The IBL's Chicago Iron Pigs

[gehrig38]

WEEK 16
RECORD: 6-1
OVERALL: 72-27 +9
RUNS SCORED: 703 (47) 1st
RUNS AGAINST: 411 (21) 1st
OWNERS MOOD: Ecstatic
FAN INTERST: 87/100
SCHEDULE: 1 vs Green Bay/3 @ Columbus/3 vs Hawaii

7/12 CHI 7 GB 4
Chavez 3-5 Hudson 2-4 HR (28) 3 RBI's (96) Jackson HR (19) Miranda 2-4 2B (20) HR (10) Collins 2-2 2 HR's (23) Rolen (GB) 3-4 Crawford (GB) 2 SB (36) Morgan 4 ER 5.1 IP W (9-3) Andre 2.2 SHO IP Cruz SV (18)

GREAT GAMES-George Quinn (PHI) drilled 3 HR's in a 5-4 loss to Houston today. He's been on and off the DL this season, hitting .324-14-38 in 55 games.

7/13 CHI 3 COL 2
Chavez 2-4 3B (4) SB (21) Miranda 2-4 HR (11) RBI (59) 3 Errors (Blakeway 2 (12) Miranda (12) Trujillo 7-4-2-0-1-7 W (6-3) Watanabe (5) Pacheco (8) Hold, Jones SV (4)

STUFF- 11-1 this month, 17-2 since the break. I feel, on paper, this is the best offense, and rotation I've ever had, at one time. The pen? That's another question. It scares me, big time.

7/14 CHI 7 COL 6 (11)
Ash 3-5 2B (21) SB (26) Collins 3-5 HR (24) 2 RBI's (69) Miranda (12) Coates (1) homer. Lopez (COL) GS (4) Ramos (COL) 3-6 2B (20) HR (2) Pacheco W (4-2) Cruz SV (19)

MILESTONES- Brent McCoy slammed his 300th HR today in a 1-4 effort. The 33 year old 2 time all star is a career .240/.316/.473 hitter in 1265 games.

7/15 COL 4 CHI 3
Hudson 3-4 HR (29) Martinez 6.2-6-4-4-2-7 L (13-3) left 2 on, Andre allowed them to score, and that was the margin.

DRAFT NEWS- As expected, #3 overall pick Rob Bright would NOT accept our offer, and is going back to school. We, I think, will be given the #3 pick again next year.

7/16 CHI 11 HAW 0
Lee CG SHO 9-6-0-0-1-4 W (11-2) Shaw 2-4 HR (28) Hudson HR (30) 3 RBI's (102) Coates 3-4 HR (2) 4 RBI's (14)

GREAT GAMES-Former Iron Pig Wes Morgan went 5-6 with 2 HR's 3 RBI's in a 17-2 San Antonio win over Houston. Morgan is hitting .262-29-77 on the year. Since his trade to San Antonio he is hitting .251-74-239 in 299 games.

7/17 CHI 12 HAW 5
Ash 3-4 2B (23) SB (27) Hudson 3-4 2 2B's (16) HR (31) RBI (103) Collins 2-3 2B (17) HR (25) 3 runs 3 RBI's (73) Blakeway 2-4 2B (23) 4 RBI's (51) Shaw (29) Chavez (23) homer also. Morgan 4 ER 6 IP W (10-3)

TRADE NEWS-First time I've ever seen the game handle this. In what was, at the end of the day, a 3 team trade.

TRADE 1:
Green Bay sends 33 year old SS Jorge Sanchez (.212-1-6) and 21 year old CL prospect Armando Gonzales (4* big time power lefty) to-
Dallas who sends 30 year old OF Paul Reeves to Green Bay (Career .246 hitter with 202 homers 207 2B's and 206 SB's)
TRADE 2:
Dallas then turned around and sent Gonzales and 31 year old SP Charles Evans (4-10 5.13 in 20 starts) to-
Philadelphia who returned 36 year old slugger Travis Bryant to Dallas. Bryant, at 382 HR's, is 2nd all time to Curt Whimster (386). He has 2 years, after this year, at 23.4M left on his contract. Philly SP is 15th in the league in ERA, and yet the Patriots are tied with New Hampshire for 1st place. SP Bob Park was designated to make room for Evans on the roster, and he will actually start todays game for Philly.

7/18 CHI 4 HAW 0
Trujillo 7-3-0-0-1-10 W (7-3) Jones 2K's 2 IP Coates 3-4 2B (5) Salinas 2-4 HR (20) 2 RBI's (84)

WEEK 16 SUMMARY
FL POTW- Jeffrey Hudson (CHI) 11-29 5 HR's 12 RBI's (.297-31-103)
CL POTW- Alex Rodriguez (BAL) 12-25 5 HR's 8 RBI's (.341-36-96)

ORG POTW
AA Matt Cook IF 14-29 HR 7 RBI's (.274-7-34)


WEEK 16 POWER RANKINGS
1) Chicago (1)
2) Green Bay (2)
3) New York (3)
4) San Antonio (10)
5) New Hampshire (15)
OUT Las Vegas (7) Los Angeles (6)

AAA Tulsa (1) +1 62-37 +13
AA Bakersfield (3) +1 63-36 +8
A(N) Belleview (4) +2 59-40 5 GB
A(S) Denison (12) -4 61-38 5 GB
SS Heavener (13) +1 14-11 4 GB
R Omaha (7) +7 15-11 2 GB

[gehrig38]

WEEK 17
RECORD: 3-3
OVERALL: 75-30 +6
RUNS SCORED: 727 (24) 1st
RUNS AGAINST: 439 (28) 1st
OWNERS MOOD: Ecstatic
FAN INTERST: 87/100
SCHEDULE: Off Day/3 @ Dayton/3 vs West Michigan

NOTES- If Ken Lee wins on Thursday (7/22) it will be his 100th career victory as an Iron Pig. He is currently tied with Alfredo Alejandrez at 99 wins, for the most in franchise history. Roberto Martinez is next at 61. Lee also trails Alejandrez by 16 K's (994-978) for most in club history. He has the most CG's (20) and is tied with Alejandrez with 6 SHO's.

7/19 Off Day
7/20 CHI 6 DAY 0
Hall CG SHO 9-6-0-0-4-8 130 pitches W (10-2) Ash 3-5 2B (24) 2 RBI's (47) Knox 3-4 2B (7) 3 DP's
7/21 DAY 8 CHI 0
Lou (DAY) 7-3-0-0-2-5 W (7-8) Martinez 6 ER 5 IP L (13-4) Morales (DAY) 2-4 HR (8) 3 RBI's (26) Brewer 2-5 HR (15) 4 RBI's (57) SB (22) Powers (DAY) 3-3 2B (13)
7/22 DAY 2 CHI 1
Lee 6-7-1-1-0-5 (ND) Watanabe surrenders 41st HR to Greene, then drills Flores with the next pitch and both are given 8 game suspensions. Greene's HR is the game winner, and he's now a legit triple crown threat at .352-41-97.
7/23 WMI 10 CHI 4
Morgan 6 ER 6 IP 2 HR L (10-4) Cy May (WMI) 2-4 2 HR's (14) 4 RBI's (55) (322 career HR's) E. Martinez 3-3 2B (3)
7/24 CHI 6 WMI 5
Collins walk off RBI single 3-3 2 HR's (27) 4 RBI's (78) Shaw (30) Salinas (21) homer as well. Soto (WMI) 3-5 Quinones 5-1-0-0-1-4 in relief of a horrible Trujillo. Pacheco W (5-2)

7/25 CHI 7 WMI 3
Down 3-2 in the 8th, plate 5 with 2 outs. Collins 2-4 2 HR's (29) 4 RBI's (82) Hudson 3-4 2 RBI's (106) Hall gives up 3 in the 1st 8-6-3-3-2-7 W (11-2)

ORG NEWS-I've promoted my first young player out of the international complex, to Rookie League Omaha. 17 year old catcher Asiman Swagat, from Sri Lanka, will get the bulk of the playing time for the last month and a half. Our scouts have him as a 5* player. His bat grades out to 20+ in everything but power, of which he has none what so ever.

