Los Angeles Leopards (SVMLB)

[pauwoo]

Austin Grackles (41-37, .526, 4th NL West) @ Los Angeles Leopards (48-29, .623, 1st NL West)
We keep waiting for the Austin Grackles to turn the corner, to make a run at the division and start to make up some of the ground they’ve lost in the early goings of 2082. That being said... they do have a solid record overall, nothing outlandish and likely touched by some bad luck given their +28 RDiff, and they currently boast the best offense in our league – so, let’s save our pity when it comes to these guys, their revenge is likely in the mail so let’s just hope the postman doesn’t make the delivery at the start of this next set.

78 of 162: Joe Matthiessen (9-2, 3.36) @ Marco Ortega (7-4, 3.16)
Win, 4-2. Marco Ortega improved to 8-4 on the year after turning in a solid, 5.1-inning performance where he’d allow only 1 hit and 1 run while fanning 7 and Don Haag earned his 24th save as the 5th reliever out of the pen as Rad, Major Hansen, Orlando, and T-Rex each got some burn in this one. The defense even worked its way out of a jam during the top of the 9th with Austin threatening a comeback as Haag induced a double play ball from DJ Wilders that D-Rod had no problem digging out at 3rd before sending it around the horn to close the show.


Elsewhere: Sandro Brincat, still putting in work with the Watts Warriors down on the farm, went 3-for-4 with 2 TANKS, 5 RBI, and 3 runs to lead out A-Ball club to a resounding 11-3 win over the Carlin Chukars. Brincat is likely ready for some burn in Inglewood, but, for now at least, we’ll let him overperform in Watts while we figure out the best way to handle his development.

79 of 162: Al Bundy (5-2, 4.25) @ Dani Thorpe (4-3, 3.02)
Loss, 3-7. The much-vaunted Austin Grackles offense gave us the business with Heathcote Kinton’s 3-run DINGER leading the way while Al Bundy, reliving some of the past glories he experienced way back in high school no doubt, gave us the business over 6-innings of 6-hit, 3-earned work. Good enough for him to improve to 6-2 on the year, which, if the trend holds, will put him at 12 wins on the year, second only to his 14-win season back in 2079.

80 of 162: Alfred Adcock (6-7, 3.90) @ Nacho Valadez (4-1, 2.92)
Win, 10-3. After being dismantled in that last one, the boys would come roaring back to exact a small measure of revenge behind Carson Hutchinson’s 4-for-5 day that included a double, 5 total RBI, and a run… good stuff from Joseph Brandt (3-for-4, 2B, HR, RBI, 3 R) and Dalton Burch (2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R) as well as our offense came out gangbusters and tuned the Grackles up. Nacho’s stamina was called into question, leading our Skipper to pull him after 4.1 innings of work – RP Sherwin Cane would be credited with the win here after pitching 3-innings in relief, allowing nothing earned in the process. It’s his 2nd win of the season.

Record: 50-30, .625, 1st NL West
Up Next: We’ll have a travel day to get ourselves to Pennsylvania where we’ll contest a three-game set against the Philadelphia Founders.

[pauwoo]

Los Angeles Leopards (50-30, .625, 1st NL West) @ Philadelphia Founders (39-42, .481, 4th NL East)
The Founders are slowing working their way back to respectability in the NL East with recent series wins over the New Orleans Gators and Pittsburgh Pipers. The offense continues to be led by LF Palmer Parker (.290/.336/.812, 136 wRC+, 8 HR, 35 RBI) and CF Sage Reid (.273/.357/.780, 129 wRC+, 8 HR, 43 RBI) while the venerable SP Linden Brittingham (7-5, 3.01, 8.9 K/9, 86.2 IP) leads their solid, 4th ranked staff. If they just paid a little more attention to the offense (RE: bring in 1 or 2 more quality bats) they’d be a real force in our league – as it stands, the cupboard, while not bare, just don’t have enough quality ingredients to whip something truly tasty up.

81 of 162: Leonardo Durate (5-1, 3.19) @ Dontrell McNeil (7-2, 2.96)
Loss, 2-8. 3B Cristian Goodnough hit a GRAND SLAM off Orlando Arce during the bottom of the 6th to all but put this one to bed… Arce takes the loss, failing to record a single out during his time on the bump (0.0 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 1 HRA), and the ho-hum Philadelphia offense put some bad ones on us with little to no help from Palmer Parker (1-for-2, BB) and Sage Reid (1-for-4).

Roster Update: We sent RP Sherwin Kane (45/45, 50-45-55) back to Compton, calling up RP Ryan McGuire (55/62, 80-30-45) in his stead.

82 of 162: Larimel Alvarez (7-6, 3.12) @ Bob Dauncey (4-6, 2.89)
Win, 4-2. Larimel earned his 8th win of the season after allowing just 5 hits and a lone earned run during 6.1 innings of work, Don Haag recorded his 25th save after a flawless bottom of the 9th, and Dan Blasko’s run-scoring SAC FLY put us up for good at 2-1 during the top of the 6th. Larimel was recognized as the man of the match with Oh Hong not too far behind him with a 3-for-5, 2 RBI day. Of note… Orland Arce got right back on the horse after yesterday’s debacle, giving us 1.2 innings of 0-hit, 0-earned burn tonight.

83 of 162: Marco Ortega (8-4, 3.07) @ Linden Brittingham (7-5, 3.01)
Win, 5-4. Orland Arce nearly gave this one away as his up-and-down ways continue to plague his performances… here he’d allow two runners to plate during the bottom of the 4th to allow Philadelphia to get within one but found a way to reel it back in during a 1-2-3 bottom of the 8th before turning it over to Don Haag who recorded his 26th save, laying down a 9-pitch bottom of the 9th. Another good showing for Dan Blasko too – he went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI sending us off to the airport with our heads held high.

Record: 52-31, .626, 1st NL West
Up Next: We’ll board a plane bound for LAX, returning to the City of Angels where the Dallas Chaparrals anxiously await our arrival.

[pauwoo]

Dallas Chaparrals (40-44, .476, 2nd AL West) @ Los Angeles Leopards (52-31, .626, 1st NL West)
The Chaparrals started their 9-game road trip off with a series loss in Detroit and were outscored by the Motors 20-12 over the 3-game set. They’ve been good of late though, sporting a 6-4 record over their last ten with a -1 RDiff overall… the general consensus is that they should be leading their division over the -14 RDiff Vancouver Mounties, which shows two things… first, they’ve been a bit unlucky so far this season, and second, theirs may be the worst division, talent-wise, in the entire Major Leagues.

84 of 162: Graham Doyle (6-2, 3.75) @ Dani Thorpe (4-4, 3.66)
Win, 9-8. We’d require some late inning magic from Otto in the form of a game-winning, 2-run TANK during the bottom of the 8th off Dallas’ RP Edgar Lopez as our club would, ultimately, get the last laugh during this game of real-life, rock ‘em, sock ‘em robots. Carson Hutchinson drove in 3 on 2-for-4 hitting, we hit 4 doubles as a club, recorded two DP’s on defense, and somehow managed to win this slugfest despite leaving 10 runners stranded during the contest.


Elsewhere: Angry Eloy Delando, one of my all-time favorite StrangeVerse players, took home player of the week honors in Triple-A where he is currently plying his trade with the Orlando Stars (a Miami Affiliate). For the week Eloy hit .391 with 2 homers, 5 RBI, and 4 runs… on the year he’s hitting a paltry .205 with 12 TANKS, 34 runs, and 38 RBI. It looks like the end is nigh for the 35-year-old Eloy… let’s hope he gets a second life in the Bush League before all is said and done.

