Worst to First - The Sequel

[NYY #23]

The Knights road trip continues with a trip through Texas. Game 1 was a painful reminder that even good pitchers have bad games, or maybe more accurately terrible games. Jose Ruiz had his terrible game today, lasting just 2 2/3 innings while giving up 8 runs on 11 hits. Norberto Gomez came on in relief and lasted just a 1/3 of an inning while giving up 5 runs. Being down 14-0 after four innings is pretty discouraging, and the Knights had a very forgettable game losing 17-0.

Our bullpen needed some relief in game 2, and Tim Rogers came to the rescue with a complete game eight hitter, allowing just 1 run to pick up his 11th win of the season. Pete Woolford had the big day at the plate with a home run, two singles, and 3 RBI.

We activated Ferri Boere from the disabled list, and after being out five months with a back injury I normally would like to give him a few rehab starts. Normally. We did things a little bit differently though and gave Boere a rehab start in the majors, and he delivered 7 2/3 shutout innings, allowing just 3 hits, walking 2, and striking out 4.

He left the game with a 1-0 lead, but Victor Flores blew the save and sent the game into extra innings. The Knights would get a run in the eleventh on an RBI single by Ricardo Martinez in the eleventh with Mark Carver picking up his 9th save to secure the 2-1 win.

Up next is a return home to take on the first place Rays:

[NYY #23]

When Brad Peet hit a home run in the bottom of the first to give us a 1-0 lead it seemed like it would be a good night at the plate for the Knights, but that would be our last hit of the game. Luckily Steven Johnson would pitch 6 2/3 shutout innings and we'd get great relief from Mark Carver and Victor Flores to hold on for the 1-0 win.

The first inning has been good for the Knights this series, with Ricardo Martinez hitting a sacrifice fly and Nicholas Hammond doubling home two runs, and Jose Ruiz rebounded from his atrocious start to hold the Rays to 2 runs in 6 innings to pick up the win. We once again got solid relief from Mark Carver and Victor Flores who closed out the 5-2 win. I bet Carver wishes he could take away those ill-advised four starts where he was 0-4 with a 9.32 ERA, because as a reliever he's now 6-2 with 9 saves and a 2.13 ERA in 72 innings.

You can't win them all, and I admit that our biggest weakness right now is Roy Grant, who gave up 6 runs in 3 innings to take the loss as the Rays beat us 8-6. If we can make it to the playoffs he won't be a factor as our #5 starter, but we'll have to survive him starting every fifth day to get there.

The Knights are now 1/2 game behind the Rays, and hold a 5 1/2 game lead in the Wild Card. Our attendance is up 77.7% this year, although our owner is still upset.

[rjl518]

go knights!!!

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by rjl518

go knights!!!

Thank you!

[NYY #23]

After out sweep of the Orioles we are now tied atop the AL South with the Tampa Bay Rays, and we hold a five game lead in the Wild Card. The Knights are definitely hot, going 36-11 since the trade deadline.

Ferri Boere picked up the win in the first game of the series to improve to 3-1 on the year, although he was a bit shaky giving up 5 runs in 7 innings, but our offense bailed him out. Game two was all about Tim Rogers, who pitched 8 shutout innings to improve to 12-6 on the season with Victor Flores picking up his 10th save of the year. That left it up to Steven Johnston to pick up the win in the series finale with 7 innings of 5 hit ball, allowing two runs, and we escaped a bad bullpen outing by Ron Bush to pick up the 6-4 win.

[NYY #23]

The Rangers played spoilers and came in to town and swept the Knights in three games to put us 2 games out in the division, although we still hold a four game lead in the Wild Card. Our three game series against the Rays is going to be critical.

Not only did we get swept, but it was a frustrating one. We wasted a solid effort by Jose Ruiz in game one (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K) to blow the game with bad pitching out of the bullpen with Ron Bush (0 IP, 1 ER), Mark Carver (1/3 IP, 2 ER), and Nick Peterson (1 2/3 IP, 1 ER) all failing to do their job in the 5-2 loss.

The second game was Roy Grant time, although his time was brief with 2 2/3 innings, 10 hits, and 7 runs. Today we did get strong pitching out of the bullpen with Jamal White (3 1/3) and Nick Peterson (3 IP) not giving up a run. We couldn't overcome the deficit though and lost 7-5.

The series finale went 12 innings, and we did get a solid start by Ferri Boere (6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER) to go along with solid relief work by Mark Carver (2 IP, 0 ER) and Victor Flores (2 IP, 0 ER), but a home run by Daniel Leach in the twelfth off Ron Bush gave the Rangers the 3-2 win.

