The American Baseball League

[gehrig38]

• RECORD: 17-10
• STANDINGS: 1st (+4)
• RUNS SCORED: 109 (t-9th)
• RUNS AGAINST: 97 (1st)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .695 (4th)
• ZONE RATING: +6.6 (1st)
• ERRORS: 11 (t-2nd)
• OWNERS MOOD: Satisfied
• FAN INTEREST: 61 (up 2!)
  
  
• THIS WEEK: (4-2) 1-2 @ Phoenix 3-0 vs Lexington
• 4/25: PHX 5 AUS 3
• POTG: Eric Allen L (3-1 2.27) 6 IP 6 H 6 K 4 R 0 ER
• Orozco 3-4 HR (4) RBI (13) Hicks out 6 weeks, see news.
• 4/26: PHX 3 AUS 1
• POTG: Tasuki Nakata (PHX) W (1-4) 8 IP 11 K 6 H 1 ER
• Brooks L (1-3) 6.1 IP 7 H 6 K 2 R 1 ER Johnston 1-4 1B 25 game hitting streak
• 4/27: AUS 5 PHX 2
• POTG: Trevor Pope W (3-1) 6.1 IP 5 H 8 K 2 ER
• Laskey SV (8) Reardon 3-3 3B (2) RBI (5) Orozco 2-4 2 HR (6) 2 RBI (15) Johnston 4-5 2B 3B 26 game hitting streak
• 4/28: OFF DAY Lexington in tomorrow and they are saying it's Masuda game 1 followed by Au-Yong (who is 2-3 5.12)
• 4/29: AUS 6 LEX 4
• POTG: David Anderson W (2-2 2.59) 7IP 5 H 3 ER
• Laskey K's Decker Blue with the bases loaded in the 9th. Save #9. Masuda is hurt in the 5th and CF Jesse Kucher in the 7th. See news. No word on either. Chisholm 2-4 HR (10) RBI (23)
• 4/30: AUS 3 LEX 0
• POTG: Matt Behrens W (4-2 4.14) 7.2 IP 5 H 9 K
• Mike Aasen 3-4 2B in a 3 run 1st inning. Au-Yong (LEX) L (2-4) 7 IP 5 H 5 K 3 ER Johnston 28 game hitting streak
• 5/1: AUS 2 LEX 1
• POTG: Eric Allen W (4-1 2.06) 8 IP 5 H 11 K 1 ER
• Davis (LEX) CG L (2-1) 8 IP 5 H 6 K 2 ER Chisholm HR (11) RBI (24) Laskey SV (11)
• A 3 game sweep in which we outpitched the best rotation in the Colonial, if not the entire ABL.
• NEXT WEEK: 4 vs Houston 3 vs San Antonio
  
  
• ABL HAPPENINGS:
• 4/25: Kerry Davis (FW) shut out San Antonio 3-0 striking out 10 and allowing just 4 hits.
• 4/25: Bill Elliott (CHI) walked 4, gave up 4 hits in a 2-0 win over Ohio. The 24-year-old is 2-2 3.41.
• 4/26: Jim Markovich (NYE) scattered 7 hits in 5-0 win over Providence. He's 2-1 2.13
• 4/27: Ohio RF Grigory Mavlanov ruptured his Achilles tendon and the 35-year-old will miss the rest of the 2011 season.
• 4/29: Matt Reichlin (NYE) beat Montreal 6-0 scattering 6 hits and striking out 7. The 24-year-old is 2-2 3.34 after a 14-8 3.08 2010.
• 4/29: Steven Frantz (HOU) fanned 10 and walked just 2 allowing 3 hits in the Roughriders 3-0 win over Ft Worth.
• 4/30: Memphis Blue Sock Chris Vetter went 3-4 hitting 3 home runs and driving in 4 in a 6-1 win over Providence
  
  
• RUSTLER NEWS:
• 4/25: The baseball Gods are talking. I think they want Sam Reyes in the big leagues. Hicks has a bad knee that's 5-6 weeks at least. Joe Tighe would be the guy but he's nursing a hyper-extended knee for a few more days. Given it's only for another day I'll get William Bull back up here as a LH hitting middle infielder.
• 4/29: Jesse Kucher suffered a knee contusion and is DtD for the next week. Masuda apparently suffered back spasms legging out his triple and is DtD for the next week as well.
  
  
• PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Brendan Robbins (NYP) 11-25 6 HR 11 RBI
• COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Nick Archer (DEN) 13-29 HR 9 RBI

[gehrig38]

• RUSTLER PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Aaron Chisholm .301/.440/.720 11 HR 24 RBI 21 BB
• RUSTLER PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Ranan Laskey 1-0 11 SV 0.66 ERA 13.2 IP 10 H 22 K 3 BB
• RUSTLER MiL PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Roberto Barbarosa (A) .316/.487/.561 4 HR 22 RBI
• RUSTLER MiL PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Akinori Hirano (AAA) 1-1 2.36 26.2 IP 21 H 28 K
  
  
• The Rustler bullpen has been lights out at the back end. Barrett, Villa, and Laskey are a combined 1-0 11 Saves 1.22 ERA 29.1 IP 14 H 47 K 9 BB .159 OppAvg
• Brad Cass has done a fantastic job as the long man in 14.1 IP 14 H 18 K 4 BB 2.77 ERA
  
  
  
• PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Daniel Contraras (DAL) .483-7-25 31 R 56-116 10 2B ABL record 7 3B 7 HR .871 SLG%
• COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Josh Sims (MON) .387-12-28 27 R
• PATRIOT LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Jordan Carroll (SF) 4-0 1.47 41 IP 43 K
• COLONIAL LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Dennis Russell (NYE) 5-0 1.97 45.2 IP 54 K
• PATRIOT LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Andrew McGlasson (SJ) .442-4-17
• COLONIAL LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Aaron Chisholm (AUS) .297-10-23
  
  
• 
• It's only been 27-28 games but the prognosticators seem to have gotten the Detroit thing right.
• Danial Contraras might have had 1 of the best single months in the league's history. 24 extra-base hits and 56 hits in 28 games? Wow. Most players would love to have a season of 3.5 WAR, he just did it in 28 games.
• Montreal 1B Josh Sims won the April “Triple Crown”. He's coming off a huge 2010 when he hit .337/.397/.602 38 HR 105 RBI but that was following a .307/.344/.577 46 HR 130 RBI 2009. At 25 it appears he's poised to take home a lot of hardware over the next decade. The Paragons signed him to an 8 year 62.8 million dollar deal this past winter. He has a 2015 opt out.

[gehrig38]

• RECORD: 24-10
• STANDINGS: 1st (+7 ½)
• RUNS SCORED: 156 (t-4th)
• RUNS AGAINST: 115 (1st)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .704 (3rd)
• ZONE RATING: +7.4 (1st)
• ERRORS: 14 (t-3rd)
• OWNERS MOOD: Good
• FAN INTEREST: 61
  
  
• THIS WEEK: (7-0) 4-0 vs Houston 3-0 vs San Antonio
• 5/2: AUS 9 HOU 3
• POTG: Ryan Bermudez 3-4 2B 2 HR (5) 4 RBI (12) April was one huge slump
• Brooks W (2-3 4.66) 6.1 IP 6 H 4 K 3 ER Villa 2.2 IP 1 H 6 K 1-1 R Orozco 4 RBI (19) Johnston 1-5 (see news)
• 5/3: AUS 4 HOU 2
• POTG: Trevor Pope W 4-1 4.58 CG 6 H 6 K 2 ER
• Ryan Bermudez PH's for Pope in the bottom of the 9th, 2-2 tie 1 out 1 on, slams walk-off 2R HR. Johnston 1-4 31 games.
• 5/4: AUS 7 HOU 3
• POTG: Aaron Chisholm 2-3 GS 2 HR (13) 5 RBI (30) CL HR/RBI leader
• Aasen 3-5 2B Anderson W (3-2 2.58) 7 IP 7 H 11 K 2 ER
• 5/5: AUS 8 HOU 1
• POTG: Matt Behrens W (5-2 3.43) 7.2 IP 1 H 9 K 0 R
• Johnston 2-3 3 R extends streak to 32 Chisholm 2-2 2 BB 3 R 2 RBI HR (14) 2 RBI (32) Moss 2 HR (7) 5 RBI (20) 8 game winning streak
• 5/6: AUS 10 SAN 2
• POTG: Luis Orozco 2-4 HR (7) 4 RBI (25)
  Johnston 1-4 33 game hit streak Kucher 2-4 3 RBI (15) Tomlin comes in to PH and then stays in to pitch final 2 innings 2 H 2 K Allen W (5-1) 6 IP 6 K 6 H 2 ER
• 5/7: AUS 4 SAN 3 (16)
• POTG: Mason Britton 6 IP in relief 1 H 3 K 3 BB 0 R
• Chisholm HR (15) 2 RBI (34) Bermudez 3-4 2B (7) HR (7) Nolasco RBI 1B to win it
• Johnston goes 0-6 to end the streak at 33.
• 5/8: AUS 5 SAN 4 (10)
• POTG: Trevor Pope ND 7.1 IP 6 H 5 K 3 ER
• Orozco 3-5 HR (8) 2 RBI (27) Chisholm 2-5 2 2B Laskey BS (1) W (2-0) 2 IP 1 H 3 K 1 R
• NEXT WEEK: 3 @ Memphis OFF DAY 3 @ Montreal
  
