Cape Cod Baseball League

[Bigfish1287]

As a kid growing up in Upstate New York, my favorite time of the year was the week we would spend in my favorite place on Earth, Cape Cod. The memories from those childhood years have defined who I am, from the long car rides with family, to being on the beach and most importantly, watching baseball.

The Cape Cod Baseball League is a league where college prospects can play in front of major league scouts and New England baseball fans alike to gain exposure and raise their draft stock. I would always beg my family to go to games, and we went to a good amount, some in Yarmouth, some in Harwich and some in Chatham. As a kid I did always wonder what a league would look like if it had real major league talent and we could watch the best of the best.

So in OOTP I made my own Cape Cod league with 16 teams, all representing the different small but unique towns across the Cape. I will be the GM and Manager and tell the story of my “career” in this unique league. As I try to talk about my thoughts and results of the team, I will share some cool tidbits about my favorite place and the different towns and areas of interest.

Next, I will recap the 2030 season which is the first season in the league and then I will start my career with the only team that would offer me a job.

Each town represented in the attached map has a team in the league and Hyannis will also be included in this league. (The town was mentioned in the excellent song Rock and Roll Band by Boston)

[Bigfish1287]

In the first season of the league, the league was organized into two leagues each with one division of eight teams. The league wanted a longer playoffs so the next season will have each league organized into two divisions of four teams instead.

In the 2030 season, the Falmouth Tides dominated the Western League, winning 103 games and booking their team to the Cape Cod Series. Bourne, Sandwich, Hyannis and Mashpee stayed in the 85-90 win threshold but didn’t have the talent to compete with Falmouth. Yarmouth hovered barely under .500 as they had a roller coaster of a season, while Barnstable also struggled, winning only 69 games. The Dennis Destroyers fared the worst though, becoming the worst team in the CCBL with a 59-103 record.

The Eastern League was a two horse race, as Harwich and Orleans fought for the division crown and a spot in the Cape Cod Series. The Harwich Anglers would end up outlasting Orleans for the division, holding a three game lead and ending with a record of 101-61. Besides those two, no other team finished above .500 as Wellfleet, Chatham, Truro and Provincetown stayed 5-10 games out of breaking even. Brewster and Eastham rounded out the division by each having pitiful seasons, losing 95 and 99 games respectively.

With the massive hype of the first Cape Cod Series between Falmouth and Harwich, all of Cape Cod seemed fixated on the two best teams going at it. Sadly, it was a lopsided series as Falmouth routed Harwich in five games. The first three games were low scoring and close, but Falmouth would come out on top in all three. Harwich won the fourth game in front of their fans, but it wasn’t enough as the Tides cliched their championship back in Falmouth.

At the end of the season only one team was willing to hire me and that was the pitiful Eastham Blue Sox who ended with a 63-99 record. I took the job and I am now ready for the great challenge that lies ahead.

[Bigfish1287]

Eastham is a town based in the Upper Cape and is home to some of the prettiest beaches in the entire area. Nauset Light Beach is arguably one of the best beaches on the Cape, with a magnificent lighthouse and being on the National Seashore, it’s one of the most popular places to sit and relax. (Get there early though cause the parking lot is small and terrible.)

Also as someone fascinated with pirates, I have to mention that the only “Golden Age” pirate ship found in the United States was found off the coast of Eastham. When a strong storm hit off the coast in 1717, it pulled the Whydah into Eastham cliffs, destroying the ship and all on it. Famously this is how Sam Bellamy or "Black Sam" perished, one of the most famous pirates of his time.

Now back to baseball.

The Eastham Blue Sox were the second worst team in the CCBL and the worst in the Eastern League. There was a lot to rebuild here and this seems to be a long term rebuild. But talking to owner Joe Rubio, he expects the Blue Sox to be a playoff team by next year. Great. I don’t know how long term this renovation will be with these delusional expectations, but we will have to do our best to try.

His goals are stated as...

• Reach the Playoffs (Uh sir, have you seen this team? 99 losses?)

• Increase attendance from 35968 to 38400 a game (This can be done if we compete earlier than expected)

• Build a championship team by the 2033 season. (Possible if everything goes right but with crazy expectations already, I don’t know how long I’ll last)

Next, I will talk about arbitration and who to keep and who to let go of. I will also start looking at the needs we need to fill in free agency, cause oh boy are there a lot of them!

[Bigfish1287]

First we will need to settle arbitration as there will be players who deserve to be a salaried player, and others who haven’t put up the necessary production or talent to be worth it.

27-year-old SP Robby Downey - Downey’s 2030 season was riddled with two major injuries, keeping him out for a combined seven months. With only 2.1 innings pitched in Eastham, there isn’t much stats to go off of, but based on talent alone we should be keeping him as an average starter for us. Worried about his injury history though.

27-year-old RP Raul Bido - 3-4 with a 4.23 ERA in 58 games seems serviceable, but he wants $1.8 million and I know we can find a cheaper option to replace him, or pay a similar price for a better reliever. His FIP was at a 3.99 which shows he had a bit of an unlucky season, but I’m not in a position to be spending that on an unreliable commodity.

27-year-old RP Justin Carlin - Pitched in AAA last season with decent results but has no real potential, especially being 27. Would get shelled by major league pitching. Signing him would be burning money.

31-year-old RP Jeremy Fisher - AA reliever who has no major league talent to speak of, easy decision to let him go.

27-year-old RP Brian Mitch - Identical to Fisher as he pitched in AA, will never hit the majors.

28-year-old RP Bill Oliver - 4.58 ERA in 77 games for Eastham. Off talent alone he should be on the roster but his FIP of 3.78 shows he had an unlucky season and is due for an improvement back to the mean hopefully. Oliver for $1.1 million is definitely fair.

30-year-old CL Danny Tomlin - Split time in Eastham and AAA last season, pitched well in AAA but was awful in Eastham with a 7.50 ERA. Doesn’t help that he really can only throw a fastball. Shouldn’t be a bullpen option for any team in the majors.

30-year-old 1B Alexander Oliver - Spent his 2030 season in AAA and was a decent option but at 30, he won’t be cut out to be a major league first baseman barring replacing an injured player. Going to let him go easily.

28-year-old 2B Jim Britt - Used as a bench player last season, Britt has pretty good contact ability but he can only really play second and even then he’s a below average defender. This could be a mistake but I will keep him for $700k. If he struggles we can let him go next season but he could be a good pinch hitter and wouldn’t be horrible to have as a backup.

30-year-old CF Logan LeMaster - Hit .208 in AAA and had -0.8 WAR, he has no value at all and he will be let go ASAP.

So there isn’t much to keep at the moment, Downey and Bill Oliver were pretty easy decisions and should be important to next season but I may regret keeping Britt. I don’t worry about his small 700k asking salary, but I worry he could be taking a spot for someone who deserves it more. It’s a small risk and I hope it doesn’t come back to bite me. Worst case, I can waive him during the season.

