The IBL's Chicago Iron Pigs

[gehrig38]

2/28
Pats sign all time SB leader Moore:
Philadelphia and 3 time gold glove 1B Kevin Moore have agreed to terms on a 4 year 30M dollar extension. The 32 year old is the IBL’s all time SB leader at 243, as well as 2nd all time in games played (959). Moore spent last season in Boston, hitting .293 with a career low 21 stolen bases and 151 games played. Prior to that he’d missed just 2 games (2014) in his career. He will likely hit 2nd in the Patriots revamped order.


3/2
Jean Chartier.....is still at home.

[gehrig38]

Chicagi Iron Pigs roster, and plans, for the 2018 Club:

ROTATION:

For the most part the rotation is solid, and set. Thompson (2017 Koufax winner 21-4 2.91) is the undisputed ace. At 36 the hope is we can get another great season or two out of him. He’ a free agent at years end, and if we manage a healthy first half I will work to sign him to a 2 year extension.

Ken Lee (16-10 3.82 and 36-14 last 2 years) is most other teams #1, our only LH starter, he’s 28. He’s signed through the 2021 season with a 112 GS vesting option at 4.5-6.5M base.

Bryan Rogers (13-9 5.28) is the #3. He’s cut his walks down (from 100 in 161.1 to 84 in 170.1) and brought his k rate up (8.09 to 9.88). At 27 the hope is his power arm will supplant Thompson as the staff ace in the next 2 years. He’s signed through the 2019 season with a 55 GS vesting option for 6.36M.

Gerardo Zamora (15-3 5.51) is the #4. At 23 there is still much room to grow but he works in the upper 90’s with a great FB/Change/Curve and Fork mix. His changeup is his 2nd best pitch. He just needs work and innings and the depth in the rotation this year will let that happen. Our 2013 1st pick (4th overall). Has just 1 year and 62 days service time, making the minimum.

The battle in this rotation is for the 5th spot. Roberto Martinez (our 2014 1st rounder, 8th overall) is just 21 years old but went a combined 15-3 2.19 in 25 starts between AA/AAA last season. The Guatamalen native will get every chance to seize the job.

The main competition for the 5 spot is likely to come from Mike Hamilton. He went 17-5 2.74 in AAA Tulsa last season and had a very good September start last year as well. A minor league FA signed in 2012, he’s worked his way up the minor league ladder each year, and stands poised to crack an IBL rotation this season. Jimmy Mason (14-5 4.54 in AAA last season) and Jesus Estrada (7-12 5.17 for Dayton last year) are the other 2 possibilities, with both likely anchoring the Tulsa rotation to start the season.

BULLPEN:

The team will once again aim to have 3 righties and 3 lefties setting up the 2017 Rivera Award winner Ernesto Cruz.
The ‘locks’ are Pennington, Winston, Johnson, with Sanchez, Holt, Arturo Rodriguez, Jake Ellison and Mike Moore battling for the 2 remaining lefty spots, and 1 remaining righty.

CATCHING:

It’s looking like 27 year old George Knox (.276-11-50 in 51 games after being acquired from Sacramento last season) will unseat the only regular catcher Iron Pigs fans have ever known, Eric Hudson. Their both RH hitters, but Knox brings light tower power and is a potential gold glove candidate right now. Hudson will revert to a backup role, helping with double headers or spelling Knox. The only other Catcher in camp is 25 year old Martin Ramirez, our top catching prospect who will open the season playing everyday in Tulsa. He hit .253-12-49 in 97 games their last year. His defense is good, very good, but we’ll work to improve on it. Should there be an issue with either IBL catcher he’s ready to fill in.

INFIELD:

The FL’s 2017 Rookie of the year and MVP runner up 25 year old Pedro Salinas anchors the IF at 1st. Rule 5 pick Santiago Caro is in camp, and is likely to be returned barring a significant injury or trade. 25 year old Paul Riggs enters the 1st year of a 4 year contract signed last year, and will play 2B every day. Looking for another 40+ double season.
The Iron Pigs will have a drastically different look at short this year, with 24 year old superstar Jean Chartier choosing free agency rather than return to the World Champions. At the outset it looks like Will Harris and Massi Lorenzelli will split the duties at short. Both are outstanding defensive players with Lorenzelli (RH) being the guy to drive a ball and Harris (LH) being the ‘on base’ guy offensively. Wes Morgan is back at 3rd base this season. Moving from 1st for Salinas last year, the 29 year old hit ‘just’ 24 homers last year while hitting .294/.388/.486 in 129 games. He can move to 1st for defense late in games.

Caro, John Johnston, Lester Jones and Alberto Rivera will all battle for the last IF spot. Jones hit .400/.550/.778 in 27 games over 45 AB’s in a call up late last year and can play 2B, 3B and short. Johnston is the defensive whiz, being an outstanding IF at all 3 of those same positions. Our scouts say his eye is every bit as good as Jones but he’s yet to show it. Runs very well. Rivera comes to camp at 23 years old, already having spent 5 seasons in pro ball. If he’s not our 3B in the next 2-3 years he’s going to be someones. Oozing potential as a high average, high OBP guy he just needs to keep getting AB’s. He hit .312 in 104 AAA games last season and has little to prove in the minors. He plays 1st and 3rd and can play a middle IF position in a pinch.

OUTFIELD

The leagues best outfield is back and healthy. Eric Coates (LF) Hugh Collins (CF) and Bill Alexander (RF) along with Luis Chavez (DH) combine to create the most explosive offensive combo in the game. 26 year old RH Ron Miller is the 5th guy in this mix, and all he did was hit .277-26-84 in 133 games last season with a .389 OBP.
The last OF spot figures to be the best spring training battle. With 3 lefties, a switch and a right handed hitter in the mix, the last spot can likely go to the best camp guy. Gabriel Fies (23, L, acquired from Pittsburgh in 2014) Orlando Reyes (23, L, 2015 minor league FA) Steve Rowe (L, 26, acquired from El Paso last season) and Troy Becker (R, 28, acquired from Tulsa in 2016) all battling for the job. Reyes is the best CF in the mix and can play a very good RF, Fies plays a great LF, but nothing else very well, Rowe is the best all around defender, being of gold glove caliber at all three OF spots and Becker plays both corner spots well.

So the big spring training questions to answer:
1) Is Martinez ready to take the 5th spot?
2) What will the final 3 arms in the pen look like?
3) Knox over Hudson?
4) Who nabs the final IF spot?
5) Which OF’er best rounds out the 5 man crew?

Every single question also comes with the same old caveat, “barring injury”. Which is the biggest goal, getting through camp healthy.

[gehrig38]

Ya, -9.2.....
When you lose a 24 year old superstar SS and your former #1 the WAR gain/loss can look a bit bleak.
We may not win 113 games again, but this is the team to beat.

