 hits each for Cannon and Simmons...Malik Chaney gets the late call-up and is ineffective again (2nd start this year)

Ugly loss there, but still an alright series. We're the first team to 80 wins, and we've opened up a 14 game lead over the A's.... Chaney gets the late call-up to replace Messinger, and is beaten soundly. He goes back down, and Ospina comes back up as an extra infielder.... ELSEWHERE: Atlanta's Jose Gutierrez gave up just one hit (and one walk) through 11 innings against New Orleans, but left in a scoreless game. The Braves lost, but take a long rest, Jose.... St Louis is the only other team with 70 wins, and they have the largest divisional lead, now 16 games over the Reds.... Richmond's Rafael Maldonado has reached 200 K for the 9th consecutive season, and leads all pitchers with 7.5 WAR.

August 12-14 vs CLEVELAND
Four games over three days, with a make-up game added for a double header on day one. Picked to finish last, the Indians have been at or near the top of the Central all season long. They're 61-53, 2 games up on Minnesota, 3 over Chicago. Hitting has been a trial, at 14th in runs and 16th in HR. Pitching is the real strength, 2nd in runs and starter's ERA. Zach Gioeli has been the unquestioned ace, and is in line for Cy Young consideration. The prospect system is top 10 right now, so if they can get some hitters in here, they could be a force for the next few years. (They've made the playoffs just twice in this dynasty: in '35 and '37, and haven't seen a World Series in 47 years.)

HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (13-3, 2.80) / Rob Hart (9-9, 4.25) / Taylor Barnett (3-0, 2.45) / Ryuma Sato (9-4, 4.17)
CLE pitchers: Bryan Altier (9-8, 4.40) / Zach Gioeli (16-4, 2.49) / Mike Koslowsky (1-2, 7.85) / Roberto Maldonado (10-5, 3.37)

#116: WIN 6-1 ... Mess tosses 7 IP of 4-hit ball, all singles...8 hits, 6 are doubles
#117: WIN 8-3 ... 14 hits, and we chase Gioeli in the 5th...Hart gives up 2 HR in his 5 IP, but fans 10...Brown comes back healthy with 4 IP, no runners and 6 K
#118: WIN 11-6 ... 14 hits again, 7 of them doubles...Barnett is not sharp, but our attack is enough...Cannon hurt, diagnosis pending
#119: WIN 4-3 ... Hart's triple and Klein's single put up a 3-run 7th for a comeback win...Sato is just fair, but again Brown takes the win, now 8-0

Another surprising sweep against the top of the Central.... Cannon's injury is just a 3-day minimal tweak, so phew.... Robertson's solid hitting now has him with 1046 career hits, tied for 4th on the all-time Islanders list, with former triples machine Chris Wiggins.... ELSEWHERE: Richmond's Rafael Maldonado racks up another shutout (3rd on the season) and reaches 8 WAR, most in MLB.... Vinny Vargas (you know who he is) reaches 100 RBI, and is the first to top 40 HR.... Some nice division races going on: five teams are four games apart in the AL Central, 4 teams are a game apart in the NL East, and 4 teams are 2 games apart in the NL West.... former Islander Jim Kieffer (now with Portland) has given up just 3 ER in his last three starts (26 IP), and has won his last four starts.

......

TL;DR Version: That's how you make up for a brief period of doldrums: a 12-2 run. We now have a crazy 84-35 record, 15.5 games up on Oakland, 20 on the Mariners. Unsustainable? Maybe, but why not for the whole season? It would be great to set a new wins record for the regular season, only to join all the other teams to have won 110+ games and flame out in the playoffs. It's inevitable, you know.

