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Bub13 · 01-17-2022, 09:13 PM

July 17-19 vs HOUSTON
Despite top ten pitching, a weak offense appears to be the doom of this team yet again, and at 35-55 they're barely keeping ahead of the terrible A's. OF Erik Kinnison (.299/20/50), 1B Jose Renteria (.250/19/48), and 2B Juan Rodriquez (.243/20/62) are pretty much it at the plate. Manager Alejandro Garcia is in the second year of a seven-year deal, but may not be around to see the end of this season, as owner Jim Crane is sliding into unhappiness with his 2055 goal of MAKE THE WORLD SERIES not likely being met. With only five 80-win seasons over the last thirty, I'm surprised there are any fans left here: Fan Loyalty is "Pathetic," and Interest is in the 60s. But season tickets sales were up 27% (to just over 9K, still not great), so maybe something good is going on anyway...

HAW pitchers: LH Daniel Croft (8-3, 3.92) / LH Matt Waugh (12-1, 2.38) / RH Mike Bader (7-7, 4.41)
HOU pitchers: RH Ron Mills (4-2, 5.23) / RH Mat Caldwell (4-12, 4.27) / RH Robbie Camp (2-9, 5.79)

#91: WIN 10-4 ... Tipping and Matson homer as we score 7 late to pull away...Croft is wobbly through 7 but still hangs on for the win
#92: WIN 5-1 ... Waugh leaves in the 7th with a 4-1 lead and 13 K through 6.1 IP, but is not injured...Pederson's 3-run HR is the big shot, and Bennetsen gets three hits
#93: WIN 5-2 ... 3 H, 2 RBI for Bennetsen, and two hits each for Covington and Moore...Bader gives up 10 H through 8 IP, but keeps them on base until the offense catches up

Harsh but necessary. Texas also sweeps, so our lead is still 3 games.... Jake Moore goes 3-for-8, starting to hit a bit now. He's still likely to head back to AAA once Simmons is healthy, but it's good to see my "[insert position here] of the future" not hitting .100 anymore.... Still top ten in AL home runs! And homers lead steals now 141-126, such a huge margin.... ELSEWHERE: Cincy completed its fifth trade of the month, adding another pitcher. Since 7/1 they've picked up C Devin Swan, SP Eric Stockton and Ricky Elmore, and RP John Sutton, Luis Ortiz, and Beau Nelson. For the record, they're 8-6 this month, four games out of first place.... Of course the Reds can't help that New Orleans has won 7 straight and 9 out of 10, to tie St Louis at the top of the Central.... Seven straight for Texas too, and they just acquired a new closer: from Toronto, Han-Lee Su. He's saved 110 games over the last three seasons, and this year has 12 saves, a 2.70 ERA with 32 K in 36.2 IP. Just another thing for us to deal with.... LA is hot again and now has a 13-game lead over Portland in the NL West. They're going for their fourth consecutive division crown, unsurprising when you have the annual budget of a small country.

July 20-22 @ SEATTLE
A 9-5 month is keeping them in the wild card hunt, at 48-45 overall and six games out of that race currently. Offense ranks 12th, pitching 9th, and a -23 run differential indicates that all is not well here. Leadoff man Luis Hernandez is batting .326, but with 0 HR; everyone else, however, has at least 10 and the team ranks 4th in HR with 161. SP Ron Rivera has made two starts since his recent call-up and is off to a hot start, having just shut out Oakland. Bench coach Ron Miller reports the clubouse is "electric" and players are "having fun." But other reports say the clubhouse is unhappy and, with no outright team captain, selfish players are bringing down the mood. Should be fun to see how this plays out.

