[Bub13]

July 1 vs CLEVELAND
Wrapping up a three-game homestand.

HAW pitcher: Khalil Palmer (8-2, 4.12)
CLE pitcher: Matt Grigg (4-3, 2.54)

#82: WIN 8-2 ... Masuda and Davila each hit one out tonight...16 hits for us, 3 each for Groff and Simmons...Palmer is sharp through 7, and fans 8

No complaints here.... We've now faced four lefties in a row, and our next opponents may also run out three straight southpaws.... #1 prospect Dante Padilla keeps hitting in AAA, now up to .409 with 9 HR, in 88 AB.... ELSEWHERE: International amateur free agents are out, and it's a largely underwhelming bunch. None of the just three listed pitchers look any good; in fact, the only guys with any decent pitching ceilings are listed at C and 2B, and even they don't look so hot.... Several hitters are worth a look, but only two rate as "sure things" right now--and they'll probably not quite make it, as usual.... Four of six divisional races are 2.5 games apart or closer.


July 3-5 vs KANSAS CITY
Shuffling along at 40-40, 8.5 games out of first. Only 12th in runs, but 7th in pitching, for a -17 run diff. CF Luis Mendez has only played 33 games this year, but he's hitting .320/12/38, so making up for lost time. 3B Juan Garcia is batting .298, but the usually reliable-for-25-HR guy only has 4 this year. Former Isle great Jeremy Dunklee, at 36, may finally be feeling the effects of time, batting only .272 with 7 HR. Pitching has held strong despite having three starters on the DL. But the bullpen having the 17th--second worst--ERA in the AL. And doesn't their defense always lead the AL in efficiency? They are again this year. Manager: Andy Raaff, 3rd season (after 14 years in Philly, Austin, and LAA). Owner: J.J. Glass, Jr, a tolerant sort who is really happy with a $27M projected profit. System review: 26th, with only pitcher Ryan Curtis (#28) in the top 100. Curtis is already in the rotation, and while he hasn't set the world on fire, he has promise.

HAW pitchers: Tim Pinksen (7-2, 4.59) / Eric Jones (10-1, 3.59) / Ryan Ratliff (7-1, 3.00)
KCR pitchers: Adam Oeltjenbruns (2-5, 4.32) / Ron Curtis (6-5, 5.08) / Alex Longoria (5-5, 3.94)

#83: LOSS 4-5 ... tough loss, on a pair of singles and a sacrifice in the 12th...Pinksen gives up 10 H in 5.1 IP...Sanborn with 3 H and 3 RBI, and a HR for Masuda
#84: WIN 3-2 ... 8 innings of 4-hit ball for Jones...Groff reaches 20 HR, and Simmons goes 2-for-2 with a run, a walk, and a steal
#85: LOSS 3-5 ... Ratliff fans 10 but still takes the loss...2 hits for Groff...we only strike out once, but add no walks

Well, that's not great, but no need for worry. We're still 11 up on Seattle, and at least got good pitching this series. When we hit, we generally win; and we just didn't hit much here.... We make our first international signing: Venezuelan OF Frank Ruvalcaba, for 750K. A mobile but noodle-armed OF, fine runner and bunter, and decent contact/gap/eye ceilings. Great intangibles, so maybe he'll turn out okay in the end.... ELSEWHERE: Boston is now 43-42, and 20-12 since June 1. And yet, everyone is still unhappy.... Texas finally hit the 30-win mark, the last team to do so.... Seattle pitcher Carlos Zenon's first inning against Cleveland went thus: HR-K-K-HR-HPB. That last one brought Sean Kropp out to the mound with fists a-flyin', and resulted in both Zenon and Kropp getting suspensions. We need video!


July 6-8 @ MINNESOTA
The final series before the All-Star break. The Twins have been spinning their wheels all year, and are just 38-45 and likely done already. Only 11th in runs, despite being 7th in AVG and 2nd in OBP. And dead last in HR. Pitching is okay, at 9th in runs, and they have a -24 run diff. Star LF Brendan Glenn is due off the DL any day, but is still hurting; and new addition Vinny Vargas was batting just .274 (about 60 points below his career rate) before going on the DL last month. He's out for 7 more weeks. 31-year-old rookie Josh Hibbs has been a nice addition, swinging for .290/15/49. Manager: Ruben Vasquez, in his 5th year. Owner: Adam Thompson, who understands, and is charitable, but is also worried that his team is losing games and money. System review: 17th, with 2 top 100. OF Josh Jacobson (#15) looks really, really good, and could be the next big AL power hitting monster.

HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (0-3, 9.00) / Taylor Barnett (7-5, 4.11) / Khalil Palmer (9-2, 3.93)
MIN pitchers: Lawrence Teklu (2-2, 2.42) / Scott Kopetsky (6-4, 3.89) / Tony Salgado (2-7, 5.00)

#86: WIN 3-1 ... Hart goes a glorious 8 IP, fanning 7 and yielding just 4 hits. Also, walks 6...still, we only win b/c of Sanborn's 9th inning 2-run HR and a Simmons RBI single
#87: LOSS 0-5 ... bad guy David Holbrook knocks in 4 runs by himself...we outhit the Twins 8-6...Stanley has a rough go: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 3 ER/R
#88: WIN 10-0 ... what was a nice, quiet 2-0 game gets blown apart in the last two innings...Heath gets his first career GRAND SLAM...Palmer pulled with 2 outs in the 9th, lol

Nice start for Hart, finally, but he's still extremely wild, walking 27 in 44 IP. Last time he had at least 3 BB/9 was in 2041.... Adam Groff (3B) and Rich Stoneback (SS) are voted in as All-Star starters, and closer Dan Brown is chosen as well.... Speaking of Brown, he's only been closer again for a short while but is already tied for the AL lead at 23 saves. Yes, winning a lot of games helps with that, I know.... ELSEWHERE: Tampa's Chris Goldthwait is still leading all of the Triple Crown categories, and leads MLB with 6.0 WAR. Cincy's Jose Tavares is getting closer to his own Triple Crown lead as well.... Milwaukee's Jay Russo is now the only starter with a sub-2.00 ERA; he's at 1.75 and will be the AL All-Star game starter.... Former Islander catcher (and MVP winner) Alexis Mercedes was having a nice comeback season of .298/23/79, but will miss the rest of the year with a torn labrum. Still might qualify for Comeback Player. Tampa's hot lately, but just lost closer-turned-starter Nick Scott (23 SV, 2.36 ERA) for the year too.

......

The NL comes back from a 5-2 deficit to claim a late All-Star game victory, 8-5. Washington 1B Pat Gayer, just named NL Player of the Week, wins the game MVP honor, finishing 2-for-3 with a 3-run HR. Baltimore closer Curt Paddock--who's given up just 9 runs all season--takes the loss after giving up 6 runs in the final 2 innings. Adam Groff went 1-for-3 with a HR; Rich Stoneback went 0-for-2 and an error; Dan Brown gave up an unearned run in one inning of work (and also made an error).

......

July 13-15 vs NY YANKEES
Sitting at 44-44, which I'm guessing is the latest they've been at or near .500 this late in a season since their last winning year, 2039. They spent like the Yankees of old this off-season, and have six regulars who weren't with the team last year. It shows, too. Sixth in runs, while 4th in AVG, and 2nd in OBP and HR. LF Oscar Sandoval came over from the Cubs and while he's batting just .249, his 29 HR are one away from matching his career best. Holdover RF Tony Flores has 23 HR and new DH Tony Zapata is going at .302/17/40. They did just lose 2B Jon Diaz (.252/19/52) for the season, however. Pitching is 9th best, but the bullpen is a dumpster fire, with the second-worse ERA in the AL. Former Isle Jim Kieffer is clearly in the "on" portion of his on-again-off-again career path. System review: 16th, and featuring a couple of recent top-5 picks who look like near clones: low contact, high power and eye, good fielders with one serious flaw. Top pitching prospect is 25-year-old Chris Williams (in AAA), who has a long injury history already and is on the DL for the year again. I'm partial to RF Monte Reyna, who won't walk much or hit for power, but looks like a solid .300 (at worst) hitter with speed and a big arm.

HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (11-1, 3.50) / Ryan Ratliff (7-2, 3.11) / Rob Hart (1-3, 7.57)
NYY pitchers: Jim Kieffer (5-5, 3.76) / Phil Avery (4-5, 4.53) / Yo****oki Oh (2-5, 5.37)

#89: WIN 7-3 ... down 3-2 in the 8th, JHart's GRAND SLAM turns the tide...Davila goes 3-for-3 with a HR...Jones lasts 8, fans 6, yields just 5 hits
#90: WIN 7-1 ... 12-K, 6-H, complete game for Ratliff...two hits apiece for Stoneback, Sanborn, and Simmons, and 3 RBI for Simmons
#91: WIN 5-3 ... RHart is solid again: 8.1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 R, 9 K, 2 BB...Sanborn solid too, 3-for-4, HR, 3 RBI...closer Dan Brown hurt tho