  
• ABL HAPPENINGS:
• 5/3: Andy Zerbe (CHA) 12 K's 0 BB giving up 5 hits in a 4-0 win over New York.
• 5/3: Huge news out of Lexington. Myles Green, their slugging 1B tore his MCL and is done for the year. Green is a career Rebel and has hit 269 career HR's in his 1163 games with Lexington. He's hit 184 HR's the past 6 seasons and led the Colonial in 2007 with 132 RBI's. The Rebels will move former MVP Decker Blue to 1B and SP/LF Steve Griggs will get more starts in LF. Griggs is hitting .333/.397/.526 in 19 G and is 6-0 3.02 in 6 starts.
• 5/4: Eric Hart (PIT) scattered 9 hits and fanned 5 in a 2-0 win over Montreal.
• 5/4: Datu Zape (OH) lost a no-hitter leading off the 9th but settled for an 11-0 1 hit win.
• 5/4: Chris Lach (DEN) tied his career-high with 13 K's in a 2-0 win over Lexington.
• 5/4: 33-year-old Karl O'Connor slammed the door on his 400th career save. He is just the 3rd pitcher in ABL history to reach that milestone. Leo Montes is the ABL's career leader at 464 and is out for the year after suffering an injury early in April.
• 5/8: Ben Schroeder (PHX) beat Montreal 2-0 on a 5 hit shutout.
  
  
• RUSTLER NEWS:
• 5/2: In the 22 years of the ABL there have been just 8 30+ game hitting streaks. The record is 39, held by San Francisco's Brad Culler (1996) and Charlotte's Bjorn Abbing (2006). Chris Johnston's 1-5 day made him just the 9th player ever with a hitting streak of 30+ games.
• 5/8: Jeff Anderson (AAA) was acquired from the Punishers in a December trade along with P Dave Anderson for P Eric Cox. Anderson (the 46th ranked ABL prospect) won the AAA POTW going 9-26 with 7 HR's and 18 RBI's. Cox is 2-1 5.00 in 11 games and 3 starts with New York while Anderson is 3-2 2.58 and a huge part of the 24-10 start in Austin.
  
  
• PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Brendan Robbins (NYP) 12-29 6 HR 15 RBI
• COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Scott Comerford (LEX) 12-21 2 HR 4 RBI (last years WS MVP)

[gehrig38]

• RECORD: 27-13
• STANDINGS: 1st (+8 ½)
• RUNS SCORED: 184 (4th)
• RUNS AGAINST: 137 (1st)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .703 (3rd)
• ZONE RATING: +8.2 (1st)
• ERRORS: 15 (2nd)
• OWNERS MOOD: Good
• FAN INTEREST: 62
  
  
• THIS WEEK:(3-3) 1-2 vs Memphis 2-1 vs Montreal
• 5/9: AUS 9 MEM 4
• POTG: Luis Orozco 2-3 2 BB 2 HR (10) 3 RBI (30)
• Colon (1) Moss (8) both homer. Franchise record 12 game winning streak.
• 5/10: MEM 5 AUS 4 (11)
• POTG: Dave Nolasco 3-5 HR (2) 3 RBI (10)
• Behrens ND 6.1 IP 8 H 6 K 3 ER Laskey BS (2) Britton L (1-2) Combined 2 IP 6 H 2 ER
• 5/11: MEM 4 AUS 2
• POTG: Jeremy Buttitta (MEM) W (2-4) 8 IP 6 H 7 K 2 ER
• Eric Allen L (5-2) 7 IP 6 H 9 K 4 ER
• 5/12: OFF DAY
• 5/13: AUS 4 MON 2
• POTG: Travis Brooks 6.1 IP 6 H 5 K 3 ER
• Laskey SV (12) Nolasco HR (3) Bermudez HR (8)
• 5/14: AUS 4 MON 1
• POTG: Trevor Pope W (5-1) 8 IP 3 H 6 K 1 ER 76 pitches!
• Reardon 3-4 2B (6)
• 5/15: MON 6 AUS 5
• POTG: Josh Sims (MON) 3-4 2B (11) HR (15) RBI (35)
• Anderson L (4-3 3.97) 4.1 IP 9 H 3 HR 6 ER
• NEXT WEEK: 3 vs Pittsburgh 4 vs Ft Worth
  
  
• ABL HAPPENINGS:
• 5/9: Jeremy Adams (PHX) struck out a career-high 12 in a 2-hit 2-0 win over Lexington
• 5/9: Myeong-Han Jung (SF) shut out Baltimore 1-0 on a 4-hitter.
• 5/11: 2010 Colonial League Rookie of the Year Cameron Mears (CHA) shut out Montreal 4-0 for his 6th win of the year (6-2 3.27)
• 5/13: Joe Farmer (BUF) allowed just 3 hits and struck out 8 in the Bisons 8-0 win over Baltimore. The Blackbirds are now a league-worst 11-27.
• 5/14: Larry Huffman (SAN) beat Houston 1-0 scattering 7 hits in his 1st win of the year.
• 5/14: The hits just keep coming for the Dallas Texans. RF Jared Weathers suffered a torn labrum and will miss the remainder of the 2011 season. Weathers was hitting .362-10-28
• 5/15: Justin Marvel (PRO) went 5-6 2B 2 HR 5 RBI in the Black Sox 10-2 beating of the Empire.
  
  
• RUSTLER NEWS:
• 5/10: A 2nd round draft choice (#46) in 2010, Dave Bates had a bad April. In his last 9 games for Modesto he has hit .398 with 8 HR and 14 RBI to bring his season to .255-11-23 for a 12-20 Beasts team that started 2-12.
  
  
• PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jonathan Hamilton (OH) 9-21 4 HR 10 RBI
• COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Corey Furr (SAN) 12-22 2 HR 6 RBI

[gehrig38]

• RECORD: 34-13
• STANDINGS: 1st (+13)
• RUNS SCORED: 238 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 162 (1st)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .699 (3rd)
• ZONE RATING: +7.7 (1st)
• ERRORS: 17 (2nd)
• OWNERS MOOD: Good
• FAN INTEREST: 62
  
  
• THIS WEEK: (7-0) 3-0 vs Pittsburgh 4-0 vs Ft Worth
• 5/16: AUS 4 PIT 3
• POTG: Matt Behrens W (6-2 3.57) 7 IP 7 H 12 K 3 ER
• Laskey gets out of 9th inning bases loaded jam with 2 K's SV (14) Villa H (9) Chisholm 3R HR (16)
• 5/17: AUS 7 PIT 6
• POTG: Gerek Szymiczek (PIT) 2-3 2 HR (10) 3 RBI (19)
• Kucher 3-4 R 2B (14) Allen ND 5.2 IP 8 H 5 ER Laskey SV (15) Bull 3-4 2B (8) 3B (2) RBI Cowan 3-4 2 2B HR 2 RBI 1st ABL HR Reardon hurt
• 5/18: AUS 9 PIT 0
• POTG: Wally Bull 5-6 3B 4 RBI
• Travis Brooks 7 IP 6 K 4 H 1-4 Anderson 2-3 ABL debut Bermudez 3-5 2 2B (9) 2 RBI (21) Nolasco 2-4 2B (15) 3 R 3 RBI (15)
• 5/19: AUS 6 FW 5
• POTG: Elijah Pulliam (FW) 8 IP 6 H 6 K 4 ER ND
• Mike Aasen walk off 2B 2 RBI Bermudez HR (10) 3 RBI (24) Nolasco 2-4 HR (4)
• 5/20: AUS 8 FW 5
• POTG: Aaron Chisholm 3-5 HR (17) 2 R 2 RBI (41)
• Kucher 4-5 2B (15) 2 R Nolasco 2-4 2 R 2 RBI (18) Anderson W (5-3 3.99) 8.2 IP 10 H 8 K 4 ER 3 HR Laskey SV (16)
• 5/21: AUS 8 FW 0
• POTG: Matt Behrens 6.1 IP 3 H 9 K 7-2 3.22
• Kuchar 2-5 leadoff HR (1) 2B (16) 2 R 2 RBI (19) Johnston HR (1) Orozco HR (11) Nolasco 2-2 2 R
• 5/22: AUS 12 FW 6
• POTG: Chris Johnston 4-5 3 R 2 RBI (12)
• Bull 2-4 2B 3 R Chisholm 2-5 HR (18) 4 RBI (46) Orozco 2-4 HR (12) 3 RBI (37) Kucher 3-4 2 R Allen W (6-2 3.44) 5.2 IP 5 H 5 BB 12 K 5 ER Britton 3 IP 2 H 3 K SV (1)
• NEXT WEEK: 3 @ Mexico OFF DAY 3 @ Charlotte
  
