2081: Desperation in Denver - Page 24

jamus23 · 04-19-2009, 03:01 PM

Code:

Central Division 
 
Team         W  L  PCT  GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 
Denver      12  7 .632   -   13- 6   -1  7-2  5-5  0-3  2-3  W5    8-2 
Memphis     12  7 .632   -   12- 7    0  5-5  7-2  0-1  1-0  W4    6-4 
Green Bay   10  9 .526 2.0    8-11    2  5-5  5-4  2-0  5-1  L1    6-4 
Grand Rapids 9  9 .500 2.5    9- 9    0  5-4  4-5  0-1  2-3  W1    3-7 
Tucson       6 12 .333 5.5    8-10   -2  3-6  3-6  1-1  1-5  L1    5-5 
Kansas City  5 14 .263 7.0    8-11   -3  1-8  4-6  0-1  1-3  L4    4-6

Denver 4 @ Green Bay 6
Denver 7 @ Green Bay 0
Denver 9 @ Green Bay 2
Nashville 12 @ Denver 16
Nashville 7 @ Denver 8
Nashville 4 @ Denver 16

Denver moved into first place for the first time this season with a strong, although sometimes difficult, week. Green Bay surprised the Broncos in the first game of their series, outhitting Denver 12-6 en route to a victory. The Broncos rebounded, however. Kenny Pillsbury tossed his second straight shutout- a 5-hit, 9 strikeout performance that was backed by a 2-HR, 4 RBI performance from catcher Lee Chappel. In the concluding game of the series, Robert McNett tossed 6 innings of 1-hit, shutout ball, and Jack Rumfelt broke open the game with a 5th inning grand slam. Nashville, meanwhile, proved to be extremely feisty. The first game saw the Predators nearly rally from a 13-6 deficit. It wasn't until Ellis Bolling hit a 2-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to give the Broncos a 16-12 lead that Denver put the game away. Nashville gave Denver even more trouble in the second game, and led 7-6 through 7 1/2 innings. The Broncos took the lead for good in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Predators put up a brief fight in the final game before collapsing. The Broncos raced out to a 7-1 lead in the first two innings, but Nashville cut it to 7-4 after three innings. The Broncos kept scoring, however, and Nashville did not.

Take a wild guess as to who carried the Broncos' offense this week. Yep, it was Lee Chappel again. Chappel posted a 1.980 OPS, with 10 hits, 2 doubles, 5 homeruns, 13 RBI, 10 runs scored, and 7 walks. Michael Phillips delivered a 1.750 OPS, with 2 doubles, 1 homerun, 5 runs scored, and 9 walks. Asbel Fuentez had a 1.292 OPS, with 3 doubles, 1 homerun, 7 RBI, and 6 runs scored. Masahachirou Shunji woke up and posted a 1.244 OPS, with 2 homeruns, 5 RBI, 6 runs scored, and 5 walks. Ellis Bolling delivered a 1.097 OPS, with 4 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homeruns, 5 RBI, and 7 runs scored. Russell Thomas also shook off his early season slump, and posted a 1.027 OPS, with 10 hits, 1 homerun, 8 RBI, and 7 runs scored.

Pretty much every hitter had a good week for Denver this week. The only exception was the combined play at shortstop. Booker Romero, Adrian Mingo, and Brooks Branco combined to produce only 5 hits in 22 at bats, with no extra base hits, and 5 RBI.

The starting pitching was not particularly good this week. Pillsbury threw the shutout, and McNett was also very effective, but the rest of the starters struggled. In 2 starts, George Buentello was pounded for 21 hits and 12 runs in 11 2/3 innings pitched. Ray Lockridge gave up 6 runs(3 earned) in 6 innings. Thomas Fons gave up 9 hits and 4 runs in 7 innings.

With one exception, the bullpen was fairly solid. James Virgen pitched 4 scoreless innings in 2 outings, Omar Lopez gave up 1 run in 3 innings in 2 appearances, and Lyndon Gwinn pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings in 1 appearance. The exception was Larry Waltz, who was battered for 6 hits, 7 runs(6 earned), and 3 walks in 2 2/3 innings pitched. So far this season, Waltz has been a complete disaster, with 14 hits, 6 walks, and 11 runs(10 earned) allowed in 6 1/3 innings pitched.

Around the league:

The National League Player of the Week Award went to Los Angeles' catcher, Larry Seishisai. It is only the 3rd POTW of the 35 year old Seishisai's career. Seishisai hit .583(14 for 24), with a 2.101 OPS, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 5 homeruns, 16 RBI, and 11 runs scored. He had 3 hits and 4 RBI in a 13-4 rout over Portland. He doubled, homered, and drove in 3 runs in a 4-2 win over the Trailblazers. He had 3 hits, including a double and a homerun, in an 8-7, 10-inning victory over Portland. He doubled, tripled, and scored 2 runs in a 5-4 win over Sacramento. Finally, he banged out 4 hits, including 3 homeruns, drove in 8 runs, and scored 4 runs in a 15-9 win over the Kings.

For the second straight week, the American League Player of the Week Award went to Denver's Lee Chappel. The Broncos' catcher homered twice, walked twice, drove in 4 runs, and scored 2 runs in a 7-0 win over Green Bay. He had 2 hits, a walk, and 3 runs scored in a 9-2 win over the Packers. He had 3 hits, including a double and a homerun, walked twice, drove in 5 runs, and scored 2 runs in a 16-12 win over Nashville. He homered twice, walked twice, drove in 4 runs, and scored 3 runs in a 16-4 win over the Predators. Chappel is currently on a 17-game hitting streak, which is one game short of his career long.

Divisional Races:

San Diego briefly dropped into second place in the West Division during the week, but by the end, the Padres were back in first, with a record of 14-6. San Jose sits in second place at 12-6.

Buffalo's winning streak was snapped at 9 games with a 3-1 loss to San Jose, but the Bills maintained their hold on first place in the Northeast Division, with a record of 14-5. Pittsburgh currently sits in second place with a 10-9 record.

In the Southeast Division, Miami has continued to roll, with a league-best 15-4 record. The Dolphins have lost 2 straight games, however. Knoxville and Washington are tied for second place, with 11-8 records.

In the Central, Denver and Memphis have moved into a tie for first place, having won 5 straight and 4 straight, respectively.

Injury news:

There were two significant injuries during the week, and both were to starting pitchers. Memphis' veteran right-hander Edgar Molina was lost for the season with a torn back muscle. The 36 year old former Cy Young winner was off to a strong start, with a 2-1 record, a league-leading 0.96 ERA, and a 34/4 K/BB ratio in 4 starts. Memphis should have the starting pitching depth to overcome his loss, but it will definitely hurt. Atlanta, meanwhile, lost Jaime Alemany for about a month with a back injury. Alemany was off to an o.k. start, with a 4.62 ERA in 4 starts, although he was 0-3. Alemany, by the way, missed most of last season with a torn triceps.

Ahead for Denver this week is a 3 game series at Miami(15-4), and a 3 game series versus Knoxville(11-8).

jamus23 · 04-21-2009, 09:24 PM

Code:

Central Division 
 
Team          W  L  PCT  GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 
Denver       15 10 .600   -   17- 8   -2 8- 4  7-6  0-3  3-3  L2    7-3 
Green Bay    15 10 .600   -   12-13    3 7- 6  8-4  2-0  8-1  L1    7-3 
Memphis      15 10 .600   -   16- 9   -1 7- 6  8-4  0-1  1-2  L1    7-3 
Grand Rapids 11 13 .458 3.5   11-13    0 6- 6  5-7  1-1  2-4  L2    3-7 
Tucson       11 13 .458 3.5   12-12   -1 5- 7  6-6  2-1  3-6  W2    8-2 
Kansas City   6 19 .240 9.0   10-15   -4 1-11  5-8  0-2  2-7  L2    1-9

Denver 1 @ Miami 3
Denver 6 @ Miami 3
Denver 9 @ Miami 1
Knoxville 8 @ Denver 9
Knoxville 9 @ Denver 7
Knoxville 10 @ Denver 4

This was Denver's toughest week since the first week of the season when it was swept by Washington. The Dolphins' Christian Hokusai out-dueled Kenny Pillsbury in a game were all of the scoring came from homeruns. Right-fielder Dennis Fernandez hit a 2-run homerun and second-baseman Dale Bahena hit a solo shot for the Dolphins, while Lee Chappel provided the Broncos' only tally. Denver was on track for another 3-1 defeat in the second game of the series, but the Broncos exploded for 5 runs in the ninth inning to pull out a come from behind victory. The third game was a laugher, as Denver tagged veteran Jose Caceres with 7 first innings runs. In the first game against Knoxville, the Broncos blew an early 5-0 lead, and trailed 8-6 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning. In the bottom of the 8th, however, Denver retook the lead, and hung on for the win. In the second game, it was Denver that fell behind early, as Knoxville scored 4 first inning runs. The Broncos trailed 7-2 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning, but tied up the game with 3 runs in the 4th and 2 runs in the 5th. The 79ers retook the lead in the eighth inning and went on to win. In the final game, Kenny Pillsbury collapsed in the fourth inning of a 1-1 game, and gave up 5 runs. He finished with 7 runs allowed in 7 innings, and the 79ers cruised to another victory.

Once again, Lee Chappel led the Denver offense. He posted a 1.495 OPS, with 12 hits, 4 doubles, 3 homeruns, 9 RBI, and 6 runs scored. He also extended his hitting streak to 23 games. He was also the only Broncos' hitter who had a particularly strong week. Booker Romero managed a 1.196 OPS with 4 hits in 7 at bats. Ellis Bolling hit 2 doubles and 2 homeruns, but had a fairly ordinary .796 OPS. Asbel Fuentez hit .304(7 for 23) and extended his hitting streak to 20 games, but had just a .741 OPS.

Alexis Vazquez hit just .241 with a .646 OPS. Jack Rumfelt drew 6 walks, but hit only .222, with a .622 OPS. Russell Thomas drove in 6 runs, but had just a .586 OPS. Although he had 5 walks, Michael Phillips went 0 for 9.

Robert McNett and Ray Lockridge were Denver's only effective starting pitchers during the week. McNett gave up 2 runs in 7 innings pitched, and struck out 6 batters. Lockridge gave up just 1 run in 7 innings pitched. George Buentello gave up 5 runs(4 earned) in 7 innings, although he did strike out 8 batters. Kenny Pillsbury lost both of his starts, and gave up 10 runs in 15 innings. He did strike out 17 batters. Rookie Thomas Fons was pounded for 11 hits, 7 runs, and 5 walks in 5 2/3 innings pitched.

James Virgen had a solid week, with a win, a loss, and a save in 3 appearances. He gave up 3 runs(2 earned) in 5 1/3 innings pitched. Larry Waltz, who has been awful so far this season, pitched 3 scoreless innings and struck out 4 batters in 2 outings. Robert Soto was blasted for 8 hits and 6 runs(5 earned) in 2 innings of work.

Around the league:

The National League Player of the Week Award went to Rochester's first-baseman, Rick Ahn. It is the 7th POTW award for the 37 year old Ahn. He hit .417(10 for 24), with a 1.583 OPS, 4 doubles, 4 homeruns, 12 RBI, and 9 runs scored. He had 2 hits and 2 RBI in a 7-5 win over New Jersey. His 2-out, 2-run homerun in the 7th inning broke a 4-4 tie. He doubled twice and drove in 3 runs in an 8-3 win over the Devils. He homered twice and drove in 4 runs in a 13-10 loss to Phoenix. He had a 2-run homerun in a 9-2 rout over the Cardinals.

The American League Player of the Week Award went to Knoxville's second-baseman Jack Forrester. This is the 25 year old Forrester's first POTW award. He hit .524(11 for 21), with a 1.560 OPS, 4 doubles, 2 homeruns, 10 RBI, and 6 runs scored. In a 9-7 win over Grand Rapids, he hit a 2-run double in a 6-run 6th inning that erased a 5-3 Tigers' lead. He had 3 hits and 1 RBI in a 6-3, 10-inning loss to Grand Rapids. He drove in 2 runs and scored 2 runs in a 9-8 loss to Denver. He had 3 hits, including a double and a homerun, 4 RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 9-7 win over the Broncos. He had 3 hits, including a solo homerun, in a 10-4 thumping of Denver.

Divisional races:

San Diego continues to lead the West Division, with a record of 19-7. The Padres have won 3 straight games. Defending NL-champion Sacramento surged into second place, with 6 straight wins. The Kings are 14-10. San Jose, meanwhile, dropped to 13-11 with a 5-game losing streak.

Buffalo hasn't played especially well lately, with 7 losses in its last 10 games, but the Bills still lead the Northeast Division with a 15-10 record. Hartford sits in second place, with a 14-12 record.

Miami no longer has the best record in baseball, but the Dolphins still lead the Southeast Division, with an 18-7 record. Knoxville sits in second place, at 15-10.

Green Bay had a good week against patsies Kansas City and Nashville, and the Packers moved into a 3-way tie for first place in the Central Division with Denver and Memphis.

Injury news:

This past week was exceptionally nasty with regards to injuries. Hartford lost starting pitcher Edward Chambliss(1-2, 4.45 ERA) for 3 weeks with a rotator cuff injury. Rochester lost shortstop Casey Wooton(.736 OPS, 4 homeruns) for almost two months with a back injury. Charlotte lost starting pitcher Walter Arcelay(0-2, 5.04 ERA) for at least a month with a rotator cuff injury. Pittsburgh lost ace Scott Council(2-2, 4.41 ERA) for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury. Knoxville lost third-baseman Donald Noles(.898 OPS, 5 homeruns) for two weeks with a back injury, and starting pitcher Bruce Congdon(3-0, 4.56 ERA) for a month with an elbow injury. Finally, Sacramento lost closer Marion Elsberry(1.93 ERA, 5 saves) for two weeks with a shoulder injury.

Ahead for Denver this week is a 3 game series versus Washington(12-13) and a 3 game series at Grand Rapids(11-13).

jamus23 · 04-23-2009, 09:26 PM

Washington 9 @ Denver 10
Washington 5 @ Denver 11
Washington 12 @ Denver 9(12 innings)
Denver 1 @ Grand Rapids 2
Denver 5 @ Grand Rapids 6(10 innings)
Denver 11 @ Grand Rapids 10

The Broncos closed out the month of April and began the month of May with another uneven week. Facing off against Washington, the team that had swept Denver in its first series of the year, the Broncos blew a 6-2 lead in the first game, and allowed the Senators to score 4 runs in the sixth inning to tie the game. Denver exploded for 4 runs of its own in the bottom of the sixth, but then had to hold off a furious Washington rally in the ninth inning. The second game went a little better, as the Broncos again jumped out to a big early lead(7-1 after 3 innings), and cruised to a comfortable victory. The third time was the charm for Washington, however. Once again, the Broncos took control early in the game, as they scored 4 first inning runs. Through eight innings, Denver led 6-2. In the top of the ninth inning, unfortunately, the Senators erupted for 4 runs to tie up the game. In the top of the 12th, Larry Waltz imploded, and gave up 6 runs. Denver managed an unsuccessful rally in the bottom of the 12th inning. Against Grand Rapids, Denver's offense vanished in the first game, en route to a 1-run loss. In the second game, the Broncos blew a 5-2 lead, and Omar Lopez coughed up a game-winning homerun to DH Anthony Champ in the bottom of the 10th inning. Denver just barely avoided getting swept. The Broncos rallied from a 7-3 deficit, with 2 runs in the sixth inning, and 5 runs in the eighth inning, and then promptly blew a 10-7 lead before retaking the lead for good in the ninth inning.

For the first time this season, Denver's offense was not led by Lee Chappel. Instead, Alexis Vazquez, Ellis Bolling, and Russell Thomas powered the Broncos. Vazquez had a 1.163 OPS, 2 homeruns, and 11 RBI. Bolling had a 1.140 OPS, 5 doubles, 2 homeruns, and 10 RBI. Thomas had a 1.112 OPS, 11 hits, a double, 2 homeruns, and 9 runs scored. Booker Romero also helped out, with a .960 OPS, 2 doubles, and 7 runs scored. Reserve infielder Brooks Branco was 2 for 4, with 2 homeruns, and backup catcher Gabriel Esqueda was 3 for 7, with 2 homeruns.

It was a rare poor week for Chappel, who, despite a .407 on base percentage, mustered just a .741 OPS. His hitting streak got to 26 games before being snapped. Asbel Fuentez hit .280, but managed just a .668 OPS. Fuentez's hitting streak reached 23 games before coming to an end. Michael Phillips hit .182 with a .614 OPS. Jack Rumfelt was 3 for 19 with a .544 OPS. Masahachirou Shunji was 1 for 16 with a .243 OPS.

George Buentello was the only starter who was effective this past week, with 2 runs allowed in 5 2/3 innings pitched. Kenny Pillsbury was forced to leave in the second inning of his only start with a shoulder injury(it's not serious, and he won't miss any starts because of it). Ray Lockridge gave up 4 runs in 6 1/3 innings pitched. In 2 starts, Robert McNett surrendered 19 hits and 11 runs in 12 innings pitched. Thomas Fons was blasted for 13 hits and 10 runs in 7 2/3 innings pitched.

Lyndon Gwinn had a pretty good week out of the bullpen. In 3 appearances and 8 innings pitched, he gave up just 2 runs, and struck out 8 batters. Robert Soto was solid, with 1 run allowed in 4 innings pitched and 3 appearances. Omar Lopez gave up 9 hits and 4 runs(only 1 earned) in 5 1/3 innings pitched and 3 appearances. James Virgen gave up 8 hits and 4 runs in 5 innings pitched. Opposing hitters hammered Larry Waltz for 6 hits, 3 walks, and 6 runs(5 earned) in 1 1/3 innings pitched.

Around the league:

The National League Batter of the Month Award went to New Jersey's first-baseman, Amaury Lucia. It is the first BOTM award of Lucia's career. Lucia hit .406/.474/.782/1.256, with 8 doubles, 10 homeruns, 30 RBI, 24 runs scored, and 14 walks.

The National League Pitcher of the Month Award went to Buffalo's Jonathan Zinn. It is the second POTM award of Zinn's career. Zinn went 4-1 in 5 starts, with a 0.99 ERA, a 0.80 WHIP, and 32 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings pitched.

The American League Batter of the Month Award went to Denver's catcher, Lee Chappel. It is the 4th BOTM award of Chappel's career. Chappel hit .475/.548/1.061/1.608, with 14 doubles, 1 triple, 14 homeruns, 36 RBI, 30 runs scored, and 16 walks.

The American League Pitcher of the Month Award went to Memphis' Edgar Molina. It is the 3rd POTM of Molina's career. Though Molina's season is over due to his injury, he was brilliant in the month of April. He went 2-1 in 4 starts, with a 0.96 ERA, a 0.79 WHIP, 34 strikeouts in 28 innings pitched, and 1 complete game.

The National League Player of the Week Award went to Harrisburg's left-fielder Antonio Ornelas. It is Ornelas' first ever POTW award. Ornelas hit .500(12 for 24), with a 1.613 OPS, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 homeruns, 11 RBI, and 6 runs scored. He had 3 hits, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored in a 5-3 win over Phoenix. He had 2 hits(including a 2-run homerun), a walk, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 15-8 win over the Cardinals. He had 2 hit and 2 RBI in a 12-7 win over Phoenix. He had 2 hits(including a 2-run homerun), 3 RBI, and a run scored in a 7-6, 10-inning victory over San Jose. He also hit a 3-run homerun in a 7-6, 9-inning win over the Sharks.

The American League Player of the Week Award went to Tucson's center-fielder, Marcus Murrin. It is Murrin's 4th POTW award. Murrin hit .625(15 for 24), with a 1.765 OPS, a double, a triple, and 3 homeruns, 9 RBI, and 10 runs scored. He had 4 hits(including a 2-run homerun), 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 10-3 thumping of Grand Rapids. He had 4 hits and 3 runs scored in a 7-6 win over Nashville. He doubled, hit a pair of homeruns, drove in 5 runs, and scored 3 runs in a 14-9 win over the Predators. He had 3 hits and an RBI in a 9-4 win over Nashville.

Injury news:

There were only two notable injuries during the week. Harrisburg's starting pitcher, Kelvin Pleasants, saw his season come to an end after tearing his rotator cuff. He was off to a horrible start, anyways: 2-3, 8.71 ERA in 6 starts. Meanwhile, Grand Rapids lost catcher Ramon Martinez for the next two months after he suffered a broken hand in a collision at home plate. Martinez has a .353 average, a 1.083 OPS, and 3 homeruns in 34 at bats so far this season.

Ahead on Denver's schedule is a 3 game series at Tucson(16-14) and a 3 game series versus Nashville(9-22).

Coming up: The league standings through one month of play, and Denver's batting and pitching stats.

jamus23 · 04-23-2009, 09:36 PM

Code:

National League Standings 
 
West Division 
 
Team          W  L  PCT   GB Pyt.Rec Diff  Home  Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 
San Diego    25  7 .781    -   22-10    3 14- 2 11- 5  1-0  6-2  W9    9-1 
Los Angeles  15 15 .500  9.0   15-15    0  8- 7  7- 8  2-1  5-2  L4    3-7 
Sacramento   15 15 .500  9.0   15-15    0  7- 8  8- 7  2-0  7-5  L2    5-5 
San Jose     15 15 .500  9.0   16-14   -1  9- 6  6- 9  1-3  3-7  L4    2-8 
Portland     13 18 .419 11.5   11-20    2  4-11  9- 7  5-1  2-4  L1    4-6 
Phoenix      12 18 .400 12.0   11-19    1  6- 9  6- 9  1-1  5-4  W2    5-5 
 
Northeast Division 
 
Team          W  L  PCT   GB Pyt.Rec Diff  Home  Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 
Buffalo      17 14 .548    -   17-14    0  8- 8  9- 6  0-2  4-7  L1    3-7 
Hartford     18 15 .545    -   15-18    3  9- 7  9- 8  1-2  9-5  W2    6-4 
New Jersey   16 15 .516  1.0   15-16    1  8- 8  8- 7  0-1  4-4  W1    7-3 
Pittsburgh   15 17 .469  2.5   19-13   -4  9- 7  6-10  1-1  1-3  W1    4-6 
Rochester    14 16 .467  2.5   17-13   -3  8- 7  6- 9  1-2  4-7  L2    5-5 
Harrisburg   11 21 .344  6.5   14-18   -3  7- 9  4-12  2-3  5-5  W6    7-3 
 
American League Standings 
 
Southeast Division 
 
Team          W  L  PCT   GB Pyt.Rec Diff  Home  Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 
Miami        22  9 .710    -   21-10    1  9- 6 13- 3  1-2  5-2  L1    6-4 
Knoxville    19 12 .613  3.0   18-13    1  9- 7 10- 5  3-1  3-3  W3    6-4 
Atlanta      17 14 .548  5.0   14-17    3  9- 7  8- 7  2-0  5-0  W1    7-3 
Charlotte    16 17 .485  7.0   15-18    1  7- 9  9- 8  1-4  3-4  W1    5-5 
Washington   14 17 .452  8.0   14-17    0  7- 8  7- 9  4-0  5-5  L1    3-7 
Nashville     9 22 .290 13.0   11-20   -2  4-12  5-10  1-1  2-6  L3    4-6 
 
Central Division 
 
Team          W  L  PCT   GB Pyt.Rec Diff  Home  Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 
Denver       18 13 .581    -   20-11   -2 10- 5  8- 8  0-5  5-5  W1    5-5 
Memphis      18 13 .581    -   20-11   -2  8- 8 10- 5  1-1  1-2  L1    5-5 
Tucson       16 14 .533  1.5   16-14    0  7- 8  9- 6  2-1  4-6  W5    8-2 
Green Bay    16 15 .516  2.0   13-18    3  7- 9  9- 6  2-1  8-2  L5    4-6 
Grand Rapids 14 16 .467  3.5   14-16    0  8- 7  6- 9  2-1  4-5  L1    5-5 
Kansas City   7 24 .226 11.0   12-19   -5  1-14  6-10  0-2  2-7  W1    2-8

Thoughts:

West Division:

The Padres are on a roll right now, with three consecutive sweeps against division rivals Portland, Sacramento, and Los Angeles. The rest of the division looks like a toss-up right now, as none of the other teams are playing particularly well.

Northeast Division:

Thus far, nobody has really emerged to take control of this division. Buffalo has the pitching, but the offense has struggled. Hartford's offense has played very well, but the pitching is suspect. Pittsburgh ranks in the top 10 in both runs scored and runs allowed, but ace Scott Council is done for the year, and that will make it very difficult for the Pirates to maintain their strong pitching. New Jersey's pitching has been mediocre, and its offense has been surprisingly bad. Rochester has been pretty balanced, but has had some bad luck. And though it isn't a real contender, Harrisburg has caught fire after a dreadful start. The Capitals have swept Phoenix and San Jose in consecutive series, and could be a dangerous opponent for some teams.

Southeast Division:

Miami is as strong as ever and, as usual, the Dolphins are led by a dominating pitching staff, which has allowed the fewest runs so far this season. Knoxville is the other way around, with a powerful offense driving a strong start. Atlanta is the early season surprise in this division, but I wouldn't expect the Braves to be able to keep this up; the pitching just isn't good enough.

Central Division:

Denver expected to battle with Tucson for the division crown again, but while the Diamondbacks have recovered from a slow start, it is the Memphis Grizzlies that are tied with the Broncos for first place after one month of play. Memphis ranks 3rd in both runs scored and runs allowed. Green Bay and Grand Rapids have both played respectably, but I really don't expect that to last. The Packers' offense has been a disaster, and only an unexpectedly solid pitching staff has kept them afloat. Grand Rapids just doesn't seem talented enough to maintain close to .500 play for an entire season.

jamus23 · 04-23-2009, 10:26 PM

Denver's batting stats:

Code:

Name         G  AB  H 2B 3B HR RBI  R BB  K  AVG  OBP  SLG SB CS
R. Thomas   30 141 42  3  1  3  25 27  5  8 .298 .329 .397  5  3
E. Bolling  30 132 33 17  3  8  27 24 11 23 .250 .310 .606  0  0
A. Vasquez  30 131 42  4  0  7  27 19 11 23 .321 .377 .511  1  2
L. Chappel  28 120 52 16  1 14  38 37 22  6 .433 .521 .933  4  0
A. Fuentez  29 118 40 11  0  3  22 23 15 12 .339 .407 .508  2  1
J. Rumfelt  30 108 27  7  0  2  19 18 17  5 .250 .354 .370  0  0
M. Phillips 28  95 24  7  1  3  15 16 21  8 .253 .393 .442  1  0
M. Shunji   26  85 21  3  1  2   8 14 16 21 .247 .366 .376  2  1
B. Romero   20  69 22  3  0  3  14 18 10 13 .319 .412 .493  4  1
M. Lore     14  31  9  2  0  0   4  5  5  3 .290 .389 .355  0  0
G. Esqueda   7  24  8  1  0  2   4  4  2  0 .333 .385 .625  0  0
A. Mingo     8  23  5  1  1  0   5  5  8  2 .217 .419 .348  0  0
B. Branco    7  21  6  0  1  2   6  5  6  7 .286 .444 .667  0  0
S. Lattimer  5  19  4  2  0  0   2  2  1  7 .211 .250 .316  0  0
J. Fuensanta 5  19  4  0  0  0   2  2  1  1 .211 .238 .211  0  0

Thoughts:

Chappel is off to a ridiculous start, though he has cooled off in the last week. Vazquez and Fuentez are also playing very well, which is nice, because they are two of the old-timers in the lineup. Bolling is the other old-timer, and while he hasn't been getting a lot hits, practically everything he does hit is crushed, so that's good. Booker Romero and Michael Phillips have both performed well, also.

Russell Thomas has struggled overall, but I expect him to catch fire soon. Shunji has also disappointed, at least in the power department.

The bench has done a pretty good job, for the most part.

Denver's pitching stats:

Code:

Name         G GS W L SV   ERA   IP HA  R ER BB  K CG SH
K. Pillsbury 7  7 3 3  0  3.45 47.0 40 18 18  4 46  3  2
R. Mcnett    7  7 1 0  0  4.15 43.1 44 20 20 12 34  0  0
G. Buentello 6  6 2 1  0  5.13 40.1 40 24 23  8 27  0  0
R. Lockridge 6  6 3 1  0  3.75 36.0 31 18 15  4 30  0  0
T. Fons      5  5 1 1  0  7.46 35.0 48 30 29 13 21  1  0
J. Virgen   12  0 3 3  2  4.84 22.1 24 14 12  7  9  0  0
L. Gwinn     8  0 1 1  1  2.89 18.2 11  6  6  4 20  0  0
O. Lopez     9  0 1 2  1  4.30 14.2 19 10  7  3 11  0  0
R. Soto     11  0 3 0  1  5.40 13.1 17  9  8  2  9  0  0
L. Waltz    11  0 0 1  0 12.66 10.2 23 17 15 10  9  0  0

Thoughts:

The starting pitching has been acceptable, for the most part. Only rookie Thomas Fons has been terrible, and it's not as though that was a big surprise. Still, guys like Pillsbury and McNett really need to step up and dominate if Denver wants to take control of the division.

