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05-22-2018, 08:48 PM | #141 |
All Star Reserve
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Maine
Posts: 748
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August 15-17 vs CLEVELAND
Decades of futility yielded to a few brighter years in the '30s, after which they've reverted to the cellar. This year might earn them the #1 overall pick, at least. Dead last in pitching and next-to-last in offense, with a fully expected -130 run differential. No regular is hitting over .267, although Tornado Tackett has stayed healthy at least, even if he is hitting nearly 50 points below is career average. There are also eight Indians on the DL, which wouldn't help anyone's cause. They are first in steals, however, so...a bright spot? HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (7-7, 3.95) / Jonathan Murray (1-0, 0.00) / Rob Hart (7-10, 5.15) CLE pitchers: RJ Winter (4-8, 3.64) / Zach Gioeli (2-9, 5.08) / Matt Knowlton (3-7, 4.70) #117: WIN 8-6 ... Jones fans 9, his monthly quota, but is ineffective otherwise...Shields and McArthur each hit 3-run blasts, 2 more hits for Carrillo #118: WIN 6-3 ... Murray is not so hot this go round, but 3 hits apiece from Groff and McArthur pace the attack, and a 2-run seventh seals the deal #119: WIN 2-0 ... Bowman and Canning--the 8 and 9 hitters--drive in our only runs...Hart has found himself again, but gets hurt, diagnosis pending A needed sweep against the bottom-dwellers. And let's hope Hart, now back in my good graces, isn't out for long.... Still 2 in back of Seattle, and 2 ahead of Oakland.... ELSEWHERE: Cincy and New Orleans are the first to 70 wins, with St Loo just one behind.... I made fun of the White Sox for trading for a 38-year-old middle reliever at the deadline, while below .500 and well out of things. Now they've won 8 straight, are 12-4 in August, and 2 games out of the wildcard. What do I know.... KC's Vince Bell hits 40 saves, while Sergio Torres (MIA), Vic Sanchez (BKN), and John Cannon (AUS) all broke the 100 RBI barrier.... The Mets have 66 wins, the Yankees 66 losses. August 18-20 vs BALTIMORE Fourteen games over .500 since June 1, and at 62-56, 4.5 games behind Boston. Hitting (8th) has been decent enough, but pitching ranks dead last, for a -29 run differential. The rotation has been pretty bad, but the bullpen okay, coming to the rescue more than should be warranted. RF Cesar Alvarenga (.309/34/97) has been the clear hitting star, while SP Miguel Moreno (2.97 ERA) has been the only starter worth his salt. HAW pitchers: Jim Kieffer (6-4, 3.52) / Mike Messinger (12-6, 3.37) / Eric Jones (7-7, 4.14) BAL pitchers: Andy Goeser (3-1, 4.11) / Miguel Moreno (9-3, 2.97) / Ayahito Yoshimoto (7-7, 7.08) #120: WIN 8-1 ... McArthur stays hot with 2 more HR...Kieffer whiffs 10, and just 4 H, in 8.1 IP #121: WIN 1-0 ... Gooding's first inning HR is the only scoring, as each team musters just 2 hits...Messinger Ks 10, and Yaung shuts the door in the 9th #122: WIN 4-2 ... Shields hits his 300th career HR, and McArthur and McGowan add three hits apiece...Jones manages 6 inning, gives up just 3 hits, fans 4 Feels good, man. We're still rolling in August, now just a game behind Seattle, who's not playing badly either.... Good news re Rob Hart: sore back, out for 6 days. He'll miss his next start, but that's it. Funny how one's attitude can change after a few quality starts. And let's not tell him just how close I really came to trading him a couple weeks ago. Shhh.... ELSEWHERE: Yankees star Tony Flores slugged 2 more against the White Sox, bringing him to 51 on the season. I only now noticed his history: a scouting discovery out of the DR by the Portland organization in 2032, he was released just three years later. New York signed him two days after his release, so clearly they were watching him, and his ratings started climbing steadily immediately. Although he hit 12 HR in 65 GP for the Yankees DSL team in 2036, his power didn't really take off until he hit 24 bombs in A ball in 2038. The next season he started in AAA, where he hit 12 in 34 games with Scranton before getting The Call. It's been all sunshine (except for playing for a losing team) since, despite missing half the season in 2040 (still, he hit 30 HR). I would love to see him sustain these numbers and take a run at the all-time greats, but he's got a long way to go for that. August 22-24 vs TAMPA BAY The talk of the town at the end of May, six games over .500 and battling for the division. Since then: 17 games under, and a slide to the bottom, just ahead of the moribund Yankees. Offense is 12th in runs, 13th in AVG, while pitching is also 13th. Not much joy in the clubhouse right now, although the top of the lineup has been solid: 98 combined home runs, including 38 for DH Ricky Chavez, one of those rare International FA to actually amount to something. Having three regulars and their projected #1 starter on the long-term DL hasn't helped either. The clubhouse is feuding, and manager Dee Brown--although personally liked--appears to have lost the room. HAW pitchers: Jonathan Murray (1-0, 2.31) / Bobby Piccirillo (5-9, 4.96) / Jim Kieffer (7-4, 3.30) TBR pitchers: Ricky Lovato (7-7, 5.15) / Jose Hernandez (5-12, 4.47) / Tony Zuniga (2-4, 4.92) #123: WIN 16-2 ... everyone gets a hit: Bowman with 4, Henkel with 3 (and 4 RBI), Groff hits his 30th...nine walks helps the cause, along with 18 hits #124: WIN 7-6 ... a triumphant return to the rotation for Piccs, throwing a credible 6 innings...Randolph gets lit up in relief, but a 3-run blast from Groff in the 7th puts things right #125: WIN 7-2 ... Kieffer fans 9, and Groff homers again, breaking open a close game in the 7th as we pull away with 6 runs in the closing innings Well well well. Even the coldest of bats had a good series, with Henkel and McGowan raising their averages by more than 10 points, and Mercedes up to a season-high .240. Groff now has 101 RBI and is leading the AL at a .380 clip.... Hart had two days added to his injury, but with another off-day tomorrow, he may not miss another start. Robertson and Masuda are back in a week, and if no one else gets dinged (knock on wood), we'll be completely healthy heading into the final stretch.... Oh, and we're tied for first with Seattle, both are 71-54.... ELSEWHERE: KC has maintained their 3.5 game lead on the Tigers, while Baltimore has fallen back in the East, leaving things to Boston (69-54) and Miami (68-55). Portland has closed to 2.5 behind the Dodgers, having finally reached .500. The Central is still strong, where even the third place Cardinals would have a sizable division lead if they played anywhere else. August 26-28 @ TORONTO The rebuild is finally coming for the Jays, struggling through a 58-67 season, 12 games out of first. The once-vaunted offense is now 15th, but 8th in HR, and pitching is 8th, with some decent work by the rotation. Six pitchers are on the DL, however. Preston Sorensen, who hit .320/41/109 two seasons ago, may be nearing the end: .217 with 19 HR. He's the franchise career leader in most offensive categories, and an outside candidate for the Hall of Fame. HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (13-6, 3.18) / Eric Jones (8-7, 4.09) / Jonathan Murray (2-0, 2.55) TOR pitchers: Dave Henderson (11-8, 4.10) / Pedro Cabrera (5-9, 7.21) / Brent Sinder (5-6, 3.21) #126: WIN 7-5 ... 4 hits and another HR for Groff, and 20th for Mercedes...Messinger pulled after 4, but reaches 200 Ks...ten wins in a row now #127: WIN 12-3 ... four more HR, 2 from Henkel, and 4 RBI for Shields...Jones goes 6, gives up 3 hits, and Piccs throws 3 IP to close it out #128: LOSS 0-7 ... booooooo...Murray gives up 3 HR, all the runs, over 7 IP...we're tired, and can only muster 5 hits Eleven wins in a row, and now 9-1 in last ten, but still a game behind the almost-as-hot Mariners. Oakland is five behind us. We're a game up on Miami in the wild card race.... Four of our six farm teams are in first or second: AAA KC is 78-50 but in 2nd place, while Short A Poughkeepsie is 31-27 but in 1st place.... ELSEWHERE: Flores is up to 53 HR now.... the NL Central race will be a barn burner: Cincy (76-49), New Orleans (76-52), and St Louis (75-52). Chicago is 67-61 but needs a big push to get back in the hunt.... Mets 1B Erik Reed has hit 50 doubles, doubling (ha!) his total from last year. August 29-31 vs HOUSTON At 52-75, and staring hard at another last place finish. Looking to the future, they really have just half a decent team: a catcher, 3/4 of an infield, a handful of pitchers. Three of their five starters are age 34 or above, and the starting outfielders all rank in the 30s. But the farm is ranked 6th overall, with some good-looking pitchers coming up. So...maybe there's hope? HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (8-10, 4.92) / Jim Kieffer (8-4, 3.14) / Mike Messinger (13-6, 3.34) HOU pitchers: Ryan Crawley (8-8, 4.90) / Jonathan Caldera (6-1, 2.77) / Gustavo Preciado (3-6, 5.27) #129: LOSS 4-7 ... ugh...Hart is nuts: 5 IP, 10 K, 7 BB; the bullpen is no better...plus, McArthur gets hurt on the bases, diagnosis pending #130: WIN 10-4 ... Shields knocks in 3 with a 2B and HR, and Groff adds two more hits to his pile...Carrillo gets hurt again tho #131: LOSS 4-5 ... Messinger Ks 10 but gives up 4 in 5 IP, and Tanner blows it in the 13th...we manage just 8 hits, but three HR This is not the way to make hay against the league's weak sisters. We only lose a game to the Mariners, but do lose two outfielders to injury: McArthur's done, out for 4 months with a broken ankle; and Carrillo tweaks something and is in the shelf for 2 weeks.... Robertson comes off the DL, however, and we call up youngster Joseph Hart, a 23-year-old former 3rd round pick from 2038. He hit his first career HR, too, in a losing effort.... ELSEWHERE: Portland is now 1.5 games behind LA, thanks in large part to SS Rich Stoneback, who now leads the NL with 6.0 WAR, batting .282/16/68, and league-best defense work at short. ...... TL;DR Version: A nice eleven-game winning streak, and still a 12-3 stretch even with that unfun Houston series. Two injuries take the shine off the month, although Carrillo will be back...but McArthur won't. Let's hope that's our annual single major late-season injury. Anyway...heading into September, I'm not sure who's coming up for the roster expansion, but there will be a couple of folks getting the call. |
05-24-2018, 09:40 PM | #142 |
All Star Reserve
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Maine
Posts: 748
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September 2-3 @ LA ANGELS
Dead last in offense, 2nd best pitching. Like us, their big hitters have had down years; unlike us, those hitters haven't recently bounced back. For a supposedly rebuilding team, they have three starting pitchers over 30, and continue to hold on to 39-year-old catcher Jared Grose and 41-year-old second baseman Jimmy Campbell. I don't know where this team is going, but the clubhouse is oddly happy and the owner--despite losing tons of money--is content. HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (9-7, 4.11) / Jonathan Murray (2-1, 3.65) LAA pitchers: Greg Langworthy (9-11, 4.21) / Leonardo Vigil (9-7, 3.61) #132: WIN 4-0 ... five XBH, and three hits for Henkel...Jones scatters four hits over 7.1 IP #133: LOSS 2-4 ... Mercedes goes 3-for-3 with a HR, but a 3-run first dooms us...Murray does okay, shutting things down over the next six, but we don't hit Eh, we're trying to go back to treading water now. Just a half game behind Seattle, and on top of the wildcard race by a game over Miami. Big four-game series against Oakland coming up next.... ELSEWHERE: Four wins in a row for the Red Sox, putting them 3.5 up on the Marlins; the Dodgers have won three straight, opening up a four-game lead over Portland.... STL's Sean West becomes the first NL batter to hit 40 HR this season. September 4-7 @ OAKLAND At 70-62, and 3.5 games behind the second wildcard team (Detroit right now). Hitting is mid-pack, pitching slightly better, but they do have a +24 run diff. Vinny Vargas is hitting .370, and Nick Robinson has been his dependable self, .292/29/98. Ace Ricky Hose has had a down year, with a career high ERA and career low K/9. Still, they're right in it, and it's up to us to put them away. HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (8-11, 4.82) / Jim Kieffer (9-4, 3.20) / Mike Messinger (13-6, 3.46) / Eric Jones (10-7, 3.91) OAK pitchers: Brent Stofferan (2-1, 4.05) / Mike Wiater (8-8, 3.84) / Ricky Hose (9-8, 4.96) / Kyle Labate (7-5, 4.88) #134: WIN 7-6 ... 3 hits and 2 RBI for Masuda, back from the dead...Hart is garbage today, but the pen rescues him with 3 shutout innings...Groff tweaks his back #135: WIN 6-2 ... 3 HR for the gang, including one by Masuda...complete game 7-hitter for Kieffer, very nice #136: WIN 7-4 ... Diaz is the hero with a 3-run pinch HR in the 12th, after Randolph gives up a 3-run shot of his own in the 7th #137: WIN 2-1 ... Broom time! Only four hits, and Henkel and Hunter key a 2-run 5th...Jones yields just 4 hits over 7.1 Sur-prise! Well, I did want to put Oakland away. There's still a lot of games to play, but this is a good start.... Groff's injury was just a 4-day thing, so he'll be back for the next series. And Carrillo is due back in 5 days.... Also, just like that: a 2.5 game lead over Seattle. Yes: first place! Who'da thunk it.... ELSEWHERE: Tony Flores is hot again, now up to 57 HR.... Cincy and New Orleans are the first teams guaranteed winning seasons, both now with 83 wins. Boston's at 80, so they'll get there too.... Cardinals 2B Sean West had 12 HR in August, and has 6 in 7 games this month, 46 on the season. September 9-11 vs BOSTON The clubhouse is feuding, there are no team leaders, and only one player is not unhappy or angry. And yet...they're in first place, 80-56, and are 26-9 since August 1. Team defense is terrible, but that's paired with the best team and rotation ERA in the AL. Hitting has been middle of the road, but Jason McColl is crushing it this year: .300/36/104. Three other regulars have more than 20 HR as well. HAW pitchers: Jonathan Murray (2-2, 3.69) / Rob Hart (9-11, 4.98) / Jim Kieffer (10-4, 3.10) BOS pitchers: Robby Liantonio (7-10, 4.22) / Tony Villarruel (12-4, 3.56) / George Sanger (1-0, 2.96) #138: WIN 2-0 ... ten combined hits in this pitcher's duel, with Mercedes' two-run shot in the 6th making the difference...eight innings, eight Ks, for Murray #139: WIN 7-0 ... complete game four-hitter for Hart...six of our nine hits are for extra bases, including a pair of 2-run homers #140: WIN 4-0 ... Masuda smacks a 3-run shot in the 8th to ice it, and Kieffer goes the distance, giving up just two hits and two walks Where the heck did that come from? Not the wins--we're playing really well right now, so that's not surprising. But three shutouts? Color me shocked.... 82 wins on the season means we'll finish over .500; but let's keep going, yes?... Robertson is ice-cold, on a 4-for-46 stretch, but everyone else has come around for now.... ELSEWHERE: It's September, and there are still players requesting trades. To wit: Montreal's Khalil Wilson, who has a long reputation as a clubhouse cancer and apparently had a recent fight with his manager. He's not without talent, having earned 13 WAR in his first three seasons (but just six in his last nine years). He's also burned through eight teams in the last seven seasons. Fun guy.... The Cubs are 4.5 games out of the wildcard, but are on a 7-game winning streak, trying to get back into the race. September 12-14 @ MIAMI On top of the division for most of the year, until Boston's recent hot streak, but they're hanging around and only 1.5 games behind. Hitting is still league-best, and pitching is 5th, so the stats say they're excellent across the board. They just...don't string together a lot of wins. Still, on top of the wildcard standings, and relatively healthy (closer Brandon Dennis is done for the year, but he's it). HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (13-6, 3.39) / Eric Jones (11-7, 3.78) / Jonathan Murray (3-2, 2.95) MIA pitchers: Matt Rubin (10-4, 3.32) / Levi Brady (12-7, 4.04) / Pete Burke (11-7, 4.94) #141: LOSS 0-6 ... four paltry hits, and Messinger's rough late-summer stretch continues...Marlins LF Ricky Beard hits his 30th HR #142: LOSS 3-8 ... a 3-0 lead disappears in the 5th, and vanishes in the distance thanks to the bullpen #143: WIN 6-1 ... complete game 4-hitter for Murray keeps us from getting swept...14 hits, including 6 extra base knocks Not a great series, but we're still up on the Mariners by three, thanks to their middling play right now.... our AAA team in KC is 92-52 and does not lead it's division (Toledo is 94-50).... Carrillo is back from the DL (for now) and hits a HR his first game back.... ELSEWHERE: The Reds are still on top of the NL Central, but in this series alone they lost for the season their closer, a starting pitcher, and a top MR.... the Yankees are eliminated from the playoffs, but Tony Flores reaches 60 HR for the 2nd year running.... my old favorite, SD pitcher Gary Florence--the league's best pitcher from 2038 to 2041--has had an injury-wracked season, but is still working on a 4-5 WAR season. ...... TL;DR Version: A 9-3 start to the month continues this Jeckyll-and-Hyde season: one game over .500 in the first half, 22 games over since. Hitting, pitching, defense: all have improved since June. Now, if we can just get the few holdouts--Robertson and Hunter at the plate, Messinger on the mound--with the rest of the program, we'll be cranking at 100% in time for the playoffs. Heh...If. |
05-27-2018, 11:58 AM | #143 |
All Star Reserve
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Maine
Posts: 748
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September 16-18 @ NY YANKEES
The Yanks have not been relevant for ages, having just one winning season since 2029 (also the year of their last playoff visit). They play good defense (6th) and hit a lot of home runs (also 6th). The latter is mostly due to RF Tony Flores, who's hit 60; 1B Justin Wade has added 44. But Flores, at 26, is the youngest player in the lineup (outside of 22-year-old SS Bobby Layne, only playing b/c three other SS are on the DL). Only one starting pitcher is under 30 (24-year-old Casey Moore, who looks fairly decent). Their prospects rank 29th, and fan interest is among the league's worst. What happened to these guys? HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (10-11, 4.71) / Jim Kieffer (11-4, 2.88) / Mike Messinger (13-7, 3.56) NYY pitchers: Mario Oliva (2-1, 5.71) / Luca Simons (5-13, 5.34) / Bill Casas (9-12, 3.79) #144: LOSS 6-7 ... Bad Rob Hart shows up again, giving up four HR, including 2 by Flores...we score 3 in the 9th to make this close, but whatever #145: WIN 12-4 ... three HR for us, and it's 10-1 after five innings...Kieffer scatters four hits, goes the distance #146: LOSS 9-12 ... Messinger is trash again, Carrillo gets hurt again...seven combined HR today...we're down 12-0 after four, scoring when it no longer matters Ugh, nice series against the 2nd worst team in the league. Sure.... Seattle is still going in circles, remaining three games behind us.... Carrillo's injury is dtd, will last only for the next series. This guy just can't stay healthy, sadly.... ELSEWHERE: Boston's lead over Miami is down to a half game; Arizona is hot, passing Portland for second and just 2.5 behind the Dodgers now.... Thanks to us, Tony Flores now has 63 HR, just two behind his total from last season.... Seattle's Mike Wapner is the first player to reach 10 WAR. September 19-21 vs TEXAS At 72-74 overall, 10-5 this month. Hitting is slightly above the fold, pitching below. 2B Gabriel Gallegos is batting .318 and leading baseball with 46 steals, and 1B Nate Lobdell is sustaining the offense: .287/42/119. No pitchers have stood out, although rookie Thomas Cannaday threw a good 8 innings in his MLB debut last week. HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (11-8, 3.70) / Jonathan Murray (4-2, 2.59) / Rob Hart (10-12, 4.90) TEX pitchers: Mark Metz (1-1, 4.13) / Jeff Sullivan (9-8, 5.09) / Alex Mares (8-10, 4.68) #147: WIN 7-1 ... big start, and we're up 6-1 after two...Masuda knocks in 3...Jones is on fire, going the distance and fanning 4 #148: WIN 9-6 ... Murray gives up six over six, but 15 hits and 21 baseunners for us overcome his weak stuff today...Canning goes 3-for-3 with a 2B and 3B #149: WIN 4-3 ... down 3-2, Carrillo hits a solo shot in the 6th, followed by Masuda's in the 7th...Hart gives up 0 HR, will be investigated by MLB That's more like it. We top 800 runs on the season, and have a +160 run differential.... One more home series coming up, then we finish the season with a 10-game road swing.... ELSEWHERE: Houston fired skipper Guillermo Reyes. In his nearly four years with the team his record was 264-343. His replacement is Efrain Nevares, former manager of Seattle's rookie ball team, and most recently hitting coach for the awful (24-89 this year) Puebla Pericos in LMB.... Coming down the stretch, the divsion races look like this: AL: Boston ... 1.5 ... Miami // Kansas City ... 5 ... Detroit // Hawaii ... 5 ... Seattle NL: New York ... 4.5 ... Philly // Cincinnati ... 2 ... New Orleans ... 1 ... St Louis // Arizona ... 1/2 ... LA ... 