Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders! - Page 19

Bub13 · 08-13-2020, 07:25 PM

So, that happened. While I enjoy these fun rides that successful regular seasons bring, the ensuing playoff crash is a helluva low. Once again we combined league-best hitting with some season-long quality pitching, only to see it all fall apart in just a few games in October. While the offense was held under water for a couple of critical games, it was our pitching that really let us down. My top three starters--Pearse, Jones, Jackson--had a combined league championship ERA that neared 8.00; Josh Irvin was inconsistent, but then he's a rookie; and Dennis Perry lost all effectiveness, both as a starter and in relief. Combined they gave up 13 home runs. And while we generally hit well, one glaring exception stood out: Adam Groff hit .240 in the Miami series (and only because he got five hits in the last two games) with just one XBH and 2 RBI. For the full post-season, he batted just .167. He's still productive over the course of a full season, but his hitting droughts are getting longer and more pronounced. What will 2052 bring I wonder...

......

The off-season gets off to a...strange...beginning, when owner Alexis Pagan steams in on his mega-yacht to say how pleased he was with the season, despite the bad ending. Playoff revenue, a reduced payroll, and near-record attendance brought in $36M in profit...most of which he kept. But now, things are different. He tells me he's out: out of the company he founded, and now out of the picture as team owner. And yet, he still hands me a list of "recommendations" for the coming season: win it all, improve team defense, sign closer Jon White to an extension, cut payroll more, build a dynasty. Stranger still, he raises the budget for next year by $18M, to $238M, which places us sixth in all of baseball. Raise the budget but cut player payroll? What's going on here? We'll have 238 mill to spend, but only 130 mill on players?

I go to Google school (aka "the internet") to dig for more info. (Confession: I had one of the interns do it.) Bizness Insiderrr says that a new consortium is taking the helm at Pagan Holdings and has opened new offices in the Cayman Islands. Is this a good thing...?

......

Ok. On the "I expected that" news front, we can get back to regular player developments. First, Jeremy Dunklee and Faustino Whitton retire. Whitton came over in a trade from LA in '49, but he never did hit much for me when I tried giving him larger roles. (He hit .261 in 226 AB over three seasons.) Still, his leadership and great attitude made him a worthwhile vet to keep on hand, and we won a title with him on board last year. He retires with a career .297/.375/.440 slash, 2451 hits, 188 HR, 374 steals, and 48.6 WAR. He was a two-time all-star and won three Silver Sluggers, all with Richmond. (I signed him as an international free agent for Richmond waaaay back in 2030.) He had some solid seasons with the Eagles, but was too inconsistent then later on too injury-riddled to produce enough for a solid look from the Hall. Dunklee, on the other hand, has a legit HoF case. We signed him out of the IBL in '34, our inaugural year, and he played right away. By '35 he was a star, and quickly won an MVP trophy the following year. He retires with a .291/.411/.515 slash, 2508 hits, 444 HR, 1512 RBI, 1712 BB, and 80.7 WAR. He was an eight-time all-star and won six Silver Sluggers. By most Hall metrics, he's in, by wide or narrow margins. I'm glad he finished his career here; he's also the final link to our expansion season. Now I'm all that's left. (Although there are six players drafted that first summer who are still active, just not with us.)

Second, third, fourth, and so on.... With the demanded payroll decrease to $130M, I'll be looking to shave off $5M from our current outlay. (Or will I?) To start, I probably won't bring back anyone heading to free agency. That includes: SP Dennis Perry (made $6M, asking for double that); C Rob Rich (made $5M, wants the same but for six more years; he's 31.); CL Jon White (we paid him $4.8 of his overall $6.8M deal. He wants nearly $10M); 1B Steve Wallace (made $2.7M, but I have no idea what he wants next year as I'm not answering his agent's calls); RP Robbie Collier (made $1.5M at age 37. He wants $7.75M per for two more years. LOL.). And then there's Eric Jones, who decided to void his final contract year (he would've made $15.1M) and try his toes in the murky waters of free agency. Do I let the 14-year vet, perhaps our steadiest pitcher all season, simply walk away? Yep; he's declining, according to our scouts, and with his already-average stuff, he doesn't have far to go to become a drag o the rotation. On top of that there's the usual mush of departing minor league free agents, 25 this year, and no one terribly surprising. Nine of those guys come from AAA (five are pitchers), so there will be some serious retooling on the upper farm. Nobody we can't live without, including two guys on the 40-man (vets C Brett Monize and IF Joe Sayers).

Arbitrations and other contract news... Five potential free agents (listed above), and five arbitration cases are next on the radar. As I said, I'm not offering contracts to any of the free agents, including Jones. That's the toughest case, as he's been with us forever. But it's time to cut bait. The other decision I mull over a bit is Rob Rich. He had a nice comeback year, batting .345 and producing 3.3 WAR in a platoon role. But he'll be 32 soon, and this season came after two years of producing next to nothing offensively, so I'm not convinced he's entering a late-in-life renaissance. Jon White was also effective for us, but at 35 his time is limited. Ditto for Collier (who's 37 and has major injury history). Saying goodbye to both of them depletes the pen of lefties, so I'll be on the lookout for at least one LHP either from within or from beyond. (And Jones is a lefty too; it's a left-handed apocalypse.) The arbitration cases will all be pursued, in various ways. To wit:
...RP Kyle Johnson (current 950k, wants 2.0, we offer 1.1) -- I want him to compete for the closer role.
...C Tom Whittington (current 500k, wants 3.0, we offer 2.0) -- productive as the RHB platoon with Rich. If we lose this, I'll trade him.
...2B Josh Matson (current 3.9, wants 9.0, we offer ...) -- I've offered him an extension, which he is considering. He's worth it.
...SS Jesse Ryder (current 500k, wants 650k, we can do that) -- useful utility guy, worth having back at a cheap rate.
...OF Jerry Cappuccilli (current 4.8, wants 8.1, we offer 6.1) -- like Rich, a big comeback year. If he gets too much $$$, might have to lose him.

As usual, I expect to win the cheap ones and lose the expensive ones. With Collier and White leaving the bullpen, there's room to spend a bit on Johnson, before we decide if we'll extend him beyond next season. Whittington and Cappuccilli could be the guys who "bust" my payroll target of $130M, which would make them expendable, frankly. There are cheaper alternatives on the farm, but there's something to be said for having proven vets on your roster, especially if they bring intangibles to the table (which they both do).

The sum of our off-season departures, assuming we keep everyone going through arbs, is thus:
2 SP
2 RP (including our CL)
2 1B/DH (one regular)
1 OF/DH
1 C (RHB platoon starter)

So while we shed some considerable salary, next year still projects to a $135M payroll, including Whitt's and Capp's arb cases. Of course, I could just ignore my instructions completely and spend money like a drunken sailor. But I don't think I trust these new owners...

......

Josh Matson signs his extension. He'll make slightly less than his arb estimate of $9M for the coming year, at $7.7M. For '53 that jumps to 9.35M, then to 11.55M for '54 through '57, and then team options for '58 and '59. By then he'll be 35 and quite possibly a memory, so we'll see what this ultimately costs us. All in all, quite affordable, even with my new extortionate, erm I mean FRUGAL, owners.

We also make a waiver claim, grabbing 34-year-old MR Min-Hyuk Yaung from Washington. Yaung will be a free agent and made minimum last year, so we're going to try to keep him to something resembling that for next year. He's here because he's a lefty, and if he signs he'll be first in line for that coveted bullpen slot. He tossed 58.2 IP for the Nats, fanning 67 and walking 25. And he's a four-time reliever of the year in the KBO, so that's gotta count for something, right?

......

In late-November league news: a couple of small trades, a couple of waiver claims, nothing much. No owners kick the bucket, but ten managers are shown the door. Most surprisingly is Miami skipper Paul Trashini, who guided the Marlins to 95 wins and a spot in the World Series. He won 362 games in his four seasons at the helm. No word on where he'll land, nor on who will replace him in Miami. Also of note was the firing of Baltimore manager--and former Isles all-time manager--Pat Wilson. Fun fact: we went to Baltimore on 7/18, when their record was 33-57. From that date on, they went 15-57, completely falling apart. Dead last in offense, which contrived to manage the most strikeouts and the fewest walks. And they set a new MLB record with 1714 Ks! Dead last in pitching, but at least the bullpen ERA ranked 8th. What did they do well? Um...5th in steals, 4th-best ZR.

(Btw, some other all-time AL single season records were set in 2051: Hawaii (us!) 1789 hits, breaking our own mark of 1757 set back in 2039; Detroit smacked 351 HR, breaking the old record by 37; they also slugged .498, breaking our mark from '39; our pitchers struck out 1652 batters, quite a surprise to me. In the NL, Montreal (with 1678) and Pittsburgh (1664) broke the former record for most batting Ks, set by Cincy in '47 (at 1660); Philly (331) and Cincy (316) broke number for most HR; and Pirate pitchers also set their own strikeout record, retiring 1748 batters on strikes, topping the old number by 71.)

Awards time!
AL Gold Glove: P Shamar Jackson, HAW (1st!); C Jon Hill, TBR; 1B Jim Timmer, CHW (6th); 2B Alvin Phillips, KCR (2nd); 3B Vincent Obregon, SEA; SS Oscar Garza, HOU; LF Aaron Lenhard, SEA (4th); CF Joe Lynn, HAW (1st!); RF Andy Barenberg, CHW
NL Gold Glove: P Chad Akers, NOZ (4th); C Steve Newman, ATL; 1B Antonio Maestas, MTL; 2B Andy Lee, SDP; 3B Gerardo Nieto, POR; SS Rich Stoneback, LAD (4th); LF Mike Israel, SDP; CF Dan Politz, POR (2nd); RF Ed Silverio, NYM (5th)

AL Hoyt Wilhelm: Jon White, HAW, 1.89 ERA, 35 SV, 57 IP, 59 K, 1.7 WAR
NL Hoyt Wilhelm: Rafael Castro, NYM, 1.53 ERA, 64.2 IP, 72 K, 4 big saves

AL Silver Slugger: C Juan Espinoza, TEX; 1B William Swanson, TEX (3rd); 2B Ninsei Sato, CHW; 3B Ryan Walton, OAK; SS Noah Johnson, OAK; LF Felix Reyes, OAK; CF Luis Rodela, DET; RF Vance Wise, TBR; DH Cesar Alvarenga, DET (4th)
NL Silver Slugger: P Jon Carlsen, CIN; C Lance Powell, BKN (7th); 1B Alfonso Contreras, NYM (3rd); 2B Juan Rodriquez, LAD (6th); 3B Gerardo Nieto, POR; SS Ben Grossman, BKN (2nd); LF Mike Israel, SDP; CF Dustin Wasilewski, LAD; RF George Livezey, PHI (2nd)

AL Rookie of the Year: Ninsei Sato, CHW 2B (.305/.384/.603, 39 HR 114 RBI, 5.7 WAR) [Mike Pearse was a distant 3rd]
NL Rookie of the Year: Tim Bell, MON 3B (.330/.364/.542, 21 HR, 71 RBI, 4.3 WAR)

AL Manager of the Year: Chris Kenny, HAW [rookie season!]
NL Manager of the Year: Dario Agrazal, PIT (3rd win)

AL Cy Young: Conor MacLeod, MIN (18-10, 2.72 ERA, 405 K, 257 IP, 11.1 WAR)
NL Cy Young: Cris Frias, CIN (15-6, 2.15 ERA, 348 K, 192 IP, 9.1 WAR, 28 starts)

AL MVP: William Swanson, TEX 1B (2nd win, .357/.434/.691, 52 HR, 127 RBI, 8.4 WAR)
NL MVP: Gerardo Nieto, POR 3B (.347/.397/.669, 48 HR, 141 RBI, 10.3 WAR)

A surprise Gold Glove for Shamar Jackson, and a richly deserved one for Lynn. Also a surprise is the Wilhelm for Jon White, as he didn't lead any RP category except ERA. And a nice joke by voters naming a middle reliever as the best fireman in the NL. And Chris Kenny may be the youngest manager to ever win that trophy. Now let's just bring a different trophy back next year.

......

Arbitrations come back...and man, did we get sand kicked in our faces. Cappuccilli came in two million over his estimate, and will receive $10.2M next year. Whittington also won, getting $3.7M instead of the three mill price tag he set for himself. Johnson and Ryder went our way, but we lost out big time. Jones also declined the qualifying offer and will sail off to free ageny. Bon voyage, Eric. These two big arbitration contracts will put us well over the "suggested" $130M payroll. Will I get concerned telegrams from the Caribbean? Or maybe just some unwarranted business audits or late night visitors instead...

......

Free Agency starts, lots of money is being thrown about, and several teams have already signed multiple big contracts:
...Tampa Bay grabbed SS Rich Stoneback (4 yrs, $77M) and OF Kris Warner (5 yrs, $93M)
...Milwaukee, getting C Dan Starr (3 yrs, $55M) and 3B Dante Padilla (5 yrs, $105M)
...the Cubs made two big deals, getting OF Mike Israel (5 yrs, $101M), and vet SP D.J. Pasquarelli (3 yrs, $25M)
...LA of course is spending big: CL Bob Harrison (1 yr, $3.8M), OF David Von Eschen (4 yrs, $80M), and useful RP Chris Milano (1 yr, $4M)
...Miami lost Von Eschen, but signed SP Jon Carlsen (5 yrs, $103M), and is rumored to be after several remaining top names
...the Yankees are rich, duh: 1B Erik Morgan (1 yr, $7.2M), SS Victor Provencio (7 yrs, $83M) and OF Aaron Harrison (4 yrs, $68M)
...Houston wants to compete for real, nabbing two former Isles: SP Tim Ciotta (7 yrs, $85M) and RP Ramon Sanabria (2 yrs, $10.8M)
...Boston inks the ancient SP Eddy Llamas (2 yrs, $19M) and almost-as-old IF Mike Hunter (3 yrs, $39M). They also make the first international splash, grabbing Japanese SP Kaoru Tanaka (4 yrs, $35M)

All this and only two weeks in! Winter Meetings have also just started, which I know because we're now getting ridiculously bad trade offers. (How many Marv Throneberries for one Carl Furillo?) Also, we haven't made any moves, so maybe our new corporate masters will stay off my back.

One more note: as the Winter Meetings wrap up, teams completed ten trades, including several highly significant ones. I'll talk more about those in the next post. But I will add one more name here: LA signed our very own Eric Jones to a 3 year deal worth $30M...and they already have him listed as a relief pitcher...and their fans are already questioning the move given that Jones is 35. Our fans? They're pissed. But, I tell them, we got a supplemental draft pick! Supplemental!

......

As I finish this post and think about what the rest of the off-season brings for us, I'll leave you with a definition that may give you a clue:

whiplash, n., fig., a feeling of disorientation and surprise when a sudden move is made in the opposite of the initial direction of movement. Example: "First we're going, now we're staying. I've got whiplash from you changing your mind like that."

Bub13 · 08-16-2020, 05:35 PM

2052

The calendar turns...and my mind changes. New owners be damned, we're going to spend a little bit of cash and grab a couple players I want, yet without completely breaking the bank. Especially as a) I think our window is beginning to close, and 2) our budget is likely going down next year.

First: we have an owner goal--an OWNER GOAL, PEOPLE--to improve our team defense. Well okay, then, let's do it via a big fat TRADE! We send our two recent arbitration winners, Cappuccilli and Whittington, along with 2B prospect Julian Cardenas, to Cleveland for 2B D.J. Grace. We give up a useful utility piece in Cappuccilli, who can hit when hot but is limited in AB by better players at his positions (LF/1B/DH) and was due to be overpaid to sit on the bench half the season; Whittington finally hit some last year, but I think I can find cheaper platoon/backup catchers than him, and we have a solid prospect who's about 90% ready; and Cardenas was someone the rebuilding Indians (more on them below) wanted, as they are shaving players like a boot camp barber shop. In Grace we get a guy coming off a down year (.264) but who has three seasons at .320 or better; gets on base (averages 100 BB per 162 games); has some power (15-20 HR annually); is a team captain; and is a solid fielder with some range and a big arm. The only real con is that he's in his final contract year, and will likely want a fat raise over his current $20M. (Cleveland will eat 1/4 of that.)

Sharpish readers will say "Wait, don't you already have a second baseman? One who hit .324, with 21 HR last year? And just signed to a nice contract extension?" Yes. Yes to all of that. But I got you covered: Matson--the 2B--will slide over to first, as he is really...terrible at second. Bob Goodloe will shift over from third to second, where he's better suited (great glove, excellent on the DP), and Grace will slide in at third. The only potential drawback here is that he's never played an inning at third in his pro career. No worries! He's a smart guy, and that's what spring training is for, right? There may be some bumps in the road here, but I figure it will work out. I would have just left him at second, but Goodloe looks a little better there to me (much better glove), and I prefer him handling the higher number of chances a second baseman gets. If Grace bombs at third, I'll swap them back, b/c there's not a huge difference between them. But I'm still going to try it. One last thing: this pretty much ends Adam Groff's career in the field; he was a liability at first last year, mostly because his range finally left him. So much so that even Matson now looks like a better 1B, and he only has 24 innings of MLB experience there. One more last thing: with Cleveland retaining 1/4 of Grace's salary, we actually come out about 500k ahead in the deal.

Second: this leaves me with a hole at catcher, having let Rich walk and now Whittington getting dealt. (And frankly: the deal made sense b/c now I don't have to type out "Cappuccilli" and "Whittington" any more. Maybe by that logic I should bring Rich back.) So I want to add two guys, and the choices on the farm range from good-one-day-but-will-it-be-this-year (Mike Covington) to eh-if-I-have-to (Justin Saffer, everyone else). That's untenable, especially if Covington shows in the spring that he's not ready to hit yet. The biggest FA name on the boards is Dan Starr, who still swings a big bat and will likely be in the Hall one day. But he's 41, hasn't played over 100 games in the last three years, and is a 250-pound liability behind the plate. He wants big money, too. No thanks. (And then Milwaukee signs him for $18M per for three years. LOL.) Almost everyone else is too old and wants too much dough. All but two guys: Victor Valadez and Willie Alonzo. Both are asking for less than $7M, both are under 30 (V is 27, A 25), and both have established histories. Valadez has been in the meat grinder in San Francisco for five years, while Alonzo has been New Orleans' guy for five. The differences between them are few: Valadez has a bigger arm, Alonzo is the better receiver; V has more pop (can hit 20 HR; A might hit 10), A has a slightly higher average and gets on base more. In the end...I go with Alonzo. He's two years younger, has four Gold Gloves (owner goal again!), and is well-liked. And for all the complaining I do in the regular season, you know how I really feel about OBP vs HR. He signs for 4 years at $6M per, with '55 being a team option. Plus, the fans--who were bummed when Capp and Whitt got traded (really?)--are ecstatic about this signing. Again: really? How many fans are over the moon about signing what amounts to a better-than-average journeyman catcher? At any rate, our season tix sales are jumping, 24% over the expected number right now.

To further shore up the catching, I also ink Japanese import Hiro Wakabayashi. The 30-year-old is an average hitter with zero power, but he's patient at the plate and is an above-average defensive catcher. He has a 30-day option in his contract, meaning he'll probably bolt if he doesn't make the team in the spring, but that's okay too. Whether he or Covington or anyone else makes the team, we'll be saving about $3M over having Rich and Whitt behind the plate.

We also beef up the competition in the bullpen by grabbing a few cheap but competent-looking guys right after the New Year. Andy Pearse (cousin of Mike) is a 24-year-old lefty who will get a long look in camp; 22-year-old Cuban hotshot Orlando Silva looks nearly MLB-ready right now; and Korean import Gyoo-Jae Joe is probably a year away but is another lefty possibility. In addition, we sign a handful of players at the AAA and AA level to replace some of the dozen or so guys who left via free agency, but none are likely to ever compete for a spot on the big league roster. We do lose one player in the Rule 5 draft: IF Francisco Salcedo to KC. He's a useful utility guy, but is limited to the right side of the infield and isn't much of a threat at the plate. It's likely he'll be back in Santa Barbara by the summer.

The end result is that the big league payroll is now just over $139M, rather than the target of $130M. Big deal, I say. No one is coming after me. After all, I have all the incriminating photos and documents kept in a very safe place. For now.

......

The Holiday Season rolls past, and teams obviously found big rolls of cash in their stockings, as everyone is still out there tossing money around like candy. Miami is definitely shoring up the pitching staff, signing former Isle Cy Young winner Mike Messinger (3 yrs, $27M), former Angels SP Ken Demers (2 yrs, $16M), and top closer Daryl Kennedy (1 yr, $5.4M). Still gotta replace David Von Eschen's big bat, guys. Cincinnati adds to their powerhouse lineup by inking annual 40+ HR guy Andy Howard for 4 years, $41M. And Richmond is the new LA, signing three relievers to big money deals: Rick Ramirez ($7.1M), Ken Zeolla (3 yrs, $18M), and Robbie Collier (2 yrs, $16M). Only one closer at a time, tho, and they're also really counting on having leads to protect...which is not something they had many of last year. Washington closes out the New Year's Hangover Day signing frenzy by grabbing SS Adam Burke, one of the top names on the board, for 6 years and $86M. I really, really don't get this one: a career .250 hitter, with a bit of pop but who doesn't get on base much. Although he has great range and can turn the DP, for a shortstop he's otherwise terrible: bad glove (20+ errors per season) and a weak arm. A long-term escalating contract for a mediocre hitter who's decline will be quick and devastating. Fun.

Hall of Fame votes are in, and only one guy gets the call this time around: closer Will Ness, with 80% of the vote in his third year of eligibility. Ness threw for twenty years, almost all of them with Kansas City, winning two Wilhelm trophies and making four all-star teams. He finished with 435 saves and 35 WAR, and also made 97 starts for the Royals over his first six seasons, all while earning at least ten saves each of those seasons. He won his first Wilhelm in '32, and his second in '41 with the Mets, at age 37. In addition to Ness, the Veteran's Committee added two zombies who probably should've been in years ago: OF Larry Walker and P Kevin Brown. You know all about them already.

Also...
...the Yankees add their fifth reliever of the off-season, signing former Isles closer Jon White for two years, $12.6M.
...Oakland beefs up their own bullpen, adding wannabe-closer Tim Stoner from the Cubs. They've also added four other relievers to last year's unsteady pen.
...the White Sox land Boston 2B Andrew Taylor, 5 years and $72M. The Sox have lost 17 players since October, and picked up just three. Still, the've gained in WAR, which tells you something about what they let go.

I mentioned the Indians above. They are shedding salary amidst a furious rebuild that will see some pretty amazing roster turnover. Walking to free agency were their starting C, 1B, CF, two SP, and two backup/platoon IF. Add to that several significant trades. They sent their #4 OF to San Diego, and sent 2050 free agent catch LF Morgan Akers to Baltimore for a pair of 1B/DH types: MLB-level Gary Rushton and a decent prospect. You can read about the Grace trade above, sending their team captain to us for three roster players. The final deal completed the turnover across the infield, sending SS Matthew Powell (a crazy-good fielder and a typical modern low-contact/high-power hitter) for five prospects, from Oakland. This is a deal that could jump start the rebuild in another season or two, as they added two top-100 pitching prospects (#60 Dudley Mele and #61 Ken Shurtleff), two other mid-rotation possibles, and interesting OF prospect Caleb Nunley. The infield this season will be super-thin, the outfield not much better, and they're still going with many of the pitchers that just finished 16th in runs allowed. So it's gonna get a lot worse than last year's 72 wins, Cleveland fans. But help is on the way. (And I didn't mention super-prospect Mike Lee, listed at SS but who can play anywhere but C, really. He can throw guys out from the moon, and looks like a great hitter to-be.)

(Another side note: consider also the Indians Central division-mates Milwaukee, who've seen 19 players from the roster depart. The damage: their DH, C, 1B, 3B, LF, 2 SP, CL, 3 RP, 3 backups, a few minor leaguers. Although I have to say that, except on the mound, they've done a good job of targeting viable replacements. Sure, they overpaid for old-man Dan Starr; but they also brought in slugging former Isle Dante Padilla (3B/1B), promising OFs Manny Molina and Jose Penilla, and two backup C to vie for spots. Otherwise, it's a couple of new okay-ish relievers and a lot of hope for the rest of the staff. The rotation right now looks like four guys who need to bounce back from bad years in '51 and a promotion from the pen for low-movement flyball (and you know what that equals) guy Danny Salgado.)

......

January 27th, and pitchers and catchers report. Soon enough everyone will be at camp in Arizona, and Spring Training games will be here before you know it. While we haven't remade our roster over the off-season, there are more open spots than usual going in to camp. That said, the starting lineup is set; but there are bench spots open. And the pitching staff will see more change than usual as well. Here's the lay of the land as it currently stands:

STARTERS ('*' equals new acquisition)
C - Willie Alonzo*
1B - Josh Matson
2B - Bob Goodloe
SS - J.J. Simmons
3B - D.J. Grace*
LF - Cam Daley
CF - Joe Lynn
RF - Josh Frederick
DH - Adam Groff

Alonzo and Grace are welcomed to the team, and there will be new positions to be learned for 3/4 of the infield. Otherwise, very similiar to last year.

BENCH (including all competitors for six spots; '(r)' equals returning player)
C - Mike Covington, Hiro Wakabayashi*
1B/DH - Jules Medici, Tim Chapman
IF - Jesse Ryder(r), Jesus Lopez, Edwin Morales, Lua Ulkini, Eric Husted
OF - Julius Burrows(r), Stephen Eason, Josh Hed, Ken Taliaferro, Diego Espino

Ryder and Burrows are near shoo-ins to return. After them, there will be four more slots available: in total, we'll have one catcher, and likely one 1B/DH, two IF, and two OF. Nobody is an outright favorite, although I am hoping super-prospect Medici shows enough to make the team. He's starting to enter put-up-or-shut-up territory. The only guys with MLB experience here are Ryder and Burrows, obviously, then Medici, Lopez, and Eason.

STARTING PITCHERS
returning: Mike Pearse, Shamar Jackson, Josh Irvin
hopefuls: Henry Skiffington, Mike Bader, Shane Walker (L), Greg Van Tilburg (L)

That's right: I'm going with two rookies to start the season. Three, really, counting Irvin, although he did get eleven starts for us last year. Skiffington and Bader are top-20 prospects; Walker has been up before; Van Tilburg, 25, is a former 2nd round pick who's finally getting a look. He and Walker are the only two lefties here.

RELIEF PITCHERS
returning: Alex Mahoney, Kyle Johnson, YJ Yi, Ben Germann
hopefuls: Anthony Booker, Tyler Amsden, MH Yaung (L), Andy Pearse (L), Jeremy Kolek (L), Miguel Tirado, Elias Tena, Richard Tracy, Jaheim Mwaura

Four spots are set; all four returners pitched well last year and have earned their locks. Lots of competition for the final two spots, however. Those slots are wide open, but I'd like to see Booker show his stuff and one of the lefties to stand out and earn a place. I'll take two lefties if they show well, however. Only Amsden, Young, Kolek, and Mwaura have big league innings, from among the hopefuls.

Overall, I expect us to hit. The bench should be pretty decent too, although we're a little thin--as usual--on the infield bench. Pitching will be the tell this season. With two new starters and a remade bullpen, there is uncertainty across the entire unit. I think the pen will come around, unless everybody suffers a TCR drop at once. And there's definitely talent in the new rotation competitors: thing is, will it show from the start of the season? We've got enough prospect depth to go try to grab a vet from a struggling team if we need to, but I'd rather not if I can help it. Still, I think the term "on a short leash" will apply to the rotation.

......

A few more signings and such from around the league, before spring training kicks off in earnest.
...right after I went full 'smdh' at Milwaukee above, they sign slugging RF Hughie Noonan (39 HR with OAK last year) for 3 years, $43M
...Richmond continues to fill the role of "LA East", adding three more quality RP at top-drawer prices
...Vinny Vargas gets to continue his quest for 3000 hits in Kansas City, signing a one-year deal for $6.3M
...done with power bats for now, Detroit has added the remaining decent bullpen arms, including a conversion kit: 37-year-old Rafa Maldonado, a two-time MVP and Cy Young winner who's just 4 strikeouts away from 4000; his stuff is waning, but he still looks like a solid MR or LR to me
...Minnesota had a few solid bats and a historical season from Conor MacLeod last year; no one else showed up. So far they've only added a handful of middling relief pitchers, and now the last solid SP on the block: Dustin Springer, late of Houston, is theirs for 3 years and $31.4M
...some former Islanders news: Austin grabs 1B Steve Wallace for a year at $4.5M; the Yankees added Jon White for two years and $12.6M; and Rob Rich jets off to the Seibu Lions of the ***, at the cut-rate price of $2.3M.
...the Dodgers have kept up their reputation, adding eight relievers. But Richmond...they've nabbed eleven guys, all of whom are MLB-level, six who have been closers within the last three seasons.
...Oakland extends ace Jim Schwartz for four more seasons, making him one of the richest men in the league: he'll earn $23M next year, then $27M, before two seasons of $34M kick in. He'll be 35 by the end of the deal, and although he's been pretty healthy in his seven-year career (only missing most of '48), that'll be a lot of dough for an old arm...

Bub13 · 08-18-2020, 09:01 PM

Spring Training Report and Opening Day Roster, 2052

What fun we had in March this year. Fun-sarcastic meaning "sort of interesting and not really great" rather than the fun-fun of "an absolute blast." The biggest news is, of course, injuries. Projected opening day starting pitcher Mike Pearse tore his labrum and will miss the season. Sigh. Relievers Alex Mahoney and Tyler Amsden will also miss the start of the season, three and two weeks respectively. Promising SP Josh Egan will also miss most of the season with a broken elbow, but he was projected to start in AA. (Still, he's losing a season of development, so that's a setback.) And although spring stats don't count for anything, should I be concerned that the two guys who didn't hit at all were the two newcomers, D.J. Grace and Willie Alonzo? I'm sure they'll be fine... Again: Sigh.

The good news is that a host of rookies and other kids made the squad, and I sent down a few pitchers who threw well enough and outfielders who hit well enough to stick, but just didn't have room for them. Yet. And the starting pitchers who did survive camp and made the club all threw really, really well. Still, we rode some inconsistent hitting and relief pitching to a 15-15 record. Absolute middle of the pack.

Did I mention that spring training stats don't count?

......

Since spring training doesn't matter--unless, say, you're injured and out for the year--let's set the stage for the 2052 season. Despite the uncertainties on our pitching staff, MLB still likes us: first in the West with 99 wins, and the most in baseball (one ahead of Tampa Bay). Our projected 913 runs will be the most in the game, but our new-guy pitching staff will rank seventh in runs allowed. We'll be way, way down the HR list, getting only 159, good for 32nd in MLB. But we'll have the most steals (187) going away.

Elsewhere, Minnesota (wut?) and Tampa Bay are predicted to win their AL divisions; while in the NL Atlanta and San Francisco (unless they're plagued by death squads again this year) will win theirs; and Cincinnati and Pittsburgh will tie in the Central. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Baltimore will win only 60 games, Montreal 63. And here's some odd numbers: Philadelphia is picked to finish at .500, but will score 895 runs (tops in the NL by 80), tops in HR (346, winning by 40). They'll also give up 887 runs, by far the most in all of baseball. (Then again, they were predicted to have some all-time horrible pitching last year and ended up winning 91 games and just falling short of making the World Series. Then again again...they went 10-20 this spring.)

......

Enough of those lies. Without further ado, here are your Hawaii Islanders for the 2052 season!

(Player name, particulars and salary, '51 stats. Starters in bold. *** = newbie)

***C Willie Alonzo, 26, L, $6M thru '55, .235/7/43, 0.9 WAR, with NOZ. Saw a serious dropoff both at and behind the plate last year, so we're taking a chance that he'll bounce back. Still a young guy; has four Gold Gloves already. Will split time against LHP with the next guy.
***C Hiro Wakabayashi, 30, R, $800k (auto renew), .247/1/43, 0.6 WAR, with Chiba Lotte in Japan. Solid defensive catcher whose best hitting traits are eye and K avoidance. Has no power at all. Made the team over prospect Mike Covington mostly due to already being on the tight 40-man roster.
1B Josh Matson, 28, S, $7.7M thru '59, .324/21/93, 3.9 WAR. Big breakthrough year, his power finally showed up and he topped his '50 average by 21 points. Also stole 17 bases, and had an OPS of .918. Highly problematic defense at 2B, however, has resulted in a shift to first. Now, his poor arm is better than most other MLB first basemen, and his range and glove look pretty good.
***1B/DH Jules Medici, 21, R, $500k (arb), .322/14/68 in AAA, and .321 in 28 MLB AB. Still strikes out too much to be a regular, at least in my eyes. Whiffed 146 times in AAA, and 33% in his brief MLB callup. His .946 OPS was a nice development, and I will find ways to work him into the lineup more as the season goes along.
2B Bob Goodloe, 28, L, $11.8M thru '55, .315/18/104, 4.6 WAR. So he did hit 40 points lower and earned less WAR than in '50, but there's still nothing to complain about here. Doesn't walk much (.354 OBP) but few strikeouts (just 36) too. Added 20 steals. Is part of the Great Infield Shift of 2052, moving from third to second. His range isn't really ideal, but he has a great glove and is fabulous on the DP.
IF Edwin Morales, 25, R, $900k (arb), .292/5/27 in AAA, and .300 in 30 MLB AB. Beat out Jose Lopez for the #2 utility infield role. Has chops enough to play anywhere in the infield, and has some outfield ability as well. Average hitter at best.
***3B D.J. Grace, 29, S, $20M thru '52 (CLE paying 25%), .264/16/69, 4.4 WAR with Cleveland. Has been the Indians regular 2B for seven seasons, but his mediocre glove combined with a rocket arm equals my new third baseman. Hit .322 with 24 HR in '50, which is more in line with his career averages. Stole 20 bases too. Had a poor spring, but I believe he has shaken off his Ohio rust.
IF Jesse Ryder, 26, R, $650k (arb), .276/1/17 in 134 AB, 0.3 WAR. Was solid at the "skill" IF positions last year; I expect more this year. Slightly better hitter than Morales, above, slightly lower-rated in the field. Smart and speedy guy.
SS J.J. Simmons, 29, R, $17M thru '56, .323/0/71, 3.5 WAR. The only non-outfielder not new in any way, not shifting a position for once. Had a horrible start to '51, contributing to fewer doubles and steals. After three straight Gold Gloves at third, I thought he deserved one at short last year, but noooo...
LF Cam Daley, 28, R, $4.6M thru '53, .339/27/87, 5.9 WAR. Didn't repeat his '50 batting title despite hitting better in '51. Added 51 doubles and 18 steals. Doesn't walk much, and is losing range in left, resulting in a sad ZR. Everything else he does very well, and is a Fan favorite too.
***OF Stephen Eason, 21, R, $500k (auto renew), .303/19/81 in AAA, 5-for-25 in Hawaii. Has never been a top prospect, but keeps hitting at every rung along the way. Has some nice pop too, despite some concerns about his average contact. Not much of a runner; decent fielder. Captain America-type material.
OF Julius Burrows, 26, L, $500k (arb), .287/7/18, 0.5 WAR, 108 AB. Wants to start, and isn't a bad replacement. Decent fielder everywhere, but best in left and center. No real weaknesses anywhere at the plate, even if he's also not great anywhere either. Has some speed, and plays hard. Not good against LHP.
CF Joe Lynn, 23, R, $2.8M thru '56, .332/7/74, 6.0 WAR. Took over in center and at leadoff from Joe Klein and was a sensation. Finished third in batting, first in steals, hits, and triples, and won a Gold Glove. He and Daley combined for over 460 hits from the top two spots.
RF Josh Frederick, 29, L, $12.2M thru '58, .282/16/66, 1.7 WAR. Missed nearly half the season, so should bounce back to his usual power numbers. Bats cleanup, and we missed him when he was out. Led the league in triples in '49 and '50, so he's no plodder out there.
DH Adam Groff, 38, L, $42M thru '53, .319/33/106, 4.2 WAR. Sure, he's in the twilight of his long and glorious career, but he's still got contact, power, and nearly everything else. Lost his range in the field finally, and his running speed (stole in single digits for the first time in his career, over a full season). Is 367 hits away from 3000; has an outside chance to get there, depending on how much he declines this year and next.

SP Shamar Jackson, 29, R, $5.4M thru '55, 18-8, 4.22, 241 IP, 237 K, 3.7 WAR. With Pearse's injury, he's the de facto ace now. There's good and bad to his game: doesn't get hurt, eats a lot of innings, fans over 200 every year. But his ERA is always over 4, he's prone to the long ball, and can give up hits in bunches if the knuckler isn't hopping. Still, his walks were down and his Ks were up last year. Let's see what he can do as the top dog.
(***)SP Josh Irvin, 23, R, $500k (arb), 9-0, 3.91, 69 IP, 77 K, 1.5 WAR (9-0 in 18 AAA starts too). Seems like he could be a right-handed clone of Eric Jones, but with a bit more stuff. Keeps the ball down and has a ton of movement, featuring an elite curve/change combo, marginal fastball tho. Went 19-0 between AAA, MLB, and one playoff start.
***SP Henry Skiffington, 23, R, $500k (auto renew), 13-5, 3.02 ERA, 143 IP, 129 K, 3.1 WAR in AAA. 23rd ranked prospect in MLB. Still developing, but showed a lot in the spring and looks ready. Control looks good, but movement and stuff could be better. Missed about a dozen starts last year, but then nearly everyone in the system got hurt at some point, so it seemed. Of course I've started calling him Biff.
***SP Mike Bader, 23, R, minor league deal, 13-11, 4.07 ERA, 203 IP, 174 K, 3.0 WAR in AAA. Has gotten overlooked a bit (by me, in all honesty), but is the #19 prospect in MLB. Didn't dominate in AAA last year, which I suppose doesn't really matter now. Has two-and-a-half pitches, so this is a growing year for him too. Doesn't walk many, keeps the ball in the yard, and has facial hair befitting his place as lead singer in a Tenpole Tudor cover band.
***SP Greg Van Tilburg, 26, L, minor league deal, 11-11, 3.55 ERA, 174 IP, 190 K, 3.7 WAR in AA and AAA. A 2nd round pick in '48, took his time developing. When his control came around, he finally became something of a prospect. Started camp in long relief, moved up when Pearse got hurt. Was second in AL this spring with 24 K in 18.1 IP. Beat out veteran lefty Shane Walker for the #5 slot.

CL Kyle Johnson, 25, R, $1.1M thru '52 (arb), 5-3, 3 SV, 3.89 ERA, 39 IP, 56 K, 0.3 WAR. Begins the season as closer, but doesn't have a lock on it yet. Got blown up early in camp but settled down and gave up no runs over his last six appearances. Is listed as greedy, but his arb estimate for next year isn't much more than his current salary, so I may look at a rare extension during the season at some point.
SU Ben Germann, 32, R, $2.8M thru '55, 4-5, 2 SV, 3.16 ERA, 91 IP, 131 K, 2.1 WAR. Pitched a lot for us last year and was pretty solid all year. Like Johnson, got lit up early but shook it off and looks ready to go.
SU Yue-Jiu Yi, 27, R, $500k thru '52 (arb), 6-1, 1 SV, 2.82 ERA, 89 IP, 120 K, 2.3 WAR. Was quite a 1-2 strikeout punch with Germann last year. Made the all-star lineup too.
***MR Kevin Walker, 23, R, $500k (auto renew), 5-1, 2 SV, 2.08, 60 IP, 77 K, 1.4 WAR in AAA (2.25 ERA in 8 MLB IP). Supplemental pick in '46, was an SP prospect for some time. Control hasn't developed, and his third pitch is marginal. Threw well in a brief callup last year and again this spring, earning an opening day spot.
***MR Anthony Booker, 24, R, minor league deal, 7-2, 34 SV, 2.23 ERA, 64 IP, 74 K, 1.8 WAR in AAA. Has been the closer in AA and AAA, but will settle into the middle in his rookie season. But with elite movement and developing control, he could be our closer sooner than later.
***MR Andy Pearse, 24, L, minor league deal, 4-6, 36 SV, 3.36 ERA, 56 IP, 67 K, 1.0 WAR in A, Philly system. Went from AA to MLB in '50, then back to A last year, for some reason. Beat out Yaung for the LHP role. We signed him in December as a free agent. Nice stuff, great control, not sure why he was available for cheap. At least we have one Pearse on the roster to start the year.

Injured
SP Mike Pearse -- out for 10 months -- our purported ace. Maybe I shouldn't have said goodbye this winter to 40% of last year's rotation after all...
RP Alex Mahoney -- out for 3 weeks -- will likely slot into a setup role, maybe even closer, should anyone fail early on
RP Tyler Amsden -- out for 1-2 weeks -- will head back to AAA when healthy; likely the first callup when injuries strike again

......

If you're keeping count, that's five pitchers who weren't with us last year, and two others with 69 and 8 IP of MLB experience. Who knows what could happen! In the field, two new players and three new positions means uncertainty there as well, but we know they can all hit. So if our pitching can hold up--if all the newbie starters prove themselves--and the pen looks good, then we'll win the division again. Which is good...since ownership has demanded we win the championship this year.

Official prediction: We'll contend for the title again, and the group of Skiffington, Bader, and Van Tilburg will become my new law firm. 97 wins.

Bub13 · 08-22-2020, 10:11 AM

We kick off the season's festivities with 29 games this month: 17 at home, 12 on the road. We'll also see every one of our division mates, including an interesting back-to-back with Oakland and Texas, likely the other top teams in the West. We open with nine games at home; thank you, schedule makers!

Around the league, there's been a lot of turnover. Nearly a dozen new managers have taken charge, and two former Isles coaches -- Pat Wilson, late of Baltimore, and Paul Trashini, from AL pennant holder Miami -- are currently unemployed. It's not a definite marker of progress or regress, but it's interesting to note that many of last year's top teams -- Hawaii, San Diego, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Texas -- are in the bottom ten of lost WAR from last year. MLB's preseason prediction wizard says they'll all be fine, however. But who knows. And while we're here, the biggest gainers are: LA (predicted to win 86 games), Atlanta (95), Richmond (89), and Brooklyn (only 75). Hmmm, three NL East teams and MLB's Croesus....

April 1-3 vs CALIFORNIA
MLB says the perennial rebuilders will win 75 games, a tremendous accomplishment for this team. Looking down the lineup, the only way that happens is if star 1B Ricky Ochoa and his 54 HR have a repeat season, plus comebacks from LF Nate Atwater (went from .262/40/107 to .240/21/69) and SS Kevin Lutz (.264 to .205). New starters: DH Travis Vandenburg, RF Jamie Hensley. Neither scouts well, but Hensley at least hit .326 in 215 AB last year. In the rotation, the front office replaced the departed Ken Demers with Josh Pomerantz and his 6.75 ERA. And for some reason closer Scott Mahala (7.54 ERA) held on to his job. I see a lot of over-slotted pitchers everywhere, although 22-year-old Nate Elder could become the staff ace by mid-season; he at least looks pretty solid. Manager Matt Sargent--our former field boss--has his hands full again, in his second year at the helm. Team budget ranks 30th, payroll 34th. They're spending $63M on players; we're spending $42M on Adam Groff alone.

HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (18-8, 4.22) / RH Josh Irvin (9-0, 3.91) / RH Henry Skiffington (MLB debut)
CAL pitchers: RH Ryan Kuehner (8-15, 5.82) / RH Nate Elder (8-5, 4.47) / RH Mike Hosey (8-18, 6.45)

#1: LOSS 2-7 ... Lynn's 1st inning leadoff HR is our only joy here...only 6 hits for us, and Jackson gives up all 7 on 9 hits and 4 walks
#2: WIN 2-1 ... Lynn wins this one, as an RBI single in the 10th is tonight's damage...4 hits by Simmons...Irvin goes 7 pretty quiet innings
#3: WIN 7-1 ... 11 hits finally, but 9 are singles...Skiff looks strong, but does walk 4 over 8.1 innings...I'll still take it

[WARNING: incoming complaints despite the small sample size of three games.].... Not the prettiest start to the season, especially not hitting much at all those first two games. A lot of guys are starting slowly, as the bottom three batters have over 80% of our hits.... Jackson struggled on the mound, but I liked the opening salvoes from Irvin and Biff Skiff.... I also need to get used to hitting one HR per series, I think.... ELSEWHERE: Minny's Conor MacLeod picks right up where he left off in '51, fanning 17 Blue Jays. But the Twins still lost the game.... Those "hapless" Indians have five former Isles on their roster, and rode that to a nifty 3-0 sweep of the Red Sox.... Six other teams also got swept.... Gotta love early season stats: league leaders batting over .600, a pair of guys with 4 HR. Good stuff.

April 4-6 vs SEATTLE
Winners of 75 games last year, and MLB says they'll only hit 70 this year. I can see why, as there are some odd roster choices going on here. Last year's rookie star, Ger van Mourik, is sitting on the bench. Replacing him in the infield are two new additions, both old and broken down: 36-year-old SS Nesty Arteaga and 37-year-old 3B Danny Argueta. Also in the lineup are two former Isles prospects, guys I'd forgotten about: OF/DH Brian Ware (slugged 37 HR in AA last year, but adds little else) and RF/RP Daniel Newell, who actually looks like he developed into an above-average hitter. They also added former prospect Steve Ashjian as their #5 starting pitcher; but at 35, he also isn't the answer. The rotation throws hard, but only #3 Dan Welker and #4 Shaun Ostrander have any movement at all, and the bullpen--after closer Adam "Glaive" Krull--looks pretty scraped together. Manager Dwayne Cloninger came in last July, actually improving the team to 45-54. He'll have to work hard to reach that low bar this year. Team budget ranks 27th, payroll 26th. Former Isles assistant GM Nabil Crismatt was hired along with Cloninger; I'll be interested to see if he can put into practice everything I taught him.

HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (MLB debut) / LH Greg Van Tilburg (MLB debut) / RH Shamar Jackson (0-1, 7.27)
SEA pitchers: LH Shaun Ostrander (14-9, 4.02) / RH Steve Ashjian (1-2, 10.13) / RH Jesus Aguilar (0-1, 27.00)

#4: WIN 7-6 ... Bader gets pushed around hard but the pen bails us out with 4.1 shutout innings...we walk 9 batters too...Grace hits his first HR for us
#5: WIN 4-3 ... GVT is sharp: 7.2 IP, 8 K, 3 R...Johnson fans the side in the 9th for the save...first Triple Play in franchise history too!
#6: LOSS 5-7 ... Jackson is beaten up again, and Yi too in relief...Groff got 2 hits, finally raising his average above .100

Another two out of three, but this team feels odd so far. Maybe it's because we're 12th in runs, primarily due to the middle third of the lineup--Frederick, Groff, and Matson--batting .091, .158, and .091 right now. We're also on pace for 81 home runs.... We're 0-2 when Jackson starts, 4-0 with everyone else.... That triple play: men on first and second, runners must have been going since it was a 5-4-3 play after a hard lineout to third.... I had fun with the fact that I got rid of long-named Cappuccilli and Whittington, until I realized that I'd added Skiffington, Van Tilburg, and Wakabayashi.... ELSEWHERE: Still two winless teams (KC and BOS), and surprisingly Detroit is 1-5.... LA's Toshi Hasegawa hit 4 dingers in their first series, and he added 3 more in their latest.... Cincy's Cris Frias leads the NL in both K (23) and BB (13).... 27 K for Conor MacLeod, because I know you didn't get tired of hearing about him all of last year.

April 7-9 vs BOSTON
Off to a rough 0-6 start. They're hitting, at 9th in runs and 7th in AVG. Pitching has been nightmarish, giving up 58 runs so far. And they added international star Kaoru Tanaka and the old, old, old Eddy Llamas (back to where he started a century ago) to the rotation too. Give it time, right? They added three free agents to the lineup: 2B Mike Hunter from Portland; RF Bryan Bairstow from Arizona; and LF Ryan Packer from New Orleans. Aging but still effective 3B Paul Foster is out for seven weeks. Other than that, everyone is the same. Manager Sam Moll is just beginning his first-ever big league job. As a pitcher, he once won 20 games for the Royals (back in 2020). I had no idea. Team budget is 11th, payroll 15th. Spending some money, but there aren't any big stars here, outside of maybe 35-year-old SS Victor Sanchez, who hit 41 HR last year. A small 5'11" guy who never hit for power in the minors, Sanchez is closing in on 500 career home runs, and maybe 500 articles asking "does he or doesn't he?"

HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (0-0, 1.29) / RH Henry Skiffington (1-0, 1.08) / RH Mike Bader (0-0, 7.71)
BOS pitchers: RH Kaoru Tanaka (0-0, 6.00) / RH Sean Reed (0-1, 7.94) / RH Eddy Llamas (0-1, 21.00)

#7: WIN 10-7 ... 14 hits for everyone else, just 2 for the big three in the middle...Irvin is pulled in the 5th...pitchers fan 13 tonight
#8: WIN 11-3 ... power night! 3 HR for each team...CG with 9 K for Biff, only runs on solo HR...4 H and a HR for Lynn, leading the team with 2 HR
#9: LOSS 5-10 ... Bader does well tonight, and we manage 15 hits...but the pen explodes for 7 runs late, costing us our first non-Jackson loss

Are we going 2-1 every series this year? I mean, I'd take it.... Team AVG is tops, at .322. But those middle three are still dragging the offense, batting .118, .207, and .176. Moving up, but sl-o-o-o-w-ly.... Pitching is 10th in runs against. You've seen the rotation; the pen is good for a couple nights, then gets hammered, then is good again. Settle down, boys.... A day off, then we hit the road to face the 7-2 Indians.... ELSEWHERE: Boston just got their first win, but KC is still winless, 0-9. There are no undefeated teams left.... Hasegawa added another HR, giving him 8 to start the season and earning him NL player of the week honors.... Washington reliever Chris Brown is getting used a lot so far, and his projected numbers are: 90 GP, 186 IP, 127 K, 5.4 WAR. I'm pulling for you, Brownie!... Baltimore is 4-5, meaning they're nearly 10% of the way towards matching last year's victory total.... Remember all those injuries the Giants had last year? They used something like 15 starting pitchers? Well, they've got four pitchers on the DL (one from last year, tbh) already, along with three starting batters too. What the hell are they eating?

April 11-13 @ CLEVELAND
Remember back in the off-season when I said "hey Cleveland fans, your rebuild is going to get worse before it gets better"? Yeah, about that... Our first road trip, and we're off to see the surprising 7-2 Indians, tied with Chicago at the top of the Central. First in runs scored (plus, batting .321), and led by last year's breakout star Manny Ayala. He hit .356 but missed out on a batting title after sitting out six weeks with an injury. He's batting .487 so far. Equally young DH Victor Guillen hit 32 HR last year, and is going at .346/5/12 so far this campaign. And the three guys we jump-started them with (to get D.J. Grace) are hitting too: Cardenas at .286, Cappuccilli at .375, and Whittington at .333. Pitching ranks only 17th, however, and may be a season-long achilles heel. First year closer Justin Tierney looks good, and the bullpen has been generally sound. But the rotation is struggling across the board. If they actually stop hitting anytime soon, reality could come down hard. Manager Jose Ariza has been around since midway through the '41 season, and his temper tantrums have been kept largely under wraps so far. Team budget is 32nd, payroll 33rd. If they can keep up this success with that payroll, then I'm going to have to rethink my life choices.

HAW pitchers: LH Greg Van Tilburg (1-0, 3.52) / RH Shamar Jackson (0-1, 6.75) / RH Josh Irvin (0-0, 5.56)
CLE pitchers: LH Taylor Baxter (1-0, 5.14) / RH Ryan Ratliff (1-0, 4.50) / RH George Millard (0-1, 6.52)

#10: LOSS 2-7 ... blech...outhit 10-5, although Daley does finally get his first HR of the season...two pitchers get dtd injuries
#11: WIN 6-4 ... everyone gets a hit, including 3 from Simmons and Alonzo...Jackson does better but lasts only 5, Booker gets pummeled in relief
#12: WIN 9-2 ... 3 more hits for Alonzo, 3 for Grace too...CG 7-hitter from Irvin...even Frederick gets a hit tonight

Yep, still 2-1 in every series this year.... Finally dropped Groff and Matson down a spot, moving Goodloe (.333) up to fifth. Might do some more tinkering, but if we're winning, maybe it's best to let the talent eventually tell.... Irvin finally gets his first win of the season, and is now 10-0 in his short MLB career. Bader is the last SP without a decision.... Lynn had a 24-game hit streak ended in this first game, but then got hits in the last two.... ELSEWHERE: Boston is now 1-11, having been swept by the barely-there Orioles, who are now a stunning 7-5.... KC is still winless, at 0-12.... MacLeod is slipping, going from 17 to 12 to just 11 K in his three starts. Call the doctors.... Detroit's won 7 straight after starting the year 0-5.... Oakland's cranked out 30 HR already, Cincinnati 29.

......

TL;DR Version: I can't--and won't--complain about an 8-4 start. I'm still getting used to this team, as it just feels odd still. Maybe it's because Groff (.212) has done very little, Frederick (.130, 0 HR) has stunk, and I've got three starting pitchers I don't really know yet. Also, while closer Kyle Johnson is off to a fast start (4 saves, 0.00 ERA), the bullpen ERA ranks 15th. Mahoney comes back in a week, and hopefully will help calm things down. And and new additions Grace and Alonzo really struggled in camp, but have turned it on so far, batting .391 and .424, while leading the team with 12 and 10 RBI. And and and J.J. Simmons has quietly been a killer too, leading the league with a .452 average. Now, if we can just get some vitamins into the middle of the lineup and start hitting at least a couple more home runs, we'll be solid.

