Northern League Baseball: A humorously depressing look 50 years into the future...

[Nunyer]

History
Originally a minor league team for the Red Sox, the Revolution continued as an independent team until the formation of the NLB. The only true dynasty in the short history of the league, Rhode Island made the playoffs six times and won three straight championships. Combined with the almost as dominant Hartford Diablos, the Eastern Conference took six of the first eight league championships. The team managed to convert many long time Red Sox fans in the area, but despite their success, are still considered a small market team by NLB standards. Owner Jimmy Branch will invest in the team and the Revolution maintain a middle-of-the-pack payroll.

Best Player
LF Tom Stewart / 34 years old - Stewart is an eight time all-star and has three championship rings, spending his entire ten year career with the Revolution. With only 13 career home runs, many Kenyan long distance runners have shown more power at the plate, but Stewart can put the ball in play with the best. Averaging roughly 20 strikeouts per season, Stewart is a career .324 hitter with a .434 OBP. He is closing in on 2,000 career hits and should reach that milestone sometime in 2053.

Best Pitcher
CL Jermaine Moore / 32 years old - Another longtime member of the Revolution, Moore ranks 2nd on the all-time saves list with 281 and counting. So far in 2052, Jermaine is a perfect 13-for-13 in save opportunities and has struck out 23 hitters in 18 innings of work.

Outlook
The days of domination appear to be closing for the Revolution. Their roster still have many holdovers from the championship seasons five years ago. They have a decent amount of promising prospects, but will likely have a tough time competing in the very strong Eastern Division.

Minor League Affiliates
Dover Doughboys (AAA)
Allentown Jive Turkeys (AA)
Montauk Sailfish (SA)

[Nunyer]

Rhode Island Results

Rhode Island 6 - Columbus 2
Rhode Island 5 - Columbus 3
Rhode Island 6 - Columbus 2

That's six straight losses, 2-8 over the last ten, 15-27 overall. The pitching and defense were a bit better against the Revolution, but we have hit another major offensive slump. We're .235/.315/.387 as a team. The lone offensive bright spot has been RF/DH Jeffrey Young who is currently running off a 20 game hitting streak.

I've decided to continue the veteran purge. Backup 2B Edmund Warren and SP Lorenzo Rodriguez are currently on the block.

Warren came into the season as the starter at second, but has batted .215 in 22 starts. He is 33 years old and is under contract for three more seasons. Initial feedback from the rest of the league indicates I'll have some interest. The interest in Rodriguez is pretty much non-existent, as expected, but maybe I can throw him into a Warren deal to make room for young starters.

Lerma is still having delusions of the playoffs this year, but maybe he won't be too upset if I can still keep chopping payroll.

Next up are the Washington Colonials... another historically bad franchise that will likely be handing us our lunch.

[Nunyer]

History
Owned by sausage magnate and notorious cheapskate Pat Kowalski, the Colonials have been the whipping boys of the NLB for an entire decade. For the final three weeks of the 2049 season, Kowalski actually made his players drive their own cars on road trips, then refused to reimburse for mileage. Fan support is non-existent and the team routinely has two-thirds of it's seats empty at home games.

Best Player
LF Julio Hernandez / 24 years old - One of the many up and coming young stars that can't wait to make big time free agent money elsewhere, Hernandez is improving each season and looks to become a power-hitting force in the NLB. He is currently only hitting .232, but is on pace for over 40 home runs.

Best Pitcher
CL Arlen Potter / 27 years old - Yea, their pitching staff isn't that good... But Potter is a very good closer, despite rarely getting the opportunity. He has been on a historic tear this season, only allowing 8 hits and 2 earned runs over 20 innings of work while striking out 23 hitters.

Outlook
Due to consistently having high draft picks, Washington is rolling good young players to the NLB on a regular basis. But by the time the kids figure out how to win, they are on their way out the door for their free agent pay day. They are currently having a good season by their standards, hovering close to .500.