[assamarra]

Will be following.

Love the Cape, every time we holiday in MA we visit the Cape.

Even better if I get chance to watch Cape Cod Baseball!

[StLee]

Looks interesting!

I am a huge LSU baseball fan, and I know they would send multiple players there every summer. I will definitely keep up with your league to learn more about Cape Cod.

[Bigfish1287]

Originally Posted by StLee

Looks interesting!

I am a huge LSU baseball fan, and I know they would send multiple players there every summer. I will definitely keep up with your league to learn more about Cape Cod.

Just did some quick research and there were a good amount of famous LSU alumni in the CCBL. Albert Belle played in it for two years in 1986 and 1987, Kevin Gausmann played for Harwich in 2011, Aaron Hill played for Wareham in 2001, DJ Lemahieu played for Harwich in 2008 and Aaron Nola played for Harwich in 2021! Pretty cool actually.

[Bigfish1287]

Going into an offseason where the Blue Sox lost 99 games, there was a lot on the team that needed to be improved. I will start figuring out the overall pitching situation here in Eastham and then I will focus on the hitters, trying to find our worst spots.

Rotation

Bret Horvath will be our “ace” in a sense, he pitched at an above average rate but should have probably been a little better with the talent he has.


Robby Downey we are deciding to keep in arbitration and looks to be the #2 starter. A good rotation would have Downey at the 4-5 spot but we don’t have that luxury right now.

Mario Mondragon (what a name) looks to be at the #3 spot. Eastham received him in a trade to Harwich, giving up 37-year old SP Ricardo Caldera who was aging but pitched extremely well. The prospect we got back in the deal with Mondragon does not look to be worth it. Bad trade from the previous management there.

Earl Bailey stays at the #4 spot and looks infinitely replaceable, with a pretty bad 5.66 ERA in 36 starts. The #5 spot is held by 22-year-old Fransico Munoz, someone who started 32 games for the Blue Sox to a woeful 6.06 ERA. This kid should not have been called up yet and he has the potential to carve out a spot in the rotation, but not when he plays like that.

Verdict - We should get a starter, maybe two if needed unless Munoz can improve


Bullpen

Our bullpen is fairly young but there are about 5 guys that could fit the bullpen for next season. Mike Wray and Chris Crabtree are our “prospects” but they are still the two best arms in the pen. Both have the potential to be elite closers and I will be monitoring their development.

Juan Ayala is another young arm who could be a good middle relief option, while Kyle DePaola and Bill Oliver will be arms that can contribute. The rest really don’t have the talent to be a part of this pen and we will have to upgrade a bit in free agency.

Verdict - Better than expected but some cheap options are needed to fill out the rest of the bullpen.

Catcher

I have no plans to change anything about our catchers honestly. Pablo Leal was an all-star in 2030 and will be the definite starter for the 2031 season, while Jose del Risco will be our backup and is one of the best defensive catchers in the entire CCBL.

Verdict - No help needed, surprisingly happy with this group.

Infielders

So there will be a lot to look at here, as this group seems to be an absolute mess. At first we have 2030 All-Star Carlos Ochoa who looks to be very talented but looking at some stats, he really wasn’t anything memorable. An OPS+ of 109 and a 0.9 WAR leaves me to be a little skeptical. But now I see why. The previous manager put him at short and he held a zone rating of -11.6 in 68 games which is frankly terrible. He will not be at short next season. We also have Vince Dittrick at first but he will be a free agent and I don’t plan on signing him.

Second base looks to be a battle between Jim Britt and 24-year-old Alex Rosales. Britt hit better but his defense is shaky. Rosales struggled in limited plate appearances last season but I’d expect him to be an average hitter at best. Where Rosales shines is on the field, where he is a defensive wizard. Can play second and short at elite levels and can also play third well enough. Rosales will definitely be useful somewhere in the infield and we plan on keeping Britt anyways.

Jason Keffer will start at third for us and is one of our best players on the team. He isn’t worth the $20 million he’s making, especially going into his age 38 season, but he can hit well and play an above average third base. Could be a good trade piece if anyone wants that contract. Ernesto Palafox is a young player with some potential to be a serviceable starter. Can play shortstop and third at a high level but has no hitting success to speak of. Again with Rosales, I think the small sample size makes him look worse than he is, but he isn’t at the same level as Rosales hitting the ball.


Dan Bush is our starting shortstop but I immediately am skeptical due to his low contact ability. This is a very defensively talented infield, but only Keffer and Britt really have any hitting ability. Bush looks to be the worst hitter on the team and I may look to replace him in free agency. Luckily his contract expires this offseason and he will not be coming back. Rosales or Palafox could take this spot as they have better defensive talent and can hit the ball at a high AAA to low major league level. Bush hit .197 with an OPS+ of 64 in 84 games. Not good. Bush actually played for the Brewster Buzzards last season but was released in May after holding an OPS+ of 26 in 160 PA. I have no idea why management had started him this much last year, but he won’t be this season luckily.

Verdict - Try and find someone who can hit and play shortstop, because I have no faith in this infield to hit at a decent clip besides Keffer.


Outfielders

The outfield has more high-end talent than the infield at the moment, showing two quality players that should be competing for all-star spots. Our third and final 2030 All-Star is LF Eric Abramson who is a top five left fielder in the CCBL. An OPS+ of 164 and a 4.7 WAR season put him in the hearts of many Blue Sox fans and I’d argue he’s the best player on the team. Backup LF Dan Zimmerman is not really cut out to be a major league player, and his contract runs up this offseason. He will be let go without any debate.


Right field will also be tough as we have two really good starters who can play the position. 25-year-old Andre Davis is a well developed commodity at right and hit for an OPS+ of 116 in 272 plate appearances. But 24-year-old Jim Shue is looking to take his spot. Shue right now probably isn’t at the same level talent-wise as Davis, but he had a much better season statistically and has the potential to grow into a better player. Shue had a great season with such limited time, hitting .292 with an OPS+ of 148 in only 195 plate appearances. I am leaning towards starting Shue and maybe trading Davis for some prospects but I may use this season as a good evaluation.

The biggest decision that needs to be made is how to replace 32-year-old CF Ron Morales. At first I had thought we would have to make a decision on if to bring him back or not, but he had no desire to come back so we will have to replace him. On paper, this seems like a big deal and we will need a replacement for sure, but he was not as great as I had initially thought. A great defender that could play all three positions, that would have been of use but his hitting seemed suspect. An 81 OPS+ on top of being 32 and coming off an $8 million dollar salary, this could be a net positive. I just know that we need to find an able replacement because nobody else in the outfield can play center at a capable level. This will be the most important and pressing need of the offseason next to upgrading the rotation.

Verdict - I really like our options at left and right field, even though right field will need some more evaluation to figure out where to proceed for the future, but getting a starting caliber center fielder is a must.