The bullpen has pretty much been a disaster. Other Lyndon Gwinn, none of the relievers have shown much consistency. Well... I take that back. Larry Waltz has been consistent, too, but not in a good way. Part of the problem has been the combination of shaky starting pitching and a few shaky relief appearances. That has led to overuse of the bullpen, which has led to even more bad relief outings as guys are repeatedly pitching on consecutive days. To put things into perspective, let's take a look at last season. At the end of April last year, Denver's 5 relievers had combined for 32 appearances(the Broncos had played 30 games at the point). This year, with 31 games played, the Broncos' bullpen(again, 5 pitchers) has combined for 51 appearances. Additionally, this year, Gwinn has the fewest appearances so far, with 8. Last year, James Virgen led the team with 8 appearances. This is where the loss of starter Christopher Kirk really hurts the Broncos. Not only was Kirk a good pitcher, but he was a workhorse who could throw a ton of innings every start. He could take pressure off of the bullpen. With the current rotation, only Pillsbury and Fons have that kind of stamina, and Fons hasn't exactly pitched well enough to work deep into games very often. One thing the Broncos could use is a workhorse reliever with a rubber arm. A guy like that could offset the short outings by the starters and relieve some of the pressure on the other relievers.

jamus23 · 04-25-2009, 03:15 PM

Code:

Central Division 
 
Team          W  L  PCT   GB Pyt.Rec Diff  Home  Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 
Denver       22 15 .595    -   24-13   -2 13- 5  9-10  0-6  7-7  W4    5-5 
Tucson       20 16 .556  1.5   20-16    0  9- 9 11- 7  3-1  7-6  W1    8-2 
Grand Rapids 18 18 .500  3.5   18-18    0 10- 8  8-10  2-2  5-6  W2    6-4 
Memphis      19 19 .500  3.5   22-16   -3  9-10 10- 9  1-1  1-4  L1    2-8 
Green Bay    18 19 .486  4.0   15-22    3  8-11 10- 8  3-2 10-3  L1    2-8 
Kansas City  10 27 .270 12.0   15-22   -5  3-15  7-12  0-2  2-8  L2    4-6

Denver 5 @ Tucson 6
Denver 1 @ Tucson 2(14 innings)
Denver 7 @ Tucson 2
Nashville 5 @ Denver 6
Nashville 5 @ Denver 6
Nashville 4 @ Denver 8

The Broncos took 2 of 3 from Tucson back in April. Now, the Diamondbacks returned the favor. In the first game, Ray Lockridge couldn't hold on to a 5-3 lead in the eighth inning. He surrendered a 2-out, 3-run homerun to Tucson third-baseman Robin Vega, and Tucson hung on to the 1-run lead. In the second game, Denver got on the board in the first inning and clung to that lead until Danny Guzman homered in the sixth inning for the Diamondbacks. Neither team could get anything more until Omar Lopez balked in the winning run with 2 outs in the bottom of the 14th inning. Denver salvaged the final game of the series with a relatively easy victory. Kenny Pillsbury was in line for his 3rd shutout of the season until he gave up a 2-run homerun to former Bronco Joseph Swayze in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Broncos then swept Nashville for a second time this season, although once again, the Predators refused to go down easily. Lyndon Gwinn turned what looked like a comfortable victory in the first game, to a nail-biter by serving up 2 homeruns in the 8th inning. In the second game, Thomas Fons blew a 3-0 first-inning lead by giving up 5 runs in the second inning. Denver reclaimed the lead with a run in the bottom of the second, and two runs in the third. After that, Fons shut down the Predators to earn his second victory of the year. Nashville built a 3-0 lead through 4 1/2 innings in the final game of the series, but the Broncos erased that with a 4-run fifth inning. After Nashville tied the game in the seventh, Denver exploded for 4 runs again in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Alexis Vazquez led the offense during the past week, with a 1.094 OPS, 12 hits, 1 homerun, 5 RBI, and 5 runs scored. Lee Chappel had a .976 OPS, 4 doubles, 2 homeruns, 7 RBI, and 8 runs scored. Michael Phillips produced a .917 OPS, with a double, a homerun, and 4 walks. Russell Thomas hit .357, with 10 hits, but it was fairly empty. His OPS was just .776, and none of the hits went for extra bases.

Ellis Bolling hit just .227 with a .689 OPS. Asbel Fuentez drove in 6 runs, but had just a .642 OPS. Booker Romero was 3 for 15 with a .494 OPS. Jack Rumfelt was 2 for 19 with a .248 OPS. Marvin Lore was 1 for 10.

The starting pitching was reasonably good this week. Robert McNett pitched 6 2/3 innings, with only 2 runs, both unearned, allowed. He struck out 7 batters. George Buentello gave up just 3 hits and 1 run in 8 innings of work. Kenny Pilllsbury threw a complete game 4-hitter, with only 2 runs allowed and 7 strikeouts. Ray Lockridge struggled, with 20 hits and 10 runs allowed in 16 innings. Thomas Fons gave up 10 hits and 5 runs in 7 innings pitched.

James Virgen pitched 4 scoreless innings in relief, and Robert Soto tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Omar Lopez had 5 strikeouts and 1 run allowed in 2 2/3 innings pitched. Larry Waltz finished off the final victory over Nashville with three straight strikeouts. Only Lyndon Gwinn struggled, with 4 hits(2 homeruns) and 3 runs allowed in 2/3 of an inning.

Around the league:

The National League Player of the Week Award went to San Diego's center-fielder, Gaby Matos. It is the 24 year old Matos' 3rd career POTW award. Matos hit .542(13 for 24), with a 1.597 OPS, 3 doubles, 3 homeruns, 12 RBI, and 7 runs scored. He had 3 hits and 3 RBI in an 8-1 pounding of Harrisburg. He 2 hits(1 HR) and 3 RBI in a 7-1 win over the Capitals. He doubled twice and scored the winning run in a 4-3, 11-inning victory over Harrisburg. He had 2 hits(1 HR), 3 RBI, and 3 runs scored in a 17-7 shellacking of Rochester. He had 3 hits(1 HR) and 3 RBI in a 6-4, 10-inning win over the Rhinos. He drove in the go ahead runs in the tenth.

The American League Player of the Week Award went to Washington's first-baseman, Sabas Laureano. It is the 7th POTW of the 26 year old Laureano's career. Laureano hit .423(11 for 26), with a 1.367 OPS, 3 doubles, 3 homeruns, 11 RBI, and 10 runs scored. He had 2 hits and 2 RBI in a 7-5 win over Memphis. He hit a 2-run homerun in a 9-7 win over Charlotte. He had 4 hits(1 double and 2 homeruns), 5 RBI, and 5 runs scored in an 18-5 annihilation of the Panthers. Finally, he had 2 hits, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 12-7 win over Charlotte. With Washington trailing 6-4, Laureano's double to lead off the eighth inning sparked an 8-run outburst to give the Senators the victory.

Division Races:

San Diego, which won the West Division by just 2 games last year, has opened up a 10-game lead only a month and half into the season and owns the best record in baseball, at 30-8. San Jose currently holds second place, with a 19-17 record, but everything is so bottled up after the Padres, that that could change multiple times over the next week.

Speaking of things being bottled up, Hartford has grabbed first place in the Northeast, with a 21-18 record, and New Jersey has moved into second place at 19-18. Former first place team Buffalo has slipped to third, at 18-19. There is very little margin for error in this division, and the injuries that teams like Rochester(17-19) and Pittsburgh(17-21) have suffered, could very well be death blows.

Not much has changed in the Southeast. Miami(27-11) remains in first place, and Knoxville(23-14) remains in second. With 7 straight wins, Washington(21-17) has surged from fifth place to third place.

Normalcy has returned to the Central Division. Denver has taken sole control of first place, and, with a good week, Tucson has moved into second place. Grand Rapids, Memphis, and Green Bay continue to hang around .500, but the latter two have lost 8 of their last 10 games.

Injury news:

It was yet another injury-filled week. Already missing shortstop Casey Wooton, the Rochester Rhinos were hit the hardest. First, center-fielder Gerald Schuyler(.939 OPS) had his season come to end because of a broken foot. Then, veteran first-baseman Rick Ahn(1.139 OPS, 12 homeruns) went down with a back injury. He'll be out for at least a month. Washington also had a bad week for injuries. Shortstop Santiago Pina(.839 OPS) suffered a torn calf muscle and will miss the next two months. Starting pitcher Lester Faulk(2-3, 6.51 ERA) will miss about a month with a rotator cuff injury, and 24 year old reliever James McCart(16.62 ERA in 11 games) will miss two months an injury to his bicep. Finally, Nashville, already hurting for pitching, lost veteran closer Mitsusaburou Tsumemasa(5.26 ERA in 16 games) for over a month with a rotator cuff injury.

Ahead on Denver's schedule is 3 game series against Grand Rapids(18-18) and a 3 game series at Knoxille(23-14).

jamus23 · 04-27-2009, 09:26 PM

Code:

Central Division 
 
Team          W  L  PCT   GB Pyt.Rec Diff  Home  Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 
Denver       28 15 .651    -   29-14   -1 16- 5 12-10  1-6  8-7 W10   10-0 
Tucson       23 19 .548  4.5   24-18   -1 12- 9 11-10  3-1  7-8 W3     5-5 
Memphis      23 21 .523  5.5   26-18   -3 11-11 12-10  1-1  3-5 L1     5-5 
Grand Rapids 20 22 .476  7.5   21-21   -1 12- 9  8-13  2-3  5-8 L1     5-5 
Green Bay    20 23 .465  8.0   17-26    3  9-13 11-10  3-2 11-4 L2     3-7 
Kansas City  11 32 .256 17.0   16-27   -5  4-17  7-15  0-2  3-8 L3     3-7

Grand Rapids 7 @ Denver 8(10 innings)
Grand Rapids 2 @ Denver 7
Grand Rapids 3 @ Denver 12
Denver 8 @ Knoxville 6
Denver 10 @ Knoxville 6
Denver 8 @ Knoxville 1

The Broncos had their first perfect week of the season, sweeping three game series against the Tigers and the 79ers, and extending their winning streak to 10 games. It wasn't necessarily a breeze, however. Denver's bullpen woes cropped up again in the first game against Grand Rapids. Heading into the ninth inning, the Broncos led comfortably 7-2, but Lyndon Gwinn and James Virgen combined to give up 5 runs, which sent the game into extra innings. Russell Thomas salvaged the game with a run-scoring double in the bottom of the 10th. The bullpen did a better job of hanging onto big leads in the second and third games. In the first game against Knoxville, the Broncos chased starter Rene Romero in the fourth inning, touching him up for a total of 10 hits and 8 runs. Then they spent the rest of the game trying not to blow a lead that began as a 5-run lead, shrunk to a 3-run lead in the sixth inning, and then shrunk to a 2-run lead in the seventh inning. Denver raced to another big early lead in the second game, and led 10-0 after the top of the fourth inning. Gwinn once again helped make the game appear closer, as he gave up 3 runs in the final two innings. The Broncos had little difficulty winning the third game.

Russell Thomas led the offense with a 1.235 OPS, 11 hits, a double, 3 homeruns, 9 RBI, 5 runs scored, and 5 walks. Ellis Bolling had a 1.062 OPS, with a double, a triple, and a homerun, 9 RBI, 7 runs scored, and 5 walks. Asbel Fuentez had a 1.039 OPS, with a double, a triple, and 5 runs scored. Masahachirou Shunji had a 1.036 OPS, a double, 2 homeruns, 6 RBI, and 6 runs scored. Alexis Vazquez had a .987 OPS, 10 hits, 2 doubles, 2 homeruns, 6 RBI, and 5 runs scored. Lee Chappel had an .888 OPS, with 10 hits, 3 doubles, 1 homerun, 9 RBI, and 7 runs scored. Backup Gabriel Esqueda went 5 for 8 with a double, 2 homeruns, and 5 RBI.

There weren't too many players that performed poorly during the week. The worst was Brooks Branco, who went 2 for 11 with a .539 OPS. Jose Fuensanta was next worst, with a .730 OPS.

With the exception of Ray Lockridge, the starting pitching was pretty good. Kenny Pillsbury posted a 0.63 ERA in 2 starts(3 runs, 1 earned in 14 1/3 innings) and struck out 17 batters. Robert McNett gave up 1 run in 5 innings. George Buentello pitched 8 innings and allowed 2 runs. Even Thomas Fons was decent, with only 3 runs allowed in 7 innings pitched. That was his first "quality start" in 7 games started this season. Lockridge, on the other hand, gave up 10 hits and 6 runs in 6 1/3 innings pitched.

With the exception of Lyndon Gwinn, the bullpen also had a good week. Omar Lopez and Larry Waltz combined to pitch 4 scoreless innings with 5 strikeouts. James Virgen allowed only 2 runs in 5 1/3 innings, and struck out 7 batters. Robert Soto gave up 1 run in 2 1/3 innings pitched. Gwinn, meanwhile, gave up 5 hits, 3 walks, and 7 runs in 2 2/3 innings pitched.

Denver also has a bit of injury news. First-baseman Ellis Bolling(.907 OPS, 9 homeruns) injured his Achilles tendon while hitting a bases-loaded triple in the first inning of yesterday's game against Knoxville. He is expected to miss about two weeks. Replacing him on the roster will be 24 year old Tamiko Teika, who has hit .330 with a .937 OPS and 11 homeruns at AAA this season. Teika has a .761 OPS in 72 career big league at bats.

Around the league:

The National League Player of the Week Award went to Phoenix's left-fielder, Marcos Esparza. It is Esparza's first POTW award. He hit .526(10 for 19), with a 1.881 OPS, 1 double, 1 triple, 4 homeruns, 6 RBI, and 7 runs scored during the week. He had 3 hits, a walk, and a run scored in a 3-0 win over Harrisburg. He doubled, hit 3 homeruns, drove in 4 runs, and scored 4 runs in a 16-11 loss to Buffalo. After falling behind 2-0 in the top of the first, Esparza's first homerun led off the bottom of the first, and sparked a 3-run outburst to give Phoenix the lead. After the Bills built a 6-3 lead through 2 1/2 innings, Esparza led off the bottom of the third inning with his second homerun. In the fourth inning, he ripped a 2-out, 2-run blast to, temporarily, tie the game at 6 apiece. Unfortunately, the Bills kept scoring, and Esparza ran out of homeruns. In a 3-1 loss to Buffalo, Esparza produced a lonely homerun to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning. Alas, it couldn't spark a rally.

The American League Player of the Week Award went o Atlanta's shortstop, Roger Attaway. It is the 30 year old Attaway's 8th career POTW award. Attaway hit .417(10 for 24), with a 1.417 OPS, 3 doubles, 3 homeruns, 10 RBI, and 8 runs scored. He produced all of the Braves' offense in a 7-4 loss to Washington, as he had 3 hits, including 2 homeruns, 4 RBI, and 2 runs scored. He had 3 hits, a walk, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored in an 8-7 win over the Senators. He had 2 hits(1 homerun), 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 14-4 thumping of Green Bay.

Washington's left-fielder Leon Pino reached 3,000 career hits during the week. The 38 year old Pino hasn't played very well this season(.682 OPS), but with 3000 career hits, 620 career homeruns, 2024 career RBI, 1798 career runs scored, a .918 career OPS, 5 All Star appearances, 4 Gold Glove Awards, and a Silver Slugger Award(2078), he is pretty much a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame.

Division races:

Not much has changed in the West Division. San Diego still has a comfortable lead of 9 games over second place San Jose, however, the Padres did close this past week with two losses to Sacramento, which sits in fourth place. Also watch out for third place Los Angeles, which has won 4 consecutive games.

Just 1 1/2 games separate the top 5 teams in the Northeast Division. Buffalo and Hartford are tied for first, Rochester is in third, and New Jersey and Pittsburgh are tied for fifth.

Miami remains atop the Southeast Division, and second place Knoxville has lost 4 straight games to fall 5 1/2 games back.

Denver's surge has allowed it to open up a 4 1/2 game lead on second place Tucson, but with 3 straight wins, the Diamondbacks aren't exactly slumping, either.

Injury news:

There was only one very serious injury this week, and that was to Sacramento's starting pitcher, Ulysses Swain(2-1, 6.63 ERA). He suffered a torn bicep muscle and is expected to miss approximately two months.

Ahead for Denver this week is a 4 game series versus Memphis(23-21), and 3 game series at Kansas City(11-32).

jg2977 · 04-29-2009, 05:57 PM

Make sure that your Denver Broncos aren't peaking too early. Make sure that they're healthy going into the playoffs. It's better to go 88-74 and win the World Series than it is to go 117-45 and get swept in the first round.

I'm glad to see that Hartford is tied for first. And, my gosh, is Kansas City horrible!

jamus23 · 05-01-2009, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jg2977

Make sure that your Denver Broncos aren't peaking too early. Make sure that they're healthy going into the playoffs. It's better to go 88-74 and win the World Series than it is to go 117-45 and get swept in the first round.

I'm glad to see that Hartford is tied for first. And, my gosh, is Kansas City horrible!

Heh. "Healthy" is a rather significant word right now. See the the following post.

jamus23 · 05-01-2009, 09:38 PM

Code:

Central Division 
 
Team          W  L  PCT   GB Pyt.Rec Diff  Home  Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 
Denver       34 16 .680    -   34-16    0 19- 6 15-10  1-6  9-8  W3    9-1 
Grand Rapids 26 23 .531  7.5   26-23    0 15-10 11-13  2-3  7-8  W4    8-2 
Tucson       25 23 .521  8.0   26-22   -1 12-12 13-11  3-2  7-9  L4    5-5 
Memphis      26 25 .510  8.5   28-23   -2 13-12 13-13  2-1  6-7  W1    5-5 
Green Bay    22 28 .440 12.0   19-31    3 10-15 12-13  3-2 12-5  W1    3-7 
Kansas City  14 35 .286 19.5   18-31   -4  4-20 10-15  0-2  3-8  L3    4-6

Memphis 9 @ Denver 10
Memphis 2 @ Denver 7
Memphis 7 @ Denver 9
Memphis 10 @ Denver 9
Denver 7 @ Kansas City 4
Denver 11 @ Kansas City 0
Denver 12 @ Kansas City 3

The Broncos' winning streak stretched to 13 games before finally losing in the final game of the Memphis series. There were some close calls before then, however. In the first game against the Grizzlies, Denver blew an early 3-1 lead, and fell behind 5-3 in the top of fourth inning. The Broncos quickly tied it in the bottom half of the inning, and then took the lead with a run in the seventh inning. Memphis, however, struck for 4 runs in the eighth inning to retake the lead at 9-6. The Broncos rallied once again, with 3 runs in the bottom of the eighth. Backup catcher Gabriel Esqueda, starting in place of Lee Chappel, contributed with a 2-out, 2-run double. He was injured on that play, unfortunately(more on that later). The Broncos then plated the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning. The second game was much easier, as George Buentello tossed 7 strong innings, and infielders Booker Romero and Jose Fuensanta each drove in a pair of runs. The third game proved to be nearly as tough as the first. Asbel Fuentez hit a run-scoring double in the first inning, but left with an injury(more on that later). The Broncos led 3-2 through 3 innings, but Memphis took control with a run in the fourth, a run in the fifth, and 3 runs in the top of the sixth inning. Denver exploded for 5 runs in the bottom of the sixth, however, and retook the lead at 8-7. Some solid relief work and a valuable insurance run in the eighth inning preserved the victory. Denver's luck finally ran out as rookie Thomas Fons basically went out and threw batting practice to Memphis in the fourth game. A 6-run second inning gave the Broncos an early 6-2 lead, but the Grizzlies scored a run in the third, 5 runs in the fourth, and 2 runs in the fifth inning to take a 10-6 lead. Denver mounted a rally in the late innings, but it came up short. Memphis finished with 21 hits and 5 homeruns in the game.

After the series with Memphis, the Broncos were happy to get a breather against last place Kansas City. The first game, however, wound up being more difficult than anticipated. Kenny Pillsbury and Kosami Masaru locked horns in a pitchers' duel for 8+ innings. Heading into the ninth, the score was deadlocked at 1-all. In the ninth inning, Denver finally got to Masaru, and put 6 more runs on the board. The bottom of the ninth should have been a breeze for Lyndon Gwinn, with a 7-1 lead, but instead, Gwinn decided to make it interesting by coughing up 3 runs. James Virgen came in and got the final two outs to bail out Gwinn and pick up his 5th save of the season. The Royals had nothing left after that. Nicholas Armstrong did manage to throw five scoreless innings for the Royals in the second game, but the floodgates opened in the sixth inning, and the Broncos piled up 11 runs in the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings combined. Robert McNett was masterful in pitching his first shutout of the season, with only 96 pitches thrown in a 4-hitter. In the third game, Denver made Royals' starter Christian Crane pay for his wildness. In 5 innings, he walked 6 batters, struck out none, and gave up 7 runs. The Broncos also beat up Kansas City's bullpen, including 3 runs and 2 homeruns off of former Broncos' reliever, Ramon Gomez.

Almost every Denver hitter had a strong week, as the offense was clicking on all cylinders. Tamiko Teika and Jose Fuensanta filled in admirably at first base for the injured Ellis Bolling. The left-handed hitting Teika produced a 1.308 OPS with 6 hits in 13 at bats, 2 doubles, and a homerun. The right-handed hitting Fuensanta had a 1.829 OPS, with 9 hits in 15 at bats, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homeruns, and 8 RBI. Masahachirou Shunji had a 1.444 OPS, 2 doubles, 1 triple, and 2 homeruns. Booker Romero had a 1.149 OPS, 3 doubles, 1 homerun, and 9 RBI. Russell Thomas had a 1.148 OPS, a team-high 14 hits, 2 doubles, and a homerun. Marvin Lore had a 1.025 OPS, 2 doubles, 1 homerun, and a team-high 10 RBI.

On the negative side, were third-baseman Michael Phillips and catcher Lee Chappel. The Broncos' third-baseman went 6 for 31 with a meager .628 OPS. Chappel, meanwhile, mustered just a .619 OPS, despite a respectable .346 on base percentage.

The starting pitching was mostly good. Kenny Pillsbury allowed just 1 run in 8 innings. Robert McNett allowed 5 runs(4 earned) in 15 1/3 innings. He did have the shutout, but his other start wasn't particularly good. George Buentello gave up 4 runs in 13 innings pitched. On the other side of things, Ray Lockridge was hit pretty hard, with 10 hits and 7 runs allowed in 6 innings pitched. Meanwhile, Thomas Fons endured his worst start of the season, with 17 hits, 10 runs, and 5 homeruns allowed in 6 innings of work.

The bullpen was a mixed bag, with the usual suspects contributing positively and negatively, respectively. James Virgen was unscored upon in 2 1/3 innings, and notched saves in both of his outings. Robert Soto tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings. Lyndon Gwinn's lone outing resulted in 2 hits, 2 walks, 1 hit batter, and 3 runs allowed. Larry Waltz continued his nightmarish season, with 11 hits and 4 runs allowed in 5 1/3 innings pitched. If he can't get things straightened out, the Broncos may have to find another reliever.

It was not a good week on the injury front for the Broncos. Backup catcher Gabriel Esqueda(1.274 OPS, 4 homeruns) suffered a torn hip muscle, and will miss at least the next 3 weeks. Replacing him on the roster is 37 year old Stephen Skiba, who has hit .275 with a .697 OPS at AAA this season. Skiba did hit .353 with an .862 OPS as Denver's backup last season, though it was in only 68 at bats. Ellis Bolling had a setback with his injury, and may not return until the end of June. Finally, 37 year old Asbel Fuentez tore an abdominal muscle, and isn't expected to be back until perhaps the first week of June. Twenty-eight year old Arthur Elbert was called up to replace him on the roster. Elbert has an .894 OPS and 9 homeruns at AAA this year. The bulk of the playing time will likely go to Marvin Lore.

Around the league:

The National League Player of the Week Award went to New Jersey's first-baseman, Amaury Lucia. It is the 7th POTW award in the 27-year old Lucia's career. He hit .520(13 for 25), with a 1.698 OPS, 4 doubles, 4 homeruns, 9 RBI, and 6 runs scored. He doubled twice and drove in 2 runs in a 14-8 thumping of Rochester. He had 3 hits(including a honmerun) and 2 RBI in a 4-2 win over the Rhinos. He had 4 hits, including a double and 2 homeruns, 3 RBI, and 3 runs scored in a 7-2 win over San Diego. He doubled, homered, drove in a run, and scored 2 runs in a 4-3 loss to the Padres. New Jersey blew a 3-2 lead in the ninth inning in that defeat.

The American League Player of the Week Award went to Memphis' shortstop, Roy Chouinard. It is Chouinard's 7th career POTW award. Chouinard hit .520(13 for 25), with a 1.700 OPS, 2 doubles, 5 homeruns, 10 RBI, and 6 runs scored during the week. He hit a pair of solo homeruns in a 9-7 loss to Denver. He had 3 hits, including a homerun, and 2 RBI in a 10-9 win over the Broncos. He doubled twice, homered twice, drove in 5 runs, and scored 3 runs in a 12-11, 11-inning win over Atlanta. His 2-run homerun in the bottom of the ninth tied the game at 11 apiece, and his run-scoring double in the 11th inning won the game. He had 3 hits and an RBI in a 3-2 win over the Braves.

Division Races:

San Diego's previously comfortable lead in the West Division is slowly being chipped away. Although the Padres still have the second best record in baseball at 36-14, San Jose has crept to within 6 1/2 games. The Sharks have won 3 straight games and 7 of their last 10.

Last week, Hartford and Buffalo were tied for first in the Northeast; now, Hartford and New Jersey are tied for first. Still, only 3 games separate the first place teams from the fifth place teams(Pittsburgh and Rochester). Though, with the Pirates having lost their best pitcher and best hitter for the rest of the season, I expect Pittsburgh to have a great deal of difficulty in remaining in the playoff race.

Miami has opened up a big lead in the Southeast(10 1/2 games) over Knoxville and Washington. The Dolphins took 3 of 4 from the 79ers, who have lost 6 consecutive games, and 9 of their last 10. The Dolphins also swept a 3 game series from Tucson for the third time this season.

Denver's lead in the Central has stretched to 7 1/2 games. With a 4-game winning streak, Grand Rapids has taken over second place from Tucson. The Diamondbacks helped out by losing 4 in a row.

Injury News:

Denver wasn't the only team to get hit by the injury bug. Pittsburgh, having already lost its ace Scott Council for the season, had its best slugger go down for the season, as well. Third-baseman Javier Rael(1.037 OPS, 19 homeruns, 50 RBI) suffered a torn PCL, and will not play again this year. Buffalo lost second year reliever Leonard Mickelson(11.05 ERA in 27 games) for about a month and a half with an injury to his bicep. Knoxville lost backup catcher Jerome Seldon(.766 OPS in 80 at bats) for over a month with a broken cheekbone. Tuscon lost reliever Brandon Schrupp, who had only made 2 appearances after being called up to the big leagues in the middle of May, for over a month with a pulled rotator cuff muscle.

Ahead on Denver's schedule is a 4 game series at Grand Rapids(26-23) and a 3 game series against Charlotte(24-27).

jamus23 · 05-04-2009, 09:23 PM

Denver 6 @ Grand Rapids 1
Denver 6 @ Grand Rapids 7
Denver 7 @ Grand Rapids 1
Denver 6 @ Grand Rapids 3
Charlotte 14 @ Denver 8
Charlotte 5 @ Denver 21
Charlotte 3 @ Denver 11

The week began with a 4-game showdown between the first place Broncos and the then-second place Grand Rapids Tigers. The first game was fairly close until the eighth inning, when Denver turned a 2-1 lead into a 6-1 margin with a 4-run outburst. Jack Rumfelt delivered the key hit: a 2-out, 3-run double. In the second game, the Broncos' offense could not overcome the mediocre pitching of Thomas Fons. He blew a 3-2 lead in the third inning, and after the Broncos rallied to tie the game 6-all in the fifth inning, he gave up the deciding run in the seventh inning. Denver raced to a 4-0 lead in the first inning of the third game, and never looked back. Brooks Branco belted a pair of homeruns to help the Broncos hold off the Tigers in the fourth and final game.

In the first game against Charlotte, George Buentello endured one of the worst starts of his career, and Denver's offense simply couldn't keep up. Offense was not a problem in the second game, as the Broncos erupted for 9 runs in the first inning, 4 in the third inning, 1 in the sixth inning, and 7 more in the seventh inning. Russell Thomas and Michael Phillips each had 5 hits to lead a 27-hit onslaught against the Panthers. Charlotte led the final game 2-1 heading into the bottom of the third inning, but Denver took control with 4 runs in that inning, 3 more in the fifth, and 1 run in each of the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings.