Minor League Affiliates
Annapolis Admirals (AAA)
Roanoke Pioneers (AA)
Myrtle Beach Beacons (SA)

[Nunyer]

Washington Results

Washington 4 - Columbus 3
Washington 6 - Columbus 4
Washington 1 - Columbus 4

We finally break the losing streak at eight games. My goodness... I do not want to write down anything else about these games in my journal. The nights and days are all starting to blend together.... I caught myself dozing off at my desk last night... Only to wake up and find a spiral notebook with doodles of ponies riding rocket-launcher equipped alligators... I think I'm starting to catch whatever condition Mothballs has... and it's scaring the [expletive] out of me.

Speaking of Mothballs, I haven't seen the guy in days. Apparently he is off "scouting the draft class"... but I have my doubts. I went ahead without him and moved on some trades.

Columbus sends:
2B Edmund Warren
SP Lorenzo Rodriguez

Hartford sends:
SP Joe Davis (AAA)
SS Ken Phillips

Both of these players immediately move to the NLB club. Davis was pitching well in AAA, but Hartford needed middle infield help. He's 24 years old and has an above average fastball and slider, along with a weak changeup. As my horrible luck would have it, the day after I acquire him, he's complaining and telling me he wants to be the closer. After a minor league career that has involved him being nothing but a starter. Somebody shoot me now. Phillips is raw and probably not ready for prime time, but he can fill in as a reserve at 2B/SS as he develops. He's 21 years old and could become a decent slap hitting middle infielder, but will likely never be a star. The deal is already looking like it will blow up in my face, as using Davis immediately in the rotation was my goal... But at least I chopped Warren's awful contract off the books.

and a secondary minor deal...

Columbus sends:
MR Garland Schneider

Richmond sends:
MR Pedro Campos (AAA)

I just got tired of watching Schneider get shelled. Campos is 24 years old and will come at a slightly cheaper price. His ceiling is roughly the same as Schneider's, even if he isn't quite there yet and he seems happy to be getting a shot at the big league.


EDITORS NOTE: I've been pretty bummed out over the recent losing streak and have not had the will to write much about the specific games. Seeing this dynasty is seemingly becoming a team rebuilding project, I might start taking a higher level look at things and moving the pace along a tad more quickly. It will be a work in progress.

[Nunyer]

GM Journal - May 30th, 2052

Another week has flown by... We dropped four of our last six. The league champion Felons swept us in Philly. We came back home and took two out of three against Richmond. We play tonight to end the month at home against Detroit. We could finish the month with 7 wins and 20 losses. I suppose even if we win tonight, 8-19 ain't exactly going to get us any parades through downtown Columbus.

I've spent a lot of time lately thinking back to Freddie Foster, and his public meltdown at the end of spring training. The last two months have seemed like years. The team is crumbling. My main accomplishment has been to chop $2 million off the payroll, but Lerma is still furious. To his credit, I don't think he is going to fire me... but my track record has not been good.

C Paul Webb, my biggest splash in the trade market, has nose dived. After a hot start, he's now batting .179 during his short Columbus career. I acquire starting pitchers that suddenly want to become closers. We're on pace to lose 105 games.... 20 more than last season.

The only thing I can do is look forward to the draft... the promise of those kids coming up to the big time and hungry to produce... I'm heading out to my seats to watch the Columbus Hot Dogs vs the Detroit Machine... and I'll be intently looking for players that can fit into our future success. Whether or not I'll be a part of it remains to be seen... Of course, I'm sure Mothballs will still be here... that bastard is like a cockroach... nobody can kill him. He showed up at the park today with a thick spiral notebook filled with notes on the draft class... Guess he was working after all.. So at least I'll have some reading material if we're getting killed by the 3rd inning...

[Nunyer]

Hope springs eternal in Hot Dog land... Our first sweep of the year!