With the whole team looked over, I will make a list of priorities.

1. Find a starting caliber center fielder
2. Get a starter or two for the rotation, to improve the horrible starting pitching
3. Two cheap bullpen arms that can fill out the rest of the pen
4. A good hitting infielder who can maybe start at shortstop or at least hit at a decent clip.

Next, I will go over award winners and then free agency will start!

Attached are our three 2030 All-Star players.

[GeorgeC5614]

this sounds very interesting. I don't get to many Cape Cod League games, but I do get to see many games in the New England Collegiate Baseball League. Very similar to the Cape league, but they have teams all throughout New England. I don't know how close you are to North Adams Mass, or Montpelier Vt but they both have teams. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM1I7f4qjg0

[Bigfish1287]

I am in the Albany area and North Adams is probably around an hour east. I will definitely check it out though and maybe catch a game or two whenever this is all over. Thanks!

[Bigfish1287]

I will go over the different awards, Rookie of the Year, Reliever of the Year, Pitcher of the Year and MVP. I’d be shocked to see any Blue Sox players.

Rookie of the Year:

Western League: 1B Nelson Fernandez, Falmouth Tides
Hernandez already looks to be a superstar at the age of 24, as he accumulated 4.8 WAR and an OPS+ of 150 in just his first season in the majors. He struggled in the Cape Cod Series, going 4-18, but he still had a great season and is the easy choice for this award.

Eastern League: CF Torao Hata, Harwich Anglers
Hata was a rookie but won the award at 30 as he had been a signing from Japan. He had an above average hitting season and was very versatile as he can play all over the field. Wasn’t nearly as dominant as Fernandez, but there wasn’t much better rookie competition in the Eastern League.

Reliever of the Year:

Western League: CL Gus Hernandez, Sandwich Colonials
Hernandez was dominant for a decent Colonials team, holding an 1.66 ERA with 36 saves. Had an excellent season and deserved the award.

Eastern League: CL Justin Jenkins, Orleans Ocean
Jenkins had a very similar season to Hernandez, with an 1.88 ERA and 45 daves. Another closer who pitched well for a team close to contention and was a deserving winner.

Pitcher of the Year:

Western League: SP Rogelio Rivera, Bourne Atlantics
Rivera had an absolutely crazy season for Bourne, 24-3 with a 2.33 ERA. He was the best pitcher in the entire league and mowed down opposing hitters. Really lucky we won’t have to see much of him.

Eastern League: SP Javier Rojas, Harwich Anglers
Rojas was good in his own right, 16-7 with a 2.87 ERA. While Harwich had an extremely talented rotation, Rojas was on another level and was one of the main reasons for the Anglers success in 2030.

Most Valuable Player:

Western League: 3B David Howe, Falmouth Tides
Howe had an amazing season for the Tides and looks to be on pace to do it again. A 155 OPS+, 9.9 WAR, .368 average and 68 stolen bases. Just a dominant season from a top-two player in baseball.

Eastern League: LF Javier Orellana, Harwich Anglers
The only player that could arguably overtake Howe would be Orellana. Orellana missed a month and a half from mid-May on, but still had an amazing season. Accumulating a WAR of 8.6 in only 111 games with an OPS+ of 223! Orellana is only 25 and looks to be the first true great in CCBL history.

[Bigfish1287]

I will summarize my offseason moves by outlining how we did in each priority.

Find a starting caliber center fielder
So this offseason only really had four viable options at center. The first two were older and expensive, I didn’t see a point in spending money on aging expensive players, especially if we know this team can’t compete. The other option we could have gone with was to re-sign Morales who also wanted a fair bit of money, around $8 million. The last option was Eric Anderson. He started around 60 games for Harwich and hit decently well in his time. I signed him for a cheap $1.2 million deal for the year and he will start. I can wait next offseason for better options if needed because we should not be winning games this year.


Get a starter or two for the rotation, to improve the horrible starting pitching
There were some cheaper options that could fit into our rotation, so I feel better about accomplishing this task compared to finding the center fielder we needed. Daniel Salas was a serviceable option for Yarmouth. A 4.17 ERA in 33 starts is fine enough for me to have. The other option we picked up was Nelson Santoyo, another former Yarmouth Gull. He pitched worse than Salas but again, compared to the rotation last season, he looks like an ace.

Finally I decided to pick up starter Hae-Young Kim in the rule 5 draft. He should be of use and is around the same talent level as Santoyo, if he doesn’t fit in the rotation we can move on fairly easily.


Two cheap bullpen arms that can fill out the rest of the pen
This was fairly easy as there were a ton of options for us to go with. Like usual, I went cheap. Alex Almaguer pitched for three separate teams in 2030, one actually being our lowly Blue Sox. He pitched in 38 games for us and was a decent relieving option actually, with a 4.40 ERA which is around league average. Reliever performance varies so much year to year but I’m comfortable bringing him in on a 1 year $2.2 million deal.

The other reliever I signed was Emilio Martinez, someone who could really be an underrated part of the team for years to come. Martinez was pretty lackluster in his first season with Falmouth, holding an ERA of 4.06 and an alarming FIP of 5.14. The good thing is he has an excellent fastball and a solid curve and talent wise has the ability to be a good piece for any bullpen. We may have overpaid him with a $3 million salary for three years, but he has the potential to be a great piece at a bargain price.


A good hitting infielder who can maybe start at shortstop or at least hit at a decent clip.
We ended up signing one infielder and he is predominantly a second baseman. Joe Horton was a solid starter at second for Mashpee but hurt his knee in July and missed the rest of the season. I don’t like his injury history, but my plan is to have him start at second for now while we move Alex Morales to short.

This is how I’d like to have my infield set up.

First - Easily will go to Ochoa as a 2030 All-Star while new signing Horton can be a good backup option.

Second - Horton will start as he can play solid defense and has decent hitting ability. Jim Britt was in contention but I worry about his lack of defensive ability. This could change if Horton struggles, but this is what I’m gonna go with to start.

Third - Like first, the job isn’t in question of who it will go to. Jason Keffer is old but he can hit and play defense at a very high level and is considered still a top-5 third baseman. Palafox will back him up and I will try to use him as a utility player since he can play short as well.

Shortstop - We decided to move Alex Morales to short as there was a lack of good options at short in free agency. We also promoted 23-year-old Bret Hullman from AAA to be a defensive replacement who can be a backup if needed.

Our infield is very hectic but I’m hoping some players impress me so I can know who to really believe in, especially at second and shortstop.

There will be no spring training in this league as I like all teams to have as little injuries as possible when the season starts, so we will be going to Opening Day 2031 soon enough.

Next, I will briefly preview each division and do a deep dive preview on our division as well. Let’s just say the EL Outer Division will probably be one of the most interesting races in the CCBL this season.

