[Bub13]

August 16-18 @ BOSTON
Hanging on, at 62-61 and ten games out of first, but with our heel turn they're only four games out in the wildcard race. Like the record, the underlying numbers are average: 10th in runs, 8th in pitching, and a +13 run differential. Dustin Wasilewski missed 20 games and hasn't been the MVP he was in '52 for LA, but he's batting .340. At 35, 1B Rich Dragos keeps on hitting (.296/.417/.548, 28 HR); 2B Cortez Ortiz is batting .318; and C Riley King (.307/.378/.497, 13 HR) is still hitting nearly 50 points above his career average. On the mound, a 4th-ranked bullpen ERA has helped, but the rotation has been erratic: Chris Rivera and Xavier Timbo have been fine; but Yuya Watabe and Kaoru Tanaka have alternated strong starts with early-inning blowouts. And rookie Josh Williamson has been troublesome in the #5 slot (along with batting .239 in 43 games at DH). The clubhouse, long a bastion of hotheads, slugabeds, and other bozos, has been content so far, and there are no rifts on the coaching staff. There's a ton of help on the way in MLB's 4th-best prospect system, including the #2 prospect in the game, OF Tyler Knott. He's batting .331 in 33 starts in the OF so far, and was a 30th round pick in '51. Shows what a strong work ethic can bring you.

HAW pitchers: RH Mike Pearse (8-7, 4.00) / RH Andy Burke (6-3, 5.06) / LH Matt Waugh (15-3, 3.40)
BOS pitchers: RH Xavier Timbo (4-2, 3.40) / RH Josh Williamson (7-7, 6.05) / LH Chris Rivera (13-6, 3.49)

#124: LOSS 2-4 ... 10 hits each side, but they add 2 HR to the mix...3 hits for Kelley, subbing for Simmons, 2 each for Matson and Gase
#125: WIN 6-1 ... Medici and Matson homer, 3 hits for Hed...4 H, 1 R allowed in 6 IP for Burke...a 4-run 8th breaks a 1-1 tie
#126: LOSS 1-8 ... 7 late runs destroys another 1-1 tie...Waugh is just bad again...only six hits here, while allowing 13

More forgettable stuff here. Seattle has caught us, and we're both 9 games behind Texas. Houston lurks one game back.... Simmons' injury is a back strain, and he's probably done for the season. He's gone from batting .344 in '52, to .278 last year, to .237 this year. Oh boy.... We call up youngster Lucas Tipping to take his roster spot. Tipping's 11th on our prospect list, 29th on MLB's. Not great at any one thing, but solid across the board and with surprising power. Batted .248/10/42 in 58 AAA starts.... ELSEWHERE: Nine wins out of ten for Seattle, putting them right back in the middle of the wildcard race.... That player's only meeting in Cincy has resulted in an 8-game losing streak. The players have spoken!... Oakland's Ryan Walton reached 50 HR for the third straight season... Eight wins in ten has Philly up to 2nd in the NL East, two games behind Washington.


August 20-22 @ OAKLAND
They've stabilized after a couple of awful months but still sit at 55-71, fifth place and 20 games in back of Texas. Hitting is 15th, pitching 11th, with a -74 run differential. Ryan Walton (50 HR, 119 RBI) is the main attraction at the plate; Randy Costello (.280/19/52) moved into leadoff and responded well; and sophomore Pedro Ortiz (.271/23/57) is a solid piece. But as I've said before: the pitching has been okay but would have been much better if their top three SP didn't miss all or most of the season...and if closer Matt Rabideau didn't have a 6.27 ERA. But with those three coming back next year, plus solid holdover Chris Larimer, and then top prospects Glen Marler and Jaden Sales knocking on the door, pitching should be a strength next year.

HAW pitchers: RH Danny Carbajal (6-4, 4.16) / RH Mike Bader (5-9, 5.18) / RH Mike Pearse (8-8 4.04)
OAK pitchers: LH Chris Larimer (11-5, 3.33) / RH Kyle Forney (5-9, 5.63) / LH Sean Guerrero (2-2, 4.88)

#127: WIN 6-5 ... EXCITEMENT: a 6-run 9th, led by Groff's 3-run pinch HR, wins it late...2 H and an RBI for Medici...Yaung gets his 9th relief win
#128: LOSS 2-3 ... left in too long, Bader yields the GW HR to Reyes in the 9th...9 hits tonight, all singles
#129: WIN 6-2 ... outhit, but taking 8 walks helped...Medici's 2-run double in the 5th was the key hit...solid 8 IP for Pearse

Very much needed this. Texas dropped two so we picked up a game, now 8 back. Still just a game in front of Seattle and Houston.... Just a 1-for-12 start by Tipping, so I might rotate him back to AAA in a week if he's still struggling.... We're actually hitting well, 4th in AVG and OBP, but being 17th in HR is probably why we're only 10th in runs. Losing Pederson killed our secondary power, with only Royer (26) having more than 15 HR.... ELSEWHERE: None of the AL division races are closer than 6 games, but there's a nice tight race for the batting title: Jorge Arriola (TB) .351, Jules Medici (HAW) .349, Jordan Foots (MIN) .348. Each is seeking his first batting crown.... I can't remember the last time someone had 60 steals, but we've got three guys closing in on that number this year: Joe Lynn (HAW) 59, Emilio Mares (TEX) and Nate Forrester (STL) at 56.... Cleveland has outstunk the opposition and is the only team without 50 wins (at 48). Look out for Toronto, tho, with 53 wins and a 5-game losing streak.