Detroit 5 - Columbus 6
Detroit 5 - Columbus 8
Detroit 2 - Columbus 4

With our starting pitching struggling, Coach Summers and I have decided to carry an extra bullpen arm. We now have 13 pitchers and 12 position players. To get the extra bullpen arm, I traded backup catcher Eric Stevens to Richmond for MR Earl Barnes. The value of a good defensive catcher is obvious, as Richmond was willing to give up an NLB ready reliever. Barnes is 24 years old and was Rule 5 eligible, which might have played a role in the Riptide willing to part with him.

We have also optioned IF Armando Castilho down to Springfield and recalled Jose Garcia for backup catching duties. We now have two unrelated Jose Garcias on the NLB roster, the other being our current utility infielder.

I'm not giving into the demands of Joe "I Wanna be a Closer!" Davis. Currently he has no decisions in two starts, with an ERA of 5.79 and a WHIP of 1.79. Not great, but considering he faced two fierce lineups in Detroit and Philly, it's not terrible.

Chicago comes back to town for a four game series starting tonight.

[Nunyer]

Chicago Results

Chicago 2 - Columbus 6
Chicago 2 - Columbus 10
Chicago 2 - Columbus 9
Chicago 3 - Columbus 2 (10 innings)

GM Journal

I strolled into the office feeling pretty good today. Sure, Eric Braun blew the save that ended our season high six game winning streak... but hey... we actually had a six game winning streak!! Won eight of ten, had pulled into sixth place after sitting in 8th for two months... Things weren't looking so bad... Then I saw Mothballs in the hallway....

*SMACK*

He slapped me clean in the face. Before I realized the proper response for getting slapped in the face by a grown man... With a slightly unnerving gleam in his eyes, Mothballs started his diatribe...

"Take that [expletive] eating grin off your face. Baseball is a marathon not a sprint! All last month you were moping around this place like some little sissy... now we get hot for a week and you're on cloud freakin nine?!? Look, you and me... we've done good. This team wasn't going anywhere, was filled with overpaid veterans... we probably didn't have the budget room to sign our upcoming draft picks, let alone do anything in free agency in the offseason. Lerma and Foster always thought I was an idiot... but now I got you... and you don't know any better. So you have to focus! We have gone from having maybe $600k in the budget to having almost $3 million. We have brought in young, hungry players to hit the field every night... But we still haven't done squat... This team still isn't good... We need to keep our eyes on the goal."

I contemplated what he said for a second, it all made perfect sense... Then I remembered the proper response to getting slapped in the face by a grown man. I don't think Mothballs will hold any hard feelings, he's a good guy in the grand scheme of things... But I won't find out until he regains consciousness. Think I might have broken my right hand ring finger when I slammed my fist into his left orbital bone.

[Nunyer]

Results

Columbus 5 - Cleveland 9
Columbus 14 - Cleveland 5
Columbus 6 - Cleveland 7

The 2nd game of the series was probably best offensive explosion we've had all year. Six home runs were hit, including three by Michael "No Nickname" Jackson, who has been struggling mightily all season. He had been a .300 / 30HR guy the last three seasons, but this season he's been treading the Mendoza line and is only on pace for 13 long balls.

The bullpen blew what was looking to be a nice come from behind victory in the third game. As my starting pitching has slowly solidified and slightly improved as I've made some moves, the bullpen seems to be getting shakier. Nothing much I can do about it, no prospects to move up... and most of these guys are young and cheap. The exception is former closer Timmy Hendricks, he might be on the block by the deadline. Currently he is sporting an ERA well over 6.00 and opponents have been abusing him all season. He's due $600k each of the next two years, so if I can find decent value at the deadline, he's gone.

Less than a week before the amateur draft... and working hard going over these prospects. Mothballs and I have made peace... and getting our double and single A teams stocked with some talent is our #1 priority at the moment.

The team gets on the bus heading to play the dangerous Diablos of Hartford for a three game set, then we're back home for an eight game stand.