A quick look at the power rankings…
Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) Los Angeles Leopards (118.8, +)
2) Charlotte Imperials (115.1, -)
3) Detroit Motors (114.4, o)
4) Montreal Alouettes (111.8, +)
5) New Orleans Gators (101.4, ++)
6) San Diego Skipjacks (101.0, -)
7) Vancouver Mounties (93.1, ++)
8) Buffalo Nickels (91.9, +)
9) Brooklyn Citizens (90.4, ++)
10) Austin Grackles (90.1, --)

Who? What?

85 of 162: Walt Allen (9-5, 3.55) @ Nacho Valadez (4-1, 2.99)
Win, 5-1. Oh Hong finished 3-for-4 with a run and RF Joseph Brant his a bases-clearing double to lead our offensive charge while Nacho earned his 5th win of the 2082 campaign on the strength of his 5-inning, 4 hit, 1 earned performance that was sullied only by his doling out of four free passes. Dallas’ RF Eugenio Madrigal and 2B Rocco O’Gara each came within one K of a Golden Sombrero here as our staff was dealing throughout… 6 K’s for Nacho, 3 for recent call-up McGuire, and 5 more for T-Rex.


Elsewhere: SP Cameron Fletcher, despite his unfortunate sideburns, turned In a 7.1-inning, 4-hit, 1-earned, SIXTEEN STRIKEOUT performance to lead his Kansas City Wheat Kings to a resounding 7-1 win over our very own Compton Raiders in Triple-A play… 7 of our 9 batsmen posted 2 our more K’s on the day without a single Golden between them. The Wheat Kings (a Charlotte Imperials affiliate) are now leading their division by a game at 46-38 on the year while Compton falls back 4th place in the DL West with a .500 record at 42-42 so far this season.

86 of 102: Jonathan Salcido (3-6, 4.65) @ Leonardo Duarte (5-1, 3.08)
Win, 11-2. Otto led the way offensively, finishing 3-for-5 on the day with a 2-run TRUCK, 4 RBI and 3 runs, while the staff, guided by Leo’s 6-inning, 6-hit, 2-earned day, turned in another rip-roaring performance that saw Rad Taylor earn his 1st save of the year after closing out the last 3-innings of the game. Two doubles, two DING DONGS, a double play and an OF Assist (Joseph Brant caught Aaron Lane trying to stretch one out to home) would round things out as we earned our first sweep since May when we sank the Citizens during their trip to Los Angeles from Brooklyn.

Record: 55-31, .639, 1st NL West
Up Next: Once again, we’ll take tomorrow off to travel to Las Vegas for a 3-game set before breaking for the All-Star game.

[pauwoo]

Los Angeles Leopards (55-31, .639, 1st NL West) @ Las Vegas Outlaws (39-48, .448, 5th NL West)
An argument could be made that RF Aitor Cubas is the best player in the majors. It would be refuted with names like Otto, Palmer, Guzman, and Franzone bandied about… but, what can’t be refuted, what is indisputable is that he’s been the best player in the Majors so far THIS year. He leads the league with 29 homers (4 more than Otto), 86 RBI (21 more than Otto who sits at 2nd), a .599 SLG%, .978 OPS, 65 R, and 4.6 in WAR so far… he’s been, in a word, incredible. He’s basically the StrangeVerse Mike Trout, surrounded by a collection of misfit toys that, so far this year anyway, would struggle to fight their way out of a wet paper bag. He deserves better. Trout deserves better. We all deserve better.

87 of 162: Larimel Alvarez (8-6, 3.01) @ Shizuka Takeuchi (4-7, 4.14)
Loss, 4-6. Despite an 0-for-3 day from Cubas, the Outlaws would get the game one win on balanced offense where 6 individual players each contributed an RBI, with former Leopard, Andy Shepard’s run-scoring double representing the game-winning run during the bottom of the 3rd. Alvarez was saddled with the loss, dropping to 8-7 on the year, while Takeuchi managed to win his 5th game of the season, improving to 5-7 with a 4.01 ERA.

88 of 162: Marco Ortega (9-4, 3.10) @ Jack Sanchez-Flores (7-8, 5.04)
Win, 7-4. We’d extend our lead to 3 runs during the top of the 5th off a 2-run single from D-Rod and not look back from there as we evened the series in Sin City behind a tip-top offensive effort from the club and a solid 5.2-inning start from Ortega who earned his 10th win of the season as a result. 4 doubles (Dalton Burch, D-Rod, Lucas Sherman, and Dan Blasko), a perfectly executed, rally-killing, bottom of the 8th double play, and save #28 on the year for Don Haag rounds things out for us as we put ourselves in a position to win the series in the rubber match tomorrow.


Elsewhere: RF Axel Smith, doing the dirt with the Bremerton Yardies (a Seattle Metros affiliate) in Short Season A-Ball, went 3-for-3 with 2 JACKS, 3 RBI, 3 runs, and a walk to lead his club to a satisfying 8-2 win over the Sparks Mustangs in Kitsap County.

All-Star Rosters… the final rosters were announced, Leopards Representatives are as follows: SP Marco Ortega, CL Don Haag, 1B Oh Hong, CF Otto Isaac. Notable NL Selections: 1B Tom Franzone (PIT), 1B Austin Rollins (MC), 3B Ronaldo Guzman (AUS), LF Aitor Cubas (LV), CF Anthony Jamison (AUS). Notable AL Selections: SP Stephen Estevez (CHA), SP Burt McElheny (NYS), C Dominic Cooke (DAL).

89 of 162: Dani Thorpe (4-4, 3.93) @ Radoslav Borovsky (5-4, 4.62)
Loss, 2-4. In the end, the house was good for it and we, the tourists as it were, were not… Aitor finished 2-for-4 with a run, Steve Green drove in the game winner during the bottom of the 2nd on a single, and Radoslav picked up his 6th victory of the year after befuddling our lineup for 5-innings. Dani Thorpe drops to 4-5 with a borderline unacceptable 4.06 ERA, Humberto committed his 2nd fielding flub of the year out in left field, and we’d strikeout 10 times as a club in this one, basically doing everything in our power to drop this series before heading into the all-star break.

Record: 56-33, .629, 1st NL West
Up Next: All-Star festivities… then we’ll get back after it against the Phoenix Coyotes at home.

[pauwoo]

But first the All-Star Game… I’ll be honest – I don’t like it. I mean, you gotta have it, I get that, but in the game it just serves to mess up my flow. I like having it for record keeping – so & so from wherever was a 6-time All Star, that sort of thing – but as far as caring who won, who took home the MVP award, etc… meh. So, on that note, the American League won it, by a score of 4-3, with SS Vance Dungeon (Dallas) leading the way with a double, 2 runs scored and an RBI – he’ll be your MVP – and, as for our guys, Oh Hong secured a hit, Otto got one too (and an RBI), and Marco Ortega walked one in 1 IP. I hope the guys had fun, but now it’s time to get back to work…

Phoenix Coyotes (36-54, .400, 6th NL West) @ Los Angeles Leopards (56-33, .629, 1st NL West)
To see our once proud rivals, and my first post as a GM in this save, at the bottom of the NL West, losers of 3 straight before the break, and owners of an 2-8 record over their last 10 doesn’t give me the satisfaction you’d think it would. What I want is for Phoenix to be good… just not good enough to compete with the likes of us when the chips are down, when immortality is on the line, when opportunity is knocking and we’re both doing our level best to open the door first. And, I think I’ve said this before (likely several times), though I’m not sure as it’s been a minute since I’ve even opened this save, the Coyotes have some pieces, there’s a few bonified stars on their roster – SP Landon Sampson (59/59) & LF Harlem Peterson (76/76) each come to mind – but there’s not really anything there to fill in the gaps, nothing too intriguing in the pipeline, and, with the two I’ve mention included, their star caliber players are starting to age out. They got money, they’re in a great market, and they have an owner who, while temperamental, is willing to splash his fortune around a little bit on a winner. One thing is for sure – something needs to change for this club during the offseason because the path they’re on… well, it ain’t the one.