Bub13 · 08-26-2020, 06:28 PM

April 14-16 @ OAKLAND
At 8-4, sharing first place with us. A study in contrasts: their R:HR ratio is 68 to 30. Ours is 70 to 8. Two ways to get it done, I suppose. Felix Reyes just won player of the week, for a .367/8/16 start. Three others already have 4 HR, and 40-HR machine Ryan Walton has 3. Pitching is 2nd in runs against, with ace Jim Schwartz basically pulling the rest of the rotation along with him. I'm curious to see if we can actually hit one out vs Oscar Escobedo, who allowed 64 dingers in '50, and 26 last year in only 106 innings. Manager Ethan Larrison was a success in his five seasons in Detroit, and won 91 games in his first campaign in Oakland last year. Team budget is 11th, payroll is 12th. This could be their window year: four of their top ten players will be free agents this fall, and two others have opt outs.

HAW pitchers: RH Henry Skiffington (2-0, 2.08) / RH Mike Bader (0-0, 5.91) / RH Ben Germann (1-0, 7.36)
OAK pitchers: RH Oscar Escobedo (0-1, 6.00) / RH Eric Stockton (0-1, 4.91) / RH Conrad Robertson (1-1, 4.30)

#13: LOSS 3-9 ... yeah, we hit two out and had more hits...Biff doesn't last two innings, then Walker isn't much better
#14: WIN 8-5 ... 19 hits, 4 by Matson, 3 by Grace and Simmons...Bader gives up all the runs and 12 hits over 5 innings
#15: WIN 7-3 ... 13 hits tonight, 7 for extras...3 H, 3 RBI for Daley...Germann gets an emergency start, fans 8 over 7 IP

2-1 again. By hook or by crook.... Pitching is still dragging, at 10th in runs against. But Germann stepped up after GVT's dtd injury setback.... Frederick finally hit his first HR of the season, but Groff is still struggling: .180/1/2. And Medici is at .417 in his several starts. Just saying.... C Willie Alonzo suffered a dtd quad injury, so Wakabayashi will get some more starts for the next week.... ELSEWHERE: KC won a game! Then lost the next two, so they're still 1-14. And Boston won again, now 2-13.... Meanwhile, Detroit has now managed ten straight, after their snoozy start.... Texas' William Swanson had his 28-game hit streak ended, but he's still batting .386 with 8 HR. So fear not, Rangers fans.... Montreal rookie Edwin Rodas now has the longest active streak, at 24 games.... LA pitcher Marvin Diaz is really into the on-again-off-again lifestyle: 21-10, 2.49 ERA in '50, then 6-17 and 5.31 last year. This year he's 2-0 with a 0.72 ERA.

April 17-19 vs TEXAS
Solid hitting has led to an 8-7 record, but pitching is holding them back. Third in runs and 2nd in HR, with the usual suspects--Swanson, Gurrola, Robbins, et al--hitting everything in sight. But they let top SP Mike Messinger walk, then lost Greg Buchanan until August. Kevin Cahill and Bobby Daniel are the top guys now, and they're struggling; likewise, Mike Kent, who still hasn't put his piles of talent together. The bullpen at least is strong, at 3rd in the league right now; closer Garrett Slone and the two setup men haven't allowed a run so far. Manager TH Nam is the fifth year skipper, and the fans love him for leading the team back to the playoffs. They gave us all we could handle last year, and are looking to build on their 98-win season. Pitching has got to improve, tho.

HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (1-1, 5.57) / RH Josh Irvin (1-0, 3.98) / RH Henry Skiffington (2-1, 4.82)
TEX pitchers: RH Kevin Cahill (1-2, 5.40) / LH Bobby Daniel (1-1, 5.91) / RH Mike Kent (0-2, 10.57)

#16: LOSS 0-5 ... four hits against "struggling" Cahill...Jackson bombs again, yielding 13 hits in 5.2 innings
#17: LOSS 2-3 ... Irvin allows no runs and 3 hits through 7, but the pen screws the pooch...only six hits, and lots of blahs
#18: LOSS 2-12 ... we get 11 hits, but no offense, really...Biff, Walker, and Pearse are all terrible tonight

So, no 2-1 series this time.... Moribund series, no pitching and lots of hits but no real offense. We're first in average, at .310, but now 8th in runs, and next to last in HR. Not sure what to do except maybe ride it out for now and see who comes around.... Next we play the suddenly not-awful Orioles, and I'm wondering who will show up.... Two pitchers--Irvin and Van Tilburg--have nagging dtd injuries now. Sigh.... ELSEWHERE: Continuing travails: KC is 2-16, Boston 3-15.... Montreal's Rodas has his streak end at 23: sorry I mentioned it, dude.... 50 K for Cris Frias in 28.2 IP; but also 20 walks.... Oakland's Felix Reyes has already reached 10 HR, along with LA's Toshi Hasegawa.

April 21-23 vs BALTIMORE
Last year's 44-win team already has 8 this year. Yes, they're 8-10 and losers of three straight now, but that's still some major improvement. Underlying numbers don't look great, tho: 11th in offense, 13th in pitching, for a -16 run differential. But hey, they're rotation ERA is noticeably better than ours, so maybe I should just shut the hell up. There are still oddnesses abounding: recently-acquired former MVP winner Morgan Akers is batting .359 but in a platoon with a guy batting .154; strikeout king (ahem, he's NOT a pitcher, fyi) Nick Mullins has only fanned 21 times in 71 AB, well under his career average; and one of the worst leadoff men in MLB, Sam Wilhelm, is getting on base a full 150 points over his career average (.388 now), and leads the AL in steals. Rookie manager Shermayn Balentien must feel like a genius, considering how rotten this team played last year. Budget is 36th, payroll 35th. While they may be failing on the field, they're winning as a tax writeoff, and have made around $140M in profit for somebody these last six seasons.

HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (0-0, 6.61) / LH Greg Van Tilburg (1-1, 4.40) / RH Shamar Jackson (1-2, 6.07)
BAL pitchers: LH Rich Davis (0-1, 6.48) / RH Cody Brown (1-0, 6.52) / RH Pat Karahalios (0-3, 6.33)

#19: LOSS 3-4 ... ugh...only 5 hits, but one was a HR!
#20: LOSS 3-7 ... no comment
#21: WIN 2-1 ... well look who showed up: Jackson tosses 8 superb innings, and Frederick gets 3 hits. Still might bench him.

The less said here the better.... Mahoney comes off the DL, so Anthony Booker and his four-digit ERA go back to AAA for now. I still think he's got a future, but right now he's getting lit up.... Fred's 3 hits there notwithstanding, his .190 average might see him ride the pine next series. Same for Groff. Get someone new in there for a few games.... Alonzo is back to 100%, but now Tilburg has an "unknown" return date from his back strain. Doesn't effect his pitching much, but I might have to DL him anyway, just to be safe.... ELSEWHERE: Boston's won four in a row, so I guess they're "back".... Balls are still flying out in the AL: Oakland's Reyes now has 13, on pace for 100 (yes!), and Cleveland's Manny Ayala is right behind him with 12.... Congrats to ATL pitcher Jose Gutierrez, the first player to 2.0 WAR. There is no prize, sorry.... Longtime readers might remember former Isles OF prospect Kenny Welch. He's having the month of his career, batting .345/9/24, and finally playing like the formidable hitter we hoped he'd become, only six years too late.

April 24-26 @ HOUSTON
Only 9-12, but with a good series, hey guys, you could be ahead of us! At 8th in runs, 7th in runs against, for a somewhat surprising +6 differential. There's some power here, with 1B Jose Renteria at 9 already (we as a team have 12). Once I thought Alejandro Gonzales was going to be the next Nolan Ryan plus Sandy Koufax: but an injury a few years ago robbed his stamina, and the one that cost him most of last season also took away about a foot off his fastball. Meaning he went from a $33M/year ace, to a strong closer, to just another middle reliever. But he's rich. And last year's Hawaii pitching washout Tim Ciotta has washed up onto this rotation...and finally looks decent, the jerk. Manager Hector Garcia got canned by the Mariners last year just short of two months into the job; I guess he hasn't shown much this year either, but at least he's quiet about it. Budget is 30th, payroll 24th. Fan interest is low, but attendance is up (to a still small 23k however).

HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (1-0, 2.96) / RH Henry Skiffington (2-2, 6.75) / RH Mike Bader (0-1, 6.17)
HOU pitchers: RH Tim Ciotta (2-1, 3.72) / RH Ron Mills (1-1, 5.90) / RH Alex Trujillo (2-2, 3.64)

#22: LOSS 6-8 ... but we won the hits game, 13 to 8...five HR yielded here, proof that somebody can hit them
#23: WIN 6-4 ... Skiff does all right, but the pen nearly gives this one away, giving up 3 in the 9th...Simmons tweaks a knee and Grace is HPB, report pending
#24: LOSS 1-2 ... Bader looks better, but gives up 2 in the 8th for the loss...5 hits here, all singles

Can't hit, can't pitch = .500 baby! Argh. My personal adaptability rating is single digits, apparently.... Medici is batting .333, but still hasn't shown any power. I've got other things to worry about right now, however.... ELSEWHERE: Oakland is now 16-8, not that I care. Four other teams share that record for the tops in MLB.... Five injured pitchers for the Giants now. It's happening again, isn't it. Call an exorcist.

April 27-29 @ CHICAGO WHITE SOX
The Sox are looking pretty strong, 15-9, and just behind the Tigers and Indians in a suddenly revitalized Central division. Second in runs, 6th in pitching: six batters are over .300. But Ninsei Sato and Zeke de la Rosa hit 39 and 38 HR last year, but have just 2 and 3 this year. (But they are 2nd and 3rd in RBI.) Ace Ben O'Neal is finally healthy and hasn't lost a game this season. Other potential ace Burton Dick is also finally healthy, and just back from AAA rehab and in the pen. Team budget ranks 17th, payroll 13th. Almost everyone who counts is signed for next year, so if they've got it together finally, they could put in a nice run and become another force in the AL. I guess this is what it looks like when we're no good again...

HAW pitchers: LH Greg Van Tilburg (1-2, 4.82) / RH Shamar Jackson (2-2, 4.93) / RH Josh Irvin (1-0, 4.31)
CHW pitchers: RH Ben O'Neal (4-0, 2.27) / RH Emanuel Vasquez (2-2, 6.21) / LH Alex Alvarado (2-1, 4.79)

#25: LOSS 7-10 ... 3 HR from Frederick so, one step forward?
#26: LOSS 5-6 ... 13 hits is still not enough...no one remembers how to pitch anymore, just so we're straight
#27: WIN 9-8 ... we spot an early 6-0 lead, but actually come back for a win...Groff homers, Matson gets 4 hits

We manage a win here, but this wraps up a pretty rotten second half of the month.... A fitting sign of the season so far: Frederick wins player of the week, with 4 HR and a .417 average, then gets hurt. He's out with a back injury for two weeks.... Tilburg has been so bad lately that he goes back to AAA. Shane Walker gets a shot next, back up after two years in the minors.... ELSEWHERE: Boston's Rich Dragos wasn't even in the lineup to start the season, but he's back as a regular and leading the AL in hitting at .437. Boston's 7-3 in their last ten, after that dreadful start.... Cleveland and Atlanta stay hot, and top the charts at 19-8.... Strikeout kings are at it again: Cincy's Cris Frias is on pace for 444 (74 in 44.2 IP), and Minny's Conor MacLeod at 366 (61 in 45.1 IP).... Brooklyn's Kymani Rhymes has saved 12 of the Robins' 13 wins.

......

TL;DR Version: It's been a while since we've started this poorly: 13-14, and 3-9 over our last twelve. Two reasons: terrible pitching, 14th in runs against (led by some egregious starting pitching), and not enough scoring. We're still first in AVG, 2nd in OBP. But at 9th in OPS and runs scored, we're obviously not getting the big hits we need to bring those guys home. Early on, it was our 4-6 batters not getting it done. But Frederick finally got hot, Groff is back over .200, and Goodloe/Matson are hitting and getting on base. Frederick's injury will throw a wrench into the reviving offense for a couple of weeks; I call up sudden prospect Josh Hed for his first taste of MLB life. He'll play some, as will holdover Julius Burrows. Hed has more power and is a solid defensive CF. Burrows is better all-around. When Hed plays, Lynn will shift to RF. Burrows will get the other starts in right. Our pitching tho...Tilburg flamed out for now, but hopefully Shane Walker has something to prove and will step in. Every other starter has looked from good to downright awful at times. The pen, at least, has been more solid, with closer Kyle Johnson having a fantastic month. If we can just get everyone pulling in the right direction at the same time, and actually get some decent starting pitching, we'll turn this around.

Bub13 · 08-28-2020, 07:47 PM

May has to be a better month, right? Let's hope. Twenty-eight games, thirteen at home, fifteen on the road. We'll see everyone in the division again. Can we get some better pitching this month? Is there an 800 number I can try?

May 1-3 @ SEATTLE
Not hitting (15th), not pitching (17th), with a -38 run differential. And yet they have the same record we do, 13-14. *Bitter laughing.* 2B Jose Rodriguez (.330/10/22) and 1B Jon Terrell (.344/6/21) are the hitting stars, while Shaun Ostrander is the only SP throwing consistently well. Future watch: 11th ranked system, three guys in the top 100. OF Paul Stough is tops (#13), looks like a huge power bat. P John Warner (#48) looks a lot like our top pitching prospects...but that's not really working for us right now.

HAW pitchers: RH Henry Skiffington (3-2, 6.03) / RH Mike Bader (0-2, 5.17) / LH Shane Walker (season debut)
SEA pitchers: RH Dan Welker (2-2, 4.21) / LH Shaun Ostrander (3-0, 3.19) / RH Ron Voss (1-0, 5.40)

#28: LOSS 1-4 ... more hits? check...worse pitching? check...season in a nutshell
#29: WIN 18-1 ... lol what...26 hits, 8 walks, runs in every inning but the 9th...probably should have saved some of these for later...5 hits for Grace
#30: WIN 7-4 ... 15 more hits, so we're still drumming out the baserunners...4 hits, 5 RBI from Daley...2nd straight game with 2 doubles by Groff

Back to winning series 2-1. A marked improvement, and we're back at .500.... The offense is really humming in most respects: 1st in AVG, OBP, fewest strikeouts, 2nd in doubles. But with only 19 HR (next to last; we have 19 and the team ahead of us has 35) our SLG is 14th, despite all those runners. Other than trading for a power bat--which I'm avoiding for now--the only thing to do is keep hitting and hope our guys come around. We have plenty of guys who can hit 20-30 in an average year; but almost everyone is on pace for well under that. Law of averages has to take hold at some point, right? Let's just hope it's this year and not next.... The less said about our pitching, the better.... ELSEWHERE: Oakland and Atlanta lead MLB with 20 wins; KC is on the bottom with just 8, California has 9.... Thirty games into the season and the Giants have NINE players on the DL. Are they playing under a curse?

May 4-6 @ TAMPA BAY
Not really the team I wanted to see right now: 18-12, first in the East, 5th in runs and 6th in runs against. Leadoff and 3B Orlando Navarro leads the way at .367/7/23, and five other batters have six or more HR. (I wonder what that's like...) Pitching looks more hit-or-miss, although John Odom (1.75 ERA) has been great from the #5 slot, but closer Roberto Melo sports a gaudy 10.95 ERA. Former Isle Rich Stoneback signed on for four years over the winter, but hasn't gotten on track yet, at only .188/2/6. But at least he's healthy for a change. First-year manager Julian Morillo is pushing all the right buttons so far. Team budget is 19th, payroll 17th. Owner Stuart Sternberg is all about profit, but seems to have figured out that you can make more money with a fun playoff team than with a pile of deadbeats.

HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (2-2, 5.84) / RH Josh Irvin (1-0, 5.25) / RH Biff Skiff (3-3, 5.72)
TBR pitchers: RH Carlos Munoz (5-0, 3.73) / RH Greg Drake (3-2, 6.75) / RH Travis Calhoun (1-2, 3.40)

#31: LOSS 1-11 ... 3 hits, -4 HR differential too...grand slam for Stoneback too, yippee!
#32: WIN 12-3 ... our turn: 18 hits, GRAND SLAM for Groff, and 4-for-4 from Matson...we used four pinch hitters too, for some reason
#33: WIN 2-0 ... pitching! Skiff tosses a 4-hit CG, fanning 5...3 hits and a triple for Simmons, 2 hits and a triple for Groff

Hey, two more wins! Jackson, after that start, looks like he's regressing to the stone age. Stinkeroo.... First time in a while that four SP have ERA below five.... Still batting an inflated team average of .316, and we finally reached 20 HR on the season.... 27 steals, if you're keeping count.... ELSEWHERE: Oakland's Felix Reyes keeps banging homers, up to 19 now. That's a pace for 93, which seems eminently reachable. In the race between Reyes and our entire team, we're +1 at the moment.... Seven wins in a row for Boston, bringing them up to 15-18 after their terrible start.... 13 saves out of 14 team wins for Brookyln's Kymani Rhymes.

May 7-9 vs MILWAUKEE
Last year's 80-win water treaders really sank beneath the waves out of the gate, going 9-18 last month. A 5-1 start to May has them feeling a bit better, however. They threw some huge chunks of cash at several free agents, but the lineup is only 14th in runs. Having said that, only rich old man Dan Starr is really struggling, at .179 at the plate, and a fairly immobile behemoth behind it. Fan fave CF Oscar Espinosa is batting just .260, about 35 points below his career average, but has already socked 11 HR. Pitching also ranks 14th, with a surprisingly solid pen--lead by new closer Xavier Pride--and a floundering rotation. HR-machine (not the good kind) Danny Salgado has been a pleasant surprise at the top of the rotation, but three vets needing bouncebacks after terrible '51s--Bryan Shaheen, Daniel Becker, and Ryan Crawley--have gotten even worse, with a combined ERA over 8. Manager SG Che nearly won a Series in his rookie season seven years ago, but has only made the playoffs once since then. With a 17th-ranked budget and a 10th-ranked payroll, owner Chris Attanasio is officially "worried," especially with attendance not ticking upwards. [NB: look at that SP match-up in the third game: you just know someone is going to throw a 2-hit shutout, right?]

HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (1-2, 4.24) / LH Shane Walker (1-0, 3.86) / RH Shamar Jackson (2-3, 6.80)
MIL pitchers: LH Daniel Becker (3-3, 6.89) / RH Danny Salgado (3-2, 2.86) / RH Ryan Crawley (0-6, 9.82)

#34: WIN 8-3 ... 11 H + 6 BB + 1 HPB = 8 runs. Very efficient...3 hits for Grace, now officially tearing it up, and 7 nice IP from Bader
#35: WIN 7-5 ... for once we're outhit (13 to 7) but come away with a win...a Burrows GRAND SLAM is the keynote, despite Walker yielding 3 HR in the 8th
#36: WIN 4-3 ... no promised shutout, but two well pitched outings...Lynn's 2-run single in the 6th is the GW...11th save for Johnson

Very satisfying series. Mike Bader has been really good of late, and even Jackson looked like a big league pitcher for once.... D.J. Grace is now batting .384, but with early season wackiness isn't even in the top three AL batters.... Johnson has 11 saves and a win in 15 outings.... Frederick is back from the DL in four days *knocks on wood* but will miss the Oakland series.... ELSEWHERE: Detroit (5 straight wins) and San Diego (8-2 of late) sit atop the leaderboards at 24-12. Boston is still hot, winning 9 out of 10 and getting to just two games below .500.... KC has dropped 5 straight and still has only 9 wins.... Boston's Rich Dragos (.415) and Atlanta's Michael Rinehart (.425) are last holdouts in the never-ending quest to break the .400 mark. Just 36 games into the season...think they can keep it up? Sure, why not.... Cincy's Cris Frias is on pace for 441 K, while Oakland Felix Reyes now has 21 HR, which would give him 95 if he keeps that going.

May 11-13 vs OAKLAND
They've slowed a bit, to just 5-4 this month, but are still atop the division at 22-14, tied with Texas. A big attack has them 2nd in runs and 1st in HR (with 88). Reyes you just read about; to him add ex-Isle John Cannon (10 HR) and surprise 1B Justin Sandy (10 HR). Usual 40+ guy Ryan Walton has "only" 7, but will likely get it in gear soon. Pitching sits 8th in runs. The rotation looks a bit wobbly of late, as only ace Jim Schwartz is still looking sharp. Closer Tim Stoner (6.28 ERA) hasn't been good, but the pen still ranks 4th in ERA. Former Isles prospect Jayden Grant has been tossed up on the shore here after five years with KC and one in ATL. He's going great in the pen (1.32 ERA in 13.2 IP) but is a bit cranky because he'd rather be a terrible starter instead. Despite being fleeced for four quality pitching prospects by Cleveland a few months back, they still hung onto #7 prospect Tom Baker and #32 Josh Foggie, two guys who are just a developed changeup away from becoming top-of-the-rotation guys.

HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (2-0, 4.91) / RH Biff Skiff (4-3, 4.66) / RH Mike Bader (2-2, 3.99)
OAK pitchers: RH Conrad Robertson (1-3, 8.24) / RH Jim Schwartz (5-1, 3.02) / LH Chris Larimer (5-1, 4.37)

#37: WIN 2-1 ... Irvin goes 8, fanning 9 with zero walks...Groff shows up, going 3-for-4 with 2 doubles and an RBI...Johnson notches another save
#38: WIN 5-3 ... 7 H, 3 RBI, and 5 R from the top three, and Skiff is sharp enough through 7, and the pen shuts them down for the final six outs
#39: LOSS 8-16 ... dang...we actually managed 15 hits, to their 16...but they added 5 HR...Groff did knock a GRAND SLAM, the 12th of his career

That last one was pretty ugly, huh. That ended our seven-game winning streak, put our pitching back to 13th in runs allowed, and dropped us into a tie with Houston for third in the division.... Speaking of that, I knew the division would be tough this year: Texas leads, Oakland is a game back, then Houston and us another game behind.... Frederick comes off the DL and goes 3-for-4 in his first game back. Josh Hed (2-for-9, 1 HR) goes back to AAA. He looked decent, and will get another look, in September at least.... ELSEWHERE: KC finally won their 10th game, and are just a game behind the hapless Angels.... Cleveland's Victor Guillen came off the DL and requalified for the batting race, moving into 2nd at .411. He's also got 18 HR in 112 AB, which seems pretty good.... KC isn't winning games but does have 38-year-old Vinny Vargas, who needs just a couple good seasons to reach 3000 career hits. He's batting .366 this season, so of course the Royals have moved him into a platoon role. (He went 7-for-10 in his last series.).... Detroit lost CF Luis Rodela for the season. Rodela banged 51 HR last year, and had 13 so far this season. He's out with post-concussion symptoms, not good. (Teammate Pat Townsand just reached the 20 HR mark.) Plus: I just noticed that Rodela's replacement in center is relief pitcher Brian Carney.

......

TL;DR Version: An improved 9-3 this month has pushed us back to five games over .500, 22-17. Like I said above, the division is tough this year, and we'll face Texas and Houston over the final half of the month. We're still smacking hits to the tune of a .316 average and getting on base at a .378 clip, but are only 6th in runs scored. Our 24 HR is only one ahead of Oakland's Reyes, so it's possible that is a key reason why we're struggling for any kind of sustained scoring success. Pitching ranks 13th in runs, and has been all over the map. The pen, however, did look pretty good until that last game against the A's. I'm trying to remain optimistic tho.

Bub13 · 08-31-2020, 09:29 PM

May 14-16 @ TEXAS
Winners of 5 of their last 6, and currently on top of the division at 24-15. Third in runs scored, tops in the AL in OPS, WAR, and wOBA. Nearly four times as many HR as we have too, but who's counting. Star William Swanson (.327/17/38) is the most recent player of the week winner. Their top four hitters have 45 HR, nearly double our entire team; but again, who's counting. Pitching has steadied, now 4th in runs against. Closer Garrett Slone and setup man Nick Scott have allowed zero runs in nearly 20 combined innings. Former Isles prospect Cory Graulich is in the pen, and has carved out an MLB career on the strength of his quality stuff. But he also doles out home runs like Halloween candy (56 and 48 as a starter back in '49 and '50); it sure would be nice of the Rangers to start him against us...

HAW pitchers: LH Shane Walker (2-0, 5.02) / RH Shamar Jackson (3-3, 6.24) / RH Josh Irvin (3-0 4.33)
TEX pitchers: RH Kevin Cahill (4-3, 3.32) / LH Bobby Daniel (3-2, 4.21) / LH Steve Means (5-2, 4.84)

#40: LOSS 2-3 ... Johnson gives up his first run of 2052, a solo HR in the 11th...nice game by Walker, but Pearse blows it in the 8th really
#41: WIN 6-3 ... 3 hits for Simmons, including his annual home run...Jackson has another MLB-level outing, two in a row now
#42: WIN 10-9 ... tied 5-5 after 9 innings...outhomered 4-2 but we do crack 21 total hits, including 7 doubles...mediocre pitching all around

Nearly a sweep! Super competitive division, with three tied for first and little ol' us just a game behind.... Five hits for Matson in that last game, including three doubles. Simmons went 8-for-18, and did blast out his sixth career HR.... The pen got pushed around a bit, and Johnson gave up his first run of the season, in 20 innings.... ELSEWHERE: Twelve game winning streak for the Astros, putting them into that three-way tie for first in the AL West.... The Indians, predicted by my smart-guy self to be "pretty damn bad" are now 26-16 and a game behind the Tigers. A third of their lineup and two SP are recent Islanders, and all are playing average-to-good.... The Angels are 11-31 and batting just .228, only slightly better than league-worst New Orleans, at .219. But the Zephs are 21-21, so....

May 17-19 @ TORONTO
Nobody foresaw the Jays sitting on top of the East, even this early into the season. At 24-18, they have the same record as we do, but are in first due to the slumpy starts by Miami and Tampa Bay. There isn't much happening at the plate--14th in runs--but that's at least partially the result of having three regulars on the DL. Rookie 1B Ian Logan is off to a nice start--.311/9/27--and 3B Ray Bruce (batting .301) is actually a rare leadoff batter in the league who's hitting for average, if you can believe that. Three pitchers are also injured, but the staff ranks 5th in runs against, with starters Jaden Buchanan and Alberto Reyes in particular getting it done. Former Isle Dennis Perry also has a 1.08 ERA, but he's been in the bullpen and isn't exactly thrilled with that. Manager Jose A Jimenez is in his sixth largely non-descript season with the club. Team budget is 26th, payroll 28th. They're cheap, making some money, and winning ballgames. The American Way! (Canadian version.)

HAW pitchers: RH Biff Skiff (5-3, 4.55) / RH Mike Bader (2-2, 4.73) / LH Shane Walker (2-0, 3.43)
TOR pitchers: RH Alberto Reyes (5-1, 2.79) / RH Nick Palmer (3-3, 6.43) / RH Gary Stamp (0-4, 4.91)

#43: WIN 16-0 ... skunked 'em by the third inning...7 hit shutout for Biff...5 hits from Daley, 2 HR from Grace, 21 hits overall
#44: WIN 4-1 ... Bader surrenders just 6 hits in 8 IP, and we ride HR from Frederick and Goodloe to the win
#45: LOSS 0-7 ... an all-around stinker: just 2 hits, both Walkers pitch poorly, and Shane gives up FIVE home runs...oof

I see we're back to the 2-1 series record. Ok, that's still pretty good by me. But man, these games: hammer or get hammered.... Team is batting .312, still first in the AL. Also, still 17th in HR despite knocking seven in this series.... AAA Santa Barbara is having a rare bad year: 12-20 and only missing last place because Reno is 9-21.... Two in back of Oakland now, and tied with Texas and Houston.... ELSEWHERE: Felix Reyes (OAK) now has 29 HR, which would give him a totally reasonable 105 if he keeps up this pace for the season.... Washington has won six in a row to lift themselves out of the NL East basement, but just lost their #2 SP and starting RF for the year. Three other SP are also injured.... Speaking of injuries, the Giants can't keep from self-harm apparently, now with nine players on the DL. Nevertheless, they're 26-19 and just two in back of the Padres.... Atlanta's Michael Rinehart is the last man standing in The Quest for Tedness, batting .406. He's also 1st in RBI (44) and 2nd in HR (18).

May 21-23 vs HOUSTON
A 12-4 month has surged them into the three-way tie for second with us and Texas. The offense isn't doing much, just 10th in runs (but 5th in HR), but overall their pitching ranks 3rd, the bullpen 2nd. No one is batting .300, but few are slumping either (besides leadoff man Jason Welch, at .222 and a .615 OPS. See also comment from last series: this is not uncommon in the league.). Budding superstar Jose Renteria is at .296/16/40, and solid 3B Ricky Silva is working on a 40-HR pace. The truly rare thing here is that no one--besides three scrubby minor leaguers hurt in camp--is on the DL. Former Isles RP Ramon Sanabria is in a setup role here (3.86 ERA), and flameout free agent stab (or did I trade for him? Uhhhh....) Tim Ciotta is also having a nice year. They took 2 out of 3 from us in April.

HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (4-3, 5.62) / RH Josh Irvin (3-0, 4.71) / RH Biff Skiff (6-3, 3.92)
HOU pitchers: LH Chris Harris (6-2, 3.43) / RH Tim Ciotta (5-2, 3.64) / RH Ron Mills (3-4, 5.88)

#46: LOSS 1-8 ... bang goes Jackson's better pitching of late...although to be fair, the pen did also allow 3 in the 9th...only six hits, one XBH
#47: WIN 4-3 ... Irvin yields a 3-run HR but little else...Johnson gets the win in the 10th after a Simmons bases loaded walk
#48: LOSS 2-5 ... more slack offense, although Matson does knock his 3rd HR of the year...Biff gives up all 5 runs in 6.1 IP

Flat this series, as Astros pitching kept our hitters in check.... We're in fourth place now, by ourselves, but still just 2 games out.... Groff has leveled out some, getting his average up to .258; but his .760 OPS and 97 OPS+ are by far the worst of his career. Getting old is no fun.... ELSEWHERE: Cincy's Cris Frias now has 128 K in 77.1 innings.... Padres closer-turned-starter Emanuel Vasquez has 31 K in his last two starts.... Atlanta and Detroit have the best records in MLB right now, both 32-16, and the Braves have opened up an eight-game lead over Richmond and Philly.

May 24-26 vs MINNESOTA
Middling along at 23-25, with 12th-ranked hitting and 5th-ranked pitching. The rotation is no longer just the Conor MacLeod Show, with only new addition Dustin Springer struggling among the five. The middle of the lineup is producing, with Josh Jacobson (.278/11/32), Jordan Foots (.274/15/38), and Josh Conley (.275/9/19) hitting well--although the two Joshes are hitting about 40 points below their career averages. Veterans Cortez Ortiz (.344) and Jonathan Klump (.380) are also hitting big. Manager Robert Woodard--our longtime nemesis from Oakland--is in his fourth year here; the wonderfully-named Joe Flattery is the pitching coach, his 10th season. Budget places 19th, payroll 13th. Owner Adam Thompson expects profit and .500 baseball. Seems reasonable.

HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (3-2, 4.25) / LH Shane Walker (2-1, 4.39) / RH Shamar Jackson (4-4, 5.83)
MIN pitchers: LH Bobby Reder (5-3, 3.49) / RH Jonathan Belmonte (3-1, 3.53) / RH Conor MacLeod (5-4 3.44)

#49: WIN 5-2 ... Mikey B goes 8 IP, walking four but getting away with it...3 hits for Lynn, 2 for Goodloe
#50: LOSS 4-6 ... we hit 2 HR! But Walker doesn't get out of the 4th, and we're held hitless over the final 3 innings...Simmons injured
#51: WIN 4-2 ... Jackson is back tonight, and we score early and late off MacLeod for the win...Groff is a busy boy for once: 2 H, SB, and a CS

Somehow we scratch out two wins despite still not hitting well. We're only sixth in runs, and our complete lack of power hitting is really telling on some nights.... Simmons' injury is minor, just dtd. He'll play until he drops.... Star-to-be Jules Medici has been okay off the bench, going 14-for-49 (.286) with a .362 OBP. No extra base hits, oddly.... Funny how free agents no one wants are suddenly hot property when I show up: we offered a minor league deal to guy, trying to beef up my AAA pitching, and he turns me down saying he has offers from two other clubs all of a sudden [EDIT: he ended up signing elsewhere for $20k more in bonus money than I had offered, after trying to get me to sign him to a big-league deal. Smdh.].... ELSEWHERE: Finally, Oakland's Felix Reyes doesn't homer in a series; he's still at 30, in just 61 games.... Atlanta's Michael Rinehart is triple-crownin'-it, at .394/23/50, and leads MLB with 4.2 WAR.... KC moved oldster Vinny Vargas back into the lineup as he was still hitting .367. Sadly he's now out for six weeks with a strained ham.... And say goodbye (likely) to even older Eddy Llamas, who tore his UCL and is done until Xmas. Although he's signed for next year, you gotta think the 41-year-old is probably done. He did recently pass 4000 K, so good for him.

May 27-29 @ CALIFORNIA
They just won a series against equally-wretched KC, but are still in last place, 16-35. Pitching and hitting place 17th: only one qualified regular is batting over .251, and only one SP has an ERA below 4.5. Closer Scott Mahala is in his second full season of not-getting-it-done, and setup man Adrian Meza (11.05 ERA) has been even worse. Looking for any bright spots...I guess you could point to #1 prospect Mauricio Marquez batting .295 over the last month since being put into the lineup, and young SP Josh Pomerantz still looks good. I feel like I say this nearly every year for these guys, but there are a few really solid blocks to build on here. But they never seem to do it. Former Isles? None. Well, unless you count two-way guy Phil Lasky, who spent the last few seasons with the Mets after we traded him. He batted .143 and made 5 so-so relief appearances before getting sent back to Salt Lake City a few weeks ago.

HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (3-0, 4.62) / RH Biff Skiff (6-4, 4.20) / RH Mike Bader (4-2, 4.01)
CAL pitchers: RH Nate Elder (1-5, 4.48) / RH Josh Pomerantz (5-3 3.71) / RH Mike Hosey (1-7, 5.05)

#52: LOSS 3-5 ... two HR from Frederick, but only five other hits, and Irvin is touched early and suffers his first official MLB loss
#53: WIN 7-6 ... Skiff allows six runs on six hits, but we explode for 16 of our own, including 3 HR (Grace, Groff, Daley)
#54: LOSS 2-9 ... two solo HR, but a 6-run sixth is our undoing...Bader looks every bit the rookie, and Mahoney gets bashed around for kicks too

Nothing much to see here. Continued mediocre hitting, although we did knock 7 home runs, which I can hardly believe is worth reporting.... Something's probably gonna give here soon, especially on the pitching front. I still have confidence that our offense will find more consistency, even if we're not a power team. We just can't continue to hit over .300 and not score runs. That, or we'll just stop hitting.... ELSEWHERE: Everyone else in the AL West has been so-so as well, so there's been no change in the standings: Oakland (32 wins), Texas and Houston (31), Hawaii (30).... San Diego has 36 wins and the best pitching in baseball. It seems like twice a week or so BNN is reporting another shutout or 15+ strikeout game for one of their starters. And they're doing it with three MLB-quality starters on the DL, including former Isle Mike Garfield.... Everyone but the Cubs are slumping in the NL Central, allowing them to open a six game lead over Pittsburgh.

May 31 vs NY YANKEES
I really thought these guys were back for good a few years ago, coming off of 102 and 94 win seasons. But they've squandered the good years of a strong lineup and let too many decent pitchers walk for free. And despite having a monster budget (they're the Dodgers of the East), they don't spend like the Yankees of old. This year they're 26-28, and while the pitching has come back (4th in runs), the lineup is not producing (12th in runs, 15th in AVG). LF Chris Mitchell (.278/14/35) has been strong, as has old man Aaron Harrison (.310/8/35), but both are injury-prone and likely to bust apart at the seams any day now. The guys they did sign in the off-season haven't hit either: RF Aaron Blocker (.227), 1B Erik Morgan (.226), and SS Victor Provencio (.236). But ace SP Elijah Bragg has been excellent; the rest of the rotation at least okay; the bullpen largely stout. Lack of hitting did them in last year, when they fell to 84 wins and missed the playoffs. They'll have to get in gear to keep up with the Marlins and Rays, the current powers in the East (yes, I did type that and it's true). Manager Nathan Eovaldi was an A ball pitching coach for 18 years before getting the call (first as Reds PC, then here as bench coach, now a first-year manager). Budget sits 6th, payroll 3rd. Newish owner Justin Dielman is meddling and wants "extreme winning." Sound familiar, Yankees fans?

HAW pitchers: LH Shane Walker (2-2, 5.64)
NYY pitchers: RH Tim Mitchell (3-2, 4.85)

#55: WIN 6-5 ... always a fun game when you score more runs than you had hits...we also add 7 walks to the mix, and Groff and Matson homer

Nice to end the month on a high note.... Johnson gives up his second run of the season: 25 GP, 22 IP, 19 saves, 30 K. (Fun fact: Ben Germann has a 3.80 ERA, 27 K in 23.2 IP. Guess who leads the league in RP all-star votes? Hint: it's not Johnson.).... We've been on quite a home run tear of late, averaging over one a game for nearly TEN games now. Mirabile dictu!.... Also: Mike Bader may have struggled a bit of late, but he's still the AL Rookie of the Month! He went 4-1 with a 3.70 ERA in May.... ELSEWHERE: What's to report after one additional game? Probably only that Baltimore put three of its more 'useful' pitchers on the DL this month, and has seen last month's sort-of-promising 12-15 fall to this month's back-to-reality-peoples 8-20.

......

TL;DR Version: A much, much better month, despite my constant carping about home runs and some iffy batting late in the month. We went 18-10 during this frame, bringing the overall record up to 31-24; we're still tied for third in our super-competitive division. June should be a crucial month for us: in the past, it's been the month where the pretenders start falling away. I think our competition is real this time, and will be surprised if--barring major injuries--any of Oakland/Texas/Houston drops out of the picture. On an individual performer front...Groff has rebounded somewhat, but does appear to be in decline; Willie Alonzo came back to earth somewhat, but his catcher-mate Wakabayashi is still hot so I've moved them into a full-time platoon setup; the roller-coaster ride of our starting pitching is starting to give me motion sickness; last year's all-star surprise YJ Yi has pitched just once since April 16th--probably not surprising given his 9.00 ERA--but give the man some innings, coach!

Bub13 · 09-04-2020, 09:11 PM

Although not quite the dog days of July and August, you know thing are finally getting serious when June rolls around. We'll play 26 games this month, 14 at home. Once again we'll see everyone in the division, as interleague play has been eliminated. More chances to catch up! Or...fall behind. Oh, and the draft: we'll have a supplemental pick this year, just the one. We traded away our 10th round pick to somebody, but still have all the others, plus extras in the 3rd and 4th rounds...for now.

June 1-2 vs NY YANKEES
Wrapping this one up. We hit the road after these two.

HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (5-4, 5.50) / RH Josh Irvin (3-1, 5.08)
NYY pitchers: LH Brian Whitney (5-3, 4.20) / RH Bob Garner (1-8, 5.94)

#56: LOSS 2-4 ... we outhit them 9-7, Medici gets his 1st HR of the season, and we still come up short
#57: WIN 6-1 ... Irvin returns to his winning ways, fans 7 through 6 IP...3 hits for Lynn, 2 doubles for Daley

We went and did a thing. See below.... ELSEWHERE: In an effort to keep the AL East from getting out of hand, Miami has lost four straight, bringing Tampa Bay and Toronto to a game behind.... Austin (again) finds itself in last in the NL West, leading two players to publicly deny they've requested trades in recent days.... William Swanson (TEX) had a 28-game hitting streak earlier this season; now he has a 25-gamer going. He's probably the best hitter in the game today, tbh.

After dropping some broad hints lately, we went and made a tremendous TRADE! One that--I hope--rectifies my "mistake" in turning over too much of the rotation at once. So...we acquire 31-year-old righty Chris Liles from KC, along with IF Oscar Padilla and $2M cash. Liles is a four-time all-star who started his career with six years in Pittsburgh, with the last three in KC. He's a power pitcher with a career high of 294 K, but his numbers have declined a touch since that mark. He's a groundballer, great in the clubhouse, and has three elite pitches and solid movement and control. He's under contract through '54, making--gulp--$26.8M per, but the Royals will eat $16M of that going forward. We simply needed better starting pitching: I'm confident we just got it. Padilla is really just a AAA middle infielder, with little shot of making the bigs. He's here b/c of mounting injuries on the farm. The cash will help sell the trade to the suits in the Caribbean. That phone ringing from international area code 345? Ignore it.

What did we give up? A lot: five players and two picks. First, there's Julius Burrows: stuck on our bench but someone who deserved better. He's immediately KC's best OF now. Second, prospect 1B/DH Tim Chapman: I hated sending him, as he could be a .300 hitter one day, but he's behind Medici and itching to play. I think we've got replacements for him moving up anyway. (Fingers crossed.) Third, SP Greg Van Tilburg. GVT is a late bloomer who started the season with us but didn't pitch well and was demoted. I think he's still got promise, and should move right into their rotation. I'm glad I didn't have to part with any of my younger pitching prospects. Fourth and fifth were RP Yue-jiu Yi and Tyler Amsden. At 27 and 23, not anywhere close to over-the-hill, but two guys who could be a long-term part of a solid bullpen. Yi made the all-star game last year, but was struggling this year. Amsden got hurt in the spring but otherwise was a near-lock for the roster. We also sent our 2nd and 5th round picks, in part to offset our requested salary-eating by the Royals.

Liles slots into the rotation immediately (duh), but as he just pitched two days ago, he won't be up for going in the next series against...KC. That may mean Jackson will have to go on short rest, or something else will happen maybe. Shane Walker is sent back to AAA. To take Yi's place we call up Nate Kearns for his first taste of the bigs; Burrows' spot goes to Ken Taliaferro, a captain-type lefty with some pop and a huge arm, but not much else. He's up since our prior recall--Josh Hed--is injured for seven weeks, plus he was already on the 40-man roster.

Whew.

June 3-5 @ KANSAS CITY
Well, well, what are the odds? I'm guessing we'll see some familiar faces in the Royals lineup now. (They already have RP Nick Kramer at closer, and former prospect IF Francisco Saucedo as a utility man. Neither is doing well.) Currently last in everything, with just 16 wins, last-place hitting and 13th-ranked pitching. Five players--all of them at least useful types--are on the DL, which is not helping. I've been complaining about our lack of power: we have 51 HR, now 17th in the AL; these guys are last, with just 33. This winter they went and grabbed OF Dan Dellinger, a two-time NL batting champ, and he's batting .346 with 4 HR, tied for first on the team. After him, there's little pure hitting talent available, and by my count at least four regulars who should be in AAA at best. The rotation has also struggled, but at least Adam Grossman has been solid; promising Ryan Swan, however, looks great on paper but is in his second season of poor pitching. Youngster Arturo Bernal could be good one day, but Tony Arriaga is only a fill-in. Manager Andy Raaff has been doing this since 2031, and in KC since '44, and has to be working the Maalox extra hard right now. Team budget is 25th, payroll 30th; there's money to spend. But a 24th-ranked prospect system doesn't really bode well for the near future.

HAW pitchers: RH Biff Skiff (6-4, 4.68) / RH Mike Bader (4-3, 4.33) / RH Ben Germann (4-0, 3.80)
KCR pitchers: LH Jeremy Akey (1-0, 4.35) / RH Ryan Swan (2-9, 7.34) / RH Arturo Bernal (2-6, 7.59)

#58: WIN 4-2 ... 2 H, 2 RBI for Medici; 2 H for Simmons...Biff goes 8 IP, yields just 7 H...Burrows and Chapman play against us, the former gets hurt
#59: LOSS 4-7 ... Bader is pushed around again, and Kearns looks bad in his first outing...sloppy all around
#60: WIN 6-2 ... Germann steps into the breach and tosses a CG...*shrugs*...3 hits each for Grace and Goodloe...dtd injury for Matson

Germann really saved face for us in that last game. We've won both of his emergency starts this year. Hmm.... Those soft bats did outhomer us 4-0.... Matson's injury is a strained calf, but it might put him out for five days. Medici, step up now, son.... Fun in the division: Oakland has a 3 game lead over Texas, Houston, and us.... Guess who we play next.... ELSEWHERE: Five straight for Detroit, and 9 out of 10, to an MLB-best 42-18 mark.... Swanson's streak was stopped at 27 games, but now KC's Dellinger has a 20-game thing going.... Philadelphia has the NL's best offense, and just about the worst pitching. So of course they're six games over .500 and a single game behind the Braves.... SD is hot and now so is SS Blake Langer, batting .365 to lead the NL.

June 6-8 @ OAKLAND
The division leaders, at 37-23. Whereas we're 1st in AVG and 6th in runs, the A's have reversed that, helped in no small part by their 151 home runs. That's the total MLB said we'd get all season. Felix Reyes may have slowed down, but he's still banged out 32 dingers, Justin Sandy 18, and Ryan Walton and Randy Costello 17 each. SS Alex Cruz had 31 last year with Cincinnati, and his mere 7 so far this year looks anemic in this lineup. Pitching hasn't been great, but at 10th in runs against, they've been good enough. Only one player is on the DL, and that's back-end RP James Clemons. We're somehow 4-2 against these guys so far this year.

HAW pitchers: RH Chris Liles (4-5, 3.15) / RH Shamar Jackson (5-5, 5.33) / RH Josh Irvin (4-1, 4.79)
OAK pitchers: LH Chris Larimer (7-2, 4.39) / RH Eric Stockton (2-3, 4.40) / RH Conrad Robertson (1-3, 7.89)

#61: LOSS 4-8 ... we outhit them, and keep up in homers one-to-one, but LILES GETS HURT OMFG...Walker and Pearse then explode all over my life
#62: LOSS 6-9 ... everyone's flat tonight, outside of Frederick's 2-run double and a handful of other useless hits...more bad pitching too
#63: WIN 13-4 ... the offense shows up, banging out 15 hits (3 HR) and taking 8 walks...Irvin is okay, but the pen struggles again

There was some good old fashioned woodshedding happening in this series. Ugh.... And it'll be a fine joke by the universe if Liles is done for the year. He looked good in the 3 innings he managed for us, anyway.... At some point this season I'll probably do something like a 3-for-3 swap of relievers between us and AAA Santa Barbara.... With injuries starting to bite in the minors, and wanting more OF depth after the big trade, I reach out and sign two veteran OF to minor league deals. First, we sign Roberto Saldana, who was a regular for three teams between '40 and '45, smacking 130 HR during that time. He's been in Japan since, and will go to AAA for now. Next, we ink 41-year-old Mike Blough, a former stud with the Pittsburgh dynasty in the '30s. He's made the free agent circuit through the league the past decade, and will likely wrap things up with us. Scouts say he can still hit, has some power, and is good in the clubhouse.... ELSEWHERE: It's some 1984 deja vu all over again with Detroit and San Diego on top of their respective leagues. The Padres have the best pitching in MLB by far right now, while being fairly middle-of-the-road offensively. Detroit, meanwhile, combines top-five offense (plus lots and lots of HR) with the AL's best staff. And their doing all that with five legit regulars--2 SP, their CL, 2B, and CF--on the DL.

June 10-12 vs TEXAS
I told you these guys would be good this year. Another lineup of big bats, led by William Swanson (.347/28/59), Omar Gurrola (.298/21/44), and Eric Robbins (.284/14/39), their 3rd in runs and 2nd in HR. Pitching ranks 8th, and they have a +65 run differential (ours is +20). The only drawbacks I see right now are the very top of their lineup (batting .218 and .193) and the bottom of the rotation (combined ERA around 7). They've taken 4 out of 6 against us so far, and sit three games in arrears of the A's.

HAW pitchers: RH Biff Skiff (7-4, 4.45) / RH Mike Bader (4-4, 4.44) / LH Shane Walker (3-2, 5.75)
TEX pitchers: RH Mike Kent (4-7, 5.71) / RH Bryan Crider (1-1, 8.10) / RH Kevin Cahill (5-5, 3.98)

#64: WIN 3-1 ... 24 combined hits tonight, but no dingers, and few runs...3 hits for Frederick, 2 for several others...Biff looks good too
#65: WIN 7-0 ... CG for Bader, fanning 4...Grace and Matson homer...12 hits, 3 walks, a HBP, 4 steals, 4 2b, 2 HR -- lots of stats tonight
#66: LOSS 6-10 ... sleeping bats awoke, bashing 4 HR and 13 hits...three pitchers walked out to the mound tonight, three slunk away beaten soundly

Okay, the baseball gods maybe *don't* hate me, but they are probably watching me for hubris: Liles' injury is a strained shoulder, out for six weeks. Not great, but still a huge sigh of relief.... Shane Walker gets the call, and as you can see above, it didn't go well for him. If he can't make it work over the next start or two, I'm not sure what I'll do next. My most likely recall, Miguel Tirado, is injured, and the current rotation in AAA is: an underdeveloped prospect, two relievers, one old guy called up from AA, and a winter trade throw-in from the awful Baltimore organization. Yikes.... Nate Kearns is returned to AAA for more seasoning after that third game; Min-hyuk Yaung is recalled.... ELSEWHERE: The three best pitchers in MLB showed their stuff on that third night: Minny's Conor MacLeod tossed a 4-hit, 15-K shutout; Cincy's Cris Frias fanned 17 in an 8-3 win; and Atlanta's Jose Gutierrez delivered a 14-K shutout of his own. Gutierrez, a two-time Cy Young winner, leads baseball with a 1.69 ERA and 4.7 WAR....KC's Dan Dellinger had his 24-game hit streak ended by Tampa Bay. The Royals are the last team without 20 wins, coming in at 18-48.

June 13-15 vs MIAMI
We're facing all the good teams now, aren't we. Miami is back on top of the East, at 38-28 and riding a five-game winning streak. Batting has rebounded, up to 7th in runs, with Toshi Shimabukuro emerging as a star (.355/20/45) in his second season. 3B Jon Ladd is having a nice comeback season, batting .280/18/45, and 37-year-old Sean West keeps chugging along, with 14 HR and a .296 average. Pitching sits 5th, with new acquisition Jon Carlsen earning his huge paycheck, but former Isle Mike Messinger definitely not. Manager Efrain Nevares slid over from his bench coach duties when the club decided not to extend 95-game winner Paul Trashini. He's had a steady hand so far, something he never showed during stints with Houston and the Yankees. Team budget ranks 9th, payroll 8th. Owner Dusty Means is happy, despite GM Adrian Ashford not getting rid of "clubhouse distraction" Ricky Chavez. He's an interesting case, Chavez: so disliked that after hitting 49 HR in '42 and 46 the following year, no one in MLB signed him as a free agent until four years later. He's the leader of a dissatisfied clubhouse, too, with no team leaders and a handful of disgruntled and selfish jerks. But they're still winning games...

HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (5-6, 5.70) / RH Josh Irvin (5-1, 4.65) / RH Biff Skiff (8-4, 4.20)
MIA pitchers: RH Norm Rowsell (3-2, 4.56) / LH Victor Nunez (8-5, 3.07) / RH Jon Carlsen (10-1, 3.05)

#67: LOSS 6-12 ... Jackson is again terrible...and yet, so are the two RP who follow him, sigh...2B and HR for Alonzo, at least
#68: LOSS 4-5 ... Germann's scoreless 1.1 IP in relief is the only good news tonight...just five hits, nobody doing nothing again
#69: WIN 6-5 ... Frederick homers for the 2nd straight game, and a reshuffled lineup manages 13 hits...Biff gives up 12 tho, feeling generous

We saved some face with that last game, at least.... Terrible pitching this series, from nearly everybody. If we can just keep hitting, maybe we can ride this out. I dunno right now.... Liles comes back in five weeks. HURRY.... ELSEWHERE: If you're wondering about our former SP from last year, wonder no more: Eric Jones has an 8.10 ERA in relief duty for the Dodgers, and now has a pending injury; Dennis Perry has been better, with a 2.45 ERA, also in relief, with Toronto; and Tim Ciotta, whom we dumped after he started so poorly for us, is with Houston and doing quite well. We'll see him soon enough.... The underrated Juan Garcia, now with the Cubs (also Royals for 12 years), is nearing 2600 career hits. The 34-year-old has a lifetime .321 average, and if he can stay healthy for a couple more years, has a very real shot at reaching 3000 hits.

......

TL;DR Version: You know, we use the word 'crisis' too easily in the world today. So I won't use it here. After all, our pitching--despite ranking 12th in runs against--is not truly lethal...in the sense that heartburn is not lethal. It's just bad right now, but it can get better. The rookies have shown some real promise, even though they've all been quite uneven. It's really the veteran Jackson--who couldn't get me out right now--and our #5 slot, presently filled by someone masquerading as a big league pitcher named Shane Walker, that have been the real trouble. Chris Liles comes back in five weeks. But let's be honest: something needs to happen in those five weeks, or we'll find ourselves on the outside before August even begins. Trade? Done that. Waivers? I'm watching, but don't expect anything there either. The farm? Only two guys look even close to MLB level: Henry Weareorwear started seven games for Baltimore in the late '40s and didn't show much. Oof. Prospect Danny Carbajal is only about 3/4 baked right now, but does have a lovely "It's-a me, Mario!" moustache going. Maybe a little hipster 'stache injection is what we need. That, or we ruin his confidence in the meat grinder. It'll be interesting to watch, either way. Oh...and the batters? It would be nice to mix in some home runs every now and then, but otherwise, we're okay.