HAW pitchers: RP Steve Shinnick (debut) / RH Josh Irvin (11-3, 3.38) / LH Daniel Croft (9-3, 3.99)
SEA pitchers: RH Eddie Van Dyke (3-10, 5.21) / RH Dan Crews (6-2, 3.27) / RH Daniel Newell (2-4, 8.20)

#94: LOSS 6-9 ... Shinnick gets punched out in the 4th, not a happy debut...Medici goes 4-for-5 with 3 RBI and a HR...we outhit them 14-13
#95: WIN 5-3 ... Medici pokes 2 more out, and we do our damage on just 7 hits (but 6 walks too)...Irvin leaves in the first with an ankle injury
#96: WIN 8-7 ... another day, another HR for Medici, as we score 5 late runs to pull this one out...3 H for Covington, big 2-run double in the 8th by Collins

Not the prettiest series, but I'll take it.... Irvin's injury is just dtd for a week, but he may not miss his next start.... Shinnick and Croft pitch poorly, so you better believe I'm still scouting a few veteran SP out there.... Did I mention that I signed two kids in the amateur window? Pitcher Elias Apolinar from the Dominican Republic and OF Mimum Antar out of Zambia. Both are average prospects, to be honest, but here's hoping a few years in our system will lift them to unknown heights. Besides, I'm not willing to shell out $20M for a 16-year-old future bust; would rather spend half that for two busts.... ELSEWHERE: Baltimore, still the surprise of the AL East at eight games over .500 and second place behind Boston, lost offensive linchpin SS Chris Rock for six weeks. I told you this was about to happen.... The Yankees are tied with the O's, and likely field the oldest lineup in the game. LF Tyler Barnes and RF Melvin Lopez are both 27, but the rest of the starting lineup averages 36 years old.... Checking the trade block, and maybe I could do worse than Cincy's Steve McKeen, a two-way guy who's hit 15 HR and .305 in his career. But he's a 2-3 WAR SP, and I'm looking for a bit more than that. Plus Cincy is adding pitchers by the armful, not sending them away. Good luck winning your third Silver Slugger, Steve!

July 23-25 @ CHICAGO
The Sox are second in the Central at 55-41, four games behind Detroit and four ahead of KC. The offense hasn't been quite as potent as last year, at just 7th in AVG, but they've somewhow scored the most runs in the AL. Zeke de la Rosa (.320/27/65) is his usual near-MVP self, and three others have passed the 20 HR / 60 RBI marks. Helping the cause is improved pitching, at 9th overall (but the 3rd-best bullpen ERA going). These guys look like a lock for 90+ wins again and another playoff spot. But with Detroit still Detroit, you have to wonder if the Sox see their window closing already. Half of the pitching staff is over 30, and the bottom of the lineup is old and average as well. There's a solid 24-27 year-old core on the field, but they're going to have to keep spending on pitching to stay competitive in this division. Needles to say, they also won't hit their crazy 112-win mark from a year ago; but don't sleep on these guys. Vegas probably has them as even money to win the division again and at least get to the ALCS.

HAW pitchers: LH Matt Waugh (13-1, 2.28) / RH Mike Bader (8-7, 4.28) / RH Steve Shinnick (0-1, 14.73)
CHW pitchers: RH Emmanuel Vasquez (7-0, 5.84) / RH Steve Davenport (9-7, 5.58) / RH Robby Liantonio (6-5, 5.42)

#97: WIN 6-1 ... 6-hit CG from Waugh, fanning six...Bennetsen, Medici, Pederson each get 2 hits, and Tipping knocks a 3-run homer in the second, his 19th
#98: LOSS 6-14 ... Tipping homers again, but we give up 20 hits, with all 4 pitchers allowing more runs thans innings pitched
#99: WIN 13-2 ... our turn: 16 hits (12 singles) with 8 walks, everyone gets on base...Shinnick is stout, fanning 11 in 8.1 IP

