Los Angeles Leopards (SVMLB)

[pauwoo]

Note: Boston closed it out against Vancouver, eliminating the last of the Cadscadia triumvirate from the 2078 playoffs, 4 games to 2 on a 5-1 win in British Columbia…

Brooklyn Citizens (4-4, .500) @ Los Angeles Leopards (3-2, .600)
Back home in the City of Angels where we bested the Citizens 4-0 during the regular season, albeit here with an offense that needs to wake up and a leaky pen threatening to capsize the good ship Los Angeles before we’ve even made it into open waters… We’ll start things off with Estevez on the mound, he’s had some success in this series – here’s hoping that continues.

6 of 7: Sawyer Dahlgren (0-0, 0.00) @ Stephen Estevez (1-0, 1.38)
Loss, 1-2. Again the offense was anemic and the bullpen subpar as Rishon Shaw was the culprit this time out, allowing the game winner to come across during the top of the 8th on a SAC FLY for Marvin Paredes that brought SS Oliver Woodward home after he’d hit a triple just one at bat earlier… Estevez went 6.1, allowing 3 hits and 1 earned with 10 K’s but wasn’t rewarded for his efforts as the offense has been declawed with Otto, OH HONG, and Ethan combining to post a 1-for-12 day and our only run coming on a DOM solo-shot… Dom is quietly having himself quite the series here as the rest of our regulars are bogged down in a funk so pervasive that George Clinton himself would wholeheartedly declare that we, as opposed to Parliament Funkadelic, got the funk.

Elsewhere: Las Vegas, attempting to close out their series against the Pipers in Pittsburgh, also failed to win their 4th during game 6 and, like us, will be in a winner takes all cage match during their next time out… it will take place on their opponent’s turf though.

7 of 7: John Aivazian (1-0, 3.65) @ Merl Crawford (0-0, 67.50)
Win, 9-0. I’m not sure why our Skipper, and Party Captain, Michael Scott decided to go with Merl after he was unceremoniously destroyed by this very club during his last time out… but, in hindsight, after Merl went 5-innings, allowing just 3 hits and nothing to score, it looks like a genius move on his part. The offense, when we needed them most, would come alive as well, posting a glorious 8-run bottom of the 6th that put this one significantly out of reach for the hard-charging Brooklyn Citizens… OH HONG broke through with a 2-for-5 day that included a 3-run, bases-clearing double and a run, Otto went 1-for-4 with a 2-run blast, Ethan drove one in on a 3-for-5 day, and Trev Anderson, putting in work for the 3rd time this series, gave us a backbreaking 2-innings of relief to run his stats up to 8.2 innings pitched with 3 hits, nothing earned, and 10 K’s for the series. I’m relieved to have won this game 7, anything less than a win here would’ve certainly ended in my dismissal from the club.

Ian Hanan won series MVP honors on the strength of his .385 batting average during the series. He also had a .414 on-base percentage and 0 home runs, drove in 5 RBI, and 3 runs.

Elsewhere: In what, to me at least, was a stunning turn of events, the Pittsburgh Pipers managed to win Game 7 against the Las Vegas Outlaws, at home, by a score of 2-0 to advance to the League Championship where they square off against us for 7-games with death on the line. Buckle up!

Record: 4-3, .571
Up Next: We’ll await Pittsburgh’s arrival in Los Angeles to kick of the National League LCS with a couple of games contested in our house…

[pauwoo]

Pittsburgh Pipers (4-3, .571) @ Los Angeles Leopards (4-3, .571)
After battling tooth & nail during the last round against our respective opponents, I think it’s safe to say that both of our clubs are entering this series a little frayed at the ends… Pittsburgh is hopeful that their 5-2 record against us during the regular season will propel them forward into the World Series, while we are hoping that our offensive outburst in Game 7 against the Citizens represents the type of offensive reawakening we’ll need to get past Tom Franzone and his Allegheny Associates…

1 of 7: Casey Tucker (0-1, 5.68) @ Peter Garcia (1-0, 2.45)
Win, 2-0. We’d get our first run when PEPPER brought Shepard around on an RBI single and our second when Pittsburgh starter, Casey Tucker, walked one in during the bottom of the 2nd. Relying on our pitching and defense the rest of the way with rock-solid performances from Garcia – 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 5 K’s – Rishon Shaw, 4 K’s and his second hold of the playoffs, and Dwight Beasley who closed it out in the top of the 9th on 16 total pitches to pick up his 2nd save of the season and first in the playoffs. Always good to kick things off with a win… though Otto, Ethan, Satoru, and OH HONG combining for a 1-for-13 day with 1 walk is a bit concerning – we need to see more from our stars.

Elsewhere: The Buffalo Nickels have sprinted out to a 2-0 lead against the Boston Shamrocks and head a bit further east to try to close things out on the road….

2 of 7: Robby Garrett (0-1, 3.68) @ Stephen Estevez (1-0, 1.40)
Loss, 1-3. The offense stayed stagnant, nothing’s fluid for our guys right now – some are likely pressing, trying too hard, while others, trusting the process are being too passive in the pursuit of letting things come to them… here our only run came on a DOM single, our only notable highlight was Dwight’s 3-innings of scoreless work with 4 K’s that served to keep things close, and, in stealing a couple of bags, we were able to convince the hometown faithful that we were, at least, trying our best. Meanwhile, on the other side of the diamond, Tom Franzone styled on us for a 2-run blast during the top of the very first frame, allowing Robby Garrett to settle into things nicely the rest of the way… he’s leave early with an undisclosed injury, diagnosis pending, but did enough here to keep our anemic offense at arm’s length with the Pittsburgh pen coming on in relief to pick us apart.

Record: 5-4, .556
Up Next: We’ll travel to Pittsburgh, pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and try to get take two out of three in their house…

[pauwoo]

Los Angeles Leopards (5-4, .556) @ Pittsburgh Pipers (5-4, .556)
As I mentioned last time (I think), Pittsburgh’s played us tough all year… we’re 1-3 in their house and I can think of no worse time to try and buck that trend as our offense is in relative shambles and the team, to a man, seems stressed to the gills…

3 of 7: Merl Crawford (1-0, 7.94) @ Gregory Morgan (2-0, 0.00)
Win, 2-1 (10). While the offense continues to struggle, our pitching has managed to be the other side of that coin for us and continues to turn in gutsy performances… here, we’d get another solid outing from Merl who went 6.1 innings, allowing 5 hits, 1 earned, and 5 K’s for the game while Rishon Shaw and Trev Anderson were lights out in relief… PEPPER GRANT, a Los Angeles Legend if ever there was one, came through in the clutch, drilling a run-scoring double during the top of the 10th to break our 1-1 tie, and, ultimately, give Trev all the cushion he’d need to close out Game 3 in style for us. If you told me that we’d only score 5 runs through the first three games of this series and still be up 2-1, I’d have looked at you funny… at the very least. There may have been some laughter too. And some pointing.

4 of 7: Stephen Estevez (1-1, 1.90) @ Jaxson Mottola (2-0, 2.19)
Win, 7-0. Estevez was lights out for us here – your boy came through with a complete game, 4-hit shutout with 9 K’s and OH HONG lit it up during a 3-for-5 performance that included a double, 2 TRUCKS, 3 RBI and a couple of runs… a 2-run homer from Ethan closed the show to run it up to 7 during the top of the 9th, we hit 2 doubles and 3 TANKS as a club, got a SAC BUNT from PEPPER, and managed to piece together our best offensive performance of the series when we needed it most… this was a thoroughly dominant win for us, on the road, against a club that has had our number all year.

Elsewhere: After losing the first 2 of 3 to Boston, the Nickels were able to get back on track today and now take a 3-2 series advantage with them back to Buffalo after thrashing the Shamrocks by a score of 9-1.

5 of 7: Peter Garcia (2-0, 1.59) @ Casey Tucker (0-2, 4.38)
Loss, 1-2. After yesterday’s rip-roaring performance, I was sure that our club with show up today with renewed chutzpah at the plate, but that just wasn’t the case as our offense went back into hibernation wasting great pitching performances from Peter Garcia and Trev Anderson… our only run came when Pittsburgh Starter, Casey Tucker, walked one in while Mack Ramirez gave us enough business to cover his whole squad with a 2-for-3 day that included a solo homer and a run-scoring double as the Pipers survive to make at least one more road trip, joining us in Los Angeles for a high stakes game of Rochambeau.

