The season's final month and we'll play 29 games, 16 on the road and 13 at home. We'll get three days off and also toss in a double header at Texas in the middle of another long road trip. (Note: yes, technically we'll finish the season on October 1st, smartypants.) Also, Adam Groff won Player of the Month honors for August, batting .406 with 10 HR and 27 RBI. After a quiet mid-summer, it's good to see him round into shape as we head down the stretch.
September 1-3 vs HOUSTON
Two bookend months combined with a mushy middle has resulted in a 67-67 record and 4th place, 22.5 games behind us and 9 games out of a wildcard berth. Injuries haven't helped, taking out three pitchers (including top-notch closer Alejandro Gonzales) as well as 2B Jose Anguiano and CF Jason Welch. But youngsters Jose Renteria (.290/32/85) and Ricky Silva (.277/32/101) have been excellent. Still, not enough production from the rest of the lineup has the offense ranked 12th, while pitching ranks 8th. There's some decent talent on the staff, including several young guys; if they can keep the roster together, pitching won't be their problem next year. Fun fact: pitcher Emilio Canto, 22 and from Cuba, has faced dogging rumors that he "lied about his age when he signed his first big league contract." Quick! Someone inform the Little League World Series investigative squad, pronto!
HAW pitchers: RH Dennis Perry (9-8, 4.71) / RH Josh Irvin (3-0, 5.59) / LH Eric Jones (14-10, 3.94)
HOU pitchers: RH Alex Trujillo (7-14, 4.64) / RH Eric Morton (7-11, 6.15) / LH Chris Harris (11-6, 3.97)
#134: LOSS 2-4 ... meh, dull game: only 8 hits along with 2 errors...Perry is okay, but gives up 4 runs on just 7 baserunners
#135: WIN 3-1 ... Irvin pitches well again, going 6.2 IP, fanning 6...Groff doubles twice...90th win
#136: WIN 9-2 ... 3 hits, 4 RBI for Daley, and 3 hits for Rob "Mr .345" Rich...Jones only goes 5.1 IP but gets the win
Texas and Oakland are looking like good bets for wildcard slots, but we're up on them by 12.5 and 13.5, respectively.... Injuries have just crippled my farm system, so I only call up two players for the roster expansion: IF/OF Jose Lopez, who singled in his only AB earlier this summer; and RP Tyler Amsden, making his first MLB appearance.... I have to sign two more no-hoper minor league free agents just to fill out some rosters in the low minors, that's how bad injuries have gotten.... ELSEWHERE: Continuing HR chase: both Hughes and Rodela have 50 homers.... NL races are tightening up: Philly trails Atlanta by 4; Cincy is now 1.5 behind Pittsburgh; San Diego 2.5 from Portland. AL are not: Miami, Detroit, and Hawaii lead their divisions by at least 8 games.... Baltimore still at 40 wins, now on 7 game losing skid.
September 4-6 vs MILWAUKEE
Currently 69-66, and they've been hovering around .500 all season. Offense ranks 9th, pitching 11th. CF Oscar Espinosa is the star here, batting .302/32/71; LF Neil Cockrell, SS J.J. Dean, and 1B Juan Medina aren't too far off those numbers. But after that...crickets. The rotation--outside of Jeffrey Foley--has been a disappointment, and the bullpen horribly inconsistent. Despite verging on their sixth consecutive winning season, there's just not a lot of fizz to this brew. Future outlook: they're set to purge about $40M in payroll this fall, so it'll be interesting to see how aggressive they'll be in free agency. Recent grabs haven't produced much (outside of Cockrell, but he'll be a one-and-done), and owner Chris Attanasio wants profit above all, so...we'll see.
HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (14-6 4.27) / RH Mike Pearse (14-3, 3.41) / RH Dennis Perry (9-9, 4.70)
MIL pitchers: LH Daniel Becker (5-7, 4.14) / RH Octavio Corona (7-10, 4.98) / LH Jeffrey Foley (11-7, 3.39)
#137: WIN 7-1 ... everyone gets a hit, and Groff delivers his 29th HR...Jackson can't manage the last two outs of the game for some reason
#138: LOSS 3-4 ... all the scoring is done after 3, and there are only 11 combined hits...3 pitchers fan 16 Brewers, but Pearse walks 4 early
#139: WIN 8-1 ... 3 home runs, Goodloe's 11th triple, and a complete game 5-hitter by Perry
Decent series, although Pearse's lack of control over his past four starts is concerning: he's walked 4-5 batters per start, regardless of innings pitched.... Our Magic # is down to 12.... A ball Eureka starts a playoff series against Stockton; AAA Santa Barbara leads their division by 15.5 over Las Vegas.... Three weeks left on the DL for Frederick. Barring complications, he'll be back right before season's end.... ELSEWHERE: MacLeod fans 18 Orioles, now has 354 K on the season, which is the 7th highest in history and just 29 behind Nolan Ryan's modern mark set in 1973. And don't forget Cris Frias, who has 305 and should break into the top 20 (or top 10?) as well.... St Louis is the second team officially out of the playoff picture.
