[Bub13]

July 15-17 @ HOUSTON
Clinging on to a positive record, 47-46, but not really in the race for anything right now. Their numbers look decent: 8th in offense, 6th in pitching. Injuries have hurt, with RF Jesus Hernandez out, along with four pitchers. Leading the way on offense are Jose Renteria (.299/21/55), Ricky Silva (.253/18/53), and Kevin Mazurowski (.277/30/70). The rest of the gang...not so much.

HAW pitchers: LH Matt Waugh (12-2, 1.94) / RH Biff Skiff (8-4, 4.00) / RH Chris Liles (7-4, 5.73)
HOU pitchers: RH Chris Driscoll (1-0, 1.00) / LH Pat Wise (5-6, 4.34) / RH Eric Morton (3-0, 4.41)

#94: WIN 6-1 ... HR by Medici and Freds, as we efficiently turn 9 runners into 6 runs...Waugh fans 11 through 7 IP
#95: WIN 12-6 ... wind was blowing out today: 5 HR for us (2 from Matson) and 2 for them...6 RBI by Matson, and Espino knocks his first MLB HR
#96: LOSS 2-7 ... Houston scores 5 runs late, blowing up a 2-2 tie...Ulkini homers...Liles struggles again

Funny how winning two out of three actually lowers our winning percentage.... Still 8 games ahead of Texas.... Matson stays hot, batting .377. Medici up to .320 now, really feeling it.... Pitching is still pretty solid, but Liles is really battling it, with an ERA up near 6 now.... ELSEWHERE: Another three days, another set of minor trades, teams swapping average prospects for backup-type players.... Milwaukee has dropped 17 in a row, Montreal 9. Both sit at 31-65 overall.... The Cubs are the third team to reach 60 wins (after Hawaii and Texas), and has built up a ten game lead over New Orleans.... Cubs 3B Juan Garcia reached 2800 career hits just now. The 16-year vet is hitting .337, and if he stays healthy he'll reach 3000 hits next season.


July 18-20 @ DETROIT
With the White Sox, they're still running away from the pack in the Central: at 57-39 and a game behind Chicago. The offense sits just 12th in runs, a major comedown from the past, oh, decade-plus for the franchise. Perhaps having three OF on the DL hasn't helped. Pitching is 2nd, however, and both the rotation and bullpen have been top-notch. Rookie Jose Hernandez was moved into the closer role after April, and is at 54 K (vs just 9 walks) in 33 IP, with a WHIP of 0.88 and 20 saves. Not shabby at all. Plus, it just thrills me that our 2B from last season, D.J. Grace, is batting .349/18/52, hitting leadoff. THRILLS.

HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (9-3, 4.13) / RH Josh Irvin (8-3, 4.53) / LH Matt Waugh (13-2, 1.90)
DET pitchers: RH Tony Gamez (10-5, 3.28) / RH Raul Bravo (9-5, 3.97) / LH Carlos Zenon (8-5, 4.18)

#97: WIN 8-4 ... 2 HR from Royer, and 4 H with 3 RBI from Goodloe...14 hits for us, 12 for the bad guys
#98: WIN 7-1 ... Pederson and Medici homer, each closing in on 30...7 solid IP for Irvin, Kearns shuts it down the rest of the way
#99: LOSS 0-4 ... 3 hits by Lynn, but we get only 3 more, all singles...Waugh yields 3 HR and 12 hits in 7 IP

Two out of three, still up by 8 over Texas.... Rare off game from Waugh, but solid outings from Bader and Irvin.... With just over a week to go before the trade deadline, I'm looking around but not likely to make any deals. No one's hurt, we've got two good pitchers on rehab in AAA, and other decent depth available on the farm. Since almost everyone is going great right now, I'm not terribly willing to upset the mood on the field or in the clubhouse. We'll see what happens over the next couple of weeks.... ELSEWHERE: Milwaukee lost their 20th straight, then finally took one from Houston. Still, they've lost 9 out of 10, along with Baltimore and Montreal.... Philly's Rick Logston (108) and Texas' William Swanson (104) lead the RBI race in each league. Both are also tops in HR, and are the only players with more than 40 dingers.... The top three HR leaders in the NL are all with the Phillies.


July 22-24 vs BOSTON
The most interesting (?) stat from this 40-59 team is probably the twelve players currently on the DL. Three-fourths of the infield and two-thirds of the outfield are out of action long-term. Which helps explain the league's worst offense, last in scoring and hitting and near-bottom in every other category. Comparatively, the 11th-ranked pitching staff looks pretty decent. This may be the time for a rich team, one that is only spending $78M on salaries, to go all in on a rebuild: of the top 25 listed salaries, only five are definitely signed for next season. A top-four prospect system, with several players just about ready to take the big step or already in the bigs, is a good sign moving forward. So many teams here should pay me to consult for them.

HAW pitchers: RH Biff Skiff (8-4, 4.30) / RH Chris Liles (7-5, 5.79) / RH Mike Bader (10-3, 4.05)
BOS pitchers: RH Sean Reed (3-3, 6.09) / RH Danny Diaz (10-5, 4.26) / RH Sean Kropp (0-3, 5.25)

#100: WIN 6-1 ... JJ SIMMONS ANNUAL HOME RUN ALERT...complete game 4-hitter by Biff, and sellout crowds are showing up again at home
#101: WIN 3-2 ... only 4 hits tonight, but throw in 4 walks and a pair of RBI doubles, along with Liles' strong 8 innings, for a change
#102: WIN 4-3 ... Boston scores 2 in the 11th, but we counter with 3 in our half, sparked by Lynn's 2-run double...Bader goes 9 IP too

Sorry Sox fans, it had to be done. Boston's SP in that last game, Sean Kropp, is also a power-hitting 1B who has 125 career HR to go along with 158 career starts on the mound.... In his 10th full season in MLB, Simmons just cracked his 9th career HR. That includes his Ruthian three-homer season last year. He was so tired from that, look how long it took him to hit another one.... Short A Poughkeepsie is off to a 25-4 start, and right now every minor team but rookie ball Wilmington is over .500.... ELSEWHERE: More trades, mostly minor. But Pittsburgh's lineup sounds a lot more boring now that they sent off catcher Sean Blong and infielder Micah Michael, getting solid-but-dull-sounding Garrett Slone in return.... Fun stat: Milwaukee, with 33 wins, is almost that many games (30) behind division-leading Chicago.... Close race in the NL West, with five teams within 8 games of first. The AL East is the other close race, with New York and Tampa separated by just one game.


July 25-27 vs TEXAS
Hey, Sean Blong fans: he's here after his recent trade, and we'll face him as the new starting catcher for the Rangers. (What is that fan club called? Blongers? Blongmongers? Blongeroos?) Texas is 9 games behind us now, still 3rd in offense, 4th in pitching. Also still tops in home runs, with 213, and led by perrenial MVP-candidate William Swanson with 47. LF Mike Olivera is also still leading the batting race, at .385 (to go along with 26 HR and 81 RBI). With five regulars batting over .300, and four of those guys with over 20 HR, this is still a potent lineup. With their power, they're still a threat to catch us and take the division for the first time since 2019. The defending champs will definitely make noise before this season is over, you can count on that.

HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (9-3, 4.31) / LH Matt Waugh (13-3, 2.07) / RH Biff Skiff (9-4, 4.02)
TEX pitchers: RH Jesus Aguilar (10-6, 4.45) / LH Bill Butts (11-5, 4.80) / RH Jake Driggers (6-4, 4.75)

#103: LOSS 3-5 ... Irvin gives up 3 HR in 4.2 IP, and that's the ball game...only six hits for us, as the offense is slumbering just a bit now
#104: WIN 2-1 ... Matson and Medici get the RBIs tonight, even though we again get on six hits...Waugh goes 8, giving up six hits too
#105: WIN 9-3 ... Pederson and Medici inch closer to 30 HR, and 4 players get 2 hits each...another CG win for Biff, giving up just 5 hits

Picked up another game, now ten games up on Texas.... Our faceless corporate ownership group gave me an order to increase our home runs from last year's total. Well, we hit 167 in 2052, and through 105 games this year we've banged out 156. Hopefully we can still reach our goal, although nothing is promised in this life.... ELSEWHERE: Along with us, the Cubs have become the second team to open up a double-digit division lead, leading New Orleans by ten games.... You know me, always pulling for atrocious teams: Milwaukee (33 wins) and Montreal (35) are staging quite a race for the worst of the worst this year. I'd love another 40-something win team, but that'd be a real feat to pull off at this point.... Another fun race: Minnesota pitcher Conor MacLeod (155 K) vs Baltimore 2B Nick Mullins (148 K). Excellent, truly excellent.