August 23-25 @ HOUSTON
Just a game behind us, at 67-62, and they've squandered their mid-season momentum so far by going just 9-11 this month. Only 13th in runs--with, as usual, only Jose Renteria really producing, at .307/43/102--but 5th in pitching and with the AL's best bullpen. This may be the happiest clubhouse in the game: everybody loves everybody, no one's unhappy. One more thing of note: some older player's contracts will be coming off the books this fall, giving them a ton of money to spend on free agents. Get some more bats in here, and they'll contend in 2055.

HAW pitchers: RH Andy Burke (6-3, 4.80) / LH Matt Waugh (15-4, 3.58) / RH Danny Carbajal (6-4, 4.12)
HOU pitchers: RH Ron Mills (7-9, 5.37) / RH Ken Demers (10-5, 3.33) / RH Robby Hardin (1-1, 3.03)

#130: WIN 4-3 ... 3 HR and all 4 RBI for Hed, crazy...5 hits for everyone else...another solid outing for Burke, 7 IP and 7 K
#131: WIN 11-1 ... 2 doubles and 4 RBI for Medici, and finally a solid 7.2 IP from Waugh...Hed HBP, pending injury diagnosis
#132: WIN 7-4 ... Covington drives in 3 with a HR and 1B, likewise for Venters...Carbs struggles a bit, but the pen bails him out, fanning 4 in 2 IP

Big series! But Texas matches and we're still 8 games out. Seattle's two behind us, Houston now 4.... Medici tied with Arriola (TB) for the AL batting lead, at .351.... Better pitching of late, and the bullpen now has the best ERA in the AL, 3.53. With our rotation issues, M-H Yaung is tied for second in team wins, with 9, and Nate Kearns is 4th in K, with 88 in 77 IP.... Hed got beaned and is done for the season. We give fast riser Erik Bennetsen his first MLB callup. The 23-year-old 1st rounder from '52 has this year hit .301 in AA and .345 in AAA, now gets a stint in a playoff race.... ELSEWHERE: NL Central race is tightening up, with the Zephs just 2 games ahead of the Cubs, 4 in front of the Cards. New Orleans isn't helped however by having their top two SP, Jeff Schaffer and Chad Akers, on the DL.... Six game win streak for Detroit makes them the 3rd team to reach 80 wins, and they've closed to six games behind Chicago.... LA's magic number is 14, with 30 games left in the season.... Cincy: 56-76 after expecting to contend, unhappy clubhouse, feuding coaches. All good.


August 26-28 vs MILWAUKEE
Okay on offense, at 7th in runs scored, but just a disaster on the mound: dead last in the AL in ERA and at or near the bottom in every stat category. The stars have hit--3B Mitch Elmore at .346 and DH Edwin Daza at .314--but no one else has stood out. Somehow 44-year-old C Dan Starr just keeps going, batting .270/.340/.499 with 21 HR in 89 games. He's signed through '56 and shows every intention of coming back; he hasn't topped 100 games since '48, but just keeps plugging away as various body parts fail. But I struggle to find anything good to say about their pitching. Closer Xavier Pride has a 4.15 ERA, which this year is pretty good...and is also the only ERA below 5 on the team. Not sure what next year holds: the prospect system ranks 26th, with no big studs at the top; a budget in the bottom quarter that won't get any bigger next year. They've got some young pitchers on the big club already, but they struggled so much this year it's hard to tell if they'll recover for next season.

HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (5-10, 5.07) / RH Mike Pearse (9-8, 3.96) / RH Andy Burke (7-3, 4.72)
MIL pitchers: RH Merlin Lemay (14-7, 5.92) / RH Tyler Rowe (8-8, 5.55) / RH Chris Ronan (7-10 6.49)

#133: WIN 10-8 ... hits for nearly everyone, including 3 for new boy Bennetsen...8-run 4th inning is just about all we needed
#134: LOSS 1-9 ... Matson homers, but only 5 hits otherwise...Pearse and Bohlen both get punched around tonight
#135: WIN 4-2 ... needed this one...8 of our 9 hits come from the top three, and they scored and drove in all four runs

