[Bub13]

May 17-19 @ MONTREAL
Weird series: one game on the 17th, then a day off, then a double header on the 19th. What's also weird is a team (at 21-21 so far) that is 15th in AVG, 12th in OBP, and last in HR is....6th in runs. They're also 17th in runs against, with most of their staff really off the rails at the moment. Batting tho: Toshi Hasegawa, at .270/5/19 is the hitting star, and #8 batter Alan Branham, at .358, is hitting 80 points over his career mark. 23-year-old pitcher Elijah Bragg is having a breakout year, at 3.06 and 4-2, while closer Jason Faries hasn't been scored on in his 19.1 innings this year. GM David Bill is in his fourth year, and this stretch--plus four years in SF--has not revealed him to be...let's say...capable. Manager Andres Reyna is also in his fourth year. Prospects rank 26th, with #1 John Weston looking like a solid SP; except that he's 24 and needs to develop fast. 3B Tim Bell, 19, also looks really good. Budget and payroll are dead last, 36th. Fan interest is 55. If I were looking for a new job, this would be a good place to build up from nothing, tbh.

HAW pitchers: RH Joe Koval (5-2, 1.69) / RH Dennis Perry (2-2, 4.91) / RH Shamar Jackson (6-2, 3.23)
MTL pitchers: RH Matt Sheil (2-3, 5.14) / RH Marty Armstrong (1-1, 2.76) / Bob Garner (3-3, 7.97)

#43: WIN 1-0 ... we only manage 7 hits--2 plus the GWRBI for Canning--but Koval holds the Expos to just 3 hits, fanning 12...Canning's hit came in the 9th inning
#44: WIN 2-0 ... they double their hits to six this time, but still no runs...Perry goes 8, save for Sanabria...3 hits and and RBI for Canning, solo HR for Stoneback
#45: WIN 8-5 ... all our offense comes from the top 5 in the order, and Jackson goes 7...we're up 7-0 before MTL gets on the board, and hold on despite shaky relief pitching

Nice sweep, and some especially fine starting pitching. We should play these guys more often.... Groff and Brown come off the DL, so I send down JR Thompson and Steve Dickerson (no appearances). Groff goes 4-for-9 in his return.... Rangel will be back from his 3-game suspension next series.... ELSEWHERE: The Yankees continue to struggle, at 14-28 and with an AL-worst offense.... Washington has slipped this month (5-11) after a solid April, but their pitching is holding up, at 2nd in the NL. Worst offense in the NL however.... White Sox starter Pedro Cabrera continues to hold his title as the worst SP in baseball currently. His '47 numbers are 1-5, 7.63, 18 HR in 41.1 IP, -1.3 WAR. Over his 802 inning career, he sports a 6.61 ERA and has given up 245 HR. Seems like a nice guy, but is not exactly fitted to be a big league pitcher.


May 21-23 vs TAMPA BAY
Tied for first in the East, at 26-19. First in runs (not us!), while 6th in batting and 2nd in OBP. 1B Chris Goldthwait--who was far and away the best batter in the AL over the first half of '46--leads the way at .313/13/36, while cleanup batter Vance Wise is .319/9/39. Wise is also listed as a setup RP, although he hasn't pitched any innings. Pitching, by the way, ranks 11th, with nobody really standing out, for good or ill. GM John Lee is in his 8th year, and the team has generally gotten better each of those years, making the playoffs three of the last four seasons. Manager Tony Bajoczky is in his 5th season, and the clubhouse is happy, although his pitching staff doesn't like him. Prospects rank 9th, with a nice handful of kids who look really promising. Budget ranks 21st, payroll 32nd. They've got a lot of guys who are unsigned for next year, but most are older players who can be more easily replaced. The future looks pretty good for these guys, I'd say.

HAW pitchers: LH Eric Jones (3-1, 3.75) / RH Ryan Ratliff (4-3, 3.49) / RH Joe Koval (6-2, 1.46)
TBR pitchers: RH Toichi Kaneko (3-3, 3.41) / RH Jon Yazzie (3-1, 1.88) / RH Jaysen Moss (2-3, 5.65)

#46: WIN 8-3 ... 3 doubles and 2 RBI for Hart, and 2 more hits each for Groff, Daley, and Simmons...7 of our hits are doubles...Jones goes 7.1 IP, gives up 10 hits, but wins
#47: LOSS 5-6 ... Daley and Stoneback 2-run HR put us up early, but we can't hang on...Ratliff is chased during a 4-run 6th
#48: LOSS 7-11 ... Groff's 2-run HR is our only highlight...lots of bad pitching tonight, and we give up 5 HR

Well, not so much good pitching in this series.... Seattle has gotten hot, and is now just 2.5 games behind us.... Funny how to me the offense feels kind of static right now, despite us leading the AL in AVG/OBP and with five regulars batting over .300.... ELSEWHERE: Detroit has gone 9-1 of late, and has surged to the top of the charts at 33-15. No surprise they're also 1st in HR, with 76.... The draft pool is out, and there is a pretty big crop of really solid hitters at the top of the charts. Current #2 ranked guy, OF Jose Moreno, really looks like a guy who could be a career .340/.350 hitter, lacking only in power. I also like OF Junjiro McDonnell, who can't play defense but looks like a solid power hitter and could possibly fall to us...


