[Bub13]

May 17-19 vs CINCINNATI
At 20-19, and 5-5 in their last ten, the Reds are still trying to figure things out, kind of like us. Just 9th in runs and 12th in AVG, but once again leading the NL in home runs (with 57). At 11th in runs against, and a -1 differential, their record is probably right where it should be. RF Jose Taveras has been his usual superb self: .359/12/30, and 3B Dave Rivera is .301/10/25. But 1B Larry Schnackenberg has 0 HR (after 27 last year), and 38-year-old catcher Lance Powell has just 2 (29 in '49) and is batting .186. Manager: Dom Duggan, first year after flaming out over three poor seasons in Arizona. Chemistry: Happy! Nobody dislikes Duggan, and captain Powell has kept things together in the clubhouse. Can't Miss Prospects? Two 3B--Heath Lewellen and Sean Friedman--who look pretty much interchangeable (and pretty good), and once SP Seth O'Neill's changeup comes around, he'll be at the top of the rotation.

HAW pitchers: RH Dennis Perry (1-5, 8.27) / RH Shamar Jackson (5-3, 5.04) / RH Ryan Ratliff (3-1, 3.74)
CIN pitchers: RH David Guerra (1-4, 4.50) / RH Aaron Maloy (6-1, 3.29) / RH Phil Avery (2-2, 3.49)

#40: WIN 6-2 ... Whitton clocks his first HR of the season, and Perry fans 10 over 7 IP
#41: LOSS 5-6 ... HR for Stoneback, and we outhit them 11-10...but two errors lead to 4 unearned runs, and another late comeback falls short
#42: WIN 2-1 ... only 4 hits a side, but we string together three in the 7th to score twice, then let the pen take over

Pretty gutty series, if you ask me. Especially as we have to tweak the lineup after getting two injury reports.... First, Goldthwait has a sprained knee and will miss six weeks. There is no power bat to replace him, so instead we call up OF Joe Lynn. He's defense, speed, and some contact, and I'm hoping he'll show enough to make me believe he's Klein's replacement in center. He'll get a couple starts a week for now. At DH, we move Cappuccilli in against RHP, and Whitton against LHP. More hope that they'll perform.... Second: Garfield's hamstring will keep him out for an unknown time, so we send him to the DL and call up Shane Walker. He threw 74 IP for us last year, making 5 starts and 21 relief apps. Bit of a soft tosser, but has some control and keeps the ball low. More fingers crossed.... ELSEWHERE: Remember California's 8-2 start? Yeah, since then they've gone 8-25. Austin keeps losing too, now 11-31. Baltimore 12-30.... Oakland has the most wins, at 27.... Defending NL Cy Young winner Matt Waugh (ATL) is the first player to 3 WAR. He's at 6-2, 1.67 ERA, 75 IP, 85 K, 10 BB.


May 20-22 @ ST LOUIS
They had a nice run of six winning seasons and four playoff appearances in the early 40s. Other than that stretch they've been without winning teams since 2029. What happened, guys? This year's edition is 17-25, with moribund hitting (13th in runs), and bad pitching (15th, with a bad rotation backed by a solid bullpen). Five players are on the DL, and three must have mysterious gangland connections, as they're all out with broken kneecaps. New addition RF Phil Imel has led the offense at .298/7/24, which really isn't saying a lot. Manager: Ron Miller, fourth season. Hasn't shown much. Chemistry: Unhappy, despite six "leaders" (although no captain). Can't Miss Prospect? SP Kyle Flowe looks so-so really, but CF Nate Forrester looks like our own Joe Lynn, but with more power.

HAW pitchers: LH Eric Jones (5-1, 3.58) / LH Shane Walker (debut) / RH Dennis Perry (2-5, 7.36)
STL pitchers: RH Steve Davenport (0-2, 4.58) / RH Jake Mackowski (2-4, 5.09) / RH Colin Conant (2-5, 4.50)

#43: WIN 5-1 ... another four-hit start for Jones...3 hits for Rangel, a HR for Frederick, and Daley's 18th (!) double
#44: WIN 8-2 ... solid first outing for Walker (7 IP)...3 hits for Stoneback, then gets hit by a pitch, and injured too!
#45: WIN 1-0 ... 13 K, 2 H for Perry, with White closing out the 9th...only 8 hits, but a pair of doubles bring the only needed run home

