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ayaghmour2 · 01-05-2021, 07:44 PM

Weekly Record: 6-1
Seasonal Record: 68-66 (5th, 15.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Don Grossman : 2 Wins, 2 Saves, 6.2 IP, 1 BB, 1 K, 1.35 ERA
Joe Masters : 29 AB, 10 H, 2 HR, 10 RBI, .345 AVG, .953 OPS
John Kincaid : 32 AB, 13 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .406 AVG, .938 OPS

Weekly Schedule
9-3: Win at Sailors (6-5)
9-4: Win vs Foresters (5-6): 11 innings
9-4: Win vs Foresters (2-4)
9-6: Win vs Stars (13-14): 12 innings
9-7: Win vs Stars (2-3)
9-8: Loss vs Stars (8-5)
9-9: Win vs Stars (10-11)

Summary
God I hate this team...

We decide to randomly have a 6-1 week and make up 3 and a half games on first to cut the deficit to a whopping 15 and a half games. The Kings (83-50) and Foresters (81-53) both had rough weeks, but there is still no way we make the playoffs and we are just ruining our draft position little by little. I'd love to save these wins for next year, but it did feel nice waking up in the morning and seeing the former usual 6-1 instead of the way too common 3-4 I've grown accustomed to. It was total luck, as after losing nearly every close game this year, five of our six wins were one run wins and the six was a two run win. Obviously not sustainable, but at least it brings our Pythagorean closer to our actual record.

I haven't focused on many individual seasons, but the September 6th game against the Stars was absolutely insane. The 5th, 7th, 10th, and 11th were the only innings that didn't have runs. Not only that, but the lead changed like a million times. We took a 1-0 lead in the first, then they tied it in the second. The Stars put up a three spot, and then we tied it with the first of four three spots of our own. The Stars jumped ahead 5-4 in the 4th before we put together the second three spot. They got another run in the 6th before exploding for 5 in the 8th. Fear not, we put up our third three spot in the bottom half to bring the game within one. With the game on the line, Mike Smith's fielder's choice scored Tom Taylor to force extras. Tied at 11 in the 12th, former Cougar farmhand John Lawson doubled doubled home a pair of runners with two outs, and it looked like the Stars were going to win.

But again, fear not Cougar fans! Another three run inning is on the horizon! Woody Armstrong drew a quick four pitch walk off another former Cougar farmhand Phil English needed a strike real bad, and he left an easy one for Mike Taylor who deposited 380 feet from home plate to tie the game! Cy Bryant struck out, but another walk, this time Clyde Hinzman before a Forrest Sylvester single. With first and second, Tom Taylor flew out on the first pitch trying to pull a Mike Taylor searching for his second homer of the game. We had one more chance, with John Kincaid up, and he put up an excellent fight. He fouled off four pitches, got the count to 3-2, and then singled Hinzman home to win the game. I miss this type of baseball!

Well, not the giving up 13 runs part and the fact that their starter allowed 6 unearned runs, but the actual fight we showed! The comeback! Not giving up! And all the false sense of hope that we could still make the playoffs! At least I can redirect it more to hope for next season, but man if we win six or seven this week I will declare that we can win the pennant again! Even though we probably will be inches away from elimination...

Looking ahead, at least four wins is possible in the Cannons (48-87) series where we get to host them. The four with the first place Kings (83-50) will be the tougher part, but there is a chance we can get two of the first three games. I'm not betting on it, but the Kings can't win every game and they probably won't have another 18+ win month. So there is false hope! Even though they rank 1st or 2nd in literally every category... We have 20 games left and if we win the next 20, we'll finish 88-66. Brooklyn has 83 wins. So yeah... False hope... But it's still hope!

Looking at the individual performances, Dick Leudtke put together another strong start, going 8 strong innings with 10 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts. He may end up as our best healthy pitcher on the season despite his terrible start and I am glad Leudtke turned things around. Dick Lyons, however, has fallen into a little slump, and after a strong start on short rest in the double header, he allowed 15 hits and 7 runs with 2 strikeouts in just 5 and a third in the 11-10 win over the Stars. Both guys recently turned 34, so of course, age is a worry, but I don't plan on moving Lyons ever. He's one of just two Cougar lifers that have played a significant role for us.

