[ayaghmour2]

May 19th, 1930
Chicago Cougars (17-17): 11
Toronto Wolves (6-28): 3

W: Tommy Russell (4-1)
L: Bert Sweet (0-6)

We took the finale with a nice 11-3 win before the inevitable sweep in Philadelphia. Russ Combs had a dream Cougar debut, a perfect 4-for-4 with a double, triple, run scored, walk, 2 steals, and 4 RBI's. Bill Ashbaugh was 3-for-5 with a homer, 3 runs, and 3 RBI's. Vince York was 3-for-6 with a steal, 3 runs, and 2 RBI's. Harry Simmons was 3-for-5 with a walk, steal, and 2 runs scored.Bob McCarty was 2-for-4 with a walk and RBI. Tommy Russell was back to his complete game fashion, allowing 10 hits, 3 runs, and a walk with 2 strikeouts in the win. He also went 2-for-5 with a run scored.

May 21st, 1930
Chicago Cougars (18-17): 7
Philadelphia Sailors (28-6): 2

W: Dick Lyons (2-6)
L: William Jones (4-3)

I'm going to thank the off day for this one, as we somehow shocked the Sailors and gave them loss 6 with a 7-2 win. John Kincaid was 3-for-5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI's. Russ Combs was 2-for-5 with a double, 2 runs, and 2 RBI's. Mack Deal was 2-for-4 with a double, 2 runs, and an RBI. John Dibblee was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Bill Ashbaugh was 1-for-4 with a solo homer. Slick Hostetter was 1-for-4 with a run scored and RBI.

May 22nd, 1930
Chicago Cougars (18-18): 0
Philadelphia Sailors (29-6): 1

W: Rollie Beal (6-1)
L: Dick Kadlec (1-4)

Man... This one hurts... We just needed 2 runs and we would've secured a split with the best team in the league. Rollie Beal tossed a 4-hit shutout with 5 strikeouts as the Sailors evened up the series. Dick Kadlec went 8 with 6 hits, a run, 7 walks, and 3 strikeouts. John Kincaid was basically our offense, 2-for-3 with a walk. George Jordan was 1-for-3.

May 23rd, 1930
Chicago Cougars (19-18): 2
Philadelphia Sailors (29-7): 0
14 Innings

W: Len Moore (1-1)
L: Oscar Morse (7-2)

Neither teamed scored in the first 9 innings, and it took all the way until the 14th for a run to be put on the board. Harry Simmons drove in Ross Combs and John Kincaid with a single, and we finished the shutout with a 1-2-3 14th. Max Wilder had an amazing outing, 12.1 innings with just 4 hits, a walk, and 4 strikeouts. Len Moore got the win, 1.2 innings with just 1 walk. Vince York was 2-for-5 with a double. George Jordan was 1-for-3 with a double.

May 24th, 1930
Chicago Cougars (19-19): 1
Philadelphia Sailors (30-7): 8

W: William Jones (5-3)
L: Ace McSherry (3-2)

The Sailors offense finally woke up for the finale, and they easily beat us 8-1 to survive with a split. Ace McSherry went 7 with 13 hits, 7 runs (2 earned), and 2 walks. Bill McLean allowed a hit an run in an inning of work. Vince York was 2-for-4 with a double. Fred Barrell was 1-for-3 with a solo homer. John Dibblee and Kincaid were both 1-for-4 with a double.

May 25th, 1930
Toronto Wolves (8-31): 8
Chicago Cougars (19-20): 1

W: Bill Sweet (1-6)
L: Tommy Russell (4-2)

We should have had another winning week to push us over .500, but we let the Wolves beat us 8-1 at home in a quick one game series. Tommy Russell had a rough start, 6.2 innings with 14 hits, 8 runs (6 earned), a walk, and 3 strikeouts. Bill McLean went 2.1 innings out of the pen with a hit, walk, and strikeout. John Kincaid was 3-for-4 with a triple and run scored. Vince York was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Stars of the Week
John Kincaid : 27 AB, 11 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .407 AVG, 1.021 OPS
Vince York : 28 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .357 AVG, .808 OPS
Russ Combs : 27 AB, 9 H, 0 HR, 5 RBI, .333 AVG, .839 OPS

Weekly Summary
The offense was awful the last four games of the week and scored just three total runs. The pitching was really good until the final two games, but the fact that we split in a week where we had four games against the Sailors is impressive. I can't believe we lost another game to Toronto, as half of their wins have come against us.

Max Wilder's start in the 14 inning affair was just brilliant and our three offseason acquisitions (John Kincaid and Russ Combs) had excellent weeks and with the exception of Combs, who just got on the field, excellent seasons. Sitting at 19-20 and just 1 game out of third has been a nice surprise for us. The playoffs are definitely out of reach, but finishing in the top half of the standings would be awesome.