Funny thing is Corpus Christi got their biggest WAR bump with their last winter signing, Lange.

[gehrig38]

3/4

Arizona signs OF Olivo:
The Greyhounds inked former Tulsa slugger, 32 year old Arturo Olivo to a 4 year 31.08M deal. Olivo hit .274-28-115 last season for the Drillers.

Knights nab Glaus
26 year old 1B/3B Troy Glaus has signed a 4 year 29.24M dollar free agent contract with the New York Knights. Galus is coming off a career year in 2017, hitting .255-37-108.

3/11

Tulsa re-ups Downs:
Tulsa signed 32 year old SP Joel Downs (2014 Koufax award winner) to 3 year 21M dollar extension. Downs was 16-9 3.95 for the Drillers last year and is 94-54 4.08 lifetime.

3/14

Hamilton out until May:
Josh Hamilton (GB) will miss the next 6 weeks after he broke his hand today.

Tulsa extends Reed:
The Drillers signed star OF Wally Reed to a 5 year 80M dollar extension. Reed hit .313-33-86 last year.

3/20

Patriots SP Vargas to miss 2018:
25 year old Carlos Vargas will undergo shoulder surgery and miss the 2018 season. Vargas was 11-10 4.93 last season. He was originally drafted by Chicago in the 13th round of the inaugural draft.

3/23

Chartier finds a home:
Jean Chartier has signed a 2 year 20.58M dollar deal with the El Paso Diablos. He wil hit behind Ichiro and ahead of Caden Haynes and Stefan Conway, making the Diablos a unanimous favorite in the FL.

(Wow, from 24 per, to a 20.58M TOTAL dollars to sign with El Paso. That team is beyond stacked #1, and #2 I can, if I choose to, be a bidder in 2 years. We’ll get the comp pick, and try and continue our strong trend of good drafts. We now have #3, #31 and #33 #39 and #41 of the first 50 picks in the June draft).

[gehrig38]

Some good springs, surprising moves and Chicago says good bye to a fan favorite.

We ended up 14-10 in the spring.

Morgan, Collins, Coates, Salinas, Riggs and Knox, Lorenzelli as well, had strong offensive springs. John Johnstons defensive ability and his uncanny ability to get on won him the backup IF spot. Eric Hudson had a nice spring as well, and as expected Martin Ramirez will get to Tulsa and provide great insurance to start the year. In the OF none of the guys had even a ‘decent’ spring, so after the deals you’re about to read about, we head north with 4 OF’s and Miller as the ‘5th’ and RH bat.
Roberto Martinez worked to a 3.38 ERA in 16 IP and won the 5th spot over Mike Hamilton (6.91 in 14.1 IP). Though Martinez walked 12 so I’ll watch early on for signs he may need a few more AAA starts.

MR Jorge Sanchez (25), a homegrown inaugural draft guy, had a bad spring with a bad contract. Already in budget shearing mode, his 3M dollars is better spent, or saved, elsewhere. Buffalo jumped all over him, offering 25 year old IF Wes Webb. Webb is a RH backup infielder with well above average power and a very good bat. He hit .320-16-61 in 74 games last year and is an outstanding IF defender at 1st, 3rd and an above average SS and 2B. This deal also pushes Johnston from the backup IF role to an everyday spot in Tulsa.

Long time favorite Ken Johnson has had an amazing run, and been here since day 1. After he went to the pen he came back from Tulsa, saved a season, literally, made an all star team and anchored the setup crew. He wants to start now, and at 32 I don’t blame him. So we opted to give him the chance, LA has just lost Shaun Calhoun for at least a few months and offered him a rotation spot, and offered us an outstanding young CL prospect in return. We took 19 year old RHP Al Flowers and sent him to Heavener. He’s a back end bullpen arm with time to develop.

And as expected our fans are livid. The loss of Alejandrez, Chartier and Johnson, 3 members of the club from day 1, has not gone over well, fan interest has dropped to 75.

Caro was returned to Michigan (the game needs to provide a ‘legal’ means of doing this rather than the editor), and the bullpen will be Ellison, Moore and Pennington from the left side, with Holt, Rodriguez and Winston from the right, setting up Ernesto Cruz.

So the team breaks north as follows:

Rotation
#1 Thompson
#2 Lee
#3 Rogers
#4 Zamora
#5 Martinez

(A potentially lethal rotation, but an extremely young back end)

Pen
Setup
L Ellison
L Moore
L Pennington
R Holt
R Winston
R Rodriguez
CL Cruz

(Feel very good about this, 7 power arms, with options everywhere and AAA depth as well)

Vs. RHP
LF Coates (L)
CF Collins (L)
DH Chavez (L)
1B Salinas (R)
3B Morgan (L)
RF Alexander (S) (had an atrocious spring….)
C Knox/Hudson (R) (Knox will likely get 60-70% or more of the RH starts)
2B Riggs (R)
SS Harris (L)


Vs. LHP
2B Riggs (R)
RF Chavez (L)
1B Salinas (R)
DH Miller (R)
C Knox (R)
CF Collins (L)
3B Webb (R)
LF Coates (L)
SS Lorenzelli (R)

Both lineups, I’m more than ok with. This team should threaten another 1000 run season if we stay healthy.

[gehrig38]

NEWS
West Michigan signed Lee Allen (.284-28-96 in NY last year) to a 1 year 8.79M deal.


Predictions
Another monster season in Chicago if things go as planned. Though I have no idea how they can only predict a 94 win season for El Paso. Amazingly 4 of my 5 SP’s are being tabbed as having outstanding seasons, and our closer appears on the list again. Big things from Chavez and Salinas. A batting title for Helton? The HR title in the FL is being awarded to H. Hernandez of Buffalo? Just 2 years removed from A ball, 22 year old Hector Hernandez is poised for a monster career. His offensive capabilities are elite, across the board. He was discovered and signed out of Cuba in 2012 as a 17 year old, by the West Michigan White Caps, and dealt to Buffalo in 2013. Will this really be the year Bryan Rogers assumes “Ace” status? If he comes anywhere NEAR that season the answers resoundingly yes.

Over in the Coastal some tight races, with Houston returning to prominence? That division is looking like a dog fight with potentially 2 100 win teams. The Pacific is up for grabs, and with the new schedules teams will all be playing a large majority of their games within their divisions.

Tulsa again is all over both the offensive and pitching boards. Whimster with another MVP run, Rios in San Antonio battling LA’s Chandler Harris for a home run crown? Tulsa, Pittsburgh and Houston all with 2/5th ‘s of their rotation predicted to have strong years.

[gehrig38]

Look at the changes! 114? Really? Some 20 win seasons being handed out. I just can't fathom El Paso not crushing that division, but you gotta play the games so we'll see.