[Nunyer]

History
Diablos owner Daniel "Danny" Daniels is largely credited with being the founding father of the NLB. Daniels had kept on eye on the smaller leagues that formed along the eastern seaboard, around the Great Lakes and in the Appalachian regions after the fall of the MLB. Having long owned a team in Hartford, he realized that the most successful teams from these regional leagues would make more money if they could consolidate the entire northeast quarter of the United States. This thinking proved correct and Daniels is considered the most powerful owner in the league. Consistently pushing for further league expansion, Daniels latest proposal calls for the NLB to merge with regional leagues in the Southeast United States to form an "east of the Mississippi" super regional league. The hope is this super regional could compete with the powerful SWHABA league that currently dominates baseball west of the Mississippi and controls most Latin American and Asian talent. The majority of league owners in NLB have resisted such expansion due to player and travel cost concerns.

Best Player
LF Mike Davis / 31 years old - Mike's 361 career home runs currently rank him 3rd in the history of NLB. After starting his career with the Pittsburgh Hardhats, Davis was run out of town after breaking his elbow at a strip club trying to teach a young woman proper pole dancing technique. The injury caused him to miss almost the entire 2047 season. A career .316 hitter, Davis is a potential free agent at the end of the season.

Best Pitcher
SP Jonathan ‘Huge’ Small / 31 years old – Small has indeed come up huge for the Diablos over his 9+ seasons in Hartford. Averaging 17 victories per season and on the doorstep of 2,000 strikeouts, Small is a six time all-star and won the Pitcher of the Year award in 2047.

Outlook
The Diablos have never had a losing season, making the playoffs an amazing eight of ten seasons. The roster is aging and the window for more championships might be closing, but Hartford is again one of the top teams in the NLB. They currently have a record of 41-24 and seem poised to claim at least a wild card berth.

Minor League Affiliates
Albany River Rats (AAA)
Rutland Lookouts (AA)
Wichita Jokers (SA)

[Nunyer]

Hartford Results

Columbus 3 - Hartford 0
Columbus 3 - Hartford 6
Columbus 8 - Hartford 7 (11 innings)

GM Journal

It feels good to take two out of three from a good team on the road. Coach Summers desire to go with a short bench and a long bullpen appears to be paying off. The starters aren't worried about pitch counts and needing to survive to the 7th inning, they know the bullpen should always have fresh arms to help them out. The short bench means we really have no true bench guys, everybody is getting regular playing time.

The team comes home today to start a home stand against Baltimore, but I won't be paying much attention to that. We have the draft kicking off tomorrow morning. Mothballs and I have compiled our wish list for the first round... it appears as if we will have the 5th pick.

SP Donald 'Fate' Cole / 17 years old - The only true potential #1 starter in the draft. He throws four legit major league pitches, works hard and has great stamina. His signing bonus demands are a bit high at just over $1 million, but he'll be hard to resist at the 5th selection if he's on the board. The type of pitcher you can build a rotation around if he develops.

2B German Campos / 20 years old - Probably the most NLB ready player in the draft, Campos doesn't have great range on the infield but can capably handle all four positions. Not going to hit a lot of long balls, but he hits line drives with authority and only struck out 12 times in 45 games at Dartmouth this past season.

C Brian Cook / 21 years old - Played his college ball at Oral Roberts (lol, oral). While he would be a liability defensively at this point in his development, Cook could probably step into an NLB lineup today and not embarrass himself at the plate.

1B Preston 'Dusty' Carter / 18 years old - This is Mothballs personal dark horse favorite of this draft. While Dusty doesn't seem too interested in coming to Columbus, Mothballs is sure that this kid is a can't miss hitting machine. Claims he's never seen such a smooth left handed stroke in a high school player. However, Carter is a complete defensive cluster. Maybe two or three years in the minors will make him passable at 1B, but it's doubtful.

[Nunyer]

Draft day madness!!!

We got our Cheetos and Triple Caffeine Strength Mountain Dew, which was banned in most countries in the 2030s for possibly contributing to an abnormally worrisome amount of heart attacks, but that's the great thing about the USA... Freedom to kill yourself via junk food! We're hunkered down in the war room, which is really just the conference room at the end of the hall. Destiny was set up in here selling scented candles or some crap to the girls in the office... but we pushed her stuff to the side and told her she could stick around if she didn't speak.

