[ayaghmour2]

June 30th, 1930
Montreal Saints (37-37): 10
Chicago Cougars (41-33): 9

W: John Lizak (1-1)
L: Chick Meehan (5-4)

The first of three hosting the Saints ended in a 10-9 loss that should have been a 9-2 victory. Tommy Russel allowed 8 unearned runs, 4 walks, and 9 hits in 6 innings. Chick Meehan allowed 2 hits and the only 2 earned runs in 2 innings. Russ Combs was 3-for-4 with a homer, walk, 3 runs, and 2 RBI's. Mack Deal was 3-for-4 with a run scored. John Kincaid was 2-for-5 with a double, 2 runs, and 3 RBI's. John Dibblee was 2-for-4 with 2 doubles and an RBI. He did leave this game with an injury, but he didn't miss any additional time. Bill Ashbaugh was 1-for-3 with 2 walks, a run scored, and RBI.

July 1st, 1930
Montreal Saints (38-37): 15
Chicago Cougars (41-34): 8

W: Walker Moore (8-5)
L: Dick Kadlec (6-6)
SV: Jack Barnet (7)

July ended how June began, and this time the Saints topped us 15-8 to set up the road sweep. Dick Kadlec allowed 10 hits, 9 runs (6 earned), and 4 walks with 5 strikeouts in 6.1 innings. Len Moore was roughed up for 6 runs on 7 hits with 2 walks in 1.1 innings. If there's any time for him to give up 6 runs, it's in a game where we were losing not leading. Bill Ashbaugh was a perfect 3-for-3 with 2 runs and 2 walks. John Dibblee was 3-for-4 with a double, run scored, and 3 RBI's. Vince York was 2-for-5 with a double, run scored, and two driven in. John Kincaid was 2-for-3 with a triple, 2 walks, and 2 runs. Russ Combs was 2-for-5 with a run scored. George Jordan was 1-for-4 with a walk, run scored, and two driven in.

July 2nd, 1930
Montreal Saints (39-37): 3
Chicago Cougars (41-35): 4

W: Rich Fisher (6-1)
L: Max Wilder (6-5)
SV: John Lizak (1)

The only consolation about today's game is we're off tomorrow before we likely find the same fate against the Sailors. Montreal took a 4-3 lead in the 7th and didn't look back as they swept us out of our home. Max Wilder had a decent start, 8 innings with 7 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts. John Kincaid was 2-for-3 with a double, run scored, walk, and 2 RBI's. Vince York was 2-for-3 with 2 walks and 2 runs. Bill Ashbaugh was 2-for-5.

July 4th, 1930
Chicago Cougars (42-35): 5
Philadelphia Sailors (49-26): 3
Game 1

W: Dick Lyons (8-7)
L: Rollie Beal (11-3)

The off day served us well, as we took the first game of the double header in Philly 5-3. It's already one more win then I expected, especially after getting swept at home by Montreal. I'm hoping this is a turnaround for Dick Lyons, who looked excellent in the complete game shutout. He allowed just 8 hits, 3 runs, and a walk. He didn't have a strikeout, but I'll take the win against the league leader. Bill Ashbaugh was 2-for-3 with 2 triples, a walk, and 2 runs scored. George Sanders was 1-for-3 with a double, walk, and run scored. Harry Simmons was 1-for-3 with a triple, walk, and run scored. Vince York was 1-for-4 with a double and 2 RBI's. We actually didn't have a single the entire game, with all 5 of our hits for extra bases.

July 4th, 1930
Chicago Cougars (43-35): 8
Philadelphia Sailors (49-27): 2
Game 2

W: Jim Crawford (2-0)
L: Russ Reel (7-5)

Not sure how we did it, but we kept the Sailors in check twice in one day to sweep the double header with an 8-2 win. Jim Crawford was excellent again, 6 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts in the complete game victory. Vince York was 2-for-5 with 2 runs, 2 RBI's, and a triple. Harry Simmons was 2-for-4 with a triple, 2 runs, walk, and RBI. Mack Deal was 2-for-4 with a double and 2 RBI's. George Jordan was 1-for-4 with a run scored and two driven in. Bill Ashbaugh was 1-for-2 with a walk, hit by pitch, RBI, and 2 runs scored.

July 5th, 1930
Chicago Cougars (44-35): 3
Philadelphia Sailors (49-28): 1

W: Tommy Russel (7-6)
L: Herm Lowman (9-3)

SSSSSSSSSSSSSWWWWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPP

Does this give me unnecessary confidence about competing this season?

Most definitely!

6 games out doesn't seem like too many...