Terrible second game, but we sandwich that with two very nice outings. Bader is looking pretty fragile out there now: we'd better go and get him some help.... Speaking of that, Cincy is at it again, trading three good prospects--including future slugging star 1B/OF Alex Esquilin--to Oakland for SP Chris Larimer. DAMMIT. Larimer was my #1 target the last two weeks, but I kept dithering, waiting and waiting for some stupid reason. At least he's going outside the AL, but still this hurts. Oh well.... SO. Instead of Larimer we pull the trigger on our #2 guy, someone you may recognize: we send two prospects--SP Ken Taylor and 1B Eric Mele--to San Diego for pitcher Mike Garfield. Garfield pitched for us in '49 and '50, coming over from the Mets, and we let him walk after his second, middling, season. Now he's back! His strikeouts are down--to 6.9/9 IP, but he was never a power guy--but everything else looks solid, including a ridiculous K:BB ratio of 76 to 8 this year. Acquiring him means Shinnick is likely headed back to AAA for more seasoning. We gave up two solid guys, but ones I think we could afford to lose. Taylor was our #1 pitching prospect, but is already 25 and maybe maxed out below his projected ceilings. Mele, 18, was a 5th round pick last year, and projects to have fabulous contact and gap ceilings, but zero power. He's also limited to 1B/DH, and we're all set (I hope) there for the next ten years or so. Both could become solid guys for the Padres. Garfield is a free agent this fall, and SD will retain 100% of his salary.... ELSEWHERE: Yeah, lots and lots of deals these three days, over a dozen in all. Besides ours and the Larimer-to-Cincy deal, the only others worth noting are the Cubs deciding to shut down their disappointing (47-52, 12 games out) season, sending off two solid contributors for futures. First, they dealt closer Bob Harrison to STL for swingman Brian Howard and OF prospect Rich Rumbel (our 3rd round pick from '51). Next, they send solid SP Jamie McBride to DET for three roll-of-the-dice pitching prospects: Zack Durst, Tim Ferris, and Elias Morales. All three could break out, or all three could quickly fade away.... Bad news for NL Central leaders New Orleans: ace SP Chad Akers is done for the year. And, at 38 with a now 12-month injury, probably done for good. The Zephs still have a few days before the deadline to do something to stay ahead of the wheeling and dealing Cardinals and Reds.

July 27-29 vs MIAMI
Sub-.500 every month (plus a wretched 8-20 May) has put them at 40-59, fifth place and 21 games behind the Red Sox. The offense ranks 16th in runs, with most of their hitters from the past decade (which included two World Series appearances) having gone away or faded considerably. DH Toshi Shimabukuro (.299/32/75) is the exception, but long-timers Scott Robertshaw, Jon Ladd, and Mario Rivera are hitting homers but little else. Free agent additions Erick Ashlock and Mike McNeill are playing solid defense but providing scant support from the plate, and rookie Nelson Trevino has struggled to just a .306 OBP in leadoff. Pitching sits at 14th, slightly better, but the rotation has fared much worse than the bullpen: no one in the rotation has an ERA below league average, and only Victor Nunez is on pace for a season WAR over 3. Fun note: closer Jon Carlsen has segued nicely into his role as a late-career stopper, saving 58 and earning nearly 4 WAR in his 1.5 year stint with the Marlins. But he was probably the most successful two-pitch starter this dynasty has ever seen, fanning 2700, earning 60 WAR, and finishing in the top three of Cy Young voting four times in the eleven years he spent in various rotations. Anyway...team owner Justin Cox is a delusional man who is deemed "delighted" with a team with a losing record, drawing 10k less than desired, losing money, and with a nearly-empty prospect pool. Good luck, Marlins fans.

HAW pitchers: LH Daniel Croft (9-3, 4.16) / RH Josh Irvin (11-3, 3.49) / LH Matt Waugh (14-1, 2.21)
MIA pitchers: RH Brad Meadows (0-1, 9.28) / RH Erik Allen (6-10, 5.85) / LH Victor Nunez (8-7, 4.89)

#100: LOSS 2-5 ... Tipping homers, but Croft stumbles and we manage just three hits tonight (but add 7 walks)...typical
#101: LOSS 3-6 ... we more than doubled our output, to seven hits! But still sucked...every time I criticize a bad team, they beat the **** out of us
#102: LOSS 3-5 ... sleepwalking

