I hoped to write in and tell you that the mid-April changes I made were all worth it, that the ship was turned around, and the Beltways have come good in the second half of the month.
But I'd be lying if I said that.
In fact, the Beltways are still propping up the Eastern Division with a 12-15 record. That's still only four games out, though, so within striking distance.
In fact, our offense has gotten a bit of a spark, as we are up in every offensive category since the inclusion of Frank Howard in the starting lineup (except for stolen bases - go figure!). Hondo himself is hitting .323
The problem is, as it always seems to be with this team, pitching. Babe Ruth has gotten worse. Grayson Rodriguez clearly is not the answer, even as a fifth starter. And Dick Donovan has performed even worse that Jim Johnson did, and is almost making me count down the five more games before I can re-activate Johnson. Hoyt Wilhelm crashed back to earth, and while Zach Britton may have a 90 MOV and a 62 CON, you wouldn't know it from his 6.75 ERA and 3 blown saves (out of 5 chances).
Meanwhile, over in Silver, the rebuild is more or less complete and the newly re-christened Bibra Lake Quendas (because a quenda is like a small quokka, you see) are...17-10 and in first place. So pretty much exactly the same as last season. Using a roster of rookie Wes Ferrell, Vladimir Jr., Juan Soto and 21 new players (plus Dutch Daulton because we need another catcher), the Quendas are shaping up nicely for a repeat season.
Its the bullpen that is this team's strength - the top-rated bullpen in the league, made up entirely of Future Legends cards. Soto is doing exactly what he did in real life this year; lots of power, not so much contact. And I think I finally found the perfect spot for Keston Hiura - DH