Series Record: Los Angeles 3, Pittsburgh 2
Up Next: Two more the hard way in Los Angeles for the right to go to the World Series

[pauwoo]

Pittsburgh Pipers (6-6, .500) @ Los Angeles (7-5, .583)
After their Game 5 win, Pittsburgh is clinging to their playoff life like Rose gripping a floating door next to a sinking ship, with two more to be contested in our house where we’ll see if they have room on it for a couple more. But with their 5-2 head-to-head record against us in 2078 turning into a 7-5 record so far this year, it’s safe to say that this one could go either way… either they find a way to tie their newly found lifejacket under the frame to fit in those additional wins or they, like Jack, sink to the bottom, drowning their playoff dreams for at least one more year…

Elsewhere: the Boston Shamrocks found a way to extend their series against the Buffalo Nickels to a 7th game after defeating them, in their park, by a score of 2-0. Game 7, which will also be contested in Buffalo, is scheduled to start shortly after our Game 6 against Pittsburgh should be reaching its conclusion.

6 of 7: Kurt Miller (1-0, 0.00) @ Stephen Estevez (2-1, 1.38)
Loss, 0-3. Like Boston did to Buffalo, Pittsburgh did to us… keeping us off the board, in our house to force a 7th game… oh, and to add insult to injury, we were NO HIT in this one as Kurt Miller went 9-strong, with NO HITS, 1 WALK, and 2 K’s… Estevez gave a good account of himself, 5 innings pitched, 2 hits, 1 earned, doling out two free passes while fanning 7, but, alas, it’d not be enough as our dangerously anemic offense was thoroughly embarrassed, at home, in front of our families, wives, children, and mistresses, in what has to be our most toothless performance of the year… saving the best for last, it seems.



Elsewhere: In another shocking Post Season result, the Boston Shamrocks have punched their ticket to the World Series after defeating the heavily favored Buffalo Nickels by a score of 7-5. Boston’s LF Aramis Wright was named series MVP after leading the Shamrocks offense with a .333/.400/.593 slash, 2 JACKS and 4 total RBI.

7 of 7: Gregory Morgan (2-0, 0.38) @ Merl Crawford (1-0, 4.50)
Win, 7-6. OH HONG! BE STILL MY BEATING HEART! After going down early on a 2-run DING DONG courtesy of Mack Ramirez, we’d come roaring back with a bottom of the 3rd to take an early lead… in keeping with the theme of this series, however, we’d lose that lead a mere 2 innings later when Pittsburgh, behind the clutch hitting of Tom Franzone, put three bad ones on us during the top of the 5th when his 2-run TRUCK brought in their 2nd and 3rd runs of the frame. We’d knot it up during the bottom of the 5th, thankfully, then take the lead during the bottom of the 6th, which was nice, before letting them back into it once again during the top of the 7th… from there both bullpens would settle in a bit, trading zeroes until the bottom of the 9th when, your boy, OH HONG walked them off with a run-scoring single that brought Ethan Mullens around to send us on to the World Series for a Los Angeles versus Boston finale! Otto stayed frigid with an 0-for-4 day, Satoru woke up with a 3-for-4 effort that included 2 RBI and a run, and PEPPER finished 2-for-4 with a run. We’ll need Otto to wake up as we prepare to square off against the Shamrocks… I don’t see any routes to victory that don’t include him giving a good account of himself.

OH HONG was awarded the Series MVP designation after hitting for a .286 average with 3 TANKS and 4 RBI…

LOS ANGELES WINS 4 GAMES TO 3 OVER PITTSBURGH! That makes it two straight, game 7 victories for the La La’s…

Up Next: THE WORLD SERIES… beginning in Los Angeles against the Boston Shamrocks.

[pauwoo]

Los Angeles Leopards (8-6, .571) @ Boston Shamrocks (10-6, .625)
That the Shamrocks overcame a so-so, 65-68 record through August 31st to post a 20-9 record the rest of the way, earning an unlikely playoff berth late in the year is a success story unto itself. That they now find themselves playing .625 ball when it matters most and in the World Series was nearly unthinkable way back in August when they were merely surviving, shuffling along aimlessly, and seemingly resigned to their fate… so fair play to them, their management, and their fanbase for positioning themselves to win the most coveted prize in sports… We played Boston three times in 2078, each one of those contested in our park, and cribbed two of the three. And, while that’s not the sort of sample size I’d feel comfortable hanging my hat on, I do believe that we are a heavy favorite here and stand as good a chance as I could have hoped at seeing this thing all the way through to the promised land.

We’ll start things off in Boston due to that silly All-Star game rule, but who knows… with any luck we can lift the banner in our park during game 4, 5, or 6…

Game 1: Peter Garcia (2-1, 1.59) @ Graham Doyle (0-0, 1.23)
Win, 5-3. Boston got after it early, bringing 3 across during the bottom of the very first frame on an Aramis Wright 3-run homer but would go dormant after that, allowing us to climb back in it and, ultimately, take over during the top of the 3rd when we put 4 on the board with Satoru Ono’s 2-run, two-bagger representing runs 3 and 4. From there, the pitching would settle into something of a nice, tight little groove with Garcia putting the finishing touches on a 6-inning, 6-hit, 3 earned night before handing it off to Rishon Shaw who gave us a couple of shutout innings in relief with 3 K’s, giving Turnbull, at full strength again, the opportunity to shut things down – which he did with aplomb, fanning the side on 15 total pitches. This is as good a start as we could’ve hoped for… the pitching remains stout, and, if this contest is the measuring stick, it looks like the offense may finally meet the height requirement to get on this postseason rollercoaster…

Game 2: Stephen Estevez (2-2, 1.43) @ Tommy Mathieu (1-2, 6.26)
Win, 4-0. Our tepid offense had enough left in the tank after putting up 5 yesterday to plate 4 more today while a chorus of “Beat L.A.” rained down from the cheap seats… a 2-run blast from Ethan during the top of the 8th doubled our runs total, effectively putting this one out of reach for Boston’s suddenly ice-cold lineup. Our pitching, stout once more, set the tone early with Estevez running roughshod over the Shamrocks during his 6-innings of work while Rishon Shaw and Grumpy Losito split the last 3 innings to preserve the clean sheet for us as we head back home, owners of a 2-0 lead, with nothing short of winning it all in Los Angeles on our minds.

Three doubles and a JACK for the offense, 3 double plays and an outfield assist for the defense today… all systems go!

Up Next: We’ll take our 2-game lead home and do our level best to secure our second ever World Series championship!

[pauwoo]

Boston Shamrocks (10-8, .555) @ Los Angeles Leopards (10-6, .625)
Back in the City of Angels with an opportunity to win the whole thing in front of our fans? Sign. Me. Up. The club is clicking, our offense has shown some signs of life, and the pitching continues to perform at a legendary clip… this thing really feels like it is ours to lose. Boston’s offense, while nothing special during the regular season, was in prime form as they smashed the American League bracket… but, when facing our staff, have seemingly fallen apart at the seams. Here we’ll learn a bit about Boston’s resilience, and, if we come to find that they just aren’t that resilient, should be officially crowned champion in short order…

Game 3: Abe Meinecke (4-2, 2.36) @ Merl Crawford (1-0, 6.06)
Win, 6-3. Boston would get no love in Los Angeles as the Leopards fans were out in full force for us, carrying the club through a top of the 8th rally attempt by the visitor and another during the top of the 9th when the Shamrocks loaded them up with Turnbull on the bump. OH HONG and OTTO struggled through a combined 0-for-8 day at the plate, but DOM and ONO made up for it with a 3-for-3 day and a 2-for-4 day, respectively, with each bringing around 2 of our 6 total runs. PEPPER drove two in on a double, we fielded two more delicious double plays, and, somehow, someway, secured 3 OF Assists – 2 for Otto and the 3rd for Shepard. I can’t imagine three OF Assists being recorded, ever, in a game of this magnitude… so, that’s cool, I guess…

Three things… We’re a mere win away from immortality, Ethan is hobbled, may miss the rest of the series (that’s not awesome), and if we get another 3 OF Assist day I may submit it to the Technical Support forum.

Oh… well, I may have made a mountain out of a mole hill… Ethan, it seems, is not as hobbled as I thought and will be listed day-to-day for one whole day…

Game 4: Teagan Rachel (1-0, 2.79) @ Stephen Estevez (3-2, 1.24)
Loss, 1-2. Boston, not content to go die politely, salvaged some pride with a game 4 win after breaking our 1-1 tie during the top of the 6th and then holding our offense at bay from there… the Shamrocks would draw first blood on a run-scoring triple from Lukas Lepe during the top of the 1st and get the game winner on a run-scoring double from Jack Ashall during that fateful 6th when Estevez, who’d likely been left out there one or two batters too long, gave up his 2nd earned run of the contest. Our lone run came courtesy of Otto who, in posting a 2-for-4 day with an RBI, finally decided to contribute even if it wasn’t during a winning effort – he’s been trash throughout the playoffs offensively, so, it’s nice to see him have some modicum of success in this one.