Bill Ashbaugh finally added to his home run total, but he's still struggling to find footing on the season. Same with Fred Barrell and Dick Lyons. Vince York has had an excellent rookie season (and would be frontrunner for Rookie of the Year if we had one) and is hitting .375/.415/.494 (121 OPS+) with 3 homers, 5 steals, and 22 RBI's. He's really helped pick up the slack from Ashbaugh and having Kincaid and a healthy Combs with them at the top of the order could strike fear in pitchers eyes for years to come. The oldest of the bunch is just 26, and it looks like a nice foundation to build on. If we can add some pitching to that group, I really like the building blocks we have.

We'll be home for a while, starting a four game set with the struggling Foresters (20-19) who recently lost 10 in a row before rebounding against the Wolves. Speaking of those Wolves (8-31) we'll host them for three games in two days before 1 against the Sailors (30-8) and a day off. Philly's lead over Brooklyn (24-15) is down to 6.5, as the young Kings have really impressed so far.

Injury Report
C Jim Kyle (AAA Milwaukee Blues): Returned from the DL
RP Elmer Wood (AA Mobile Commodores): Sore shoulder (uncertain return)
SP Mike Murphy (AA Mobile Commodores): Returned from the DL
2B John Quick (A Lincoln Legislators) Returned from the DL
SP Pete Carey (B San Jose Cougars): Hamstring strain (1-2 weeks)
3B Dave Wasson (B San Jose Cougars): Returned from the DL
SP Roy Byrd (C La Crosse Lions): Back spasms (6 days)

Transactions
I had to waive and DFA Clyde Lincoln when I wanted to activate him from the DL. He's passed waivers before, so he should again.

Minor League Report

CF Harry Humphrey (AA Mobile Commodores): I probably made a mistake taking him 3rd Overall in 1927 (my scout really like him), but he's shown some life this season. The 24-year-old is hitting .343/.409/.470 (133 OPS+) with 2 steals and 17 RBI's in 150 plate appearances. He's also looked really comfortable in center as he boasts a solid +2.0 ZR in center. He's a quality defender with great speed and can hit the ball well up the middle. He still has a shot to be a quality major leaguer, but I can't see him being the star I initially envisioned.

SP George DeForest (A Lincoln Legislators): The #4 prospect in our organization, the 21-year-old tossed a 6-hit and strikeout shutout of the Davenport Dukes earlier in the week. He saw his velocity increase to 91-93 in the offseason and the early results have been great. He's 2-2 with a 3.15 ERA (139 ERA+), 1.14 WHIP, and 39 strikeouts in 45.2 innings pitched. He's a future top to middle of the rotation starter with a nice four pitch mix. He's a finesse pitcher who racks up strikeouts, but he does see his share of walks. If anything holds him back, it'll be his command, but DeForest has more then enough raw talent to establish himself in a big league rotaiton.

SP Dick Brown (C La Crosse Lions): For someone who never started a game until this season, Dick Brown's 6 starts have been absolutely amazing. He's 2-2 with a 3.05 ERA (178 ERA+), 1.40 WHIP, and 44 strikeouts in 44.1 innings before earning a call up to San Jose. A former 21st Round Pick out of Mississippi A&M, he's already 23 and only tossed 31.1 innings last year in his first professional season. He throws in the low 90s with a fastball, cutter, and change, but I'd like to see him add a fourth pitch to his arsenal. He's a longshot prospect, but finding quality arms is extremely difficult.

Amateur Report

SP Cy Sullivan (Austin HS Senators): An 8-hit, 4-0 shutout of the Omaha HS Plainsman by Cy Sullivan advanced the Senators to regionals. It was a solid debut season for the sophomore, going 7-1 with a 3.00 ERA (133 ERA+), 1.13 WHIP, and 44 strikeouts in 72 innings. He's a soft tosser, sitting 83-85 with his fastball, but the 6'4'' righty should see his velocity jump up. With that, I think that makes him a really intriguing prospect when he's eligible in two seasons.

SP Loren Conover (Atlanta HS Peaches): Atlanta HS is definitely the most talented high school team, and Loren Conover has been excellent in the postseason. He's tossed 17.1 scoreless innings with 5 hits, 2 walks, and 18 strikeouts in his two starts. It was a great first season for him as well, going 6-1 with a 2.21 ERA (181 ERA+), 0.88 WHIP, and 55 strikeouts in 69.1 innings. Conover is a groundballer who can throw a fastball, slider, change, forkball, and knuckle curve with the fastball sitting in the mid 80s. If Atlanta wins it all this season, Conover is going to be a big reason why.

SS Bolivar Jim Smith (Cumberland Express): I confess, the main reason I picked him is because of his name. But I also wanted to feature someone who's actually draft eligible in what seems like a really week draft class. Bolivar Jim (I think that's how he'd want it to be said) only has a .278/.337/.351 (84 OPS+) career line for Cumberland, but he has an impressive +20.2 ZR including +12.9 ZR this season. The speedy glove wizard has just 4 college games left, and if anything, I'm glad he hasn't played very well since I think he could be a nice later round grab. My scout is a big fan of his, and I love players who are elite with the glove.

***He's from Bolivar, New York (which I didn't notice until finishing the report) which makes sense on his name