With the 5th overall pick in the 2052 Amateur Draft, the Columbus Hot Dogs select:
2B German Campos / 20 years old / Dartmouth University
Turns out Mothballs wasn't the smartest guy in the room when it came to his "dark horse" candidate in 1B Preston. He went 2nd overall to Grand Rapids. The guy I wanted, SP Cole, went 3rd overall to Buffalo. Still, can't complain with what we got in Campos. He is probably ready to head to Double A Nashville to join the Moonshiners, but we aren't going to rush him this year. He has the potential to make the September callups next year and might earn an opening day roster spot in 2054.

With the 24th overall pick (Sup Rnd 1, Pick 4) the Columbus Hot Dogs select:
SP Josh Gross / 18 years old / Sante Fe Prep HS
We had Gross on our board as the 3rd best SP prospect in the draft, so we're happy to land him with the 24th overall pick. He's a smart kid who works hard. If we can improve on his control issues, he projects out to be a solid middle of the rotation NLB starter.

With the 38th overall pick (Sup Rnd 1, Pick 18) the Columbus Hot Dogs select:
SS Joshua Smith / 18 years old / Nederland HS
A top 10 talent, Smith's stock dropped due to concerns about his character. He should be able to play all four infield positions capably, has speed to burn on the bases and has a mechanically sound swing. His lack of power probably limits him to middle infield at the next level.

With the 45th overall pick (Sup Rnd 1, Pick 25) the Columbus Hot Dogs select:
2B Kane Green / 22 years old / UCLA
Green was selected 8th overall by the Cleveland Comrades last year, but decided to return to smoking hot college chicks and all the sex he could stand instead of riding around in minor league buses. His tools allow him to play all four infield positions, although his lack of arm strength probably limits him to everyday play on the right side. Solid contact hitter who doesn't strike out, Green has plus speed and has leadoff hitter potential if he plays up to his full ability.

"GUYS!!! THIS IS SOOO LAME! It's like when my boyfriend does that fantasy football crap all day... OMG!"

(That was the end of Destiny and her scented candles in the war room... Mothballs just chucked two dozen Cucumber Melon scented blobs of wax down the hallway...)

With the 47th overall pick (Sup Rnd 1, Pick 27) the Columbus Hot Dogs select:
SS Darrell White / 17 years old / Diamond Bar HS
More of a longer term project, White has dazzling defensive tools and blazing speed. A classic slap hitting middle infielder if he develops.

With the 71st overall pick (Rnd 3, Pick 4) the Columbus Hot Dogs select:
LF Pedro Casas / 18 years old / Central (Indy) HS
We did not get a pick in the 2nd round, and Casas was our last player taken that appears to have NLB potential right out of the gate. Casas can play all three OF positions and possesses great speed and range. He needs to stop swinging at bad pitches, but hits solid line drives when he waits a good one.


Pretty much everybody else was just picking the best available players and hoping they stick. I'm already exited about the start of the Single A season for our Charleston Lawmen!

[Nunyer]

With the draft out of the way... I can start worrying about our next opponent:



History
The Ball Busters organization has been around for over 60 years, bouncing between various minor leagues and cities along the eastern seaboard before finally landing in Baltimore in 2042. Despite bringing baseball back to the city after an absence of more than a decade, the team has not been embraced. Penny pinching owner Mark Day is hated by Baltimore’s baseball fans, as talented young stars routinely leave town for greener pastures. They have never made the playoffs despite consistently having one of the top minor league systems in the league.

Best Player
CF Luis Vargas / 29 years old – One of the few legitimate players brought up through the organization that Baltimore was able to sign long term, Vargas has shown flashes of brilliance but never completely lived up to expectations. Good for .280 with 20 home runs in a good year.