Game 5: Graham Doyle (0-1, 3.55) @ Peter Garcia (3-1, 2.20)
Win, 8-0. We went up early, during the bottom of the 1st on a PEPPER GRANT SAC FLY and would settle into a pitchers’ duel until our offense exploded for 7 runs during the bottom of the 8th to make it nearly impossible for the shopworn Shamrocks to mount a comeback against us with death on the line. Ethan hit a solo shot, his club-leading 4th dinger of the playoffs, and scored twice, DOM brought one in on a double, HAMZA brought two around on a double of his own, and OTTO was afforded three free passes and scored to punctuate a legendary win for the Yellow Tops! The pitching, as was the theme of these playoffs, was stout too – Garcia wouldn’t allow anything to plate on 3 hits, Trev held Boston off over 2.1 innings of work that included 3 K’s, and Rishon Shaw closed the show during the top of the 9th on 18 total pitches…

THE LOS ANGELES LEOPARDS, FOR THE 2ND TIME IN CLUB HISTORY, AND FIRST SINCE 2075, HAVE EARNED THE RIGHT TO BE CALLED WORLD SERIES CHAMPION! DANCE AND REJOICE!

Up Next: Some updates to the save file, as always, and your standard offseason silliness…

[pauwoo]

Offseason Awards:
Otto Isaac won the NL MVP Award for the 2nd time in his career, bookending Philadelphia’s Palmer Parker’s 2-year reign as NL MVP.
Our Skipper, Michael Scott, took home the World’s Best Boss trophy.
CL Donovan Turnbull won the Reliever of the Year Award.
C DOM Cooke, 3B PEPPER GRANT, and SS HAMZA McDonnell won Gold Gloves at their position… it was Dom and Hamza’s first GG Award and Pepper’s 3rd such honor.
Dom & CF Otto Isaac were awarded the Silver Slugger distinction at their positions, respectively. This is Dom’s second and Otto’s 3rd such distinction.

Summary of Offseason Changes:

• New Orleans time as the Pirates has ended abruptly as the club has decided to go back to being called the Gators.
• I’ve added a 24-team, Short A minor league… our new development club will reside in Brentwood and be known, locally and throughout the world, as the Bishops.

Summary of Offseason Roster Moves:

• SP Peter Garcia entered free agency, signed a 3-year, $78mm deal with Detroit
• RP Trev Anderson (33yo, 54/54) becomes a free agent, signed with Vancouver for $47.9mm over 3 years.
• SS Hamza McDonnell (28ypo, 68/68) becomes a free agent, signed with Philadelphia for $72.6mm over 3 years.
• RP Reynaldo Igarashi (33yo, 58/58) becomes a free agent, signed with Portland for a 1yr, $2.4mm deal.
• RP Rishon Shaw becomes a free agent, signed with Phoenix for 1-year at $3.2mm
• LF Andy Shepard becomes a free agent, he remains unemployed as of Opening Day.
• Traded 21-year-old minor league LHP Isaac Nichols (29/43) and 24-year-old minor league RHP Scott Cook (47/47) to the New Orleans Pirates, getting 29-year-old LHP Dylan Miotke (57/57) in return.
• Signed free agent RP Kaoru Kudo (30yo, 66/66) to a 2-year contract worth a total of $17mm.
• Signed free agent RP Don Haag (28yo, 80/80) to a 2-year, $26,2mm contract.
• Signed SP Merl Crawford to a 3-year contract extension worth a total of $70mm.
• Traded 27-year-old RHP Grumpy Losito (70/70) and 21-year-old minor league RHP Wyatt Ricker (37/50) to the Phoenix Coyotes, getting 25-year-old 3B Carson Hutchinson (54/54) and 23-year old minor league RF Gerald Passariello (39/44) in return.

Summary of Notable FA Signings:

• Brooklyn signed 2B Heathcote Kinton (28yo, 80/80) to a $117mm/3yr deal
• Phoenix signed SP Ferdinand Loving (34, 58/58) to a $32.4mm/2yr deal
• Buffalo signed 1B Austin Rollins (32yo, 59/59) to a 2-year, $35.2mm deal
• Las Vegas signed 2B Rich Hamilton (37yo, 69/69) to a 1-year, $27.8mm deal
• Brooklyn signed SP Tommy Mathieu (33yo, 58/58) to a 3-year, $67.2mm deal
• Phoenix signed 3B Gavin Nalley (32yo, 65/65) to a 3-year, $62.4mm deal
• San Jose signed LF Aramis Wright (31yo, 56/56) to a 2-year, $40.4mm deal

Here’s a look at our lineup….


My offensive core remains intact, and we’ll continue to hit for power, but my staff, particularly my starters have taken a hit… Strangely, the BNN Corp of Engineers thinks we’ll be as good or better on the mound than last season… I’m not so sure, in fact – I think we’re highly overrated this season.

[pauwoo]

Austin Grackles (0-0, .000, t-1st NL West) @ Los Angeles Leopards (0-0, .000, t-1st NL West)
The Austin Grackles spent their offseason doing little of note – they signed a middling reliever for $3.4mm (Jim Washington; 52/52), purchased the contract of a Bush League player, Aaron Johnson (46/46), and remade their coaching staff with a new Manager, Pitching Coach, and Team Trainer brought into the fold… what they didn’t do is improve their lot in life. In fact, upon closer inspection, these Grackles look a lot worse on paper than last years club that finished 62-100 in 2078. And, with their Development System ranked at 11th overall, whatever rebuilding / reimagining effort they’re undertaking here seems awfully suspect from the outside looking in. What’s clear, to me at least, is that it’s not a good time to be a Grackles fan – unless you don’t like fun. If that’s the case, then these guys should have you covered this season.

1 of 162: Vin Uhlman (0-0, 0.00) @ Stephen Estevez (0-0, 0.00)
Win, 1-0. We’d kick off the 2079 campaign in style as PEPPER GRANT walked the Grackles off with a run-scoring single to reward Estevez’s 5-inning, 1-hit effort with a win as relievers Kaoru Kudo and Don Haag shut down Austin over the final four frames. Not a lot of offensive goodness to parse out for the La La’s… we’d not record a single EBH, were benefited by a Kyle Weaver SAC BUNT to move our runners into scoring position for PEPPER, and did nothing of note on the base paths – it was all pitching, all the time here with 16 total K’s for our staff, resulting in 4 Grackles posting 3 K days, and a nice Hutchinson-Hana-Ono double play to flash the leather a little bit.

2 of 162: Joshua Moeller (0-0, 0.00) @ Merl Crawford (0-0, 0.00)
Win, 5-3. Our reigning MVP, Otto Isaac, got the ball rolling early on his 1st TRUCK of the year, a solo shot, during the bottom of the very first frame… and the club would continue to pour it on, scoring all 5 of our runs before the 5th inning with contributions from OH HONG, 1-for-4 with 2 RBI, and DOM , 2-for-4 with 2 RBI, as we managed to plate 5 of our total 13 base runners in this one. Good pitching too – 5.1 innings, 7-hits, 3 earned, and win #1 for Merl, followed by appearances from Dylan Miotke, Major Hansen, and Don Haag to close it out. Haag earned his first save here with a Ono-Hutchinson-Ono double play representing our final two outs after he’d walked the second batter he faced.

3 of 162: Marcos Villalobos (0-0, 0.00) @ Keith Baeza (0-0, 0.00)
Loss, 0-1. We’d, by the smallest margin possible, miss out on an opportunity to open the 2079 campaign with a sweep as the Grackles, behind a tip-top pitching performance from Villalobos, 7-innings, 4-hits, 5 K’s, and the win, and the clutch hitting of Larry Williams, whose run-scoring SAC FLY during the top of the 2nd would be all that was required to send us off with a game 3 loss. Ethan hit two, two-baggers, and our staff was nasty once again, but with no offensive support due to an equally effective pitching performance from Austin we’d be turned away leaving only 4 clubs – Brooklyn, Philly, Toronto, and Detroit – remaining undefeated in the (VERY) early going…

Record: 2-1, .667, t-1st NL West
Up Next: We’ll welcome Mexico City to town for a 4-game series…

[pauwoo]

Mexico City Jaguars (1-1, .500, 3rd NL West) @ Los Angeles Leopards (2-1, .667, t-1st NL West)
The Jaguars, not unlike Austin, didn’t really do much of note during the offseason – they traded SP KJ Judd (50/52) to Boston for a couple of prospects, picked up 1B Benjamin Herrera (48/48) on a 1-year, $4mm deal, and brought in an ageing Ash Newman (43/43) on a minor-league deal… though, a key difference here is that Mexico City possesses the 6th rated development system, so any potential rebuild looks a lot more likely in the short term than that of our previous foe. Still, there’s an outside chance that Mexico City, after missing the playoffs last season, could return this year given the makeup of their club on paper and the chaotic nature of our sport.