90 of 162: Rufo Luna (7-4, 3.59) @ Larimel Alvarez (8-7, 3.20)
Win, 3-2. We’d break what can only be called a low energy, low-scoring affair open during the bottom of the 7th when C Lee Rolon hit a 2-run triple to put us ahead after not scoring any runs since the 1st frame and trying to dig ourselves out of a 1-run hole since the 3rd. Larimel pitched an uneven 5-innings where he’d allow 4 hits and 2 earned, Rad Taylor picked up his 2nd win of the year after putting in a 5-pitch inning of relief, and Don Haag, back from the break no worse for wear, recorded his 29th save of the year.

91 of 162: Mike Clendenin (4-8, 4.04) @ Nacho Valadez (5-1, 2.92)
Win, 9-6. Oh Hong drove in two during a 4-run bottom of the 6th that put us up for good and Ramiro Marte got the win after turning in 2.2 innings of relief, taking over from an erratic Nacho who gave up 4 earned and walked three in his 4-innings of service. Save #30 for Haag, two runs scored for Humberto, and a glorious 3-for-4, 3 RBI, 2 run day at the plate for our backup backstop, Julian Nagy. This one felt like an apology to the fans that showed up at the park yesterday – more energy, more runs, and a lot more fun for the hometown faithful… Phoenix’s SS Marcel Suggs had something of a day too – 4-for-4, 2 doubles, and 3 RBI for the 30yo fielding dynamo.


Elsewhere: 3B Bono Jimenez may never find what’s he’s looking for as a 25yo prospect that tops out at 34 OVR, but he did endear himself to the Oklahoma City crowd as he led the Friendlys to a 6-5 win over the Manitoba Bison on the back of a 2-for-3, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 run day… probably his 2nd best performance of the year with a 3-for-5, 4 RBI day in Macon being his high water mark so far this season.

92 of 162: Landon Sampson (5-3, 2.99) @ Dani Thorpe (4-5, 4.06)
Win, 4-1. We’d make it three in a row against the lowly Coyotes as Dani Thorpe would be our only starter to earn a win since the All-Star break on the back of his 6.1-inning, 6-hit, 1 earned performance with Dalton, Hong, Isaac, and Blasko each driving in a run to give him more than enough support. Otto’s RBI came on a solo shot, Blasko hit two doubles, and we turned two double plays… we’ve come out of the gates hot!

93 of 162: Jamey Montgomery (0-0, 0.00) @ Leonardo Duarte (6-1, 3.07)
Win, 4-3 (13). It’s take extra frames to get it sorted but, in the end, superstar Otto Isaac came through with a SOLO HOMER to walk Phoenix off to complete the 4-game sweep at home. Isaac finished 3-for-5 with that timely TANK, Blasko brought one in on a single, his only hit in 5 tries, and Lee Rolon hit a SAC FLY to record his 20th RBI of the season… while Duarte, after 6.2 solid innings of work would watch on from the dug out as we trotted out 4 more pitchers with T-Rex Stiles earning the win in the end, improving to 3-1 on the year after tossing the final two frames of this contest.

Also, we’re number one, we’re number one!

Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) Los Angeles Leopards (126.1, +)
2) Charlotte Imperials (106.3, -)
3) Detroit Motors (104.5, +)
4) Mexico City Jaguars (103.9, ++)
5) Pittsburgh Pipers (103.7, -)
6) San Diego Skipjacks (101.2, o)
7) New York Sluggers (99.0, ++)
8) Philadelphia Founders (93.0, ++)
9) Miami Herons (92.1, --)
10) Vancouver Mounties (90.0, o)

Record: 60-33, .645, 1st NL West
Up Next: We have a travel day to caravan down to San Diego, where we’ll kick off a 6 game road trip in paradise before heading east to Montreal.

[pauwoo]

Los Angeles Leopards (60-33, .645, 1st NL West) @ San Diego Skipjacks (55-40, .578, 2nd NL West)
At merely 6 games back, and with plenty of runway left, San Diego presents the most clear and present danger to the goal of winning our division for the 9th time in 10 years. Balanced on both sides of the ball, San Diego, unlike the city they represent, does nothing fancy – instead, they field a workmanlike group of ballplayers who focus on the fundamentals, the little things, and defense. They do boast some young, all-world talent of course with 26yo SS Jalen Payton (79/80) and 25yo SP Lucas Torres (76/80) leading the charge, but have, seemingly, started to master the art of filling in the periphery and look like they have the foundation set for what could become our most bitter rivalry for years to come… Of course, I don’t want to get ahead of myself, this success they’re tasting now has been short-lived, so, for now we’ll look at them like they’re the kid that grew a couple of inches over the summer – bigger, likely stronger, but the jury is still out on if they’re any tougher than they used to be.

94 of 162: Marco Ortega (10-4, 3.02) @ Lucas Torres (6-5, 2.81)
Win, 5-4. IF Utilityman, Ryan Bearnson, who has started 15-games for us this season, hit the game-winning, run-scoring sacrifice fly during the top of the 9th, giving Don Haag all the cushion he’d need to close this one out, as our Leopards found a way to win their 5th straight since the All Star break… your boy Oh Hong plated twice, Lucas Sherman hit a 2-run TANK in a PH appearance, and the club turned two dastardly double plays to help the recover after a Hutchinson error led to two, early unearned runs for the home team.


Elsewhere: Attaboy, Ben Compton!

Benjamin Compton started out as a baby-faced rookie many seasons ago. Yesterday at BB&T BallPark the Charlotte veteran joined the league's 2000-hit club. Compton achieved that milestone with a 2-for-4 day in the Imperials 7-6 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Compton has played in 1818 games with a .293 career batting average and 2001 hits. He also has scored 906 runs and driven in 1057 runs with 207 home runs.

95 of 162: Larimel Alvarez (8-7, 3.22) @ Calvin Fox (10-3, 3.82)
Win, 8-2. And the hits just keep on coming… like a prime Michael Jackson set to release Thriller into the wild, our Leopards have been like a long player with no soft spots of late, cranking out banger after banger while putting a ferocious, 6-game winning streak on the board. We’ve been, The Girl is Mine, P.Y.T., and Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ all wrapped into one… an unstoppable groove, played back in perfect time, with a one-take, talkbox & autotune-free vocal placed right up front in the mix. Here C Lee Rolon (2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R) and LF Dalton Burch (3-for-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI) would lay down the foundation and Larimel Alvarez (6.2 IP, 2 ER, 11 K) provided the solo work as we dismantled the Skipjacks in front of their mothers, wives, children, and mistresses, putting this one to bed with a 4-run top of the 4th and sneaking back in like a thief in the night to put three more bad ones on them in the final two frames.


Elsewhere: Standing in at 6’4” tall and weighing in at 215lbs, 37yo 1B Jayden Russell, an 8-year MLB vet currently plying his trade with the Peabody Briners in the Bush League, put it down something fierce during a 6-2 win over the Coney Island Footlongs… 4-for-4 with THREE TANKS, 5 total RBI, a 3 runs for the wily vet, which, if you’re counting, was good enough for 3rd best individual game performance so far this year in the BL. It should be noted that Jayden led the MLB in doubles in 2073 and put up a WAR of 4.0 that season… he’d win his one & only Silver Slugger for that year as well.

96 of 162: Nacho Valadez (5-1, 3.17) @ Jan Hernandez (4-3, 4.57)
Win, 4-2. We’ve moved into Bad territory now, people are starting to grumble about being tired of our schtick, our vocal affectations, and then we hit them with The Way You Make Me Feel, or Dirty Diana, or Smooth Criminal and that undeniable, unbridled reverence returns as the once & future kings continue to raze the villages of all who would stand in front of them… here we’d get it done early off a run-scoring walk courtesy of Hernando Benavidez during the top of the very first frame that would represent a lead we’d not relinquish the rest of the way. Nacho picks up his first win since the 7th and added a near season-high 9 K’s to his permanent record, Oh Hong went 3-for-5 with a double and a run batted in, and we’d see relievers Rad Taylor, Major Hansen, and T-Rex Stiles each get credited with a hold before Don Haag donned his cape for the 33rd time this year. Our second straight sweep here folks… we are, as they say, en fuego.