Best Pitcher
SP Wilton ‘Ripper’ Johnston / 22 years old – A 2nd round pick five years ago, Ripper made a good strides last year, posting 11 wins and an ERA of 3.07. There are still concerns over his control, walking over 6.5 batters per nine innings, but the 79 remaining faithful Ball Buster fans have tied their hopes for the season on the big left hander.

Outlook
Baltimore has never finished better than 5th place in the Eastern Division and that doesn’t look to change in the near term. While the Ball Busters always have a solid farm system, only a few prospects seem ready to help the big club for the upcoming season.

Minor League Affiliates
Westminster Abbots (AAA)
Millsboro Mullets (AA)
Wells Roosters (SA)

[Nunyer]

Baltimore Results

Baltimore 5 - Columbus 7
Hot Dogs starter Ben Childs was all over the place against the Ball Busters. He only gave up two runs on three hits over five innings, but walked seven and struck out seven. His pitch count hit 123 and he was pulled for the sixth. The Columbus bullpen got bumped around for three earned runs in four innings. Hot Dog CF Mauro Moreno left the game with a minor injury and will be day-to-day for the rest of the Baltimore series.

Baltimore 1 - Columbus 2
Columbus scores two runs in the bottom of the first and that was all they needed to squeak past Baltimore. The Ball Busters pulled within one on a solo HR off starter Jose Mendez, but the bullpen closed the door after that. Mendez has looked sharp since being acquired via trade last month. He has a 2-0 record in four starts with an ERA of 3.33. The youngster is still walking too many hitters, but has only allowed 14 base hits in 19 innings of work.

Baltimore 13 - Columbus 14 (11 innings)
A crazy game from the start. Hot Dogs starter Joe Davis was roughed up from the beginning, lasting only four innings but getting shelled for seven hits, two HRs and ten earned runs. Struggling reliever Timmy Hendricks entered the game and threw some more gas on the fire, walking three batters and giving up two more runs. He last two-thirds of an inning. Eventually long reliever Craig Hayden came in and provided 3.1 sparkling innings of relief work, striking out three and allowing only one hit. That gave the Hot Dog hitters the window they needed to mount the comeback. They put up 21 total hits against seven Baltimore pitchers.

GM Journal

Despite my best efforts via trade, we are still far too inconsistent in the back end of our rotation. Jose Mendez, acquired in the Vazquez deal, has been the lone exception so far. Joe Davis and Joe Bowen just don't throw enough strikes. I'm running pretty low on bankable trade chips, but I'm not giving up yet on finding a starter. We have no choice at the moment except to keep Davis with the big club and let him take his lumps. I've already tried everybody worth a damn at triple A. But it's not fair to the kid to keep throwing him to wolves if he isn't ready.

Four game winning streak, after a horrific month of May, we're 11-4 so far in June. Still seven under .500 and 9.5 back in the playoff picture... but I'll take whatever progress I can get.

[Nunyer]

Just finished a two game quickie last night with the Cincy Cockroaches:

Cincinnati 1 - Columbus 7
Big Stud Vega continues his all or nothing approach on the mound. After looking bad in three of his last four starts, Vega returned to form nicely. The big left hander gives up a solo home run mixed in with four other base hits and nine strikeouts in a complete game victory. Cockroach starter Cliff MacGregor drops his record to 8-5 after getting knocked around for five earned runs in two innings of work. Columbus hit three home runs in the game.

Cincinnati 3 - Columbus 2
Rookie Bill McMartin put up a valiant fight, but ultimately falls to 0-4 on the season. McMartin lasted 5.1 innings and only gave up two runs on three hits, but his pitch count soared with eight walks. Cincy's Vazquez brothers book ended the game nicely. Starter Julio gives up one run on four hits over seven innings. Closer Jesus pitches a perfect ninth, fanning two batters, to earn his 20th save of the season and 236th of his career.