4 of 162: Nacho Valadez (0-0, 0.00) @ Dwight Beasley (0-0, 0.00)
Win, 6-0. We’d get right back on the horse after dropping that last one to Austin, dispatching the Jaguars with relative ease here, shutting their offense down while DOM, with a 3-run TANK, and Ono, going 3-for-3, with a 2B, and 2 RBI, styled on the Mexico City defense early, accounting for our first 5 runs before we’d even reached the 5th frame. Beasley, making his living as a full-time starter for now, settled into the role nicely with a 7-inning effort where he’d allow only 2 hits, and nothing earned to go along with his 4 K’s before handing it off to Nakagawa to pull the curtain back on our visitors over the last 2 frames on 20 total throws.


Elsewhere: Dejuan Burns, putting in work for the Toronto Maple Leafs after signing a 3-year, $42.9mm deal with them in the offseason, showed that, for now at least, the 32-year-old is worth every penny in a complete game, 6-hit shutout to lead his club to a resounding, 9-0 victory over their in-division rival, the Buffalo Nickles. Burns, who only fanned two batters during the win, managed to get 8 outs by grounder and 15 by pop up, and was no doubt buoyed by his defenses two tip-top double-plays.

5 of 162: Ben McGillicuddy (0-0, 0.00) @ Ramiro Marte (0-0, 0.00)
Win, 6-1. Kyle Weaver, manning LF for us on a near-daily basis, went 1-for-4 with a 2-run single that got our 5-run bottom of the 4th started to put this contest out of Mexico City’s reach early… we’d also get contributions from Hutchinson, PEPPER, and backup C, Lee Rolon, with an RBI each (Pepper & Lee earned theirs on run-scoring walks), and the Jags’ 1B Ryder Nieman, who committed an unforgivable fielding flub that led to our 6th and final run during the bottom of the 6th. Our pitching remained otherworldly as Marte went 6.2-innings deep allowing 5 hits and a run before handing it off to Jan Hernandez who closed out the last 2.1-innings without allowing a single hit… we’re in superb form to start the season – it’s great to see!

6 of 162: Randy Keramidas (0-0, 0.00) @ Stephen Estevez (0-0, 0.00)
Win, 17-1. After a pedestrian, 1-run bottom of the 1st, our club would then raze Mexico City’s defense and proceed to run roughshod over the Jaguars en route to a rabble rousing, complete and utter annihilation of our visitor by a score of 17-1. There’s a ton to parse out here, so, in the spirit of a picture being worth 1000-words, peep the carnage…



7 of 162: Lee Myers (0-0, 3.38) @ Merl Crawford (1-0, 5.06)
Loss, 5-7. After going buck wild our last time out, the club came off the line in this one quickly with 3 runs during the bottom of the 1st but fell dormant from there as our offensive exploits finally caught up to our early season fitness level… here, Mexico City would dig deep, tapping into their pride a little bit to hold us off and secure a win in our building and 2nd so far this season behind timely hitting and a consistent attack that saw the Jags score 1 run or more during the first four frames of the game… Merl, who recently signed a 3-year extension with us, got lit up, giving up 6 earned over a mere 3.2 innings of work, and, while the pen performed admirably in relief, we just couldn’t recover in time to make up the necessary ground after our 2-run rally attempt in the bottom of the 8th fell short.

Record: 5-2, .714, 1st NL West
Up Next: We’ll travel out to Phoenix tomorrow, get settled into our digs in the desert, and then participate in our first 3-game road set of the season.

[pauwoo]

Los Angeles Leopards (5-2, .714, 1st NL West) @ Phoenix Coyotes (4-2, .667, t-2nd NL West)
Phoenix’s flashy offseason that saw them signing ageing stars like 34-year-old SP Ferdinand Loving (56/56) and 32-year-old 3B Gavin Nalley (62/62) was not as well received as they intended given the BNN preseason prediction that the Coyotes would finish outside the cake, a sub-.500, non-playoff club once the dust has settled on 2079. Of course, that’s why we play the games, and, given that this once proud franchise is likely looking to make it back to the playoffs after missing out for two straight seasons, I find it difficult to count these guys out no matter what the fine Americans over at BNN think.

8 of 162: Keith Baeza (0-1, 1.80) @ Max Harrington (0-1, 0.00)
Loss, 0-1. Our first road game of the 2079 campaign didn’t get off to the most glorious of starts as we were no hit until the top of the 8th and shutout overall as Phoenix’s Starter, Max Harrington, made mincemeat of our lineup over 8-innings of work before handing it off to former Leopard, and constant headache, Grumpy Losito, to close the show in the 9th – and, as is his style, he struggled with the door a bit, allowing 2 hits before recording three outs on 21 pitches to earn his 2nd save of the season. For our part, the club didn’t give us too much to discuss – the pitching was great as Baeza, Kudo, Miotke, and Turnbull combined to hurl a 2-hit, 1-run game, but the offense came up empty with only ONO and DOM securing a hit, 1 walk for the club, and an insufficient 3 total bases as a club.

In other news and given that he’s held the position for three seasons I’m not sure how I missed it - Phoenix’s Skipper is named Emmanouil Konstantopoulos… so, that’s fun.

9 of 162: Dwight Beasley (1-0, 0.00) @ Ferdinand Loving (1-0, 0.00)
Win, 7-3. Otto Isaac, displaying some of his 2078 MVP form, went 3-for-5 with a double, a 2-run TRUCK, 3 RBI, and 2 runs to lead our offense with Ethan, OH HONG, DOM, and Demetri Rodriguez (our backup SS) each contributing one batted in to follow his lead as the La La’s get some sweet get back to knot up this road set at a game each. Beasley gave a good account of himself over 5.1 innings of work and picked up his 2nd win in allowing only 2 runs to the Coyotes’ starters 5 while the pen continued to impress so far this year… three doubles for the club, 1 each for Otto, PEPPER, and Ethan, Otto’s aforementioned homer, and a suspect HBP for DOM would round things out offensively as we head back to the hotel to get some rest before returning tomorrow to try and win the rubber match.

10 of 162: Ramiro Marte (1-0, 1.35) @ Matthew Krebs (0-0, 3.86)
Loss, 3-6. Down, 3-6, in the top of the 9th, bases-loaded, and with Otto at the plate – we couldn’t have drawn it up any better… unfortunately, neither could they as the reigning MVP went down on strikes, unable to rise to the occasion, and instead of hitting a slam completed the dubious distinction of striking out for the 4th time of the game. Kyle Weaver brought our first two around during the top of the 6th, DOM followed that up with a solo shot in the 8th, but that’d be all she wrote for us offensively as the rest of the club couldn’t be bothered to follow suit. Rough start for Ramiro too – 4.1 innings, 8 hits, 6 earned, a free pass, and only 2 K’s… and just like that, only a mere three series into the season, we’d lose our first of those on the road against a club without much juice behind it.

Record: 6-4, .600, 3rd NL West
Up Next: Some home cookin’ in L.A. against the Las Vegas Outlaws over the weekend.

[pauwoo]

Las Vegas Outlaws (5-3, .625, 2nd NL West) @ Los Angeles Leopards (6-4, .600, 3rd NL West)
Off to a solid start and expected to make the playoffs for the 4th consecutive year, it’ll be interesting to see what Las Vegas’ free agent acquisition, 2B Rich Hamilton, at the ripe old age of 37, brings to the table for an offense that was already ranked 1st in the National League last season… they seem content to stick it out with what they’ve already got for the most part with very little roster turnover during the offseason, hoping, I suppose, that steeping this crew together a little longer will result in that magic, World Series winning, elixir. Of course, we expect to have something to say about that in the end… for now, this opening salvo against our most reviled of NL West rivals, will serve as a sort of appetizer to the larger battle that is sure to come.