1 ... Portland September 22-24 vs OAKLAND Last home series of the season. The A's are still in the wildcard running, but are 5 games behind the Tigers for the second spot. Eighth in offense, seventh in pitching, but a little schizo in both. As in, 3rd in average, but not bringing those runners home; and 11th best rotation, but 6th ranked bullpen. Defense has been seriously subpar as well. They've got some decent looking pitchers coming up from the farm. If they're able to re-sign their big hitters and keep on developing those pitchers, they'll remain a force in the AL West. HAW pitchers: Jim Kieffer (12-4, 2.89) / Mike Messinger (13-8, 3.81) / Eric Jones (12-8, 3.56) OAK pitchers: Brent Stofferan (2-4, 6.37) / Ricky Hose (10-8, 4.91) / Kyle Labate (8-6, 4.31) #150: WIN 6-5 ... down 5-3 in the 7th, a healthy-for-now Carrillo blasts a 2-run shot, and Robertson wins it with an RBI single in the 8th...3 hits for Henkel, including a solo HR #151: WIN 8-3 ... Mess is good enough in just 5 IP to get the win...Hunter strokes his 50th double and Masuda his 30th HR #152: LOSS 3-4 ... Carrillo stays hot, 3 hits and another HR, but Nick Robinson's solo shot (4th of the series) wins it in the 9th Lead is now 6 over Seattle, with Magic # down to 5. Oakland has a game in hand on us, and at 10.5 games out, still has a mathematical chance to catch us for the division title.... Messinger's win was his first in over a month. Hunter has hit 50+ doubles in 3 of his 4 full MLB seasons.... ELSEWHERE: Atlanta has just 60 wins this year, and hasn't made any noise since getting a surprise World Series win in 2037. So it's no shock that they fired GM Keon Barnum (5th year) and manager Brian Esposito (ditto). Espo worked his way through the Richmond system when I was GM there, becoming the Eagles manager in 2029, and staying on for 9 seasons. He has a career record of 1126-966. Panamanian Dario Agrazal is the new skipper.... Our Rob Hart has taken a lot of grief from me for his 38-HR season, but he's a piker, as he's only tied for NINTH on the most HR allowed list. The leader? Toronto's Pedro Cabrera, with 56 in 152 innings. Exactly one-third of his hits allowed have been home runs, and he has a -3.7 WAR. I was hoping he'd make it to 60, but is on the DL and unlikely to pitch again this season. [If you're wondering, he's a flyball pitcher with a 4 (out of 20) movement. Wow.] September 25-27 @ HOUSTON Now 0-4 under new manager Efrain Nevares, and looking for a new GM after firing Chun-Yi Wu today. There's not much to say about a 63-88 team playing out the string, except that pitcher Jay Russo is having another bang-up year, leading AL pitchers in WAR (5.7), 2nd in ERA, 1st in opp avg, 3rd in K/9, and 1st in FIP. He's signed through 2044, so it really looks like he's going to waste his entire career on this sorry franchise. His next start will tie him for 6th in team history (@ 259 with Mike Scott), and he's 2nd in pitching WAR and 1st in strikeouts, having just passed Nolan Ryan two starts ago. Bravo. HAW pitchers: Jonathan Murray (5-2, 3.29) / Rob Hart (11-12, 4.86) / Jim Kieffer (12-4, 3.07) / Mike Messinger (14-8, 3.81) HOU pitchers: Gustavo Preciado (6-7, 4.72) / Ryan Crawley (10-10, 4.98) / Khalil Palmer (1-1, 4.37) / Travis Calhoun (3-5, 6.46) #153: LOSS 4-6 ... Murray turns into Hart, giving up HR all over the yard, but it's Stanley who blows it in the 8th...only 11K came out to see this one #154: WIN 5-2 ... Shields doubles one home in the 10th and Masuda follows him up with a 2-run HR to take the game...Yee and Yaung combine for the win and the save #155: WIN 7-2 ... Carrillo knocks out two more, driving in four runs...Kieffer denied a complete game, coming out with nobody on and 2 outs in the 9th for some reason #156: LOSS 4-5 ... Mess gives up just 5 hits, but walks 4 and gives up all the runs, all in just 5 IP...Masuda and Carrillo stay hot, with 3 and 2 hits, respectively Heading off to Seattle, and our magic number is now one. Feeling okay about the state of the team right now, but since nothing can ever be perfect, I'm concerned that my #1 pitcher Mike Messinger is, frankly, a mess right now. His ERA is over 7 this month, and he has the second worse ERA of our starters at this moment. He was to be our #1 guy in the playoffs, but I'm doubting he'll carry that load this year.... Still third in AL runs, but back to 1st in AVG and OBP. Would give all that up for a title, of course.... ELSEWHERE: Tony Flores is up to 67 HR now, third best in history. He's got seven games left to reach McGwire (70) and Bonds (73).... Cincy (96-59) becomes the first team to clinch a playoff spot. They're four up on New Orleans, five on the Cards, so look likely to take the division. Elsewhere, Boston is a game up on Miami (they play each other next), KC by six over Detroit (they also play each other, 4 games), Mets by 2.5 over Philly, and LA by a half game over Arizona (and 2 over Portland). September 29-30, October 1 @ SEATTLE The Mariners need a sweep to stay in the divisional hunt, and also find themselves a half game behind Detroit for the #2 wildcard spot. It was all looking so good for them a month ago, but then we got hot, and they've fallen off (9-16 this month), so here we are. Still 5th in runs scored, and 10th in runs against, with a better rotation than bullpen. RF Mike Wapner is having another MVP-caliber season, .335/45/119, but it says something about batting these days in that he's not near the lead of any of those three categories. HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (12-8, 3.59) / Jonathan Murray (5-3, 3.56) / Rob Hart (11-12, 4.74) SEA pitchers: Sean Easter (9-7, 5.74) / Jun-hyuk Au (13-10, 4.21) / Ruben Alvarado (10-5, 3.66) #157: LOSS 0-2 ... Jones retires to the fainting couch after his usual five innings, and we can only manage six weak hits...something's in the water #158: WIN 7-5 ... 3-for-4 for Mercedes, with a 2B, HR, and 4 RBI...oh, and we clinch the division! #159: WIN 12-1 ... Groff goes bananas: 3-for-4 with 9 RBI, including a GRAND SLAM, a 2-run HR, and a 2-run double...Hart gets his record back to .500, with zero HR to boot I admit that even into August I thought there was no way this team would win the division, let alone win it going away. Seattle's had a healthy slump going all month, but 93 wins (for us) is good no matter where you're playing.... With one series left, Groff (at .357) has a firm grip on the batting title, which would be his fourth straight. Masuda reached 100 RBI in that game too.... ELSEWHERE: 68 HR for Flores, and teammate Justin Wade reached just 50. I can't remember the last time teammates reached 50 HR in a season. Will have to do some digging now.... Playoff Watch: KC clinched the Central, and Miami swept Boston to take a three game lead in the East. Wildcard standings are Boston (88 wins), Detroit (88), and Seattle (86). Oakland has been eliminated; first playoff miss since '35 for the A's. In the NL, Cincy and NY took their divisions, and New Orleans and St Loo clinched wild card spots. The West is still up for grabs: LA (82), Arizona (81), and Portland (80) are battling down to the wire. October 3-5 @ LA ANGELS Recent seasons of 79, 78, and currently 77 wins are not encouraging for the so-called Great Rebuild. Still, they're getting closer. Rookie pitchers Alex Ramirez and Dan Brazzel are in the pen currently, but should vie for spots in the rotation next year. And 18-year-old CF Emmanuel Garcia is in rookie ball, but could hold his own in the bigs right now. Owner Art Moreno has hinted at smaller budgets moving forward, so they'll have to build from within. Improving upon the AL's worst offense would be a big start. HAW pitchers: Jim Kieffer (13-4, 3.01) / Leon Casillas (6-6, 6.58) / Steve Ashjian (debut) LAA pitchers: Khalil Smith (14-8, 3.71) / Jeff Caraway (12-15, 3.02) / Fred Caviness (9-13, 4.62) #160: WIN 3-2 ... Masuda's 2-run HR in the 6th is the difference, and Kieffer goes 8, fanning 7 and allowing just 5 hits...Groff goes 3-for-3 #161: LOSS 6-14 ... not sure how Casillas snuck in there (Mess was scheduled), but he soft-tosses his way back to a 7+ ERA for the season #162: WIN 7-4 ... gifted a start for prospect Ashjian, who's ok but gives up 3 HR in his debut...we score 5 in the last two innings to come back and end the season on a good note A nice finish to the season, with 95 wins. Groff took the batting title at .362 (leading all of baseball), and was 3rd in OPS, 2nd in WAR, and 4th in RBI. Hunter hit the most doubles (53), and Messinger (240) was 3rd in strikeouts and his 12.0 K/9 led the league. Jones' 3.59 ERA was 4th in the AL.... ELSEWHERE: Miami won the East, and Boston and Detroit will meet in the AL wildcard game. Cincy led the majors with 100 wins, with New Orleans second at 96. In the West, sadly Portland (83) and Arizona (81) beat each other up in their final series, allowing the Dodgers to slide into the playoffs with 84 wins.... Tony Flores couldn't mash any taters against Boston, and finished the season with 68 HR. Sean West (STL) took the NL homer crown, with 56, and also led the league in RBI (138) and WAR (8.1). He's likely your NL MVP. For AL MVP, my money is on WAR winner (11.3) Mike Wapner of Seattle, who finished .336/45/121, although I'm pulling for my boy Groff. For AL Cy Young, there's no clear winner, although Houston's Jay Russo (5.9 WAR, 13-10, 2nd with 3.10 ERA) will probably take it. Mets ace Alex Rossello (20 wins, 6.9 WAR, 2.31 ERA, all league best) should get the NL nod. |
05-27-2018, 12:13 PM | #144 |
All Star Reserve
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Maine
Posts: 748
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2042 PLAYOFFS!
AL Wildcard: Boston jumps out to an early lead, and hangs on to send Detroit home early, 6-3. Now that the Tigers are out, it's Boston's turn to crush my spirits. It'll be a true cross-country series. We should have two travel days instead of just one. NL Wildcard: St. Louis rides back-to-back doubles in the 11th to win a thriller, 2-1, over the defending champs from New Orleans. The Zephs had tied it up on a solo HR in the bottom of the 8th, but couldn't get any more runners past second base. No repeat champs this year. ...... AL Divisional Series Game 1, October 10: Boston (George Sanger, 2-2, 5.29) @ Hawaii (Rob Hart, 12-12, 4.59) Jordan Shields gets us on the board in the first with a 2-run double. We're cruising along, same score, until the top of the 7th when Hart goes soft again and gives up two HR, including a 2-run shot by pinch hitter Pat Slind. Both teams add runs in the 8th, but the Sox make their lead hold up, taking game one. Boston 4, Hawaii 3. Boston leads series 1-0. Game 2, October 11: Boston (Robby Liantonio, 8-11, 4.30) @ Hawaii (Jim Kieffer, 14-4, 2.97) Another low-scoring affair. Boston strikes first, with Chris Beyer doubling home Danny Greenwald in the fourth. Three innings later, it's all square as Mercedes doubles, and a Henkel single brings him home. Off to extra innings. Yaung is shaky in the 10th, but doesn't yield any runs, and Hunter ends it with a lead-off HR in the bottom of the frame. Tied up! Hawaii 2, Boston 1. Series tied 1-1. Game 3, October 13: Hawaii (Mike Messinger, 14-9, 3.95) @ Boston (Ryan Galletto, 15-7, 4.26) Messinger continues to be a mess, giving up single runs in the 2nd, 3rd and 5th, and two in the 4th. We get three back of our own, and make it a one-run game in the 8th, but can't come up big when it counts. One game away from another disappointment. Sigh. Come on, guys. Boston 5, Hawaii 4. Boston leads series 2-1. Game 4, October 14: Hawaii (Eric Jones (12-9, 3.59) @ Boston (Tony Villarruel, 14-6, 3.86) A Mercedes solo HR in the 4th ties it, but a Jeff Murphy shot puts the Sox back up in the 6th. We get runners on in the 8th and 9th...but can't score. And just like that, it's over again. Boston 2, Hawaii 1. Boston WINS series 3-1. Crap. Again. ELSEWHERE...Miami took out KC in four games, with some pretty awesome displays of power hitting. It'll be the #1 offense (Miami) vs the #1 pitching staff (Boston) for the AL title. I'm pulling for the Marlins. In the NL, the Reds took out the Cards in four, and the Dodgers came back from a 2-1 deficit to surprise the Mets in five. It'll be an old-school match-up for the NL crown: Reds vs Dodgers. ...... AL Championship Series This was a back-and-forth affair, with the Marlins going up 3-1, the Sox coming back to tie it, but in the end Miami took an exciting game seven, 8-6. In only their second playoff appearance (the first was last year), the Marlins are heading to the World Series. Can they become the third straight expansion team winner? NL Championship Series The Reds won game one, but pretty much fell apart after that, and the Dodgers took this one in a relatively easy five games. Losing two pitchers and 41-HR guy Kyle Crowl for the series didn't help the Reds. LA had the fewest wins (84) of any playoff team, only made the playoffs on the final weekend of the season, and are looking for their second Series win in recent years (they beat Hawaii in 2039). ...... WORLD SERIES The Dodgers were six games under .500 in post-all-star break play, but they're now World Champions. After splitting the first two games in LA, they took two of three in Miami, then came back from a 3-0 deficit to score 8 times in the final three innings to win the Series in six. Miami will have to settle for Sergio Torres' MVP nod, after going .542/3/9 in the series. Despite coming into the final with the 12th ranked offense in the NL, the Dodgers racked up 37 runs, compared to 28 for the top-ranked Marlins. It's a sad day for baseball. Last edited by Bub13; 07-27-2018 at 03:35 PM. |
05-28-2018, 10:45 AM | #145 |
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Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Maine
Posts: 748
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Another disappointing early end to a promising (eventually) season. Although not as hard an exit as 2041's 108-win team, this one still stung, because we had dominated Boston in the regular season, were healthy, and had (nearly) everybody firing on all cylinders going in. In the end, we were let down by our strength--hitting--and lost three one-run games, including two by 2-1 scores. Ah well, onward.
By the end of the regular season, our pitching caught up to our hitting, stats-wise. Our batters were 3rd in runs scored, 1st in AVG and OBP, 2nd in SLG and OPS, and recorded the fewest strikeouts. All to the good. Our home runs were down, sort of: 8th in the AL, with 225. That's actually three more than we hit in 2041, but the league has become so power-dependent that we dropped several spots. The pitching numbers looked nearly as good: 2nd in runs allowed, overall ERA, bullpen ERA, and third in starters' ERA. Defense picked up too, finishing 5th in team efficiency, which is pretty good when you consider that we were in the bottom quarter at the All-Star break. Positional Review: Catcher: Alexis Mercedes reverted to the mean and then some. Down from his .293/47/126/8 WAR season of a year ago, his average dropped fifty points, and he managed just 26 home runs. Still, he's only 30, under contract for one more year, and will be back. We'll need him to rebound. Backup Guillermo Diaz hit .279, 110 points above his 2041 average, and popped 7 HR in 140 at bats. His salary figures to double (to $1.7M) next year, but I'll probably keep him around as insurance, b/c he's good behind the plate and plays hard all the time. Infield: 1B Senichi Masuda didn't make us forget Jeremy Dunklee, but managed a more-than-respectable .272/35/106 in 138 games. He finished the season as the DH after we acquired Jordan Shields at the deadline. Shields was good (.279/14/45 in 233 AB), and played better defense than Masuda, but at $18.6M the pending free agent won't be back. We'll enjoy the supplemental pick we'll get for him signing somewhere else. At second, Josh Robertson missed 40 games, but hit a career high 16 HR, and batted .292 despite a late-summer slump. He's a fixture, and will be back. SS Mike Hunter led the league with 53 doubles, hit .333, and played solid defense. Why he doesn't get more love at All-Star time is beyond me. His arb estimate for the fall is 10.5M (up from his current 5M), which is tough to take, but he's proved essential to the offense. Our annual team MVP, 3B [b]Adam Groff/[b], had another spectacular season: .362/38/127, winning his fourth batting crown. He's locked up for one more year, after which there will be some tough, tough, decisions coming. The backups played pretty well, although they were a bit one-dimensional. John Canning and Jim Bowman hit .273 and .308 respectively, with little to no power, and decent defense. Canning is a bit better all-around, and has the inside track on the utility role for next season. He too will go to arbitration, but his estimate is low and not a concern. Ashton Gooding played everywhere but catcher, and was rock-solid in the field, but hit so poorly early on (6-for-41) that he spent over a month in AAA. He came back to supply good defense when injuries struck, and some pop (9 HR in 150 AB), but is a decided backup. He'll likely make the team next April. Outfield/DH: Injuries unsettled things enough that only two players made more than 100 starts. Travis McArthur was having his usual steady season (.274/23/70) in right when he went down for the season in mid-August. Left field was a sore spot defensively, with Mel Carrillo making the most starts (78) but playing subpar defense and having just an average season (.286/14/52 in 113 GP) at the plate. He's got the skills and aptitude to be a .320 hitter, if he can just stay healthy. His defense looks good on paper, but his numbers have always been average, at best. His $3.8M salary will rise this off-season, so he'll get one more year to prove he's worth a longer-term contract. Andy Sanchez started the season in center, but hit .258 with terrible defense, and was traded to the Mets. Ian McGowan made 81 starts in center, providing solid defense with 11 HR and 11 steals, but struggled to hit all season long, ending at .223. Jesse Henkel started off as the full-time DH, but was such a liability against lefties (5-for-68), that he was relegated to platooning at DH and in left field. He also had a major dropoff in production at the plate (from .284/39/134 to .254/18/71) that he may not be back, especially with his salary rising to over $3M next season. Steve Hopkins and late-season call-up Joseph Hart were good in limited roles, with my scouts telling me that Hart looks good enough to them to be in the starting lineup next year. He won't approach .300 at the plate, but his power, plate discipline, and glove are an attractive combo. Starting Pitching: There was more volatility here than I like to see, and there could be more heading into next season. In April, my rotation, in descending order of quality, was Messinger/Jones/Casillas/Hart/Piccirillo. By September, it was Hart/Kieffer/Jones/Murray/Messinger. Last year's Cy Young winner, Mike Messinger, looked great through July, with 11 wins and an ERA just over 3. By season's end, he had 14 wins and an ERA just under 4. If August/September was just a two-month aberration--which I suspect it was--then we'll be fine for 2043. Fingers crossed. Jim Kieffer started as my prime setup man, but was moved into the rotation by necessity in early July. He made 17 starts and went 12-3, was money down the stretch and in the post-season, short as that was. The fans love him, so I bit the bullet and signed him to an extension, hoping he'll be a solid starter for me for another couple seasons. Eric Jones won six fewer games this season (12 vs 18) but had essentially the same stats as 2041. He's not a power pitcher, but also doesn't give up many home runs, and seems to be settling into a steady 3-to-4 WAR mid-rotation guy. I'm okay with that. Rob Hart took grief from me all season for his propensity to give up the long ball, but after nearly getting traded at the deadline he was on fire from August on. He won 7 of his last 11 starts and gave up just 9 HR (39 on the season) in those games. He's an arb candidate too, and will likely get a sizable raise, but I just don't want to sign him long-term until I see a longer stretch of non-brutal pitching. Sadly, Leon Casillas did not recover from his torn rotator cuff suffered in August 2041. It took him over a month to get his ERA under 10, and although he pitched better after April, he regressed in every statistical category. He finished the year in the bullpen and was left off the playoff roster. He's got an opt-out in his contract this fall, and I'm hoping like hell he exercises it. If he does, I'll miss him, but he's a shell of his former self. Jonathan Murray came from the Mets system (in the Sanchez trade) and was decent in his ten starts. Right now he's got dibs on the #5 spot for 2043. Home-town boy Bobby Piccirillo made sixteen starts (and ten relief appearances), and was his usual mix of grade-A and grade-F pitching. He'll likely be in camp next year, unless his arb reward is too high, although he'll be pushed hard for his spot in the lineup. Relief Pitching: Jeff Tanner was our closer until early August, when a series of blown saves made me boot him into a setup role. He was better after that, but still not great shakes. He'll be 31 next year, and in the final year of his contract (and is team captain, fyi), so he'll be back. YT Yaung became our closer, and was dominant, giving up just 3 runs in 27 innings. Right now he looks like next year's closer. Jin-Song Yee, Kaz Ihara, and Zack Randolph were quality arms too, taking turns in setup and in middle relief. All will be back. Pat Stanley threw the most innings (84), but was largely ineffective. He might not be back, as he already makes $2M and might get more in arbitration. Injuries barely affected this group (not counting Frank Soto, who was a back-end guy anyway), so the our farm depth wasn't tested. There are arms available down below, tho, so watch this space come March. ...... The farm teams were pretty successful, with four teams making their league playoffs. Most successful (again) was AAA Kansas City: after finishing 2nd in their division at 92-52, they rolled through Toledo (DET) and Petersburg (NOZ) to win the International League championship, their fourth title. AA Lewiston won their division (74-68), but lost the Eastern League title to Reading. California League's Eureka also won their division, at 77-63, and beat Stockton before falling in the finals to Rancho Cucamonga. Short A Poughkeepsie (NY-Penn League) also topped their division (41-29), and also made it to the finals before losing to Brooklyn. Our rookie ball teams weren't as successful (Athens, 30-38, and Boone, 26-42), but I'm less concerned with wins for those guys. ...... So we trip away merrily to the off-season, where I'm soon to be berated by my owner for a) not winning a championship, and b) not making him tens of millions of dollars this year. I thought this was all a tax dodge anyway...? With what I'm sure will be a tightening financial situation, my thinking is I have one more run at a title with this group, before either the budget goes back up, or we tear it down and rebuild. Let's see what Mr Pagan thinks of that. |
05-30-2018, 07:40 PM | #146 |
All Star Reserve
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Maine
Posts: 748
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2042/43 OFF-SEASON
Aaaaaand we're off. We vs. They, as usual. WE ...Arbitration time! Fourteen players file for arbitration; all but two were on the pro team last year. One of those is pitcher Luis Cortez, who's spent the last two seasons in AAA. He's decent enough (excellent movement and control), but (imo) doesn't have nearly the stuff to be a full-time big leaguer. He gets no offer. The other is Frank Soto, who made the team out of camp but got hurt in April. He should be 100% soon, and since I prefer him to Piccirillo, will get a long look in camp again. Unfortunately: Jordan Shields, pending FA, is not compensation eligible. Dang. Pour one out for our non-existent supplemental pick. Seventeen minor league players are also going FA; none will be offered contracts. Back to arbitrations: if we win every one, total player salaries will go up by $13.4M. Removing Shields, who made 18.6M, will offset that and more, but we'll still need to cut salary somewhere. Looking at you, Leon Casillas... ...Owner Goals! Reach the playoffs, increase attendance, make $18M, find a top 20 prospect. No problem, big guy. *searches ebay for "printing press"* ...Manager Pat Wilson needs a new contract...but he's playing hardball. Not sure if he's going to be our guy by next week or not. LEAGUE STUFF ...Gold Glove awards announced: no Islanders won, but there were some repeat winners. Most notably were MIN 3B Peanuts Foster (7th win), KC CF Eli Immordino (5th), and SF 1B Willie Alvarez (5th). ...SD closer Sam Berisford won his second NL Hoyt Wilhelm award. ...Adam Groff won his 5th Silver Slugger award. Also winning their 5th were PIT OF Brendan Glenn and ARI C Lance Powell, while OAK C Vinny Vargas won his 4th. ...Sen Masuda got 4 first place Rookie of the Year votes, but that wasn't enough to beat out MIA RF Nick Meehan. Never mind that Masuda outhit Meehan in every category except doubles. But "Voters Love Doubles" is a dubious catchphrase. ...our own Pat Wilson won Manager of the Year, his third. Cincy's Dan Remenowsky, who's been with the team since 2029, won his first. Btw, we re-signed Wilson for 2 years at $1.3M per. Just two years because...I dunno, just two years, okay? ...Odd voting in the AL Cy Young race. BAL Miguel Moreno won, despite earning just 11 wins. I guess they like his 3.05 ERA, huh. Second place finished Tony Villarruel (BOS) got more 1st place votes--17 to 14--and our own Mike Messinger came in 5th place despite only being a quality big league pitcher for half the season. Houston's Jay Russo finished fourth despite having probably the best actual *stats* of them all. No surprise that NYM Alex Rossello took all the votes for the NL award, after a 20-win season and a 2.31 ERA. ...Adam Groff edged out SEA OF Mike Wapner by TWO POINTS for the AL MVP trophy, his second win. Congrats, Adam! Both received 18 first place votes. STL slugger Sean West was the easy NL winner, although Mets pitcher Rossello also received 3 first place votes. THEY ...Miami and Atlanta get new owners. Miami's new owner, Dusty Means (L.O.L.), is said to be "an unmerciful character who's fiscally charitable." Um, what? That should be fun to watch. In addition, NYY, SFG, and WSH fire their GMs, while MTL and AUS drop their managers. Several other GMs and managers were not renewed, so I'm not sure which is worse: getting fired outright, or being told you'll now be able to "seek opportunities elsewhere." ...Dodgers Bullpen Watch 2043 (TM) has hit the ground running already, and we're not even into free agency yet. Josh Werner, whom they signed in 2041 to a 2-year, $21M deal--only to watch him miss all of 2042--re-signed just now for 2 more years, at $4M per. How do they manage these kinds of deals while every guy I talk to wants double what he's worth? Tis unfair, I tells ya. ...Hall of Fame voting: there are 35 candidates this year, most of whom are actually pretty good. I voted for three players: Xander Bogaerts (rec'd 70.6% last year), Colin Moran (63.2), and Brazilian great Macario 'Crowbar' Fiel (1st timer). Bogaerts had a 21-year career, remaining productive right up til the end. Not a lot of all-time numbers (although he's 5th in career doubles), but pretty damn good. Moran had over 3000 hits, which is good enough for me. Like Bogaerts, was never regarded as the best at his position, but was a vital cog on those great Richmond teams in the 10s and 20s. Fiel, aka 'The Brazilian Waxer,' was a monster hitter at 2B, racking up 531 HR, 2385 hits, a ROY, an MVP, and a passel of all-star and Silver Slugger nods. He burst onto the league at the age of 20 and was a terror for the next ten years, and pretty good for a few more after that. Not the most affable guy, kind of an "ARod Jr," but is still Hall-worthy. There are some other candidates worthy of consideration (OF Dylan Cozens, 530 HR; 3B Matt Chapman, who accumulated 71 WAR and 2464 hits; 3B Mason Templet, with 73 WAR and 2692 hits; IF Brendan Rogers, 80 WAR and nearly 2800 hits; and P Garrett Gooden, who actually won 200 games in an era where nobody wins a lot of games). Maybe next year for these guys. Or maybe they'll surprise. ...Holy crap: Cleveland catcher Wayne Staton just revealed an Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis. He's actually listed as 'dtd' for four days with MS. He's a 7-year vet, more of a backup/platoon guy, but he did hit a career-high 20 HR in 359 AB for the Indians last year despite batting just .201. He's also a FA to be. Best of luck, Wayne. WE, AGAIN ...Arbitration awards came out, and, as usual, we lost the big ones and won the small ones. Mike Hunter won, seeing his salary jump from 5M to 12.2M; Mel Carrillo won, jumping from 3.8M to 7.7M, and Guillermo Diaz won, going from 850K to 2.2M. Instead of overall salaries jumping ~13M, as I'd hoped, they jumped nearly 20M. Gonna have to trim from somewhere, now. ...eleven international free agents file in November, and not one of them is worth a dang. Well, ok: Moises Patino tells me Cuban reliever Rogelio Castellanos, 23, will have big time stuff matched with so-so movement and control. Pass. We'll save our money, especially now that I'm having to cut salaries. In fact... ...TRADE! With free agents having filed and everyone flush with cash and hopped up on their impending trips to the candy store, we make a pure salary dump trade. We dispose of, er...trade P Leon Casillas, OF Jesse Henkel, and P Luis Cortez for IF Bobby Layne and a draft pick. The Yankees are terrible but have more money than God, so they're (sort of) cool with taking on Leon's $26M salary, along with his -1.7 WAR pitching from 2042. I'll genuinely miss Leon: he was an A+ pitcher for two years (two Cy Youngs), then a B for two years, and an absolute F last year. Does he have anything left? Dunno, but I'll bet he tosses a 2-hitter against us next season, even if it's the last time he ever throws. I sweeten the deal by adding former ROY Jesse Henkel, who blasted 39 HR for us two years ago, but dipped ominously last season, including totally flaming out against lefties. If he recovers (he's only 24), he'll add to an already prodigious power lineup, meaning he could become a Maris to Tony Flores' Mantle. Cortez was the guy I decided to send to arbitration late in the day, just to be trade bait should his reward be too high. It was (1.5M) so he's gone. In Layne we get a versatile gloveman for both IF and OF, even if he's totally average at the plate (good discipline and eye tho). He hit .269 in 108 AB last year, and is the great-grandnephew or something of NFL Hall of Famer Bobby Layne. Seriously. ...TRADE! AGAIN! Two on one day! Another targeted trade, with salary uppermost in mind. Catcher Guillermo Diaz wants to start, but won't, not with Alexis Mercedes around. Since his salary nearly tripled in arbitration, I decided to shop him around. I made my focus finding a decent LH reliever, since my only MLB lefty, Pat Stanley, was subpar last year and was thus duly rewarded in arbitration with a generous salary advance. Criminal. The best of the proferred return ended up being Arizona's Pete Morrow, a 25-year-old who threw 110 innings (including 14 starts) with a 4.62 ERA. That was his worst season in his three MLB campaigns, so he's either over the hill at 25, or ready to bounce back. I also talked Arizona into retaining all (yes, 100%) of his 1.2M salary, as well as tossing me a 7th round pick. To help things out, I added a my 12th rounder. The DBacks, for some reason, are going with Diaz instead of re-signing perennial 6 WAR guy Lance Powell, I guess because having a catcher who hits .320 with 25+ HR is unlucky, or something. THEY, AGAIN ...the Yankees ring in the free agent season by signing an International who slipped under my radar: OF Daizo Yonamine, 7 yrs/11.6M per. Nice ratings across the board, speedy, very good defense. But...at 30, he's only played more than 100 games in a season three times. I suspect he's got an injury history a mile long....And I check and find this: 48 injuries over the last six seasons. FORTY-EIGHT. ...ten days into free agency, and big money is definitely being passed around like candy: -- Dodgers sign catcher Eric Cook, 25.6M/5 yrs -- Mets sign OF Greg Tackett, 26.3M/4 yrs [will mash if healthy, but can't stay healthy: 10 seasons, only 2 with 140+ games] -- Mets sign RP Jorge Marcado, 11.3M/3 yrs [a lot of money for a non-closer] -- Boston signs 1B Jordan Shields, 13.7M/5 yrs -- Dodgers sign 2B Danny Diaz, 22M/7 yrs -- Minnesota signs OF Brendan Glenn, 19M/6 yrs [Pittsburgh loses Diaz and Glenn for nothing; last vestiges of their once-great all-star lineup] -- Dodgers extend CL Francisco Manzano for 11.9M/3 yrs [LA's player payroll is now $204M] -- White Sox extend C Dan Starr for 36.5M/7 yrs ...That last one...you didn't misread that: Starr will get 36.5 million per year for seven seasons. He's 32, so I can guarantee that contract will be a huge millstone for the Sox, and likely very soon at that. In fact, salaries for top players are going way up this year. Top-ranked free agent Victor Sanchez was asking for 40M per season at the start of December. Four other players were asking for at least 28M per. Crazy. ...Winter Meetings start, and the Dodgers are at it again: -- signed SP Mike Cote, 21M/7 yrs [clubhouse cancer, is 27 and now on his third team; fans hate this move] -- signed 3B Eddie Salgado, 9.5M/4 yrs ...More big money: -- Brooklyn signs OF Mike Blough, 12.9M/4 yrs -- Brooklyn again, P Joey Muhlenkamp, 16.3M/6 yrs -- Boston signs OF Todd McNearney, 11.1M/4 yrs -- smaller deal, but Dodgers sign SS Dan Munoz, 5.3M/2 yrs [payroll now over $240M] WE, AGAIN AGAIN ...one more TRADE, to free up a tiny bit of salary and make some space on the 40-man roster: P Bobby Piccirillo to Richmond for prospect P Jayden Grant. Piccs should prove useful to the Eagles, maybe, while Grant right now looks like a AAA pitcher, but with great intangibles could rise above his current station. Plus, he's gigantic: 6'7"/210#. ...Rule 5 Draft comes, and while we pick nobody, we lose four players: OF Salvador Higareda and Ryan Hein, and P Butch Santos and Miguel Granados. No franchise killers, but all four were going to be solid players on my AAA team. Maybe they'll be back by April...which happened last year. ...... END OF DECEMBER so we'll pick this up next time. TUNE IN TO SEE....how many more players will the Dodgers sign? Does anyone make it into the HoF this year? Will my owner realize you've got to pay to play? FIND OUT ALL THIS...AND MORE
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06-01-2018, 08:18 PM | #147 |
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OFF-SEASON, JANUARY 2043
And we're back. Before we dive back into the feeding frenzy, let's take a look at some other news... ...Ty Cobb has retired. The 42-year-old managed just 35 games for the Twins last year, suffering under a litany of aches and pains, but did hit .310. He retires with 3468 hits, only 608 of which went for extra bases, and a remarkable .350 career batting average, with a .452 OBP. A sure-fire first ballot Hall of Famer. ...and yet, 42-year-old Jimmy Campbell soldiers on, having signed a one-year, $2.6M deal with Portland. The 18-year vet has 2529 career hits, along with 55.7 WAR, and looks like the opening day starter for the Pioneers, which doesn't say much for their prospect development. ...the Mets signed catcher Seth Swank. He's not a great player: average hitting with 20-HR power, but that name. I hope he buys a floor-length raccoon coat (apologies to Westheim) and a penthouse bachelor pad. ...There are currently 36 teams in MLB. That means (duh) 36 managers. Five will be making their debuts this April. Nine more debuted in 2042, and six in 2041. So more than half of major league managers have been at their jobs for less than two years. At the other end of the spectrum, Boston's Kris Harvey is now the league graybeard, having started with the Sox in 2029. Cincy's Dan Remenowsky is second, hired in 2030. Mets leader Jorge Charry came on in 2031, and Oakland's Robert Woodard in 2032. And the "old boy" network is barely alive: only three of 36 managers held managerial positions in MLB before their current job. Most had plenty of experience, just not managing at the MLB level. And the winningest "active" manager is currently unemployed: Brian Esposito, winner of 1126 games with Richmond and Atlanta, was fired by the Braves during the 2042 season. He's still looking for work. (Kris Harvey has 1124 wins, so will move past Espo quickly. The all-time winningest manager in this dynasty is Eli Guy, who won 1591 games with the Royals from 2022 to 2040.) ...Since starting this dynasty in 2014, three AL and four NL teams have never been to a World Series. They are: Indians, Rangers, Astros, Cubs, Expos, Reds, and Pioneers. Of those teams, the Astros have the longest playoff drought, having last been to the post-season in 2018. The Cubs are the most "successful" of these teams, with nine playoff appearances. (But a title drought at 134 years and counting.) ...Hall of Fame voting is in, and we have two new inductees. Macario Fiel becomes the first Brazilian player into the Hall, having received 95.8% of the votes, and SS Xander Bogaerts gets in on his fifth try, getting 80.7%. Colin Moran just missed out, at 72.7%, an increase of nine points from last year. And first-timer Dylan Cozens got 68.5%. ...... ...there are still a number of high-value FA on the board, but we're now in the "mid-level" signing phase, the guys are usually going for 4-10M. Catcher Marc Orange is the biggest name who signs in early January, with Philly for 11.9M per for 5 years. Pitcher Drew Falconbury--who's delivered 78 WAR in his career but is in serious decline--signs with New Orleans for 8M per for 3 years. And 1B Justin Wade, who hit 51 HR for the Yankees last year, signs with Austin for 4.2M. ...SS Victor Sanchez wanted $40M in November. He just signed with Austin for...$14.1M. Sanchez, you might recall, is the 2040s version of "Is He or Isn't He?" given that his home run totals as a pro have been: 7, 27, 50, and 46. At 5'11" and 190 lbs, you have to wonder... ...a few days before camps open and games begin, and BNN says that Austin (+8.0 WAR) is the off-season "winner." Even though they lost 31 (!) players from last year's extended roster, they lost no one of any importance. And they've added a quality SP (Tony Villarruel), an 8-WAR SS (Victor Sanchez), a 51-HR 1B (Justin Wade), and a decent #3 SP (Pat Teer). The big losers have been the Pirates (-12.3, including two perennial all-stars in 2B Danny Diaz and OF Brendan Glenn) and the Dbacks (-10.5, including their C, 3B, SS, #1 SP, and 2 decent RP). My favorites, the Dodgers (hint: not actually my favorites) have added 4.8 WAR at the cost of $20M to their payroll ($238M, by far the largest in MLB). ...in probably the last big signing before ST begins, the Reds inked aging superstar catcher Jared Grose to a one-year, $5.2M deal. Grose is now 40, and the 3-time MVP winner is a sure-fire first ballot HOFer, but is coming off his worse year as a pro by far, failing to reach 100 hits and 4 WAR for the first time in his 16-year career. He can still produce some--there were plenty of starting catchers who didn't amass even his 2.4 WAR last year--but he's not the answer the contending Reds should've gone after. ...... WE, AGAIN AGAIN AGAIN Just a brief update on a few things Islander-related since the New Year... ...RP Frank Soto suffered a setback in his recovery from elbow surgery. Now, instead of returning for Spring Training, he's out until mid-to-late May. Good thing I collect quad-A type pitchers by the handful... ...I've talked before about the triumvirate of pitchers I drafted early on in 2039, with hopes of a trifecta of starting pitchers coming from a single draft: Taylor Barnett, Jamie Berisford, and Justin Sutton. Barnett and Berisford will be in camp this spring, vying for a spot in the bullpen. (They're long shots as starters right now.) Sutton, however, is no more. Injuries and a general developmental stagnation have stunted his growth, so I shipped him off to Baltimore for IF Dustin Bradley. Neither player looks to get much beyond the AA level, frankly, but I had too many pitchers competing for AAA and AA spots, and needed some middle infield help, et voila. Good luck, Justin. ...Owner Alexis Pagan decides to raise my budget (for now) up to $150M, from $142M. Since he cut it in the fall, I'm not really sure what he's playing at. PS: he's also unhappy already, about something. Maybe a pending FBI/INTERPOL investigation? ...Pitchers and catchers reported at the end of January, and everyone else a few weeks later. Looking over the assembled throng, it seems that the starting lineup is nearly set, with question marks only at LF and DH (and possibly CF). The rotation is also set, but there are a couple of spots open in the pen. I've been running with just one lefty RP for several seasons now, but will carry two this year. Pat Stanley is the LHP holdover, but Pat Morrow joined him this off-season, and there are a couple of guys from AAA who'll get long looks. If they succeed, Stanley and his $2.2M salary could be outta here. ...... Next up: Spring Report and 2043 Outlook
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06-04-2018, 09:12 PM | #148 |
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Spring Training...and Beyond
A very strange Spring Training. We finished 17-13, for what that's worth, but we started 0-9 and finished with a 10-game winning streak. Despite some rampant consternation early on, ultimately I was fairly satisfied with the results, and with the questions ST answered. (For now.) And counter to my claims in my last post, there were some battles for positions, and we'll see some rookies who'll get a chance to make their mark right out of the gate. Here's the rundown by position: Catcher: Alexis Mercedes will start again, of course. In camp I had a three way battle for his backup, ultimately won by 2037 11th round pick Cory Vannoy. Vannoy is a so-so receiver, and figures to be a decent-enough hitter, with some pop and gap power in his bat. He's a lefty too. He split time with two others in AAA last year, but had a .298/.347/.540 slash in 161 AB. He beat out minor league free agent Jason Saunders and last year's #1 pick Rob Rich, who will head off to AAA to share backstop duties. Rich looks like a future starter, but with the drawback of having very little power. Infield: No surprises in the starting lineup: Senichi Masuda at first, Josh Robertson at second, Mike Hunter at short, and Adam Groff at third. Since my DH position is not as set as in year's past, I'm going to carry two "infield" backups to start the season, especially as a number of guys hit extremely well in camp, better than the backup OF/DH I was looking at. There were some tough decisions here, and in the end I went with positional versatility over who is technically the "better" hitter. Making the opening day roster are holdovers John Canning and Jim Bowman, who can play across the infield and also play in the outfield in a pinch. Both hit well last year, and both did well in camp. Nearly all the guys heading back to the minors also hit well: the 1B/DH duo of Jonathan Klump and Jake Kane--who are heading back only b/c I don't want two guys on the roster limited to only those positions--and a grouping of IF/OF types including Bobby Layne, Edward Ospina, Andy Bridges, and JJ Simmons. Ospina and Simmons should contend for starting roles one day--perhaps next season--while the others are useful bench pieces. AAA Santa Barbara is looking stacked this year. Outfield/DH: Few really stood out in camp, but I feel pretty good about the rota heading into the season. Mel Carrillo gets the nod at DH, only because there are better glove options available. However, it's still an open question as to whether he can hold up for an entire season (his 113 games last year was a career high). The outfield spread for now is: Joseph Hart in left, Ian McGowan in center, and Travis McArthur in right. Hart, at 23, is something of a late bloomer, going from AA to AAA to Hawaii last year, and getting the nod to start this year. McGowan needs to hit better than the .223 he offered up last season, and McArthur is still a solid producer, but it's been four seasons now since he last played over 128 games. Coming off the bench will be holdover Ashton Gooding and possibly rookie Jim Klein. Gooding is more than capable anywhere in the field, and has some power; his inability to hit for average keeps him from starting, however. Klein is a former first round pick who can do everything but hit for power. If anyone falters I'm more than willing to put him in the lineup, at any outfield position. Heading back to AAA are Steve Hopkins (had 151 AB for us last year but looked out of sorts in camp), promsing youngster Mike Bennett (looks similar to Klein), and Roberto Mendez (can't hit, sadly, but has all-world speed and defense). Starting pitching: Going into camp, I figured this unit was set, but that's not how things turned out. At the top end, we'll see returnees Rob Hart, Jim Kieffer, Mike Messinger, and Eric Jones. What order they pitch in...has not yet been determined. All but Kieffer looked solid in camp, with Hart leading the way. It's hard not to give former Cy Young winner Messinger the opening night nod, but he was so, so bad down the stretch last year that my confidence in him hasn't returned to where I want it to be. Leaning towards Hart, atm, but stay tuned. My number 5 starter figured to be Jonathan Murray, who looked really promising in ten starts last season after coming over from the Mets. But he was terrible in camp, and was soundly outpitched by Steve Ashjian, a 26-year-old who got the game #162 mercy start last season. He looked really solid in March, but did have a poor start in his last outing. I'm going with my gut and giving him the nod over Murray for now, who will go back to AAA and be the first call-up. I was hoping to see more from youngsters Taylor Barnett and Jamie Berisford, but they showed they're not yet ready for prime time. Bullpen: The weak spot in camp, especially early on, but they did pick things up late in the month. YT Yaung ended 2042 as the closer, and despite a shaky camp will get the nod again this year. Setup men Zack Randolph and Jeff Tanner were all over the map, and will be on short leashes early on. Lefty Pat Stanley was halfway out the door, tbh, but had a good camp and will be joined by fellow lefty Pat Morrow, fresh off the boat from the DBacks. Jin-song Yee and Ian Albring round out the crew. This is Albring's third--and likely final--shot at sticking with the big club. At 30, he's running out of chances. Kaz Ihara (62 IP for Hawaii last year), Ronnie Corgan, and Chet King got pushed around too much to make the team, while top prospect Rick Ramirez pitched well but needs to work on his control (5.8 BB/9) before he gets a regular slot. There will be some long faces heading back to AAA from this group. Injuries: Haven't bitten hard yet. We got good news in that P Cam Bornhoft can begin his rehab a month earlier than expected, in early June. But we got bad news in that P Frank Soto is out for a month longer than anticipated, until mid-July. Mike Hunter broke his foot and missed a couple weeks, but should be back for opening day. Adam Groff, however, tweaked his throwing arm late, and is dtd for three weeks. I may just put him on the DL since dtd injuries have killed me in the past. ...... Preseason Predictions Should things hold true to BNN form, Miami, Detroit, and Hawaii are you division winners. Oakland is a lock for a wildcard, with Minnesota and Boston tied for the second spot. BNN says this will be a down year for our offense: sixth best in runs and near the bottom in home runs. However, our pitching is touted to be the best in the league, with Hart, Messinger, and Kieffer all getting thumbs up from the swamis in charge. New York looks to lose 100 games. In the NL, New York, New Orleans, and LA are the division winners, with Richmond, Chicago, and St Louis battling for the wild cards. Portland is picked to win the fewest games (68), but Cincinnati looks to have the biggest dropoff, from 100 wins to just 72. New Orleans looks to have MLB's best pitching by far, and the touts at the track say they'll win 100 games. ...... Bold Prediction Time: I expect this year to look a lot like last year, a struggle. I'll be roundly shocked if we approach our 108 wins from 2041, and be more than happy if we reach the 95 BNN predicts for us this season. I agree with BNN that we'll struggle to hit home runs: Groff, Masuda, and Mercedes are the power trio, with McArthur a threat if he stays healthy. There's very little power pop after those four, however. Unlike most years, this team may have to rely on pitching to lead the way, rather than an all-world offense. Don't get me wrong: I think we've got some horses on the mound. It's just that they don't always show up. And while our bench has some quality, there's no one I trust to be an everyday player (yet), so we have to hope the inevitable injuries don't come in bunches. Then again, doesn't everyone... Next up: PLAY BALL!
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06-09-2018, 10:41 AM | #149 |
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OPENING DAY 2043! Did I mention it's our tenth season in the league? Seven division titles, 2 World Series, 1 Championship. Very good, and yet...I feel we left another ring or two on the table. Is our window closing? Can Groff and Co. lead the way to another World Series? Will our pitching hold up? Stay tuned and find out!
Rob Hart gets the opening day nod, followed by Jim Kieffer. Last year's poster boy, Mike Messinger, has dropped to #3 following his collapse last fall and his subpar spring. Adam Groff starts the year on the DL, but will be back in a week. Hopefully... April 6-8 vs TORONTO BNN says the Jays will win just 75 games this year; if so, this would be their first three-year losing streak since the 2024-28 period, the last time they were seriously rebuilding. That's a long period of success right there. Anyway, BNN says their pitching looks good, probably 2nd best in the AL, but the batters will get, um, battered. New to the roster are a 2B, RF, SP, and two RP. Canadian folk hero and all-around superstar Preston Sorensen took himself off to Portland via free agency, and fan interest has dipped appropriately. Long-time pitchers Joe Erkel and Dave Henderson are back for their 8th and 14th seasons in Toronto, respectively. HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (12-12, 4.59) / Jim Kieffer (14-4, 2.97) / Mike Messinger (14-9, 3.95) TOR pitchers: Joe Erkel (9-9, 4.00) / Dave Henderson (12-10, 4.24) / Jesus Claros (7-3, 2.92) #1: LOSS 2-4 ... aaaand the pen is 0-for-1, with Yee giving up a 2-run HR late to lose it...Hart yields only 4 hits and whiffs 11, but we manage just 7 hits...Mercedes hits the first HR of the season #2: LOSS 1-6 ... the struggle is real now, as Kieffer craps all over his new contract, and we eke out just 2 hits this night...attendence drops 12K from opening day #3: LOSS 1-4 ... sweet. Merely five hits tonight, and we toss in 6 walks to help the Jays out...Yee fans both his batters tonight, but gets hurt Is it too early to be worried? Or do we just miss Groff that much? It's only three games, only three games...Yee has a dtd injury, but since it's his arm, he'll go to the DL. Kaz Ihara gets the call-up.... ELSEWHERE: Three games, three HR for Seattle's Alex Cruz, Oakland's Vinny Vargas, and New Orleans' Dan Martin.... Yankees just signed free agent SS Jordan Cruz. NO. The "Black Hole of Uppercutta" led the NL in strikeouts 7 times, then came over to Baltimore and did it in the AL, all while destroying their offense too. Yes, I realize the Yanks were going into the season at short with a career backup who hit .264 last year and a 32-year-old rookie, but this is just soul-crushing for the few fans the team has left. April 10-12 vs MIAMI Fresh off our demoralization against the Jays, and here come the AL champion Marlins. Predicted to reach 93 wins and have a top-5 offense, but with only marginal pitching. Now is our chance to score more than 2 runs in a game. FINALLY. Their big off-season addition was new owner Dusty Means, who has ZERO patience, but is financially charitable and hands-off. I don't know how to read any of that, honestly. They bring back the same team as last year, essentially, having replaced their catcher and a few end-of-the-benchers. HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (12-9, 3.59) / Steve Ashjian (1-0, 5.14) / Rob Hart (2043: 0-0, 2.45) MIA pitchers: Corey Downes (8-12, 5.20) / Jake Marker (14-8, 5.41) / Levi Brady (2043: 1-0, 1.04) #4: LOSS 2-3 ... 7 hits doubled the number of starters hitting .200, so that's good...Jones pitches well but Yaung gives up a solo HR in the 9th to make me cry #5: LOSS 0-6 ... six hits this time, but hey! Mercedes walked three times! And then never advanced to second base...Ashjian is terrible tonight, may be on a short leash now #6: WIN 2-1 ... all runs tonight are via the long ball, as we again manage just six total hits...Hart fans 11 again, but Yaung, our closer, goes down Geez, 1-5 now. What did I say up top? We need to hit, and we're not. Pitching has been decent, but the pen is shaky late, and Ashjian may have been a mistake.... We're dead last in batting, with McArthur being the worst offender: 1-for-19. Our scoring ratio is 8-to-24, which is so ugly as to be laughable.... But hey: it's only six games, right?!? Right! How long will I keep adding games to that statement.... ELSEWHERE: Starting the season 6-0 are the Tigers, Nationals, and Zephyrs. Washington! They won six games all of last year, for crying out loud. No one is 0-6, but at least we're joined in our slow-start hell by the Red Sox (predicted to win 92 games), and Eagles (90).... half a dozen players have already had 5-hit nights, while we have had multi-hit games from just TWO players so far. April 13-15 vs NY YANKEES Our incredible 13-game home opener continues against the thoroughly mediocre Yanks, who, it must be admitted, are currently looking down at us from their lofty 3-3 perch. Still, the franchise won 90 games in 2029, and has only one winning season to show since then. Somehow they own a +2 run diff despite not hitting (11th) but possessing decent pitching (6th). And it's no surprise that huge off-season signing Daizo Yonamine is already on the DL, seeing as how he's the proud owner of 42 previous injuries over his 8-year career in Japan. Former Islanders Joel Courtney (CF), Tom DiFranco (SP), Jesse Henkel (bench), and Leon Casillas (RP) will all contrive to have huge games against us here, just watch. HAW pitchers: Jim Kieffer (0-1, 7.71) / Mike Messinger (0-1, 4.50) / Eric Jones (0-0, 3.00) NYY pitchers: Ruben Villasenor (0-0, 5.06) / Tom DiFranco (1-0, 3.60) / Casey Moore (1-0, 0.00) #7: WIN 8-1 ... there it is! 14 hits, and we even bash around old Leon Casillas for three runs in relief...Kieffer shows up this time, and Ihara closes it out #8: WIN 11-3 ... game 2 of a DH, and all the scoring was over after four...11 hits and 7 walks, and we pummel DiFranco...Messinger isn't real good, but didn't have to be tonight #9: WIN 8-5 ... six doubles and two HR tonight, as Masuda and Hunter have gotten hot...Jones was meh, and Albring tried to make it close, the hoser There need to be more ex-Islanders, apparently: DiFranco and Casillas had ERA at or over 9, Courtney went 0-for-3 and got hurt, and Henkel went 0-for-1. Plus, we thank the Yankees for moving Jordan Cruz into the leadoff spot, where he went 2-for-11 with 5 strikeouts. Asset management 101, right there.... Groff will come off the DL tomorrow, and I'm not sure who's going down. Probably Bowman, with only 1 AB.... ELSEWHERE: New Orleans is 8-1, Richmond 1-8. So much for BNN predictions.... Oakland leads the AL West at 6-3, and they're in town next.... Six quality free agents have been signed to $2M or higher contracts since opening day, and nearly 20 Rule 5 draft picks have been returned to their original teams, including our own Butch Santos (returned from LAD). He's now on the DL in AA. Nice. ...... TL; DR Version: Nothing like an 0-5 start (at home, no less) to engender happy feelings all around. At least the Yankees helped us out there at the end. That last series took our runs ratio from 8:24 to 35:33. Amazing. Thank you, New York!
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06-10-2018, 02:15 PM | #150 |
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April 16-19 vs OAKLAND
The epic homestand concludes with four against the division leaders. Only nine games in, but their offense has been off the charts, with even A-ball-to-the-majors rookie Jordan Coronado on a 54 HR and 180 RBI pace. Probably unsustainable, maybe? Monster masher Vinny Vargas is also off to a .467 start. Pitching and fielding haven't kept up, so maybe our offense can continue it's Yankees-inspired rebound. HAW pitchers: Steve Ashjian (0-1, 10.80) / Rob Hart (1-0, 1.88) / Jim Kieffer (1-1, 3.55) / Mike Messinger (1-1, 4.91) OAK pitchers: Jaysen Moss (0-0, 1.80) / Mike Wiater (1-1, 9.31) / Ricky Hose (1-0, 4.63) / Francisco Pantaleon (2-0, 0.69) #10: LOSS 6-7 ... an early 3-0 lead vanishes after four innings, and only Masuda's 3-run HR in the sixth makes this competitive again...Ashjian will get one more shot, terrible again today #11: LOSS 2-7 ... Hart gives up just three hits, but all are HR, and the pen is even worse...only six hits, as we're back to cold bat syndrome #12: LOSS 2-6 ... five hits for the good guys...nothing's working...Kieffer is trash again today...total failure #13: WIN 4-0 ... Messinger tosses his first really good game since, oh, last July: 3 hits, 10 K...eight hits for us, but it's enough tonight, for once Ugh. Still not hitting, offense now ranked 15th in runs, 16th in average. Pitching is better (4th), and defense has been stellar. If we can start hitting, we might win some games. What a notion.... Masuda has driven in 30% of the team's runs.... ELSEWHERE: New Orleans is still rolling, now 11-2, with Oakland at 9-4. Atlanta is trailing the field at 3-10, having lost six in a row.... Tampa's Daniel Brooke hasn't given up a run in his two starts. April 20-23 @ SEATTLE An undistinguished 6-6 start, but with the 5th best offense in the AL. Pitching is 17th, with the worst bullpen in baseball right now (10.00 ERA). Having four decent pitchers on long-term DL hasn't helped. Owner Adam Yamauchi wants the team to play .500 ball, which they're doing, so he's happy, at least. HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (1-0, 3.97) / Jonathan Murray (debut) / Rob Hart (1-1, 2.79) / Jim Kieffer (1-2, 5.63) SEA pitchers: Jun-hyuk Au (0-2, 5.91) / Jaden Graham (1-1, 3.27) / Brian Saul (0-0, 3.75) / Sean Easter (0-0, 3.20) #14: WIN 3-2 ... Hart's 2-run shot in the 2nd proves the difference...Jones goes 8, six hits and five Ks #15: WIN 12-5 ... down 3-1 after six, we pile 11 runs on the terrible Mariners bullpen. Sorry guys...Groff and McArthur get their first HR on the season #16: LOSS 6-7 ... Hart continues to backslide, and we waste a 12-hit attack...Masuda drives in four more #17: LOSS 3-4 ... we fight back to tie it in the 9th, but Yee continues to struggle, giving up a walk-off HR in the 11th...Carrillo keeps getting hurt We can't maintain any momentum, a lot like last year's start. We're 7-10 now, with our hitting coming around but pitching starting to leak oil.... Somehow we now have a +2 run differential.... Rookie Joseph Hart has rebounded from an ice-cold start to lead the team at .311, with 3 HR and 8 RBI (both second).... Ashjian gets sent back to AAA, replaced by Jonathan Murray. A few good spring training starts fooled me. Yee comes off the DL, and Ihara goes down. Yee is now 35, and off to a bad start, which could see him sent packing if he can't get it together soon.... ELSEWHERE: New Orleans still on top, at 12-4, with Texas having slid to the bottom at 4-11.... Austin's Roberto Miranda is your early triple crown candidate, at .444/9/19, second only in RBI, by one to Brooklyn's Mike Blough.... Drew Falconbury is the active leader in career wins (193), and was the big free agent signing for the Zephyrs this winter. Sadly, he tore his rotator cuff in his second start, and is done for the season. April 24-26 @ BOSTON Our playoff killers from last season, they're struggling like us (6-7 start), and haven't hit a lick yet. Dead last in offense, but fourth best in overall pitching (starters ERA is 15th tho). Former Islanders Jordan Shields and Josh Drayton have struggled to hit, and SP George Sanger is giving up three touchdowns every start so far. HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (2-1, 2.70) / Eric Jones (2-0, 3.26) / Jonathan Murray (1-0, 1.50) BOS pitchers: Robby Liantonio (0-2, 7.42) / Chris Medeiros (0-1, 3.46) / Joe Koval (0-0, 2.70) #18: LOSS 4-11 ... an 8-run 7th ends the fun in an awful hurry...we do our bit to help Boston's hitters too; so charitable of us #19: LOSS 5-11 ... four HR for us and yet...we can't get anyone out: Jones is awful and the bullpen is starting to look worse with each game #20: LOSS 2-10 ... omfg EVERYONE MUST GO.... Last place in the West!... That puzzling run diff is now right in line with my mood: a sterling -19, thanks to the league's worst offense.... Lots of lineup and bullpen changes coming right effing now.... ELSEWHERE: 20-game hitting streak for Angels 1B Danny Gipson.... Mets OF Greg Tackett suffered the first of what will surely be many, many dtd injuries this week. The over/under on his seasonal GP is about 90.... And Yankees injury factory Daizo Yonamine has suffered two dtd injuries so far, starting to approach his average of 7 per season. April 27-29 @ TAMPA BAY Another .500 club, at 8-8. Offense is middle-rank, but pitching is league best, having given up just 59 runs in those 16 games. JUST WHAT WE NEED RIGHT NOW. 3B Chris Martin is a stellar 3-for-43, which I'm happy to report will be much higher after the next three days. Btw, I've refigured the lineup and sent three players down to AAA. Will it help? LOL. HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (1-2, 4.44) / Jim Kieffer (1-2, 4.13) / Mike Messinger (2-2, 3.46) TBR pitchers: Gabe Ray (2-1, 1.64) / Bill Casas (2-1, 5.40) / Brian Warren (0-0, 2.57) #21: LOSS 6-7 ... six in a row...this time, a 6-0 lead evaporates, thanks to a trio of incompetent pitchers tonight...Hart does K 11, but to no effect #22: WIN 6-1 ... not sure where this one came from...12 hits, including a 3-run HR from Gooding, one of the few guys who have shown up this season #23: LOSS 2-7 ... the hitters keep up, although we can't score, and once again the pitching is just awful..."uneasy start to the season" according to BNN Wooo-eee, an 8-15 month is our worst in the last eight seasons. We're only a half game out of last place overall, thanks only to Texas being 7-14.... Hitting: we can't string hits together, and can't score. Pitching: bullpen went from 1st to 12th in just over a week. Two relievers--Albring and Randolph--went back to AAA, with Ihara coming back up, and future closer Rick Ramirez getting his first taste of the bigs.... Reserve IF Jim Bowman also went to AAA, with IF/OF Andy Bridges getting his first big league call. Catcher Alexis Mercedes is also ice-cold, at .169 with just 2 HR. He's going to share time with Cory Vannoy now, who doesn't have nearly Mercedes' power but does have the advantage of twice the current batting average. CF Ian McGowan has also been benched.... ELSEWHERE: New Orleans is still on top of everything at 16-6, while Oakland and Detroit have 14 wins each.... SF catcher Adam Behling leads baseball with a .425 average, with Indians CF Steve Richards pacing the AL at .409. He's also the first player to reach 2.0 WAR.... The six NL West teams range from 11-9 to 9-11, the closest spread in MLB. ...... TL;DR Version: Not wasting any more words on this team right now, except to say: May will determine just how many guys will be on the block in June.
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06-12-2018, 08:53 AM | #151 |
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May 1-3 vs BALTIMORE
A depressing 5-8 homestand gave way to an equally depressing 3-7 road trip. Now we go for Homestand 2: This Time We Suck Less. At 10-10 the O's are also pretty middling stats-wise, with only defense and steals near the top of the pops. Also 16th in HR and 15th in rotation ERA, with an alarming total of five pitchers already on the DL. Stud RF Cesar Alvarenga is idling along at .221, nearly 80 points below his career average, but 2B Travis Tanner, LF Jimmy D'Amico, and CF Andrew Ostrowski are all hitting over .300. The O's are fighting hard against the in-game script that keeps them from ever winning in OOTP. HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (2-1, 4.43) / Jonathan Murray (1-1, 3.75) / Rob Hart (1-2, 4.55) BAL pitchers: Tom Sloan (2-0, 3.42) / Hugo Tirado (0-2, 7.79) / Pablo Aguero (0-1, 9.95) #24: WIN 11-5 ... down 4-0 after one, but Jones buckles down and gives up nothing over the next four...HR for Masuda and Groff, and 3 and 5 RBI, respectively #25: LOSS 3-6 ... 16 hits but only 3 lousy runs...the bullpen is also to blame here: 2 runs in the 9th, then three in extras to kill us dead...Tanner and Yee are the goats #26: WIN 4-3 ... a 4-0 lead barely holds up with Hart giving up a 3-run shot in the 8th before getting pulled...Carrillo 4-for-4, McArthur with 3 hits Better, and could've been a sweep but for the normally reliable Yaung falling apart in #25.... Bullpen moves are forthcoming, with the ERA now 14th in the AL and a couple guys just killing us.... Hitting has ticked upward a bit of late, but some guys are still not getting it done (Robertson, Mercedes BIG TIME).... Masuda leads the AL in HR (10) and RBI (26), but is down to hitting just .240.... ELSEWHERE: 19-6 now for the Zephs, while the Cubs have gotten hot and are 16-8, same as the Tigers.... Reigning NL MVP Sean West (STL) is the first player to reach 2.0 WAR, and is running hot at .400/9/22.... My former hero and flame Leon Casillas continues to rot quickly, with a 12.86 ERA in 7 IP in the Yankees pen. Sadness. May 4-6 vs LA ANGELS Their record (11-14) is no different from last year's overall (78 wins), but whereas last year's bunch couldn't hit and had great pitching, the total opposite is true now. Fifth in runs and AVG--although hurting now that .351 hitter Danny Gipson is out for a month--but dead last in overall pitching and rotation ERA. Their top prospect is a sidearm SP named Greg "Lucky" Sang, who is the only Mongolian-American I've ever noticed in the game. HAW pitchers: Jim Kieffer (2-2, 3.48) / Mike Messinger (2-3, 4.06) / Eric Jones (3-1, 4.76) LAA pitchers: Khalil Smith (1-0, 4.29) / Leonardo Vigil (2-1, 8.88) / Greg Langworthy (1-2, 9.38) #27: WIN 7-6 ... a back-and-forth affair: we tie it in the 9th, give one up in the 10th, and score two in our half on an error and two singles...Carrillo hurt of course #28: WIN 10-8 ... Mess is hot garbage again, but everyone gets a hit and nearly everyone scores...only 36K come out for this, as attendence has been disappointing so far #29: WIN 12-6 ... a 7-run 4th is the difference in this crazy game: 26 H, 11 BB, 5 errors, but zero HR...4 SB and a sac bunt for us, it's like baseball in the 70s! A lot of happy hitters and unhappy pitchers after this series. Plus one manager and GM with more ulcers.... Carrillo's latest injury is a broken foot, shelving him for a month. He was hitting .358 too, dang it. Jake Kane gets the call-up: he's a fabulous-looking line drive hitter who only lacks for power and some better plate discipline. He hit .326 in AAA last year and was blazing it up at .373 this season.... Despite all the crazy scores, Yee at least seems back from the dead, with 4 IP in this series and zero runs.... ELSEWHERE: Study of contrasts in the NL Central, with league-best New Orleans at 21-7, and league-worst Pittsburgh at 10-19.... Which batter leads the AL in strikeouts? +50 to Gryffindor if you guessed NY's Jordan Cruz, with 41 in 101 AB. Cruz is angling to be the first nine-time league leader in recent memory (although Hall member and all-time Strikeout King Miguel Sano did it 8 times).... Milwaukee's Dan Tuff leads all pitchers with 11 HR against, but Baltimore's Hugo Tirago leads starters with a 3.5 HR/9 rate. May 7-10 vs TEXAS Their 11-16 record puts them a half game up on the Angels for last place and just one game in back of us. Team stats are just not looking good right now: 16th in runs, 10th in runs against, 16th in defense, a -23 run diff. The one plus has been the long-hoped-for development of stud prospect Callum Hewitt, hitting .311 with 8 HR. He hit just .222 and .199 in his first two seasons, leading to all kinds of trade rumors about the simple-minded Australian. Drew Saylor continues to manage a team he's guided to just two winning seasons; he's now in his 11th year at the helm. Go figure. HAW pitchers: Jonathan Murray (1-1, 2.25) / Rob Hart (2-2, 4.34) / Jim Kieffer (2-2, 4.00) / Mike Messinger (2-3, 5.00) TEX pitchers: Alex Mares (2-3, 5.61) / Jonathan Bell (0-1, 7.45) / Jeff Sullivan (2-2, 6.29) / Joe Ingram (1-3, 5.23) #30: LOSS 4-6 ... another 4-0 leads dissapates as the bad guys score in every inning from the 5th on...bad bullpen, bad #31: WIN 2-1 ... hey, look: pitching! Hart goes 8, fans 12, and Yaung earns a quiet save...Robertson is the hero tonight, 3-for-4 with a HR #32: WIN 8-4 ... our turn for late-game heroics: 4 in the 7th and 3 in the 8th...Kieffer is meh, and our closer enters in the 7th like it's 1975 again #33: WIN 2-1 ... six nice innings from Mess tonight (5 H, 6 K, 1 R)...two more hits for Robertson, Groff now hitting .347 Three out of four is a perfectly acceptable ratio, one I'll take for the rest of the season, thanks.... Kane had a nice series, going 5-for-16, and Groff, Hunter, and Robertson hit well. But too many others are running red hot or ice cold, meaning there's little consistency right now. Two pitchers--Hart and Murray--are going well, but can I get three or, my god, four starters moving in the right direction at the same time, ever? Naah.... Defense is down to 14th now, not sure what that's about.... ELSEWHERE: Detroit's Roberto Rivera is the only batter above the magic number, hitting .408.... New Orleans pitcher Erik Presley is 6-0 in his 6 starts, leading the NL in wins and ERA (1.05).... Thought you should know that Boston is 16-12 and yet the clubhouse is unhappy. Still--by now they're usually feuding, so that's some serious progress. In fact, no teams are feuding, but more than half are unhappy. May 11-14 @ HOUSTON At 13-18, and not in last place in the division for once. Sixth in runs, 14th in runs against, with a -8 run diff, so they're not playing bad ball right now. 1B Bruce Calhoon is hitting .313, and crabby-guy Darius Arrington .333. According to MLB, they're really just a couple of outfielders away from having a pretty solid lineup. The prospect pool is ranked #4, and they have the #1 guy in baseball on the pro team right now, 21-year-old pitcher Alejandro Gonzales. He's struggling in the pen, but if they don't ruin him, he's got big-time ACE written all over him. HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (3-1, 4.88) / Jonathan Murray (1-1, 2.16) / Rob Hart (3-2, 3.77) / Jim Kieffer (2-2, 4.22) HOU pitchers: Jonathan Caldera (1-3, 6.12) / Will Grasser (2-1, 3.57) / Jay Russo (2-2, 2.56) / Alejandro Gonzales (1-3, 8.27) #34: WIN 5-4 ... Hunter drives in McArthur with a single in the 9th for the win...Jones goes 6, with just 4 H, 2 R, 3 K...back to .500 for the moment #35: WIN 5-3 ... Masuda with 4 hits, including the game-winning single in the 7th...Murray lasts just 5, and Ramirez gets roughed up, but Ihara and Tanner close it out quietly #36: WIN 3-2 ... Hart gets the win with 8 strong innings (3 H, 11 K), but it takes a Gooding single in the 9th to pull out the win #37: LOSS 5-9 ... Groff with 3 hits, Masuda with 2...but Kieffer stinks again, and the pen doesn't bail him out either Nice-looking win streak there until that last game. Kieffer looks the worst of my starters at the moment.... With my bullpen a mess a few weeks ago I offered FA closer Jimmy Kelley a $1.2M one-year contract. Kelley has 185 saves over a ten-year career, and looks like he still has something in the tank. Of course, three other teams swooped in, and he ended up signing with Richmond for $2.5M. Jerks.... ELSEWHERE: Bleh. ...... TL;DR Version: 11-3 to start the month is just what the doctor ordered, and other cliches as applicable. Yes, we made hay against the bottom of the division, but they are the teams we need to beat. So... With no major player news to relate, I'll just say that Adam Groff is making an incredibly team-friendly $12.5M, but is in the last year of his contract. He's 29, and shows no sign of slowing, other than those little dtd injuries that are becoming more and more frequent. So I checked with his agent, to see what he's looking for in his next deal, and it's a WHOPPER: 10 years, $361M, with season terms of 28/35/40/40/40/40/40(player opt out)/35/35/28. I shouldn't be surprised, but...HOLY COW. There's no way I can offer that amount, and even hope to field a competitive team with the budget we operate under. So...my current thinking is to offer him more of a back-loaded contract, with an early team option thrown in, giving me some flexibility. If he shows no signs of moving, I may just sign him and then trade him in the off-season. Dealing him will be extremely unpopular, but if I can find the right partner, I should be able to reap a haul of players and/or prospects. Still...he's my hero, and I hate the thought of losing him.
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06-15-2018, 06:01 PM | #152 |
All Star Reserve
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Maine
Posts: 748
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May 15-17 vs ST LOUIS
Our annual trawl through the NL Central starts today. The Cards are 21-15, yet find themselves in third (5 G behind), chasing the Zephs and the Cubs. They've been sharp this season: 3rd in runs (2nd in AVG, OBP, HR), and 4th in runs against, with a cracking +40 run differential. They're doing this with eight players on the DL too, including the latest "Mr Cardinal," Steve Rutledge. HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (2-3, 4.50) / Eric Jones (3-1, 4.58) / Jonathan Murray (1-1, 2.10) STL pitchers: Ken Clark (3-1, 1.96) / Francisco Gonzalez (4-0, 2.11) / Wes Lipinski (3-4, 5.50) #38: WIN 5-4 ... exciting game, as we score one in the 8th and a Mercedes 2-run walkoff in the 9th wins it...ex-Isles Dunklee (3-for-4, 2B, 3B, HR) and Clark (2 R, 7 K) fill me with regrets #39: WIN 3-1 ... Jones Ks 9 through 6 IP and Yaung puts two on the 9th but fans the side for the save...Masuda's 2 errors in one inning nearly cause me major conniptions #40: WIN 8-1 ... Murray tosses a complete game 5-hitter, and a 4-run 7th seals the deal...3 hits each for Robertson, McArthur, and Kane Wow, did not see that one coming. We fired on all cylinders, and it's good to see some of our early slumpers bouncing back: Robertson (.300) and McArthur (.292) in particular. Mercedes, despite 2 HR in this series, is still just hitting .188, and is now splitting time with Vannoy (.312).... We're four games over .500 for the first time this season, 22-18, and a game and a half behind Oakland for first place.... Couple of roster moves: claimed RP Danny Fernandez from Minnesota. Decent-enough ratings across the board, but definitely an emergency fill-in at this stage. He's just 22, and could develop more, so he's worth taking a chance on. He goes to AAA Santa Barbara. To make room for him on the 40, I trade SP Steve Ashjian to Miami for minor league IF Aaron Little. Ashjian's too old to be a prospect (26), and was unhappy being back in AAA. Little, 24, is MLB-ready, has fantastic intangibles, and figures to get a shot in camp next year, especially if I have to blow this team up.... ELSEWHERE: By all accounts he's a big-time diva, but 27-year-old Austin rookie OF Brian Fisher won't forget his 2043 debut, going 5-for-5 at Fenway in an 18-1 rout of the Red Sox.... SD's Gary Florence, the best pitcher in baseball until a dip last year, is back: 1.55 ERA in 8 starts, with an incredible 63:7 K:BB ratio. He's thrown three complete games this month, with this line: 3-0, 0.79 ERA, 34 IP, 16 H, 28 K, 3 BB. Wow.... Detroit closer Alex Castaneda is done for the season with a torn labrum. He's been a dynamite closer for years now, and has just one season in the past six with an ERA over 1.69. The Tigers should trade for one of the Dodgers seven closers. May 18-20 vs MONTREAL After a solid 2030s (five playoff appearances, nine winning seasons), the rebuild has been on for the Expos, now in it's fourth season. They're 18-21 in an extremely tough division, in fifth place. Somehow they're 8th in runs scored, despite being 16th in AVG and 13th in OBP and HR; and they're 14th in runs against, giving them a -13 run diff. There is some talent around: 3B Matt Anderson is hitting .395 and working on an 8-WAR season, LF Corey Jarrell is at .285, and despite losing a stable of quality home-grown arms in recent years, pitchers Javy Tarango and Jose Hernandez are a nice base to rebuild a pitching staff. Still, the highest-rated players on this team are all over 30, and I didn't even mention high $$$ free agent catcher Masashi Sakumoto, who's started the season 7-for-79. Fun Fact: They also have a Josh Robertson as their leadoff hitter, theirs being a 27-year-old low-contact thickhead. HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (4-2, 3.54) / Jim Kieffer (2-2, 4.94) / Mike Messinger (2-3, 4.50) MTL pitchers: B.J. Nault (1-3, 4.56) / Ivan Villa (1-5, 8.54) / Javy Tarango (3-1, 3.38) #41: LOSS 3-6 ... momentum squelched...Hart fans 10, but is otherwise meh, and Ramirez gives up two in relief and takes the loss #42: LOSS 3-6 ... Kieffer's year from hell continues, as his ERA creeps above 5...Ihara is bad in relief, probably earning a ticket to AAA...just 8 hits #43: WIN 5-1 ... 3 hits and 2 RBI for Jake Kane, and a 2-run double for Vannoy in the 5th breaks open a 1-run game...Messinger solid through 5, gets pulled anyway Well, one win salvages the close of this homestand at least.... Rick Ramirez and Kaz Ihara go back to AAA; Zack Randolph and Ronnie Corgan take their places. Randolph made 6 apps for us earlier this season, and tossed 59 innings last year. Corgan has 53 IP across two previous callups, but spent all of 2042 in AAA. You might remember that he also played a couple innings in CF, RF, and at 2B for us in 2040, as he has excellent OF defense and could be a useful PH in a, um, pinch.... ELSEWHERE: four players--three in the AL, one in the NL--have active 20-game hit streaks going.... New Orleans continues to ride the top of the heap with a 28-13 record, while Pittsburgh brings up the rear at 14-29. But the Mets, riding a six-year playoff streak, are stumbling along at 15-24. May 22-24 @ PITTSBURGH Last place in the Central, last in baseball currently. Fifteenth in runs, 17th in runs against, for a -60 run diff, and right now the worst rotation in the NL. D.J. Flores (.299/9/25) has been a one-man show on offense, and the bullpen is 6th in the NL. Those are the bright spots. Manager E.J. Shanks came on board last summer, and was over .500 the rest of the year, but you have to wonder if he's already lost the room. Strange series here: game on the 22nd, no game on the 23rd, and a scheduled double header on the 24th. HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (4-1, 4.15) / Jonathan Murray (2-1, 1.85) / Rob Hart (4-2, 3.62) PIT pitchers: Robert Montoya (1-4, 7.04) / Ronnie Storie (3-4, 3.52) / Brett McGee (3-6, 5.86) #44: WIN 13-4 ... Jones yields 10 H in 5 IP, but gets the win...5-for-6 day for Masuda, including 5 RBI with a 2B and HR...Groff hurt, diagnosis pending #45: WIN 5-2 ... we erase a 2-run deficit late and win it with a 3-run 11th, with a key pinch-double by Bridges knocking in the winner...9 K in 6 IP for Murray #46: LOSS 0-4 ... Hart tires in the 7th, giving up 2 HR and taking the loss...only 11 hits combined, but three HR for the bad guys Good run through the NL, finishing 6-3, but with one big loss: Adam Groff took a tumble on the bases and broke an elbow. He's done for the year. There's no one in the system who can replace him, but I call up Jim Bowman to take his roster spot for the moment. Groff was hitting .385/.480/.692 in 104 AB with 9 HR and 34 RBI. Irreplaceable.... With Groff out, the big question is do I throw caution to the wind and make a trade to at least try to replace his hitting? Or cobble together something with what I have? More on this later.... ELSEWHERE: 8-2 run for the Brewers has put them into first, a game ahead of the slumping Tigers. Oakland is also on an 8-2 run, and are 4 games up on us and Seattle.... Detroit RF Roberto Rivera is hitting .416, holdling on against Oakland's perpetual stud Vinny Vargas (.391). May 26-28 vs DETROIT Leaking a little oil of late, but still at 26-18 and running the best offense in the AL: 1st in runs, AVG, OBP, steals, and 2nd in HR. Pitching has been the bugaboo this year, 12th in the league. Three starters have ERA over 6, and their all-star closer is done for the season. Still, the offense is strong enough to win a ton of games without help. RF Roberto Rivera still hitting .416, and four regulars have already driven in over 30 runs. HAW pitchers: Jim Kieffer (2-4, 5.16) / Mike Messinger (3-3, 4.08) / Eric Jones (5-1, 4.28) DET pitchers: Alex Gomez (3-1, 6.13) / T.J. Carroll (4-2, 4.24) / Raul Bravo (4-0, 3.76) #47: WIN 6-4 ... we blow a 3-0 lead in the 6th but Robertson's 2-run shot in the 7th is the winner...4 hits for Hart, 3 for Kane, 13 for the team #48: LOSS 3-12 ... Mess gets shelled early and often, adding 6 walks just for fun...10 hits and 6 walks for us, but no flow to the offense #49: LOSS 5-9 ... a HR and 4 RBI for Mercedes, but that's it...lots of bad pitching today--Jones, Yee, and Stanley can't get anyone out We hit well but couldn't score like we needed to, and got some terrible pitching. Credit to Detroit's offense tho, best in the league. We've got a long way to go to match them.... Mercedes has played better, getting his average up to .227 (was in the .180s a couple weeks ago), but I'm on the prowl for some more power in the lineup.... ELSEWHERE: Oakland's Vinny Vargas is the first player to 3 WAR, now at 3.3.... Four wins in a row has the Mariners in 2nd in the AL West, and Tampa Bay is now a half game behind Miami in the East. May 29-31 @ CLEVELAND Bad hitting, nearly-as-bad pitching, and you have a 16-32 team, looking at another lost season on the lake. Last in runs, and 15th in pitching, yet with a remarkable -92 run diff already. 3B Josh Hunt and 1B Nate Rogers have double figure HR already, but they're hitting a combined .229, and there's little power elsewhere in the lineup. Closer Lance Hansen has been outstanding, however, with a 0.41 ERA and 12 saves. HAW pitchers: Jonathan Murray (2-1, 2.00) / Rob Hart (4-3, 3.80) / Jim Kieffer (2-4, 5.28) CLE pitchers: Jesus Delgadillo (3-3, 3.83) / Jeremy Hughes (3-5, 4.36) / Zach Gioeli (4-3, 4.04) #50: LOSS 3-7 ... yes, of course, a great start to the series...outhit just 11-to-10, but we once again leave people stranded all game long #51: WIN 8-3 ... 11 hits, but 7 doubles and 2 home runs...3 doubles for Hunter, tying his team record and giving him 21 on the season (on pace for 67) #52: LOSS 4-6 ... Kieffer is pitching himself out of the rotation here...we outhit them 12-9 but whatever Here I am thinking I need to go out and look for some hitting, and our pitching--starters in particular--keeps throwing crap.... We're 27-25, 5 games behind Oakland (and two behind Seattle). Fourth in runs, 12th in pitching, with a +1 run differential. Defense is down to 14th, which is just no good.... ELSEWHERE: New Orleans has lost 5 in a row, seeing their lead dwindle to just 2 games, and tied for first overall in baseball (with Oakland) at 31-19.... Padres star Gary Florence was just dominating this month: 6 starts, 0.53 ERA, 4 wins, 51 IP, 26 H, 40 K, 6 BB. He's almost single-handedly brought San Diego to within hailing distance (4 games) of the division leading Austin Outlaws. ...... TL;DR Version: Ugh, we just can't help shooting ourselves in the foot. After a nice roll through our first interleague games, we drop four of six to the Tigers and, gulp, Indians. Hitting has been much better than the pitching, but after Groff's injury, the whole team needs a kick in the butt. The question remains, however: are we good enough to be buyers in June and make a playoff run? Or should I move some underachievers and try to set us up for next year and beyond? These two weeks have said "yes" to both questions.
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Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders! |
06-20-2018, 06:03 PM | #153 |
All Star Reserve
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Maine
Posts: 748
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June 1-3 @ KANSAS CITY
Third in the Central, at 26-24, and really struggling to score runs: 15th in offense, although mid-pack in AVG. Nearly last place in OBP and HR explains the lack of runs despite getting some hits. However, they're first in runs against, with the best rotation in the AL, and the league's best defense. We've struggled mightily against good pitching this season, so I'm not terribly hopeful for this series. HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (3-4, 4.74) / Eric Jones (5-2, 4.72) / Jonathan Murray (2-2, 2.70) KCR pitchers: Marcus Richardson (2-4, 3.92) / Eddy Llamas (4-2, 2.91) / Travis Calhoun (4-1, 2.88) #53: LOSS 2-3 ... only a Mercedes 2-run HR in the 9th makes this close...just 5 hits, and we waste a rare good outing for Messinger (6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 7 K) #54: LOSS 1-4 ... 7 hits this time, along with 10 K...we look very meek so far in this series #55: WIN 10-3 ... Offense Comes Alive! Fifteen hits, with 7 XBH...3 hits apiece for Hart and Gooding, and 4 RBI for Gooding...Vannoy hits his first MLB home run The one win avoids the sweep and keeps us a game over .500. We're back to third place, 5.5 behind the A's, one behind Seattle, and just a game ahead of the Rangers.... Mel "Bandages" Carrillo comes off the DL, and 3B/OF Andy Bridges (.200/0/3) goes back to AAA. The over/under on the time until Carrillo's next stint on the DL is one month.... We're now 5th in runs, and actually 1st in AVG, but only 15th in HR. And we're 10th in runs against, for a +4 run diff. Cutting it way too close.... ELSEWHERE: For the first time in my recent memory, there are no Islanders on any offensive leaderboards. Groff's injury is the main reason for that.... Surprising Austin has the best win pct (.635) in baseball, but the surging Dodgers are catching up on them: now just 4.5 games back. Pittsburgh has dropped off a cliff, in dead last now at 17-38.... Detroit's Roberto Rivera has slowed a bit, and is no longer hitting .400 (he is at .399 tho, so I quibble). June 4-7 vs LA ANGELS Tailed off (9-20) in May and are now in last place in the div, at 20-34. Still undertaking a very...slow...rebuild, to where MLB has just two players ranked above 22nd best in league at their position (3B Tony Mendoza at 5th, and SS Juan Rodriquez at 12th). Eleventh in runs, dead last in runs against, sporting a -58 run differential. Bullpen has been pretty strong, for what that's worth, at 3rd in the AL. And for a struggling, "rebuilding" team, their prospects only rank 19th in baseball. Whoo-whee. HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (5-3, 3.84) / Jim Kieffer (2-5, 5.69) / Mike Messinger (3-5, 4.57) / Eric Jones (5-3, 4.77) LAA pitchers: Zachary Setaro (3-4, 5.16) / Khalil Smith (2-2, 5.86) / Leonardo Vigil (5-2, 6.59) / Greg Langworthy (1-7, 9.06) #56: WIN 8-5 ... none of our four pitchers look any good, but 8 runs on 11 hits is pretty much peak efficiency...3 H, 3 RBI for Carrillo, and 2 RBI for his cousin on the Angels #57: WIN 7-4 ... a 5-run 7th, capped by Carillo's 2-run HR, put us over the top...Kieffer has one of his best outings of the season: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 9 K #58: WIN 7-5 ... 15 hits a side sounds impressive until I tell you that this one went 16 innings...Gooding's 2-run walk-off is the winner...the entire pen combines for 11 innings #59: LOSS 1-4 ... four runs in the 1st for the bad guys and then we all shrug and go home Ok, three out of four and we're back to 3 games over .500, but still in third place, now 6.5 games behind Oakland and half a game behind Seattle. Guess which teams we play next.... ELSEWHERE: The best pitcher in baseball has been SD's Gary Florence, sporting a 1.34 ERA and 3.5 WAR in 11 starts. Sadly, his arm fell off in his last start, and he's out for the next 9 months.... Seattle's Alex Cruz is the first to reach 20 HR on the season, while Detroit's Roberto Rivera and Oakland's Vinny Vargas are both hitting .400.... Austin's Victor "No PEDs" Sanchez is 3rd in NL batting, and 1st in HR and RBI (.333/19/54).... Pittsburgh is on a 3-17 slide, and 17-42 on the season. June 8-9 vs SEATTLE A quick two game set before we head out for a critical ten game road trip. The Mariners are 31-27, but have a -6 run differential. Fourth in runs, but 12th in runs against, thanks largely to the league's worst bullpen. They're scoring a lot of runs on the strength of the AL's 3rd best HR squad, with four players already in double figures, led by league leader Alex Cruz (20). Injuries are mounting, tho: four pitchers are on the DL, and perennial MVP candidate Mike Wapner has a pending diagnosis. HAW pitchers: Jonathan Murray (3-2, 2.89) / Rob Hart (6-3, 3.94) SEA pitchers: Sean Easter (4-1, 2.74) / Brian Saul (2-4, 7.11) #60: WIN 6-5 ... 3 late runs for the M's tie it up, until McArthur's walk-off hit in the 9th salts it away...3 hits and 4 RBI for Carrillo...good start (7 IP, 7 H, 7 K) for Murray #61: WIN 8-7 ... 3-for-4 and 5 RBI for Masuda, and 2 more hits for Carrillo...Hart gives up 5 R in 6.2 IP, but does whiff 14 Nice. Up to second place, 5 in back of Oakland, our next opponents. Sketchy pitching, but some solid and timely hitting.... Hart has 118 K in 84.1 IP, tops in baseball.... Injury woes continue for prospect P Jamie Berisford: he threw 3 games in 2040, none in '41, and 18 last year. He was 5-1 in 9 starts in AAA until suffering his third major elbow injury this week, ending his season. Sigh.... ELSEWHERE: Zephs pitcher Sam Kennedy, two years removed from a 5-20 season with Austin, is having a solid start to the season: 7-1, 1.96 ERA, 49 K, 8 BB, 1.6 WAR.... The Zephs are also hot again, 9-1 in their last ten, and 40-20 overall, best in the majors.... Twenty active players have at least 300 career HR, including Reds 1B Daniel Matias (339), who just went on the DL for two months after dropping his car on his foot while changing a tire. Wut. June 11-14 @ OAKLAND Big test: can we make up ground, or are we going to just be also-rans this year? Still early in the season, but I can't get a full read on this team yet, so this series will be meaningful. The A's are first in runs (3rd AVG, 5th HR) and 8th in runs allowed (2nd best rotation but another terrible bullpen). Vinny Vargas (.385/16/45) is having his usual big year, and 2B Raul Corral (.307) is hitting about 120 points higher than he did last season. They did lose perennial all-star LF Nick Robinson for the season back in April, tho, so that might hurt them long-term. Hasn't yet. HAW pitchers: Jim Kieffer (2-5, 5.53) / Mike Messinger (3-5, 4.63) / Eric Jones (5-4, 4.81) / Jonathan Murray (3-2, 3.11) OAK pitchers: Ricky Hose (6-3, 3.80) / Francisco Pantaleon (6-3, 3.41) / Kyle LaBate (5-3, 4.57) / Jaysen Moss (4-4, 3.67) #62: WIN 7-1 ... Kieffer! 7 strong innings for the first time in three weeks...Masuda goes 3-for-3, driving in 4, then gets pinch hit for in the 6th #63: LOSS 2-5 ... and Mess gives it right back with another meh performance...Corgan is awful in relief and his double-digit ERA is bound for AAA #64: LOSS 0-2 ... we outhit them 6-to-1. Yep, but three errors and four walks are costly, as our bats have gone cold again #65: WIN 6-5 ... we crank out 14 hits and stave off an 8th-inning rally to pull it out...Yee still struggling in relief as he nearly blows this one, but Yaung shuts the door in the 9th Well, I said this series would be telling, didn't I. If so, then the result is a resounding shrug. We've gone 27-15 after a horrid 8-15 April, but still can't get everyone pulling on the rope at the same time. I'm still mulling making a deal for another power bat, as we're down to 16th in the AL in home runs, with just 66. There aren't any great options on the block atm, but it's early days yet.... ELSEWHERE: It's another lost season for Brewers pitcher Bill Salazar. A budding superstar with Montreal until he lost part 2036, he went and signed a huge contract with Milwaukee (8 yrs, 152.8M) in 2037, got hurt in camp, and in the seven years since has made just 51 starts and 96 total appearances.... 7-year vet MR Bill Sinder (TOR) retired after suffering a rotator cuff injury last week. Not any positive stats worth mentioning, but he did hang around for a while despite being a non-entity.... Four wins in a row for Seattle, and they've snuck back into 2nd place in the AL West, 4.5 behind Oakland. ...... TL;DR Version: 8-5 in this stretch, so not really losing any ground, but not really making up any right now either. Hitting is still pretty good, but a distinct lack of power bats in the lineup costs us runs. Maybe it's worth trying to find another pitcher too, I dunno. Team defense efficiency has been pretty bad, so it's probably not worth trying to chase down better gloves in lieu of a bigger bat or a studly pitcher. And since we're slated to lose money this year, maybe it's time to give ol' penny-pinching Pagan the finger and bring in some big, expiring contracts. Hmm....
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06-24-2018, 02:45 PM | #154 |
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2043 Draft Report and...other stuff
Cleveland had this year's first overall pick, and selected 2B D.J. Grace from the University of Arizona. Grace looks good, with nice intangibles, and figures to be a solid line-drive hitter who'll get on base a lot. He won't have much power, and has an iron glove. Maybe not the guy you look at for a first overall pick, to be honest, but definitely the kind of guy who helps you win ballgames. Montreal then took closer Eric Faries #2...which makes little sense, especially as there were a lot of quality starting pitching prospects out there. But who am I to judge, eh? As I often do, I traded away many of my lower picks over the past year, meaning we were done after round 23. Frankly, I hate wasting my time choosing among no-hopers at the bottom of the draft. When one of them becomes an all-star somewhere, maybe I'll change my tune. As it was, trades had also brought in extra 5th, 7th, and 10th (two of them) rounders, so more darts for the board at higher positions. Although we didn't get any sure-fire future stars, I have some optimism about this draft class, as I was able to scour up a lot of very high intangible (INT + WE) guys, even late in the going. Maybe they'll never develop beyond B-level talents, but you never know... It's always fun to see who's exceeding expectations and patting yourself on the back for being the one guy who recognized a diamond in the rough. Round 1, 26th overall: 1B Eric Griffin, 18, high school. We have a distinct lack of power-hitting talent in our system, and Griffin's selection helps alleviate that. A pure 1B/DH candidate, as he has no discernable fielding talent and will make whatever mark in the future with his bat. Projects above to well-above average in every hitting category, and works his butt off too. Round 2, 75th overall: P/OF Eddie Freeman, 22, Creighton. Lefty, looks like a back-end starter one day. But another high work ethic guy who might exceed his current projections. Also a nice-looking hitting prospect, so will likely get some two-way use early on, to see which way his development is going. Although, for that, he is 22, so I don't want to slow him down. I figure I'll give him this season and make a decision on him this fall: pitcher or outfielder. Round 3, 114th overall: OF Andy Armontrout, 22, Central Florida. Looks like a lot of guys currently in our system: high contact/gap, little power, no discipline but won't strike out. Excellent fielder, definitely CF potential with great range and glove. Speedy but no knack for baserunning. Can also play second, but not that well. Starting him in Short A, rather than rookie ball; his bat looks capable there already. Round 4, 150th overall: SS Bob Walter, 18, Jackson Univ. Pretty much the same as Armontrout, but slightly lower potential, and a SS/3B type. More of a spray hitter than Armontrout, too. Good intangibles. Round 5, 183rd overall: P Seth Howard, 20, Rutgers. Yet another player I hope surpasses his potential, which looks like AAA level right now. Reliever/emergency starter guy, with a good fastball and a developing curve and forkball. Better movement than control. Big guy (6'3"), righty. Round 5, 186th overall: P Ryan Tabor, 21, Oregon State. Definitely a reliever, with better stuff than Howard, and two nearly fully developed pitches (fastball/curveball) already. Like most youngsters, has to get his control under wraps. Best of the rest: OF Dorian Alder (8th rnd), a switch-hitting stud defensive OF and speed demon who will be super useful if he hits at all, which is no sure bet; SS J.R. Bass (9th), a big-armed, rangy IF with quickness and hustle but a tiny bat; OF Cole Sahyoun (10th), swings at everything, could be a poor man's Vlad Guerrero; RP C.J. Stump (12th), a low-movement/high-stuff who has an incredible work ethic. Now I have a Stump and a Klump on the farm. ...... We've dropped one in the MLB ratings, to 35th (of 36 teams), with only one prospect in the top 100 (but 6 more in the top 200). No studs-in-the-making, unless somebody busts out this summer, but more quality than you might think there is for such a low-rated system. OF Joseph Hart, 23: MLB 62 G, .247/.351/.379. Sixty starts and on pace for 20 HR and 22 SB. Hasn't hit for average, but gets on base and is playing solid defense. Still has room to grow, and might become a better contact hitter, fingers crossed. P Taylor Barnett, 24: AAA 11 GS, 2-3, 5.06 ERA. Looked lost in camp, and hasn't had the best season in AAA so far. But his control has improved (and can get better), and he doesn't give up the long ball. Lefty, and has five pitches, all with some quality. Would like to get him some big league starts this fall. SS J.J. Simmons, 21: AA 59 G, .369/.398/.506. Almost ready for prime time: tearing it up in Lewiston. Once he gets his plate discipline sorted out, he'll be moving up. With Mike Hunter a potential FA after this season, Simmons' future could be coming soon. P Jayden Grant, 20: A 13 GS, 2-6, 5.73. Acquired from Richmond in the Bobby Piccirillo deal. Needs to develop that third pitch to have any hopes as a starter. Not exactly impressing anyone in A ball right now, but still looks like an outside chance to make the rotation one day. P Rick Ramirez, 23: AAA 18 G, 12 SV, 3.38. Control is his big issue; once that's sorted, he's the closer of the future, with big-time stuff and excellent movement. Tossed 9 IP in Hawaii last month, got pushed around some but did show some promise at times. OF Dillon Ritter, 20: AA 29 G, .290/.318/.435. My scouts love this guy. A weak arm and an unreasonable hatred for the base on balls are his only drawbacks. He looks to me like a career backup, or possible trade bait as he can't play RF due to his arm. He is hitting well, tho, although there's little power on display yet. Others to watch: AAA: C Rob Rich, 1B Jonathan Klump, 3B Aaron Little, 2B/SS Edward Ospina; AA: SP Dave Loch; A: P Nate Moore, P Mickey McCarthy; S A: SP Jesus Chavolla, 1B Chris Sanborn. ...... There's a financial reckoning coming next year. Our current payroll is $130 ($150 budget, which doesn't figure to go up by much, if at all), and players signed for next year total $85M. (That includes $9.5M in estimated arbitration increases; history shows that number will likely be much higher, assuming we offer everyone on the list arbitration.) In addition, there are seven current regulars without contracts for next year. Below is a list of what those guys currently make, and what they've told me they want for next year. This does not include future escalations, only next year's ask: SS Mike Hunter, 12.8M --> 15M 3B Adam Groff, 12.1M --> 26M C Alexis Mercedes, 8.3M --> 23M OF Mel Carrillo, 7.7M --> 10M SP Rob Hart, 7.0M --> 14.5M RP Jeff Tanner, 2.9M --> 8.5M RP Pat Stanley, 2.2M --> 3.2M Offering everyone what they want would add about $60M to next year's payroll, for an estimated total around $145M. I can tell you right now that Tanner and Stanley most likely won't be back, and if the season doesn't improve, could be shipped out sooner than later. Mercedes has been in a two-season slump, and is asking for way more than he deserves, frankly, especially at age 31. He would fetch either a supplemental pick (someone will sign him for big bucks) or maybe a handful of players (if I dealt him sooner). Carrillo's price seems cheap, but he a) keeps not playing up to his high potential, and b) keeps getting hurt. He's been super this year so far, but again, can't stay healthy. The jury is still out on him, but he's 25, so is it too early to send him packing? That leaves Hart, Hunter, and Groff. Hart's demand actually seems reasonable, given what free agent pitchers are going for these days. I'm inclined to re-sign him, especially as he's not asking for a long term (he's 26, and wants 4 years). Hunter's ask seems high at first, but he's just so damn solid that I might just bite the bullet and bring him back. But is $15M too much to pay for a guy who doesn't drive the offense? Although at 28, he would still be attractive trade bait if I did decide on a heavier retooling. That leaves Groff, the face of the franchise. His ask escalates to $40M in year three, which is just freaking crazy. So his contract is the one that decides the rest: with him, we're competitive. Without him, we're rebuilding.
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06-27-2018, 07:46 PM | #155 |
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June 16-18 @ CHICAGO CUBS
Predicted to win 88 games and vie for a wildcard, they've been stuck in neutral and are 31-31, 11.5 in back of the red-hot Zephyrs. Still, their team stats do look good: 7th in AVG and OBP, 3rd in HR, and 5th in runs against. Only 11th in runs for, however, so despite all the hits and homers, they're not bringing guys home like they should. SS Alex Castillo (.293/18/38) once again leads the offense, and he's getting lots of help from CF Luis Mendez (.293/15/36) and former Isle 2B Phil Clarke (.287/.341/.402), healthy again for the first time in seven seasons. HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (6-3, 4.16) / Jim Kieffer (3-5, 5.11) / Mike Messinger (3-6, 4.68) CHC pitchers: Mario Valdez (2-4, 3.36) / Alex Alvarado (4-3, 3.12) / John Baldwin (5-4, 3.17) #66: LOSS 3-5 ... Hart was rolling along until a 4-run 7th, and got no help from erratic Zack Randolph (3 BB in .2 IP)...I once again question my manager's pitcher management #67: WIN 7-5 ... 2 HR for Mercedes, Mess is moved up (Kieffer is shuffled down) and it works...bullpen tries to throw this one away, giving up 2 late runs #68: WIN 5-3 ... Jones over Kieffer too, and it pays off again. I'm sensing a trend...Mercedes knocks in 2 in a 4-run 1st inning, and Masuda gets HBP, has pending injury diagnosis Hopefully Masuda isn't seriously hurt, as there would go both my productive power bats. Although Mercedes is playing better of late, perhaps sensing that his time in Hawaii could be (ok, definitely is) growing short.... Kieffer gets shuffled down the rotation, but I guess he's got to start again sooner or later. Maybe.... ELSEWHERE: New Orleans is still riding high, on a 9-1 roll and leading baseball with 46 wins. Pittsburgh (23) and Cleveland (24) are scraping bottom.... Dodger pitcher Jackson Suttie is the first to win 10 games.... St Louis wunderkind Steve "Baseball the Right Way" Rutledge is done for the season after breaking his elbow. June 19-21 @ NEW ORLEANS They've been the best team in baseball all season, currently 46-21, seven games up on the Cardinals. Offense is 3rd in NL runs, 2nd in HR. Pitching is 1st in nearly every category, and their team defense is tops as well. Run differential is +106, so they're not just getting by. CF Pat Barnes is hitting .330, and RF Jonathan Emilien is hitting .280/18/48. SP Sam Kennedy is 8-1 with a 2.18 ERA and a 5-to-1 K/BB ratio. HAW pitchers: Jim Kieffer (3-5, 5.11) / Jonathan Murray (4-2, 3.23) / Rob Hart (6-4, 4.27) NOZ pitchers: Sam Kennedy (8-1, 2.18) / Jimmy Porreca (2-1, 2.08) / Erik Presley (9-2, 3.30) #69: LOSS 3-14 ... hoo boy, Kieffer gives up 10 H and 8 ER in 2.1 innings, including 4 HR. Can he get any worse...and he commits an error #70: WIN 6-2 ... Murray goes 7 solid innings, and drives in the winning run with a single in the 6th...McGowan's 2-run HR salts it away in the 8th #71: LOSS 1-2 ... a walk, a balk, and a single in the 12th does us in...3 hits for Carrillo, and 3 K for Joseph Hart We had a chance to take two games but couldn't do it. We're now 38-33, six games behind Oakland, and just 2.5 up on Seattle.... Masuda's injury was mild, just a 6-day wrist injury with no effect on his hitting.... A number of decent starting pitchers are showing up on the trade block. Meaning, Kieffer's days could be numbered, the jerk.... ELSEWHERE: Detroit (38-31) and Philadelphia (38-30) are the only division leaders that haven't hit the 40 win mark.... After a slow start, the Yankees are 8-2 in their last ten and have hit .500 for the first time in ages. A -43 run diff might be more telling of their true quality, however.... Oakland's Vinny Vargas is still tearing it up, leading the AL in average (.382), OBP/SLG/OPS (.477/.754/1.231), and WAR (4.6). June 22-24 vs CINCINNATI At 35-36 and part of the muddled middle in the NL right now. Thirteen and a half games out of first, and 6.5 behind the second place Cards. Hitting has been a struggle, 16th in runs and 13th in AVG. Tenth in pitching, but it all amounts to a -33 run differential. Kyle Crowl hit 41 HR last year, but got hurt in the league championship, possibly costing the team a spot in the World Series; he's not yet on track this year, with just 8 HR. 1B Danny Matias and SS Brian Martin are on the DL, as are two of their better relievers. Dan Remenowsky has been the manager since 2030, and is presiding over the 4th largest payroll in baseball. HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (4-6, 4.73) / Eric Jones (6-5, 4.48) / Jim Kieffer (3-6, 5.88) CIN pitchers: Jon Carlsen (2-6, 3.39) / Robbie Collier (5-3, 3.44) / Ben Griffin (3-8, 4.88) #72: WIN 8-2 ... first easy win in a while, as we're up 8-0 after three...six quality innings from Messinger, and 3 H and 2 RBI for Canning #73: LOSS 5-14 ... Jones gets hammered, and no one pitches well for either team, really...8 combined HR...5 runs in the 9th for the Reds, adding insult to insult #74: LOSS 1-7 ... Kieffer is terrible again (duh) and Carrillo gets hurt again (duh)...time for another roster shakeup Great, two ugly losses to a team that can't hit. Fabulous.... News incoming.... ELSEWHERE: Miami's lost four straight, dropping them into a first place tie with the surprising Rays. The Yankees keep winning too, now two games over .500 and just 3 out of first place.... New Orleans (who else) becomes the first team to 50 wins, and sports a 50-24 record. Nearly their opposites is Cleveland, at 25-50.... Just six and a half games in the NL East separates first (Brooklyn) from last (Atlanta).... Angelo Partida was one of the first prospect trades I made in Hawaii, when I acquired him from Minnesota back in 2035. He had big-time promise, but sadly couldn't stay healthy. He made just 25 starts over three seasons for me, getting hurt every year. I traded him to St Louis in '39 as part of the Ken Clark deal, where he promptly got hurt again and missed over a year. They released him last season, and he signed with the Dodgers this winter. Well, surprise surprise: he's hurt again, and has become a marginal reliever, when healthy. He's never pitched more than 93 innings in a big league season. Sad. TRADE! I told you news was incoming.... Toronto is having their worst season in some time, and has multiple players on the trade block. So I just relieved the Jays of two of them: 1B Justin Wright and P Eric Plummer. Wright is the key for me: decent contact and gap, but big time power. Fair eye and K avoidance, and no fielding acumen at all. He's just here to drive in runs. Plummer is adequate, and will replace Kieffer in the rotation for now. Going to Toronto are a trio of pitchers: Cam Bornhoft, Jon Bell, and Kaz Ihara. Bornhoft just finished a rehab stint in AAA, and gets a change of scenery to see if he'll ever come back from multiple injuries. Bell and Ihara split AAA time in the pen and the rotation, and did well in both spots. All three were likely to see time this fall or next year for me, but I decided I needed to make a move now to see if we've got anything in the tank this season. I figure I've got a month now before the deadline, and if we have a horrible July, I can start sending guys away, perhaps including these two, and retool for another run next year. I've decided I want to be competitive every year, and that this is the thing we need to get ourselves going. Oh, and maybe one more deal too. Just wait. June 26-28 vs SEATTLE Just 2-8 in their last ten, and have slipped to ten games out of first. Fourth in runs scored, and 2nd in HR, with Alex Cruz leading the AL in HR (25) and RBI (60). Four other starters have also hit for double figures in HR. Eight players are on the DL, which isn't helping things at all. How many more HR do they have than us? 115 to 76. HAW pitchers: Jonathan Murray (5-2, 3.17) / Rob Hart (6-4, 4.01) / Mike Messinger (5-6, 4.61) SEA pitchers: Sean Easter (5-1, 3.02) / Danny Powers (3-2, 4.55) / Brian Saul (2-6, 7.40) #75: WIN 5-4 ... Murray fans 10, but isn't that sharp...still, 7 hits and 7 walks, and a Mercedes 2-run HR in the 8th do it for us...3 walks and 2 runs for Wright in his debut #76: WIN 8-4 ... down 4-1 in the third, we claw back runs in each of the next six innings, including 4 HR...4 hits for Hunter, 3 H and 3 RBI for McGowan #77: WIN 10-6 ... 10 K in 5.2 IP for Mess, and all but one batter gets a hit...3 more hits for Hunter, 4 RBI for Robertson -- plus a HR for both How sweep it is! Okay, I'll never do that again.... Justin Wright is off to a slow start, at .111, but has walked three times.... #2 prospect Taylor Barnett won't get a look in Hawaii this fall after all, after tearing his elbow ligament. He'll miss nearly a year, which SUPREMELY SUCKS.... My A ball teams are a combined 5-0 so far, which wouldn't matter at all except that I don't believe either team has ever started off a season better than 1-0.... ELSEWHERE: Yankees slugger Tony Flores reached 200 HR in his fifth season, in 2152 at bats.... 7 straight losses now for Miami, dropping them to 2nd, behind the Rays.... Five wins in a row now for Toronto, and three for us. Maybe that trade will pay off after all. Can't be too early to tell, can it? June 29-30, July 1-2 @ TEXAS A good May has been sandwiched between a bad April and a bad June. Now 35-42, 13.5 games out of first. 14th in offense, 13th in pitching, with a -45 run differential. Nine players are on the DL, also. LF Ricky Chavez (.273/18/47) and 3B Corey Turner (.276/14/43) lead the offense, and OF Callum Hewitt has 13 HR but is on the DL for two more weeks. HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (6-6, 4.95) / Eric Plummer (0-3, 5.08) / Jonathan Murray (5-2, 3.33) / Rob Hart (6-4, 4.17) TEX pitchers: Jonathan Bell (4-3, 3.36) / Thomas Cannaday (0-1, 4.50) / Jeff Sullivan (5-6, 6.01) / John Fox (6-6, 5.76) #78: WIN 5-2 ... Carrillo's 2-run single and a 3-run 5th sparked by singles and errors are enough for the win...three spotless innings for Kieffer in his first relief appearance #79: WIN 12-9 ... 9 runs in the final 2 innings, primed by Wright's 3-run double and Masuda's 3-run HR...4 hits for McArthur...terrible first start for Plummer #80: LOSS 3-6 ... Murray's first bad start in some time...we put 13 runners on, but strand nearly all of them #81: WIN 8-7 ... Yaung bends in the 9th to the tune of loading the bases and giving up 2 runs...Hart pitches poorly, but Randolph and Morrow shut things down in the middle innings Some wild games, but at least we kept some momentum going. Our starters got bashed around pretty good, however, especially new guy Plummer.... Another injury, this time Hunter is out for six weeks. Bobby Layne gets the call-up, and will probably split time with Canning and Bowman, depending on who's hitting. All three can field, and all can also play in the outfield. Versatility is a good thing.... ELSEWHERE: New Orleans still tops the league with a 54-27 record, and Oakland is not far behind, at 50-31.... With Miami and Tampa Bay floundering, and the bottom feeders (Baltimore and Toronto) having a good stretch, all six teams in the AL East are separated by just 8 games.... Yankees OF Tony Flores banged 11 HR in June, earning AL Batter of the Month award.... Atlanta's John Arrington, recently named NL Rookie of the Month, is currently on a 25-game hitting streak. ...... TL;DR Version: 10-6 through the end of June, and 17-10 in the month. We're 36-20 since May 1, and now on a pace to win 90 games. Losing Hunter until August won't help, however, and we'll miss his .322 average. We're also now 1st in AVG, and 4th in runs, 9th in runs against. Just a +11 run differential, however. It's too early to tell on the Toronto trade, of course, but Wright has started slow (.222), and Plummer was pummeled without mercy in his first start. I'm still hoping we've addressed our two biggest issues from the first half of the season: more home runs, and more consistent starting pitching. I'm not sure we'll make any more deals, but I'm always keeping my eyes peeled.
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07-06-2018, 04:59 PM | #156 |
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July 3-5 vs MINNESOTA
Leading the Central at 42-35, just a half game up on Milwaukee and Detroit. Sixth in batting but only 11th in runs scored, but 6th in runs against. The rotation is 5th best in the AL, but the pen is 15th. Only 12th in HR, but 5 regulars have hit double figures, with 12-year veteran Paul Foster leading the way with 16. Only one player is on the DL, SP Bobby Morfin, but he was 2-8 with a 5.53 ERA and hasn't really been missed. HAW pitchers: Mike Messinger (6-6, 4.72) / Eric Jones (7-6, 4.87) / Eric Plummer (0-3, 6.33) MIN pitchers: Andy Goeser (5-2, 4.21) / Bob Knapp (5-4, 4.95) / Chris McMichael (7-3, 3.56) #82: WIN 14-4 ... everyone gets a hit, including 5 2b and a triple...3 RBI each for Hart and Wright...Mess is sharp, and Stanley blows the shutout with a sloppy 4-run 9th #83: LOSS 4-5 ... Jones is loose and Randolph takes his first loss of the season...3 HR for the good guys, but little else #84: WIN 4-3 ... only 7 hits, but tonight we string together enough to score early, and hold on late...2 HR and 2 RBI for Canning, playing well for Hunter Two out of three always works. Oakland lost their last two, so we're just 4 back of them now. Still way too much time for this foolish talk.... Owner Pagan sends me his halfway review of goals: we're failing all of them! Not winning enough games, losing money, low(ish) attendance, and no top 20 prospect. Good thing I've got those photo negatives stashed away.... Masuda is named Player of the Week, after going 12-for-29 with 4 HR and 11 RBI.... ELSEWHERE: Austin--formerly Colorado--hasn't had a winning season since 2032. Right now, they're 50-32, and just 21 wins away from matching last season's total. They've got the NL's best offense, with two players already over 20 HR, 4th best pitching, and 5th best defense. Eight players are on the DL, too, but the best of that lot will be healthy soon. Meaning it's possible they'll get better from here on. Or they'll crash and burn because nobody gets to have good things anymore. July 6-8 vs MILWAUKEE Four games under .500 since June 1, making for a tight, 4-way race in the AL Central, with Detroit, Minnesota, and KC all close. Third in runs, and 5th in pitching, with the most HR in the league (135). Seven starters have double figure HR, paced by AL-leading RF Colby Sandu, with 27. Closer Bill Brunson has 19 saves and nearly 14 K/9. Lately, these guys have been winning 90 games every other year; you guessed right if you said they're due again this season. HAW pitchers: Jonathan Murray (5-3, 3.73) / Rob Hart (6-4, 4.44) / Mike Messinger (7-6, 4.35) MIL pitchers: Tim Pinksen (3-6, 5.05) / Wally McDermott (3-3, 3.25) / Nick Shockley (8-3, 4.08) #85: LOSS 3-6 ... 2 HR and all three RBI for McArthur, but a bad start by Murray dooms us early...Sandu extends his AL lead with his 28th HR #86: LOSS 2-3 ... a 2-run lead early goes away late, as we can only muster four hits...we waste a 9 K performance from Rob Hart #87: WIN 8-0 ... 6 of our 10 hits go for extras, and Messinger fans 11 over 6.2 innings...but he also gets hurt, diagnosis pending Not a hot series, but at least we salvaged one at the end. Unfortunately, as Messinger's really come around lately, now we're on pins and needles waiting for his diagnosis.... Groff--out for the season--won the all-star vote for 3B by nearly 800K, our only winner. Closer YT Yaung lost out by only 50 votes. 50!.... ELSEWHERE: Braves rookie John Arrington just had his 30-game hit streak ended, on the same night Washington's John Eastep saw his 21-game effort fizzle out. Arrington is the front runner for NL ROY, slashing .353/19/51 in 83 games, and adding 19 steals.... New Orleans has lost six straight, looking mortal and seeing their once large lead over the Cardinals dwindle to just 3 games.... SF dangled 28-year-old 3 time all-star catcher Adam Behling in front of me as trade bait, only to snatch him back at the last instant. The Giants have been terrible for years, and probably should trade the career .311 hitter for a pile of prospects. It just won't be from me. July 10-12 @ CHICAGO WHITE SOX Currently 40-44, but at 6.5 games out, still definitely in the hunt. And yet, their team stats don't look at all good: 11th in runs, 15th in AVG, 12th in runs against, with a -31 run differential. They do hit a lot of homers: 3rd in the AL with 126. An incredible 10 players are on the DL, including their top two catchers, two OF, and four pitchers. 1B Manuel Cervantes (.271/18/54) leads the offense, and pitcher Manny Gomez has 107 K in 86 IP--but he also has an ERA over 5, as do his four rotation-mates. HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (7-6, 4.95) / Eric Plummer (1-3, 5.92) / Jonathan Murray (5-4, 4.01) CHW pitchers: Jake Atkinson (3-3, 5.36) / Chris Wead (0-5, 5.43) / Mike Head (5-7, 5.20) #88: WIN 7-3 ... big comeback: a 5-run 9th, paced by Gooding's 3-run blast and McArthur's 2-run double...3 hits for Wright, starting to come around now: .333/2/12 in 54 AB #89: WIN 3-2 ... Canning's 10th inning triple brings home the game winner...7 good-enough innings for Plummer, and Morrow gets his second win of this series #90: WIN 1-0 ... our 7 hits trump their 3 hits, with Bowman's RBI single in the 7th the difference...strong 8 IP for Murray (3 H, 0 R, 5 K), and Yaung saves his 22nd Sweep! Nice to see our pitching staff show up and earn some wins. It's especially gratifying because we got Messinger's injury report, and it's not good: out for the season with bone spurs. Which also means that he gets a deferment from Vietnam and qualifies to become a criminally corrupt President.... Not sure who's going to take his place, tho. Pagan keeps nixing any trades since I'm already over budget, and I'm not thrilled with the choices in AAA. But one of them's going to have to work out, it seems.... All-Star update: Adam Groff wins the vote at third, but will miss the game. Closer YT Yaung makes the team, his first AS appearance in his two years in the league.... ELSEWHERE: Just seven games separates the teams in the AL East, from first place Tampa (46-41) to last place Toronto (40-49).... Philly's the hottest team heading into the break, 8-2 in their last ten, 52-35 overall. Miami is the coldest, at 1-9 in July, and a game below .500 now.... Movin' on up: Yankees SS Jordan Cruz now has 2495 career Ks, putting him in 9th place on the all-time list, just 19 behind the great Mark Reynolds. ...... TL;DR Version: a nice 6-3 stretch, but mitigated by the loss of our ostensible ace, Mike Messinger, for the season. He's had a rough year, but was coming on lately. Aldo Gouweleeuw will get the first crack at taking his place; if he fails, I'm not sure who'll be up next.
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07-09-2018, 06:19 PM | #157 |
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NL wins the All-Star game, 6-5, at Fenway Park. Yaung pitched one inning, struck out two. Cardinals 3B Sean West won the MVP, going 3-for-4, with a HR and 4 RBI.
July 17-19 @ NY YANKEES Backslid to a 4-7 early July after a strong 19-10 June, putting them at .500 but still in 2nd place, 2.5 games behing the Rays. How they've managed that despite a -47 run differential is beyond me. Twelfth in runs, 14th in runs against, and 14th in team defense. Tony Flores started slow but is up to 22 HR, passing 200 career home runs in his 5th pro season. Five players are on the DL, all of them regulars, including rookie man-of-glass Daizo Yonamine, who has already suffered FIVE separate injuries since opening day. I'm hoping he hits double figures, which will make me feel good about my own Mel "Unbreakable" Carrillo. HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (6-4, 4.29) / Jonathan Murray (6-4, 3.69) / Eric Jones (7-6, 4.88) NYY pitchers: Mario Oliva (4-5, 3.68) / Tom DiFranco (6-3, 3.89) / Bryan Melstrom (5-5, 6.67) #91: WIN 3-2 ... 4 HR combined, with only Joseph Hart's 2-run shot making the difference...8 IP, 10 K for Rob Hart #92: WIN 7-4 ... 3 H, 2 RBI for Carrillo, including the GW in the 7th and a 2-run shot in the 9th...not a good start for Murray, but he does fan 8 #93: LOSS 1-2 ... pitcher's duel, just 12 hits combined...we score one and strand one in the 9th, after stranding 2 in the 8th Just one late HR away from a sweep, oh well. NY got cranky and traded away SP Mario Oliva after that first game, for former Islander OF Andy Sanchez and a prospect.... We finally crack the 100 HR barrier, putting us in 16th in the AL. Not good enough, really, in today's power game. We'll win games as long as we keep hitting and our pitching doesn't let down badly, but we're not generating enough big innings and easy runs to easily put away games. Given our cash-poor situation right now, fixing that will probably have to wait until the off-season.... IF John Canning strains a rib, goes on the DL. Andy Bridges, hitting .403 in AAA, takes his place.... ELSEWHERE: 30 HR for Milwaukee's Coby Sandu, leading baseball...New Orleans (59-35) still leads everyone, but they've been stuck in third gear for a while now, and have let the Cards creep to just a game and a half back.... July 21-23 @ MIAMI Last year's AL pennant winners are having a rougher time of it this year, at 44-46 and 3rd in the East. Still, they're just 4.5 games out of a very tight division race. Injuries have taken their toll, with three regulars and their closer on the DL. They're hitting--5th in AVG, 6th in OBP--but are just 15th in runs; 4th in runs against too, and sporting a +15 run differential. All of which suggest they're just not getting good breaks right now. And their replacement closer has a tasty 8.89 ERA. Some guys are showing up tho: the middle third of the lineup has 62 HR and 169 RBI, while the other two-thirds has 21 and 127. HAW pitchers: Eric Plummer (1-3, 5.50) / Aldo Gouweleeuw (0-0, 3.86) / Rob Hart (7-4, 4.09) MIA pitchers: Corey Downes (8-6, 4.22) / Jake Marker (5-8, 4.31) / Levi Brady (6-4, 2.69) #94: WIN 12-5 ... Mercedes powers 2 HR to bring us back from a 5-0 early deficit...rough start for Plummer, but he recovers to get the win with 6 rocky innings #95: LOSS 3-7 ... a close one until a 4-run 7th breaks it open for the Marlins, as Gouw is left in too long #96: WIN 4-3 ... down 3-1 in the 9th, Jim Bowman's bases loaded double brings 'em all home and Yaung scrapes by in the bottom of the frame to preserve the win Winning 2/3 of the time works for me; we're now 55-41, 2nd place just 2 games behind Oakland. Seattle is third, 9.5 back.... Bowman was inserted in the lineup just before that third game, in place of the struggling Bridges, hitting just .163. I soak up your applause.... In his first start replacing Messinger, Gouweleeuw doesn't impress. He'll stay for now, mostly b/c I don't know who'd replace him from AAA, and Jim Kieffer (and his 6.08 ERA in 15 starts) has allowed just 8 baserunners in 11.2 innings of relief since his "rearrangement" to the pen. There are a ton of SP on the trading block, but nearly all of them fall somewhere in the broken-down-oldtimers to hideously-overpaid-has-beens range.... ELSEWHERE: New Orleans and St Louis are on nice winning streaks, are the only teams in baseball winning over a .600 clip, and are pulling away from the competition in the NL Central.... Dropping two out of three has pushed Miami down to 5th (from 3rd place) in the tight AL East, but they're still just 5 games out.... NL pitching is running at a 4.08 ERA, the fifth straight year over 4 for the Senior Circuit. NL batters are hitting .246, up 11 points from last year's historic low. AL players clock in at 4.70 and .261. That ERA is the highest in the AL since a 4.91 mark in 2000. July 24-26 @ TORONTO Settling like a halibut on the AL East seafloor, the Jays are 40-55 and 11 games out of first. Hitting is bottom-dwelling too: 17th in runs, 18th in AVG. Pitching is the sole bright spot, but barley, at 11th overall but with the league's 4th best bullpen. 3B Miguel Reyes leads the hit parade at .258, and is joined by just one other starter over .250. Long-time SP Joe Erkel and Dave Henderson are a combined 6-12 with an ERA over 5; Henderson also needs just 8 wins to tie Dave Stieb for first among all-time Jays pitching wins. HAW pitchers: Jonathan Murray (6-4, 3.81) / Eric Jones (7-7, 4.68) / Eric Plummer (2-3, 5.69) TOR pitchers: Dave Henderson (0-2, 5.40) / Tommy Dahlen (6-9, 4.25) / Daniel Becker (6-3, 4.09) #97: WIN 6-3 ... up 5-0 early, thanks to a 2-run HR from Carrillo and back-to-back doubles by Hart and Masuda...two more hits for sudden MVP candidate Bowman #98: WIN 5-0 ... 8 IP, 3 H against for Jones, with 8 K...everyone gets a hit, with McArthur's 3-run shot the capper to a quality evening of baseball #99: LOSS 5-6 ... Plummer is good through 5, but the pen is weak and blows up in the 9th...8 players get hits, including five for extra bases Dang, just one out away from the sweep.... Not much else to say about this one, except: TRADE! We send OF Ian McGowan to Montreal for SP B.J. Nault and OF Joel Jacoby. Not happy with my #5 starting slot (lost faith in Gouweleeuw after 1 start, sadly), I've been trawling the league for potential replacements. Portland dangled not one, but two guys in front of me, only to snatch them back after 30 seconds of negotiations. The Angels would like to move 35-year-old Jeff Caraway, but still want a king's ransom for him. So we're rolling the dice on the 39-year-old (yep) Nault, who was the ace of that Pirates dynasty in the '30s, has won 141 games over his 14-year career, earning 34.5 WAR. He made 11 starts for the Expos this year, but failed to impress (1-4, 4.48 ERA, although his underlying numbers look better), and had been sent to AAA. He's making $950K, and will be a free agent (and likely retire) after this year. Jacoby is a fill-in, a lefty batter who brings good speed, an excellent glove, and nifty plate discipline, but nothing else really. McGowan was once my CF of the future, but hasn't hit in the past two seasons, and his $2.3M salary and desire for more next year was putting me off.... ELSEWHERE: Dodgers pitcher Jackson Suttie is 15-2, on pace for 25 wins. If he can keep it up, he'll be the first pitcher with 25 wins since Tampa's Jon Talley in 2027.... Remember when MLB said the Nationals had the best off-season, gaining, what, 15 WAR or something? Well they're 39-55 and losers of seven straight of late. "Washington! First in war, first in peace, and last in the National League." July 27-29 vs HOUSTON Our three-week road trip ends with a visit from the lowly Astros, once again slipping away from everyone else with a 40-57 record. Little has gone right for Houston, now looking at their 18th losing season in the past 19. Twelfth in runs and 15th in runs against, and the AL's worst bullpen. Closer Brent Philbrick went down in April, and #1 prospect in baseball Alejandro Gonzales struggled early, and is now out until March with a bad back. 1B Bruce Calhoon is hitting .326/25/74, and two other starters have hit 20 HR. Jay Russo has again been the best pitcher by far, and you have to wonder why a team that's starved for talent and clearly not going anywhere would continue to hold on to the 31-year-old perennial all-star. HAW pitchers: BJ Nault (1-4, 4.48 w/ MTL) / Rob Hart (8-4, 3.91) / Jonathan Murray (7-4, 3.85) HOU pitchers: Jason Ray (4-2, 2.66) / Tony Arballo (1-1, 3.60) / Jay Russo (6-5, 2.74) #100: WIN 7-3 ... 4 hits for Robertson, and 3 H, 3 RBI, and his 20th HR for Masuda...decent start for Nault, 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, but four walks...Carrillo injured dtd #101: WIN 3-2 ... four hits for each team, and the winner is Mercedes' bases loaded walk-off walk in the bottom of the 9th (one of three walks that inning) #102: LOSS 5-8 ... Masuda hits another one out, but there's little else to like here, as Russo clocks us again...Kieffer has his first bad relief outing "Two out of three! Two out of three!" As rallying cries go, maybe not the best. But it'll do.... Carrillo's dtd injury is his fourth this season. He averages over five a year, fyi.... We're now 59-43, tied for first with Oakland. Wonder when we play them next.... ELSEWHERE: A 9-1 stretch for the Dodgers has brought them to 60-40, 2 games up on Austin.... Two days before the deadline, and there have been over a dozen trades. None of them, however, involving any big names or stars. Despite that, there are indeed quite a few big names on the trading block--all of them pending free agents, and many on teams that are definite playoff contenders. ...... TL;DR Version: 8-4 this stretch, and 15-7 in July. More player movement is coming: Canning off the DL in two days, Carrillo back to "full strength" in four, and Hunter back in two weeks. I'm not likely to make any more trades, however.
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07-13-2018, 06:07 PM | #158 |
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July 30-31, August 1-2 @ OAKLAND
At 59-43, and now tied for first with us. Offense has been top notch, 4th in runs and 2nd in AVG, with Vinny Vargas (.369, 21 HR) as usual leading the way. CF Bobby Trujillo has followed up his breakout 2042 with a .282/24/71 season so far. Pitching is just 9th, but the rotation is humming along at 4th best, led by veterans Mike Wiater and Ricky Hose. Closer Justin Crowley is one of ten (!) big league closers currently on the DL, but should be back in three weeks. Fun fact: somehow, even with the 8th ranked prospect pool, their #2 prospect (and 23rd in baseball), is a 24-year-old former scouting discovery named Tomas Avila, who projects to be no better than a terrible rookie ball pitcher. So far, he's actually been a terrible short A ball pitcher, with an ERA over 10 this year. Vagaries of the game, I guess. HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (8-7, 4.36) / Eric Plummer (2-3, 5.53) / BJ Nault (1-4, 4.41) / Rob Hart (8-4, 3.81) OAK pitchers: Jaysen Moss (7-7, 4.33) / Mike Wiater (10-5, 3.38) / Ricky Hose (9-6, 4.13) / Fernando Pena (1-1, 6.97) #103: LOSS 6-7 ... Hart's solo shot in the 9th ties it, but Tanner can't hold it in the bottom, yielding a walk and two singles to lose the game #104: LOSS 0-9 ... three hits, only one runner gets to second base, bad pitching #105: LOSS 6-7 ... no pitching, again...this time, Nault is rocked early and often...and yet, it's not over until the winning hit in the 9th, again #106: WIN 6-5 ... Carrillo is back in the lineup, and his 2-run HR in the 7th is the winner, even after another rough 9th inning for our pitchers Well, we're not tied for first any longer. This was the first bad series for our pitching, across the board, in quite a while. Just after the deadline, too.... ELSEWHERE: finally some trades of value: with an injured closer and a valueless replacement, Miami acquired a new one: former Islander Matt Elie, from Portland, for three prospects; New Orleans also got a new closer, 40-year-old Will Ness, from Pittsburgh; Austin traded former all-star SP Tony Villarruel to Montreal for slugging 1B Luis Ruiz; and Houston traded 11-year starting 2B Jefferson McKenzie to the Mets for two quality prospects.... Austin's back in first in the NL West, thanks to LA's sudden five-game losing streak. August 3-6 @ LA ANGELS Record is 49-56, and battling Texas for fourth in the division. They're still hitting, 5th in runs, 3rd in AVG, and 7th in HR. Pitching has been rough, 16th in runs against and next-to-last in starter's ERA. SS Juan Rodriquez is finally living up to his huge potential, batting .354/26/90, and was just named batter of the month for July. Catcher Juan Luarca is batting just .239, but his .321 July earned him rookie of the month. HAW pitchers: Jonathan Murray (7-5, 4.11) / Eric Jones (8-7, 4.51) / Eric Plummer (2-4, 5.70) / BJ Nault (1-4, 4.82) LAA pitchers: Jeff Caraway (8-6, 4.70) / Joe Payne (3-6, 5.83) / Greg Langworthy (7-10, 6.36) / Khalil Smith (7-6, 5.21) #107: LOSS 3-10 ... more ugliness all around #108: LOSS 2-12 ... 10 hits, but who can pitch anymore? No one on this team #109: LOSS 1-6 ... the bullpen showed up, but what can you do with only 2 hits #110: WIN 7-6 ... 14 hits, and 3 RBI for Robertson, but we almost manage to blow a 7-4 lead late Not much good to see here. At least we pulled out one game late. New guys Plummer and Nault are pitching especially poorly, but it almost seems unfair to single them out, when no one is pulling their weight right now.... ELSEWHERE: Every division race is close right now, with the biggest gap being 4.5 games between Tampa Bay and Baltimore in the AL East.... Montreal's Matt Anderson is running close to a batting Triple Crown: .367 (1st), 31 HR (3rd), 90 RBI (3rd). August 7-9 @ BALTIMORE A 6-1 August has somehow brought the O's to 54-53, and within hailing distance of the Rays. Somehow, because they have a -41 run differential, thanks to their league-worst pitching. Fourth in runs scored, but 10th in AVG, so they're pushing across more runs than seem likely. CF Andrew Ostrowski (.321/13/63), RF Cesar Alvarenga (.294/22/68), and rookie C Arturo Sena (20 HR) pace the offense. HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (8-4, 3.85) / Jonathan Murray (7-6, 4.21) / Eric Jones (8-8, 5.02) BAL pitchers: Daniel Brooke (8-6, 4.46) / Miguel Moreno (10-6, 3.73) / Hugo Tirado (3-8, 6.33) #111: LOSS 5-8 ... 8 combined HR, three for us...still no pitching #112: WIN 11-7 ... 6 doubles, a triple, and 2 HR lead the attack, with four coming in a 9-run 8th...brawl in the bottom of the 8th, Kieffer suspended for 3 games #113: WIN 10-6 ... a 5-2 lead vanished in the 9th, but a 5-run 10th wins it, thanks to a Masuda HR and a pair of run-scoring doubles Pitching continues to sputter, but the bats come alive, at least in the late innings.... Less than two months to go this season. Been thinking about possible September call-ups, while AAA Santa Barbara is currently 65-36, and 42-16 since June 1. Not sure who'll get some AB or IP this fall, but I prefer not to gut a team that has a chance at a championship, tbh.... ELSEWHERE: Cincy has gotten hot, 9-1 in their last 10, but are still 12.5 games in back of the Zephyrs. The Yankees are ice cold now, and have dropped 8 straight, to fall 9 games back of Tampa Bay. Tony Flores, hoping for his third consecutive season of 60+ HR, is having a down year at just .219/26/61.... Austin's Victor Sanchez is the first to 100 RBI. The Outlaws are 64-47, now just 7 wins away from matching last year's total, and looking for their first winning season since 2032. August 11-13 vs TAMPA BAY At 61-50, leading the division, and looking for their first winning season since 2035, first playoff appearance since the previous year. Only 11th in AVG, but 2nd in OBP and 5th in runs. Their real strength has been pitching: 2nd across the board, and leading to a healthy +80 run differential. We have not fared well against strong staffs this year, so I'm not sanguine about this series. Catcher William Antonio is having a career year: .356/.394/.504, but closer Bruce Parton (4.96 ERA, 1.57 WHIP is the glaring soft spot on the roster. HAW pitchers: Eric Plummer (2-5, 5.83) / BJ Nault (2-4, 4.90) / Rob Hart (8-5, 4.11) TBR pitchers: Manny Vazquez (2-3, 4.63) / Bill Casas (10-6, 3.40) / Khalil Palmer (6-3, 4.59) #114: WIN 9-3 ... a triple and HR for Hart, and 4 hits for Carrillo...2 HR for Wright...Plummer allows 12 baserunners in 5 IP, but timely defense saves him #115: WIN 7-3 ... Wright's 25th ties it, and he and Gooding spark a 5-run 6th to put it away...Nault tosses a solid 7 IP, and Tanner and Yaung combine to close it out right #116: LOSS 8-9 ... 15 hits, but no pitching today Had a chance for a nice recovery sweep, but couldn't do it.... We're back up to 1st in AVG (.279), and 4th in runs (596). Three batters are hitting over .300, and Mike Hunter (.322) comes off the DL in two days.... ELSEWHERE: Jordan Shields--a deadline acquisition by us last year--is having a solid year for the Red Sox, .304/31/101, leading the AL in RBI.... Oakland's Vinny Vargas is the first player in either league to 7 WAR; Austin's Victor Sanchez is second at 6.0. August 14-16 vs BOSTON A pre-season pick to vie for the division, the Sox have not been able to gain any traction, and are sitting at 55-59, in fourth place. The good news is that they're still just 7 games behind Tampa. 11th best offense, 4th pitching, for a healthy-looking +30 run diff, despite what the record says. Former Islander all-star CF Josh Drayton has started 55 games in center, but is batting just .150. Nominal ace starter Robby Liantonio is rocking a smooth 1-10 record. HAW pitchers: Jonathan Murray (7-6, 4.30) / Eric Jones (8-8, 4.93) / Eric Plummer (3-5, 5.70) BOS pitchers: Ryan Galletto (10-8, 4.77) / Wally McDermott (5-6, 4.23) / George Sanger (5-6, 6.20) #117: WIN 11-7 ... 3-for-3 with 5 RBI for Masuda, including a 3-run HR in the 1st...good start for Murray, poor relief for Yee and Kieffer...Carrillo suffers his monthly injury #118: WIN 7-6 ... a 7-3 lead is made needlessly close by our heedless bullpen, which lives on the constant drama...2 doubles and 4 RBI for backup catcher Vannoy #119: WIN 5-4 ... 4 HR for the good guys, including 2 from Masuda, the capper being the GW in the 8th...Plummer finally gets his ERA below 6, and Yaung saves his 31st The last time we swept the Sox in August they came back to knock us out of the playoffs in October. Why do I have to remember such things.... Hunter came off the DL, so we sent down non-entity Andy Bridges (.156 in 64 AB) to AAA. Carrillo's injury was nothing, missing just the end of one game; likewise for McArthur who bruised his widdle finger in the same game, but didn't miss any games..... ELSEWHERE: it's 200 K for the 8th straight year for Miami pitcher Levi Brady. A 19-game winner in 2036, he's having a career year at age 34, at 10-4, 2.34 ERA, 201 K (vs just 19 BB).... let's look at some fun stats: SS Jordan Cruz is on the verge of leading all of baseball in strikeouts (179 this season); Toronto RF Darius Sanders is having a rough rookie season, batting just .177 with a league-worst -1.3 WAR; Dodgers P Francisco Manzano leads baseball with 37 dingers allowed, but he's nowhere near the per-game stat of Cleveland's Jamie Reed, who's given up 3.4 per start (12 starts); on the positive side of the ledger, Philly OF Steve Dyer is 18-for-36 as a pinch hitter, with a tasty .500/.591/.750 slash; and NYM's Sergio Carrillo (just how many Carrillo's are there?) is fanning 14 per 9 IP (77 in 49.2 innings in relief). ...... TL;DR Version: a late sweep of the Red Sox salvages a 9-8 stretch and keeps us 2 in back of the A's. The pitchers are leaking oil all over the track, but at least our hitters are keeping up for now. No new injuries to report, and with Mike Hunter back from the DL, that should be a further boost to the offense (and a moribund defense). The month will conclude with 17 more home games and a 6-game road swing. With 40-45 games for everyone, time for a quick early snapshot of the division races. Some teams are already playing out the string: in the AL, Toronto, Chicago, Cleveland, Texas, LA, and Houston look done; in the NL, it's Atlanta, Washington, Pittsburgh, San Diego, and San Francisco. The Yankees and Portland have bad records, but could still mount challenges for a wild card. A large handful--Detroit, Seattle, Mets, Cubs, Richmond, Cincy, Montreal, Arizona--are on either side of .500 and still have time to contend. Everyone else is still around, with the AL East (5 teams) and AL Central (four) looking the most wide open.
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07-15-2018, 06:12 PM | #159 |
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August 18-20 vs KANSAS CITY
Keeping up in the Central, 63-55 and six games behind the Twins. They only have a +5 run diff, as their offense is just 16th in the AL, despite the 8th best batting average. Pitching has been absolute money all season long, first in the AL, to go along with the league's best defense. That they have five MLB-level pitchers on the DL as well is a testament to just how loaded this staff must be. Leadoff batter Juan Garcia is hitting .351/18/68, and rookie Thumbs Ebert is slashing .270/.346/.429 in the 2nd slot. Pitcher Eddy "Llamas!" Llamas is having his best season since 2038, at 12-5, 3.03, 10.2 K/9. HAW pitchers: BJ Nault (3-4, 4.82) / Rob Hart (8-5, 4.34) / Jonathan Murray (8-6, 4.25) KCR pitchers: Dale Tessman (3-6, 4.52) / Jorge Ramirez (0-1, 6.89) / Yutaka Fujino (9-8, 3.83) #120: WIN 13-5 ... 3 hits and 2 HR for Carrillo, and 3 hits for McArthur...3 others homer for us...Nault gives up 10 H in 6.1 IP, but our hitters rescue him time and again #121: WIN 9-2 ... complete game 4-hitter for Hart (with 9 K)...3 more hits for Carrillo, and a 3-run HR for Wright #122: WIN 7-3 ... 4 more HR for our suddenly huge bats, plus 4 doubles...2 dingers for Masuda, closing in on 30 for the season Did you see that coming? I know I didn't. Of course, we play the hapless Indians next, and they'll probably sweep us. Glass half empty, that's me.... Still two games behind Oakland, who are staying hot.... batting coach Danny Espinosa wants a raise from 88K to 450K for next year. He's turned down a 195K offer, and I'm probably not making him another.... ELSEWHERE: Detroit's Roberto Rivera (.381) and Oakland's Vinny Vargas (.379) are having quite a battle for the AL batting crown. Vargas won the crown back in 2036, and Rivera has reached 200 hits three times. The NL race is tight too: Atlanta's John Arrington, just back from a AAA rehab stint, is hitting .356, while Montreal's Matt Anderson is at .355. Arrington is a rookie, while Anderson is a career .326 hitter who reached 2000 career hits this season. August 21-23 vs CLEVELAND A long, long stretch of futility has only been mitigated by two playoff appearances ('35 and '37) in the last 31 seasons. At 49-72 this year, it's early vacations for everyone again. Last in offense, and 13th in pitching, for a nifty -151 run diff. Defense is 2nd best, so that's...something. The prospect system is 8th best, at least, with four players in the top 100. They've got some decent-looking pitchers and some nice power bats, but no one who looks like a team leader or superstar-in-the-making. HAW pitchers: Eric Jones (9-8, 4.95) / Eric Plummer (3-5, 5.52) / BJ Nault (4-4, 4.88) CLE pitchers: Kevin Becker (4-3, 5.12) / Jesus Delgadillo (8-4, 4.10) / Roberto Maldonado (4-7, 4.40) #123: LOSS 5-6 ... I guess we decided to coast after reaching a 5-2 lead...3 more hits for Carrillo, now hitting .347 #124: LOSS 1-3 ... we outhit them 8-to-4, but can't amount to a hill of beans...Plummer throws well, continuing to improve as the summer rolls on #125: LOSS 1-2 ... seriously What did I say. Sheesh. We waste some decent pitching, and drop two more games behind Oakland.... Hunter gets hurt in that last game too, diagnosis pending.... We're up to 10th in home runs now, despite this poor series. Justin Wright has popped 30, between Toronto and us.... ELSEWHERE: New Orleans continues to lead baseball with 78 wins, although Oakland is closing in, with 75. Austin has 73. Washington and San Francisco bring up the rear, with just 49 apiece.... Milwaukee's Colby Sandu leads everyone with 42 HR; he's being closely chased by Texas slugger Ricky Chavez, with 40. August 25-27 @ DETROIT Time to get some back against the .500 Tigers, 9.5 games behind the Twins. Their offense is still league-best, and they're 2nd in the AL with 197 home runs. Pitching, however...13th in the league, with the 2nd-worst rotation ERA. Once again, every regular has alrady hit for double figures in HR, with four players already over 20. Roberto Rivera is competing for the batting title, and CJ Lee is hitting .280/33/102. Leadoff batter Cory Hopkins is at .343/14/58. HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (9-5, 4.21) / Jonathan Murray (9-6, 4.22) / Eric Jones (9-8, 5.03) DET pitchers: Danny Arndt (3-1, 5.03) / Matt Bienvenu (7-9, 5.26) / Travis Heumann (1-3, 4.37) #126: WIN 8-3 ... a HR and 5 RBI for Mercedes, and Masuda knocks in his 100th RBI...but he gets hurt for a week...9 K in 6 IP for Hart, and his 10th win #127: WIN 19-11 ... 7 HR and 17 H for us, 3 and 14 for them...2 HR each for Masuda and Wright...nice outing for Murray, but 8 ER in 3 IP for the bullpen #128: WIN 10-9 ... 3 more HR (!), and Carrillo is now up to .353...Jones blows up, but the pen is better in this one, giving up "just" 2 ER in 4 IP So it's all or nothing for us right now, eh? Seventeen combined HR in this series, so lots of fan souvenirs.... Pitching is still (obviously) wildly inconsistent, with Jones, Plummer, and Nault struggling.... ELSEWHERE: New Orleans (them again) is the first team to reach 81 wins.... The Zephs also lead baseball with attendance at 2.99M so far. The Dodgers are 2nd at 2.91M, Hawaii 3rd at 2.89M, and St Louis 4th at 2.84M.... Boston's Ernesto Plancarte reached 30 SB for the third consecutive season. No one cares about steals anymore, so I don't know how rare that's been lately. August 28-30 @ HOUSTON At 56-70 and once again vying for the 1st overall pick next June. Thirteenth in runs, 14th in pitching, lather rinse repeat. Jay Russo reached 2000 career strikeouts, becoming the first Astros pitcher to do so. He needs a strong finish to the season to overtake Nolan Ryan in career pitching WAR as an Astro. What else? MLB #1 prospect Alejandro Gonzales is out for the season, but #6 pitcher Chris Harris is toiling away in AA and could make the team as early as next season. If they're not rushed, these two could make for an incredibly potent 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation for years. (They will be, so they won't be.) HAW pitchers: Eric Plummer (3-6, 5.34) / BJ Nault (4-5, 4.63) / Rob Hart (10-5, 4.12) HOU pitchers: Jonathan Caldera (7-11, 5.41) / Luis Munoz (1-5, 5.01) / Jay Russo (8-6, 3.07) #129: LOSS 5-6 ... 3 H and 3 RBI for Hunter, but the pitchers can't get anybody out...Plummer walks 5, fans 0 #130: WIN 6-4 ... Hart and Wright's RBI singles in the 8th are the difference...17 H, 16 are singles...Carrillo hurt again, of course #131: LOSS 7-8 ... 4 more HR (from 7 total hits), but Rob Hart leaves after 2 with a blister, and the bullpen is just tragic (6 IP, 6 R) So this is the current trend: sweep the good teams (KC, DET), and suck against the bad ones (1-5 vs CLE, HOU). I'm not on board with this plan.... We've jumped up to 7th in HR now, as the balls keep jumping out of the yard, 57 this month: 17 for Wright, 10 for Masuda, 8 for Mercedes, 7 for Carrillo, and 6 for Hart, 9 among various others.... Carrillo's injury is dtd for one week; Hunter gets a 4-day hamstring injury as well.... ELSEWHERE: Going into the final month of the season, and the divisional races are narrowing to just two or three teams across the board. The closest is the NL West, where LA and Austin are tied at 76-53. The biggest lead is Minnesota, by 8 games over Milwaukee.... Tight race for the HR title in the NL, with three players at 37, and three more at 35. Yankees slugger Tony Flores had a big August (14 HR), to re-enter the AL race, now in third place with 38. August 31 vs SEATTLE One game (of a 3-spot) to round out the month... HAW pitcher: Jonathan Murray (10-6, 4.23) SEA pitcher: Danny Powers (7-6, 3.95) #132: WIN 9-5 ... 18th HR of August for Wright, 20th of season for Gooding...108 RBI for Masuda now, leading the AL (by one, over three others) Nice way to end the month. Good start for Murray, another bad outing for the bullpen, giving up four runs in the late innings. Looks like another off-season of rebuilding the pitching staff... ...... TL;DR Version: Two sweeps against good teams coupled with a 2-5 stint against bad ones. Sure. Hitters are going nuts, racking up nearly 60 HR this month, but the pitchers--especially the bullpen--are getting rocked nearly every night.
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Introducing Your Hawaii Islanders! |
07-16-2018, 09:28 AM | #160 |
Minors (Single A)
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Maine
Posts: 70
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Absolutely loving this - I really like the format you've got going, enjoyable and informative to read with nice immersion into your world
Go Islanders!! |
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