Bub13 · 09-08-2020, 09:52 AM

Draft day is here! For about ten rounds, I really enjoy this. Selecting players who could be the future cornerstones of the franchise. After that, not so great. Despite trading away two top picks (2nd and 5th rounders), we're still well positioned for today, with a supplemental first rounder and extra picks in the 3rd and 4th rounds. MLB has us taking a groundball pitcher in the first and a high-contact/low-power IF in the supplemental round. (Sniff...they really do get me, don't they.)

Elsewhere...Baltimore was so bad last year they should get the first five picks. But no, they'll get just the one. After them it's St Louis, California, Kansas City, and the Cubs to round out the top five. KC and Cincinnati are the only teams with multiple picks. Eight teams have no first round picks at all. MLB sees four pitchers going straight away, then SS Eddie Feltman going at five. The top twenty prospects are dominated by pitchers, with only six positional players making the list. Pretty much like last year, although teams went "off board" to draft batters lower on the list with top picks. I expect more of the same this year, especially as some of the top-ranked SP prospects look likely to develop into relievers instead. (Interestingly, MLB says the Orioles will take a pitcher who barely cracks the top 50.)

......

Once the dust settles, there was something of an inversion at the top of the charts: predraft #5 Eddie Feltman went first overall to the Orioles, while #1 Steve Scibek went fourth to the Royals. St Louis took college 2B Chris Fortune second, California grabbed OF Chris Burns, then KC, followed by the Cubs selecting OF Brian Hassell. That last pick looks like the best bet to me, as Hassell is just 18 and has high ceilings across the board. The other four guys, while good, are all nearly 22 or older, and I doubt some of them will hit their peaks, ever. With their two picks, Cincy grabbed a pair of power hitting OF, because they always do. (Both look good, but will have K problems.) With their second 1st rounder, KC took pitcher Goldie Waters; if they can sign him, he looks like absolute, um, gold. With the picks they got from us, the Royals took yet another high-power/high-K outfielder, and a pitcher described as "likely to make poor decisions both on and off the field."

As for us, it looks like we'll be able to sign all our guys, as only a couple at the top of the pile are at least "hard" to sign. And no one will break the bank either. Here's how I see the top of our draft:

Round 1, 30th overall: P/OF Erik Bennetsen, 21, USC. Good-looking kid who, if he can get his control sorted out, could be our first true two-way player, if I go that route. As a pitcher, he's got big-time stuff, decent movement, and potentially okay control. As a regular player, he's a five-tool guy, although his best feature is contact and power. Reminds me of Cam Daley, quite a bit.

Round 1 supplemental, 43rd overall: OF Jonathan Johannes, 21, Puerto Rico-Cayey. If my scouts are right, he's a 40+ HR guy. Only drawbacks look like a disinclination to take a walk, and the inability to run. But he can do a home run trot, right?

Round 3, 83rd overall: P Ken Taylor, 22, Long Beach State. MLB's choice for our first pick; but we waited, and he was still available in the third. Lucky us, as he looks like a mid-rotation starter. Great stamina, excellent fastball, smart. Could use some better movement.

Round 3, 110th overall: P Narayan Seshu, 21, Kansas State. Sidd Finch, come on down! Okay, not really. But the 6'8" lefty from Bhutan joins our Team UN (prospects from Kyrgyzstan, Wallis Islands, Chile, etc), and looks like a very promising reliever. Once his control tightens up, his elite fastball and top-notch change could see him in a closer role one day.

Round 4, 114th overall: SS Danny Gerald, 20, LSU. Average to just above-average at the plate, his real value comes in excellent fielding and solid speed/baserunning. Utility infielders are useful too; you can't always draft sluggers and ace pitchers.

Round 4, 146th overall: OF Jeremy Hagemann, 18, high school. Here's me just trying to fit in with the crowd, selecting a modern day prototype hitter: huge power, lots of strikeouts, fair contact. Pretty slow too, but has decent range in the field. Kind of looks limited to LF, tho.

After these guys, it's business as usual. Maybe someone will step up, make the team one day...or most likely not.

......

Our prospect system remains in first place, with nine players in the top 100, and five more (six, counting the departed Greg Van Tilburg) in the top 200. And I think we've got legitimate pro-level prospects beyond those guys (mostly relievers, but also catcher Mike Covington). The cream of the crop are:

1B Jules Medici, 21, ranked #3, Hawaii: .253/.326/.333, 2 HR. Slowly getting more at bats, filling in for injuries and rotating in for the declining Adam Groff. He looks ready to me, although he still strikes out a bit too much right now.

SP Mike Bader, 23, ranked #19, Hawaii: 4-4, 4.44 ERA, 79 IP. Has the better all-around balance of our two top pitching prospects in the bigs right now. Needs his circle change to develop into a nice third pitch.

SP Henry Skiffington, 24, ranked #23, Hawaii: 7-4, 4.45 ERA, 83 IP. Like Bader, is still developing. Looks great some nights, like a wide-eyed rookie others.

OF Josh Hed, 24, ranked #35, AAA: .291/.378/.547 (and 2-for-9 with Hawaii). Is definitely ready for the big time, and would be up right now if not for a back strain. Well-suited for center, but may get a shot in left as Daley's defense slowly bottoms out. Hits for contact and power.

SP Daniel Croft, 21, ranked #43, AA: 1-7, 4.55 ERA, 65 IP. Quite possibly the best pitching prospect in our system. Power pitcher developing a five-pitch arsenal.

3B Jose Villalpando, 16, ranked #49, international complex: no stats. Scouting discovery out of Colombia in December. Right now, he looks to become a high-contact power hitter, will take a walk, but low on gap power. Fielding is middling, but with a rocket arm. At just 16, however, there's a lot of time for things to go south.

SP Manny Reyes, 19, ranked #55, Short A: no stats yet. One of our four supplemental picks from last summer. Injuries limited him to just two games last year. Another guy with balanced ratings, and working on his three-pitch repertoire. Definitely a few years away.

OF Diego Espino, 21, ranked #63, AAA: 4-for-24 (.234 in AA as well). He's not hitting yet this year, but the future is still bright...or at least fairly light...for Diego. He rates above average in every batting category, is a future team captain, and is an excellent fielder. Will he develop enough bat to be a starter one day? Who knows...

SP Andy Burke, 22, ranked #93, A: 6-2, 4.13 ERA, 65 IP. You know you're high on a guy when, on draft day, he demands--and gets--a major league contract and is put on the 40-man roster before throwing a pitch for you. Along with Croft (above), we have the makings of a solid 1-2 punch at the top of our future rotation. His four-pitch arsenal is about 80% there, and when his control rounds out we'll be ready for him. (He's walking 3.2 per 9 in A ball, so it's not like he's godawful right now.)

Best of the rest ... The next four guys--John Loeb, Travis Harris, Danny Carbajal, and Larry Hensley--are all SP, and each has major plusses and some drawbacks. Don't count any of them out, although none are locks either. (And AAA starter Miguel Tirado could figure, although he's listed as an RP prospect right now.) I also like the bats of OF Doug Pederson and Noah Williams, although neither is great guns in the field. Catcher Mike Covington could be a regular by this time next year. And there's a slew of dime-a-dozen RP out there, some of whom I even really like.

Bub13 · 09-10-2020, 08:02 PM

June 16-18 @ HOUSTON
The former "worst franchise in the division" is now a game ahead of us in the standings, in the middle of June. What a world, what a world. They're not hitting much, 12th in AVG and OBP, but are scoring a little better than that, at 9th in the AL. Pitching is slightly better, 7th in runs, and the bullpen (2nd in ERA) has been pretty stout. Jose Renteria is showing that last year's breakout was no fluke, at .318/29/67; and while no one else is hitting lights out, 2B Chris Marshall--batting 9th--is 60 points over his career average (currently at .303) and his 9 HR are already a career high. Outside of Chris Harris and Tim "Remember Me?" Ciotta, the rotation is struggling, so maybe we can make some hay early in games. Or maybe we'll face those two guys and look foolish. [EDIT: We will see them both.] They've taken 4 out of 6 against us so far.

HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (5-4 3.99) / LH Shane Walker (3-2, 6.25) / RH Shamar Jackson (5-7, 5.99)
HOU pitchers: LH Chris Harris (8-4, 3.65) / LH Tim Wise (2-2, 4.56) / RH Tim Ciotta (8-3, 3.66)

#70: WIN 5-0 ... Bader's run continues, with another CG win...Goodloe and Medici homer, and we steal five bases just for fun
#71: WIN 5-4 ... Walker hangs around for 9 IP, and gets the win with Daley's walk-off HR in the 10th
#72: WIN 10-8 ... Jackson surrenders 4 HR, but Lynn's RBI single in the 9th ties things, Frederick's 2-run single in the 11th wins it

Sweep! Plus, Texas also gets swept (by Oakland, tho) so we're back in second! Four games behind the A's now.... Lots of hits again this series, finally some runs, and also finally some half-decent pitching. Bader has been very good of late, the jury is still out on Walker, but Jackson looks like a guy on his last legs for some reason.... AAA Santa Barbara is back at .500, 29-29.... ELSEWHERE: The White Sox are 41-31, hanging tough against a very good Detroit team, but now have four pitchers on the DL, including prospects-turned-constantly-injured-vets Burton Dick and Ben O'Neal. Oddly tho: O'Neal has three weeks left on the 60-day DL, but is completely healthy and ready to go. ??? .... Oakland's Felix Reyes went a couple weeks with just one HR, but has gotten hot again: 37 HR in 70 GP now.... Philadelphia is trying a new strategy to overcome their terrible pitching: leaving guys out there until they fall over. Two SP have tossed 10-inning complete games in the last two weeks. Both were shutout wins, btw, so maybe they know something.

June 20-22 @ DETROIT
Our parade through the AL's top teams continues, facing the AL-best Tigers. They're 47-25 despite some serious losses to injury: SP Raul Bravo was 9-2 and is out for another week; CL Jay Debus (41 saves last year) hasn't pitched at all; CF Luis Rodela (only 53 HR last year) is done for the season; and 31-HR 2B Hideki Matsuro is out for another two months. They're struggling so much that they're only third in HR, with 133, and only Pat Townsand (with 27) and Francisco Villon (22) have more than twenty. *Sniff* Townsand, now in his third season, raised his average last year by 50 points from his rookie campaign, and is a further 70 points higher this season so far. The only guy not producing is CF Ed Haley (.248, 1 HR) but he wasn't supposed to start anyway. Oh, and don't forget they're also first in runs against, with an Islander-like +107 run differential. Manager John Baird has been with the team for five seasons now (three as BC, second as Manager), and the worst season of those five were 92 wins back in '48. No titles, however. Team budget is 2nd (just behind LA), payroll is 1st. Owner Henry Ilitch is literally rolling in cash, pizza dough, and wins.

HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (5-2, 4.66) / RH Biff Skiff (9-4, 4.33) / RH Mike Bader (6-4, 3.62)
DET pitchers: LH T.J. Carroll (6-4, 3.73) / LH Carlton Saunders (7-2, 3.48) / LH Carlos Zenon (7-2, 4.20)

#73: WIN 6-4 ... Irvin goes five solid innings, is lifted after a rain delay...Yaung gives up 3 HR, all solo shots...10 hits equals 6 runs tonight
#74: LOSS 3-6 ... we outhit them, smack 4 doubles to their one, they commit 3 errors, and yet...3 hits for Simmons...Biff pulled in the 4th
#75: WIN 7-3 ... Bader is sharp again, going 8.1 IP...15 hits here, Grace with 3, Lynn with a triple and 2-run HR

Hey, 5-1 in our last two series, against pretty solid opposition.... Three games behind Oakland, with Texas and Houston a game behind us.... Biff has a decision in every start of his but one this year.... Seven regulars are batting over .300, and Wakabayashi is batting .326 in the catching platoon.... We got all our draft picks signed, and came in over a million under budget. Yay me.... ELSEWHERE: The biggest free agent splashes so far? In the AL, while KC's Dan Dellinger has been sweet (.359/9/30), the Royals stink so he doesn't count. So I'll say Miami's Jon Carlsen, at 11-2, a 3.04 ERA, and 143 K in 121 IP. Over in the Senior Circuit, it's probably Tim Marinaccio, signed away from Tampa Bay by the suddenly resurgent Cubs. He's gone .326/27/63, sixty points over his career average and working on a 50+ HR season. (Psst: I doubt he'll keep it up.).... KC is still at the bottom of the charts in the AL, with 24 wins. But Baltimore is folding like a cheap orange-and-black suit (14-34 the last two months), and has just 26 wins. It's also 26 wins for the NL's flounders, in St Louis. The Center of the Baseball Universe hasn't had a winning season since '45, and I'm thinking of renaming them the Browns.

June 23-25 vs CALFORNIA
Their 8-12 mark this month has been the best of the season, and overall they're trailing everyone in the West, at 27-48. Both the offense (16th) and pitching (17th) have been pretty bad. Injuries are piling up too, because why not go all out in decrepitude: out are their C, 2B, and four pitchers. Star Ricky Ochoa has slumped to just .235, and his 14 HR have him 40 dingers behind last year's total. Rookie Mauricio Marquez continues to impress, however, at .307/12/27, and closer Scott Mahala finally has his ERA down to a not-outright-laughable 5.79. That's one-and-a-half runs lower than last year, and two runs lower than what he had the last time we faced off. So of course we're just 3-3 against these guys this season.

HAW pitchers: LH Shane Walker (4-2, 5.84) / RH Shamar Jackson (5-7, 6.13) / RH Josh Irvin (5-2, 4.50)
CAL pitchers: RH Jeremy DiMaggio (4-8, 6.54) / RH Ryan Kuehner (3-8, 7.14) / RH Josh Pomerantz (7-5, 4.93)

#76: WIN 5-4 ... Lynn stays hot with 2 hits and 2 RBI, and Groff knocks a solo HR, 7th of the season...Walker is meh through 5, but we get 4 good IP by the pen
#77: WIN 7-6 ... Jackson yields 4 homers AGAIN, but we win it in the 11th on Goodloe's RBI single...3 hits for Matson and Daley, 4 RBI for the former
#78: LOSS 8-9 ... 17 hits for us...um, 20 for them but who's counting...the bullpen blows this one, giving up five late runs

That wacky bullpen. What will they come up with next.... Couple of injuries this series: Frederick has some back tightness, but stays in the lineup. Motion is lotion, big guy. Also, RP Alex Mahoney has a pending diagnosis; he hasn't been great shakes for us so far, but his 4.65 ERA is actually--gulp--third in the bullpen right now. Ick.... ELSEWHERE: Philly's George Livezey leads the NL with 5.0 WAR, but I'm sure the clumsy oaf will go out for the year any day now.... The Phils still have that lovely "first in offense, last in pitching" thing going, having scored 501 runs and given up 405. Now, that's the worst pitching staff in the NL by some margin, but would only be fourth worst in the AL, far behind the Mariners and their generous allowance of 470 runs to opposing teams. That offense tho, is by far the best in MLB. And that's without former MVP Luke Kempf, out since early April with a vaporized kneecap. They're even second in steals--first in homers AND second in steals. Who are these guys.

June 26-28 vs SEATTLE
We'll wrap up the month against those fun Mariners, bringing with them the games's sorriest pitching staff of the first half of the season. I noticed that they also have three SP on the DL and felt bad for them, until I saw that each of the three carried ERA over SEVEN before getting hurt. The offense, at least, is miles better: 15th in runs, and way ahead of us at 11th in home runs. Jose Rodriguez is doing it all, at .296/22/53, and catcher Arturo Sena is in his tenth season of a) not hitting for average, b) striking out a ton, and c) earning a WAR over 4. (Great glove + home runs, that's how.) Former Isles prospect Daniel Newell is batting .280 in leadoff, and sophomore Jon Terrell has gone .307/17/48. So it's not all doom and gloom here. **Looks harder, sees their three recent free agent "gets" are batting .215, .147, and nothing as he's out for the year with post-concussion syndrome** Wow. Maybe it's time to cut bait and bring up some kids already.

HAW pitchers: RH Biff the Skiff (9-5, 4.72) / RH Mike Bader (7-4, 3.59) / LH Shane Walker (4-2, 5.80)
SEA pitchers: LH Shaun Ostrander (4-7, 6.78) / RH Scott Janulis (1-1, 4.45) / RH Chris Grauer (2-3, 5.11)

#79: WIN 8-1 ... a 7-run 7th breaks open a tie game...Biffer goes the distance, fanning six but walking four...six hits, 4 RBI from backups tonight
#80: WIN 11-4 ... another Groff homer! Also, four walks and three runs...three hits by Frederick and Alonzo, Simmons triples twice
#81: WIN 8-4 ... Simmons!now!has!two!home runs!on the season!...Daley, Lynn, and Matson also go deep...Walker is pretty bad tonight, however

Pretty nice. Frederick had his 21-game hit streak ended in that last one, however.... We banged out seven HR in this series. Someone bottle that lightning.... Mahoney's diagnosis comes in: torn meniscus, out for the season. Oh well.... Might be time for some big changes in the bullpen anyway. The ERA is 11th overall, and outside of Johnson (excellent) and Germann (pretty good), it's been rough going. Yaung has pitched just 5 innings since his recall, so it's too early to tell what he'll deliver (or not), but Pearse, Walker, and Mahoney have been subpar. Time to check the trade block and also to get an update on the young guns on the farm.... ELSEWHERE: Nine wins in a row for the out-of-nowhere Brooklyn Robins, now only three games behind the Phillies.... Cincy has struggled to a 36-45 mark, and just now disruptive Andy Howard and selfish David Rivera came to blows. Somehow the clubhouse is "content" however.... At the halfway point, we have two possibly record-setting seasons on the books: Oakland's Felix Reyes has 39 HR, and Cincy's Cris Frias has 205 strikeouts. Reyes is chasing Barry Bonds' 73-HR season, while Frias should easily set the NL mark for whiffin', and may even surpass MacLeod's 405 Ks from last year.

......

TL;DR Version: A more than satisfactory 10-2 finish to June, wrapping up a 17-9 month. We're 15 games over .500 now, at 48-33, just two games behind the A's. Some team rankings are creeping up too: 4th in runs scored (up from 6th), and 11th in runs against (up from 13th). Somewhat surprisingly, we're 5th in team ZR, despite being just 11th in defensive efficiency. Despite a lack of power in the lineup, everyone is starting to click: even the early-season slump from Groff seems to have worn off, as he's up to .277 now, with 8 HR. Individually, a number of guys are 2nd or 3rd in a variety of batting stats, but only J.J. Simmons leads anything, with 6 sacrifices. On the mound, Kyle Johnson leads the AL with 26 saves, while Ben Germann is tops with 9 holds.

Early end to the month because the all-star break is early this year. Can't wait to see who makes it to the Home Run Derby! Sadly, I will not be competing in the GMs-only all-you-can-eat contest this year.

Bub13 · 09-13-2020, 12:31 PM

The all-star weekend festivities kick off with the prospects game. We send four kids from the system: SP Daniel Croft (AA), RP Brad Cahill (S A), C Mike Covington (AAA), and OF Nick Gase (A). Gase is kind of a surprise to me, as he's not really on my radar as a top prospect. (The others are.) But looking more closely, if he fills out he looks like a slap-hitting utility outfielder, good for contact and not striking out, with decent enough defense to fill in anywhere. Huh, okay. Anyway ... the NL stomps us down 9-3. Gase got a hit, Covington two. Cahill loaded the bases in his only inning (no runs tho), but Croft took the loss from his single frame. Cincy 3B prospect Tanner Carlisle (huge slugging prospect, big shock) was named MVP.

For the big boys game, we place three guys on the roster: D.J. Grace will start at third; Kyle Johnson is named as one of the relievers on the squad; and oddly, Ben Germann makes the team as a starting pitcher. He's made two emergency starts for us, and while we've won both games, he's been much better as a reliever as he's never had any consistency as a starter. Still: way to go, Ben! So ... the NL delivers another big fat beatdown, winning 16-9. Grace does smack a 3-run home run, but Johnson gives up two runs and Germann yields three homers. Yowza.

A couple more pieces of news: we traded a prospect and a pick to Seattle for reliever Dan Neumann. Neumann is 30, in the last year of his contract, and is solidly slightly-above-average in all categories. He's been good for the awful Mariners staff (1.59 ERA, 27 K in 17 IP), so hopefully he can inject some life into our bullpen. Also, we send down relievers Kevin Walker and Andy Pearse, while recalling Anthony Booker and Jeff Black (making his MLB debut). Let's see if this does something for our pen...

Finally, we get our mid-season review from our "Caribbean" owners: nothing is good, apparently. We're not winning enough; our payroll is too high; we didn't re-sign closer Jon White; team defensive efficiency is not up. Total failures, all of us. Good to know.

......

July sees us playing 27 games, 15 at home, 12 on the road. Once again, we'll see everyone in the division, including a mid-month back-to-back against Texas and Oakland. We'll start with two series on the road.

July 3-5 @ MINNESOTA
They've improved every month, and now sit in third place with a 43-38 record. Eighth in runs scored, pretty much middle-of-the-road in all offensive categories. Last year's three-productive-men lineup is now a five-productive-men lineup, so that's progress. Pitching is greatly improved, at fifth in runs against. Conor MacLeod has once again been terrific, and stable mates Bobby Reder, Danny Ruiz, and Hector Quiroz have been decent-to-good. Bullpen has been top-five too. We took two out of three from them in late May.

HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (8-4, 3.65) / RH Josh Irvin (5-2, 4.68) / RH Biff Skiff (10-5, 4.42)
MIN pitchers: LH Bobby Reder (8-7, 4.27) / RH Danny Ruiz (9-3, 4.19) / RH Dustin Springer (3-9, 5.30)

#82: LOSS 0-3 ... well, we do outhit them 10-6, and Bader is pretty good again...3 hits for Matson
#83: WIN 5-3 ... Irvin suffers yet another rain delay, leaving in the sixth, but gets the win...HR for Matson and Daley, 3 hits for Simmons
#84: WIN 8-6 ... 15 hits tonight, including HR from Grace and Goodloe, and 3 hits each for Groff and Lynn...Biff gets the win despite a bad outing

I'll take it; the two wins keeps pace with Oakland, still three games ahead.... Three days, three truly subpar trade offers for Jules Medici. So I set him to 'untouchable' pdq.... Not that I'm unhappy with the current state of our outfield these days, but checking in on our former supersub Julius Burrows, now of KC, shows me that he just reached a 20-game hit streak, and is batting .367/4/17 in 27 games since the trade. And Tim Chapman is now batting leadoff, hitting .278.... D.J. Grace is asking for an extension: 9 years, $274M.... ELSEWHERE: Brooklyn has now won 12 straight, bringing them to 12 games over .500 and a game behind the Phillies.... Detroit has lost nine out of ten, but still holds a five game lead over the Twins and White Sox.... And Baltimore and KC are the only teams without 30 wins: both have 28.

July 6-8 @ HOUSTON
They've gone 7-5 since we saw them late last month, and there's little new to report since then. Currently 10th in offense, 7th in pitching. 1B Jose Renteria won the all-star HR contest, and now has 31 dongs on the season. Also, despite sitting fourth in the division, they're still on a 90-win pace, which would be the most wins in a season since getting 92 back in 2018.

HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (5-7, 6.15) / LH Shane Walker (4-2, 5.92) / RH Mike Bader (8-5, 3.63)
HOU pitchers: RH Alex Trujillo (9-6, 4.35) / RH Chris James (1-4, 4.47) / LH Chris Harris (10-6, 3.81)

#85: WIN 10-3 ... 4 HR tonight, including 2 from Frederick...Jackson goes the distance, fanning 9...Grace gets hurt tho, diagnosis pending
#86: LOSS 1-2 ... 7 hits for us, 4 doubles, but just 1 run...3 hits for them, none for extras, 2 runs and the win...odd game
#87: LOSS 2-12 ... Bader looks human again, and the 10 hits we got went quietly...Booker and Black both pitch tonight, both get hammered

Not great, especially Bader's outing (8 runs in 1.2 IP). The Booker/Black experiment in the pen hasn't been so hot either.... Grace suffers back soreness, and we're told he'll need two weeks off and some serious spa time. We're on volcanic islands: there have to be some fumaroles he can go rest in for a while, right? We recall Jesus Lopez from AAA, where he was batting .278 as their shortstop.... We ink one international amateur this year, nabbing Costa Rican pitcher Victor Antunez. "String" looks like a mid-to-back-end rotation guy to me, with three pitches coming around. Plus he's got that high INT/WE that I really like. Now go work out, son, and we'll check on you in six years or so.... ELSEWHERE: The Yankees have won 9 of 10, trying to push their way back into the AL East race.... Meanwhile, the Indians have dropped 11 straight, inching closer to the Royals at the wrong end of the Central.... The RBI may not be a cool stat anymore, but Detroit's Pat Townsand has 94, putting him on a pace for 175. Which still wouldn't catch Hack Wilson's record of 191 from 1930, but a guy can dream.

July 9-11 vs TORONTO
Just as I thought they would, Miami and Tampa have caught the Jays, pushing them back to third and just a game ahead of the surging Yankees. Batting is still a problem, at 15th in runs; pitching is much better, ranking 4th. Former Isle Dennis Perry has been moved up to the rotation, but at 0-3 and a 4.91 ERA, he hasn't caught fire yet. 1B Ian Logan and RF Joel Page pace the attack with 19 HR each, but over half the lineup is batting under .250, and like us they don't hit a ton of home runs. Their 2049 first round pick, pitcher Greg Boedigheimer, is still the #1 prospect in baseball: he's finally been moved into the rotation and has a 2.15 ERA in six starts. We took 2 from them on the road back in May.

HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (6-2, 4.51) / RH Biff the Skiff (11-5, 4.56) / RH Shamar Jackson (6-7, 5.89)
TOR pitchers: RH Nick Palmer (7-6, 3.97) / RH Alberto Reyes (8-5, 3.98) / RH Greg Boedigheimer (1-0, 2.76)

#88: WIN 4-3 ... Frederick's solo shot and Groff's 2 RBI singles lead the attack...Irvin fans 9 in 6 innings of work
#89: LOSS 1-2 ... Skiffer goes the distance, but despite 10 hits we can't sustain any offense, scoring once by accident...3 hits for Simmons
#90: WIN 6-1 ... Action Jackson! gets another CG, allowing only 5 hits and whiffing 9...Goodloe pokes his 10th HR

Finally some offense in that last game, keeping us up with Oakland (who swept the miserable Orioles), at five games behind them now.... Five batters have reached double figures in HR now! Daley and Frederick lead the way with 14.... Santa Barbara has found their way back to decency, at 42-39; and crazy times alert, as rookie ball Wilmington--usually just terrible--has started their season at 9-5.... ELSEWHERE: Bad news for Oakland is good news for us, sorrynotsorry: ace Jim Schwartz, a 21-game winner last year, tore his UCL and is done for this year and most of next year. At a league-best 58-32, they have a long way to fall, however.... Baltimore! This is not what rebuilding teams do: trade a decent RP, a solid 3B prospect, and a could-be-decent OF prospect for a 35-year-old OF batting .219.... Two international amateurs have signed for north of $20M, which is just nuts to me.

July 13-15 vs TEXAS
They've slipped a bit from their hot start, going .500 in June and 5-4 so far this month. Still, at 50-40 they're three behind us, eight behind Oakland. Still second in runs scored, and HR, and most other things too. Every regular but one (2B Mike McNeill, who's at least batting .275 and playing terrific defense) has at least 11 HR, and William Swanson (.346/36/84) is chasing a possible triple crown. Everyone is producing. Pitching ranks just ninth, and there are some nagging injuries bedeviling the rotation atm. Former Isle Cory Graulich is the #5 starter now, and he gives up a ton of long balls, so maybe we can make some magic happen there. Closer Garrett Slone (1.77 ERA) is still cracking, and hot prospect Mike Nelson--who should be in the rotation soon--has just been recalled and slotted as a setup man. We'll get to see him, most likely. Top prospect SS Javier Tzoc (#22 overall) is in AAA now and nearly ready, but I'm not sure where they'll put him as former #1 overall Ryan Boers (.289/19/55) has been solid at short. Maybe one of them will move over to second to replace the lighter-hitting McNeill. It's a good problem to have, frankly.

HAW pitchers: LH Shane Walker (4-3, 5.56) / RH Mike Bader (8-6, 4.12) / RH Josh Irvin (7-2, 4.51)
TEX pitchers: RH Cory Graulich (1-2, 6.33) / LH Bobby Daniel (8-5, 4.12) / RH Kevin Cahill (7-6, 4.16)

#91: WIN 10-9 ... the extra point is up, it's good! Matson's RBI double in the 8th is the clincher...Walker is ugly, but the pen saves us today
#92: WIN 6-2 ... 2 H, 2 RBI for Medici, and Goodloe and Matson knock RBI doubles...BUT: Bader gets hurt
#93: LOSS 0-3 ... sleepy bats tonight, just six hits...six walks and three steals too...Irvin pitches well, takes the loss

Unhappy with the offense in that last game, but two wins is still good. Mostly solid pitching too, which has been a real struggle.... If Bader is out long-term, I'm not sure what I'll do next. Probably the only AAA options worth looking at are Danny Carbajal or Jim Perry. Carbs is okay but not quite ready; Perry we acquired a couple weeks ago from Montreal as insurance. We drafted him some time ago but let him go because, well, he's below average. So my choices? Not great.... At least Liles comes back after our next series; as does Grace.... A favorite prospect, 19-year-old pitcher Manny Reyes, blew out his elbow in Short A ball and is done for over a year. Two injuries in two years for him now.... ELSEWHERE: The defending champion Pirates have decided that their league-worst bullpen is the reason why they're 43-50 and 13 games out of first place. So they've traded away four relievers in the last two weeks, acquiring a host of middling prospects. I dunno, but maybe your team AVG of .237 (ranked 17th) and your 13th-ranked overall offense might have a little more to do with it.... Oakland may have lost their ace, but they're still rolling: winners of 8 out of 10, a 60-33 record, and five games up in the West.

......

TL;DR Version: 7-5 during this run, which is not terrible but makes it hard to keep up with the hot A's. Still, our 55-38 overall mark is better than we were a month ago. We're still hitting a ton, and our pitching is getting a little bit better every week. Question marks remain, especially in the bullpen, and we're now awaiting Bader's injury news. There are a couple of interesting possibilities on the trade market, but as usual everyone has some glaring flaws. (Of note, Cincy is offering up every SP but Cris Frias right now.) So if Bader goes down long-term, watch this space... Some tough series upcoming: Oakland, Milwaukee (not great but they play us tough), a solid Tampa Bay team, then some month-ending relief (hopefully) in California and Seattle.

Bub13 · 09-18-2020, 06:55 PM

July 16-18 @ OAKLAND
Even with over 40% of the season remaining, this is still a big series for us. The A's sit at 60-33, five games ahead of us. AVG is third, about thirty points behind us, but they're first in runs, scoring 59 more times. Possibly the fact that they're out-homering us 223 to 85 might have something to do with that. Reyes has 45, Ryan Walton and Justin Sandy 27, and leadoff man Randy Costello 22. Anyway...also 8th in runs against, despite having the 7th-ranked rotation ERA and 2nd best bullpen. Losing ace Chris Schwartz for the year will hurt, as only Chris Larimer and Eric Stockton are pitching well among the starters right now. Like us, there isn't much in AAA to call upon, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them pull off a trade over the next couple of weeks. Then again, maybe they'll roll with Oscar "Going Going Gone!" Escobedo the rest of the year. I guess they can just outslug everyone anytime, however.

HAW pitchers: RH Biff the Skiff (11-6, 4.31) / RH Shamar Jackson (7-7, 5.52) / LH Shane Walker (4-3, 6.04)
OAK pitchers: RH Eric Stockton (8-3, 3.52) / RH Conrad Robertson (5-5, 6.10) / LH Mike Thomas (6-5, 4.85)

#94: LOSS 8-9 ... 3 HR to zero, guess who won that one...Biff gets pulled in the 3rd...4 RBI for Matson, but just not enough
#95: LOSS 0-5 ... we get just 5 hits, also one only K and zero walks...Neumann has been terrible in his first two appearances for us, this series
#96: WIN 11-3 ... 16 hits, including 3 HR: Frederick, Daley, Eason...CG for Walker, 4-hitter

We outhit the A's in two games, but only grabbed one win. Their lead over us is now 6 games.... Liles comes off the DL, and Shane Walker--complete game win notwithstanding--goes back to AAA. Also, Bader's diagnosis comes in: wrist soreness, dtd for five days. No DL time, and he'll slide down the rotation and miss only one start.... ELSEWHERE: Cubs 3B Juan Garcia had a 34-game hit streak ended. He's now batting .342, up to 2nd in the NL. Garcia, in his 14th season, is a career .323 hitter who has topped 200 hits seven times but has never won a batting title.... San Diego has lost 5 straight, bringing the Giants to just 2 back, the Dodgers to 3. Yes, the Giants still have nine MLB-level players on the DL. They also have seven minor league teams with a combined record of 148-288.... Detroit's Pat Townsand has reached 100 RBI.

July 19-21 @ MILWAUKEE
The Brewers haven't made any hay in the Central, at 45-51, in fifth place. Twelfth in runs, but fourth in HR, led by former Isle Dante Padilla with 33 and CF Oscar Espinosa with 28. Billionaire Dan Starr, signed in the off-season, will come off the DL in one day, but has gone just .248/8/21. Pitching ranks 15th in runs. Closer Xavier Pride has 30 saves and a 3.40 ERA, setup man Tyler Trovato a 2.95 ERA, but no one else is pitching well. Five guys have ERA well over 5. We swept these guys back in May.

HAW pitchers: RH Chris Liles (4-5, 3.04) / RH Josh Irvin (7-3, 4.42) / RH Biff Skiff (11-6, 4.36)
MIL pitchers: RH Danny Salgado (9-7, 4.06) / RH Bryan Shaheen (6-9, 4.94) / RH John Landers (7-5, 4.69)

#97: WIN 9-4 ... 3 hits, including a HR, for Lynn, and a 2-run single in the 11th by Wakabayashi in the 11th...Liles is okay, just getting into shape
#98: WIN 8-3 ... everyone gets a hit, including HR for Frederick and Daley again...7 IP for Irvin, 2 for Yaung in some quiet relief
#99: WIN 9-6 ... solo HR for Daley, but a 5-run 3rd is our key to victory...Biff gives up 10 hits and 2 HR, but our offense saves the day

Nice sweep, but we only gaine a game on Oakland.... Grace was due off the DL already, but we get the news that his return date is now uncertain. We're not getting any production out of his replacements, but it is what it is.... Bullpen is still meh; Neumann hasn't pitched well yet, Black gives up too many hits, Yaung has an ERA over 5, but at least Booker has been much better in his second go-round.... ELSEWHERE: Pittsburgh has now traded five relievers over the last three weeks. They've also lost their top SP and biggest hitter (1B Chris Goldthwait) for at least a month, but they've moved to just nine games in back of Chicago, especially as the Cubs have lost 7 of 10.... 8 straight losses for San Diego, now tied for first with the suddenly hot Dodgers.

July 23-25 vs TAMPA BAY
Solidly into 2nd in the East, keeping the Jays and Yankees behind them, and trailing the Marlins by 3. Hitting is still just okay, 9th in runs and 7th in average. Leadoff and 3B Orlando Navarro leads the hitting, at .301/10/37, and 1B Edgar Aranceta has 27 HR, RF Vance Wise 25. Pitching has been stout: 1st in runs and the best rotation ERA. John Odom leads the AL with a 2.29 ERA, and Carlos Munoz already has 15 wins. The bullpen, however, sits 16th in ERA. Not even the great-named Bubba Fairweather has kept the pen afloat. Our former star Rich Stoneback has played solid SS, and been healthy enough to make 70 starts; but he's batting just .237. The other big free agent acquisition from the winter has been CF Kris Warner, doing his part in the #2 slot at .288/16/61/

HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (8-6, 4.05) / RH Shamar Jackson (7-8, 5.36) / RH Chris Liles (4-5, 3.19)
TBR pitchers: RH Carlos Munoz (15-2, 2.66) / LH John Odom (9-4, 2.29) / RH Greg Drake (5-10, 6.01)

#100: WIN 5-1 ... Groff homers, as does Lynn, driving in three...Bader goes the distance, giving up 10 hits and striking out 4
#101: WIN 5-1 ... Medici's 2-run blast is the GW, and it's Jackson's turn to pitch a CG, yielding 7 hits and fanning 7
#102: LOSS 2-6 ... we can't do much with 9 hits...Liles does fine through 7, but takes the loss anyway...Neumann is trash again: great trade there

Still five behind the A's, three ahead of Texas.... So Neumann has been hit hard in his four appearances with us so far, with an ERA near 20. Maybe Pittsburgh has another RP they're looking to sell.... Still no word on Grace's return.... ELSEWHERE: 12 straight losses for Richmond, falling well out of the NL East race.... Detroit has pulled away steadily in the Central, up to 10 games over the White Sox.... San Diego's back on top in the NL West, but the whole division--outside of poor Austin--is within 8 games of first.... We may have a future Italian superstud, but Brooklyn has one playing right now: 2B Maurizio Barbiusa, batting .283/30/86 in his first full season in the bigs. He's also disloyal, greedy, lazy, and kinda dumb. But he can hit, run, and turn a double play. A man of many moods, apparently.

July 26-28 vs SEATTLE
Back home to face the hapless Mariners, now at the bottom of the division, a game behind California. Offense has dropped to 14th in runs, 17th in average, and pitching is rock-bottom. 1B Jon Terrell (.295/23/60) has been steady, and sophomore DH Ger van Mourik (.257/17/39) has recovered from a slow start. But slugging 2B Jose Rodriguez is out, and three regulars are hitting below .200. Only SP Dan Welker has an ERA below league average. Two former Isles are trying to make a mark in the starting lineup: CF Daniel Newell (.272/3/25) and LF Brian Ware (.237/11/30). We've taken 7 of 9 against them so far.

HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (8-3, 4.39) / RH Biff Skiff (12-6, 4.40) / RH Mike Bader (9-6, 3.85)
SEA pitchers: RH Dan Welker (9-9, 4.34) / RH Erik Ramey (4-11, 6.27) / LH Shaun Ostrander (4-9, 6.04)

#103: WIN 7-5 ... Goodloe drives in two, including the GW sac fly in the 6th...3 H, 3 RBI for Alonzo, including a solo HR
#104: LOSS 4-5 ... a 5-run 3rd is our doom...13 hits, 4 by Daley and 3 by Groff...rough game for Biff tonight
#105: WIN 8-5 ... another HR for Daley, this time a 2-run shot...Bader gives up all five, but Neumann (finally!) and Johnson shut things down

Winning that last game keeps us 5 behind Oakland, who just keeps on winning.... We finally reach 100 team home runs! Daley has 19 now, Frederick 17.... Two wins here were more a function of our continued offense, combined with some scary pitching. Bad outings from all three starters put us behind in all three games.... ELSEWHERE: The Yankees lost two top relievers for the season on the same day, including last year's closer Jon "You must sign him at all costs!" White, who was rolling with an ERA over 7.... KC and Baltimore are the last teams without 40 wins. Oakland (with 68) is closing in on 70.... Cincy's David Rivera and Andy Howard are still at it, making headlines with their ongoing feud. Rivera, a light-hitting 2B, is not to be confused with teammate Dave Rivera, the powerful 3B who slugged 50 HR last year. Try to keep up.

July 29-31 vs CALIFORNIA
Hanging on to fifth place, a game ahead of Seattle. Like the M's, not much is going right: 15th in offense, 17th in pitching. Mauricio Marquez (.303/17/53) continues to chase the ROY prize, while Nate Elder has been a one-man rotation. After a year-and-a-half of struggle, we can proudly announce that closer Scott Mahala finally has his ERA below 5. Feels good, man. And for some reason, they recently traded a couple of prospects for 33-year-old 2B Alan Branham, an excellent fielder but a lifetime .260 hitter. And he's 33. Rebuilding? What's that? And yet we're only 5-4 against them this year.

HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (8-8, 5.07) / RH Chris Liles (4-6, 3.15) / RH Josh Irvin (8-3, 4.57)
CAL pitchers: RH Nate Elder (5-9, 4.34) / Rh Ryan Kuehner (6-9, 6.58) / RH Josh Pomerantz (9-9, 5.02)

#106: WIN 12-3 ... Frederick and Matson homer, Alonzo goes 3-for-4 with 2 RBI...CG for Jackson, despite giving up 11 hits
#107: LOSS 4-5 ... we blow a 3-0 lead in the 8th, as Johnson has his worst outing of the season...wastes a big night from Frederick (4 hits, 2-run HR)
#108: WIN 2-1 ... our turn to win late, as Lynn singles home Simmons in the 8th...strong 8.1 IP from Irvin, fanning 8

On-again-off-again pitching strikes again: this time, our starters were pretty good, with only an unexpected bullpen collapse costing us that one game.... Backup IF Jesus Lopez has an odd stat line since his recall: 0-for-4, 3 RBI.... We made another TRADE to try to shore up the bullpen, reacquiring Robbie Collier for minor league pitchers Henry Weareorwear and Jaheim Mwaura. Collier has been pretty good for Brooklyn, with a 2.13 ERA and 57 K in 38 IP. Brooklyn will also consume 75% of his nutso $8M contract this year and next. Collier fanned 116 in 63 IP for us last year, and I'm hoping he can bring some of that nastiness back to our pen for the stretch run.... ELSEWHERE: Oakland has won 5 straight, now holds a 6-game lead over Hawaii.... Pittsburgh's recent turnover of its entire bullpen may just be working, as they're back to .500 and just 8 games behind the floundering Cubs.... Philly continues to roll out baseball's best offense, scoring 676 runs in 108 games; and now their pitching is coming into shape, up from the absolute basement to 13th in NL runs against. If that continues to trend, they'll be unstoppable this fall.

......

TL;DR Version: Man, can I gripe out a 10-5 stretch, making its sound so much worse? Yes, I can. So let's reset: we're now 65-43, a more-than-solid 22 games over .500 and--it feels weird saying this--in the first wildcard slot, three games over Tampa Bay and Texas. (Note: wildcards this year will be best-of-three playoffs, rather than the single game win-or-die format.) Moving into the stretch months, I'm feeling a bit more confident at this moment about the team: we're still hitting the tar out of the ball, and actually adding some home runs to the mix. We get a ton of hits, don't strike out, take a good amount of walks, and actually lead the league in steals. If our pitching can get a move on, I like our chances to catch the A's. Speaking of pitching: the rotation ERA has finally cracked the top ten, and I'm seeing more good outings than bad of late. And although the trade for Dan Neumann hasn't yet worked out, fingers crossed that Collier can maintain the hometown (he's from Ewa Beach) brio he had last year. All season long it's been the Kyle Johnson/Ben Germann show, and you can't get it done when 2/3 of your bullpen doesn't show up. Here's hoping we've put that problem to bed.

Bub13 · 09-21-2020, 08:23 PM

We start August with an off day, then play 27 games, 12 at home and 15 on the road. And thanks again to no interleague play we'll see even more of our division, facing off against all five teams this month; we'll also play division leaders Miami and Detroit, but get a series against the woeful Royals. Plus the annual pilgrimage to Yankee Stadium.

August 2-4 vs HOUSTON
A rough 7-20 in July has dropped the Astros to four games under .500, and 19 behind the A's. They are most likely out of the post-season running. Offense was the primary candidate: 14th in runs, and now only two regulars are batting over .275. They acquired former #1 overall pick Kevin Mazurowski from New Orleans, but he's only batting .250 and hasn't provided any spark yet. (They also picked up former Isle Joseph Hart, but he's hit just .167 in 9 spot starts, adding even less.) Pitching is 9th in runs, and the pen has the 4th best ERA in the AL. The staff is not the problem here. The off-season may be a challenge, as half of that solid bullpen will likely be gone, along with #1 SP Chris Harris. Their top prospect is SP Chris James, already in the bigs and pitching well, but he's prone to the long ball. There's very little even close to ready after him right now, however, so stingy owner Jim Crane, Jr, is going to have to open up the checkbook if he wants the Astros to stay competitive next year.

HAW pitchers: RH Biff Skiff (12-7, 4.56) / RH Mike Bader (10-6, 3.96) / RH Shamar Jackson (9-8, 4.94)
HOU pitchers: RH Ron Mills (7-11, 5.87) / RH Alex Trujillo (9-10, 4.79) / LH Chris Harris (11-8, 3.54)

#109: LOSS 9-12 ... so much for talking up my pitching staff, huh...32 combined hits, 6 HR tonight...Grace comes off DL, gets hurt again
#110: LOSS 3-6 ... Bader gets roughed up, and we manage only 7 hits, just one for XB
#111: WIN 6-1 ... Daley blasts his 20th, and Jackson knuckles his way to a 5-hitter, another complete game

Does what I write become bulletin board fodder? I swear when I say honest things about bad or struggling teams, they come up and bite us.... I'm still hopeful about our staff, but we start the month with two pretty bad outings by our starters and one complete blow-up by the bullpen. So I make another move, returning MH Yaung to AAA and calling up Jordan Ruiz for his first taste of MLB. Ruiz came over from KC at last year's deadline in exchange for the dearly departed Nick Kramer (who has a 5.89 ERA as the Royals closer this year); he pitched well in AA early this season, and just so-so at AAA, but he's been better than my other options. With more turnover possible in next year's pen, it's useful to see what we might have in some of these young guys, so he probably won't be the final callup.... Grace's injury is a knee sprain; he's dtd for the next series, and will split time at third with recent callup Lua Ulkini (who's 0-for-5 so far).... ELSEWHERE: Tight race in the NL West, with LA leading SF and SD by two games, while Portland and Arizona are lurking.... Pittsburgh and their revamped bullpen just swept the first-place Cubs; the Pirates are now only 5 games out.... Cincy's Cris Frias is fanning 14.6 and walking 5.4 per 9 innings; meaning 20 batters for every 9 innings he pitches aren't even getting wood on the ball.

August 5-7 @ MIAMI
Currently holding a four game advantage over Tampa Bay, with 68 wins. Offense ranks 6th, with soph Toshi Shimabukuro vying for the league batting title at .342. Fifth in home runs, with Toshi at 31, 3B Jon Ladd at 30, and six others between 12 and 19. Pitching is strong, 2nd in runs against, with both Jon Carlsen and Victor Nunez having a say in the Cy Young conversation. The only blemish is that Ladd is out for nearly two more months with a knee ligament strain. Closer Dwaine Webb has finally come into his own: he struck out 126 in 96 IP last year, but had an ERA well over 5. This year, he's cut the K rate down slightly, his HR rate by a third, and his ERA by nearly 4 runs. The result: an actual closer now.

HAW pitchers: RH Chris Liles (4-6, 3.09) / RH Josh Irvin (9-3, 4.36) / RH Biff Skiff (12-8, 4.88)
MIA pitchers: RH Mike Messinger (5-6, 4.02) / RH Ken Demers (3-2, 4.68) / RH Jason Simon (10-8, 4.64)

#112: WIN 9-6 ... runs in the first 5 frames stake us to a 9-2 lead, then we hold on tight...Liles is good early, struggles late, but grabs the win
#113: WIN 5-3 ... 3 H, 4 RBI for Daley...strong game for Irvin, 8.1 IP, and notching his 10th win
#114: LOSS 3-5 ... we score 3 early, but a 4-run 4th is enough to doom us...Shimabukuro homers in all three games, a 3-run shot tonight

Mostly solid series here, but more shaky starting pitching.... DJ Grace will be back at full strength for the next series, or at least I hope he will.... We're four behind Oakland, one ahead of Texas. If I wasn't constantly worried about everything all the damn time, this would be a fun race.... ELSEWHERE: Philly has won 9 straight and surged to the top of the charts, at 74-40 and 9 games ahead of the Braves.... Tightest division race is the NL West, where 8 games separates first from fifth. The #4 and #5 teams--Portland and Arizona--don't scare me, but they're hanging in there for now.... The home run pace has slowed a bit, with Oakland's Felix Reyes (49) still on top and Texas' William Swanson (48) right behind.... Milwaukee hasn't had anything to crow about this year, but slap-hitting RF Justin Heberling has a 28-game hit streak going. Heberling is a loner and a bit dense, but he works his butt off and strikes out about once a week. Walks less than that tho.

August 8-10 @ TEXAS
Just a game behind us now, and the two teams are the top in the wildcard standings right now. The top run scoring team in the game right now, and second in AVG, OBP, and HR. Everyone is producing right now, especially William Swanson (.373/48/113). The two-time MVP is working on a third go-round, and has to be the front runner right now. Their pitching looks kind of like ours: a few starters and a few relievers pitching well, and more struggling. But overall, they're better, 5th in runs against. Only two injuries, but both are key contributors: CF and #2 batter Ronnie Halvorson, and #2 SP Kevin Cahill. Halvorson will be back before the playoffs, Cahill will not.

HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (10-7, 4.12) / RH Shamar Jackson (10-8, 4.71) / RH Chris Liles (5-6, 3.33)
TEX pitchers: RH Paul Labbe (12-4, 3.05) / LH Bobby Daniel (12-6, 3.81) / RH Mike Kent (6-12, 5.76)

#115: LOSS 3-5 ... 2 H for Daley and Simmons...Bader gets pulled in the 5th after 8 hits and 5 runs
#116: LOSS 9-10 ... down 7-2, we score 7 times, but lose it in the 8th...Jackson has a bad outing, Collier loses it with the bad 8th
#117: LOSS 2-6 ... 5-run 1st inning, that's all she wrote

Oof, terrible.... Our pitching regressed horribly in this series, we've fallen to third place, and are actually a game out of the wildcard now. Neato!... Moving on.... ELSEWHERE: Six losses straight for San Diego, now 5 games behind LA and SF.... Conor MacLeod has 7.1 WAR. Second place is Jon Carlsen (MIA) and T.J. Carroll (DET) with 4.7.... 52 HR for Felix Reyes, 50 for William Swanson.

August 12-14 vs OAKLAND
Still in first, duh, now 4 games up on Texas, 6 on us. Offense is 2nd in runs, pitching is 9th. Still way in front in HR, with 273. Reyes has 52, Ryan Walton 34, leadoff man Randy Costello 30. The bottom two hitters, Justin Sandy and Roger Morales, have 27 and 21. The bullpen ERA is 2nd in the AL, and that's with four pitchers on the DL. Is there anything these guys aren't doing well? Um...they've committed the 2nd-most errors in the league, and the staff has the second-fewest strikeouts. Wow, pretty egregious there.

HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (10-3, 4.30) / RH Henry Biff (12-9, 4.96) / RH Mike Bader (10-8, 4.29)
OAK pitchers: RH Conrad Robertson (8-6, 5.67) / RH Eric Stockton (9-4, 4.13) / LH Mike Thomas (7-8, 4.97)

#118: LOSS 2-1 ... Irvin gives up just 4 hits, but it doesn't matter...3 hits for Matson, 2 for Simmons
#119: WIN 8-1 ... a win! Skiff goes the distance, tosses a 5-hitter, 7 K...4 hits, 2 RBI for Simmons
#120: WIN 9-8 ... down 7-3, we tie it in the 9th, give up one in the 10th but get two in our half...four pitchers give up 5 HR...13 H, 9 BB for us

That was a surprising two wins there, to be honest.... Through all this, our bullpen has raised its ERA to 5th in the AL; the rotation has dropped a bit, to 11th.... That seven guys in our starting lineup are still batting over .300 is what's keeping us going right now.... ELSEWHERE: It's a 5-5 fest in the NL Central, as the Cubs (leading), Pirates (6 games back), and New Orleans (8) all go .500 lately. Cincy does too, but they're 13 games out.... The Yankees looked like they were making a move, winning 8 of 10 to end July. But in the last two weeks they've lost three closers and two other relievers (including our closer from last year, Jon White) for the season. Now their pen consists of two regular RP, two aging ex-starters, and three guys with a combined 8 IP of MLB experience. And they've fallen back to fifth place in the division, six games under .500.... William Swanson has opened up a 19 point lead in the AL batting race.

......

TL;DR Version: Some pretty poor pitching leads to a 5-7 run to start the month. We're 70-50 overall, five games behind the cooled-off A's, and two behind the hot-again Rangers. We're still the best hitting team in the game (not counting power), and have improved to third in AL runs scored. Rotation ERA has dropped again, to 11th, while the bullpen is holding at 5th. It's been a long time since I've had pitching be this inconsistent, and it's making me really itchy most nights. (Maybe that's just night sweats.) Anyway, since we're past the trade deadline, we're pretty much stuck with what we got. Heading down the stretch, it seems pretty apparent that we're fighting for the wildcard, rather than the division, this year. We're two behind Texas for the #1 spot, and Tampa Bay is just two behind us. Not much room to breathe.