WEEK 17 SUMMARY
FL POTW-Jeff Weeks (AZ) 13-24 6 RBI's (.251-5-41)
CL POTW-Alex Rodriguez (BAL) 14-28 4 HR's 13 RBI's (.349-39-104)

ORG POTW
SS Heavener Michael McGrath 3B 14-24 3 HR's 8 RBI's (.371-6-25)

WEEK 17 POWER RANKINGS
1) Green Bay (2)
2) Chicago (1)
3) New York (3)
4) Las Vegas (7)
5) Tulsa (8)
OUT San Antonio (14) New Hampshire (8)

AAA Tulsa (2) -1 65-40 +14
AA Bakersfield (3) – 67-38 +8
A(N) Belleview (4) – 63-42 +7
A(S) Denison (7) +5 66-39 1 GB
SS Heavener (4) +9 21-11 1 GB (7-0 week)
R Omaha (13) -6 17-15 4 GB

[gehrig38]

JULY SUMMARY
FL HITTER- Earl Shaw (CHI) .380-8-23 (.331-31-94)
CL HITTER- Curt Whimster (TUL) .356-10-27 (.342-31-94)
FL PITCHER- Antonio Rodriguez (SI) 4-0 2.28 (10-4 1 SV 2.60)
CL PITCHER- Amgelo Esparza (SAN) 5-1 3.12 (15-4 3.01)
FL ROOKIE- Mario Gomez (COL) .324-10-27 (.315-28-89)
CL ROOKIE- Jorge Rios (SAN) .413-4-20 (.385-4-24)

ORG POTM
SS HITTER Michael McGrath 3B .421-6-25 (.359-6-27)
SS PITCHER Carl Walker 5-0 0.62 (6-0 0.72)

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by gehrig38

ORG NEWS-I've promoted my first young player out of the international complex, to Rookie League Omaha.

I can't wait to get one of these. Sounds like a great feature.

[gehrig38]

WEEK 18
RECORD: 4-2
OVERALL: 79-32 +6
RUNS SCORED: 766 (39) 1st
RUNS AGAINST: 469 (30) 1st
OWNERS MOOD: Ecstatic
FAN INTERST: 87/100
SCHEDULE: 3 @ Buffalo/3 vs Staten Island/Off Day


TRADE NEWS- Nearing the deadline and things are heating up.
Philadelphia (55-50 2GB) has sent 25 year old 3B Jose Rivera to Fresno (47-58 13 GB) for 32 year old CL Pedro Gonzalez and 19 year old SP Fernando Aguilar. Gonzalez saved 32 games last season with a 2.70 ERA, but was having a nightmare season (2-5 13 SV 7.34 in 34 games). He will setup for the Patriots. Rivera is a slick fielding corner IF who can also play a very good SS. He's hit .267 with 34 HR's 48 2B's and 39 SB's in 311 games, and has room to grow. Aguilar is a 2.5* prospect drafted by Boston in the 3rd round of the 2019 draft. He was dealt from Boston to Fresno 9 days ago.
Fresno then sent 31 year old 2B Pat Dobson (.247-19-53 in 101 games this year, .245 198 career HR's in 1133 games liftetime) to Baltimore for 36 year old slugger Mario Orosco (.294/.411/.419 career in 1435 games) a 2 time 2B gold glove, 5 time all star, and 20 year old C Jack McPhee, a very good hitting catching prospect. Fresno has a team option on Orosco, or 3.4M buyout, after this season on 16M dollar 1 year deal.

7/26 BUF 7 CHI 6 (10)
Cruz BS (5) L (2-4) run in the 9th and 10th to lose. Ash 3-6 3B (6) Fernandez (BUF) 3-4 leadoff HR (9) 3 runs

TRADE NEWS-Boston continues to make moves everyone seems to think are good. Today acquiring 25 year old up and coming OF John Lewis (.299-12-48 this year) for 25 year old slick fielding IF Mark Guest and 20 year old slugger 1B Ricardo Torres. Guest was hitting .294-28-92 in 103 AAA games, and is a very good SS and 3B, with very good speed. He was immediately recalled and will play SS and hit 8th for 1st place Alaska. Lewis is a career .297-13-60 in 114 games with 10 SB and 21 2B's. Boston, 3 GB of New Hampshire, inserted Lewis into the 5 hole and he'll play LF as the Bombers aim for their 1st post season bid.

7/27 CHI 8 BUF 4
Ken Lee becomes the Chicago Iron Pigs all time leader in wins. He went 6.2-8-4-4-2-4 for his 12th win this year, and 100th of his Chicago career. Earl Shaw was 3-4 with 2 2B's Hugh Collins (30) and Luis Chavez (24) homered. Collins also drove in 3 (85).

NEWS ITEM-Don't imagine fans in Baltimore were real happy today. 31 year old 2B Pat Dobson, who was just acquired from Fresno, has announced he will put his IBL career on hold, and join the United States Marince Corps after the conclusion of the 2021 season. In the press conference following their game today Dobson cited a recent visit to Walter Reed as the motivating force behind this decision.

7/28 CHI 7 BUF 3
Chavez GS (25) 4 RBI's (82) Miranda 4-5 Buffalo's Peck (12) Hernandez (20) and McConnell (14) hit solo HR's off Morgan, who goes 7-7-3-3-1-8 for the W (11-4)

MILESTONES-Veteran Closer Tom Conklin (WMI) joined the exclusive 300 Save Club today. He's 49-46 2.53 lifetime, with 928 K's in 748 IP in 675 games. He set an IBL single season record last year with 49 saves.

7/29 SI 5 CHI 1
A.Rodriguez (SI) 8-8-1-0-3-4 W (10-4 2.60) Estrada (SI) 3-4 HR(4) Hayes (SI) 3-5 Ash SB (28)

CONTRACT TALKS-Bill Jones agreed to terms on a 3 year 3.63M dollar contract extension. Saves over a half million, at least, from the potential arbitration hearing.