11 of 162: Shizuka Takeuchi (1-0, 0.00) @ Stephen Estevez (1-0, 0.90)
Win, 5-3. After scoring all 5 of our runs prior to the start of the 4th inning, we’d attempt to coast our way to the finish, relying on the strength of our pitching to carry us home, and almost lost our footing here as Kaoru Kudo gave up 2-runs during the top of the 9th before Haag came in to stop the bleeding, shutting the upstart Outlaws down by striking out the side on 21 total pitches. Ethan drove two in on a double, his 4th two-bagger on the year, while Hutchinson, PEPPER, and Ian Hanan would each drive a run in on singles to bring us to 5 for the game… the pitching, save what I’ve already described above, was fierce as per usual with Estevez going 5.2 strong and allowing only one runner to plate while fanning three others followed by good performances in relief from Major Hansen and Don Haag. A good start to our ongoing battle with Las Vegas…

Note: Major Hansen has a boo-boo… a sore shoulder to be exact. So… we placed RP Major Hansen on the 10-day injured list and recalled RP Ignazio Armendariz from Triple A Compton in his stead.


Elsewhere: Jonah Dove’s 8th inning GRAND SLAM was all the Miami Herons would need to come back from a near death experience against the Alouettes, in Montreal, to win the first of three games by a score of 5-3. With the win, Miami is now off to a phenomenal 8-2 start on the year.

12 of 162: Jack Snachez-Flores (1-0, 5.40) @ Merl Crawford (1-1, 9.00)
Loss, 2-4. With the game knotted up at 2-each, heading into the 9th, the Outlaws offense would come alive a little bit with a run-scoring single from Jason Bland to put Vegas ahead followed by another run-scoring single from Ray Gerhold to widen the margin. And, for our part, we’d prove unable to keep the pace as Otto squandered another opportunity to be the hero, this time with Ethan on second and OH HONG on first, as he hit into a double play to end things for us. In addition to Otto doing it, Dom, Ono, and Demetri each left runners in scoring position with 2-outs, we left 11 stranded as a club, and watched it all fall apart from the dugout as Turnbull took his first L of the year after allowing the Outlaws to take over during that fateful top of the 9th.

13 of 162: Mitch Hudkins (1-0, 1.42) @ Keith Baeza (0-2, 1.80)
Win, 9-4. The offense would come back to life for us in the rubber match, putting 8 bad ones on the Outlaws before the stretch with another one directly after for good measure. Hanan led the way for us – 1-for-4 with a 3-run TANK – with Dom and Kyle each driving in two to help us bring 9 around while leaving 5 more stranded. Baeza picked up his first win of the season, going 5-innings and allowing 4 hits, 2 runs over the course of the game – he’s now 1-2 on the year with a 2.40 ERA and 22 K’s (7 of which came today). A nice series win to stay undefeated in regular-season series at home thus far.

Record: 8-5, .615, 2nd NL West
Up Next: We’ll welcome the San Jose Seals to town for another 3-game set.

[pauwoo]

San Jose Seals (6-6, .500, 4th NL West) @ Los Angeles Leopards (8-5, .615, 2nd NL West)
After reaching for the stars and making it to the playoffs for the first time in 6 seasons last year, the San Jose Seals have seemingly taken a step back… their offseason was ho-hum, with not even a low-key acquisition worth discussing, and they did nothing during it to fill in the holes where they lost talent to free agency. With spots that once belonged to RP Micho Ishibashi (54/54), LF Travis Scharmer (50/50), and RF Andrew Beck (58/58) going unfilled and only Case Tunnell being added to the fold, it seems that the San Jose Seals are resigning themselves to the role of an also-ran that spends its days shuffling along aimlessly while the rest of us pursue baseball immortality.

14 of 162: Julen Morales (1-1, 3.38) @ Dwight Beasley (2-0, 1.46)
Win, 5-3. It looks like, where Otto is concerned, the 3rd time is the charm as your boy, in his 3rd opportunity to be our hero so far this season, would come through with a 2-run blast that put us ahead against San Jose for good during the bottom of the 7th and the bullpen would take over from there to keep the Seals away from our mackerel the rest of the way… Isaac and Ono each brought in 2 runs on 2-for-4 days with Satoru scoring twice to Otto’s once, we’d secure 3 doubles, two JACKS, and two swiped bags as a club, and Don Haag secured his 3rd save of the year on 12 total pitches.

15 of 162: Knox Hussmann (0-1, 9.35) @ Ramiro Marte (1-1, 5.73)
Loss, 3-4. Proof positive that you can’t win them all, we’d drop a winnable contest here after coming just short on our rally attempt during the bottom of the 8th as we could only muster 2 of the 4 runs we’d need to pull ahead and get the win in this one. 4 doubles for the club, with none of the bunch leading to any runs, two runs driven in on singles, with the other on a wild pitch, and another rough outing for Ramiro who is, after this loss, sitting on a 1-2 record so far with an unacceptable 5.71 ERA. San Jose’s Knox Hussmann gets the nod as the man of the match after giving us the business for 8 innings, allowing a scant 3 runs on our 12 hits, and fanning 4 for the contest. 1-1 for the series so far, with the rubber match all set for tomorrow evening.

16 of 162: Lucas Torres (0-0, 0.00) @ Stephen Estevez (2-0, 1.15)
Win, 5-2. We’d come off the line scoring two quick ones during the bottom of the 1st and trickle a few more in over the course of the game to run this one up a bit with Kyle Weaver leading the way on a 1-for-3 day that included a 2-run single and a run-scoring walk for three total RBI. Estevez continued his hot start, improving to 3-0 on the year with a 1.23 ERA after letting 1 get across in 6.1 innings of work and Don Haag earned his 4th save of the year, fanning two and getting the 3rd out on a pop up as we stayed undefeated in rubber matches and manage to win our 4th series of the season in 5 tries so far.

Record: 10-6, .625, 2nd NL West
Up Next: We’ll take a quick day off before getting back after it, on the road in Portland for the first of two straight series against American League foes.

[pauwoo]

Los Angeles Leopards (10-6, .625, 2nd NL West) @ Portland Pines (7-9, .438, 5th AL West)
Off to a tepid start so far, the Pines have the look of a club in desperate need of an identity. Languishing in 5th place on the AL West table and at 3 games off the pace of the division leading Denver Miners, Portland’s 12th rated offense has been the biggest culprit – 11th in base running and ranked 12th LITERALLY everywhere else – while their staff, ranked 3rd in the American League has been the other side of that coin, doing their level best to keep their ship afloat as we navigate the first full month of the regular season. They have a lot of work to do, holes to plug, and are in need of some significant engine repairs if they are to do anything of note in 2079 as we inch ever closer to open waters.

17 of 162: Merl Crawford (1-1, 6.60) @ Riley Valentine (1-2, 2.76)
Win, 7-5 (10). We’d keep things close throughout, playing the first 8-innings a step or two off Portland’s pace until Otto broke through during the top of the 9th, knotting this one up on a 2-run JACK, his 2nd of the day, that, after he single-handedly kept them off the board with a magnificent OF Assist, gunning down Hernando Benavidez at home to stave off the walk off, would send this one to extras… once there, ya boi, OH HONG broke the tie on a run-scoring single with Otto bringing in another on a run-scoring walk to put us up two and this one, ultimately, out of reach for the AL’s most-anemic offense, who looked much better than advertised up until that unceremonious ending… 5th save for Haag too – a bit more labor intensive than normal, requiring 27 pitches, but he got the job done. Oh, and Ethan Mullens added 3 swiped bags to the permanent record in this one, earning the run fast achievement… no idea if he’s ever gotten three before, seems like it would be a nice addition to the ‘game achievements’ section of the ‘history’ tab in his player profile, but I digress.

Trade Alert: There were plenty of hugs and handshakes all around as 27-year-old minor league CF Manuel Soto left the Los Angeles Leopards today en route to joining the Denver Miners organization. 28-year-old minor league 2B Bill Cox and 25-year-old minor league RF Eric Beach will be traveling to Los Angeles to complete the swap. This is a case of Soto stagnating in my system with no real route to a consistent spot on the big club being sent to a team where he has a shot at making the Major League roster. In return we get an intriguing piece in 2B Bill Cox… I added RF Eric Beach in because he’s a good clubhouse guy that should keep things light for my real prospects in the minors.

18 of 162: Keith Baeza (1-2, 2.40) @ Peter Parrow (1-1, 6.61)
Win, 6-2. Here we’d set the pace, pouring on 3 runs during the top of the 1st and relying on our staff to hold them at arm’s length after Baeza left early with some shoulder discomfort one batter into the 2nd frame. Another rip-roaring day from Otto – 2-for-3 with a double, a 3-Run TANK, 2 walks, and 3 runs – with Dom bringing in two more, and Ono finishing us off with his only hit in 5 tries, driving one in on a single. Jan Hernandez, called into action early, performed like a follower, gave us 5.1 hard scrabble innings of work, allowing nothing to plate on 3 total hits, Nakagawa secured the hold on 19 pitches in the 8th, and Ignazio Armendariz entered his 1st save of the year into the permanent record as we secured another series win with a chance for the sweep tomorrow.

