[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 5-2
Seasonal Record: 63-62 (t-4th, 9 GB)
Stars of the Week
Red Bond : 23 AB, 12 H, 3 HR, 10 RBI, .522 AVG, 1.522 OPS
Hal Sharp : 28 AB, 10 H, 1 HR, 7 RBI, .357 AVG, .887 OPS
Harry Mead : 23 AB, 9 H, 0 HR, 7 RBI, .391 AVG, .923 OPS

Schedule
8-18: Win vs Wolves (2-10)
8-19: Win vs Wolves (2-7)
8-20: Loss vs Wolves (5-3)
8-21: Win vs Foresters (8-10)
8-22: Loss vs Foresters (7-6): 11 innings
8-23: Win vs Foresters (3-4)
8-24: Win vs Sailors (4-5): 12 innings

Recap
They listened! They actually listened! We won some games!

Five of them to be exact, taking two of three from both the Wolves and Foresters before a crazy extra inning opener with the Sailors. Down 4-1 heading into the bottom of the 7th, we took advantage of star stopper David Molina (8-3, 22, 2.56, 86), who tried to bail Al Duster (9-10, 3.14, 95) out of a jam, but instead Red Bond (.293, 21, 84) drove home two with a double to bring us within one. An error aided us in the ninth, as we would have lost as Don Lee (.202, 3, 17, 11), who led off the inning with a walk (about all he's been good at this year), scored on a Pete Woodward (.273, 1, 10) error, which was ironic as "Woodsie" came in as a defensive replacement. That forced extras, and after a few zeros, the struggling Leo Mitchell (.266, 12, 67) mustered up some heroics, walking it off with a solo blast that probably would have been a fly out in most other parks. That brought us back above .500, pushing us to a tie with the Kings for 4th.

Red Bond had plenty of big hits all week, as once again, a Cougar was named Player of the Week. The aging slugger continued his power surge, launching 3 homers and 2 doubles with 9 runs and 10 RBIs as he slashed .522/.522/1.000 (309 OPS+) in 23 trips to the plate. Bond is now hitting a superb .315/.329/.562 (140 OPS+) as a Cougar, and has already hit 5 homers in just 79 PAs since joining from the Saints. And for the first time in what feels like forever, it wasn't a one or two man show, as we put up 10 runs not once, but twice (!!) this week, as plenty of guys produced at the same time. Harry Mead continues to heat up, going 9-for-23 with 2 doubles, 7 RBIs, and 3 walks while Eddie Howard was 4-for-5. Hal Sharp finally pushed his average up, even if it was just a smidge, going 10-for-28 with a double, homer, and 7 RBIs as he tries to fend off Sam Brown (.333, 7, 57) and Ed Reyes (.333, 4, 55) in the batting race. Carlos Montes didn't start many games with a ton of righties on the mound, but he still went 2-for-6 with 2 walks, a run, and RBI, and made both plays at him in his first start at third base. The Foresters and Wolves don't have many lefties, so he didn't really get a chance to play, but the Sailors, Cannons, and Kings all have a pair of lefty starters which will give Montes plenty of more opportunities. It was nice to finally see some life in the bats, as we're up to 7th (498) in runs scored, but one has to wonder if it's far too little and far too late.

No loss for Peter the Heater this week, but he did not look good against the Foresters. They got 8 hits, 8 runs, and 6 walks in 6.1 innings as he struck out just 4. This inflated Pap's ERA to 3.74 (103 ERA+) in 214 innings, the highest mark of any of our five starters. The only good thing about this start is it allowed Mel Haynes to shine, as he picked up his first win of the season. Not only did he throw 2.2 innings of hitless ball (1 BB, 2 K), but he contributed in our huge 7 run 8th, driving in two with a single before scoring on a Sal Pestilli double. Haynes also singled in his first at bat, upping his season line to .320/.370/.320 (90 OPS+) with 9 RBIs and more walks (2) then strikeouts (1), good enough for a 104 WRC+ which is higher then 6-Time All-Stars Leo Mitchell (95), Skipper Schneider (84), and Sal Pestilli (79).

