[Dukie98]

Here are some of the major storylines across the league at the 2039 All-Star Break:

Exceeding expectations: The Toronto Predators, coming off a 67-win season, looked to snap a ten-year postseason drought, as they entered the break with a 3-game lead in the Great Lakes Division with a 40-34 record. Right fielder Chuck Klein starred, hitting .347 and slugging .641 with 19 homers and 65 RBI's. Catcher Bill Sarni came out of nowhere to hit .355 with 12 homers and 37 RBI's. Third baseman Garrett Atkins hit .302 with 10 round-trippers and 36 RBI's. Rookie righthander Tim Belcher led a middling pitching staff, going 6-3 with a 2.33 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP and 95 strikeouts. Ron Klimkowski posted 19 saves with a 2.25 ERA. The Portland Skunks rebounded from three straight seasons under .500 to post a 46-27 first-half record and take a seven-game lead in the Northwest Division. Eight players bopped double-digit homers, as the Skunks ranked second in the Frontier League. Third baseman Edgardo Alfonzo hit .337 with 15 homers and 54 RBI's. Left fielder Mike Easler hit at a .331 clip with 16 longballs and drove in 60 runs. Rookie first baseman Hank Blalock hit .292, ripping 12 homers and driving in 43 runs. On the mound, southpaw Steve Avery went 8-4 with a 2.69 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. Roger Wolff took an 11-2 record and a 3.78 ERA into the break.

In the Continental League, the Nashville Blues looked poised to snap a nine-year streak without clearing .500, which included 5 straight seasons below 60 wins. The Blues led the Southeast Division for much of the first half, and took a 41-31 record into the break. Left fielder Jim Greengrass hit .273 and slugged .521 with 17 homers and 59 RBI's. Rookie first baseman Ted Kluszewski hit .285 with 14 jacks and drove in 44 runs. Once again, the Blues' pitching staff dominated, as Mark Prior went 10-3 with a 2.19 ERA, a microscopic 0.83 WHIP, and 141 strikeouts. Southpaw Herb Score rebounded from last year's hard-luck 8-17 campaign to post a 9-5 record with a 2.15 ERA, a 0.98 WHIP, and 128 strikeouts. Ron Guidry notched 17 saves and a 2.02 ERA. The San Diego Zookeepers were perhaps the biggest surprise in baseball, going 45-29 after winning just 75 games last year. San Diego posted an unexpectedly potent offense, led by first baseman Dick Burrus, who hit .365 with 26 doubles, 6 homers, 48 RBI's, and 56 runs scored. Journeyman right fielder Mike Vail hit .332 and slugged .542, popping 9 homers and driving in 62 runs. Second sacker Luis Aguayo bopped 15 homers and drove in 57 runs. Righthander Rick Porcello posted an 8-3 record with a 3.57 ERA. Russ Christopher sported a matching 8-3 record with a stellar 2.27 ERA and 1.08 WHIP, but underwent season-ending elbow surgery in early June.

Disappointments: The Ottawa Parliamentarians' streak of four straight postseason appearances was in jeopardy after a 32-42 half. Ottawa ended the half with one of the lowest-scoring offenses in the Frontier League, despite finishing in the top five in homers, as their teamwide on-base percentage ranked dead last in the league at .306. Frank Thomas was the lone bright spot offensively, hitting .317 with 24 homers and 58 RBI's. But right fielder Charlie Blackmon missed the entire first half with a broken elbow, and his return was in doubt. Catcher Ron Karkovice hit just .229, with 12 longballs and 33 RBI's. Shortstop Tim Anderson managed to end the half with a lower on-base percentage than batting average, hitting just .267 while posting a .263 on-base percentage, posting an embarrassing 33-0 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 42 games. On the mound, Dick Weik saw his ERA spike by two and a half runs per game, going 2-8 with a 5.83 ERA, while Gary Serum, a 12-game winner a year ago, went just 3-6 with a 5.18 ERA. The Seattle Whales' streak of eight straight postseason appearances was jeopardized by a 36-38 half, where they ended in fourth place, 10 1/2 games out of first place. Seattle's offense tailed off badly, ranking 19th in the Frontier League at the break. Leadoff hitter Roy White hit just .252 with a subpar .309 on-base percentage. Free agent signee George Hendrick dropped 40 points of batting average and 100 points in slugging percentage, hitting a middling .267 with 15 homers and 49 RBIs. Shortstop Mickey Stanley, an All-Star last season with a .300 average and 111 RBI's, hit just .257 with 4 homers and 16 RBI's, while catcher David Ross hit just .197 and slugged .303, with 4 round-trippers and 13 RBI's. Free agent signee Jack Coombs, who finished in the top three of the Cy Young Award voting three years running, went just 6-7 with a mediocre 4.41 ERA. Zane Smith, who finished fifth in the Cy Young voting last season, went just 2-2 with a 4.55 ERA.

