[Bub13]

April 14-16 @ OAKLAND
At 8-4, sharing first place with us. A study in contrasts: their R:HR ratio is 68 to 30. Ours is 70 to 8. Two ways to get it done, I suppose. Felix Reyes just won player of the week, for a .367/8/16 start. Three others already have 4 HR, and 40-HR machine Ryan Walton has 3. Pitching is 2nd in runs against, with ace Jim Schwartz basically pulling the rest of the rotation along with him. I'm curious to see if we can actually hit one out vs Oscar Escobedo, who allowed 64 dingers in '50, and 26 last year in only 106 innings. Manager Ethan Larrison was a success in his five seasons in Detroit, and won 91 games in his first campaign in Oakland last year. Team budget is 11th, payroll is 12th. This could be their window year: four of their top ten players will be free agents this fall, and two others have opt outs.

HAW pitchers: RH Henry Skiffington (2-0, 2.08) / RH Mike Bader (0-0, 5.91) / RH Ben Germann (1-0, 7.36)
OAK pitchers: RH Oscar Escobedo (0-1, 6.00) / RH Eric Stockton (0-1, 4.91) / RH Conrad Robertson (1-1, 4.30)

#13: LOSS 3-9 ... yeah, we hit two out and had more hits...Biff doesn't last two innings, then Walker isn't much better
#14: WIN 8-5 ... 19 hits, 4 by Matson, 3 by Grace and Simmons...Bader gives up all the runs and 12 hits over 5 innings
#15: WIN 7-3 ... 13 hits tonight, 7 for extras...3 H, 3 RBI for Daley...Germann gets an emergency start, fans 8 over 7 IP

2-1 again. By hook or by crook.... Pitching is still dragging, at 10th in runs against. But Germann stepped up after GVT's dtd injury setback.... Frederick finally hit his first HR of the season, but Groff is still struggling: .180/1/2. And Medici is at .417 in his several starts. Just saying.... C Willie Alonzo suffered a dtd quad injury, so Wakabayashi will get some more starts for the next week.... ELSEWHERE: KC won a game! Then lost the next two, so they're still 1-14. And Boston won again, now 2-13.... Meanwhile, Detroit has now managed ten straight, after their snoozy start.... Texas' William Swanson had his 28-game hit streak ended, but he's still batting .386 with 8 HR. So fear not, Rangers fans.... Montreal rookie Edwin Rodas now has the longest active streak, at 24 games.... LA pitcher Marvin Diaz is really into the on-again-off-again lifestyle: 21-10, 2.49 ERA in '50, then 6-17 and 5.31 last year. This year he's 2-0 with a 0.72 ERA.


April 17-19 vs TEXAS
Solid hitting has led to an 8-7 record, but pitching is holding them back. Third in runs and 2nd in HR, with the usual suspects--Swanson, Gurrola, Robbins, et al--hitting everything in sight. But they let top SP Mike Messinger walk, then lost Greg Buchanan until August. Kevin Cahill and Bobby Daniel are the top guys now, and they're struggling; likewise, Mike Kent, who still hasn't put his piles of talent together. The bullpen at least is strong, at 3rd in the league right now; closer Garrett Slone and the two setup men haven't allowed a run so far. Manager TH Nam is the fifth year skipper, and the fans love him for leading the team back to the playoffs. They gave us all we could handle last year, and are looking to build on their 98-win season. Pitching has got to improve, tho.

HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (1-1, 5.57) / RH Josh Irvin (1-0, 3.98) / RH Henry Skiffington (2-1, 4.82)
TEX pitchers: RH Kevin Cahill (1-2, 5.40) / LH Bobby Daniel (1-1, 5.91) / RH Mike Kent (0-2, 10.57)

#16: LOSS 0-5 ... four hits against "struggling" Cahill...Jackson bombs again, yielding 13 hits in 5.2 innings
#17: LOSS 2-3 ... Irvin allows no runs and 3 hits through 7, but the pen screws the pooch...only six hits, and lots of blahs
#18: LOSS 2-12 ... we get 11 hits, but no offense, really...Biff, Walker, and Pearse are all terrible tonight

So, no 2-1 series this time.... Moribund series, no pitching and lots of hits but no real offense. We're first in average, at .310, but now 8th in runs, and next to last in HR. Not sure what to do except maybe ride it out for now and see who comes around.... Next we play the suddenly not-awful Orioles, and I'm wondering who will show up.... Two pitchers--Irvin and Van Tilburg--have nagging dtd injuries now. Sigh.... ELSEWHERE: Continuing travails: KC is 2-16, Boston 3-15.... Montreal's Rodas has his streak end at 23: sorry I mentioned it, dude.... 50 K for Cris Frias in 28.2 IP; but also 20 walks.... Oakland's Felix Reyes has already reached 10 HR, along with LA's Toshi Hasegawa.