Bub13 · 09-25-2020, 08:07 PM

August 15-17 vs KANSAS CITY
With our next four series coming against some AL bottom-dwellers, we have got to make up some ground these next two weeks. Starting with the AL-worst Royals, at 42-78. Hitting is 17th in runs, pitching 15th, for a -143 differential. Julius Burrows has been rock solid since we traded him, batting .347/11/32, and 1B Tim Chapman is batting .273 in leadoff. LF Dan Dellinger was batting .340 until a recent high ankle sprain; he's out for an unknown length of time. The other part of the Liles trade, pitcher Greg Van Tilburg, has been in and out of the rotation, and with a 5.27 ERA, he's been a bit better for them than he was for us. Yet another former Isle, Nick Kramer, is the closer: 5.63 ERA, 18 saves.

HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (10-8, 5.00) / RH Chris Liles (5-7, 3.59) / RH Josh Irvin (10-4, 4.22)
KCR pitchers: RH Adam Grossman (3-12, 5.31) / RH Arturo Bernal (4-11, 5.96) / LH Greg Van Tilburg (4-5, 5.83)

#121: WIN 10-3 ... Medici salts this one away with a GRAND SLAM in the 7th...4 hits for Daley...8.1 strong IP from Jackson too
#122: LOSS 4-5 ... we outhit them 11-6, and Liles goes 9 IP, fanning 10...two of his runs were unearned...Johnson, tho, blows it in the 10th
#123: WIN 4-3 ... only six hits, but we add ten walks too...we fall behind in the 8th, tie it in the bottom half, then win in the 9th

Whew, saving some face again in that final game. Wakabayashi walked three times in that game, then Medici pinch hit for him in the 9th, and also walked.... Much better pitching over these games. I guess it takes a terrible offense to whip us into shape. Eh, it'll do.... Still, we lose a game to both Oakland and Texas.... ELSEWHERE: Atlanta took a big blow when Cy Young front-runner Jose Gutierrez tore his labrum and will miss the rest of the season. They're well behind the Philles (13 games), but sitting in the first wildcard slot at the moment.... NL Central update: Pittsburgh's won four straight, Chicago has lost five. The Cubs lead is now down to just three games.... Felix Reyes has 476 AB. Of those, 54 have left the park, but 147 have resulted in strikeouts. That's an All-or-Nothing rate of 42%.

August 18-20 @ NY YANKEES
The best team we'll face over this twelve-game stretch, at 58-65 and probably not heading to the post-season. Only 13th in runs, 15th in AVG. Best hitter Aaron Harrison (.286/27/84) is out, and OF Chris Mitchell (.266/30/85) can't do it all by himself. They signed unwanted free agent 3B Alexis Alonzo in early June, and he's batted .314 since. (He's also angry that he's not in the starting lineup, when...he is.) Leadoff man Aaron Blocker is hitting .229, just part of a fine trend of subpar leadoff batters around the league right now. Pitching is okay, 7th in runs against. Ace Elijah Bragg has been far and away their best pitcher, but vets Brian Whitney and Tim Mitchell have also been fine. As I mentioned earlier: five RP are on the DL, including a run of three closers over just a couple of weeks. New closer Joe Waggoner just earned his first MLB save a few days ago. Better store him safely, guys.

HAW pitchers: RH Biffy Skiffy (13-9, 4.73) / RH Mike Bader (10-8, 4.39) / RH Shamar Jackson (11-8, 4.91)
NYY pitchers: LH Jose Sedillo (4-7, 6.23) / LH Elijah Bragg (14-6, 3.57) / RH Bob Garner (4-12, 6.02)

#124: LOSS 4-5 ... we waste a 2-HR effort by Grace...Skiff is pulled in the 6th after allowing all five runs...back to mediocre hitting, I see
#125: WIN 6-0 ... HR for Frederick and Medici, and Bader goes 8 scoreless IP...why he's pulled with a 5-0 lead in the 8th is a mystery to me
#126: LOSS 1-7 ... good feelings evaporate in the 6th, when Jackson allows 3 HR and 6 runs...two more scoreless bullpen innings tho!

Listless. We're coming down to crunch time, and we look listless.... Pitching has been a little better, at least overall. But hitting is taking a downturn right when we need it.... Groff is down to .256, and has lost his place against LHP to Medici.... We're down to 8 games out of first, 3 behind Texas for second.... In some good news, Simmons is third in the batting race, at .346.... ELSEWHERE: LA is hot, winning eight in a row and opening up a six game lead over the Giants.... Division leads overall are opening up a bit. The closest are the AL West (Oakland-Texas) and the NL Central (Chicago-Pittsburgh), both at 5 games.

August 22-24 @ SEATTLE
The first of two series against the division's weak sisters, both on the road. The Mariners combine 12th-ranked hitting with AL-worst pitching. Time for our bats to wake up! 2B Jose Rodriguez has been a bright spot, at .297/36/78, while sophomore 1B Jon Terrell has 26 HR. The vets they signed this winter haven't worked out, although Isle flameout OF/P Daniel Newell has hit .280 in leadoff. Both the rotation and bullpen feature the league's worst ERA, with only two back-end RP having ERA below 4. I don't know if it's a positive or a negative that most of their top twenty or so players will be back again next year. (Although almost all of the aforementioned disappointing free agents won't be.)

HAW pitchers: RH Chris Liles (5-7, 3.48) / RH Josh Irvin (10-4, 4.09) / RH Biff Skiff (13-10, 4.78)
SEA pitchers: RH Jesus Aguilar (3-14, 7.48) / RH Dan Welker (9-11, 5.21) / RH Erik Ramey (7-11, 5.65)

#127: WIN 10-3 ... healthy hitting (17 hits) and a win for Liles...Simmons, Grace, and Daley all with 3 hits
#128: WIN 9-8 ... we blow an 8-0 lead but win on Grace's RBI single in the 10th...all five of Irvin's runs were unearned...Groff homers, a rarity now
#129: WIN 6-4 ... more late-inning heroics: Alonzo's 2-run HR in the 9th is the winner...Germann faces one batter, gets the win. Seems fair

Finally! Just what we needed, even though those last two weren't pretty.... We gain a game on Oakland, but none on Texas. Now seven games out of first. Still just two up on Tampa Bay for the second wildcard.... Matson suffers a dtd injury in the last game, so will probably sit out the next series. Anthony Booker also gets hurt, his diagnosis is pending. After a rough start to things in April, he's bounced back to a 3.23 ERA in 47.1 IP, and has stabilized the back part of the bullpen. Fingers crossed.... ELSEWHERE: William Swanson has probably already clinched the AL MVP, but he is only two HR behind Felix Reyes to take the triple crown.... No changes in any of the divisions, but the White Sox have gone 15-6 this month and have closed to just 8 behind the Tigers. They're seven games behind us in the wildcard standings.... With 805 runs scored, the Phillies have an outside shot at becoming the second NL team to score 1000 in a season.

August 25-27 @ CALIFORNIA
Their 55 wins looks much better than Seattle's 49, which means we'll probably struggle this series. Here we see a team with 14th-place hitting and 15th-ranked pitching. Rookie OF Maricio Marquez (.308/21/65) looks like the real deal, and 24-year-old Ricky Ochoa has 29 HR. On paper, the lineup looks half-decent, and they do have a decent (better than us) amount of HR, at 192. Pitching has fallen apart, tho, with two starters and two relievers now on the DL. They thrown in their #2 prospect, 23-year-old John Demerath, into the fire, and he's looked decent with a 2.16 ERA from the pen. They'll be counting on him for the rotation next year. It feels like a generation ago that this was the most-feared franchise in the AL.

HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (11-8, 4.18) / RH Shamar Jackson (11-9, 5.12) / RH Chris Liles (6-7, 3.38)
CAL pitchers: RH Jay Sanford (2-5, 5.23) / RH Nate Elder (5-11, 4.66) / RH Ryan Kuehner (9-11, 6.37)

#130: WIN 7-3 ... Frederick and Grace homer, and we add four more XBH...2 errors for Bader, but a CG...29th steal by Simmons, now batting .353
#131: LOSS 6-7 ... looking good until we give up runs in the 7th, 8th, and 9th...3 hits for Simmons, and Matson and Daley homer
#132: WIN 6-0 ... there's the Liles I trade for: 5 hits, 8 K, CG shutout...Matty and Freds homer again...everyone gets a hit, even Groff

Two wins is still good, but we lose a game to Oakland in the meantime. Still two behind Texas, but now three up on Tampa Bay in the wildcard race.... Some needed perspective on the season: our 78 wins is still tied for 5th best in all of baseball.... Groff has just 47 RBI, seventh among our hitters and the worst ever in his long career.... Booker's diagnosis comes in: stretched elbow ligament, out for ELEVEN months. Just how far did that thing stretch? So call up Deshawn Card for his first taste of MLB action. He's got average stuff and movement, but elite control. I thought about recalling one of Pearse, Kearns, or Yaung instead, but wanted to see some of another one of the kids, given that we'll be refiguring the pen yet again this winter. Card was a 2nd round pick in '49, and his stuff needs to be a liiiiittle bit better to get into the action for a spot in the rotation, which he really really wants.... ELSEWHERE: KC is the first team eliminated from the playoffs, and one of two teams with less than 50 wins (at 46; Baltimore has 49).... He hasn't been on the radar like he was last year, but Cincy's Cris Frias became the first pitcher to fan 300, after a 15 K outing against the Phils. He's struck out 311 batters; also has walked 117.

August 28-30 vs DETROIT
I talk up Oakland a lot, but these guys have been our real nemeses over the years, knocking some good squads out of the playoffs at least three times (too lazy to check right now), often in game five or game seven heartbreaks. Jerks. Once again, they're first in the Central, but the lead has closed to just 7 over the surging White Sox. Fifth in runs scored, 4th in runs against, for a +132 differential and a really balanced team. Third in HR with 240 too. Slugging CF Luis Rodela is done for the year, and his replacement Ed Haley, hasn't been up to snuff, batting just .220/1/14. 2B Hideki Matsuro is just off the DL, and has 2 HR in his first week back. Ace Raul Bravo has two shutouts in his last three starts, and #2 T.J. Carroll is the rare SP with an ERA under 3. Old (he's 37) vet Mike Head was a solid pickup for the pen (3.22, 7-3), but equally old Rafa Maldonado has not been: 8.03, 11 BB and 6 K in 24.2 IP. He's retiring at year's end, ending an 18-year career that has seen him win 2 Cy Youngs and 2 MVPs, win 224 games, and earn 102 WAR.

HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (10-4, 3.95) / RH Biff Skiff (13-10, 4.78) / RH Mike Bader (12-8, 4.12)
DET pitchers: RH Tony Gamez (11-8, 4.35) / LH Carlos Zenon (11-7, 4.85) / LH Carlton Saunders (9-8, 4.35)

#133: WIN 6-1 ... Daley stays hot with another HR, and Irvin tosses a 4-hit CG, fanning 12
#134: WIN 4-3 ... Skiff goes 8 quality IP, but we only tie it on Ryder's RBI single in the 8th and win on Medici's walk-off HR in the 9th
#135: WIN 8-0 ... wow...Bader gives up just 3 hits, and Grace and Goodloe hits HR...Grace adds three more hits, and Waka and Goodloe also get 3

Very very surprising series here. Our pitching shows up for three straight games, for once, and we looked pretty comfortable at both ends of the team for nearly every inning.... Still, we gain nothing on Oakland, but get one on Texas: still 8 out of first, just one behind the Rangers. We're five up on Tampa Bay in the wildcard.... ELSEWHERE: Philly tops the charts with 90 wins, Oakland right behind with 89. The Cubs have the worst record for a division leader, at 73-62.... Baltimore is eliminated from the post-season in a Baltimore way: Mike Zulick goes ten innings, yielding just four hits and no earned runs. But loses on two unearned runs in the 10th.... Eleven straight losses for Montreal, now flirting with KC and BAL for the worst record.... The home run race has really slowed, but Felix Reyes (with 58) does have a chance to catch the all-time record of 73.

......

TL;DR Version: A much better 11-4 run here, especially that critical 8-1 finish. At 81-54, but 8 games out of first, we're probably not catching Oakland for the division, barring something really dramatic. But we have the fifth-best record in MLB right now, and we've solidified our wildcard standing. (Remember that wildcard playoffs are now best-of-three, not one-and-done, which surely won't bite us on the ass.) Key to this run has been some much better pitching: now 7th in runs against, and the rotation ERA has jumped to 6th place. Suddenly, three starters have ERA below 4.00 too. What a world. Now we need to keep it going, and solidify our playoff position, even if there's no catching Oakland.

Bub13 · 09-30-2020, 08:02 PM

The final 27 games of the season, no games in October. Twelve at home, fifteen on the road, although we do finish up with two series at home. Let's see if our pitching can keep improving and maybe we can put a little pressure on Oakland. We'll know early, as we play both Texas and Oakland early on.

September 1-3 @ BALTIMORE
This year's 50-win effort is already better than last year's 48-win season. Improvement is always a positive. And yet: league-worst batting, last or next-to-last in nearly every category. Sieb Moleman leads the team at .297; DH Miguel Echeverria has missed nearly 40 games but still has 28 HR; 3B Fernando Marino has 30 HR in his first starting season, at age 30. Pitching ranks 13th, so not terrible. The system ranks 11th, and there are some solid players on the way, including #5 guy OF Xavier Perez, called up for the roster expansion from A ball. He only lacks for power, but looks like he has everything else going for him. Other OF Francisco Trejo and Antonio Alvrado look good, and this year's #1 pick SS Eddie Feltman could be in the bigs by next summer, he's that far along. Mike Zulick (already in MLB), Dustin Whytsell, and Danny Fite also look like the basis for a strong rotation one day.

HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (11-9, 5.19) / RH Chris Liles (7-7, 3.17) / RH Josh Irvin (11-4, 3.80)
BAL pitchers: LH Rich Davis (3-12, 5.16) / RH Pat Karahalios (2-16, 4.73) / RH Mike Zulick (7-7, 4.96)

#136: WIN 11-1 ... six-hitter by Jackson, 10 K...only 8 hits for us, but 12 walks too...HR from Freds, Daley, and Medici
#137: WIN 14-2 ... tonight, 16 H and 9 BB...CG win for Liles...3 H and 4 RBI for Groff, 4 H and 3 RBI for Grace
#138: WIN 9-5 ... more HR from Frederick and Medici...3 RBI for Matson, now over 100 on the year (second on team after Daley)

Seven game winning streak now, and we've passed Texas, now two games ahead. We play them next. And six games behind Oakland.... Daley and Frederick have 25 HR each; still hoping someone can reach 30 this year, just for the look of it. Daley also leads the team with 116 RBI.... So far, we've called up only IF/OF Jesus Lopez. AAA Santa Barbara is playing well, and all of my minor league teams are riddled with injuries; so there isn't much leeway to bring up a raft of players. But with AA Androscoggin missing the playoffs, I'll likely move up some of their guys to AAA, then bring up another couple of players to the big club over the next week.... ELSEWHERE: Chicago is now just five games behind Detroit.... Couple of big losing streaks now: Cleveland has dropped 11, not that they were going anywhere; Pittsburgh has dropped ten, and now have fallen away from the Cubs, back into third place behind New Orleans.... Philly has the lowest Magic #, now just 8.... 60 HR for Felix Reyes, pulling away from triple crown hopeful William Swanson.

August 4-6 @ TEXAS
With us getting hot and Oakland continuing to win, the Rangers have fallen back just a nudge, to eight games out and three games ahead of Tampa Bay in the second wildcard spot. Of the three offensive powerhouses in the AL West, they're right in the middle: 2nd in runs, 2nd in average, 2nd in HR. William Swanson is, yet again, heading to another MVP: .360/55/133. Five other regulars have at least 21 HR, and CF Ronnie Halverson may be the best combo of power (17 HR) and hitting (.290) in the leadoff position in the AL. Pitching sits in 5th, but #3 starter Mike Kent has a pending injury diagnosis and may miss the series. But Paul Labbe and Bobby Daniel have become a solid 1-2 punch in the rotation, and Garrett Slone (1.33, 28 SV) has emerged as a quality closer.

HAW pitchers: RH Biff Skiff (13-10, 4.67) / RH Mike Bader (13-8, 3.92) / RH Shamar Jackson (12-9, 4.98)
TEX pitchers: RH Paul Labbe (14-5, 3.07) / RH Cory Graulich (3-4, 7.61) / RH Bryan Crider (3-3, 6.07)

#139: LOSS 2-4 ... not a great start...Skiff gives up a 3-run shot in the 6th for the loss
#140: LOSS 2-3 ... just a pair of solo HR tonight (Simmons hits his 3rd!!!), little else...RP Collier hurt
#141: WIN 8-5 ... rough outing for Jackson, 5 runs in 5 innings...4 hits, 3 RBI for Goodloe, 3 hits with 2 doubles by Grace

Tough series, but we stay a game ahead of the Rangers, and still seven behind Oakland.... We outhomered their sluggers, but I would rather have had the two wins instead.... Collier's injury is a sore ankle, and he's just dtd for the next series.... ELSEWHERE: Tampa Bay is not going down without a fight, having won 7 straight to pull to 6 behind Miami and 2 behind Texas in the wildcard.... Detroit is hanging on by just 3 games over the White Sox now. And the Tigers just found out that star CF Luis Rodela will miss six more months with post-concussion symptoms. This could end his career, tbh.... Philly just keeps rolling along, up to 96 wins now and a magic # of 8.... Portland is the next hot team to discuss: ten wins in a row and just a game behind LA. Talk about coming out of nowhere: they were .500 on August 1, but since then have gone 26-7.

September 7-9 vs OAKLAND
They've been remarkably consistent all year, but a 3-3 start to the month has brought us and Texas back into play. Still, we'll need at least two wins here for me to think we've got a chance to catch them, at seven games back. Team offense is still first in runs, and 1st with an outstanding 327 home runs. Felix Reyes has hit 60, and Ryan Walton has reached 40 for the eighth consecutive year. Pitching ranks 8th, with no one really standing out (now that ace Jim Schwartz is done until next August). Oddly, #4 starter Oscar Escobedo threw a shutout and a one-run complete game and then complained to the press about how the team was doing him wrong. Another oddness: #5 batter John Cannon has 23 home runs, but only 42 RBI. Probably because the two guys ahead of him in the lineup have hit 103 homers, always clearing the bases.

HAW pitchers: RH Chris Liles (8-7, 3.10) / RH Josh Irvin (12-4, 3.91) / RH Biff Skiff (13-11, 4.68)
OAK pitchers: RH Oscar Escobedo (8-7, 5.26) / RH Conrad Robertson (13-6, 4.48) / RH Eric Stockton (11-7, 4.36)

#142: WIN 3-2 ... 5 runs, 5 solo home runs...the last was Matson's second of the game, a walk-off shot in the 9th
#143: WIN 15-6 ... 3 more HR, including 2 by Matson...5 hits by Daley, tying a team record...Irvin isn't good, but turns out he didn't need to be
#144: LOSS 1-5 ... only 4 hits, one is a solo shot by Frederick...Skiff gives up 11 hits in 5.2 innings

We just couldn't win that third one. Gained a game on first, however, which is still a good thing. Texas won twice, still just a game behind us.... With minor league seasons winding down, I call up two more from Santa Barbara: catcher Mike Covington will get a couple of starts and a handful of at bats; and RP Nate Kearns threw so well for the Surf that he gets another look over these last few weeks.... ELSEWHERE: Three game lead for Detroit over Chicago now. Tight! Miami is hanging to a five game lead over Tampa Bay (still two behind Texas for the #2 wildcard), and LA has opened a slim three game advantage over Portland.... Philly is the first to clinch a playoff spot; now up to 97 wins.... KC finally won their 50th of the season.... Fun race for the NL batting crown: Rick Logston (PHI) .344, Ben Grossman (BKN) and C.J. Howard (CHC) .342, and Dustin Wasilewski (LA) .340.

September 11-13 vs CLEVELAND
The massive off-season roster churn had everyone thinking rebuilding, but a 19-8 April got them all excited. Since then, however, they've been 29 games under .500, sliding back to where the preseason pundits had them. The lineup has been productive, 7th in runs, but pitching has struggled to a 14th place standing. LF Victor Guillen is the star here, at .304/36/104, and youngsters Marcus Stokes and Antonio Guerrero are solid parts of a new foundation. Acquired from us, OF Jerry Cappuccilli and 2B Julian Cardenas have also been solid. However, the pen has been pretty bad (17th), and the rotation (12th) not much better. Former Isle Ryan Ratliff was pretty good through June, with an ERA under 4.00; but he's been up near 6.00 since then. But two top pitching prospects--Dudley Mele and Tyler Malinich--are up on the big club already and have been rudely welcomed to the big leagues, but they'll be in the rotation next year. There's promise here, Indians fans.

HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (13-9, 3.92) / RH Shamar Jackson (12-9, 5.02) / RH Chris Liles (8-7, 3.08)
CLE pitchers: RH Mario Guzman (1-0, 5.40) / RH George Millard (10-10, 3.66) / RH Ryan Ratliff (9-12, 4.52)

#145: WIN 8-0 ... solid 4-hitter by Bader...Fred and Matson stay hot, each homering again
#146: WIN 8-6 ... down 6-4 in the 9th when Goodloe mashes a GRAND SLAM to win it...Jackson doesn't make it out of the 4th, however
#147: WIN 8-0 ... nice 12 K outing from Liles, getting the shutout...another HR for Matson, and 3 hits from Grace, 2 H/2 RBI by Alonzo

Outstanding! And Oakland got swept by league-worst Kansas City, so we're only three games out now. We also picked up a game on Texas, now two ahead of them.... Matson has 7 HR in his last 8 games, and Alonzo went 6-for-8 with a HR in this series.... It's back: in the Great Homers-vs-Steals competition, HR are leading 155 to 153.... Joe Lynn has a career high 43 steals, looking for his second straight league title.... ELSEWHERE: Philly clinches the NL East, and still sits on top of the league with 99 wins.... LA has won 9 straight, opening their lead over Portland to 5, and Detroit has gained a couple on the White Sox and they also lead by five.... William Swanson leads baseball with 9.3 WAR; Phils slugger George Livezey leads the NL with 8.9.

......

TL;DR Version: A much-needed 9-3 stretch here has put us squarely into the division race. And what a difference some solid pitching makes. (Also, more home runs.) Jackson did pitch a CG early on, but his ratio of bad-to-good games is still somewhere between two- and three-to-one. Fun note: we've now used 21 pitchers this year, tied for the second most in team history. We used 21 in our inaugural year in 2034, and 24 the following year. Finally, if we can't catch Oakland these last couple of weeks, our stretch of division titles will end at eight years.

Bub13 · 10-03-2020, 05:41 PM

September 14-16 @ BOSTON
Take away their 2-15 start and they're even steven, 65-65. Probably still not going anywhere, but 80+ wins looks better than scrambling for 70. Hitting ranks 10th, pitching 12th, so both sides of the coin are a drag. Among the doldrums here, there have been a few standouts at the plate. DH Rich Dragos (.300/36/90) overcame a slow start, 1B Mike Sanchez (.280/35/97) and RF Bryan Bairstow (.280/26/82) just as good, and former Isle Mike Hunter has hit .308 with 45 doubles. But none of those guys are young (Bairstow is the youngest at 28), and there isn't much on the farm that's ready for prime time. In fact, only 2B Eric Jackson looks like a future sure-fire starter in the field. This is a rich team, so they can retool with their wallet, but they need to either commit to that or commit to a serious rebuild, and stop bringing in B-level talent when there aren't any A-level guys here already to build around.

HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (13-4, 4.06) / RH Biff Skiff (13-12, 4.78) / RH Mike Bader (14-9, 3.74)
BOS pitchers: RH Kaoru Tanaka (9-12, 4.84) / RH Sean Reed (10-14, 6.03) / RH Danny Diaz (10-10, 4.60)

#148: LOSS 4-5 ... HR for Medici, starting to show his chops...but we can't do much else with the other 12 runners we put on, and Irvin gets pasted
#149: WIN 13-2 ... an 8-run 2nd is the big frame tonight...3 H and 2 RBI for Groff and Freds, 2&2 for Daley...Skiff leaves after 2 with back tightness
#150: LOSS 3-4 ... dammit...we score 2 in the 9th, but give up the same in the bottom half...Bader pitches a good game, but our ace closer blows in on three straight hits

We gain a game on Oakland, but blow a prime opportunity with the A's getting swept by the Yankees. Texas also dropped two, so they're still two behind us. Argh.... Skiffington's injury is just dtd, but he'll miss about a week and will likely sit out his next start.... ELSEWHERE: AL division leads are now Miami by 6 over TB; Detroit by 6 over the Chisox; Oakland by 2. In the NL, Philly has clinched; Chicago leads Pittsburgh by 7; LA over Portland and SF by 6.... As it stands currently, the wildcard teams would be Hawaii, Texas, and two of Atlanta, Portland, and San Francisco.... William Swanson is now just 2 HR behind Reyes, still chasing a triple crown.... Philly has 101 wins; Miami and Oakland have 93, but they'll have to stretch to reach the century mark.

September 17-19 @ SEATTLE
Our next two series are against the bottom of the division. If we're going to make some noise, now is the time to do it. C'mon guys! At just 62 wins, not much has gone well for the Mariners this year. Offense ranks 12th, but pitching is dead last. The middle of the lineup is set, but that's just 1/3 of a roster. Catcher and #5 batter Arturo Sena has his usual 30+ HR, but also his usual sub-Mendoza average. The good news here is the 4th-ranked prospect pool, headed by two really solid-looking pitchers, Ron Rivera and Vince Push. OF Paul Stough and Brad Hawkinson may be ready next year, which would really help the offense. And there's also 1B Ben Otten, already in MLB and hitting .298/10/29 in 178 AB. Barring some well-placed spending this fall, the offense should be fairly decent next year, but pitching needs more help than just a couple of prospects.

HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (12-9, 5.15) / RH Chris Liles (9-7, 2.92) / RH Josh Irvin (13-5, 4.13)
SEA pitchers: RH Chris Grauer (7-6, 4.99) / RH Jesus Aguilar (5-16, 6.86) / RH Dan Welker (10-12, 5.28)

#151: LOSS 2-4 ... uuuuuuuuugh...we outhit them 10-7, but whatevs...Jackson gives up 2 solo HR, that's the difference
#152: WIN 10-2 ... 3 HR and a 5-run 9th make me happy...pending injury diagnoses for Liles and Goodloe make me sad
#153: WIN 9-4 ... a 7-run 5th is tonight's highlight...3 RBI doubles by Lynn...complete game by Irvin

A's and Rangers both sweep, so we lose a game to both.... No word yet on the Liles and Goodloe injuries. Neither are guys we can afford to lose for the post-season.... We're now tied for first in runs scored, with 880. Still 1st in AVG and OBP.... Steals now lead home runs 163 to 160.... ELSEWHERE: Nobody made any moves in the division races. Hawaii (3 games behind Oakland) and Texas (4) are the closest competitors.... AL Cy Young race is wide open this year. Tampa's Carlos Munoz has 21 wins, Miami's Victor Nunez 20, and teammate Jon Carlsen 19. Minny's Conor MacLeod of course leads everyone with 331 Ks, with Carlsen second. Pitcher WAR race is MacLeod (6.3), Carlsen (6.3), and Detroit's Raul Bravo (5.9).

September 21-23 @ CALIFORNIA
Our final series of the season against a bottom-dweller. We must have wins here, nothing less. No moral victories, if we're going to have a chance at the division and a few days off. Like Seattle, neither hitting nor pitching has been worth writing about. Rookie Mauricio Marquez (.313/23/76) has been a bright spot, and is the likely ROY. Ricky Ochoa slumped from 56 HR to 36, and LF Nate Atwater hit 40 two years ago but has combined for that many over the last two seasons. Catcher Chris Dabbah was an early-summer recall and has hit .277 in part-time work; once he's fully cooked he'll be a decent hitter and receiver. In the rotation, Nate Elder and Josh Pomerantz look like nice building blocks, and once John Demerath is ready, they should make a nice 1-2-3 front. "Wait 'til next year! Again."

HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (14-9, 3.69) / RH Biff Skiff (13-12, 4.73) / RH Shamar Jackson (12-10, 5.13)
CAL pitchers: RH Mike Hosey (8-17, 5.19) / RH Jason Shetler (1-0, 3.92) / RH Nate Elder (6-12, 4.72)

#154: LOSS 2-3 ... sigh. Not good...plus, Bader and Groff hurt, have pending diagnoses
#155: WIN 7-3 ... Skiff comes back and throws 7 strong innings...Medici hits the GW HR, and no one gets hurt tonight!
#156: WIN 10-2 ... thankfully Jackson pitches like a pro tonight, going 8.1 IP...2-run HR from Alonzo gets us started, and we score all 10 early, then coast

Lots to unpack here.... Oakland swept the Astros, now has a 4 game lead on us, with just six to play. Texas also won twice, remaining two behind us. With Tampa Bay faltering, it's looking more like we're playing our division mates in the wildcard.... Injuries have landed. Skiff, as you can guess, came back and is 100%. Goodloe had just a 3-day thing, and he's also fine. Groff's is also a dtd injury, but for three weeks. As he's most affected in throwing and running, and is our DH, he'll still keep platooning with Medici. Bader is out for 2 days, so we breathe easier there too. Sadly, tho, Liles is out for six weeks, meaning he's done for the year. Should we manage to make the Series, maybe he'll be ready. But not likely. Damn.... ELSEWHERE: Chicago and LA clinch their divisions, leaving only a four-team race for the NL wildcards. Currently: Atlanta (87 wins), SF (85), Portland (84), and Brooklyn (83).... With a four-game lead, Oakland has clinched a playoff spot, and has a magic# of 3. Miami has clinched the East, and Detroit is a game away from clinching as well. Tampa is now 4 games behind Texas in the wildcard race, so they're nearly done too.... Cincy's Cris Frias has 17 wins and 361 K, but the Reds still have the NL's worst pitching staff, giving up 787 runs and fielding only two other pitchers with ERA below 5.

September 24-26 vs CHICAGO WHITE SOX
The Sox are still trying to catch Detroit, but they need to move over for our own chase of the A's. Sorry guys: be nice. They've built a nice offense, at 4th in runs and 3rd in AVG and OBP. At 14th in HR, tho, they're a lot like us: get men on and move them over, rather than beating people with the long ball. Zeke de la Rosa (.281/30/113) has cemented his place as one of the game's best young hitters, while 35-year-old Ninsei Sato followed up last year's ROY performance with .273/22/102. Ben Usilton, Elijah Pass, Chris Rock (hitting .340), and Andy Barenberg are all under 29 and make for a very nice core group. Pitching ranks just 10th, mostly because studs-to-be Ben O'Neal and Burton Dick can't stay healthy. Luke Weaver and Alex Alvarado have won 15 games, but more due to strong hitting than through their own efforts. Unless they win out and get some help from Detroit, they're likely to miss the playoffs for the 23rd straight year, but they should be one of the stronger AL teams next year.

HAW pitchers: RH Ben Germann (7-0, 2.42) / RH Josh Irvin (14-5, 4.08) / RH Mike Bader (14-9, 3.67)
CHW pitchers: RH Ivan Moreno (5-8, 4.46) / LH Alex Alvarado (15-10, 4.56) / RH Jasper Cummings (7-9, 4.93)

#157: WIN 14-1 ... woot...a 4-HR attack, and we bang out 16 total hits, add 7 walks...Germann steps in with a complete game 8-hitter...AND WE CLINCH
#158: LOSS 1-2 ... I guess we were tired, held to just 4 hits...Irvin leaves after 7, up 1-0, but Johnson blows another one down the stretch
#159: LOSS 0-2 ... ick, another four-hit game, and this after we eliminated them after game one...Bader pitches with a cold, and does fine, at least

And with that sorry display, we're headed to the wildcard against Texas. We'll also not win 100 games for the first time in over a decade. Yeah, yeah, first world problems I know.... Bader gets a cold for a few days, but pitches anyway, and how about Germann! Four starts: 4-0. So why didn't I start him more? Because he was also excellent in relief, and his history shows that he has never been able to maintain solid starting pitching for more than a couple weeks. But maybe he should be in the rotation now.... Groff suffers his second dtd injury, and tells me he's mad that he's in a platoon. Hey, I know you're the face of the franchise, and a future Hall of Famer, but hit better than .260 in a stretch run and then complain, okay?.... ELSEWHERE: The AL playoffs were set early in this series, and the NL concluded after those third games. Atlanta and San Francisco kept winning and made the post-season, while Brooklyn and Portland didn't and didn't.

September 27-29 vs HOUSTON
They were right in it through June, at 45-36. Since then, however, they've gone 25-53 and struggled in every facet. Offense dropped to 15th, and only the killer combo of Jose Renteria (.304/52/127) and Ricky Silva (.268/47/109) have gotten much going. Pitching is still okay, at 10th in runs against, but no one stood up and took charge when things started going sideways. The good news is they'll have tons of cash to spend this fall, with fallen-star Alejandro Gonzales and his $33M/year departing, along with #1 SP Chris Harris. Harris has been good for eight years now, but the lefty will probably want a sizeable raise on his $17M, and it's more than likely the Astros will look elsewhere instead. He's a lefty groundballer, with a solid health history and a K/9 ratio near ten. Hmmm.....

HAW pitchers: RH Biff Skiff (14-12, 4.70) / RH Shamar Jackson (13-10, 5.01) / LH Shane Walker (5-3, 5.70)
HOU pitchers: RH Alex Trujillo (11-18, 4.97) / LH Chris Harris (12-12, 4.00) / RH Tim Ciotta (14-12, 4.37)

#160: WIN 10-4 ... 4 H, 4 RBI for Medici, and two hits for four other guys...CG by Skiff, fans 9 for once...time to play some scrubs now
#161: LOSS 2-3 ... eh, no one got hurt, so that's a win...Jackson looked okay, so may have made the post-season rotation, if we get that far
#162: LOSS 4-5 ... four of their runs come on solo HR, of course...Frederick gets his 100th RBI

The two losses tie us with Texas in the wildcard race, so I'm not sure who gets home field.... We finish with 167 HR, one less than the 168 steals we recorded. Congrats to everyone who took stolen bases and the over.... Shane Walker got the call to go in final game, in what may be the last game he pitches for us. A number of fringe guys are probably headed for other homes this fall.... ELSEWHERE: William Swanson isn't able to catch Felix Reyes, so falls just two HR short of the AL triple crown.... With the playoff races already decided, what do we talk about? Well, Baltimore fell down late again, finishing with the worst record in the league at 58-102. At least that's a ten-win improvement from last year.... The NL Cy Young is also a crapshoot. Early favorite Jose Gutierrez missed the last five weeks of the season, but still won the ERA crown and finished third in WAR. His teammate Matt Waugh topped the WAR race, but didn't threaten anywhere else. Cincy's Cris Frias could repeat, with 387 K and the most wins in the NL (19).

......

TL;DR Version: A disappointing 7-8 finish, and 97 wins overall. We fall short of Oakland by four games, and end up tied for second with Texas. MLB has them listed ahead of us in the standings, so I think they may have the home field advantage coming up. Our team stats ended up looking pretty good: 1st in runs, AVG, OBP, and steals. Our lack of power hurt us often, however, and we finished with 167 HR, in 17th place. Pitching got better as the season went along, finishing 5th in runs, with a 5th-best rotation ERA and 3rd place bullpen. No pitcher, however, dominated and stood up as an ace. Chris Liles started to really come back into top form late in the year, but he's hurt and out for the playoffs. Bader and Irvin will be our 1-2 punch in the rotation, and I'm crossing my fingers that their better-looking late-season results will carry over into October. One area where we improved but I rarely mentioned was team fielding. We finished 6th in efficiency and 9th in ZR, with a positive number. But we made more errors, finishing 13th with 77.

We've got a big task ahead of us, having to get through three series to reach the championships. But, it's the playoffs! Anything can happen!

Bub13 · 10-08-2020, 07:13 PM

Little did I know when I changed the wildcard playoff format to a best-of-three that we would have the chance to experience it ourselves. And against a divisional opponent. Texas, like us, won 97 games, good for a fith place tie in overall league standings. (Meaning that one of the best teams in the league will be out early on.) By now, you know all about their powerful lineup: Swanson, Boers, Robbins, Miller, Venegas, Espinoza. All with at least 22 HR (Swanson had 60), and three batted over .300. They were third in runs scored, with 916, just 14 fewer than us. Their 327 home runs were, however, nearly twice our total. Pitching was good too, 7th in runs against. What may help us is their injuries: RF Omar Gurrola (.269/41/93) is out, as is 3B D.J. Flores (.261/21/57 in 99 games). And biggest of all is #1 starter Bobby Daniel (17-7, 3.68); meaning once we get past Paul Labbe, we'll see journeymen Jose Ambriz and Steve Means. Can we rise to that?

For us, our #1 starter, Chris Liles, is also out, and DH Adam Groff has a dtd injury that will limit his play. But he has been rotated in and out of the lineup that last month, so for once a Groff injury may not be critical for us. What will be critical is that we'll roll out three rookie pitchers--who have been good at times, and also have looked lost at times. Anyway, the lineup is generally healthy and has been hitting well of late, so we're at least coming in to the series not playing poorly. What stinks is that we'll play two of the three games--should it go three--on the road.

In the NL, it'll be the Braves versus the surprising Giants.

......

Game One: October 1, Hawaii (RH Josh Irvin, 14-5, 3.95) @ Texas (RH Kevin Cahill, 10-6, 3.66). Last second change of starters for the Rangers, subbing out Ambriz for Cahill. Anyway... After a quiet first frame, we get on board first with a Frederick single, Medici walk, then a Goodloe 3-run homer. Irvin cruises through the first three, and we don't add anything to that, so it's 3-0 visitors 1/3 of the way along. The first sign of trouble for us is a Ryan Boers solo home run in the 4th, but Irvin calms down and then keeps the Rangers off the board over the next two innings. The complexion of the game changes in the bottom of the fifth, however: a triple, three doubles, and a single brings home four Rangers and brings Irvin's game to a quick end. After six, it's 5-3 homestanders. Texas adds to the lead with a 2-run blast by Mr. Swanson off Dan Neumann, and now it's 7-3 Rangers. We counter quickly, with one of our typical innings in the 8th: Grace singles, Daley walks, then Freds triples them home. After a walk, Goodloe strikes again, singling home Frederick. We don't add to that, but it's now close: 7-6 Texas. They can't score in their half of the 8th, so we've got one more bite at the apple in the 9th. With two outs, Grace singles and then Daley lines the first pitch he sees into the left field stands, and we're up by one! Change of pitchers, then Freds singles and Matson brings him home with a long home run into center-right. And we're ahead, 10-7, with our ace closer coming in! And it goes away quickly with a single, walk, and a 3-run homer by catcher Juan Espinoza. Sigh. Johnson settles down after that, and we're headed to extras. Both teams get runners to second, but no one scores: off to the eleventh. Where...Freds strikes again: his fourth hit of the game is a solo blast to left, and we're up by a run. Johnson actually settles down this time in the bottom half, shutting the door and sealing a wild game one victory! Final score: Hawaii 11, Texas 10. Hawaii leads series 1-0

Game Two: October 2, Texas (RH Paul Labbe (16-7, 3.36) @ Hawaii (RH Mike Bader, 14-10, 3.61). Back home, with a chance to take the series... Texas gets on the board first with a Boers RBI single, but we tie it in the third via a Lynn leadoff home run. But Texas relies on their old stand by to score twice in the fourth: a single and a two-run home run, this one by Ted Miller. And then again in the fifth, after a Ronnie Halvorson single then a Swanson two-run shot. Suddenly we're down 5-1. Can we come back again? We put runners on base each of the next four innings, including loading the bases in the fifth, but can't score anything. We mount a mini-comeback in the 9th with a pair of doubles and a pair of fielders choice ground outs to plate two runs, but can't do more than that. Final score: Texas 5, Hawaii 3. Series tied, 1-1

Game Three: October 3, Hawaii (RH Biff Skiff, 15-12, 4.67) @ Texas (LH Steve Means, 6-3, 5.49). Okay, here we go: one game for win or go home. No one does much over the first three, although we do leave runners on each inning, five in total. And two more in the fourth, for good measure. And that bites us eventually, when Ted Miller brings home two with a double in the bottom of the fourth. Texas 2-0. Nothing in the fifth. And then we finally find our groove in the sixth: three doubles and a Grace home run plates four Islanders, and we're up 4-2! Texas claws one back in the bottom half, when Espinoza doubles home Eric Robbins, and our lead is cut in half. Of course we get runners on in the seventh and eighth, but no more runs. No runners in the 9th, so we go to the bottom half up by a run, and with our closer on the mound...who then gives up a leadoff home run to Espinoza. Sigh. He doesn't give up anything more, but does go through a 30-pitch inning. Off to extras again. The tenth and eleventh go fast, with neither team putting anyone on base. We get a single and a walk in the twelfth, but our threat ends with Goodloe's groundout to first. Texas likewise gets two on in their half, but can't score. Whew. Thirteenth inning, and we put runners on the corners, but again get closed out with a ground out. Bottom half, Ben Germann comes on. He gets Robbins to strike out looking, but then it's us watching Ted Miller line a shot into the right field bleachers. Game, set, match. Texas 5, Hawaii 4. Texas WINS series 2-1

......

Not only were we in the new wildcard format unexpectedly, but we could have been one-and-done if I had kept the old format. Where do I send my complaints? Oh well. We were done in by our season-long bugaboo: pitching. Not only was our starting pitching just so-so, but our 1-2 bullpen punch of Johnson and Germann, solid all season, was pretty bad. Johnson blew saves in both of his appearances, and Germann lost the final game.

In the NL, Atlanta spotted the Giants a win then came back--like Texas--to win the final two and advance to face the Phillies in the second round. Texas will play Oakland.

......

ROUND 2

The divisional round is next. In the AL, Miami takes out the Tigers in four, and Texas does the same to the A's. Detroit and Oakland were looking to finally break through, considering how often we denied them shots at the big time, but couldn't get it done. Miami is looking to get back to the Series for the second straight year; Texas is in uncharted waters.

Over in the senior circuit, Philadelphia's powerful offense only scores more than 5 runs once, but they still take out the Braves in four. And LA wins the first two games against the Cubs, but Chicago storms back with three straight to take the series. Philly has been to the Series twice in the last decade; Chicago, not since 1945.

......

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

For fans of "More Baseball is More Better" the AL championship series was a dud. For Texas fans, however, it was a thing of beauty, as they swept out the Marlins in four. Since their back-to-back Series visits in 2010 and 2011, the Rangers have done very little. But now they're AL champs, with a chance to grab the first title in franchise history.

The NL championship series, on the other hand, was a seven-game classic. Four games went to extra innings, and the series was decided on a two-out, bases loaded single in the bottom of the ninth inning, off the bat of a 26-year-old pinch hitter with eleven career MLB at bats. In the end, it's Cubs fans who have to wait another year, I'm afraid. Down three games to one, Chicago fought back to take this to seven, but in the end they came up just a run short.

......

2052 WORLD SERIES

Here we go, to end the season and crown the champs. Texas is looking for its first franchise world title, while the Phillies are looking for their third in the last eight seasons. And I'll repeat this until somebody breaks through: the last non-Hawaii team to win from the AL was Toronto back in 2035. I pick Philly in six. Both teams can score runs in bunches, but the Phils have better pitching; injuries have hampered the Rangers staff too much.

Game 1: Philly 9 - Texas 6 ... PHI 1-0
Game 2: Philly 2 - Texas 8 ... series tied 1-1
Game 3: Texas 10 - Philly 0 ... TEX 2-1
Game 4: Texas 3 - Philly 5 ... series tied 2-2
Game 5: Texas 16 - Philly 7 ... TEX 3-2
Game 6: Philly 1 - Texas 7 ... TEX WINS 4-3

I said *Texas* in six, right? Well this was a bit surprising. Although most of the Series was definitely of the "last team batting, wins" type, the fact that the battered Rangers staff shut out the best offense in MLB once and also held them to a one-run finishing game, that was the real key. Plus, hitting 23 HR over the six games really helps. Texas SS Ryan Boers is named series MVP, batting .409 with 3 HR.

Bub13 · 10-11-2020, 12:07 PM

You know, you can't win every year. (Or...can you?) And as the season developed, it became more clear that winning a title was going to be an uphill climb for us. Why this year more than others? Inconsistent pitching, and not-enough power for today's game. This team still gets tons of hits, and gets on base better than anyone else, but the lack of a few big-time power bats combined with the decline of Adam Groff hurt the offense more than I thought it would. On the pitching end, we did finish 5th in the league in runs allowed, but it took us a long time to get there. So...what does the off-season bring us? What will I have to consider? Well...

1. Only two players will be free agents: 3B DJ Grace and RP Alex Mahoney. Mahoney first: he was solid in '50, okay in '51, and bad-then-injured this year. He'll be 31 soon and wants a 4-year deal at $3.8M per: no thanks. I've got younger, cheaper versions of him available in-house. As for Grace, he wants a huge extension, a 9-year deal starting at $27M and climbing from there. He was really solid (.319/17/84 in 133 GP), but that's a hell of a contract to be strapped to for a guy in his early 30s who might be developing a brand new fragility. (He's missed serious time two of the last three seasons.) So do I sign Grace, or let him go and look elsewhere? (I say "elsewhere" because there seems to be no one on the farm to replace him.)

2. Pitching; where do we go. In the rotation, I still like our trio of youngsters--Irvin, Bader, Skiffington. None are ace-quality, but all had some really nice moments, and all can get even better. Liles as our ace: if he's healthy, he's quality. So that leaves Jackson. At his best, he was an innings-eater, a 3.5ish WAR guy. And he is cheap, making less than $6M. But he slumped badly this year, showing that maybe he'll never be the top-of-the-rotation pitcher I want him to be. I could keep him, at his affordable contract, and hope for a comeback year. Or, seeing as there are--off-season development pending--maybe three guys on the farm who could be ready to step in, I could try to bring in the second wave of newbies to the rotation. Jackson, paired with a solid prospect, might be able to return a big-bat third baseman, should I let Grace go. And then there's Mike Pearse, who missed the entire season but should be ready to go for '53.

For the bullpen, Johnson (late-season problems notwithstanding), Germann, and Collier make a solid, veteran closer/setup group. We used a parade of middle relief guys, most of whom fared poorly. But enough played well--Booker, Card, and Ruiz, to name three--to have an inside track for next year, most of the rest will be back to compete in camp, plus a few others who should be ready for a look in the spring. Maybe we'll go after someone cheap over the winter, but I'm less likely to do that unless it's an inexpensive AAAA-type guy, or someone good still hanging around late in free agency.

3. Catcher. The platoon of Willie Alonzo / Hiro Wakabayashi combined for 4.5 WAR. But prospect Mike Covington is ready to step in. He's a lefty, like Alonzo. But Alonzo (26) is younger than Hiro (31), and a better fielder. (Hiro is no slouch, tho.) The cheapest option is a Covington / Hiro platoon. The best fielding option is Alonzo / Covington. The best hitting combo is probably Alonzo / Covington. Poor Hiro--he sounds like the odd man out. But if the corporate goons kidnap me and make me cut payroll, he becomes much more attractive. I'm most likely not keeping all three, so watch this space.

4. Spending. Those corporate goons want a smaller payroll. They can get ******. We're not the Dodgers, and won't be dropping blockbuster contracts on everybody. But we'll sign who we need to in order to bring a title home before we all get old and die. The end. (Having said all that, if I don't post here for a couple of weeks, don't expect for my body to ever be found...)

Lots to consider this off-season. Maybe I'll even have some answers by the end of this post, after awards season.

......

After all that, guess what? JJ Simmons exercised his option to void the rest of his contract, and will enter free agency. What. How did I miss that. Anyway... Literally the only thing he doesn't do well is hit for power (although he did have an outrageous career high of *three* last year). He hits for contact and extra bases, steals 30+ a year, runs well, and is a top-level fielder at second, third, and short. Should I re-sign him? (He wants $25M per for eight years, with an opt out after four.) I think maybe I answered my question earlier this paragraph...

Also veteran and mid-season pickup Mike Blough retired. Blough, 41, didn't do much for us: .235/1/5 in just 35 at bats. He retires with 2664 hits, 503 home runs, 1595 RBI, and a career .295 average with 68.7 WAR. A six-time all-star, he also won a Gold Glove in '36, five Silver Sluggers, and two World Series titles in '33 and '36 with those great Pirates teams. His only mark on any leaderboards was an RBI title in '36, but he's still an outside possibility for a Hall nod one day.

Some other team business as the off-season gets underway:
...my contract is extended for another three years. Ok, I'll stay! Also, I'm given orders to a) sign Daley to an extension; b) increase our home runs; and c) sign a locally popular player.
...despite making $41M for our Cayman overlords, our budget is reduced to $220M (down from $236M). Not a word about payroll, interestingly...
...several low-minors personnel are leaving. I can't even remember hiring them, honestly. So long, fellas...
...26 minor league free agents are set to depart. None will be missed. Anyone interesting? Former top ten (in our system, not MLB's) prospect OF Nick Cooley is one: he's got some power and an okay bat, but a really subpar glove and range. He's only 24 and has a decent-enough potential that I could probably screw, er, wrangle a nice pick out of someone for him, but I won't. And then there's pitcher Braden Mathiesen, acquired from Cincy years ago and a guy I once had really high hopes for...and who gradually just faded away and never made it higher than a few terrible months in AA.
...Only four arbitration cases this year, and just two that I'm going after. Two guys I'm letting go: IF Jesse Ryder and RP Dan Neumann. Ryder wants $1.6M, but with three guys of equal talent willing to play for minimum, Jesse's now expendable. Them's the breaks, kid. Neumann, acquired from Seattle to shore up the bullpen, was pretty terrible for us (5.64 ERA vs 1.69 with the M's), and as he's also a lazy bum, he's out. The other two are injured SP Mike Pearse, whom I'll offer $2.5M, and closer Kyle Johnson, at $1.47M. I expect both to come in higher, but nothing crazy.
...We decide not to toy with Grace and his long-term demand, and instead qualify him. He'll decline, but we'll get a supplemental pick. YES!!! RP Alex Mahoney is also going to free agency, and we wish him and his broken spirit well. Oh, and we offer an extension to JJ Simmons. Can't let him walk.

...just before Awards Week, Simmons signs. The fans are ecstatic, and I'm happy. We may be building for one more run before the core ages out. Also, I DFA Neumann and Mahoney, to clear some 40-man roster space. Baltimore claims Neumann; Mahoney clears. And we make a waiver claim of our own, nabbing former Houston OF prospect Jim Jackson, 24: good bat, nice gap power, doesn't strike out, great on the bases and in the field, and a sparkplug. He'll make minimum next year, and most likely start in AAA and be an injury fill-in. Nice pick up.

......

AL Gold Glove: P Shamar Jackson, HAW (2nd); C Jon Hill, TB (2nd); 1B Justin Sandy, OAK; 2B Noah Johnson, OAK; 3B Dante Padilla, MIL; SS Oscar Garza, HOU (2nd); LF Jordan Foots, MIN; CF Jason Welch, HOU; RF Josh Jacobson, MIN
NL Gold Glove: P Micah Whitlow, CHC; C Steve Newman, ATL (2nd); 1B Antonio Maestas, MON (2nd); 2B Aaron Milleson, POR; 3B Chris Gulland, ARI; SS Ethan Ransburg, POR; LF Mike Israel, CHC (2nd); CF Dan Politz, POR (3rd); RF Ed Silverio, NYM (6th)

AL Hoyt Wilhelm: Dwaine Webb, MIA (8-5, 39 saves, 1.57 ERA, 3.5 WAR) [Kyle Johnson finished a distant 3rd]
NL Hoyt Wilhelm: Emilio Canto, ARI (5-1, 3 saves, 1.23 ERA, 2.2 WAR)

AL Silver Slugger: C Juan Espinoza, TEX (2nd); 1B William Swanson, TEX (4th); 2B Andrew Taylor, CHW (2nd); 3B Dante Padilla, MIL; SS Ryan Boers, TEX; LF Felix Reyes, OAK (2nd); CF Randy Costello, OAK; RF Josh Jacobson, MIN (3rd); DH Rich Dragos, BOS
NL Silver Slugger: P Steve Bozarth, BKN; C Bryan Huntley, LAD (3rd); 1B Michael Rinehart, ATL; 2B Maurizio Barbiusa, BKN; 3B Gerardo Nieto, POR (2nd); SS Ben Grossman, BKN (3rd); LF Rick Logston, PHI; CF Dustin Wasilewski, LAD (2nd); RF George Livezey, PHI (3rd)

AL Rookie of the Year: OF Mauricio Marquez, CAL (.317/25/82, 4.2 WAR) [Mike Bader came in 4th place]
NL Rookie of the Year: OF Junjiro McDonnell, LAD (.303/36/104, 6.0 WAR)

AL Manager of the Year: T.H. Nam, TEX (1st win)
NL Manager of the Year: Felix Osorio, PHI (4th win)

AL Cy Young: Victor Nunez, MIA (22-7, 2.89 ERA, 237 K, 6.2 WAR) [Liles came in 4th; Bader even got one vote]
NL Cy Young: Jose Gutierrez, ATL (12-4, 2.13 ERA, 225 K, 7.8 WAR) ... His third win

AL MVP: 1B William Swanson, TEX (.353/60/148, 9.5 WAR) ... Third time [Simmons and Lynn received some votes]
NL MVP: OF Dustin Wasilewski, LAD (.342/47/131, 9.0 WAR)

......

