The American Baseball League

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SINGLE SEASON K RECORD

1. Tomohiro Masuda (LEX) 426 (2010)
2. Brendon Biernacki (BUF) 407 (2016)
3. Tomohiro Masuda (LEX) 390 (2011)
4. Tomohiro Masuda (LEX) 388 (2012)
5. Josh Viens (NYP) 359 (2011)

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WEEK 15

• RECORD: 4-2
• STANDINGS: 53-37 (+2.5)
• RUNS SCORED: 388 (3rd)
• OPS: .718 (2nd)
• RUNS AGAINST: 303 (2nd)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .723 (7th)
• SP ERA: 3.22 (4th)
• BULLPEN ERA: 2.67 (3rd)
• OWNERS MOOD: Delighted
• FAN INTEREST: 95
• POWER RANKINGS:

THIS WEEK: 3-0 @ Ohio (33-52) 1-2 @ San Antonio (43-42)

7/3: OFF DAY Tommy Dziedzic has suffered some sort of setback and they are saying it will be an additional 1-2 weeks.
7/4: AUS 5 OH 3 Steele (W) 6 IP 9 H 3 ER (6-6 4.55) DeSanto 3 IP 2 H 0 R Scott SV (25) Nolasco HR (17) RBI (52) Adrian HR (8) R 2 RBI (38)
7/5:AUS 6 OH 2 Lopez spot start CG 7 H 5 K 2 ER Adrian 2-4 HR (9) 2 R 3 RBI (41) Nolasco HR (18) 2 RBI (54) Archer HR (19) RBI (63) Comerford 3-4 2B (5) Masuda (OH) (L) 6 IP 10 H 6 ER (2-9 4,28 oh how the mighty have fallen)
7/6: AUS 7 OH 2 Collins (W) 8 IP 7 H 7 K 2 ER (11-1 2.34) Tighe 1-2 2B (12) 3 BB R 2 RBI (22) Nolasco 2H 2B (11) 3 RBI (57) Orozco 2-3 2B (3) 2 R RBI (8) McLaughlin 3-4 2 2B R RBI (8)
7/7: SAN 2 AUS 1 Behrens (L) 6 IP 4 H 5 K 5 BB 2 R 0 ER (8-5 2.57) Benoit (SAN) (W) 7.1 IP 5 H 1 ER (10-4 2.79) Roth (SAN) SV (22) Joe Tighe suffered a stiff back and will miss a few days.
7/8: SAN 2 AUS 1 Forney (L) 5 IP 5 H 2 ER 1-2 (5-6 3.62) Huerta 3 IP 3 K 4 H 0 R Reuter (SAN) (W) 7-5-1-1-3-4 (6-1 2.96) Davis 2-2 2BB 2B (9)
7/9: AUS 4 SAN 3 Wilson (W) 5.2 IP 3 H 6 K 4 BB 0 R 103 pitches 1-2 R (8-7 3.49) Scott SV (26) Nolasco HR (19) 2 RBI (59) Hanna 2H R

NEXT WEEK: ALL STAR BREAK 3 @ Houston (45-45)

ABL HAPPENINGS:
7/3:

• Cameron Mears (GB) fired shutout of the year in beating the Empire 2-0. He's 9-7 2.42

• Justin Wall (BRK) threw a 2-hitter and fanned 4 to beat LA 8-0.

7/4:

• John Mullen (CHI) went the distance on 7 hits to beat Las Vegas 6-0

7/5:

• Chicago sent 32-year old P Ken Przybyla and P Jon Long (3*) to San Francisco for C John Sabo (2*) OF Joe McQuaid (3*) P Jason Christal (2.5*) and 3B Chris Merritt (2*).

7/7:

• Dallas lost the services of one of their big FA signings this winter when 31-year-old SP Bob Shrader was diagnosed with a torn labrum. He will have surgery and need 8-9 months to recover. Shrader is a 5x all-star and was the 2015 Koufax winner with Lexington.

7/9:

• Brad Thomas (HOU) went 6-6 and drove in 4 in the Roughriders 12-2 win over Memphis.

RUSTLER NEWS:
7/4:

• Signed Int'l FA 2B Yoshinari Yoshida (3.5*) to a 1.75 million dollar bonus. The 6'4” IF is nicknamed “Porky”.

7/10:

• 2016's top draft pick OF Matt Hicks took home SA PotW going 11-24 8 RBI 8 R and after the game Sunday was told he was being called up to Class A Salt Lake City. Hicks was the 33rd overall pick in last year's draft and is just 19 years old. He's already #89 on the ABL top prospect list.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jason Hogan 3B (NYP) 10-25 3 HR 5 RBI
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Corey Furr LF (SAN) 9-21 3 HR 5 RBI 6 R

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MIDSEASON TOP PROSPECT REPORT
The games top prospects list was released ahead of the futures game and here are the top 10

1. LHP Jim Jacob (18) Ohio 1st overall selection in this years June Draft
2. LHP Jeroen de Vos (20) Mexico scout find 2014
3. LHP Evan Miller (17) Chicago 2nd overall selection in this years June Draft
4. RHP David Corral (18) Ft Worth 4th overall selection in the 2016 June Draft
5. RHP Erwin van Daalen (20) Buffalo scout find in 2012
6. CF Shing Jen (22) Buffalo Int FA Signing 2013
7. 3B Josh Kovarik (19) Houston 5th overall selection in this years June Draft
8. RF Juan Juarez (16) San Diego scout find in 2016
9. 2B Greg Carpenter (19) Green Bay 4th overall selection in this years June Draft
10. CF Ahmed Roberts (20) Las Vegas 3rd overall selection in this years June Draft

Holy cow. Think there was any talent in this recent June draft? The top 5 picks are all ranked in the top 10.

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WEEK 16

• RECORD: 2-1
• STANDINGS: 55-38 (+2.5)
• RUNS SCORED: 404 (2nd)
• OPS: .715 (2nd)
• RUNS AGAINST: 316 (2nd)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .723 (9th)
• SP ERA: 3.23 (3rd)
• BULLPEN ERA: 2.66 (2nd)
• OWNERS MOOD: Very Happy, down from Delighted, which was down from ecstatic. Expectations are now through the roof but 1st in budget and payroll brings that.
• FAN INTEREST: 95
• POWER RANKINGS: 3rd (Green Bay is in the #1 spot)

THIS WEEK: ALL-STAR BREAK 3 @ Houston (45-45)

7/10-13 ALL-STAR BREAK

• Austin placed 2 players on the CL Futures Roster. AAA IF Ryokan Kawata and AAA OF Nick Romero.

• In the ABL Futures Game the PL beat the CL 7-1 and 20 year old 3B Montez Morbidelli (SF) took home MVP honors with his 3R HR in the 5th. He was a scouting discovery in 2011 and is currently ranked #39 on the ABL's top prospect list.

• For the ABL game, the Rustlers rostered 4 players (*denotes starter)
• SP Matt Behrens, CL Nate Scott, 1B Nick Archer*, 3B Xavier Feliciano, LF Dave Nolasco*

• The Patriot League won the ASG 4-0 and 24 year old Pittsburgh Miners 2B Brian Steele took home the MVP. The 13th overall selection in 2011 recently inked an 8 year 49.6 million dollar extension with the Miners. “Monk”, as he's known, had a huge 1st half hitting .305/.367/.529 with 17 HR and 52 RBI's.
• The Colonial League was held to just 3 singles. Nick Archer had 1. Matt Behrens threw a scoreless inning and Nate Scott went 1.1 scoreless.

7/14: AUS 6 HOU 5 Collins ND 7 IP 6 H 7 K 2 ER Scott comes in to get Lilliquist with 2 outs in the 8th, HR. Scott BS (5) (W) (6-2 2.23) Hanna GW HR in the 9th (8) RBI (30) Feliciano 2-3 2 BB R 2 RBI (39)
7/15: HOU 4 AUS 3 (14) Behrens ND 8 IP 7 H 3 ER Amir White (HOU) GW HR (25) RBI (62) Feliciano 2H 2B (23) SF RBI (40)
7/16:AUS 7 HOU 4 Forney (W) 6 IP 6 H 9 K 3 ER (6-6 3.66) Scott SV (27) Archer HR (20) 3 RBI (67) Davis 0-1 4 BB 2 R Hanna 2 RBI (32)


NEXT WEEK: OFF DAY 3 vs Lexington (52-42) 3 vs Memphis (45-47)

ABL HAPPENINGS:
7/13:

• Wayne Noe (PHX) threw a 2-hitter to beat Denver 6-0 and improve to 9-6 2.80

7/16:

• John Gunderson (DET) threw a CG 5-hit SHO to beat Baltimore 5-0. He fanned 5 to win his 9th (9-7 3.23)

RUSTLER NEWS

• At Rookie League Ft Wayne 19-year-old LF Spencer Willem, drafted in the 9th round last year (272nd overall) is having a monster season. Through 24 games the left-handed hitter is hitting .348/.460/.837 with 13 HR and 30 RBI.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Chris Towers RF (SJ) 9-12 2 HR 4 RBI
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jeremy Novak CF (DAL) 8-11 RBI