Of course, of course: say bad things about opponent--no matter how deserved--and get stomped. Every. Damn. Time.... I guess the "good" news is that no one got hurt, although if we keep playing like this...oy.... Texas gains ground, now just a game out.... Thinking about how many arbitration cases I had last winter, and how many are looming this winter (sixteen!), I take care of two of those straight off with new deals: SP Josh Irvin and 2B Lucas Tipping. Irvin goes for 7 years, $75.6M, escalating from 4.1M next year to 12.6M by '58, and team options for '61 and '62. Tippinggoes for a little less, 8 years and $45.3M. He'll make 1.3M next year, climbing to 8M by '60, and with a player option for '63. These are solid and affordable contracts, with the bonus of being tradeable should either player hit an early decline.... ELSEWHERE: Trades everywhere, five more over this last series alone. First, Toronto sends 1B Max Corliss to LA for three solid pitching prospects. Corliss hit 51 HR two seasons ago, and those prospects are all solid, if a bit old (all are over 22). Second, Brooklyn sends disgruntled 2B Maurizio Barbiusa (according to most, Barbiusa is Italian for "asshole") to the Bronx for four prospects, including former first rounder P Dustin Shoffner, who even at 24 could still become a rotation anchor. Third, Cincy acquires yet another pitcher, this time grabbing Cleveland closer John Jackman for two pretty good prospects. The other two are meh.... Cincy's trades are starting to pay off, as they've won five in a row and are tied for first with STL and CHI.... Nats 3B Adam Walker is the first to 40 HR, and Rangers 3B Emilio Mares the first to 50 SB.

July 30-31 vs OAKLAND
Still gunning for that first overall draft pick, at 32-70. League-worst offense and 15th-ranked pitching have equaled another tough season by the Bay. The offensive "star" of the moment is CF Henry Uhlman, batting .278, although ancient 2B Josh Robertson was batting .284 until going on the DL. Perennial sluggers Felix Reyes and Ryan Walton have combined for 39 HR, but are batting .246 and .220, respectively. With super-ancient 1B/DH Lance Powell now also on the DL, 24-year-old rookie Andy Heiser has gone 7-for-12 in his MLB debut, with three HR. On the mound, the rotation has fallen apart, with injuries to Jim Schwartz, Jaden Bartholomew, and Andy Paterson, and the trade of Chris Larimer to the Reds. So prospects Jesse Malone and Pat Oden are getting their chance, as is wished-for-ace Tom Baker. The bullpen has been miles better, although closer Jon Gray sports an ugly 7.27 ERA and an uglier -1.3 WAR. The good news here is there's money to spend and a nice bloc of prospects, especially pitchers. There's also a core of low-average-but-big-slugging OF types, with Heiser already here, and Matt Hall and Jorge Ledesma a year or two away. (Plus the recently-acquired 1B Matt Esquilin, from the Reds org.) But they need to sort our their pitching staff (figure out who's going where, as there are 7-8 possible SP available), and stop acquiring 40+ year-old infielders.

HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (8-8, 4.69) / LH Mike Garfield (7-8, 3.70)
OAK pitchers: RH Glen Marler (1-9, 7.04) / LH Sean Guerrero (4-8, 5.04)

#103: LOSS 1-5 ... outhit just 10-8, but two HR spell doom...four losses in a row now, great timing here
#104: LOSS 1-8 ... no words

Okay, five losses in a row and six out of seven. Fantastic. No longer in first place now, a game behind Texas.... We stopped hitting, but the bigger culprit has been a sudden downturn in starting pitching. Just what I was worried about. Still, slumps come...and then hopefully go. Right?... ELSEWHERE: A few more trades, but nothing major. The Dodgers, oddly, add another reliever, while the Braves, Cubs, Pirates, and Robins all ship out older players for prospects.... With a 17-game lead, LA may be able to wrap up the division by the end of August.... KC has won 16 games in each of the last three months to pull to 7 games behind Detroit, and tied with Chicago. Both are 13 games behind us in the wild card race, which hopefully won't get any closer.... The Yankees are hanging in there, at 55-49 and ten games out of first. But the two players they just added via trade--2B Maurizio Barbiusa and SP Micah Whitlow--won't help an already feuding clubhouse. Along with Cincy, they're the only winning teams with bad team chemistry right now.

......

TL;DR Version: A 7-7 finish to the month sort of kills the vibe we had going. Also, 15-10 for July, the worst monthly mark of the season. Anyway...Jake Moore's stopped hitting, so Victor Sanchez moves back into the lineup despite being a subpar SS. J.J. Simmons is back in a week, and we'll need him. Ulkini and Royer are platooning at third, as neither is hitting the cover off the ball, but neither is slumping. So I'll work both of them to see who might get hot. As for our pitchers, Mike Bader is slowly getting worse as the season goes on, mixing in more bad than good starts. He's one of the arbitration cases I mentioned above and right now...it's not looking good for him. Garfield's first start with us was an outright disaster, lasting just over 2 innings. He has to get better, right? Okay, enough crying, time to move on to August.