[gehrig38]

Walt Thompson is looking for 18-20 a year, for 6 years, which has zero chance of happening. I started at 2x14, and went to 15, and he wants more, so we wait….

[gehrig38]

It’s FINALLY here! Some small news items and the top 100…

Dallas inked 27 year old SP Ed Lawson to a 1 year 1.88M dollar deal. Lawson has been pitching for perennial doormat New Hampshire the past 5 years, and sports a 51-76 4.74 lifetime mark in 154 starts.

We've managed to 'slip' waaay down the list. But that's not necessarily a bad thing since the reason we did was all our prospects are now in the big leagues, or most are.

We have very little depth and will work to make this years draft one that restocks the system with 6 of the first 50 picks.

Hall is the #1 prospect for the 2nd year running. Paterson missed all of last season, and moved up 4 spots... Great surgeon.

[gehrig38]

It’s FINALLY here! Some small news items and the top 100…

Dallas inked 27 year old SP Ed Lawson to a 1 year 1.88M dollar deal. Lawson has been pitching for perennial doormat New Hampshire the past 5 years, and sports a 51-76 4.74 lifetime mark in 154 starts.

WEEK 1

3 @ Columbus (off day after opening day)
2 vs Staten Island
2 vs Alaska

OPENING DAY

GAME 1
Thompson (1-0) punches out 9 in a 6-5-1-0-1-9 outing, Coates goes 3-4 and Webb, Knox and Alexander all homer.
CHI 9 COL 3 (1-0)

STREAKS
Jorge Saucedo (HOU) kept his 2017 hitting streak alive, going 2-5 in Houston’s 13-3 win over Dallas to extend it to 25 games.

ORG NEWS
John Johnston appears to be taking his demotion out on AAA pitching. He went 5-5 in Tulsa’s opening day 6-1 win. Mike Hamilton tossed a CG 5 hitter.

OFF DAY NEWS
Saucedo streak ended in a Houston’s 5-0 win over Dallas.

SIGNINGS
Edmonton signed SP J.R. Robinson (16-14 4.48 with NY last year) to a 4 year 17.72M dollar deal. J.R. is 57-55 4.75 lifetime. Last year was his best year, after spending the first 5 in Buffalo.

GAME 2
Collins sat with the flu today. George Knox hit his 2nd HR, and his 2nd 1st inning HR, in 2 games. His 1st inning 3 run shot was enough, as Ken Lee (1-0) went 7 strong (7-5-2-2-1-5) and Ernesto Cruz, with help from Jake Ellison (H1) saved his 1st. We’re also getting a look at the IBL’s #2 prospect in 3rd baseman Pedro Debesa, who’s 1-7 through the 1st 2.
CHI 4 COL 2 (2-0)

GREAT GAMES
Corey Elkins (EP) hasn’t thrown a pitch in competition since 9/2/16, having 2 separate surgeries on his back and arm in that time. His 1st game back? Ya, a no-no……..
Elkins no-hit Edmonton for the IBL’s 9th ever no-hitter and El Paso’s 1st. He punched out 7, and walked 7, in good ‘ol AJ Burnett fashion…..

GAME 3
Antonio Sandoval (1-0) was on, and Ivan Lopez (SV 1) tossed a perfect 9th in a 3-0 shut out. Rogers (0-1) went 6-3-2-2-5-6 running into trouble with 2 outs in the 3rd on Wazir Ubadah’s 2 out 2 run double. We managed just 4 hits.
COL 3 CHI 0 (2-1)

INJURY NEWS
Fisher Cats down a Closer
26 year old New Hampshire Closer Stewart Ward is out what looks like the rest of the 2018 season after shoulder surgery revealed a much larger problem than team docters have suspected. Ward has saved 101 games in the past 3 seasons for Tulsa before signing his 2 year 22.6M dollar deal with New Hampshire this winter. Fisher Cats 2017 Closer Donald Kelly (38 saves) will assume the role once again.

GAME 4
George Knox homers for the 3rd time, driving in 3 and Hugh Collins (1) and Bill Alexander (2) go deep to back Zamora’s 6-5-4-4-2-7 day. Rodriguez (H1) and Pennington (H1) get it to Cruz for his 2nd save.
CHI 7 SI 4 (3-1)

GAME 5
A debut for the ages. Roberto Martinez (1-0) punches out 12 in 7 innings of dominating ball for his 1st IBL win. Bill Alexander went 4-4 with his 3rd HR, George Knox (4), Hugh Collins (2) and Wes Morgan (1) all homered as well.
CHI 8 SI 1 (4-1)

GAME 6
Thompson and Bean battled into the 8th and the pens took over, with Cruz (1-0) beating Suhayb (0-1) when Hugh Collins 2 out walk off single scored Paul Riggs in the bottom of the 9th. Collins was 3-5 with 2 RBI’s. Paul Riggs went 3-4. Thompson ended the night with a 7.1-5-2-2-0-8 line.
CHI 3 ALK 2 (5-1)

NEWS
Vegas has a day:
The 51’s shut out LA pn Bruce Thomas’s 4 hitter, 5-0, and immediately after the game announced they’d reached an agreement on a 4 year 48.2M dollar extension with 26 year old CF Bob White. White is a career .256 hitter coming off a career high 31 HR’s and 115 RBI’s last year. He has 109 lifetime HR’s in 727 games. He led the IBL with 50 2B’s and 81 XBH in 2015.

GAME 7
Pedro Salinas slammed 2 HR’s off Avalanche SP CC Sabathia and Ken Lee went 7.2-7-3-3-2-5 for his 2nd win. Cruz got the final 4 for his 3rd save. Miller (1) and Knox (5) also homered in the game. Quinn Thomason’s 3 run shot in the 1st accounted for the entire Alaska output.
CHI 6 ALK 3 (6-1)

GREAT GAMES
Curt Whimster (TUL) went 5-5 in a 6-2 Driller loss to Corpus Christi.

WEEK 1 RECAP
FL POTW-Troy Glaus (NY) 11-26 3 HR’s 10 RBI’s
CL POTW-Jesus Sanchez (HOU) 11-31 3 HR’s 12 RBI’s

IBL POWER RANKINGS
1) Pittsburgh
2) El Paso
3) Chicago
4) Fresno
5) Buffalo

[gehrig38]

WEEK 2
Off Day
3 @ West Michigan
3 vs Dayton

OFF DAY NEWS
Former Iron Pig SP Mike Davis (SAC) tossed a 2 hitter over Boston, he’s 2-0 2.76 in 2 starts.