Anyways, the pitching was excellent and we held the Sailors below 50 wins and allowed just 5 runs in three games as we finished an impressive road sweep. Tommy Russel was brilliant, allowing just 3 hits and one run in the complete game victory. He was also 1-for-3 at the plate. Russ Combs was 2-for-4 with a run scored and triple. Bill Ashbaugh was 1-for-4 with a double and RBI. Vince York was 1-for-3 with a sac-fly.

July 6th, 1930
Chicago Cougars (44-36): 6
Cleveland Foresters (40-40): 9
10 Innings

W: Ed Smith (2-2)
L: Dick Kadlec (6-7)

We really let this one get away from us... After adding two insurance runs in the 9th, we allowed 3 in the bottom half to force extras and 3 more in the 10th as former Cougar Barney Green hit a walk-off three run homer as the Foresters took the first of a four game set. It was more unearned runs, as 5 of Dick Kadlec's 9 runs were unearned. It's not like he pitched well, however, as he allowed 15 hits and 2 walks with just 1 strikeout in 9.1 innings pitched. Former Forester Russ Combs was 3-for-6 with a steal, double, run scored, and RBI. Dick Fessel was 3-for-4 with a homer, walk, 2 runs, and 2 RBI's. Vince York was 2-for-4 with a triple, walk, and two runs scored. Bill Ashbaugh was 2-for-5 with a double and 2 RBI's. Mack Deal was 1-for-4 with a steal, walk, run scored, and RBI. Fred Barrell was 1-for-3 with a double and 2 RBI's.

Stars of the Week
Bill Ashbaugh : 25 AB, 12 H, 0 HR, 5 RBI, .480 AVG, 1.301 OPS
Vince York : 29 AB, 11 H, 0 HR, 9 RBI, .379 AVG, 1.079 OPS
Russ Combs : 29 AB, 12 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .414 AVG, 1.054 OPS

Awards
Rookie of the Month: Vince York (.413, 6 HR, 33 RBI, 22 R)

Weekly Summary
It was a mixed week as we were 3-0 against the first place Sailors and 0-4 against everyone else. Montreal, who swept us, is now 41-39 and sitting in third just three back of us. Cleveland is a game behind them and sitting at an even 40-40.

Vince York was deservedly named Rookie of the Month as he recorded a hit in every single June contest. His hit streak is now up to 31 games and his .393 batting average is the best in baseball. This isn't the first time York has flirted with the elusive .400 mark, as he hit .407 two years ago in 113 games with the AA Mobile Commodores. York has fully developed into one of the best hitters in the league, and at just 24, the sky is the limit for the switch hitting superstar. He has a lot more hitting to reach the FABL hit streak record (Rich Rowley, 47 games for Toronto in 1900), but he could be the first FABL hitter to hit .400 since legendary Max Morris hit .418 in 1925. There's a lot of baseball left to be played, but York has a legitimate chance to etch his name into the record books.

We also now have a total of four hitters, including York, batting above .370. Joining him are Russ Combs (.379), John Dibblee (.373), and Harry Simmons (.372). The offense (excluding power and walking) has been a huge strength for us so far, but there is one spot I may look to upgrade. Both Bob McCarty (69 OPS+) and George Jordan (77 OPS+) have struggled at the plate. Our top prospect, Joe Johnson, is a center fielder, but we might need to find a player to bridge the gap. I'm not ready to give up on either guy, and I may look to Milwaukee to give either Joe Davis or Mike Smith a chance to get more at bats.

The pitching against the Sailors was just downright impressive as well. Dick Lyons, Jim Crawford, and Tommy Russel pitched every inning of the series and allowed just 5 runs in total. Crawford has looked amazing since his promotion and Tommy Russel has seen his ERA drop a ton. Russel now owns a 4.68 ERA (102 ERA+) despite just 1 strikeout in his last three starts. Our starter's ERA is actually now 3rd in the league, and maybe I just have to find some new arms for the pen. I think Bill McLean may be at the end of his Cougar tenure, and one of Gus Cain, Milt Nelson, or Cotton Taylor will take his roster spot. He'll have least the week to keep his roster spot.

My pitching coach Pete Powers' contact is expiring at the end of the season. While he is an average pitching coach, my AAA Pitching Coach Samuel Clark is much better. I plan on letting Powers' contract expire, and then replace him with either Clark or an outside hire if a better pitching coach becomes available. Clark is "Great" and in his third year in our organization. He's now signed through 1932.

We still have three more left in Cleveland before a pair of off days. Our road trip continues, starting with four in Baltimore (42-40) and four in Brooklyn (36-42) who followed a 21-8 May with a 5-22 June. We're on the road most of July, and won't return home until July 28th.