[NYY #23]

After taking two out of three games from the Rays the Knights were enjoying an off day while scoreboard watching, and celebrating when the Royals came back after trailing 7-4 to score 5 runs in the top of the ninth to win the game 9-7, ending the White Sox season, and clinching a playoff berth for the Carolina Knights. It's taken eight years to get back to the playoffs, but it feels real good to get back, although our work is not done, and we really would like to win the division. Fan interest is up to 72, although my owner is still unhappy. I don't know why I care, but I expected him to be a little happy we made the playoffs.

The series got started when Tim Rogers who pick up the win in the first game with 6 innings, allowing 6 hits and 2 runs while walking 2 and striking out 8. Mark Carver would pitch 2 hitless innings in relief and Victor Flores would pitch a scoreless ninth to earn his 11th save. Cesar Rodriguez and Ricardo Martinez each homered in the win.

Steven Johnston improved to 4-0 with a 1.31 ERA in September after allowing one run on four hits in 8 innings to win his 13th game of the season. Ron Bush picked up his sixth save. Ken Blake hit a solo homer in our 3-1 win.

The Rays would come back and score two runs in the eighth off Mark Carver to complete the come from behind 4-2 win in the series finale.

We'll be heading to Baltimore next for the final three games of the regular season.

[NYY #23]

I'll spare you the details of losing two out of three games to the Baltimore Orioles to lose the AL South, and just celebrate the fact that the Carolina Knights are headed to the playoffs as a Wild Card team after finishing the season with a 90-72 record. That's a 22 game improvement over last year.

I especially have to thank rjl518 for his persistence in convincing me to add back in the second Wild Card, because without that we'd be sitting at home for the playoffs once again, but instead we'll be playing games that matter in October.

I also had to admit that regardless of the outcome I did have fun this year in Carolina. Playing good helps, and despite what seemed like a year filled with injuries I like this team, which always helps. After having a terrible month of July I slowed down the pace quite a bit, moved more day to day, posted smaller updates, and felt more invested in the team's success.

It all depends on the team, I know I've done that before, but I do like the slower pace occasionally. I also spent a little bit more time exploring the league, and came to the realization that the league is now 100% fictional. But it's funny how real they feel. I still like to check in with some of my favorites, like Vicente Cano, who was 11-11 this year with a 3.01 ERA in 179 2/3 innings. Two healthy years in a row, and Cano heads into free agency with 217 career wins as a 39 year old, and he should get another shot next year if he wants it.

But this should be about the Knights, and one day I hope I'll be able to follow the career of Alan Davis from afar, and he has a long successful career.

We'll set our playoff roster next and get ready for the Cleveland Indians and our best of 5 series!

[NYY #23]

The Knights split the season series with the Cleveland Indians, winning 3 and losing 3. The Knights have a slight edge with our offense, while the Indians have an edge with their pitching. I expect it will be a good series. We've made our final roster decisions for our playoff roster:



That means Roberto Camacho (3-1, 5.13 ERA, 25 1/3 IP), Jamal White (1-0, 6.59 ERA, 13 2/3 IP), and Luke McCoy (.278, 0 HR, 2 RBI) are off the playoff roster, despite being eligible.

[NYY #23]

Jose Ruiz got the start for Game 1, and shook off a first inning run to go seven strong innings, allowing just 1 run on 2 hits to pick up the win. Our bullpen didn't allow a run with Ron Bush (1/3 IP), Mark Carver (2/3 IP), and Victor Flores (1 IP) closing out the game, with Flores picking up the save.

Paul Swisher, Jr had the big game at the plate with a home run, two singles, and 3 RBI in the 4-1 win.

[NYY #23]

The Knights would take a 2-0 lead in the second inning when Ken Blake and Ramon Feliz hit back to back RBI singles, but Steven Johnston would run into trouble in the seventh giving up a three run homer to Mark Grimes as the Indians won Game two 5-2 to even up the series.

[rjl518]

I especially have to thank rjl518 for his persistence in convincing me to add back in the second Wild Card, because without that we'd be sitting at home for the playoffs once again, but instead we'll be playing games that matter in October.

Your welcome...now win the world series and move on to the next team!

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by rjl518

I especially have to thank rjl518 for his persistence in convincing me to add back in the second Wild Card, because without that we'd be sitting at home for the playoffs once again, but instead we'll be playing games that matter in October.

Your welcome...now win the world series and move on to the next team!

That sure would be nice! I'm cautiously optimistic that I'll get out of Carolina soon!

[NYY #23]

Ferri Boere made his playoff debut with 5 1/3 innings while allowing just 1 run on 4 hits to pick up the win. Tim Rogers would pitch 2 innings in relief without giving up a run, and Mark Carver would pitch the final inning and 2/3.

Cesar Rodriguez and Ricardo Martinez would each triple in runs, with Ramon Feliz adding two RBI in the 7-1 blowout.