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WEEK 17

• RECORD: 5-1
• STANDINGS: 60-39 (+3.5)
• RUNS SCORED: 431 (t-2nd)
• OPS: .715 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 322 (2nd)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .728 (4th)
• SP ERA: 3.07 (2nd)
• BULLPEN ERA: 2.53 (1st)
• OWNERS MOOD: Very Happy
• FAN INTEREST: 95
• POWER RANKINGS: 1st

THIS WEEK: OFF DAY 2-1 vs Lexington (52-42) 3-0 vs Memphis (45-47)

7/17: OFF DAY
7/18: LEX 2 AUS 1 Wilson (L) 7.1 IP 4 H 6 K 2 ER (8-8 3.43) Guerin (LEX) SV (28) Griggs (LEX) ND 5.2 IP 7 H 1 ER 1-1 2B (1) Feliciano 2-4 HR (6) R RBI (43)
7/19: AUS 7 LEX 0 Steele CG 4 H 7 K 1 BB (7-6 4.17) 1-4 Adrian 3H R 2 RBI (44) Nolasco 3H R RBI (63) SB (8) Tighe 1-3 2 BB 3 R 4 SB (20)
7/20: AUS 10 LEX 3 Archer GS (21) 4 RBI (71) Adrian 2-4 2 HR (11) 3 R 4 RBI (48) Orozco 2H HR (4) RBI (9)
7/21: AUS 4 MEM 0 Behrens 1st career No-Hitter 2 BB 9 K 110 pitches (9-5 2.45) Dziedzic 3H HR (7) R 2 RBI (27) Adrian 2H 2B (14) R RBI (49) Tighe 2H 3B (2) R SB (21) I played this game and I had to laugh because after the 5th I 'felt” like he was going to do it
7/22: AUS 2 MEM 1 (14) Forney ND 6.2 IP 3 H 7 K 1 ER Pen 7.1 IP 2 H 8 K 3 BB Arregui (W) Game was 1-1 after 5. Tighe HR (3) RBI (23) Archer 3H
7/23: AUS 3 MEM 0 Wilson (W) 8 IP 2 H 10 K 0 BB (9-8 3.22) Scott 1 IP 2 H 1 BB 2 K SV (28) McGuire 2-3 HR (4) 2 R 2 RBI (12) offense had 4 hits total, 3 1B HR

NEXT WEEK: 3 @ Philadelphia (48-51) 4 vs Dallas (47-51)

ABL HAPPENINGS:
7/18:

• Detroit lost 22-year-old RP, TJ Benjamin, to elbow surgery. He will miss the rest of the year.
• Philadelphia announced 7x All-Star and 2013 Babe Ruth award winner Brian Lundy is available. The 40-year-old is in the final year of his deal and will not sign an extension. The 5x Silver Slugger is hitting .234/.314/.401 with 16 2B 13 HR and 36 RBI's. In his 19 year career, he has hit 589 HR's and never less than 22 in a full season. He's a career .302/.368/.553 hitter over 2746 games.

7/19:

• Rob Baldwin (PRO) struck out 5, walked 1, and went the distance on a 5-hitter to beat Ohio 7-0.

7/21:

• Jonathan Hamilton (OH) will miss 4-5 weeks with a shoulder injury. The 29-year-old 3B is hitting .241-18-52
• Ft Worth lost RP Sebastian Wolfe for the year after he suffered an elbow injury. The 24-year-old was 0-3 3 SV 3.94.
• Ouch! Just 3 days after announcing he was available via trade Philadelphia OF Brian Lundy strained a hip so severely that he will miss the remainder of the year.
• Jack Terhune (NYP) went 3-5 hitting 3 solo HR's in a 6-4 loss to Chicago.

7/22:

• Wade Weiss (PHX) fractured his ankle and will miss the rest of the year. The 27-year-old SS was hitting .262-4-28
• In a stunning turn of events the San Francisco Bears have acquired star P, Juan Rio, from the New York Empire for 18 yr old P Paul Winborne (2.5*) and 24 year old OF Kyle Askew (2.5*).
• Rio is in the final year of a contract that will pay him 12.5 million and the 27-year-old apparently made it known he wants to test the market. Winborne was a 2nd round pick (65th overall) and Askew a 3rd rounder (87th overall) but many think San Francisco paid very little to acquire the 2x all-star. Rio is just 3-9 this year but sports an impressive 3.06 ERA and has been the victim of horrible run support.

7/24:

• Philadelphia traded OF Mike Hanson (2.5*) and SS Aaron Crump (2.5*) to Chicago for 33-year-old 3B Justin Bell (.225-9-20).

RUSTLER NEWS:

• Top P prospect John Stanley returned from a 2-month hiatus for AAA Warren and will enter the rotation. He was 4-0 4.18 through 8 starts.
• Warren OF Nick Romero went 13-32 2 HR 9 RBI to win PotW.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Josh Dickey 3B (PHI) 14-26 HR 6 RBI
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jeremy Novak CF (DAL) 9-21 2 HR 10 RBI

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WEEK 18

• RECORD: 5-2
• STANDINGS: 65-41 (+4)
• RUNS SCORED: 460 (1st)
• OPS: .718 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 342 (2nd)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .726 (6th)
• SP ERA: 3.10 (3rd)
• BULLPEN ERA: 2.42 (1st)
• OWNERS MOOD: Very Happy
• FAN INTEREST: 95
• POWER RANKINGS: 1st

THIS WEEK: 1-2 @ Philadelphia (48-51) 4-0 vs Dallas (47-51)

7/24: PHI 5 AUS 2 Ullrich (PHI) (W) 8 IP 3 H 2 ER (6-10 3.40) Steele (L) 5.2 IP 8 H 6 K 4 ER (7-7 4.28) Nolasco HR (20) RBI (65)
7/25: PHI 4 AUS 3 Collins (L) 7 IP 7 H 4 ER 6 K (12-2 2.51) Laskey BS (2) 2 IR 2 IRS Tighe 4-4 2B (13) SB 22) Nolasco 3-4 2 HR (22) 2 R 2 RBI (67)
7/26: AUS 6 PHI 1 Behrens (W) 7 IP 5 H 7 K 1 ER (10-5 2.40) Feliciano 2-3 2 BB Leadoff HR (7) 2 R RBI (45) Dziedzic 4-5 2B (11) R 2 RBI (29)
7/27: AUS 4 DAL 1 Forney (W) 6 IP 3 H 8 K 1 ER (7-6 3.44) Scott SV (29) Tighe 2-3 2 BB 2B (14) 2 R SB (23) Davis 3H HR (5) R 2 RBI (24) Hanna 3-4 HR (9) R RBI (33)
7/28: AUS 3 DAL 2 Wilson ND 6.2 IP 4 H 5 K 2 ER 1-1 Laskey BS (3) (W) (5-2 2.88) Scott SV (30) Nolasco HR (23) RBI (69) Davis 2-3 HR (6) 2 R RBI (25)
7/29: AUS 5 DAL 3 (10) Steele ND 7 IP 7 H 5 K 3 ER Scott (W) 2 IP 4 K (7-2 1.83) Orozco 2-4 HR (5) R 2 RBI Orozco (11) Davis 2-4 walk off HR (7) 2 RBI (27)
7/30: AUS 6 DAL 4 Collins (W) 6.2 IP 5 H 7 K 4 BB 3 ER 1-2 R (13-2 2.58) Adrian HR (12) 2 RBI (52) Comerford HR (10) 3 RBI (32) Nolasco 3-4 R Laskey H (12) Boland SV (2)

NEXT WEEK: 3 vs Ft Worth (61-45) OFF DAY 3 @ Providence (61-46)
Big week, two teams many say are at our tails for “best” in the game, 6 games.

ABL HAPPENINGS:
7/25:

• Mike Laffey (SD) threw a 2-hitter with 9 K's in a 4-0 win over the NY Empire.
• Phoenix sent SS Allen Brill (2.5*) and C Eric Topf (2*) OF Rob Tool (2*) and a 4th round pick to Denver for 36-year-old SP Myeong-Han Jung (5-8 4.22). Rare to see inter-division trades but 21 games separate 1st place Phoenix and last place Denver.

7/26:

• 1st place San Francisco continues to think about the post-season today trading for 34-year-old SP John Gunderson (9-8 3.33). The Bears sent 2B Isaias Granados (3*) and RHP Bobby Scott (3*). Gunderson has 2 years of soft money left on his contract. Denver has made it clear that Granados will be in their lineup every day likely putting former Rustler Skyler Joshua on the outside looking in.