Note: As we inch closer to the trading deadline, I looked at who’s on the block… It seems that Las Vegas is entertaining offers for 3x MVP RF Aitor Cubas… weird.

Record: 63-33, .656, 1st NL West
Up Next: We’re headed to the land of Leonard Cohen, Foie Gras Poutine, and North America’s largest congregation of francophones for 3-games.

[pauwoo]

Los Angeles Leopards (63-33, .656, 1st NL West) @ Montreal Alouettes (52-46, .531, 2nd NL East)
With a staff that looks like a who’s who of Leopards castaway’s and a lineup that features Los Angeles Legend and 2x MLB Champ Satoru Ono, that Montreal has managed to cobble together a winning club featuring so many of our scraps is something of a low-key miracle… or maybe, just maybe, it speaks to our organizations depth and ability to restock the coffers with otherworldly talent despite losing good players each offseason. Names like Toni Cartwright and Dwight Beasley call out from the Bullpen, and all-time favorite, Michael Brisk, leads the staff as its Ace – this could be a reunion of sorts for some of our guys… let’s hope we don’t get to comfortable enjoying our time with old friends and lose track of the task at hand in the process.

97 of 162: Dani Thorpe (5-5, 3.86) @ Michael Brisk (2-7, 3.50)
Loss, 2-6. Perhaps it was seeing Michael Brisk sans facial hair that threw our guys off, or the new elegant, yet modest, style he’s adopted since signing with Montreal, his subscription to the ‘Sunday best’ style every day of the week, or his insistence that there is no such thing as casual Friday… whatever it was, this was not the version of Brisky we’ve come to know and love, that shaky, inconsistent hurler whose cocksureness is as misplaced as it is unshakeable. No, this was a killer, some unseen assassin who held us in check for 5-innings before turning things over to a bullpen that almost blew it for him. And, just like that, against one of my favorite players this save file has produced, our run as pop juggernauts has come to an end at 7-straight… we’ll pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and get back after it tomorrow I suppose.

98 of 162: Leonardo Duarte (6-1, 3.16) @ Tony Cox (9-0, 2.78)
Win, 4-0. A late, top of the 9th, 2-run DING DONG courtesy of OH HONG added some much-needed emphasis to this win after last nights debacle and pumped hi RBI total up to three for the game. Duarte allowed just 4-hits in 6.2 innings of work and Orland Arce held things down from the last out of the 7th on, earning his first save of the season on 28 total pitches where he’d not allow a single hit while fanning 3. Now, if we can only win tomorrow’s rubber match, I’ll be able to work my way through Cohen’s Book of Longing without letting S.O.S. 1995 rabble my rouser too much.

99 of 162: Marco Ortega (10-4, 2.95) @ Miguel Almeida (5-0, 2.52)
Loss, 5-7. Montreal bludgeoned Marco early, putting 5 bad ones on the board during the bottom of the 1st, breaking things open with a 3-run homer and following that up, rather quickly, with a 2-run double. We’d work on playing catch up from there but never could get over the hump with our 4-run rally during the top of the 6th falling well short as we dropped this second set of our 6-game road trip. A 2-run homer from OH HONG and a run-scoring double courtesy of Otto would not be enough to get done after Marco left just two outs into the game a shell of his former self. He drops to 10-5 on the year and we’ll board a long flight bound for Los Angeles where revelry will, undoubtedly, be replaced by self-loathing.

Record: 64-35, .646, 1st NL West
Up Next: We’ll take Monday off, bag some rays in the warm California sun, and get back after it against Detroit in our park on Tuesday.

[pauwoo]

Detroit Motors (59-40, .596, 2nd AL East) @ Los Angeles Leopards (64-35, .646, 1st NL West)
Even while operating 2-games off Charlotte’s pace in the AL East, the Detroit Motors have proved themselves a force in the American League – owners of it’s top ranked pitching staff and 2nd ranked offense, they can ring up the scoreboard like a pinball machine while keeping their opponents off it. They’re led offensively by the reigning AL Boyce Rigg winning 1B Paulo Legna and are home to former Leopard, and still dangerous, LF Terrible Tony Voorhis… both are having excellent offensive seasons in Detroit this year. And, they boast a staff that has a great 1-2 punch in Ace Trevor Dotson and Peter Garcia. Also… let us not forget that they are the club we beat to win the 2080 World Series, so any chance to exact some small measure of revenge for that is unlikely to be lost on the club that will be looking back at us from the visitors dugout over these next three contests.

100 of 162: Aiden Jensen (7-2, 2.67) @ Larimel Alvarez (9-7, 3.19)
Win, 1-0. Larimel gave us a tip-top, 1-hit, nothing earned, 5-innings of work, but, ultimately, left before we’d established the lead which came during the bottom of the 6th when Humberto Benavidez hit a run-scoring single to plate the only runner of the game. Otto went 3-for-4 and swiped a bag, his 14th, we hit three doubles as a club, unfortunately left 7 runners stranded, and were treated to save #34 by Don Haag who needed a scant 7-pitches to retire the side during the top of the 9th.

101 of 162: Trevor Dotson (4-7, 3.66) @ Nacho Valadez (6-1, 3.00)
Win, 7-3. The boys lit Dotson up to the tune of four runs, capped off by a well-hit, run-scoring triple courtesy of Dalton Burch as we secured the series win with perfectly-executed offense and dominant, lockdown defense. Two double plays for the club, 5-innings of 2-run ball from Nacho, earning him his 7th win of the season, and a 2-for-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI day from D-Rod rounds out the highlights of what will go down as our 5th series win in 7 tries this month.

102 of 162: Peter Garcia (9-6, 3.85) @ Dani Thorpe (5-6, 3.95)
Loss, 2-3 (10). Randall Ingram’s solo homerun during the top of the 10th would prove to be the game winner after Detroit Closer, Jack York, out of Tillsonburg, ON, struck out the side to earn his 31st save of the year. It was a lot of nothing for your Leopards – we scored both of our runs on singles, hit nary an extra base hit during the game, left 9 runners stranded, and sat idly by as Don Haag, putting in an uncustomary 2nd inning of work, gave up that fateful, game-winning TANK to send Detroit off on something of a high note.

Record: 66-36, .647, 1st NL West
Up Next: Austin arrives in town to see what real Mexican food is all about… all you Tex Mex queso and poorly seasoned salsa aficionados need not apply. Also, we’ll be playing a few baseball games.

[pauwoo]

Austin Grackles (54-49, .524, 4th NL West) @ Los Angeles Leopards (66-36, .647, 1st NL West)
Sitting on a solid, 54-49 record on the year, yet still competing way off the pace, the Austin Grackles are far from the form they put on display in 2081 when they broke our 6-year stranglehold on the division. Still, they’re young, on a come up, and while last years success was likely too much, too soon for them, should they put this thing back together and get on the world-beating form they put on display to close out last years campaign, they could be trouble come playoff time. Here, we’ll attempt to further assert our dominance this season and hopefully, drill into their heads that there is levels to this baseball thing and they’re just not on ours… yet.