[NYY #23]

Jose Ruiz had a shaky first inning giving up 3 runs on a homer by Al Blanton and the damage was done as the Indians won the game 4-1 to even up the series.

Ruiz would settle down and go 6 2/3 innings and give up 4 runs on 5 hits. Our only run of the game came on a solo homer by Nicholas Hammond and we'll hit the road for a winner take all Game 5.

[NYY #23]

For five innings Steven Johnston and Wilfred Small would be locked in a pitcher's duel, and the game would head into the sixth inning with the game tied at 0.

Al Blanton and Peter Kerr would hit back to back doubled in the sixth to give the Indians the 1-0 lead, and they'd add one run in the seventh and one run in the eighth off Mark Carver to take a 3-0 lead.

Juan Chavez would hit a solo homer in the ninth, but it was too little too late as the Indians would win the game 3-1, and the series 3-2.

The Carolina Knights would head home for the offseason, but I'm trying to remain positive and think we took a big step forward this year.

[NYY #23]

While we were away the Washington Nationals captured the World Series with a 4-2 series win over the New York Yankees. Both teams featured at least one former Carolina Knight, with Ricardo Medrano having the best season of his career with the Yankees going 14-5 with a 4.40 ERA. The Yankees also have 1B Emilio Horne, who also had a career year with a .343 batting average, 22 home runs, 81 RBI, and a WAR of 4.2. The Nationals featured 3B Meqwran Mukuru, who hit .247 this year with 3 home runs and 24 RBI.

The good news is that my owner cooled off somewhat, increased our budget to $91 million, and gave me a new two year contract. He also issued his goals for me:

1) Win the Championship by 2034
2) Upgrade Center Field next year
3) Acquire a power hitter by 2034
4) Increase attendance to 31,000 per game
5) Improve my draft record
6) Build a Championship team by 2037

Of course goals 1 and 6 conflict somewhat, but I feel pretty good about the goals. Assistant General Manager Ryan Cross also announced that he was retiring, so we'll need to replace him. As I head into the offseason I've got my own list of items that I'd like to accomplish:

1) Find a new assistant GM
2) Upgrade center field (ideally with a power hitter)
3) Replace Victor Flores in bullpen (10-4, 12 SV, 3.48 ERA, 85 1/3 IP, 33 years old)
4) Look for starting pitcher depth
5) Explore 3B/1B upgrade

We should have the money available to make a couple things happen, so we'll see what's out there and what we can do.

Carolina Breakers - Expansion
2024 - Carolina Breakers - 94-68 (.580) - GB (Defeated Seattle Mariners 3-1 in Division Series, Lost to Boston Red Sox 4-2 in LCS, Season Score - 99)
2025 - Carolina Breakers - 81-81 (.500) 4 1/2 GB (Season Score - 18)
2026 - Carolina Breakers - 86-76 (.531) 10 GB (Season Score - 38)
2027 - Carolina Breakers - 79-83 (.488) 18 GB (Season Score - 1)
2028 - Carolina Breakers - 73-89 (.451) 13 GB (Season Score - 3)
2029 - Carolina Breakers - 57-105 (.352) 46 GB (Season Score - 1)
2030 - Carolina Knights - 65-97 (.401) 32 GB (Season Score - 1)
2031 - Carolina Knights - 68-94 (.420) 28 GB (Season Score - 12)
2032 - Carolina Knights - 90-72 (.556) 2 GB (Lost Wild Card 3-2 to Cleveland Indians, Season Score - 40)

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by NYY #23

For five innings Steven Johnston and Wilfred Small would be locked in a pitcher's duel, and the game would head into the sixth inning with the game tied at 0.

Al Blanton and Peter Kerr would hit back to back doubled in the sixth to give the Indians the 1-0 lead, and they'd add one run in the seventh and one run in the eighth off Mark Carver to take a 3-0 lead.

Juan Chavez would hit a solo homer in the ninth, but it was too little too late as the Indians would win the game 3-1, and the series 3-2.

The Carolina Knights would head home for the offseason, but I'm trying to remain positive and think we took a big step forward this year.

I realize I forgot to include the line score for this game, and went too far in the offseason to get it now.

[NYY #23]

Spring Training kicks off today, and I wanted to report on a very busy offseason in Carolina before we get underway. We didn't make any major trades, but had a lot of activity, and it felt like I had to work extra hard to do anything this offseason. I do feel good about our additions though, and hopefully they'll work out.

We started the offseason by bringing aboard Assistant General Manager Rick Woods, who is 49 and has a fair reputation. Our top target this year was CF Shusaku Kato, but he didn't have any interest in playing for my manager. After his performance last year I wasn't going to make a change to accommodate a free agent, especially an international free agent who hasn't played in the majors.