Michael Phillips was the offensive leader during the week, with a 1.714 OPS, 13 hits, 1 double, 1 triple, 2 homeruns, 4 RBI, and 12 runs scored. Brooks Branco had a 1.500 OPS, 1 triple, 3 homeruns, and 8 RBI. Russell Thomas had a 1.320 OPS, with 16 hits, 2 doubles, 2 homeruns, 7 RBI, and 8 runs scored. Jose Fuensanta had a 1.260 OPS, 11 hits, 2 homeruns, 9 RBI, and 7 runs scored.

Arthur Elbert's week was a mixed bag. On the one hand, he had just 5 hits in 25 at bats, and a mediocre .791 OPS. On the other hand, his 5 hits consisted of 3 doubles and 2 homeruns, and he collected 6 RBI, as well. Lee Chappel is officially in a slump. After not doing much last week, he continued the poor play this week, and managed just a .633 OPS, with 4 hits in 22 at bats.

Kenny Pillsbury and Robert McNett were both strong in their lone starts, Ray Lockridge and Thomas Fons were mediocre in 2 starts apiece, and George Buentello was dreadful in his only start. Pillsbury tossed 7 innings with only 4 hits and 1 run allowed. McNett went 8 innings and gave up 3 runs. Overall, Lockridge gave up 6 runs in 13 1/3 innings, while Fons allowed 9 runs(8 earned) in 15 innings. As bad as Fons' start was against Grand Rapids(7 runs, 6 earned in 8 innings), he was solid against Charlotte(2 runs in 7 innings). Buentello's start was a disaster, with 12 hits, 5 walks, and 14 runs allowed in just 5 innings.

The bullpen probably had its best week of the entire season to date. Virgen, Soto, Gwinn, Lopez, and Waltz combined to allow just 1 run in 13 2/3 innings. The struggling Larry Waltz was particularly impressive, with 5 2/3 scoreless innings.

There were also two injury-related items of note for the Broncos. First, Asbel Fuentez's timetable for return from an abdominal injury has been pushed back to around the All Star break in the second week of July. Second, shortstop Booker Romero injured his back, and will be sidelined for about a week. He will not be placed on the disabled list.

Around the league:

The National League Batter of the Month Award went to San Diego's second-baseman, Andrew Burdick. It is the Hall of Fame-bound infielder's 10th career BotM award. Burdick hit .461/534/.784/.1.318 during the month, with 5 doubles, 2 triples, 8 homeruns, 21 RBI, 22 runs scored, and 16 walks. Currently, the 37 year old Burdick leads the National League with a .436 batting average and a 1.215 OPS. In addition to that, Burdick has a .504 on base percentage, a .711 slugging percentage, 8 doubles, 3 triples, 14 homeruns, 40 RBI, 40 runs scored, and 28 walks.

The National League Pitcher of the Month Award went to Sacramento's Carl Strothers. This is the 3rd career PotM award for the ace of the Kings' staff. Strothers went 4-0 in in 6 starts, with a 1.84 ERA, a 0.63 WHIP, and a 44/4 K/BB ratio in 49 innings pitched. He also tossed 3 complete games and 2 shutouts. The shutouts came in back to back starts against San Diego and Rochester, and Strothers allowed a total of 5 hits in those games while striking out 18 batters. For the year, Strothers is 7-1, with a 2.88 ERA, a 0.88 WHIP, and an 83/9 K/BB ratio in 93 2/3 innings pitched. He's tied for the National League lead in strikeouts.

The American League Batter of the Month Award went to Washington's center-fielder, Roy Springs. This is the 5th BotM award of Springs' career. The Senators' center-fielder hit .431/.496/.735/1.231, with 7 doubles, 8 homeruns, 25 RBI, 27 runs scored, and 14 walks during the month of May. So far this season, Springs has hit .369/.420/.613/1.033, with 12 doubles, 14 homeruns, 50 RBI, and 49 runs scored. Springs leads the American League in batting average.

The American League Pitcher of the Month Award went to Miami's Christian Hokusai. This is the 30 year old Hokusai's 4th career PotM award. In 5 starts in May, Hokusai went 5-0, with a 1.00 ERA, a 0.72 WHIP, and a 28/6 K/BB ratio in 36 innings pitched. He tossed 1 complete game. For the year, Hokusai is 9-1, with a 2.18 ERA, a 0.85 WHIP, and a 68/14 K/BB ratio in 86 2/3 innings pitched. He has 2 complete games and 1 shutout. He is tied for the American League lead in wins, and is second in ERA.

The National League Player of the Week Award went to Phoenix's left-fielder, Marcos Esparza. It is both the second PotW award for Esparza this season, and the second of his career. He batted .409(9 for 22), with a 1.682 OPS, 2 doubles, 5 homeruns, 10 RBI, and 8 runs scored. Esparza scored the go ahead run in a 2-1 win over San Diego after hitting a ninth inningd double. He hit a 3-run homerun in the 10th inning of a 5-4 win over the Padres. He hit 3 homeruns and had 5 RBI in a 17-8 win over Buffalo. He also hit a walk-off homerun in the bottom of the ninth inning of a 6-5 win over the Bills.

The American League Player of the Week Award went to Denver's third-baseman, Michael Phillips. It is Phillips' second career PotW award. He walked twice and hit a 2-run homerun in a 7-6 loss to Grand Rapids. He and Lee Chappel hit back to back homeruns in the fifth inning to temporarily tie that game at 6-all. He had 3 hits, including a triple, and 2 runs scored in a 7-1 win over the Tigers. He had 2 hits, a walk, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 14-8 loss to Charlotte. He delivered 5 hits, including 1 double, and 4 runs scored in a 21-5 dismantling of the Panthers. Finally, he had 2 hits(including a homerun), a walk, 1 RBI, and 3 runs scored in an 11-3 rout of Charlotte.

Injury news:

There were three injuries of note during the week. First, Tucson lost starting pitcher Peter Boughner(4-3, 3.30 ERA) for close to two months with a rotator cuff injury. Though the Diamondback's rotation is deep, the loss of one their best starters will make it that much more difficult to hang onto second place in the Central Division. The next injury was to Sacramento's center-fielder, Michael Eller(.819 OPS, 3 homeruns). The 37 year old outfielder was off to a surprisingly strong start, but he is expected to miss more than a month with a calf injury. Lastly, Pittsburgh's 38 year old backup left-fielder Juan Ibarra(1.067 OPS, 2 homeruns in 15 at bats) tore a hamstring muscle. At his age, that kind of injury is very serious, and it is unlikely that Ibarra will play again. Certainly not this season, at least.

Ahead on Denver's schedule is a 3 game series at Atlanta(26-30), and a 3 game series against Grand Rapids(28-28).

Up next: The standings through two months of play, the league natting and pitching statistics, and Denver's batting and pitching statistics.

jamus23 · 05-04-2009, 09:33 PM

Code:

National League Standings 
 
West Division 
 
Team          W  L  PCT   GB Pyt.Rec Diff  Home  Away XInn  1Run Stk Last10 
San Diego    38 19 .667    -   36-21    2 21- 7 17-12  5-3  12-6  L3    3-7 
San Jose     34 22 .607  3.5   33-23    1 17-12 17-10  2-4  11-9  W2    8-2 
Los Angeles  30 25 .545  7.0   29-26    1 17-10 13-15  4-1  11-4  W1    7-3 
Sacramento   30 26 .536  7.5   29-27    1 16-13 14-13  6-0  11-7  W3    7-3 
Phoenix      25 30 .455 12.0   25-30    0 11-16 14-14  3-4  10-9  L1    5-5 
Portland     23 34 .404 15.0   23-34    0  7-21 16-13  5-3   2-9  L2    3-7 
 
Northeast Division 
 
Team          W  L  PCT   GB Pyt.Rec Diff  Home  Away XInn  1Run Stk Last10 
New Jersey   29 28 .509    -   25-32    4 14-15 15-13  0-2  5- 6  L1    5-5 
Rochester    27 27 .500   .5   28-26   -1 14-13 13-14  3-3  6- 9  L1    6-4 
Hartford     29 30 .492  1.0   27-32    2 14-15 15-15  1-3 11- 6  W1    4-6 
Buffalo      26 30 .464  2.5   28-28   -2 12-16 14-14  0-2  4-11  W1    2-8 
Pittsburgh   25 31 .446  3.5   30-26   -5 14-14 11-17  2-4  4- 9  W1    3-7 
Harrisburg   22 36 .379  7.5   26-32   -4 14-15  8-21  2-4  8-10  L1    7-3 
 
American League Standings 
 
Southeast Division 
 
Team          W  L  PCT   GB Pyt.Rec Diff  Home  Away XInn  1Run Stk Last10 
Miami        40 17 .702    -   39-18    1 18-10 22- 7  5-2 12- 5  W1    7-3 
Knoxville    31 25 .554  8.5   30-26    1 15-13 16-12  4-2  5- 5  W3    5-5 
Washington   28 29 .491 12.0   28-29    0 14-15 14-14  4-0  8- 7  L4    4-6 
Atlanta      26 30 .464 13.5   25-31    1 13-15 13-15  2-2  7- 7  L1    4-6 
Charlotte    26 31 .456 14.0   23-34    3 11-17 15-14  2-4  6- 4  L2    6-4 
Nashville    19 37 .339 20.5   21-35   -2  7-22 12-15  2-3  3-11  L1    4-6 
 
Central Division 
 
Team          W  L  PCT   GB Pyt.Rec Diff  Home  Away XInn  1Run Stk Last10 
Denver       39 18 .684    -   40-17   -1 21- 7 18-11  1-6  9- 9  W2    8-2 
Tucson       28 26 .519  9.5   29-25   -1 13-14 15-12  3-3  8-11  L1    3-7 
Memphis      29 28 .509 10.0   31-26   -2 14-14 15-14  2-1  7- 8  W1    6-4 
Grand Rapids 28 28 .500 10.5   28-28    0 16-13 12-15  2-4  8- 9  W1    5-5 
Green Bay    25 31 .446 13.5   23-33    2 11-17 14-14  3-2 12- 5  W1    4-6 
Kansas City  18 37 .327 20.0   23-32   -5  6-21 12-16  1-2  4- 8  L1    5-5

Division races:

West:

San Diego has been slumping lately, and San Jose, Los Angeles, and Sacramento have all been playing very well. That has tightened the race in this division quite a bit. The next few weeks should be interesting, as San Diego has a series with Los Angeles, and San Jose has series with both Sacramento and Los Angeles.

Northeast:

This division is just a big mess of mediocrity right now. New Jersey leads the division, but is barely over .500. If everyone was playing to their Pythagorean records, the Devils would actually be in last place. Pittsburgh has the best Pythagorean record, but the Pirates have been hit hard with injuries, and both they and Bills have struggled a great deal in close games. Rochester has been a fairly balanced team, but like the Pirates, the Rhinos have also been banged up. New Jersey and Buffalo have relied on strong pitching, but their offenses have been weak. Hartford's offense has been outstanding, but the pitching is a disaster. With every team dealing with some flaw or another, this division is likely to be wide open for the rest of the year.

Southeast:

So far, this division race has played out almost exactly as predicted. Miami is comfortably in first, with best pitching staff in baseball leading the way. Knoxville and Washington are battling for second, although a 3 game sweep by the 79ers over the Senators has given Knoxville a bit of breathing room. Atlanta and Charlotte have been competitive, if inconsistent. And lastly, Nashville's dreadful pitching staff has contributed to it being one of the worst teams in baseball.

Central:

Denver continues to methodically pull away from the rest of the pack in this division, leaving Tucson, Memphis, and Grand Rapids to duke it out for second place. The defending champion Diamondbacks are perhaps the most interesting of that group, as, despite having the second best pitching staff in baseball, Tucson's offense ranks dead last in runs scored. How long can Tucson remain competitive when it is getting virtually no help from its lineup?

jamus23 · 05-04-2009, 09:57 PM

League Batting:

Code:

National League Batting 
 
West Division 
 
Team           AVG  HR    R    AB    H   2B  3B   BB    K  OBP  SLG  OPS  SB 
San Diego     .286  73  317  1967  562  105  13  206  313 .354 .464 .818  54 
San Jose      .272  57  310  1994  542  118  22  197  277 .340 .439 .779  33 
Los Angeles   .285  70  302  1964  560  102   9  147  347 .336 .453 .790  19 
Sacramento    .286  78  321  1969  563   94  14  188  319 .350 .467 .817  42 
Phoenix       .286 101  355  1979  566  100  22  175  333 .347 .512 .859  46 
Portland      .269  42  279  2012  542  105  16  165  318 .325 .400 .726  59 
 
Northeast Division 
 
Team           AVG  HR    R    AB    H   2B  3B   BB    K  OBP  SLG  OPS  SB 
New Jersey    .263  77  288  1959  515  117   9  171  377 .325 .450 .774  50 
Rochester     .281  68  333  1913  538  113   8  213  384 .357 .455 .812  18 
Hartford      .298  54  367  2122  633  127  16  222  356 .365 .450 .814  33 
Buffalo       .283  68  304  1992  563  112  13  169  409 .341 .454 .796  31 
Pittsburgh    .282  59  334  2023  570  121  11  206  324 .352 .440 .792   9 
Harrisburg    .256  58  282  1994  511   85  10  214  376 .332 .396 .728  53 
                                    
Total         .279 805 3792 23888 6665 1299 163 2273 4133 .344 .448 .792 447 
 
American League Batting 
 
Southeast Division 
 
Team           AVG  HR    R    AB    H   2B  3B   BB    K  OBP  SLG  OPS  SB 
Miami         .267  66  325  1992  532  131  13  270  300 .358 .445 .803  16 
Knoxville     .287  79  364  1959  562  116  13  279  424 .377 .480 .857  61 
Washington    .298  68  353  2083  621  135   6  215  278 .365 .467 .832  34 
Atlanta       .280  84  355  1994  559  135  13  276  406 .368 .487 .855  48 
Charlotte     .261  84  352  2029  530  115   7  229  366 .339 .449 .788  19 
Nashville     .279  76  334  2021  564  132  10  212  339 .348 .467 .815  30 
 
Central Division 
 
Team           AVG  HR    R    AB    H   2B  3B   BB    K  OBP  SLG  OPS  SB 
Denver        .321  91  435  2144  688  132  17  266  255 .398 .526 .923  39 
Tucson        .270  52  257  1908  515  116   8  195  316 .340 .421 .761  32 
Memphis       .283  74  317  2019  571  121  16  178  286 .343 .469 .812  29 
Grand Rapids  .266  81  325  1949  519  121  12  218  345 .345 .465 .810  17 
Green Bay     .254  68  273  1939  493   99  11  211  339 .331 .422 .753  20 
Kansas City   .279  58  296  1941  542  104  12  197  296 .348 .435 .782  29 
                                    
Total         .279 881 3986 23978 6696 1457 138 2746 3950 .355 .462 .817 374

League Pitching:

Code:

National League Pitching 
 
West Division 
 
Team             ERA   S     IP   HA    R   ER HRA   BB    K OAVG CG SHO 
San Diego       3.75  14  513.0  523  243  214  51  129  312 .265 12   3 
San Jose        4.30  11  510.2  503  262  244  74  150  391 .254  2   0 
Los Angeles     4.68  14  490.0  475  282  255  54  173  345 .253  6   2 
Sacramento      4.91  14  504.0  559  314  275  60  189  330 .281  6   2 
Phoenix         6.74  11  493.0  597  392  369 108  195  324 .298  4   2 
Portland        5.50  14  510.2  563  334  312  53  266  327 .283  4   1 
 
Northeast Division 
 
Team             ERA   S     IP   HA    R   ER HRA   BB    K OAVG CG SHO 
New Jersey      5.21  14  506.1  534  321  293  63  174  326 .268  2   0 
Rochester       5.50  12  483.0  549  317  295  64  230  353 .287  4   0 
Hartford        6.22  17  529.1  653  406  366  86  282  391 .303  1   0 
Buffalo         5.02  13  493.1  510  302  275  74  186  398 .263  5   0 
Pittsburgh      5.12   5  497.1  603  308  283  74  134  311 .299  2   1 
Harrisburg      4.80   8  513.2  597  311  274  44  165  325 .291  7   2 
                                    
Total           5.14 147 6044.1 6666 3792 3455 805 2273 4133 .279 55  13 
 
American League Pitching 
 
Southeast Division 
 
Team             ERA   S     IP   HA    R   ER HRA   BB    K OAVG CG SHO 
Miami           3.56  15  517.2  459  221  205  41  195  358 .234  9   3 
Knoxville       5.52  17  497.2  530  336  305  74  273  346 .270  5   1 
Washington      6.16  18  506.2  567  362  347 115  199  326 .280  2   0 
Atlanta         6.46  12  494.1  610  394  355  70  238  350 .299  7   0 
Charlotte       6.69  14  512.1  651  426  381  74  277  321 .306  4   1 
Nashville       7.30   9  500.2  628  431  406 106  317  295 .306  2   1 
 
Central Division 
 
Team             ERA   S     IP   HA    R   ER HRA   BB    K OAVG CG SHO 
Denver          4.60  11  518.2  547  284  265  71  125  380 .266  8   3 
Tucson          3.99  10  487.2  470  239  216  50  159  291 .252 15   4 
Memphis         4.65  15  505.0  551  292  261  59  199  366 .274 12   3 
Grand Rapids    5.44  15  496.2  582  323  300  63  263  304 .294  5   0 
Green Bay       5.45  12  500.2  524  323  303  96  244  338 .268  9   4 
Kansas City     6.07   9  483.0  577  355  326  62  257  275 .296 11   1 
                                    
Total           5.49 157 6021.0 6696 3986 3670 881 2746 3950 .279 89  21

Thoughts:

I'm not sure why, but offense has gone up by a not insignificant amount so far this season. The NL OPS is up by 8 points(from .784), and the AL OPS is up by 15 points(from .802). The NL ERA is up by a whopping 21 points(from 4.93), and the AL ERA is up by 16 points(from 5.33). The National League OPS hasn't been this high since it was at .791 in 2077, while the American League OPS hasn't been this high since it was at .815 in 2038. The National League ERA has not been this high since it was 5.18 in 2077, while the American League ERA hasn't reach a height such as this since it was 5.47 back in 2046. It will be interesting to see if this pace will continue as the season progresses.

jamus23 · 05-04-2009, 10:29 PM

Denver's Batting Stats:

Code:

Name          G  AB  H 2B 3B HR RBI  R BB  K  AVG  OBP  SLG SB CS
R. Thomas    54 258 93  8  1  9  46 50 16 13 .360 .404 .504  9  4
A. Vasquez   54 243 86  6  0 12  50 43 19 30 .354 .404 .527  5  4
L. Chappel   51 222 79 25  1 18  60 61 32  9 .356 .435 .721  6  0
J. Rumfelt   51 192 55  9  1  2  30 29 23 12 .286 .362 .375  0  0
M. Phillips  51 185 55 12  2  7  27 39 39 16 .297 .425 .497  1  0
E. Bolling   42 174 44 20  4  9  40 34 21 32 .253 .338 .569  1  0
A. Fuentez   43 170 57 15  1  3  31 32 21 15 .335 .404 .488  5  1
B. Romero    40 151 52  9  0  5  34 40 19 31 .344 .419 .503  7  2
M. Shunji    40 143 39  6  2  7  22 28 23 36 .273 .373 .490  3  2
M. Lore      31 100 29  7  0  2  18 15 10 11 .290 .366 .420  0  0
J. Fuensanta 19  68 27  2  1  4  21 14  8  4 .397 .449 .632  0  0
B. Branco    18  62 18  1  2  5  17 17 15 19 .290 .430 .613  0  0
A. Mingo     15  45 10  1  2  0   5 10 11  3 .222 .375 .333  1  1
G. Esqueda   10  37 15  3  0  4  11  7  4  2 .405 .463 .811  0  0
A. Elbert     8  34  7  3  0  3   8  5  2 10 .206 .250 .559  1  0
T. Teika      5  23 10  2  0  1   4  6  0  3 .435 .435 .652  0  0
S. Lattimer   7  23  6  2  0  0   3  2  2  8 .261 .320 .348  0  0
S. Skiba      3  14  6  1  0  0   2  3  1  1 .429 .467 .500  0  0

Thoughts:

Despite slumping a bit lately, Lee Chappel is still having a ridiculously awesome season so far. Alexis Vazquez has been consistently productive. Russell Thomas has come strong since a slow start to the season. Likewise for Masahachirou Shunji. Michael Phillips and Booker Romero are enjoying their best seasons. Tamiko Teika and Jose Fuensanta have done a very nice job platooning at first base with Ellis Bolling on the disabled list. That is especially interesting in Fuensanta's case, as he had been pretty awful until now in his minor league career and big league cups of coffee.

I should also point out that the injuries to Bolling and Asbel Fuentez could be construed as good things, to a certain extent. Both players are up there in years, and would likely have been replaced in the next 2-3 years. Having them out for awhile gives me an opportunity to assess guys like Marvin Lore and Teika. If they can handle themselves in a regular role, it might buy me a little time when I finally do need to replace the older guys. If I'm forced to use Lore as the starting right-fielder for a year, for example, it will be nice to know that's he capable of doing it.

Denver's Pitching Stats:

Code:

Name          G GS W L SV  ERA   IP  HA  R ER BB  K CG SH
K. Pillsbury 12 12 7 3  0 2.43 85.1  70 25 23 10 78  4  2
R. Mcnett    12 12 5 0  0 3.22 78.1  75 31 28 19 61  1  1
R. Lockridge 12 12 8 2  0 5.10 77.2  82 47 44 10 58  1  0
G. Buentello 11 11 5 2  0 5.33 74.1  70 45 44 21 43  0  0
T. Fons      10 10 4 3  0 7.07 70.0 101 57 55 28 39  2  0
J. Virgen    20  0 4 3  6 3.60 35.0  36 16 14  9 20  0  0
L. Gwinn     14  0 1 1  1 6.84 26.1  26 20 20  9 25  0  0
L. Waltz     20  0 1 1  1 6.93 24.2  36 21 19 11 20  0  0
R. Soto      20  0 3 0  2 3.42 23.2  21 10  9  3 13  0  0
O. Lopez     14  0 1 3  1 3.42 23.2  30 12  9  5 23  0  0

Thoughts:

Kenny Pillsbury and Robert McNett have been as good as any 1-2 punch in the league this season. Ray Lockridge and George Buentello have been up and down, but given how the high the league ERA is right now, they would still be considered above average. Thomas Fons hasn't exactly impressed anyone so far, but while I would consider replacing him, the Broncos don't really have anyone who would definitely be better. For now, I guess, Fons will remain the fifth starter.

The bullpen was has not been as good as expected, but it is a heck of a lot better than a lot of other teams. I would still like a rubber-armed reliever, but Denver just doesn't have a whole lot to trade to acquire one. Much like the situation with Fons, I'm just going to have live with what I have for the time being. Given that Denver is comfortably in first place right now, I can't really complain too much.

jamus23 · 05-07-2009, 09:34 PM

Code:

Central Division 
 
Team          W  L  PCT   GB Pyt.Rec Diff  Home  Away XInn  1Run Stk Last10 
Denver       43 20 .683    -   44-19   -1 23- 8 20-12  1-6  9- 9  W2    7-3 
Memphis      35 28 .556  8.0   36-27   -1 17-14 18-14  2-1  7- 8  W7    7-3 
Tucson       32 29 .525 10.0   33-28   -1 15-15 17-14  3-3  8-12  W1    6-4 
Grand Rapids 30 32 .484 12.5   29-33    1 17-15 13-17  2-4  8- 9  L2    3-7 
Green Bay    30 33 .476 13.0   27-36    3 13-19 17-14  3-2 14- 5  L1    7-3 
Kansas City  19 42 .311 23.0   25-36   -6  7-23 12-19  1-2  5-10  L3    4-6

Denver 12 @ Atlanta 3
Denver 5 @ Atlanta 3
Denver 0 @ Atlanta 9
Grand Rapids 5 @ Denver 3
Grand Rapids 4 @ Denver 13
Grand Rapids 2 @ Denver 8

Alexis Vazquez pretty much single-handedly won the first game against Atlanta, as he went 6 for 6, with 4 runs batted in, and 3 runs scored. Included among those hits was a double and a homerun. Vazquez is the first Denver player to collect 6 hits in a game since infielder Tomas Sato did it in 2082. Marvin Lore accounted for 5 hits of his own in the victory. The Broncos produced 13 hits and 8 walks in the second game, and hung on for another win. In the final game against the Braves, George Buentello and Thomas Sanchez battled for 6 innings in a tight pitchers' duel. When Buentello gave way to reliever Larry Waltz in the 7th inning, Atlanta clung to a 1-0 lead. Waltz, unfortunately, imploded, and gave up 8 runs in 2 innings. Meanwhile, Sanchez finished off a 5-hit, complete game shutout to help Atlanta avoid getting swept.

Denver was embarrassingly shut down by Grand Rapids' starter, Franklin Erb(7.98 career ERA), in the first game of the series with the Tigers. The second game was much easier, as the Broncos scored 6 runs in the first inning, and never looked back. Marvin Lore delivered 7 runs batted in, hitting a first-inning grand slam and a sixth-inning 3-run bomb. Robert McNett improved to 7-0 this season, and won his 15th consecutive decision, as Denver cruised to a victory in the third, and final, game of the series.

Alexis Vazquez had an utterly insane week to lead the Broncos' offense, as he hit .704(19 for 27), with a 2.020 OPS, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 4 homeruns, 12 RBI, and 11 runs scored. Jose Fuensanta continued his strong play, posting a 1.699 OPS, with 2 homeruns. Marvin Lore produced a 1.389 OPS, 12 hits, 2 doubles, 2 homeruns, and 10 RBI. Michael Phillips had a 1.033 OPS, a double, 2 homeruns, 6 runs scored. Jack Rumfelt posted a .921 OPS, with 11 hits.

Lee Chappel continued to struggle, as despite 3 doubles and a .360 on base percentage, he hit just .158, with a .676 OPS. Brooks Branco had only 4 hits in 26 at bats, and a .588 OPS, although the hits consisted of 3 doubles and a triple. Masahachirou Shunji went 0 for 12, with 8 strikeouts.

Kenny Pillsbury and Robert McNett each made 2 starts during the week, and both played well. Pillsbury gave up 4 runs in 14 2/3 innings, and struck out 12 batters. McNett allowed 4 runs in 13 innings pitched, and struck out 16 batters. George Buentello gave up 1 run in 6 innings in his only start. Ray Lockridge was the only ineffective starter during the week, with 4 runs allowed in 7 innings pitched.

There weren't any especially good bullpen performances. James Virgen tossed a scoreless inning, and Robert Soto allowed 1 run in 3 innings. On the negative side, Omar Lopez gave up 3 runs in 3 1/3 innings, and Larry Waltz surrendered 11 hits, 8 runs, and 3 walks in only 3 innings.

The injuries keep piling up for the Broncos. Center-fielder Russell Thomas(.904 OPS, 9 homeruns) will be out for at least a month and a half with back spasms, and left-fielder Masahachirou Shunji(.811 OPS, 7 homeruns) will be sidelined for about a month with an injury to his PCL. Replacing the two outfielders on the roster are veterans Shifusa Ryo and Emmanuel Abadia. The 36 year old Ryo has a .797 OPS at AAA this season, and a .646 OPS in 1145 career big league at bats. The 31 year old Abadia has been mostly a minor league slugger in his career, and this year, he has a .766 OPS and 15 homeruns at AAA. In 122 career big league at bats, Abadia has a .547 OPS. The most likely playing time allotment will have either Abadia or Arthur Elbert in left field against right-handed pitchers, and Elbert in left against lefties, and infielder Adrian Mingo in center against righties, and Ryo in center against lefties. Marvin Lore, of course, is playing right field in place of the injured Asbel Fuentez. This alignment might change soon, however, as Ellis Bolling is expected to come off the disabled list in 4 days, and the Broncos may be reluctant to send down Tamiko Teika, who has played well since being called up(.935 OPS in 35 at bats). Teika does have a bit of experience in left field, so he might be getting some time there, as well.

Around the league:

The National League Player of the Week Award went to Harrisburg's third-baseman, Coy Drews. This is Drews' first career POTW award. Drews hit .450( 9 for 20), with a 1.642 OPS, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 homeruns, 11 RBI, and 8 runs scored. He had 2 hits, including a triple, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored, in a 5-4 win over Portland. He had 3 hits, including a double and a homerun, 4 RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 6-5 win over the Trailblazers. His homerun was a 2-out, 2-run blast in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the game. He doubled, homered, walked, drove in 2 runs, and scored 3 runs in a 10-7 win over Hartford. Drews also had 2 hits, including a homerun, 2 walks, 4 RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 7-3 win over the Whalers.

Not surprisingly, the American League Player of the Week Award went to Denver's Alexis Vazquez. It is the 9th POTW award of Vazquez's career. In addition to the 6-hit game against Atlanta, Vazquez also had: Two hits and an RBI in a 5-3 win over the Braves. A triple, a homerun, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 5-3 loss to Grand Rapids. Four hits, including a homerun, a walk, 3 RBI, and 3 runs scored in a 13-4 thumping of the Tigers. Four hits, including a homerun, 3 RBI, and 3 runs scored in an 8-2 win over Grand Rapids. He is also currently on a 22-game hitting streak, 2 short of his career best.