103 of 162: Manuel Morales (4-6, 4.06) @ Leonardo Duarte (7-1, 2.90)
Loss, 1-4. Held in check by Manuel Morales for 6-innings, and kept underwater by a relief corps nearly as sharp as he, we’d struggle to score against the Grackles in the first game while they had no trouble running it up on Leonardo who was on the bump for three of their 4 total runs. Errors from Otto and backup backstop, Julian Nagy, didn’t help matters much, and that Dan Blasko was responsible for our only EBH didn’t help much either, as we were thoroughly dressed down by Austin and will have to just chalk this one up as one of those games and move, confidently, on to the next. Dropping two in a row… at home? Yeah, I don’t like it either. Not one bit.

Elsewhere: Nothing earth shattering went down at the deadline… though SP Jack Sanchez-Flores is headed to Dallas as the Las Vegas Outlaws dealt their Ace for a solid pitching prospect in SP Dominic Melvin and a defense-first 2B in Sebastian Ramirez… Sanchez-Flores is great but never really lives up to his ratings and the move clears up $22mm for the Outlaws who will have a little money to splash around in the offseason as they continue trying to ‘build a dynasty’.

104 of 162: Joe Matthiessen (9-5, 3.74) @ Marco Ortega (10-5, 3.33)
Win, 9-4. The offense woke up, charged 5 bad ones to Austin’s account during the bottom of the 4th, and continued to style on them from there… 2-for-3 with a 2-run TANK for Dalton, 7-innings of 4-hit, 2-run ball from Ortega, and 2 RBI from Lee Rolon to lead the charge plus a 3-run TANK for Otto to add to the dogpile. If you’re counting, that makes it 29 homers for Isaac and 11 wins for Marco thus far. These two make it look too easy…

105 of 162: Alfred Adcock (7-10, 4.57) @ Larimel Alvarez (9-7, 3.05)
Loss, 0-2. We were down two and no-hit by the King Adcock through the top of the 7th, with RF Joseph Brant breaking it up with a single that found it’s way through the infield… but, it was nothing doing from there as the Grackles were able to hang on for dear life, keep us off the scoreboard, and find a way to crib a series off us in our park. Alvarez was saddled with his 8th loss after putting in 5.1-innings of 5-hit, 2-run work, we left three runners stranded, made it on base just three times total, and gave our fans plenty to complain about in this one as we played it like we we’re some ineffectual middle schooler who didn’t even want to get dressed for P.E. in the first place.

Current standings, league leaders, and clubhouse are attached.

Record: 67-38, .638, 1st NL West
Up Next: More home cookin’ against the Mexico City Jaguars.

[pauwoo]

Mexico City Jaguars (57-47, .548, 3rd NL West) @ Los Angeles Leopards (67-38, .638, 1st NL West)
The Jaguars have played solidly so far in 2082, they boast the #1 offense in all the land, as is customary, and are working themselves into the form that saw them make a nice run at it during the 2081 playoffs, where they finally succumbed to us in the NLCS, 4 games to 3. We’ll kick off this set with a ‘let’s play two’ where the first will represent the 1st game of a 3-game set and the second will be a makeup for a game we had cancelled on us in Mexico City earlier this year… always fun to flex the road kit at home. Mexico City arrives in town on good form having just entered a 16-9 month of July into the permanent record and are making a run at 2nd place in the NL West where they are operating a mere half game off San Diego’s pace. However, it’s a tall order to try and make up that ground against the likes of us, in our building, where we flex a league-leading, 44-15 record at home.

106 of 162: Owen Sum (5-7, .359) @ Nacho Valadez (7-1, 3.03)
Loss, 0-1. Oof… the most powerful offense in the league came into our park, only managing to score a single run, while their 8th rated staff made mincemeat of our lineup in front of the hometown faithful… just 6 total hits for the club, with three of those belonging to D-Rod, 8 total K’s, nary an extra base hit, and two fielding errors would round out the lowlights as the boys brought forth a super low-effort, low-energy style that just won’t play… let’s hope that, after changing into the road kits and taking a little break, the boys will wake up in time to lay down something fierce in the nightcap.

107 of 162: Dani Thorpe (5-6, 3.94) @ Hunter Cartmel (6-8, 3.22)
Win, 5-1. So, we would indeed awaken from our temporary slumber to treat the Mexico City staff as they should be treated, tuning them up for 5 total runs as we went into smash mode during the nightcap. Oh Hong finished 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI, Joseph Brant hit a run-scoring triple, Dani Thorpe picked up his 6th win of the year after tossing it around for 5-innings, and the boys managed to give the fans who bothered to come out for the late game something to feel good about on the drive home.

108 of 162: Patrick Keith (1-3, 2.43) @ Leonardo Duarte (7-2, 3.03)
Win, 7-0. Here, we’d treat our fans to the world’s first ever, successfully performed Triple Lindy off the high dive at the Los Angeles Municipal Ballpark and, really, just style on the Mexico City Jaguars as we tuned them up at sea level, charging 7 bad ones to their account to even up the series and make the rubber match muy importante. D-Rod went 3-for-3 from the leadoff spot, drove one in, and scored twice, we hit two run-scoring triples, a double, and were the beneficiary of a sturdy little, no hit, 5-inning, 3 K start from Leonardo who improved to 8-2 on the year. We’ve afforded ourselves the opportunity to run our win total up to 70 in front of the hometown faithful tomorrow – let’s hope that fact doesn’t get lost on the boys and they show up ready to put in the work once more tomorrow.


Elsewhere: CF Anthony Jamison, off to something of a slow start in Austin this season after amassing 7.9 in WAR during the 2081 campaign, put together a season-best, 3-for-4, 2 HR, 5 RBI day at the plate to lead his Austin Grackles to a dominant, 9-3 win over the San Diego Skipjacks. With only a .223/.305/.429, 21 HR, 58 RBI line so far, Austin fans are hopeful that this performance serves as a springboard for the young man and that he starts to show some of last years form as a result.

109 of 162: Ben McGillicuddy (4-11, 5.34) @ Marco Ortega (11-5, 3.29)
Win, 3-0. Two straight shutouts to claim the series, 2-1, and a win in the make-up game, would complete this homestand against our rivals from the south in the tidiest way possible as we head into a day off before making the trek to Pennsylvania where we’ll kick off a 10-game road trip against the Pipers. DH Joseph Brant led the way with a 2-for-4 day at the plate that included a 2-run TANK and 3 total RBI, Ortega claimed his 12th victory of the season, and Don Haag held it together for us during the top of the 9th, earning his 34th save on 18 pitches.

Record: 70-39, .642, 1st NL West
Up Next: We’ll head to Pittsburgh for a three game set on the road in PA before heading further east to Massachusetts to take on the Shamrocks in some interleague play.

[pauwoo]

Los Angeles Leopards (70-39, .642, 1st NL West) @ Pittsburgh Pipers (56-51, .528, 2nd NL East)
Losers of six straight yet still treading water in the NL East where they find themselves a scant game off New Orleans’ pace for the division crown, the Pittsburgh Pipers have the look of a team primed to waste yet another year of 1B Tom Franzone’s illustrious career. Their offense, save Franzone, has been a mess, is nearly last in AVG and wOBA in the NL, and really just struggles to strike any kind of fear into the opposition while their staff, led by SP Gregory Morgan and SP Kenly Bartoli, has proved themselves a sturdy and effective unit so far this year. They’ve been swept twice in a row at home, where we’ll meet them, and could very well see that tripled up with the likes of us in town.

110 of 162: Larimel Alvarez (9-8, 3.06) @ Gregory Morgan (7-11, 3.31)
Win, 8-1. We’d kick things off by toying with the Pipers like a barn cat toys with a field mouse, though they’d find their second wind during a nearly disastrous bottom of the 9th where, after wiggling themselves free from our indifferent claws they’d almost get away scot-free, coming up just two runs short after charging 5 bad ones to Ramiro Marte’s account. Otto put his 30th ball out of the park, Larimel put in a sturdy 5-innings of 3-hit ball, and we’d manage to hand on for dear life despite Tom Franzone’s 3-for-5, two, two-bagger, 3 RBI day.