GAME 8
Bryan Rogers (1-1) struggled, but the offense did not. Banging out a season high 13 runs on 15 hits led by Luis Chavez’s 4-4 3 run 3 RBI (5) day. Chavez (1) Miller (2) and Salinas (3) homered, Miller driving in 3.
Rogers threw 111 pitches in a 5-8-6-6-5-5 outing.
CHI 13 WMI 6 (7-1)

GAME 9
West Michigan lost their SP, a RP and their SS to injuries during the course of this game. Howard McDonald singled, tripled and his 3 run homer turned a Zamora good start, to a bad one. A furious 8th inning rally turned a 6-3 deficit into a 6-6 tie and Wes Webbs 3rd hit of the day drove in the game winner in the 10th. Web was 3-5 with 4 runs, Hugh Collins hit the game tying 3 run homer in the 8th for his 3rd. Eric Coates had 3 hits in a 3-5 day.
CHI 7 WMI 6 (10) 8-1

GAME 10
Roberto Martinez (2-0) punches out 10 in 6.1 IP and Rodriguez (H2) and Pennington (SV1) close it out. Hugh Collins doubles (3) and homers (4) and Alexander drives in 2 (12).
CHI 5 WMI 3 (9-1)

GOOD GAMES
Don Saunders (GB) tossed a 5 hitter in a 10-0 Blizzard win over Columbus. He’s 2-0 1.04 in 2 starts.

Luis Acosta (CC) threw a 2 hitter in a 3-0 Hooks win over San Antonio.

GREAT GAMES
Antonio Rodriguez (TUL) became the 10th pitcher in IBL history to throw a no-hitter in Tulsa’s 6-0 win over Boston. Not only did he toss the no-no, but he established a new IBL single game record with 16 K’s. Rodriguez was the Drillers 1st round draft choice in the 2012 June draft (2nd overall) out of Rice. In 3 starts Rodriguez has tossed 26 IP, given up 7 hits with a 0.00 ERA.

INJURIES
White Caps SP Ruben Gonzalez, who came out of our game the other day, is out for at least 4 months. The 22 year old was expected to produce big for West Michigan this season.

GAME 11
Thompson had nothing today but the offense managed to battle back from a 7-4 hole to take an 8-7 lead into the 8th. After Dave Winston surrended a tie breaking homer to Alfonso Gallegos in the top half, Eric Coates singled home Will Harris for the lead, and Ernesto Cruz notched his 5th save. Chavez went 2-4 with 4 RBI’s (9) on his 2nd HR, Hugh Collins drilled his 5th. Gerald Wright was 2-5 with 3 RBI’s in the loss.
CHI 9 DAY 8 (10-1)

GAME 12
Bill Alexanders tie breaking 3 run homer (4) in the 8th madea winner of Ken Lee (3-0) who went 8-9-1-1-1-6. He surrendered 3 singles to start the game, got out of it with no outs, and had just a bizarre day in wiggling in and out of trouble. Cruz punched out the side in the 9th for his 6th save.
Alexander drove in 4 in a 2-4 day.
CHI 4 DAY 1 (11-1)

GAME 13
Pedro Salinas went 3-4 with a double and his 4th HR and drove in 3 in a 4-1 win. Rogers (2-1) needed 3 DP’s and 99 pitches to get through 6, with help from Ellison (H2) Rodriguez (H3) Moore (H1) and a tired Cruz (SV 7) to get the games final out. Richard O’Dell (1-2) went 8-9-4-4-2-1 in the CG loss.
CHI 4 DAY 2 (12-1)

WEEK 2 RECAP
FL POTW-Jose Martinez (AZ) 10-28 3 HR’s 11 RBI’s (.308-5-19)
CL POTW-Curt Whimster (TUL) 16-28 1 HR 7 RBI’s (.508-4-17)

IBL POWER RANKINGS
1) Chicago (3)
2) Arizona (17)
3) New York(14)
4) Tulsa (6)
5) Philadelphia (10)
OUT Pittsburgh (6) El Paso (12) Fresno (11) Buffalo (7)

[gehrig38]

The IBL mid April

[mpejkrm]

Utterly dominant... think we've got a dynasty in the making right here.

[gehrig38]

WEEK 3
4 @ New York (9-4)
Off Day
2 vs El Paso (7-6, waiting for this one…)

GAME 14
Pedro Salinas went 3-4 with his 5th HR and 3 RBI’s and Hugh Collins belted a grand slam for his 6th homer. Wes Webb was 2-4 with his 2nd HR.
Gerardo Zamora (2-0) went 8-5-3-2-2-4 to beat Jesus Romano (0-2).
CHI 9 NY 3 (13-1)

INSANE STUFF
Corey Elkins (EP) has thrown 22.2 IP through 3 starts, and allowed just 5 hits. After his no-no, he threw 6.1 1 hit innings, with the 1 hit being a 3 run homers and in his last start he went 7.2 giving up 4 hits and 2 runs in a 3-0 loss to Will Harris and Arizona.

GAME 15
Roberto Martinez (2-1) gave up a 2 run (Oginlara) and 3 run (Glaus) homer in a 5 run 1st and was left in too long in the 6th, giving up Mark Doyle’s 2 run double in a 5.2-8-8-8-4-7 outing. Chavez (3) Will Harris (1) and Eric Hudson (1) hit solo shots in the loss. Hudson was in for George Knox who hurt his back on a 2nd inning triple and will be sidelined a few days.
NY 8 CHI 5 (13-2)

GAME 16
Walt Thompson had to come out after tweaking his back in the 2nd (nothing serious, DtD) and the pen couldn’t keep New York in check with Troy Glaus’ 6th inning 2 run homer giving them the win.
NY 4 CHI 3 (13-3)

ORG NEWS
AAA right hander Bryant Thomas moved to 4-0 0.89 in 4 starts with a 2 hitter yesterday. In 30IP he’s surrendered just 11 hits with 35 k’s and 14 walks. He punched out 202 hitters in 154 AA innings last year, but walked 74. He’s a RH power arm, with insane stamina, and a screwball, yep, a screwball. His problem is, and has been, control. He’s 25 and in his first year above AA, so we’ll see how it pans out. His stuff and movement are ready now.

GAME 17
Ken Lee (3-1) surrendered 5 in a 5 run 5th and that was enough for a 5-4 loss. Bill Alexander (5) and Pedro Salinas (6) homered in the loss.
Rob Powell (3-0) went 6-6-2-2-3-6 for the win.
NY 5 CHI 4 (13-4)

OFF DAY NEWS
Robert Becerra (EDM) went 5-5 in the Trappers 4-3 win over El Paso.