Division races:

In the West, San Diego(43-20) shook off its recent lethargy and ended the week on a 4-game winning streak. Both San Jose(38-24) and Sacramento(33-29) have kept the pressure on, with 2 straight wins for the both of them. Los Angeles(32-29) has dropped 3 in a row.

New Jersey(33-30) increased its lead in the Northeast to 2 1/2 games over Rochester(29-31), but both the Devils and Rhinos closed the week on 2-game losing streaks.

Miami(46-18) is pouring it on in the Southeast. The Dolphins have won 6 straight games and have pushed their lead over Knoxville(32-30) to 13 games. At the bottom of the division, the Nashville Predators(19-44) are in a freefall, with 8 consecutive losses.

Denver's(43-20) lead in the Central Division remains comfortable, but the Broncos are not in a position to relax. Memphis(35-28) is playing extremely well right now, with 7 straight wins. The Grizzlies' strong play, combined with the Broncos' mounting injuries, could make this race a lot more competitive over the next couple of months.

Trade news:

Two months into the season, most teams have a good sense of where their season is going, and are starting to think about what that means for their roster. If the playoffs are a legitimate possibility, they look to see if they can fill any holes via trade. If the playoffs aren't likely, then teams look to the future in any trades. Portland and Green Bay kicked off this portion of the season with a 2 for 1 swap. The Trailblazers, with their season already in the toilet, acquired 26 year old right-fielder David New(.802 OPS, 9 homeruns) and 19 year old second-baseman Paul Lorenzo(.490 OPS at A-ball). The Packers, who are only 5 games behind second place Memphis in the Central Division, received 25-year old catcher Gary Jones(.338 average, .815 OPS) in exchange. The early winner of this trade is probably Green Bay, although it may complicate things for the Packers in a year or so. Previously, the Packers had veterans Roy Isenhour and Gary Lauritsen sharing time behind the plate. Both are capable backup catchers, but they are not starting material. Jones should be a significant upgrade. The potential complication arises from the fact that Green Bay's most recent first round draft pick is an 18-year old catcher named Santiago Fernandez. The young prospect is currently at AAA, where he has a .711 OPS. He's not ready for the big leagues yet, but he may be ready as soon as next season. The Packers may have to choose between Jones and Fernandez. As for the loss of New, certainly that hurts, as he is playing solidly this season as Green Bay's DH. To replace him, the Packers moved third-baseman Robert Quirk(.773 OPS, 9 homeruns) to the designated hitter spot, and backup third-baseman Charles Troutt(.717 OPS in 65 at bats) into the starting lineup. Troutt is a defensive upgrade over Quirk, but will likely be an offensive downgrade from New.

On the Portland side of things, this trade is highly questionable. The departure of Jones leaves the Trailblazers with a pair of 37 year old catchers on the roster(Aaron Quijada and Andrea Burkley), and pretty much nobody behind them. New does represent an upgrade over right-fielders Robert Schober(.721 OPS) and Tony Francois(.436 OPS), but a good, young catcher seems to be a lot more valuable than a decent, young right-fielder. As for the prospect Lorenzo, he is a modestly talented young player who could turn into a useful player, or, more likely, disappear in a couple of years

Injury news:

Denver wasn't the only team to get with injuries this week. San Diego lost backup catcher Clayton Threatt(.578 OPS in 58 at bats) for over a month with a torn abdominal muscle, and rookie starting pitcher Charles Paulk(4.24 ERA in 4 starts) for a similar length of time with an injury to his biceps. Green Bay lost its most effective starting pitcher this season, Anibal Reynoso(4-8, 3.28 ERA) for over a month with back spasms.

Ahead on Denver's schedule this week is another 3-game series at Atlanta(29-34), and a 3-game series versus Green Bay(30-33).

jamus23 · 05-09-2009, 03:40 PM

Code:

Central Division 
 
Team          W  L  PCT   GB Pyt.Rec Diff  Home  Away XInn  1Run Stk Last10 
Denver       47 22 .681    -   48-21   -1 25- 9 22-13  1-6 11-10  W1    6-4 
Tucson       37 31 .544  9.5   38-30   -1 18-16 19-15  3-3  9-13  W3    6-4 
Memphis      37 32 .536 10.0   38-31   -1 19-15 18-17  2-2  8-10  L3    6-4 
Grand Rapids 34 35 .493 13.0   33-36    1 19-16 15-19  2-4  9- 9  L1    5-5 
Green Bay    32 37 .464 15.0   30-39    2 14-21 18-16  3-3 15- 7  L1    4-6 
Kansas City  22 45 .328 24.0   27-40   -5  8-25 14-20  1-2  5-11  W1    4-6

Denver 1 @ Atlanta 0
Denver 9 @ Atlanta 10
Denver 6 @ Atlanta 3
Green Bay 5 @ Denver 6
Green Bay 14 @ Denver 7
Green Bay 0 @ Denver 8

For the second straight week, George Buentello and Thomas Sanchez locked horns. And for the second straight week, fans were treated to a pair of masterful pitching performances. For seven innings, neither team could score off of these two pitchers. Finally, in the eighth inning, Emmanuel Abadia singled in Lee Chappel to get the Broncos on the board. James Virgen then tossed 2 scoreless innings for the save. Denver's bullpen was not nearly as effective in the second game against Atlanta. The Broncos led 5-3 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, but Roberto Soto and Omar Lopez combined to give up 7 runs in that inning. Denver's 9th inning rally came up 1 run short. In the final game against the Braves, Kenny Pillsbury picked up his 10th win of the season behind the strength of 4 homeruns(Lee Chappel, Arthur Elbert, Tamiko Teika, and Emmanuel Abadia). Teika's was a 2-out, 3-run blast that erased a 3-2 deficit in the sixth inning. Ellis Bolling had 3 hits in his return to the lineup in the first game against Green Bay, but it was Chappel who delivered the victory, as he drove in 4 of Denver's 6 runs. Thomas Fons had another disastrous start, as he served up 5 homeruns to the Packers in the second game. George Buentello continued his strong pitching with 6 scoreless innings in the rubber game. Ellis Bolling collected 4 RBI in the rout over the Packers.

After struggling for several week, Lee Chappel returned to being a dominant force at the plate. He posted a 1.357 OPS, and had 11 hits, 7 doubles, 1 homerun, 8 RBI, and 7 runs scored. Booker Romero had a 1.214 OPS, a double, a homerun, and 6 runs scored. Brooks Branco had a 1.014 OPS, 2 doubles, a homerun, 4 RBI, 5 runs scored, and 6 walks.

Michael Phillips was just 3 for 21, with a .643 OPS, although he did hit a homerun and draw 6 walks. Alexis Vazquez also hit a homerun, but otherwise, he was just 4 for 24, with a .577 OPS.

George Buentello had an outstanding week; in 2 starts, he pitched 13 scoreless innings. Kenny Pillsbury and Ray Lockridge were both effective, as well. Pillsbury allowed 3 runs in 8 innings, and Lockridge allowed 3 runs in 7 innings. Robert McNett was a little shaky, with 10 hits and 4 runs allowed in 6 innings, however, he still improved to 8-0 on the year, and won his 16th consecutive decision. After making the best start of the season in his previous outing, Thomas Fons had arguably his worst start of the year this week. In 7 innings, he was drilled for 16 hits(5 homeruns), 5 walks, and 12 runs.

James Virgen had a strong week out of the bullpen. In 3 appearances, he threw 4 scoreless innings, struck out 4 batters, and notched 3 saves. Unfortunately, he was the only Denver reliever to have a good week. Larry Waltz gave up 2 hits and a run in 2 innings. Lyndon Gwinn gave up 2 runs in 2 innings. Omar Lopez allowed 7 hits and 5 runs in 4 innings. Roberto Soto gave up a hit, a walk, and 2 runs without recording any outs.

Nobody got hurt this week, which is good, and Ellis Bolling and Gabriel Esqueda both returned from the disabled list. Getting sent down to AAA to make room were Shane Lattimer and Stephen Skiba.

Around the league:

The National League Player of the Week Award went to new Portland right-fielder, David New. It is New's first career POTW award. He hit .650(13 for 20), with a 1.832 OPS, 1 double, 3 homeruns, 11 RBI, and 6 runs scored. New had 3 hits, including a pair of homeruns, 6 runs batted in, and 2 runs scored in a 13-6 whipping of Sacramento. He had 2 hits, a walk, an RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 10-8 win over the Kings. He had 2 hits, a walk, and an RBI in a 6-4 win over Rochester. He had 3 hits in a 7-6 win over the Rhinos. Finally, he had 3 hits, including a homerun, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored in an 8-6 victory over Rochester. His homerun was a 2-out, 3-run shot in the sixth inning that wiped out a 3-0 Rhinos' lead.

The American League Player of the Week Award went to Knoxville's catcher, Daniel Moise. It is Moise's first ever POTW award. He hit .444(12 for 27), with a 1.279 OPS, a double, 3 homeruns, 8 RBI, and 11 runs scored. Moise hit a pair of solo homeruns, and scored 3 runs in an 8-5 loss to Grand Rapids. He had 4 hits, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 5-1 win over the Tigers. He had a hit, a walk, and 2 runs scored in an 8-6 win over Nashville. He hit a walk-off homerun in the bottom of the ninth inning of a 7-6 win over the Predators. Finally, he had 4 hits, 3 RBI, and 3 runs scored in a 14-6 thumping of Nashville.

Division races:

San Diego(47-23) remains in control of the West Division, and San Jose(41-27) just hasn't been able to gain much ground. Both teams ended the week on 2 game losing streaks.

Little has changed in the Northeast. New Jersey(36-33) still leads the division, but Rochester(30-36) has fallen to 4th place with a 5-game losing streak. Moving into second place was Buffalo(33-35).

Miami(51-19) seems almost unstoppable right now. The Dolphins have won 3 straight games, 9 of their last 10, and are 13-3 so far in the month of June. Second place Knoxville(36-32) has won 4 straight games.

Denver(47-22) hasn't been able to increase its hold over the Central Division lately because the Broncos, the second place Tucson Diamondbacks(37-31), and the third place Memphis Grizzlies(37-32) have all gone 6-4 in their last 10 games. Tucson took over second place from Memphis by winning three straight games against Charlotte, while the Grizzlies were swept by Miami.

Ahead on Denver's schedule this week is a 3 games series versus Charlotte(31-40), and a 4 games series at Washington(35-35).

jamus23 · 05-11-2009, 09:48 PM

Code:

Central Division 
 
Team          W  L  PCT   GB Pyt.Rec Diff  Home  Away XInn  1Run Stk Last10 
Denver       52 24 .684    -   54-22   -2 27-10 25-14  1-6 11-10  W2    7-3 
Tucson       41 34 .547 10.5   42-33   -1 22-16 19-18  3-4  9-14  W4    7-3 
Memphis      39 36 .520 12.5   41-34   -2 19-18 20-18  2-2  8-10  L3    3-7 
Green Bay    35 40 .467 16.5   32-43    3 16-22 19-18  3-3 16- 8  W1    5-5 
Grand Rapids 35 41 .461 17.0   34-42    1 20-18 15-23  2-4  9- 9  L6    3-7 
Kansas City  26 48 .351 25.0   31-43   -5 10-27 16-21  1-2  5-11  W1    5-5

Charlotte 9 @ Denver 4
Charlotte 2 @ Denver 13
Charlotte 0 @ Denver 5
Denver 9 @ Washington 0
Denver 1 @ Washington 3
Denver 7 @ Washington 1
Denver 4 @ Washington 0

The week began with a bad loss to Charlotte. The Panthers' second-baseman, Daryl Scott, led the way with 4 hits and 5 runs batted in. The Broncos turned the tables in the second game, as Booker Romero produced 4 hits, and both he and Lee Chappel collected 4 RBI. Denver banged out 4 homeruns in the game(Romero, Ellis Bolling, Tamiko Teika, and Alexis Vazquez). Backed by homeruns from Marvin Lore, Lee Chappel, and Alexis Vazquez, southpaw Robert McNett authored his second complete game shutout of the season in the final game against Charlotte, ran his record on the season to 9-0, and won his 17th consecutive decision. The Broncos got their second consecutive shutout from Thomas Fons, of all pitchers, as he 3-hit the Washington Senators to open the series. Despite out-hitting Washington 8-5 in the second game, the Broncos mustered only 1 run( a solo homerun by Jose Fuensanta) and lost a close game. Denver scored at least 1 run in each of the first 5 innings of the third game, and cruised to a comfortable win over the Senators. The week was capped off by yet another complete game shutout. This one was hurled by Kenny Pillsbury, for his 3rd shutout of the season. Denver's 4 runs came from 4 solo homeruns(Booker Romero, Lee Chappel, Brooks Branco, and Arthur Elbert), all of which came off of veteran starter Cleveland Lauria, who, at age 36, is definitely not the same pitcher who once tossed a no-hitter against the Broncos in a playoff game.

Marvin Lore has definitely made the most of his increased playing time. This week, he led the Broncos with a 1.297 OPS, and had a double, 2 homeruns, 4 RBI, and 4 runs scored. I don't know what's gotten into Booker Romero, but he is having a fantastic season. This week was no exception. He produced a 1.210 OPS, 12 hits, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homeruns, 10 RBI, and 5 runs scored. Alexis Vazquez had a 1.194 OPS, 3 homeruns, 4 RBI, and 6 runs scored. Lee Chappel had a .944 OPS, with 3 doubles, 2 homeruns, and 7 RBI.

Michael Phillips managed just a .681 OPS in 23 at bats. Brooks Branco was 1 for 9, with a homerun, and a .644 OPS. Emanuel Abadia was 1 for 12, with a homerun, 6 strikeouts, and a .417 OPS.

Obviously, with all the shutouts, Denver got some pretty good starting pitching during the week. McNett's and Fons' shutouts were their only starts, but Pillsbury actually made two starts. In 16 1/3 innings, he gave up just 2 runs, struck out 12 batters, and walked none. Ray Lockridge also made 2 starts, but his overall performance was not very good: 18 hits and 8 runs allowed in 13 1/3 innings. George Buentello allowed 3 runs in 8 innings in his only start.

Likewise, with so many complete games being pitched, the bullpen didn't see much action. Robert Soto made 2 appearances, and was not scored upon in 3 2/3 innings. He struck out 4 batters. Larry Waltz had one outing, and he gave up 5 hits, a walk, and 2 runs(both unearned) in 2 2/3 innings pitched.

Around the league:

The National League Player of the Week Award went to Phoenix's first-baseman, Emil Cuestas. It is the 9th POTW award of Cuestas' career. He hit .435(10 for 23), with a 1.481 OPS, 1 double, 4 homeruns, 9 RBI, and 8 runs scored during the week. He had 2 hits, including a homerun, 3 runs batted in, and a run scored in a 7-6 loss to Los Angeles. His 7th inning homerun briefly gave the Cardinals a 6-5 lead. They would lose the lead in the bottom of the 7th, and lose the game in the bottom of the 9th. He doubled, hit a pair of homeruns, drove in 3 runs, and scored 2 runs in a 10-7 win over Hartford. His second homerun was a solo shot in the fifth inning that broke a 3-3 tie. He also homered, walked, and scored 2 runs in a 6-5, 10-inning victory over the Whalers. After falling behind 5-1, his third inning homerun kept the Cardinals in the game.

The American League Player of the Week Award went to Memphis' shortstop, Roy Chouinard. This is Chouinard's 8th POTW award, and second this season. He hit .609(14 for 23), with a 1.741 OPS, 2 doubles, 3 homeruns, 6 RBI, and 9 runs scored. Chouinard had 4 hits, including a double and a homerun, 3 RBI, and 3 runs scored in a 10-2 whipping of Grand Rapids. He had 3 hits, including a pair of solo homeruns, in an 11-8 loss to Knoxville. His first homerun tied the game at 5-all in the fifth inning. He had 3 hits, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 12-7 loss to the 79ers.

Division Races:

All is quiet on the Western front. San Diego(52-25) still leads the division, and second place San Jose(45-30) remains at about the same place it did a week ago.

New Jersey(41-34) has started to gain a little separation in the Northeast over Buffalo(36-38), as the Devils have won 3 straight games, and the Bills have lost 2 in a row. One of the most surprising developments of this season is the fact that, by virtue of a 5-game losing streak, Pittsburgh(31-44) has tumbled into a tie for last place in the division with Harrisburg(32-45). It has been a very long time since the Pirates have been ranked this low in the division this late into the season.

Despite losing 2 of their last 3 games, and to hapless Kansas City at that, the Miami Dolphins(56-21) are in complete control of the Southeast Division, and own the best record in baseball. Knoxville(40-34) has begun to tighten its grip on second place, as the 79ers have won 3 straight games, and 8 of their last 10.

The Broncos(52-24) increased their lead slightly in the Central Division, while Tucson((41-34) did the same with regards to second place. Third place Memphis(39-36) has lost 3 straight games, and 7 of its last 10.

Injury News:

Memphis lost catcher Albert Easter(.900 OPS, 6 homeruns) for the rest of the season with a broken hip. The 27 year old was finally starting to live up to his potential. Tucson's veteran shortstop, Sabas Riva(.668 OPS, 13 stolen bases), will miss over a month with an injury to his rotator cuff.

Ahead on Denver's schedule this week is a 4-game series at Knoxville(40-34), and a 3-game series versus Miami(56-21).

jamus23 · 05-13-2009, 09:31 PM

Denver 3 @ Knoxville 9
Denver 5 @ Knoxville 8
Denver 2 @ Knoxville 5
Denver 10 @ Knoxville 0
Miami 11 @ Denver 0
Miami 4 @ Denver 5(11 innings)
Miami 11 @ Denver 4

With series against Knoxville and Miami this week, the Broncos knew it was going to be tough. It wound up being even more difficult than Denver could have expected. Robert McNett's streak of consecutive winning decisions came to an abrupt and painful end. The 79ers battered McNett for 6 first inning runs, and when Brooks Branco attempted to get the Broncos back in the game with a 2-out, 3-run homerun in the fifth inning, Knoxville just tacked on a few more runs to secure the victory in the first game of a four game series. Thomas Fons battled respectably for over 5 innings in the second game, but fell apart in the sixth. A 2-2 game turned into 6-2 Knoxville lead, and Denver couldn't recover. Brooks Branco led off the third game with a homerun, and that 1-0 lead held up until the bottom of the sixth inning. The 79ers scored 3 runs in the sixth, and added 2 more in the eighth inning to take control of the game. The Broncos led out all of their frustrations in the final game, avoiding a sweep with a 20-hit pummeling of Knoxville. Ray Lockridge, Larry Waltz, and Lyndon Gwinn combined to keep Knoxville off the scoreboard.

Miami absolutely embarrassed Denver in the first game of the series. The Dolphins erupted for 22 hits- 14 off of Broncos' ace Kenny Pillsbury- in the rout. First-baseman Aaron Shorts produced 5 hits and 4 runs scored for Miami, while DH Edmond McGurk and catcher Jake Foss each had 4 hits and 5 RBI. McGurk belted a pair of homeruns. The second game got off to an ugly start, when McGurk smashed a 2-run homerun in the first inning, but it remained a close affair. Miami led 2-1 until making it 3-1 in the top of the fifth inning. Denver scored 1 run in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings to take a 4-3 lead. James Virgen lost the lead in the eighth inning, and the game went into extra innings. In the bottom of the 11th inning, left-fielder Arthur Elbert delivered a 2-out, run-scoring double to win the game for the Broncos. Denver led the final game 3-2 after 2 innings, but McGurk and Thomas Fuentes, Jr. hit back to back homeruns in the third inning to take a 5-3 lead(McGurk's was a 2-run shot).The Broncos cut the lead to 5-4 in the sixth inning, but a gassed bullpen imploded in the ninth and gave up 6 runs to ensure the Miami victory.

Lee Chappel led the offense this week with a 1.343 OPS, a double, 3 homeruns, 5 RBI, 6 runs scored, and 9 walks. Brooks Branco delivered a 1.294 OPS, a double, and 2 homeruns. Michael Phillips reached base at a .483 clip, and had a .918 OPS. Marvin Lore hit .387 and had 12 hits, but they were all singles, so his OPS was an unimpressive .793.

There were numerous poor performances this week. Jack Rumfelt had a .697 OPS. Booker Romero had a .656 OPS. Alexis Vazquez had a .644 OPS. Ellis Bolling had 2 doubles and a homerun, but hit .158 with a .621 OPS. Arthur Elbert was 3 for 15, with a .600 OPS. Emanuel Abadia and Adrian Mingo combined to go 0 for 24.

The pitching wasn't a whole lot better. Ray Lockridge gutted out 5 scoreless innings, and struck out 7 batters. George Buentello gave up 3 runs in 6 innings. Robert McNett made 2 starts, and surrendered 10 runs(8 earned) in 10 1/3 innings pitched. Thomas Fons made 2 starts, and gave up 18 hits, 9 walks, and 9 runs in 11 innings. Kenny Pillsbury surrendered 14 hits and 8 runs in 5 innings pitched.

Poor starting pitching leads to an overworked bullpen, and that naturally leads to poor performance as well. Omar Lopez gave up 3 runs(2 earned) in 7 2/3 innings, with 9 hits allowed and 6 strikeouts. His was the only solid performance. Larry Waltz gave up 7 hits and 2 runs in 4 innings pitched. Lyndon Gwinn allowed 3 runs in 4 innings. Robert Soto allowed 5 runs in 4 2/3 innings. James Virgen gave up 5 runs in 4 1/3 innings pitched.

Once again, Denver has been hit with an injury. Ellis Bolling sustained an injury to his thigh, and will be out for at least another week. Instead of calling someone up from AAA, Denver elected sign 37 year old free agent reliever Laverne McCullum. The veteran right-hander is expected to serve as a mopup and long relief man, and hopefully, he will ease some of the pressure on Denver's bullpen. In 503 career big league games, McCullum has an uninspiring 6.45 ERA, however, he did have a respectable 4.32 ERA in 8 1/3 innings for Sacramento this season before getting released in May. McCullum has good velocity, decent control, and doesn't allow many fly balls.

Around the league:

The National League Batter of the Month Award went to Sacramento's left-fielder, Ramon Montalvo. It is the 3rd BOTM award of Montalvo's career. During the month of June, he hit .394/.439/.707/1.146, with 4 doubles, 3 triples, 7 homeruns, 24 RBI, and 22 runs scored. For the year, Montalvo has hit .344/.415/.632/1.048, with 6 doubles, 6 triples, 23 homeruns, 67 RBI, 67 run scored, and a 36/31 BB/K ratio.

The National League Pitcher of the Month Award went to San Diego's Carlos Lozoya. It is the 5th POTM award of Lozoya's career. In 6 June starts, Lozoya went 5-0, with a 1.85 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, and a 45/13 K/BB ratio. He tossed 2 complete games and 1 shutout(a 1-hitter against Harrisburg). For the year, the 2-time Cy Young Award winner is 13-2, with a 1.78 ERA, a 0.99 WHIP, and a 109/40 K/BB ratio in 18 starts. He has pitched 8 complete games and 4 shutouts. He leads all of baseball in both wins and ERA, and is second in the National League in strikeouts.

The American League Batter of the Month Award went to Denver's Alexis Vazquez. It is the the 4th time that Vazquez has won the BOTM award. In June, he hit .383/.437/.635/1.071, with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 8 homeruns, 23 RBI, and 25 runs scored. For the year, Vazquez has hit .365/.416/.571/.987, with 9 doubles, 1 triple, 20 homeruns, 70 RBI, and 63 runs scored. He is second in the American League in batting average.

The American League Pitcher of the Month Award went to Tucson's Christopher Kirk. It is Kirk's first ever POTM award. During the month of June, Kirk was 6-0 in 6 starts, and had a 1.86 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP, and a 34/5 K/BB ratio. He threw 2 complete games and a 1 shutout(an 8-hitter against Charlotte). For the year, Kirk is 12-6, with a 2.95 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP, and an 82/19 K/BB ratio in 18 starts. He has 9 complete games and 2 shutouts. Kirk is tied for the AL lead in wins.

The National League Player of the Week Award went to Harrisburg's third-baseman, Coy Drews. It is Drews' second career POTW award, and second POTW award of this season. Drews hit .429(9 for 21), with a 1.519 OPS, 4 homeruns, 9 RBI, 6 runs scored, and 5 walks. He had 3 hits, including a solo homerun in an 8-2 loss to Phoenix. He had 3 hits, including a pair of homeruns, and 6 RBI in an 8-4 win over the Cardinals. The first homerun was a 2-out, 3-run bomb that erased a 3-2 Phoenix lead in the fifth inning. The second was a 2-run blast in the seventh inning that put the game out of reach. He had 2 hits, including a homerun, 2 walks, and 2 runs scored in a 7-6 loss to Phoenix. He had a single, a walk, and an RBI in a 4-2 win over Rochester.

The American League Player of the Week Award went to Miami's catcher, Jake Foss. It is the 3rd POTW award of Foss' career. He hit .579(11 for 19), with a 1.566 OPS, 1 double, 2 homeruns, 10 RBI, and 5 runs scored. Foss had 3 hits, including a double and a homerun, 3 RBI, and 3 runs scored in a 12-0 drubbing of Green Bay. He had 4 hits, including a grand slam, and 5 RBI in an 11-0 pasting of Denver. His third inning homerun turned a 1-0 game into a laugher. He also had 4 hits, 2 RBI, and a run scored in an 11-4 rout over the Broncos.

In other news, San Jose Sharks' first-baseman Ugo Momoru delivered the 500th homerun of his career. The steady batting stroke of the 35 year old Momoru has been the driving force behind San Jose's resurgence this season. Momoru has hit .305, with an .888 OPS, 12 doubles, 14 homeruns, 57 RBI, 51 runs scored, and a 50/15 BB/K ratio. Momoru is a 5-time All Star and a one time Silver Slugger Award winner(2081). He is also one of just two players to ever reach 60 homeruns in more than one season(Hall of Famer Scott Border was the first). Momoru accomplished the feat in 2077 and 2081.

Injury News:

Los Angeles suffered a couple of injuries this week. Twenty-two year old rookie starting pitcher Ted Neer(0-2, 6.10 ERA) will miss about 3 weeks with an elbow injury, and left-fielder Ray Renard(.707 OPS, 4 homeruns) will miss more than a month with a torn groin muscle. Meanwhile, New Jersey lost shortstop Brian Hall(.769 OPS, 24 doubles, 7 homeruns) for at least a month with a strained PCL.

Trading News:

There were two trades in the past week, and both were rather questionable. In the first trade, Tucson acquired veteran shortstop Jimmy Adams from Grand Rapids in exchange for 21-year old starting pitching prospect Christopher McKissick. With Sabas Riva on the disabled list, the Diamondbacks were in need of a better shortstop than any of their current in-house options. The 37 year old Adams isn't much of a hitter(.635 OPS this season), but he is a good fielder. There's nothing wrong with Tucson acquiring Adams, but the Diamondbacks definitely overpaid. McKissick isn't yet an elite prospect, but he has a lot of potential. Grand Rapids made out well in this trade. However... the Tigers have elected to rush their new acquisition to the big leagues. McKissick has a 3.56 ERA in 15 AA starts this year, but he is not ready for big league action yet. Grand Rapids may negate its trade victory by ruining the young pitcher.

The second trade this week was almost incomprehensible. Portland, which had already traded away catcher Gary Jones in a somewhat suspect transaction, traded 25 year old starting pitcher Aldo Barnes to Knoxville in exchange for 27 year old Bruce Congdon and 20 year old relief prospect, Toby Cramer. This trade is baffling for both parties. Although Congdon hasn't always been the most reliable pitcher, he has performed quite well this season, going 6-1 with a 3.93 ERA for the 79ers. Given that Knoxville is battling to stay in control of the second place playoff spot in the Southeast Division, trading Congdon appears to make very little sense. This is especially true when you consider the return. Aldo Barnes is a very talented left-hander, but he has struggled badly in his big league time so far, and that includes this season. For Portland, Barnes went 4-10, with an 8.44 ERA. For the Trailblazers' part, one would think that the perennial bottom-feeder would be trying to build around the likes of Barnes. With the season already in the toilet, Portland can afford to be patient with the growing pains of a young player. What does Congdon do for them? Maybe he helps them avoid 100 losses or a last place finish. I'm not sure that's worth it. As for Toby Cramer, he's more minor league filler than anything else. But who knows? He's only 20, and could eventually develop into something useful.

In the final week before the All Star game, Denver has a 4-game series versus Atlanta(42-40), and a 3 game series at Charlotte(36-47).