Short Season All Stars- Manuel Diaz SP 3-0 2.57, Carl Walker SP 6-0 0.72, Bill Heard 1B .331/.439/.480 2-21, Michael McGrath 3B .359/.472/.542 6-27, Joaquin Rodriguez OF .283/.381/.409 4-21

TRADE NEWS-As was expected when he signed, Hawaii has dealt 39 year old SP Walt Thompson to the Tulsa Drillers for 4 prospects. 19 year old slugger Michael Griffin (1B/DH Tulsa's 1st pick (24th overall) in 2020 IBL's #35 prospect) 24 year old RP Edgar Charraz (Tulsa's 3rd round pick in 2015, SP/RP swing guy) 21 year old SP prospect Pedro Rios (2018 minor league FA) and 23 year old SP prospect Ralph Klein (2019 minor league FA). Thompson is 5-10 4.03 in 20 starts this season, and 150-91 3.45 with 2185K's in his career.

7/30 CHI 9 SI 6
Hall has a bizarre outing 6-4-6-5-4-9 (ND) Watanabe back from suspension W (3-4) Cruz SV (20) Collins 3-4 3B (4) 2 HR's (32) 6 RBI's (92)
7/31 CHI 8 SI 5
5 run bottom of the 9th capped by an Earl Shaw 3R HR. Eric Coates with a huge PH 3B. Shaw 2-5 2B (21) HR (31) 4 RBI's (94) Collins (33) Salinas (22) homer. Quintania (SI) 2-4 2B (14) HR (4) 3 RBI's (31) Jones W (5-2)
8/1 Off Day

WEEK 18 SUMMARY
FL POTW-Mario Gomez (COL) 11-25 6 HR's 16 RBI's (.315-28-89)
CL POTW-Chris Green (CC) 9-19 6 HR's 8 RBI's (.227-19-37)

IBL SINGLE SEASON RECORD: RUNS
Dave Palmer (BRO) 145 '16
Bill Hill (LA) 145 '12
Luis Chavez (CHI) 145 '19
Jimmy Rollins (PHI) 139 '20
Caden Haynes (TUL) 138 '15


WEEK 18 POWER RANKINGS
1) Chicago (2)
2) Green Bay (1)
3) Las Vegas (4)
4) New Hampshire (8)
5) New York (3)
OUT Tulsa (8)

AAA Tulsa (1) +1 72-40 +19 (7-0 week)
AA Bakersfield (5) -2 70-42 +6
A(N) Belleview (5) -1 66-46 +5
A(S) Denison (3) +4 71-41 1 GB
SS Heavener (6) -2 24-13 T-1st
R Omaha (16) -3 19-17 4 GB

There were a bunch of trades, nothing major, earth shattering, but moves were made. We tossed out some feelers, but while I was shopping McKinley it dawned on me that Lee might not hit his 112 start vesting option, because I think the game doesn't measure for the duration of the contract, just the final year before the contract ends. Lee did in fact pass the 112 starts over the 4 years, this year, but I'm thinking it's not going to know that, and I am going to lose him. In that case I'd slide McKinley into next years rotation. There's no way I can get anywhere near close to what he's asking, because the number I am hearing is 18M per, for 4-5 years.

[gehrig38]

WEEK 19
RECORD: 5-2
OVERALL: 84-34 +7
RUNS SCORED: 824 (58) 1st
RUNS AGAINST: 495 (26) 1st
OWNERS MOOD: Ecstatic
FAN INTERST: 87/100
SCHEDULE: 3 @ New York/3 vs Michigan/1 @ Edmonton’s

8/2 CHI 3 NY 1
Lee 9-6-1-1-3-7 W (13-2) Salinas, Collins and Miranda with RBI's. Chavez 2-3 2 SB (24) Andre Blakeway went down in the 5th with an injury. Doctors are concerned so he was sent for an MRI, and we're hoping it's nothing major.

INJURY NEWS- But it is. He subluxed his shoulder and will be out 6-7 weeks. The talk was whether or not to call up Cary Wallace or Cipriano Alonzo. Both are above average to great defenders, both hit right handed. Wallace is 24, and has a cup of coffee already, Alonzo is 22, and hasn't been in the big leagues yet. The two things that push this one way, are the fact that Alonzo plays 2nd and SS, to a high level, and Wallace plays 3rd and SS, to a very high level as well. I don't have anyone to spell Hudson at the moment. Lastly, Alonzo has 5* speed, and is an outstanding base stealing threat. He's added to the 40 man and called up and will backup vs RHP (with Lorenzelli starting at SS, and Alonzo at 3rd as a late innings guy) and start vs LH starters.

8/3 CHI 2 NY 0
Alonzo 2-4 2B (1) and both RBI's in IBL debut. Morgan 7.1-4-0-0-3-3 W (12-4) Pacheco H(9) Cruz SV (21) 3 double plays. Bentley (NY) 6.2-4-2-2-2-2 L (10-5 3.62)

CONTRACT NEWS-2014 All Star and 2012 Gold Glove winner in LF Thomas Hood agreed to a 3 year 37.5M dollar extension with Green Bay today. The 33 year old led the IBL in OBP last year (.447) and is having another good season (.282/.437/.363 in 113 games. He spent 8 years in Vegas, last year in Alaska and is a career .283 hitter and is 2nd all time (to Todd Helton) with a .416 OBP in 1137 games. He has 1190 career hits, 257 doubles, 46 triples 20 homers and 306 stolen bases with just 493 K's to 966 walks in over 5000 plate appearances.

8/4 NY 7 CHI 6
Pacheco relieves a bad Trujillo with a 6-5 lead, 2 hitters and 2 HR's later he takes the L (5-3). Hudson (32) Salinas 2 (24) homer, Salinas drives in 3 (95).
8/5 CHI 12 MICH 4
Jackson 3-4 2B (15) HR (20) 3 RBI's (55) Collins 3-4 2B (19) 3B (5) 2 RBI's (96) Chavez HR (26) Hall 8-5-3-3-2-14 130 pitches W (12-2)
8/6 CHI 17 MICH 2
Martinez 8-6-2-2-1-6 W (14-4) 17 runs 17 hits. Martinez 3 runs Ash 2-4 Salinas 3-5 2B (29) 3 runs 4 RBI's (99) Miranda 2-4 3 RBI' s (69) Chavez 2-4 HR (27) 4 RBI's (87) Knox 2-5 HR (8) 4 RBI's (23)

CONTRACT TALKS-In my never ending quest to find budget room I've reached out to some of the younger players who are arbitration eligible, in hopes of striking a club friendly deal. Dennis Ash was looking at a 5.6M arbitration number, or higher. I managed to convince him to grab security with a 4 year 23.48M dollar deal. Base salary of 3.3/4.3/7.3 and 8.3 will keep him here through 2025 at a price that's a bargain for the talent.

8/7 CHI 13 MICH 5
42-11 in 3 games. Coates 3-5 3B (2) 3 runs 4 RBI's (20) SB (4) McBride (MICH) 3-4 HR (2) 2 RBI's (21) 54 minute delay in the 5th costs Lee. Garcia W (3-0).

GREAT GAMES-31 year old 1B Ron Stokes was 3-4 with 3 HR's and 6 RBI's in a 10-5 Alaska win over Staten Island. Stokes is hitting .246-35-89 on the year.

