[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 3-4
Seasonal Record: 58-47 (2nd, 8 GB)
Stars of the Week
Chubby Hall : 27 AB, 13 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .481 AVG, 1.073 OPS
George Sutterfield : 21 AB, 8 H, 1 HR, 7 RBI, .381 AVG, 1.000 OPS
Harry Mead : 24 AB, 7 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .292 AVG, .747 OPS

Schedule
8-2: Win at Sailors (7-4): 12 innings
8-3: Loss at Sailors (1-4)
8-4: Win at Sailors (5-0)
8-5: Loss at Foresters (0-4)
8-6: Loss at Foresters (4-5)
8-7: Win at Foresters (6-1)
8-7: Loss at Foresters (1-4)

Recap
At this point, should I really be surprised?

If we just split with the Foresters, we'd still be six back, but instead, they took three of four against our top four, and pushed us right back down to eight out. Still, better then we started, and it's hard to get upset about losing a road series against the best team in the association. So I'm not going to worry too much. Instead, let's focus on the good!

But first, the crazy?

In my 10+ years and 10,000+ hours of OOTP, I don't think I've ever seen something like this. Check out Johnnie Jones' week:

8/3 @ Philadelphia: 8 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 8 BB, 2 K, 8 FB, 132 pitches, 46 GS
8/7 @ Cleveland: 8 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 8 BB, 2 K, 8 FB, 132 pitches, 46 GS

Yes, two literally identical starts down to the number of pitches. There was, of course, one difference, as the Foresters grounded out 13 times while the Sailors just 10, as our defense managed to turn three double plays behind the Patron Saint of Groundballs. Still, its absolutely bonkers how similar these starts were! And my favorite part of the week!

The close second was George Oddo, who won his six straight decision! I wish Max let him go all nine, but he doesn't like letting him go past 125 pitches. The Rhode Island native, who Dixie Marsh now boasts is "a solid investment, if he can continue at his current level," threw eight scoreless with 7 hits, 2 walks, and 6 strikeouts. It was the best start of the week, but Donnie Jones' complete game victory over the Foresters was a close second. He allowed 6 hits, 3 walks, and a run with 7 strikeouts to improve to 11-9. We won his other start, but he left with two outs in the 9th of a tied game. He didn't blow it, we actually scored runs in the 8th and 9th to keep things going, although a rare Sal Pestilli error made one of his four runs unearned. He walked 3 and allowed 9 hits with 7 strikeouts before Harry MacRae took over. Our stopper walked and struck out one, recording four outs and bringing the game to the 11th. That's when eventual winner Jim Kenny threw a perfect 11th. George Sutterfield became the hero, launching a three run homer off John Henry Johnson (3-6, 2, 4.63, 23) to give us a 7-4 lead Harry Parker would finish off. He allowed a hit and got a strikeout in a scoreless ninth, picking up his first save of the season. That's now 3.1 scoreless innings for Parker, who I guess is a good low leverage reliever now? Sounds good to me!

Not too much offense, but Sutterfield (8-18, 2 2B, HR, 7 RBI, SB) had a great week and Otto Christian continues to rake. He was 4-for-8 and hit his 9th homer in just under 150 PAs, and is now hitting a strong .262/.319/.524 (121 OPS+) with 6 doubles, 20 runs, and 27 RBIs. The 26-year-olds emergence is pretty much signaling the end of Walt Pack's tenure as a Cougar, as I'm going to attempt to move the veteran slugger in the offseason. He's slumped lately, now hitting just .257/.341/.402 (97 OPS+) in 82 games, and he's matched Otto's homer total in over twice as many attempts. 35 in October, he's not likely to fetch much of a return, but power, a good eye, and reliable defense still has value. Chubby Hall had a big week too, 12-for-26 with a pair of doubles, walks, run, and RBIs. Leo Mitchell had a nice week too, 6-for-19 with a triple and five walks. After complimenting Sal, Red, and Skipper last week, they were pretty much useless, but there's always next week!

Looking Ahead
For one reason or another, our road trip is interrupted for a single game, as we go home to host the Saints. Hopefully this helps us right the ship, as we've been great at home since probably mid-May and anyone other then the Foresters is a nice relief. Montreal is rolling with a six man rotation, which is great for us, as that means we'll face Wally Reif (4-12, 7.33, 50) instead of ace Bert Cupid (12-9, 2.86, 58). Of course, they can adjust that if they'd like, but I hope they don't! Either way, the starter will have their hands full with George Oddo (6-4, 3.27, 73), who finally decided losing was overrated. I'm worried the 3rd ranked offense will give him trouble, and at 55-52 they can definitely cause damage. Maurice Carter (.307, 22, 81) has a chance to break Red Bond's (.256, 18, 53) single season home run record (30), and he's matched superstar Bill Barrett's (.311, 32, 81, 8) RBI total for the CA lead. It helps having young building blocks Joe Austin (.302, 4, 43, 33), Gordie Perkins (.297, 5, 52, 5), and Otis O'Keefe (.286, 12, 65) ahead of him, and despite the cavernous Parc Cartier being the location for half the Saints games, their offense is really going to be a force to be reckon with.