Coming up: The league standings this far, and Denver's batting and pitching statistics.

jamus23 · 05-13-2009, 10:09 PM

Code:

National League Standings 
 
West Division 
 
Team          W  L  PCT   GB Pyt.Rec Diff  Home  Away XInn  1Run Stk Last10 
San Diego    56 27 .675    -   54-29    2 28-12 28-15  8-3 17- 8  L1    7-3 
San Jose     48 33 .593  7.0   50-31   -2 23-18 25-15  4-4 13-14  W1    6-4 
Los Angeles  43 38 .531 12.0   40-41    3 23-17 20-21  6-2 16- 4  L2    4-6 
Sacramento   43 38 .531 12.0   43-38    0 23-19 20-19  8-2 14-11  L1    7-3 
Phoenix      38 43 .469 17.0   39-42   -1 16-24 22-19  5-5 13-14  L3    5-5 
Portland     34 48 .415 21.5   32-50    2 14-26 20-22  5-4  8-13  L5    3-7 
 
Northeast Division 
 
Team          W  L  PCT   GB Pyt.Rec Diff  Home  Away XInn  1Run Stk Last10 
New Jersey   45 37 .549    -   41-41    4 23-19 22-18  2-3  6- 7  W4    7-3 
Buffalo      41 40 .506  3.5   41-40    0 20-20 21-20  0-2  7-14  W2    6-4 
Rochester    36 43 .456  7.5   40-39   -4 19-21 17-22  3-7  8-14  W1    4-6 
Hartford     37 47 .440  9.0   33-51    4 17-24 20-23  2-5 15- 9  W1    3-7 
Pittsburgh   35 46 .432  9.5   43-38   -8 18-23 17-23  2-5  6-14  W4    4-6 
Harrisburg   34 50 .405 12.0   37-47   -3 20-23 14-27  3-6 11-12  L1    3-7 
 
American League Standings 
 
Southeast Division 
 
Team          W  L  PCT   GB Pyt.Rec Diff  Home  Away XInn  1Run Stk Last10 
Miami        60 23 .723    -   61-22   -1 30-11 30-12  7-3 17- 7  W1    6-4 
Knoxville    45 36 .556 14.0   45-36    0 22-19 23-17  4-2  6- 8  W2    8-2 
Atlanta      42 40 .512 17.5   42-40    0 20-20 22-20  3-2 10- 9  W5    7-3 
Washington   39 45 .464 21.5   39-45    0 21-22 18-23  4-0 11-12  W2    4-6 
Charlotte    36 47 .434 24.0   32-51    4 16-25 20-22  2-4 10- 6  L2    4-6 
Nashville    25 57 .305 34.5   30-52   -5 10-32 15-25  2-3  6-17  L5    3-7 
 
Central Division 
 
Team          W  L  PCT   GB Pyt.Rec Diff  Home  Away XInn  1Run Stk Last10 
Denver       54 29 .651    -   56-27   -2 28-12 26-17  2-6 12-10  L1    4-6 
Tucson       45 37 .549  8.5   47-35   -2 25-17 20-20  3-4 10-15  L1    7-3 
Memphis      42 39 .519 11.0   43-38   -1 21-19 21-20  2-2 10-10  L2    4-6 
Green Bay    38 43 .469 15.0   33-48    5 18-23 20-20  3-3 17- 8  W1    5-5 
Grand Rapids 38 45 .458 16.0   36-47    2 22-20 16-25  3-4 10- 9  W2    3-7 
Kansas City  29 52 .358 24.0   34-47   -5 11-29 18-23  1-3  5-13  L2    5-5

Thoughts:

West Division:

San Diego got a little breathing room this week with a series win against San Jose. Personally, I don't see the Sharks as being good enough to beat out the Padres for the division, so the interesting battle to watch is going to be the second place race. San Jose has a reasonably comfortable lead for second right now, but both Los Angeles and Sacramento could pose a legitimate threat in the second half of the season.

Northeast Division:

This division could turn into a 2-team race fairly quickly. New Jersey and Buffalo haven't played great, but right now, they are doing enough to win. That's more than can be said for Rochester and Pittsburgh, who are 4 and 8 games, respectively, under their Pythagorean records. I could see the Rhinos getting their act together, but not the Pirates.

Southeast Division:

Uh, Miami's pretty good. The rotation, as usual, is the best in the league, and the bullpen has been good enough. The lineup has its weak spots, but it's plenty strong enough to bludgeon teams on a regular basis. Knoxville is doing as well as expected, but Atlanta has been surprisingly competitive. The Braves may just give the 79ers a bit of a fight for second place.

Central Division:

Denver's mediocre week has allowed Tucson to remain in the discussion in the battle for first place. It'll take a lot for the Diamondbacks to make up that much ground, but it's not impossible. If the Broncos can hold the line until everyone gets healthy, they should be fine, however. Memphis may make things interesting for Knoxville in the second half, also.

jamus23 · 05-13-2009, 10:50 PM

Denver's batting stats:

Code:

Name          G  AB   H 2B 3B HR RBI  R BB  K  AVG  OBP  SLG SB CS
A. Vasquez   78 345 126  9  1 20  70 63 28 39 .365 .416 .571  5  5
L. Chappel   73 310 106 39  1 24  82 80 49 17 .342 .435 .706  6  0
J. Rumfelt   76 289  87 11  1  2  39 39 34 18 .301 .376 .367  1  0
M. Phillips  75 277  80 17  2 10  35 59 58 20 .289 .418 .473  1  0
R. Thomas    55 260  93  8  1  9  46 51 17 14 .358 .404 .500  9  4
E. Bolling   57 236  58 27  4 12  49 40 22 43 .246 .313 .547  1  0
B. Romero    57 221  77 15  1  8  49 55 25 44 .348 .414 .534  9  2
M. Lore      53 186  63 10  0  7  38 26 18 20 .339 .409 .505  0  0
A. Fuentez   43 170  57 15  1  3  31 32 21 15 .335 .404 .488  5  1
M. Shunji    43 155  39  6  2  7  22 28 26 44 .252 .359 .452  3  3
B. Branco    34 126  31  7  3  9  29 29 26 33 .246 .381 .563  1  0
J. Fuensanta 28 101  41  2  1  7  27 22 11  7 .406 .456 .653  0  0
A. Elbert    24  92  19  6  0  7  17 12  7 32 .207 .260 .500  2  1
A. Mingo     25  72  17  1  2  0   5 15 18  6 .236 .389 .306  2  1
T. Teika     15  58  17  2  0  3  13 12  9 13 .293 .388 .483  0  0
G. Esqueda   13  48  18  4  0  4  12  7  5  4 .375 .434 .708  0  0
E. Abadia    10  39   3  0  0  2   3  2  1 14 .077 .122 .231  0  0
S. Ryo       10  36  11  2  0  0   2  8  6  4 .306 .395 .361  0  0
S. Lattimer   9  30   8  3  0  0   3  2  2 11 .267 .313 .367  0  0
S. Skiba      4  18   7  1  0  0   2  3  1  3 .389 .421 .444  0  0

Thoughts:

Lee Chappel cooled off a lot in the last month, but he is still a leading candidate for the Silver Slugger Award. Alexis Vazquez's importance can not be understated. With all of the injuries, and Chappel's recent slump, Vazquez has been as steady as a rock. A number of other players have really stepped up as well: Jack Rumfelt, Michael Phillips, Booker Romero, Jose Fuensanta, Brooks Branco, Marvin Lore. Denver has been able to survive the injuries to Thomas, Bolling, Fuentez, Shunji, and Esqueda without struggling much because these guys have contributed big time. I don't know if they will all keep it up, of course, but I suspect that the division race would be much tighter if not for them.

Denver's pitching stats:

Code:

Name          G GS  W L SV  ERA    IP  HA  R ER BB   K CG SH
K. Pillsbury 18 18 12 4  0 2.78 129.1 114 42 40 11 113  5  3
R. Mcnett    18 18  9 1  0 3.39 116.2 124 49 44 29  96  2  2
R. Lockridge 17 17 10 4  0 4.83 110.0 117 62 59 20  86  1  0
G. Buentello 16 16  7 5  0 4.28 107.1  94 52 51 33  65  1  0
T. Fons      14 14  5 6  0 7.05  97.0 138 78 76 42  45  3  1
J. Virgen    26  0  4 3 10 3.86  44.1  47 21 19 10  25  0  0
O. Lopez     21  0  1 4  2 4.42  38.2  50 23 19  7  34  0  0
L. Waltz     27  0  1 1  1 7.43  36.1  61 34 30 16  24  0  0
R. Soto      28  0  4 0  2 4.37  35.0  34 18 17  6  20  0  0
L. Gwinn     19  0  1 1  1 6.82  34.1  35 26 26 13  34  0  0
L. Mccullum   6  0  1 0  0 4.32   8.1  12  4  4  2   3  0  0

Thoughts:

His most recent start notwithstanding, Kenny Pillsbury has been great this season, and is among the front-runners to win the Cy Young Award. Robert McNett is having a very good season, as well. Ray Lockridge and George Buentello have been o.k., if a little inconsistent. As for Thomas Fons, well, he is a rookie, he doesn't have great talent, and Denver is the toughest place in the league to pitch in.

The bullpen, meanwhile, has pretty much sucked. Any close game makes me nervous, as I don't trust these guys.

04-19-2009, 03:01 PM	#461
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 896	April 16, 2085 to April 22, 2085: Weekly Recap Code: Central Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 Denver 12 7 .632 - 13- 6 -1 7-2 5-5 0-3 2-3 W5 8-2 Memphis 12 7 .632 - 12- 7 0 5-5 7-2 0-1 1-0 W4 6-4 Green Bay 10 9 .526 2.0 8-11 2 5-5 5-4 2-0 5-1 L1 6-4 Grand Rapids 9 9 .500 2.5 9- 9 0 5-4 4-5 0-1 2-3 W1 3-7 Tucson 6 12 .333 5.5 8-10 -2 3-6 3-6 1-1 1-5 L1 5-5 Kansas City 5 14 .263 7.0 8-11 -3 1-8 4-6 0-1 1-3 L4 4-6 Denver 4 @ Green Bay 6 Denver 7 @ Green Bay 0 Denver 9 @ Green Bay 2 Nashville 12 @ Denver 16 Nashville 7 @ Denver 8 Nashville 4 @ Denver 16 Denver moved into first place for the first time this season with a strong, although sometimes difficult, week. Green Bay surprised the Broncos in the first game of their series, outhitting Denver 12-6 en route to a victory. The Broncos rebounded, however. Kenny Pillsbury tossed his second straight shutout- a 5-hit, 9 strikeout performance that was backed by a 2-HR, 4 RBI performance from catcher Lee Chappel. In the concluding game of the series, Robert McNett tossed 6 innings of 1-hit, shutout ball, and Jack Rumfelt broke open the game with a 5th inning grand slam. Nashville, meanwhile, proved to be extremely feisty. The first game saw the Predators nearly rally from a 13-6 deficit. It wasn't until Ellis Bolling hit a 2-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to give the Broncos a 16-12 lead that Denver put the game away. Nashville gave Denver even more trouble in the second game, and led 7-6 through 7 1/2 innings. The Broncos took the lead for good in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Predators put up a brief fight in the final game before collapsing. The Broncos raced out to a 7-1 lead in the first two innings, but Nashville cut it to 7-4 after three innings. The Broncos kept scoring, however, and Nashville did not. Take a wild guess as to who carried the Broncos' offense this week. Yep, it was Lee Chappel again. Chappel posted a 1.980 OPS, with 10 hits, 2 doubles, 5 homeruns, 13 RBI, 10 runs scored, and 7 walks. Michael Phillips delivered a 1.750 OPS, with 2 doubles, 1 homerun, 5 runs scored, and 9 walks. Asbel Fuentez had a 1.292 OPS, with 3 doubles, 1 homerun, 7 RBI, and 6 runs scored. Masahachirou Shunji woke up and posted a 1.244 OPS, with 2 homeruns, 5 RBI, 6 runs scored, and 5 walks. Ellis Bolling delivered a 1.097 OPS, with 4 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homeruns, 5 RBI, and 7 runs scored. Russell Thomas also shook off his early season slump, and posted a 1.027 OPS, with 10 hits, 1 homerun, 8 RBI, and 7 runs scored. Pretty much every hitter had a good week for Denver this week. The only exception was the combined play at shortstop. Booker Romero, Adrian Mingo, and Brooks Branco combined to produce only 5 hits in 22 at bats, with no extra base hits, and 5 RBI. The starting pitching was not particularly good this week. Pillsbury threw the shutout, and McNett was also very effective, but the rest of the starters struggled. In 2 starts, George Buentello was pounded for 21 hits and 12 runs in 11 2/3 innings pitched. Ray Lockridge gave up 6 runs(3 earned) in 6 innings. Thomas Fons gave up 9 hits and 4 runs in 7 innings. With one exception, the bullpen was fairly solid. James Virgen pitched 4 scoreless innings in 2 outings, Omar Lopez gave up 1 run in 3 innings in 2 appearances, and Lyndon Gwinn pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings in 1 appearance. The exception was Larry Waltz, who was battered for 6 hits, 7 runs(6 earned), and 3 walks in 2 2/3 innings pitched. So far this season, Waltz has been a complete disaster, with 14 hits, 6 walks, and 11 runs(10 earned) allowed in 6 1/3 innings pitched. Around the league: The National League Player of the Week Award went to Los Angeles' catcher, Larry Seishisai. It is only the 3rd POTW of the 35 year old Seishisai's career. Seishisai hit .583(14 for 24), with a 2.101 OPS, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 5 homeruns, 16 RBI, and 11 runs scored. He had 3 hits and 4 RBI in a 13-4 rout over Portland. He doubled, homered, and drove in 3 runs in a 4-2 win over the Trailblazers. He had 3 hits, including a double and a homerun, in an 8-7, 10-inning victory over Portland. He doubled, tripled, and scored 2 runs in a 5-4 win over Sacramento. Finally, he banged out 4 hits, including 3 homeruns, drove in 8 runs, and scored 4 runs in a 15-9 win over the Kings. For the second straight week, the American League Player of the Week Award went to Denver's Lee Chappel. The Broncos' catcher homered twice, walked twice, drove in 4 runs, and scored 2 runs in a 7-0 win over Green Bay. He had 2 hits, a walk, and 3 runs scored in a 9-2 win over the Packers. He had 3 hits, including a double and a homerun, walked twice, drove in 5 runs, and scored 2 runs in a 16-12 win over Nashville. He homered twice, walked twice, drove in 4 runs, and scored 3 runs in a 16-4 win over the Predators. Chappel is currently on a 17-game hitting streak, which is one game short of his career long. Divisional Races: San Diego briefly dropped into second place in the West Division during the week, but by the end, the Padres were back in first, with a record of 14-6. San Jose sits in second place at 12-6. Buffalo's winning streak was snapped at 9 games with a 3-1 loss to San Jose, but the Bills maintained their hold on first place in the Northeast Division, with a record of 14-5. Pittsburgh currently sits in second place with a 10-9 record. In the Southeast Division, Miami has continued to roll, with a league-best 15-4 record. The Dolphins have lost 2 straight games, however. Knoxville and Washington are tied for second place, with 11-8 records. In the Central, Denver and Memphis have moved into a tie for first place, having won 5 straight and 4 straight, respectively. Injury news: There were two significant injuries during the week, and both were to starting pitchers. Memphis' veteran right-hander Edgar Molina was lost for the season with a torn back muscle. The 36 year old former Cy Young winner was off to a strong start, with a 2-1 record, a league-leading 0.96 ERA, and a 34/4 K/BB ratio in 4 starts. Memphis should have the starting pitching depth to overcome his loss, but it will definitely hurt. Atlanta, meanwhile, lost Jaime Alemany for about a month with a back injury. Alemany was off to an o.k. start, with a 4.62 ERA in 4 starts, although he was 0-3. Alemany, by the way, missed most of last season with a torn triceps. Ahead for Denver this week is a 3 game series at Miami(15-4), and a 3 game series versus Knoxville(11-8). __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

04-21-2009, 09:24 PM	#462
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 896	April 23, 2085 to April 29, 2085: Weekly Recap Code: Central Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 Denver 15 10 .600 - 17- 8 -2 8- 4 7-6 0-3 3-3 L2 7-3 Green Bay 15 10 .600 - 12-13 3 7- 6 8-4 2-0 8-1 L1 7-3 Memphis 15 10 .600 - 16- 9 -1 7- 6 8-4 0-1 1-2 L1 7-3 Grand Rapids 11 13 .458 3.5 11-13 0 6- 6 5-7 1-1 2-4 L2 3-7 Tucson 11 13 .458 3.5 12-12 -1 5- 7 6-6 2-1 3-6 W2 8-2 Kansas City 6 19 .240 9.0 10-15 -4 1-11 5-8 0-2 2-7 L2 1-9 Denver 1 @ Miami 3 Denver 6 @ Miami 3 Denver 9 @ Miami 1 Knoxville 8 @ Denver 9 Knoxville 9 @ Denver 7 Knoxville 10 @ Denver 4 This was Denver's toughest week since the first week of the season when it was swept by Washington. The Dolphins' Christian Hokusai out-dueled Kenny Pillsbury in a game were all of the scoring came from homeruns. Right-fielder Dennis Fernandez hit a 2-run homerun and second-baseman Dale Bahena hit a solo shot for the Dolphins, while Lee Chappel provided the Broncos' only tally. Denver was on track for another 3-1 defeat in the second game of the series, but the Broncos exploded for 5 runs in the ninth inning to pull out a come from behind victory. The third game was a laugher, as Denver tagged veteran Jose Caceres with 7 first innings runs. In the first game against Knoxville, the Broncos blew an early 5-0 lead, and trailed 8-6 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning. In the bottom of the 8th, however, Denver retook the lead, and hung on for the win. In the second game, it was Denver that fell behind early, as Knoxville scored 4 first inning runs. The Broncos trailed 7-2 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning, but tied up the game with 3 runs in the 4th and 2 runs in the 5th. The 79ers retook the lead in the eighth inning and went on to win. In the final game, Kenny Pillsbury collapsed in the fourth inning of a 1-1 game, and gave up 5 runs. He finished with 7 runs allowed in 7 innings, and the 79ers cruised to another victory. Once again, Lee Chappel led the Denver offense. He posted a 1.495 OPS, with 12 hits, 4 doubles, 3 homeruns, 9 RBI, and 6 runs scored. He also extended his hitting streak to 23 games. He was also the only Broncos' hitter who had a particularly strong week. Booker Romero managed a 1.196 OPS with 4 hits in 7 at bats. Ellis Bolling hit 2 doubles and 2 homeruns, but had a fairly ordinary .796 OPS. Asbel Fuentez hit .304(7 for 23) and extended his hitting streak to 20 games, but had just a .741 OPS. Alexis Vazquez hit just .241 with a .646 OPS. Jack Rumfelt drew 6 walks, but hit only .222, with a .622 OPS. Russell Thomas drove in 6 runs, but had just a .586 OPS. Although he had 5 walks, Michael Phillips went 0 for 9. Robert McNett and Ray Lockridge were Denver's only effective starting pitchers during the week. McNett gave up 2 runs in 7 innings pitched, and struck out 6 batters. Lockridge gave up just 1 run in 7 innings pitched. George Buentello gave up 5 runs(4 earned) in 7 innings, although he did strike out 8 batters. Kenny Pillsbury lost both of his starts, and gave up 10 runs in 15 innings. He did strike out 17 batters. Rookie Thomas Fons was pounded for 11 hits, 7 runs, and 5 walks in 5 2/3 innings pitched. James Virgen had a solid week, with a win, a loss, and a save in 3 appearances. He gave up 3 runs(2 earned) in 5 1/3 innings pitched. Larry Waltz, who has been awful so far this season, pitched 3 scoreless innings and struck out 4 batters in 2 outings. Robert Soto was blasted for 8 hits and 6 runs(5 earned) in 2 innings of work. Around the league: The National League Player of the Week Award went to Rochester's first-baseman, Rick Ahn. It is the 7th POTW award for the 37 year old Ahn. He hit .417(10 for 24), with a 1.583 OPS, 4 doubles, 4 homeruns, 12 RBI, and 9 runs scored. He had 2 hits and 2 RBI in a 7-5 win over New Jersey. His 2-out, 2-run homerun in the 7th inning broke a 4-4 tie. He doubled twice and drove in 3 runs in an 8-3 win over the Devils. He homered twice and drove in 4 runs in a 13-10 loss to Phoenix. He had a 2-run homerun in a 9-2 rout over the Cardinals. The American League Player of the Week Award went to Knoxville's second-baseman Jack Forrester. This is the 25 year old Forrester's first POTW award. He hit .524(11 for 21), with a 1.560 OPS, 4 doubles, 2 homeruns, 10 RBI, and 6 runs scored. In a 9-7 win over Grand Rapids, he hit a 2-run double in a 6-run 6th inning that erased a 5-3 Tigers' lead. He had 3 hits and 1 RBI in a 6-3, 10-inning loss to Grand Rapids. He drove in 2 runs and scored 2 runs in a 9-8 loss to Denver. He had 3 hits, including a double and a homerun, 4 RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 9-7 win over the Broncos. He had 3 hits, including a solo homerun, in a 10-4 thumping of Denver. Divisional races: San Diego continues to lead the West Division, with a record of 19-7. The Padres have won 3 straight games. Defending NL-champion Sacramento surged into second place, with 6 straight wins. The Kings are 14-10. San Jose, meanwhile, dropped to 13-11 with a 5-game losing streak. Buffalo hasn't played especially well lately, with 7 losses in its last 10 games, but the Bills still lead the Northeast Division with a 15-10 record. Hartford sits in second place, with a 14-12 record. Miami no longer has the best record in baseball, but the Dolphins still lead the Southeast Division, with an 18-7 record. Knoxville sits in second place, at 15-10. Green Bay had a good week against patsies Kansas City and Nashville, and the Packers moved into a 3-way tie for first place in the Central Division with Denver and Memphis. Injury news: This past week was exceptionally nasty with regards to injuries. Hartford lost starting pitcher Edward Chambliss(1-2, 4.45 ERA) for 3 weeks with a rotator cuff injury. Rochester lost shortstop Casey Wooton(.736 OPS, 4 homeruns) for almost two months with a back injury. Charlotte lost starting pitcher Walter Arcelay(0-2, 5.04 ERA) for at least a month with a rotator cuff injury. Pittsburgh lost ace Scott Council(2-2, 4.41 ERA) for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury. Knoxville lost third-baseman Donald Noles(.898 OPS, 5 homeruns) for two weeks with a back injury, and starting pitcher Bruce Congdon(3-0, 4.56 ERA) for a month with an elbow injury. Finally, Sacramento lost closer Marion Elsberry(1.93 ERA, 5 saves) for two weeks with a shoulder injury. Ahead for Denver this week is a 3 game series versus Washington(12-13) and a 3 game series at Grand Rapids(11-13). __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

04-23-2009, 09:26 PM	#463
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 896	April 30, 2085 to May 6, 2085: Weekly Recap Washington 9 @ Denver 10 Washington 5 @ Denver 11 Washington 12 @ Denver 9(12 innings) Denver 1 @ Grand Rapids 2 Denver 5 @ Grand Rapids 6(10 innings) Denver 11 @ Grand Rapids 10 The Broncos closed out the month of April and began the month of May with another uneven week. Facing off against Washington, the team that had swept Denver in its first series of the year, the Broncos blew a 6-2 lead in the first game, and allowed the Senators to score 4 runs in the sixth inning to tie the game. Denver exploded for 4 runs of its own in the bottom of the sixth, but then had to hold off a furious Washington rally in the ninth inning. The second game went a little better, as the Broncos again jumped out to a big early lead(7-1 after 3 innings), and cruised to a comfortable victory. The third time was the charm for Washington, however. Once again, the Broncos took control early in the game, as they scored 4 first inning runs. Through eight innings, Denver led 6-2. In the top of the ninth inning, unfortunately, the Senators erupted for 4 runs to tie up the game. In the top of the 12th, Larry Waltz imploded, and gave up 6 runs. Denver managed an unsuccessful rally in the bottom of the 12th inning. Against Grand Rapids, Denver's offense vanished in the first game, en route to a 1-run loss. In the second game, the Broncos blew a 5-2 lead, and Omar Lopez coughed up a game-winning homerun to DH Anthony Champ in the bottom of the 10th inning. Denver just barely avoided getting swept. The Broncos rallied from a 7-3 deficit, with 2 runs in the sixth inning, and 5 runs in the eighth inning, and then promptly blew a 10-7 lead before retaking the lead for good in the ninth inning. For the first time this season, Denver's offense was not led by Lee Chappel. Instead, Alexis Vazquez, Ellis Bolling, and Russell Thomas powered the Broncos. Vazquez had a 1.163 OPS, 2 homeruns, and 11 RBI. Bolling had a 1.140 OPS, 5 doubles, 2 homeruns, and 10 RBI. Thomas had a 1.112 OPS, 11 hits, a double, 2 homeruns, and 9 runs scored. Booker Romero also helped out, with a .960 OPS, 2 doubles, and 7 runs scored. Reserve infielder Brooks Branco was 2 for 4, with 2 homeruns, and backup catcher Gabriel Esqueda was 3 for 7, with 2 homeruns. It was a rare poor week for Chappel, who, despite a .407 on base percentage, mustered just a .741 OPS. His hitting streak got to 26 games before being snapped. Asbel Fuentez hit .280, but managed just a .668 OPS. Fuentez's hitting streak reached 23 games before coming to an end. Michael Phillips hit .182 with a .614 OPS. Jack Rumfelt was 3 for 19 with a .544 OPS. Masahachirou Shunji was 1 for 16 with a .243 OPS. George Buentello was the only starter who was effective this past week, with 2 runs allowed in 5 2/3 innings pitched. Kenny Pillsbury was forced to leave in the second inning of his only start with a shoulder injury(it's not serious, and he won't miss any starts because of it). Ray Lockridge gave up 4 runs in 6 1/3 innings pitched. In 2 starts, Robert McNett surrendered 19 hits and 11 runs in 12 innings pitched. Thomas Fons was blasted for 13 hits and 10 runs in 7 2/3 innings pitched. Lyndon Gwinn had a pretty good week out of the bullpen. In 3 appearances and 8 innings pitched, he gave up just 2 runs, and struck out 8 batters. Robert Soto was solid, with 1 run allowed in 4 innings pitched and 3 appearances. Omar Lopez gave up 9 hits and 4 runs(only 1 earned) in 5 1/3 innings pitched and 3 appearances. James Virgen gave up 8 hits and 4 runs in 5 innings pitched. Opposing hitters hammered Larry Waltz for 6 hits, 3 walks, and 6 runs(5 earned) in 1 1/3 innings pitched. Around the league: The National League Batter of the Month Award went to New Jersey's first-baseman, Amaury Lucia. It is the first BOTM award of Lucia's career. Lucia hit .406/.474/.782/1.256, with 8 doubles, 10 homeruns, 30 RBI, 24 runs scored, and 14 walks. The National League Pitcher of the Month Award went to Buffalo's Jonathan Zinn. It is the second POTM award of Zinn's career. Zinn went 4-1 in 5 starts, with a 0.99 ERA, a 0.80 WHIP, and 32 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings pitched. The American League Batter of the Month Award went to Denver's catcher, Lee Chappel. It is the 4th BOTM award of Chappel's career. Chappel hit .475/.548/1.061/1.608, with 14 doubles, 1 triple, 14 homeruns, 36 RBI, 30 runs scored, and 16 walks. The American League Pitcher of the Month Award went to Memphis' Edgar Molina. It is the 3rd POTM of Molina's career. Though Molina's season is over due to his injury, he was brilliant in the month of April. He went 2-1 in 4 starts, with a 0.96 ERA, a 0.79 WHIP, 34 strikeouts in 28 innings pitched, and 1 complete game. The National League Player of the Week Award went to Harrisburg's left-fielder Antonio Ornelas. It is Ornelas' first ever POTW award. Ornelas hit .500(12 for 24), with a 1.613 OPS, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 homeruns, 11 RBI, and 6 runs scored. He had 3 hits, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored in a 5-3 win over Phoenix. He had 2 hits(including a 2-run homerun), a walk, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 15-8 win over the Cardinals. He had 2 hit and 2 RBI in a 12-7 win over Phoenix. He had 2 hits(including a 2-run homerun), 3 RBI, and a run scored in a 7-6, 10-inning victory over San Jose. He also hit a 3-run homerun in a 7-6, 9-inning win over the Sharks. The American League Player of the Week Award went to Tucson's center-fielder, Marcus Murrin. It is Murrin's 4th POTW award. Murrin hit .625(15 for 24), with a 1.765 OPS, a double, a triple, and 3 homeruns, 9 RBI, and 10 runs scored. He had 4 hits(including a 2-run homerun), 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 10-3 thumping of Grand Rapids. He had 4 hits and 3 runs scored in a 7-6 win over Nashville. He doubled, hit a pair of homeruns, drove in 5 runs, and scored 3 runs in a 14-9 win over the Predators. He had 3 hits and an RBI in a 9-4 win over Nashville. Injury news: There were only two notable injuries during the week. Harrisburg's starting pitcher, Kelvin Pleasants, saw his season come to an end after tearing his rotator cuff. He was off to a horrible start, anyways: 2-3, 8.71 ERA in 6 starts. Meanwhile, Grand Rapids lost catcher Ramon Martinez for the next two months after he suffered a broken hand in a collision at home plate. Martinez has a .353 average, a 1.083 OPS, and 3 homeruns in 34 at bats so far this season. Ahead on Denver's schedule is a 3 game series at Tucson(16-14) and a 3 game series versus Nashville(9-22). Coming up: The league standings through one month of play, and Denver's batting and pitching stats. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