01-17-2022, 09:13 PM	#442
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	July 17-19 vs HOUSTON Despite top ten pitching, a weak offense appears to be the doom of this team yet again, and at 35-55 they're barely keeping ahead of the terrible A's. OF Erik Kinnison (.299/20/50), 1B Jose Renteria (.250/19/48), and 2B Juan Rodriquez (.243/20/62) are pretty much it at the plate. Manager Alejandro Garcia is in the second year of a seven-year deal, but may not be around to see the end of this season, as owner Jim Crane is sliding into unhappiness with his 2055 goal of MAKE THE WORLD SERIES not likely being met. With only five 80-win seasons over the last thirty, I'm surprised there are any fans left here: Fan Loyalty is "Pathetic," and Interest is in the 60s. But season tickets sales were up 27% (to just over 9K, still not great), so maybe something good is going on anyway... HAW pitchers: LH Daniel Croft (8-3, 3.92) / LH Matt Waugh (12-1, 2.38) / RH Mike Bader (7-7, 4.41) HOU pitchers: RH Ron Mills (4-2, 5.23) / RH Mat Caldwell (4-12, 4.27) / RH Robbie Camp (2-9, 5.79) #91: WIN 10-4 ... Tipping and Matson homer as we score 7 late to pull away...Croft is wobbly through 7 but still hangs on for the win #92: WIN 5-1 ... Waugh leaves in the 7th with a 4-1 lead and 13 K through 6.1 IP, but is not injured...Pederson's 3-run HR is the big shot, and Bennetsen gets three hits #93: WIN 5-2 ... 3 H, 2 RBI for Bennetsen, and two hits each for Covington and Moore...Bader gives up 10 H through 8 IP, but keeps them on base until the offense catches up Harsh but necessary. Texas also sweeps, so our lead is still 3 games.... Jake Moore goes 3-for-8, starting to hit a bit now. He's still likely to head back to AAA once Simmons is healthy, but it's good to see my "[insert position here] of the future" not hitting .100 anymore.... Still top ten in AL home runs! And homers lead steals now 141-126, such a huge margin.... ELSEWHERE: Cincy completed its fifth trade of the month, adding another pitcher. Since 7/1 they've picked up C Devin Swan, SP Eric Stockton and Ricky Elmore, and RP John Sutton, Luis Ortiz, and Beau Nelson. For the record, they're 8-6 this month, four games out of first place.... Of course the Reds can't help that New Orleans has won 7 straight and 9 out of 10, to tie St Louis at the top of the Central.... Seven straight for Texas too, and they just acquired a new closer: from Toronto, Han-Lee Su. He's saved 110 games over the last three seasons, and this year has 12 saves, a 2.70 ERA with 32 K in 36.2 IP. Just another thing for us to deal with.... LA is hot again and now has a 13-game lead over Portland in the NL West. They're going for their fourth consecutive division crown, unsurprising when you have the annual budget of a small country. July 20-22 @ SEATTLE A 9-5 month is keeping them in the wild card hunt, at 48-45 overall and six games out of that race currently. Offense ranks 12th, pitching 9th, and a -23 run differential indicates that all is not well here. Leadoff man Luis Hernandez is batting .326, but with 0 HR; everyone else, however, has at least 10 and the team ranks 4th in HR with 161. SP Ron Rivera has made two starts since his recent call-up and is off to a hot start, having just shut out Oakland. Bench coach Ron Miller reports the clubouse is "electric" and players are "having fun." But other reports say the clubhouse is unhappy and, with no outright team captain, selfish players are bringing down the mood. Should be fun to see how this plays out. HAW pitchers: RP Steve Shinnick (debut) / RH Josh Irvin (11-3, 3.38) / LH Daniel Croft (9-3, 3.99) SEA pitchers: RH Eddie Van Dyke (3-10, 5.21) / RH Dan Crews (6-2, 3.27) / RH Daniel Newell (2-4, 8.20) #94: LOSS 6-9 ... Shinnick gets punched out in the 4th, not a happy debut...Medici goes 4-for-5 with 3 RBI and a HR...we outhit them 14-13 #95: WIN 5-3 ... Medici pokes 2 more out, and we do our damage on just 7 hits (but 6 walks too)...Irvin leaves in the first with an ankle injury #96: WIN 8-7 ... another day, another HR for Medici, as we score 5 late runs to pull this one out...3 H for Covington, big 2-run double in the 8th by Collins Not the prettiest series, but I'll take it.... Irvin's injury is