Attached are some tables as to who left us and who is coming to Eastham for the 2031 season.

[Bigfish1287]

The four divisions of the CCBL are modelled off the four divisions of the Cape. The Western League has the regions of the Low Cape and Mid-Cape while the Eastern League has the Upper Cape and the Outer Cape.

Lower Cape Division

The Lower Cape is the beginning of the area, holding important towns such as Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee and Sandwich. The Lower Cape Division will be a tight race between the Bourne Atlantics and the defending champions, the Falmouth Tides. This entire division will be very talented, as when the Western League split, most of the better teams went to this division. Sandwich and Mashpee also had 85-90 win seasons each and have the talent to compete. This division will be the most talented in the CCBL.

Mid-Cape Division

The Mid-Cape consists of two pairs of towns that tend to be associated with each other, Hyannis with Barnstable and Yarmouth with Dennis. The actual CCBL team is called the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, combining both towns but I wanted them to each have a team in this league. Based off last year, Hyannis has to be the favorites as they were the only team of the four to finish with a record above .500, going 89-73. Yarmouth and Barnstable could be better as they are younger teams on the rise, while Dennis is rebuilding after a 103 loss season.

Western League Prediction: Hyannis Hawks vs Falmouth Tides


Upper Cape Division

The Upper Cape is the area before the peninsula moves north, and has some very memorable towns like Harwich, Brewster, Orleans and Chatham. The defending Eastern League champion Harwich should be the absolute favorite here as they have the best player in the entire league in Javier Orellana and have a ridiculously talented squad. (If this league were real, I would definitely be a massive Harwich fan, as this is the town where I spent most of my time on the Cape) Orleans was only three games off of tying Harwich and will look to avenge their losses but I still think the Anglers are the best team in baseball right now. Chatham will look to bounce back from a lackluster 76-86 season while Brewster looks to be in a full rebuild after losing 95 games in 2030.


Outer Cape Division

The Outer Cape is the northernmost area of the peninsula, which is right off the Atlantic. All four of the towns represented have some of the best beaches in the entire East Coast, being right on the beautiful National Seashore. This division will be a bloodbath as there is no real favorite. Wellfleet had the best season last year of the four, but only won 79 games as Provincetown and Truro won 75 and 74. Eastham seems to be the odd one out, as they look to be in full rebuild and don’t expect to compete. This division could end in a three-way tie for all I know, but it will be hard for whoever wins this to get past Harwich or Orleans in the playoffs. Looking at the teams, I’d predict P-Town right now but that could easily change each week. Our Blue Sox don’t have to really go up against a true titan for the division, but all three of these teams look to be at another level above Eastham.

Eastern League Prediction: Provincetown Pirates vs Harwich Anglers

CCBL Series Prediction: Falmouth Tides vs Harwich Anglers (Harwich wins 4-2)


Next, we will start the 2031 CCBL season at last!

Attached are the preseason predictions, not looking good for our Sox.

[Bigfish1287]

2031 Week 1

Since the CCBL season starts on a Friday, the first week will consist of one three game series. Oddly enough the schedule starts the season in interleague play, as the Blue Sox travel to play the Barnstable Sharks.

Eastham Blue Sox (0-0) vs Barnstable Sharks (0-0) - March 28-30, 2031

The Sharks finished 2030 with a 69-93 record, but they look to be a young and hungry team. Their top three spots in the rotation are filled by players with real star potential, and by next season they could have the most talented rotation in the league. 1B Dan Schall is their star player as he was an all-star and won a Gold Glove at first. But he also struck out the most in the entire Western League and could be a better pure contact hitter. This team seems better than us, but the gap only really lies with their young rotation.

Game 1: EAS 5 BAR 2 Horvath (6.0 IP, 4 H ,1 ER, 6 K) Keffer (2-4 2 RBI)
Big Opening Day win, as Horvath pitched extremely well, allowing one run in the fifth. Game was tied at 1-1 until Ochoa hit an RBI double in the seventh. We’d pile some more runs on in the ninth and close the game out 5-2. Nice win to start.

Game 2: EAS 2 BAR 3 Salas (7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 K) Keffer and Shue (1-4 1 HR 1 RBI)
Tough loss as two solo shots from Shue and Keffer weren’t enough. With Eastham leading 2-1, Salas would give up a solo shot and an RI double in the seventh as the Blue Sox lose their first of the season. Rubber game in Barnstable tomorrow.

Game 3: EAS 7 BAR 4 Santoyo (5.2 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 6 K) Shue (2-4 1 HR 2 RBI)
Santoyo gave up three runs in the first due to two RBI singles and a sac fly. The Blue Sox tied the game at 3 eventually though, scoring in the fourth and getting two runs off a massive Shue homer, his second homer in two games. A solo shot by Horton in the seventh and a two RBI single by the pinch hitter Davis pulled us away for the win. Our closer Chris Crabtree did get hurt in this one and his diagnosis is pending at the moment.

Big series win in Barnstable to start the season!

Thoughts
Our bullpen had an excellent series, giving up one run in 9.1 inning pitched. Hopefully we won’t lose Crabtree for long but if so, we can replace him. Shue and Keffer have been awesome thus far but it is one series only.

No point in power rankings as it’s been one series to play. Next week we stay in the Mid-Cape to play the Dennis Destroyers, then head back to Eastham for our home opener against the rival Wellfleet Beacons. Should be a good first test for this squad.

Attached are the league standings, oddly enough no series ended in a sweep this weekend. We stay tied for first with Provincetown and Wellfleet.

[Bigfish1287]

2031 Week 2

This week starts with a short trip east to Dennis to play the Destroyers, then we head back to Eastham for the home opener against division foe Wellfleet.

Eastham Blue Sox (2-1) vs Dennis Destroyers (1-2) - April 1-3, 2031
The Destroyers are coming off a season where they finished with a CCBL worst 103 losses. Like us, they plan to start to rebuild but I honestly have no idea what they are doing right now. They have two pretty great players in 1B Rusty Wyant and LF Dave Braun, but here’s the thing. Braun doesn’t start. My scout values Braun as a 60 grade player and while trying to trade for him, we can get him for a minor league nobody, even though he’s making $500K. I just don’t get it. I won’t trade for him cause that feels like breaking the game, but I have no idea why he’s not valued.

Game 4: EAS 8 DEN 6 (10) Abramson (4-6 1 HR 3 RBI) Alex Rosales (1-5 1 HR 2 RBI)
This game started badly with starter Downey going down in the first and then the bullpen proceeded to give up five runs in the next three innings, being in a 5-0 deficit by the fourth. A two run homer from Abramson in the seventh, a two run homer in the eight by Alex Morales and an RBI single late had the game go into extras tied at 6. With two outs and a man on second, Ochoa hit a run scoring double in the tenth and we would hold on to this one 8-6.