Kinda surprised by this, as the Yanks have been playing much better of late. Not complaining.... Second good start for Rob Hart, so maybe he's rounding into shape after a really rough ride all Spring Training and season.... Closer Dan Brown's diagnosis is pending. If he's out for some time, I'm not sure who will move into the closer spot. Ramirez? He's been fluorishing in a pressure-free zone. Nate Moore? Good numbers, but hasn't done well in his limited time at closer. Pat Stanley? He's been bad all season, so just no. Anyway, we'll see if I need to worry about it or not.... ELSEWHERE: KC is on a 9-1 run, moving them to 48-41 and just 6.5 games out of first in the Central. Portland has flattened a bit, but are still at 53-37 and 4.5 games up on the Padres.... And at the "good teams that are not doing it this year" end of the spectrum, there's Oakland dragging along at 43-50 (and a 4 game losing streak), and the Dodgers floudering a bit at 45-46, 8.5 games out. Biggest payroll (LAD), but not much bang for those mega-millions yet.


July 16-18 vs TAMPA BAY
Only 4-6 this month, but still at 53-40 and a game out of first. (Plus they just reached franchise win #3900. Congrats.) Second in runs scored, and 9th in runs against, for a +38 run differential. Stats across the board are generally good, except for a 16th-ranked rotation ERA. Only Tony Zuniga has an ERA better than league average. Just one batter, DH Frank Acevedo (at .226), isn't hitting for average, but he at least has 17 HR. And 1B Chris Goldthwait is working on an MVP-type season; at .355/32/78 he's in the running for a Triple Crown. Also, for some reason, RF Vance Wise (.301/21/59) is now listed as a setup reliever, despite not having thrown a pitch in over three seasons. System review: ranked 14th, with an astounding six players in the top 100. Best is #18 pitcher Greg Drake, who's 23 and still in short A, and looks like a low-movement but talented guy who will give up 40+ HR a season one day. #2 guy Orlando Navarro is already the starting 3B for the Rays, and while he won't hit for much power, when fully developed he'll get on base at a .400+ clip, easily. Finally, 1B Edgar Aranceta is only 17 but has sky-high potential. Keep an eye out for him one day.

HAW pitchers: Taylor Barnett (7-6, 4.05) / Khalil Palmer (10-2, 3.63) / Eric Jones (12-1, 3.43)
TBR pitchers: Jimmy Dalaba (8-7, 4.72) / Tony Zuniga (5-1, 2.89) / Gabe Ray (2-7, 5.74)

#92: LOSS 3-7 ... Brown's loss is already felt, as Ramirez blows up for 3 runs in the 9th...Groff gets two of our six hits, including his 30th double
#93: LOSS 2-7 ... a 5-run 4th dooms us tonight...Klump comes off the DL and gets 2 hits, but again we manage just 6...Stanley is good over 4 IP, fanning 7
#94: WIN 10-2 ... 2-run HR (and a 5-RBI night) for Sanborn, and Flygare hits his 1st HR this season, off the bench...complete game 5-hitter for Jones, with 5 K and zero BB

No hitting for two games, then we make up for it in the last one.... Brown's diagnosis is a relief: sore hamstring, dtd for five days. Phew.... With Klump back off the DL, I send down OF Glenn Heath, despite him hitting .270 with 5 HR off the bench. I have three 1B/DH types on the roster right now, so something will have to give this off-season, assuming I don't send one of them away before the deadline (hint: not likely). Sanborn would've gone back down instead of Heath but he's hitting .319/15/48 in 232 AB.... 3B Dante Padilla is still getting it done in AAA, batting .373 with 11 HR (142 AB).... ELSEWHERE: Tampa Bay is now in 1st in the AL East, half a game over the Orioles.... New Orleans is just 48-47, but are on a 12 game winning streak. The Mets, on the other hand, have lost 9 of 10, and have fallen away from the NL East race for the moment.... Yankees OF and broken-body-possessor Daizo Yonamine is injured again, with an uncertain return date. He's been on the roster for four seasons now, playing in just 62, 108, 55, and currently 47 games.... Milwaukee's Jay Russo is still rocking a 1.64 ERA, and has 167 K in 126 IP.

......

TL;DR Version: A bit of a see-saw ride this stretch, at 8-5. Still, we're comfortably ahead--12.5 games over Seattle--in the division. Once Brown's injury is done, we'll have zero players on the DL, if you can believe that. Did I just curse myself? Probably. And right now we've got the best team defense in the AL. Can't remember the last time we had that. Some individual stats of note: Groff is second in AL batting (.350), third in OPS (1.047), and second in batter WAR (5.4). He's also first in hits, runs, doubles, and XBH. Eric Jones leads with 13 wins and 5 complete games, and Dan Brown--injury and all--is tied for first with 23 saves.