just dtd for a week, but he may not miss his next start.... Shinnick and Croft pitch poorly, so you better believe I'm still scouting a few veteran SP out there.... Did I mention that I signed two kids in the amateur window? Pitcher Elias Apolinar from the Dominican Republic and OF Mimum Antar out of Zambia. Both are average prospects, to be honest, but here's hoping a few years in our system will lift them to unknown heights. Besides, I'm not willing to shell out $20M for a 16-year-old future bust; would rather spend half that for two busts.... ELSEWHERE: Baltimore, still the surprise of the AL East at eight games over .500 and second place behind Boston, lost offensive linchpin SS Chris Rock for six weeks. I told you this was about to happen.... The Yankees are tied with the O's, and likely field the oldest lineup in the game. LF Tyler Barnes and RF Melvin Lopez are both 27, but the rest of the starting lineup averages 36 years old.... Checking the trade block, and maybe I could do worse than Cincy's Steve McKeen, a two-way guy who's hit 15 HR and .305 in his career. But he's a 2-3 WAR SP, and I'm looking for a bit more than that. Plus Cincy is adding pitchers by the armful, not sending them away. Good luck winning your third Silver Slugger, Steve! July 23-25 @ CHICAGO The Sox are second in the Central at 55-41, four games behind Detroit and four ahead of KC. The offense hasn't been quite as potent as last year, at just 7th in AVG, but they've somewhow scored the most runs in the AL. Zeke de la Rosa (.320/27/65) is his usual near-MVP self, and three others have passed the 20 HR / 60 RBI marks. Helping the cause is improved pitching, at 9th overall (but the 3rd-best bullpen ERA going). These guys look like a lock for 90+ wins again and another playoff spot. But with Detroit still Detroit, you have to wonder if the Sox see their window closing already. Half of the pitching staff is over 30, and the bottom of the lineup is old and average as well. There's a solid 24-27 year-old core on the field, but they're going to have to keep spending on pitching to stay competitive in this division. Needles to say, they also won't hit their crazy 112-win mark from a year ago; but don't sleep on these guys. Vegas probably has them as even money to win the division again and at least get to the ALCS. HAW pitchers: LH Matt Waugh (13-1, 2.28) / RH Mike Bader (8-7, 4.28) / RH Steve Shinnick (0-1, 14.73) CHW pitchers: RH Emmanuel Vasquez (7-0, 5.84) / RH Steve Davenport (9-7, 5.58) / RH Robby Liantonio (6-5, 5.42) #97: WIN 6-1 ... 6-hit CG from Waugh, fanning six...Bennetsen, Medici, Pederson each get 2 hits, and Tipping knocks a 3-run homer in the second, his 19th #98: LOSS 6-14 ... Tipping homers again, but we give up 20 hits, with all 4 pitchers allowing more runs thans innings pitched #99: WIN 13-2 ... our turn: 16 hits (12 singles) with 8 walks, everyone gets on base...Shinnick is stout, fanning 11 in 8.1 IP Terrible second game, but we sandwich that with two very nice outings. Bader is looking pretty fragile out there now: we'd better go and get him some help.... Speaking of that, Cincy is at it again, trading three good prospects--including future slugging star 1B/OF Alex Esquilin--to Oakland for SP Chris Larimer. DAMMIT. Larimer was my #1 target the last two weeks, but I kept dithering, waiting and waiting for some stupid reason. At least he's going outside the AL, but still this hurts. Oh well.... SO. Instead of Larimer we pull the trigger on our #2 guy, someone you may recognize: we send two prospects--SP Ken Taylor and 1B Eric Mele--to San Diego for pitcher Mike Garfield. Garfield pitched for us in '49 and '50, coming over from the Mets, and we let him walk after his second, middling, season. Now he's back! His strikeouts are down--to 6.9/9 IP, but he was never a power guy--but everything else looks solid, including a ridiculous K:BB ratio of 76 to 8 this year. Acquiring him means Shinnick is likely headed back to AAA for more seasoning. We gave up two solid guys, but ones I think we could afford to lose. Taylor was our #1 pitching prospect, but is already 25 and maybe maxed out below his projected ceilings. Mele, 18, was a 5th round pick last year, and projects