8/8 EDM 8 CHI 7
Morgan 5-7-7-5-3-9 L (12-5) Zamora (EDM) 7-9-5-5-0-5 W (6-8) Peters (EDM) SV (32) Shaw 3-4 2B (22) 2 HR's (33) 2 RBI's (98)

WEEK 19 SUMMARY
FL POTW-David Walker (GB) 14-25 4 HR's 10 RBI's (.343-37-118)
CL POTW-Marcos Oginlara (LA) 11-25 4 HR's 7 RBI's (.281-28-71)

IBL SINGLE SEASON RECORD: BATTING AVERAGE
Gregory McCain (FRE) .3687 '14
Jesus Andrales (LV) .3680 '15
Jesus Chapa (NH) .3652 '21
Jesus Chapa (NH) .3648 '20
Todd Helton (PHI) .3599 '16

WEEK 19 POWER RANKINGS
1) Chicago (1)
2) Green Bay (2)
3) Alaska (6)
4) Las Vegas (3)
5) Boston (18) 6-1 week, 3 GB, 2 GB in the WC
OUT New Hampshire (6) New York (9)

AAA Tulsa (1) – 76-42 +20
AA Bakersfield (3) +2 75-43 +9
A(N) Belleview (4) +1 69-49 +4
A(S) Denison (6) -3 73-45 +3
SS Heavener (7) -1 28-15 +1
R Omaha (17) -1 22-21 6 GB

LEAGUE NEWS-Michigan has fired manager Will Bernard. Generla Manager Luis Suarez said the recent series in Chicago was the most embarassing 3 days in franchise history, and a change had to be made. Michigan, Corpus Christi and Edmonton are the only 3 original IBL franchises to have never made the post season. The Battlecats have never finished higher than 4th place, and are 657-919 lifetime. They've never been closer than 20 GB of 1st at seasons end, and that was the 2012 season. Since then they've never been closer than 29 games (last year). Many expected this to be the first .500 season in their franchise history given their huge crop of young talent breaking into the league. Bernard was Michigans 1st manager, from 2012 to 2015, he was in Philadelphia for 2016 (63-99) and then to Baltimore where he served as the bench coach for 4 seasons before returning to Michigan.

[gehrig38]

WEEK 20
RECORD: 5-1
OVERALL: 89-35 +9
RUNS SCORED: 855 (31) 1st
RUNS AGAINST: 505 1st (10)
OWNERS MOOD: Ecstatic
FAN INTERST: 87/100
SCHEDULE: 2 @ Edmonton/3 vs Alaska/Off Day/1 @ Arizona

8/9 CHI 5 EDM 0
A tiring Jorge Trujillo worked around a 9th inning leadoff walk to toss a CG 3-hitter for his 3rd career shutout. He needed a career high 123 pitches, walking 2 with 7 punch outs. Ivan Martinez took the loss (11-9 3.01). Ash 3-5 SB (29)

CONTRACT NEWS-Managed to ink another youngster. This time avoiding arbitration (and a 4.6M ask) to sign 3B Raul Miranda to a 4 year 17.2M dollar deal. The 25 year old will receive 2.5/3.5/4.5 and 6.5 as base salaries. He already has a career high 12 HR's and his defense, while still a work in progress (18 errors) is improving.

8/10 CHI 4 EDM 1
Hall 8-5-1-1-2-7 W (13-2) Cruz SV (22) Hamilton (EDM) 8-6-4-4-2-6 L (8-12) Miranda 2-4 HR (13) Ash 2-4 2 Runs 2 SB (31) Chavez 2-3 3 SB (27)

INJURY NEWS-When it rains it pours. Michigan will be without ace Maurice Patterson for the next 3 weeks. The 23 year old is suffering from strained shoulder. He's currently 11-7 3.24 in 175 IP and leading the FL in K's at 209.

GREAT GAMES-Former Iron Pig ace Walt Thompson is taking to his new club in Tulsa. They are battling (currently 1 game up) for the Lone Star division and the 40 year old tossed a 2-hit 10 K shutout in Dallas today. He's 1-1 3.14 in 2 starts since being dealt.

8/11 CHI 5 ALK 4 (10)
Down 4-1 in the 9th Collins 2-4 2 HR's (35) 3 RBI's (102) hits a game tying 2 run shot, Chavez launches a 2 out walk off in the 10th. Ash 3-5 Chavez 2-4 HR (28) Martinez 8-7-4-4-1-9 (ND) Pacheco W (6-3)
8/12 ALK 5 CHI 1
Solis (ALK) 9-5-1-1-1-8 W (8-9 4.26) Lee 7-6-4-3-2-9 L (13-3) Miranda 19th error. Stokes (ALK) 3R HR (37) Ash 3-4 SB (32) Jackson HR (21)

MINORS NEWS-Someone in the Boston organization knows pitching. They seem to find gems in every single draft. Today, their 2021 1st rounder (7th overall) out of Iowa, David Shields, tossed a 17K 2 BB no-hitter in rookie ball. The 21 year old is 5-3 2.21 in 8 starts with 57 IP 21 H 81 K's and 21 BB.

INJURY NEWS-Either I missed it, or I am just completely blanking. I don't remember Josh Hamilton signing with Pittsburgh???? Apparently he did, 3 years 54.6M. He broke his kneecap today and will mis the next 6 months. He was hitting .240-19-59 in 93 games.

8/13 CHI 7 ALK 0
Morgan 7-3-0-0-4-8 W (13-5) Ash 2-4 3B (7) Miranda HR (14) 3 RBI's (76) Collins 2-4 HR (36) Jackson 3-3 2B (17) HR (22)

MILESTONES-Collins HR was career homer #300, making the club 11 strong now with Curt Whimster (392) Travis Bryant (385) Wes Morgan (349) Alberto Vargas (346) Bill Alexander (333) Valentin Maitani (331) Ross Tunstall (325) Cy May (322) Bill Hill (315) and Brent McCoy (304).

GOOD GAMES-Artie Johnson (WMI) tossed a 4 hit SHO in a 7-0 win over Dayton. Johnson is 15-6 2.88, leading the FL in wins and ERA for the White Caps, who are just 1 game up in the race for the 2nd WC spot. West Michigan has not been to the post season since 2012, their only appearance.

8/14 Off Day
8/15 CHI 9 AZ 0
Trujillo 6-3-0-0-2-7 W (9-4) Alejandrez (AZ) 5.1-7-6-5-0-2 L (10-11 4.91) Collins HR (37) 3 RBI's (106) Hudson 2-4 2B (22) RBI (113) Ash 2 RBI's (58) SB (33) Miranda 2B (25) HR (15) Griffin (AZ) 4-4 Angel (AZ) SB (42)

GREAT GAMES-Angelo Esparza (SAN) tossed his 3rd SHO of the year, and 3rd career SHO of Las Vegas with a 3 hit 5 K 5-0 win. He's 18-4 2.83 with 207 K's on the year.