...California gets the off-season going with a pretty bad trade, sending developing slugger 1B Jason Gabrielsen to Montreal for no-hoper RP Ivan Rodriguez and decent but dime-a-dozen RP Eric Byrd. Gabrielsen could become a 30-40 HR guy annually, and was traded for peanuts.
...other trades: SD acquired a couple of quality OF prospects, but did have to give up #3 SP Edward Davalos to Atlanta; BOS sent 1B Mike Sanchez (.277/37/102) to Atlanta for a prospect pitcher. I think those will be career highs for Sanchez, btw; and Houston sent their top prospect, 1B Humberto Quirindongo, and three others to STL for RP (potential closer) Devin Boyd and decent 2B hopeful David Helvey. I'm sorry I won't be able to include The Donger in any future Astros game write-ups.

...Free Agency kicks off, and what a bang, with two big signings. First, Austin makes a push for respectability by signing former Mets slugger Alfonso Contreras for $209M over 8 years. Contreras banged out 37 HR this year and 56 the year before. The Outlaws won just 71 games last year and have made the playoffs only once in the last quarter century. The second big signing was Detroit addding former Isles 3B DJ Grace for $198M and 7 years. Grace adds another solid bat to that already-big lineup, and definitely leaves a hole for us to fill at third. We do get that magical Supplemental 1st round pick tho.

...and we make our own big splash in free agency, after losing Grace to Detroit, by signing pitcher Matt Waugh to a nine-year, $321M deal. Huge, yes? And out-of-nowhere, no? Waugh is a two-time NL Cy Young award winner and has earned nearly 34 WAR over the past four seasons. He's a power pitcher, eats a ton of innings, and doesn't walk many. He gives us our first true #1 starter since Rob Hart nearly a decade ago. (Mike Garfield was pretty good, too.) He's also a bit of a slacker, but we've got a pretty strong clubhouse, so that isn't a concern. Needless to say, we're going for it in '53.

...and then we make some smaller splashes, partly to free up some salary space, partly to clear out roster space for some new faces, with two more trades. First, we send C Willie Alonzo to Detroit (them again?), along with AAA infielder Edwin Morales, for two prospects, IF Mike Janikowski and P Steve Shinnick. Detroit needed a catcher: their starter was ranked in the bottom five of the league, and we wanted to move ours. Alonzo became expendable when I decided to give Mike Covington the nod behind the plate. Plus, his $6.5M salary became more of a burden after the Waugh signing. In return we get a local guy in Janikowski, who could be a decent 2B one day, and in Shinnick a 21-year-old who has a couple more years to grow into something useful.

The next trade sheds a starting pitcher who found himself on the outs after a poor season and the addition of our shiny new toy. Shamar Jackson is an Islander no more, heading off to St Louis, along with promising OF Dave Gaston and a draft pick, in exchange for the Cards first round pick in next year's draft. Even with Jackson's departure, we're still a "plus one" in the rotation, which is a nice luxury to have. And the pick we get is a nice one, and more than makes up for the compensation pick we lost after signing Waugh. Sending off the combo of Alonzo, Jackson, and even Morales, cuts nearly $12M from the payroll.

The final deal has us sending young pitcher Chris Wildermuth (24, former 3rd round pick) packed off to Texas for 3B Jonathan Dobo. Dobo, also 24, adds an interesting power bat into the mix at third. Not a truly fabulous hitter, but has some pop and a great arm. He'll likely end up in AAA next year, but he'll get a look in camp.

Speaking of payroll, there are some interesting things that will be developing on that front over the coming season. Such as:
...an owner demand to extend Cam Daley. So I talk to Daley's reps about his next contract. (He's coming to the end of his current $5.6M/per deal.) They say the starting point is a ten-year, $350M package. Sure, yep, okay.
...Adam Groff has a team option for '54, at $34.5M. He was thoroughly mediocre this year, and I expect no better in '53. Suffice it to say, if you're a Groff fan (like me), you're looking at the Adam Groff Farewell Tour in the coming season, his age-39 year.
...RF Josh Frederick has an opt out after the coming year. As he's slated to make $15.5M per through '58 after that, and could likely make much more on the open market, I expect him to exercise his opt-outingness next fall.
...the only other possible departures after next season are RP Robbie Collier, whom we're paying $2M. As he'll be 39 soon, I don't expect to throw multiple millions at him for '54. And we'll have a team option on RP Ben Germann for '54, who would make $2.4M. Obviously this decision will depend on how the 33-year-old performs this coming season.

So there you have it. We could shed $50M after the '53 season, more than enough to extend Daley, should we wish to keep him around until he's 38. We are in a DH league, so there should always be room for him if he can still hit, even if he becomes a defensive liability. O we could see 2/3 of the outfield walk. Fun times a-coming.

......

Moving on from the Winter Meetings now...

...some of our prospects are coming of age now, and need to be added to the 40-man roster or risk losing them in the Rule 5 draft. So I DFA a number of guys off the current 40-man to make space. We only lose one to waivers, however: RP Jeremy Kolek, a former 2nd round pick and one in a long line of "closers of the future" that never came to be, is claimed by Cincinnati. Kolek made 5 appearances for us in '50, looked promising, but never made it out of camp the next two seasons. Whether it was disappointment or not, he pitched poorly in AAA those two seasons, so his loss won't be keenly felt.

...we tried dealing with the Cubs to send them Alonzo, as they also need a catcher, but they went and signed an SP, three RP, and a SS in one day, tying up all their remaining available money. That SS is Matthew Powell, whom you might remember Oakland acquiring last year from Cleveland in exchange for four pitching prospects and a young OF. Three of those pitchers are either close to or are ready for the bigs for the Indians, while the A's got one year of Powell out of the deal. Not the greatest asset management by the A's there.
...the White Sox came close to the playoffs last year, and are making a push for '53 too. They add two old pitchers--Leonardo Vigil (35) and Robby Liantonio (39)--for the rotation, as well as catcher Victor Valadez, lured away from Philly. (Valadez, you might recall, was the either/or last winter when signing a new catcher. We went with Alonzo, who was fine, while Valadez socked 26 HR for the Phils.)
...I took a long look at free agent 2B Alfonso Torres, late of Arizona, but decided against offering him a deal. In his best years, he hit 30+ HR and batted .310-.320 with the DBacks, but unfortunately, can't catch a cold at second. The Mets went and grabbed him, and while he'll help the offense, his addition is offset by the earlier loss of 53-HR slugger Alfonso Contreras, who's set to be replaced by a 23-year-old rookie.
...Richmond signed catcher Juan Espinoza away from the Rangers, for five years. Espinoza hit the GW home run that ended our season in extra innings, so I for one won't miss having him around. Texas currently has no quality replacement for him, and there's not much left on the market at catcher. (And I wasn't about to offer them Alonzo.) **sad trombone sound**
...the lying Cubs find some money under the sofa cushions and add another costly RP, while the White Sox add another reliever of their own. Chicago is becoming a baseball hotbed again, with both teams looking like solid contenders moving into the coming year.
...the Rule 5 draft comes and goes, and to my relief we don't lose anyone. I had several prospects unprotected, guys with decent ceilings but low current ratings, and no room for them on the 40-man roster atm. Those low current ratings probably saved me... Overall, only 16 guys were claimed, a low number for recent drafts. I wasn't looking for anyone anyway, but I didn't see much talent out there in any case.
...SS Ben Grossman, the top-rated free agent out there, just re-signed with Brooklyn for five years, at $36M per. He had a career year last year, batting .344 with 26 HR. I doubt he'll see those numbers again.
...long-time readers will remember former Houston monster prospect Alejandro Gonzales. Imagine the love child of J.R. Richard and Greg Maddux: stuff all day, great control, wicked movement. Not the greatest stamina, but enough to start, plus a five-pitch repertoire, all of them at least excellent. After a couple of erratic seasons in the Astros pen, he finally breaks into the rotation in '44. He's good that year, then has two injury-laden seasons where he's good and growing anyway, and breaks through in '47, earning 7 WAR and possessing a 10-to-1 K/BB ratio. Houston, finally building a good team, breaks the bank to sign him for five years at $33M per. This guy's gonna be THE pitcher in our division for the next decade, right? Well, you can guess where this is going: he gets hurt in '48, comes back but loses all his stamina and about a foot off his fastball, and finishes the year in the pen. He's the closer for '49 and '50, with one great year and one very bad year. He spends the last two seasons in middle relief, a largely forgotten man--albeit one making over 30 mill--at the end of the bullpen. Houston does not offer him a contract at the end of the season. Anyway...to wrap this up, he just signed a one year deal with Detroit, for $970k. Oh, what could have been...

......

Wrapping up the year in free agency news:
...New Orleans signs 3B Toshi Hasegawa for three years, $6.5M per. Toshi is a decent hitter--some power, and an OBP 120 points higher than his AVG--a good fielder, and a team captain. But he's 35 and can't stay healthy. So...huzzah, I guess.
...Jason Bailey has been a decent-if-overlooked SP for Cincy for six seasons, hidden behind ace Cris Frias. Now he's a DBack, signing for four years as Arizona tries to climb back into respectability. AZ was competitive last year, hanging around the wildcard race before fading to 79 wins. To me, they now look like they're about two batters and a pitcher or two away from being a playoff candidate. Who knew.
...Statistically, the worst part of Brooklyn's season was their incompetent bullpen. They've addressed that failing by grabbing three veteran ex-closers, all of whom still look pretty good. (Re-signing SS Ben Grossman also helped.) Watch these guys next season.

To close the calendar year, we clear a spot on the 40-man by sending RP Kevin Walker to Cleveland for pitcher Lee Robinson. Walker is a big-time thrower, but is wild as Tarzan, walking 7 per 9 innings (33 in 44.2 IP) last year. Robinson is 35, and if he ends up in Hawaii next year then something has gone horribly, horribly wrong.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Bub13 · 10-14-2020, 04:05 PM

As 2053 will mark our 20th season in MLB, we spared no expense in designing a new shoulder uniform patch that we will proudly wear throughout the upcoming campaign. I hope you like it!

Palaaemon · 10-15-2020, 12:11 AM

Electronic Whiteout™?

08-13-2020, 07:25 PM	#361
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	Off-Season 2051-52, part one So, that happened. While I enjoy these fun rides that successful regular seasons bring, the ensuing playoff crash is a helluva low. Once again we combined league-best hitting with some season-long quality pitching, only to see it all fall apart in just a few games in October. While the offense was held under water for a couple of critical games, it was our pitching that really let us down. My top three starters--Pearse, Jones, Jackson--had a combined league championship ERA that neared 8.00; Josh Irvin was inconsistent, but then he's a rookie; and Dennis Perry lost all effectiveness, both as a starter and in relief. Combined they gave up 13 home runs. And while we generally hit well, one glaring exception stood out: Adam Groff hit .240 in the Miami series (and only because he got five hits in the last two games) with just one XBH and 2 RBI. For the full post-season, he batted just .167. He's still productive over the course of a full season, but his hitting droughts are getting longer and more pronounced. What will 2052 bring I wonder... ...... The off-season gets off to a...strange...beginning, when owner Alexis Pagan steams in on his mega-yacht to say how pleased he was with the season, despite the bad ending. Playoff revenue, a reduced payroll, and near-record attendance brought in $36M in profit...most of which he kept. But now, things are different. He tells me he's out: out of the company he founded, and now out of the picture as team owner. And yet, he still hands me a list of "recommendations" for the coming season: win it all, improve team defense, sign closer Jon White to an extension, cut payroll more, build a dynasty. Stranger still, he raises the budget for next year by $18M, to $238M, which places us sixth in all of baseball. Raise the budget but cut player payroll? What's going on here? We'll have 238 mill to spend, but only 130 mill on players? I go to Google school (aka "the internet") to dig for more info. (Confession: I had one of the interns do it.) Bizness Insiderrr says that a new consortium is taking the helm at Pagan Holdings and has opened new offices in the Cayman Islands. Is this a good thing...? ...... Ok. On the "I expected that" news front, we can get back to regular player developments. First, Jeremy Dunklee and Faustino Whitton retire. Whitton came over in a trade from LA in '49, but he never did hit much for me when I tried giving him larger roles. (He hit .261 in 226 AB over three seasons.) Still, his leadership and great attitude made him a worthwhile vet to keep on hand, and we won a title with him on board last year. He retires with a career .297/.375/.440 slash, 2451 hits, 188 HR, 374 steals, and 48.6 WAR. He was a two-time all-star and won three Silver Sluggers, all with Richmond. (I signed him as an international free agent for Richmond waaaay back in 2030.) He had some solid seasons with the Eagles, but was too inconsistent then later on too injury-riddled to produce enough for a solid look from the Hall. Dunklee, on the other hand, has a legit HoF case. We signed him out of the IBL in '34, our inaugural year, and he played right away. By '35 he was a star, and quickly won an MVP trophy the following year. He retires with a .291/.411/.515 slash, 2508 hits, 444 HR, 1512 RBI, 1712 BB, and 80.7 WAR. He was an eight-time all-star and won six Silver Sluggers. By most Hall metrics, he's in, by wide or narrow margins. I'm glad he finished his career here; he's also the final link to our expansion season. Now I'm all that's left. (Although there are six players drafted that first summer who are still active, just not with us.) Second, third, fourth, and so on.... With the demanded payroll decrease to $130M, I'll be looking to shave off $5M from our current outlay. (Or will I?) To start, I probably won't bring back anyone heading to free agency. That includes: SP Dennis Perry (made $6M, asking for double that); C Rob Rich (made $5M, wants the same but for six more years; he's 31.); CL Jon White (we paid him $4.8 of his overall $6.8M deal. He wants nearly $10M); 1B Steve Wallace (made $2.7M, but I have no idea what he wants next year as I'm not answering his agent's calls); RP Robbie Collier (made $1.5M at age 37. He wants $7.75M per for two more years. LOL.). And then there's Eric Jones, who decided to void his final contract year (he would've made $15.1M) and try his toes in the murky waters of free agency. Do I let the 14-year vet, perhaps our steadiest pitcher all season, simply walk away? Yep; he's declining, according to our scouts, and with his already-average stuff, he doesn't have far to go to become a drag o the rotation. On top of that there's the usual mush of departing minor league free agents, 25 this year, and no one terribly surprising. Nine of those guys come from AAA (five are pitchers), so there will be some serious retooling on the upper farm. Nobody we can't live without, including two guys on the 40-man (vets C Brett Monize and IF Joe Sayers). Arbitrations and other contract news... Five potential free agents (listed above), and five arbitration cases are next on the radar. As I said, I'm not offering contracts to any of the free agents, including Jones. That's the toughest case, as he's been with us forever. But it's time to cut bait. The other decision I mull over a bit is Rob Rich. He had a nice comeback year, batting .345 and producing 3.3 WAR in a platoon role. But he'll be 32 soon, and this season came after two years of producing next to nothing offensively, so I'm not convinced he's entering a late-in-life renaissance. Jon White was also effective for us, but at 35 his time is limited. Ditto for Collier (who's 37 and has major injury history). Saying goodbye to both of them depletes the pen of lefties, so I'll be on the lookout for at least one LHP either from within or from beyond. (And Jones is a lefty too; it's a left-handed apocalypse.) The arbitration cases will all be pursued, in various ways. To wit: ...RP Kyle Johnson (current 950k, wants 2.0, we offer 1.1) -- I want him to compete for the closer role. ...C Tom Whittington (current 500k, wants 3.0, we offer 2.0) -- productive as the RHB platoon with Rich. If we lose this, I'll trade him. ...2B Josh Matson (current 3.9, wants 9.0, we offer ...) -- I've offered him an extension, which he is considering. He's worth it. ...SS Jesse Ryder (current 500k, wants 650k, we can do that) -- useful utility guy, worth having back at a cheap rate. ...OF Jerry Cappuccilli (current 4.8, wants 8.1, we offer 6.1) -- like Rich, a big comeback year. If he gets too much $$$, might have to lose him. As usual, I expect to win the cheap ones and lose the expensive ones. With Collier and White leaving the bullpen, there's room to spend a bit on Johnson, before we decide if we'll extend him beyond next season. Whittington and Cappuccilli could be the guys who "bust" my payroll target of $130M, which would make them expendable, frankly. There are cheaper alternatives on the farm, but there's something to be said for having proven vets on your roster, especially if they bring intangibles to the table (which they both do). The sum of our off-season departures, assuming we keep everyone going through arbs, is thus: 2 SP 2 RP (including our CL) 2 1B/DH (one regular) 1 OF/DH 1 C (RHB platoon starter) So while we shed some considerable salary, next year still projects to a $135M payroll, including Whitt's and Capp's arb cases. Of course, I could just ignore my instructions completely and spend money like a drunken sailor. But I don't think I trust these new owners... ...... Josh Matson signs his extension. He'll make slightly less than his arb estimate of $9M for the coming year, at $7.7M. For '53 that jumps to 9.35M, then to 11.55M for '54 through '57, and then team options for '58 and '59. By then he'll be 35 and quite possibly a memory, so we'll see what this ultimately costs us. All in all, quite affordable, even with my new extortionate, erm I mean FRUGAL, owners. We also make a waiver claim, grabbing 34-year-old MR Min-Hyuk Yaung from Washington. Yaung will be a free agent and made minimum last year, so we're going to try to keep him to something resembling that for next year. He's here because he's a lefty, and if he signs he'll be first in line for that coveted bullpen slot. He tossed 58.2 IP for the Nats, fanning 67 and walking 25. And he's a four-time reliever of the year in the KBO, so that's gotta count for something, right? ...... In late-November league news: a couple of small trades, a couple of waiver claims, nothing much. No owners kick the bucket, but ten managers are shown the door. Most surprisingly is Miami skipper Paul Trashini, who guided the Marlins to 95 wins and a spot in the World Series. He won 362 games in his four seasons at the helm. No word on where he'll land, nor on who will replace him in Miami. Also of note was the firing of Baltimore manager--and former Isles all-time manager--Pat Wilson. Fun fact: we went to Baltimore on 7/18, when their record was 33-57. From that date on, they went 15-57, completely falling apart. Dead last in offense, which contrived to manage the most strikeouts and the fewest walks. And they set a new MLB record with 1714 Ks! Dead last in pitching, but at least the bullpen ERA ranked 8th. What did they do well? Um...5th in steals, 4th-best ZR. (Btw, some other all-time AL single season records were set in 2051: Hawaii (us!) 1789 hits, breaking our own mark of 1757 set back in 2039; Detroit smacked 351 HR, breaking the old record by 37; they also slugged .498, breaking our mark from '39; our pitchers struck out 1652 batters, quite a surprise to me. In the NL, Montreal (with 1678) and Pittsburgh (1664) broke the former record for most batting Ks, set by Cincy in '47 (at 1660); Philly (331) and Cincy (316) broke number for most HR; and Pirate pitchers also set their own strikeout record, retiring 1748 batters on strikes, topping the old number by 71.) Awards time! AL Gold Glove: P Shamar Jackson, HAW (1st!); C Jon Hill, TBR; 1B Jim Timmer, CHW (6th); 2B Alvin Phillips, KCR (2nd); 3B Vincent Obregon, SEA; SS Oscar Garza, HOU; LF Aaron Lenhard, SEA (4th); CF Joe Lynn, HAW (1st!); RF Andy Barenberg, CHW NL Gold Glove: P Chad Akers, NOZ (4th); C Steve Newman, ATL; 1B Antonio Maestas, MTL; 2B Andy Lee, SDP; 3B Gerardo Nieto, POR; SS Rich Stoneback, LAD (4th); LF Mike Israel, SDP; CF Dan Politz, POR (2nd); RF Ed Silverio, NYM (5th) AL Hoyt Wilhelm: Jon White, HAW, 1.89 ERA, 35 SV, 57 IP, 59 K, 1.7 WAR NL Hoyt Wilhelm: Rafael Castro, NYM, 1.53 ERA, 64.2 IP, 72 K, 4 big saves AL Silver Slugger: C Juan Espinoza, TEX; 1B William Swanson, TEX (3rd); 2B Ninsei Sato, CHW; 3B Ryan Walton, OAK; SS Noah Johnson, OAK; LF Felix Reyes, OAK; CF Luis Rodela, DET; RF Vance Wise, TBR; DH Cesar Alvarenga, DET (4th) NL Silver Slugger: P Jon Carlsen, CIN; C Lance Powell, BKN (7th); 1B Alfonso Contreras, NYM (3rd); 2B Juan Rodriquez, LAD (6th); 3B Gerardo Nieto, POR; SS Ben Grossman, BKN (2nd); LF Mike Israel, SDP; CF Dustin Wasilewski, LAD; RF George Livezey, PHI (2nd) AL Rookie of the Year: Ninsei Sato, CHW 2B (.305/.384/.603, 39 HR 114 RBI, 5.7 WAR) [Mike Pearse was a distant 3rd] NL Rookie of the Year: Tim Bell, MON 3B (.330/.364/.542, 21 HR, 71 RBI, 4.3 WAR) AL Manager of the Year: Chris Kenny, HAW [rookie season!] NL Manager of the Year: Dario Agrazal, PIT (3rd win) AL Cy Young: Conor MacLeod, MIN (18-10, 2.72 ERA, 405 K, 257 IP, 11.1 WAR) NL Cy Young: Cris Frias, CIN (15-6, 2.15 ERA, 348 K, 192 IP, 9.1 WAR, 28 starts) AL MVP: William Swanson, TEX 1B (2nd win, .357/.434/.691, 52 HR, 127 RBI, 8.4 WAR) NL MVP: Gerardo Nieto, POR 3B (.347/.397/.669, 48 HR, 141 RBI, 10.3 WAR) A surprise Gold Glove for Shamar Jackson, and a richly deserved one for Lynn. Also a surprise is the Wilhelm for Jon White, as he didn't lead any RP category except ERA. And a nice joke by voters naming a middle reliever as the best fireman in the NL. And Chris Kenny may be the youngest manager to ever win that trophy. Now let's just bring a different trophy back next year. ...... Arbitrations come back...and man, did we get sand kicked in our faces. Cappuccilli came in two million over his estimate, and will receive $10.2M next year. Whittington also won, getting $3.7M instead of the three mill price tag he set for himself. Johnson and Ryder went our way, but we lost out big time. Jones also declined the qualifying offer and will sail off to free ageny. Bon voyage, Eric. These two big arbitration contracts will put us well over the "suggested" $130M payroll. Will I get concerned telegrams from the Caribbean? Or maybe just some unwarranted business audits or late night visitors instead... ...... Free Agency starts, lots of money is being thrown about, and several teams have already signed multiple big contracts: ...Tampa Bay grabbed SS Rich Stoneback (4 yrs, $77M) and OF Kris Warner (5 yrs, $93M) ...Milwaukee, getting C Dan Starr (3 yrs, $55M) and 3B Dante Padilla (5 yrs, $105M) ...the Cubs made two big deals, getting OF Mike Israel (5 yrs, $101M), and vet SP D.J. Pasquarelli (3 yrs, $25M) ...LA of course is spending big: CL Bob Harrison (1 yr, $3.8M), OF David Von Eschen (4 yrs, $80M), and useful RP Chris Milano (1 yr, $4M) ...Miami lost Von Eschen, but signed SP Jon Carlsen (5 yrs, $103M), and is rumored to be after several remaining top names ...the Yankees are rich, duh: 1B Erik Morgan (1 yr, $7.2M), SS Victor Provencio (7 yrs, $83M) and OF Aaron Harrison (4 yrs, $68M) ...Houston wants to compete for real, nabbing two former Isles: SP Tim Ciotta (7 yrs, $85M) and RP Ramon Sanabria (2 yrs, $10.8M) ...Boston inks the ancient SP Eddy Llamas (2 yrs, $19M) and almost-as-old IF Mike Hunter (3 yrs, $39M). They also make the first international splash, grabbing Japanese SP Kaoru Tanaka (4 yrs, $35M) All this and only two weeks in! Winter Meetings have also just started, which I know because we're now getting ridiculously bad trade offers. (How many Marv Throneberries for one Carl Furillo?) Also, we haven't made any moves, so maybe our new corporate masters will stay off my back. One more note: as the Winter Meetings wrap up, teams completed ten trades, including several highly significant ones. I'll talk more about those in the next post. But I will add one more name here: LA signed our very own Eric Jones to a 3 year deal worth $30M...and they already have him listed as a relief pitcher...and their fans are already questioning the move given that Jones is 35. Our fans? They're pissed. But, I tell them, we got a supplemental draft pick! Supplemental! ...... As I finish this post and think about what the rest of the off-season brings for us, I'll leave you with a definition that may give you a clue: whiplash, n., fig., a feeling of disorientation and surprise when a sudden move is made in the opposite of the initial direction of movement. Example: "First we're going, now we're staying. I've got whiplash from you changing your mind like that." __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

08-16-2020, 05:35 PM	#362
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	Off-Season 2051-52, part two 2052 The calendar turns...and my mind changes. New owners be damned, we're going to spend a little bit of cash and grab a couple players I want, yet without completely breaking the bank. Especially as a) I think our window is beginning to close, and 2) our budget is likely going down next year. First: we have an owner goal--an OWNER GOAL, PEOPLE--to improve our team defense. Well okay, then, let's do it via a big fat TRADE! We send our two recent arbitration winners, Cappuccilli and Whittington, along with 2B prospect Julian Cardenas, to Cleveland for 2B D.J. Grace. We give up a useful utility piece in Cappuccilli, who can hit when hot but is limited in AB by better players at his positions (LF/1B/DH) and was due to be overpaid to sit on the bench half the season; Whittington finally hit some last year, but I think I can find cheaper platoon/backup catchers than him, and we have a solid prospect who's about 90% ready; and Cardenas was someone the rebuilding Indians (more on them below) wanted, as they are shaving players like a boot camp barber shop. In Grace we get a guy coming off a down year (.264) but who has three seasons at .320 or better; gets on base (averages 100 BB per 162 games); has some power (15-20 HR annually); is a team captain; and is a solid fielder with some range and a big arm. The only real con is that he's in his final contract year, and will likely want a fat raise over his current $20M. (Cleveland will eat 1/4 of that.) Sharpish readers will say "Wait, don't you already have a second baseman? One who hit .324, with 21 HR last year? And just signed to a nice contract extension?" Yes. Yes to all of that. But I got you covered: Matson--the 2B--will slide over to first, as he is really...terrible at second. Bob Goodloe will shift over from third to second, where he's better suited (great glove, excellent on the DP), and Grace will slide in at third. The only potential drawback here is that he's never played an inning at third in his pro career. No worries! He's a smart guy, and that's what spring training is for, right? There may be some bumps in the road here, but I figure it will work out. I would have just left him at second, but Goodloe looks a little better there to me (much better glove), and I prefer him handling the higher number of chances a second baseman gets. If Grace bombs at third, I'll swap them back, b/c there's not a huge difference between them. But I'm still going to try it. One last thing: this pretty much ends Adam Groff's career in the field; he was a liability at first last year, mostly because his range finally left him. So much so that even Matson now looks like a better 1B, and he only has 24 innings of MLB experience there. One more last thing: with Cleveland retaining 1/4 of Grace's salary, we actually come out about 500k ahead in the deal. Second: this leaves me with a hole at catcher, having let Rich walk and now Whittington getting dealt. (And frankly: the deal made sense b/c now I don't have to type out "Cappuccilli" and "Whittington" any more. Maybe by that logic I should bring Rich back.) So I want to add two guys, and the choices on the farm range from good-one-day-but-will-it-be-this-year (Mike Covington) to eh-if-I-have-to (Justin Saffer, everyone else). That's untenable, especially if Covington shows in the spring that he's not ready to hit yet. The biggest FA name on the boards is Dan Starr, who still swings a big bat and will likely be in the Hall one day. But he's 41, hasn't played over 100 games in the last three years, and is a 250-pound liability behind the plate. He wants big money, too. No thanks. (And then Milwaukee signs him for $18M per for three years. LOL.) Almost everyone else is too old and wants too much dough. All but two guys: Victor Valadez and Willie Alonzo. Both are asking for less than $7M, both are under 30 (V is 27, A 25), and both have established histories. Valadez has been in the meat grinder in San Francisco for five years, while Alonzo has been New Orleans' guy for five. The differences between them are few: Valadez has a bigger arm, Alonzo is the better receiver; V has more pop (can hit 20 HR; A might hit 10), A has a slightly higher average and gets on base more. In the end...I go with Alonzo. He's two years younger, has four Gold Gloves (owner goal again!), and is well-liked. And for all the complaining I do in the regular season, you know how I really feel about OBP vs HR. He signs for 4 years at $6M per, with '55 being a team option. Plus, the fans--who were bummed when Capp and Whitt got traded (really?)--are ecstatic about this signing. Again: really? How many fans are over the moon about signing what amounts to a better-than-average journeyman catcher? At any rate, our season tix sales are jumping, 24% over the expected number right now. To further shore up the catching, I also ink Japanese import Hiro Wakabayashi. The 30-year-old is an average hitter with zero power, but he's patient at the plate and is an above-average defensive catcher. He has a 30-day option in his contract, meaning he'll probably bolt if he doesn't make the team in the spring, but that's okay too. Whether he or Covington or anyone else makes the team, we'll be saving about $3M over having Rich and Whitt behind the plate. We also beef up the competition in the bullpen by grabbing a few cheap but competent-looking guys right after the New Year. Andy Pearse (cousin of Mike) is a 24-year-old lefty who will get a long look in camp; 22-year-old Cuban hotshot Orlando Silva looks nearly MLB-ready right now; and Korean import Gyoo-Jae Joe is probably a year away but is another lefty possibility. In addition, we sign a handful of players at the AAA and AA level to replace some of the dozen or so guys who left via free agency, but none are likely to ever compete for a spot on the big league roster. We do lose one player in the Rule 5 draft: IF Francisco Salcedo to KC. He's a useful utility guy, but is limited to the right side of the infield and isn't much of a threat at the plate. It's likely he'll be back in Santa Barbara by the summer. The end result is that the big league payroll is now just over $139M, rather than the target of $130M. Big deal, I say. No one is coming after me. After all, I have all the incriminating photos and documents kept in a very safe place. For now. ...... The Holiday Season rolls past, and teams obviously found big rolls of cash in their stockings, as everyone is still out there tossing money around like candy. Miami is definitely shoring up the pitching staff, signing former Isle Cy Young winner Mike Messinger (3 yrs, $27M), former Angels SP Ken Demers (2 yrs, $16M), and top closer Daryl Kennedy (1 yr, $5.4M). Still gotta replace David Von Eschen's big bat, guys. Cincinnati adds to their powerhouse lineup by inking annual 40+ HR guy Andy Howard for 4 years, $41M. And Richmond is the new LA, signing three relievers to big money deals: Rick Ramirez ($7.1M), Ken Zeolla (3 yrs, $18M), and Robbie Collier (2 yrs, $16M). Only one closer at a time, tho, and they're also really counting on having leads to protect...which is not something they had many of last year. Washington closes out the New Year's Hangover Day signing frenzy by grabbing SS Adam Burke, one of the top names on the board, for 6 years and $86M. I really, really don't get this one: a career .250 hitter, with a bit of pop but who doesn't get on base much. Although he has great range and can turn the DP, for a shortstop he's otherwise terrible: bad glove (20+ errors per season) and a weak arm. A long-term escalating contract for a mediocre hitter who's decline will be quick and devastating. Fun. Hall of Fame votes are in, and only one guy gets the call this time around: closer Will Ness, with 80% of the vote in his third year of eligibility. Ness threw for twenty years, almost all of them with Kansas City, winning two Wilhelm trophies and making four all-star teams. He finished with 435 saves and 35 WAR, and also made 97 starts for the Royals over his first six seasons, all while earning at least ten saves each of those seasons. He won his first Wilhelm in '32, and his second in '41 with the Mets, at age 37. In addition to Ness, the Veteran's Committee added two zombies who probably should've been in years ago: OF Larry Walker and P Kevin Brown. You know all about them already. Also... ...the Yankees add their fifth reliever of the off-season, signing former Isles closer Jon White for two years, $12.6M. ...Oakland beefs up their own bullpen, adding wannabe-closer Tim Stoner from the Cubs. They've also added four other relievers to last year's unsteady pen. ...the White Sox land Boston 2B Andrew Taylor, 5 years and $72M. The Sox have lost 17 players since October, and picked up just three. Still, the've gained in WAR, which tells you something about what they let go. I mentioned the Indians above. They are shedding salary amidst a furious rebuild that will see some pretty amazing roster turnover. Walking to free agency were their starting C, 1B, CF, two SP, and two backup/platoon IF. Add to that several significant trades. They sent their #4 OF to San Diego, and sent 2050 free agent catch LF Morgan Akers to Baltimore for a pair of 1B/DH types: MLB-level Gary Rushton and a decent prospect. You can read about the Grace trade above, sending their team captain to us for three roster players. The final deal completed the turnover across the infield, sending SS Matthew Powell (a crazy-good fielder and a typical modern low-contact/high-power hitter) for five prospects, from Oakland. This is a deal that could jump start the rebuild in another season or two, as they added two top-100 pitching prospects (#60 Dudley Mele and #61 Ken Shurtleff), two other mid-rotation possibles, and interesting OF prospect Caleb Nunley. The infield this season will be super-thin, the outfield not much better, and they're still going with many of the pitchers that just finished 16th in runs allowed. So it's gonna get a lot worse than last year's 72 wins, Cleveland fans. But help is on the way. (And I didn't mention super-prospect Mike Lee, listed at SS but who can play anywhere but C, really. He can throw guys out from the moon, and looks like a great hitter to-be.) (Another side note: consider also the Indians Central division-mates Milwaukee, who've seen 19 players from the roster depart. The damage: their DH, C, 1B, 3B, LF, 2 SP, CL, 3 RP, 3 backups, a few minor leaguers. Although I have to say that, except on the mound, they've done a good job of targeting viable replacements. Sure, they overpaid for old-man Dan Starr; but they also brought in slugging former Isle Dante Padilla (3B/1B), promising OFs Manny Molina and Jose Penilla, and two backup C to vie for spots. Otherwise, it's a couple of new okay-ish relievers and a lot of hope for the rest of the staff. The rotation right now looks like four guys who need to bounce back from bad years in '51 and a promotion from the pen for low-movement flyball (and you know what that equals) guy Danny Salgado.) ...... January 27th, and pitchers and catchers report. Soon enough everyone will be at camp in Arizona, and Spring Training games will be here before you know it. While we haven't remade our roster over the off-season, there are more open spots than usual going in to camp. That said, the starting lineup is set; but there are bench spots open. And the pitching staff will see more change than usual as well. Here's the lay of the land as it currently stands: STARTERS ('' equals new acquisition) C - Willie Alonzo 1B - Josh Matson 2B - Bob Goodloe SS - J.J. Simmons 3B - D.J. Grace* LF - Cam Daley CF - Joe Lynn RF - Josh Frederick DH - Adam Groff Alonzo and Grace are welcomed to the team, and there will be new positions to be learned for 3/4 of the infield. Otherwise, very similiar to last year. BENCH (including all competitors for six spots; '(r)' equals returning player) C - Mike Covington, Hiro Wakabayashi* 1B/DH - Jules Medici, Tim Chapman IF - Jesse Ryder(r), Jesus Lopez, Edwin Morales, Lua Ulkini, Eric Husted OF - Julius Burrows(r), Stephen Eason, Josh Hed, Ken Taliaferro, Diego Espino Ryder and Burrows are near shoo-ins to return. After them, there will be four more slots available: in total, we'll have one catcher, and likely one 1B/DH, two IF, and two OF. Nobody is an outright favorite, although I am hoping super-prospect Medici shows enough to make the team. He's starting to enter put-up-or-shut-up territory. The only guys with MLB experience here are Ryder and Burrows, obviously, then Medici, Lopez, and Eason. STARTING PITCHERS returning: Mike Pearse, Shamar Jackson, Josh Irvin hopefuls: Henry Skiffington, Mike Bader, Shane Walker (L), Greg Van Tilburg (L) That's right: I'm going with two rookies to start the season. Three, really, counting Irvin, although he did get eleven starts for us last year. Skiffington and Bader are top-20 prospects; Walker has been up before; Van Tilburg, 25, is a former 2nd round pick who's finally getting a look. He and Walker are the only two lefties here. RELIEF PITCHERS returning: Alex Mahoney, Kyle Johnson, YJ Yi, Ben Germann hopefuls: Anthony Booker, Tyler Amsden, MH Yaung (L), Andy Pearse (L), Jeremy Kolek (L), Miguel Tirado, Elias Tena, Richard Tracy, Jaheim Mwaura Four spots are set; all four returners pitched well last year and have earned their locks. Lots of competition for the final two spots, however. Those slots are wide open, but I'd like to see Booker show his stuff and one of the lefties to stand out and earn a place. I'll take two lefties if they show well, however. Only Amsden, Young, Kolek, and Mwaura have big league innings, from among the hopefuls. Overall, I expect us to hit. The bench should be pretty decent too, although we're a little thin--as usual--on the infield bench. Pitching will be the tell this season. With two new starters and a remade bullpen, there is uncertainty across the entire unit. I think the pen will come around, unless everybody suffers a TCR drop at once. And there's definitely talent in the new rotation competitors: thing is, will it show from the start of the season? We've got enough prospect depth to go try to grab a vet from a struggling team if we need to, but I'd rather not if I can help it. Still, I think the term "on a short leash" will apply to the rotation. ...... A few more signings and such from around the league, before spring training kicks off in earnest. ...right after I went full 'smdh' at Milwaukee above, they sign slugging RF Hughie Noonan (39 HR with OAK last year) for 3 years, $43M ...Richmond continues to fill the role of "LA East", adding three more quality RP at top-drawer prices ...Vinny Vargas gets to continue his quest for 3000 hits in Kansas City, signing a one-year deal for $6.3M ...done with power bats for now, Detroit has added the remaining decent bullpen arms, including a conversion kit: 37-year-old Rafa Maldonado, a two-time MVP and Cy Young winner who's just 4 strikeouts away from 4000; his stuff is waning, but he still looks like a solid MR or LR to me ...Minnesota had a few solid bats and a historical season from Conor MacLeod last year; no one else showed up. So far they've only added a handful of middling relief pitchers, and now the last solid SP on the block: Dustin Springer, late of Houston, is theirs for 3 years and $31.4M ...some former Islanders news: Austin grabs 1B Steve Wallace for a year at $4.5M; the Yankees added Jon White for two years and $12.6M; and Rob Rich jets off to the Seibu Lions of the ***, at the cut-rate price of $2.3M. ...the Dodgers have kept up their reputation, adding eight relievers. But Richmond...they've nabbed eleven guys, all of whom are MLB-level, six who have been closers within the last three seasons. ...Oakland extends ace Jim Schwartz for four more seasons, making him one of the richest men in the league: he'll earn $23M next year, then $27M, before two seasons of $34M kick in. He'll be 35 by the end of the deal, and although he's been pretty healthy in his seven-year career (only missing most of '48), that'll be a lot of dough for an old arm... __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

08-18-2020, 09:01 PM	#363
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	Off-Season 2051-52, part three Spring Training Report and Opening Day Roster, 2052 What fun we had in March this year. Fun-sarcastic meaning "sort of interesting and not really great" rather than the fun-fun of "an absolute blast." The biggest news is, of course, injuries. Projected opening day starting pitcher Mike Pearse tore his labrum and will miss the season. Sigh. Relievers Alex Mahoney and Tyler Amsden will also miss the start of the season, three and two weeks respectively. Promising SP Josh Egan will also miss most of the season with a broken elbow, but he was projected to start in AA. (Still, he's losing a season of development, so that's a setback.) And although spring stats don't count for anything, should I be concerned that the two guys who didn't hit at all were the two newcomers, D.J. Grace and Willie Alonzo? I'm sure they'll be fine... Again: Sigh. The good news is that a host of rookies and other kids made the squad, and I sent down a few pitchers who threw well enough and outfielders who hit well enough to stick, but just didn't have room for them. Yet. And the starting pitchers who did survive camp and made the club all threw really, really well. Still, we rode some inconsistent hitting and relief pitching to a 15-15 record. Absolute middle of the pack. Did I mention that spring training stats don't count? ...... Since spring training doesn't matter--unless, say, you're injured and out for the year--let's set the stage for the 2052 season. Despite the uncertainties on our pitching staff, MLB still likes us: first in the West with 99 wins, and the most in baseball (one ahead of Tampa Bay). Our projected 913 runs will be the most in the game, but our new-guy pitching staff will rank seventh in runs allowed. We'll be way, way down the HR list, getting only 159, good for 32nd in MLB. But we'll have the most steals (187) going away. Elsewhere, Minnesota (wut?) and Tampa Bay are predicted to win their AL divisions; while in the NL Atlanta and San Francisco (unless they're plagued by death squads again this year) will win theirs; and Cincinnati and Pittsburgh will tie in the Central. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Baltimore will win only 60 games, Montreal 63. And here's some odd numbers: Philadelphia is picked to finish at .500, but will score 895 runs (tops in the NL by 80), tops in HR (346, winning by 40). They'll also give up 887 runs, by far the most in all of baseball. (Then again, they were predicted to have some all-time horrible pitching last year and ended up winning 91 games and just falling short of making the World Series. Then again again...they went 10-20 this spring.) ...... Enough of those lies. Without further ado, here are your Hawaii Islanders for the 2052 season! (Player name, particulars and salary, '51 stats. Starters in bold. * = newbie) C Willie Alonzo, 26, L, $6M thru '55, .235/7/43, 0.9 WAR, with NOZ. Saw a serious dropoff both at and behind the plate last year, so we're taking a chance that he'll bounce back. Still a young guy; has four Gold Gloves already. Will split time against LHP with the next guy. C Hiro Wakabayashi, 30, R, $800k (auto renew), .247/1/43, 0.6 WAR, with Chiba Lotte in Japan. Solid defensive catcher whose best hitting traits are eye and K avoidance. Has no power at all. Made the team over prospect Mike Covington mostly due to already being on the tight 40-man roster. 1B Josh Matson, 28, S, $7.7M thru '59, .324/21/93, 3.9 WAR. Big breakthrough year, his power finally showed up and he topped his '50 average by 21 points. Also stole 17 bases, and had an OPS of .918. Highly problematic defense at 2B, however, has resulted in a shift to first. Now, his poor arm is better than most other MLB first basemen, and his range and glove look pretty good. 1B/DH Jules Medici, 21, R, $500k (arb), .322/14/68 in AAA, and .321 in 28 MLB AB. Still strikes out too much to be a regular, at least in my eyes. Whiffed 146 times in AAA, and 33% in his brief MLB callup. His .946 OPS was a nice development, and I will find ways to work him into the lineup more as the season goes along. 2B Bob Goodloe, 28, L, $11.8M thru '55, .315/18/104, 4.6 WAR.* So he did hit 40 points lower and earned less WAR than in '50, but there's still nothing to complain about here. Doesn't walk much (.354 OBP) but few strikeouts (just 36) too. Added 20 steals. Is part of the Great Infield Shift of 2052, moving from third to second. His range isn't really ideal, but he has a great glove and is fabulous on the DP. IF Edwin Morales, 25, R, $900k (arb), .292/5/27 in AAA, and .300 in 30 MLB AB. Beat out Jose Lopez for the #2 utility infield role. Has chops enough to play anywhere in the infield, and has some outfield ability as well. Average hitter at best. *3B D.J. Grace, 29, S, $20M thru '52 (CLE paying 25%), .264/16/69, 4.4 WAR with Cleveland. Has been the Indians regular 2B for seven seasons, but his mediocre glove combined with a rocket arm equals my new third baseman. Hit .322 with 24 HR in '50, which is more in line with his career averages. Stole 20 bases too. Had a poor spring, but I believe he has shaken off his Ohio rust. IF Jesse Ryder, 26, R, $650k (arb), .276/1/17 in 134 AB, 0.3 WAR. Was solid at the "skill" IF positions last year; I expect more this year. Slightly better hitter than Morales, above, slightly lower-rated in the field. Smart and speedy guy. SS J.J. Simmons, 29, R, $17M thru '56, .323/0/71, 3.5 WAR. The only non-outfielder not new in any way, not shifting a position for once. Had a horrible start to '51, contributing to fewer doubles and steals. After three straight Gold Gloves at third, I thought he deserved one at short last year, but noooo... LF Cam Daley, 28, R, $4.6M thru '53, .339/27/87, 5.9 WAR. Didn't repeat his '50 batting title despite hitting better in '51. Added 51 doubles and 18 steals. Doesn't walk much, and is losing range in left, resulting in a sad ZR. Everything else he does very well, and is a Fan favorite too. OF Stephen Eason, 21, R, $500k (auto renew), .303/19/81 in AAA, 5-for-25 in Hawaii. Has never been a top prospect, but keeps hitting at every rung along the way. Has some nice pop too, despite some concerns about his average contact. Not much of a runner; decent fielder. Captain America-type material. OF Julius Burrows, 26, L, $500k (arb), .287/7/18, 0.5 WAR, 108 AB. Wants to start, and isn't a bad replacement. Decent fielder everywhere, but best in left and center. No real weaknesses anywhere at the plate, even if he's also not great anywhere either. Has some speed, and plays hard. Not good against LHP. CF Joe Lynn, 23, R, $2.8M thru '56, .332/7/74, 6.0 WAR.* Took over in center and at leadoff from Joe Klein and was a sensation. Finished third in batting, first in steals, hits, and triples, and won a Gold Glove. He and Daley combined for over 460 hits from the top two spots. RF Josh Frederick, 29, L, $12.2M thru '58, .282/16/66, 1.7 WAR. Missed nearly half the season, so should bounce back to his usual power numbers. Bats cleanup, and we missed him when he was out. Led the league in triples in '49 and '50, so he's no plodder out there. DH Adam Groff, 38, L, $42M thru '53, .319/33/106, 4.2 WAR. Sure, he's in the twilight of his long and glorious career, but he's still got contact, power, and nearly everything else. Lost his range in the field finally, and his running speed (stole in single digits for the first time in his career, over a full season). Is 367 hits away from 3000; has an outside chance to get there, depending on how much he declines this year and next. SP Shamar Jackson, 29, R, $5.4M thru '55, 18-8, 4.22, 241 IP, 237 K, 3.7 WAR. With Pearse's injury, he's the de facto ace now. There's good and bad to his game: doesn't get hurt, eats a lot of innings, fans over 200 every year. But his ERA is always over 4, he's prone to the long ball, and can give up hits in bunches if the knuckler isn't hopping. Still, his walks were down and his Ks were up last year. Let's see what he can do as the top dog. (*)SP Josh Irvin, 23, R, $500k (arb), 9-0, 3.91, 69 IP, 77 K, 1.5 WAR (9-0 in 18 AAA starts too). Seems like he could be a right-handed clone of Eric Jones, but with a bit more stuff. Keeps the ball down and has a ton of movement, featuring an elite curve/change combo, marginal fastball tho. Went 19-0 between AAA, MLB, and one playoff start. SP Henry Skiffington, 23, R, $500k (auto renew), 13-5, 3.02 ERA, 143 IP, 129 K, 3.1 WAR in AAA. 23rd ranked prospect in MLB. Still developing, but showed a lot in the spring and looks ready. Control looks good, but movement and stuff could be better. Missed about a dozen starts last year, but then nearly everyone in the system got hurt at some point, so it seemed. Of course I've started calling him Biff. SP Mike Bader, 23, R, minor league deal, 13-11, 4.07 ERA, 203 IP, 174 K, 3.0 WAR in AAA. Has gotten overlooked a bit (by me, in all honesty), but is the #19 prospect in MLB. Didn't dominate in AAA last year, which I suppose doesn't really matter now. Has two-and-a-half pitches, so this is a growing year for him too. Doesn't walk many, keeps the ball in the yard, and has facial hair befitting his place as lead singer in a Tenpole Tudor cover band. SP Greg Van Tilburg, 26, L, minor league deal, 11-11, 3.55 ERA, 174 IP, 190 K, 3.7 WAR in AA and AAA. A 2nd round pick in '48, took his time developing. When his control came around, he finally became something of a prospect. Started camp in long relief, moved up when Pearse got hurt. Was second in AL this spring with 24 K in 18.1 IP. Beat out veteran lefty Shane Walker for the #5 slot. CL Kyle Johnson, 25, R, $1.1M thru '52 (arb), 5-3, 3 SV, 3.89 ERA, 39 IP, 56 K, 0.3 WAR. Begins the season as closer, but doesn't have a lock on it yet. Got blown up early in camp but settled down and gave up no runs over his last six appearances. Is listed as greedy, but his arb estimate for next year isn't much more than his current salary, so I may look at a rare extension during the season at some point. SU Ben Germann, 32, R, $2.8M thru '55, 4-5, 2 SV, 3.16 ERA, 91 IP, 131 K, 2.1 WAR. Pitched a lot for us last year and was pretty solid all year. Like Johnson, got lit up early but shook it off and looks ready to go. SU Yue-Jiu Yi, 27, R, $500k thru '52 (arb), 6-1, 1 SV, 2.82 ERA, 89 IP, 120 K, 2.3 WAR. Was quite a 1-2 strikeout punch with Germann last year. Made the all-star lineup too. MR Kevin Walker, 23, R, $500k (auto renew), 5-1, 2 SV, 2.08, 60 IP, 77 K, 1.4 WAR in AAA (2.25 ERA in 8 MLB IP). Supplemental pick in '46, was an SP prospect for some time. Control hasn't developed, and his third pitch is marginal. Threw well in a brief callup last year and again this spring, earning an opening day spot. MR Anthony Booker, 24, R, minor league deal, 7-2, 34 SV, 2.23 ERA, 64 IP, 74 K, 1.8 WAR in AAA. Has been the closer in AA and AAA, but will settle into the middle in his rookie season. But with elite movement and developing control, he could be our closer sooner than later. **MR Andy Pearse, 24, L, minor league deal, 4-6, 36 SV, 3.36 ERA, 56 IP, 67 K, 1.0 WAR in A, Philly system. Went from AA to MLB in '50, then back to A last year, for some reason. Beat out Yaung for the LHP role. We signed him in December as a free agent. Nice stuff, great control, not sure why he was available for cheap. At least we have one Pearse on the roster to start the year. Injured SP Mike Pearse -- out for 10 months -- our purported ace. Maybe I shouldn't have said goodbye this winter to 40% of last year's rotation after all... RP Alex Mahoney -- out for 3 weeks -- will likely slot into a setup role, maybe even closer, should anyone fail early on RP Tyler Amsden -- out for 1-2 weeks -- will head back to AAA when healthy; likely the first callup when injuries strike again ...... If you're keeping count, that's five pitchers who weren't with us last year, and two others with 69 and 8 IP of MLB experience. Who knows what could happen! In the field, two new players and three new positions means uncertainty there as well, but we know they can all hit. So if our pitching can hold up--if all the newbie starters prove themselves--and the pen looks good, then we'll win the division again. Which is good...since ownership has demanded we win the championship this year. Official prediction: We'll contend for the title again, and the group of Skiffington, Bader, and Van Tilburg will become my new law firm. 97 wins. __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