GAME 18
Rogers (3-1) went 6-4-0-0-5-7 and until a Jake Ellison 9th inning meltdown (.2-3-3-3-0-1) and Cruz (SV 8) having to bail him out, this game was a laugher. Eric Coates started a 4 run 1st with a leadoff homer (1) and Hugh Collins went 3-5. Ichiro was 3-5 with a single, double and a triple and Jean Chartier went 2-5 with a 2 run homer (2) in the 9th.
CHI 6 EP 3 (14-4)

GAME 19
A botched sac bunt with runners on 1st and 2nd, none out, in the 12th cost us a shot at a comeback win. Eric Coates went 3-6 with a double (5) and his 2nd HR and Bill Alexander went 3-5. Wes Morgan hit his 2nd homer. Cesar Barron drove in 3 with a 3rd inning bases clearing double. Zamora went 7-7-4-4-5-6 on 110 pitches. Winston (0-1) took the loss on Rafael Cuesta’s 12th inning solo shot. Chartier ended up 3-11 with a homer and 2 RBI's, 4 K's in the 2 games. On the year he's at .275-2-11 in 20 games.
EP 5 CHI 4 (14-5 +2.5)

INJURY NEWS
Mike Jones (COL) is out the next 8 weeks with elbow tendinitis. He was 15-7 3.77 last year.

WEEK 3 RECAP
FL POTW-Kris Wright (SI) 15-23 2 RBI’s (.370-4-14)
CL POTW-Cy May (HOU) 12-22 3 HR’s 9 RBI’s (.355-4-13)

IBL POWER RANKINGS
1) Chicago (1)
2) Tulsa (4)
3) New Hampshire (17)
4) New York (3)
5) Sacramento (8)
OUT Arizona (7) Philadelphia (19, ouch, 0-6 week including a 4 game sweep at the hands of Baltimore)

[gehrig38]

WEEK 4
2 vs Buffalo (11-8)
2 @ Arizona (12-8)
3 @ Michigan (8-11)

GAME 20
A 5 run 4th, and 5th, turned a 0-0 game into a rout. Hugh Collins was 3-6 with 4 RBI’s (21) and Wes Morgan went 4-4 with 4 runs on his 3rd HR. Pedro Salinas drove in 3 to back Roberto Martinez (3-1) 7-6-1-1-3-7 outing.
CHI 12 BUF 1 (15-5 +2.5)

GAME 21
Walt Thompson (1-1) allowed a 6 run Chicago 1st to go to waste in a rare stinker. Giving up 8 runs (5 earned) over 6 struggling innings. Hector Hernandez (3) and Jim Roberts (5) homered, Roberts driving in 3 with a double as well. Riggs led the game off with his 1st homer.
BUF 10 CHI 6 (15-6 +1.5)

GOOD GAMES
27 year old Dan Morris (FRE) blanked the Boston Bombers 10-0 today.

GAME 22
4 homers (Coates (3) Alexander (6) Chavez (4) and Salinas (7) back Ken Lee (4-1) who went 6.1-5-1-1-2-7 for the win. Salinas drove in 4 (20) in a 2-4 day.
CHI 8 AZ 3 (16-6 +1.5)

TRANSACTION NEWS
Columbus inked 2017 Aaron Award winner Jeffrey Hudson to a 1 year 9M dollar extension this week.

GAME 23
Pedro Salinas went 3-5 with 2 RBI’s (22) on his 8th homer and Wes Morgan added a 2 run shot (4). Christian Wilkins went 3-4 in the loss. Bryan Rogers (4-1) went 6-3-3-3-6-7 for his 4th win.
CHI 7 AZ 3 (17-6 +1.5)

STUFF
The + number for GB/GA isn’t changing because Green Bay is on a 9 game winning streak right now.

GAME 24
Hugh Collins continued his strong start going 3-5 with 3 runs and 2 RBI’s (24) on a double (4) and his 7th homer. Wes Morgan hit his 5th. Zamora (3-0) battled through a 5-6-3-2-4-3 outing, and Cruz notched his 9th save. Alfredo Ortiz went 3-5 with a double and triple in the loss.
CHI 7 MICH 3 (18-6 +1.5)

GAME 25
A costly win. Hugh Collins will miss the next month with broken ribs after a diving play in the OF. He was hitting .314-7-24 through the first 25 games.
Eric Coates hit a tie breaking 2 run homer (4) in the 10th and Ernesto Cruz worked around his first earned run of the season for his 10th save. Michael Moore got his 1st win of the season and Wes Webb hit his 3rd homer.
CHI 7 MICH 5 (10) (19-6 +1.5)

ROSTER NEWS
Collins goes to the 15 day, Steve Rowe is recalled. Time to see if that September .500+ OBP was a fluke. He’s the best defensive OF in the system too. In the meantime though, I’ve made an offer to free agent OF Felix Torres. He’s a 25 year old former all star and has finished in the top 5 in SB’s every season but last year with Dallas. Spent his 1st 5 years in LA. With 2 open spots on the 40 man I have the room and he’s a RHH, which would compliment the overly left handed balance to the lineup.

GAME 26
Thompson teetered on the brink before Ron Wrights 6th inning 2 out grand slam pushed him over the edge (5.2-6-6-6-2-8). The game went back and forth 3 times in the last 3 innings with solo shots from Chavez (his 2nd of the game, 6th of the year) and Morgan (6) in the 8th breaking the tie. Chavez was 3-5 with 3 runs, 2 RBI’s (17), Paul Riggs drove in 3 (10) and Will Harris was 3-5. Alexander hit HR #7. Wright drove in 4 with the grand slam in a 2-4 day. Pennington (2-0) got the win, Cruz his 11th save.
CHI 11 MICH 8 (20-6 +2.5)

WEEK 4 RECAP
FL POTW-Todd Helton (GB) 13-28 3 HR’s 8 RBI’s (.400-6-25)
CL POTW-Francisco Ordonez (BAL) 8-17 4 HR’s 10 RBI’s (.293-8-23)

IBL POWER RANKINGS
1) Chicago (1)
2) Green Bay (6)
3) New York (4)
4) Fresno (12)
5) Pittsburgh (8)
OUT: Tulsa (6) New Hampshire (9) Sacramento (7)

[gehrig38]

ORG NEWS
Denison RHP Alfredo Berroa tossed a no-hitter vs. Sullivan today. He’s 1-1 2.77 in 6 starts.

Mike Hamilton (TUL) took home AAA pitcher of the month honors after going 5-0 1.57 in 6 starts with 46 IP 29 Hits and 45 K’s.

APRIL RECAP
APRIL FL HITTER-Todd Helton (GB) .400-6-25 21 Runs .467 OBP
APRIL CL HITTER-Curt Whimster (TUL) .431-8-29 25 Runs
APRIL FL PITCHER-Ernesto Cruz (CHI) 1-0 11 Saves 0.73 ERA
APRIL CL PITCHER-Vincente Castillo (PIT) 4-0 1.60 ERA
APRIL FL ROOKIE-German Puente (GB) .373-2-11 11 Runs
APRIL CL ROOKIE-Devlin Peterson (HOU) .364-3-14 10 Runs

[gehrig38]

WEEK 5
Off Day (last day of April!)
2 vs Brooklyn (13-11 2 GB EM)
2 @ Edmonton (9-17 5 GB W)
2 @ Green Bay (18-9 2.5 GB MW)

OFF DAY LOOK AROUND THE MINORS
TULSA (19-9 +1)
Offensively they are being led by Steve Rowe (.358) and Jose Gonzalez (.339) with Martin Ramirez leading with 5 homers. Alberto Rivera’s 29 RBI’s is 4 up on Ramirez.
Pitching is stacked down here. Hamilton’s PotM honors were complimented by Bryant Thomas (5-1 3.22) and Jimmy Mason (2-2 3.12). The pen is struggling a bit with a 4.97 ERA.