WEEK 20 SUMMARY
FL POTW-Dennis Ash (CHI) 15-27 3 RBI's (.342-3-58)
CL POTW-Gonzalo Rios (EP) 12-23 3 HR's 9 RBI's (.285-19-92)

ORG POTW
AAA Luis Rodriguez RF 14-27 3 HR's 6 RBI's (.310-13-71)

WEEK 20 POWER RANKINGS
1) Chicago (1)
2) Green Bay (2)
3) Boston (5) 5-1 week (11-2 last 2 weeks) 1 GB in both the division and the WC
4) Columbus (16) Had a 6-0 week and are now getting healthy and entering WC conversation
5) Los Angeles (7)
OUT Alaska (7) Las Vegas (10)

AAA Tulsa (1) – 82-43 Clinched
AA Bakersfield (1) +2 80-45 +10
A(N) Belleview (5) -1 75-50 +4
A(S) Denison (2) +4 79-46 1 GB (+1 in WC)
SS Heavener (4) +3 32-17 +2
R Omaha (10) +7 27-22 3 GB

[gehrig38]

If I'm betting, The Empire is over, New York again.
We should win the Midwest. Green Bay, were they in any other division, would have no less than a 9 game lead. They're the 1st WC.
Alaska appears poised to keep Edmonton out of the division race.

In the Wild Card, excited about a new face possibly making it. West Michigan has a slim lead, but Edmonton is just 4 back.

In the Coastal every division is close, which is cool. At least 3 teams in every division are within 4, with the Lone Star looking like it's going to be a blast to watch down the stretch. While I am definitely rooting for the Fisher Cats, I would love to see Boston's outstanding player development system start paying dividends.

Statistically there seems to be 1 guy to pay close attention to, and I'll likely be posting daily updates.

Tony Greene of Dayton is making a run at a triple crown. Alex Rodriguez could be, if he gets hot or Jesus Chapa goes cold.

Greene is on pace to shatter the single season HR mark of 60. Dennis Ash and David Walker seem to be his biggest hurdles to sweeping all 3.

Angelo Esparza is working on the pitching version. He's going to put pressure on the single season win mark (24 by Vincent Bray) and short of a melt down he's going to win the K and ERA race. He missed the triple crown in wins last year, his rookie campaign, when he took home both Rookie of the Year and the Koufax.

[gehrig38]

WEEK 21
RECORD: 5-2
OVERALL: 94-37 +10
RUNS SCORED: 904 (49) 1st
RUNS AGAINST: 526 (21) 1st
OWNERS MOOD: Ecstatic
FAN INTERST: 87/100
SCHEDULE: 2 @ Arizona/3 vs Brooklyn/2 @ Green Bay

8/16 CHI 4 AZ 1
Lorenzelli 3R HR (1) in a 4 run 4th. 2-3 2B (13) Azh 2-4 SB (34) Hall 6.1-4-1-1-3-9 Watanabe H(6) Pacheco H(10) Cruz SV (23)
8/17 CHI 10 AZ 3
Collins 3-4 2B (22) 3B (6) HR (38) 3 RBI's (109) Shaw (34) Chavez (29) Jackson (23) Trujillo (3) Hudson (33) all homer. Martinez 8-6-3-3-2-11 W (15-4)
8/18 CHI 3 BRO 2 (10)
Trujillo 3-4 2B (2) HR (4) GW walk off 2B in the 10th. Ash SB (35) Lee 7-5-2-1-1-6 (ND) Pacheco W (7-3)
8/19 CHI 15 BRO 0
Martinez 4-4 2B (5) 3 Runs Hudson 2-4 2B (23) 3 RBI's (117) Knox GS (9) Alonzo 2-3 3 Runs Collins HR (39) Morgan 6-3-0-0-6-6 W (14-5)

NOTES-The catching duo of Shane Jackson and George Knox has been far beyond expectations. To date they've combined to hit .258 with 32 HR's and 85 RBI's with 25 2B's.

8/20 BRO 7 CHI 3
Miranda (BRO) 3-5 2B (16) 3B (3) Perez (BRO) 3-4 Trujillo 7-6-3-3-1-5 (ND) Pacheco L (7-4)
8/21 GB 3 CHI 2
Utley walk off 2B (34) in the 9th. Watanabe L (3-5) Hall 8-5-2-2-3-9 (ND) Lopez (GB) 8-6-2-2-1-4 (ND)
8/22 CHI 12 GB 5
Hugh Collins has the 4th 3HR game in Iron Pigs history, and the 2nd of his career. He was 3-3 with a 3 run shot in the 1st, grand slam in the 2nd and a solo shot in the 5th, he drove in 8 and now has 42 HR on the season with 119 RBI's. Jeffrey Hudson was 2-4 2 2B's (25) 2 RBI's (120) Martinez went 7-9-5-5-0-5 for the win (16-4).

WEEK 21 SUMMARY
FL POTW-Lonnie Vaughan (SI) 12-22 3 HR's 6 RBI's (.260-30-91)
CL POTW-Chandler Harris (LV) 12-28 5 HR's 11 RBI's (.283-38-116)

WEEK 21 POWER RANKINGS
1) Chicago (1)
2) Green Bay (2)
3) Alaska (7)
4) Las Vegas (10)
5) Los Angeles (5)
OUT Boston (7) Columbus (20)

AAA Tulsa (2) -1 86-45 Clinched
AA Bakersfield (1) – 84-47 Clinched
A(N) Belleview (5) – 77-54 +4
A(S) Denison (1) +1 84-47 tied 1st
SS Heavener (2) +2 39-17 (7-0 week)
R Omaha (9) +1 32-24 3 GB

We've got about 5 weeks to go, and if it's not blatantly obvious at this point, this is by far the best most well rounded team I've ever had. We lead the IBL in Runs, Avg, HR's Runs Against and SP ERA. The rotation average age is 25.8 years, and if Lee goes that will drop significantly as he's my only SP over the age of 26. The starting infield, with the catcher AND Shaw as the DH? 26. The outfield is 28. When I said awhile back I wanted to build something of a dynasty, this is what I had in mind.

If he gets hot, I may start a daily "Greene Blog", to keep track of Tony Greene of Dayton. The 24 year old was the Dragons 2nd rounder (39th overall) out of Briggs HS, Columbus, OH, in 2016. This is his 2nd full IBL season and he's a 2 time rookie of the month, 2 time player of the month and 2021 all star. Right now he's on pace to hit .337-62-152. He's aiming to be just the 2nd Triple Crown winner in IBL history (ironically enough the only other was also a Dragon, Bill Hill in 2012). He's currently trailing Dennis Ash .338-.337 for the batting title (as Ash tries to win a 2nd in a row) and he's leading the HR race with 50, and the RBI race over Jeffery Hudson 124-120.

[gehrig38]

WEEK 22
RECORD: 5-1
OVERALL: 99-38 +12
RUNS SCORED: 950 (46) 1st
RUNS AGAINST: 553 (27) 1st
OWNERS MOOD: Ecstatic
FAN INTERST: 87/100
SCHEDULE:1 @ Green Bay/3 vs Columbus/Off Day/2 @ Hawaii

8/23 CHI 8 GB 3
Collins 4-4 2 2B's (24) HR (43) new career high 2 RBI's (121) Miranda (16) Shaw (35) homer. Miranda 3 RBI's (82) Lee 8-7-3-3-0-5 W (14-3)
8/24 CHI 13 COL 4
Salinas breaks out of his slump, 4-4 2B (30) Shaw 2-4 HR (36) 3 RBI's (106) Chavez 2-4 HR (30) 3 runs Collins 2-3 2 HR's (45) 6 RBI's (127) SB (13) Gonzalez (COL) 3-4 2 2B's (30) HR (5) 3 RBI's (37) Morgan W (15-5)

HOT? In his last 3 games, Hugh Collins is 9-10 with 2 2B's 6 HR's 16 RBI's and 8 Runs scored. He has thrust himself into MVP conversations.