08-22-2020, 10:11 AM	#364
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	April 2052: Opening day and beyond We kick off the season's festivities with 29 games this month: 17 at home, 12 on the road. We'll also see every one of our division mates, including an interesting back-to-back with Oakland and Texas, likely the other top teams in the West. We open with nine games at home; thank you, schedule makers! Around the league, there's been a lot of turnover. Nearly a dozen new managers have taken charge, and two former Isles coaches -- Pat Wilson, late of Baltimore, and Paul Trashini, from AL pennant holder Miami -- are currently unemployed. It's not a definite marker of progress or regress, but it's interesting to note that many of last year's top teams -- Hawaii, San Diego, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Texas -- are in the bottom ten of lost WAR from last year. MLB's preseason prediction wizard says they'll all be fine, however. But who knows. And while we're here, the biggest gainers are: LA (predicted to win 86 games), Atlanta (95), Richmond (89), and Brooklyn (only 75). Hmmm, three NL East teams and MLB's Croesus.... April 1-3 vs CALIFORNIA MLB says the perennial rebuilders will win 75 games, a tremendous accomplishment for this team. Looking down the lineup, the only way that happens is if star 1B Ricky Ochoa and his 54 HR have a repeat season, plus comebacks from LF Nate Atwater (went from .262/40/107 to .240/21/69) and SS Kevin Lutz (.264 to .205). New starters: DH Travis Vandenburg, RF Jamie Hensley. Neither scouts well, but Hensley at least hit .326 in 215 AB last year. In the rotation, the front office replaced the departed Ken Demers with Josh Pomerantz and his 6.75 ERA. And for some reason closer Scott Mahala (7.54 ERA) held on to his job. I see a lot of over-slotted pitchers everywhere, although 22-year-old Nate Elder could become the staff ace by mid-season; he at least looks pretty solid. Manager Matt Sargent--our former field boss--has his hands full again, in his second year at the helm. Team budget ranks 30th, payroll 34th. They're spending $63M on players; we're spending $42M on Adam Groff alone. HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (18-8, 4.22) / RH Josh Irvin (9-0, 3.91) / RH Henry Skiffington (MLB debut) CAL pitchers: RH Ryan Kuehner (8-15, 5.82) / RH Nate Elder (8-5, 4.47) / RH Mike Hosey (8-18, 6.45) #1: LOSS 2-7 ... Lynn's 1st inning leadoff HR is our only joy here...only 6 hits for us, and Jackson gives up all 7 on 9 hits and 4 walks #2: WIN 2-1 ... Lynn wins this one, as an RBI single in the 10th is tonight's damage...4 hits by Simmons...Irvin goes 7 pretty quiet innings #3: WIN 7-1 ... 11 hits finally, but 9 are singles...Skiff looks strong, but does walk 4 over 8.1 innings...I'll still take it [WARNING: incoming complaints despite the small sample size of three games.].... Not the prettiest start to the season, especially not hitting much at all those first two games. A lot of guys are starting slowly, as the bottom three batters have over 80% of our hits.... Jackson struggled on the mound, but I liked the opening salvoes from Irvin and Biff Skiff.... I also need to get used to hitting one HR per series, I think.... ELSEWHERE: Minny's Conor MacLeod picks right up where he left off in '51, fanning 17 Blue Jays. But the Twins still lost the game.... Those "hapless" Indians have five former Isles on their roster, and rode that to a nifty 3-0 sweep of the Red Sox.... Six other teams also got swept.... Gotta love early season stats: league leaders batting over .600, a pair of guys with 4 HR. Good stuff. April 4-6 vs SEATTLE Winners of 75 games last year, and MLB says they'll only hit 70 this year. I can see why, as there are some odd roster choices going on here. Last year's rookie star, Ger van Mourik, is sitting on the bench. Replacing him in the infield are two new additions, both old and broken down: 36-year-old SS Nesty Arteaga and 37-year-old 3B Danny Argueta. Also in the lineup are two former Isles prospects, guys I'd forgotten about: OF/DH Brian Ware (slugged 37 HR in AA last year, but adds little else) and RF/RP Daniel Newell, who actually looks like he developed into an above-average hitter. They also added former prospect Steve Ashjian as their #5 starting pitcher; but at 35, he also isn't the answer. The rotation throws hard, but only #3 Dan Welker and #4 Shaun Ostrander have any movement at all, and the bullpen--after closer Adam "Glaive" Krull--looks pretty scraped together. Manager Dwayne Cloninger came in last July, actually improving the team to 45-54. He'll have to work hard to reach that low bar this year. Team budget ranks 27th, payroll 26th. Former Isles assistant GM Nabil Crismatt was hired along with Cloninger; I'll be interested to see if he can put into practice everything I taught him. HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (MLB debut) / LH Greg Van Tilburg (MLB debut) / RH Shamar Jackson (0-1, 7.27) SEA pitchers: LH Shaun Ostrander (14-9, 4.02) / RH Steve Ashjian (1-2, 10.13) / RH Jesus Aguilar (0-1, 27.00) #4: WIN 7-6 ... Bader gets pushed around hard but the pen bails us out with 4.1 shutout innings...we walk 9 batters too...Grace hits his first HR for us #5: WIN 4-3 ... GVT is sharp: 7.2 IP, 8 K, 3 R...Johnson fans the side in the 9th for the save...first Triple Play in franchise history too! #6: LOSS 5-7 ... Jackson is beaten up again, and Yi too in relief...Groff got 2 hits, finally raising his average above .100 Another two out of three, but this team feels odd so far. Maybe it's because we're 12th in runs, primarily due to the middle third of the lineup--Frederick, Groff, and Matson--batting .091, .158, and .091 right now. We're also on pace for 81 home runs.... We're 0-2 when Jackson starts, 4-0 with everyone else.... That triple play: men on first and second, runners must have been going since it was a 5-4-3 play after a hard lineout to third.... I had fun with the fact that I got rid of long-named Cappuccilli and Whittington, until I realized that I'd added Skiffington, Van Tilburg, and Wakabayashi.... ELSEWHERE: Still two winless teams (KC and BOS), and surprisingly Detroit is 1-5.... LA's Toshi Hasegawa hit 4 dingers in their first series, and he added 3 more in their latest.... Cincy's Cris Frias leads the NL in both K (23) and BB (13).... 27 K for Conor MacLeod, because I know you didn't get tired of hearing about him all of last year. April 7-9 vs BOSTON Off to a rough 0-6 start. They're hitting, at 9th in runs and 7th in AVG. Pitching has been nightmarish, giving up 58 runs so far. And they added international star Kaoru Tanaka and the old, old, old Eddy Llamas (back to where he started a century ago) to the rotation too. Give it time, right? They added three free agents to the lineup: 2B Mike Hunter from Portland; RF Bryan Bairstow from Arizona; and LF Ryan Packer from New Orleans. Aging but still effective 3B Paul Foster is out for seven weeks. Other than that, everyone is the same. Manager Sam Moll is just beginning his first-ever big league job. As a pitcher, he once won 20 games for the Royals (back in 2020). I had no idea. Team budget is 11th, payroll 15th. Spending some money, but there aren't any big stars here, outside of maybe 35-year-old SS Victor Sanchez, who hit 41 HR last year. A small 5'11" guy who never hit for power in the minors, Sanchez is closing in on 500 career home runs, and maybe 500 articles asking "does he or doesn't he?" HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (0-0, 1.29) / RH Henry Skiffington (1-0, 1.08) / RH Mike Bader (0-0, 7.71) BOS pitchers: RH Kaoru Tanaka (0-0, 6.00) / RH Sean Reed (0-1, 7.94) / RH Eddy Llamas (0-1, 21.00) #7: WIN 10-7 ... 14 hits for everyone else, just 2 for the big three in the middle...Irvin is pulled in the 5th...pitchers fan 13 tonight #8: WIN 11-3 ... power night! 3 HR for each team...CG with 9 K for Biff, only runs on solo HR...4 H and a HR for Lynn, leading the team with 2 HR #9: LOSS 5-10 ... Bader does well tonight, and we manage 15 hits...but the pen explodes for 7 runs late, costing us our first non-Jackson loss Are we going 2-1 every series this year? I mean, I'd take it.... Team AVG is tops, at .322. But those middle three are still dragging the offense, batting .118, .207, and .176. Moving up, but sl-o-o-o-w-ly.... Pitching is 10th in runs against. You've seen the rotation; the pen is good for a couple nights, then gets hammered, then is good again. Settle down, boys.... A day off, then we hit the road to face the 7-2 Indians.... ELSEWHERE: Boston just got their first win, but KC is still winless, 0-9. There are no undefeated teams left.... Hasegawa added another HR, giving him 8 to start the season and earning him NL player of the week honors.... Washington reliever Chris Brown is getting used a lot so far, and his projected numbers are: 90 GP, 186 IP, 127 K, 5.4 WAR. I'm pulling for you, Brownie!... Baltimore is 4-5, meaning they're nearly 10% of the way towards matching last year's victory total.... Remember all those injuries the Giants had last year? They used something like 15 starting pitchers? Well, they've got four pitchers on the DL (one from last year, tbh) already, along with three starting batters too. What the hell are they eating? April 11-13 @ CLEVELAND Remember back in the off-season when I said "hey Cleveland fans, your rebuild is going to get worse before it gets better"? Yeah, about that... Our first road trip, and we're off to see the surprising 7-2 Indians, tied with Chicago at the top of the Central. First in runs scored (plus, batting .321), and led by last year's breakout star Manny Ayala. He hit .356 but missed out on a batting title after sitting out six weeks with an injury. He's batting .487 so far. Equally young DH Victor Guillen hit 32 HR last year, and is going at .346/5/12 so far this campaign. And the three guys we jump-started them with (to get D.J. Grace) are hitting too: Cardenas at .286, Cappuccilli at .375, and Whittington at .333. Pitching ranks only 17th, however, and may be a season-long achilles heel. First year closer Justin Tierney looks good, and the bullpen has been generally sound. But the rotation is struggling across the board. If they actually stop hitting anytime soon, reality could come down hard. Manager Jose Ariza has been around since midway through the '41 season, and his temper tantrums have been kept largely under wraps so far. Team budget is 32nd, payroll 33rd. If they can keep up this success with that payroll, then I'm going to have to rethink my life choices. HAW pitchers: LH Greg Van Tilburg (1-0, 3.52) / RH Shamar Jackson (0-1, 6.75) / RH Josh Irvin (0-0, 5.56) CLE pitchers: LH Taylor Baxter (1-0, 5.14) / RH Ryan Ratliff (1-0, 4.50) / RH George Millard (0-1, 6.52) #10: LOSS 2-7 ... blech...outhit 10-5, although Daley does finally get his first HR of the season...two pitchers get dtd injuries #11: WIN 6-4 ... everyone gets a hit, including 3 from Simmons and Alonzo...Jackson does better but lasts only 5, Booker gets pummeled in relief #12: WIN 9-2 ... 3 more hits for Alonzo, 3 for Grace too...CG 7-hitter from Irvin...even Frederick gets a hit tonight Yep, still 2-1 in every series this year.... Finally dropped Groff and Matson down a spot, moving Goodloe (.333) up to fifth. Might do some more tinkering, but if we're winning, maybe it's best to let the talent eventually tell.... Irvin finally gets his first win of the season, and is now 10-0 in his short MLB career. Bader is the last SP without a decision.... Lynn had a 24-game hit streak ended in this first game, but then got hits in the last two.... ELSEWHERE: Boston is now 1-11, having been swept by the barely-there Orioles, who are now a stunning 7-5.... KC is still winless, at 0-12.... MacLeod is slipping, going from 17 to 12 to just 11 K in his three starts. Call the doctors.... Detroit's won 7 straight after starting the year 0-5.... Oakland's cranked out 30 HR already, Cincinnati 29. ...... TL;DR Version: I can't--and won't--complain about an 8-4 start. I'm still getting used to this team, as it just feels odd still. Maybe it's because Groff (.212) has done very little, Frederick (.130, 0 HR) has stunk, and I've got three starting pitchers I don't really know yet. Also, while closer Kyle Johnson is off to a fast start (4 saves, 0.00 ERA), the bullpen ERA ranks 15th. Mahoney comes back in a week, and hopefully will help calm things down. And and new additions Grace and Alonzo really struggled in camp, but have turned it on so far, batting .391 and .424, while leading the team with 12 and 10 RBI. And and and J.J. Simmons has quietly been a killer too, leading the league with a .452 average. Now, if we can just get some vitamins into the middle of the lineup and start hitting at least a couple more home runs, we'll be solid. __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

08-26-2020, 06:28 PM	#365
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	April 14-16 @ OAKLAND At 8-4, sharing first place with us. A study in contrasts: their R:HR ratio is 68 to 30. Ours is 70 to 8. Two ways to get it done, I suppose. Felix Reyes just won player of the week, for a .367/8/16 start. Three others already have 4 HR, and 40-HR machine Ryan Walton has 3. Pitching is 2nd in runs against, with ace Jim Schwartz basically pulling the rest of the rotation along with him. I'm curious to see if we can actually hit one out vs Oscar Escobedo, who allowed 64 dingers in '50, and 26 last year in only 106 innings. Manager Ethan Larrison was a success in his five seasons in Detroit, and won 91 games in his first campaign in Oakland last year. Team budget is 11th, payroll is 12th. This could be their window year: four of their top ten players will be free agents this fall, and two others have opt outs. HAW pitchers: RH Henry Skiffington (2-0, 2.08) / RH Mike Bader (0-0, 5.91) / RH Ben Germann (1-0, 7.36) OAK pitchers: RH Oscar Escobedo (0-1, 6.00) / RH Eric Stockton (0-1, 4.91) / RH Conrad Robertson (1-1, 4.30) #13: LOSS 3-9 ... yeah, we hit two out and had more hits...Biff doesn't last two innings, then Walker isn't much better #14: WIN 8-5 ... 19 hits, 4 by Matson, 3 by Grace and Simmons...Bader gives up all the runs and 12 hits over 5 innings #15: WIN 7-3 ... 13 hits tonight, 7 for extras...3 H, 3 RBI for Daley...Germann gets an emergency start, fans 8 over 7 IP 2-1 again. By hook or by crook.... Pitching is still dragging, at 10th in runs against. But Germann stepped up after GVT's dtd injury setback.... Frederick finally hit his first HR of the season, but Groff is still struggling: .180/1/2. And Medici is at .417 in his several starts. Just saying.... C Willie Alonzo suffered a dtd quad injury, so Wakabayashi will get some more starts for the next week.... ELSEWHERE: KC won a game! Then lost the next two, so they're still 1-14. And Boston won again, now 2-13.... Meanwhile, Detroit has now managed ten straight, after their snoozy start.... Texas' William Swanson had his 28-game hit streak ended, but he's still batting .386 with 8 HR. So fear not, Rangers fans.... Montreal rookie Edwin Rodas now has the longest active streak, at 24 games.... LA pitcher Marvin Diaz is really into the on-again-off-again lifestyle: 21-10, 2.49 ERA in '50, then 6-17 and 5.31 last year. This year he's 2-0 with a 0.72 ERA. April 17-19 vs TEXAS Solid hitting has led to an 8-7 record, but pitching is holding them back. Third in runs and 2nd in HR, with the usual suspects--Swanson, Gurrola, Robbins, et al--hitting everything in sight. But they let top SP Mike Messinger walk, then lost Greg Buchanan until August. Kevin Cahill and Bobby Daniel are the top guys now, and they're struggling; likewise, Mike Kent, who still hasn't put his piles of talent together. The bullpen at least is strong, at 3rd in the league right now; closer Garrett Slone and the two setup men haven't allowed a run so far. Manager TH Nam is the fifth year skipper, and the fans love him for leading the team back to the playoffs. They gave us all we could handle last year, and are looking to build on their 98-win season. Pitching has got to improve, tho. HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (1-1, 5.57) / RH Josh Irvin (1-0, 3.98) / RH Henry Skiffington (2-1, 4.82) TEX pitchers: RH Kevin Cahill (1-2, 5.40) / LH Bobby Daniel (1-1, 5.91) / RH Mike Kent (0-2, 10.57) #16: LOSS 0-5 ... four hits against "struggling" Cahill...Jackson bombs again, yielding 13 hits in 5.2 innings #17: LOSS 2-3 ... Irvin allows no runs and 3 hits through 7, but the pen screws the pooch...only six hits, and lots of blahs #18: LOSS 2-12 ... we get 11 hits, but no offense, really...Biff, Walker, and Pearse are all terrible tonight So, no 2-1 series this time.... Moribund series, no pitching and lots of hits but no real offense. We're first in average, at .310, but now 8th in runs, and next to last in HR. Not sure what to do except maybe ride it out for now and see who comes around.... Next we play the suddenly not-awful Orioles, and I'm wondering who will show up.... Two pitchers--Irvin and Van Tilburg--have nagging dtd injuries now. Sigh.... ELSEWHERE: Continuing travails: KC is 2-16, Boston 3-15.... Montreal's Rodas has his streak end at 23: sorry I mentioned it, dude.... 50 K for Cris Frias in 28.2 IP; but also 20 walks.... Oakland's Felix Reyes has already reached 10 HR, along with LA's Toshi Hasegawa. April 21-23 vs BALTIMORE Last year's 44-win team already has 8 this year. Yes, they're 8-10 and losers of three straight now, but that's still some major improvement. Underlying numbers don't look great, tho: 11th in offense, 13th in pitching, for a -16 run differential. But hey, they're rotation ERA is noticeably better than ours, so maybe I should just shut the hell up. There are still oddnesses abounding: recently-acquired former MVP winner Morgan Akers is batting .359 but in a platoon with a guy batting .154; strikeout king (ahem, he's NOT a pitcher, fyi) Nick Mullins has only fanned 21 times in 71 AB, well under his career average; and one of the worst leadoff men in MLB, Sam Wilhelm, is getting on base a full 150 points over his career average (.388 now), and leads the AL in steals. Rookie manager Shermayn Balentien must feel like a genius, considering how rotten this team played last year. Budget is 36th, payroll 35th. While they may be failing on the field, they're winning as a tax writeoff, and have made around $140M in profit for somebody these last six seasons. HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (0-0, 6.61) / LH Greg Van Tilburg (1-1, 4.40) / RH Shamar Jackson (1-2, 6.07) BAL pitchers: LH Rich Davis (0-1, 6.48) / RH Cody Brown (1-0, 6.52) / RH Pat Karahalios (0-3, 6.33) #19: LOSS 3-4 ... ugh...only 5 hits, but one was a HR! #20: LOSS 3-7 ... no comment #21: WIN 2-1 ... well look who showed up: Jackson tosses 8 superb innings, and Frederick gets 3 hits. Still might bench him. The less said here the better.... Mahoney comes off the DL, so Anthony Booker and his four-digit ERA go back to AAA for now. I still think he's got a future, but right now he's getting lit up.... Fred's 3 hits there notwithstanding, his .190 average might see him ride the pine next series. Same for Groff. Get someone new in there for a few games.... Alonzo is back to 100%, but now Tilburg has an "unknown" return date from his back strain. Doesn't effect his pitching much, but I might have to DL him anyway, just to be safe.... ELSEWHERE: Boston's won four in a row, so I guess they're "back".... Balls are still flying out in the AL: Oakland's Reyes now has 13, on pace for 100 (yes!), and Cleveland's Manny Ayala is right behind him with 12.... Congrats to ATL pitcher Jose Gutierrez, the first player to 2.0 WAR. There is no prize, sorry.... Longtime readers might remember former Isles OF prospect Kenny Welch. He's having the month of his career, batting .345/9/24, and finally playing like the formidable hitter we hoped he'd become, only six years too late. April 24-26 @ HOUSTON Only 9-12, but with a good series, hey guys, you could be ahead of us! At 8th in runs, 7th in runs against, for a somewhat surprising +6 differential. There's some power here, with 1B Jose Renteria at 9 already (we as a team have 12). Once I thought Alejandro Gonzales was going to be the next Nolan Ryan plus Sandy Koufax: but an injury a few years ago robbed his stamina, and the one that cost him most of last season also took away about a foot off his fastball. Meaning he went from a $33M/year ace, to a strong closer, to just another middle reliever. But he's rich. And last year's Hawaii pitching washout Tim Ciotta has washed up onto this rotation...and finally looks decent, the jerk. Manager Hector Garcia got canned by the Mariners last year just short of two months into the job; I guess he hasn't shown much this year either, but at least he's quiet about it. Budget is 30th, payroll 24th. Fan interest is low, but attendance is up (to a still small 23k however). HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (1-0, 2.96) / RH Henry Skiffington (2-2, 6.75) / RH Mike Bader (0-1, 6.17) HOU pitchers: RH Tim Ciotta (2-1, 3.72) / RH Ron Mills (1-1, 5.90) / RH Alex Trujillo (2-2, 3.64) #22: LOSS 6-8 ... but we won the hits game, 13 to 8...five HR yielded here, proof that somebody can hit them #23: WIN 6-4 ... Skiff does all right, but the pen nearly gives this one away, giving up 3 in the 9th...Simmons tweaks a knee and Grace is HPB, report pending #24: LOSS 1-2 ... Bader looks better, but gives up 2 in the 8th for the loss...5 hits here, all singles Can't hit, can't pitch = .500 baby! Argh. My personal adaptability rating is single digits, apparently.... Medici is batting .333, but still hasn't shown any power. I've got other things to worry about right now, however.... ELSEWHERE: Oakland is now 16-8, not that I care. Four other teams share that record for the tops in MLB.... Five injured pitchers for the Giants now. It's happening again, isn't it. Call an exorcist. April 27-29 @ CHICAGO WHITE SOX The Sox are looking pretty strong, 15-9, and just behind the Tigers and Indians in a suddenly revitalized Central division. Second in runs, 6th in pitching: six batters are over .300. But Ninsei Sato and Zeke de la Rosa hit 39 and 38 HR last year, but have just 2 and 3 this year. (But they are 2nd and 3rd in RBI.) Ace Ben O'Neal is finally healthy and hasn't lost a game this season. Other potential ace Burton Dick is also finally healthy, and just back from AAA rehab and in the pen. Team budget ranks 17th, payroll 13th. Almost everyone who counts is signed for next year, so if they've got it together finally, they could put in a nice run and become another force in the AL. I guess this is what it looks like when we're no good again... HAW pitchers: LH Greg Van Tilburg (1-2, 4.82) / RH Shamar Jackson (2-2, 4.93) / RH Josh Irvin (1-0, 4.31) CHW pitchers: RH Ben O'Neal (4-0, 2.27) / RH Emanuel Vasquez (2-2, 6.21) / LH Alex Alvarado (2-1, 4.79) #25: LOSS 7-10 ... 3 HR from Frederick so, one step forward? #26: LOSS 5-6 ... 13 hits is still not enough...no one remembers how to pitch anymore, just so we're straight #27: WIN 9-8 ... we spot an early 6-0 lead, but actually come back for a win...Groff homers, Matson gets 4 hits We manage a win here, but this wraps up a pretty rotten second half of the month.... A fitting sign of the season so far: Frederick wins player of the week, with 4 HR and a .417 average, then gets hurt. He's out with a back injury for two weeks.... Tilburg has been so bad lately that he goes back to AAA. Shane Walker gets a shot next, back up after two years in the minors.... ELSEWHERE: Boston's Rich Dragos wasn't even in the lineup to start the season, but he's back as a regular and leading the AL in hitting at .437. Boston's 7-3 in their last ten, after that dreadful start.... Cleveland and Atlanta stay hot, and top the charts at 19-8.... Strikeout kings are at it again: Cincy's Cris Frias is on pace for 444 (74 in 44.2 IP), and Minny's Conor MacLeod at 366 (61 in 45.1 IP).... Brooklyn's Kymani Rhymes has saved 12 of the Robins' 13 wins. ...... TL;DR Version: It's been a while since we've started this poorly: 13-14, and 3-9 over our last twelve. Two reasons: terrible pitching, 14th in runs against (led by some egregious starting pitching), and not enough scoring. We're still first in AVG, 2nd in OBP. But at 9th in OPS and runs scored, we're obviously not getting the big hits we need to bring those guys home. Early on, it was our 4-6 batters not getting it done. But Frederick finally got hot, Groff is back over .200, and Goodloe/Matson are hitting and getting on base. Frederick's injury will throw a wrench into the reviving offense for a couple of weeks; I call up sudden prospect Josh Hed for his first taste of MLB life. He'll play some, as will holdover Julius Burrows. Hed has more power and is a solid defensive CF. Burrows is better all-around. When Hed plays, Lynn will shift to RF. Burrows will get the other starts in right. Our pitching tho...Tilburg flamed out for now, but hopefully Shane Walker has something to prove and will step in. Every other starter has looked from good to downright awful at times. The pen, at least, has been more solid, with closer Kyle Johnson having a fantastic month. If we can just get everyone pulling in the right direction at the same time, and actually get some decent starting pitching, we'll turn this around. Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

08-28-2020, 07:47 PM	#366
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	May 2052 May has to be a better month, right? Let's hope. Twenty-eight games, thirteen at home, fifteen on the road. We'll see everyone in the division again. Can we get some better pitching this month? Is there an 800 number I can try? May 1-3 @ SEATTLE Not hitting (15th), not pitching (17th), with a -38 run differential. And yet they have the same record we do, 13-14. Bitter laughing. 2B Jose Rodriguez (.330/10/22) and 1B Jon Terrell (.344/6/21) are the hitting stars, while Shaun Ostrander is the only SP throwing consistently well. Future watch: 11th ranked system, three guys in the top 100. OF Paul Stough is tops (#13), looks like a huge power bat. P John Warner (#48) looks a lot like our top pitching prospects...but that's not really working for us right now. HAW pitchers: RH Henry Skiffington (3-2, 6.03) / RH Mike Bader (0-2, 5.17) / LH Shane Walker (season debut) SEA pitchers: RH Dan Welker (2-2, 4.21) / LH Shaun Ostrander (3-0, 3.19) / RH Ron Voss (1-0, 5.40) #28: LOSS 1-4 ... more hits? check...worse pitching? check...season in a nutshell #29: WIN 18-1 ... lol what...26 hits, 8 walks, runs in every inning but the 9th...probably should have saved some of these for later...5 hits for Grace #30: WIN 7-4 ... 15 more hits, so we're still drumming out the baserunners...4 hits, 5 RBI from Daley...2nd straight game with 2 doubles by Groff Back to winning series 2-1. A marked improvement, and we're back at .500.... The offense is really humming in most respects: 1st in AVG, OBP, fewest strikeouts, 2nd in doubles. But with only 19 HR (next to last; we have 19 and the team ahead of us has 35) our SLG is 14th, despite all those runners. Other than trading for a power bat--which I'm avoiding for now--the only thing to do is keep hitting and hope our guys come around. We have plenty of guys who can hit 20-30 in an average year; but almost everyone is on pace for well under that. Law of averages has to take hold at some point, right? Let's just hope it's this year and not next.... The less said about our pitching, the better.... ELSEWHERE: Oakland and Atlanta lead MLB with 20 wins; KC is on the bottom with just 8, California has 9.... Thirty games into the season and the Giants have NINE players on the DL. Are they playing under a curse? May 4-6 @ TAMPA BAY Not really the team I wanted to see right now: 18-12, first in the East, 5th in runs and 6th in runs against. Leadoff and 3B Orlando Navarro leads the way at .367/7/23, and five other batters have six or more HR. (I wonder what that's like...) Pitching looks more hit-or-miss, although John Odom (1.75 ERA) has been great from the #5 slot, but closer Roberto Melo sports a gaudy 10.95 ERA. Former Isle Rich Stoneback signed on for four years over the winter, but hasn't gotten on track yet, at only .188/2/6. But at least he's healthy for a change. First-year manager Julian Morillo is pushing all the right buttons so far. Team budget is 19th, payroll 17th. Owner Stuart Sternberg is all about profit, but seems to have figured out that you can make more money with a fun playoff team than with a pile of deadbeats. HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (2-2, 5.84) / RH Josh Irvin (1-0, 5.25) / RH Biff Skiff (3-3, 5.72) TBR pitchers: RH Carlos Munoz (5-0, 3.73) / RH Greg Drake (3-2, 6.75) / RH Travis Calhoun (1-2, 3.40) #31: LOSS 1-11 ... 3 hits, -4 HR differential too...grand slam for Stoneback too, yippee! #32: WIN 12-3 ... our turn: 18 hits, GRAND SLAM for Groff, and 4-for-4 from Matson...we used four pinch hitters too, for some reason #33: WIN 2-0 ... pitching! Skiff tosses a 4-hit CG, fanning 5...3 hits and a triple for Simmons, 2 hits and a triple for Groff Hey, two more wins! Jackson, after that start, looks like he's regressing to the stone age. Stinkeroo.... First time in a while that four SP have ERA below five.... Still batting an inflated team average of .316, and we finally reached 20 HR on the season.... 27 steals, if you're keeping count.... ELSEWHERE: Oakland's Felix Reyes keeps banging homers, up to 19 now. That's a pace for 93, which seems eminently reachable. In the race between Reyes and our entire team, we're +1 at the moment.... Seven wins in a row for Boston, bringing them up to 15-18 after their terrible start.... 13 saves out of 14 team wins for Brookyln's Kymani Rhymes. May 7-9 vs MILWAUKEE Last year's 80-win water treaders really sank beneath the waves out of the gate, going 9-18 last month. A 5-1 start to May has them feeling a bit better, however. They threw some huge chunks of cash at several free agents, but the lineup is only 14th in runs. Having said that, only rich old man Dan Starr is really struggling, at .179 at the plate, and a fairly immobile behemoth behind it. Fan fave CF Oscar Espinosa is batting just .260, about 35 points below his career average, but has already socked 11 HR. Pitching also ranks 14th, with a surprisingly solid pen--lead by new closer Xavier Pride--and a floundering rotation. HR-machine (not the good kind) Danny Salgado has been a pleasant surprise at the top of the rotation, but three vets needing bouncebacks after terrible '51s--Bryan Shaheen, Daniel Becker, and Ryan Crawley--have gotten even worse, with a combined ERA over 8. Manager SG Che nearly won a Series in his rookie season seven years ago, but has only made the playoffs once since then. With a 17th-ranked budget and a 10th-ranked payroll, owner Chris Attanasio is officially "worried," especially with attendance not ticking upwards. [NB: look at that SP match-up in the third game: you just know someone is going to throw a 2-hit shutout, right?] HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (1-2, 4.24) / LH Shane Walker (1-0, 3.86) / RH Shamar Jackson (2-3, 6.80) MIL pitchers: LH Daniel Becker (3-3, 6.89) / RH Danny Salgado (3-2, 2.86) / RH Ryan Crawley (0-6, 9.82) #34: WIN 8-3 ... 11 H + 6 BB + 1 HPB = 8 runs. Very efficient...3 hits for Grace, now officially tearing it up, and 7 nice IP from Bader #35: WIN 7-5 ... for once we're outhit (13 to 7) but come away with a win...a Burrows GRAND SLAM is the keynote, despite Walker yielding 3 HR in the 8th #36: WIN 4-3 ... no promised shutout, but two well pitched outings...Lynn's 2-run single in the 6th is the GW...11th save for Johnson Very satisfying series. Mike Bader has been really good of late, and even Jackson looked like a big league pitcher for once.... D.J. Grace is now batting .384, but with early season wackiness isn't even in the top three AL batters.... Johnson has 11 saves and a win in 15 outings.... Frederick is back from the DL in four days knocks on wood but will miss the Oakland series.... ELSEWHERE: Detroit (5 straight wins) and San Diego (8-2 of late) sit atop the leaderboards at 24-12. Boston is still hot, winning 9 out of 10 and getting to just two games below .500.... KC has dropped 5 straight and still has only 9 wins.... Boston's Rich Dragos (.415) and Atlanta's Michael Rinehart (.425) are last holdouts in the never-ending quest to break the .400 mark. Just 36 games into the season...think they can keep it up? Sure, why not.... Cincy's Cris Frias is on pace for 441 K, while Oakland Felix Reyes now has 21 HR, which would give him 95 if he keeps that going. May 11-13 vs OAKLAND They've slowed a bit, to just 5-4 this month, but are still atop the division at 22-14, tied with Texas. A big attack has them 2nd in runs and 1st in HR (with 88). Reyes you just read about; to him add ex-Isle John Cannon (10 HR) and surprise 1B Justin Sandy (10 HR). Usual 40+ guy Ryan Walton has "only" 7, but will likely get it in gear soon. Pitching sits 8th in runs. The rotation looks a bit wobbly of late, as only ace Jim Schwartz is still looking sharp. Closer Tim Stoner (6.28 ERA) hasn't been good, but the pen still ranks 4th in ERA. Former Isles prospect Jayden Grant has been tossed up on the shore here after five years with KC and one in ATL. He's going great in the pen (1.32 ERA in 13.2 IP) but is a bit cranky because he'd rather be a terrible starter instead. Despite being fleeced for four quality pitching prospects by Cleveland a few months back, they still hung onto #7 prospect Tom Baker and #32 Josh Foggie, two guys who are just a developed changeup away from becoming top-of-the-rotation guys. HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (2-0, 4.91) / RH Biff Skiff (4-3, 4.66) / RH Mike Bader (2-2, 3.99) OAK pitchers: RH Conrad Robertson (1-3, 8.24) / RH Jim Schwartz (5-1, 3.02) / LH Chris Larimer (5-1, 4.37) #37: WIN 2-1 ... Irvin goes 8, fanning 9 with zero walks...Groff shows up, going 3-for-4 with 2 doubles and an RBI...Johnson notches another save #38: WIN 5-3 ... 7 H, 3 RBI, and 5 R from the top three, and Skiff is sharp enough through 7, and the pen shuts them down for the final six outs #39: LOSS 8-16 ... dang...we actually managed 15 hits, to their 16...but they added 5 HR...Groff did knock a GRAND SLAM, the 12th of his career That last one was pretty ugly, huh. That ended our seven-game winning streak, put our pitching back to 13th in runs allowed, and dropped us into a tie with Houston for third in the division.... Speaking of that, I knew the division would be tough this year: Texas leads, Oakland is a game back, then Houston and us another game behind.... Frederick comes off the DL and goes 3-for-4 in his first game back. Josh Hed (2-for-9, 1 HR) goes back to AAA. He looked decent, and will get another look, in September at least.... ELSEWHERE: KC finally won their 10th game, and are just a game behind the hapless Angels.... Cleveland's Victor Guillen came off the DL and requalified for the batting race, moving into 2nd at .411. He's also got 18 HR in 112 AB, which seems pretty good.... KC isn't winning games but does have 38-year-old Vinny Vargas, who needs just a couple good seasons to reach 3000 career hits. He's batting .366 this season, so of course the Royals have moved him into a platoon role. (He went 7-for-10 in his last series.).... Detroit lost CF Luis Rodela for the season. Rodela banged 51 HR last year, and had 13 so far this season. He's out with post-concussion symptoms, not good. (Teammate Pat Townsand just reached the 20 HR mark.) Plus: I just noticed that Rodela's replacement in center is relief pitcher Brian Carney. ...... TL;DR Version: An improved 9-3 this month has pushed us back to five games over .500, 22-17. Like I said above, the division is tough this year, and we'll face Texas and Houston over the final half of the month. We're still smacking hits to the tune of a .316 average and getting on base at a .378 clip, but are only 6th in runs scored. Our 24 HR is only one ahead of Oakland's Reyes, so it's possible that is a key reason why we're struggling for any kind of sustained scoring success. Pitching ranks 13th in runs, and has been all over the map. The pen, however, did look pretty good until that last game against the A's. I'm trying to remain optimistic tho. __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

08-31-2020, 09:29 PM	#367
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	May 2052 (cont'd.) May 14-16 @ TEXAS Winners of 5 of their last 6, and currently on top of the division at 24-15. Third in runs scored, tops in the AL in OPS, WAR, and wOBA. Nearly four times as many HR as we have too, but who's counting. Star William Swanson (.327/17/38) is the most recent player of the week winner. Their top four hitters have 45 HR, nearly double our entire team; but again, who's counting. Pitching has steadied, now 4th in runs against. Closer Garrett Slone and setup man Nick Scott have allowed zero runs in nearly 20 combined innings. Former Isles prospect Cory Graulich is in the pen, and has carved out an MLB career on the strength of his quality stuff. But he also doles out home runs like Halloween candy (56 and 48 as a starter back in '49 and '50); it sure would be nice of the Rangers to start him against us... HAW pitchers: LH Shane Walker (2-0, 5.02) / RH Shamar Jackson (3-3, 6.24) / RH Josh Irvin (3-0 4.33) TEX pitchers: RH Kevin Cahill (4-3, 3.32) / LH Bobby Daniel (3-2, 4.21) / LH Steve Means (5-2, 4.84) #40: LOSS 2-3 ... Johnson gives up his first run of 2052, a solo HR in the 11th...nice game by Walker, but Pearse blows it in the 8th really #41: WIN 6-3 ... 3 hits for Simmons, including his annual home run...Jackson has another MLB-level outing, two in a row now #42: WIN 10-9 ... tied 5-5 after 9 innings...outhomered 4-2 but we do crack 21 total hits, including 7 doubles...mediocre pitching all around Nearly a sweep! Super competitive division, with three tied for first and little ol' us just a game behind.... Five hits for Matson in that last game, including three doubles. Simmons went 8-for-18, and did blast out his sixth career HR.... The pen got pushed around a bit, and Johnson gave up his first run of the season, in 20 innings.... ELSEWHERE: Twelve game winning streak for the Astros, putting them into that three-way tie for first in the AL West.... The Indians, predicted by my smart-guy self to be "pretty damn bad" are now 26-16 and a game behind the Tigers. A third of their lineup and two SP are recent Islanders, and all are playing average-to-good.... The Angels are 11-31 and batting just .228, only slightly better than league-worst New Orleans, at .219. But the Zephs are 21-21, so.... May 17-19 @ TORONTO Nobody foresaw the Jays sitting on top of the East, even this early into the season. At 24-18, they have the same record as we do, but are in first due to the slumpy starts by Miami and Tampa Bay. There isn't much happening at the plate--14th in runs--but that's at least partially the result of having three regulars on the DL. Rookie 1B Ian Logan is off to a nice start--.311/9/27--and 3B Ray Bruce (batting .301) is actually a rare leadoff batter in the league who's hitting for average, if you can believe that. Three pitchers are also injured, but the staff ranks 5th in runs against, with starters Jaden Buchanan and Alberto Reyes in particular getting it done. Former Isle Dennis Perry also has a 1.08 ERA, but he's been in the bullpen and isn't exactly thrilled with that. Manager Jose A Jimenez is in his sixth largely non-descript season with the club. Team budget is 26th, payroll 28th. They're cheap, making some money, and winning ballgames. The American Way! (Canadian version.) HAW pitchers: RH Biff Skiff (5-3, 4.55) / RH Mike Bader (2-2, 4.73) / LH Shane Walker (2-0, 3.43) TOR pitchers: RH Alberto Reyes (5-1, 2.79) / RH Nick Palmer (3-3, 6.43) / RH Gary Stamp (0-4, 4.91) #43: WIN 16-0 ... skunked 'em by the third inning...7 hit shutout for Biff...5 hits from Daley, 2 HR from Grace, 21 hits overall #44: WIN 4-1 ... Bader surrenders just 6 hits in 8 IP, and we ride HR from Frederick and Goodloe to the win #45: LOSS 0-7 ... an all-around stinker: just 2 hits, both Walkers pitch poorly, and Shane gives up FIVE home runs...oof I see we're back to the 2-1 series record. Ok, that's still pretty good by me. But man, these games: hammer or get hammered.... Team is batting .312, still first in the AL. Also, still 17th in HR despite knocking seven in this series.... AAA Santa Barbara is having a rare bad year: 12-20 and only missing last place because Reno is 9-21.... Two in back of Oakland now, and tied with Texas and Houston.... ELSEWHERE: Felix Reyes (OAK) now has 29 HR, which would give him a totally reasonable 105 if he keeps up this pace for the season.... Washington has won six in a row to lift themselves out of the NL East basement, but just lost their #2 SP and starting RF for the year. Three other SP are also injured.... Speaking of injuries, the Giants can't keep from self-harm apparently, now with nine players on the DL. Nevertheless, they're 26-19 and just two in back of the Padres.... Atlanta's Michael Rinehart is the last man standing in The Quest for Tedness, batting .406. He's also 1st in RBI (44) and 2nd in HR (18). May 21-23 vs HOUSTON A 12-4 month has surged them into the three-way tie for second with us and Texas. The offense isn't doing much, just 10th in runs (but 5th in HR), but overall their pitching ranks 3rd, the bullpen 2nd. No one is batting .300, but few are slumping either (besides leadoff man Jason Welch, at .222 and a .615 OPS. See also comment from last series: this is not uncommon in the league.). Budding superstar Jose Renteria is at .296/16/40, and solid 3B Ricky Silva is working on a 40-HR pace. The truly rare thing here is that no one--besides three scrubby minor leaguers hurt in camp--is on the DL. Former Isles RP Ramon Sanabria is in a setup role here (3.86 ERA), and flameout free agent stab (or did I trade for him? Uhhhh....) Tim Ciotta is also having a nice year. They took 2 out of 3 from us in April. HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (4-3, 5.62) / RH Josh Irvin (3-0, 4.71) / RH Biff Skiff (6-3, 3.92) HOU pitchers: LH Chris Harris (6-2, 3.43) / RH Tim Ciotta (5-2, 3.64) / RH Ron Mills (3-4, 5.88) #46: LOSS 1-8 ... bang goes Jackson's better pitching of late...although to be fair, the pen did also allow 3 in the 9th...only six hits, one XBH #47: WIN 4-3 ... Irvin yields a 3-run HR but little else...Johnson gets the win in the 10th after a Simmons bases loaded walk #48: LOSS 2-5 ... more slack offense, although Matson does knock his 3rd HR of the year...Biff gives up all 5 runs in 6.1 IP Flat this series, as Astros pitching kept our hitters in check.... We're in fourth place now, by ourselves, but still just 2 games out.... Groff has leveled out some, getting his average up to .258; but his .760 OPS and 97 OPS+ are by far the worst of his career. Getting old is no fun.... ELSEWHERE: Cincy's Cris Frias now has 128 K in 77.1 innings.... Padres closer-turned-starter Emanuel Vasquez has 31 K in his last two starts.... Atlanta and Detroit have the best records in MLB right now, both 32-16, and the Braves have opened up an eight-game lead over Richmond and Philly. May 24-26 vs MINNESOTA Middling along at 23-25, with 12th-ranked hitting and 5th-ranked pitching. The rotation is no longer just the Conor MacLeod Show, with only new addition Dustin Springer struggling among the five. The middle of the lineup is producing, with Josh Jacobson (.278/11/32), Jordan Foots (.274/15/38), and Josh Conley (.275/9/19) hitting well--although the two Joshes are hitting about 40 points below their career averages. Veterans Cortez Ortiz (.344) and Jonathan Klump (.380) are also hitting big. Manager Robert Woodard--our longtime nemesis from Oakland--is in his fourth year here; the wonderfully-named Joe Flattery is the pitching coach, his 10th season. Budget places 19th, payroll 13th. Owner Adam Thompson expects profit and .500 baseball. Seems reasonable. HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (3-2, 4.25) / LH Shane Walker (2-1, 4.39) / RH Shamar Jackson (4-4, 5.83) MIN pitchers: LH Bobby Reder (5-3, 3.49) / RH Jonathan Belmonte (3-1, 3.53) / RH Conor MacLeod (5-4 3.44) #49: WIN 5-2 ... Mikey B goes 8 IP, walking four but getting away with it...3 hits for Lynn, 2 for Goodloe #50: LOSS 4-6 ... we hit 2 HR! But Walker doesn't get out of the 4th, and we're held hitless over the final 3 innings...Simmons injured #51: WIN 4-2 ... Jackson is back tonight, and we score early and late off MacLeod for the win...Groff is a busy boy for once: 2 H, SB, and a CS Somehow we scratch out two wins despite still not hitting well. We're only sixth in runs, and our complete lack of power hitting is really telling on some nights.... Simmons' injury is minor, just dtd. He'll play until he drops.... Star-to-be Jules Medici has been okay off the bench, going 14-for-49 (.286) with a .362 OBP. No extra base hits, oddly.... Funny how free agents no one wants are suddenly hot property when I show up: we offered a minor league deal to guy, trying to beef up my AAA pitching, and he turns me down saying he has offers from two other clubs all of a sudden [EDIT: he ended up signing elsewhere for $20k more in bonus money than I had offered, after trying to get me to sign him to a big-league deal. Smdh.].... ELSEWHERE: Finally, Oakland's Felix Reyes doesn't homer in a series; he's still at 30, in just 61 games.... Atlanta's Michael Rinehart is triple-crownin'-it, at .394/23/50, and leads MLB with 4.2 WAR.... KC moved oldster Vinny Vargas back into the lineup as he was still hitting .367. Sadly he's now out for six weeks with a strained ham.... And say goodbye (likely) to even older Eddy Llamas, who tore his UCL and is done until Xmas. Although he's signed for next year, you gotta think the 41-year-old is probably done. He did recently pass 4000 K, so good for him. May 27-29 @ CALIFORNIA They just won a series against equally-wretched KC, but are still in last place, 16-35. Pitching and hitting place 17th: only one qualified regular is batting over .251, and only one SP has an ERA below 4.5. Closer Scott Mahala is in his second full season of not-getting-it-done, and setup man Adrian Meza (11.05 ERA) has been even worse. Looking for any bright spots...I guess you could point to #1 prospect Mauricio Marquez batting .295 over the last month since being put into the lineup, and young SP Josh Pomerantz still looks good. I feel like I say this nearly every year for these guys, but there are a few really solid blocks to build on here. But they never seem to do it. Former Isles? None. Well, unless you count two-way guy Phil Lasky, who spent the last few seasons with the Mets after we traded him. He batted .143 and made 5 so-so relief appearances before getting sent back to Salt Lake City a few weeks ago. HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (3-0, 4.62) / RH Biff Skiff (6-4, 4.20) / RH Mike Bader (4-2, 4.01) CAL pitchers: RH Nate Elder (1-5, 4.48) / RH Josh Pomerantz (5-3 3.71) / RH Mike Hosey (1-7, 5.05) #52: LOSS 3-5 ... two HR from Frederick, but only five other hits, and Irvin is touched early and suffers his first official MLB loss #53: WIN 7-6 ... Skiff allows six runs on six hits, but we explode for 16 of our own, including 3 HR (Grace, Groff, Daley) #54: LOSS 2-9 ... two solo HR, but a 6-run sixth is our undoing...Bader looks every bit the rookie, and Mahoney gets bashed around for kicks too Nothing much to see here. Continued mediocre hitting, although we did knock 7 home runs, which I can hardly believe is worth reporting.... Something's probably gonna give here soon, especially on the pitching front. I still have confidence that our offense will find more consistency, even if we're not a power team. We just can't continue to hit over .300 and not score runs. That, or we'll just stop hitting.... ELSEWHERE: Everyone else in the AL West has been so-so as well, so there's been no change in the standings: Oakland (32 wins), Texas and Houston (31), Hawaii (30).... San Diego has 36 wins and the best pitching in baseball. It seems like twice a week or so BNN is reporting another shutout or 15+ strikeout game for one of their starters. And they're doing it with three MLB-quality starters on the DL, including former Isle Mike Garfield.... Everyone but the Cubs are slumping in the NL Central, allowing them to open a six game lead over Pittsburgh. May 31 vs NY YANKEES I really thought these guys were back for good a few years ago, coming off of 102 and 94 win seasons. But they've squandered the good years of a strong lineup and let too many decent pitchers walk for free. And despite having a monster budget (they're the Dodgers of the East), they don't spend like the Yankees of old. This year they're 26-28, and while the pitching has come back (4th in runs), the lineup is not producing (12th in runs, 15th in AVG). LF Chris Mitchell (.278/14/35) has been strong, as has old man Aaron Harrison (.310/8/35), but both are injury-prone and likely to bust apart at the seams any day now. The guys they did sign in the off-season haven't hit either: RF Aaron Blocker (.227), 1B Erik Morgan (.226), and SS Victor Provencio (.236). But ace SP Elijah Bragg has been excellent; the rest of the rotation at least okay; the bullpen largely stout. Lack of hitting did them in last year, when they fell to 84 wins and missed the playoffs. They'll have to get in gear to keep up with the Marlins and Rays, the current powers in the East (yes, I did type that and it's true). Manager Nathan Eovaldi was an A ball pitching coach for 18 years before getting the call (first as Reds PC, then here as bench coach, now a first-year manager). Budget sits 6th, payroll 3rd. Newish owner Justin Dielman is meddling and wants "extreme winning." Sound familiar, Yankees fans? HAW pitchers: LH Shane Walker (2-2, 5.64) NYY pitchers: RH Tim Mitchell (3-2, 4.85) #55: WIN 6-5 ... always a fun game when you score more runs than you had hits...we also add 7 walks to the mix, and Groff and Matson homer Nice to end the month on a high note.... Johnson gives up his second run of the season: 25 GP, 22 IP, 19 saves, 30 K. (Fun fact: Ben Germann has a 3.80 ERA, 27 K in 23.2 IP. Guess who leads the league in RP all-star votes? Hint: it's not Johnson.).... We've been on quite a home run tear of late, averaging over one a game for nearly TEN games now. Mirabile dictu!.... Also: Mike Bader may have struggled a bit of late, but he's still the AL Rookie of the Month! He went 4-1 with a 3.70 ERA in May.... ELSEWHERE: What's to report after one additional game? Probably only that Baltimore put three of its more 'useful' pitchers on the DL this month, and has seen last month's sort-of-promising 12-15 fall to this month's back-to-reality-peoples 8-20. ...... TL;DR Version: A much, much better month, despite my constant carping about home runs and some iffy batting late in the month. We went 18-10 during this frame, bringing the overall record up to 31-24; we're still tied for third in our super-competitive division. June should be a crucial month for us: in the past, it's been the month where the pretenders start falling away. I think our competition is real this time, and will be surprised if--barring major injuries--any of Oakland/Texas/Houston drops out of the picture. On an individual performer front...Groff has rebounded somewhat, but does appear to be in decline; Willie Alonzo came back to earth somewhat, but his catcher-mate Wakabayashi is still hot so I've moved them into a full-time platoon setup; the roller-coaster ride of our starting pitching is starting to give me motion sickness; last year's all-star surprise YJ Yi has pitched just once since April 16th--probably not surprising given his 9.00 ERA--but give the man some innings, coach! Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

