[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 3-4
Seasonal Record: 21-19 (t-3rd, 7 GB)
Stars of the Week
Ray Ford : 25 AB, 10 H, 3 HR, 8 RBI, .400 AVG, 1.363 OPS
Leo Mitchell : 23 AB, 11 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .478 AVG, 1.065 OPS
Johnny McDowell : 25 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, .400 AVG, .964 OPS

Schedule
5-23: Win at Cannons (1-0)
5-24: Loss at Kings (2-9)
5-25: Loss at Kings (1-3)
5-26: Loss at Kings (7-8)
5-27: Loss at Sailors (7-10)
5-28: Win at Sailors (9-6)
5-29: Win at Sailors (13-3)

Recap
As I expected, the Kings got their revenge and swept us up in Brooklyn. Luckily, we took three out of four in the other games this week, so we escaped with a mediocre 3-4 week. Those last two wins against the Sailors got us back to tied for third (with them), but we are now seven back of the Kings. Second is much closer, however, as the Foresters are a game and a half ahead of us. Ray Ford was outstanding this week, taking home Player of the Week in his second week back. He was 10-for-25 with 3 homers, 3 doubles, 8 runs, and 8 RBIs to improve his season line to .395/.500/.791 (239 OPS+) with 5 doubles, 4 homers, and 12 RBIs. Him back in the lineup is a huge boost, and he already has a share of the team home run lead.

The team didn't pitch that great, but Dave Rankin started the week with another 1-0 shutout. This time he allowed just a single hit and two walks in what almost was a no-hitter. A Whit Williams infield single in the 5th was his only blemish, but his second start wasn't nearly as good. He failed to go all nine against the Sailors, allowing 9 (5 earned) with a walk and strikeout. Dick Lyons had a busy week, two starts and a relief outing. Lyons pitched 15.2 innings with 20 hits, 9 runs (7 earned), 4 walks, and 4 strikeouts. The 37-year-old lefty is still having a nice season, 4-2 with a 3.72 ERA (110 ERA+), 1.34 WHIP, 9 walks, and 11 strikeouts as he continues to stave off the youngsters down in Milwaukee. Milt Fritz had a tough outing against one of his former teams, allowing 9 hits and 6 runs with 4 walks and 4 strikeouts in 6 innings against the Kings. Bill Kline had a rough week, 7 hits, 5 runs, and a strikeout in 4.2 innings pitched. He pitched in all four losses, and now has a 4.70 ERA (87 ERA+) and 1.43 WHIP in 23 innings pitched. Kline will give up his roster spot to Cy Sullivan, who has been excellent in Milwaukee. I wanted to get one of the double header starts to start the week, but he made a start on the 28th. He made seven in total, going 5-1 with a 2.40 ERA (203 ERA+), 1.42 WHIP, 19 walks, and 9 strikeouts in just under 50 innings. He'll be on hand out of the pen this week, but I'll likely give him a start next week.

Ford wasn't the only hitter with a good week, as Leo Mitchell was 11-for-23 with two doubles, two runs, and three RBIs. Johnny McDowell was 10-for-25 with a double, triple, RBI, six runs, and two steals. He also continues to improve his play at second base, and I think by the end of the season he'll be pretty reliable there. Billy Hunter will miss both games today with an intercostal strain, but during the week was 7-for-23 with 3 doubles, a triple, homer, 4 runs, and 7 RBIs. He now has driven in a CA high 30 runs despite a much lower batting line this season. Rich Langton had one of his first bad weeks, just 6-for-25 with a steal and a pair of runs scored and driven in.

Looking Ahead
Back at home! The 13 game road trip is now over, a mediocre 6-7 trip for us, but we're 12-6 at home this year and we tend to play well in front of our fans. The first two home games will be against the 22-17 Foresters. Cleveland's top two has been dominant, and thankfully we get to avoid them. Instead, we'll likely see Lee Drouillard and Lyman Weigel, but no matter what, it won't be Astle and Gonzales. Drouillard is fully rested, 6-2 with a 4.26 ERA (100 ERA+), 1.39 WHIP, 17 walks, and 11 strikeouts in his 67.2 innings pitched. Weigel has been a bit better, 2-4 with a 3.78 ERA (112 ERA+), 1.38 WHIP, 18 walks, and 23 strikeouts in 50 innings pitched. The Foresters have seen a steep decline in Bill Moore's production, as the first basemen is hitting just .234/.365/.358 (86 OPS+) with 9 doubles, 2 homers, and 16 RBIs with a nice 25-to-3 walk-to-strikeout ratio. This is nowhere near his .321/.408/.504 (146 OPS+) line from last season, and Cleveland fans will hope he at least gets a bit closer to that line. In fact, all of Cleveland's starting eight has a sub 100 OPS+, with Brooks Meeks 99 the highest of the group. The Foresters have a ton of really good hitters, so when they start to wake up they will become a problem.

