San Diego Chargers (14-17, .452, 4th NL West) @ Los Angeles Lakers (19-12, .613, 1st NL West)
We’ve seen the Chargers once this season, a 4-game set where we won 3 and dropped a close one. The season is young and there is a lot of baseball left to be played, but after an unceremonious 14-17 start it’s hard not to think about the fact that San Diego won the NL West only a year ago. The problem isn’t that they’ve taken a step back though, it’s that they have 8 players on the IL – including three key starting pitchers and two offensive lynchpins. SP Arnaldo Romero out for 7 months – he won 17 games for SDC last season. 1B Ben Compton – he hit .369 in 79 games last year. CF Smith Wells - .311 with 85 RBI in 2074. It adds up – with 3 guys from the bullpen moved to the starting rotation and their replacements moved up from AAA, their bullpen ERA has ballooned to worst in the NL, without Ben and Smith they can’t plate runs and are now at 7th in the NL. With a Minor League system that sits somewhere between whatever and poor, their window would be a short one – and the dearth of injuries they’ve sustained in the early part of 2075 may have slammed it shut prematurely.
32 of 162: Heath Zody (3-2, 4.40) @ Michael Brisk (4-2, 3.40)
A complete game, 4 hits, and 1 earned run performance from Heath Zody did us in as the Chargers take game one by a score of 6-1. Heath is an innings eater – he’s pitched a league-leading 52 so far this year and is doing more than anyone in San Diego can ask of him given their injury predicament. We get two doubles from Otto and an RBI from Zarate – nothing else to see here folks. Brisk went 6 and had 4 of the 6 runs charged to his name. A fielding error from Zarate allows two runs to score in the top of the ninth – all but squelching any hope of a winning rally in the bottom of the frame.
Elsewhere: Orlando City RF PJ Trudell clubbed his 300th home run against the St. Louis Rams in a 7-3 City win. At 983 RBI in his career – he’ll reach the 1000th RBI milestone sometime this season as well.
33 of 162: Artyom Fadeyev (0-1, 10.38) @ Case Tunnell (1-0, 3.68)
San Diego DH Zach Martin finished 2 for 3 with a 3-run homer and Fadeyev went 7 strong with 5 hits and 2 runs as the Charger’s patchwork pitching staff befuddles us again in their 7-4 win. Case manages only 4 innings with each of the Chargers 7 runs charged to his account – his ERA raised by nearly a point after this mess. Otto went 0 for 4, but we got 2 hits each from Kumar Bovie, Jenkins, and Fregoso (who sees his average get above 2… finally).
Elsewhere: Vancouver won a wild one over the Phoenix Suns by a score of 16-11 – that’s all of the fireworks, ladies and gentlemen… the win puts the Whitecaps into 1st in the NL West where they now have a 1 game lead over us. Thanks for nothing Phoenix. In the NCAA league, some bad news for MIT Equations fans… SP Matheo Trachtenburg (on my future draftee watchlist) is out for the season with a torn back muscle – at 24-16, MIT has a shot of making the postseason tournament, but without Trachtenburg they will likely not make much noise if they do earn a bid.
34 of 162: Rod Garcia (1-0, 3.57) @ Josiah Kawka (4-1, 3.42)
Josiah single-handedly stops the bleeding with a complete game shutout win over the Chargers – we are dominant on both sides of the ball in the 9-0 win. Dom Cooke goes 4 for 5 with 2 RBI and Kumar finished at 3 for 5 with a double and an RBI. Otto & Newman scored twice in the win – Newman adds three hits to go with his runs. We needed this one – it’s nice when your Ace can take things in their own hands to deliver a critical win – the flood gates were ajar there for a bit.
AAA Update (the City of Compton): Weiser added a notch to the L column in his last start – a 3-2 loss in Austin – and your boy
Rad Taylor did too… he gave up 4 in 6 innings of work in another loss in Austin, this time by a score of 5-4.
A forgettable 3-day stretch in Laker-land, wouldn’t you agree? Angry Eloy and his Timbers of Portlandia, Oregon will be in town next – I’m hoping for a bench-clearing donnybrook. Isaiah Zuno, a casualty of one of my Michael Brisk trades during my time as the GM in Phoenix is looking to get the game one start against my new club. Should be interesting - too bad Morales is up for that game.