[pauwoo]

Los Angeles Leopards (18-10, .642, 1st NL West) @ Las Vegas Outlaws (17-10, .630, 2nd NL West)
While not as highly regarded by the baseball punditry as we are, the Las Vegas Outlaws have, thus far, been every bit as good. They’ve really shined so far on offense, where they find themselves ranked 1st in the National League – they get on base at an alarming clip (.363, 1st), score seemingly at will (138 runs, 2nd), and are adept at wreaking havoc once they get there (+7.5 base running, 1st). And the pitching, while not as lights out as ours, is a few ticks above serviceable at 4th overall in the NL with the 2nd best FIP in the league… this is to say that, regardless of those stupid preseason predictions, you’d be best served by forgetting what you know, and just settle into the reality that the Las Vegas Outlaws are a formidable foe capable of dusting us with prejudice in their park should we not come with it here.

Injury Update: SP Keith Baeza has been cleared to rejoin the club as he’s conquered his ailment with hard work and determination… and, as a reward, we’re sending him to Compton for a rehab stint. Better safe than sorry, I always say…

29 of 162: Dwight Beasley (2-2, 4.55) @ Jake Talley (1-2, 6.84)
Win, 3-2. Dwight brought his handcuffs with him on the road, shackling them onto the opposition here as he held the Outlaws in check over 5-inning of work where he’d allow a mere 5 hits and 1 earned while fanning 7 hapless hitters… and the offense, while not too exciting, did what was necessary to walk away with the win here as Ethan tilted the roulette table with a 3-run TRUCK that did Las Vegas in during the top of the 3rd while everyone else in the dugout gave each other high fives and fist bumps. A good start to the series, more great pitching early in the 2079 campaign, and, with Haag already securing his 10th save of the season he’s trending to eclipse the club record of 56 set by Donovan Turnbull one short season ago.

30 of 162: Ramiro Marte (1-3, 5.60) @ Shizuka Takeuchi (2-2, 4.21)
Loss, 1-3. After giving the Outlaws the business yesterday, it was our turn to be on the wrong end of the stick as Takeuchi befuddled our lineup over 6.2 innings of work to improve his record to 3-2 on the year. Offensively, as I’m sure you could’ve guessed by the score, our results resembled the barren wasteland surrounding the Strip with both Otto and Ono fanning three times, just one double and homer for the club, and 6 men left stranded out on the basepaths. This was a case study in how not to get things done.

31 of 162: Stephen Estevez (4-0, 0.78) @ Jack Sanchez-Flores (3-1, 3.38)
Loss, 5-6. We’d take a 5-3 lead during the top of the 6th off a bases-clearing, 3-run double from PEPPER but ran out of steam from there as our much-vaunted bullpen sprung a leak with Miotke allowing 2 and Kudo allowing two more to sink our hopes of cribbing a set off Las Vegas in their ballpark. OH HONG went 1-for-5, brought two in on a DINGER but fanned thrice, Otto went 1-for-5 and then had his hit erased when he got caught with his hand in the honey pot, and Chirs Hutchinson committed his 3rd error at SS leading to a couple of early runs for the bad guys. All in all, not our best effort, and, when the Outlaws are looking back at you from the opposite dugout anything less than your best just won’t suffice.

Also, as a nice by-product of losing this set, we’ve slipped into second place in the NL West behind… you guessed it – the Las Vegas Outlaws.

Record: 19-12, .612, 2nd NL West
Up Next: A travel day to get back to L.A. (and we’re not even taking a bus) followed by a 3-game set, at home, against the San Jose Seals….