We tried to clear off some spots on the 40 man roster, but lost SP Norberto Gomez, SP Roy Grant, and reliever Jamal White to the Phillies. I'm not really too upset about losing any of them, but good luck in Philadelphia.

Our first acquisition was 25 year old third baseman Ramon Galindo. He struggled last year in Chicago hitting just .230, but the previous four seasons he had a WAR of 6.8, 4.0, 5.4, and 6.0. He signed a four year $29.5 million contract. If he can go back to being a .300 hitter with a .400 on-base percentage I'll be very happy.

We also signed utility infielder Mike Greenawalt to a one year $984,000 contract, along with a quartet of pitchers to minor league contracts - Cy Chambers, Matt Whittier, Joe Brooks, and James Collins.

We didn't break the bank for our next acquisition, but signed 1B Francisco Carranza to a four year $14.8 million contract. He's hit between .250-.300 during his career with between 19 and 36 home runs. He came over from Cuba, and is the power hitter I was looking for. That ended trade discussions with four teams for four different sluggers, but the appeal of not giving up a package full of prospects held extra appeal, even though he's a first baseman.

Next we signed 29 year old starting pitcher Cole Patterson to a one year contract. He was 8-10 with a 3.98 ERA last year with Seattle and will provide some depth in case of injury for $984K.

We also added 39 year old veteran Joe Sparks to the bullpen. Last year he was 5-2 with a save and 3.62 ERA. He's popular in the clubhouse, in the stands, and I've already heard from my players they are excited he's joining the team. He's worth taking a $5 million chance, especially because just two years ago he was 7-4 with 41 saves and a 1.97 ERA.

Then finally we added 33 year old Bob Kirby on a two year contract for $8 million per season. He's had a long record of success in the bullpen, and went a different direction after failing to land another outfielder. I actually opted out after a long bidding war. Kirby cost half as much as the price I bowed out at, and that leaves us with about $20 million in budget room.

Then two final pieces of information -

1) Vicente Cano signed a two year $13 million contract with the Rockies. We had some discussions with Cano, and he was willing to sign with Carolina again. I chose to pass though, because I'm worried about his durability, and I'd rather watch him from afar, especially because he's going to the National League

2) No player was elected to the Hall of Fame this year, but I'm still rooting for Rich Harden

3B Will Middlebrooks 73.4 (2nd year)
SP Rich Harden 66.2 (4th year)
CL Al Alburquerque 64.2 (3rd year)
SP Madison Bumgarner 63.8 (4th year)
C Buster Posey 57.3 (3rd year)
3B Evan Longoria 49.5 (4th year)
CL Craig Kimbrel 49.1 (2nd year)
SP Brett Anderson 34.8 (1st year)
CL Sean Doolittle 15.4 (2nd year)
C Wilin Rosario 7.8 (4th year)
1B Mike McKeehan 6.1 (1st year)
SP Brandon Beachy 5.8 (1st year)
SP Dontrelle Willis 5.8 (4th year)
CL Aroldis Chapman 4.1 (2nd year) Dropped
CL Cory Gearrin 3.1 (4th year) Dropped
SP Marc Rzepczynski 1.0 (1st year) Dropped
CL Ryan Cook 0.7 (1st year) Dropped

[NYY #23]

The Carolina Knights had the best record in baseball in Spring Training, going 19-9. Our good play led to some difficult final roster decisions, although they were made a little easier because of injuries. On the shelf after Spring Training are utility infielder Mike Greenawalt who will be out for 3 months, 1B Nicholas Hammond who will be out for six weeks, and SP Alan Davis, who will be returning this week.

While injuries are never a good thing at least they were fairly minor and of the non-crippling kind. Among the tough demotions were 3B Domingo Salazar, who hit .400 this spring, reliever Andrew David who had a 2.61 ERA, reliever Jose Garcia who had a 3.86 ERA, and starting pitcher Daniel George. George had a bad spring, but was 6-6 with a 2.87 ERA last year.

Our rotation is crowded though with Steven Johnston, Jose Ruiz, Ferri Boere, Tim Rogers, and Cole Patterson (who did look very good in Spring Training). Alan Davis will be back soon too. It's a good problem to have, because I would be shocked if we go through an entire season and don't need more than five pitchers.

Opening Day started off well with a 4-3 win over the Rays. Steven Johnston picked up the win with 7 strong innings, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits. A three run homer was responsible for all of the Rays' runs. Kurt Wilson returned to the fold as the set-up man after missing all last year with injury and pitched a hitless eighth while new addition Bob Kirby pitched a hitless ninth.

Offensively Pete Woolford doubled home a pair of runs and Francisco Carranza and Ramon Galindo drove in runs