Baeza will enjoy some R&R on the IL for 10 days while AAA stalwart and, hopefully, future big club guy, Newton Weiser, joins us from Compton to don a Leopards kit for a short spell.

19 of 162: Dwight Beasley (2-0, 1.04) @ Kito Western (1-1, 3.27)
Loss, 7-6. In a near mirror-image of our first game in Portland, the La La’s struggled to keep up with Portland early, tried to knot things up again in the top of the 9th, but, Otto, it seems, was out of heroics, hitting the pill into a double play instead of over the fence… 3 doubles, including 2 for Ethan making it 8 on the year, 3 DING DONGS, and a stolen base wouldn’t be enough for us to earn our first road sweep of the year as Beasley, left in much too long here, allowed SEVEN runners to plate on 3 HRA’s and 7 total hits. This is one that he’d like to forget, I’m sure… I’ll need to corner the World’s Best Boss to find out what he was thinking if I can get past his receptionist first.

Record: 12-7, .631, 2nd NL West
Up Next: We’ll head north to Vancouver BC to get after it in Canada against the Mounties for a 3-game set.

[pauwoo]

Los Angeles Leopards (12-7, .631, 2nd NL West) @ Vancouver Mounties (7-11, .389, 6th AL West)
While not the most historically successful of the Cascadia Triumvirate, that distinction likely belongs to Seattle and their 7 championships, Vancouver has been on a nice run over the last few years, making the playoffs in each and earning their 4th title in club history back in 2077… given the makeup of their club, I’d expect them to make their living above Seattle and Portland in 2079 and, while this sluggish start to the ’79 campaign is not an example of them putting their best foot forward, we cross the border knowing full well that this set will be among the most challenging we’ve contested so far. A good, solidly built club, in a cool, distracting city, over a three-game stretch? Yeah, sounds like something to worry about to me… here’s hoping that the boys manage to keep their eyes on the prize while we’re in town, avoid the Lions Gate Bridge during their morning jogs if they have a height phobia, and not get lured into Vancouver’s surprisingly exotic side streets…

20 of 162: Ramiro Marte (1-2, 5.71) @ Isaiah Zuno (1-2, 4.24)
Loss, 1-7. The Mounties would have no trouble with our staff, batting it around to the tune of 14 hits and 7 runs, the brunt of which came at Starter Ramiro Marte’s expense as he drops to 1-3 on the year with an ugly 6.43 ERA… 23-year-old, up-and-comer Baron Henry led Vancouver with a 2-for-4, 2 RBI day as our offense went dormant during an unusually warm 73-degree day in British Columbia. We’d hit 3 doubles as a team, two of which were credited to Dom and none of which led to a score, get a 2-out RBI from Ono, and leave a total of 12 runners stranded over the course of the game. We’ll look to pick ourselves up after this shellacking, dust ourselves off and clean the mud out from behind our ears, before getting ourselves all gussied up again tomorrow to give beating these guys another go.


Elsewhere: 3B Alonso Alejos, of your Watts Warriors, went 4-for-6 with two, two-baggers, a HR, 6 RBI, and 3 runs as our A-Ball club ran roughshod over the beleaguered Athens Hoplites, in good ol’ Watts, by a score of 17-5.



Also… RP Major Hansen feels better, so… we activated him from the injured list, designating RP Ignazio Armendariz for assignment and placing him on irrevocable waivers. Had to be done. I don’t make the rules.

21 of 162: Stephen Estevez (3-0, 1.23) @ Adam Gunter (2-1, 1.93)
Win, 2-0 (14). Vancouver joined us in playing ineffectual offense over the first 13-innings of this contest, until we, finally, managed to punch a couple through, first on a solo homer from OH HONG and later on a run-scoring single from Lee Rolon, to capture the victory in what felt like the hardest way possible. In all, we put 5 hurlers on the mound with each coming through for us to preserve the 14-inning clean sheet… Estevez manned the first 6.1, allowed 6 hits while fanning 6, and Miotke, Haag, Turnbull (who was credited with the win), and Kudo closed the show to charge this win against Vancouver’s account, on the road, giving ourselves a chance at yet another series victory.

22 of 162: Merl Crawford (1-1, 6.64) @ Trev Anderson (1-2, 3.74)
Win, 4-2. We’d claim the series victory, and hand former Leopard, Trev Anderson, the loss, with a rock-steady, meat-and-potatoes type of performance that featured a 3-run MOONSHOT from Otto and another run-scoring single from DOM, with a much better, workmanlike performance from Merl who gave us 6-innings of work with 6 hits and only two earned runs while fanning 7 Mounties in the process. Pepper left early due to knee inflammation… nothing too serious (we hope) as his defensive work on the hot corner will be sorely missed should he require an extended stay on the IL.

Record: 14-8, .636, 1st NL West
Up Next: We’ll head clear across Canada to meet up with the Alouettes in Montreal for a 3-game series before making a quick-turnaround to Los Angeles where the hard-charging Miami Herons will be waiting for us…

[pauwoo]

Los Angeles Leopards (14-8, .636, 1st NL West) @ Montreal Alouettes (13-9, .591, 3rd NL East)
Montreal has settled in nicely to the role the Preseason Punditry positioned them for – a 3rd place finisher, late playoff qualifier with enough under the hood to cause some trouble but lacking in the horsepower required to finish things off with a Championship in 2079. Everything about this club is middle of the road… their offense currently ranks 7th in the NL overall and 7th in runs scored, AVG, OBP, and OPS, and the Pitching, outside of the Starters who currently have the best ERA in the NL, is ranked no higher than 5th in any of the other categories that matter. It’s early, so that they find themselves a scant 2 games off the pace being set by Philly & Miami is no surprise, what would be worth noting however, is if they were to find a way to keep this up, buck the predictions laid forth by the BNN, and actually do some damage this year… eh, not likely, that one’s on me… I let my imagination get the best of me there. Sorry.

23 of 162: Masaya Nakagawa (0-0, 2.61) @ Vincent Urquhart (2-1, 3.51)
Loss, 1-3. A late run-scoring single from backup outfielder, Zackary Boyle, put Montreal ahead one during the bottom of the 8th and they’d get one more when, Kaoru Kudo came unglued and walked another in during the same frame. For our part, outside of Ethan’s solo homer, it was nothing doing as the club, road weary and jet lagged, did nothing of note, sleepwalking their way through this one and paying the price you’d expect as a result. 2B Clay Daniels, a member of our 2075 Championship Team, was injured running the bases when, after being caught with his hand in the honeypot by Dom, came up lame on the play and had to be helped off the field. Diagnosis, as ever, is pending…


Elsewhere: Arnold Webster, a short-lived Leopard who we traded to Toronto in 2077, went buck for his new-ish home during a 3-for-5 performance that included THREE TRUCKS, FIVE RUNS BATTED IN, and THREE RUNS to lead the Maple Leafs to a hard earned, 12-10 road victory over the Vancouver Mounties. Half of Canada rejoiced, the other half did not.

24 of 162: Dwight Beasley (2-1, 3.68) @ Rex Marler (3-0, 1.57)
Loss, 3-5. It seems that drowning our sorrows in Labatt Blue and poutine is not the recipe for success – here, after having it handed to us last night, we’d have it handed to us again. This time with Montreal doing the dirt earlier in the contest with each of their 5 runs being scored prior to the 7th frame serving to underscore the fact that, despite charging three to their account in the top of the 7th, we’d not have enough in the tank to pull even with the home team and had no hope of passing them tonight. 1B Rex Fogg’s 2-run HOMER off Beasley set the tone with C Darby Helton doing the same only two innings later – Beasley, it should be noted, is now tied for 3rd on the HRA table where the leader, Charlotte’s Vladimiro Aguilar, is ahead by 3 so far. DOM hit his 5th ball out of the park, Ethan and Ono both drove one in, and, despite our best efforts here, we wouldn’t be able to overcome Beasley’s 5-earned, 2 HRA start and have now dropped our second series of the season.