7/27:

• Desmond Horning (LV) went the distance allowing 4 hits and fanning 8 in a 1-0 win over Mexico. Jim Duffy (7-5-1-1-4-4) was the tough-luck loser as he drops to 7-7 3.36. Horning wins his 10th (10-6 3.41)

7/28:

• Justin Wall (BRK) beat Philadelphia 1-0 on a 4-hitter as well to move to 6-2 4.17. Mike Hunter (PHI) fell to 8-7 3.38 with 8 innings of 5 hit 1 run ball.
• The New York Punishers sent 39-year-old RP Rich Bowers to cross-town rival Brooklyn for 24-year-old 2B Matt Wakefield (2.5*) and C Gino Diadoni (2*)

7/30:

• Jun-Ho Kim (NE) beat Buffalo in another 1-0 game as Kim gave up just 4 hits and fanned 3 to move to 8-5 3.42.
• The NY Punishers activated Pat Svensson off the DL after a 3-month stay and announced he'd been traded to Memphis along with 2B Justin Parks (2.5*) Svensson was 15-12 4.22 last year in NY. The 32-year-old brought back 18 year old OF Gerardo Rodriguez (3*) 24-year-old SS Mike Schmidt (2*)

7/31:

• San Jose traded RHP Mike Mersino (8-5 3.82) to New England for LHP Kerry Morgan (2.5*) and 1B Trevor Whipple (2*)

RUSTLER NEWS:
7/31:
AUSTIN, NEW YORK TRADE MADE
Just minutes before the deadline the Austin Rustlers and New York Punishers announced a deal of ABL talent. Austin sent 3B Luis Orozco to NY in exchange for 30 year old C Jeff Bingham.
Orozco had lost his everyday job to phenom Xavier Feliciano and had made no qualms about wanting to remain an everyday player. GM Curt Schilling had informed the 3B that the team would not be exercising his 2018 option (7.5 million).
Bingham is a 2x Gold Glove winner and backup Nick McGuire has struggled mightily this year hitting .154 in 43 games.
There were even more rumors flying as the deadline passed that the Rustlers had multiple deals in the works to trade McGuire but as of midnight nothing had materialized. The team will take the field today with 3 catchers on their roster. Meanwhile, super-utility IF Ryokan Kawata was pulled from the AAA lineup at Warren. Traded? Called up? No one knows as of press time.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Carl Aarnink C (SD) 13-21 2 HR 7 RBI
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Dave Nolasco (AUS) 10-23 4 HR 6 RBI

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ABL ROOKIE LEADERS TOTAL BASES

1. Xavier Feliciano (AUS) 152
2. Shing Jen (BUF) 152
3. Alex Bruner (MEM) 132
4. Etsuro Okada (FW) 129
5. Bill Williams (OH) 122

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WEEK 19

• RECORD: 3-3
• STANDINGS: 68-44 (+4)
• RUNS SCORED: 486 (2nd)
• OPS: .717 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 366 (2nd)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .726 (5th)
• SP ERA: 3.18 (4th)
• BULLPEN ERA: 2.44 (1st)
• OWNERS MOOD: Very Happy
• FAN INTEREST: 90 (they did not like the trade)
• POWER RANKINGS: 1st

THIS WEEK: 2-1 vs Ft Worth (61-45) OFF DAY 1-2 @ Providence (61-46)

7/31: FW 6 AUS 5 Behrens (L) 6 IP 6 H 6 BB 6 K 5 ER (10-6 2.60) 1-2 HR (1) R RBI (3) Feliciano 2-4 BB HR (8) R 2 RBI (47) Archer 2-2 2 BB HR (22) 2 R RBI (74)
8/1: RAIN OUT
8/2: DOUBLE HEADER
GM1-AUS 2 FW 1 Forney (W) took a no-hitter into the 7th 7 IP 1 H HR 7 K 1 ER Boland H (11) Scott SV (31) McLaughlin PH GW 1B
GM2-AUS 7 FW 2 Wilson (W) 7.2 IP 4 H 10 K 2 ER 2-3 2B (2) RBI (1) Nolasco 1-2 3 BB R RBI (71) Davis 2-3 2 BB R RBI (28) Archer 2H R 2 RBI (76) Bingham 1-2 2 BB R
8/3: OFF DAY
8/4: AUS 4 PRO 3 (11) Skipped Steele to match up Collins with Whittaker Collins ND 6.1 IP 6 H 3 K 4 BB 2 ER Whittaker ND 5.1 IP 3 H 5 BB 1 ER Scott (W) (8-2 1.74) Nolasco 2H 2B (14) RBI (72) SB (9) Adrian 2H RBI (53) Tighe 1-2 3 BB
8/5: PRO 10 AUS 7 Behrens (L) 3.2 IP 7 H 6 ER (10-7 2.88) Adrian 2H 2 R Archer HR (23) 2 R 2 BB 2 RBI (78) Nolasco HR (24) 3 RBI (75) SB (10) Adamson (PRO) 3H 2B (15) HR (28) RBI (72)
8/6: PRO 2 AUS 1 Forney (L) 4.1 IP 6 H 6 K 2 ER Hanna HR (10) RBI (34) McLaughlin 2H 2B (6)


NEXT WEEK: 3 @ Ft Worth (64-48) OFF DAY 3 vs Charlotte (59-54)

ABL HAPPENINGS:
8/1:

• Let the Randy Lane triple crown discussions begin. I've been side-eyeing him the entire year. He's having a monster season and actually, the league is catching up a bit (or he's fallen off a tad) but he currently leads all three categories. Before this month his HR and RBI lead was much larger. He's gotten some distance in the AVG category.
• In the 28 year history of the league there have been a total of 5 triple crown winners, just 2 offensive. The last was 22 years ago. They were:
• 1993 Micah Tufts (AUS) .365-53-140
• 1995 Jordan Rincon (SJ) .367-61-143
• Both men are in the ABL Hall of Fame by the way.

Three pitchers have done it:

• 1996 Oscar Booher (OH) 21-5 2.50 289 K
• 2000 Jeff Hall (PRO) 20-7 2.90 295 K
• 2011 Josh Viens (NYP) 23-4 2.71 358 K

• Amazingly Booher pitched just 6 seasons in the ABL. A triple crown of either type seems to be reserved for guys with plaques in Cooperstown, Booher is an insanely rare exception. Hall retired last year and will likely get in and Viens I think is a 1st ballot guy.

8/1:

• Augusto Rizzo (SJ) went 3-4 with 3 HR's and 4 RBI's in a 5-3 win over LA.

8/3:

• Jonathan Ray (MEX) struck out 8 in a CG 5-0 win over Phoenix to move to 11-9 3.10

8/4:

• John Del Bianco (NE) won his 11th (11-8 2.89) after fanning 9 in a 4-hit 1-0 win over Green Bay. Trevor Pope (GB) took the loss going 7-4-1-1-1-5 to fall to 6-6 2.78

8/6:

• Justin Myers (FW) threw a 3-hitter with 9 strikeouts and a walk in a 4-0 win over Houston. The righty is 11-6 3.13
• Buffalo traded 3B prospect Manato Miyake (2.5*) OF Andy Ramos (2.5*) and 2B Gary Misner (2*) to Green Bay for 29-year-old RP Charles Smith (2-9 15 SV 6.55).
• Smith is a 2x Rolaids winner, 2x Rivera award winner and 4x world champion with Lexington.

8/7:

• Matt Robertson (SAN) will miss the remainder of the year after tearing his flexor tendon. The 22-year-old was 1-2 4.84 in 37 appearances.

• A cursory glance at the board and it looks like some things are rather obvious. Baltimore is likely going to get a chance to repeat.
• San Francisco has made some huge deals, acquiring Rio could be the move that gets that division for them. Pittsburgh and Brooklyn are going to duke it out and Las Vegas is making every appearance of a legitimate contender.
• Lane is a driving force for the Roadrunner occupation of 1st place and former Rustler Heriberto Perez (who I was going to do a profile on this winter) is having yet another great year, giving them two huge bats to anchor the middle of their lineup.

• Over in the CL Providence and New England, bitter rivals, are slugging it out in the skyline.
• We have not been able to push Ft Worth away and they are an extremely solid club. They just lost closer Jonathan Wenisch to an undisclosed injury and no word yet on how severe. The 21-year-old took over for Andy Hudson and lengthened that back end with another big power arm.
• I'm stunned that their offense (hitting just .226 which is 8th of 14 teams but getting on at a .319 clip which is 2nd) has been able to keep them afloat.
• I still think San Antonio has a run in them.
• Lexington, well they're Lexington. I said pre-season when the experts had them sub-500 that it wouldn't happen and it hasn't, and won't They did all this without two-way star Steve Griggs who actually made his 2nd start vs us earlier this month. He's healthy and back.
• Two things are holding them back. The loss of FA signing Kevin Moore at the outset of the season and HOF'er in waiting Josh Viens being 6-10 4.35 are two things no one was predicting. John Guerin (30 SV) has stabilized that bullpen. Mario Luna (.320-20-55) continues to hit, and hit, and hit.