09-13-2018, 08:09 PM	#180
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	August 1-4 @ LA ANGELS If we could forget May and June, the Angels would be a game over .500. Problem is, they were 18 under those other two months. Neither hitting (17th) or pitching (15th) has been anything worth discussing. SS Juan Rodriquez (.346/26/83) is still outstanding, and 3B Tony Mendoza (.284/22/67) pretty good. After that...le déluge. HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (7-9, 4.43) / Taylor Barnett (1-0, 2.25) / Ryuma Sato (8-4, 3.96) / Eric Jones (8-5, 4.13) LAA pitchers: Leonardo Vigil (2-3, 4.13) / Khalil Smith (9-6, 5.96) / Alex Diaz (5-0, 3.03) / Joe Payne (3-3, 5.98) #106: WIN 7-2 ... 5-hitter for Hart, but he did walk 4...four hits, two doubles, for Robertson #107: WIN 6-2 ... another solid outing for Barnett: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 6 K...we score all our runs from the 7th on, thanks to 3 doubles and 2 HR...1000 FRANCHISE WINS! #108: LOSS 10-11 ... cruising along with an 8-1 lead until we surrender 8 in the 7th...every starter gets a hit, so there's that at least #109: WIN 2-0 ... Jones rolls again, this time with an 8-hit complete game...Masuda's 2-run double in the 6th plate the only runs of the game Nearly a sweep, oh well. And we earn our 1000th win as a franchise, so that's fun.... Barnett looks good in his second start; fingers still crossed.... Stoneback still isn't hitting, and he gets hurt again in that 4th game, diagnosis pending. RP Dan Brown also tweaks his back, and is sitting for a week.... ELSEWHERE: That STL/AUS trade I made fun of last month is paying off for both teams. St Louis is 12-4--and has stretched their lead over Cincy to 15 games--with new 3B Andrew Crisp in the lineup, and he's hitting .300/3/18 in 60 AB. Meanwhile, Austin hasn't been quite that good, but starter Wes Lipinski has won all four of his outings, tossing 32 innings with a 2.25 ERA. They're a half game out of first, just behind the Padres.... Baltimore's Cesar Alvarenga is the first to reach 100 RBI. At .353/31/101, he's also leading the AL in batting. He's had 120 and 128 RBI the last two seasons, and is signed to a huge contract, making $36M per through 2049. August 5-7 @ MINNESOTA It's a battle of division leaders as we head to the Twin Cities to take on the Twins. At 58-50, they're deadlocked with the Indians, and both are ahead of the White Sox by three games. Good hitting--7th--and so-so pitching--13th--combine for a tiny +3 run differential. The rotation ERA is 16th, and not a one of them has a number below 5.30. Top starter Erik Presley, signed away from New Orleans this winter, is done for the year, and two 3B are out for another month. HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (12-3, 2.74) / Rob Hart (8-9, 4.28) / Taylor Barnett (2-0, 2.40) MIN pitchers: Chris McMichael (5-5, 5.72) / Andy Goeser (7-5, 5.53) / Paul Cole (8-8, 5.56) #110: WIN 8-3 ... we rally with 5 in the 7th, led by a rare HR for Gooding this year, just his 2nd...3 H, 3 RBI for Cannon...Mess hurt, will miss his next start #111: WIN 12-3 ... 4 H and RBI for Robertson, who then gets hurt...30th HR for Cannon...3 H for Simmons, now batting .351 #112: WIN 9-2 ... third straight quality start for Barnett, going another 7 IP...12 hits, including 5 doubles and 2 HR Did not see this one coming. Offense is back in first overall, and even team defense is now top six; first time in a while for that.... Stoneback's horrible season continues, as he's out for six weeks with a hamstring strain. IF Edward Ospina gets his first big league summons. He might go back down for a day, since Messinger hurts his back and will likely miss his next start. We're off on the 11th (after our next series), and have a double header on the 12th, so I'm not sure if he'll pitch or not, or who will get the nod if he can't go.... ELSEWHERE: Austin lost stud rookie OF Phil Imel (.337/31/93, contending for a triple crown) for three weeks, but some hot play has them currently in first in the NL West.... Minnesota's lost six in a row, still clinging to 2nd place.... Yankees made-of-glass CF Daizo Yonamine just suffered his TENTH dtd injury of the season.... Philly 1B Yuhei Adachi (.272/22/65) has a 22-game hit streak, but is going to have to step up if he wants to top 40 HR for the 4th time in his 5-year career. August 8-10 @ MILWAUKEE MLB had the Brewers winning 85, but they're limping along at 54-58. Still, they're only 5.5 