111 of 162: Nacho Valadez (7-1, 2.88) @ Kenley Bartoli (3-3, 3.79)
Win, 2-1. We’d deal Pittsburgh their 8th straight loss on the back of rock solid pitching punctuated nicely during the bottom of the eight by Haag punching out the final three batsmen in a row… 5-innings of 5-hit, 6 K ball from Nacho, runs batted in by Burch and Hong, Rad Taylor earned a 4-pitch hold by fanning the final batter of the 8th frame, and Don Haag secured his 37th save of the season by blowing Iglesias Ruiz, Maddox Whalen, and your boy Pepper Grant out of the water to close down the community pool. A nice, solid defensive effort from the boys here… we need just one more for the sweep.

112 of 162: Dani Thorpe (6-6, 3.83) @ Adam White (6-7, 4.03)
Win, 7-3. Knowing that the Pipers were desperate for a win, focused on not finding themselves on the wrong side of a sweep, at home, for the third time in a row, we’d show no mercy like some OG representative of Cobra Kai who has never seen a leg he wouldn’t like to sweep… OH HONG led the way with a 2-for-5 day that included a double, a TANK, and 4 total runs batted in, backup backstop Julian Nagy brought two home, and Dani Thorpe cobbled together a strong enough outing to leave here with a win, his 7th, despite Pepper Grant taking him yard during the bottom of the 4th. For our part we’ll head further East and attempt to keep the good times rolling in Massachusetts while the Pipers will, undoubtedly, spend copious amounts of time taking a good, hard look at themselves in the mirror after this most recent debacle on their turf…

Record: 73-39, .651, 1st NL West
Up Next: We’re shipping up to Boston for a three-game set against the Shamrocks.

[pauwoo]

Los Angeles Leopards (73-39, .651, 1st NL West) @ Boston Shamrocks (45-67, .402, 6th AL East)
The Shamrocks, at dead last in the AL East & flexing a -85 RDiff, have been nothing short of shameful in 2082, trotting out the 12th ranked offense in the American League that finds itself ranked dead last in Runs Scored, AVG, OBP, OPS, Batting WAR, and wOBA much to the chagrin of their hometown fans. Their pitching, while satisfactory relative to the baseball acumen put on display by their offense, is, under any kind of scrutiny, in shambles, and their front office doesn’t seem to possess the skillset to do anything about it in the short term or even further down the road. Basically, without a full-fledged overhaul in every facet of their organization, the citizens of Boston, especially those that count themselves amongst the Shamrocks dwindling fanbase, won’t be able to draw any of that elusive civic pride from this loose collection of stiffs masquerading as a baseball club. If ever there was a set primed for a sweep, this is it…

113 of 162: Marco Ortega (12-5, 3.13) @ Casper Flores (5-9, 2.93)
Loss, 7-9. RF Timmy Simpson was nearly the whole show for Boston, finishing 2-for-4 with two tanks and 5 RBIs… fully embracing his role as a beacon of shining light for the USS Shamrock that’s been all but destroyed in open waters so far this season, coming into this set listing portside and putting a bad one on us anyways. Ortega was saddled with the loss, his 6th so far, after giving up 6 runs in just 3.2 innings of work, and, despite putting up 7 runs of our own, with HRs from Otto and Oh Hong, we’d drop our first game after winning our last 6 straight. File this one under, ‘counting your chickens before they hatch’… but, alas, same as it ever was – one foot in front of the other and all that.

114 of 162: Leonardo Duarte (8-2, 2.87) @ Jimar James (4-8, 4.18)
Win, 7-4. With 7 runs in the books before the close of the 5th inning, we’d coast our way back to shore, allowing the Shamrocks to get their hopes up a bit after adding four of their own to the official account split evenly over the 8th and 9th innings… but, it was too little to late for the home team as your La La’s came correct after last night’s debacle to put these suddenly cocksure swabbies manning the deck on the USS Shamrock back in their place. There are levels to this, ya know? We’d get 6-innings of scrappy shutout baseball from Duarte while Lucas Sherman and Hernando Benavidez did most of our heavy lifting offensively, driving in 5 of our 7 total runs between them in the win. A nice way to bounce back after laying an egg just one short game ago.

115 of 162: Larimel Alvarez (10-8, 3.02) @ Luke Carlson (5-8, 3.87)
Win, 5-4. Benavidez put us ahead for good during the top of the 5th, blasting a game-winning 3-run TANK off Luke Carlson for his only hit of the game… we’d flash the leather bit when necessary, crafting two double plays and getting an OF Assist from Dalton Burch as he gunned down 3B Andy Oransky at home during the bottom of the 8th. Good, aggressive baserunning spoiled by Dalton’s 70-rated outfield arm… in all we’d finish with two doubles, a triple, Benavidez’s home run, and a SAC FLY from Blasko earning another series win on our way out of town.


Elsewhere: 22yo SP Brian Phillips, a recent Arkansas graduate who now plies his trade in Denver’s farm system with the Fort Collins Merlins, accomplished a feat for the ages, twirling a NO HITTER with 9 K’s and 3 walks to lead his squad to a sturdy little 3-0 victory over the visiting Carlin Chukars. The No-No marked the first time he’s held an opponent to less than 5-hits since joining Denver’s A ball club. On the year he’s 8-7 with a 4.90 ERA, 75 K’s, 109 ERA+, and a 5.17 FIP. So, this will very likely be his high water mark.

Record: 75-40, .652, 1st NL West
Up Next: We’re headed to the Arizona desert to take on the Phoenix Coyotes over the next four games.

[pauwoo]

Los Angeles Leopards (75-40, .652, 1st NL West) @ Phoenix Coyotes (50-65, .435, 6th NL West)
The Coyotes are in a bad way… last in our division, possessors of a middling offense, moribund defense, and subpar bullpen – they’ve certainly seen better days. Lots of them. Though, for whatever it is worth, they’ve come out of the gates strong in August, are currently in the midst of an 8-2 run, and always relish the opportunity to stick it to their rivals from the city of angels. If we’re not careful, if we fail to mind our P’s and Q’s as they say, we could be in for a rough go of it as we close out this 10-game road trip in the Arizona wasteland they try to pawn off as a world class city in Phoenix.

116 of 162: Nacho Valadez (8-1, 2.83) @ Wyatt Ricker (5-4, 3.25)
Win, 6-0. We’d kick off this 4-game series in style, with a dominant, 6-0 win over the Coyotes on their turf with RF Joseph Brant leading the way with a 2-for-4 day at the plate that included a double and 3 RBI. Otto would drive in two more, each on a single, and Rad Taylor picked up the win, his 4th on the year, after Nacho left with an undisclosed injury after tossing just 3.2-innings from the mound. Diagnosis is pending… always an ominous sign where OOTP is concerned. Also, despite the thorough shellacking, it should be noted that Oh Hong and Carson Hutchinson each came within a single K of a Golden Sombrero.

117 of 162: Dani Thorpe (7-6, 3.91) @ Mike Clendenin (7-9, 3.71)
Win, 9-6. This time LF Hernando Benavidez led the way, finishing 2-for-3 at the plate with a bases-clearing double and RP Rad Taylor picked up another win running his season total up to 5 in relief. We’d get a run-scoring triple from Otto, two doubles as a club, a SAC FLY from Koloski, and two steals to round out the offense as Don Haag recorded his 40th save of the season in a 10-pitch, 1 K bottom of the 9th. Of note: Phoenix managed to score 6 runs without recording a single extra base hit. Not incredible per se, but notable for its novelty, nonetheless.


Elsewhere: SP Peter Parrow, currently putting in work with the Vancouver Mounties after representing Las Vegas for two seasons, tossed his best game of the 2082 campaign, turning in a complete game, 3-hit shutout with 4 K’s to lead his club to a satisfying, 4-0 win over the Denver Miners. With the win, Vancouver, at just 57-59 on the year, move to within 2 games of the division leading Dallas Chaps. Quite the battle in the so-so AL West, I’d say.