DOWN ON THE FARM

• AAA Warren is shredding that league. The roster there is stacked with a ton of talent and a ton of depth for the 25 man roster. Davis and Feliciano will fall off the prospect list soon and when they do we'll likely lose our #1 ranking.
• Still way too little pitching for my taste. In this draft we stockpiled relievers and that should go a long way in shoring up our near last ranking of bullpen arms.
• I have a few outfielders who will be in their 'make or break' spring next year, too talented for AAA, no options remaining, no spots open ahead of them. I have a surplus of LH-hitting outfielders that I need to astutely look around to deal. I can get arms in return

RUSTLER NEWS:
8/7:

• 2017 6th round pick 1B Jason Henderson hit .542 this week with 4 HR and 12 RBI's to win Rookie League POTW for Ft Wayne. The 18-year-old is hitting .301-11-40 with 33 R in 40 games.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Eddie Ridley 1B (DET) 12-24 2 HR 10 RBI 7 R
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Kiyomi Hiratsuka CF (NYE) 16-28 3 HR 7 RBI

RUSTLER PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Dave Nolasco .287/.364/.574 8 HR 21 RBI 15 R 3-3 SB
RUSTLER PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Justin Wilson 3-1 1.26 35.2 IP 21 H 33 K .168 OPP AVG
RUSTLER MiL PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Ryan Avant 1B (A) .366-7-18 5 2B 20 R 1.072 OPS
RUSTLER MiL PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Dave Zupan (AAA) 5-1 1.88 48 IP 29 H 33 K .177 OPP AVG

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Jesse Nesbit LF (CHI) .291-6-23 13 R
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Corey Furr LF (SAN) .329-6-16 19 R
PATRIOT LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Wayne Noe SP (PHX) 4-1 1.42 38 IP 21 H 20 K
COLONIAL LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Mike Crawford SP (PRO) 4-0 0.76 35.1 IP 21 K 21 H 13 BB
PATRIOT LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Evan Woods SP (LA) 2-1 1.32 27.1 IP 27 K 14 H
COLONIAL LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Donnie Blackwell SP (SAN) 3-0 1.61 22.1 IP 8 K

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CAREER LEADERS WHIP

1. Xie-li Au-Yong (SF) 0.99
2. Dave Faulkner RET 1.00
3. Tomohiro Masuda (OH) 1.02
4. Chris Greene RET 1.04
5. Jon Castillo RET 1.04

[gehrig38]

WEEK 20

• RECORD: 2-4
• STANDINGS: 70-48 (+3)
• RUNS SCORED: 518 (2nd)
• OPS: .717 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 398 (2nd)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .723 (8th)
• SP ERA: 3.16 (3rd)
• BULLPEN ERA: 2.78 (2nd)
• OWNERS MOOD: Very Happy
• FAN INTEREST: 90
• POWER RANKINGS: 3rd

THIS WEEK: 1-2 @ Ft Worth (64-48) OFF DAY 1-2 vs Charlotte (59-54)

8/7: FW 5 AUS 2 Wilson (L) 5.1 IP 8 H 5 K 3 ER (10-9 3.22) Feliciano 2B (25) 2 RBI (50)
8/8: FW 5 AUS 4 (15) Scored twice in the top of the 15th Huerta (L) 4 H 2 BB 1.1 IP (1-4 2.53) Steele ND 7.1 IP 3 H 5 K 1 ER Scott 2.2 IP 5 K 3 H 0 R Nolasco 3H 2B (15) 2 RBI (77)
8/9: AUS 6 FW 3 Collins ND 6 IP 5 H 6 K 2 ER Tighe 3-5 GW 2B (17) HR (4) 2 R 4 RBI (28) SB (25) Tanioka (FW) ND 7.1 IP 11 K 2 ER
8/10: OFF DAY
8/11: CHA 10 AUS 6 (10) Scott BS (6) (L) 6 H 5 ER 1 IP (8-3 2.33) Behrens 3 ER 6.1 IP Adrian HR (13) 2 RBI (56) Dziedzic 2-4 BB HR (8) 2 R RBI (35) Comerford HR (11) 3 RBI (37)
8/12: CHA 7 AUS 2 Forney ND 5.2 IP 7 H 5 K 2 ER 1-2 103 pitches Lopez (L) 4 ER 0.2 IP Feliciano HR (9) RBI (51) Archer 2-4 2B (20) R Sam Reyes (CHA) 3-5 BB 2B (11) R RBI (42) SB (16) Jonker (CHA) GS (16) 4 RBI (54)
8/13: AUS 12 CHA 2 Wilson (W) 6.2 IP 4 H 4 BB 6 K 1 ER (11-9 3.14) Feliciano 3H 3 R RBI (52) Adrian 4-4 2B (17) 2 R 2 RBI (58) Brill PH 3R HR (2) 3 RBI (15)

NEXT WEEK: 3 vs Montreal OFF DAY 3 @ Lexington

ABL HAPPENINGS:
8/8:

• Datu Zape (BAL) fired a 1-hitter walking 1 and fanning 4 in a 2-0 win over Brooklyn. Zape is 9-5 3.57

8/9:

• Jonathan Ray (MEX) struck out 7 in throwing his 2nd consecutive CG SHO. Mexico downed San Francisco 7-0. The lefty is 12-9 2.93.

8/11:

• Nick Mauzey (HOU) went 5-5 with 2 2B and 2 RBI in the Roughriders 11-8 win over Dallas.
• Wayne Noe (PHX) tossed a 2-hitter, striking out 5 and walking 4 in a 1-0 win over Pittsburgh

8/13:

• Sam Reyes (CHA) kicked it in after a horrid start and had his numbers up to .233/.359/.353 with 10 HR and 42 RBI before straining an oblique today. He's out at least 5 weeks.
• 22-year-old Tim Morgan (PIT) improved to 6-1 2 SV 1.41 with a 3-hitter in a 7-0 win over Phoenix.

RUSTLER NEWS:
McGuire sent packing
Austin has traded C Nick McGuire to the San Francisco Bears in exchange for RHP Tony Worth (3.5*). McGuire cleared waivers earlier in the day and the trade was announced soon after. Worth was sent to AA Modesto where he will be the closer for the season's final weeks.

BACKROOM CHATTER
I got a far better return than I was expecting Worth is a legitimate ABL level power arm and another piece of the puzzle in stockpiling bullpen arms. As for our C situation, Bingham becomes the backup and C Julio Jaramillo looks like he's a legitimate threat to fight for the job next year. The 27-year-old is hitting .329/.364/.467 at Warren since being acquired. He's also 19-25 in SB and leading off for the Roar. Top C prospect Jeremias Bidet is hitting .270/.345/.399 in 54 games and his defense is improving to the point he will also be battling for a roster spot next spring. Should be a fantastic competition for the backup job. Scott Comerford is having a career-worst season at the plate hitting .199 as of today. The 32-year-old is the team's unchallenged leader. The 5x World Champion has an opt-out and a player option coming up after this year at 10.5 million and the consensus is he will absolutely opt-in. But should he opt out we feel very good about the guys waiting in the wings.
Talks with Jeff Bingham have stalled as the 30-year-old is looking for 4 years at 16-17 million. We can't do that but we won't close the door.


PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Fernando Brandini RF (BAL) 12-25 HR 3 RBI 6 R
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Simon Pride LF (BUF) 9-16 3 HR 7 RBI

[gehrig38]

WEEK 21

• RECORD: 6-0
• STANDINGS: 76-48 (+7)
• RUNS SCORED: 549 (2nd)
• OPS: .720 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 410 (2nd)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .722 (9th)
• SP ERA: 3.13 (3rd)
• BULLPEN ERA: 2.70 (2nd)
• OWNERS MOOD: Very Happy
• FAN INTEREST: 90
• POWER RANKINGS: 1st

THIS WEEK: 3-0 vs Montreal OFF DAY 3-0 @ Lexington

8/14: AUS 3 MON 1 Steele ND 6 IP 1 ER 4 K Boland BS (5) (W) Laskey H (14) Scott SV (32)
8/15: AUS 4 MON 3 Collins ND 7 IP 7 K 3 ER Boland (W) (5-2 2.07) McLaughlin walk-off PH 1B
8/16: AUS 8 MON 1 Behrens CG 4 H 11 K (11-7 2.84) 1-3 R Nolasco 2-3 BB HR (25) RBI (80) Comerford 2H HR (12) 2 RBI (41) Archer HR (24) 2 RBI (83) Dziedzic HR (9) RBI (37)
8/17: OFF DAY
8/18: AUS 4 LEX 2 Forney ND 6 IP 4 H 5 K 2 ER Boland (W) (6-2) Scott SV (33) Archer 2H HR (25) 3 RBI (86) Tighe injured (see notes)
8/19: AUS 6 LEX 5 Wilson ND 6 IP 10 H 6 K 4 ER Scott SV (34) Feliciano 2H BB R RBI (54) Nolasco 2H 2B (17) HR (26) 3 RBI (83) Adrian HR (14) RBI (59) Davis HR (8) RBI (29)
8/20: AUS 6 LEX 0Steele (W) 6.2 IP 5 H 6 K Feliciano 3-4 Leadoff HR (10) 2 R 2 RBI (56) Kawata 2-4 2 R RBI (1)


NEXT WEEK: 3 @ Ft Worth (69-55) OFF DAY 3 @ San Antonio (67-58)

ABL HAPPENINGS:
8/16:

• Koukakala Kala (PIT) threw a 5-hit CG for his 11th win in a 4-0 victory over Philadelphia. He's 11-7 3.32

8/18:

• Mike Benoit (SAN) allowed just 4 hits in a 5-0 win over Green Bay to move to 13-6 2.92

8/20:

• Detroit punished the Punishers 10-3 and 1B Eddie Ridley went 5-5 with 2 1B 2 2B a HR and drove in 4.