May 24-26 @ BALTIMORE
At 22-25, the O's are the only sub-.500 team we play (counting our previous series as well) until June. Solidly average-to-below-average across the board, 12th in runs and 10th in runs against, for a -22 differential. Cesar Alvarenga has been his usual studly self, at .277/12/31, although that average is quite low for him. Ace Brian Simon is only recently off the DL, and has been solid, while the rest of the rotation has struggled. Closer Curt Paddock is still one of the best around, with 14 saves and a 1.82 ERA. GM Mike Hart is in his sixth season, after winning six honkin' titles with the Amsterdam Honkballers. Manager Greg Valles is in his first year, after two seasons as bench coach. Prospects rank just 30th, and while five of their top six guys are projected as SP, only one looks of any value to me. Budget sits at 31st, payroll 27th. Hopefully they'll be better off next year when they don't re-sign overpaid ($19M) catcher Arturo Sena, who hits 30-35 HR but bats .220 and has the arm of a five-year-old.

HAW pitchers: RH Dennis Perry (3-2, 4.15) / RH Shamar Jackson (7-2, 3.16) / LH Eric Jones (4-1, 3.74)
BAL pitchers: LH Jeremy Stines (2-3, 4.68) / LH Jonathan Bell (1-5 6.54) / RH Brian Simon (2-0, 2.76)

#49: WIN 12-9 ... Padilla and Rangel go 3-for-5, with Dante adding a triple and HR...Perry really struggles, but Stanley's decent 4 IP in relief save the day
#50: WIN 12-3 ... Jackson continues to shine, with a 4-hit, 11-K complete game...everyone gets a hit, including 3 HR (Stoneback, Welch, McCollum)
#51: LOSS 3-5 ... Groff stays hot, going 2-for-4 with a 3-run HR...we only muster one other hit, tho...Jones gives up 5 in the 1st, but helps the pen by staying in for 4 more innings

Some sweet hitting until that last, quiet game. Plus, a pile of HR, proving we can still hit one out every now and then.... I know he's missed half the season so far, but it's still pretty nice to see Groff batting .500 (80 AB) at the end of May.... Not getting much production out of my RF platoon: Joseph Hart (LH) at .245/6/21, while Kenny Welch (RH) is .243/4/18. Leadoff batter Klein is also a bit cold, batting just .269 with a .313 OBP, both far below his normal numbers.... ELSEWHERE: Cubs ace Rafael Maldonado is trying to put to rest rumors of his pending demise, as he leads all pitchers with 3.1 WAR (and is 5-2, 2.18 ERA, and 81 K in 66 IP). At $19M per season, he ought to be that good.... Pittsburgh has opened up the largest divisional lead, at 8 games over New Orleans and Chicago. The NL West is the tighest, with San Fran (wha...?) clinging to a 1/2 game advantage over SD and 1 1/2 over LA and ARI.... Minny's William Antonio has gotten hot again, and is batting .408 to lead the majors. He had dropped down about 20 points below that in recent weeks.


May 27-29 @ MIAMI
Leading the East at 29-20, with the 6th best offense and 4th best pitching in the AL. DH Matt Anderson may be 38, but he may have found his forever home, and is plowing along at .358/13/36, all team highs. Longtime Marlin Ricky Beard isn't hitting for power (just 6 HR as opposed to 37 last year), but is batting .342. Closer Chris Milano has 15 saves, and 30-year-old first-time SP Antonio Amezcua is loving his new role (we'll face him, of course). GM Chris Wade is in his 2nd year, likewise for manager Ruben Medina. Prospects rank 14th, and feature an interesting mix of power pitchers and power hitters. Not a lot of high averages are coming out of these batter's boxes, however. Budget is 14th, payroll 17th. Fan interest is a stout 93, and attendance is up 20%, to 40K per game. [How many months does it take the real-life Marlins to hit 40K?]