TONY GREENE WATCH- .341 (1st) 51 HR's (1st) 127 RBI's (t-1st) Leads Ash in Avg. by .001, Collins in HR's by 6, and both he and Collins are 7 RBI's up on Jeff Hudson. Over in the CL, Arod is now 10 pts behind Jesus Chapa (.349-.339) in average while taking an 8 HR lead over Roosevelt Ramsey, and a 12 RBI lead of Ramsey as well.

Angelo Esparza won his 20th game, and is now leading in W's, K's (221-205) and trailing in ERA 2.01-2.63.

8/25 CHI 5 COL 4
Alonzo 3-4 1st IBL HR SB (1) Chavez 3B (5) 2 RBI's (102) Trujillo 6-7-3-3-3-3 W (10-4) Garcia H(10) Andre H (11) Cruz SV (24)
8/26 COL 6 CHI 3
Schall (COL) 3-5 HR (24) Ryan (COL) HR (23) Salinas HR (25) Sandoval (COL) 8-8-3-3-0-3 W (15-7 3.63) Hall 6-6-3-3-4-9 L (14-3)
8/27 Off Day
CONTRACT NEWS-Recently acquired 31 year old 2B Pat Dobson has agreed to terms on a 4 year 42M dollar contract extension. This year he's hitting .241-26-76 as Baltimore, with a decimated rotation, fights to get back in it. They are currently 7GB of New Hampshire and Boston.

8/28 CHI 6 HAW 3
Ash 3-5 2 2B's (31) Chavez HR (31) Martinez 7.1-5-3-3-0-6 W (17-4)

GREAT GAMES- Houston crushed the Patriots yesterday, in Philly, 24-2. The amazing thing? They hit the same amount of HR's, 1 each. 5 2B's 1 3B 1 HR and 21 singles to go with 8 walks. 3 guys had 4+ hit days with 2B Kevin Cole going 5-6 3 runs 6 RBI's.

8/29 CHI 11 HAW 7
Chavez 3-6 2B (29) 4 RBI's (108) Shaw, Salinas and Miranda all walk 3 times each. Lorenzelli 2-5 3B (5) Ash SB (39) Leduc (HAW) 3-4 HR (28) 4 RBI's (86) Lee W (15-3) 5 ER 5 IP

WEEK 22 SUMMARY
FL POTW- Hugh Collins (CHI) 9-21 6 HR's 16 RBI's (.286-45-129)
CL POTW- Bill Miles (CC) 11-15 4 RBI's (.323-12-58)

WEEK 22 POWER RANKINGS
1) Chicago (1)
2) Green Bay (2)
3) Corpus Christi (10) 6-0 week to now lead the Lone Star by 2 over Tulsa.
4) Alaska (3)
5) Las Vegas (4)
OUT Los Angeles (10)

AAA Tulsa (1) +1 93-45 Clinched
AA Bakersfield (2) -1 89-48 Clinched
A(N) Belleview (5) – 82-55 Clinched
A(S) Denison (8) -7 86-51 3 GB (+2 WC)
SS Heavener (2) – 44-18 +8
R Omaha (9) – 35-27 1 GB

[gehrig38]

AUGUST SUMMARY
FL HITTER- Lonnie Vaughan (SI) .350-10-28 (.269-34-100)
CL HITTER- George Quinn (PHI) .337-11-28 (.323-31-81)
FL PITCHER- Raul Rubio (ALK) 5-0 1.18 (13-9 3.23)
CL PITCHER- Angelo Esparza (SAN) 6-0 1.22 (21-4 2.58)
FL ROOKIE- Angel Marquez (ALK) .266-9-22 (.255-20-63)
CL ROOKIE- Jose Cordero (EP) .321-7-21 (.290-18-81)

ORG POTM
AAA Pitcher Steve McKinley 6-0 2.44 (17-4 3.06)
Rookie Pitcher Andrew Tapia 1-0 12 Saves 2.13 (4-2 19 SV 3.12)

New York had a chance to ice the Empire, and they went 12-16 in August. It's still a stretch, but Brooklyn, and possibly Buffalo could make a push.

We are on pace to set an IBL record for wins, and win %. Green Bay fans are lamenting their division, they'd be 7 or more games up in every other division. They'll take the 1st WC spot again.

Alaska appears headed for their 2nd berth.

Hoping to see West Michigan hold on for their first post season appearance since 2012.

Keystone is tight, and it appears there's a power shift as well. Same for the Lone Star, 3 VERY GOOD teams battling it out. Pacific has 3 teams gunning as well, and everyone's got their eyes on the fallback WC spot, with 5 teams seriously in the mix today.

Tony Greene's falling off the pace a bit, on a 61 homer pace now. Dennis Ash hit .374 in July and .361 in August. He's trying to win his 2nd batting title in a row.

Former CL ERA leader Pepe Artlano is bouncing all over the Grizzly staff due to injuries. He's got a sub 2 ERA (1.97) but only 137 IP, and believe it or not he's now closing in Fresno? All that is to say Esparza is making a pitching triple crown bid now, a serious one.

On the homefront, it's September, and time to reinforce the IBL roster while trying to let the teams in the playoffs win their league titles.

RP's Chance Holt, Matt Tucker, Victor Ornelas, 1B Ruberto Gabere, IF Jeremy Hamlyn and OF's Andy Davis and SP Steve McKinley are all recalled from AAA Tulsa.

[gehrig38]

WEEK 23
RECORD: 7-0
OVERALL: 106-38 +16
RUNS SCORED: 1000 (50) 1st
RUNS AGAINST: 579 (26) 1st
OWNERS MOOD: Ecstatic
FAN INTERST: 87/100
SCHEDULE: 1 @ Hawaii/3 vs Dayton/3 @ West Michigan

8/30 CHI 7 HAW 3
Ash 3-5 2B (32) 3B (8) Chavez 4-5 Salinas 2-5 2B (31) HR (26) 3 RBI's (109) Morgan 6-3-2-2-6-7 W (16-5) 3 DP's.
8/31 CHI 6 DAY 1
Chavez 4-4 2B (30) 2 SB (31) 5th straight season he's gone 30/30+. Salinas 2-3 2B (32) HR (27) 2 RBI's (111) Ash 2-5 2B (33) SB (40) 4 Chicago errors. Trujillo 6-3-1-0-1-3 (ND) Pacheco W (8-4) Jones SV (5)
9/1 CHI 8 DAY 7
Cruz BS(6) W (3-4) Lorenzelli (2) Chavez (32) Jackson (24) and Salinas (28) homer. Wright (DAY) 3-3 2 2B's (42)
9/2 CHI 14 DAY 5
Martinez 2-5 HR (3) 4 RBI's (20) Ash 2-4 3B (9) Salinas 2-4 2B (34) 3 RBI's (116) Knox 3-4 2 HR's (11) 3 runs 3 RBI's (31) Collins 3-4 Martinez 7-7-1-1-0-5 W (18-4) T. Greene (DAY) 4-4 2B (39) Ibarbia (DAY) 3-4 3B Mark Brewer (DAY) commits his 34th error.