RUSTLER NEWS:

• IF Joe Tighe suffered a torn abdominal muscle while running the bases this week. He's out 6-7 weeks. Brian McLaughlin will fill in at 2B vs RHP while utility man Greg Bopp is recalled. Ryokan Kawata, the Japanese IF we signed last year will take over vs LHP

8/15:

• P prospect John Stanley is 5-1 at Warren since his return from the DL. The righty tossed a CG SHO to beat the Springfield Serpents 7-0 and run his overall record to 9-1 3.47.

8/19:

• Fellow SP Francisco Castro tossed a 3-hitter to win his 10th (10-5 3.13) as Warren beat Anchorage.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Eddie Ridley 1B (DET) 11-24 2 HR 8 RBI 6 R
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Bryan Peoples 1B (CHA) 13-26 2 HR 6 RBI

[gehrig38]

WEEK 22

• RECORD: 2-4
• STANDINGS: 78-52 (+6.5)
• RUNS SCORED: 576 (2nd)
• OPS: .719 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 434 (2nd)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .720 (9th)
• SP ERA: 3.16 (3rd)
• BULLPEN ERA: 2.73 (2nd)
• OWNERS MOOD: Very Happy
• FAN INTEREST: 90
• POWER RANKINGS: 3rd

THIS WEEK: 3 @ Ft Worth (69-55) OFF DAY 3 @ San Antonio (67-58)

8/21: FW 6 AUS 5 Collins ND 6 IP 8 H 10 K 0 BB 3 ER Scott BS (7) .1 IP 3 H HR 3 ER (8-4 2.61) Nolasco 3-3 BB 2B (18) 2 HR (28) 3 R 3 RBI (87) Bopp 2-2 2 SB (2) Pete Cox (FW) 3H 2B (13) 2 HR (9) walk off 2R HR 3 R 3 RBI (31)
8/22: FW 6 AUS 1 Myers (FW) CG 4 H 13 K 1 ER (13-7 2.83) 1-3 2B (1) 2 RBI (4) Behrens (L) 4.2 IP 4 H 8 K 4 BB 5 ER (11-8 3.02)
8/23: AUS 10 FW 4 Forney (W) 5 IP 2 H 7 K 4 BB 2 ER (9-7 3.35) Feliciano 3H HR (11) 2 R 5 RBI (61) Davis 3-3 BB 2B (15) 2 R RBI (30)
8/24: OFF DAY
8/25: SAN 3 AUS 1 Sullivan (SAN) (W) 8 IP 3 H 4 K 1 ER (6-13 4.33) Roth (SAN) SV (35) Wilson (L) 6 IP 5 H 4 K 2 ER (11-10 3.23) 3 hits, 2 1B 1 2B Hernandez HR (28) 5th straight game with a HR
8/26: AUS 7 SAN 1 Steele (W) 7.1 IP 6 H 5 K 1 ER (9-7 3.65) Adrian 4-5 2B (20) 3 R 2 SB (27) Archer 3-3 2 BB 2 HR (27) 2 R 6 RBI (93) Davis 2H BB R RBI (32) Hernandez HR (29) 6 straight games with a HR
8/27: SAN 4 AUS 3 Collins ND 6 IP 5 H 9 K Laskey 2 IP 2 G 2 HR (L) Hernandez (SAN) 2-4 HR (30) 2 RBI (71) ties the ABL's all-time record by homering in 7 consecutive games.

NEXT WEEK: OFF DAY 3 @ Buffalo (64-66) 3 vs NY Empire (52-80)

ABL HAPPENINGS:
8/22:

• Jon Jones (BAL) struck out 8 and walked 4 in a CG 4-hitter to beat Chicago 3-0. Jones is 15-6 3.05

8/24:

• Paul Reed (GB) fanned 10 in an 11-0 rout of Memphis to move a game over .500 (9-8 3.06)

8/25:

• Last week LF Robby Carrier asked out of San Jose due to lack of playing time. Well if he was praying bad things someone listened. Hawks starting LF Jared Sickles went down with an intercostal strain and will miss 5-6 weeks putting Carrier back into the lineup.
• Lexington veteran Mike Desmond threw a 1-hitter to beat Ohio 4-0. The 37-year-old is 9-3 2.91.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Chris Hott SS (SJ) 11-22 3 HR 11 RBI
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Hector Hernandez RF (SAN) 10-23 8 HR 10 RBI 9 R

[gehrig38]

WEEK 23

• RECORD: 5-1
• STANDINGS: 83-53 (+8.5)
• RUNS SCORED: 606 (2nd)
• OPS: .721 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 446 (2nd)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .721 (8th)
• SP ERA: 3.09 (2nd)
• BULLPEN ERA: 2.73 (2nd)
• OWNERS MOOD: Very Happy
• FAN INTEREST: 90
• POWER RANKINGS: 1st

THIS WEEK: NEXT WEEK: OFF DAY 2-1 @ Buffalo (64-66) 3-0 vs NY Empire (52-80)

8/28: OFF DAY
8/29: BUF 7 AUS 6 (11) Scott BS (8) (L) 2.2 IP 3 H HR 3 ER (8-5 2.89) McLaughlin 3H 2B (7) R RBI (14) Comerford GS (13) 4 RBI (46) Archer HR (28) RBI (94) Biernacki (BUF) 4 IP 9 K 5 ER ND
8/30: AUS 8 BUF 2 Forney (W) 5.1 IP 3 H 2 HR 8 K 2 ER (10-7 3.35) Dziedzic 2 HR (11) 3 R 4 RBI (41) Adrian 2H HR (15) 2 R 2 RBI (65) Brill PH HR (3) 2 RBI (17)
8/31: AUS 5 BUF 1 Wilson (W) 7.2 IP 5 H 9 K 1 ER (12-10 3.14) Scott SV (35) Dziedzic 3B (2) HR (12) 2 R 2 RBI (43) Adrian 2-4 R RBI (66)
9/1: AUS 3 NYE 0 Collins CG 7 H 9 K 1-2 (14-2 2.60) Feliciano 2-2 2 BB R RBI (63)
9/2: AUS 3 NYE 0 Behrens (W) 5 IP 6 K 3 H 1-2 Boland H (15) Scott SV (36) Archer 2-2 2 BB 2B (22) 2 R Bingham 2B (1) 2 RBI (2)
9/3:AUS 5 NYE 2 Forney (W) 5 IP 2 H 3 K (11-7 3.25) Scott SV (37) Archer 1-2 2 BB HR (29) 2 R RBI (95) Nolasco 2B (20) 2 RBI (92)

NEXT WEEK: 3 @ San Francisco OFF DAY 3 vs Memphis

ABL HAPPENINGS:
8/28:

• Jorge Hernandez (SAN) went 0-2 and ended his HR streak at 7 games, tying the all-time record.

8/29:

• Brooklyn lost starting C Chris Diment for the remainder of the regular season with an intercostal strain. The 1st place Blackhearts hope to have him back for the post-season. He was hitting .228-11-32 after a career best .295-15-56 2016 campaign.

8/30:

• JR Jones (NE) will be out of commission for the next 6 months with a shoulder issue. The 32-year-old righty was 7-6 1 SV 3.08 after coming over from Buffalo last year (9-10 9 SV 6.65)

8/31:

• Dallas inked 33-year-old CL Francisco Monge to a 1 year 2.92 million dollar contract. Monge was released early last month by the Bears after signing a 3 year 4 million dollar deal last winter.

9/1:

• Mike Gilmore (BRK) got 17 runs of support, which was 16 more than he needed as he punched out 14 and allowed just 2 hits in winning his 13th over Detroit. He's 13-6 2.84

9/2:

• Cameron Mears (GB) threw a 2-hitter to beat Lexington 2-0 and go to 14-11 2.38.

