[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 5-3
Seasonal Record: 26-28 (5th, 12 GB)
Stars of the Week
Leo Mitchell : 30 AB, 10 H, 2 HR, 9 RBI, .333 AVG, 1.042 OPS
George Sutterfield : 32 AB, 12 H, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .375 AVG, .925 OPS
David Molina : 2 Wins, 3.1 IP, 0 BB, 1 K, 0.00 ERA

Schedule
6-4: Win vs Cannons (1-4)
6-5: Win vs Wolves (3-4)
6-6: Loss vs Wolves (9-6)
6-7: Loss vs Wolves (8-1)
6-8: Win vs Sailors (7-8)
6-9: Win vs Sailors (2-7)
6-10: Loss vs Sailors (2-1)
6-10: Win vs Sailors (4-5): 10 innings

Recap
Part of this week was expected. We not only lost to the Wolves, but let them get hot. The crazy part is what we did to the Sailors, who hadn't lost a series since April!

Since then, the only series they didn't win were splits against us, until we managed to take three of four headlined by a scoreless David Molina inning (a strikeout with no outs!) and a shocking Al Clement walk-off double in the 10th to earn the double header split. Molina actually pitched well against his former team, picking up a pair of wins with three scoreless innings. Only one of them saw a hit, and his ERA is finally below 9! The Sailors were dealt a bigger blow with Win Lewis (5-1, 2.83, 34) undergoing elbow surgery. They struck quickly, picking up a veteran from nearby Broad Street Park from the crosstown Keystones. Former Allen Winner Lloyd Stevens (4-4, 4, 4.75, 16) may have been pushed to the pen in favor of 36th ranked prospect Sam Ivey (3-1, 3.18, 16), but the Keystones park and/or defense seem to keep Stevens' ERAs above his FIPs. At 35 they're taking a risk, but their system is deep enough they can afford a pair of prospects ranked in the 100s. They're in perfect position to seize an association with just one other team above .500, and when you lose your ace it's a good idea to take a shot you can afford before anyone expects a move.

Speedster Leo Mitchell stayed hot in our wacky week, going 10-for-30 with a pair of steals, triples, and homers. Mitchell drove in nine, scored four times, and walked twice, upping his season line to .333/.374/.550 (142 OPS+). I think our homegrown star realizes he's running out of chances to win a title, and a few more hot weeks can sperate from the crowded middle of the pack. George Sutterfield got a much needed solid week, 12-for-32 with a homer and two doubles, RBIs, and steals. He's followed up his 107 WRC+ with a 73 in almost 200 trips to the plate, something even elite defense can't excuse. He tends to be streaky, sometimes playing better on the road, where he's able to pick up extra base hits in the gaps. With a rare misstep from Red Bond (5-28, HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB), Sutterfield helped shoulder the load, but a lot of the guys who played most of the week seemed tired.

The pitching was either great or awful, so let's focus on the two pitchers that threw two gems. Continental Association ERA leader Duke Bybee picked up a pair of complete game victories, dropping that metric to 2.42 (174 ERA+) in his ten starts. Bybee's 0.99 WHIP is also an association best, leading in BB/9 (2.2), rWAR (3.3), opponents average (.209), and most impressively, quality starts (10). Yeah, all ten of his starts have been quality! Bybee is no stranger to sub-3 ERAs, and unless he implodes I don't see a way he doesn't represent us at the All-Star game. One of the other two on the ballot, Pete Papenfus was back to striking out guys, and a lack of run support led to one of his complete games being a loss. That was in the double header, where he allowed just 5 hits, 2 runs, and 3 walks with 4 strikeouts. You could argue that was better then his win against the Wolves, where Pap fanned 6 with 6 hits, 3 runs, and 3 walks. This kept him at .500, 4-4 in his 11 starts, and his 53 strikeouts trail just Adrian Czerwinski (54), who has more then 25 extra innings. This duo has actually been our best so far, but only Johnnie Jones (4.35, 97) has an ERA+ below 100.

Looking Ahead
We get a much needed off day, as nearly everyone is tired and too many guys had to start on short rest. Otherwise I would have had to let George Polk (SV, 4 IP, H, BB, K) start a throwaway game against the Wolves, with both corner outfielders out of gas. Instead we'll just make the trip north to Toronto, where we really need to get some revenge. We've been worse against them then the sail away Sailors, and there's no excuse for that. I hope we see former Cougar draftee George Carter (0-0, 7.50, 1) make a start, with the other two likely George Garrison (2-8, 4.50, 26) and Jerry York (2-5, 3.34, 31). I also think we'll see Zane Kelley (3-1, 4.71, 19), who's been better in his relief outings then his two starts. I don't think our pitching will have any trouble with their lineup, so the key for us to get runs off whoever is on the mound. Just Joe DeMott (.294, 1, 12, 5) and Fred McCormick (.257, 3, 22, 2) have WRC+ above 100, and neither have an OPS+ to match it. We need wins here more then I can articulate, and it could start off a nice week.

The next stop is Cincinnati, and even though the Cannons have a better record then us, I think we can keep beating them. Harry Thomas (4-2, 3.87, 34) has started to regress, making way for Mickey Mills (3-6, 3.58, 36) to reclaim the best non-Barrell pitching spot on the team. We actually gave Duece (6-1, 3.40, 33) his only loss, which makes me wonder why we do so much better against the quality opponents. Maybe I should want to face him and Mickey, and go right after Mike T. Taylor (.324, 10, 36, 12), as nothing seems to make sense this year. Let's just win some games!