BAKERSFIELD (14-14 2 GB)
LF Brian Arthur (.345) leads the hitters, Jorge Alvarez leads with 3 HR’s and Arthur’s 25 RBI’s are tops. Augusto Rocha (1-2 2.73) is the only SP worth mentioning right now. Top SP prospect Jorge Trujillo is off to a sluggish 2-1 5.02 start but his peripherals (28.2 IP 28 H 34 K’s) are ok, 15 walks is a bit much. We’ve are going to let him DH/1B every few days as well, his offensive upside is enormous and I’d like to hedge bets against an arm issue.

DENISON (13-15 6 GB)
No one is hitting here, their .221 team avg. is 10th. Alfredo Berroa (1-1 2.77) is off to a decent start, and closing prospect Nizi Pipa has 7 Saves and a 2.13.

BELLEVIEW (14-14 1 GB)
Top prospect Ken Jenkins is out with a broken hand, at least 3-4 more weeks. He was leading the team with 5 HR’s and 17 RBI’s when he was hurt. Juan Dejesus is hitting .347, Evan Hammond is at .308-3-17. Carlos Gomez is 2-0 2.31.

GAME 27
Pedro Salinas’ 8th inning grand slam made a 6-5 game a rout. Salinas went 2-5 with 5 RBI’s (27) and hit his 9th HR. Eric Coates was 3-5 with 3 runs on his 5th homer and a double (7). Paul Riggs scored 3 times.
A wet field and an early rain delay kept Ken Lee to just 3 innings, with Dave Winston going 4-1-0-0-0-2 for the win (1-1) and Ernesto Cruz notched his 11th save by getting the last 4 outs.
CHI 11 BRO 5 (21-6 +2.5)

GOOD GAMES
24 year old Mike Lucas (WMI) moved to 5-0 2.16 after a 6 hitter against El Paso.

25 year old Matt Freestone (GB) 5 hit Arizona in a 14-0 blowout. Todd Helton extended his hitting streak to 20 games in that contest. It’s his 4th career 20+ game hitting streak. And ALSO in that game, Carl Crawford went 5-6 and drove in 2.

GAME 28
A bad day for the staff all around. Bryan Rogers (4-2) went 5-8-5-5-4-7 and the pen got beat up for 9 runs on 10 hits and 5 walks over the final 4. Former Iron Pig Ernesto Gutierrez was 3-5 with his 4th homer and Dave Palmer drove in 4 with his 8th homer. Jose Herrera was 3-6 with 4 RBI’s. We scored 4 runs, all on solo homers (Webb (4) Knox 2 (7) and Salinas (10).
BRO 14 CHI 4 (21-7 +2.5)

GAME 29
Gerardo Zamora (3-1) gave up 7 runs on 10 hits in 5.1 IP. Takeji Miura and Aaron Tipton had 3 hit days leading off for the Trappers. The 21 year old Miura hit his 3rd homer and drove in 2 (8). Wes Morgan hit his 8th homer in the loss.
EDM 7 CHI 3 (21-8 +1.5)

GOOD GAMES
Avalanche CF Dustin Burns went 5-5 in a 3-2 loss to El Paso. He’s hitting .350-5-20. Helton’s 21 game hitting streak was stopped in the loss.

GAME 30
Roberto Martinez (4-1) took a 5 hit shutout into the 9th before tiring. He went 8.1-7-3-3-2-6 for the win. Paul Riggs was 3-4 and Wes Morgan stayed hot with his 9th homer in a 2-5 day.
CHI 6 EDM 4 (22-8 +1.5)

GAME 31
A ptichers duel between 2 high powered offenses. Thompson (2-1) goes 8-5-2-2-1-11 to Kirby Deans (2-1) 8-7-3-3-4-6 and Ernesto Cruz gets the final 3 in order for his 13th save. Luis Chavez hit a solo shot (7) in the 1st.
CHI 3 GB 2 (23-8 +2.5)

(Wow, not simming games I got to see this team, and the depth is pretty insane. Crawford, Rolen, Helton, A Jones, Josh Hamiliton are the top 5, Chase Utley (hitting .345) is hitting 7th….)

STUFF
Eric Coates is leading the Frontier League in batting at .397, 13 pts ahead of Green Bay’s Todd Helton. Whimster is hitting .419 to lead the Coastal.

GAME 32
Ken Lee (5-1) tossed a CG 5 3 hitter (9-3-1-1-0-4) with the only blemish a 5th inning Josh Hamilton homer. Bill Alexander went 4-5 with 3 runs and 5 RBI’s on 2 HR’s (9) and Wes Morgan (10) and Luis Chavez (8) hit homers as well.
CHI 9 GB 1 (24-8 +3.5)

NEWS
SIGNINGS:
Felix Torres agreed to a deal today and will be reporting to the AAA club for some AB’s before his likely call up. Fans interest went up, and is now 78.

WEEK 5 RECAP
FL POTW-Alfonso Gallegos (DAY) 10-24 5 HR’s 8 RBI’s (.302-7-18)
CL POTW-Alberto Vargas (NH) 11-20 4 HR’s 7 RBI’s (.397-10-21)

ORG NEWS
Paul Whitaker of Bakersfield took home AA PotW honors for his 10-19 HR 8 RBI week. He’s hitting .328-3-24.

IBL POWER RANKINGS
1) Chicago (1)
2) New Hampshire (9)
3) Los Angeles (11)
4) Green Bay (2)
5) West Michigan (8) Not sure I can remember them ever being in the top 5?
OUT: New York (7) Fresno (15) Pittsburgh (11)

[gehrig38]

WEEK 6
2 @ Buffalo (16-16 3.5 GB EM)
Off Day
2 vs Staten Island (16-16 3.5 GB EM)
2 vs Columbus (16-16 8 GB MW)

GAME 33
Bryan Rogers (5-2) was dominant, going 7.2-8-1-1-2-8 in a 6-1 win. Paul Riggs went 3-4 with 3 runs and Pedro Salinas singled 4 times in a 4-5 3 RBI (32) day. Miguel Deleon was 3-4 in the loss.
CHI 6 BUF 1 (25-8 +3.5)

CONTRACT CHATTER:
SS and backup infielder Will Harris is looking for a contract extension. He’s seeking 5-5.5M over 3 years, and I’ve made a 3 year (+ club option) 4.6M offer.