After a brutal stretch of starts, Johnnie Jones bounced back in a huge way, spinning back-to-back complete game victories. First he beat the Wolves, allowing just 6 hits, 2 runs, and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts in an easy 10-2 victory. Things were tougher when the Foresters came to town, but Johnnie pitched well enough to escape with a 4-3 win. He was charged with 11 hits, 3 runs, and 6 walks, but managed to strike out 4 and strand plenty of runners to improve to 12-8 on the season. Duke Bybee had a pair of starts as well, but the second ended in a no decision. That was against the Sailors where he went just 7 with 7 hits, 4 runs, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts. His complete game win against the Wolves was much more impressive, as despite 5 walks and just 1 strikeout, he held Toronto to just 6 hits and 2 runs. Bybee's 2.93 ERA (132 ERA+) is now best on the staff after Donnie Jones (9 IP, 12, 6 ER, 3 K) was hit hard in our extra inning loss against Cleveland, and his 1.10 WHIP is best of any qualified pitcher this season. When the season started, I said he could pitch his way into the three spot by seasons end, and that's where he finds himself now as we approach the final month of the season.

There was plenty of transactional news, including what maybe should have been a deadline deal. Brooklyn recently claimed Jim Jenkins off waivers, and to make room for him on Kings roster they DFA'd former Eagle and Forester Leon Blackridge, a player I've had my eye on (and even tried to trade for) since the 1934 draft. A 6th Round selection of the Stars, Blackridge was frequently a top 100 prospect but owns just a .258/.341/.363 (101 OPS+) career line in just under 3,000 career plate appearances. That's nothing to be ashamed of, but he never really got a chance to play everyday as he went from being stuck behind Mel Carrol to serving in the Air Force. He's only gotten into 42 games this season with just 17 of them starts. His .262/.395/.308 (89 OPS+) line isn't terrible, although he's gone 65 at bats without a home run. His 14 walks to 8 strikeouts are impressive, and his 108 WRC+ is solid, but the King wanted him to play second and he's pretty much a third basemen only. His leadership could be useful down the stretch, and there are bench spots up for grabs next season and we need a right side of the Walt Pack platoon. He may not get too many at bats this season, but if he survives the Winter, he'll get plenty of looks in the spring.

The deadline to sign draft picks just past, and in the end I caved and gave 20th Rounder Fred McHenry $1,600 to pass up his commitment to Tallmadge State. We've been hit hard recently with outfield injuries, and instead of the usual 20 batters I carry in La Crosse we were down to just 18, and now Phil Boyes is dealing with calf soreness. He'll be back next week, but without McHenry we would have just six outfielders, one of those being converted shortstop Hank Smithers, who was taken four rounds earlier. McHenry may not play too much, but there are plenty of at bats up for grabs. Then comes roster expansion, and depending who gets callups, their may be starting positions available at higher levels, further thinning the Lions roster. McHenry is a hard worker and as is wouldn't be the worst fourth outfielder, making him useful to hang onto. He'll basically has a ten month audition until next year's draftees come around, and without a first rounder, we may be without an impact prospect. He'll never hit for any power, but if he can put the ball in play and provide serviceable defense, he could stick around.