Downey will be out for five games with a strained forearm luckily but the bad news came in later that night. CL Chris Crabtree will now be out for four months, to remove bone spurs so there goes a big blow to the pen. We will have setup man Mike Wray at the closer spot and we promoted RP Raul Abrahante from AAA. I have some confidence in Wray to replace Crabtree at a decent level, but Abrahante scares me, really don’t want to have to rely on him in many situations.


Game 5: EAS 4 DEN 5 Kim(5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 K) Shue (1-4 1 HR 1 RBI) Ochoa (1-4 2 RBI)
Very similar to the last game but in reverse, as the Blue Sox jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first from a leadoff solo shot from Shue and an RBI double from Abramson. Kim gave up one run in the second and two in the third, but wasn’t too bad in the rest. Down 4-3 in the seventh, Rusty Wyant and Juan Miranda hit a solo shot each and the lead would be squandered 5-4.


Game 6: EAS 0 DEN 3 Horvath (5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 7 K) Abramson (2-4)
Destroyers pitcher In-sik Jou threw a complete game shutout against us, allowing only three hits and striking out nine. Nothing to write about here, just an inept performance.


We now travel home to the coast to play Wellfleet, hoping for some better results.

Wellfleet Beacons (3-3) vs Eastham Blue Sox (3-3) - April 4-6, 2031

After taking two of three from Yarmouth, Welfleet then lost two of three to Hyannis, sitting them at .500 along with us and P-Town. 1B Tom Doughty is their superstar and at only 24, I feel like we are going to be seeing him for years to come. Their rotation seems really bad though honestly, as my scout rates only one of their five guys above a 40 grade so who knows.


Game 7 - WEL 5 EAS 6 Salas (6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 K) Keffer (2-5 HR 1 RBI) Ochoa (1-2 1 HR 3 BB)
Back to back solo shots from Keffer and Ochoa plus an RBI single from Horton gave the Blue Sox a 3-0 in the first. Salas pitched well in his six innings but the bullpen seemed to collapse. By the seventh inning, the Blue Sox would have a 5-1 lead but that all changed by the ninth. Only down 5-3 with the bases loaded and one out, superstar Tom Doughty grounded out to bring one run home, they intentionally walked Gouch to load the bases with 2 outs, down a run. But luckily Bill Oliver got the strikeout in a tense moment to end the game and win their first game at home.



Game 8 - WEL 5 EAS 6 (11) Santoyo (7.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 5 K) Ochoa (4-6 1 HR 3 RBI)
What a game! Eastham got an early lead off a groundout RI from Keffer but that was all that happened for most of the game. The game stayed at 1-0 until the eighth when two singles from Wieringa and Doughty brought in three runs to give the Beacons a 3-1 lead. Back to back singles from Shue and Morales in the bottom of the eight tied the game up at 3 and it went to extras. In the eleventh, things went for the worst as Gouch hit a two run homer off Ayala to give Wellfleet a good lead to win on, but there was still a chance. After Horton reached base on an error and Davis singled, Ochoa hit a 387 foot shot to left, ending the game and giving Eastham the crazy 6-5 win!



Game 9 - WEL 4 EAS 3 Almaguer (7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 6 K) Ochoa (3-5 1 HR 1 RBI)
Almaguer took the mound for Downey as he was still recovering and honestly pithed well, going seven innings and giving up two runs. Things fell apart in the eighth with a 2-1 lead though, as an RBI double and sac fly gave the Beacons two runs and a 3-2 lead. Then an error at third led to another run scoring which seemed to end it. Ochoa hit a solo shot in the ninth but it wasn’t enough as Eastham fell 5-4.


Thoughts: Ochoa has been excellent to start the season, with a .405 average and an OPS+ of 236. You really couldn’t ask for better. Keffer and Abramson have been good as well with both having OPS+ ranges in the 150’s. Leal has started really slow, starting 2-21 in these first two weeks. I expect that to turn around soon though. The bullpen let up this week and are now ranked sixth in the Eastern League for ERA. Mike Wray has not been great in the closer role and has given up at least one run in every appearance thus far except for Opening Day.

Power Rankings and Standings: We sit in sixth after our 3-3 week and many teams are in similar positions, playing around .500 early on. Orleans takes the top spot as they have won six in a row and now sit at 8-1 to start. Defending EL champs Harwich already sit four games behind as they are only 4-5 and are off to a disappointing start. Falmouth has been good as well, starting 7-2 and showing they can repeat in 2031. The Outer Cape is still really close as Eastham technically holds first place, but shares it with P-Town and Truro while Wellfleet only sits a game back. Should be a crazy race and it’s nice to see us in it for now.

Next week we travel up to the tip of the Cape to play the Provincetown Pirates, then go back home to host the 2-7 Brewster Buzzards. This P-Town series will be another early test and I want to see some division wins if we can try and compete but I doubt it’ll happen.

Attached are the standings to the CCBL.

[Bigfish1287]

2031 Week 3

This week starts with a divisional series in P-Town against the Pirates then we travel back to Eastham to host Brewster for a weekend series.

Eastham Blue Sox (5-4) vs Provincetown Pirates (5-4) April 8-10, 2031
The Pirates have had a very similar start to the Blue Sox, winning 2 of 3 in their opening series, then going 3-3 in the next week. The big move for P-Town was the signing of Barry Meighan, an All-Star pitcher last year for Hyannis who finished fourth in the WL Pitcher of the Year voting. They also have three elite hitters in CF John Carr, RF Craig Heisler and 2B Miguelo Arreola. This team is the most talented in our division on paper and will be a strong challenge all year.

Game 10: EAS 2 PT 6 Downey (4.1 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 0 K) Leal (3-4, 2 RBI)
Downey’s first game back from injury was a disaster as the game was practically over by the fifth inning. It didn’t help that we got nine hits, but not one of them was for extra bases. Four runs in the bottom of the fifth sealed this one, as Flores and Carr homered each.

Game 11: EAS 2 PT 4 Horvath (5 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 K) Horton (2-4, RBI)
This looks like a pitching duel based off the score, but Horvath was disappointing while Meighan was dominant for the Pirates. Horvath is our “ace” but would be considered a #3 on a competent rotation, and when he goes up against the best of the best, it shows. The offense has been terrible as well, as they can’t bring anyone home even with a decent amount of hits.

Game 12: EAS 9 PT 6 Salas (6.1 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 6 K) Rosales (2-3, 2 BB, 3 RBI)
Glad to not have been swept here, as the offense finally shows up when it’s needed. Alex Rosales came up big in the first, with a bases clearing double to give us an early lead. The Pirates came close to tying it up, but our hitting did well against their bullpen as well and redeemed themselves for now.


Brewster Buzzards (3-10) vs Eastham Blue Sox (6-6) April 11-13, 2031
The Buzzards are off to a horrible start in 2031, and have lost 9 of their last 10 games here. Brewster was rebuilding like us last season, and barely finished above us back when the divisions were combined last year. They also learned yesterday that their ace Liam Pearce will be out for 4-5 months with nerve issues. Pearce only started one game in 2030, showing himself to be one of the most injured players in the league thus far. Our scout rates him as a top starter in the league, and the Buzzards needed him to stay healthy.

Game 13: BRE 3 EAS 7 Santoyo (6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 5 K) Shue (3-4, HR, 2 RBI)
We took an early lead in the third off a Shue solo shot and a Britt two run single and never looked back as we pulled away 7-3. Bullpen was excellent, giving up only two hits and no runs in three innings of work and Santoyo was good enough, not allowing much hits and giving up an unlucky Fleming two run shot. Hoping to at least win 2 of 3, if not sweep these guys.


Game 14: BRE 4 EAS 2 (10) Kim (6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 4 K) Ochoa (3-5, 2B, RBI)
Just a tough loss in Eastham today as the Buzzards scored two in the tenth off a single by Canady to lose it. We traded runs throughout the game and it was 2-2 by the sixth inning. Both bullpens were dominant in the later innings as no runs were allowed and the game went to extras. This offense is very inconsistent and it will be a problem I’ll have to deal with all season.


Game 15: BRE 0 EAS 3 Downey (9 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 K)
Robby “Checkmate” Downey was playing chess while the Buzzards were playing checkers tonight, as he threw a complete game shutout allowing only three hits. Starting the week coming back from a small forearm injury Downey had a miserable start against the Pirates and he ends the week as dominant as ever. Heck of a start from someone I was slowly starting to worry about.





Thoughts: Well that was a great way to end the week, even if it was against the worst team in the CCBL. The series loss to P-Town was expected but I did not like how we hit the ball in those first two games. The Brewster series was good, I would have liked to win that second game but I’ll take a series win. Keffer has slowed down, but Ochoa and Abramson are still red hot, hitting .417 and .354 respectively. Leal is a little better but is still below the Mendoza line and should be getting on base more. The rotation has been decent but can really blow up early in certain games thus far, while the bullpen was much better this week and now has the third lowest ERA in the EL.

Power Rankings and Standings: We drop two spots in the rankings down to eighth after another 3-3 week. Hyannis takes the top spot, they’ve won five in a row and are 11-4 thus far, which is surprising because I thought they’d win the division, but I didn’t think they’d be the best team in the CCBL at this point. Orleans sits at #2 and is still looking like the team to beat in the Upper Cape Division. Sandwich and Bourne are tied in the Lower Division with defending champions Falmouth one game behind. And like expected the Outer Cape is a mess. While there is now barely any separation between teams, that will probably not last. P-Town sits at 9-6 with our Blue Sox only a game out of first. Wellfleet sits a game behind us, and Truro sits a game behind them. It is still very early and I don’t expect one team to run away with a lead just yet.

Next, we spend the week on a western road trip, heading to Falmouth to play the defending champs for three (yikes) and then we head towards the canal to play the Bourne Atlantics who are projecting to be a 90-95 win team as well. (Double yikes) This will be a really tough week and I’d expect to come out of it sitting at 10-11 or even 9-12. This could be the point where we go from in sight of first, to slowly fading out already. Hoping for the best. (And for the offense to maybe show up for a couple games)

Attached are the CCBL standings

[Bigfish1287]

2031 Week 4

We travel out west to play two of the most talented teams in the CCBL on the road. I really expect this week to be our downfall here as we have two incredibly tough opponents.

Eastham Blue Sox (8-7) vs Falmouth Tides (9-7) April 14-16, 2031

The defending champion Tides have started this season a lot slower than expected, only winning 9 of their first 16 games. The offense that dominated the CCBL last season is still looking potent, as they rank first in the WL in both runs scored and batting average, but the bullpen has been a disaster. With an ERA of 6.85, the Tides bullpen has looked horrific and without a bounce back, will lock them into a struggle with Bourne where they could easily lose their division. Fans in Falmouth are looking scared here. They should honestly kill our lowly rotation here and I’d be excited not to be swept.

First game was cancelled on Monday so there will be a doubleheader on the 15th.

Game 16: EAS 7 FAL 9 Keffer (4-4, HR, RBI) Ochoa (2-5, HR, 3 RBI)
Both offenses were dominant today as the Blue Sox lost 9-7. A big three run shot in the third gave us a 5-2 lead, but Falmouth would answer back in the fourth with a bases clearing double from Beard. In the fifth we scored two and they scored two as the score stayed tied at 5 till the seventh. An Abraham Galvez double brought two home for Falmouth and we’d end up losing 9-7. Tough loss and I’m hoping we can at least get one.

Game 17: EAS 1 FAL 0 Salas (7 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 3 K)
An Ochoa triple in the first was a great start as a sac fly brought him home for the first run of the game. Little did I know that we wouldn’t have another run scored all game as Salas dominated a tough Tides hitting crew. Going on the road against the defending champs and shutting out the top offense in the CCBL shows a lot, and I’m happy with how great Salas was today.

Game 18: EAS 4 FAL 1 Santoyo (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 K) Ochoa (2-4, HR, RBI)
And somehow we win the series! With an Abramson RBI single in the third and a Leal RBI groundout, we took a 2-0 lead. A van Lente triple and sac fly in the fifth brough the lead down to 2-1, but we had another small burst in the seventh as Andre Davis and Ochoa hit solo shots each, giving us a 4-1 lead that the pen held. What a series in Falmouth! Now we head north against the Atlantics.


Eastham Blue Sox (10-8) vs Bourne Atlantics (13-6) April 18-20, 2031

When looking at preseason predictions, I didn’t understand why Bourne was seen as the favorite in the Lower Cape over defending champion Falmouth, but now I see it. Their lineup is extremely talented, as only one player out of eight is rated below a 60 by my scout and the top four are all at 70 or higher. This is a team that can hit for power and I am not looking forward to it.

I am not going to even bother recapping the first two games as we were demolished 8-2 and 14-1, as our pitching blew up and our offense was ineffective as ever, luckily in the third game things turned in our favor. Horvath was terrible as he gave up seven runs on eleven hits in only 5.2 innings of work. Luckily, they fared no better and by the time Horvath was pulled in the sixth, it was 9-7 Eastham. We scored another in the ninth and ended up closing the third game out, winning 10-7 and keeping our dignity.

RECAP:

8-2 Bourne over Eastham

14-1 Bourne over Eastham

10-7 Eastham over Bourne



Thoughts: This is the third week in a row where we went 3-3, but this to me is a success as we split the combined two series against some of the best teams in the CCBL. I thought we would get swept by Bourne, but we held on in the third game and I’m happy with that. Ochoa still is raking, hitting .406 at the plate which leads the Eastern League. Keffer and Abramson are also looking great, but the rest of our hitters have been subpar at best. New signings Joe Horton and Eric Anderson are hitting .240 and .167 respectively as it seems that they haven’t hit well at all.

For the rotation, our new signings Salas, Santoyo and Kim have all been better than expected, each carrying a sub 4.00 ERA through four starts. Horvath has been really bad as of late, giving up a combined 16 runs in his past three starts, while Downey has been terrible after his complete game shutout against Brewster, giving up six runs in one inning in that 14-1 beatdown against Bourne.

The bullpen has been the same really, maintaining that 3rd lowest ERA in the EL and holding on to some pretty small leads against good teams. If our numbers keep up like this, I don’t think this performance will be sustainable and we will fall flat on our faces. We have been lucky thus far as our pythagorean record is two games behind our 11-10 mark now. Hopefully this luck can continue, or maybe some of our guys can perform like expected.

Power Rankings and Standings: We jump up two spots from eighth to sixth after another 3-3 week. Bourne jumps to the top spot after a 5-1 week while Hyannis and Orleans take #2 and #3.

Harwich finally looks to be a contender, now only sitting one game back of Orleans in the Upper Cape Division. Falmouth has really fallen apart here as they sit at 11-11 and are three back of the dominant Atlantics. They will need to start winning soon, because Bourne has been red hot thus far into the season. The Mid-Cape has been weird as the “rebuilding” Dennis Destroyers are now 13-9 and 1.5 back from Hyannis. Barnstable and Yarmouth though have been horrible and already sit 7 to 8 games out of the lead.

The Outer Cape stays tight as we are back to being tied for first place with P-Town at 11-10. Wellfleet sits a game back at 10-11 and Truro is two back at 9-12. This division will take a while for the real contenders to show up, and it could be a three or even four horse race by the all-star break.

Next week we travel back home to host the Chatham Admirals who look to be right at our level, then we stay home as P-Town comes to town to face off for a divisional battle. This will be the second meeting of the season between these two teams and I am hoping we can take the division lead with a good series at home.

Attached are the league standings.

[Bigfish1287]

2031 Week 5

We go back to Eastham for this week as we host the 11-11 Chatham Admirals for three games. Then we host the Provincetown Pirates as we play them at home for the first time this season. Both teams are tied for the division lead as of now so this series against the Pirates will be pivotal in the early going here.

Chatham Admirals (11-11) vs Eastham Blue Sox (11-10) April 22-24, 2031

Game 22: CHA 3 EAS 2 Salas (7.1 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 7 K) Ochoa (2-3, HR, RBI) Keffer (1-4, HR, RBI)
Really tough loss as Salas pitched incredibly well and we held a 2-0 lead through nine innings. Ochoa hit a solo shot in the third and Keffer hit one in the sixth, but that was all that was brought home. In heartbreaking fashion, we gave up a three run homer from Chris Walker. I would like to have Crabtree back please cause I can’t take these late game collapses.


Game 23: CHA 4 EAS 1 Santoyo (6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 4 K)
What a pitiful performance today as the offense gets six hits and only gets one run off a bases loaded walk. 13 runs in the last five games is inexcusable at this point but I can’t even say that’s been the biggest problem. This game was literally tied at one going into the ninth and AGAIN they blew it. Wray gives up a two run shot to Oscar Correa and another run added on gives the game away as we lose 4-1. Just seems like there’s one bullpen piece who blows up at the worst possible time for us.


Game 24: CHA 4 EAS 1 (Nobody stood out in this one, we just stunk)
Anddddd.... Downey gets hurt in the first inning again. I thought Downey would be a decent piece at arbitration but in five starts he’s 1-3 with a 7.56 ERA. Our bullpen couldn’t last eight innings as they gave up four runs, but that’s not even that bad. Our offense hasn’t done anything in almost a week, as we’ve had a game with more than two runs once in the past six. The Downey diagnosis is still pending but I expect the worst at this point. First time we are swept this season woo! (Won’t be the last time either)


Provincetown Pirates (13-11) vs Eastham Blue Sox (11-13) April 25-27, 2031
We head to play the division leading Pirates now, as we look to be falling apart. P-Town just took two of three from the lowly Brewster Buzzards and now has a two game lead on us in the Outer Cape. I think their lead is only going to grow here as this team is much better than Chatham.


Game 25: PT 2 EAS 4 Kim (7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 5 K) Leal (1-3, HR, 3 RBI)
Leal and Kim were the true top performers here as Leal hit a big three run shot that gave us an early 3-0 lead, while Kim was dominant and had a great start to the game. He’s been the best pickup we’ve made as a GM thus far honestly. A nice win to start the series.

Sadly things got worse after the game as Shue was injured in this one, and the Downey diagnosis came back. Downey will be out for 11 months as he needs elbow reconstruction surgery. At this point he won’t be back next season from the limited time I’ve seen of him here as he’s extremely injury prone, and has performed horribly except for that one complete game shutout against Brewster. Shue’s diagnosis is still pending and we should know by the end of the week.

Game 26: PT 3 EAS 4 (12) Horvath (7.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 6 K) Keffer (2-6, HR, 2 RBI) Davis (2-6, 2 RBI, Walk Off Single)
What a win here as we take the first two at home here in Eastham. Down 2-0 in the sixth, Keffer hit a two run monster shot to left to tie the game! Our bullpen surprisingly didn't blow it and we went to extras. Nothing happened till the twelfth as an RBI single off Ayala in the top of the inning looked to put this game out of our reach. A lead off walk, then a double had two men in the bottom of the twelfth for Andre Davis. With no outs and on a 3-1 pitch, Davis hit a groundball up the middle, scoring two and winning the game! This series has already been a massive improvement over the Chatham series.

Game 27: PT 6 EAS 3 Salas (5 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 3 K)
Four runs in the top of the first kinda ended this one quickly, as I had little faith in my hitters to match that or overtake it. We got three runs off an RBI triple from Ochoa and a couple sac flies, but it wasn’t enough as we went down 6-3.

Shue’s diagnosis came in and he will be out for seven weeks with a strained hamstring. Before next week’s game in Truro I will have to figure out replacements in the rotation for Downey and a replacement in the outfield for Shue.

Thoughts: This is the week that I thought last week would be. Getting swept by Chatham was terrible, and while on paper they are the better team, we’ve played well against a lot of teams that are much more talented than Chatham. The P-Town series was a surprise though as we took two of three from them at home. I am still not happy with our offense but at least our bullpen looked improved from that dreadful Chatham series.

Power Rankings and Standings: We fall four spots to tenth after our 2-4 week which makes complete sense, we are not a mid-level team as of right now. The Atlantics stay at the top spot and are now sitting at 20-9 for the season. Harwich jumps to #2 and Orleans is at #3.

The Bourne Atlantics now have a four game lead over the Sandwich Colonials as a division I thought would be tight looks to have one team pulling away. Falmouth has been extremely inconsistent thus far and have not looked ready to defend their title at all this season. There’s still time and I would expect them to bounce back, but it isn’t looking great. Like last week, Hyannis and Dennis are battling in the Mid Cape Division, as Dennis has been an early surprise so far. Barnstable is falling apart and has lost their last four games. They are now tied with Brewster for the worst record in the entire CCBL.

The Upper Cape Division looks to be a brutal battle as Harwich has finally gotten past their slow start and now has a game lead over the Orleans Ocean. Chatham has been excellent as well and are now only two and half back of Harwich. Should be a close race all the way through. The Outer Cape Division is still very tight but the Provincetown Pirates have a game lead over Eastham even though they lost two of three to them to end the week. Wellfleet and Truro sit two and half behind at 12-16 and they split a four game series against each other over the weekend.

Next week we continue our homestand as we host the Truro Sea Dogs for the first time this season for four games, then the Harwich Anglers come to town and they will be a challenge as they are one of, if not the most talented team in the entire CCBL.

Attached are the league standings.

[Bigfish1287]

2031 Week 6

This week will continue our 13 game homestand, as we host Truro for four games, then we face Javier Orellana, the best player in the CCBL, and the Harwich Anglers for the weekend. Hoping to at least get some wins against Truro.

Before we play some games, I must deal with the Downey and Shue injuries. Downey is out for 11 months and his time as a Blue Sox is pretty much over, we brought up starter Earl Bailey from AAA to act as an immediate replacement, but I don't’ think he’s should be the permanent #5 starter for the rest of the season so I will look for other options.

To replace Shue, we offered our old friend Ron Morales who is still a free agent. He should be an option we can use at left and center while we start Davis at right for a couple weeks. I also think Morales will be a better starter in center than Eric Anderson, who has been absolutely terrible thus far.

Truro Sea Dogs (12-16) vs Eastham Blue Sox (13-14) April 28 - May 1, 2031
Looking at this squad on paper at this moment, I think we are the better team here. A lot of that has to do with both CF Matt Luzak and LF Jim Burkhardt having been on the IL for the past two weeks. Luzak and Burkhardt are seen as the second and third best hitter on the team, so without them they have lost a lot of offensive potential. SS Chris Brown is rated as a top three shortstop in the CCBL, but has struggled mightily in the month of April, hitting .200 and holding an OPS+ of 89. Brown is a star for the Sea Dogs but I hope he can continue his slump against us.


Game 18: TRU 2 EAS 7 Santoyo (7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 5 K) Keffer (4-5, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI)
An excellent start to the series here as Santoyo has another great start for us and the offense finally got something going today, as we scored seven runs on twelve hits. Keffer was excellent as he drove home two with an RBI double and RBI triple. Truro scored one run in the second and one in the seventh but by then it was too large of a deficit. Big win here!


Game 19: TRU 8 EAS 2 Bailey (5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 K)
Bailey’s first start in 2031 was an interesting one to say the least. Really didn’t play that bad but still got the loss in a game where our bullpen imploded. I am so sick of Abrahante but there isn’t really a better relief option in the minors or in free agency. I may look for a trade though but even that could be tricky.


Game 20: TRU 3 EAS 4 (10) Kim (5 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 7 K) Davis (3-5, 3B in tenth to help us win)
We started this game hot, with a Leal two RBI double in the first to give us the early lead. Truro answered back in the second though, as a solo shot and an RI single tied it up at 2. Plater, the one who also hit the solo shot in the second, got a big RBI single in the seventh as they then took a 3-2 lead in Eastham. An RBi single by backup SS Hullman tied the game up at 3 as we then went to extras. We shut out the Sea Dogs in the top of the tenth and a leadoff Andre Davis triple and a Keffer sac fly won us this one 4-3.



Game 21: TRU 6 EAS 5 (10) Horvath (6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 K) Ochoa (3-6, 3 RBI)
Another fast start to this one as we scored four runs by the third inning. Truro also scored a run in the second and then both teams traded a run each in the sixth to make it a 5-2 game. Again though our bullpen blew a solid lead as Lanzel hit a bases clearing double in the seventh to tie the game at 5. And again we head to extras in Eastham. This time a solo shot by Loscano in the tenth gave them the lead and we couldn’t score one back as we fell 6-5.


Harwich Anglers (20-11) vs Eastham Blue Sox (15-16) May 2-4, 2031
Harwich is in the middle of an extremely tight battle with Orleans for the Upper Cape Division and they will be doing everything in their power to sweep us at home. Javier Orellana has actually been slowed down a bit this season as he is currently sporting a 149 OPS+ which is still excellent, but nowhere near his 2030 OPS+ of 232. He’s hitting for less contact really, as his splits are now .288/.410/.550 compared to his splits last season of .351/.533/.703. Like that's a massive difference but I expect him to turn it around soon, especially against our garbage staff.


RECAP

Harwich 5 Eastham 4 (10)

Harwich 1 Eastham 4

Harwich 10 Eastham 1

Taking one game in this series is fine with me, especially after holding them to only one run in the second game. The third game was an absolute travesty and I refuse to talk about it.


Thoughts: A 3-4 week isn’t as bad as I had thought, I really did think we could have won three of four against Truro due to their injuries and recent bad play. Playing three games in a row that go to extras can be tough on a team and I knew we didn’t have much of a chance once it came to the third in a row due to a lack of usable bullpen arms. I can’t lie and say that I expected this team to be even close to the division lead by May, but I can sense a downward spiral occurring where each week we will lose one or two more games than we won and we will fall further back.


Power Rankings and Standings: We stay at the tenth spot after a 3-4 week and the power rankings in general do not change much, as the top three are still Bourne, Harwich and Orleans.

Bourne still holds the top spot in the Lower Cape, but Sandwich is gaining some ground, now only 3 and a half back. Falmouth continues to fall though as they now sit in last place in the division and are under .500. Hyannis and Dennis are in a very close race for the Mid-Cape, as Dennis sits now only a half game back of the Hawks. Things have gotten even worse in Barnstable as they now sit at 9-25 and have lost nine of their last ten.

The Upper Cape is still a mess, as Harwich holds the division lead for now, but Orleans sits a game behind and Chatham hasn’t fallen back either and are in close range to taking the division for themselves. The Outer Cape has shaped up a bit now as Provincetown is taking advantage of poor play from the other three teams and now sits two and half in front for the division. Eastham and Truro had not great weeks and sit 2-3 games back, while Wellfleet has fallen apart, now on a five game losing streak. They look to be falling out of contention fast here.

Next week begins our 12 game road trip, as we travel west to play at Yarmouth for three interleague games, then we continue to the next town over and play Hyannis for three as well.

Before we play more games, I’d like to do a quick summary of the month of April in the CCBL, going over the best/worst teams and the award winners.

Attached are the league standings.

[StLee]

At least you're keeping pace with Provincetown, and that series win against them was helpful.