GAME 34
A 1-1 game in the 6th would remain that way through 14 innings as both bullpens pitched outstanding. Gerardo Zamora went 7.1-5-1-1-1-6 and the pen went 7.2-3-0-0-3-7 with Mike Moore (2-1) getting the win and Cruz notching his 14th save. Salinas hit his 11th homer in a 2-4 3 BB day.
CHI 2 BUF 1 (15) (26-8 +3.5)

GAME 35
Roberto Martinez (5-1) went 7-6-3-3-3-8 and Pedro Salinas was 3-5 with 4 RBI’s on a double (7) and his 12th homer. Bill Alexander continued his resurgence with a double and his 10th homer.
CHI 9 SI 5 (27-8 +3)

INJURY NEWS
#1 pick Pat Kelley (7-6 3.16 in his rookie year out of the draft last season) is out 4 weeks with a forearm strain. He’s 1-4 3.60 for Boston, who’s off to a struggling 11-24 start.

GAME 36
Carlos Carrillo (3-3) went 7.1-5-2-2-4-6 to outpitch Walt Thompson (2-2) who went 7-7-3-3-2-5. Ernesto Garza went 3-3 and George Knox hit his 8th home run.
SI 5 CHI 3 (27-9 +3)

CONTRACT NEWS
Backup IF Walt Harris agreed to terms on a 3 year 4.4M dollar contract extension, with a 4th year team option for 1.79M. A fantastic deal all around, he’s an elite defender at 2B, 3B and SS, and an OBP machine who is a great off the bench LH hitter. He doesn’t run real well which is the only drawback, but a great backup IF.
Some lefties on the horizon, so we are going to give Felix Torres a call up and send Steve Rowe back to Tulsa. Torres has the right to refuse a demotion if that situation arises, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

GAME 37
MVP Jeffrey Hudson drilled his 10th homer in the 4th, to put Columbus up 2-0, and we proceeded to score the next 14 runs. Luis Chavez was 3-5 with 3 runs, 3 RBI’s (23), Pedro Salinas was 4-6 with 3 RBI’s (40) and Eric Coates went 4-4 with 2 RBI’s (25). Ken Lee (6-1) was the beneficiary going 6-6-2-2-2-8. The only bump in the road was Chance Holt’s 9th inning meltdown (.2-6-4-4-0-1).
CHI 14 COL 7 (28-9 +3.5)

GAME 38
Bryan Rogers (5-3) gave up 4 home runs in 4.1-8-8-8-3-6 horrid innings. A solid pen turned it into a game but we couldn’t push the tying run across after Eric Coates’ 9th inning leadoff homer (6). Jeffrey Hudson was 3-5 with 3 RBI’s on his 11th homer, and Dean Strong drove in 3 with his 6th. Bill Alexander went 3-4 with 3 RBI’s on his 11th home run and George Knox hit his 9th.
COL 8 CHI 7 (28-10 +3.5)

WEEK 6 RECAP
FL POTW-Pedro Salinas (CHI) 14-25 2 HR’s 11 RBI’s (.347-12-42)
CL POTW-Jorge Ortiz (SAC) 11-28 3 HR’s 5 RBI’s (.315-15-32)

IBL POWER RANKINGS
1) Chicago (1)
2) New Hampshire (2)
3) Green Bay (4)
4) Houston (6)
5) New York (7)
OUT: Los Angeles (9) West Michigan (7)

[gehrig38]

WEEK 7
4 vs West Michigan (21-18 7.5 GB)
3 @ Dayton (12-25 15.5 GB)

GAME 39
Gerardo Zamora (4-1) went 6.2-6-4-3-2-6 and the offense scored 9 runs on 9 hits and 11 White Cap walks. Cruz was summoned for the final 2 outs and his 15th Save. Luis Chavez singled, doubled (5) and homered (9) in a 3-4 4 RBI day. George Knox drove in 3. Jorge Ibarra was 2-4 with 3 RBI’s in the loss and Julian Martinez went 4-5, both had a double and a home run.
CHI 9 WMI 7 (29-10 +4.5)

GAME 40
Roberto Martinez (6-1) tossed a complete game 4 hitter, punching out 7. Paul Riggs doubled twice (13) and drove in 5 (20) and Will Harris was 3-3, scoring 2.
CHI 7 WMI 1 (30-10 +4.5)

INJURY NEWS
Green Bay will be without star slugger Todd Helton for at least 5-6 weeks after a severe ankle sprain. Helton leads the FL in hitting at .396.

GOOD GAMES
Former IBL #1 prospect Gabriel Pimentel tossed a 4 hitter at Dayton in a 11-0 Arizona win. He’s now 3-4 4.62 on the season.

Bulldog free agent signing Glen Harvey tossed a 6 hit shutout in an 11-0 win over New Hampshire. He’s 4-3 6.23 on the year.

INJURIES
Brooklyn will be without 32 year old OF Lou Sparks for the rest of the 2018 season after he suffered a badly broken elbow yesterday. He was hitting .278/.458/.375 in 27 games.

SIGNINGS
In an odd occurrence out of Staten Island, 3 time All Star Ernesto Garza signed a 1 year extension at 3.2M dollars. Garza is currently making 6.6 million in the final year of a 4 year 22.1M dollar deal he signed in 2014. The 29 year old is off to another solid start, hitting .308/.402/.385 through 23 games. The Yankees have made no secret about clearing the way for 21 year old super prospect Ismael Guerrero as their catcher of the future. He’s currently backing up Garza in the Yankee lineup.

GAME 41
Walt Thompson (3-2) went into the 9th before needing a hand from Ernesto Cruz (16th save). He went 8.1-4-2-1-1-7. Pedro Salinas was 3-3 with his 13th homer and 2 RBI’s (44).
CHI 3 WMI 2 (31-10 +5.5)

TRADE NEWS
Edmonton received 25 year old slugging prospect Gonzalo Rios from Tulsa for 27 year old RP Jared Brooks and 23 year old closing prospect Diego Gomez. Rios will be recalled and start at 1B for the Trappers, and hit 3rd. Rios was drafted out of Mississippi Valley State in 2015 by LA (2nd round, 55th overall). Our scouts don’t think Brooks or Gomez are anything to write home about, calling this a huge steal for Edmonton, as they think Rios is an impact bat for years to come.