September 8-10 @ CHICAGO WHITE SOX
A stout 19-9 in August put the Sox right back into the wildcard hunt, even if they are still far away from the Tigers (8 games) in the division. They're 10th in run scored, despite being better than that in every other offensive category, possibly from losing table-setter SS Chris Rock for much of the year and having 2B Tim Ost drop off the table. Still, Zeke de la Rosa (.290/35/100) and Andy Barenberg (.300/24/70) are a solid 1-2 punch, and rookie international Ninsei Sato (.297/35/94) was quite a find. Pitching places 9th, and would be better than that had young fireballers Ben O'Neal and Burton Dick not faced recurring elbow issues this year. Luke Weaver has been a solid #1, and of course recent former Isle Tim Ciotta has been excellent since his banishment (7 starts, 2.54 ERA). Future watch: check this space next year. If they can stay healthy and keep developing their kids, they'll be even better next season. All of their top players are back, and with some aging plugs going away they should have $30-40M to spend on free agents.
HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (4-0, 4.79) / LH Eric Jones (15-10, 3.92) / RH Shamar Jackson (15-6, 4.14)
CHW pitchers: Rh Ivan Moreno (6-7, 3.64) / RH Luke Weaver (15-6, 3.51) / RH Tim Ciotta (9-6, 4.59)
#140: WIN 5-4 ... Matson homers twice, Groff adds one, and Daley smacks 4 hits...Irvin fans 8 over 6 IP, wins his fifth
#141: WIN 5-4 ... 13 hits, including 5 doubles...3 hits, 2 RBI for Lynn...Groff dings his hand (?) while running the bases
#142: LOSS 3-7 ... 4 more hits by Daley, but Jackson yields 3 dingers early and we can't catch up
Okay, let's unpack a few developments here.... First, Groff's injury will keep him out, but only for a week. Rest up old man.... Second, we call up Jules Medici for his first taste of MLB. Time to see if he's got any of that super-prowess my scouts have been touting for years. He's batting .322 with 14 HR in AAA and will play some 1B and DH, switching in and out with Wallace, who isn't hitting much at all right now. Dunklee will also step up, after platooning some since coming off the DL.... Third, Joe Lynn set a team record with a 24-game hitting streak, which just ended on that last game.... ELSEWHERE: Detroit's Luis Rodela bangs out his 53rd HR, then goes on the DL for the season. He should be back for the playoffs, unfortunately. (Btw, Detroit has 306 HR; we have 158).... George Livezey is the third batter to reach 50 HR, joining teammate Ricky Hughes (at 52).... It's a race to 10 WAR between Portland 3B Gerardo Nieto (9.4) and Minnesota P Conor MacLeod (9.1).
September 11-13 @ CLEVELAND
At 64-77 and playing out the string. That 18-7 April seems long, long ago now. CF Manny Ayala is still batting .357, but he's missed time from injury and suspension; 2B D.J. Grace is on the DL, and hitting a dismal (for him) .269. LF Victor Guillen looks like a future star, hitting .298/31/90 in his first full season. The rotation has struggled, near the bottom in the AL, and two former Isles haven't produced as hoped: Ryan Ratliff has given up too many hits, and Olimpio Le Coq (5.56 ERA) has struggled with hits and walks. Future watch: Mike Lee looks like a super stud, with probably the biggest arm I've ever seen. He can literally play anywhere (exc. catcher). He's maybe a year, year-and-a-half away. There are a couple of good pitchers too, so there's some promise down the line. Problem is, the budget is shrinking, fans are staying away, and owner Kurt Dolan is more about squeezing profit than he is about bringning wins.
HAW pitchers: RH Mike Pearse (14-4, 3.52) / RH Dennis Perry (10-9, 4.51) / RH Josh Irvin (5-0, 4.75)
CLE pitchers: RH Jose Pascual (4-11, 4.84) / LH Joe Payne (12-10, 4.84) / RH Ryan Ratliff (10-10, 5.57)
#143: WIN 11-5 ... Pearse struggles again, lasting just 4.2, but we bail him out with a 6-run 3rd...Medici homers in his first game
#144: LOSS 3-4 ... Perry walks six in 5 IP in a middling start, but it's White giving up a leadoff HR in the 10th for the loss...10k in attendance
#145: WIN 8-2 ... 13 K in 6 IP from Irvin...15 hits, 4 HR (including Dunklee and Wallace, surprise surprise)...we chase Ratliff in the third
Irvin keeps pitching better, but can't seem to get past six innings.... Medici's debut: double, home run, 2 RBI.... AA Eureka went 82-58 but was eliminated from the playoffs in four games by Stockton.... Team batting average up to .310 now.... ELSEWHERE: As if he hasn't done enough this year already, Minny's Conor MacLeod just no-hit the Red Sox, fanning 9 in a 6-0 victory. This is his 10th shutout and 17th complete game of the season. And 363 Ks ranks 7th all-time for one season.... Texas is leading the AL wildcard race, but they just lost #2 SP Greg Buchanan for this season and probably all of '52 too. Tough break.... Atlanta has righted their ship and is holding on to a 2.5 game over Philly. NY and Richmond have turned it on late and are both 6.5 behind. In the West, Portland and San Diego are now trading first place. The Pioneers are currently up by one.
......
TL;DR Version: Nice and easy: an 8-4 stretch and a 97-48 record overall. (Magic # is now 6.) Cam Daley has brought his average up to .340, good for second in the AL but still ten points behind Texas slugger William Swanson. Joe Lynn sits third at .333, and leads baseball with 38 steals. Pearse has 251 K, currently good for 5th on the franchise single-season list; his 75 walks also has him in 9th on that list. With just games left, my goals are: 1) stay healthy; 2) keep playing well; 3) stay healthy. Priorities...