HAW pitchers: RH Ryan Ratliff (4-4, 3.90) / RH Joe Koval (6-3, 2.13) / RH Dennis Perry (3-2, 4.79)
MIA pitchers: RH Antonio Amezcua (6-1, 2.42) / RH Matt Rubin (2-6, 4.48) / LH Jason Mangiaracina (5-2, 3.77)

#52: WIN 1-0 ... just five hits combined...we only get two, but add in six walks and score in the 9th to win...Ratliff goes the distance, fans 6...Simmons hurt dtd
#53: WIN 6-2 ... we're outhit again, but drop a 5-run 3rd inning (with 2 doubles and a triple)...Koval is back on form, yielding just 1 run in 6 IP...Simmons hurt again
#54: WIN 11-5 ... no doubt tonight, with 15 hits...4 for Klein, 3 for Daley, and we add 7 walks...Perry is good, but Germann walks 5 (with 2 runs) in his 2 IP

I'll take it! Although it does cost a bit: Simmons tweaks, then outright hurts, his back, and will miss 3 weeks with a bad disc. We recall JR Thompson, and move Dante Padilla back into the lineup at third. Padilla is batting just .205, but hopefully being in the 7th spot will be easier on him than trying him at #5 has.... AAA Santa Barbara has been subpar this month, slipping to 22-18, while AA Lewiston is just struggling, at 15-29.... ELSEWHERE: Detroit still paces everyone, at 39-15.... San Fran has won 70 games just once in the last seven seasons, but is still leading the NL West at 30-24. They also have five or six really, really top-notch hitting prospects in the pipeline.... Portland has dropped ten in a row, with the worst pitching in the NL.


May 30-31 @ SEATTLE
They're keeping up with us (ha!) at 32-23, now 5.5 behind. This will be a big four-game stint. Sixth in runs scored, 5th in runs against, for a +25 differential. SS Enrique Antunez is .352/8/25, while #9 batter Luis Cantu leads the team with 10 HR. Three other batters also have 8 HR, for quite a balanced attack. Ace Miguel Moreno has been really off-track, but the rest of the rotation has been solid, and the bullpen currently ranks #1 in the AL. Closer Daryl Kennedy leads MLB with 21 saves. Rookies GM Justin "Warm Body" Ditter and Manager Jacob deGrom have things running smoothly so far. Prospects rank 29th, with a few nice-looking pitchers, but really no batters worth mentioning at all. Budget ranks 16th, payroll 19th. The above-mentioned Antunez will go UFA (most likely), as will five other regulars. So this year may be their one shot.

HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (8-2, 3.14) / LH Eric Jones (4-2, 3.86) / RH Ryan Ratliff (5-4, 3.42)
SEA pitchers: LH Edwin Romero (debut) / LH Miguel Moreno (2-6, 6.55) / RH Mark Guest (6-3, 3.71)

#55: LOSS 3-4 ... Jackson fans 9 and yields just 6 hits, but a 3-run HR dooms him...3 hits and HR for Stoneback, otherwise a pretty quiet game
#56: WIN 4-2 ... Rich's 2-run double in the 11th wins it...Klump hits a HR, and Rangel adds 3 hits...Jones is good through 8, and while Sanabria blows the save, Ramirez shuts it down to end it

Fun play in that last game: Luis Cantu challenged Hart's arm in right, scoring in the 4th; he tried it again in the 10th but got nailed at the plate to end the game, and also got hurt.... Hart, tho, is now batting just .237, which is not helping his "Extend Me Mr. GM plz" cause.... ELSEWHERE: St Louis was expected to win just 74 games this year. At 23-33 so far, I guess owner Joe Dewitt, Jr, had had enough, firing both GM Carlos Castaneda and Manager Chad Kerfoot. DeWitt, described as "delighted" by staffers, could not be reached for comment. No word yet on any replacements.... Detroit is still stuck at 39 wins, with Philly and Hawaii at 38. The Yanks (16 wins) are the only team under 20, and have lost 9 of 10 to boot.... TB's Chris Goldthwait is surging again, leading baseball with 16 HR, and tied for 2nd (with teammate Vance Wise) at 49 RBI. Cleveland's Mike Blough has 50 RBI, passing 1200 for his career and placing him 6th among active players (MIA Matt Anderson leads with 1493). LAD's Vinny Vargas (.280/8/31) needs one more hit to reach 2000. Teammate Eddy Llamas topped 3000 K for his career, while Cubs ace Rafael Maldonado is just 27 away from that achievement.

......

TL;DR Version: A solid 10-4 stretch has kept us ahead of the Mariners (38-18 vs 33-24), and we finished 21-8 overall for May. We're 3rd in runs, which is unusual for us (we usually run away with that, ho ho), but still 1st in AVG and OBP. Only 14th in HR, which is still in line with my pre-season prediction. Pitching is 1st overall, with only the bullpen (2nd in ERA) marring a perfect set. Kenny Welch (.266) and Phil Lasky (.402 in just 52 AB) are getting more time than the slumping Joseph Hart (.237), and Hart may actually be playing himself out of a roster slot, especially with the continuing development in AAA of #2 prospect Josh Frederick. Freds is a lefty, like Hart, and right now my scouts are saying he rates as a better hitter than the veteran. Hmm.... Also on the disappointment front, prospects Olimpio le Coq (SP) and Jules Medici (1B) took steps backward in the latest scouting report. Le Sigh.