In the Continental League, the Austin Mustangs were a popular preseason pick, after adding Smoky Joe Wood and closer Billy Loes in free agency to a team that made the League Championship Series last season. But Austin ended the first half at 37-37, tied for third in the Texas Division behind El Paso. Austin's explosive offense ended the first half ranked just 10th in the league in runs scored. Left fielder Bob Johnson, the runner-up for the MVP last season, dropped off from a .345 average with a .670 slugging percentage to a .289 mark with a .586 slugging percentage. Right fielder Wally Post declined from a .323 average with a league-leading 46 homers to just .243 with 15 homers and a modest .449 slugging percentage. On the mound, Wood was solid, but hardly dominant, going 6-2 with a 3.68 ERA and 1.31 WHIP, both of which would be career-worst marks. Rene Arocha's ERA spiked by over two runs per game, going 1-5 with a 6.75 ERA and a bloated 1.74 WHIP, while Blix Donnelly managed to go 4-6 despite a 6.43 ERA and an embarrassing 1.90 WHIP. The Los Angeles Kangaroos ended the first half with a disappointing 32-42 record, on target for the worst winning percentage in franchise history, and their streak of four straight playoff appearances was at risk. Los Angeles got off to an awful start, bumbling to a 2-11 start and sporting a 9-21 mark in early May. Third baseman Frank Baker, recovering from a torn MCL, missed the first eight weeks of the season; upon his return, he hit .313 with a .485 slugging percentage, which would be the lowest of his career. DH Johnny Mize had a disappointing half, hitting just .225 and slugging .404, while hitting just 10 homers and 43 RBI's - a far cry from last season's 40 homers and 132 RBI's. But the Kangaroos really struggled with their pitching. Ricky Romero went just 3-8 with a 5.98 ERA, and second-year Hayden Penn was atrocious, going 1-8 with a 13.99 ERA and a 2.96 WHIP -- those are not misprints.

Runaway Buffalo: The defending champion Buffalo Fighting Elk, winners of 119 games last season, expected to coast to another division title, but the path proved somewhat more difficult than expected. Buffalo sputtered to an 11-10 start before gradually pulling away, ending the half with a 51-23 mark. But other than second baseman John Knight and free agent signee Merv Rettenmund, many of Buffalo's key players put forth mildly disappointing performances. Defending MVP Tris Speaker took a step back, hitting .309 with 12 homers, but posted an on-base percentage nearly 60 points lower than last year, with his slugging percentage declining from .712 to .538. Third baseman Eric Chavez stumbled to hit just .221 with 14 homers, seeing his slugging percentage decline from .600 to .413. Third-year shortstop Rico Petrocelli declined from 19 longballs to just 2. On the mound, Don Wilson was still strong, but no longer an MVP candidate, going 9-4 with a 3.12 ERA, which would be his highest since 2033. Nonetheless, Buffalo was in strong shape for the postseason, taking a 9-game lead into the break.

Streaking Mules: The Chicago Mules had an up-and-down season which gave their fans whiplash. After starting the season 0-3, they ripped off a 20-7 stretch, including winning 14 of 15 at one point. But after starting May in first place, the Mules then dropped 22 of 30 -- only to snap that slump by winning six straight. Overall, the Mules ended the half in fourth place in the Great Plains Division, 11 games behind Minneapolis. They were led by veteran slugger Minnie Minoso, who hit .319 with 26 homers, and drove in 60 runs.

Weekend of Doom: In a two-day span, significant injuries felled three major stars. Detroit third baseman Nolan Arenado, leading the Frontier League in batting average, broke his hand and was knocked out for six weeks. Memphis ace Clayton Kershaw pulled his groin and was sidelined for eight weeks. Birmingham center fielder Willie Mays saw his breakout season stalled by a pulled hamstring, which knocked out of commission for six weeks.

Major Injuries: Anaheim second baseman Rougned Odor, who signed as a free agent in the offseason, broke his ankle in late May and would be sidelined until late September. Atlanta first baseman Dots Miller tore his ACL in spring training, knocking him out for the season. Baltimore southpaw Randy Johnson strained his hamstring in mid-May, and would not be back until August. Cincinnati rookie righthander Larry Dierker tore his rotator cuff in June and would likely miss the season. Detroit righthander Hank Borowy suffered a season-ending labrum tear in early May. Oklahoma City hurler Jason Bere ended his season prematurely with a labrum tear, while teammate Bob Ewing suffered a nerve injury that would sideline him for four months. Washington center fielder Johnny Groth suffered a concussion in late April after being beaned, and it was feared that he would miss the season.

Major milestones: Chicago left fielder Minnie Minoso joined the 500-homer club in his first week with the club, while Houston catcher Tex Erwin smacked his 500th homer in the final game before the All-Star break. Albuquerque first baseman George Brett, Austin second baseman Ryne Sandberg, Washington third baseman Willie Jones, and New Orleans first baseman Eddie Murray each joined the 400-homer club. Charlotte shortstop Corey Seager, Miami right fielder Frank Robinson, Atlanta second baseman Roberto Alomar, and Chicago first baseman Mark Grace each popped their 2,500th career hits. Brett and Sandberg each had an outside chance of notching their 3,000th hits before year's end. Detroit right fielder Sherry Magee would likely hit his 600th career homer by year's end, and Omaha second baseman Francisco Lindor would likely pound his 550th homer before the end of July. Kansas City third baseman Manny Machado and Los Angeles third baseman Frank Baker were each likely to hit their 500th homers before July 4. On the mound, Austin righthander Smoky Joe Wood was likely to hit 4,000 strikeouts before the end of July.