to have fabulous contact and gap ceilings, but zero power. He's also limited to 1B/DH, and we're all set (I hope) there for the next ten years or so. Both could become solid guys for the Padres. Garfield is a free agent this fall, and SD will retain 100% of his salary.... ELSEWHERE: Yeah, lots and lots of deals these three days, over a dozen in all. Besides ours and the Larimer-to-Cincy deal, the only others worth noting are the Cubs deciding to shut down their disappointing (47-52, 12 games out) season, sending off two solid contributors for futures. First, they dealt closer Bob Harrison to STL for swingman Brian Howard and OF prospect Rich Rumbel (our 3rd round pick from '51). Next, they send solid SP Jamie McBride to DET for three roll-of-the-dice pitching prospects: Zack Durst, Tim Ferris, and Elias Morales. All three could break out, or all three could quickly fade away.... Bad news for NL Central leaders New Orleans: ace SP Chad Akers is done for the year. And, at 38 with a now 12-month injury, probably done for good. The Zephs still have a few days before the deadline to do something to stay ahead of the wheeling and dealing Cardinals and Reds. July 27-29 vs MIAMI Sub-.500 every month (plus a wretched 8-20 May) has put them at 40-59, fifth place and 21 games behind the Red Sox. The offense ranks 16th in runs, with most of their hitters from the past decade (which included two World Series appearances) having gone away or faded considerably. DH Toshi Shimabukuro (.299/32/75) is the exception, but long-timers Scott Robertshaw, Jon Ladd, and Mario Rivera are hitting homers but little else. Free agent additions Erick Ashlock and Mike McNeill are playing solid defense but providing scant support from the plate, and rookie Nelson Trevino has struggled to just a .306 OBP in leadoff. Pitching sits at 14th, slightly better, but the rotation has fared much worse than the bullpen: no one in the rotation has an ERA below league average, and only Victor Nunez is on pace for a season WAR over 3. Fun note: closer Jon Carlsen has segued nicely into his role as a late-career stopper, saving 58 and earning nearly 4 WAR in his 1.5 year stint with the Marlins. But he was probably the most successful two-pitch starter this dynasty has ever seen, fanning 2700, earning 60 WAR, and finishing in the top three of Cy Young voting four times in the eleven years he spent in various rotations. Anyway...team owner Justin Cox is a delusional man who is deemed "delighted" with a team with a losing record, drawing 10k less than desired, losing money, and with a nearly-empty prospect pool. Good luck, Marlins fans. HAW pitchers: LH Daniel Croft (9-3, 4.16) / RH Josh Irvin (11-3, 3.49) / LH Matt Waugh (14-1, 2.21) MIA pitchers: RH Brad Meadows (0-1, 9.28) / RH Erik Allen (6-10, 5.85) / LH Victor Nunez (8-7, 4.89) #100: LOSS 2-5 ... Tipping homers, but Croft stumbles and we manage just three hits tonight (but add 7 walks)...typical #101: LOSS 3-6 ... we more than doubled our output, to seven hits! But still sucked...every time I criticize a bad team, they beat the ** out of us #102: LOSS 3-5 ... sleepwalking Of course, of course: say bad things about opponent--no matter how deserved--and get stomped. Every. Damn. Time.... I guess the "good" news is that no one got hurt, although if we keep playing like this...oy.... Texas gains ground, now just a game out.... Thinking about how many arbitration cases I had last winter, and how many are looming this winter (sixteen!), I take care of two of those straight off with new deals: SP Josh Irvin and 2B Lucas Tipping. Irvin goes for 7 years, $75.6M, escalating from 4.1M next year to 12.6M by '58, and team options for '61 and '62. Tippinggoes for a little less, 8 years and $45.3M. He'll make 1.3M next year, climbing to 8M by '60, and with a player option for '63. These are solid and affordable contracts, with the bonus of being tradeable should either player hit an early decline.... ELSEWHERE: Trades everywhere, five more over this last series alone. First, Toronto sends 1B Max Corliss to LA for three solid pitching prospects. Corliss hit 51 HR two seasons ago, and those prospects are all solid, if a bit old (all are over 22). Second, Brooklyn sends