Dave Rankin has also fallen on tough times, allowing 23 hits and 12 runs (11 earned) with 6 walks and 7 strikeouts in 16.2 innings across two starts. And while Herb Lowman's start was okayish, Norm Stewart allowed 10 hits and 6 runs with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts in the crazy extra inning win against the Stars. The real star of the staff was Don Grossman, appearing in six of the seven games. He was 2-0 with a pair of saves, 7 hits, an earned run, an unearned run, a walk, and strikeout. He's adjusted well to the closer role and his Rookie season has been excellent. He's 5-1 with a 2.34 ERA (195 ERA+), 1.20 WHIP, 22 walks, and 16 strikeouts in 50 strong innings out of the pen. We've never had a reliever star of the week, and it's likely going to be one of the few if not only until relievers play more of a role. We will be without Pete Walker for 1-2 weeks, so he'll hit the DL and I'll bring up another arm. I'm going with Gordie Thompson who's on the 40. He's struggling in AA, but he has a nice fastball that should translate well to the bullpen. He can eat innings for us out of the pen when Norm Stewart inevitably has another awful start.

All of our starters with three or more starts had an 100 OPS+ or higher for the week except Tom Taylor who was just 8-for-36 with 6 strikeouts. He did hit homer #28 and drove in 6 runs to increase his total to 94. He's now just 2 homers, 6 RBI's, and 1 steal to reach the 30/100/20 season. He also has 26 doubles, and could have 30 doubles on the year too. The best trio was actually Mike Smith, Forrest Sylvester, and Claude Ramsey who combined to go 10-for-22 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI's. Of the starters, however, John Kincaid and Joe Masters both had excellent weeks. The hero Kincaid was 13-for-32 with with a steal, 3 RBI's, 5 walks, and 8 runs scored. Joe Masters added 2 homers and 10 RBI's while going 10-for-29. Lou Kelly and Mike Taylor both hit a homer and 7 RBI's a piece while combining to go 19-for-63. Kelly scored 8 runs and Taylor scored 2 of his own. I was hoping for more from Doc Love, who was just 10-for-30 without a homer. He did score and drive in six runs, but I was hoping for a homer or two. We will get Bill Ashbaugh back this week, so our lineup will be rotating a bit as I'll try to fit him in where I can.