Another series, another injury: this time it's Stoneback's annual trip to the DL. Six weeks with a broken hand. We call up IF Jesse Ryder, as he can fill in at both short and third. (Higher-ranked prospect Julian Cardenas is the better hitter, but is noodle-armed and not suited to the left side.).... Injuries are running wild all through our system: all three active teams are down to 25 players, with several callups from Short A (and rookie ball) getting some unexpected playing time.... Dennis Perry has been named a daily top-three-star by MLB each of his last three starts.... ELSEWHERE: League's best rookie so far is 21-year-old Portland 3B Gerardo Nieto, batting .336/6/20. He's a future perennial all-star, although not much of an infielder. The best rookie pitcher is probably Brooklyn's Steve Bozarth, at 4-2 and a 2.83 ERA. Although keep an eye on Nats closer Nick Light, with 14 saves in 16 appearances.... From the How Do You Still Have a Job Dept., comes the stats for Nats SS Jonathan Salas: .102/.214/.153, 98 AB, 56 K.


May 23-25 vs MILWAUKEE
Hoping to build on last year's 89-win surprise AL championship, they didn't add much over the winter: 3B Greg Arcand and aging SP Ryan Galletto. Arcand has been good (6 HR, excellent defense), while Galletto has not (5.33 ERA). The 23-21 Brewers aren't getting much hitting (12th in runs), nor much pitching (13th) either, come to mention it. But they're hanging in there despite a -22 run differential. I guess it's hitting HR (63 this year) and a solid top-three in the rotation. Otherwise, I dunno. Manager: Seon-gwon Che, in his fifth season and still without a losing campaign. Chemistry: Happy, with a good crop of leaders and only a couple of selfish bastards. No pitchers like Che, tho. Can't Miss Prospects? I guess closer Josh Kennedy, ranked #1 by MLB, counts as one. He's been unexceptional in the role so far, however, and he should really be in the rotation, where he'll be a star. They've also got rookie RP John Landers, who could easily slot into the closer role. Do it.

HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (5-4, 5.03) / RH Ryan Ratliff (4-1, 3.40) / LH Eric Jones (6-1, 3.32)
MIL pitchers: LH Ryan Galletto (2-4, 5.33) / LH Daniel Becker (0-1, 8.14) / LH Jeffrey Foley (2-2, 3.86)

#46: WIN 11-7 ... Groff's GRAND SLAM is the key hit, and he drives in six total...3 hits for Daley...Jackson pitches into the 9th, but nearly blows it late
#47: WIN 8-4 ... Groff, Daley, and Whitton homer...Ratliff fans 9 in 7 IP...12th save for White
#48: LOSS 1-5 ... Jones is hit hard early, then plunks two batters and somehow doesn't incite a riot...only six singles for us tonight

Oakland keeps winning, so we only maintain our 1.5 game deficit. We're also one of four teams with 30 wins.... So we're still hitting SOME home runs, but are now ranked 16th in the AL. Oh well, wins are better anyway.... Joe Lynn is 4-for-7 in his two starts in center. Maybe he should play more huh.... We also send down RP Jaheim Mwaura and his 10.50 ERA, recalling Nick Kramer and his way more attractive 4.50 self.... ELSEWHERE: Toronto is now 13-32, the new holder of the Rotten Crown.... somebody named "Byron Wilmoth" is leading MLB in batting at .378. Supposedly he plays for Philly, but I've never heard of him before.... Congrats to former Isle Dante Padilla, named AL player of the week. He's batting .256 with 9 HR and getting a chance as the everyday 3B for the Rays. And our first-ever draft pick way back in 2034, Travis McArthur, is having a late-career renaissance with the Mets, batting .315 and working on a 4-WAR season.


May 27-29 @ CHICAGO WHITE SOX
At 25-22, in third place, and one of five teams at or over .500 in the Central. Eighth in batting, but only 13th in runs. Pitching is 3rd, and led by future-Cy-Young winner Ben O'Neal, finally in the rotation after a couple of diddly seasons in the pen. (His fellow star-to-be Burton Dick is still noodling around in middle relief, however.) Chris Rock, 2048 AL batting champ (and career .322 hitter), hasn't played yet this year and is still out for six weeks. Manager: Taylor Black, in his fifth year and still looking for a winning season. Chemistry: Content, but yet another unhappy pitching staff. Can't Miss Prospect? The aforementioned O'Neal and Dick have graduated, so next up is Ezequiel de la Rosa, already starting in CF. Perhaps a year too early, but if he's not ruined he'll be a solid 4-WAR starter for a decade.