April 21-23 vs BALTIMORE
Last year's 44-win team already has 8 this year. Yes, they're 8-10 and losers of three straight now, but that's still some major improvement. Underlying numbers don't look great, tho: 11th in offense, 13th in pitching, for a -16 run differential. But hey, they're rotation ERA is noticeably better than ours, so maybe I should just shut the hell up. There are still oddnesses abounding: recently-acquired former MVP winner Morgan Akers is batting .359 but in a platoon with a guy batting .154; strikeout king (ahem, he's NOT a pitcher, fyi) Nick Mullins has only fanned 21 times in 71 AB, well under his career average; and one of the worst leadoff men in MLB, Sam Wilhelm, is getting on base a full 150 points over his career average (.388 now), and leads the AL in steals. Rookie manager Shermayn Balentien must feel like a genius, considering how rotten this team played last year. Budget is 36th, payroll 35th. While they may be failing on the field, they're winning as a tax writeoff, and have made around $140M in profit for somebody these last six seasons.

HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (0-0, 6.61) / LH Greg Van Tilburg (1-1, 4.40) / RH Shamar Jackson (1-2, 6.07)
BAL pitchers: LH Rich Davis (0-1, 6.48) / RH Cody Brown (1-0, 6.52) / RH Pat Karahalios (0-3, 6.33)

#19: LOSS 3-4 ... ugh...only 5 hits, but one was a HR!
#20: LOSS 3-7 ... no comment
#21: WIN 2-1 ... well look who showed up: Jackson tosses 8 superb innings, and Frederick gets 3 hits. Still might bench him.

The less said here the better.... Mahoney comes off the DL, so Anthony Booker and his four-digit ERA go back to AAA for now. I still think he's got a future, but right now he's getting lit up.... Fred's 3 hits there notwithstanding, his .190 average might see him ride the pine next series. Same for Groff. Get someone new in there for a few games.... Alonzo is back to 100%, but now Tilburg has an "unknown" return date from his back strain. Doesn't effect his pitching much, but I might have to DL him anyway, just to be safe.... ELSEWHERE: Boston's won four in a row, so I guess they're "back".... Balls are still flying out in the AL: Oakland's Reyes now has 13, on pace for 100 (yes!), and Cleveland's Manny Ayala is right behind him with 12.... Congrats to ATL pitcher Jose Gutierrez, the first player to 2.0 WAR. There is no prize, sorry.... Longtime readers might remember former Isles OF prospect Kenny Welch. He's having the month of his career, batting .345/9/24, and finally playing like the formidable hitter we hoped he'd become, only six years too late.


April 24-26 @ HOUSTON
Only 9-12, but with a good series, hey guys, you could be ahead of us! At 8th in runs, 7th in runs against, for a somewhat surprising +6 differential. There's some power here, with 1B Jose Renteria at 9 already (we as a team have 12). Once I thought Alejandro Gonzales was going to be the next Nolan Ryan plus Sandy Koufax: but an injury a few years ago robbed his stamina, and the one that cost him most of last season also took away about a foot off his fastball. Meaning he went from a $33M/year ace, to a strong closer, to just another middle reliever. But he's rich. And last year's Hawaii pitching washout Tim Ciotta has washed up onto this rotation...and finally looks decent, the jerk. Manager Hector Garcia got canned by the Mariners last year just short of two months into the job; I guess he hasn't shown much this year either, but at least he's quiet about it. Budget is 30th, payroll 24th. Fan interest is low, but attendance is up (to a still small 23k however).

HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (1-0, 2.96) / RH Henry Skiffington (2-2, 6.75) / RH Mike Bader (0-1, 6.17)
HOU pitchers: RH Tim Ciotta (2-1, 3.72) / RH Ron Mills (1-1, 5.90) / RH Alex Trujillo (2-2, 3.64)

#22: LOSS 6-8 ... but we won the hits game, 13 to 8...five HR yielded here, proof that somebody can hit them
#23: WIN 6-4 ... Skiff does all right, but the pen nearly gives this one away, giving up 3 in the 9th...Simmons tweaks a knee and Grace is HPB, report pending
#24: LOSS 1-2 ... Bader looks better, but gives up 2 in the 8th for the loss...5 hits here, all singles

Can't hit, can't pitch = .500 baby! Argh. My personal adaptability rating is single digits, apparently.... Medici is batting .333, but still hasn't shown any power. I've got other things to worry about right now, however.... ELSEWHERE: Oakland is now 16-8, not that I care. Four other teams share that record for the tops in MLB.... Five injured pitchers for the Giants now. It's happening again, isn't it. Call an exorcist.


April 27-29 @ CHICAGO WHITE SOX
The Sox are looking pretty strong, 15-9, and just behind the Tigers and Indians in a suddenly revitalized Central division. Second in runs, 6th in pitching: six batters are over .300. But Ninsei Sato and Zeke de la Rosa hit 39 and 38 HR last year, but have just 2 and 3 this year. (But they are 2nd and 3rd in RBI.) Ace Ben O'Neal is finally healthy and hasn't lost a game this season. Other potential ace Burton Dick is also finally healthy, and just back from AAA rehab and in the pen. Team budget ranks 17th, payroll 13th. Almost everyone who counts is signed for next year, so if they've got it together finally, they could put in a nice run and become another force in the AL. I guess this is what it looks like when we're no good again...

HAW pitchers: LH Greg Van Tilburg (1-2, 4.82) / RH Shamar Jackson (2-2, 4.93) / RH Josh Irvin (1-0, 4.31)
CHW pitchers: RH Ben O'Neal (4-0, 2.27) / RH Emanuel Vasquez (2-2, 6.21) / LH Alex Alvarado (2-1, 4.79)

#25: LOSS 7-10 ... 3 HR from Frederick so, one step forward?
#26: LOSS 5-6 ... 13 hits is still not enough...no one remembers how to pitch anymore, just so we're straight
#27: WIN 9-8 ... we spot an early 6-0 lead, but actually come back for a win...Groff homers, Matson gets 4 hits

We manage a win here, but this wraps up a pretty rotten second half of the month.... A fitting sign of the season so far: Frederick wins player of the week, with 4 HR and a .417 average, then gets hurt. He's out with a back injury for two weeks.... Tilburg has been so bad lately that he goes back to AAA. Shane Walker gets a shot next, back up after two years in the minors.... ELSEWHERE: Boston's Rich Dragos wasn't even in the lineup to start the season, but he's back as a regular and leading the AL in hitting at .437. Boston's 7-3 in their last ten, after that dreadful start.... Cleveland and Atlanta stay hot, and top the charts at 19-8.... Strikeout kings are at it again: Cincy's Cris Frias is on pace for 444 (74 in 44.2 IP), and Minny's Conor MacLeod at 366 (61 in 45.1 IP).... Brooklyn's Kymani Rhymes has saved 12 of the Robins' 13 wins.

......

TL;DR Version: It's been a while since we've started this poorly: 13-14, and 3-9 over our last twelve. Two reasons: terrible pitching, 14th in runs against (led by some egregious starting pitching), and not enough scoring. We're still first in AVG, 2nd in OBP. But at 9th in OPS and runs scored, we're obviously not getting the big hits we need to bring those guys home. Early on, it was our 4-6 batters not getting it done. But Frederick finally got hot, Groff is back over .200, and Goodloe/Matson are hitting and getting on base. Frederick's injury will throw a wrench into the reviving offense for a couple of weeks; I call up sudden prospect Josh Hed for his first taste of MLB life. He'll play some, as will holdover Julius Burrows. Hed has more power and is a solid defensive CF. Burrows is better all-around. When Hed plays, Lynn will shift to RF. Burrows will get the other starts in right. Our pitching tho...Tilburg flamed out for now, but hopefully Shane Walker has something to prove and will step in. Every other starter has looked from good to downright awful at times. The pen, at least, has been more solid, with closer Kyle Johnson having a fantastic month. If we can just get everyone pulling in the right direction at the same time, and actually get some decent starting pitching, we'll turn this around.