out of first, so I'm saying there's hope. Hitting is 10th, but they've cracked 182 home runs, good for 3rd in the AL. Pitching is 12th, with a bad rotation but the 3rd best bullpen. That last number is especially good considering that they've got five relievers on long-term DL right now. RF Colby Sandu is 2nd in the AL with 36 HR, on pace to surpass 50 for the second year running. HAW pitchers: Ryuma Sato (8-4, 4.09) / Eric Jones (9-5, 3.87) / tbd MIL pitchers: Nick Shockley (5-5, 4.88) / Oscar Maldonado (7-3, 5.11) / Travis Calhoun (4-5, 4.20) #113: WIN 5-4 ... tempers rise when Sato beans Tom Risberg, but nothing flares up...4 doubles and a HR pace our attack, with Rich driving in two for the GW #114: WIN 4-2 ... Cannon's 2B in the 6th and Wright's HR in the 7th plate runs and give us the win...Jones is solid through 7 and two RP combine for 4 K (and 3 H) for the save #115: LOSS 7-9 ... 4 hits each for Cannon and Simmons...Malik Chaney gets the late call-up and is ineffective again (2nd start this year) Ugly loss there, but still an alright series. We're the first team to 80 wins, and we've opened up a 14 game lead over the A's.... Chaney gets the late call-up to replace Messinger, and is beaten soundly. He goes back down, and Ospina comes back up as an extra infielder.... ELSEWHERE: Atlanta's Jose Gutierrez gave up just one hit (and one walk) through 11 innings against New Orleans, but left in a scoreless game. The Braves lost, but take a long rest, Jose.... St Louis is the only other team with 70 wins, and they have the largest divisional lead, now 16 games over the Reds.... Richmond's Rafael Maldonado has reached 200 K for the 9th consecutive season, and leads all pitchers with 7.5 WAR. August 12-14 vs CLEVELAND Four games over three days, with a make-up game added for a double header on day one. Picked to finish last, the Indians have been at or near the top of the Central all season long. They're 61-53, 2 games up on Minnesota, 3 over Chicago. Hitting has been a trial, at 14th in runs and 16th in HR. Pitching is the real strength, 2nd in runs and starter's ERA. Zach Gioeli has been the unquestioned ace, and is in line for Cy Young consideration. The prospect system is top 10 right now, so if they can get some hitters in here, they could be a force for the next few years. (They've made the playoffs just twice in this dynasty: in '35 and '37, and haven't seen a World Series in 47 years.) HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (13-3, 2.80) / Rob Hart (9-9, 4.25) / Taylor Barnett (3-0, 2.45) / Ryuma Sato (9-4, 4.17) CLE pitchers: Bryan Altier (9-8, 4.40) / Zach Gioeli (16-4, 2.49) / Mike Koslowsky (1-2, 7.85) / Roberto Maldonado (10-5, 3.37) #116: WIN 6-1 ... Mess tosses 7 IP of 4-hit ball, all singles...8 hits, 6 are doubles #117: WIN 8-3 ... 14 hits, and we chase Gioeli in the 5th...Hart gives up 2 HR in his 5 IP, but fans 10...Brown comes back healthy with 4 IP, no runners and 6 K #118: WIN 11-6 ... 14 hits again, 7 of them doubles...Barnett is not sharp, but our attack is enough...Cannon hurt, diagnosis pending #119: WIN 4-3 ... Hart's triple and Klein's single put up a 3-run 7th for a comeback win...Sato is just fair, but again Brown takes the win, now 8-0 Another surprising sweep against the top of the Central.... Cannon's injury is just a 3-day minimal tweak, so phew.... Robertson's solid hitting now has him with 1046 career hits, tied for 4th on the all-time Islanders list, with former triples machine Chris Wiggins.... ELSEWHERE: Richmond's Rafael Maldonado racks up another shutout (3rd on the season) and reaches 8 WAR, most in MLB.... Vinny Vargas (you know who he is) reaches 100 RBI, and is the first to top 40 HR.... Some nice division races going on: five teams are four games apart in the AL Central, 4 teams are a game apart in the NL East, and 4 teams are 2 games apart in the NL West.... former Islander Jim Kieffer (now with Portland) has given up just 3 ER in his last three starts (26 IP), and has won his last four starts. ...... TL;DR Version: That's how you make up for a brief period of doldrums: a 12-2 run. We now have a crazy 84-35 record, 15.5 games up on Oakland, 20 on the Mariners. Unsustainable? Maybe, but why not for the whole season? It would be great to set a new wins record for the regular season, only to join all the other teams to have won 110+ games and flame out in the playoffs. It's inevitable, you know. __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!