Also… still no word on Nacho. Ominous, I say.

118 of 162: Marco Ortega (12-6, 3.46) @ Jamey Montgomery (3-0, 3.12)
Win, 13-4. Another day, another blowout… honestly, I find it difficult to understand why Coyotes fans keep showing up for these games. Here Brant went off once more – 5-for-6, 2 doubles, a HR, 5 RBI and 3 runs – with Oh Hong adding 3 RBI of his own, with 2 coming on a double, the defense turning THREE DP’s, and Marco Ortega earning his 13th W after turning in a 6-inning, 6-hit, 3 earned performance. Four doubles, 2 JACKS, a SAC FLY, and 9 runners stranded despite 13 making it all the way around. This was a shellacking so severe that it may take the Phoenix faithful years to recover from the trauma, forever triggered by the crack of a bat, a called strike three, and the image of 33yo utilityman, RF Joseph Brant, forever burned into their brain.

And, in not so good, terrible news… Team Doc, Hidetoshi Hasegawa - in Japan, heart surgeon number one, steady hand – alerted the team that Nacho Valadez will miss approximately 3-weeks due to a herniated disc. It sounds painful because it is. RP Ewing Rivera joins the big club in his stead.

119 of 162: Leonardo Duarte (9-2, 2.70) @ Brian Candelario (4-0, 2.83)
Loss, 2-6. Homers from Mack Ramirez and Harlem Peterson during a 5-run bottom of the 7th would rule the day as the Phoenix Coyotes managed to salvage some pride and get the win to avoid a 4-game sweep at home. As a club we’d manage just 4 total hits, tired from all the winning we’ve been doing lately and no doubt wallowing in our feelings about the loss of Nacho for a 3-week stretch… we did manage 5 stolen bases, helping us to manufacture our only two runs as none of those four connects were of the extra base variety – all told, this was a poor effort from the boys who just want to get back home to Los Angeles after being road dogs for 10-straight.

Record: 75-41, .655, 1st NL West
Up Next: A much needed & well-deserved day of rest followed by a visit from the Austin Grackles on our turf.

[pauwoo]

Austin Grackles (63-56, .529, 4th NL West) @ Los Angeles Leopards (78-41, .655, 1st NL West)
In any other division, the Grackles would be in the mix, a true playoff contender with championship potential. But, here in the NL West, with the likes of us plying our trade in the same division they instead find themselves on the outside looking in – 15 games off the pace, and, despite their 6th ranked RDiff, won’t so much as get a whiff of the cake by the time this thing is all sewn up. And, it’s too bad really… they’re probably one of the top four clubs in all of baseball on paper, have our games most exciting youngster, or one of them at least, in two-way stud SP/CF Joe Matthiessen, and play in a market widely considered one of visiting clubs’ favorites to visit throughout the year. To reach their potential, by virtue of sharing a division with us, would have to come at our expense however, and though I also like Austin, it's laid back, artistic attitude so at odds with the rest of its state, I’ll not let that happen again on my watch. This is our division.

120 of 162: Joe Matthiessen (9-6, 4.37) @ Larimel Alvarez (10-8, 3.19)
Win, 8-5. We’d charge 3 runs to Matthiessen’s account early, putting him on notice that the end is neigh during the bottom of the 3rd and would go on to completely dismantle his replacement, RP Elmar Pirov en route to securing a game one win at home while effectively ending the 3-game winning streak Austin arrived with. Joseph Brant, doing his work in a DH role for us here, drove in two on a double and another on a sacrifice, Oh Hong finished 2-for-5 with a run and two riblets, and Otto Isaac got the ball rolling for us in that fateful 3rd inning with a run scoring double that led to Matthiessen’s eventual demise. Alvarez was so-so, only lasting 4.1-innings in this one, RP Ryan McGuire did enough to get the win, and Don Haag recorded his 41st save on 13 total pitches and now sits just 4 games off the league leading pace being set by Montreal’s CL Max Egner.


Elsewhere: CF Dario Lewis, our 1st round selection during this year’s draft, put in some work for our Short Season A-Ball club, the Brentwood Bishops, today, finishing 4-for-6 at the plate with a double, 2 TANKS, 5 RBI, and 3 runs during a hard-fought, 8-5 win over the Punxsutawney Phils. This was easily his best performance at the plate so far as a professional – he’s off to something of a ho-hum start, hitting just .178/.247/.322 so far while posting -1.6 in WAR. All in good time, young grasshopper, all in good time.

121 of 162: Alfred Adcock (8-12, 4.64) @ Dani Thorpe (7-6, 4.17)
Win, 3-2 (15). RF Dalton Burch would put everyone out of their misery with a run-scoring, walk off single during the bottom of the 15th to officially put this long slog of a regular season baseball game to bed… he’d finish 3-for-6 on the day with two runs and that magical RBI and our 6th pitcher of the day, Rad Taylor, was all but gifted his 6th win of the season after tossing just one, short 10-pitch inning. There’s really not much more to say about it… we secured just one extra base hit for the game, left 7 runners stranded, and stole only one bag in two attempts over 15-innings of play… the pitching was solid though, so we had that going for us. One more to secure a sweep….

122 of 162: Joshua Moeller (4-6, 4.76) @ Marco Ortega (13-6, 3.51)
Win, 7-3. Sweep City, USA… 2-run TANK for Otto, his 32nd on the year, Oh Hong went 3-for-4 with 2 doubles and 2 scores, and Benavidez drove in 3 on his 10th jack of the season. Ortega did the dirt for us on the mound, finishing with 5 innings pitched, 6 hits allowed, 3 earned runs, and 6 K’s on the way to earning his 14th win so far with Ewing Rivera picking up a 2-inning hold followed by T-Rex Stiles closing out the final two frames without allowing a single hit. We’re firing on all cylinders… it’s been a beauty to behold, but what I wouldn’t give for the season to end here and the playoffs to begin straightaway.


Elsewhere: 3B Jesse Brannock, the 9th overall selection out of Port Chester University back in 2080, and current Daytona Beach Hurricane (a Miami affiliate), put together a fine, 3-for-4, HR, 4 RBI performance to lead his club to a 14-3 drubbing of the visiting Waco Rivermen. With the win, Daytona Beach extends its lead in their division to 3-games ahead of Waco. Nice to see the 17th ranked prospect come through in such an important game for his A-Ball club… bodes well for his future, I’d say.

Record: 81-41, .663, 1st NL West
Up Next: We’ll board a plane bound for the East Coast to contest three games in Brooklyn against the Citizens… such dumb scheduling.

[pauwoo]

Los Angeles Leopards (81-41, .663, 1st NL West) @ Brooklyn Citizens (55-66, .455, 6th NL East)
At 8.5 games of the pace in a so-so division, suffice it to say that Brooklyn has seen better days… 11th in runs scored and average, FIP and Errors, the Citizens are a club that has a little bit of talent with little on the periphery and nothing of note to fill in the gaps. They’re a hipster with a box full of beanies at a time when only a snapback will suffice… a mustachioed beat poet in a tavern filled with Rogan bros. After losing in the World Series just two short seasons ago, Brooklyn finds themselves on the outside looking in once more after finishing outside the cake at 82-80 in 2081. And, with a Minor League system ranked 2nd to last, it’s difficult to see a scenario where, without buying their way out of this mess, they start to really compete any time soon. Here we have a once proud franchise proud no more, a formerly chesty Brutus pushing their weight around reduced to some nondescript cellar dweller stuck at the bottom with the riff raff in 2082.