Injury Report
RF Ray Ross (AAA Milwaukee Blues): Back stiffness (5 days)
RF Ed Rhoden (AA Mobile Commodores): Herniated disc (2 weeks)
2B Slim Welsh (AA Mobile Commodores): Back stiffness (3 days)
RF Howard Moss (A Lincoln Legislators): Rotator cuff strain (3 weeks)
RP John Peterson (A Lincoln Legislators): Returned from the DL
CF Buck Waldrop (C La Crosse Lions): High ankle sprain (6 weeks)

Minor League Report

SP Milt Nelson (AAA Milwaukee Blues): One of the AAA arms I'm considering bringing up to Chicago, Milt Nelson has pitched well out of the Blues rotation. He's 6-2 with a 2.92 ERA (141 ERA+), 1.43 WHIP, and 103 strikeouts in 77 innings. He's got a solid three pitch mix with a cutter, change, and splitter. Nelson also brings the heat, sitting in the 94-96 MPH range with the cut and he can blow it right past hitters. He does an excellent job keeping the ball on the ground, and he'd see a nice velocity boost if he does move to the pen. We still envision him a starter long term, and he can end up replacing Dick Kadlec in the five spot.

SP Mike Murphy (AA Mobile Commodores): The 2nd Overall Pick in 1928 out of Brooklyn State, the lefty Mike Murphy returned to AA this season and he's pitched really well for the Commodores. He's 3-5 with a 3.66 ERA (124 ERA+), 1.58 WHIP, and 26 strikeouts in 64 innings. He has elite stuff, headlined by a dominant curveball that gets a ton of swings and misses. He sits in the low 90s with his fastball and his sidearm windup makes him really hard to track. We view him as a starter in the future, but Murphy may be called upon this season to pitch innings out of the pen, especially in September. He's the first man up from AA if I decide to cut McLean and add an arm from Milwaukee.

CF Ken Allen (B San Jose Cougars): Joe Johnson is the center fielder that all the pundits mention when looking at Cougar prospects. And who could blame them? He's a top 20 prospect and was taken 17th overall last season. A few rounds later came Ken Allen, who's having a solid season down in San Jose. He's hitting .344/.387/.503 (129 OPS+) with 7 homers and 45 RBI's. If it wasn't for Johnson ahead of him, Allen would be up in Lincoln, but we view Allen as a center fielder and don't want to move him to a corner. He's a defensive asset and speedy runner with the ability to track down a lot of flyballs. He doesn't steal many bases, but he makes a lot of contact and does a better job taking an extra base then stealing one once on. He looks to be a future everyday starter and a down junior year helped him drop into our laps.

Amateur Report

SP Lew Spruill (Louisville HS Titans): A senior out of Louisville HS, Lew Spruill finished his high school career 10-7 with a 2.45 ERA (172 ERA+), 1.12 WHIP, and 192 strikeouts in 172.2 innings pitched. His senior season was the best of the three, as he went 4-2 with a 1.97 ERA (200 ERA+), 0.99 WHIP, and 65 strikeouts in 50.1 innings pitched. The righty is an extreme groundballer who features a 83-85 MPH sinker, a curve, and a change. He's got the potential to rack up the strikeouts as his sinker has some really good downward bite on it. He comes with his risk, as any prep pitcher may, but in a relatively week class of high school arms, Spruill has a track record that most do not.

C Buster Farrar (Brooklyn State Bears): There's a really good catcher eligible for this years draft in Jack Flint, but a guy to look at in the future is Buster Farrar. The Brooklyn State freshman hit about as good as Flint, with a .332/.393/.556 (130 OPS+) batting line to go with 11 homers and 45 RBI's in 219 trips to the plate. He also threw out 44.4% of base stealers and he should be a decent defensive catcher in the big leagues. At the plate, he's got a great hit tool with above average power that is hard to find in catchers. He can also hit from both sides of the plate which makes his bat even that much more valuable. He's got two seasons to develop, but he already looks like the best hitter on his team and one of the best catchers of his class.

C Walter Smith (Little Rock HS Pioneers): Sticking with backstops, a promising prospect who is draft eligible is Little Rock HS's Walter Smith. He finished his high school career with a .306/.365/.461 (131 OPS+) batting line with 11 homers and 70 RBI's. He boasted a little more power this year then most, hitting 6 out and driving in 26 in his third straight above average offensive season. I actually forgot to include him in my Little Rock team preview, but Smith shouldn't be overlooked come draft day. He may not have the best arm, but he calls a good game and is a solid defender. I find catchers are the toughest position to draft high, and you can find a lot of lower round steals like Smith in most years. He could be a Ben Richardson type pickup, or the dime a dozen filler catchers.