GM Journal, June 20th 2052

I started to increase my efforts to move struggling former closer Timmy Hendricks. Looks like I might be able to play Boston against Hartford and vice versa. Both are trying to catch Philly in their division, not to mention being locked in the wildcard chase with each other, and both need bullpen help. Hartford appears to be the more aggressive of the two offers at the moment, but my last deal with them hasn't exactly worked out as planned. I'm going to let this one simmer for a few days... but both of these teams have decent mid-level starter prospects that might just help the big club this year.

Tomorrow the team starts to wrap up the current home stand with a three game weekend set against the Chicago Fire, then it's on the road to Buffalo and Detroit. Visiting Buffalo AND Detroit in the same week?!? Just livin the dream over here folks... livin the dream...

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by Nunyer

Just finished a two game quickie last night

When I read this, why did an image of Curt Lerma and Destiny on a bender in a hotel room flash across my mind?

[Nunyer]

GM Journal

Been a while since I've put anything down in my journal on the progress of the players. Probably would be good to have some notes to look back at later...


OF
LF F.Gonzalez - .224/.311/.382 -- 5HR 21RBI 5SB -- 38 Games
CF M.Moreno - .222/.288/.371 -- 9HR 30RBI 20SB -- 62 Games
RF B.Summers - .267/.344/.473 -- 11HR 56RBI 4SB -- 64 Games

RF J.Young - .300/.459/.588 -- 15HR 39RBI 5SB -- 69 Games
CF B.Thomas - .185/.283/.247 -- 0HR 2RBI 11SB -- 22 Games

NOTES: Jeffrey Young has been primarily the DH, seeing only 12 games in RF. Moreno is batting about 40 pts below his average over the last two years and probably 60-70 pts below what the scouts think he should be doing, has provided surprising power however. Condor Summers has been the RBI machine, leading the team with 5 sac flies. Thomas steals bases and can play all 3 positions in the OF, we tolerate his low OBP.

------------------------

IF
1B M.Jackson - .234/.310/.356 -- 6HR 29RBI 1SB -- 53 Games
2B B.Norie - .282/.339/.402 -- 4HR 24RBI 3SB -- 51 Games
SS J.Garcia - .229/.275/.371 -- 4HR 17RBI 5SB -- 45 Games
3B D.Nixon - .282/.404/.534 -- 10HR 34RBI 4SB -- 56 Games

SS K.Phillips - .225/.255/.429 -- 3HR 9RBI 1SB -- 12 Games

NOTES: No Name Jackson was ice cold for two months, but is starting to turn it around lately. Norie and Nixon have been my most pleasant offensive surprises, wondering if they can maintain it down the stretch. Garcia is primarily the defensive wiz of the group, has seen time at all four positions. Phillips was recently acquired rookie, he'll likely bounce back and forth between Triple A depending on how my other SS prospect is doing.

------------------------

C
P.Webb - .237/.294/.460 -- 9HR 24RBI 3SB -- 36 Games
J.Garcia - .167/.348/.222 -- 0HR 2RBI 0SB -- 6 Games


NOTES Webb's numbers are for his time with Columbus. Overall, he's batting .245 with 18 HRs in 64 games. Webb has also seen five games at 1B. J.Garcia draws a lot of walks, in his six starts since being recalled he has 3 hits and 5 walks.

[Nunyer]

Finishing up our home stand against the Chicago Fire...

Chicago 13 - Columbus 3
Starter Ben Childs looks shaky for his second straight start, giving up 11 hits and 7 runs in five innings of work. The bullpen came charging in with the gas cans, giving up six more runs the rest of the way. Chicago connected for 19 base hits and drew 10 walks. Fugly.

Chicago 2 - Columbus 6
Joe "Closer Wannabe" Davis continues to struggle with control. He only surrendered two unearned runs over 5.2 innings, but walked six. Craig Hayden continues be to our most reliable bullpen arm, pitching over three innings of near perfect baseball for the win. After starting out the season unheralded in triple A, Hayden has a 4-2 record with three saves and an ERA of 1.17 over 17 appearances. SS Jose Garcia was the hero with the bat, hitting a two RBI triple in the bottom of the eight to bring home the winning runs.

Chicago 7 - Columbus 9
Big Stud has pitched better games, but he did enough to notch his 8th victory of the season. Vega only gave up four hits over 6.2 innings, but three of them were home runs. Thankfully, the Hot Dogs batters were able to take advantage of some sloppy defense from the Fire. Five of the nine runs scored were not earned. No Nickname Jackson continues to slowly climb out of his slump, going 2-for-4 with 1HR and 4RBI.

Transaction
Demoted MR Scott 'Wildcat' Thompson to AAA. Purchased contract of MR Kevin Pierce from AAA Springfield.

Thompson has been struggling for the last six weeks. For the season, opponents are hitting .349 against him. He has an ERA of 5.11 and a WHIP of 2.31. He will become the closer for the Isotopes. I expect him back with the big club within the next 2-4 weeks.

Pierce was considered a throw-in player from the Vazquez trade in early May. Since joining Springfield, Pierce has a 1-2 record with seven saves in 12 appearances. His control is still a concern, but he is pitching noticeably better than he had been when with the Bronx organization.

Also, I've broken off talks with Hartford in regards to Timmy Hendricks. The kid is pitching awful, but some of that is our fault. He was an 8th inning specialist his entire career, but this year we've been slapping him all around the bullpen... closer, setup, middle relieve, mop up... We haven't used him consistently. He's still pretty popular around town, despite the ERA hovering just under 8.00. I'm going to give him a bit more time to turn it around... and I'm asking our pitching coaches to take a closer look. If Hartford is still willing to part with a respectable starter prospect, then they must think they can fix whatever is causing these crap results... That or the prospect they are offering is actually awful... But either way, I'm going to stick with Hendricks for a bit longer, still have over a month til the trade deadline.

[Orcin]

I think it is smart to show some patience with these guys that seem to have value to the AI. You mentioned it before... what does he know that I don't?

[Nunyer]

Yep. On top of that, Hendricks was incredibly consistent for 3-4 seasons before this one. He has a track record of being a very good setup man. Of course, since that update I have played through the next series and Hendricks had two more subpar outings. ERA is over 8.00 now. He's signed for two more years and with our once strong bullpen suddenly becoming two reliable arms and a bunch of gas cans... I need him to turn it around. Come hell or high water, I will hold him to the trade deadline and then take another look, he can't get much worse... I hope.

[Nunyer]

Buffalo Results

Columbus 3 - Buffalo 6
Bill McMartin's struggles continue, the rookie gives up four earned and foul walks in five innings to drop to 0-5 on year. He was optioned back to triple A after the game. Buffalo starter Uberto Godori has been red hot his last two starts, giving up only 12 hits and 3 runs over his last 17.2 innings. Paul Webb and Felix Gonzalez hit solo home runs in the losing effort

Columbus 11 - Buffalo 8
Rookie Jose Mendez earned his third win of the season, lasting until the 8th inning giving up four runs on seven hits. The Hot Dogs bullpen continues to struggle, making the scoreboard closer than it should have been at the end. Columbus racked up 16 hits, 12 walks and 12 strikeouts in the victory. Mauro Moreno swipes two bags, raising his team leading total to 22 on the season.

Columbus 9 - Buffalo 3
Veteran Ben Childs improves to 5-4 on the year, hurling six innings and allowing only a single run. Columbus delivers a big 5th inning against Buffalo starter John Stanley, scoring five runs. Felix Gonzalez continues to swing well, hitting another home run.


Around the NLB

Columbus travels to Detroit to start a critical three game set for the Machine. While Philly is running away with the Eastern Division, currently enjoying a 10.5 game lead, things have become very log jammed in the West. Cleveland has lost five straight and is now in a three way tie at the top with Detroit and Cincy. The Pittsburgh Hardhats are only a half game back and Kentucky sits three games back. Columbus is in 6th and currently trails by 8 games.