  
• ABL HAPPENINGS:
• 5/16: Jake Byers (BYP) fanned a career-high 15 Blackbird hitters in a 5-3 CG win. The 21-year-old is 4-2 3.94
• 5/16: Ohio General pitcher Satyajit Persaud has battled through a ton of injuries since signing his 5 year 24.8 million dollar extension with Ohio in 2008. Last April he ruptured a finger tendon in his 3rd start and missed most of the season. The 13th overall pick in 2003 has only managed 20 or more starts in 3 of the past 5 seasons. He was diagnosed with a ruptured UCL and will miss the next 13-14 months.
• 5/17: Hiroyasu Otsubo (CHA) allowed just 4 hits while striking out 9 in the Cyclones 3-0 win over Houston.
• 5/20: Jason Jaeger (BAL) evened his record at 4-4 3.12 with a 12 strikeout 2 hitter to beat Chicago. He has been one of the few bright spots on a 14-31 Baltimore team already looking towards next year.
• 5/21: Rich Whittaker (SJ) allowed just 3 hits in a 10 K 7-0 shutout of Los Angeles.
• 5/22: Philadelphia snagged slugging 1B Ken Wilson off waivers from Montreal late last month. He was settling into the Patriot lineup before he tore his meniscus and will likely miss the remainder of 2011. Two seasons removed from a AAA campaign that saw him hit 48 HR and drive in 89. He was the 1st pick of the Paragons in 2003 (31st overall) out of North Alabama JUCO.
  
  
• RUSTLER NEWS:
• 5/18: Josh Reardon is off to a great start. He sprained his knee and I've been told he's going to be DtD for 2-3 weeks. Going to use this opportunity to recall Jeff Anderson who is tearing it up at AAA Warren (.326/.449/.708 14 HR 48 RBI in 39 G).
• 5/22: Javy Canales (AAA) took home POTW honors for his 11-27 6 HR 8 RBI's
  
  
• PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Dalton Cordova (NYP) 11-22 2 HR 7 RBI
• COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jesse Kucher (AUS) 15-25 HR 2 RBI

[gehrig38]

Everyone in the game agreed that GM Curt Schilling had both a busy and fruitful winter. No one, not even Schilling himself, expected the Rustlers to win 34 of their first 47 games.
“We set a bar, both on and off the field, and we stuck to it. Everything else is on the manager, coaches, and players. They are going out and consistently executing. I also think starting the season with that 15-day road trip and kicking it off by sweeping the division favorites gave this group some confidence and they're just building on it.”

Led by young sluggers Aaron Chisholm (.298-18-46) and Luis Orozco (.322-12-37) the club is currently leading the Colonial in Runs, Avg, OBP, OPS, WAR, wOBA.

Infielders Wally Bull (.391-0-9) and Chris Johnston (.326-1-12) who authored a team record and season-high 33 game hitting streak.
The lineup top to bottom is lethal. CF Jesse Kucher who was off to a slow start took home this week's POTW award going 15-25 and RF Dave Nolasco is hitting a 'quiet' .322-4-21 out of the 6th hole.
Opening day SS Joel Hicks has missed the last 10 days and is out for 2 more weeks but the depth of the organization has allowed them to not miss a beat. RF Jeff Reardon is out another 2-3 weeks but future star Jeff Anderson and Joel Moss have picked up the slack.
Even veteran Efrain Colon, who had requested a trade this winter, has stepped into a leadership role as the team's senior member and is hitting .250/.388/.450 as the club's 4th outfielder.

Manager Andy Brown doesn't see anything unusual about the clubs 18-3 May nor the teams recent 12 game winning streak;
“They're a bunch of good players playing good baseball, it's not that complicated. No one looks to anyone else, they do their jobs and do them right. They bust their asses and I think they know there is nothing fluky about any of this. These guys are real, real good.”

On the mound young Phenom, Matt Behrens (7-2 3.22) is fulfilling those “Ace” expectations. He has allowed 6 earned runs in his last 5 starts, 3 of those scoreless starts, and been voted POTG in 4 of those. He's punched out 81 and walked just 16 in his 64.1 innings of work. At 22 he is poised to take off on what many think can be a hall of fame career.

23-year-old Trevor Pope is not far behind. The lefty, with a family full of “carnies” as he calls them,. Is 5-1 4.01 and after a tough April has strung together 6 quality starts and lowered his ERA 2 full runs.
The rotations “Senior Citizens” are Eric Allen (6-2 3.44) at 25, David Anderson (5-3 3.99) at 25 and the elder statesmen Travis Brooks (4-3 3.83) is all of 26 years old.

The pitching staff is 1st in Runs Against, 3rd in SP ERA, 1st in Bullpen ERA, and 1st in both WAR and FIP at 3.61. The rotation has authored a league-best 30 “Quality Starts”.
Their “secret weapon” has been a young bullpen of power arms led by an ABL “veteran” in Danny Villa. Acquired last December the 30-year-old is 0-0 2 SV 1.40 with 19.1 IP just 7 hits 36 strikeouts to 6 walks for an insane WHIP of 0.67. His ceding of the role of the full-time closer has been a huge part of the club's success.

Villa is joined by 25-year-old Tom Barrett and 26-year-old closer Ranan Lasky in what many across the ABL call Austins “Three-headed Monster”.
They are a combined 6-2 20 Holds and 19 of 22 in save opportunities. In 97.1 IP they have allowed 60 Hits, 5 HR while striking out 124 batters to just 27 walks. Chris Millers OppAvg is the bullpens highest at .257 with no other reliever yielding higher than .195. Villa leads the league with an OppAvg of .113.

With the rash of recent injuries on the staff, their “experiment” in 3B/RP Nick Tomlin has allowed them to go with just 6 relievers and 14 position players with him taking on multiple inning outings as well as serving as a backup at 3B and a switch-hitting bat off the bench. The club has recently added catcher Brian Keegan, a switch-hitting catcher with outstanding defensive and game-calling skills to the roster and recalled him as they opt to go, once again, with 3 catchers on their roster. Waiver claim and top C prospect Greg Cowan is still biding his time and getting AB's and PT where he can.

"The hardest part isn't getting here, it's staying here" Schilling said as he walked away.

Can the Rustlers "Stay" on top?

[gehrig38]

• RECORD: 38-15
• STANDINGS: 1st (+13 ½)
• RUNS SCORED: 287 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 187 (1st)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .691 (5th)
• ZONE RATING: +6.8 (2nd)
• ERRORS: 20 (1st)
• OWNERS MOOD: Good
• FAN INTEREST: 62
  
  
• THIS WEEK: (4-2) 2-1 @ Mexico 2-1 @ Charlotte
• 5/23: AUS 15 MEX 5
• POTG: Chris Johnston 4-6 2B 3 R 2 RBI (14)
• 10 runs on 10 hits in the 7th inning. Bull 3-7 2B Chisholm 2-4 HR (19) 3 RBI (49) Nolasco 3-6 2 2B (19) 2 R 3 RBI Bermudez 3-5 2B 3 RBI (27) Colon 3-5 2B 2 RBI Tomlin 0-1 2 IP 3 H 1 ER
• 5/24: AUS 6 MEX 1
• POTG: Trevor Pope W (6-1 3.72) 7 IP 4 H 7 K 1 ER
• Nolasco 3-5 HR (5) 2 RBI (26)
• 5/25: MEX 4 AUS 1
• POTG: Jon Vargas (MEX) W (3-1 3.47) 7 IP 8 H 5 K 1 R
• Anderson took a line drive off the thumb in the 4th. He's not expected to miss a start. Bull 3-5 RBI (10)
• 9 game winning streak halted. 20-4 in May with 5 days to go.
• 5/26: OFF DAY
• 5/27: CHA 6 AUS 5 (10)
• POTG: Hiroyasu Otsubo (CHA) ND 7 IP 7 H 6 K 4 ER
• Josh Provencher (CHA) GW PH 1B Orozco 3-5 2 2B (11) Benny Keegan and Jeff Anderson with their 1st HR's. Behrens 5.1 IP 8 H 5 ER
• 5/28: AUS 10 CHA 3
• POTG: Chris Johnston 3-4 HR (2) 2 R 2 RBI (18)
• 8-0 after 3. Allen W (7-2 3.48) 7 IP 8 H 5 K 3 ER Miller 2 IP 5 K Chisholm HR (20) 2 RBI (51) Nolasco 3-5 2B (21) 3 RBI (29) hitting .341. Moss 3-5
• 5/29: AUS 12 CHA 6
• POTG: Jose Guerra (CHA) 3-4 2B HR 4 R RBI
• Kuchar 4-6 2B 2 R Orozco 3-5 3B RBI Bermudez (11) Anderson (2) Aasen (4) all homer Brooks 6 IP 3 ER W (6-3 4.08)
• NEXT WEEK: 3 vs New York Empire OFF DAY 3 @ San Antonio
  
  
• ABL HAPPENINGS:
• 5/25: Buffalo Bison pitcher Joey Elliott will miss the rest of this season and most of next with a torn flexor tendon. Doctors say the extent of the damage is such that they think it will be 15-18 months before he will pitch again. The 32 year old 2x Koufax winner and 5x gold glove winner had a run of 10 seasons with 10+ wins and 9 of those were 13+. Last years 7-11 4.49 slide followed a 6 year run in which he won 2 Koufax awards and was 101-51 leading the league 3x in wins, an ERA title in 2009. He's led the league in starts 3x, IP 4x and won 5 consecutive strikeout crowns (2004-2008). The 6 time all-star and member of the 2006 Bison's World Series winning club is one of 11 members of the 3000 strikeout club and ranks 5th all-time with 3306. He's 4th among active players. Elliott's 13 years and 52 days of ABL service have been entirely in the Gold and Brown Bison uniform. He was the 4th overall pick in the 1997 draft out of Wabash Valley JC.
• 5/25: Josh Viens (NYP) punched out 16 Philadelphia Patriots and surrendered just 5 hits in winning his 7th (7-1 2.16) 3-0. The 16 k's were a season-high and the 8th time in 11 starts he has k'd 10 or more. He's actually on pace to exceed every statistical achievement of his 2010 Sandy Koufax winning season when he was 21-8 3.01 with 357 K's in 245 IP.
• 5/27: He's back at it. Lexington's Tomohiro Masuda struck out 16 and walked 1 in a 5-1 win over San Antonio. He's 4-1 2.35 with 132 K's in 80 IP.
• 5/29: It took 14 innings for the Patriots to beat the Minutemen but it happened in spectacular fashion. LF Mark Stinson hit a 2 run HR for the walk-off win. The HR also gave Stinson his cycle as he went 5-8 2 HR 3 RBI
  
  
• RUSTLER NEWS:
• 5/29: In the latest All-Star vote Luis Orozco, the lone Austin player appearing so far, is leading all CL 3B.
• 5/29: Javy Canales continues his strong AAA campaign winning the POTW again. He went 12-27 2 HR 13 RBI and is hitting .303 15 HR 54 RBI 35 R and a .351 OBP in 51 games.
  
  
• PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Michael Nettles (SF) 12-23 3 HR 8 RBI
• COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Dave Nolasco (AUS) 12-30 HR 11 RBI 5 2B Leads the CL with 22

[gehrig38]

• RECORD: 40-19
• STANDINGS: 1st (+12 ½)
• RUNS SCORED: 313 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 224 (1st)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .690 (5th)
• ZONE RATING: +6.8 (2nd)
• ERRORS: 26 (3rd)
• OWNERS MOOD: Good
• FAN INTEREST: 63
  
  
• THIS WEEK: (2-4) 1-2 vs NY Empire 1-2 @ San Antonio
• 5/30: AUS 7 NYE 5 (14)
• POTG: Efrain Colon 3-4 2 HR 3 RBI PH HR in the 9th, walk-off 2 R HR 14th
• Orozco 2 out HR ties it in the 9th Aasen 3-6 Cowan 0-7 5 K Pope ejected in the 3rd see news. Bullpen 12 IP 5 H 1 ER 11 K 3 BB Laskey W (3-0) 3 IP 1 H 6 K
• 5/31: NYE 12 AUS 7
• POTG: Thomas Coqueiro (NYE) 5-5 2B 3 R RBI
• Anderson L 1.1 IP 9 H 8 ER Colon 3-4 2 2B HR (3rd in 2 days) 4 RBI 6 for his last 8 with 3 HR 2 2B 7 RBI
• 6/1: NYE 5 AUS 2
• POTG: David Wheland (NYE) 2-3 2 HR 3 R 2 RBI 2 BB
• Jim Markovich (NYE) 8 IP 6 H 3 K 1 ER W (5-3) Behrens L (7-3) 7.2 IP 5 H 9 K 2 HR 5 ER
• 6/2: OFF DAY
• 6/3: SAN 7 AUS 4
• POTG: Mickey Cantor (SAN) 2-2 2 HR 3 R 3 RBI 2 BB
• Bull 3-5 Anderson 2-4 2B HR RBI Allen 5.2 IP 5 H 2 HR 6 K 4 ER
• 6/4: SAN 4 AUS 0
• POTG: Sam Hunter (SAN) CG 6 H 8 K W (5-3 3.08)
• Brooks L (6-4) 6 IP 6 H 6 K 3 ER
• 6/5: AUS 6 SAN 4
• POTG: David Anderson W (6-4 5.24) 7.2 IP 3 H 3 HR 4 ER
• Laskey SV (17) Bull 4-5 2 R J Anderson 3-4 2B Orozco HR (14) 2 RBI
• NEXT WEEK: 3 @ Memphis OFF DAY 3 vs Houston
  
  
• ABL HAPPENINGS:
• 5/31: Travis Bridges (SJ) walked 1, struck out 1 and allowed just 3 hits in a 6-0 win over Ohio.
• 6/5: Dustin Fahey (CHA) went 5-6 2 HR 7 RBI in the Cyclones 14-4 win over Montreal
• 6/5: First overall pick OF Chris Towers took home JUCO player of the year honors.
  
  
• RUSTLER NEWS:
• 5/30: Trevor Pope has been suspended for 7 games for inciting a bench-clearing brawl.
• 6/2: News out of the training room is that both Joel Hicks and Brad Cass are TBA for their returns. Neither appears to have responded well to treatment.
• 6/5: Robby Mercer (AA) took home POTW honors for his 8-20 5 HR 10 RBI performance
• 6/5: Kenny Tuck (AAA) won AAA POTW going 7-18 5 HR 9 RBI
• 6/5: Brad Cass is off the DL and will rehab in Warren as a starter
  
  
• PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Bill Tribett (LA) 11-23 3 HR 6 RBI
• COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Dustin Fahey (CHA) 10-19 4 HR 11 RBI

[gehrig38]

RUSTLER PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Efrain Colon .432/.523/.946 4 2B 5 HR 14 RBI
RUSTLER PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Travis Brooks 5-0 3.55 38 IP 35 K
RUSTLER MiL PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Javy Canales (AAA) .328/.360/.612 9 HR 37 RBI
RUSTLER MiL PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Joe Blake (AA) 3-2 3.40 42.1 IP 36 K


PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Brendan Robbins ( NYP) .346-12-24 25 R
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Ricky Gutierrez (NYE) .349-11-29 22 R .427 OBP
PATRIOT LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Jason Keeton (DET) 5-0 2.11 (10-0 2.40 on the season)
COLONIAL LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Chris Haske (PHX) 2-0 10 SV 1.83 33 K 19.2 IP
PATRIOT LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Andrew McGlasson (SJ) .418-2-17 (.430 avg)
COLONIAL LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Aaron Chisholm (AUS) .268-10-29 29 R




A team-record 23-6 May and a commanding lead in the division. We are closing in on a Detroit team that started 35-9.

[gehrig38]

The top 10 prospects in this year's draft. 8 out of 10 are pitchers.




As a reminder, we have the following picks
#2, #36, #39, #59, #64, #65, and #74 in the 1st three rounds. Then we don't select again until the 7th.
San Jose has the top overall pick. I will follow the 1st round until all 10 top prospects have been selected. The draft is my favorite event in OOTP.
All the mock drafts have Pearson going #1 and us taking JUCO righty Steve Roubique.


1st Round:

1. San Jose: Chris Towers CF 18 L/L Total shock and off the board pick. He is a top 10 talent but NO ONE had San Jose making this their pick. (5)
   
2. Austin: Steve Roblique SP 18 RHP College of the Sequoias JC. Our scouts are saying HS SS Jose Flores. My vote was NOT to stray from our plan. We had Roblique ahead of Pearson and while Robique is 3 years younger, that's good and bad. The bad is he is risky as a HS Pitcher, the good is, and this is no small point, he rates talent-wise the same as Pearson today. (2)
   
3. Providence: Chris Pearson RHP 21 North Carolina (1)
   
4. Chicago: Dave Savarino RHP 21 UAB (3)
   
5. Brooklyn: Brian Hruska LHP 18 Iowa Western JC (4)
   
6. San Francisco: Jose Flores SS 17 R/R Pensacola Catholic HS (10)
   
7. Ohio: Chris Harris CF 21 L/L USC
   
8. Houston: Jeff Stoder LHP 20 Brown U. (6)
   
9. Denver: Chris Faber LHP 17 St Pius X HS (7)
   
10. Mexico: Ryan Suiter RF 17 L/L Warren Township HS
    
11. Baltimore: Justin Aldinger LHP 17 Notre Dame Prep (9)
    
12. San Antonio: Kevin Wright 2B 17 L/R Deer Valley HS
    
13. Pittsburgh: Brian Steele IF 18 R/R North Alabama JC
    
14. Dallas: Kurt Hansen LF 18 L/L Chattahoochee HS
    
15. Ft Worth: Cody Otten 3B 20 R/R Missouri
    
16. Buffalo: Ed Conesa RF 19 R/R Brunswick JC
    
17. Montreal: Pat Schlemmer C 21 R/R Dayton U.
    
18. Chicago: Chris Mitchell RHP 18 Lake Havasu HS
    
19. Los Angeles: Colt Fikse LHP 20 Stanford
    
20. Detroit: Tyler Nix RHP 17 Redan HS (8)

RUSTLERS DRAFT

1. #2 - Steve Roblique SP 18 RHP College of the Sequoias JC.
2. #36 – Mike Baker 2B 17 R/R La Jolla HS
3. #39 – Josh Russell C 17 R/R SW Dekalb HS (I wanted to take C Chris Brothers, this was our scouts take, setup player note to remind me next year)
4. #59 – John Thomas OF 18 L/L McLennan JC
5. #64 – Manny Garcia OF 18 R/L LSUA JC
6. #65 – Kevin Owens 1B 18 L/L Deer Valley HS
7. #74 – Dave Melone OF 18 R/R Dodge City JC

Round:

• 6- Kyle McKee 6'8” RHP 18
• 7- Bill Meza 5'11” RHP 21
• 8- Aiden Nakagawa 6'1” RHP 18 (watch this kid, could be big-time sleeper)
• 9- Mark Bieker 6'7” S/R RHP/1B
• 10- Joe Shively 6'1” LHP 17
• 11- Justin Mills 6'1” IF/OF 19
• 12- Brad Scout 6'2” RHP 20

[gehrig38]

• RECORD: 45-20
• STANDINGS: 1st (+14 ½)
• RUNS SCORED: 351 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 248 (1st)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .693 (4th)
• ZONE RATING: +9.7 (2nd)
• ERRORS: 27 (t-1st)
• OWNERS MOOD: Good
• FAN INTEREST: 63
  
  
• THIS WEEK: (5-1) 3-0 @ Memphis 2-1 vs Houston
• 6/6: AUS 5 MEM 2
• POTG: Matt Behrens 6 IP 3 H 10 K 2 ER
• Laskey SV (18) Johnston 3-4 Chisholm 3-5 3 RBI Bermudez (12) Anderson (4) homer
• 6/7: AUS 11 MEM 10 (10)
• POTG: Chris Johnston 4-6 2 2B 3B 2 R 2 RBI
• 9-2 lead after 4 but Britton gets hammered. Jeff Anderson PH in the 6th and hit a walk-off HR in the 10th.
• 6/8: AUS 3 MEM 2
• POTG: Jeff Anderson 3-3 HR 2 RBI
• Bermudez 3-4 Pope 8 IP 5 H 5 K 2 ER Barrett SV (1)
• 6/9: OFF DAY At 43-19 we are now 1 game behind Detroit's 44-19. They started 35-9.
• 6/10: HOU 7 AUS 4
• POTG: Ryan DeCicco (HOU) 3-4 HR 2 RBI
• Anderson L (6-6) 4 IP 10 H 6 ER 5 run 7 hit 1st inning Lohse 3 IP 1 H 2 K (0.83 ERA)
• 6/11: AUS 7 HOU 2
• POTG: Matt Behrens 8 IP 5 H 10 K 2 ER W (9-3 2.65)
• Joel Moss 2-3 2 2B 3 RBI Chisholm HR (21)
• 6/12: AUS 8 HOU 1
• POTG: Eric Allen 7 IP 5 H 6 K 1 ER W (8-2 3.49)
• Colon GS 4 RBI Orozco 2-4 2B HR (15) 2 RBI Bermudez 2-4 HR RBI
• NEXT WEEK: OFF DAY 3 vs Providence 3 vs Denver
  
  
• ABL HAPPENINGS:
• 6/7: Jake Byers (NYP) struck out 15 Hawk hitters in the Punishers 2-0 win over San Jose.
• 6/7: Steve Forney (HOU) threw a 3-hit shutout striking out 10 Mexico hitters in a 2-0 win.
• 6/9: Scott Hunter (SAN) scattered 7 hits in a 8-0 win over Providence
• 6/9: The NY Punishers signed 30-year-old SS Nick Whalen to a 3 year 13.2 million dollar deal.
• 6/10: Myeong-Han Jung (SF) shut out the Punishers 4-0 on a 3-hitter.
  
  
• RUSTLER NEWS:
• 6/6: AAA All-Star Javy Canales took home the prospects HR derby by beating teammate Kenny Tuck 16-15 in the final round
• 6/6: Brad Cass tossed a CG 3-hitter in his 1st rehab start striking out 8.
• 6/8: Joel Hicks is off the DL now, he will head to Warren for rehab.
• 6/9: OF Josh Reardon comes of the DL and will also rehab at Warren
• 6/10: Managed to sign backup catcher Benny Keegan to a 2 year deal for 585K with the 2nd year being a team option at 340K. He's a legitimate switch-hitting option and an outstanding defender.
• 6/11: Luis Orozco still leads the all-star vote for Colonial League 3B. He's 60 votes ahead of former Rustler Matt Sandoval.
  
  
• PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Chris Whitten (SF) 11-23 3 HR 4 RBI
• COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Ricky Gutierrez (NYE) 10-24 4 HR 10 RBI

[gehrig38]

The Austin Rustlers and 26-year-old pitcher Travis Brooks have agreed to terms on a 4 year 30.8 million dollar extension. Brooks, who is making 7 million this year and was due to become a free agent at years end came to terms quickly and very quietly as no one had heard of talks even starting between the two parties.


BACKROOM CHATTER
A bit higher than I would have liked but I have so many young players under control and players I want to extend long before Arbitration or free agency that this one came together fast. If he continues to progress as our scouts say he will earn the money. This very day is the first time in his career he's been over .500 during the regular season. He'll give up his HR's but he won't beat himself with walks. I expect he'll be the 4 or 5 when all is said and done.

[gehrig38]

• RECORD: 50-21
• STANDINGS: 1st (+15)
• RUNS SCORED: 382 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 265 (1st)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .697 (2nd)
• ZONE RATING: +10.8 (2nd)
• ERRORS: 30 (t-1st)
• OWNERS MOOD: Good
• FAN INTEREST: 63
  
  
• THIS WEEK: (5-1) 2-1 vs Providence 3-0 vs Denver
• 6/13: OFF DAY
• 6/14: PRO 6 AUS 3
• POTG: Bobby Dare (PRO) 6.1 IP 7 H 7 K 1 ER W (7-4)
• Brooks L (6-5) 7 IP 6 H 7 K 2 2R HR's
• 6/15: AUS 3 PRO 1
• POTG: Trevor Pope W (8-1 3.68) 8 IP 4 H 6 K 0 BB 1 ER
• Laskey SV (20) Orozco tie-breaking 2R HR. Dagel (PRO) CG 4 H 5 K 3 ER L (5-5 4.66)
• 6/16: AUS 5 PRO 1
• POTG: David Anderson W (7-6) 6.1 IP 4 H 11 K 1 ER
• Moss 2-3 2B 2 RBI
• 6/17: AUS 8 DEN 4
• POTG: Matt Behrens W (10-3 3.49) 6.2 IP 4 H 8 K 4 R 1 ER
• 17 hits Orozco 3-4 2 2B 2 RBI Kucher 3-4 2B Chisholm 2-5 HR (22)
• 6/18: AUS 7 DEN 1
• POTG: Eric Allen W (9-2 3.26) CG 4 H 10 K 0 BB 1 ER
• Chris Johnston 2-4 3B HR 3 RBI
• 6/19: AUS 5 DEN 4
• POTG: Travis Brooks W (7-5 4.28) 7 IP 6 H 9 K 4 ER
• Villa H (11) Laskey SV (21) Cowan GS 4 RBI
• NEXT WEEK: OFF DAY 3 @ San Antonio 3 @ Ft Worth
  
  
• ABL HAPPENINGS:
• 6/13: Mark Holmes (SJ) threw a 3-hit shutout to beat Dallas 6-0
• 6/14: Jeremy Buttitta (MEM) fanned 12, walked 1 and scattered 3 hits in a CG 5-0 shutout of Denver.
• 6/14: Scott Hunter (SAN) beat Mexico 5-0 on CG 6 hitter.
• 6/15: Brad Ullrich (PHI) lost a perfect game in the 8th and settled for a 1-hit 4-0 win fanning 12.
• 6/16: Cameron Mears (CHA) allowed just 3 hits in a 5-0 win over Lexington. He struck out 11 and did not walk a batter.
• 6/17: Josh Viens (NYP) struck out a season-high 16 in a 10 inning CG 5-hit 2-0 win over Detroit
  
  
• RUSTLER NEWS:
• 6/18: Luis Orozco is 59K votes ahead of former Rustler 3B Matt Sandoval in the latest All-Star voting.
• 6/19: CF prospect Andy Adrian (A) was named the Mid-West league POTW going 14-26 2 HR 7 RBI. He's now hitting .301-14-47. He was acquired in a 2010 March trade with LA. He was the 28th overall selection in the 2009 draft by the Dallas Texans.
  