We'll get a nice day off to enjoy some home cooking before hosting the Cannons for three. At 13-26, they're off to a tough start and sit 14.5 games outside of first place. Gus Goulding has continued to pitch well, but is an unlucky 1-6 with a 3.74 ERA (110 ERA+), 1.23 WHIP, 21 walks, and 37 strikeouts in 74.2 innings pitched. Rusty Petrick hasn't been nearly as lucky, 2-6 with a 4.70 ERA (87 ERA+), 1.62 WHIP, 43 walks, and 40 strikeouts. The 22-year-old is considering to throw harder too, now up to 93-95 with his cutter. Petrick is an exciting young hurler, and I hope he can turn things around as long as it's not against us. Another struggling Cannon is former Cougar prospect Joe Rainbow, who is batting just .204/.281/.336 (63 OPS+) with 3 doubles, 4 homers, and 16 RBIs. Even Jim Mason is having a bad year, with his triple slash down to just .219/.310/.316 (66 OPS+). This is nowhere near his career .313/.361/.438 (117 OPS+) line and with everything going wrong in Baltimore right now, consistency from Mason would have really helped.

We then start a three game set with the Stars that will finish on Monday. At 16-23, they are 3 games behind the Cannons for last in the division. 25-year-old southpaw Chris Clarke has entered the rotation, looking great in three starts and a relief appearance. The former 11th Overall Pick might be 0-3, but he's got a nice 2.95 ERA (141 ERA+) that directly contrasts with his 1.91 WHIP. He's wiggled out of trouble so far, but he may run into trouble shortly. Another southpaw Glenn Payne is looking much more reliable, 1-3 with a 3.74 ERA (111 ERA+) and 1.34 WHIP, but with 24 walks and 15 strikeouts. Les Zoller has been moved to the pen, and allowed 6 unearned runs in his last relief outing. Hank Jones is still hitting well, batting .346/.397/.472 (127 OPS+) with 11 doubles, a triple, homer, and 26 RBIs. 39-year-old Dave Trowbridge hasn't shown signs of slowing down, hitting .299/.364/.494 (123 OPS+) in limited time. He's one shy of his 100th plate appearance, but already has 4 homers and 21 RBIs.

Minor League Report
LHP Walker Pearce (AA Mobile Commodores): Injuries have been the story of the young southpaws career, but 23-year-old Walker Pearce is having a nice season. His last start was remarkable, a 5-hit shutout with 2 walks and a strikeout as the Commodores topped the Ironmen 2-0. He's just 2-3, but with a 2.31 ERA (170 ERA+), 0.94 WHIP, 9 walks, and 12 strikeouts in 46.2 innings pitched. He had a nice 13 inning start too, showing that even with the arm problems he can pitch deep into games. Our former 2nd Rounder throws pretty hard, sitting in the mid 90s with his sinker that is adept at rolling up grounders. His stuff isn't the greatest, but he locates his pitches well and doesn't usually get burned by hard contact. He'll never reach his once lofty potential, but Pearce could end up turning into a decent long man out of the pen who can soak up innings in extras.

RHP Dan Everett (A Lincoln Legislators): With Cy Sullivan going up to the big leagues, I moved up a handful of starters in our system. One of them going up was Dan Everett, who had five excellent starts in A ball to start his season. Acquired in the Hank Stratton trade with Cleveland, Everett was 4-0 with a 2.87 ERA (132 ERA+), 1.21 WHIP, 14 walks, and 14 strikeouts in 31.1 innings pitched. He made 16 starts in Lincoln last year too, but he had some struggles. The then 21-year-old was 4-8 with a 5.00 ERA (91 ERA+), 1.51 WHIP, 37 walks, and 25 strikeouts across 86.1 innings pitched. Everett added some speed in the offseason, with his fastball now sitting in the low 90s. All three of his pitches are FABL quality, with a good 12-6 curve and change up that have plenty of movement on them. He keeps the ball on the ground, and once he limits his free passes, he will be a very reliable presence in any rotation. He currently checks in at 16th in our system and 151st in the league, and will most definitely be protected in advance of this off-season's Rule-5 draft.

1B Jocko Pollard (B San Jose Cougars): It was a nice week for our 1935 6th Rounder, as Jocko Pollard was named the C-O-W League Player of the Week. He showcased his power, going 9-for-24 with 4 homers, 8 runs, and 10 RBIs. Pollard is now hitting a robust .274/.378/.540 (145 OPS+) with 8 homers and 25 RBIs in 135 PAs with San Jose. A natural third basemen, Pollard has strictly played first so far and the 6'2'' 20-year-old has looked up to the task. Marv thinks he'll have plus defensive value there, but his offense is much more advanced. He's got the tools to hit .290 in the big leagues and the eye to draw 50+ walks. He has a lot of raw potential, but the tools have a lot of work before they're big league quality.