25 of 162: Ramiro Marte (1-3, 6.43) @ Rad Taylor (0-1, 5.73)
Win, 4-3. There’s this belief that Canadians are an alarmingly nice, agreeable sort who are always welcoming and eager to please… and while this widely held belief is easily proved incorrect by the French speaking contingent of Canada, you wouldn’t have known it today as the Alouettes, playing us close throughout the contest, were kind enough to allow OH HONG to seize the win with a run-scoring single during the top of the 9th frame and to go down in order during the bottom of it, on strikes each and every one, as Haag recorded his 7th save as a Leopard. Two doubles for PEPPER, his 4th and 5th on the year, a tasty little 3-run DING DONG from ONO that helped us pace Montreal, Ethans 7th steal that helped us let them know we meant business, and that OH HONG magic that carried us home… off into the sunset with our heads held high.

Some unfortunate injury news… SP Carson Vespa (80/80) of the New Orleans Alligators will miss the remainder of the season with a torn rotator cuff… that’s a huge downer. Oh, and the weekly PR is out…

Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) Toronto Maple Leafs (130.4, +)
2) Detroit Motors (122.7, ++)
3) Las Vegas Outlaws (117.5, +)
4) Philadelphia Founders (116.2, -)
5) Los Angeles Leopards (111.0, +)
6) Montreal Alouettes (109.0, ++)
7) Miami Herons (107.0, --)
8) Brooklyn Citizens (101.0, -)
9) New York Sluggers (100.6, ++)
10) Mexico City Jaguars (98.6, ++)
11) Denver Miners (94.5, --)
12) Boston Shamrocks (92.3, +)
13) Portland Pines (88.4, ++)
14) Pittsburgh Pipers (87.4, ++)
15) San Jose Seals (87.4, +)
16) Phoenix Coyotes (85.4, -)
17) Dallas Chaparrals (83.4, --)
18) Salt Lake Alpines (83.4, --)
19) Seattle Metros (81.4, --)
20) Buffalo Nickels (71.0, +)
21) Austin Grackles (63.8, +)
22) Charlotte Imperials (51.6, o)
23) Vancouver Mounties (47.6, --)
24) New Orleans Gators (25.6, o)

Record: 15-10, .600, 2nd NL West
Up Next: Headed west to Los Angeles for a date with the Herons…

[pauwoo]

Well, recap may be too strong a statement… more like, check out the standings, leaders, and our clubhouse after the 1st full month of play…

[pauwoo]

Miami Herons (15-10, .600, 2nd NL East) @ Los Angeles Leopards (15-10, .600, 2nd NL West)
At 15-10 so far in 2079, the Herons are off to a rip-roaring start and look every bit as good as the baseball punditry thought they would be when they penciled them in as a 90+ win team and likely playoff entrant in their preseason predictions. We’re getting them on a 3-game skid, and, despite their 5th rated offense and 7th rated staff, we hope that trend continues as we are coming off a tough series loss against the Alouettes and would love nothing more that to get back on the horse at home against our friends from Florida.

26 of 162: Russell Wooten (1-0, 3.38) @ Stephen Estevez (3-0, 0.94)
Win, 3-0. Estevez gave us 6-strong, allowed just 1 hit and nothing earned to go along with his outlandish 12 K’s… and the bullpen fell in line as Major Hansen, Donovan Turnbull, and Don Haag each went an inning of shutout baseball to keep the Herons off the board. The offense, while nothing special, did enough to get us over on Miami with Ethan bringing in one on a double, Dom putting one out, a solo shot, and Hutchinson contributing with a run-scoring single during the bottom of the 2nd that turned out to be the winning run.

Note: Major Hansen would have given us more burn but left after an inning with discomfort in his elbow… his diagnosis is pending, so, yeah – not awesome.

27 of 162: Cathal Magill (3-0, 3.29) @ Merl Crawford (2-1, 5.81)
Win, 8-2. Things came completely undone for the Miami Herons during the bottom of the 6th when we dropped 5 runs on them, 3 of which came by HR – an Otto solo shot and a 2-run blast from Pepper – and gave ourselves all the room we’d need to guarantee a series win while handing our visitor their 5th straight loss. We’d get a 2-run double from Hanan, 3 JACKS as a club, and Bill Cox, who played both right and leftfield in this one, smashed our 3rd homer of the game on another 2-run BLAST for the Yellow Tops. The pitching, as per usual, was fierce – Merl gave us 6-innings of tip-top work, allowing 8 hits with only 2 of those finding their way back to home plate, and the bullpen navigated the final three frames in the image and style we’ve grown accustomed to.


Elsewhere: Paulo Legna, putting it down something fierce for the Detroit Motors, went 4-for-5 with a DING DONG and 4 RBI as his club ran roughshod over the Seattle Metros, dispatching them with ease by a final tally of 10-2. SP Trevor Dotson went the distance for Detroit, allowing 4 hits and 2 earned to go along with his 8 K’s for the game. With the win, Detroit improves to 18-9 on the year, but are somehow still a ½ game off the division leading Toronto Maple Leafs current pace.

We got the word back on Major Hansen… he’ll be out for 7-weeks with an elbow strain. In his stead, RP Ignazio Armendariz will put in some work with the big club, and, one of my favorites down on the farm, Orlando Vasquez, will don the COMPTON kit in Triple-A for a stretch.

28 of 162: Hunter Vaughn (3-1, 2.45) @ Masaya Nakagawa (0-0, 2.16)
Win, 1-0. We’d secure our first series sweep of the season, at home, and by the slimmest margin allowed as Nakagawa nearly went the distance, giving up a single hit during 8-innings of work, and Don Haag stepped in to record his 9th save to close this one out against a reeling Miami Herons. Ethan brought in our lone run on a single, Pepper hit a two-bagger, and we managed to get the one we needed while leaving 6 more stranded… all in a days work, a win is a win and all that.

Record: 18-10, .642, 1st NL West
Up Next: We’ll take a much-needed day of rest tomorrow, make the quick hop over to Las Vegas, and spend the weekend in Sin City playing some baseball and getting ourselves into whatever else we find amusing while we’re in town.

[pauwoo]

Los Angeles Leopards (18-10, .642, 1st NL West) @ Las Vegas Outlaws (17-10, .630, 2nd NL West)
While not as highly regarded by the baseball punditry as we are, the Las Vegas Outlaws have, thus far, been every bit as good. They’ve really shined so far on offense, where they find themselves ranked 1st in the National League – they get on base at an alarming clip (.363, 1st), score seemingly at will (138 runs, 2nd), and are adept at wreaking havoc once they get there (+7.5 base running, 1st). And the pitching, while not as lights out as ours, is a few ticks above serviceable at 4th overall in the NL with the 2nd best FIP in the league… this is to say that, regardless of those stupid preseason predictions, you’d be best served by forgetting what you know, and just settle into the reality that the Las Vegas Outlaws are a formidable foe capable of dusting us with prejudice in their park should we not come with it here.

Injury Update: SP Keith Baeza has been cleared to rejoin the club as he’s conquered his ailment with hard work and determination… and, as a reward, we’re sending him to Compton for a rehab stint. Better safe than sorry, I always say…

29 of 162: Dwight Beasley (2-2, 4.55) @ Jake Talley (1-2, 6.84)
Win, 3-2. Dwight brought his handcuffs with him on the road, shackling them onto the opposition here as he held the Outlaws in check over 5-inning of work where he’d allow a mere 5 hits and 1 earned while fanning 7 hapless hitters… and the offense, while not too exciting, did what was necessary to walk away with the win here as Ethan tilted the roulette table with a 3-run TRUCK that did Las Vegas in during the top of the 3rd while everyone else in the dugout gave each other high fives and fist bumps. A good start to the series, more great pitching early in the 2079 campaign, and, with Haag already securing his 10th save of the season he’s trending to eclipse the club record of 56 set by Donovan Turnbull one short season ago.

30 of 162: Ramiro Marte (1-3, 5.60) @ Shizuka Takeuchi (2-2, 4.21)
Loss, 1-3. After giving the Outlaws the business yesterday, it was our turn to be on the wrong end of the stick as Takeuchi befuddled our lineup over 6.2 innings of work to improve his record to 3-2 on the year. Offensively, as I’m sure you could’ve guessed by the score, our results resembled the barren wasteland surrounding the Strip with both Otto and Ono fanning three times, just one double and homer for the club, and 6 men left stranded out on the basepaths. This was a case study in how not to get things done.

31 of 162: Stephen Estevez (4-0, 0.78) @ Jack Sanchez-Flores (3-1, 3.38)
Loss, 5-6. We’d take a 5-3 lead during the top of the 6th off a bases-clearing, 3-run double from PEPPER but ran out of steam from there as our much-vaunted bullpen sprung a leak with Miotke allowing 2 and Kudo allowing two more to sink our hopes of cribbing a set off Las Vegas in their ballpark. OH HONG went 1-for-5, brought two in on a DINGER but fanned thrice, Otto went 1-for-5 and then had his hit erased when he got caught with his hand in the honey pot, and Chirs Hutchinson committed his 3rd error at SS leading to a couple of early runs for the bad guys. All in all, not our best effort, and, when the Outlaws are looking back at you from the opposite dugout anything less than your best just won’t suffice.