04-23-2009, 09:36 PM	#464
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 896	League Standings as of May 7, 2085 Code: National League Standings West Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 San Diego 25 7 .781 - 22-10 3 14- 2 11- 5 1-0 6-2 W9 9-1 Los Angeles 15 15 .500 9.0 15-15 0 8- 7 7- 8 2-1 5-2 L4 3-7 Sacramento 15 15 .500 9.0 15-15 0 7- 8 8- 7 2-0 7-5 L2 5-5 San Jose 15 15 .500 9.0 16-14 -1 9- 6 6- 9 1-3 3-7 L4 2-8 Portland 13 18 .419 11.5 11-20 2 4-11 9- 7 5-1 2-4 L1 4-6 Phoenix 12 18 .400 12.0 11-19 1 6- 9 6- 9 1-1 5-4 W2 5-5 Northeast Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 Buffalo 17 14 .548 - 17-14 0 8- 8 9- 6 0-2 4-7 L1 3-7 Hartford 18 15 .545 - 15-18 3 9- 7 9- 8 1-2 9-5 W2 6-4 New Jersey 16 15 .516 1.0 15-16 1 8- 8 8- 7 0-1 4-4 W1 7-3 Pittsburgh 15 17 .469 2.5 19-13 -4 9- 7 6-10 1-1 1-3 W1 4-6 Rochester 14 16 .467 2.5 17-13 -3 8- 7 6- 9 1-2 4-7 L2 5-5 Harrisburg 11 21 .344 6.5 14-18 -3 7- 9 4-12 2-3 5-5 W6 7-3 American League Standings Southeast Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 Miami 22 9 .710 - 21-10 1 9- 6 13- 3 1-2 5-2 L1 6-4 Knoxville 19 12 .613 3.0 18-13 1 9- 7 10- 5 3-1 3-3 W3 6-4 Atlanta 17 14 .548 5.0 14-17 3 9- 7 8- 7 2-0 5-0 W1 7-3 Charlotte 16 17 .485 7.0 15-18 1 7- 9 9- 8 1-4 3-4 W1 5-5 Washington 14 17 .452 8.0 14-17 0 7- 8 7- 9 4-0 5-5 L1 3-7 Nashville 9 22 .290 13.0 11-20 -2 4-12 5-10 1-1 2-6 L3 4-6 Central Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 Denver 18 13 .581 - 20-11 -2 10- 5 8- 8 0-5 5-5 W1 5-5 Memphis 18 13 .581 - 20-11 -2 8- 8 10- 5 1-1 1-2 L1 5-5 Tucson 16 14 .533 1.5 16-14 0 7- 8 9- 6 2-1 4-6 W5 8-2 Green Bay 16 15 .516 2.0 13-18 3 7- 9 9- 6 2-1 8-2 L5 4-6 Grand Rapids 14 16 .467 3.5 14-16 0 8- 7 6- 9 2-1 4-5 L1 5-5 Kansas City 7 24 .226 11.0 12-19 -5 1-14 6-10 0-2 2-7 W1 2-8 Thoughts: West Division: The Padres are on a roll right now, with three consecutive sweeps against division rivals Portland, Sacramento, and Los Angeles. The rest of the division looks like a toss-up right now, as none of the other teams are playing particularly well. Northeast Division: Thus far, nobody has really emerged to take control of this division. Buffalo has the pitching, but the offense has struggled. Hartford's offense has played very well, but the pitching is suspect. Pittsburgh ranks in the top 10 in both runs scored and runs allowed, but ace Scott Council is done for the year, and that will make it very difficult for the Pirates to maintain their strong pitching. New Jersey's pitching has been mediocre, and its offense has been surprisingly bad. Rochester has been pretty balanced, but has had some bad luck. And though it isn't a real contender, Harrisburg has caught fire after a dreadful start. The Capitals have swept Phoenix and San Jose in consecutive series, and could be a dangerous opponent for some teams. Southeast Division: Miami is as strong as ever and, as usual, the Dolphins are led by a dominating pitching staff, which has allowed the fewest runs so far this season. Knoxville is the other way around, with a powerful offense driving a strong start. Atlanta is the early season surprise in this division, but I wouldn't expect the Braves to be able to keep this up; the pitching just isn't good enough. Central Division: Denver expected to battle with Tucson for the division crown again, but while the Diamondbacks have recovered from a slow start, it is the Memphis Grizzlies that are tied with the Broncos for first place after one month of play. Memphis ranks 3rd in both runs scored and runs allowed. Green Bay and Grand Rapids have both played respectably, but I really don't expect that to last. The Packers' offense has been a disaster, and only an unexpectedly solid pitching staff has kept them afloat. Grand Rapids just doesn't seem talented enough to maintain close to .500 play for an entire season. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

04-23-2009, 10:26 PM	#465
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 896	Denver's batting and pitching stats as of May 7, 2085 Denver's batting stats: Code: Name G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K AVG OBP SLG SB CS R. Thomas 30 141 42 3 1 3 25 27 5 8 .298 .329 .397 5 3 E. Bolling 30 132 33 17 3 8 27 24 11 23 .250 .310 .606 0 0 A. Vasquez 30 131 42 4 0 7 27 19 11 23 .321 .377 .511 1 2 L. Chappel 28 120 52 16 1 14 38 37 22 6 .433 .521 .933 4 0 A. Fuentez 29 118 40 11 0 3 22 23 15 12 .339 .407 .508 2 1 J. Rumfelt 30 108 27 7 0 2 19 18 17 5 .250 .354 .370 0 0 M. Phillips 28 95 24 7 1 3 15 16 21 8 .253 .393 .442 1 0 M. Shunji 26 85 21 3 1 2 8 14 16 21 .247 .366 .376 2 1 B. Romero 20 69 22 3 0 3 14 18 10 13 .319 .412 .493 4 1 M. Lore 14 31 9 2 0 0 4 5 5 3 .290 .389 .355 0 0 G. Esqueda 7 24 8 1 0 2 4 4 2 0 .333 .385 .625 0 0 A. Mingo 8 23 5 1 1 0 5 5 8 2 .217 .419 .348 0 0 B. Branco 7 21 6 0 1 2 6 5 6 7 .286 .444 .667 0 0 S. Lattimer 5 19 4 2 0 0 2 2 1 7 .211 .250 .316 0 0 J. Fuensanta 5 19 4 0 0 0 2 2 1 1 .211 .238 .211 0 0 Thoughts: Chappel is off to a ridiculous start, though he has cooled off in the last week. Vazquez and Fuentez are also playing very well, which is nice, because they are two of the old-timers in the lineup. Bolling is the other old-timer, and while he hasn't been getting a lot hits, practically everything he does hit is crushed, so that's good. Booker Romero and Michael Phillips have both performed well, also. Russell Thomas has struggled overall, but I expect him to catch fire soon. Shunji has also disappointed, at least in the power department. The bench has done a pretty good job, for the most part. Denver's pitching stats: Code: Name G GS W L SV ERA IP HA R ER BB K CG SH K. Pillsbury 7 7 3 3 0 3.45 47.0 40 18 18 4 46 3 2 R. Mcnett 7 7 1 0 0 4.15 43.1 44 20 20 12 34 0 0 G. Buentello 6 6 2 1 0 5.13 40.1 40 24 23 8 27 0 0 R. Lockridge 6 6 3 1 0 3.75 36.0 31 18 15 4 30 0 0 T. Fons 5 5 1 1 0 7.46 35.0 48 30 29 13 21 1 0 J. Virgen 12 0 3 3 2 4.84 22.1 24 14 12 7 9 0 0 L. Gwinn 8 0 1 1 1 2.89 18.2 11 6 6 4 20 0 0 O. Lopez 9 0 1 2 1 4.30 14.2 19 10 7 3 11 0 0 R. Soto 11 0 3 0 1 5.40 13.1 17 9 8 2 9 0 0 L. Waltz 11 0 0 1 0 12.66 10.2 23 17 15 10 9 0 0 Thoughts: The starting pitching has been acceptable, for the most part. Only rookie Thomas Fons has been terrible, and it's not as though that was a big surprise. Still, guys like Pillsbury and McNett really need to step up and dominate if Denver wants to take control of the division. The bullpen has pretty much been a disaster. Other Lyndon Gwinn, none of the relievers have shown much consistency. Well... I take that back. Larry Waltz has been consistent, too, but not in a good way. Part of the problem has been the combination of shaky starting pitching and a few shaky relief appearances. That has led to overuse of the bullpen, which has led to even more bad relief outings as guys are repeatedly pitching on consecutive days. To put things into perspective, let's take a look at last season. At the end of April last year, Denver's 5 relievers had combined for 32 appearances(the Broncos had played 30 games at the point). This year, with 31 games played, the Broncos' bullpen(again, 5 pitchers) has combined for 51 appearances. Additionally, this year, Gwinn has the fewest appearances so far, with 8. Last year, James Virgen led the team with 8 appearances. This is where the loss of starter Christopher Kirk really hurts the Broncos. Not only was Kirk a good pitcher, but he was a workhorse who could throw a ton of innings every start. He could take pressure off of the bullpen. With the current rotation, only Pillsbury and Fons have that kind of stamina, and Fons hasn't exactly pitched well enough to work deep into games very often. One thing the Broncos could use is a workhorse reliever with a rubber arm. A guy like that could offset the short outings by the starters and relieve some of the pressure on the other relievers. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

04-25-2009, 03:15 PM	#466
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 896	May 7, 2085 to May 13, 2085: Weekly Recap Code: Central Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 Denver 22 15 .595 - 24-13 -2 13- 5 9-10 0-6 7-7 W4 5-5 Tucson 20 16 .556 1.5 20-16 0 9- 9 11- 7 3-1 7-6 W1 8-2 Grand Rapids 18 18 .500 3.5 18-18 0 10- 8 8-10 2-2 5-6 W2 6-4 Memphis 19 19 .500 3.5 22-16 -3 9-10 10- 9 1-1 1-4 L1 2-8 Green Bay 18 19 .486 4.0 15-22 3 8-11 10- 8 3-2 10-3 L1 2-8 Kansas City 10 27 .270 12.0 15-22 -5 3-15 7-12 0-2 2-8 L2 4-6 Denver 5 @ Tucson 6 Denver 1 @ Tucson 2(14 innings) Denver 7 @ Tucson 2 Nashville 5 @ Denver 6 Nashville 5 @ Denver 6 Nashville 4 @ Denver 8 The Broncos took 2 of 3 from Tucson back in April. Now, the Diamondbacks returned the favor. In the first game, Ray Lockridge couldn't hold on to a 5-3 lead in the eighth inning. He surrendered a 2-out, 3-run homerun to Tucson third-baseman Robin Vega, and Tucson hung on to the 1-run lead. In the second game, Denver got on the board in the first inning and clung to that lead until Danny Guzman homered in the sixth inning for the Diamondbacks. Neither team could get anything more until Omar Lopez balked in the winning run with 2 outs in the bottom of the 14th inning. Denver salvaged the final game of the series with a relatively easy victory. Kenny Pillsbury was in line for his 3rd shutout of the season until he gave up a 2-run homerun to former Bronco Joseph Swayze in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Broncos then swept Nashville for a second time this season, although once again, the Predators refused to go down easily. Lyndon Gwinn turned what looked like a comfortable victory in the first game, to a nail-biter by serving up 2 homeruns in the 8th inning. In the second game, Thomas Fons blew a 3-0 first-inning lead by giving up 5 runs in the second inning. Denver reclaimed the lead with a run in the bottom of the second, and two runs in the third. After that, Fons shut down the Predators to earn his second victory of the year. Nashville built a 3-0 lead through 4 1/2 innings in the final game of the series, but the Broncos erased that with a 4-run fifth inning. After Nashville tied the game in the seventh, Denver exploded for 4 runs again in the bottom of the seventh inning. Alexis Vazquez led the offense during the past week, with a 1.094 OPS, 12 hits, 1 homerun, 5 RBI, and 5 runs scored. Lee Chappel had a .976 OPS, 4 doubles, 2 homeruns, 7 RBI, and 8 runs scored. Michael Phillips produced a .917 OPS, with a double, a homerun, and 4 walks. Russell Thomas hit .357, with 10 hits, but it was fairly empty. His OPS was just .776, and none of the hits went for extra bases. Ellis Bolling hit just .227 with a .689 OPS. Asbel Fuentez drove in 6 runs, but had just a .642 OPS. Booker Romero was 3 for 15 with a .494 OPS. Jack Rumfelt was 2 for 19 with a .248 OPS. Marvin Lore was 1 for 10. The starting pitching was reasonably good this week. Robert McNett pitched 6 2/3 innings, with only 2 runs, both unearned, allowed. He struck out 7 batters. George Buentello gave up just 3 hits and 1 run in 8 innings of work. Kenny Pilllsbury threw a complete game 4-hitter, with only 2 runs allowed and 7 strikeouts. Ray Lockridge struggled, with 20 hits and 10 runs allowed in 16 innings. Thomas Fons gave up 10 hits and 5 runs in 7 innings pitched. James Virgen pitched 4 scoreless innings in relief, and Robert Soto tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Omar Lopez had 5 strikeouts and 1 run allowed in 2 2/3 innings pitched. Larry Waltz finished off the final victory over Nashville with three straight strikeouts. Only Lyndon Gwinn struggled, with 4 hits(2 homeruns) and 3 runs allowed in 2/3 of an inning. Around the league: The National League Player of the Week Award went to San Diego's center-fielder, Gaby Matos. It is the 24 year old Matos' 3rd career POTW award. Matos hit .542(13 for 24), with a 1.597 OPS, 3 doubles, 3 homeruns, 12 RBI, and 7 runs scored. He had 3 hits and 3 RBI in an 8-1 pounding of Harrisburg. He 2 hits(1 HR) and 3 RBI in a 7-1 win over the Capitals. He doubled twice and scored the winning run in a 4-3, 11-inning victory over Harrisburg. He had 2 hits(1 HR), 3 RBI, and 3 runs scored in a 17-7 shellacking of Rochester. He had 3 hits(1 HR) and 3 RBI in a 6-4, 10-inning win over the Rhinos. He drove in the go ahead runs in the tenth. The American League Player of the Week Award went to Washington's first-baseman, Sabas Laureano. It is the 7th POTW of the 26 year old Laureano's career. Laureano hit .423(11 for 26), with a 1.367 OPS, 3 doubles, 3 homeruns, 11 RBI, and 10 runs scored. He had 2 hits and 2 RBI in a 7-5 win over Memphis. He hit a 2-run homerun in a 9-7 win over Charlotte. He had 4 hits(1 double and 2 homeruns), 5 RBI, and 5 runs scored in an 18-5 annihilation of the Panthers. Finally, he had 2 hits, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 12-7 win over Charlotte. With Washington trailing 6-4, Laureano's double to lead off the eighth inning sparked an 8-run outburst to give the Senators the victory. Division Races: San Diego, which won the West Division by just 2 games last year, has opened up a 10-game lead only a month and half into the season and owns the best record in baseball, at 30-8. San Jose currently holds second place, with a 19-17 record, but everything is so bottled up after the Padres, that that could change multiple times over the next week. Speaking of things being bottled up, Hartford has grabbed first place in the Northeast, with a 21-18 record, and New Jersey has moved into second place at 19-18. Former first place team Buffalo has slipped to third, at 18-19. There is very little margin for error in this division, and the injuries that teams like Rochester(17-19) and Pittsburgh(17-21) have suffered, could very well be death blows. Not much has changed in the Southeast. Miami(27-11) remains in first place, and Knoxville(23-14) remains in second. With 7 straight wins, Washington(21-17) has surged from fifth place to third place. Normalcy has returned to the Central Division. Denver has taken sole control of first place, and, with a good week, Tucson has moved into second place. Grand Rapids, Memphis, and Green Bay continue to hang around .500, but the latter two have lost 8 of their last 10 games. Injury news: It was yet another injury-filled week. Already missing shortstop Casey Wooton, the Rochester Rhinos were hit the hardest. First, center-fielder Gerald Schuyler(.939 OPS) had his season come to end because of a broken foot. Then, veteran first-baseman Rick Ahn(1.139 OPS, 12 homeruns) went down with a back injury. He'll be out for at least a month. Washington also had a bad week for injuries. Shortstop Santiago Pina(.839 OPS) suffered a torn calf muscle and will miss the next two months. Starting pitcher Lester Faulk(2-3, 6.51 ERA) will miss about a month with a rotator cuff injury, and 24 year old reliever James McCart(16.62 ERA in 11 games) will miss two months an injury to his bicep. Finally, Nashville, already hurting for pitching, lost veteran closer Mitsusaburou Tsumemasa(5.26 ERA in 16 games) for over a month with a rotator cuff injury. Ahead on Denver's schedule is 3 game series against Grand Rapids(18-18) and a 3 game series at Knoxille(23-14). __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

04-27-2009, 09:26 PM	#467
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 896	May 14, 2085 to May 20, 2085: Weekly Recap Code: Central Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 Denver 28 15 .651 - 29-14 -1 16- 5 12-10 1-6 8-7 W10 10-0 Tucson 23 19 .548 4.5 24-18 -1 12- 9 11-10 3-1 7-8 W3 5-5 Memphis 23 21 .523 5.5 26-18 -3 11-11 12-10 1-1 3-5 L1 5-5 Grand Rapids 20 22 .476 7.5 21-21 -1 12- 9 8-13 2-3 5-8 L1 5-5 Green Bay 20 23 .465 8.0 17-26 3 9-13 11-10 3-2 11-4 L2 3-7 Kansas City 11 32 .256 17.0 16-27 -5 4-17 7-15 0-2 3-8 L3 3-7 Grand Rapids 7 @ Denver 8(10 innings) Grand Rapids 2 @ Denver 7 Grand Rapids 3 @ Denver 12 Denver 8 @ Knoxville 6 Denver 10 @ Knoxville 6 Denver 8 @ Knoxville 1 The Broncos had their first perfect week of the season, sweeping three game series against the Tigers and the 79ers, and extending their winning streak to 10 games. It wasn't necessarily a breeze, however. Denver's bullpen woes cropped up again in the first game against Grand Rapids. Heading into the ninth inning, the Broncos led comfortably 7-2, but Lyndon Gwinn and James Virgen combined to give up 5 runs, which sent the game into extra innings. Russell Thomas salvaged the game with a run-scoring double in the bottom of the 10th. The bullpen did a better job of hanging onto big leads in the second and third games. In the first game against Knoxville, the Broncos chased starter Rene Romero in the fourth inning, touching him up for a total of 10 hits and 8 runs. Then they spent the rest of the game trying not to blow a lead that began as a 5-run lead, shrunk to a 3-run lead in the sixth inning, and then shrunk to a 2-run lead in the seventh inning. Denver raced to another big early lead in the second game, and led 10-0 after the top of the fourth inning. Gwinn once again helped make the game appear closer, as he gave up 3 runs in the final two innings. The Broncos had little difficulty winning the third game. Russell Thomas led the offense with a 1.235 OPS, 11 hits, a double, 3 homeruns, 9 RBI, 5 runs scored, and 5 walks. Ellis Bolling had a 1.062 OPS, with a double, a triple, and a homerun, 9 RBI, 7 runs scored, and 5 walks. Asbel Fuentez had a 1.039 OPS, with a double, a triple, and 5 runs scored. Masahachirou Shunji had a 1.036 OPS, a double, 2 homeruns, 6 RBI, and 6 runs scored. Alexis Vazquez had a .987 OPS, 10 hits, 2 doubles, 2 homeruns, 6 RBI, and 5 runs scored. Lee Chappel had an .888 OPS, with 10 hits, 3 doubles, 1 homerun, 9 RBI, and 7 runs scored. Backup Gabriel Esqueda went 5 for 8 with a double, 2 homeruns, and 5 RBI. There weren't too many players that performed poorly during the week. The worst was Brooks Branco, who went 2 for 11 with a .539 OPS. Jose Fuensanta was next worst, with a .730 OPS. With the exception of Ray Lockridge, the starting pitching was pretty good. Kenny Pillsbury posted a 0.63 ERA in 2 starts(3 runs, 1 earned in 14 1/3 innings) and struck out 17 batters. Robert McNett gave up 1 run in 5 innings. George Buentello pitched 8 innings and allowed 2 runs. Even Thomas Fons was decent, with only 3 runs allowed in 7 innings pitched. That was his first "quality start" in 7 games started this season. Lockridge, on the other hand, gave up 10 hits and 6 runs in 6 1/3 innings pitched. With the exception of Lyndon Gwinn, the bullpen also had a good week. Omar Lopez and Larry Waltz combined to pitch 4 scoreless innings with 5 strikeouts. James Virgen allowed only 2 runs in 5 1/3 innings, and struck out 7 batters. Robert Soto gave up 1 run in 2 1/3 innings pitched. Gwinn, meanwhile, gave up 5 hits, 3 walks, and 7 runs in 2 2/3 innings pitched. Denver also has a bit of injury news. First-baseman Ellis Bolling(.907 OPS, 9 homeruns) injured his Achilles tendon while hitting a bases-loaded triple in the first inning of yesterday's game against Knoxville. He is expected to miss about two weeks. Replacing him on the roster will be 24 year old Tamiko Teika, who has hit .330 with a .937 OPS and 11 homeruns at AAA this season. Teika has a .761 OPS in 72 career big league at bats. Around the league: The National League Player of the Week Award went to Phoenix's left-fielder, Marcos Esparza. It is Esparza's first POTW award. He hit .526(10 for 19), with a 1.881 OPS, 1 double, 1 triple, 4 homeruns, 6 RBI, and 7 runs scored during the week. He had 3 hits, a walk, and a run scored in a 3-0 win over Harrisburg. He doubled, hit 3 homeruns, drove in 4 runs, and scored 4 runs in a 16-11 loss to Buffalo. After falling behind 2-0 in the top of the first, Esparza's first homerun led off the bottom of the first, and sparked a 3-run outburst to give Phoenix the lead. After the Bills built a 6-3 lead through 2 1/2 innings, Esparza led off the bottom of the third inning with his second homerun. In the fourth inning, he ripped a 2-out, 2-run blast to, temporarily, tie the game at 6 apiece. Unfortunately, the Bills kept scoring, and Esparza ran out of homeruns. In a 3-1 loss to Buffalo, Esparza produced a lonely homerun to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning. Alas, it couldn't spark a rally. The American League Player of the Week Award went o Atlanta's shortstop, Roger Attaway. It is the 30 year old Attaway's 8th career POTW award. Attaway hit .417(10 for 24), with a 1.417 OPS, 3 doubles, 3 homeruns, 10 RBI, and 8 runs scored. He produced all of the Braves' offense in a 7-4 loss to Washington, as he had 3 hits, including 2 homeruns, 4 RBI, and 2 runs scored. He had 3 hits, a walk, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored in an 8-7 win over the Senators. He had 2 hits(1 homerun), 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 14-4 thumping of Green Bay. Washington's left-fielder Leon Pino reached 3,000 career hits during the week. The 38 year old Pino hasn't played very well this season(.682 OPS), but with 3000 career hits, 620 career homeruns, 2024 career RBI, 1798 career runs scored, a .918 career OPS, 5 All Star appearances, 4 Gold Glove Awards, and a Silver Slugger Award(2078), he is pretty much a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame. Division races: Not much has changed in the West Division. San Diego still has a comfortable lead of 9 games over second place San Jose, however, the Padres did close this past week with two losses to Sacramento, which sits in fourth place. Also watch out for third place Los Angeles, which has won 4 consecutive games. Just 1 1/2 games separate the top 5 teams in the Northeast Division. Buffalo and Hartford are tied for first, Rochester is in third, and New Jersey and Pittsburgh are tied for fifth. Miami remains atop the Southeast Division, and second place Knoxville has lost 4 straight games to fall 5 1/2 games back. Denver's surge has allowed it to open up a 4 1/2 game lead on second place Tucson, but with 3 straight wins, the Diamondbacks aren't exactly slumping, either. Injury news: There was only one very serious injury this week, and that was to Sacramento's starting pitcher, Ulysses Swain(2-1, 6.63 ERA). He suffered a torn bicep muscle and is expected to miss approximately two months. Ahead for Denver this week is a 4 game series versus Memphis(23-21), and 3 game series at Kansas City(11-32). __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

04-29-2009, 05:57 PM	#468
jg2977 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 25,354	Make sure that your Denver Broncos aren't peaking too early. Make sure that they're healthy going into the playoffs. It's better to go 88-74 and win the World Series than it is to go 117-45 and get swept in the first round. I'm glad to see that Hartford is tied for first. And, my gosh, is Kansas City horrible!