RUSTLER NEWS:
8/28:

• Mike George (AAA) upped his record to 12-3 2.78 with a 5-hit 7 K CG SHO. The Cape Coral Hammerheads were debuting their new stadium in their new home of Cape Coral, Florida after leaving Aurora, Colorado due to a territory dispute with the Aurora Sky Chiefs.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Danny Vera LF (DET) 9-13 HR 4 RBI 2 R
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Chris Whitten RF (PRO) 10-25 4 HR 8 RBI 6 R

RUSTLER PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Andy Adrian .330/.400/.485 7 2B 3 HR 14 RBI 19 R 6-6 SB
RUSTLER PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Dave Steele 2-0 0.99 27.1 IP 18 H 20 K 0.99 WHIP
RUSTLER MiL PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Jason Sisson 3B (A) .321/.459/.651 9 HR 28 RBI 24 R
RUSTLER MiL PITCHER OF THE MONTH: John Stanley (AAA) 4-1 1.88 38.1 IP 25 K 31 H 1.10 WHIP

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Eddie Ridley 1B (DET) .370-7-21 20 R
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Kurt Hansen LF (DAL) .363-4-21 18 R
PATRIOT LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Tim Morgan SP (PIT) 4-0 1.56 40.1 IP 20 K
COLONIAL LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Steve Griggs SP (LEX) 4-0 0.83 32.2 IP 24 K
PATRIOT LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Tim Morgan SP (PIT) 4-0 1.56 40.1 IP 20 K
COLONIAL LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Mike Douglas RP (DAL) 2-0 9 SV 3.65

[gehrig38]

[gehrig38]

WEEK 24

• RECORD: 6-0
• STANDINGS: 89-53 (+10.5)
• RUNS SCORED: 639 (1st)
• OPS: .726 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 457 (2nd)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .722 (8th)
• SP ERA: 3.02 (2nd)
• BULLPEN ERA: 2.69 (1st)
• OWNERS MOOD: Very Happy
• FAN INTEREST: 91
• POWER RANKINGS: 1st

THIS WEEK: 3-0 @ San Francisco OFF DAY 3-0 vs Memphis

9/4: AUS 3 SF 1 Steele (W) 7.2 IP 6 H 2 K 1 ER (10-7 3.53) Laskey SV (1) Archer 3 2B (25) R RBI (96) Hanna 2-4 HR (12) 2 RBI (40) 4 DP's
9/5: AUS 2 SF 1 Wilson (W) 8 IP 7 H 3 K 1 ER (13-10 3.05) Scott SV (38) Au-Yong (SF) ND 7 IP 3 K 1 ER Nolasco 3B (3) GW HR 9th (29) RBI (93) Archer 2B (26) RBI (97)
9/6: AUS 4 SF 2 Collins (W) 7.1 IP 5 H 6 K 1 ER (15-2 2.55) Scott SV (39) Nolasco 2B (21) 3 RBI (96)
9/7: OFF DAY
9/8: AUS 5 MEM 4 (10) Behrens ND 8.1 IP 2 H 11 K 3 ER Scott BS (9) 2 H 1 BB 0.2 IP 1 IRS 1 ER Feliciano 2-3 2 BB 2B (30) HR (12) 3 R RBI (64) Archer 3H RBI (98) Adrian HR (16) RBI (68)
9/9: AUS 4 MEM 0 Forney (W) 7 IP 3 H 6 K 1-3 (12-7 3.12) 1-3 Davis 2H HR (10) 3 RBI (35) 3 DP's
9/10: AUS 15 MEM 3 Steele (W) 8.2 IP 8 H 3 K 3 ER 1-4 R 2 RBI (2) (11-7 3.51) Nolasco 3H 2B (22) GS (30) 3 R 5 RBI (102) McLaughlin 3H 2B (8) 2 R 3 RBI (18) 10 game winning streak

NEXT WEEK: 3 vs Ft Worth OFF DAY 3 @ San Antonio

ABL HAPPENINGS:
9/5:

• Dave Taylor (CHA) struck out 5 in a 2-0 CG SHO of Philadelphia. The 26-year-old is 9-4 2.93

9/8:

• Wayne Noe (PHX) threw a CG 4-hitter to beat Brooklyn 3-0. He's 13-8 2.61

9/9:

• Former #1 prospect 20-year-old John Halphen became the youngest pitcher in ABL history to throw a no-hitter when he blanked San Antonio 3-0. He fanned 11 and walked 2 to improve to 9-10 2.86. Halphen was the 1st overall selection in the 2015 draft.

RUSTLER NEWS:
9/6:

• Warren took the AAA Wildcard series 2-1 over the Killeen Cockatoos. Nick Romero hit .417 to win series MVP

9/8:

• Warren beat the Aurora Skyhawks 2-0 in the Division series and is moving on. Tony Worth, acquired just a month ago, took home series MVP honors with 3 scoreless innings.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Chris Towers RF (SJ) 9-26 4 HR 6 RBI
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jimmy Cook 1B (MEM) 9-21 2 HR 5 RBI

BOLAND, RUSTLERS TOGETHER 3 MORE YEARS
A throng of media gathered as Tim Boland announced that he had come to terms with the Austin Rustlers and he would be sticking around another 3 years. Boland is set to draw 18 million in pay over that time.
This year Boland has made 60 appearances with 2 Saves. In 66.1 IP he has permitted 40 hits, fanned 66, and has a record of 6-2 1.90.
“Tim is exactly the type of person, and player, the Rustlers want. He is 'all-in' and as prepared as anyone and has enormous flexibility at the back end of our bullpen. Along with Nate, we feel we have two of the best LH short men in the game.” GM Curt Schilling said.

BACKROOM CHATTER
He is 27 and has a lockdown arm. Nate Scott has blown 8 saves. Yes, he's had a great year but that can't happen (and Saves are one of the most misconstrued stats in all of baseball). In many games it feels like we are winning despite our closer and Ricky Sanford has come to me about making some changes.

[gehrig38]

WEEK 25

• RECORD: 4-2
• STANDINGS: 93-55 (+11)
• RUNS SCORED: 666 (1st)
• OPS: .728 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 479 (2nd)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .721 (9th)
• SP ERA: 3.08 (2nd)
• BULLPEN ERA: 2.64 (1st)
• OWNERS MOOD: Very Happy
• FAN INTEREST: 96
• POWER RANKINGS: 1st

THIS WEEK: 2-1 vs Ft Worth (79-64) OFF DAY 2-1Wilson @ San Antonio (73-71)

9/11: AUS 4 FW 3 Wilson ND 6.1 IP 9 H 7 K 3 ER Nolasco 3-4 2B (23) GW HR 8th inn 2 (31) 2 R 2 RBI (104) Scott SV (40)
9/12: AUS 3 FW 0 Collins CG 3 H 8 K 0 BB (16-2 2.44)Adrian HR (17) RBI (70) SB (29) Archer 2 H RBI (99)
9/13: FW 5 AUS 4 Behrens (L) 6 IP 6 H 3 K 4 BB 4 ER (12-9 3.12) Myers (FW) (W) 7 IP 7 H 3 K 3 ER (14-8 2.85) Archer 2H HR (30) RBI (100)
9/14: OFF DAY
9/15: AUS 4 SAN 3 Forney (W) 6.1 IP 5 H 5 K 2 ER (13-7 3.11) Scott SV (41) Nolasco 2B (24) 3 RBI (107) Adrian 2-3 BB 2B (22) SB (30) R
9/16:SAN 9 AUS 8 Steele (L) 8 ER 10 H 4.2 IP 1-1 R (11-8 3.83) Adrian 3H 2B (23) SB (31) R 2 RBI (72) Dziedzic 3H HR (13) R RBI (48) Bingham PH 2 RBI (4)
9/17: AUS 4 SAN 2 Wilson (W) 6.2 IP 4 H 8 K 2 ER 1-1 2 BB (14-10 3.08) Scott SV (42) Dziedzic HR (14) 2 R RBI (49) Nolasco 2H HR (32) 2 RBI (109) Davis HR (11) RBI (36) Clinched post-season berth

NEXT WEEK: 3 vs New England (83-66) 4 vs Houston (71-78)

ABL HAPPENINGS:
9/13:

• Dave Bottini (LA) won his 10th (10-13 4.44) with a 3-hit CG 6-0 win over San Jose.

9/15:

• Brendon Biernacki (BUF) also won his 10th (10-6 2.60) tossing a 4-hitter, striking out 7 in a 10-0 win over New England.
• Paul Reed (GB) struck out 7 and went the distance in a 5-0 defeat of Houston. The 2014 first overall pick is 12-8 2.74

9/16:

• San Diego CF Charlie Angwin had his season end after straining his ACL.

9/17:

• Jeff Alexander (PHX) struck out 4 and allowed just 5 hits in a 10-0 win over Las Vegas. He's 9-13 3.59
• Jonathan Ray (MEX) tossed his 3rd CG SHO of the year, striking out 6 in a 4-hit 4-0 win over Denver to run his record to 15-12 3.07. In his past 2 starts he threw 18 IP 7 H 1 R 0 ER 11 K 4 BB.