Also, as a nice by-product of losing this set, we’ve slipped into second place in the NL West behind… you guessed it – the Las Vegas Outlaws.

Record: 19-12, .612, 2nd NL West
Up Next: A travel day to get back to L.A. (and we’re not even taking a bus) followed by a 3-game set, at home, against the San Jose Seals….

[pauwoo]

San Jose Seals (16-15, .516, 3rd NL West) @ Los Angeles Leopards (19-12, .613, 2nd NL West)
Since we last met waaay back on April 19th, the Seals have done enough to tread water, running in place, and maintaining their tenuous grasp on a potential playoff berth. By my math, they’ll continue to do enough to tread water, to maybe, if everything lines up just right, make the playoffs again, and, at best, miss out on true love as a bridesmaid once more. They’ve played okay so far – should, according to the Pythagorean, be a game better than they are – and have the look of a club that will operate as a sort of gatekeeper… nowhere near good enough to challenge the likes of us and Las Vegas, but competent enough to keep the riff raff at bay.

Oh, and speaking of Las Vegas… I got this in the mail this morning: Shizuka Takeuchi had to wait several agonizing days to find out his diagnosis after suffering a torn flexor tendon in his elbow on 05/06/2079. Today he received word from the Las Vegas doctor that he would be out the rest of the year. Team officials called it a huge setback but something they would have to overcome. Bums me out...

32 of 162: Bentley Hunt (3-2, 1.74) @ Merl Crawford (3-1, 5.29)
Win, 3-1. Merl came correct over 7-innings of work, allowing a mere 5 hits, one earned run, and ZERO walks while fanning 5, and Kyle Weaver, making the most of his substitute role today, finished 1-for-3 with the run-scoring double that put us ahead for good. It was his 5th double of the season and came at a time when San Jose Starter, Bentley Hunt, was absolutely dealing… he’d go 8-innings strong for the Seals, but their offense couldn’t reward him with the hard-earned victory here as our bullpen, Turnbull and Haag specifically, shined once again with a combined 2-innings pitched, 1 hit between them, and 2 K’s…

Note: Ethan went down during that last one with an abdominal strain… no biggie, but, out of an abundance of caution we’ll let him work it out on the IL for 10-days and bring up Chuck Holmes for a cup of coffee… Chuck doesn’t really figure into the future plans of my big club, so think of this as an opportunity for him to entice some suitors in trade as I’ll likely throw him on the block once Ethan returns.

33 of 162: Julen Morales (2-3, 3.97) @ Masaya Nakagawa (1-0, 1.46)
Win, 2-0. In yet another snooze fest, unless pitching is your bag, Otto’s 9th TRUCK, a 2-run blast during the bottom of the 3rd, was all we’d need to get by the Seals in the second of our three contests. RF Chuck Holmes, getting some burn as soon as we got him fitted into his kit, went 1-for-2 with a walk, a run, and a swiped bag… good on the kid, taking his audition seriously I see. Nakagawa was great – 6-innings, 5-hits, nothing earned – Kudo was good – 2-innings, 1-hit, 4 K’s – and Haag performed as expected, earning his 12th save on 25 total pitches during the top of the 9th. Actually, the result he got was expected, that it took him 25 pitches to bring this one home was not.


34 of 162: Lucas Torres (1-2, 4.30) @ Dwight Beasley (3-2, 4.13)
Loss, 2-3. Lucas Torres kept us in check most of the way, allowing only two of our guys to plate on 5 total hits against him for the club and their 3B, Jimmy Potter, determined to make sure his club left town with some shred of dignity left, put a game-winning, bases-clearing, 3-run triple on the board during the top of the 8th with all three of the runs getting charged to Weiser’s account after he loaded them up before handing it off to Armendariz. Another solid day for Otto – 3-for-4 with a HR – and Bill Cox helped us keep it close with a 2-run DING DONG, his 2nd on the year, during an ill-fated rally attempt. The sweep would’ve been great – no doubt – but, we’ll settle for what we can get here, keep moving forward, and get ourselves ready for the next one.

Record: 21-13, .617, 1st NL West
Up Next: Dallas will meet us in our park for a 3-game, interleague set.

[pauwoo]

Dallas Chaparrals (17-17, .500, 3rd AL West) @ Los Angeles Leopards (21-13)
The Chaparrals find themselves in 3rd on the AL West table, tied at 17-17 with the Denver Miners, and only 3 games off Portland’s early, 20-14 pace. So far, they’re doing the dirt on offense where they rank 3rd in runs scored, AVG, and wOBA, and 4th in OBP, OPS, and Home Runs with the newly signed former Leopard, Andy Shepard, settling in nicely with 2 HRs and 12 RBIs since joining the club on April 10th. Ultimately, as we progress through the 2079 campaign, it’s the pitching that will likely be their undoing – already ranked 10th overall in the American League, with a leaky pen that is currently posting a 3.96 ERA (good enough for 11th in the AL), that is backed up by a suspect defensive unit that boasts a poor -2.3 ZR and a shoddy .686 defensive efficiency. They could, with a little creativity, trade some of their blue chip prospects for pitching depth that might be enough to carry them into the postseason as early as this year, but will likely stay the course and bring them up internally with an eye on being a perennial threat in the years to come. For now, their fans will silently suffer through a couple more years of futility before, hopefully, having their patience rewarded with something special.

35 of 162: Teodoro Herrera (2-3, 4.79) @ Ramiro Marte (1-4, 5.51)
Loss, 3-4. The Chaparrals took the lead early in the game, on a 2-run JACK courtesy of 3B Zach Jobes and would not relinquish it from there as each time we pulled even, they’d find a way to inch ahead until we were out of frames and the tilt was officially sorted. Teodoro Herrera gave us the business over 8-innings of work, finding a way to move to 3-3 on the year while moving his club above the .500 mark for the season despite giving up homers to OH HONG and ONO. Ramiro Marte drops to 1-5 on the year after allowing 3 earned over 5.1 innings of work due in no small part to our offensive shortcomings, though recent call up, Chuck Holmes, continues to give a good account of himself with a double and a run to his name in this one.


Elsewhere: Seattle’s Patrick Adams led his Metros to a resounding 12-2 victory over the beleaguered Austin Grackles with a 5-for-6 day at the plate that included a double, a 3-run TANK, and 6 total RBI. With the win, the Metros moved to 18-18 on the year and now find themselves operating a scant 2 ½ games off the Pines’ pace.

36 of 162: Sherwin Kane (2-3, 5.57) @ Stephen Estevez (4-0, 1.13)
Win, 1-0. Estevez went 6 scoreless innings, and the Miotke-Turnbull-Haag trio came through for us again, maintaining the clean sheet over the final four frames, and tallying a combined 6 K’s in the process. Offensively, it was more of the same – we’d come up lame at the plate more often than not with Satoru Ono finally breaking the tie with a 2-out, run-scoring single directly after the 7th inning stretch. So, once again we got over on pitching and defense with a lights out performance from the bullpen and 2 expertly executed double plays.


Elsewhere: Highlighted here as much for his name as his game performance, North Carolina’s Catcher, Charles Bjork, went 4-for-4 with a double, 4 RBI, 4 runs, and 2 free passes to lead his Tar Heels to a dominant 23-2 win over the USC Trojans. Sweet ‘stache too…

37 of 162: Radoslav Borovsky (4-2, 3.18) @ Merl Crawford (3-1, 4.58)
Win, 4-2. Dom styled on Borovsky during the 5th, flipping his bat like he just hit a game 7 winning walk off after punching his 8th longball out of the part, a 2-run shot that put us up by 3 at the time. From there we’d turn it over to the pitching and defense, hoping they’d have enough in the tank to get us over the finish line, and, while Kudo and Weiser each gave up a run in relief, the pen was mostly flawless and did enough for us to get over on one of the ‘best’ offenses in the American League. Though, Donovan Turnbull was forced out after pitching to just one batter with an elbow issue. With the win, we’ve now won 9 of our 12 series played so far this year.

Hidetoshi Hasagawa was quick with his diagnosis… Turnbull will be out for 6-7 weeks with Elbow Tendinitis making room for Keith Baeza to return from his rehab assignment in Compton.

Record: 23-14, .621, 1st NL West
Up Next: More interleague silliness as we await the PNW’s finest arrival in town for a 3-game set against the Metros.