05-01-2009, 09:38 PM	#470
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 896	May 21, 2085 to May 27, 2085: Weekly Recap Code: Central Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 Denver 34 16 .680 - 34-16 0 19- 6 15-10 1-6 9-8 W3 9-1 Grand Rapids 26 23 .531 7.5 26-23 0 15-10 11-13 2-3 7-8 W4 8-2 Tucson 25 23 .521 8.0 26-22 -1 12-12 13-11 3-2 7-9 L4 5-5 Memphis 26 25 .510 8.5 28-23 -2 13-12 13-13 2-1 6-7 W1 5-5 Green Bay 22 28 .440 12.0 19-31 3 10-15 12-13 3-2 12-5 W1 3-7 Kansas City 14 35 .286 19.5 18-31 -4 4-20 10-15 0-2 3-8 L3 4-6 Memphis 9 @ Denver 10 Memphis 2 @ Denver 7 Memphis 7 @ Denver 9 Memphis 10 @ Denver 9 Denver 7 @ Kansas City 4 Denver 11 @ Kansas City 0 Denver 12 @ Kansas City 3 The Broncos' winning streak stretched to 13 games before finally losing in the final game of the Memphis series. There were some close calls before then, however. In the first game against the Grizzlies, Denver blew an early 3-1 lead, and fell behind 5-3 in the top of fourth inning. The Broncos quickly tied it in the bottom half of the inning, and then took the lead with a run in the seventh inning. Memphis, however, struck for 4 runs in the eighth inning to retake the lead at 9-6. The Broncos rallied once again, with 3 runs in the bottom of the eighth. Backup catcher Gabriel Esqueda, starting in place of Lee Chappel, contributed with a 2-out, 2-run double. He was injured on that play, unfortunately(more on that later). The Broncos then plated the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning. The second game was much easier, as George Buentello tossed 7 strong innings, and infielders Booker Romero and Jose Fuensanta each drove in a pair of runs. The third game proved to be nearly as tough as the first. Asbel Fuentez hit a run-scoring double in the first inning, but left with an injury(more on that later). The Broncos led 3-2 through 3 innings, but Memphis took control with a run in the fourth, a run in the fifth, and 3 runs in the top of the sixth inning. Denver exploded for 5 runs in the bottom of the sixth, however, and retook the lead at 8-7. Some solid relief work and a valuable insurance run in the eighth inning preserved the victory. Denver's luck finally ran out as rookie Thomas Fons basically went out and threw batting practice to Memphis in the fourth game. A 6-run second inning gave the Broncos an early 6-2 lead, but the Grizzlies scored a run in the third, 5 runs in the fourth, and 2 runs in the fifth inning to take a 10-6 lead. Denver mounted a rally in the late innings, but it came up short. Memphis finished with 21 hits and 5 homeruns in the game. After the series with Memphis, the Broncos were happy to get a breather against last place Kansas City. The first game, however, wound up being more difficult than anticipated. Kenny Pillsbury and Kosami Masaru locked horns in a pitchers' duel for 8+ innings. Heading into the ninth, the score was deadlocked at 1-all. In the ninth inning, Denver finally got to Masaru, and put 6 more runs on the board. The bottom of the ninth should have been a breeze for Lyndon Gwinn, with a 7-1 lead, but instead, Gwinn decided to make it interesting by coughing up 3 runs. James Virgen came in and got the final two outs to bail out Gwinn and pick up his 5th save of the season. The Royals had nothing left after that. Nicholas Armstrong did manage to throw five scoreless innings for the Royals in the second game, but the floodgates opened in the sixth inning, and the Broncos piled up 11 runs in the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings combined. Robert McNett was masterful in pitching his first shutout of the season, with only 96 pitches thrown in a 4-hitter. In the third game, Denver made Royals' starter Christian Crane pay for his wildness. In 5 innings, he walked 6 batters, struck out none, and gave up 7 runs. The Broncos also beat up Kansas City's bullpen, including 3 runs and 2 homeruns off of former Broncos' reliever, Ramon Gomez. Almost every Denver hitter had a strong week, as the offense was clicking on all cylinders. Tamiko Teika and Jose Fuensanta filled in admirably at first base for the injured Ellis Bolling. The left-handed hitting Teika produced a 1.308 OPS with 6 hits in 13 at bats, 2 doubles, and a homerun. The right-handed hitting Fuensanta had a 1.829 OPS, with 9 hits in 15 at bats, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homeruns, and 8 RBI. Masahachirou Shunji had a 1.444 OPS, 2 doubles, 1 triple, and 2 homeruns. Booker Romero had a 1.149 OPS, 3 doubles, 1 homerun, and 9 RBI. Russell Thomas had a 1.148 OPS, a team-high 14 hits, 2 doubles, and a homerun. Marvin Lore had a 1.025 OPS, 2 doubles, 1 homerun, and a team-high 10 RBI. On the negative side, were third-baseman Michael Phillips and catcher Lee Chappel. The Broncos' third-baseman went 6 for 31 with a meager .628 OPS. Chappel, meanwhile, mustered just a .619 OPS, despite a respectable .346 on base percentage. The starting pitching was mostly good. Kenny Pillsbury allowed just 1 run in 8 innings. Robert McNett allowed 5 runs(4 earned) in 15 1/3 innings. He did have the shutout, but his other start wasn't particularly good. George Buentello gave up 4 runs in 13 innings pitched. On the other side of things, Ray Lockridge was hit pretty hard, with 10 hits and 7 runs allowed in 6 innings pitched. Meanwhile, Thomas Fons endured his worst start of the season, with 17 hits, 10 runs, and 5 homeruns allowed in 6 innings of work. The bullpen was a mixed bag, with the usual suspects contributing positively and negatively, respectively. James Virgen was unscored upon in 2 1/3 innings, and notched saves in both of his outings. Robert Soto tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings. Lyndon Gwinn's lone outing resulted in 2 hits, 2 walks, 1 hit batter, and 3 runs allowed. Larry Waltz continued his nightmarish season, with 11 hits and 4 runs allowed in 5 1/3 innings pitched. If he can't get things straightened out, the Broncos may have to find another reliever. It was not a good week on the injury front for the Broncos. Backup catcher Gabriel Esqueda(1.274 OPS, 4 homeruns) suffered a torn hip muscle, and will miss at least the next 3 weeks. Replacing him on the roster is 37 year old Stephen Skiba, who has hit .275 with a .697 OPS at AAA this season. Skiba did hit .353 with an .862 OPS as Denver's backup last season, though it was in only 68 at bats. Ellis Bolling had a setback with his injury, and may not return until the end of June. Finally, 37 year old Asbel Fuentez tore an abdominal muscle, and isn't expected to be back until perhaps the first week of June. Twenty-eight year old Arthur Elbert was called up to replace him on the roster. Elbert has an .894 OPS and 9 homeruns at AAA this year. The bulk of the playing time will likely go to Marvin Lore. Around the league: The National League Player of the Week Award went to New Jersey's first-baseman, Amaury Lucia. It is the 7th POTW award in the 27-year old Lucia's career. He hit .520(13 for 25), with a 1.698 OPS, 4 doubles, 4 homeruns, 9 RBI, and 6 runs scored. He doubled twice and drove in 2 runs in a 14-8 thumping of Rochester. He had 3 hits(including a honmerun) and 2 RBI in a 4-2 win over the Rhinos. He had 4 hits, including a double and 2 homeruns, 3 RBI, and 3 runs scored in a 7-2 win over San Diego. He doubled, homered, drove in a run, and scored 2 runs in a 4-3 loss to the Padres. New Jersey blew a 3-2 lead in the ninth inning in that defeat. The American League Player of the Week Award went to Memphis' shortstop, Roy Chouinard. It is Chouinard's 7th career POTW award. Chouinard hit .520(13 for 25), with a 1.700 OPS, 2 doubles, 5 homeruns, 10 RBI, and 6 runs scored during the week. He hit a pair of solo homeruns in a 9-7 loss to Denver. He had 3 hits, including a homerun, and 2 RBI in a 10-9 win over the Broncos. He doubled twice, homered twice, drove in 5 runs, and scored 3 runs in a 12-11, 11-inning win over Atlanta. His 2-run homerun in the bottom of the ninth tied the game at 11 apiece, and his run-scoring double in the 11th inning won the game. He had 3 hits and an RBI in a 3-2 win over the Braves. Division Races: San Diego's previously comfortable lead in the West Division is slowly being chipped away. Although the Padres still have the second best record in baseball at 36-14, San Jose has crept to within 6 1/2 games. The Sharks have won 3 straight games and 7 of their last 10. Last week, Hartford and Buffalo were tied for first in the Northeast; now, Hartford and New Jersey are tied for first. Still, only 3 games separate the first place teams from the fifth place teams(Pittsburgh and Rochester). Though, with the Pirates having lost their best pitcher and best hitter for the rest of the season, I expect Pittsburgh to have a great deal of difficulty in remaining in the playoff race. Miami has opened up a big lead in the Southeast(10 1/2 games) over Knoxville and Washington. The Dolphins took 3 of 4 from the 79ers, who have lost 6 consecutive games, and 9 of their last 10. The Dolphins also swept a 3 game series from Tucson for the third time this season. Denver's lead in the Central has stretched to 7 1/2 games. With a 4-game winning streak, Grand Rapids has taken over second place from Tucson. The Diamondbacks helped out by losing 4 in a row. Injury News: Denver wasn't the only team to get hit by the injury bug. Pittsburgh, having already lost its ace Scott Council for the season, had its best slugger go down for the season, as well. Third-baseman Javier Rael(1.037 OPS, 19 homeruns, 50 RBI) suffered a torn PCL, and will not play again this year. Buffalo lost second year reliever Leonard Mickelson(11.05 ERA in 27 games) for about a month and a half with an injury to his bicep. Knoxville lost backup catcher Jerome Seldon(.766 OPS in 80 at bats) for over a month with a broken cheekbone. Tuscon lost reliever Brandon Schrupp, who had only made 2 appearances after being called up to the big leagues in the middle of May, for over a month with a pulled rotator cuff muscle. Ahead on Denver's schedule is a 4 game series at Grand Rapids(26-23) and a 3 game series against Charlotte(24-27). __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

05-04-2009, 09:23 PM	#471
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 896	May 28, 2085 to June 3, 2085: Weekly Recap Denver 6 @ Grand Rapids 1 Denver 6 @ Grand Rapids 7 Denver 7 @ Grand Rapids 1 Denver 6 @ Grand Rapids 3 Charlotte 14 @ Denver 8 Charlotte 5 @ Denver 21 Charlotte 3 @ Denver 11 The week began with a 4-game showdown between the first place Broncos and the then-second place Grand Rapids Tigers. The first game was fairly close until the eighth inning, when Denver turned a 2-1 lead into a 6-1 margin with a 4-run outburst. Jack Rumfelt delivered the key hit: a 2-out, 3-run double. In the second game, the Broncos' offense could not overcome the mediocre pitching of Thomas Fons. He blew a 3-2 lead in the third inning, and after the Broncos rallied to tie the game 6-all in the fifth inning, he gave up the deciding run in the seventh inning. Denver raced to a 4-0 lead in the first inning of the third game, and never looked back. Brooks Branco belted a pair of homeruns to help the Broncos hold off the Tigers in the fourth and final game. In the first game against Charlotte, George Buentello endured one of the worst starts of his career, and Denver's offense simply couldn't keep up. Offense was not a problem in the second game, as the Broncos erupted for 9 runs in the first inning, 4 in the third inning, 1 in the sixth inning, and 7 more in the seventh inning. Russell Thomas and Michael Phillips each had 5 hits to lead a 27-hit onslaught against the Panthers. Charlotte led the final game 2-1 heading into the bottom of the third inning, but Denver took control with 4 runs in that inning, 3 more in the fifth, and 1 run in each of the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings. Michael Phillips was the offensive leader during the week, with a 1.714 OPS, 13 hits, 1 double, 1 triple, 2 homeruns, 4 RBI, and 12 runs scored. Brooks Branco had a 1.500 OPS, 1 triple, 3 homeruns, and 8 RBI. Russell Thomas had a 1.320 OPS, with 16 hits, 2 doubles, 2 homeruns, 7 RBI, and 8 runs scored. Jose Fuensanta had a 1.260 OPS, 11 hits, 2 homeruns, 9 RBI, and 7 runs scored. Arthur Elbert's week was a mixed bag. On the one hand, he had just 5 hits in 25 at bats, and a mediocre .791 OPS. On the other hand, his 5 hits consisted of 3 doubles and 2 homeruns, and he collected 6 RBI, as well. Lee Chappel is officially in a slump. After not doing much last week, he continued the poor play this week, and managed just a .633 OPS, with 4 hits in 22 at bats. Kenny Pillsbury and Robert McNett were both strong in their lone starts, Ray Lockridge and Thomas Fons were mediocre in 2 starts apiece, and George Buentello was dreadful in his only start. Pillsbury tossed 7 innings with only 4 hits and 1 run allowed. McNett went 8 innings and gave up 3 runs. Overall, Lockridge gave up 6 runs in 13 1/3 innings, while Fons allowed 9 runs(8 earned) in 15 innings. As bad as Fons' start was against Grand Rapids(7 runs, 6 earned in 8 innings), he was solid against Charlotte(2 runs in 7 innings). Buentello's start was a disaster, with 12 hits, 5 walks, and 14 runs allowed in just 5 innings. The bullpen probably had its best week of the entire season to date. Virgen, Soto, Gwinn, Lopez, and Waltz combined to allow just 1 run in 13 2/3 innings. The struggling Larry Waltz was particularly impressive, with 5 2/3 scoreless innings. There were also two injury-related items of note for the Broncos. First, Asbel Fuentez's timetable for return from an abdominal injury has been pushed back to around the All Star break in the second week of July. Second, shortstop Booker Romero injured his back, and will be sidelined for about a week. He will not be placed on the disabled list. Around the league: The National League Batter of the Month Award went to San Diego's second-baseman, Andrew Burdick. It is the Hall of Fame-bound infielder's 10th career BotM award. Burdick hit .461/534/.784/.1.318 during the month, with 5 doubles, 2 triples, 8 homeruns, 21 RBI, 22 runs scored, and 16 walks. Currently, the 37 year old Burdick leads the National League with a .436 batting average and a 1.215 OPS. In addition to that, Burdick has a .504 on base percentage, a .711 slugging percentage, 8 doubles, 3 triples, 14 homeruns, 40 RBI, 40 runs scored, and 28 walks. The National League Pitcher of the Month Award went to Sacramento's Carl Strothers. This is the 3rd career PotM award for the ace of the Kings' staff. Strothers went 4-0 in in 6 starts, with a 1.84 ERA, a 0.63 WHIP, and a 44/4 K/BB ratio in 49 innings pitched. He also tossed 3 complete games and 2 shutouts. The shutouts came in back to back starts against San Diego and Rochester, and Strothers allowed a total of 5 hits in those games while striking out 18 batters. For the year, Strothers is 7-1, with a 2.88 ERA, a 0.88 WHIP, and an 83/9 K/BB ratio in 93 2/3 innings pitched. He's tied for the National League lead in strikeouts. The American League Batter of the Month Award went to Washington's center-fielder, Roy Springs. This is the 5th BotM award of Springs' career. The Senators' center-fielder hit .431/.496/.735/1.231, with 7 doubles, 8 homeruns, 25 RBI, 27 runs scored, and 14 walks during the month of May. So far this season, Springs has hit .369/.420/.613/1.033, with 12 doubles, 14 homeruns, 50 RBI, and 49 runs scored. Springs leads the American League in batting average. The American League Pitcher of the Month Award went to Miami's Christian Hokusai. This is the 30 year old Hokusai's 4th career PotM award. In 5 starts in May, Hokusai went 5-0, with a 1.00 ERA, a 0.72 WHIP, and a 28/6 K/BB ratio in 36 innings pitched. He tossed 1 complete game. For the year, Hokusai is 9-1, with a 2.18 ERA, a 0.85 WHIP, and a 68/14 K/BB ratio in 86 2/3 innings pitched. He has 2 complete games and 1 shutout. He is tied for the American League lead in wins, and is second in ERA. The National League Player of the Week Award went to Phoenix's left-fielder, Marcos Esparza. It is both the second PotW award for Esparza this season, and the second of his career. He batted .409(9 for 22), with a 1.682 OPS, 2 doubles, 5 homeruns, 10 RBI, and 8 runs scored. Esparza scored the go ahead run in a 2-1 win over San Diego after hitting a ninth inningd double. He hit a 3-run homerun in the 10th inning of a 5-4 win over the Padres. He hit 3 homeruns and had 5 RBI in a 17-8 win over Buffalo. He also hit a walk-off homerun in the bottom of the ninth inning of a 6-5 win over the Bills. The American League Player of the Week Award went to Denver's third-baseman, Michael Phillips. It is Phillips' second career PotW award. He walked twice and hit a 2-run homerun in a 7-6 loss to Grand Rapids. He and Lee Chappel hit back to back homeruns in the fifth inning to temporarily tie that game at 6-all. He had 3 hits, including a triple, and 2 runs scored in a 7-1 win over the Tigers. He had 2 hits, a walk, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 14-8 loss to Charlotte. He delivered 5 hits, including 1 double, and 4 runs scored in a 21-5 dismantling of the Panthers. Finally, he had 2 hits(including a homerun), a walk, 1 RBI, and 3 runs scored in an 11-3 rout of Charlotte. Injury news: There were three injuries of note during the week. First, Tucson lost starting pitcher Peter Boughner(4-3, 3.30 ERA) for close to two months with a rotator cuff injury. Though the Diamondback's rotation is deep, the loss of one their best starters will make it that much more difficult to hang onto second place in the Central Division. The next injury was to Sacramento's center-fielder, Michael Eller(.819 OPS, 3 homeruns). The 37 year old outfielder was off to a surprisingly strong start, but he is expected to miss more than a month with a calf injury. Lastly, Pittsburgh's 38 year old backup left-fielder Juan Ibarra(1.067 OPS, 2 homeruns in 15 at bats) tore a hamstring muscle. At his age, that kind of injury is very serious, and it is unlikely that Ibarra will play again. Certainly not this season, at least. Ahead on Denver's schedule is a 3 game series at Atlanta(26-30), and a 3 game series against Grand Rapids(28-28). Up next: The standings through two months of play, the league natting and pitching statistics, and Denver's batting and pitching statistics. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

05-04-2009, 09:33 PM	#472
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 896	Standings as of June 3rd, 2085 Code: National League Standings West Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 San Diego 38 19 .667 - 36-21 2 21- 7 17-12 5-3 12-6 L3 3-7 San Jose 34 22 .607 3.5 33-23 1 17-12 17-10 2-4 11-9 W2 8-2 Los Angeles 30 25 .545 7.0 29-26 1 17-10 13-15 4-1 11-4 W1 7-3 Sacramento 30 26 .536 7.5 29-27 1 16-13 14-13 6-0 11-7 W3 7-3 Phoenix 25 30 .455 12.0 25-30 0 11-16 14-14 3-4 10-9 L1 5-5 Portland 23 34 .404 15.0 23-34 0 7-21 16-13 5-3 2-9 L2 3-7 Northeast Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 New Jersey 29 28 .509 - 25-32 4 14-15 15-13 0-2 5- 6 L1 5-5 Rochester 27 27 .500 .5 28-26 -1 14-13 13-14 3-3 6- 9 L1 6-4 Hartford 29 30 .492 1.0 27-32 2 14-15 15-15 1-3 11- 6 W1 4-6 Buffalo 26 30 .464 2.5 28-28 -2 12-16 14-14 0-2 4-11 W1 2-8 Pittsburgh 25 31 .446 3.5 30-26 -5 14-14 11-17 2-4 4- 9 W1 3-7 Harrisburg 22 36 .379 7.5 26-32 -4 14-15 8-21 2-4 8-10 L1 7-3 American League Standings Southeast Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 Miami 40 17 .702 - 39-18 1 18-10 22- 7 5-2 12- 5 W1 7-3 Knoxville 31 25 .554 8.5 30-26 1 15-13 16-12 4-2 5- 5 W3 5-5 Washington 28 29 .491 12.0 28-29 0 14-15 14-14 4-0 8- 7 L4 4-6 Atlanta 26 30 .464 13.5 25-31 1 13-15 13-15 2-2 7- 7 L1 4-6 Charlotte 26 31 .456 14.0 23-34 3 11-17 15-14 2-4 6- 4 L2 6-4 Nashville 19 37 .339 20.5 21-35 -2 7-22 12-15 2-3 3-11 L1 4-6 Central Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 Denver 39 18 .684 - 40-17 -1 21- 7 18-11 1-6 9- 9 W2 8-2 Tucson 28 26 .519 9.5 29-25 -1 13-14 15-12 3-3 8-11 L1 3-7 Memphis 29 28 .509 10.0 31-26 -2 14-14 15-14 2-1 7- 8 W1 6-4 Grand Rapids 28 28 .500 10.5 28-28 0 16-13 12-15 2-4 8- 9 W1 5-5 Green Bay 25 31 .446 13.5 23-33 2 11-17 14-14 3-2 12- 5 W1 4-6 Kansas City 18 37 .327 20.0 23-32 -5 6-21 12-16 1-2 4- 8 L1 5-5 Division races: West: San Diego has been slumping lately, and San Jose, Los Angeles, and Sacramento have all been playing very well. That has tightened the race in this division quite a bit. The next few weeks should be interesting, as San Diego has a series with Los Angeles, and San Jose has series with both Sacramento and Los Angeles. Northeast: This division is just a big mess of mediocrity right now. New Jersey leads the division, but is barely over .500. If everyone was playing to their Pythagorean records, the Devils would actually be in last place. Pittsburgh has the best Pythagorean record, but the Pirates have been hit hard with injuries, and both they and Bills have struggled a great deal in close games. Rochester has been a fairly balanced team, but like the Pirates, the Rhinos have also been banged up. New Jersey and Buffalo have relied on strong pitching, but their offenses have been weak. Hartford's offense has been outstanding, but the pitching is a disaster. With every team dealing with some flaw or another, this division is likely to be wide open for the rest of the year. Southeast: So far, this division race has played out almost exactly as predicted. Miami is comfortably in first, with best pitching staff in baseball leading the way. Knoxville and Washington are battling for second, although a 3 game sweep by the 79ers over the Senators has given Knoxville a bit of breathing room. Atlanta and Charlotte have been competitive, if inconsistent. And lastly, Nashville's dreadful pitching staff has contributed to it being one of the worst teams in baseball. Central: Denver continues to methodically pull away from the rest of the pack in this division, leaving Tucson, Memphis, and Grand Rapids to duke it out for second place. The defending champion Diamondbacks are perhaps the most interesting of that group, as, despite having the second best pitching staff in baseball, Tucson's offense ranks dead last in runs scored. How long can Tucson remain competitive when it is getting virtually no help from its lineup? __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

05-04-2009, 10:29 PM	#474
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 896	Denver's batting and pitching stats as of June 3rd, 2085 Denver's Batting Stats: Code: Name G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K AVG OBP SLG SB CS R. Thomas 54 258 93 8 1 9 46 50 16 13 .360 .404 .504 9 4 A. Vasquez 54 243 86 6 0 12 50 43 19 30 .354 .404 .527 5 4 L. Chappel 51 222 79 25 1 18 60 61 32 9 .356 .435 .721 6 0 J. Rumfelt 51 192 55 9 1 2 30 29 23 12 .286 .362 .375 0 0 M. Phillips 51 185 55 12 2 7 27 39 39 16 .297 .425 .497 1 0 E. Bolling 42 174 44 20 4 9 40 34 21 32 .253 .338 .569 1 0 A. Fuentez 43 170 57 15 1 3 31 32 21 15 .335 .404 .488 5 1 B. Romero 40 151 52 9 0 5 34 40 19 31 .344 .419 .503 7 2 M. Shunji 40 143 39 6 2 7 22 28 23 36 .273 .373 .490 3 2 M. Lore 31 100 29 7 0 2 18 15 10 11 .290 .366 .420 0 0 J. Fuensanta 19 68 27 2 1 4 21 14 8 4 .397 .449 .632 0 0 B. Branco 18 62 18 1 2 5 17 17 15 19 .290 .430 .613 0 0 A. Mingo 15 45 10 1 2 0 5 10 11 3 .222 .375 .333 1 1 G. Esqueda 10 37 15 3 0 4 11 7 4 2 .405 .463 .811 0 0 A. Elbert 8 34 7 3 0 3 8 5 2 10 .206 .250 .559 1 0 T. Teika 5 23 10 2 0 1 4 6 0 3 .435 .435 .652 0 0 S. Lattimer 7 23 6 2 0 0 3 2 2 8 .261 .320 .348 0 0 S. Skiba 3 14 6 1 0 0 2 3 1 1 .429 .467 .500 0 0 Thoughts: Despite slumping a bit lately, Lee Chappel is still having a ridiculously awesome season so far. Alexis Vazquez has been consistently productive. Russell Thomas has come strong since a slow start to the season. Likewise for Masahachirou Shunji. Michael Phillips and Booker Romero are enjoying their best seasons. Tamiko Teika and Jose Fuensanta have done a very nice job platooning at first base with Ellis Bolling on the disabled list. That is especially interesting in Fuensanta's case, as he had been pretty awful until now in his minor league career and big league cups of coffee. I should also point out that the injuries to Bolling and Asbel Fuentez could be construed as good things, to a certain extent. Both players are up there in years, and would likely have been replaced in the next 2-3 years. Having them out for awhile gives me an opportunity to assess guys like Marvin Lore and Teika. If they can handle themselves in a regular role, it might buy me a little time when I finally do need to replace the older guys. If I'm forced to use Lore as the starting right-fielder for a year, for example, it will be nice to know that's he capable of doing it. Denver's Pitching Stats: Code: Name G GS W L SV ERA IP HA R ER BB K CG SH K. Pillsbury 12 12 7 3 0 2.43 85.1 70 25 23 10 78 4 2 R. Mcnett 12 12 5 0 0 3.22 78.1 75 31 28 19 61 1 1 R. Lockridge 12 12 8 2 0 5.10 77.2 82 47 44 10 58 1 0 G. Buentello 11 11 5 2 0 5.33 74.1 70 45 44 21 43 0 0 T. Fons 10 10 4 3 0 7.07 70.0 101 57 55 28 39 2 0 J. Virgen 20 0 4 3 6 3.60 35.0 36 16 14 9 20 0 0 L. Gwinn 14 0 1 1 1 6.84 26.1 26 20 20 9 25 0 0 L. Waltz 20 0 1 1 1 6.93 24.2 36 21 19 11 20 0 0 R. Soto 20 0 3 0 2 3.42 23.2 21 10 9 3 13 0 0 O. Lopez 14 0 1 3 1 3.42 23.2 30 12 9 5 23 0 0 Thoughts: Kenny Pillsbury and Robert McNett have been as good as any 1-2 punch in the league this season. Ray Lockridge and George Buentello have been up and down, but given how the high the league ERA is right now, they would still be considered above average. Thomas Fons hasn't exactly impressed anyone so far, but while I would consider replacing him, the Broncos don't really have anyone who would definitely be better. For now, I guess, Fons will remain the fifth starter. The bullpen was has not been as good as expected, but it is a heck of a lot better than a lot of other teams. I would still like a rubber-armed reliever, but Denver just doesn't have a whole lot to trade to acquire one. Much like the situation with Fons, I'm just going to have live with what I have for the time being. Given that Denver is comfortably in first place right now, I can't really complain too much. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

05-07-2009, 09:34 PM	#475
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 896	June 4, 2085 to June 10, 2085: Weekly Recap Code: Central Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 Denver 43 20 .683 - 44-19 -1 23- 8 20-12 1-6 9- 9 W2 7-3 Memphis 35 28 .556 8.0 36-27 -1 17-14 18-14 2-1 7- 8 W7 7-3 Tucson 32 29 .525 10.0 33-28 -1 15-15 17-14 3-3 8-12 W1 6-4 Grand Rapids 30 32 .484 12.5 29-33 1 17-15 13-17 2-4 8- 9 L2 3-7 Green Bay 30 33 .476 13.0 27-36 3 13-19 17-14 3-2 14- 5 L1 7-3 Kansas City 19 42 .311 23.0 25-36 -6 7-23 12-19 1-2 5-10 L3 4-6 Denver 12 @ Atlanta 3 Denver 5 @ Atlanta 3 Denver 0 @ Atlanta 9 Grand Rapids 5 @ Denver 3 Grand Rapids 4 @ Denver 13 Grand Rapids 2 @ Denver 8 Alexis Vazquez pretty much single-handedly won the first game against Atlanta, as he went 6 for 6, with 4 runs batted in, and 3 runs scored. Included among those hits was a double and a homerun. Vazquez is the first Denver player to collect 6 hits in a game since infielder Tomas Sato did it in 2082. Marvin Lore accounted for 5 hits of his own in the victory. The Broncos produced 13 hits and 8 walks in the second game, and hung on for another win. In the final game against the Braves, George Buentello and Thomas Sanchez battled for 6 innings in a tight pitchers' duel. When Buentello gave way to reliever Larry Waltz in the 7th inning, Atlanta clung to a 1-0 lead. Waltz, unfortunately, imploded, and gave up 8 runs in 2 innings. Meanwhile, Sanchez finished off a 5-hit, complete game shutout to help Atlanta avoid getting swept. Denver was embarrassingly shut down by Grand Rapids' starter, Franklin Erb(7.98 career ERA), in the first game of the series with the Tigers. The second game was much easier, as the Broncos scored 6 runs in the first inning, and never looked back. Marvin Lore delivered 7 runs batted in, hitting a first-inning grand slam and a sixth-inning 3-run bomb. Robert McNett improved to 7-0 this season, and won his 15th consecutive decision, as Denver cruised to a victory in the third, and final, game of the series. Alexis Vazquez had an utterly insane week to lead the Broncos' offense, as he hit .704(19 for 27), with a 2.020 OPS, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 4 homeruns, 12 RBI, and 11 runs scored. Jose Fuensanta continued his strong play, posting a 1.699 OPS, with 2 homeruns. Marvin Lore produced a 1.389 OPS, 12 hits, 2 doubles, 2 homeruns, and 10 RBI. Michael Phillips had a 1.033 OPS, a double, 2 homeruns, 6 runs scored. Jack Rumfelt posted a .921 OPS, with 11 hits. Lee Chappel continued to struggle, as despite 3 doubles and a .360 on base percentage, he hit just .158, with a .676 OPS. Brooks Branco had only 4 hits in 26 at bats, and a .588 OPS, although the hits consisted of 3 doubles and a triple. Masahachirou Shunji went 0 for 12, with 8 strikeouts. Kenny Pillsbury and Robert McNett each made 2 starts during the week, and both played well. Pillsbury gave up 4 runs in 14 2/3 innings, and struck out 12 batters. McNett allowed 4 runs in 13 innings pitched, and struck out 16 batters. George Buentello gave up 1 run in 6 innings in his only start. Ray Lockridge was the only ineffective starter during the week, with 4 runs allowed in 7 innings pitched. There weren't any especially good bullpen performances. James Virgen tossed a scoreless inning, and Robert Soto allowed 1 run in 3 innings. On the negative side, Omar Lopez gave up 3 runs in 3 1/3 innings, and Larry Waltz surrendered 11 hits, 8 runs, and 3 walks in only 3 innings. The injuries keep piling up for the Broncos. Center-fielder Russell Thomas(.904 OPS, 9 homeruns) will be out for at least a month and a half with back spasms, and left-fielder Masahachirou Shunji(.811 OPS, 7 homeruns) will be sidelined for about a month with an injury to his PCL. Replacing the two outfielders on the roster are veterans Shifusa Ryo and Emmanuel Abadia. The 36 year old Ryo has a .797 OPS at AAA this season, and a .646 OPS in 1145 career big league at bats. The 31 year old Abadia has been mostly a minor league slugger in his career, and this year, he has a .766 OPS and 15 homeruns at AAA. In 122 career big league at bats, Abadia has a .547 OPS. The most likely playing time allotment will have either Abadia or Arthur Elbert in left field against right-handed pitchers, and Elbert in left against lefties, and infielder Adrian Mingo in center against righties, and Ryo in center against lefties. Marvin Lore, of course, is playing right field in place of the injured Asbel Fuentez. This alignment might change soon, however, as Ellis Bolling is expected to come off the disabled list in 4 days, and the Broncos may be reluctant to send down Tamiko Teika, who has played well since being called up(.935 OPS in 35 at bats). Teika does have a bit of experience in left field, so he might be getting some time there, as well. Around the league: The National League Player of the Week Award went to Harrisburg's third-baseman, Coy Drews. This is Drews' first career POTW award. Drews hit .450( 9 for 20), with a 1.642 OPS, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 homeruns, 11 RBI, and 8 runs scored. He had 2 hits, including a triple, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored, in a 5-4 win over Portland. He had 3 hits, including a double and a homerun, 4 RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 6-5 win over the Trailblazers. His homerun was a 2-out, 2-run blast in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the game. He doubled, homered, walked, drove in 2 runs, and scored 3 runs in a 10-7 win over Hartford. Drews also had 2 hits, including a homerun, 2 walks, 4 RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 7-3 win over the Whalers. Not surprisingly, the American League Player of the Week Award went to Denver's Alexis Vazquez. It is the 9th POTW award of Vazquez's career. In addition to the 6-hit game against Atlanta, Vazquez also had: Two hits and an RBI in a 5-3 win over the Braves. A triple, a homerun, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 5-3 loss to Grand Rapids. Four hits, including a homerun, a walk, 3 RBI, and 3 runs scored in a 13-4 thumping of the Tigers. Four hits, including a homerun, 3 RBI, and 3 runs scored in an 8-2 win over Grand Rapids. He is also currently on a 22-game hitting streak, 2 short of his career best. Division races: In the West, San Diego(43-20) shook off its recent lethargy and ended the week on a 4-game winning streak. Both San Jose(38-24) and Sacramento(33-29) have kept the pressure on, with 2 straight wins for the both of them. Los Angeles(32-29) has dropped 3 in a row. New Jersey(33-30) increased its lead in the Northeast to 2 1/2 games over Rochester(29-31), but both the Devils and Rhinos closed the week on 2-game losing streaks. Miami(46-18) is pouring it on in the Southeast. The Dolphins have won 6 straight games and have pushed their lead over Knoxville(32-30) to 13 games. At the bottom of the division, the Nashville Predators(19-44) are in a freefall, with 8 consecutive losses. Denver's(43-20) lead in the Central Division remains comfortable, but the Broncos are not in a position to relax. Memphis(35-28) is playing extremely well right now, with 7 straight wins. The Grizzlies' strong play, combined with the Broncos' mounting injuries, could make this race a lot more competitive over the next couple of months. Trade news: Two months into the season, most teams have a good sense of where their season is going, and are starting to think about what that means for their roster. If the playoffs are a legitimate possibility, they look to see if they can fill any holes via trade. If the playoffs aren't likely, then teams look to the future in any trades. Portland and Green Bay kicked off this portion of the season with a 2 for 1 swap. The Trailblazers, with their season already in the toilet, acquired 26 year old right-fielder David New(.802 OPS, 9 homeruns) and 19 year old second-baseman Paul Lorenzo(.490 OPS at A-ball). The Packers, who are only 5 games behind second place Memphis in the Central Division, received 25-year old catcher Gary Jones(.338 average, .815 OPS) in exchange. The early winner of this trade is probably Green Bay, although it may complicate things for the Packers in a year or so. Previously, the Packers had veterans Roy Isenhour and Gary Lauritsen sharing time behind the plate. Both are capable backup catchers, but they are not starting material. Jones should be a significant upgrade. The potential complication arises from the fact that Green Bay's most recent first round draft pick is an 18-year old catcher named Santiago Fernandez. The young prospect is currently at AAA, where he has a .711 OPS. He's not ready for the big leagues yet, but he may be ready as soon as next season. The Packers may have to choose between Jones and Fernandez. As for the loss of New, certainly that hurts, as he is playing solidly this season as Green Bay's DH. To replace him, the Packers moved third-baseman Robert Quirk(.773 OPS, 9 homeruns) to the designated hitter spot, and backup third-baseman Charles Troutt(.717 OPS in 65 at bats) into the starting lineup. Troutt is a defensive upgrade over Quirk, but will likely be an offensive downgrade from New. On the Portland side of things, this trade is highly questionable. The departure of Jones leaves the Trailblazers with a pair of 37 year old catchers on the roster(Aaron Quijada and Andrea Burkley), and pretty much nobody behind them. New does represent an upgrade over right-fielders Robert Schober(.721 OPS) and Tony Francois(.436 OPS), but a good, young catcher seems to be a lot more valuable than a decent, young right-fielder. As for the prospect Lorenzo, he is a modestly talented young player who could turn into a useful player, or, more likely, disappear in a couple of years Injury news: Denver wasn't the only team to get with injuries this week. San Diego lost backup catcher Clayton Threatt(.578 OPS in 58 at bats) for over a month with a torn abdominal muscle, and rookie starting pitcher Charles Paulk(4.24 ERA in 4 starts) for a similar length of time with an injury to his biceps. Green Bay lost its most effective starting pitcher this season, Anibal Reynoso(4-8, 3.28 ERA) for over a month with back spasms. Ahead on Denver's schedule this week is another 3-game series at Atlanta(29-34), and a 3-game series versus Green Bay(30-33). __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