RUSTLER NEWS:

• The Warren Roar were beaten 3-2 in the AAA World Series by the Edmonton Diamonds.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Ben Davis LF (BRK) 12-22 4 HR 9 RBI
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Alan Monson C (BUF) 8-15 2 HR 8 RBI 5 R

TWO WEEKS TO GO

• In the PL Baltimore will get their title defense opportunity,
• The California appears to be a 2 horse race. If the Miners are going to do it they need to have a big week this week.
• Phoenix is pulling away from Vegas in the southwest.
• The Triple Crown chase for Randy Lane hit a snag as he slumped a bit average-wise and now trails by 15 pts. He managed to drop the average but retake the HR/RBI race. Should be interesting.
• Over in the CL New England and Providence, who clearly hate each other, look to be ready to battle it out.
• Austin has a berth locked up. Green Bay has stunned everyone by overtaking Lexington and then extending the lead. Barring a meltdown they'll make their 1st post-season appearance. Charlotte is hanging around too.
• It's likely we will get the wild card and right now that would be the Cowboys.
• By the way, the offense is way down this year, as are strikeouts.
• Nick Archer is chasing his own teammate for a 2nd straight RBI title.
• Considering he missed the season's 1st two weeks Dave Nolasco is having a monster year.

[gehrig38]

WEEK 26

THIS WEEK: 2-1 vs New England (83-66) 2-2 vs Houston (71-78)
We will start mixing in the call-ups in spot starts and pulling the regulars after 5 or 6 depending on scores. No reason to stretch the starters more than 6 or 7 unless they're shutting someone out or doing something special.

9/18: AUS 5 NE 3 Collins (W) 7 IP 5 H 5 K 3 ER 1-2 (17-2 2.49) Scott SV (43) Archer 3-4 4 RBI (105) Nolasco HR (33) 2 R RBI (110) Adrian 3-4 2 R
9/19: AUS 4 NE 3 Behrens ND 6 IP 7 H 6 K 1 ER Scott SV (44) Razo 2 2B (2) RBI (1) Hanna 2-3 2B (20) R RBI (41)
9/20: NE 4 AUS 2 Forney ND 6.1 IP 10 K 1 ER 1-1 DeSanto BS (1) 3 R 0 IP Nolasco 3H RBI (111) SB (12) Archer HR (31) RBI (107) Comerford 3-3 2B (10) A Ft Worth loss means we have clinched the division.
9/21: AUS 13 HOU 12 Steele ND 6 ER 4 H 3.1 IP Zupan SV (1) Laskey H (17) Feliciano 3-4 3 R 2 RBI (70) Hanna 2-2 Nolasco 1-2 3 BB 2B (26) R RBI (112) Hathaway 3-5 BB 2 R 2 RBI (5) Jaramillo 2-3 BB R RBI (1) Bopp 2-3 R RBI (2)
9/22: HOU 3 AUS 0 Stodder (HOU) (W) 8.2 IP 4 H 6 K (11-8 3.46) We beat him 10-9 on the 11th of May pounding 15 hits in 6.1 IP. In the past 2 starts he's thrown 17.2 IP 7 H 0 R 13 K 5 BB and is 2-0. Wilson (L) 6 IP 3 H 2 K 3 ER (14-11 3.12) Lopez 2 IP 5 K
9/23: AUS 10 HOU 1 Extended the rotation to 6 for the final two weeks John Stanley (W) 7.1 IP 3 H 6 K 1 ER 2-3 R RBI (1) Feliciano 1-2 2 BB R 2 RBI (72) Nolasco 2H R 2B (27) 3 RBI (115) Archer H RBI (109) Bingham 3H 2B (3) 2 R RBI (5)
9/24: HOU 5 AUS 4 Collins (L) 6 IP 5 H 4 K 1 BB 4 ER (17-3 2.58) Archer 3-5 2B (28) 2 RBI (111)


NEXT WEEK: 3 vs San Antonio (78-78) 4 @ Dallas (74-81)

ABL HAPPENINGS:
9/18:

• Scott Bradley (HOU) went the distance allowing 4 hits in an 8-0 win over Charlotte. He's 9-9 3.70
• Chicago sent SP Tony Santamaria (10-11 4.11) to San Jose for P's Bill Pritchard (2*) Brian Hruska (3*) and John Dunford (2*). The Hawks trail San Francisco by 3 games with 7 to play.

9/20:

• Koukakala Kala (PIT) fanned 10 and held San Diego to 3 hits in a 6-0 win to run his record to 12-9 3.71
• Baltimore clinched the PL's Harbor Division and will get a chance to defend their 2016 Title.

9/21:

• Ohio fired manager Bill Sharpe after just 3 seasons. He was 165-258 since taking over.

9/23:

• Steve Ausenhaus (MEX) went 4-4 hitting for the cycle and driving in 4 in a 6-3 win over Phoenix.
• Dave Bottini (LA) tossed his 2nd consecutive SHO in a 5-0 win over San Jose. He's 11-13 4.24

9/24:

• Eric Hart fanned 6 in a 2-0 win over Philadelphia.
• Juan Rio (SF) threw a 2-hitter and struck out 6 in a 6-0 win over San Diego. He's 4-8 4.18 since being acquired from the Empire earlier this year.

9/25:

• Josh Meyer, the owner of the LA Storm, passed away today. His son Josh Meyer Jr will take over and has a reputation as being far looser with the purse strings than his father.

PLAYER PROFILE
Chris Moore-Houston Roughriders
Chris Moore is a 24-year-old left-handed starter who was drafted in the 4th round of the 2011 June draft out of LSUA JuCo (93rd overall). For the past 3 years, he's jumped back and forth between AA, AAA, and the ABL. He's made 56 appearances and 16 starts and is 13-2 3.14 in 160 IP with 129 K's and 145 H. Outstanding at stopping the running game he's got a very nice 3.5 pitch mix with a ++ fastball and cutter that sits low to mid 90's and a very good split. His slider is his 4th pitch and he's encouraged not to use it. Scouts say he plays the game “with an edge”.


RUSTLER NEWS:

• Just thought I'd mention that after Monday's win Terry Collins is 38-5 since we signed him as a free agent 2 years ago. (which of course I posted this prior to his Friday start, now 38-6...

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Dennis Montanez 2B (NYP) 8-15 2 HR 6 RBI
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Tahvo Takala 1B (LEX) 11-20 3 HR 6 RBI

• RECORD: 4-3
• STANDINGS: 97-58 (Clinched Division)
• RUNS SCORED: 704 (1st)
• OPS: .731 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 510 (2nd)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .720 (9th)
• SP ERA: 3.12 (2nd)
• BULLPEN ERA: 2.70 (1st)
• OWNERS MOOD: Very Happy
• FAN INTEREST: 96
• POWER RANKINGS: 2nd

• With just 6 games left Randy Lane trails Philadelphia's Jason Dickey .331 to .319 in his bid for the triple crown. He's got a 7 HR and 9 RBI lead in the other two races.
• In the PL Baltimore (95 wins) is in as the 1 seed
• San Francisco leads SJ by 3, going 9-1 in their last 10 to the Hawks 7-3. The Bears have won 5 straight and the two teams finish the season in San Jose.
• Brooklyn (89 wins) is 6.5 up and about to clinch the Metro.
• Phoenix (84 wins) is also 6.5 up on Mexico.
  
• In the CL Austin (97 wins) is in as the 1 seed
• New England (85 wins) is 1.5 up on Providence (84 wins)
• Green Bay is just ½ game up on Lexington as the Rebels have gone 8-2 to the Blizzards 4-6 over the last 10.
• Ft Worth and Providence are tied for the WC lead at 84 wins, Lexington is ½ game back and Charlotte is 2 ½ back.
• There will be no 300K season nor will there be a 20 game-winner in either league.
• Manny Ramirez (CHA) and Nick Mauzey (HOU) are tied at .310 for the batting race
• Mauzey is the likely CL MVP, sporting a 9.2 WAR, 1.7 more than 2nd place Dave Nolasco
• Bobby Adamson (PRO) and Vince Brooks (NE) are tied at 36 in the HR race with Ricky Gutierrez at 35
• Either Dave Nolasco (115) or Nick Archer (111) will win an RBI title. Archer is trying to repeat

[gehrig38]

WEEK 27




THIS WEEK: 3 vs San Antonio (78-78) 4 @ Dallas (74-81)

• Joe Tighe is back this week, will get him as many AB's as possible to make sure he's ready for playoff baseball. We will use starters sparingly and almost not at all last few days.
• Pitchers won't throw more than 100 or so if that, and the final 3 starts will be John Stanley, Barrett Lopez and we added 26-year-old Mike George to the 40 man and recalled him for the seasons final game as a reward for his 12-3 2.78 AAA Campaign and his pitcher of the year award..
• I am going to play all the games myself this week and do a daily update on the races, both playoff and statistical

9/25: AUS 5 SAN 3 Behrens (W) 5.1 IP 6 H 7 K 3 ER (13-9 3.13) Scott SV (45) Zupan 1st ABL HR, grand slam Davis HR (12) RBI (40)

• Dickey (PHI) .328 Lane (PHX) .318
• Mauzey (HOU) .310 Ramirez (CHA) .309
• Nate Scott's 45 Saves are tied for the 2nd highest single season total in club history (Laskey 45 last year0 The record is 47 set by Matt Cramer (2005) and Anthony McLeod (2004)
• We surpassed 3.8 million fans for the 1st time in club history
• San Francisco won, their 6th straight, and San Jose lost their 3rd straight, the Bears lead by 4 with 6 to play. John Gunderson (SF) threw a 2-hitter fanning 9 for the Bears in a 3-0 win over LA.
• Brooklyn is 6 up on Pittsburgh with 6 to play.
• Phoenix is 5 ½ up on Mexico, with a game in hand.
• Providence and New England lost, the Sox are 1 back with 6 to play.
• Green Bay and Lexington are tied. Lexington beat Charlotte 1-0 in 11 on a walk-off HR by 3B Adam Meany. 26-year old David Bolls went 8 on 5 hits and 5 K's.
• Ft Worth won, and is now ½ game up on Green Bay, Lexington, and Providence. Charlotte is 3 ½ out for the Wild Card.

9/26: SAN 7 AUS 5 Forney (L) 6 ER 7 H 5 BB 7 K 3.2 IP (13-8 3.28) Roth (SAN) SV (41) Hernandez (SAN) 4-4 HR (31) 2 R 2 RBI (77) Archer 2H 2B (29) 2 RBI (113) Nolasco H RBI (116) Zupan 2-3 R 1.2 IP 4 H 0 R

• Brooklyn clinched the PL Metro Division
• Phoenix clinched the PL Southwest Division
• San Francisco won their 7th straight, San Jose lost their 4th in a row. The Bears are up 5 with 5 to play.
• New England and Providence both won so the Minutemen remain 1 game up.
• Green Bay and Lexington both lost. The Blizzard are 3-7 to the Rebels 8-2 over the last 10. They remain tied.
• Ft Worth and Providence both won, Green Bay, Lexington lost and Charlotte won. The Cowboys are ½ game up on Providence, 1 ½ up on Green Bay and Lexington, and 3 ½ up on Charlotte.
• Dickey (PHI) .328 Lane (PHX) .317
• Mauzey (HOU) .311 Ramirez (CHA) .307
• Brooks (NE) 37 HR Adamson (PRO) 36 Gutierrez (BUF) 35
• Nolasco 116 RBI's Archer 113

9/27: AUS 5 SAN 4 (14) Davis 2 out 2 K 3R HR bottom 9 to tie it 3-3 then down 4-3 hits a 2R walk-off in the 14th 4-6 2B (19) 2 HR (14) 2 R 5 RBI (46) Scott (W) (9-5 2.53) Steele ND 5 IP 7 H 9 K 2 ER Sullivan (SAN) ND 8 IP 4 H 0 R 5 K

• Joe Tighe is activated off the DL and will play the seasons final 4 games
• San Francisco clinches the PL's California Division.
• PL Seedings: 1) Baltimore 2,3,4) Brooklyn (91 wins) San Francisco (88 wins) Phoenix (86 wins)
• Dickey (PHI) .326 Lane (PHX) .316
• Mauzey (HOU) .308 Ramirez (CHA) .308
• Providence wins and New England loses, the division is tied with 4 to play
• Lexington wins and Green Bay Loses, the Rebels are 1 up with 4 to play.
• Providence wins, New England, Ft Worth, Green Bay and Charlotte all lose. Black Sox and New England tied for Division and WC lead, Ft Worth ½ GB, Blizzard 2 GB, Charlotte 4 GB.

9/28: DAL 5 AUS 4 Wilson ND 6 IP 3 H 3 ER down 3-1 scored 1 in the 8th and Hanna 2R HR (13) in the 9th takes the lead. Scott BS (10) walks 3 and WP in the winning run 0.1 IP 1 H 3 BB 2 ER (9-6 2.73) Nolasco 2-3 HR (34) RBI (117)

• Dickey .325 Lane .316
• Providence and New England both win, so they remain tied in the Skyline and the Wildcard.
• Lexington and Green Bay lose so the Rebels are 1 up with 3 to play and Charlotte wins to they are 2 back.
• Ft Worth loses (1GB) Green Bay loses (3GB) and Charlotte wins (4GB) for the Wild card.
• Mauzey .308 Ramirez .307
• Brooks and Adamson are both at 37 HR

9/29: DAL 6 AUS 2 Novak (DAL) 3-4 2B (26) 2 HR (21) 3 R 3 RBI (79) Stanley (L) 6 IP 5 H 5 K 4 ER (1-1 3.38) Archer H RBI (114) Nolasco 2-3 (.301)

• New England and Providence both won, and both clinched a playoff berth. They are still tied for the Skyline and the Wild Card.
• Green Bay won and Lexington lost so they are tied for the Central.
• Ft Worth and Green Bay wins combined with Lexington and Charlotte losses put the Cowboys 1 GB, the Blizzard, and Rebels 3 GB in the Wild Card. Charlotte was eliminated from the WC but they are 2 GB of both Green Bay and Lexington for the Division. Charlotte is in Green Bay for the season's final 2 games. Lexington is playing at home against Memphis.
• Dickey .322 Lane .316 Valentini (DET) .315
• Mauzey .309 Ramirez .308 Adamson (PRO) .303
• Adamson homered and is up 38-37 over Brooks.
• Nolasco 117 to Archer 114

9/30: AUS 7 DAL 3 Lopez (W) 6.1 IP 3 H 4 K 0 R Zupan 1.1 IP 3 H 1 ER 1-1 Adrian 2 H HR (18) 2 RBI (74) Nolasco 2-3 R RBI (118) Dziedzic HR (15) 2 RBI (53) Feliciano 1-2 2 BB 2B (35) 2 R

• Warren skipper Tim Swallow took home AAA manager of the year. There is an internal discussion about bringing him to the ABL staff next season.
• Providence, Ft Worth, Lexington, and Charlotte all lost
• The net result is Charlotte is eliminated, Ft Worth secures the 2nd WC spot and Lexington is 1 GB of Green Bay heading into the season's final day.
• New England is a game up on Providence.
• All ties are broken with an extra game.
• Josh Dickey .323 Randy Lane .317
• Ramirez .308 Mauzey .307 Nolasco .303
• Brooks homered to tie Adamson.
• Nolasco 118 Archer 114

10/1: AUS 3 DAL 2 George (W) 5.2 IP 2 H 2 K 6 BB 1 ER Scott SV (46) 1 IP 1 HR 1 ER Nolasco 2-2 BB R Davis 2-3 2B (21) R 2 RBI (49) Comerford 0-0 3 BB

• Josh Dickey (PHI) wins the batting title at .323. Lane finishes at .317-46-115 winning both the HR and RBI titles.
• Manny Ramirez wins the CL batting title .308, Mauzey .307, Nolasco .306
• Nolasco wins the RBI Crown 118-114
• Adamson and Brooks tie for the HR title at 38
• New England wins the Skyline by 1 ½ games.
• Green Bay wins the Central by 1 game over Lexington. Lexington misses the postseason for the first time since 2008. They had won 8 straight division titles.
• Green Bay is the fastest expansion team to reach the post-season. Doing so in just their 4th season. They improved 20 games from 2016, 67-95 to 87-75
• The playoff seeds are:
• PL 1) Baltimore (98) 2) Brooklyn (94) 3) San Francisco (90) 4) Phoenix (87)
• CL 1) Austin (101) 2) New England (89) 3) Green Bay (87) 4) Providence/Ft Worth winner

NEXT WEEK: POSTSEASON

ABL HAPPENINGS:

• RECORD: 4-3
• STANDINGS: 101-61 (+14)
• RUNS SCORED: 735 (1st)
• OPS: .731 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 540 (2nd)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .720 (10th)
• SP ERA: 3.17 (3rd)
• BULLPEN ERA: 2.73 (1st)
• OWNERS MOOD: Very Happy
• FAN INTEREST: 96
• POWER RANKINGS: 2nd

RUSTLER PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Dave Nolasco .344/.394/.635 8 2B 6 HR 29 RBI 2-2 SB 1.083 OPS
RUSTLER PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Tim Collins 4-1 1.88 38.1 IP 25 H 32 K 9 BB .184 OPP AVG
RUSTLER MiL PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Cameron Bennett RP/OF .324/.468/.595 3 HR 7 RBI 3-3 SB 9 G
RUSTLER MiL PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Danny Good (SA) 1-0 0.84 10.2 IP 7 H 9 K

PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Ben Davis LF (BRK) .319-8-22 21 R
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Dave Nolasco RF (AUS) .344-6-29 18 R
PATRIOT LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Mike Gilmore SP (BRK) 5-0 1.41 44.2 IP 54 K 21 H 6 BB
COLONIAL LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH: John Halphen SP (GB) 6-0 0.61 44 IP 50 K
PATRIOT LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Danny Lasure RP (SJ) 2-0 8 SV 11.2 IP 14 K
COLONIAL LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Jonathan Hoffman RP (MEM) 1-1 7 SV 0.59 15.1 IP 23 K .122 OPP AVG

[gehrig38]