July 28-30 vs SEATTLE
A 9-15 month has put the Mariners on the bottom of the division, taking over from Oakland. The offense has picked up, sitting 5th in runs and 3rd in HR. Only one guy--Jon Terrell at .315--is batting over .300, but nearly everyone is producing, and there are no obviously glaring holes in the lineup. Pitching, however, is 16th, with the 17th-ranked rotation ERA (bullpen is 3rd). That rotation ERA is 6.26, which is...not good. Maybe having three guys on the DL isn't helping. I suppose the good news for their pitching is that they have two truly top-flight prospects who may be ready for the big time by next year.

HAW pitchers: RH Chris Liles (8-5, 5.57) / RH Mike Bader (10-3, 3.87) / RH Josh Irvin (9-4, 4.54)
SEA pitchers: RH Dan Crews (5-3, 4.83) / RH Erik Ramey (7-12, 6.49) / LH Art Mewbourne (5-8, 5.45)

#106: LOSS 4-7 ... had it won after two, up 4-0...six of our eight hits go for extras, but to no avail...all three of our pitchers struggle tonight
#107: WIN 4-2 ... two solo HR from Medici are the go-ahead runs...solid 8 IP from Bader, and a 1-2-3 all-K ninth by Collier
#108: WIN 13-10 ... 8 total HR tonight, gale force winds blowing out...GRAND SLAM and 8 RBI for Medici...pen gives up 6 runs in 2 IP

Not the shiniest hour for the bullpen, giving up 13 of the 19 runs Seattle scored.... 4 HR and 10 RBI from Medici, now with 33 HR on the season.... Otherwise, not much to report here. Two more wins, no injuries, and we maintain our lead over Texas.... With the end of the month and the trade deadline here: we make no moves. I thought about adding an RP or a utility infielder, but didn't for two reasons, which I think I mentioned up above too: 1) everyone is going well right now, so why upset the apple cart; and b) we've got two pitchers in AAA who'll be finishing up rehab stints soon, and will need spots on the big club. So that's a what, self-trade? Works for me.... ELSEWHERE: A bunch more trades, with nearly every one being not at all noteworthy. But with one exception: Cincy sent 30-year-old two-time MVP Jose Tavares to Tampa for Ken Berman (OF, 27, big arm and takes walks) and prospect 2B Rich Duff (could be...average...one day). Sure, Tavares will be a free agent this fall, but that's all you can get for a guy who is still solidly productive? Tavares hit 52 HR last year, and was hitting .307/33/70 with the Reds this year. So, okay, Cincy, way to go there.... And Texas shored up something--but I'm not sure what--by acquiring 38-year-old former Isle 2B Josh Robertson for a couple of average prospects.... Sad news out of Philly, losing stud RF George Livezey (.353/41/92) for the season.

......

TL;DR Version: Can't complain about a 21-6 month, and a 78-30 overall record. The offense wasn't as solidly productive as previous months, but overall we're still batting .300 and are 2nd in runs scored. Four regulars are also batting over .300, and although most guys still look good in total, a few are trending steadily downward: Pederson, Goodloe, and Daley hit well below their regular marks, but all are also producing with XBH and OBP. Pitching is first overall, in runs and in rotation and bullpen ERA. Most guys are trending well, including Liles, who's 4.15 ERA this month is by far his best of the season. Finally, with the trade deadline coming and going, we made no deals, keeping the roster intact for two reasons: First, we have...wait, what? You heard this already? Okay then... We will still have off-season decisions to make, with Daley's contract expiring, and Frederick considering a PO (that he'll probably decline). We have a TO on Adam Groff (for $34.5M), which frankly I'm not likely to accept; I'm hoping he'll retire, tbh. And RP Robbie Collier and Ben Germann will be free agents; at ages 38 and 33, I'm probably going to wish them well for the future elsewhere.

......

TIME FOR ANOTHER PAST DRAFT REVIEW: WELCOME (BACK) TO 2036:

I was looking to have a deeper draft for our third round of selections, more than the one guy (Groff, tho) we got in 2035. As you'll see below, I was not..exactly...successful in doing that. Let's just say that I was happy our trades and waiver work went better than my lack of astuteness at the draft table... (As a reminder, I've just copied here my original comments and appended a career note for each player.)

Round 1, 6th Overall
OF Ian McGowan, 19, high school. Wanted to take a quality SP here, but the best ones were gone already. McGowan is solid across all batting ratings, best in contact and gap power. Has some nice pop too. Nice work ethic, which has to help his development. Great range in the field, average arm; could make it in center or left field. Starting in Boone (R). McGowan ended up starting in CF for a year-and-a-half until we shipped him off to Montreal. Decent player, not great, and is still playing with California. Career to date: .248/144/633, 21.3 WAR

Round 2, 53rd Overall
SP Ian Albring, 23, Fresno State. Older, and farther along in his development. Ceiling is not that high, however. Could feature as 4/5 starter, with four pitches. Fastball (96 mph) is best right now, but changeup should become better. Also rates well at the plate, with average ratings; speedy, and good ratings at 3B and OF. Probably best to remain a pitcher, however. Poughkeepsie (S A). MLB: 21 G, 28 IP. zero WAR

Round 3, 86th Overall
P Ronnie Corgan, 19, high school. Our first non-Ian pick. Strictly bullpen for now, with only one average pitch. Two others should come along, and his ratings potential looks slightly better than Albring's. Also has quite a good bat, like Albring, only better. Middling fielding tho, which probably will keep him on the mound. Maybe he'll make it as an SP and a pinch hitter! To Poughkeepsie (S A). MLB: 236 G, 290 IP, 0.2 WAR. Most of those games with Austin.

Round 4, 126th Overall
SS John Canning, 19, high school. Good contact, gap, won't strike out. Zero power, and below average eye. High quality fielder, tho. Good enough range for short and arm for third. Also strong outfielder. If his bat develops at all, he'll at least be a very nice utility guy. Was a 6th rounder for Detroit last year, but didn't sign. Will start in Athens (R). MLB: 1903 AB, 5.8 WAR. Still playing, in TEX system. Had six years as that "very nice utility guy" for us, winning two titles. Good contact hitter and fielder, zero power.

Round 5, 161st Overall
1B Tyler Dion, 18, high school. Lots of high school kids this draft, noticing now. Pretty average ratings, really. Contact and gap rate as slightly over average, eye and avoid k's below. Not a good fielder. Home town kid, our first Hawaiian draft pick. A project. Going to Boone (R). MLB: nope

Round 5, 167th Overall
RP Jordan Woods, 19, high school. Pure reliever, as only has the two pitches--fastball and curve, and the latter needs a lot of work. Should have good stuff and decent movement, with ok control. That last one needs a lot of work right now, however. Also has some nice potential at the plate, but not in the field. Will also start in Boone (R). MLB: uh-uh

Round 6, 197th Overall
C Billy Ashe, 20, BYU. Needed some more catching prospects in the system, not that Ashe will set the world on fire tho. Ok contact, good gap and avoid k's, limited power. Mediocre behind the plate. Line drive hitter, switch hitter. In Boone (R). MLB: nada

Round 7, 233rd Overall
3B Chris Kennedy, 21, Georgia Tech. Another decision for me to make: pretty average hitting potential, but a decent fielder with a cannon arm. Could also play in the outfield. Has fantastic stuff potential, but only average movement and control. Scouts say he'll develop a second pitch, but only has a fastball right now, and that so-called second pitch is currently useless. So do I pitch him, or play him at third? Work ethic is a concern, which may end up making my decision for me (would make me lean towards keeping him at 3B, given how much development his mound-work would need). Off to Boone (R), like almost everyone else. MLB: nyet

Round 8, 269th Overall
3B Matt Howard, 17, high school. Really a better fit at second and/or first, as his arm and glove are only average. No ratings stand out, so he'll either surprise one day and make it to the bigs, or max out at AAA. Also off to Boone (R). MLB: maxed out at AAA, of course

Round 9, 305th Overall
1B Justin Tapley, 18, high school. Another guy with average potential (all ratings from 9 to 11, out of 20), but very high work ethic may push him higher. Not surprisingly, a bad fielder. Seems hard to find good fielding first basemen in the draft. Another Boonie (R). MLB: take a guess

Anyone else? 10th round 1B John Martin played a dozen games with us in '39, then vanished. Better was 12th round pick Ashton Gooding, a IF/OF utility guy who hit 23 HR with us in '43, then batted .168 the following year and got released. But he did hit the Series-winning HR in '44, so did earn a hefty playoff bonus before sailing off to Italy for five seasons and brief cups of coffee with Toronto in '49 and '51.

Final score: the '36 draft brought us zero regulars or solid pitchers, one brief OF regular, and a couple of utility guys who came and went. Not ideal. Although, tbf I did like Canning for a while. Just not as a regular.