  
• PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jamie Stevens (SJ) 13-22 2 HR 6 RBI
• COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Matt Foley (MON) 10-22 4 HR 5 RBI 7 R

[gehrig38]

• RECORD: 55-22
• STANDINGS: 1st (+19)
• RUNS SCORED: 418 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 279 (1st)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .699 (3rd)
• ZONE RATING: +12.7 (2nd)
• ERRORS: 31 (1st)
• OWNERS MOOD: Good
• FAN INTEREST: 64
  
  
• THIS WEEK: (5-1) 2-1 @ San Antonio 3-0 @ Ft Worth
• 6/20: OFF DAY
• 6/21: AUS 3 SAN 1
• POTG: Trevor Pope loses SHO 2 out in the 9th CG H 6 K 1 ER W (9-1 3.42)
• Chisholm HR (23) RBI (66)
• 6/22: SAN 4 AUS 2 (rain-shortened 6 innings)
• POTG: Larry Huffman (SAN) CG 6.1 IP 3 H 1 ER
• Anderson CG 6 IP 8 H 8 K 4 BB 2 HR 4 ER L (7-7)
• 6/23: AUS 8 SAN 2
• POTG: Chris Johnston 3-4 2 2B 2 R 3 RBI
• Chisholm 3-5 2 2B 2 RBI (68) Behrens W (11-3 3.29) 6 IP 2 H 6 K 0 R 108 pitches
• 6/24: AUS 6 FW 4
• POTG: Eric Allen W (10-2 3.39) 7 IP 7 H 8 K 4 ER 1-3 3R HR
• Chisholm 2-5 2B HR (24) 2 RBI (70) 6 run 2nd inning
• 6/25: AUS 10 FW 3
• POTG: Aaron Chisholm 2-4 HR 3 R 2 RBI 2 BB
• Kucher 3-5 2 RBI SB Nolasco 2-4 2B (31) 2 RBI Brooks W (8-5 4.26) 6.2 IP 6 H 6 K 2 HR 3 ER
• 6/26: AUS 7 FW 0
• POTG: Trevor Pope W (10-1 3.16) 8 IP 4 H 8 K third 10 game winner on the staff
• Johnston 3-4 2B HR RBI Chisholm 3-4 HR (26) RBI (73) Cowan 2-5 HR 2 RBI Nolasco HR 2 RBI
• NEXT WEEK: OFF DAY 3 vs Phoenix 3 vs Pittsburgh
  
  
• ABL HAPPENINGS:
• 6/20: In what appears to be shaping up as one of the greatest single seasons in ABL history Dallas Texan Daniel Contraras keeps on grinding. He went 5-5 (against the team that drafted and then traded him) in a 7-4 win and is now hitting .449-15-63. His full-season projection reads: .449/.486/.751 50 2B 22 3B 33 HR 138 RBI 147 R 53-62 SB and a 15.2 WAR. Contraras was the 25th pick in the 2006 draft by the NY Punishers. They traded him a year later for SP Mike Simon. Simon is 34-33 4.33 since the trade.
• 6/21: Lexington's Steve Griggs fanned 7 going the distance in an 8-0 win over Ft Worth
• 6/21: Takafumi Wakabayashi (MON) went 5-5 2B HR 3 RBI in a 5-3 win over Houston.
• 6/22: Josh Viens (NYP) is on a roll. He struck out 16 for the 2nd start in a row and allowed just 3 hits in a 14-1 win over Dallas. In his last 6 starts his numbers are : 5-0 1.04 52 IP 27 H 79 K 10 BB. It was his 3rd game with 16 strikeouts this season. He's 11-1 1.86 130.1 IP 74 H 179 K 35 BB. He is shooting for his 3rd straight Koufax in the Patriot League, a mark only David Faulkner (DAL) (2001-2003) and Chris Greene (CHA) (1998-2000) have achieved.
• 6/22: Chris Lach (DEN) evened his record at 5-5 3.75 with an 11 K 3-hit shutout of Charlotte.
• 6/24: Matt Creason (MON) beat Phoenix 4-0 with a 2-hitter
• 6/24: Houston's Steve Forney tossed his league-leading 3rd shutout of the season striking out 12 in a 2-hitter.
• 6/25: Eric Hart (PIT) fanned a season-high 12 in a 3-hitter to beat Mexico 6-0.
• 6/25: Scott Hunter (SAN) had 11 K's in a 3-hitter. The Broncos blanked Memphis 8-0.
• 6/26: Walt Davis (LEX) won his 7th (7-4 3.07) with a 4-hit 3-0 SHO of New York.
• 6/26: Tony Delgado (LA) held Detroit to just 3 hits in a 3-0 CG win.
• 6/26: Motonobu Nakasone (DAL) tossed his 1st career SHO beating San Diego 4-0.
  
  
• RUSTLER NEWS:
• 6/21: Our top pick this year, Steve Roubique got a tough introduction to professional baseball. In his first start he went 3.2 IP walked 5 gave up 2 HR's and 6 ER.
• 6/23: Salt Lake City OF Andy Adrian slammed 3 home runs and drove in 5 in a 9-7 win over Chattanooga. He's hitting .301-17-52 in 68 games. He was acquired from LA in March of last year as one of the first trades I made. Sending former ROTY Chiang-hui Xu and P prospect Matt Gross to LA.
• 6/25: Chris Johnston has popped up in fan voting for the 2011 All-Star game. The 2B is 3rd in voting 600K votes behind 2010 Colonial League MVP Ricky Gutierrez. 3B Luis Orozco continues to lead 3B by 53K votes.
  
  
• PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Romeo Pirelli (NE) 12-27 6 HR 8 RBI 9 R
• COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Takafumi Wakabayashi (MON) 11-23 4 HR 9 RBI

[gehrig38]

• RECORD: 58-25
• STANDINGS: 1st (+20)
• RUNS SCORED: 449 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 308 (1st)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .700 (3rd)
• ZONE RATING: +13.3 (2nd)
• ERRORS: 33 (1st)
• OWNERS MOOD: Good
• FAN INTEREST: 66
  
  
  
• THIS WEEK: (3-3) 1-2 vs Phoenix 2-1 vs Pittsburgh
• 6/27: OFF DAY
• 6/28: PHX 7 AUS 4
• POTG: Tasuki Nakata (PHX) W (8-7 5.00) 8 IP 8 H 4 K 3 ER
• Anderson 5 run 1st 3 HR 7 IP 6 ER (7-8 5.58) Kuchar 3-5 3B 2 RBI
• 6/29: AUS 2 PHX 0
• POTG: Behrens W (12-3 3.06) 7.2 IP 4 H 10 K 2 BB
• Laskey SV (23) Anderson HR RBI sent down after the game, see news.
• 6/30: PHX 6 AUS 4
• POTG: Dave Nolasco 4-4 HR R 2 RBI
• Eric Allen 6 ER 1.2 IP might have been pre-occupied, see news Chris Miller, Justin Lohse 7.1 IP 2 HJ 14 K! Gullion (PHX) W (8-5 2.61) 8.1 IP 10 H 8 K 4 ER
• 7/1: AUS 11 PIT 6
• POTG: Dave Nolasco 3-5 3B HR 5 RBI
• Kucher 4-4 2 R SB Aasen 3-5 3 R Chisholm 2-3 HR (27) 4 RBI (78) Reardon 3-5 2 2B Brooks W (9-5 4.41 7 IP 8 H 8 K 0 BB 2 HR 5 ER
• 7/2: PIT 6 AUS 3
• POTG: Marvin Rivera (PIT) W (5-9 5.15) 8.1 IP 9 H 3 ER
• Pope L (10-2 3.36) 4.1 IP 6 H 3 BB 5 K 4 ER Chisholm HR (28) Moss HR (10)
• 7/3: AUS 7 PIT 4
• POTG: David Anderson W (8-8) 6.2 IP 4 H 4 BB 8 K 3 ER 1-3 HR RBI
• Laskey SV (24) Johnston 3-5 2B (31)
• NEXT WEEK: 4 @ Mexico 3 @ NY Empire
  
  
• ABL HAPPENINGS:
• 6/27: Larry Huffman (SAN) threw his 1st shutout of 2011 with a 3-hit 3 K 3-0 win over Denver
• 6/27: San Diego CF Charlie Angwin hit a game-winning triple in the 11th inning of a 7-6 win over Buffalo. The triple completes his cycle.
• 6/29: Jon Vargas (MEX) fanned 8 allowing just 2 hits in a 7-0 win at Ft Worth
• 6/30: Troy Gillon (DAL) struck out 5, walked 2 and allowed 4 hits in the Texans 6-0 win over Detroit.
• 7/3: Josh Viens fanned 15 in a 7-3 win over Baltimore. In his past 8 starts he is 6-1 1.47 67.1 IP 39 H 106 K 14 BB. He has fanned 10 or more in all 8, and 15 or more 4 times. For the season he is 12-2 1.98 and apparently headed for Koufax #3.
  