INJURY NEWS-Hugh Collins escaped serious injury after falling down the stairs at his home. Nothing more than a severely bruised jaw, but he's DtD for the next 1-2 days.

GREAT GAMES-Rookie David Brooks (GB) went 3-4 in his 2nd IBL game ever, and drilled 3HR's, driving in 6 in a 13-6 win over Staten Island.

MINORS-AA Bakersfield, A(N) Belleview and A(S) Denison have made the playoffs.

9/3 CHI 3 WMI 2
Miranda 3-5 Lee (WMI) 3-3 K. Lee 8-4-2-2-4-3 W (16-3) Cruz SV (26) A.Johnson (WMI) 7-10-3-3-4-3 L (16-8 3.33)
9/4 CHI 6 WMI 5
Rojas (WMI) 3-4 2B (26) HR (5) Morgan 6.1-6-4-4-3-4 W (17-5) Cruz SV (27)

INJURY NEWS-Former Iron Pig and now Boston Bomber closer Jake Ellison will miss the next 4-5 months with an undisclosed shoulder injury. He was 6-5 2.63 with 31 Saves. Boston, now 1 game back of New Hampshire, will turn to former closer 35 year old George Quinn for their playoff push. Quinn was 3-2 2.13 with 16 Saves last season and has 190 career saves.

STAT NEWS-On a team note, we're now 105-38, which means we're 8 games shy of the single season win record, with 19 games left.

9/5 CHI 6 WMI 3
McKinley spot start 7-7-1-1-0-5 W (4-0 1.74 in 4 very good starts) Jones SV (6) Drake (WMI) 5.1-7-5-5-2-3 L (11-11 4.27) Collins HR (46) Hudson 2-3 2B (28) Rojas (WMI) 3-5

MINORS NEWS-AAA Tulsa is in the post season. Their playoffs start Tuesday 9/7.

WEEK 23 SUMMARY
FL POTW-Luis Chavez (CHI)15-30 HR 9 RBI's (.332-32-113)
CL POTW-Roosevelt Ramsey (TUL) 12-28 3 HR's 11 RBI's (.286-42-129)

WEEK 23 POWER RANKINGS
1) Chicago (1)
2) Green Bay (2)
3) Las Vegas (5)
4) Corpus Christi (3)
5) Alaska (4)

AAA Tulsa 98-46 +30 (Div Champs) Rd 1 vs Rocky Ford Battlecats (MICH)
AA Bakersfield 91-49 +10.5 (Div Champs) Up 1-0 Rd 1 vs Chesapeake White Caps (WMI)
A(N) Belleview 85-55 +8 (Div Champs) Down 0-1 Rd 1 vs Colorado Springs Trappers (EDM)
A(S) Denison 87-53 4 GB (WC Winner) Down 0-1 Rd 1 vs Munsons Corners Bombers (BOS)
SS Heavener (3) -1 49-20 +9 Clinched
R Omaha 39-29 +1 (Div Champs) Rd 1 vs Lake Carmel Blizzard (GB)

[Orcin]

I want to see Chicago and Green Bay square off in the playoffs. I will buy a ticket on StubHub for that one, whatever it costs.

[gehrig38]

WEEK 24
RECORD: 4-2
OVERALL: 110-40 Clinched Div Title
RUNS SCORED: 1028 (28) 1st
RUNS AGAINST: 602 (23) 1st
OWNERS MOOD: Ecstatic
FAN INTERST: 87/100
SCHEDULE: 3 vs Buffalo/Off Day/3 @ Staten Island

9/6 CHI 6 BUF 3
Collins 2-4 HR (47) Shaw HR (37) Trujillo 7-5-3-3-4-9 W (11-4) Cruz SV (28)

CONTRACT NEWS-In a continued effort at cost certainty, 25 year old Shane Jackson, who's having an amazing season (.266-24-62 with a .362 OBP) has agreed terms on a 4 year 9.74M dollar contract extension. Basically buying out his 3 arb seasons, and 1st FA year. His arb # was 4.6M, and his base next year will be 1.2.

9/7 CHI 8 BUF 5
Shaw 3-4 2 2B's (25) HR (38) Chavez HR (33) Holt W (2-1) Cruz SV (29)
9/8 CHI 2 BUF 1
Martinez 7.2-3-1-1-2-9 W (19-4) Andre H(14) Jones SV (7)

GREENE WATCH-Tony Greene (DAY) went 5-5 today, hitting his 56th HR, and driving in 2. The 56 homers ties him with Cy May for the 3rd highest single season total, Curt Whimster is 2nd at 57. with Bill Hill's 60 still the finish line. The 5 hit day moved him into a tie with Dennis Ash at .343, and he's now at 139 RBI's, leading David Walker by 5.

MINORS NEWS-Tulsa won it's 1st round series, and is getting ready for round 2. Bakersfield won as well, and is up 1-0 in round 2. Belleview lost 2-1 in their 1st round, Denison won theirs 2-1, and are down 0-1 in round 2. Omaha lost their 1st round series 2-1.

9/9 Off Day
9/10 SI 9 CHI 4
Miranda (17) Ash (4) homer in loss. Guerrero (SI) 3-4 2 HR's (19) 3 runs 4 RBI's (75) Laconi (SI) 9-6-4-4-1-6 W (8-16)
9/11 SI 4 CHI 3
Hudson 4-4 Shaw 3-5 Morgan 7-6-4-3-3-11 L (17-6)

GREENE WATCH-Tony Greene went 3-4 with a 2B (41) and his 57th HR, driving in 2. He's now tied with Curt Whimster for the 2nd highest single season total ever. He is hitting .344-57-141 to lead in avg .344-.339, HR's 57-47, and RBI's 141-135.
Alex Rodriguez is now trailing Jesus Chapa .343-.335 for the CL batting title. He leads in HR's 48-45 (Ramsey TUL) and RBI's 136-133 (over Ramsey as well)

9/12 CHI 5 SI 1
Ash 2-3 2B (35) Shaw 2-3 RBI (113) Salinas 2 RBI's (119) Samudid (SI) 3-5 Trujillo 6.1-8-0-0-1-7 W (12-4 3.26) Rodriguez (SI) 6-6-5-5-2-5 L (15-7 2.88)

WEEK 24 SUMMARY
FL POTW-Angel Marquez (ALK) 15-27 3 HR's 5 RBI's (.278-19-49)
CL POTW-Ross Tunstall (LV) 7-18 5 HR's 12 RBI's (.238-27-87)

IBL SINGLE SEASON RECORD: OPS
Curt Whimster (TUL) 1.1174 '14
Angelo Gomez (EP) 1.1110 '16
Alex Rodriguez (BAL) 1.1041 '15
Alex Rodriguez (BAL) 1.0906 '21
Bill Hill (LA) 1.0897 '12

WEEK 24 POWER RANKINGS
1) Chicago (1)
2) Green Bay (2)
3) Las Vegas (3)
4) Corpus Christi (4)
5) Alaska (5)

AAA Tulsa down 1-0 in round 2
AA Bakersfield in AA Championship vs Fremo Village-Padgett Island Roughriders (HOU)
A(N) Denison Lost in round 2 to Riverside Roughriders (HOU)
A(S) Belleview Lost in round 1 to Colorado Springs Trappers (EDM)
SS Heavener (4) -1 53-22 Clinched Div Title
R Omaha Lost to Lake Carmel Blizzard (GB) in round 1

[gehrig38]

WEEK 25
RECORD: 3-4
OVERALL: 113-44 Clinched
RUNS SCORED: 1076 (48) 1st
RUNS AGAINST: 650 (48)
OWNERS MOOD: Ecstatic
FAN INTERST: 87/100
SCHEDULE: 3 vs New York/3 @ Michigan/1 vs Edmonton

9/13 CHI 9 NY 3
Chavez 3-5 SB (35) Hudson 2-3 Salinas HR (29) Collins 2-4 HR (48) 2 RBI's (137) Miranda 3-4 2B (30) Hall 2 ER 6.1 IP W (15-3)

ROSTER NEWS-Andre Blakeway has returned from the DL, and I'll work him up to full speed by the start of the playoffs.

9/14 NY 13 CHI 8
Ash 2-3 2B (36) Collins HR (49) 3 RBI's (140) Gamble (NY) 4-5 2B (21) HR (12) 4 runs 4 RBI's (54) Gomez (NY) 3-5 2B (22) 4 RBI's (63) Martinez 5-10-8-7-2-5 L (19-5)

INJURY NEWS-Vegas, up 4 in the Pacific, lost ace Vincent Elisary for the year with a torn bicep. The 2016 CL Rookie of the Year for Fresno was 16-10 3.69 in 38 games, 25 starts.

CLUB RECORDS-Some marks are being threatened. Dennis Ash, at .342, trails Ernesto Gutierrez's mark of .347 in 2012. Luis Chavez is approaching his single season record for runs, he has 136, 9 away from his 145 of 2019. Hugh Collins 49 homers is 2 shy of Bill Alexanders club record 51 in 2014.

9/15 NY 9 CHI 7
Glaus (NY) 4-5 2 HR's (20) 3 RBI's (60) Collins 3 RBI's (143) Ash 2-3 3B (10) SB (42) now hitting .344. 90 minutes delay in the 2nd.

TONY GREENE WATCH-He went 2-5 with an RBI in an 8-4 loss to Arizona. He's hitting .343 (trailing Ash by .001) with 58 HR's and 144 RBI's (leading Collins by 1).

9/16 MICH 7 CHI 2
Morgan gets pounded for the loss (17-7) 7 ER 3.2 IP Kurota (MICH) 9-6-2-2-5-5 W (5-4) Maldonado (MICH) 3-4 2B (36) HR (23)

MINORS NEWS-Tulsa advances to the AAA World Series, Bakersfield lost in the AA World Series.

9/17 CHI 7 MICH 4
Hudson 2-3 HR (34) 3 RBI's (132) Collins HR (50) Trujillo was abysmal 3-4-4-1-7 WALKS 0 K's. 3 Chicago errors.

TONY GREENE WATCH-He went 3-5 with his 59th home run, and drove in 2. He leads Ash .345-.342 Collins by 9 in homers and by 4 in RBI's. Arod is now at .340, .005 behind Chapa. Hall 6-9-6-5-2-10 L (15-4)

9/18 MICH 7 CHI 5
Hudson 3-4 2B (31) Chavez 3-4 HR (34) Shaw HR (39)
9/19 CHI 10 EDM 5
Chavez 4-5 SB (34) Ash 2-5 3B (12) 3 runs Shaw HR (40) 4 RBI's Williams (EDM) 3-4 HR (20) Martinez 7-8-4-4-2-13 W (20-5 4.00)

GREAT GAMES-Fresno 3B Casey York went 3-3 with 3 HR's and 5 RBI's in a 7-6 win over Tulsa. In the win Tulsa's Roosevelt Ramsey had his 21 game hitting streak stopped. He's battling Alex Rodriguez for the Aaron award and the 24 year old is hitting .292-46-138.
AND NEW RECORDS-Angelo Esparza used his 3-hit 4K shutout of Baltimore today to win his IBL single season record 25th game. He's 25-4 2.44 and well on his way to a 2nd CL Koufax Awar.

WEEK 25 SUMMARY
FL POTW-Ismael Guerrero (SI) 12-27 3 HR's 9 RBI's (.298-23-85)
CL POTW-Marcos Oginlara (LA) 12-30 4 HR's 13 RBI's (.279-36-94)

WEEK 25 POWER RANKINGS
1) Chicago (1)
2) Las Vegas (3)
3) Corpus Christi (4)
4) Alaska (5)
5) West Michigan ()
OUT Green Bay (9) 1-6 week, swept by Columbus, lost 2 of 3 to Dayton.

AAA Tulsa is tied 1-1 in the AAA World Series with the Ford City Texans (DAL)
AA Bakersfield Season Over
A(N) Belleview Season Over
A(S) Denison Season Over
SS Heavener Won 1st round over Clearwater Hooks 2-1 2nd round starting vs South Amboy Texans (DAL)
R Omaha Season Over

[gehrig38]

A close look leaves really just 1 race for a post season berth in the FL.

New York is 5 up with 5 to play in the Empire.

The playoff race left is between West Michigan and Columbus for the 2nd wild card and a shot to go to Green Bay.

The beauty of it? West Michigan beat Columbus 11-4 yesterday, to move 1 up, and they play tomorrow and the next day with a chance to decide it. West Michigan has not seen the playoffs since 2012.

The individual races are far more interesting. Tony Greene is trying his damndest to both win a triple crown AND set a single season HR mark in the process.

Glad to see my guys are trying to make it harder. They will likely see far fewer AB's over the final 5 games.

Right now I have NO idea who's taking home the Koufax, but I imagine it'll be between Rodriguez and Martinez?

[gehrig38]

2 big time races. The Keystone, where I am troubled at who to root for. I want to see both of them in, and that could happen.

Corpus Christi has never made the post season, and it looks like they are going to make it. The fun race is the Wild card, with 4 teams within a game of spot #2 and a matchup in LA.

Alex Rodriguez is a late entry into the triple crown race. with Roosevelt Ramsey doing his best in HR's and RBI's while Arod chases Chapa in average. Angelo Esparza should probably stop by the league office and pickup his Koufax now...

FWIW everyone in the Coastal WC race is preying that the Silver Stars DON'T make it, as a 1 game series and him getting the ball is a serious problem. It's looking llike he'll take home the pitchers version of the triple crown too.

[Painmantle]

Originally Posted by Orcin

I want to see Chicago and Green Bay square off in the playoffs. I will buy a ticket on StubHub for that one, whatever it costs.

Me Too!

[gehrig38]

Check this out...

[gehrig38]

This guys good...
I believe this is the IBL's third pitching triple crown, with Vincent Bray winning the other 2.