Crucial game three win there, to keep us from losing our recent momentum. We're 8 games behind Texas and, frankly, probably won't catch them for the division. However, that win kept us a game ahead of NY (our next series, btw) in the #2 wildcard race.... Bennetsen goes 5-for-12 with 3 XBH in his first series. He also has seriously good pitching ceilings, but after breaking an elbow on the mound in A ball and losing nearly a year of development time, I nixed the idea of making him a two-way player. Worth it, I think, as he's got back-end SP potential, but solid all-star batting potential. Good on the bases, good kid, but limited to LF, so the outfield picture for next year looks complicated.... Joe Lynn, running amok: 2 steals in this series, but caught 4 times.... ELSEWHERE: Cleveland finally reached 50 wins; the Chisox reached 90 wins; and LA's magic number is now 10.... Will someone reach 10 WAR this year? Doubtful, but it's a good race between Texas' Ryan Boers (7.8) and Minny's Jordan Foots (7.4).... Breakout year for Cards CF Nate Forrester, in his second full season as a starter: .351 and 58 steals (both leading the NL), 25 HR, 7.2 WAR, and a +6.9 ZR in center.... Hard to believe Portland may let star 3B Gerardo Nieto go this fall. He's having another big year (.317/48/117), and the 26-year-old has 948 hits and 226 HR in five years as a starter for the Pioneers.


August 30-31 @ NY YANKEES
Another crucial series for the post-season. Currently we're a game up on them for the #2 wildcard. (Detroit, ten ahead of us, has the #1 all but locked up.) They're sitting 8 games behind division-leading Tampa Bay, and are just three up on Boston and Miami in the tightening East. Holding them back has been a stagnant offense, dead last in runs and bottom-three in AVG and OPS. CF Chris Mitchell (.287/27/84) and 3B Dave Rivera (.289/20/55) have produced, as has currently-injured Melvin Lopez (.323/26/79). Power bats Enrique Hernandez (34 HR) and Steve Colpo (21) hit dingers but little else, as the two 37-year-olds are each hitting around .220. Pitching has been superb, first in the AL with the second-best rotation going right now. But injuries have cropped up of late: #2 SP Bobby Hamel (12-11, 3.37) is out for a full year just now, and solid RP Justin Spurrell and Matt McGirr also went down recently. Former ace Tim Mitchell made his first start of the season last week, so there's hope he'll ramp up his game and contribute. Current ace Jose Sedillo should get some Cy Young attention, with 7.2 WAR and 240 K in 186 IP.

HAW pitchers: LH Matt Waugh (16-4, 3.48) / RH Danny Carbajal (7-4, 4.19)
NYY pitchers: LH Jose Sedillo (15-5, 2.46) / RH Tim Mitchell (0-0, 6.75)

#136: WIN 7-1 ... Espino nearly cycles (needed a triple), Tipping hits his first MLB HR, and Waugh goes the distance...Nearly perfect
#137: WIN 3-2 ... pitcher's duel, won in the 13th by Gase with one of his four hits...lots of weird double switches going on tonight

A much-needed two wins here, and we close the month on a three-game winning streak. Still eight behind Texas.... Bennetsen came back to earth a bit, and Espino made a case for getting more playing time down the stretch. His good series here brought his average up to a season-high .260 (to go along with an .814 OPS and 8 HR in 154 AB). Tipping got a few hits, including his first HR, and may get the majority of AB at second next month if he continues showing some form. We need SOMEBODY to hit at second base this year.... Four of our six farm clubs lead their divisions, and Eureka (A) is two games out of first. Only Wilmington (R) is below .500.... ELSEWHERE: New Orleans continues to fade, losing seven straight and slipping out of first, by a game to the Cubs. St Louis has rebounded and is only a game in back of the Zephs.... LA's magic number is down to 7, but the NL East is still hot, with Washington leading Richmond by 2 and Philly by 4.... Cleveland is still stuck on 50 wins, looking to consolidate their hold on June's #1 overall pick. No obvious studs stand out in next year's class, but there are some solid-looking pitchers, as well as the highest-ranked batter, catcher Wayne Payne.

......

TL;DR Version: After some back-and-forth nonsense, we rounded into shape to go 10-4 this stretch and a "just okay" 15-13 for the month. Texas has pulled away some, going 20-8 in August. Frankly, we need to admit that we cannot catch them for the division title at this point. And we're definitely not gaining on the red-hot Tigers, ten games ahead of us in the wild card race. So we need to beat the Yankees (3 behind us), Red Sox (4), and Mariners, Marlins, and Astros (each 5 behind us) to make the playoffs. Given that we're still vying for the post-season, that means we're probably not making wholesale call-ups from the farm in September. Injuries have hit us enough so that two guys--Tipping and Bennetsen--who were probably going to get looks anyway are now here of necessity; and injuries have slapped our farm teams hard enough that there aren't a lot of reserves to call on should I bring up 3-4 more guys. So I'll probably add a pitcher for the bullpen, and maybe one of the three catchers in AAA (would love to see what hot prospect Jamie Collins could do, but he's not on the 40-man, that roster is full, and there's no one I want to DFA right now).

So, twenty-five games left to define our season. If we go 25-0 we can win 100 games for the 10th time in 11 seasons. Or we could miss the playoffs for the first time since 2035. Quite a nice run.