  
• RUSTLER NEWS:
• 6/27: 2011 top pick Steve Roubique bounced back with a stellar start going 6.1 IP 1 H 9 K 1 ER in his 2nd professional start.
• 6/27: Joel Hicks rehab is over. Benny Keegan has agreed to be optioned to Warren which avoids a potentially messy bunch of roster moves.
• 6/28: OF Josh Reardon rehab ends today. Jeff Anderson has had a tremendous month or so filling in (.286/.360/.596 7 HR) and will head back to Warren.
• 6/29: AAA Warren downed the Barrie Berserkers 20-1 today on just 9 hits! The Barrie staff walked a league record 17 Warren batters with starter Scott Gaines walking 8. Joe LaPorte was 1-1 2 R 4 BB 4 RBI 3B Nick Cikanek went 2-4 2 HR 7 RBI
• 6/30: Eric Allen, before his start today, agreed to terms on a 5 year 9.24 million dollar deal. We managed to cover his arbitration years and 1st year of FA with an incredibly team-friendly deal. Year 5 is a 2.6m team option with a 490K buyout. The 26-year-old is 22-11 in his past 2 years and 42 starts. In 289 IP he's allowed 255 H K'd 297 walked 68 and allowed 36 HR's. A solid and consistent performer who is an intricate part of the team chemistry.
  
  
• PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Seung-Hyeon Kim (PHI) 13-28 2 HR 6 RBI
• COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Dave Nolasco (AUS) 12-24 2 HR 8 RBI

[gehrig38]

RUSTLER PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Chris Johnston .368/.398/.670 14 2B 3 3B 4 HR 16 RBI 20 R
RUSTLER PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Matt Behrens 5-1 2.14 42 IP 53 K .156 OppAvg
RUSTLER MiL PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Andy Adrian (A) .327/.385/.598 8 2B 7 HR 20 RBI
RUSTLER MiL PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Mike Carter (A) 3-1 2.48 36.1 IP 27 K


PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Romeo Pirelli (NE) .400-11-24 22 R .448 OBP
COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Matt Foley (MON) .435-7-15 21 R
PATRIOT LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Josh Viens (NYP) 4-1 1.43 50.1 IP 75 K
COLONIAL LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Scott Hunter (SAN) 5-0 0.92 49 IP 44 K
PATRIOT LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Wilfrid Gonzalez (DAL) .380-2-9 21 R
COLONIAL LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Matt Behrens (AUS) 5-1 2.14 42 IP 53 K .156 OppAvg

[gehrig38]

• 57-24 .704 Win%.
• This team lost 99 games last season. Yes there were a ton of personnel moves and trades to bolster the depth charts both pitching and hitting. But never in a million years did I see this coming. Not even close. I truly was hoping a young pitching staff would gel over the course of the year, through the ups and downs and we'd be in position to put together a post-season contender this winter for the 2012 season.
• This team is 41-14 over the last 2 months and 1 day. 33-9 at home, 14-4 in 1-run games 24-8 vs LHP 33-16 vs RHP. 23-6 may, 17-8 June.
• As of today, 81 games in, the offense ranks 1st in the following categories:
• AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, WAR, wOBA, Runs, Hits, XBH, K, Base running.
• The pitching staff?
• 1st in ERA, Bullpen ERA, RA, WAR, 2nd in H, HR, Def Eff, ZR, 3rd in OppAvg, BABIP, BB, and 4th in K's.
• The team is 5.5 games better than any team in the ABL including Detroit who started 35-9.
• Matt Behrens (12-3 3.06) leads the CL in wins, tied for the ABL lead.
• Aaron Chisholm .296-27-78 leads in HR and RBI, 2nd in OPS, WAR and these two will finish 1-2 in the CL Rookie of the year voting barring some seismic event.
• Eric Allen and Trevor Pope are both tied for 2nd in wins at 10 each.
• Ranan Laskey is 3rd in Saves at 23, Chris Johnston is 2nd in hitting at .340.
• At the 81 game mark we have a 20 game lead in the division. No other division leader has a larger lead than 6.5 games.

• Here's a look at the hitting, and pitching through 81 games

• Now think about this. I have restrained myself from recalling my top hitting prospect in Sam Reyes, he's hitting .282/.409/.467 14 2B 3 3B 11 HR 15018 SB in 77 G at AAA Warren. There's also a consideration to making him the everyday SS with Chris Johnston's breakout season.
• Then we have Joe Tighe, the 24th ranked prospect. He's hitting .317/.415/.444 13 2B 2 3B 5 HR 30 RBI 18-27 SB in 64 games. He switch hits and is a + to ++ defender at 2B, SS, and 3B. He hit .257/.400/.314 in 11 games earlier this year.
• Jeff Anderson? .283/.360/.596 during Reardon's absence with 7 HR 11 RBI in 30 games. At Warren he's hitting .309/.433/.671 14 HR 48 RBI in 41 games. ABL's #38 ranked prospect.
• You might argue I don't have the most productive offensive lineup playing right now. What it does allow is for patience with Reyes and Tighe. But they won't all fit, and trying to decide on an optimal combination is going to result in dealing with very talented players.
• The plan, as of today, is to bolster the pitching depth in the organization when making the deals to clear room for the top young bats.

• But the point I was making in all this is this. We are the best team in the ABL right now, today. And at a 35.9% increase in attendance, I think the fans get it as well. I did not come close to expecting this even near this soon. But it's here, now we embrace it, and build on it. The Dynasty we are after just happens to have a kickoff date of 2011 instead of 2012.

[gehrig38]

• RECORD: 63-27
• STANDINGS: 1st (+21.5)
• RUNS SCORED: 499 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 333 (1st)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .701 (2nd)
• ZONE RATING: +15.5 (1st)
• ERRORS: 38 (1st)
• OWNERS MOOD: Good
• FAN INTEREST: 66
  
  
• THIS WEEK: (5-2) 2-2 @ Mexico 3-0 @ NY Empire
• 7/4: MEX 4 AUS 1
• POTG: Bret Gerber (MEX) 8 IP 9 H 7 K 1 ER W (4-5 2.63)
• Behrens L (12-4 3.14) 6 IP 3 K 3 BB 7 H 3 ER
• 7/5: AUS 9 MEX 5
• POTG: Eric Allen W (11-3 3.81) 8 IP 5 H 2 K 3 ER 1-4 2B R
• Kucher 3-5 3 RBI SB Bull 2-4 2 BB 3 RBI
• 7/6: AUS 11 MEX 5
• POTG: Aaron Chisholm 4-5 2B HR (29) 4 RBI (85)
• Brooks ND 4 IP 5 ER Bull 4-6 2 2B 3B SB 2 R RBI Nolasco 3-5 2 2B (34) 19 game hitting streak
• 7/7: MEX 6 AUS 4
• POTG: RP Ryan Horvath (MEX) 5.2 IP 5 H 2 K 0 BB 0 R all in relief of starter who was ejected
• Pope L (10-3 3.57) 6.1 IP 5 H 2 HR 12 K Kucher 3-4 SB Orozco 2-4 HR (18)
• Yermolay Zhulyabin (MEX) drilled Joel Moss after Luis Orozco homered in the 2nd, both ejected, both suspended. Moss for 4 Zhulyabin for 7.
• 7/8: AUS 9 NYE 1
• POTG: Dave Nolasco 2-3 HR 3 R 2 RBI
• Anderson W (9-8 5.25) 6 IP 3 H 8 K 1 ER Cass SV (1) 3 IP 2 H 2 K
• 7/9: AUS 6 NYE 2
• POTG: Matt Behrens W (13-4 3.09) 7.2 IP 8 H 3 K 2 ER 2-4 R RBI
• Laskey SV (25) Johnston 3-5 2B (32) 3B R 2 RBI Orozco 2-5 HR (19) 2 RBI
• 7/10: AUS 10 NYE 2
• POTG: Chris Johnston 3-5 HR 2 R 4 RBI
• Kucher 3-6 3B 2 R 3 RBI Orozco 3-5 Allen W (12-3 3.60) 6.2 IP 5 H 8 K 0 R 1-4 R
• NEXT WEEK: 3 @ Montreal OFF DAY 3 vs Houston ALL-STAR BREAK
  
  
• ABL HAPPENINGS:
• 7/5: Jason Jaeger (BAL) tossed a CG 3-hitter to beat New England 7-0
• 7/5: Jon Del Bianco (DET) struck out 16 hitters for the 3rd time in his career in beating San Diego 6-3. The 1999 1st overall pick is 42-25 since 2009 and coming off his 1st season in Detroit when he went 17-12 3.42. The Yavapai JC Alum signed a 6 year 73.1 million dollar FA contract prior to last year. He helped lead the 2007 Montreal Paragons to the world series title.
• 7/6: 33-year-old Erwin Bothof (MEM) allowed just 2 hits while whiffing 8 in a 4-0 win of the Empire in New York.
• 7/7: Sam Brooks (CHA) scattered 5 hits in his 11th win (11-3 3.58) as Charlotte pounded Pittsburgh 10-0.
• 7/8: Baltimore OF Kineji Harada singled in the 1st inning and was hurt trying to stretch it into a double. The hit extended his hitting streak to 25 games but he suffered a severe pull of his quad and will be out at least a month.
• 7/9: Jorge Negrete (BAL) struck out 6 in a 4-0 win over Dallas.
• 7/10: Paul Anderberg (NYP) beat Brooklyn with a 2-hit masterpiece. The 39 year old K'd 5 and walked none. He's coming off a 15-7 3.72 season, his 1st with the Punishers.
• 7/10: Ryan Logan (BUF) struck out a career high 16 LA Storm hitters in a 7-0 win. Buffalo signed Logan this winter to a 7 year 32.16 million dollar free agent contract. The 3-time all-star is 8-6 3.82 in 18 starts.
  
  
• RUSTLER NEWS:
• 7/3: If you've been following along you may remember the draft debate I had at pick 39 when I was considering a catcher. I ended up taking 17-year-old Josh Russell. Well, he's had what you might call a rough start. 0 for his first 29. He's hitting .000.293/.000 through 10 games and 29 at-bats. His exceptional eye is apparent, but still a rough start.
• 7/4: Brad Cass is due off the DL and his rehab stint tomorrow. I have circulated his name to the 29 other GM's as available. I like the staff we have now and I think he's a great fit for a long man (a role he's handled nicely this year). I got a serious counter from Pittsburgh for 2 pitchers if I include Prospect Chris Lawson. I will wait to hear back. I will go to a 7-man pen for a few days while trades get talked about, Will Bull will go to Warren, for absolutely no other reason than #'s and roster spots. He's been amazing.
• 7/5: Austin trades Britton to Dallas
• The Austin Rustlers sent 28-year-old Mason Britton to the Dallas Texans in exchange for two minor league pitching prospects. A flurry of moves that brought RP Brad Cass off his rehab assignments and playing the 'options game' GM Curt Schilling moved swiftly to set their roster right. Dallas trails 1st place NY by just 1½ games and has been beset by injuries the past few weeks. With 2 relievers and a starter on the DL, the may have paid a bit more than they wanted but they got the arm they were after.
  
• The Rustlers also announced they had placed SS Joel Hicks on waivers and designated him for assignment. The 30-year-old Hicks recently return from an early-season injury and hit just .226 on his 16 game rehab assignment and in his first 10 games with Austin he was just 5-29 with 1 BB. Many thought this would be done to bring up star prospect Sam Reyes but the Rustlers instead recalled IF Willy Bull.
  
  
• BACKROOM CHATTER
• Both arms I got are legitimate rotation prospects. Both were in AAA but both will be sent to AA Modesto. 25-year-old John Ferguson was the Texans 1st pick (16th overall) in 2007 out of UAB. And was the 76th ranked prospect in 2008. Ferguson is a RH power arm with what many think will be a wipeout change to go with this mid to upper 90's heater. 24-year-old Allan Johnson is a left-hander who was drafted in the 4th round (105th overall) out of Marshall in 2007. Our scouting department gives him high marks on stuff with a ++ Curveball and change. Cass comes up and takes the long relief role back, and we stay at 6 in the bullpen as veteran catcher Benny Keegan is recalled.
• You should notice a pretty significant shift in approach now. I am making roster moves and talking trades as a world series contender. It's clearly way sooner than I ever imagined but it's here nonetheless. Every single move made this season going forward will be made to strengthen a world series talented roster or bolster an already mightily improved minor league system now ranked as the ABL's best.
  
  
• PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Michito Mori (BUF) 11-25 4 HR 8 RBI 8 R
• COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Decker Blue (LEX) 13-24 2 HR 3 RBI

[gehrig38]

• RECORD: 66-30
• STANDINGS: 1st (+23)
• RUNS SCORED: 526 (1st)
• RUNS AGAINST: 356 (1st)
• DEFENSIVE EFF: .702 (2nd)
• ZONE RATING: +13.2 (1st)
• ERRORS: 43 (3rd)
• OWNERS MOOD: Good
• FAN INTEREST: 67
  
  
• THIS WEEK: (3-3) 1-2 @ Montreal 2-1 vs Houston
• 7/11: MON 5 AUS 3 (10)
• POTG: Travis Brooks ND 7 IP 6 H 8 K 3 ER
• Barrett L (1-1) 1.2 IP HR 2 ER Bermudez 3-5 2B 3B 3 RBI Sims (MON) 28th HR C Ricky Van (MON) walk off 2 R HR
• 7/12: MON 6 AUS 4
• POTG: Josh Sims (MON) 2-4 HR (29) 3 RBI (69)
• Kucher 4-5 R RBI Aasen 3-4 Pope L (10-4 3.70) 6 IP 8 H 6 K 4 ER
• 7/13: AUS 11 MON 4
• POTG: Jesse Kucher 4-6 2 R 2 RBI SB
• Johnston 4-5 RBI Chisholm HR (30) 2 RBI (89) Aasen 2-4 HR 3 R 2 RBI Bermudez HR 3 RBI Anderson W (10-8 5.14) 7.1 IP 8 H 9 K 3 ER
• 7/14: OFF DAY
• 7/15: HOU 3 AUS 2
• POTG: Steven Frantz (HOU) W 5-7 5.25 8 IP 4 H 2 K 4 BB 1 ER
• Behrens L (13-5 2.99) 7 IP 5 H 6 K 1 ER Villa 1st HR given up to LHH, 1st XBH. 2 IP 2 ER Nolasco 2-2 2NN HR (11) RBI (57)
• 7/16: AUS 2 HOU 1 (10)
• POTG: Eric Allen 8 IP 5 H 6 K 0 BB 1 ER
• Laskey W (4-0) 2 IP 4 K Nolasco 3-5 2 RBI walk off 2B
• 7/17: AUS 5 HOU 4
• POTG: Travis Brooks W (10-5 4.65) 7 IP 6 H 6 K 0 BB 4 ER
• Villas H (13) Laskey SV (26) Cowan 1-2 3R HR
• NEXT WEEK: ALL STAR BREAK 3 vs San Jose
  
  
• ABL HAPPENINGS:
• 7/12: Chris Vetter (MEM) went 4-4 and hit for the cycle for the first time in his career. The 27 year old LF drove in 2 in the Blue Sox 7-4 win over Mexico.
• 7/14: The Brooklyn Blackhearts are in 5th place in the Patriot League's Metro Division but they are just 5 ½ and apparently are going to make a run. They acquired future Hall of Fame pitcher David Faulkner from the Pittsburgh Miners today for 2 minor league prospects. They will assume the remained of the 10.8 million owed him this year and he will enter Free Agency this winter. The three-time Koufax winner and 7-time all-star is just 2-4 4.30 this year but has only made 10 starts. He was 12-12 2.99 last season with 250 K's in 202 IP. Lifetime he is 143-98 2.93 and is just 3 strikeouts away from joining the 3000 strikeout club. From 2001-2003 he never won more than 14 games but captured 3 consecutive Koufax awards, 3 Strikeout titles, and led the league in WHIP and K/9 as well as WAR.
• 7/15: Datu Zape (OH) struck out 13 and allowed just 2 hits in the Generals 2-0 win over Dallas.
• 7/16: Lazar Peric (MEM) struck out a career-high 17 hitters and walked none in a 4-0 win over Denver. The 31-year-old righty is 8-5 3.55 with 198 K's in 132 IP over 20 starts. Peric was the 2006 Koufax winner and is a 5-time all-star. He went 20-4 3.55 with 298 K's last season and placed 3rd in the Koufax voting for the 4th time in his career. He also has 3 runner up finishes as well. He has an opt-out of the 12.6 million dollar deal this winter, or he remains in Memphis for 3 more years.
• 7/17: Tomohiro Masuda (LEX) fanned 16 and gave up 4 hits in the Rebels 4-3 win over Phoenix. He will miss the All-Star game.
  
  
• RUSTLER NEWS:
• 7/11: In a 23-4 thrashing Hartford pitchers allowed 15 walks while striking out just 3. In the game, Dayton Dragons 3B Jeremy Kelley went 2-7 driving in 8. He hit 2 grand slams. They were his first HR's and RBI's of the season.
• 7/12: In what can be deemed an experiment, our scouts found, and signed two 23-year-old Knuckleball pitchers to report to Ft Wayne. Both will enter the rotation.
• 7/16: Former Rustler Matt Sandoval beat Luis Orozco in fan balloting by less than 10K votes.
• 7/17: CF prospect Javy Canales, who is having a great season, will miss the remainder of the year with a ruptured finger tendon. The 25-year-old is hitting .290/.316/.493 with 22 HR 85 RBI for AAA Warren. In the moves that followed top OF prospect, Andy Adrian was promoted to AA Modesto.
  
  
• PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jonathan Hamilton (OH) 10-27 5 HR 8 RBI
• COLONIAL LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Ricky Gutierrez (NYE) 13-23 HR 5 RBI

[gehrig38]