Here are the six players we decided not to give a contract to, as well as their round selected and new school. All six will be eligible for the 1950 draft:

CF Goldie Smith (18th Round): Western Florida
LHP Herb Bloom (19th Round): Coastal State
RHP Jacob Larry (21st Round): Redwood University
2B Bill Carrier (22nd Round): Eastern State
LF Curt Boyle (23rd Round): Darnell State
C Bill Haugen (25th Round): Red River State

Looking Ahead
We did it once, so can we do it twice more? The Sailors are going to be tough, as we'll have to beat the struggling Slick Wesolowski (12-9, 4.07, 75) and staff ace Win Lewis (14-10, 2.67, 74). That won't be easy, and with Joe Brown (12-9, 3.59, 73) and Pete Papenfus (8-15, 3.74, 123) there are plenty of ways this can go. The lineup looks a little different, as Eddie Heaton (.195, 1, 12) has somewhat surprisingly replaced Cotton Dillon (.275, 7, 66) in right field. Harvey Brown (.288, 4, 56, 23) and Ed Reyes (.333, 4, 55) are heating up and Bobby Boone (.319, 1,, 35, 8) has been another excellent Rule-5 find of the association leaders. These two games could determine our season, as a sweep makes things interesting if it can build some momentum.

Our next guest will be the Cincinnati Cannons, who would love for us to sweep the team in first. Cincinnati is 67-59, but 5.5 games behind the surging Sailors. Working in our favor is the favorable pitching matchup, as we'll get their bottom two in Charlie Griffith (16-6, 3.91, 84) and Les Bradshaw (9-11, 4.01, 76). Griffith has a knack for winning games, so that can't be taken lightly, and the Cannons have some firepower in the form of Denny Andrews (.305, 13, 60) and Chuck Adams (.264, 12, 64). Al Wheeler (.235, 9, 42) is playing more often while Sam Brown (.333, 7, 57) and Adam Mullins (.300, 5, 52) are adding another productive season to their resumes. This will be tough, but avoiding Rufus Barrell (9-12, 3.66, 114) is huge, and we need to capitalize in games where on paper we have the advantage.

The same is said of the weekend series as we host the last place Saints for three. Things haven't gone well for Montreal, as they're 10 games behind the seventh place Foresters and 28 games under .500. The pitching has let them down, as beyond Pat Weakly (10-13, 3.69, 98) and Bert Cupid (10-13, 3.53, 86) they haven't been getting quality starts. Andy Lyon (5-9, 4.30, 76) has a nearly matching ERA+ (93) and FIP- (94) so perhaps smoother sailing is ahead, and at just 24 he's only going to get better. Someone in the lineup to look at is another 24-year-old, Maurice Carter, who was a teammate of Duke Bybee, Eddie Howard, and more this winter on the Santa Clara Stallions. The first basemen was acquired from the Eagles for righty Jose Waggoner at the deadline. Carter, who debuted in '45 with the Eagles, went straight to the big league lineup, and he's hit .327/.400/.423 (118 OPS+) in 62 trips to the plate. "Big Moe" isn't the most highly touted prospect, and for a slugger like him Montreal may not be the perfect fit. But if he keeps drawing walks and putting the ball in play, he could become a building block as the Saints look to right the shift. I hope we can keep them down, but we're the team they've done the best against this season.

Minor League Report
C Garland Phelps (B San Jose Cougars): Is it already time to promote him? It's been just two months, but Garland Phelps has already won two Player of the Weeks. This time around wasn't as extravagant, as he went 11-for-27 with 2 doubles, a triple, and 6 RBIs. It was a nice gift as the brilliant backstop turned 18 on the 22nd, and has now hit .347/.392/.545 (160 OPS+) in his first 40 professional games. The 6 doubles and 5 homers don't surprise me one bit, but the fact that he has 6 triples? That's crazy! Speed isn't a part of his game, so I wonder if a lot of those are balls that are it very far in a large part. He's already drove in 42 runs and is a tenth of a win away from 2 WAR. There's no room in A ball with Bill Martin returning, so Einstein will finish his season out in California. He's already flashing the star level potential many saw in him, as he's going to be a truly special offensive talent. The defense hasn't been great, but he's got plenty of time to figure that out. If everything breaks right, Phelps is going to be the best ever Cougar catcher, and he may spend some time as the best FABL catcher. Wouldn't that be fun?