09-04-2020, 09:11 PM	#368
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	June 2052 Although not quite the dog days of July and August, you know thing are finally getting serious when June rolls around. We'll play 26 games this month, 14 at home. Once again we'll see everyone in the division, as interleague play has been eliminated. More chances to catch up! Or...fall behind. Oh, and the draft: we'll have a supplemental pick this year, just the one. We traded away our 10th round pick to somebody, but still have all the others, plus extras in the 3rd and 4th rounds...for now. June 1-2 vs NY YANKEES Wrapping this one up. We hit the road after these two. HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (5-4, 5.50) / RH Josh Irvin (3-1, 5.08) NYY pitchers: LH Brian Whitney (5-3, 4.20) / RH Bob Garner (1-8, 5.94) #56: LOSS 2-4 ... we outhit them 9-7, Medici gets his 1st HR of the season, and we still come up short #57: WIN 6-1 ... Irvin returns to his winning ways, fans 7 through 6 IP...3 hits for Lynn, 2 doubles for Daley We went and did a thing. See below.... ELSEWHERE: In an effort to keep the AL East from getting out of hand, Miami has lost four straight, bringing Tampa Bay and Toronto to a game behind.... Austin (again) finds itself in last in the NL West, leading two players to publicly deny they've requested trades in recent days.... William Swanson (TEX) had a 28-game hitting streak earlier this season; now he has a 25-gamer going. He's probably the best hitter in the game today, tbh. After dropping some broad hints lately, we went and made a tremendous TRADE! One that--I hope--rectifies my "mistake" in turning over too much of the rotation at once. So...we acquire 31-year-old righty Chris Liles from KC, along with IF Oscar Padilla and $2M cash. Liles is a four-time all-star who started his career with six years in Pittsburgh, with the last three in KC. He's a power pitcher with a career high of 294 K, but his numbers have declined a touch since that mark. He's a groundballer, great in the clubhouse, and has three elite pitches and solid movement and control. He's under contract through '54, making--gulp--$26.8M per, but the Royals will eat $16M of that going forward. We simply needed better starting pitching: I'm confident we just got it. Padilla is really just a AAA middle infielder, with little shot of making the bigs. He's here b/c of mounting injuries on the farm. The cash will help sell the trade to the suits in the Caribbean. That phone ringing from international area code 345? Ignore it. What did we give up? A lot: five players and two picks. First, there's Julius Burrows: stuck on our bench but someone who deserved better. He's immediately KC's best OF now. Second, prospect 1B/DH Tim Chapman: I hated sending him, as he could be a .300 hitter one day, but he's behind Medici and itching to play. I think we've got replacements for him moving up anyway. (Fingers crossed.) Third, SP Greg Van Tilburg. GVT is a late bloomer who started the season with us but didn't pitch well and was demoted. I think he's still got promise, and should move right into their rotation. I'm glad I didn't have to part with any of my younger pitching prospects. Fourth and fifth were RP Yue-jiu Yi and Tyler Amsden. At 27 and 23, not anywhere close to over-the-hill, but two guys who could be a long-term part of a solid bullpen. Yi made the all-star game last year, but was struggling this year. Amsden got hurt in the spring but otherwise was a near-lock for the roster. We also sent our 2nd and 5th round picks, in part to offset our requested salary-eating by the Royals. Liles slots into the rotation immediately (duh), but as he just pitched two days ago, he won't be up for going in the next series against...KC. That may mean Jackson will have to go on short rest, or something else will happen maybe. Shane Walker is sent back to AAA. To take Yi's place we call up Nate Kearns for his first taste of the bigs; Burrows' spot goes to Ken Taliaferro, a captain-type lefty with some pop and a huge arm, but not much else. He's up since our prior recall--Josh Hed--is injured for seven weeks, plus he was already on the 40-man roster. Whew. June 3-5 @ KANSAS CITY Well, well, what are the odds? I'm guessing we'll see some familiar faces in the Royals lineup now. (They already have RP Nick Kramer at closer, and former prospect IF Francisco Saucedo as a utility man. Neither is doing well.) Currently last in everything, with just 16 wins, last-place hitting and 13th-ranked pitching. Five players--all of them at least useful types--are on the DL, which is not helping. I've been complaining about our lack of power: we have 51 HR, now 17th in the AL; these guys are last, with just 33. This winter they went and grabbed OF Dan Dellinger, a two-time NL batting champ, and he's batting .346 with 4 HR, tied for first on the team. After him, there's little pure hitting talent available, and by my count at least four regulars who should be in AAA at best. The rotation has also struggled, but at least Adam Grossman has been solid; promising Ryan Swan, however, looks great on paper but is in his second season of poor pitching. Youngster Arturo Bernal could be good one day, but Tony Arriaga is only a fill-in. Manager Andy Raaff has been doing this since 2031, and in KC since '44, and has to be working the Maalox extra hard right now. Team budget is 25th, payroll 30th; there's money to spend. But a 24th-ranked prospect system doesn't really bode well for the near future. HAW pitchers: RH Biff Skiff (6-4, 4.68) / RH Mike Bader (4-3, 4.33) / RH Ben Germann (4-0, 3.80) KCR pitchers: LH Jeremy Akey (1-0, 4.35) / RH Ryan Swan (2-9, 7.34) / RH Arturo Bernal (2-6, 7.59) #58: WIN 4-2 ... 2 H, 2 RBI for Medici; 2 H for Simmons...Biff goes 8 IP, yields just 7 H...Burrows and Chapman play against us, the former gets hurt #59: LOSS 4-7 ... Bader is pushed around again, and Kearns looks bad in his first outing...sloppy all around #60: WIN 6-2 ... Germann steps into the breach and tosses a CG...shrugs...3 hits each for Grace and Goodloe...dtd injury for Matson Germann really saved face for us in that last game. We've won both of his emergency starts this year. Hmm.... Those soft bats did outhomer us 4-0.... Matson's injury is a strained calf, but it might put him out for five days. Medici, step up now, son.... Fun in the division: Oakland has a 3 game lead over Texas, Houston, and us.... Guess who we play next.... ELSEWHERE: Five straight for Detroit, and 9 out of 10, to an MLB-best 42-18 mark.... Swanson's streak was stopped at 27 games, but now KC's Dellinger has a 20-game thing going.... Philadelphia has the NL's best offense, and just about the worst pitching. So of course they're six games over .500 and a single game behind the Braves.... SD is hot and now so is SS Blake Langer, batting .365 to lead the NL. June 6-8 @ OAKLAND The division leaders, at 37-23. Whereas we're 1st in AVG and 6th in runs, the A's have reversed that, helped in no small part by their 151 home runs. That's the total MLB said we'd get all season. Felix Reyes may have slowed down, but he's still banged out 32 dingers, Justin Sandy 18, and Ryan Walton and Randy Costello 17 each. SS Alex Cruz had 31 last year with Cincinnati, and his mere 7 so far this year looks anemic in this lineup. Pitching hasn't been great, but at 10th in runs against, they've been good enough. Only one player is on the DL, and that's back-end RP James Clemons. We're somehow 4-2 against these guys so far this year. HAW pitchers: RH Chris Liles (4-5, 3.15) / RH Shamar Jackson (5-5, 5.33) / RH Josh Irvin (4-1, 4.79) OAK pitchers: LH Chris Larimer (7-2, 4.39) / RH Eric Stockton (2-3, 4.40) / RH Conrad Robertson (1-3, 7.89) #61: LOSS 4-8 ... we outhit them, and keep up in homers one-to-one, but LILES GETS HURT OMFG...Walker and Pearse then explode all over my life #62: LOSS 6-9 ... everyone's flat tonight, outside of Frederick's 2-run double and a handful of other useless hits...more bad pitching too #63: WIN 13-4 ... the offense shows up, banging out 15 hits (3 HR) and taking 8 walks...Irvin is okay, but the pen struggles again There was some good old fashioned woodshedding happening in this series. Ugh.... And it'll be a fine joke by the universe if Liles is done for the year. He looked good in the 3 innings he managed for us, anyway.... At some point this season I'll probably do something like a 3-for-3 swap of relievers between us and AAA Santa Barbara.... With injuries starting to bite in the minors, and wanting more OF depth after the big trade, I reach out and sign two veteran OF to minor league deals. First, we sign Roberto Saldana, who was a regular for three teams between '40 and '45, smacking 130 HR during that time. He's been in Japan since, and will go to AAA for now. Next, we ink 41-year-old Mike Blough, a former stud with the Pittsburgh dynasty in the '30s. He's made the free agent circuit through the league the past decade, and will likely wrap things up with us. Scouts say he can still hit, has some power, and is good in the clubhouse.... ELSEWHERE: It's some 1984 deja vu all over again with Detroit and San Diego on top of their respective leagues. The Padres have the best pitching in MLB by far right now, while being fairly middle-of-the-road offensively. Detroit, meanwhile, combines top-five offense (plus lots and lots of HR) with the AL's best staff. And their doing all that with five legit regulars--2 SP, their CL, 2B, and CF--on the DL. June 10-12 vs TEXAS I told you these guys would be good this year. Another lineup of big bats, led by William Swanson (.347/28/59), Omar Gurrola (.298/21/44), and Eric Robbins (.284/14/39), their 3rd in runs and 2nd in HR. Pitching ranks 8th, and they have a +65 run differential (ours is +20). The only drawbacks I see right now are the very top of their lineup (batting .218 and .193) and the bottom of the rotation (combined ERA around 7). They've taken 4 out of 6 against us so far, and sit three games in arrears of the A's. HAW pitchers: RH Biff Skiff (7-4, 4.45) / RH Mike Bader (4-4, 4.44) / LH Shane Walker (3-2, 5.75) TEX pitchers: RH Mike Kent (4-7, 5.71) / RH Bryan Crider (1-1, 8.10) / RH Kevin Cahill (5-5, 3.98) #64: WIN 3-1 ... 24 combined hits tonight, but no dingers, and few runs...3 hits for Frederick, 2 for several others...Biff looks good too #65: WIN 7-0 ... CG for Bader, fanning 4...Grace and Matson homer...12 hits, 3 walks, a HBP, 4 steals, 4 2b, 2 HR -- lots of stats tonight #66: LOSS 6-10 ... sleeping bats awoke, bashing 4 HR and 13 hits...three pitchers walked out to the mound tonight, three slunk away beaten soundly Okay, the baseball gods maybe don't hate me, but they are probably watching me for hubris: Liles' injury is a strained shoulder, out for six weeks. Not great, but still a huge sigh of relief.... Shane Walker gets the call, and as you can see above, it didn't go well for him. If he can't make it work over the next start or two, I'm not sure what I'll do next. My most likely recall, Miguel Tirado, is injured, and the current rotation in AAA is: an underdeveloped prospect, two relievers, one old guy called up from AA, and a winter trade throw-in from the awful Baltimore organization. Yikes.... Nate Kearns is returned to AAA for more seasoning after that third game; Min-hyuk Yaung is recalled.... ELSEWHERE: The three best pitchers in MLB showed their stuff on that third night: Minny's Conor MacLeod tossed a 4-hit, 15-K shutout; Cincy's Cris Frias fanned 17 in an 8-3 win; and Atlanta's Jose Gutierrez delivered a 14-K shutout of his own. Gutierrez, a two-time Cy Young winner, leads baseball with a 1.69 ERA and 4.7 WAR....KC's Dan Dellinger had his 24-game hit streak ended by Tampa Bay. The Royals are the last team without 20 wins, coming in at 18-48. June 13-15 vs MIAMI We're facing all the good teams now, aren't we. Miami is back on top of the East, at 38-28 and riding a five-game winning streak. Batting has rebounded, up to 7th in runs, with Toshi Shimabukuro emerging as a star (.355/20/45) in his second season. 3B Jon Ladd is having a nice comeback season, batting .280/18/45, and 37-year-old Sean West keeps chugging along, with 14 HR and a .296 average. Pitching sits 5th, with new acquisition Jon Carlsen earning his huge paycheck, but former Isle Mike Messinger definitely not. Manager Efrain Nevares slid over from his bench coach duties when the club decided not to extend 95-game winner Paul Trashini. He's had a steady hand so far, something he never showed during stints with Houston and the Yankees. Team budget ranks 9th, payroll 8th. Owner Dusty Means is happy, despite GM Adrian Ashford not getting rid of "clubhouse distraction" Ricky Chavez. He's an interesting case, Chavez: so disliked that after hitting 49 HR in '42 and 46 the following year, no one in MLB signed him as a free agent until four years later. He's the leader of a dissatisfied clubhouse, too, with no team leaders and a handful of disgruntled and selfish jerks. But they're still winning games... HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (5-6, 5.70) / RH Josh Irvin (5-1, 4.65) / RH Biff Skiff (8-4, 4.20) MIA pitchers: RH Norm Rowsell (3-2, 4.56) / LH Victor Nunez (8-5, 3.07) / RH Jon Carlsen (10-1, 3.05) #67: LOSS 6-12 ... Jackson is again terrible...and yet, so are the two RP who follow him, sigh...2B and HR for Alonzo, at least #68: LOSS 4-5 ... Germann's scoreless 1.1 IP in relief is the only good news tonight...just five hits, nobody doing nothing again #69: WIN 6-5 ... Frederick homers for the 2nd straight game, and a reshuffled lineup manages 13 hits...Biff gives up 12 tho, feeling generous We saved some face with that last game, at least.... Terrible pitching this series, from nearly everybody. If we can just keep hitting, maybe we can ride this out. I dunno right now.... Liles comes back in five weeks. HURRY.... ELSEWHERE: If you're wondering about our former SP from last year, wonder no more: Eric Jones has an 8.10 ERA in relief duty for the Dodgers, and now has a pending injury; Dennis Perry has been better, with a 2.45 ERA, also in relief, with Toronto; and Tim Ciotta, whom we dumped after he started so poorly for us, is with Houston and doing quite well. We'll see him soon enough.... The underrated Juan Garcia, now with the Cubs (also Royals for 12 years), is nearing 2600 career hits. The 34-year-old has a lifetime .321 average, and if he can stay healthy for a couple more years, has a very real shot at reaching 3000 hits. ...... TL;DR Version: You know, we use the word 'crisis' too easily in the world today. So I won't use it here. After all, our pitching--despite ranking 12th in runs against--is not truly lethal...in the sense that heartburn is not lethal. It's just bad right now, but it can get better. The rookies have shown some real promise, even though they've all been quite uneven. It's really the veteran Jackson--who couldn't get me out right now--and our #5 slot, presently filled by someone masquerading as a big league pitcher named Shane Walker, that have been the real trouble. Chris Liles comes back in five weeks. But let's be honest: something needs to happen in those five weeks, or we'll find ourselves on the outside before August even begins. Trade? Done that. Waivers? I'm watching, but don't expect anything there either. The farm? Only two guys look even close to MLB level: Henry Weareorwear started seven games for Baltimore in the late '40s and didn't show much. Oof. Prospect Danny Carbajal is only about 3/4 baked right now, but does have a lovely "It's-a me, Mario!" moustache going. Maybe a little hipster 'stache injection is what we need. That, or we ruin his confidence in the meat grinder. It'll be interesting to watch, either way. Oh...and the batters? It would be nice to mix in some home runs every now and then, but otherwise, we're okay. Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

09-08-2020, 09:52 AM	#369
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	2052 draft and minor league system report Draft day is here! For about ten rounds, I really enjoy this. Selecting players who could be the future cornerstones of the franchise. After that, not so great. Despite trading away two top picks (2nd and 5th rounders), we're still well positioned for today, with a supplemental first rounder and extra picks in the 3rd and 4th rounds. MLB has us taking a groundball pitcher in the first and a high-contact/low-power IF in the supplemental round. (Sniff...they really do get me, don't they.) Elsewhere...Baltimore was so bad last year they should get the first five picks. But no, they'll get just the one. After them it's St Louis, California, Kansas City, and the Cubs to round out the top five. KC and Cincinnati are the only teams with multiple picks. Eight teams have no first round picks at all. MLB sees four pitchers going straight away, then SS Eddie Feltman going at five. The top twenty prospects are dominated by pitchers, with only six positional players making the list. Pretty much like last year, although teams went "off board" to draft batters lower on the list with top picks. I expect more of the same this year, especially as some of the top-ranked SP prospects look likely to develop into relievers instead. (Interestingly, MLB says the Orioles will take a pitcher who barely cracks the top 50.) ...... Once the dust settles, there was something of an inversion at the top of the charts: predraft #5 Eddie Feltman went first overall to the Orioles, while #1 Steve Scibek went fourth to the Royals. St Louis took college 2B Chris Fortune second, California grabbed OF Chris Burns, then KC, followed by the Cubs selecting OF Brian Hassell. That last pick looks like the best bet to me, as Hassell is just 18 and has high ceilings across the board. The other four guys, while good, are all nearly 22 or older, and I doubt some of them will hit their peaks, ever. With their two picks, Cincy grabbed a pair of power hitting OF, because they always do. (Both look good, but will have K problems.) With their second 1st rounder, KC took pitcher Goldie Waters; if they can sign him, he looks like absolute, um, gold. With the picks they got from us, the Royals took yet another high-power/high-K outfielder, and a pitcher described as "likely to make poor decisions both on and off the field." As for us, it looks like we'll be able to sign all our guys, as only a couple at the top of the pile are at least "hard" to sign. And no one will break the bank either. Here's how I see the top of our draft: Round 1, 30th overall: P/OF Erik Bennetsen, 21, USC. Good-looking kid who, if he can get his control sorted out, could be our first true two-way player, if I go that route. As a pitcher, he's got big-time stuff, decent movement, and potentially okay control. As a regular player, he's a five-tool guy, although his best feature is contact and power. Reminds me of Cam Daley, quite a bit. Round 1 supplemental, 43rd overall: OF Jonathan Johannes, 21, Puerto Rico-Cayey. If my scouts are right, he's a 40+ HR guy. Only drawbacks look like a disinclination to take a walk, and the inability to run. But he can do a home run trot, right? Round 3, 83rd overall: P Ken Taylor, 22, Long Beach State. MLB's choice for our first pick; but we waited, and he was still available in the third. Lucky us, as he looks like a mid-rotation starter. Great stamina, excellent fastball, smart. Could use some better movement. Round 3, 110th overall: P Narayan Seshu, 21, Kansas State. Sidd Finch, come on down! Okay, not really. But the 6'8" lefty from Bhutan joins our Team UN (prospects from Kyrgyzstan, Wallis Islands, Chile, etc), and looks like a very promising reliever. Once his control tightens up, his elite fastball and top-notch change could see him in a closer role one day. Round 4, 114th overall: SS Danny Gerald, 20, LSU. Average to just above-average at the plate, his real value comes in excellent fielding and solid speed/baserunning. Utility infielders are useful too; you can't always draft sluggers and ace pitchers. Round 4, 146th overall: OF Jeremy Hagemann, 18, high school. Here's me just trying to fit in with the crowd, selecting a modern day prototype hitter: huge power, lots of strikeouts, fair contact. Pretty slow too, but has decent range in the field. Kind of looks limited to LF, tho. After these guys, it's business as usual. Maybe someone will step up, make the team one day...or most likely not. ...... Our prospect system remains in first place, with nine players in the top 100, and five more (six, counting the departed Greg Van Tilburg) in the top 200. And I think we've got legitimate pro-level prospects beyond those guys (mostly relievers, but also catcher Mike Covington). The cream of the crop are: 1B Jules Medici, 21, ranked #3, Hawaii: .253/.326/.333, 2 HR. Slowly getting more at bats, filling in for injuries and rotating in for the declining Adam Groff. He looks ready to me, although he still strikes out a bit too much right now. SP Mike Bader, 23, ranked #19, Hawaii: 4-4, 4.44 ERA, 79 IP. Has the better all-around balance of our two top pitching prospects in the bigs right now. Needs his circle change to develop into a nice third pitch. SP Henry Skiffington, 24, ranked #23, Hawaii: 7-4, 4.45 ERA, 83 IP. Like Bader, is still developing. Looks great some nights, like a wide-eyed rookie others. OF Josh Hed, 24, ranked #35, AAA: .291/.378/.547 (and 2-for-9 with Hawaii). Is definitely ready for the big time, and would be up right now if not for a back strain. Well-suited for center, but may get a shot in left as Daley's defense slowly bottoms out. Hits for contact and power. SP Daniel Croft, 21, ranked #43, AA: 1-7, 4.55 ERA, 65 IP. Quite possibly the best pitching prospect in our system. Power pitcher developing a five-pitch arsenal. 3B Jose Villalpando, 16, ranked #49, international complex: no stats. Scouting discovery out of Colombia in December. Right now, he looks to become a high-contact power hitter, will take a walk, but low on gap power. Fielding is middling, but with a rocket arm. At just 16, however, there's a lot of time for things to go south. SP Manny Reyes, 19, ranked #55, Short A: no stats yet. One of our four supplemental picks from last summer. Injuries limited him to just two games last year. Another guy with balanced ratings, and working on his three-pitch repertoire. Definitely a few years away. OF Diego Espino, 21, ranked #63, AAA: 4-for-24 (.234 in AA as well). He's not hitting yet this year, but the future is still bright...or at least fairly light...for Diego. He rates above average in every batting category, is a future team captain, and is an excellent fielder. Will he develop enough bat to be a starter one day? Who knows... SP Andy Burke, 22, ranked #93, A: 6-2, 4.13 ERA, 65 IP. You know you're high on a guy when, on draft day, he demands--and gets--a major league contract and is put on the 40-man roster before throwing a pitch for you. Along with Croft (above), we have the makings of a solid 1-2 punch at the top of our future rotation. His four-pitch arsenal is about 80% there, and when his control rounds out we'll be ready for him. (He's walking 3.2 per 9 in A ball, so it's not like he's godawful right now.) Best of the rest ... The next four guys--John Loeb, Travis Harris, Danny Carbajal, and Larry Hensley--are all SP, and each has major plusses and some drawbacks. Don't count any of them out, although none are locks either. (And AAA starter Miguel Tirado could figure, although he's listed as an RP prospect right now.) I also like the bats of OF Doug Pederson and Noah Williams, although neither is great guns in the field. Catcher Mike Covington could be a regular by this time next year. And there's a slew of dime-a-dozen RP out there, some of whom I even really like. __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

09-10-2020, 08:02 PM	#370
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	June 16-18 @ HOUSTON The former "worst franchise in the division" is now a game ahead of us in the standings, in the middle of June. What a world, what a world. They're not hitting much, 12th in AVG and OBP, but are scoring a little better than that, at 9th in the AL. Pitching is slightly better, 7th in runs, and the bullpen (2nd in ERA) has been pretty stout. Jose Renteria is showing that last year's breakout was no fluke, at .318/29/67; and while no one else is hitting lights out, 2B Chris Marshall--batting 9th--is 60 points over his career average (currently at .303) and his 9 HR are already a career high. Outside of Chris Harris and Tim "Remember Me?" Ciotta, the rotation is struggling, so maybe we can make some hay early in games. Or maybe we'll face those two guys and look foolish. [EDIT: We will see them both.] They've taken 4 out of 6 against us so far. HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (5-4 3.99) / LH Shane Walker (3-2, 6.25) / RH Shamar Jackson (5-7, 5.99) HOU pitchers: LH Chris Harris (8-4, 3.65) / LH Tim Wise (2-2, 4.56) / RH Tim Ciotta (8-3, 3.66) #70: WIN 5-0 ... Bader's run continues, with another CG win...Goodloe and Medici homer, and we steal five bases just for fun #71: WIN 5-4 ... Walker hangs around for 9 IP, and gets the win with Daley's walk-off HR in the 10th #72: WIN 10-8 ... Jackson surrenders 4 HR, but Lynn's RBI single in the 9th ties things, Frederick's 2-run single in the 11th wins it Sweep! Plus, Texas also gets swept (by Oakland, tho) so we're back in second! Four games behind the A's now.... Lots of hits again this series, finally some runs, and also finally some half-decent pitching. Bader has been very good of late, the jury is still out on Walker, but Jackson looks like a guy on his last legs for some reason.... AAA Santa Barbara is back at .500, 29-29.... ELSEWHERE: The White Sox are 41-31, hanging tough against a very good Detroit team, but now have four pitchers on the DL, including prospects-turned-constantly-injured-vets Burton Dick and Ben O'Neal. Oddly tho: O'Neal has three weeks left on the 60-day DL, but is completely healthy and ready to go. ??? .... Oakland's Felix Reyes went a couple weeks with just one HR, but has gotten hot again: 37 HR in 70 GP now.... Philadelphia is trying a new strategy to overcome their terrible pitching: leaving guys out there until they fall over. Two SP have tossed 10-inning complete games in the last two weeks. Both were shutout wins, btw, so maybe they know something. June 20-22 @ DETROIT Our parade through the AL's top teams continues, facing the AL-best Tigers. They're 47-25 despite some serious losses to injury: SP Raul Bravo was 9-2 and is out for another week; CL Jay Debus (41 saves last year) hasn't pitched at all; CF Luis Rodela (only 53 HR last year) is done for the season; and 31-HR 2B Hideki Matsuro is out for another two months. They're struggling so much that they're only third in HR, with 133, and only Pat Townsand (with 27) and Francisco Villon (22) have more than twenty. Sniff Townsand, now in his third season, raised his average last year by 50 points from his rookie campaign, and is a further 70 points higher this season so far. The only guy not producing is CF Ed Haley (.248, 1 HR) but he wasn't supposed to start anyway. Oh, and don't forget they're also first in runs against, with an Islander-like +107 run differential. Manager John Baird has been with the team for five seasons now (three as BC, second as Manager), and the worst season of those five were 92 wins back in '48. No titles, however. Team budget is 2nd (just behind LA), payroll is 1st. Owner Henry Ilitch is literally rolling in cash, pizza dough, and wins. HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (5-2, 4.66) / RH Biff Skiff (9-4, 4.33) / RH Mike Bader (6-4, 3.62) DET pitchers: LH T.J. Carroll (6-4, 3.73) / LH Carlton Saunders (7-2, 3.48) / LH Carlos Zenon (7-2, 4.20) #73: WIN 6-4 ... Irvin goes five solid innings, is lifted after a rain delay...Yaung gives up 3 HR, all solo shots...10 hits equals 6 runs tonight #74: LOSS 3-6 ... we outhit them, smack 4 doubles to their one, they commit 3 errors, and yet...3 hits for Simmons...Biff pulled in the 4th #75: WIN 7-3 ... Bader is sharp again, going 8.1 IP...15 hits here, Grace with 3, Lynn with a triple and 2-run HR Hey, 5-1 in our last two series, against pretty solid opposition.... Three games behind Oakland, with Texas and Houston a game behind us.... Biff has a decision in every start of his but one this year.... Seven regulars are batting over .300, and Wakabayashi is batting .326 in the catching platoon.... We got all our draft picks signed, and came in over a million under budget. Yay me.... ELSEWHERE: The biggest free agent splashes so far? In the AL, while KC's Dan Dellinger has been sweet (.359/9/30), the Royals stink so he doesn't count. So I'll say Miami's Jon Carlsen, at 11-2, a 3.04 ERA, and 143 K in 121 IP. Over in the Senior Circuit, it's probably Tim Marinaccio, signed away from Tampa Bay by the suddenly resurgent Cubs. He's gone .326/27/63, sixty points over his career average and working on a 50+ HR season. (Psst: I doubt he'll keep it up.).... KC is still at the bottom of the charts in the AL, with 24 wins. But Baltimore is folding like a cheap orange-and-black suit (14-34 the last two months), and has just 26 wins. It's also 26 wins for the NL's flounders, in St Louis. The Center of the Baseball Universe hasn't had a winning season since '45, and I'm thinking of renaming them the Browns. June 23-25 vs CALFORNIA Their 8-12 mark this month has been the best of the season, and overall they're trailing everyone in the West, at 27-48. Both the offense (16th) and pitching (17th) have been pretty bad. Injuries are piling up too, because why not go all out in decrepitude: out are their C, 2B, and four pitchers. Star Ricky Ochoa has slumped to just .235, and his 14 HR have him 40 dingers behind last year's total. Rookie Mauricio Marquez continues to impress, however, at .307/12/27, and closer Scott Mahala finally has his ERA down to a not-outright-laughable 5.79. That's one-and-a-half runs lower than last year, and two runs lower than what he had the last time we faced off. So of course we're just 3-3 against these guys this season. HAW pitchers: LH Shane Walker (4-2, 5.84) / RH Shamar Jackson (5-7, 6.13) / RH Josh Irvin (5-2, 4.50) CAL pitchers: RH Jeremy DiMaggio (4-8, 6.54) / RH Ryan Kuehner (3-8, 7.14) / RH Josh Pomerantz (7-5, 4.93) #76: WIN 5-4 ... Lynn stays hot with 2 hits and 2 RBI, and Groff knocks a solo HR, 7th of the season...Walker is meh through 5, but we get 4 good IP by the pen #77: WIN 7-6 ... Jackson yields 4 homers AGAIN, but we win it in the 11th on Goodloe's RBI single...3 hits for Matson and Daley, 4 RBI for the former #78: LOSS 8-9 ... 17 hits for us...um, 20 for them but who's counting...the bullpen blows this one, giving up five late runs That wacky bullpen. What will they come up with next.... Couple of injuries this series: Frederick has some back tightness, but stays in the lineup. Motion is lotion, big guy. Also, RP Alex Mahoney has a pending diagnosis; he hasn't been great shakes for us so far, but his 4.65 ERA is actually--gulp--third in the bullpen right now. Ick.... ELSEWHERE: Philly's George Livezey leads the NL with 5.0 WAR, but I'm sure the clumsy oaf will go out for the year any day now.... The Phils still have that lovely "first in offense, last in pitching" thing going, having scored 501 runs and given up 405. Now, that's the worst pitching staff in the NL by some margin, but would only be fourth worst in the AL, far behind the Mariners and their generous allowance of 470 runs to opposing teams. That offense tho, is by far the best in MLB. And that's without former MVP Luke Kempf, out since early April with a vaporized kneecap. They're even second in steals--first in homers AND second in steals. Who are these guys. June 26-28 vs SEATTLE We'll wrap up the month against those fun Mariners, bringing with them the games's sorriest pitching staff of the first half of the season. I noticed that they also have three SP on the DL and felt bad for them, until I saw that each of the three carried ERA over SEVEN before getting hurt. The offense, at least, is miles better: 15th in runs, and way ahead of us at 11th in home runs. Jose Rodriguez is doing it all, at .296/22/53, and catcher Arturo Sena is in his tenth season of a) not hitting for average, b) striking out a ton, and c) earning a WAR over 4. (Great glove + home runs, that's how.) Former Isles prospect Daniel Newell is batting .280 in leadoff, and sophomore Jon Terrell has gone .307/17/48. So it's not all doom and gloom here. Looks harder, sees their three recent free agent "gets" are batting .215, .147, and nothing as he's out for the year with post-concussion syndrome Wow. Maybe it's time to cut bait and bring up some kids already. HAW pitchers: RH Biff the Skiff (9-5, 4.72) / RH Mike Bader (7-4, 3.59) / LH Shane Walker (4-2, 5.80) SEA pitchers: LH Shaun Ostrander (4-7, 6.78) / RH Scott Janulis (1-1, 4.45) / RH Chris Grauer (2-3, 5.11) #79: WIN 8-1 ... a 7-run 7th breaks open a tie game...Biffer goes the distance, fanning six but walking four...six hits, 4 RBI from backups tonight #80: WIN 11-4 ... another Groff homer! Also, four walks and three runs...three hits by Frederick and Alonzo, Simmons triples twice #81: WIN 8-4 ... Simmons!now!has!two!home runs!on the season!...Daley, Lynn, and Matson also go deep...Walker is pretty bad tonight, however Pretty nice. Frederick had his 21-game hit streak ended in that last one, however.... We banged out seven HR in this series. Someone bottle that lightning.... Mahoney's diagnosis comes in: torn meniscus, out for the season. Oh well.... Might be time for some big changes in the bullpen anyway. The ERA is 11th overall, and outside of Johnson (excellent) and Germann (pretty good), it's been rough going. Yaung has pitched just 5 innings since his recall, so it's too early to tell what he'll deliver (or not), but Pearse, Walker, and Mahoney have been subpar. Time to check the trade block and also to get an update on the young guns on the farm.... ELSEWHERE: Nine wins in a row for the out-of-nowhere Brooklyn Robins, now only three games behind the Phillies.... Cincy has struggled to a 36-45 mark, and just now disruptive Andy Howard and selfish David Rivera came to blows. Somehow the clubhouse is "content" however.... At the halfway point, we have two possibly record-setting seasons on the books: Oakland's Felix Reyes has 39 HR, and Cincy's Cris Frias has 205 strikeouts. Reyes is chasing Barry Bonds' 73-HR season, while Frias should easily set the NL mark for whiffin', and may even surpass MacLeod's 405 Ks from last year. ...... TL;DR Version: A more than satisfactory 10-2 finish to June, wrapping up a 17-9 month. We're 15 games over .500 now, at 48-33, just two games behind the A's. Some team rankings are creeping up too: 4th in runs scored (up from 6th), and 11th in runs against (up from 13th). Somewhat surprisingly, we're 5th in team ZR, despite being just 11th in defensive efficiency. Despite a lack of power in the lineup, everyone is starting to click: even the early-season slump from Groff seems to have worn off, as he's up to .277 now, with 8 HR. Individually, a number of guys are 2nd or 3rd in a variety of batting stats, but only J.J. Simmons leads anything, with 6 sacrifices. On the mound, Kyle Johnson leads the AL with 26 saves, while Ben Germann is tops with 9 holds. Early end to the month because the all-star break is early this year. Can't wait to see who makes it to the Home Run Derby! Sadly, I will not be competing in the GMs-only all-you-can-eat contest this year. Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

09-13-2020, 12:31 PM	#371
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	July 2052 The all-star weekend festivities kick off with the prospects game. We send four kids from the system: SP Daniel Croft (AA), RP Brad Cahill (S A), C Mike Covington (AAA), and OF Nick Gase (A). Gase is kind of a surprise to me, as he's not really on my radar as a top prospect. (The others are.) But looking more closely, if he fills out he looks like a slap-hitting utility outfielder, good for contact and not striking out, with decent enough defense to fill in anywhere. Huh, okay. Anyway ... the NL stomps us down 9-3. Gase got a hit, Covington two. Cahill loaded the bases in his only inning (no runs tho), but Croft took the loss from his single frame. Cincy 3B prospect Tanner Carlisle (huge slugging prospect, big shock) was named MVP. For the big boys game, we place three guys on the roster: D.J. Grace will start at third; Kyle Johnson is named as one of the relievers on the squad; and oddly, Ben Germann makes the team as a starting pitcher. He's made two emergency starts for us, and while we've won both games, he's been much better as a reliever as he's never had any consistency as a starter. Still: way to go, Ben! So ... the NL delivers another big fat beatdown, winning 16-9. Grace does smack a 3-run home run, but Johnson gives up two runs and Germann yields three homers. Yowza. A couple more pieces of news: we traded a prospect and a pick to Seattle for reliever Dan Neumann. Neumann is 30, in the last year of his contract, and is solidly slightly-above-average in all categories. He's been good for the awful Mariners staff (1.59 ERA, 27 K in 17 IP), so hopefully he can inject some life into our bullpen. Also, we send down relievers Kevin Walker and Andy Pearse, while recalling Anthony Booker and Jeff Black (making his MLB debut). Let's see if this does something for our pen... Finally, we get our mid-season review from our "Caribbean" owners: nothing is good, apparently. We're not winning enough; our payroll is too high; we didn't re-sign closer Jon White; team defensive efficiency is not up. Total failures, all of us. Good to know. ...... July sees us playing 27 games, 15 at home, 12 on the road. Once again, we'll see everyone in the division, including a mid-month back-to-back against Texas and Oakland. We'll start with two series on the road. July 3-5 @ MINNESOTA They've improved every month, and now sit in third place with a 43-38 record. Eighth in runs scored, pretty much middle-of-the-road in all offensive categories. Last year's three-productive-men lineup is now a five-productive-men lineup, so that's progress. Pitching is greatly improved, at fifth in runs against. Conor MacLeod has once again been terrific, and stable mates Bobby Reder, Danny Ruiz, and Hector Quiroz have been decent-to-good. Bullpen has been top-five too. We took two out of three from them in late May. HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (8-4, 3.65) / RH Josh Irvin (5-2, 4.68) / RH Biff Skiff (10-5, 4.42) MIN pitchers: LH Bobby Reder (8-7, 4.27) / RH Danny Ruiz (9-3, 4.19) / RH Dustin Springer (3-9, 5.30) #82: LOSS 0-3 ... well, we do outhit them 10-6, and Bader is pretty good again...3 hits for Matson #83: WIN 5-3 ... Irvin suffers yet another rain delay, leaving in the sixth, but gets the win...HR for Matson and Daley, 3 hits for Simmons #84: WIN 8-6 ... 15 hits tonight, including HR from Grace and Goodloe, and 3 hits each for Groff and Lynn...Biff gets the win despite a bad outing I'll take it; the two wins keeps pace with Oakland, still three games ahead.... Three days, three truly subpar trade offers for Jules Medici. So I set him to 'untouchable' pdq.... Not that I'm unhappy with the current state of our outfield these days, but checking in on our former supersub Julius Burrows, now of KC, shows me that he just reached a 20-game hit streak, and is batting .367/4/17 in 27 games since the trade. And Tim Chapman is now batting leadoff, hitting .278.... D.J. Grace is asking for an extension: 9 years, $274M.... ELSEWHERE: Brooklyn has now won 12 straight, bringing them to 12 games over .500 and a game behind the Phillies.... Detroit has lost nine out of ten, but still holds a five game lead over the Twins and White Sox.... And Baltimore and KC are the only teams without 30 wins: both have 28. July 6-8 @ HOUSTON They've gone 7-5 since we saw them late last month, and there's little new to report since then. Currently 10th in offense, 7th in pitching. 1B Jose Renteria won the all-star HR contest, and now has 31 dongs on the season. Also, despite sitting fourth in the division, they're still on a 90-win pace, which would be the most wins in a season since getting 92 back in 2018. HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (5-7, 6.15) / LH Shane Walker (4-2, 5.92) / RH Mike Bader (8-5, 3.63) HOU pitchers: RH Alex Trujillo (9-6, 4.35) / RH Chris James (1-4, 4.47) / LH Chris Harris (10-6, 3.81) #85: WIN 10-3 ... 4 HR tonight, including 2 from Frederick...Jackson goes the distance, fanning 9...Grace gets hurt tho, diagnosis pending #86: LOSS 1-2 ... 7 hits for us, 4 doubles, but just 1 run...3 hits for them, none for extras, 2 runs and the win...odd game #87: LOSS 2-12 ... Bader looks human again, and the 10 hits we got went quietly...Booker and Black both pitch tonight, both get hammered Not great, especially Bader's outing (8 runs in 1.2 IP). The Booker/Black experiment in the pen hasn't been so hot either.... Grace suffers back soreness, and we're told he'll need two weeks off and some serious spa time. We're on volcanic islands: there have to be some fumaroles he can go rest in for a while, right? We recall Jesus Lopez from AAA, where he was batting .278 as their shortstop.... We ink one international amateur this year, nabbing Costa Rican pitcher Victor Antunez. "String" looks like a mid-to-back-end rotation guy to me, with three pitches coming around. Plus he's got that high INT/WE that I really like. Now go work out, son, and we'll check on you in six years or so.... ELSEWHERE: The Yankees have won 9 of 10, trying to push their way back into the AL East race.... Meanwhile, the Indians have dropped 11 straight, inching closer to the Royals at the wrong end of the Central.... The RBI may not be a cool stat anymore, but Detroit's Pat Townsand has 94, putting him on a pace for 175. Which still wouldn't catch Hack Wilson's record of 191 from 1930, but a guy can dream. July 9-11 vs TORONTO Just as I thought they would, Miami and Tampa have caught the Jays, pushing them back to third and just a game ahead of the surging Yankees. Batting is still a problem, at 15th in runs; pitching is much better, ranking 4th. Former Isle Dennis Perry has been moved up to the rotation, but at 0-3 and a 4.91 ERA, he hasn't caught fire yet. 1B Ian Logan and RF Joel Page pace the attack with 19 HR each, but over half the lineup is batting under .250, and like us they don't hit a ton of home runs. Their 2049 first round pick, pitcher Greg Boedigheimer, is still the #1 prospect in baseball: he's finally been moved into the rotation and has a 2.15 ERA in six starts. We took 2 from them on the road back in May. HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (6-2, 4.51) / RH Biff the Skiff (11-5, 4.56) / RH Shamar Jackson (6-7, 5.89) TOR pitchers: RH Nick Palmer (7-6, 3.97) / RH Alberto Reyes (8-5, 3.98) / RH Greg Boedigheimer (1-0, 2.76) #88: WIN 4-3 ... Frederick's solo shot and Groff's 2 RBI singles lead the attack...Irvin fans 9 in 6 innings of work #89: LOSS 1-2 ... Skiffer goes the distance, but despite 10 hits we can't sustain any offense, scoring once by accident...3 hits for Simmons #90: WIN 6-1 ... Action Jackson! gets another CG, allowing only 5 hits and whiffing 9...Goodloe pokes his 10th HR Finally some offense in that last game, keeping us up with Oakland (who swept the miserable Orioles), at five games behind them now.... Five batters have reached double figures in HR now! Daley and Frederick lead the way with 14.... Santa Barbara has found their way back to decency, at 42-39; and crazy times alert, as rookie ball Wilmington--usually just terrible--has started their season at 9-5.... ELSEWHERE: Bad news for Oakland is good news for us, sorrynotsorry: ace Jim Schwartz, a 21-game winner last year, tore his UCL and is done for this year and most of next year. At a league-best 58-32, they have a long way to fall, however.... Baltimore! This is not what rebuilding teams do: trade a decent RP, a solid 3B prospect, and a could-be-decent OF prospect for a 35-year-old OF batting .219.... Two international amateurs have signed for north of $20M, which is just nuts to me. July 13-15 vs TEXAS They've slipped a bit from their hot start, going .500 in June and 5-4 so far this month. Still, at 50-40 they're three behind us, eight behind Oakland. Still second in runs scored, and HR, and most other things too. Every regular but one (2B Mike McNeill, who's at least batting .275 and playing terrific defense) has at least 11 HR, and William Swanson (.346/36/84) is chasing a possible triple crown. Everyone is producing. Pitching ranks just ninth, and there are some nagging injuries bedeviling the rotation atm. Former Isle Cory Graulich is the #5 starter now, and he gives up a ton of long balls, so maybe we can make some magic happen there. Closer Garrett Slone (1.77 ERA) is still cracking, and hot prospect Mike Nelson--who should be in the rotation soon--has just been recalled and slotted as a setup man. We'll get to see him, most likely. Top prospect SS Javier Tzoc (#22 overall) is in AAA now and nearly ready, but I'm not sure where they'll put him as former #1 overall Ryan Boers (.289/19/55) has been solid at short. Maybe one of them will move over to second to replace the lighter-hitting McNeill. It's a good problem to have, frankly. HAW pitchers: LH Shane Walker (4-3, 5.56) / RH Mike Bader (8-6, 4.12) / RH Josh Irvin (7-2, 4.51) TEX pitchers: RH Cory Graulich (1-2, 6.33) / LH Bobby Daniel (8-5, 4.12) / RH Kevin Cahill (7-6, 4.16) #91: WIN 10-9 ... the extra point is up, it's good! Matson's RBI double in the 8th is the clincher...Walker is ugly, but the pen saves us today #92: WIN 6-2 ... 2 H, 2 RBI for Medici, and Goodloe and Matson knock RBI doubles...BUT: Bader gets hurt #93: LOSS 0-3 ... sleepy bats tonight, just six hits...six walks and three steals too...Irvin pitches well, takes the loss Unhappy with the offense in that last game, but two wins is still good. Mostly solid pitching too, which has been a real struggle.... If Bader is out long-term, I'm not sure what I'll do next. Probably the only AAA options worth looking at are Danny Carbajal or Jim Perry. Carbs is okay but not quite ready; Perry we acquired a couple weeks ago from Montreal as insurance. We drafted him some time ago but let him go because, well, he's below average. So my choices? Not great.... At least Liles comes back after our next series; as does Grace.... A favorite prospect, 19-year-old pitcher Manny Reyes, blew out his elbow in Short A ball and is done for over a year. Two injuries in two years for him now.... ELSEWHERE: The defending champion Pirates have decided that their league-worst bullpen is the reason why they're 43-50 and 13 games out of first place. So they've traded away four relievers in the last two weeks, acquiring a host of middling prospects. I dunno, but maybe your team AVG of .237 (ranked 17th) and your 13th-ranked overall offense might have a little more to do with it.... Oakland may have lost their ace, but they're still rolling: winners of 8 out of 10, a 60-33 record, and five games up in the West. ...... TL;DR Version: 7-5 during this run, which is not terrible but makes it hard to keep up with the hot A's. Still, our 55-38 overall mark is better than we were a month ago. We're still hitting a ton, and our pitching is getting a little bit better every week. Question marks remain, especially in the bullpen, and we're now awaiting Bader's injury news. There are a couple of interesting possibilities on the trade market, but as usual everyone has some glaring flaws. (Of note, Cincy is offering up every SP but Cris Frias right now.) So if Bader goes down long-term, watch this space... Some tough series upcoming: Oakland, Milwaukee (not great but they play us tough), a solid Tampa Bay team, then some month-ending relief (hopefully) in California and Seattle. __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

09-18-2020, 06:55 PM	#372
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	July 16-18 @ OAKLAND Even with over 40% of the season remaining, this is still a big series for us. The A's sit at 60-33, five games ahead of us. AVG is third, about thirty points behind us, but they're first in runs, scoring 59 more times. Possibly the fact that they're out-homering us 223 to 85 might have something to do with that. Reyes has 45, Ryan Walton and Justin Sandy 27, and leadoff man Randy Costello 22. Anyway...also 8th in runs against, despite having the 7th-ranked rotation ERA and 2nd best bullpen. Losing ace Chris Schwartz for the year will hurt, as only Chris Larimer and Eric Stockton are pitching well among the starters right now. Like us, there isn't much in AAA to call upon, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them pull off a trade over the next couple of weeks. Then again, maybe they'll roll with Oscar "Going Going Gone!" Escobedo the rest of the year. I guess they can just outslug everyone anytime, however. HAW pitchers: RH Biff the Skiff (11-6, 4.31) / RH Shamar Jackson (7-7, 5.52) / LH Shane Walker (4-3, 6.04) OAK pitchers: RH Eric Stockton (8-3, 3.52) / RH Conrad Robertson (5-5, 6.10) / LH Mike Thomas (6-5, 4.85) #94: LOSS 8-9 ... 3 HR to zero, guess who won that one...Biff gets pulled in the 3rd...4 RBI for Matson, but just not enough #95: LOSS 0-5 ... we get just 5 hits, also one only K and zero walks...Neumann has been terrible in his first two appearances for us, this series #96: WIN 11-3 ... 16 hits, including 3 HR: Frederick, Daley, Eason...CG for Walker, 4-hitter We outhit the A's in two games, but only grabbed one win. Their lead over us is now 6 games.... Liles comes off the DL, and Shane Walker--complete game win notwithstanding--goes back to AAA. Also, Bader's diagnosis comes in: wrist soreness, dtd for five days. No DL time, and he'll slide down the rotation and miss only one start.... ELSEWHERE: Cubs 3B Juan Garcia had a 34-game hit streak ended. He's now batting .342, up to 2nd in the NL. Garcia, in his 14th season, is a career .323 hitter who has topped 200 hits seven times but has never won a batting title.... San Diego has lost 5 straight, bringing the Giants to just 2 back, the Dodgers to 3. Yes, the Giants still have nine MLB-level players on the DL. They also have seven minor league teams with a combined record of 148-288.... Detroit's Pat Townsand has reached 100 RBI. July 19-21 @ MILWAUKEE The Brewers haven't made any hay in the Central, at 45-51, in fifth place. Twelfth in runs, but fourth in HR, led by former Isle Dante Padilla with 33 and CF Oscar Espinosa with 28. Billionaire Dan Starr, signed in the off-season, will come off the DL in one day, but has gone just .248/8/21. Pitching ranks 15th in runs. Closer Xavier Pride has 30 saves and a 3.40 ERA, setup man Tyler Trovato a 2.95 ERA, but no one else is pitching well. Five guys have ERA well over 5. We swept these guys back in May. HAW pitchers: RH Chris Liles (4-5, 3.04) / RH Josh Irvin (7-3, 4.42) / RH Biff Skiff (11-6, 4.36) MIL pitchers: RH Danny Salgado (9-7, 4.06) / RH Bryan Shaheen (6-9, 4.94) / RH John Landers (7-5, 4.69) #97: WIN 9-4 ... 3 hits, including a HR, for Lynn, and a 2-run single in the 11th by Wakabayashi in the 11th...Liles is okay, just getting into shape #98: WIN 8-3 ... everyone gets a hit, including HR for Frederick and Daley again...7 IP for Irvin, 2 for Yaung in some quiet relief #99: WIN 9-6 ... solo HR for Daley, but a 5-run 3rd is our key to victory...Biff gives up 10 hits and 2 HR, but our offense saves the day Nice sweep, but we only gaine a game on Oakland.... Grace was due off the DL already, but we get the news that his return date is now uncertain. We're not getting any production out of his replacements, but it is what it is.... Bullpen is still meh; Neumann hasn't pitched well yet, Black gives up too many hits, Yaung has an ERA over 5, but at least Booker has been much better in his second go-round.... ELSEWHERE: Pittsburgh has now traded five relievers over the last three weeks. They've also lost their top SP and biggest hitter (1B Chris Goldthwait) for at least a month, but they've moved to just nine games in back of Chicago, especially as the Cubs have lost 7 of 10.... 8 straight losses for San Diego, now tied for first with the suddenly hot Dodgers. July 23-25 vs TAMPA BAY Solidly into 2nd in the East, keeping the Jays and Yankees behind them, and trailing the Marlins by 3. Hitting is still just okay, 9th in runs and 7th in average. Leadoff and 3B Orlando Navarro leads the hitting, at .301/10/37, and 1B Edgar Aranceta has 27 HR, RF Vance Wise 25. Pitching has been stout: 1st in runs and the best rotation ERA. John Odom leads the AL with a 2.29 ERA, and Carlos Munoz already has 15 wins. The bullpen, however, sits 16th in ERA. Not even the great-named Bubba Fairweather has kept the pen afloat. Our former star Rich Stoneback has played solid SS, and been healthy enough to make 70 starts; but he's batting just .237. The other big free agent acquisition from the winter has been CF Kris Warner, doing his part in the #2 slot at .288/16/61/ HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (8-6, 4.05) / RH Shamar Jackson (7-8, 5.36) / RH Chris Liles (4-5, 3.19) TBR pitchers: RH Carlos Munoz (15-2, 2.66) / LH John Odom (9-4, 2.29) / RH Greg Drake (5-10, 6.01) #100: WIN 5-1 ... Groff homers, as does Lynn, driving in three...Bader goes the distance, giving up 10 hits and striking out 4 #101: WIN 5-1 ... Medici's 2-run blast is the GW, and it's Jackson's turn to pitch a CG, yielding 7 hits and fanning 7 #102: LOSS 2-6 ... we can't do much with 9 hits...Liles does fine through 7, but takes the loss anyway...Neumann is trash again: great trade there Still five behind the A's, three ahead of Texas.... So Neumann has been hit hard in his four appearances with us so far, with an ERA near 20. Maybe Pittsburgh has another RP they're looking to sell.... Still no word on Grace's return.... ELSEWHERE: 12 straight losses for Richmond, falling well out of the NL East race.... Detroit has pulled away steadily in the Central, up to 10 games over the White Sox.... San Diego's back on top in the NL West, but the whole division--outside of poor Austin--is within 8 games of first.... We may have a future Italian superstud, but Brooklyn has one playing right now: 2B Maurizio Barbiusa, batting .283/30/86 in his first full season in the bigs. He's also disloyal, greedy, lazy, and kinda dumb. But he can hit, run, and turn a double play. A man of many moods, apparently. July 26-28 vs SEATTLE Back home to face the hapless Mariners, now at the bottom of the division, a game behind California. Offense has dropped to 14th in runs, 17th in average, and pitching is rock-bottom. 1B Jon Terrell (.295/23/60) has been steady, and sophomore DH Ger van Mourik (.257/17/39) has recovered from a slow start. But slugging 2B Jose Rodriguez is out, and three regulars are hitting below .200. Only SP Dan Welker has an ERA below league average. Two former Isles are trying to make a mark in the starting lineup: CF Daniel Newell (.272/3/25) and LF Brian Ware (.237/11/30). We've taken 7 of 9 against them so far. HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (8-3, 4.39) / RH Biff Skiff (12-6, 4.40) / RH Mike Bader (9-6, 3.85) SEA pitchers: RH Dan Welker (9-9, 4.34) / RH Erik Ramey (4-11, 6.27) / LH Shaun Ostrander (4-9, 6.04) #103: WIN 7-5 ... Goodloe drives in two, including the GW sac fly in the 6th...3 H, 3 RBI for Alonzo, including a solo HR #104: LOSS 4-5 ... a 5-run 3rd is our doom...13 hits, 4 by Daley and 3 by Groff...rough game for Biff tonight #105: WIN 8-5 ... another HR for Daley, this time a 2-run shot...Bader gives up all five, but Neumann (finally!) and Johnson shut things down Winning that last game keeps us 5 behind Oakland, who just keeps on winning.... We finally reach 100 team home runs! Daley has 19 now, Frederick 17.... Two wins here were more a function of our continued offense, combined with some scary pitching. Bad outings from all three starters put us behind in all three games.... ELSEWHERE: The Yankees lost two top relievers for the season on the same day, including last year's closer Jon "You must sign him at all costs!" White, who was rolling with an ERA over 7.... KC and Baltimore are the last teams without 40 wins. Oakland (with 68) is closing in on 70.... Cincy's David Rivera and Andy Howard are still at it, making headlines with their ongoing feud. Rivera, a light-hitting 2B, is not to be confused with teammate Dave Rivera, the powerful 3B who slugged 50 HR last year. Try to keep up. July 29-31 vs CALIFORNIA Hanging on to fifth place, a game ahead of Seattle. Like the M's, not much is going right: 15th in offense, 17th in pitching. Mauricio Marquez (.303/17/53) continues to chase the ROY prize, while Nate Elder has been a one-man rotation. After a year-and-a-half of struggle, we can proudly announce that closer Scott Mahala finally has his ERA below 5. Feels good, man. And for some reason, they recently traded a couple of prospects for 33-year-old 2B Alan Branham, an excellent fielder but a lifetime .260 hitter. And he's 33. Rebuilding? What's that? And yet we're only 5-4 against them this year. HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (8-8, 5.07) / RH Chris Liles (4-6, 3.15) / RH Josh Irvin (8-3, 4.57) CAL pitchers: RH Nate Elder (5-9, 4.34) / Rh Ryan Kuehner (6-9, 6.58) / RH Josh Pomerantz (9-9, 5.02) #106: WIN 12-3 ... Frederick and Matson homer, Alonzo goes 3-for-4 with 2 RBI...CG for Jackson, despite giving up 11 hits #107: LOSS 4-5 ... we blow a 3-0 lead in the 8th, as Johnson has his worst outing of the season...wastes a big night from Frederick (4 hits, 2-run HR) #108: WIN 2-1 ... our turn to win late, as Lynn singles home Simmons in the 8th...strong 8.1 IP from Irvin, fanning 8 On-again-off-again pitching strikes again: this time, our starters were pretty good, with only an unexpected bullpen collapse costing us that one game.... Backup IF Jesus Lopez has an odd stat line since his recall: 0-for-4, 3 RBI.... We made another TRADE to try to shore up the bullpen, reacquiring Robbie Collier for minor league pitchers Henry Weareorwear and Jaheim Mwaura. Collier has been pretty good for Brooklyn, with a 2.13 ERA and 57 K in 38 IP. Brooklyn will also consume 75% of his nutso $8M contract this year and next. Collier fanned 116 in 63 IP for us last year, and I'm hoping he can bring some of that nastiness back to our pen for the stretch run.... ELSEWHERE: Oakland has won 5 straight, now holds a 6-game lead over Hawaii.... Pittsburgh's recent turnover of its entire bullpen may just be working, as they're back to .500 and just 8 games behind the floundering Cubs.... Philly continues to roll out baseball's best offense, scoring 676 runs in 108 games; and now their pitching is coming into shape, up from the absolute basement to 13th in NL runs against. If that continues to trend, they'll be unstoppable this fall. ...... TL;DR Version: Man, can I gripe out a 10-5 stretch, making its sound so much worse? Yes, I can. So let's reset: we're now 65-43, a more-than-solid 22 games over .500 and--it feels weird saying this--in the first wildcard slot, three games over Tampa Bay and Texas. (Note: wildcards this year will be best-of-three playoffs, rather than the single game win-or-die format.) Moving into the stretch months, I'm feeling a bit more confident at this moment about the team: we're still hitting the tar out of the ball, and actually adding some home runs to the mix. We get a ton of hits, don't strike out, take a good amount of walks, and actually lead the league in steals. If our pitching can get a move on, I like our chances to catch the A's. Speaking of pitching: the rotation ERA has finally cracked the top ten, and I'm seeing more good outings than bad of late. And although the trade for Dan Neumann hasn't yet worked out, fingers crossed that Collier can maintain the hometown (he's from Ewa Beach) brio he had last year. All season long it's been the Kyle Johnson/Ben Germann show, and you can't get it done when 2/3 of your bullpen doesn't show up. Here's hoping we've put that problem to bed. Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