The road trip then "officially" ends in New York, where we're battle for three with the Stars, who are 59-50 and a game behind us. They're off to start the week, allowing them to reset the rotation. We'll miss former Cougar 6th Rounder Foster Smith (0-2, 6.43, 4), who was called up last week after going 12-3 with a 2.70 ERA (112 ERA+) and 1.17 WHIP with 55 walks and 92 strikeouts. Acquired in the Billy Riley (12-4, 3.91, 52) deal, Smith's 2.27 FIP (75 FIP-) would make you think he's more then ready for the majors, but he struggled mightily in his first two big league starts. Another guy we won't see is struggling leadoff man Joe Angevine (.218, 1, 27, 29), who recently suffered Riley's favorite injury, a herniated disc. In his place, Newt Cooper (.269, 2, 14, 8) has moved up to the leadoff spot while Paul Watson (.253, 6, 24) has taken over at short. He played some third too, but Mack Sutton (.275, 23, 73) has taken most of the starts there after Bill Barnett (.283, 19, 53) has re-established himself at first. A lineup sluggers against our staff is a recipe for disaster, but at least we're playing at Dyckman Stadium instead of Cougars Park. This will be a tough task, especially since I anticipate ace Eli Panneton (12-6, 3.42, 71), my nemesis (or at least, one of many) Jack Wood (10-10, 3.31, 52), and Chicagoan Richie Hughes (6-8, 3.70, 70), After failing one test, we can't afford a second, and anything less then a series win makes our predicament much more dire.

Back at home to finish the week, where we'll host the struggling Kings. After a 12-17 July, they made wholesale changes to the roster, but still went 2-5 in Toronto and Cincinnati. A lot of the new faces fill the bench, but they recently brought in Davey Chamberlain (1-2, 2.19, 10) off waivers from the Sailors and inserted him into the rotation. Other newcomers include two-way player George Fitzgerald (.200, 1), versatile 1947 6th Rounder Kid Ward (.000), and 24-year-old outfielder Bob Schleusner (.000). These youngsters haven't got too much playing time, as there are better ones in first-time All-Star Chuck Lewis (.305, 14, 57), slugging first basemen Chuck Collins (.242, 10, 36), backstop Dan Smith (.257, 3, 32), and former 3rd Pick Ken Newman (.277, 5, 39). On the mound, 24-year-old rookie Joe Potts (10-8, 3.07, 59) has continued his tremendous campaign, while former Cougar Rusty Petrick (1-3, 2.87, 32) has actually looked really good. I think this Kings team is better then they look, but we may be catching them at the right time. No time to let go, but three home games against a struggling team is a good recipe for success.

Cougars in the GWL
LHP Harl Haines (Seattle Thunderbirds): I'll never forgive the war from taking Harl Haines early, as he was in line for his big break, as the hard throwing sidearmer was going to replace Peter the Heater in the rotation after the then young fireballer enlisted in the Navy. He did get a shot when he returned, albeit with the Gothams, who tend to go through players pretty quickly. Then 28, he did a decent job, making 29 starts and a relief appearances, finishing 14-8 with a 3.53 ERA (95 ERA+) and 3.11 FIP (93 FIP-) with a 1.30 WHIP, 55 walks, and 87 strikeouts. 1947 didn't go quite as well, and after struggling to a 5.61 ERA (71 ERA+) and 1.42 WHIP in 51.1 innings. He was then sent down to AAA and was cut at the end of the season. He then spent a parts of two seasons with the Sailors AAA team before being cut this May. He didn't spend much time as a free agent, quickly catching on with the Seattle Thunderbirds.

It may have been a minor league deal, but he went straight to Seattle, and has now made 15 starts. #15 was the best, as the southpaw twirled a 5-hit shutout in a much needed 1-0 win. He walked just 1 and struck out 4 as the last place Thunderbirds topped the Portland Green Sox. This improved Haines to 5-8 in just over 100 innings, working to a 3.45 ERA (118 ERA+) and 1.32 WHIP with 24 walks and 42 strikeouts. Its a nice revival for the former 10th Round Pick, who went 16-11 in 41 FABL appearances and worked to a respectable 3.89 ERA (90 ERA+) with an above average 3.38 FIP (96 FIP-). He struck out 108 batters and walked just 67, and he's hoping to revie his career in the GWL. He's a good influence in the clubhouse and does a good job locating his pitches. I'm rooting for him, but the deck may be stacked against the 31-year-old, who's already considered too old by some to make an impact on a contender.