GAME 42
Lee Allen (9) and Gus Case (2) homered in the 7th off Ken Lee (6-10-5-5-2-6) to break a 2-2 tie but Lorenzelli and Torres hit back to back 2 out RBI doubles to retake the lead, and Ernesto Cruz got the final 3 outs for his 17th save.
Dave Osborne went 3-5, and Jorge Ibarra was 3-4 with 2 runs in the loss. Eric Coates went 3-4 with his 7th HR and 2 RBI’s (28), also stealing his 9th base. Chance Holt (2-0) got the win going 2-1-0-0-3-3.
CHI 6 WMI 5 (32-10 +6)

GAME 43
Bryan Rogers (6-3) went the distance in a 6 hitter, punching out 6. Bill Alexander went 4-5 with 2 doubles (6) and George Knox hit his 10th HR. Simon Winter was 3-4 in the loss.
CHI 5 DAY 2 (33-10 +7)

GAME 44
Zamora struggles (5-10-7-5-0-7) but the offense again comes back late and Cruz gets the final 3 outs (18th Save). Massi Lorenzelli’s 2 run triple followed by Felix Torres’ first Iron Pig Homer turned an 8-5 deficit to a 9-8 lead. Torres was 2-4 with the homer and a double, Bill Alexander was 3-4, George Knox was 3-4. Dan Bond was 3-5 with 2 homers (7) and 6 RBI’s (24) in the loss. Gerald Wright was 3-5.
CHI 10 DAY 8 (34-10 +8)

GAME 45
Ernesto Cruz (1-1) blew his first save of the year, giving up 5 hits in 2/3rds of an inning, including Rafael Quintanilla’s game tying homer with 2 outs. Roberto Martinez (8-3-1-1-2-6) and former Iron Pig Mike Alexander (8.1-6-1-0-2-4) locked up in a great pitchers duel that Chicago took a lead on in the 9th inning on George Knox’s 11th home run with 2 outs. Felix Torres was 3-5 with his 5th SB.
DAY 3 CHI 2 (34-11 +7)

WEEK 7 RECAP
FL POTW-Alex Rodriguez (ALK) 16-26 4 HR’s 10 RBI’s (.288-14-36)
CL POTW-Lance Berkman (DAL) 9-19 4 HR’s 11 RBI’s (.295-15-41)

IBL CAREER LEADERS: K’s
Walt Thompson (CHI) 1544
Chris O’Slattery (BAL) 1379
Jim Peck (BUF) 1252
Esteban Valdez (SAC) 1160
Vincente Romero (HOU) 1121

IBL POWER RANKINGS
1) Chicago (1)
2) New Hampshire (2)
3) Houston (4)
4) Philadelphia (6)
5) Green Bay (3)
OUT: New York (6)

[gehrig38]

WEEK 8
Off Day
3 vs Michigan (20-25 14 GB)
3 vs Green Bay (27-18 7 GB)

ROSTER NEWS
Hugh Collins is off the DL today. He’s headed to Tulsa to get 3-4 games worth of AB’s before returning.

GAME 46
Walt Thompson (4-2) managed 6.2-5-1-1-2-6 with Dave Winston (H2) and Ernesto Cruz (SV 19) closing it out. Luis Chavez snapped out of a mini funk going 3-4 with 3 RBI’s (33) and his 10th HR. Will Harris hit his 2nd in a 2-3 day.
Marcos Diaz (4-3) tossed a CG in the loss (8-8-4-2-3-3).
CHI 4 MICH 2 (35-11 +7)

STUFF
Walt Thompson came to see me after the game today. He’s interested in finishing his career in Chicago and would like to talk about how to make that happen. He’s looking for a 6 year 120M dollar deal. Which has no earthly chance of happening. We are going to counter, but it won’t be more than 3-4 years, tops, with the final year being at least a vesting option if not a team one.

GAME 47
Never had a chance in this one. Ken Lee (6-2) was bombed, going 3.1-11-8-8-1-2. David Castillo (4-5) went the distance on 121 pitches (9-8-4-4-2-5). Bill Alexander (12) and Wes Morgan (11) accounted for all 3 Chicago runs.
Bill Peters was 3-5 with 3 RBI’s on a double (12) and 2 singles.
MICH 11 CHI 4 (35-12 +6)

GOOD GAMES
Chris O’Slattery (BAL) tossed a 3 hit 9K performance at Dallas in a 5-0 win. He’s 5-3 3.66 in 10 starts.

GAME 48
Pedro Salinas became the 19th IBL player, and the first Chicago Iron Pig, to hit for the cycle in an 8-7 extra inning loss. He went 4-6 and his 9th inning triple tied the game at 6. We scored 3 times in the 9th to tie it, but Mike Moore (2-2) gave up 2 in the 11th. Paul Riggs was 3-4 with a double (14) and 2 RBI’s, Eric Coates was 3-6 with an RBI (31). Bryan Rogers went 5.1-7-6-6-4-10.
MICH 8 CHI 7 (11) (35-13 +5.5)

GAME 49
Zamora (5-1) went 6-7-2-2-1-9 and the offense was led by 2 Wes Morgan homers (13) and his 3 RBI’s (24). Will Harris went 3-4 with a triple and Eric Coates stole his 10th base.
CHI 6 GB 2 (36-13 +6.5)

ORG NEWS
AA SP Jorge Trujillo tossed a 1 hitter today, striking out 12 in an 8-0 win. He’s 4-1 3.78 in 10 starts.

GREAT GAMES
Hooks SP Mike Lewis tossed the 11th no-hitter in IBL history, and 1st in Corpus Christi history, in a 5-0 win over San Antonio.

ROSTER NEWS
Hugh Collins was activated, and Felix Torres was optioned out, and he accepted the assignment.

GAME 50
Roberto Martinez (7-1) punched out 10 in 7 scoreless and Eric Coates hit a leadoff HR for his 8th in a 2-4 2 RBI (34) day. Collins was 2-4 in his 1st game back.
CHI 7 GB 0 (37-13 +7.5)

STUFF
Alfredo Alejandrez (AZ) is 5-2 2.44 through 11 starts, 2nd in the FL in ERA. Rookie Roberto Martinez is tied for the lead in wins (7) and leading the FL in K’s by 4 (76-72) over Corey Elkins (EP).

GAME 51
Andruw Jones (12) and Scott Rolen (9) homered to back Kirby Dean’s (4-1) 8.2-6-1-1-2-7 solid outing. Walt Thompson (4-3) gave up 5 in 6 IP for the loss. Josh Hamilton was 3-5, Jones drove in 3 (38) and Rolen 2 (31) in the win.
GB 5 CHI 1 (37-14 +6.5)

WEEK 8 RECAP
FL POTW-Chris Dixon (DAY) 9-20 3 HR’s 9 RBI’s (.238-6-20)
CL POTW-Howard Mathis (SAC) 13-26 2 HR’s 6 RBI’s (.311-8-41)

IBL POWER RANKINGS
1) Chicago (1)
2) New York (6)
3) New Hampshire (2)
4) Green Bay (5)
5) Philadelphia (4)
OUT: Houston (6)