09-21-2020, 08:23 PM	#373
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	August 2052 We start August with an off day, then play 27 games, 12 at home and 15 on the road. And thanks again to no interleague play we'll see even more of our division, facing off against all five teams this month; we'll also play division leaders Miami and Detroit, but get a series against the woeful Royals. Plus the annual pilgrimage to Yankee Stadium. August 2-4 vs HOUSTON A rough 7-20 in July has dropped the Astros to four games under .500, and 19 behind the A's. They are most likely out of the post-season running. Offense was the primary candidate: 14th in runs, and now only two regulars are batting over .275. They acquired former #1 overall pick Kevin Mazurowski from New Orleans, but he's only batting .250 and hasn't provided any spark yet. (They also picked up former Isle Joseph Hart, but he's hit just .167 in 9 spot starts, adding even less.) Pitching is 9th in runs, and the pen has the 4th best ERA in the AL. The staff is not the problem here. The off-season may be a challenge, as half of that solid bullpen will likely be gone, along with #1 SP Chris Harris. Their top prospect is SP Chris James, already in the bigs and pitching well, but he's prone to the long ball. There's very little even close to ready after him right now, however, so stingy owner Jim Crane, Jr, is going to have to open up the checkbook if he wants the Astros to stay competitive next year. HAW pitchers: RH Biff Skiff (12-7, 4.56) / RH Mike Bader (10-6, 3.96) / RH Shamar Jackson (9-8, 4.94) HOU pitchers: RH Ron Mills (7-11, 5.87) / RH Alex Trujillo (9-10, 4.79) / LH Chris Harris (11-8, 3.54) #109: LOSS 9-12 ... so much for talking up my pitching staff, huh...32 combined hits, 6 HR tonight...Grace comes off DL, gets hurt again #110: LOSS 3-6 ... Bader gets roughed up, and we manage only 7 hits, just one for XB #111: WIN 6-1 ... Daley blasts his 20th, and Jackson knuckles his way to a 5-hitter, another complete game Does what I write become bulletin board fodder? I swear when I say honest things about bad or struggling teams, they come up and bite us.... I'm still hopeful about our staff, but we start the month with two pretty bad outings by our starters and one complete blow-up by the bullpen. So I make another move, returning MH Yaung to AAA and calling up Jordan Ruiz for his first taste of MLB. Ruiz came over from KC at last year's deadline in exchange for the dearly departed Nick Kramer (who has a 5.89 ERA as the Royals closer this year); he pitched well in AA early this season, and just so-so at AAA, but he's been better than my other options. With more turnover possible in next year's pen, it's useful to see what we might have in some of these young guys, so he probably won't be the final callup.... Grace's injury is a knee sprain; he's dtd for the next series, and will split time at third with recent callup Lua Ulkini (who's 0-for-5 so far).... ELSEWHERE: Tight race in the NL West, with LA leading SF and SD by two games, while Portland and Arizona are lurking.... Pittsburgh and their revamped bullpen just swept the first-place Cubs; the Pirates are now only 5 games out.... Cincy's Cris Frias is fanning 14.6 and walking 5.4 per 9 innings; meaning 20 batters for every 9 innings he pitches aren't even getting wood on the ball. August 5-7 @ MIAMI Currently holding a four game advantage over Tampa Bay, with 68 wins. Offense ranks 6th, with soph Toshi Shimabukuro vying for the league batting title at .342. Fifth in home runs, with Toshi at 31, 3B Jon Ladd at 30, and six others between 12 and 19. Pitching is strong, 2nd in runs against, with both Jon Carlsen and Victor Nunez having a say in the Cy Young conversation. The only blemish is that Ladd is out for nearly two more months with a knee ligament strain. Closer Dwaine Webb has finally come into his own: he struck out 126 in 96 IP last year, but had an ERA well over 5. This year, he's cut the K rate down slightly, his HR rate by a third, and his ERA by nearly 4 runs. The result: an actual closer now. HAW pitchers: RH Chris Liles (4-6, 3.09) / RH Josh Irvin (9-3, 4.36) / RH Biff Skiff (12-8, 4.88) MIA pitchers: RH Mike Messinger (5-6, 4.02) / RH Ken Demers (3-2, 4.68) / RH Jason Simon (10-8, 4.64) #112: WIN 9-6 ... runs in the first 5 frames stake us to a 9-2 lead, then we hold on tight...Liles is good early, struggles late, but grabs the win #113: WIN 5-3 ... 3 H, 4 RBI for Daley...strong game for Irvin, 8.1 IP, and notching his 10th win #114: LOSS 3-5 ... we score 3 early, but a 4-run 4th is enough to doom us...Shimabukuro homers in all three games, a 3-run shot tonight Mostly solid series here, but more shaky starting pitching.... DJ Grace will be back at full strength for the next series, or at least I hope he will.... We're four behind Oakland, one ahead of Texas. If I wasn't constantly worried about everything all the damn time, this would be a fun race.... ELSEWHERE: Philly has won 9 straight and surged to the top of the charts, at 74-40 and 9 games ahead of the Braves.... Tightest division race is the NL West, where 8 games separates first from fifth. The #4 and #5 teams--Portland and Arizona--don't scare me, but they're hanging in there for now.... The home run pace has slowed a bit, with Oakland's Felix Reyes (49) still on top and Texas' William Swanson (48) right behind.... Milwaukee hasn't had anything to crow about this year, but slap-hitting RF Justin Heberling has a 28-game hit streak going. Heberling is a loner and a bit dense, but he works his butt off and strikes out about once a week. Walks less than that tho. August 8-10 @ TEXAS Just a game behind us now, and the two teams are the top in the wildcard standings right now. The top run scoring team in the game right now, and second in AVG, OBP, and HR. Everyone is producing right now, especially William Swanson (.373/48/113). The two-time MVP is working on a third go-round, and has to be the front runner right now. Their pitching looks kind of like ours: a few starters and a few relievers pitching well, and more struggling. But overall, they're better, 5th in runs against. Only two injuries, but both are key contributors: CF and #2 batter Ronnie Halvorson, and #2 SP Kevin Cahill. Halvorson will be back before the playoffs, Cahill will not. HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (10-7, 4.12) / RH Shamar Jackson (10-8, 4.71) / RH Chris Liles (5-6, 3.33) TEX pitchers: RH Paul Labbe (12-4, 3.05) / LH Bobby Daniel (12-6, 3.81) / RH Mike Kent (6-12, 5.76) #115: LOSS 3-5 ... 2 H for Daley and Simmons...Bader gets pulled in the 5th after 8 hits and 5 runs #116: LOSS 9-10 ... down 7-2, we score 7 times, but lose it in the 8th...Jackson has a bad outing, Collier loses it with the bad 8th #117: LOSS 2-6 ... 5-run 1st inning, that's all she wrote Oof, terrible.... Our pitching regressed horribly in this series, we've fallen to third place, and are actually a game out of the wildcard now. Neato!... Moving on.... ELSEWHERE: Six losses straight for San Diego, now 5 games behind LA and SF.... Conor MacLeod has 7.1 WAR. Second place is Jon Carlsen (MIA) and T.J. Carroll (DET) with 4.7.... 52 HR for Felix Reyes, 50 for William Swanson. August 12-14 vs OAKLAND Still in first, duh, now 4 games up on Texas, 6 on us. Offense is 2nd in runs, pitching is 9th. Still way in front in HR, with 273. Reyes has 52, Ryan Walton 34, leadoff man Randy Costello 30. The bottom two hitters, Justin Sandy and Roger Morales, have 27 and 21. The bullpen ERA is 2nd in the AL, and that's with four pitchers on the DL. Is there anything these guys aren't doing well? Um...they've committed the 2nd-most errors in the league, and the staff has the second-fewest strikeouts. Wow, pretty egregious there. HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (10-3, 4.30) / RH Henry Biff (12-9, 4.96) / RH Mike Bader (10-8, 4.29) OAK pitchers: RH Conrad Robertson (8-6, 5.67) / RH Eric Stockton (9-4, 4.13) / LH Mike Thomas (7-8, 4.97) #118: LOSS 2-1 ... Irvin gives up just 4 hits, but it doesn't matter...3 hits for Matson, 2 for Simmons #119: WIN 8-1 ... a win! Skiff goes the distance, tosses a 5-hitter, 7 K...4 hits, 2 RBI for Simmons #120: WIN 9-8 ... down 7-3, we tie it in the 9th, give up one in the 10th but get two in our half...four pitchers give up 5 HR...13 H, 9 BB for us That was a surprising two wins there, to be honest.... Through all this, our bullpen has raised its ERA to 5th in the AL; the rotation has dropped a bit, to 11th.... That seven guys in our starting lineup are still batting over .300 is what's keeping us going right now.... ELSEWHERE: It's a 5-5 fest in the NL Central, as the Cubs (leading), Pirates (6 games back), and New Orleans (8) all go .500 lately. Cincy does too, but they're 13 games out.... The Yankees looked like they were making a move, winning 8 of 10 to end July. But in the last two weeks they've lost three closers and two other relievers (including our closer from last year, Jon White) for the season. Now their pen consists of two regular RP, two aging ex-starters, and three guys with a combined 8 IP of MLB experience. And they've fallen back to fifth place in the division, six games under .500.... William Swanson has opened up a 19 point lead in the AL batting race. ...... TL;DR Version: Some pretty poor pitching leads to a 5-7 run to start the month. We're 70-50 overall, five games behind the cooled-off A's, and two behind the hot-again Rangers. We're still the best hitting team in the game (not counting power), and have improved to third in AL runs scored. Rotation ERA has dropped again, to 11th, while the bullpen is holding at 5th. It's been a long time since I've had pitching be this inconsistent, and it's making me really itchy most nights. (Maybe that's just night sweats.) Anyway, since we're past the trade deadline, we're pretty much stuck with what we got. Heading down the stretch, it seems pretty apparent that we're fighting for the wildcard, rather than the division, this year. We're two behind Texas for the #1 spot, and Tampa Bay is just two behind us. Not much room to breathe. __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

09-25-2020, 08:07 PM	#374
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	August 15-17 vs KANSAS CITY With our next four series coming against some AL bottom-dwellers, we have got to make up some ground these next two weeks. Starting with the AL-worst Royals, at 42-78. Hitting is 17th in runs, pitching 15th, for a -143 differential. Julius Burrows has been rock solid since we traded him, batting .347/11/32, and 1B Tim Chapman is batting .273 in leadoff. LF Dan Dellinger was batting .340 until a recent high ankle sprain; he's out for an unknown length of time. The other part of the Liles trade, pitcher Greg Van Tilburg, has been in and out of the rotation, and with a 5.27 ERA, he's been a bit better for them than he was for us. Yet another former Isle, Nick Kramer, is the closer: 5.63 ERA, 18 saves. HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (10-8, 5.00) / RH Chris Liles (5-7, 3.59) / RH Josh Irvin (10-4, 4.22) KCR pitchers: RH Adam Grossman (3-12, 5.31) / RH Arturo Bernal (4-11, 5.96) / LH Greg Van Tilburg (4-5, 5.83) #121: WIN 10-3 ... Medici salts this one away with a GRAND SLAM in the 7th...4 hits for Daley...8.1 strong IP from Jackson too #122: LOSS 4-5 ... we outhit them 11-6, and Liles goes 9 IP, fanning 10...two of his runs were unearned...Johnson, tho, blows it in the 10th #123: WIN 4-3 ... only six hits, but we add ten walks too...we fall behind in the 8th, tie it in the bottom half, then win in the 9th Whew, saving some face again in that final game. Wakabayashi walked three times in that game, then Medici pinch hit for him in the 9th, and also walked.... Much better pitching over these games. I guess it takes a terrible offense to whip us into shape. Eh, it'll do.... Still, we lose a game to both Oakland and Texas.... ELSEWHERE: Atlanta took a big blow when Cy Young front-runner Jose Gutierrez tore his labrum and will miss the rest of the season. They're well behind the Philles (13 games), but sitting in the first wildcard slot at the moment.... NL Central update: Pittsburgh's won four straight, Chicago has lost five. The Cubs lead is now down to just three games.... Felix Reyes has 476 AB. Of those, 54 have left the park, but 147 have resulted in strikeouts. That's an All-or-Nothing rate of 42%. August 18-20 @ NY YANKEES The best team we'll face over this twelve-game stretch, at 58-65 and probably not heading to the post-season. Only 13th in runs, 15th in AVG. Best hitter Aaron Harrison (.286/27/84) is out, and OF Chris Mitchell (.266/30/85) can't do it all by himself. They signed unwanted free agent 3B Alexis Alonzo in early June, and he's batted .314 since. (He's also angry that he's not in the starting lineup, when...he is.) Leadoff man Aaron Blocker is hitting .229, just part of a fine trend of subpar leadoff batters around the league right now. Pitching is okay, 7th in runs against. Ace Elijah Bragg has been far and away their best pitcher, but vets Brian Whitney and Tim Mitchell have also been fine. As I mentioned earlier: five RP are on the DL, including a run of three closers over just a couple of weeks. New closer Joe Waggoner just earned his first MLB save a few days ago. Better store him safely, guys. HAW pitchers: RH Biffy Skiffy (13-9, 4.73) / RH Mike Bader (10-8, 4.39) / RH Shamar Jackson (11-8, 4.91) NYY pitchers: LH Jose Sedillo (4-7, 6.23) / LH Elijah Bragg (14-6, 3.57) / RH Bob Garner (4-12, 6.02) #124: LOSS 4-5 ... we waste a 2-HR effort by Grace...Skiff is pulled in the 6th after allowing all five runs...back to mediocre hitting, I see #125: WIN 6-0 ... HR for Frederick and Medici, and Bader goes 8 scoreless IP...why he's pulled with a 5-0 lead in the 8th is a mystery to me #126: LOSS 1-7 ... good feelings evaporate in the 6th, when Jackson allows 3 HR and 6 runs...two more scoreless bullpen innings tho! Listless. We're coming down to crunch time, and we look listless.... Pitching has been a little better, at least overall. But hitting is taking a downturn right when we need it.... Groff is down to .256, and has lost his place against LHP to Medici.... We're down to 8 games out of first, 3 behind Texas for second.... In some good news, Simmons is third in the batting race, at .346.... ELSEWHERE: LA is hot, winning eight in a row and opening up a six game lead over the Giants.... Division leads overall are opening up a bit. The closest are the AL West (Oakland-Texas) and the NL Central (Chicago-Pittsburgh), both at 5 games. August 22-24 @ SEATTLE The first of two series against the division's weak sisters, both on the road. The Mariners combine 12th-ranked hitting with AL-worst pitching. Time for our bats to wake up! 2B Jose Rodriguez has been a bright spot, at .297/36/78, while sophomore 1B Jon Terrell has 26 HR. The vets they signed this winter haven't worked out, although Isle flameout OF/P Daniel Newell has hit .280 in leadoff. Both the rotation and bullpen feature the league's worst ERA, with only two back-end RP having ERA below 4. I don't know if it's a positive or a negative that most of their top twenty or so players will be back again next year. (Although almost all of the aforementioned disappointing free agents won't be.) HAW pitchers: RH Chris Liles (5-7, 3.48) / RH Josh Irvin (10-4, 4.09) / RH Biff Skiff (13-10, 4.78) SEA pitchers: RH Jesus Aguilar (3-14, 7.48) / RH Dan Welker (9-11, 5.21) / RH Erik Ramey (7-11, 5.65) #127: WIN 10-3 ... healthy hitting (17 hits) and a win for Liles...Simmons, Grace, and Daley all with 3 hits #128: WIN 9-8 ... we blow an 8-0 lead but win on Grace's RBI single in the 10th...all five of Irvin's runs were unearned...Groff homers, a rarity now #129: WIN 6-4 ... more late-inning heroics: Alonzo's 2-run HR in the 9th is the winner...Germann faces one batter, gets the win. Seems fair Finally! Just what we needed, even though those last two weren't pretty.... We gain a game on Oakland, but none on Texas. Now seven games out of first. Still just two up on Tampa Bay for the second wildcard.... Matson suffers a dtd injury in the last game, so will probably sit out the next series. Anthony Booker also gets hurt, his diagnosis is pending. After a rough start to things in April, he's bounced back to a 3.23 ERA in 47.1 IP, and has stabilized the back part of the bullpen. Fingers crossed.... ELSEWHERE: William Swanson has probably already clinched the AL MVP, but he is only two HR behind Felix Reyes to take the triple crown.... No changes in any of the divisions, but the White Sox have gone 15-6 this month and have closed to just 8 behind the Tigers. They're seven games behind us in the wildcard standings.... With 805 runs scored, the Phillies have an outside shot at becoming the second NL team to score 1000 in a season. August 25-27 @ CALIFORNIA Their 55 wins looks much better than Seattle's 49, which means we'll probably struggle this series. Here we see a team with 14th-place hitting and 15th-ranked pitching. Rookie OF Maricio Marquez (.308/21/65) looks like the real deal, and 24-year-old Ricky Ochoa has 29 HR. On paper, the lineup looks half-decent, and they do have a decent (better than us) amount of HR, at 192. Pitching has fallen apart, tho, with two starters and two relievers now on the DL. They thrown in their #2 prospect, 23-year-old John Demerath, into the fire, and he's looked decent with a 2.16 ERA from the pen. They'll be counting on him for the rotation next year. It feels like a generation ago that this was the most-feared franchise in the AL. HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (11-8, 4.18) / RH Shamar Jackson (11-9, 5.12) / RH Chris Liles (6-7, 3.38) CAL pitchers: RH Jay Sanford (2-5, 5.23) / RH Nate Elder (5-11, 4.66) / RH Ryan Kuehner (9-11, 6.37) #130: WIN 7-3 ... Frederick and Grace homer, and we add four more XBH...2 errors for Bader, but a CG...29th steal by Simmons, now batting .353 #131: LOSS 6-7 ... looking good until we give up runs in the 7th, 8th, and 9th...3 hits for Simmons, and Matson and Daley homer #132: WIN 6-0 ... there's the Liles I trade for: 5 hits, 8 K, CG shutout...Matty and Freds homer again...everyone gets a hit, even Groff Two wins is still good, but we lose a game to Oakland in the meantime. Still two behind Texas, but now three up on Tampa Bay in the wildcard race.... Some needed perspective on the season: our 78 wins is still tied for 5th best in all of baseball.... Groff has just 47 RBI, seventh among our hitters and the worst ever in his long career.... Booker's diagnosis comes in: stretched elbow ligament, out for ELEVEN months. Just how far did that thing stretch? So call up Deshawn Card for his first taste of MLB action. He's got average stuff and movement, but elite control. I thought about recalling one of Pearse, Kearns, or Yaung instead, but wanted to see some of another one of the kids, given that we'll be refiguring the pen yet again this winter. Card was a 2nd round pick in '49, and his stuff needs to be a liiiiittle bit better to get into the action for a spot in the rotation, which he really really wants.... ELSEWHERE: KC is the first team eliminated from the playoffs, and one of two teams with less than 50 wins (at 46; Baltimore has 49).... He hasn't been on the radar like he was last year, but Cincy's Cris Frias became the first pitcher to fan 300, after a 15 K outing against the Phils. He's struck out 311 batters; also has walked 117. August 28-30 vs DETROIT I talk up Oakland a lot, but these guys have been our real nemeses over the years, knocking some good squads out of the playoffs at least three times (too lazy to check right now), often in game five or game seven heartbreaks. Jerks. Once again, they're first in the Central, but the lead has closed to just 7 over the surging White Sox. Fifth in runs scored, 4th in runs against, for a +132 differential and a really balanced team. Third in HR with 240 too. Slugging CF Luis Rodela is done for the year, and his replacement Ed Haley, hasn't been up to snuff, batting just .220/1/14. 2B Hideki Matsuro is just off the DL, and has 2 HR in his first week back. Ace Raul Bravo has two shutouts in his last three starts, and #2 T.J. Carroll is the rare SP with an ERA under 3. Old (he's 37) vet Mike Head was a solid pickup for the pen (3.22, 7-3), but equally old Rafa Maldonado has not been: 8.03, 11 BB and 6 K in 24.2 IP. He's retiring at year's end, ending an 18-year career that has seen him win 2 Cy Youngs and 2 MVPs, win 224 games, and earn 102 WAR. HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (10-4, 3.95) / RH Biff Skiff (13-10, 4.78) / RH Mike Bader (12-8, 4.12) DET pitchers: RH Tony Gamez (11-8, 4.35) / LH Carlos Zenon (11-7, 4.85) / LH Carlton Saunders (9-8, 4.35) #133: WIN 6-1 ... Daley stays hot with another HR, and Irvin tosses a 4-hit CG, fanning 12 #134: WIN 4-3 ... Skiff goes 8 quality IP, but we only tie it on Ryder's RBI single in the 8th and win on Medici's walk-off HR in the 9th #135: WIN 8-0 ... wow...Bader gives up just 3 hits, and Grace and Goodloe hits HR...Grace adds three more hits, and Waka and Goodloe also get 3 Very very surprising series here. Our pitching shows up for three straight games, for once, and we looked pretty comfortable at both ends of the team for nearly every inning.... Still, we gain nothing on Oakland, but get one on Texas: still 8 out of first, just one behind the Rangers. We're five up on Tampa Bay in the wildcard.... ELSEWHERE: Philly tops the charts with 90 wins, Oakland right behind with 89. The Cubs have the worst record for a division leader, at 73-62.... Baltimore is eliminated from the post-season in a Baltimore way: Mike Zulick goes ten innings, yielding just four hits and no earned runs. But loses on two unearned runs in the 10th.... Eleven straight losses for Montreal, now flirting with KC and BAL for the worst record.... The home run race has really slowed, but Felix Reyes (with 58) does have a chance to catch the all-time record of 73. ...... TL;DR Version: A much better 11-4 run here, especially that critical 8-1 finish. At 81-54, but 8 games out of first, we're probably not catching Oakland for the division, barring something really dramatic. But we have the fifth-best record in MLB right now, and we've solidified our wildcard standing. (Remember that wildcard playoffs are now best-of-three, not one-and-done, which surely won't bite us on the ass.) Key to this run has been some much better pitching: now 7th in runs against, and the rotation ERA has jumped to 6th place. Suddenly, three starters have ERA below 4.00 too. What a world. Now we need to keep it going, and solidify our playoff position, even if there's no catching Oakland. Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

09-30-2020, 08:02 PM	#375
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	September 2052 The final 27 games of the season, no games in October. Twelve at home, fifteen on the road, although we do finish up with two series at home. Let's see if our pitching can keep improving and maybe we can put a little pressure on Oakland. We'll know early, as we play both Texas and Oakland early on. September 1-3 @ BALTIMORE This year's 50-win effort is already better than last year's 48-win season. Improvement is always a positive. And yet: league-worst batting, last or next-to-last in nearly every category. Sieb Moleman leads the team at .297; DH Miguel Echeverria has missed nearly 40 games but still has 28 HR; 3B Fernando Marino has 30 HR in his first starting season, at age 30. Pitching ranks 13th, so not terrible. The system ranks 11th, and there are some solid players on the way, including #5 guy OF Xavier Perez, called up for the roster expansion from A ball. He only lacks for power, but looks like he has everything else going for him. Other OF Francisco Trejo and Antonio Alvrado look good, and this year's #1 pick SS Eddie Feltman could be in the bigs by next summer, he's that far along. Mike Zulick (already in MLB), Dustin Whytsell, and Danny Fite also look like the basis for a strong rotation one day. HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (11-9, 5.19) / RH Chris Liles (7-7, 3.17) / RH Josh Irvin (11-4, 3.80) BAL pitchers: LH Rich Davis (3-12, 5.16) / RH Pat Karahalios (2-16, 4.73) / RH Mike Zulick (7-7, 4.96) #136: WIN 11-1 ... six-hitter by Jackson, 10 K...only 8 hits for us, but 12 walks too...HR from Freds, Daley, and Medici #137: WIN 14-2 ... tonight, 16 H and 9 BB...CG win for Liles...3 H and 4 RBI for Groff, 4 H and 3 RBI for Grace #138: WIN 9-5 ... more HR from Frederick and Medici...3 RBI for Matson, now over 100 on the year (second on team after Daley) Seven game winning streak now, and we've passed Texas, now two games ahead. We play them next. And six games behind Oakland.... Daley and Frederick have 25 HR each; still hoping someone can reach 30 this year, just for the look of it. Daley also leads the team with 116 RBI.... So far, we've called up only IF/OF Jesus Lopez. AAA Santa Barbara is playing well, and all of my minor league teams are riddled with injuries; so there isn't much leeway to bring up a raft of players. But with AA Androscoggin missing the playoffs, I'll likely move up some of their guys to AAA, then bring up another couple of players to the big club over the next week.... ELSEWHERE: Chicago is now just five games behind Detroit.... Couple of big losing streaks now: Cleveland has dropped 11, not that they were going anywhere; Pittsburgh has dropped ten, and now have fallen away from the Cubs, back into third place behind New Orleans.... Philly has the lowest Magic #, now just 8.... 60 HR for Felix Reyes, pulling away from triple crown hopeful William Swanson. August 4-6 @ TEXAS With us getting hot and Oakland continuing to win, the Rangers have fallen back just a nudge, to eight games out and three games ahead of Tampa Bay in the second wildcard spot. Of the three offensive powerhouses in the AL West, they're right in the middle: 2nd in runs, 2nd in average, 2nd in HR. William Swanson is, yet again, heading to another MVP: .360/55/133. Five other regulars have at least 21 HR, and CF Ronnie Halverson may be the best combo of power (17 HR) and hitting (.290) in the leadoff position in the AL. Pitching sits in 5th, but #3 starter Mike Kent has a pending injury diagnosis and may miss the series. But Paul Labbe and Bobby Daniel have become a solid 1-2 punch in the rotation, and Garrett Slone (1.33, 28 SV) has emerged as a quality closer. HAW pitchers: RH Biff Skiff (13-10, 4.67) / RH Mike Bader (13-8, 3.92) / RH Shamar Jackson (12-9, 4.98) TEX pitchers: RH Paul Labbe (14-5, 3.07) / RH Cory Graulich (3-4, 7.61) / RH Bryan Crider (3-3, 6.07) #139: LOSS 2-4 ... not a great start...Skiff gives up a 3-run shot in the 6th for the loss #140: LOSS 2-3 ... just a pair of solo HR tonight (Simmons hits his 3rd!!!), little else...RP Collier hurt #141: WIN 8-5 ... rough outing for Jackson, 5 runs in 5 innings...4 hits, 3 RBI for Goodloe, 3 hits with 2 doubles by Grace Tough series, but we stay a game ahead of the Rangers, and still seven behind Oakland.... We outhomered their sluggers, but I would rather have had the two wins instead.... Collier's injury is a sore ankle, and he's just dtd for the next series.... ELSEWHERE: Tampa Bay is not going down without a fight, having won 7 straight to pull to 6 behind Miami and 2 behind Texas in the wildcard.... Detroit is hanging on by just 3 games over the White Sox now. And the Tigers just found out that star CF Luis Rodela will miss six more months with post-concussion symptoms. This could end his career, tbh.... Philly just keeps rolling along, up to 96 wins now and a magic # of 8.... Portland is the next hot team to discuss: ten wins in a row and just a game behind LA. Talk about coming out of nowhere: they were .500 on August 1, but since then have gone 26-7. September 7-9 vs OAKLAND They've been remarkably consistent all year, but a 3-3 start to the month has brought us and Texas back into play. Still, we'll need at least two wins here for me to think we've got a chance to catch them, at seven games back. Team offense is still first in runs, and 1st with an outstanding 327 home runs. Felix Reyes has hit 60, and Ryan Walton has reached 40 for the eighth consecutive year. Pitching ranks 8th, with no one really standing out (now that ace Jim Schwartz is done until next August). Oddly, #4 starter Oscar Escobedo threw a shutout and a one-run complete game and then complained to the press about how the team was doing him wrong. Another oddness: #5 batter John Cannon has 23 home runs, but only 42 RBI. Probably because the two guys ahead of him in the lineup have hit 103 homers, always clearing the bases. HAW pitchers: RH Chris Liles (8-7, 3.10) / RH Josh Irvin (12-4, 3.91) / RH Biff Skiff (13-11, 4.68) OAK pitchers: RH Oscar Escobedo (8-7, 5.26) / RH Conrad Robertson (13-6, 4.48) / RH Eric Stockton (11-7, 4.36) #142: WIN 3-2 ... 5 runs, 5 solo home runs...the last was Matson's second of the game, a walk-off shot in the 9th #143: WIN 15-6 ... 3 more HR, including 2 by Matson...5 hits by Daley, tying a team record...Irvin isn't good, but turns out he didn't need to be #144: LOSS 1-5 ... only 4 hits, one is a solo shot by Frederick...Skiff gives up 11 hits in 5.2 innings We just couldn't win that third one. Gained a game on first, however, which is still a good thing. Texas won twice, still just a game behind us.... With minor league seasons winding down, I call up two more from Santa Barbara: catcher Mike Covington will get a couple of starts and a handful of at bats; and RP Nate Kearns threw so well for the Surf that he gets another look over these last few weeks.... ELSEWHERE: Three game lead for Detroit over Chicago now. Tight! Miami is hanging to a five game lead over Tampa Bay (still two behind Texas for the #2 wildcard), and LA has opened a slim three game advantage over Portland.... Philly is the first to clinch a playoff spot; now up to 97 wins.... KC finally won their 50th of the season.... Fun race for the NL batting crown: Rick Logston (PHI) .344, Ben Grossman (BKN) and C.J. Howard (CHC) .342, and Dustin Wasilewski (LA) .340. September 11-13 vs CLEVELAND The massive off-season roster churn had everyone thinking rebuilding, but a 19-8 April got them all excited. Since then, however, they've been 29 games under .500, sliding back to where the preseason pundits had them. The lineup has been productive, 7th in runs, but pitching has struggled to a 14th place standing. LF Victor Guillen is the star here, at .304/36/104, and youngsters Marcus Stokes and Antonio Guerrero are solid parts of a new foundation. Acquired from us, OF Jerry Cappuccilli and 2B Julian Cardenas have also been solid. However, the pen has been pretty bad (17th), and the rotation (12th) not much better. Former Isle Ryan Ratliff was pretty good through June, with an ERA under 4.00; but he's been up near 6.00 since then. But two top pitching prospects--Dudley Mele and Tyler Malinich--are up on the big club already and have been rudely welcomed to the big leagues, but they'll be in the rotation next year. There's promise here, Indians fans. HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (13-9, 3.92) / RH Shamar Jackson (12-9, 5.02) / RH Chris Liles (8-7, 3.08) CLE pitchers: RH Mario Guzman (1-0, 5.40) / RH George Millard (10-10, 3.66) / RH Ryan Ratliff (9-12, 4.52) #145: WIN 8-0 ... solid 4-hitter by Bader...Fred and Matson stay hot, each homering again #146: WIN 8-6 ... down 6-4 in the 9th when Goodloe mashes a GRAND SLAM to win it...Jackson doesn't make it out of the 4th, however #147: WIN 8-0 ... nice 12 K outing from Liles, getting the shutout...another HR for Matson, and 3 hits from Grace, 2 H/2 RBI by Alonzo Outstanding! And Oakland got swept by league-worst Kansas City, so we're only three games out now. We also picked up a game on Texas, now two ahead of them.... Matson has 7 HR in his last 8 games, and Alonzo went 6-for-8 with a HR in this series.... It's back: in the Great Homers-vs-Steals competition, HR are leading 155 to 153.... Joe Lynn has a career high 43 steals, looking for his second straight league title.... ELSEWHERE: Philly clinches the NL East, and still sits on top of the league with 99 wins.... LA has won 9 straight, opening their lead over Portland to 5, and Detroit has gained a couple on the White Sox and they also lead by five.... William Swanson leads baseball with 9.3 WAR; Phils slugger George Livezey leads the NL with 8.9. ...... TL;DR Version: A much-needed 9-3 stretch here has put us squarely into the division race. And what a difference some solid pitching makes. (Also, more home runs.) Jackson did pitch a CG early on, but his ratio of bad-to-good games is still somewhere between two- and three-to-one. Fun note: we've now used 21 pitchers this year, tied for the second most in team history. We used 21 in our inaugural year in 2034, and 24 the following year. Finally, if we can't catch Oakland these last couple of weeks, our stretch of division titles will end at eight years. __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

10-03-2020, 05:41 PM	#376
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	September 14-16 @ BOSTON Take away their 2-15 start and they're even steven, 65-65. Probably still not going anywhere, but 80+ wins looks better than scrambling for 70. Hitting ranks 10th, pitching 12th, so both sides of the coin are a drag. Among the doldrums here, there have been a few standouts at the plate. DH Rich Dragos (.300/36/90) overcame a slow start, 1B Mike Sanchez (.280/35/97) and RF Bryan Bairstow (.280/26/82) just as good, and former Isle Mike Hunter has hit .308 with 45 doubles. But none of those guys are young (Bairstow is the youngest at 28), and there isn't much on the farm that's ready for prime time. In fact, only 2B Eric Jackson looks like a future sure-fire starter in the field. This is a rich team, so they can retool with their wallet, but they need to either commit to that or commit to a serious rebuild, and stop bringing in B-level talent when there aren't any A-level guys here already to build around. HAW pitchers: RH Josh Irvin (13-4, 4.06) / RH Biff Skiff (13-12, 4.78) / RH Mike Bader (14-9, 3.74) BOS pitchers: RH Kaoru Tanaka (9-12, 4.84) / RH Sean Reed (10-14, 6.03) / RH Danny Diaz (10-10, 4.60) #148: LOSS 4-5 ... HR for Medici, starting to show his chops...but we can't do much else with the other 12 runners we put on, and Irvin gets pasted #149: WIN 13-2 ... an 8-run 2nd is the big frame tonight...3 H and 2 RBI for Groff and Freds, 2&2 for Daley...Skiff leaves after 2 with back tightness #150: LOSS 3-4 ... dammit...we score 2 in the 9th, but give up the same in the bottom half...Bader pitches a good game, but our ace closer blows in on three straight hits We gain a game on Oakland, but blow a prime opportunity with the A's getting swept by the Yankees. Texas also dropped two, so they're still two behind us. Argh.... Skiffington's injury is just dtd, but he'll miss about a week and will likely sit out his next start.... ELSEWHERE: AL division leads are now Miami by 6 over TB; Detroit by 6 over the Chisox; Oakland by 2. In the NL, Philly has clinched; Chicago leads Pittsburgh by 7; LA over Portland and SF by 6.... As it stands currently, the wildcard teams would be Hawaii, Texas, and two of Atlanta, Portland, and San Francisco.... William Swanson is now just 2 HR behind Reyes, still chasing a triple crown.... Philly has 101 wins; Miami and Oakland have 93, but they'll have to stretch to reach the century mark. September 17-19 @ SEATTLE Our next two series are against the bottom of the division. If we're going to make some noise, now is the time to do it. C'mon guys! At just 62 wins, not much has gone well for the Mariners this year. Offense ranks 12th, but pitching is dead last. The middle of the lineup is set, but that's just 1/3 of a roster. Catcher and #5 batter Arturo Sena has his usual 30+ HR, but also his usual sub-Mendoza average. The good news here is the 4th-ranked prospect pool, headed by two really solid-looking pitchers, Ron Rivera and Vince Push. OF Paul Stough and Brad Hawkinson may be ready next year, which would really help the offense. And there's also 1B Ben Otten, already in MLB and hitting .298/10/29 in 178 AB. Barring some well-placed spending this fall, the offense should be fairly decent next year, but pitching needs more help than just a couple of prospects. HAW pitchers: RH Shamar Jackson (12-9, 5.15) / RH Chris Liles (9-7, 2.92) / RH Josh Irvin (13-5, 4.13) SEA pitchers: RH Chris Grauer (7-6, 4.99) / RH Jesus Aguilar (5-16, 6.86) / RH Dan Welker (10-12, 5.28) #151: LOSS 2-4 ... uuuuuuuuugh...we outhit them 10-7, but whatevs...Jackson gives up 2 solo HR, that's the difference #152: WIN 10-2 ... 3 HR and a 5-run 9th make me happy...pending injury diagnoses for Liles and Goodloe make me sad #153: WIN 9-4 ... a 7-run 5th is tonight's highlight...3 RBI doubles by Lynn...complete game by Irvin A's and Rangers both sweep, so we lose a game to both.... No word yet on the Liles and Goodloe injuries. Neither are guys we can afford to lose for the post-season.... We're now tied for first in runs scored, with 880. Still 1st in AVG and OBP.... Steals now lead home runs 163 to 160.... ELSEWHERE: Nobody made any moves in the division races. Hawaii (3 games behind Oakland) and Texas (4) are the closest competitors.... AL Cy Young race is wide open this year. Tampa's Carlos Munoz has 21 wins, Miami's Victor Nunez 20, and teammate Jon Carlsen 19. Minny's Conor MacLeod of course leads everyone with 331 Ks, with Carlsen second. Pitcher WAR race is MacLeod (6.3), Carlsen (6.3), and Detroit's Raul Bravo (5.9). September 21-23 @ CALIFORNIA Our final series of the season against a bottom-dweller. We must have wins here, nothing less. No moral victories, if we're going to have a chance at the division and a few days off. Like Seattle, neither hitting nor pitching has been worth writing about. Rookie Mauricio Marquez (.313/23/76) has been a bright spot, and is the likely ROY. Ricky Ochoa slumped from 56 HR to 36, and LF Nate Atwater hit 40 two years ago but has combined for that many over the last two seasons. Catcher Chris Dabbah was an early-summer recall and has hit .277 in part-time work; once he's fully cooked he'll be a decent hitter and receiver. In the rotation, Nate Elder and Josh Pomerantz look like nice building blocks, and once John Demerath is ready, they should make a nice 1-2-3 front. "Wait 'til next year! Again." HAW pitchers: RH Mike Bader (14-9, 3.69) / RH Biff Skiff (13-12, 4.73) / RH Shamar Jackson (12-10, 5.13) CAL pitchers: RH Mike Hosey (8-17, 5.19) / RH Jason Shetler (1-0, 3.92) / RH Nate Elder (6-12, 4.72) #154: LOSS 2-3 ... sigh. Not good...plus, Bader and Groff hurt, have pending diagnoses #155: WIN 7-3 ... Skiff comes back and throws 7 strong innings...Medici hits the GW HR, and no one gets hurt tonight! #156: WIN 10-2 ... thankfully Jackson pitches like a pro tonight, going 8.1 IP...2-run HR from Alonzo gets us started, and we score all 10 early, then coast Lots to unpack here.... Oakland swept the Astros, now has a 4 game lead on us, with just six to play. Texas also won twice, remaining two behind us. With Tampa Bay faltering, it's looking more like we're playing our division mates in the wildcard.... Injuries have landed. Skiff, as you can guess, came back and is 100%. Goodloe had just a 3-day thing, and he's also fine. Groff's is also a dtd injury, but for three weeks. As he's most affected in throwing and running, and is our DH, he'll still keep platooning with Medici. Bader is out for 2 days, so we breathe easier there too. Sadly, tho, Liles is out for six weeks, meaning he's done for the year. Should we manage to make the Series, maybe he'll be ready. But not likely. Damn.... ELSEWHERE: Chicago and LA clinch their divisions, leaving only a four-team race for the NL wildcards. Currently: Atlanta (87 wins), SF (85), Portland (84), and Brooklyn (83).... With a four-game lead, Oakland has clinched a playoff spot, and has a magic# of 3. Miami has clinched the East, and Detroit is a game away from clinching as well. Tampa is now 4 games behind Texas in the wildcard race, so they're nearly done too.... Cincy's Cris Frias has 17 wins and 361 K, but the Reds still have the NL's worst pitching staff, giving up 787 runs and fielding only two other pitchers with ERA below 5. September 24-26 vs CHICAGO WHITE SOX The Sox are still trying to catch Detroit, but they need to move over for our own chase of the A's. Sorry guys: be nice. They've built a nice offense, at 4th in runs and 3rd in AVG and OBP. At 14th in HR, tho, they're a lot like us: get men on and move them over, rather than beating people with the long ball. Zeke de la Rosa (.281/30/113) has cemented his place as one of the game's best young hitters, while 35-year-old Ninsei Sato followed up last year's ROY performance with .273/22/102. Ben Usilton, Elijah Pass, Chris Rock (hitting .340), and Andy Barenberg are all under 29 and make for a very nice core group. Pitching ranks just 10th, mostly because studs-to-be Ben O'Neal and Burton Dick can't stay healthy. Luke Weaver and Alex Alvarado have won 15 games, but more due to strong hitting than through their own efforts. Unless they win out and get some help from Detroit, they're likely to miss the playoffs for the 23rd straight year, but they should be one of the stronger AL teams next year. HAW pitchers: RH Ben Germann (7-0, 2.42) / RH Josh Irvin (14-5, 4.08) / RH Mike Bader (14-9, 3.67) CHW pitchers: RH Ivan Moreno (5-8, 4.46) / LH Alex Alvarado (15-10, 4.56) / RH Jasper Cummings (7-9, 4.93) #157: WIN 14-1 ... woot...a 4-HR attack, and we bang out 16 total hits, add 7 walks...Germann steps in with a complete game 8-hitter...AND WE CLINCH #158: LOSS 1-2 ... I guess we were tired, held to just 4 hits...Irvin leaves after 7, up 1-0, but Johnson blows another one down the stretch #159: LOSS 0-2 ... ick, another four-hit game, and this after we eliminated them after game one...Bader pitches with a cold, and does fine, at least And with that sorry display, we're headed to the wildcard against Texas. We'll also not win 100 games for the first time in over a decade. Yeah, yeah, first world problems I know.... Bader gets a cold for a few days, but pitches anyway, and how about Germann! Four starts: 4-0. So why didn't I start him more? Because he was also excellent in relief, and his history shows that he has never been able to maintain solid starting pitching for more than a couple weeks. But maybe he should be in the rotation now.... Groff suffers his second dtd injury, and tells me he's mad that he's in a platoon. Hey, I know you're the face of the franchise, and a future Hall of Famer, but hit better than .260 in a stretch run and then complain, okay?.... ELSEWHERE: The AL playoffs were set early in this series, and the NL concluded after those third games. Atlanta and San Francisco kept winning and made the post-season, while Brooklyn and Portland didn't and didn't. September 27-29 vs HOUSTON They were right in it through June, at 45-36. Since then, however, they've gone 25-53 and struggled in every facet. Offense dropped to 15th, and only the killer combo of Jose Renteria (.304/52/127) and Ricky Silva (.268/47/109) have gotten much going. Pitching is still okay, at 10th in runs against, but no one stood up and took charge when things started going sideways. The good news is they'll have tons of cash to spend this fall, with fallen-star Alejandro Gonzales and his $33M/year departing, along with #1 SP Chris Harris. Harris has been good for eight years now, but the lefty will probably want a sizeable raise on his $17M, and it's more than likely the Astros will look elsewhere instead. He's a lefty groundballer, with a solid health history and a K/9 ratio near ten. Hmmm..... HAW pitchers: RH Biff Skiff (14-12, 4.70) / RH Shamar Jackson (13-10, 5.01) / LH Shane Walker (5-3, 5.70) HOU pitchers: RH Alex Trujillo (11-18, 4.97) / LH Chris Harris (12-12, 4.00) / RH Tim Ciotta (14-12, 4.37) #160: WIN 10-4 ... 4 H, 4 RBI for Medici, and two hits for four other guys...CG by Skiff, fans 9 for once...time to play some scrubs now #161: LOSS 2-3 ... eh, no one got hurt, so that's a win...Jackson looked okay, so may have made the post-season rotation, if we get that far #162: LOSS 4-5 ... four of their runs come on solo HR, of course...Frederick gets his 100th RBI The two losses tie us with Texas in the wildcard race, so I'm not sure who gets home field.... We finish with 167 HR, one less than the 168 steals we recorded. Congrats to everyone who took stolen bases and the over.... Shane Walker got the call to go in final game, in what may be the last game he pitches for us. A number of fringe guys are probably headed for other homes this fall.... ELSEWHERE: William Swanson isn't able to catch Felix Reyes, so falls just two HR short of the AL triple crown.... With the playoff races already decided, what do we talk about? Well, Baltimore fell down late again, finishing with the worst record in the league at 58-102. At least that's a ten-win improvement from last year.... The NL Cy Young is also a crapshoot. Early favorite Jose Gutierrez missed the last five weeks of the season, but still won the ERA crown and finished third in WAR. His teammate Matt Waugh topped the WAR race, but didn't threaten anywhere else. Cincy's Cris Frias could repeat, with 387 K and the most wins in the NL (19). ...... TL;DR Version: A disappointing 7-8 finish, and 97 wins overall. We fall short of Oakland by four games, and end up tied for second with Texas. MLB has them listed ahead of us in the standings, so I think they may have the home field advantage coming up. Our team stats ended up looking pretty good: 1st in runs, AVG, OBP, and steals. Our lack of power hurt us often, however, and we finished with 167 HR, in 17th place. Pitching got better as the season went along, finishing 5th in runs, with a 5th-best rotation ERA and 3rd place bullpen. No pitcher, however, dominated and stood up as an ace. Chris Liles started to really come back into top form late in the year, but he's hurt and out for the playoffs. Bader and Irvin will be our 1-2 punch in the rotation, and I'm crossing my fingers that their better-looking late-season results will carry over into October. One area where we improved but I rarely mentioned was team fielding. We finished 6th in efficiency and 9th in ZR, with a positive number. But we made more errors, finishing 13th with 77. We've got a big task ahead of us, having to get through three series to reach the championships. But, it's the playoffs! Anything can happen! Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

10-08-2020, 07:13 PM	#377
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	2052 Playoffs Little did I know when I changed the wildcard playoff format to a best-of-three that we would have the chance to experience it ourselves. And against a divisional opponent. Texas, like us, won 97 games, good for a fith place tie in overall league standings. (Meaning that one of the best teams in the league will be out early on.) By now, you know all about their powerful lineup: Swanson, Boers, Robbins, Miller, Venegas, Espinoza. All with at least 22 HR (Swanson had 60), and three batted over .300. They were third in runs scored, with 916, just 14 fewer than us. Their 327 home runs were, however, nearly twice our total. Pitching was good too, 7th in runs against. What may help us is their injuries: RF Omar Gurrola (.269/41/93) is out, as is 3B D.J. Flores (.261/21/57 in 99 games). And biggest of all is #1 starter Bobby Daniel (17-7, 3.68); meaning once we get past Paul Labbe, we'll see journeymen Jose Ambriz and Steve Means. Can we rise to that? For us, our #1 starter, Chris Liles, is also out, and DH Adam Groff has a dtd injury that will limit his play. But he has been rotated in and out of the lineup that last month, so for once a Groff injury may not be critical for us. What will be critical is that we'll roll out three rookie pitchers--who have been good at times, and also have looked lost at times. Anyway, the lineup is generally healthy and has been hitting well of late, so we're at least coming in to the series not playing poorly. What stinks is that we'll play two of the three games--should it go three--on the road. In the NL, it'll be the Braves versus the surprising Giants. ...... Game One: October 1, Hawaii (RH Josh Irvin, 14-5, 3.95) @ Texas (RH Kevin Cahill, 10-6, 3.66). Last second change of starters for the Rangers, subbing out Ambriz for Cahill. Anyway... After a quiet first frame, we get on board first with a Frederick single, Medici walk, then a Goodloe 3-run homer. Irvin cruises through the first three, and we don't add anything to that, so it's 3-0 visitors 1/3 of the way along. The first sign of trouble for us is a Ryan Boers solo home run in the 4th, but Irvin calms down and then keeps the Rangers off the board over the next two innings. The complexion of the game changes in the bottom of the fifth, however: a triple, three doubles, and a single brings home four Rangers and brings Irvin's game to a quick end. After six, it's 5-3 homestanders. Texas adds to the lead with a 2-run blast by Mr. Swanson off Dan Neumann, and now it's 7-3 Rangers. We counter quickly, with one of our typical innings in the 8th: Grace singles, Daley walks, then Freds triples them home. After a walk, Goodloe strikes again, singling home Frederick. We don't add to that, but it's now close: 7-6 Texas. They can't score in their half of the 8th, so we've got one more bite at the apple in the 9th. With two outs, Grace singles and then Daley lines the first pitch he sees into the left field stands, and we're up by one! Change of pitchers, then Freds singles and Matson brings him home with a long home run into center-right. And we're ahead, 10-7, with our ace closer coming in! And it goes away quickly with a single, walk, and a 3-run homer by catcher Juan Espinoza. Sigh. Johnson settles down after that, and we're headed to extras. Both teams get runners to second, but no one scores: off to the eleventh. Where...Freds strikes again: his fourth hit of the game is a solo blast to left, and we're up by a run. Johnson actually settles down this time in the bottom half, shutting the door and sealing a wild game one victory! Final score: Hawaii 11, Texas 10. Hawaii leads series 1-0 Game Two: October 2, Texas (RH Paul Labbe (16-7, 3.36) @ Hawaii (RH Mike Bader, 14-10, 3.61). Back home, with a chance to take the series... Texas gets on the board first with a Boers RBI single, but we tie it in the third via a Lynn leadoff home run. But Texas relies on their old stand by to score twice in the fourth: a single and a two-run home run, this one by Ted Miller. And then again in the fifth, after a Ronnie Halvorson single then a Swanson two-run shot. Suddenly we're down 5-1. Can we come back again? We put runners on base each of the next four innings, including loading the bases in the fifth, but can't score anything. We mount a mini-comeback in the 9th with a pair of doubles and a pair of fielders choice ground outs to plate two runs, but can't do more than that. Final score: Texas 5, Hawaii 3. Series tied, 1-1 Game Three: October 3, Hawaii (RH Biff Skiff, 15-12, 4.67) @ Texas (LH Steve Means, 6-3, 5.49). Okay, here we go: one game for win or go home. No one does much over the first three, although we do leave runners on each inning, five in total. And two more in the fourth, for good measure. And that bites us eventually, when Ted Miller brings home two with a double in the bottom of the fourth. Texas 2-0. Nothing in the fifth. And then we finally find our groove in the sixth: three doubles and a Grace home run plates four Islanders, and we're up 4-2! Texas claws one back in the bottom half, when Espinoza doubles home Eric Robbins, and our lead is cut in half. Of course we get runners on in the seventh and eighth, but no more runs. No runners in the 9th, so we go to the bottom half up by a run, and with our closer on the mound...who then gives up a leadoff home run to Espinoza. Sigh. He doesn't give up anything more, but does go through a 30-pitch inning. Off to extras again. The tenth and eleventh go fast, with neither team putting anyone on base. We get a single and a walk in the twelfth, but our threat ends with Goodloe's groundout to first. Texas likewise gets two on in their half, but can't score. Whew. Thirteenth inning, and we put runners on the corners, but again get closed out with a ground out. Bottom half, Ben Germann comes on. He gets Robbins to strike out looking, but then it's us watching Ted Miller line a shot into the right field bleachers. Game, set, match. Texas 5, Hawaii 4. Texas WINS series 2-1 ...... Not only were we in the new wildcard format unexpectedly, but we could have been one-and-done if I had kept the old format. Where do I send my complaints? Oh well. We were done in by our season-long bugaboo: pitching. Not only was our starting pitching just so-so, but our 1-2 bullpen punch of Johnson and Germann, solid all season, was pretty bad. Johnson blew saves in both of his appearances, and Germann lost the final game. In the NL, Atlanta spotted the Giants a win then came back--like Texas--to win the final two and advance to face the Phillies in the second round. Texas will play Oakland. ...... ROUND 2 The divisional round is next. In the AL, Miami takes out the Tigers in four, and Texas does the same to the A's. Detroit and Oakland were looking to finally break through, considering how often we denied them shots at the big time, but couldn't get it done. Miami is looking to get back to the Series for the second straight year; Texas is in uncharted waters. Over in the senior circuit, Philadelphia's powerful offense only scores more than 5 runs once, but they still take out the Braves in four. And LA wins the first two games against the Cubs, but Chicago storms back with three straight to take the series. Philly has been to the Series twice in the last decade; Chicago, not since 1945. ...... CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES For fans of "More Baseball is More Better" the AL championship series was a dud. For Texas fans, however, it was a thing of beauty, as they swept out the Marlins in four. Since their back-to-back Series visits in 2010 and 2011, the Rangers have done very little. But now they're AL champs, with a chance to grab the first title in franchise history. The NL championship series, on the other hand, was a seven-game classic. Four games went to extra innings, and the series was decided on a two-out, bases loaded single in the bottom of the ninth inning, off the bat of a 26-year-old pinch hitter with eleven career MLB at bats. In the end, it's Cubs fans who have to wait another year, I'm afraid. Down three games to one, Chicago fought back to take this to seven, but in the end they came up just a run short. ...... 2052 WORLD SERIES Here we go, to end the season and crown the champs. Texas is looking for its first franchise world title, while the Phillies are looking for their third in the last eight seasons. And I'll repeat this until somebody breaks through: the last non-Hawaii team to win from the AL was Toronto back in 2035. I pick Philly in six. Both teams can score runs in bunches, but the Phils have better pitching; injuries have hampered the Rangers staff too much. Game 1: Philly 9 - Texas 6 ... PHI 1-0 Game 2: Philly 2 - Texas 8 ... series tied 1-1 Game 3: Texas 10 - Philly 0 ... TEX 2-1 Game 4: Texas 3 - Philly 5 ... series tied 2-2 Game 5: Texas 16 - Philly 7 ... TEX 3-2 Game 6: Philly 1 - Texas 7 ... TEX WINS 4-3 I said Texas in six, right? Well this was a bit surprising. Although most of the Series was definitely of the "last team batting, wins" type, the fact that the battered Rangers staff shut out the best offense in MLB once and also held them to a one-run finishing game, that was the real key. Plus, hitting 23 HR over the six games really helps. Texas SS Ryan Boers is named series MVP, batting .409 with 3 HR. Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

10-14-2020, 04:05 PM	#379
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	Design Madness! As 2053 will mark our 20th season in MLB, we spared no expense in designing a new shoulder uniform patch that we will proudly wear throughout the upcoming campaign. I hope you like it! Attached Images __________________ Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders!

10-15-2020, 12:11 AM	#380
Palaaemon Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 263	Shoulder Patch Electronic Whiteout™? __________________ I don't have to run faster than the bear, just faster than you.