disgruntled 2B Maurizio Barbiusa (according to most, Barbiusa is Italian for "asshole") to the Bronx for four prospects, including former first rounder P Dustin Shoffner, who even at 24 could still become a rotation anchor. Third, Cincy acquires yet another pitcher, this time grabbing Cleveland closer John Jackman for two pretty good prospects. The other two are meh.... Cincy's trades are starting to pay off, as they've won five in a row and are tied for first with STL and CHI.... Nats 3B Adam Walker is the first to 40 HR, and Rangers 3B Emilio Mares the first to 50 SB. July 30-31 vs OAKLAND Still gunning for that first overall draft pick, at 32-70. League-worst offense and 15th-ranked pitching have equaled another tough season by the Bay. The offensive "star" of the moment is CF Henry Uhlman, batting .278, although ancient 2B Josh Robertson was batting .284 until going on the DL. Perennial sluggers Felix Reyes and Ryan Walton have combined for 39 HR, but are batting .246 and .220, respectively. With super-ancient 1B/DH Lance Powell now also on the DL, 24-year-old rookie Andy Heiser has gone 7-for-12 in his MLB debut, with three HR. On the mound, the rotation has fallen apart, with injuries to Jim Schwartz, Jaden Bartholomew, and Andy Paterson, and the trade of Chris Larimer to the Reds. So prospects Jesse Malone and Pat Oden are getting their chance, as is wished-for-ace Tom Baker. The bullpen has been miles better, although closer Jon Gray sports an ugly 7.27 ERA and an uglier -1.3 WAR. The good news here is there's money to spend and a nice bloc of prospects, especially pitchers. There's also a core of low-average-but-big-slugging OF types, with Heiser already here, and Matt Hall and Jorge Ledesma a year or two away. (Plus the recently-acquired 1B Matt Esquilin, from the Reds org.) But they need to sort our their pitching staff (figure out who's going where, as there are 7-8 possible SP available), and stop acquiring 40+ year-old infielders. HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (8-8, 4.69) / LH Mike Garfield (7-8, 3.70) OAK pitchers: RH Glen Marler (1-9, 7.04) / LH Sean Guerrero (4-8, 5.04) #103: LOSS 1-5 ... outhit just 10-8, but two HR spell doom...four losses in a row now, great timing here #104: LOSS 1-8 ... no words Okay, five losses in a row and six out of seven. Fantastic. No longer in first place now, a game behind Texas.... We stopped hitting, but the bigger culprit has been a sudden downturn in starting pitching. Just what I was worried about. Still, slumps come...and then hopefully go. Right?... ELSEWHERE: A few more trades, but nothing major. The Dodgers, oddly, add another reliever, while the Braves, Cubs, Pirates, and Robins all ship out older players for prospects.... With a 17-game lead, LA may be able to wrap up the division by the end of August.... KC has won 16 games in each of the last three months to pull to 7 games behind Detroit, and tied with Chicago. Both are 13 games behind us in the wild card race, which hopefully won't get any closer.... The Yankees are hanging in there, at 55-49 and ten games out of first. But the two players they just added via trade--2B Maurizio Barbiusa and SP Micah Whitlow--won't help an already feuding clubhouse. Along with Cincy, they're the only winning teams with bad team chemistry right now. ...... TL;DR Version:** A 7-7 finish to the month sort of kills the vibe we had going. Also, 15-10 for July, the worst monthly mark of the season. Anyway...Jake Moore's stopped hitting, so Victor Sanchez moves back into the lineup despite being a subpar SS. J.J. Simmons is back in a week, and we'll need him. Ulkini and Royer are platooning at third, as neither is hitting the cover off the ball, but neither is slumping. So I'll work both of them to see who might get hot. As for our pitchers, Mike Bader is slowly getting worse as the season goes on, mixing in more bad than good starts. He's one of the arbitration cases I mentioned above and right now...it's not looking good for him. Garfield's first start with us was an outright disaster, lasting just over 2 innings. He has to get better, right? Okay, enough crying, time to move on to August. 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