05-09-2009, 03:40 PM	#476
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 896	June 11, 2085 to June 17, 2085: Weekly Recap Code: Central Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 Denver 47 22 .681 - 48-21 -1 25- 9 22-13 1-6 11-10 W1 6-4 Tucson 37 31 .544 9.5 38-30 -1 18-16 19-15 3-3 9-13 W3 6-4 Memphis 37 32 .536 10.0 38-31 -1 19-15 18-17 2-2 8-10 L3 6-4 Grand Rapids 34 35 .493 13.0 33-36 1 19-16 15-19 2-4 9- 9 L1 5-5 Green Bay 32 37 .464 15.0 30-39 2 14-21 18-16 3-3 15- 7 L1 4-6 Kansas City 22 45 .328 24.0 27-40 -5 8-25 14-20 1-2 5-11 W1 4-6 Denver 1 @ Atlanta 0 Denver 9 @ Atlanta 10 Denver 6 @ Atlanta 3 Green Bay 5 @ Denver 6 Green Bay 14 @ Denver 7 Green Bay 0 @ Denver 8 For the second straight week, George Buentello and Thomas Sanchez locked horns. And for the second straight week, fans were treated to a pair of masterful pitching performances. For seven innings, neither team could score off of these two pitchers. Finally, in the eighth inning, Emmanuel Abadia singled in Lee Chappel to get the Broncos on the board. James Virgen then tossed 2 scoreless innings for the save. Denver's bullpen was not nearly as effective in the second game against Atlanta. The Broncos led 5-3 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, but Roberto Soto and Omar Lopez combined to give up 7 runs in that inning. Denver's 9th inning rally came up 1 run short. In the final game against the Braves, Kenny Pillsbury picked up his 10th win of the season behind the strength of 4 homeruns(Lee Chappel, Arthur Elbert, Tamiko Teika, and Emmanuel Abadia). Teika's was a 2-out, 3-run blast that erased a 3-2 deficit in the sixth inning. Ellis Bolling had 3 hits in his return to the lineup in the first game against Green Bay, but it was Chappel who delivered the victory, as he drove in 4 of Denver's 6 runs. Thomas Fons had another disastrous start, as he served up 5 homeruns to the Packers in the second game. George Buentello continued his strong pitching with 6 scoreless innings in the rubber game. Ellis Bolling collected 4 RBI in the rout over the Packers. After struggling for several week, Lee Chappel returned to being a dominant force at the plate. He posted a 1.357 OPS, and had 11 hits, 7 doubles, 1 homerun, 8 RBI, and 7 runs scored. Booker Romero had a 1.214 OPS, a double, a homerun, and 6 runs scored. Brooks Branco had a 1.014 OPS, 2 doubles, a homerun, 4 RBI, 5 runs scored, and 6 walks. Michael Phillips was just 3 for 21, with a .643 OPS, although he did hit a homerun and draw 6 walks. Alexis Vazquez also hit a homerun, but otherwise, he was just 4 for 24, with a .577 OPS. George Buentello had an outstanding week; in 2 starts, he pitched 13 scoreless innings. Kenny Pillsbury and Ray Lockridge were both effective, as well. Pillsbury allowed 3 runs in 8 innings, and Lockridge allowed 3 runs in 7 innings. Robert McNett was a little shaky, with 10 hits and 4 runs allowed in 6 innings, however, he still improved to 8-0 on the year, and won his 16th consecutive decision. After making the best start of the season in his previous outing, Thomas Fons had arguably his worst start of the year this week. In 7 innings, he was drilled for 16 hits(5 homeruns), 5 walks, and 12 runs. James Virgen had a strong week out of the bullpen. In 3 appearances, he threw 4 scoreless innings, struck out 4 batters, and notched 3 saves. Unfortunately, he was the only Denver reliever to have a good week. Larry Waltz gave up 2 hits and a run in 2 innings. Lyndon Gwinn gave up 2 runs in 2 innings. Omar Lopez allowed 7 hits and 5 runs in 4 innings. Roberto Soto gave up a hit, a walk, and 2 runs without recording any outs. Nobody got hurt this week, which is good, and Ellis Bolling and Gabriel Esqueda both returned from the disabled list. Getting sent down to AAA to make room were Shane Lattimer and Stephen Skiba. Around the league: The National League Player of the Week Award went to new Portland right-fielder, David New. It is New's first career POTW award. He hit .650(13 for 20), with a 1.832 OPS, 1 double, 3 homeruns, 11 RBI, and 6 runs scored. New had 3 hits, including a pair of homeruns, 6 runs batted in, and 2 runs scored in a 13-6 whipping of Sacramento. He had 2 hits, a walk, an RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 10-8 win over the Kings. He had 2 hits, a walk, and an RBI in a 6-4 win over Rochester. He had 3 hits in a 7-6 win over the Rhinos. Finally, he had 3 hits, including a homerun, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored in an 8-6 victory over Rochester. His homerun was a 2-out, 3-run shot in the sixth inning that wiped out a 3-0 Rhinos' lead. The American League Player of the Week Award went to Knoxville's catcher, Daniel Moise. It is Moise's first ever POTW award. He hit .444(12 for 27), with a 1.279 OPS, a double, 3 homeruns, 8 RBI, and 11 runs scored. Moise hit a pair of solo homeruns, and scored 3 runs in an 8-5 loss to Grand Rapids. He had 4 hits, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 5-1 win over the Tigers. He had a hit, a walk, and 2 runs scored in an 8-6 win over Nashville. He hit a walk-off homerun in the bottom of the ninth inning of a 7-6 win over the Predators. Finally, he had 4 hits, 3 RBI, and 3 runs scored in a 14-6 thumping of Nashville. Division races: San Diego(47-23) remains in control of the West Division, and San Jose(41-27) just hasn't been able to gain much ground. Both teams ended the week on 2 game losing streaks. Little has changed in the Northeast. New Jersey(36-33) still leads the division, but Rochester(30-36) has fallen to 4th place with a 5-game losing streak. Moving into second place was Buffalo(33-35). Miami(51-19) seems almost unstoppable right now. The Dolphins have won 3 straight games, 9 of their last 10, and are 13-3 so far in the month of June. Second place Knoxville(36-32) has won 4 straight games. Denver(47-22) hasn't been able to increase its hold over the Central Division lately because the Broncos, the second place Tucson Diamondbacks(37-31), and the third place Memphis Grizzlies(37-32) have all gone 6-4 in their last 10 games. Tucson took over second place from Memphis by winning three straight games against Charlotte, while the Grizzlies were swept by Miami. Ahead on Denver's schedule this week is a 3 games series versus Charlotte(31-40), and a 4 games series at Washington(35-35). __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

05-11-2009, 09:48 PM	#477
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 896	June 18, 2085 to June 24, 2085: Weekly Recap Code: Central Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Stk Last10 Denver 52 24 .684 - 54-22 -2 27-10 25-14 1-6 11-10 W2 7-3 Tucson 41 34 .547 10.5 42-33 -1 22-16 19-18 3-4 9-14 W4 7-3 Memphis 39 36 .520 12.5 41-34 -2 19-18 20-18 2-2 8-10 L3 3-7 Green Bay 35 40 .467 16.5 32-43 3 16-22 19-18 3-3 16- 8 W1 5-5 Grand Rapids 35 41 .461 17.0 34-42 1 20-18 15-23 2-4 9- 9 L6 3-7 Kansas City 26 48 .351 25.0 31-43 -5 10-27 16-21 1-2 5-11 W1 5-5 Charlotte 9 @ Denver 4 Charlotte 2 @ Denver 13 Charlotte 0 @ Denver 5 Denver 9 @ Washington 0 Denver 1 @ Washington 3 Denver 7 @ Washington 1 Denver 4 @ Washington 0 The week began with a bad loss to Charlotte. The Panthers' second-baseman, Daryl Scott, led the way with 4 hits and 5 runs batted in. The Broncos turned the tables in the second game, as Booker Romero produced 4 hits, and both he and Lee Chappel collected 4 RBI. Denver banged out 4 homeruns in the game(Romero, Ellis Bolling, Tamiko Teika, and Alexis Vazquez). Backed by homeruns from Marvin Lore, Lee Chappel, and Alexis Vazquez, southpaw Robert McNett authored his second complete game shutout of the season in the final game against Charlotte, ran his record on the season to 9-0, and won his 17th consecutive decision. The Broncos got their second consecutive shutout from Thomas Fons, of all pitchers, as he 3-hit the Washington Senators to open the series. Despite out-hitting Washington 8-5 in the second game, the Broncos mustered only 1 run( a solo homerun by Jose Fuensanta) and lost a close game. Denver scored at least 1 run in each of the first 5 innings of the third game, and cruised to a comfortable win over the Senators. The week was capped off by yet another complete game shutout. This one was hurled by Kenny Pillsbury, for his 3rd shutout of the season. Denver's 4 runs came from 4 solo homeruns(Booker Romero, Lee Chappel, Brooks Branco, and Arthur Elbert), all of which came off of veteran starter Cleveland Lauria, who, at age 36, is definitely not the same pitcher who once tossed a no-hitter against the Broncos in a playoff game. Marvin Lore has definitely made the most of his increased playing time. This week, he led the Broncos with a 1.297 OPS, and had a double, 2 homeruns, 4 RBI, and 4 runs scored. I don't know what's gotten into Booker Romero, but he is having a fantastic season. This week was no exception. He produced a 1.210 OPS, 12 hits, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homeruns, 10 RBI, and 5 runs scored. Alexis Vazquez had a 1.194 OPS, 3 homeruns, 4 RBI, and 6 runs scored. Lee Chappel had a .944 OPS, with 3 doubles, 2 homeruns, and 7 RBI. Michael Phillips managed just a .681 OPS in 23 at bats. Brooks Branco was 1 for 9, with a homerun, and a .644 OPS. Emanuel Abadia was 1 for 12, with a homerun, 6 strikeouts, and a .417 OPS. Obviously, with all the shutouts, Denver got some pretty good starting pitching during the week. McNett's and Fons' shutouts were their only starts, but Pillsbury actually made two starts. In 16 1/3 innings, he gave up just 2 runs, struck out 12 batters, and walked none. Ray Lockridge also made 2 starts, but his overall performance was not very good: 18 hits and 8 runs allowed in 13 1/3 innings. George Buentello allowed 3 runs in 8 innings in his only start. Likewise, with so many complete games being pitched, the bullpen didn't see much action. Robert Soto made 2 appearances, and was not scored upon in 3 2/3 innings. He struck out 4 batters. Larry Waltz had one outing, and he gave up 5 hits, a walk, and 2 runs(both unearned) in 2 2/3 innings pitched. Around the league: The National League Player of the Week Award went to Phoenix's first-baseman, Emil Cuestas. It is the 9th POTW award of Cuestas' career. He hit .435(10 for 23), with a 1.481 OPS, 1 double, 4 homeruns, 9 RBI, and 8 runs scored during the week. He had 2 hits, including a homerun, 3 runs batted in, and a run scored in a 7-6 loss to Los Angeles. His 7th inning homerun briefly gave the Cardinals a 6-5 lead. They would lose the lead in the bottom of the 7th, and lose the game in the bottom of the 9th. He doubled, hit a pair of homeruns, drove in 3 runs, and scored 2 runs in a 10-7 win over Hartford. His second homerun was a solo shot in the fifth inning that broke a 3-3 tie. He also homered, walked, and scored 2 runs in a 6-5, 10-inning victory over the Whalers. After falling behind 5-1, his third inning homerun kept the Cardinals in the game. The American League Player of the Week Award went to Memphis' shortstop, Roy Chouinard. This is Chouinard's 8th POTW award, and second this season. He hit .609(14 for 23), with a 1.741 OPS, 2 doubles, 3 homeruns, 6 RBI, and 9 runs scored. Chouinard had 4 hits, including a double and a homerun, 3 RBI, and 3 runs scored in a 10-2 whipping of Grand Rapids. He had 3 hits, including a pair of solo homeruns, in an 11-8 loss to Knoxville. His first homerun tied the game at 5-all in the fifth inning. He had 3 hits, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 12-7 loss to the 79ers. Division Races: All is quiet on the Western front. San Diego(52-25) still leads the division, and second place San Jose(45-30) remains at about the same place it did a week ago. New Jersey(41-34) has started to gain a little separation in the Northeast over Buffalo(36-38), as the Devils have won 3 straight games, and the Bills have lost 2 in a row. One of the most surprising developments of this season is the fact that, by virtue of a 5-game losing streak, Pittsburgh(31-44) has tumbled into a tie for last place in the division with Harrisburg(32-45). It has been a very long time since the Pirates have been ranked this low in the division this late into the season. Despite losing 2 of their last 3 games, and to hapless Kansas City at that, the Miami Dolphins(56-21) are in complete control of the Southeast Division, and own the best record in baseball. Knoxville(40-34) has begun to tighten its grip on second place, as the 79ers have won 3 straight games, and 8 of their last 10. The Broncos(52-24) increased their lead slightly in the Central Division, while Tucson((41-34) did the same with regards to second place. Third place Memphis(39-36) has lost 3 straight games, and 7 of its last 10. Injury News: Memphis lost catcher Albert Easter(.900 OPS, 6 homeruns) for the rest of the season with a broken hip. The 27 year old was finally starting to live up to his potential. Tucson's veteran shortstop, Sabas Riva(.668 OPS, 13 stolen bases), will miss over a month with an injury to his rotator cuff. Ahead on Denver's schedule this week is a 4-game series at Knoxville(40-34), and a 3-game series versus Miami(56-21). __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver

05-13-2009, 09:31 PM	#478
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 896	June 25, 2085 to July 1st, 2085: Weekly Recap Denver 3 @ Knoxville 9 Denver 5 @ Knoxville 8 Denver 2 @ Knoxville 5 Denver 10 @ Knoxville 0 Miami 11 @ Denver 0 Miami 4 @ Denver 5(11 innings) Miami 11 @ Denver 4 With series against Knoxville and Miami this week, the Broncos knew it was going to be tough. It wound up being even more difficult than Denver could have expected. Robert McNett's streak of consecutive winning decisions came to an abrupt and painful end. The 79ers battered McNett for 6 first inning runs, and when Brooks Branco attempted to get the Broncos back in the game with a 2-out, 3-run homerun in the fifth inning, Knoxville just tacked on a few more runs to secure the victory in the first game of a four game series. Thomas Fons battled respectably for over 5 innings in the second game, but fell apart in the sixth. A 2-2 game turned into 6-2 Knoxville lead, and Denver couldn't recover. Brooks Branco led off the third game with a homerun, and that 1-0 lead held up until the bottom of the sixth inning. The 79ers scored 3 runs in the sixth, and added 2 more in the eighth inning to take control of the game. The Broncos led out all of their frustrations in the final game, avoiding a sweep with a 20-hit pummeling of Knoxville. Ray Lockridge, Larry Waltz, and Lyndon Gwinn combined to keep Knoxville off the scoreboard. Miami absolutely embarrassed Denver in the first game of the series. The Dolphins erupted for 22 hits- 14 off of Broncos' ace Kenny Pillsbury- in the rout. First-baseman Aaron Shorts produced 5 hits and 4 runs scored for Miami, while DH Edmond McGurk and catcher Jake Foss each had 4 hits and 5 RBI. McGurk belted a pair of homeruns. The second game got off to an ugly start, when McGurk smashed a 2-run homerun in the first inning, but it remained a close affair. Miami led 2-1 until making it 3-1 in the top of the fifth inning. Denver scored 1 run in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings to take a 4-3 lead. James Virgen lost the lead in the eighth inning, and the game went into extra innings. In the bottom of the 11th inning, left-fielder Arthur Elbert delivered a 2-out, run-scoring double to win the game for the Broncos. Denver led the final game 3-2 after 2 innings, but McGurk and Thomas Fuentes, Jr. hit back to back homeruns in the third inning to take a 5-3 lead(McGurk's was a 2-run shot).The Broncos cut the lead to 5-4 in the sixth inning, but a gassed bullpen imploded in the ninth and gave up 6 runs to ensure the Miami victory. Lee Chappel led the offense this week with a 1.343 OPS, a double, 3 homeruns, 5 RBI, 6 runs scored, and 9 walks. Brooks Branco delivered a 1.294 OPS, a double, and 2 homeruns. Michael Phillips reached base at a .483 clip, and had a .918 OPS. Marvin Lore hit .387 and had 12 hits, but they were all singles, so his OPS was an unimpressive .793. There were numerous poor performances this week. Jack Rumfelt had a .697 OPS. Booker Romero had a .656 OPS. Alexis Vazquez had a .644 OPS. Ellis Bolling had 2 doubles and a homerun, but hit .158 with a .621 OPS. Arthur Elbert was 3 for 15, with a .600 OPS. Emanuel Abadia and Adrian Mingo combined to go 0 for 24. The pitching wasn't a whole lot better. Ray Lockridge gutted out 5 scoreless innings, and struck out 7 batters. George Buentello gave up 3 runs in 6 innings. Robert McNett made 2 starts, and surrendered 10 runs(8 earned) in 10 1/3 innings pitched. Thomas Fons made 2 starts, and gave up 18 hits, 9 walks, and 9 runs in 11 innings. Kenny Pillsbury surrendered 14 hits and 8 runs in 5 innings pitched. Poor starting pitching leads to an overworked bullpen, and that naturally leads to poor performance as well. Omar Lopez gave up 3 runs(2 earned) in 7 2/3 innings, with 9 hits allowed and 6 strikeouts. His was the only solid performance. Larry Waltz gave up 7 hits and 2 runs in 4 innings pitched. Lyndon Gwinn allowed 3 runs in 4 innings. Robert Soto allowed 5 runs in 4 2/3 innings. James Virgen gave up 5 runs in 4 1/3 innings pitched. Once again, Denver has been hit with an injury. Ellis Bolling sustained an injury to his thigh, and will be out for at least another week. Instead of calling someone up from AAA, Denver elected sign 37 year old free agent reliever Laverne McCullum. The veteran right-hander is expected to serve as a mopup and long relief man, and hopefully, he will ease some of the pressure on Denver's bullpen. In 503 career big league games, McCullum has an uninspiring 6.45 ERA, however, he did have a respectable 4.32 ERA in 8 1/3 innings for Sacramento this season before getting released in May. McCullum has good velocity, decent control, and doesn't allow many fly balls. Around the league: The National League Batter of the Month Award went to Sacramento's left-fielder, Ramon Montalvo. It is the 3rd BOTM award of Montalvo's career. During the month of June, he hit .394/.439/.707/1.146, with 4 doubles, 3 triples, 7 homeruns, 24 RBI, and 22 runs scored. For the year, Montalvo has hit .344/.415/.632/1.048, with 6 doubles, 6 triples, 23 homeruns, 67 RBI, 67 run scored, and a 36/31 BB/K ratio. The National League Pitcher of the Month Award went to San Diego's Carlos Lozoya. It is the 5th POTM award of Lozoya's career. In 6 June starts, Lozoya went 5-0, with a 1.85 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, and a 45/13 K/BB ratio. He tossed 2 complete games and 1 shutout(a 1-hitter against Harrisburg). For the year, the 2-time Cy Young Award winner is 13-2, with a 1.78 ERA, a 0.99 WHIP, and a 109/40 K/BB ratio in 18 starts. He has pitched 8 complete games and 4 shutouts. He leads all of baseball in both wins and ERA, and is second in the National League in strikeouts. The American League Batter of the Month Award went to Denver's Alexis Vazquez. It is the the 4th time that Vazquez has won the BOTM award. In June, he hit .383/.437/.635/1.071, with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 8 homeruns, 23 RBI, and 25 runs scored. For the year, Vazquez has hit .365/.416/.571/.987, with 9 doubles, 1 triple, 20 homeruns, 70 RBI, and 63 runs scored. He is second in the American League in batting average. The American League Pitcher of the Month Award went to Tucson's Christopher Kirk. It is Kirk's first ever POTM award. During the month of June, Kirk was 6-0 in 6 starts, and had a 1.86 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP, and a 34/5 K/BB ratio. He threw 2 complete games and a 1 shutout(an 8-hitter against Charlotte). For the year, Kirk is 12-6, with a 2.95 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP, and an 82/19 K/BB ratio in 18 starts. He has 9 complete games and 2 shutouts. Kirk is tied for the AL lead in wins. The National League Player of the Week Award went to Harrisburg's third-baseman, Coy Drews. It is Drews' second career POTW award, and second POTW award of this season. Drews hit .429(9 for 21), with a 1.519 OPS, 4 homeruns, 9 RBI, 6 runs scored, and 5 walks. He had 3 hits, including a solo homerun in an 8-2 loss to Phoenix. He had 3 hits, including a pair of homeruns, and 6 RBI in an 8-4 win over the Cardinals. The first homerun was a 2-out, 3-run bomb that erased a 3-2 Phoenix lead in the fifth inning. The second was a 2-run blast in the seventh inning that put the game out of reach. He had 2 hits, including a homerun, 2 walks, and 2 runs scored in a 7-6 loss to Phoenix. He had a single, a walk, and an RBI in a 4-2 win over Rochester. The American League Player of the Week Award went to Miami's catcher, Jake Foss. It is the 3rd POTW award of Foss' career. He hit .579(11 for 19), with a 1.566 OPS, 1 double, 2 homeruns, 10 RBI, and 5 runs scored. Foss had 3 hits, including a double and a homerun, 3 RBI, and 3 runs scored in a 12-0 drubbing of Green Bay. He had 4 hits, including a grand slam, and 5 RBI in an 11-0 pasting of Denver. His third inning homerun turned a 1-0 game into a laugher. He also had 4 hits, 2 RBI, and a run scored in an 11-4 rout over the Broncos. In other news, San Jose Sharks' first-baseman Ugo Momoru delivered the 500th homerun of his career. The steady batting stroke of the 35 year old Momoru has been the driving force behind San Jose's resurgence this season. Momoru has hit .305, with an .888 OPS, 12 doubles, 14 homeruns, 57 RBI, 51 runs scored, and a 50/15 BB/K ratio. Momoru is a 5-time All Star and a one time Silver Slugger Award winner(2081). He is also one of just two players to ever reach 60 homeruns in more than one season(Hall of Famer Scott Border was the first). Momoru accomplished the feat in 2077 and 2081. Injury News: Los Angeles suffered a couple of injuries this week. Twenty-two year old rookie starting pitcher Ted Neer(0-2, 6.10 ERA) will miss about 3 weeks with an elbow injury, and left-fielder Ray Renard(.707 OPS, 4 homeruns) will miss more than a month with a torn groin muscle. Meanwhile, New Jersey lost shortstop Brian Hall(.769 OPS, 24 doubles, 7 homeruns) for at least a month with a strained PCL. Trading News: There were two trades in the past week, and both were rather questionable. In the first trade, Tucson acquired veteran shortstop Jimmy Adams from Grand Rapids in exchange for 21-year old starting pitching prospect Christopher McKissick. With Sabas Riva on the disabled list, the Diamondbacks were in need of a better shortstop than any of their current in-house options. The 37 year old Adams isn't much of a hitter(.635 OPS this season), but he is a good fielder. There's nothing wrong with Tucson acquiring Adams, but the Diamondbacks definitely overpaid. McKissick isn't yet an elite prospect, but he has a lot of potential. Grand Rapids made out well in this trade. However... the Tigers have elected to rush their new acquisition to the big leagues. McKissick has a 3.56 ERA in 15 AA starts this year, but he is not ready for big league action yet. Grand Rapids may negate its trade victory by ruining the young pitcher. The second trade this week was almost incomprehensible. Portland, which had already traded away catcher Gary Jones in a somewhat suspect transaction, traded 25 year old starting pitcher Aldo Barnes to Knoxville in exchange for 27 year old Bruce Congdon and 20 year old relief prospect, Toby Cramer. This trade is baffling for both parties. Although Congdon hasn't always been the most reliable pitcher, he has performed quite well this season, going 6-1 with a 3.93 ERA for the 79ers. Given that Knoxville is battling to stay in control of the second place playoff spot in the Southeast Division, trading Congdon appears to make very little sense. This is especially true when you consider the return. Aldo Barnes is a very talented left-hander, but he has struggled badly in his big league time so far, and that includes this season. For Portland, Barnes went 4-10, with an 8.44 ERA. For the Trailblazers' part, one would think that the perennial bottom-feeder would be trying to build around the likes of Barnes. With the season already in the toilet, Portland can afford to be patient with the growing pains of a young player. What does Congdon do for them? Maybe he helps them avoid 100 losses or a last place finish. I'm not sure that's worth it. As for Toby Cramer, he's more minor league filler than anything else. But who knows? He's only 20, and could eventually develop into something useful. In the final week before the All Star game, Denver has a 4-game series versus Atlanta(42-40), and a 3 game series at Charlotte(36-47). Coming up: The league standings this far, and Denver's batting and pitching statistics. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver