[Bub13]

May 3-6 @ TEXAS
Currently riding high on a 5-game winning streak, and on top of our division at 18-11. Second in runs scored--and first in home runs--and eighth in runs allowed. DH Luis Olivo (.325/10/27) and 2B Gabriel Gallegos (.319, 6 steals) are leading the attack. SP Seth Purdy is having his best season so far (2-2, 2.78, 30 K, 35 IP), yet is "very unhappy" about his performance. Closer Joe Gordon has 11 saves in 12 appearances and has yet to yield a run. Manager Drew Saylor is in his eighth year at the helm, and is working on only his second winning record during that stint. Favorite name: AAA manager Oliver Odle.

HAW pitchers: Jim Kieffer (1-2, 5.27) / Rob Hart (1-2, 3.89) / Leon Casillas (3-2, 3.92) / Eric Jones (2-2, 4.10)
TEX pitchers: Alex Mares (2-2, 4.78) / Seth Purdy (2-2, 2.78) / Jeff Sullivan (4-2, 3.80) / Kevin Becker (4-1, 3.67)

#29: LOSS 8-9 ... Mercedes homers in his first game, but oh man this bullpen: eight runs (six earned) and five walks...I may try a witch doctor next
#30: WIN 13-7 ... a lot of anger today: we hit six home runs, including another from Mercedes, plus he drives in seven...Hart sprains his ankle, but may not miss a start
#31: LOSS 6-8 ... McArthur and Henkel have big games, but Casillas' down year gets worse with 6 R and 11 H in 4.2 IP...bullpen adds two more runs to the fun, because why not
#32: LOSS 2-8 ... a big steaming pile

That went well, didn't it? We're hitting like champs, but our pitching...when it rains, it pours: can anyone on this team get anybody out? New relievers Chance Johnson (from AAA) upchucked early, as did newbie Ken Powers (from POR). And the first two starters in this series got hurt: Kieffer for 5 days, so he'll make his next start, but Hart has a 5-week dtd injury, and goes on the DL. I call up my #2 prospect Cam Bornhoft; he'll make his MLB debut next series. Can he be any worse than what's gone before?... ELSEWHERE: Some people are happy: Toronto and Miami were supposed to be bad this year, but they're 21-8 and 21-9, respectively. And some are unhappy: this was supposed to be a breakthrough year for the Yankees, but they're 10-22 so far. (Trading partner for us? Hmm...)


May 7-10 @ SEATTLE
Average so far, at 16-16, but they're ahead of us, so I'll shut up. They're struggling to score: 15th in runs for, 17th in AVG; and about average in pitching, at 10th in runs against, and they have a -19 run differential. RF Mike Wapner is healthy again and hitting (.348/11/30), and #1 SP Aaron Myers (5-2, 2.92, 52 IP, 58 K) is earning his keep. Cuban Jose Alfonso is the rookie manager, and his players generally like him, but the clubhouse is unhappy. Favorite name: several: starting C Seth Swank, AA OF Matt Zeeryp, A ball SP David Jimbo.

HAW pitchers: Billy Heine (2-2, 2.43) / Jim Kieffer (1-2, 5.40) / Cam Bornhoft (0-0, 0.00) / Leon Casillas (3-3, 4.74)
SEA pitchers: Jimmy Stanford (1-4, 7.00) / Amir Farland (3-2, 3.29) / Ruben Alvarado (3-1, 4.93) / Aaron Myers (5.2, 2.92)

#33: LOSS 3-9 ... how we can outhit a team and still lose by six runs is a complete mystery...but then, so is this entire season so far...bullpen does it again (2 IP, 4 R)
#34: WIN 3-2 ... Carillo homers in his third straight game, Kieffer looks good over 7 IP, and the bullpen throws three good innings for the win...investigation is ongoing
#35: WIN 4-3 ... Bornhoft looks okay (7.2 IP, 11 H, 2 R) in his debut and the pen looks good again...second straight extra inning win
#36: WIN 6-0 ... there he is! Casillas tosses a four-hit shutout, and John Canning (who?) gets four hits, while Carillo bangs out three

Nice effort this series, and we're back at .500! For the first time this season, the bullpen's ERA is below 6.00. Yeah, it's still 5.92, but it's something.... Team hitting still looks good--fifth in AVG and HR, 4th in OBP--but no one is having a standout season. Four guys are hitting .300, led by Dunklee at .324, but nobody has hit 10 HR yet, and Dunklee and Groff lead the team with 24 RBI.... ELSEWHERE: Austin is still over .500 (18-16), but is slumping and has fallen out of first place. Houston continues to live in the muck: worst record in the league at 10-26, and riding a 7-game losing streak.


May 11-13 vs PITTSBURGH
After seven division titles (and one World Series win) over eight years, it's been a couple of moribund seasons for the Pirates. So their 21-14 start has been a welcome surprise. Hitting is tops in the NL, and they're 2nd in runs scored, with six starters hitting over .300 (and 3B Jordan Shields leading the league at .388). Pitching has been much better than last year's league-worst ERA, at 6th in runs against. Three new members of the rotation helps. David Wallace is the third-year manager, hoping to lead them back to their recent glory. Favorite name: AA pitcher Sincere Brown. Although honorable mention to AA outfielder Zane Humm, for glorious simplicity.

HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (2-3, 5.01) / Billy Heine (2-3, 3.09) / Jim Kieffer (1-2, 4.50)
PIT pitchers: Ronnie Storie (2-3, 4.26) / Andy Gould (4-2, 4.84) / Matt Beck (3-0, 2.54)

#37: LOSS 5-6 ... Jones, 5 R in 6 IP, is not earning a look at an extension right now...but he does bean Shields, their best player, giving him a concussion
#38: LOSS 3-8 ... more inspirational pitching today, and Dunklee gets plunked (revenge?) by Andy Gould and both earn nine-game suspensions...sigh
#39: LOSS 5-7 ... Kieffer is going great guns until giving up 3 in the sixth and again in the seventh...otherwise, no comment

Well, so much for the good feelings from our Seattle series. This time, the rotation is to blame....Infielder Danny Holguin gets hurt, is dtd for two weeks. Not sure if I'll DL him or not. Plus, after the first game, OF Mel Carillo "exchanges pleasantries" with a fan outside the park, and some are asking for an apology. Can this season devolve any further? Oh, and Dunklee is suspended for eight more games.... Some roster moves: RP Chance Johnson, OF Jonathan Spalding sent down; RP Ronnie Corgan, OF Roberto Mendez called up. Corgan is a 3rd round pick from 2036 who's been great in AAA this year, and Mendez is a scouting discovery from 2034 and an average hitter, but great fielder and fast as a deer. Both will make their MLB debuts.... ELSEWHERE: Houston has lost ten in a row, now sitting at 10-29. Meanwhile, Minnesota has surged out to the best record in baseball, at 27-12. Nothing else worth mentioning.


May 14-16 vs ST LOUIS
The latest team that we'll help fix is the Cards, now at 19-20, fifth place in the Central. Eighth in runs scored, eleventh in runs against, with a +1 differential. Unlike us, they're scoring more than they're hitting (14th in AVG, 13th in OBP). Rotation is 4th in the NL, and led by Islander reject Ken Clark (of course he's good again). Favorite name: Curt Short (yes, he's 5'8"), and also AA 2B Jared Scruggs. Manager is Orlando Lopez, in his third year.

HAW pitchers: Cam Bornhoft (0-0, 3.52) / Leon Casillas (4-3, 3.93) / Eric Jones (2-3, 5.32)
STL pitchers: Mike Bryant (3-3, 4.39) / Ken Clark (4-1, 3.02) / Joey Muhlenkamp (2-3, 4.15)

#40: LOSS 2-4 ... Bornhoft goes the distance, and we outhit the Cards, but whatever...Groff and Hunter are still hitting, but everyone else has dropped off
#41: WIN 7-1 ... Casillas! My only reason for living right now...Holguin gets the key hit, tripling in two in a four-run first
#42: WIN 7-5 ... Jones continues to struggle, but we finally string together enough hits...Groff and McArthur knock in two runs apiece with two doubles apiece

Obviously we'll take the two wins, making this a standout recent series for us. We're sitting at 20-22, tied for third, 5.5 games out of first (Texas still leads).... We're sixth in runs for, 11th in runs against, with just a +6 run differential. Our hitting is outpacing our production, however, since we're 2nd in AVG (.282) and 4th in OBP (.346); the bullpen is still in last place, sporting a fine 5.50 ERA.... Dunklee still has five games to go.... ELSEWHERE: Houston's losing streak is now 13.... San Diego's Gary Florence (2039 NL Cy Young winner) has the lead in the pitching triple crown.... Austin's fast start is just a memory now: 19-21 and 2-8 in their last ten.


May 18-20 @ CHICAGO CUBS
The Cubs look good again this year, at 24-18 currently, but are an odd team. They're 14thin AVG and OBP, but 7th in runs scored, probably due in large part to being 2nd in home runs. Pitching is odd too, with the rotation sitting at 12th, and the bullpen rating as the NL's best. They win despite the offensive black hole of leadoff man Jordan Cruz, slashing .220/.319/.358, with 68 K in 159 AB. They also signed AL K maven Willie Jaramillo for 1B, and, when healthy, he hasn't disappointed: 35 K in 98 AB, plus 8 HR and zero doubles. Oh, and #2 batter Edgar Cantu is delighting at .157/.282/.306 Three pitchers are former Islanders: starter Rich Beltowski (2039), CL Jack Shewmake (2035-38), and MR Raleigh Vance (2034-35). All are having good years. They also have seven players on the DL, including two starting OF and two starting pitchers. Wilson Heredia is the manager, in his second season. (He was also the Cubs batting coach from 2027-2031.)

HAW pitchers: Billy Heine (2-4, 3.91) / Jim Kieffer (1-3, 4.55) / Cam Bornhoft (0-1, 3.78)
CHC pitchers: Rich Beltowski (2-1, 3.95) / Bryan Melstrom (1-3, 5.24) / Josh Scanlon (1-3, 4.57)

#43: WIN 9-6 ... four hits for Carillo, and three (plus three RBI) for Henkel...Yates gets his second save
#44: WIN 4-1 ... Mercedes gets hot with three hits and an RBI, and Henkel hits a two-run shot in the sixth...Kieffer K's 11 in 72. IP, but Yates hurts his back and is out for two weeks
#45: LOSS 6-8 ... Bornhoft looks every bit a rookie today, giving up all 8 runs...Mercedes gets three hits and drives in four, but we blow a 5-0 lead

Disappointing final game, but still we won the first two.... Dunklee still has two more games to sit, but we're getting healthier: Wiggins comes off the DL and Holguin's dtd injury is done. But Jay Yates is out for two weeks, so we'll have to scrounge up another AAA pitcher. And Cam Bornhoft will head back to AAA after that last start. I'm going to bring up #1 prospect Mike Messinger to replace him. Bobby Piccirillo is also back, for long relief and spot starting. RP Cory Taylor, who I'd hoped would be a strong member of our staff this year, is also off the DL now, but needs a rehab stint in AAA.... ELSEWHERE: Dodgers pitcher Jackson Suttie throws the season's first no-hitter, a 3-0 win over the Orioles. He walked six.... Pittsburgh is streaking, with a 10-game run of wins, and Houston finally won a game, bringing them to 11-34.... Pittsburgh's Jordan Shields is hitting .395, and also leads the NL with a 1.179 OPS and 3.4 WAR.


AL WEST STANDINGS
TEX 28-18 --
OAK 25-20 2.5
SEA 23-23 5
HAW 22-23 5.5
LAA 21-24 6.5
HOU 11-34 16.5