01-05-2021, 07:44 PM	#321
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,010	Week 21: September 3rd-September 9th Weekly Record: 6-1 Seasonal Record: 68-66 (5th, 15.5 GB) Stars of the Week Don Grossman : 2 Wins, 2 Saves, 6.2 IP, 1 BB, 1 K, 1.35 ERA Joe Masters : 29 AB, 10 H, 2 HR, 10 RBI, .345 AVG, .953 OPS John Kincaid : 32 AB, 13 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .406 AVG, .938 OPS Weekly Schedule 9-3: Win at Sailors (6-5) 9-4: Win vs Foresters (5-6): 11 innings 9-4: Win vs Foresters (2-4) 9-6: Win vs Stars (13-14): 12 innings 9-7: Win vs Stars (2-3) 9-8: Loss vs Stars (8-5) 9-9: Win vs Stars (10-11) Summary God I hate this team... We decide to randomly have a 6-1 week and make up 3 and a half games on first to cut the deficit to a whopping 15 and a half games. The Kings (83-50) and Foresters (81-53) both had rough weeks, but there is still no way we make the playoffs and we are just ruining our draft position little by little. I'd love to save these wins for next year, but it did feel nice waking up in the morning and seeing the former usual 6-1 instead of the way too common 3-4 I've grown accustomed to. It was total luck, as after losing nearly every close game this year, five of our six wins were one run wins and the six was a two run win. Obviously not sustainable, but at least it brings our Pythagorean closer to our actual record. I haven't focused on many individual seasons, but the September 6th game against the Stars was absolutely insane. The 5th, 7th, 10th, and 11th were the only innings that didn't have runs. Not only that, but the lead changed like a million times. We took a 1-0 lead in the first, then they tied it in the second. The Stars put up a three spot, and then we tied it with the first of four three spots of our own. The Stars jumped ahead 5-4 in the 4th before we put together the second three spot. They got another run in the 6th before exploding for 5 in the 8th. Fear not, we put up our third three spot in the bottom half to bring the game within one. With the game on the line, Mike Smith's fielder's choice scored Tom Taylor to force extras. Tied at 11 in the 12th, former Cougar farmhand John Lawson doubled doubled home a pair of runners with two outs, and it looked like the Stars were going to win. But again, fear not Cougar fans! Another three run inning is on the horizon! Woody Armstrong drew a quick four pitch walk off another former Cougar farmhand Phil English needed a strike real bad, and he left an easy one for Mike Taylor who deposited 380 feet from home plate to tie the game! Cy Bryant struck out, but another walk, this time Clyde Hinzman before a Forrest Sylvester single. With first and second, Tom Taylor flew out on the first pitch trying to pull a Mike Taylor searching for his second homer of the game. We had one more chance, with John Kincaid up, and he put up an excellent fight. He fouled off four pitches, got the count to 3-2, and then singled Hinzman home to win the game. I miss this type of baseball! Well, not the giving up 13 runs part and the fact that their starter allowed 6 unearned runs, but the actual fight we showed! The comeback! Not giving up! And all the false sense of hope that we could still make the playoffs! At least I can redirect it more to hope for next season, but man if we win six or seven this week I will declare that we can win the pennant again! Even though we probably will be inches away from elimination... Looking ahead, at least four wins is possible in the Cannons (48-87) series where we get to host them. The four with the first place Kings (83-50) will be the tougher part, but there is a chance we can get two of the first three games. I'm not betting on it, but the Kings can't win every game and they probably won't have another 18+ win month. So there is false hope! Even though they rank 1st or 2nd in literally every category... We have 20 games left and if we win the next 20, we'll finish 88-66. Brooklyn has 83 wins. So yeah... False hope... But it's still hope! Looking at the individual performances, Dick Leudtke put together another strong start, going 8 strong innings with 10 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts. He may end up as our best healthy pitcher on the season despite his terrible start and I am glad Leudtke turned things around. Dick Lyons, however, has fallen into a little slump, and after a strong start on short rest in the double header, he allowed 15 hits and 7 runs with 2 strikeouts in just 5 and a third in the 11-10 win over the Stars. Both guys recently turned 34, so of course, age is a worry, but I don't plan on moving Lyons ever. He's one of just two Cougar lifers that have played a significant role for us. Dave Rankin has also fallen on tough times, allowing 23 hits and 12 runs (11 earned) with 6 walks and 7 strikeouts in 16.2 innings across two starts. And while Herb Lowman's start was okayish, Norm Stewart allowed 10 hits and 6 runs with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts in the crazy extra inning win against the Stars. The real star of the staff was Don Grossman, appearing in six of the seven games. He was 2-0 with a pair of saves, 7 hits, an earned run, an unearned run, a walk, and strikeout. He's adjusted well to the closer role and his Rookie season has been excellent. He's 5-1 with a 2.34 ERA (195 ERA+), 1.20 WHIP, 22 walks, and 16 strikeouts in 50 strong innings out of the pen. We've never had a reliever star of the week, and it's likely going to be one of the few if not only until relievers play more of a role. We will be without Pete Walker for 1-2 weeks, so he'll hit the DL and I'll bring up another arm. I'm going with Gordie Thompson who's on the 40. He's struggling in AA, but he has a nice fastball that should translate well to the bullpen. He can eat innings for us out of the pen when Norm Stewart inevitably has another awful start. All of our starters with three or more starts had an 100 OPS+ or higher for the week except Tom Taylor who was just 8-for-36 with 6 strikeouts. He did hit homer #28 and drove in 6 runs to increase his total to 94. He's now just 2 homers, 6 RBI's, and 1 steal to reach the 30/100/20 season. He also has 26 doubles, and could have 30 doubles on the year too. The best trio was actually Mike Smith, Forrest Sylvester, and Claude Ramsey who combined to go 10-for-22 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI's. Of the starters, however, John Kincaid and Joe Masters both had excellent weeks. The hero Kincaid was 13-for-32 with with a steal, 3 RBI's, 5 walks, and 8 runs scored. Joe Masters added 2 homers and 10 RBI's while going 10-for-29. Lou Kelly and Mike Taylor both hit a homer and 7 RBI's a piece while combining to go 19-for-63. Kelly scored 8 runs and Taylor scored 2 of his own. I was hoping for more from Doc Love, who was just 10-for-30 without a homer. He did score and drive in six runs, but I was hoping for a homer or two. We will get Bill Ashbaugh back this week, so our lineup will be rotating a bit as I'll try to fit him in where I can.