HAW pitchers: LH Shane Walker (1-0, 2.57) / RH Dennis Perry (3-5, 6.23) / RH Shamar Jackson (6-4, 5.05)
CHW pitchers: RH Jake Davidson (4-3, 4.27) / RH Cory Graulich (4-2, 4.99) / RH Ben O'Neal (4-1, 2.17)

#49: WIN 7-5 ... Simmons singles home two in the 9th, and White shuts the door in the bottom half...two-run double for CCaappuucciillii, and 3 Sox pitchers get hurt
#50: WIN 8-3 ... 16 hits, including HR for Daley and Groff, and 3 hits each for Daley, Capp, and Klein (responding quite nicely to reduced playing time)
#51: WIN 4-2 ... "Frederick Comes Alive" is a great album, featuring 4 hits (and 3 RBI) in a 12-inning win...best start of the year for Jackson: 8 IP, 2 R, 6 K, 0 BB

Sweep! Plus we gain on Oakland, now just a half game out.... Garfield comes off the DL, so we send down Shane Walker. Thanks for the memories, Shaney. Stoney and Goldy are still five weeks away.... The rotation ERA has really perked up recently, now in 6th place at 4.52.... Klein has played better of late, bringing his average up to .281, while Joe Lynn is 4-for-10. Some production out of CF, nice to see.... ELSEWHERE: Remember that odd spate of broken kneecaps in STL when we played them a few weeks ago? Well, add 1B Jeff Campbell to the mysterious "kneecapped" list, and he's out for the season.... Ages of Richmond's current rotation: 38, 37, 36, 32, and 25. And that doesn't count the injured Eddy Llamas, 39.... Nobody really stunk it up over the last ten games, although Toronto and Austin are still stuck at 15 wins.


May 30-31 @ CLEVELAND
They were 15-8 in April, but have gone 8-18 this month. Currently last in the Central, with weak (15th) hitting, and weaker (17th) pitching. New addition Morgan Akers is batting .331, and SS Matthew Powell .300/10/24. Closer Tim Stoner has been awesome (0.42 ERA, 0.56 WHIP). But much of the lineup is underperforming. Manager: Jose Ariza, at the helm for a decade now. Chemistry: Happy, oddly. And, yes, all the pitchers dislike the manager. Is this a game feature? Can't Miss Prospect? A subpar system, with two 2B at the top of the list. Neither--Antonio Guerrero, already in the bigs, and Conrad Hunt--looks all that impressive. Guerrero will hit a lot of doubles, but is batting just .143 early in his big league career.

HAW pitchers: LH Mike Garfield (2-2, 5.19) / RH Ryan Ratliff (5-1, 3.45)
CLE pitchers: RH Luis de Lara (4-4, 6.29) / RH Brad Benes (2-2, 4.60)

#52: LOSS 2-5 ... 3 hits for Simmons, and Whittington's first MLB HR...Garfield is impressive, but Germann implodes in the final 1.1 IP to blow a win
#53: WIN 10-7 ... a pair of 3-run HR--Frederick in the 7th and Groff in the 10th--are the highlights...Ratliff only lasts five

Now 17th in team home runs. A few guys are hitting 'em out, but we're not getting the through-the-lineup power production our team owner so desperately wants and deserves, poor guy.... RP Ben Germann had a K/9 over 14 last year. Right now, tho, he's the only reliever under 10.... ELSEWHERE: The Giants are leading the NL West by 1.5 games. Big deal, you say: but they have had just two winning seasons since 2035, and no division titles since 2025.... Brooklyn leads baseball with 35 wins, and has the largest division lead, at 6.5 games.... Want a quiet superstar? How about Mets 1B Alfonso Contreras. The 24-year-old went .300/45/107 last year, and is following that up with a .314/14/43 start to 2050, with a 1.023 OPS. He's projected to earn 9.8 WAR too.

......

TL;DR Version: We go 11-3 in this stretch, and gain just a game on Oakland. It beats losing, and if we stay healthy we'll be just fine. Oh, and we went 20-9 in May. Team is still 2nd in runs, AVG, and OBP; now the pitching is coming around, and we're 7th in runs allowed, with the 6th best rotation ERA and 2nd best bullpen. Nobody is slumping at the plate, although Bob Goodloe hasn't done much at short since Stoneback's injury. And several free agents-to-be contacted me this month about extensions: Garfield, Ratliff, and Jones. They want extensions of 7, 8, and 2 years, respectively. As all are at least 30, I'm not inclined to talk about any of those, in all honesty. Jones and Ratliff have pitched the best, but I'm wondering if I should just cut bait with all three and take my chances elsewhere this fall. There's still time to consider all of this, however.