123 of 162: Ramiro Marte (7-0, 2.55) @ Edwin Blaxley (6-13, 4.22)
Win, 5-1. Marte, in his first start this season after plying his trade as our long reliever of choice for much of the season, went 7.1 innings, allowing just 5 total hits and 1 earned run, earning his 8th win of the year as we ran our win total up to 82. A 2-run single from Oh Hong ran our 4th inning total up to 5, where we’d leave it as the boys really just coasted from there – taking their time and just going through the motions much to the chagrin of both Brooklyn fans that decided to show up for the game. Easy money for the La La’s here folks… low hanging fruit and all that.

124 of 162: Leonardo Duarte (9-3, 2.80) @ Case Tunnell (10-6, 3.31)
Win, 6-0. Humberto Benavidez extended our lead to 4 runs with a 2-run TANK during the top of the 6th that all but held Brooklyn’s head under water the rest of the way… Otto trucked his 33rd ball out of the park and also hit a run-scoring double, Oh Hong also brought one in on a two-bagger, Duarte ran his win total up to double digits after befuddling the Citizens over 5.2 innings of 4-hit work, and Orlando Arce secured his 2nd save after turning in 3.1 innings of work to shut the door for us. Just one win from securing our 2nd straight sweep…

125 of 162: Larimel Alvarez (10-8, 3.34) @ Keith Baeza (5-9, 4.87)
Win, 5-0. Our second straight shutout, our second straight sweep… we’re an unstoppable force hurtling down the tracks at max speed with our destination set on the promised land. Or, and we’ll have to wait and see how this thing shakes out, we’re merely that heavily favored juggernaut who bows out of our post season tournament like a shellfish fisherman on a crimson tide. Dalton Burch drove two in on his 7th homer of the year, Otto went yard for the second consecutive game, making it 34 ding dongs on the year, and Oh Hong, our double machine, drove one in on his 26th two-bagger of the 2082 campaign. Good stuff from the bump too, as Larimel sashayed his way to win #11 after 5-innings of hard-scrabble, yet elegant, work.

Record: 84-41, .672, 1st NL West, Everywhere Else
Up Next: We’ll board a plane back to the City of Angels where the Portland Pioneers anxiously await the arrival of their once and future King.

[pauwoo]

Portland Pioneers (63-62, .504, 2nd AL West) @ Los Angeles Leopards (84-41, .672, 1st NL West)
Despite their ho-hum, 63-62 record, the Portland Pioneers are in the thick of things in the AL West… ½ a game off the pace being set by the Dallas Chaparrals despite their -20 RDiff. It’s better to be lucky than good, I always say… and given their mixture of a middling offense, ranked 7th overall in the AL, and so-so pitching staff, ranked 8th overall, the Portland Pioneers have experienced more than their fair share of good fortune. Yet, they’re navigating what has been the best month of the season for them so far – 12-9, .571 – and look primed to make something of a run at Dallas to close out the 2082 campaign. If they can do the dirt, against us, in our house, they just might have what it takes to get the deed done. Smart money says they’re going to get murked during their trip to the City of Angels.

126 of 162: Josiah Kawka (7-8, 4.42) @ Dani Thorpe (7-6, 4.07)
Win, 13-0. Humberto finished 4-for-4 with a 2-run double and 2 runs of his own, OH HONG put two out of the park – a 2-run blast & solo dinger, respectively – Dan Blasko tallied three riblets, the club put up 5 doubles, Hong’s TANK, and even swiped a bag. Just a dominant offensive performance – a juggernaut bent on destroying the world, Saga’s Clay Cooper coming through to bash skulls and toss back pints, and Sven the Berserk all foamed up and ready to go… we were pretty much unstoppable in this one. Good pitching too… 8-innings of 3-hit, lockdown baseball courtesy of Dani Thorpe and a 12-pitch, 2 K top of the 9th from Haag to close the show. We’re basically your favorite band, playing the largest stadium in your city for three straight hours, just trotting out hit after hit after hit.

127 of 162: Riley Valentine (6-5, 3.81) @ Marco Ortega (14-6, 3.58)
Win, 4-3 (15). After putting it on Portland something fierce last night, the boys came into this one tired, sore, and were not altogether ‘up’ for the task at hand… their early efforts, or lack thereof, were rewarded with a 15-inning slog that D-Rod put to an end on a run-scoring double that sent our zombie-like club off to the showers, reinvigorated by a win they barely deserved to claim. Hutch, Blasko, Nagy (he hit a solo homer during the bottom of the 9th to knot this one up), and D-Rod were responsible for the runs, and T-Rex Stiles picked up his 4th win of the year after taking over during the 13th to pitch the final three frames of the game… 38 pitches, no hits, and 4 K’s for our short-armed, toothy hurler.

128 of 162: Evan Church (5-8, 3.99) @ Ramiro Marte (8-0, 2.45)
Win, 11-5. Great series for Hong – he went 3-for-5 with 2 runs scored and a solo homer – and another great day for D-Rod who finished the Pioneers off with a 3-for-5, 3 RBI, and 2 run day. Three TANK’s for the club today – Lee Rolon, Lucas Sherman, and OH HONG did the honors – a swiped bag for D-Rod, his 22nd, and win #9 for Ramiro who stay unbeaten on the year. Portland, who looked like a club on the rise, leaves Los Angeles on the wrong side of a sweep, but, as LUCK would have it, still find themselves a scat game off Dallas’ pace as the Chaparrals lost three in a row too.


Elsewhere: The Arvada Panners (a Salt Lake City affiliate), doing battle against the Staten Island Killer Bees at home, managed to blast 5 balls out of the park, spread across two players – LF Ellis De Maan (pictured) finished the game with THREE TANKS and his teammate, “Itsa Me” Mario Jacobs, got in line behind him with TWO TRUCKS of his own. Arvada won the game by a score of 13-6, improving their record to 73-50 and putting them within one game of the division leading Athens Hoplites. I don’t expect either player to ever make it up to the bigs, especially De Maan who is a 29yo speedster that spent some time with our Triple-A club in Compton before we released him during the offseason.

Some Roster News: LF Chance Bell is eligible to come off the IL… he’ll head right back to the big club with RF Lucas Sherman heading back to Compton. Good on ya, Lucas… you did us proud.

Record: 87-41, .679, 1st NL West
Up Next: We’ll travel to Sin City for a 3-game series against the Outlaws.

[pauwoo]

Los Angeles Leopards (87-41, .679, 1st NL West) @ Las Vegas Outlaws (62-65, .488, 5th NL West)
So best laid plans, right? We’re 19 games up on San Diego & Austin, 24.5 on Las Vegas, and have all but won the NL West, leaving nothing for us to do but go through the motions and hope we don’t see any catastrophic injuries… and, right now, the ‘motions’, as it were, are a 9-game winning streak. Las Vegas is out of the cake, for sure, and, really, don’t have much to play for – their pay, pride (I guess), for the love of the game maybe…. who knows. Here’s what I do know… they have 9 players whose contracts expire at the end of the season, including all-world talent LF Aitor Cubas and consistent 4-5 WAR guy RF Neil Jahraus. This team may very well look much, much different this time next season.

Note: Otto Isaac and Ethan Mullens each have a player option on the last year of their contracts, so we may look a bit different next year too.

129 of 162: Leonardo Duarte (10-3, 2.66) @ Toni Cartwright (3-16, 5.48)
Win, 3-2. Make that TEN WINS IN A ROW… this may well be the best club I’ve assembled during my tenure with Los Angeles. If we can take this all the way to a championship – it will be. Here, 2-time All-Star OH HONG drove in the winning run on a SAC FLY during the top of the 7th and the staff, led by holds from Rad Taylor (9), Major Hansen (11), and T-Rex Stiles held Vegas in check the rest of the way with Don Haag and his 42nd save of the year representing the cherry on top.

130 of 162: Larimel Alvarez (11-8, 3.22) @ Radoslav Borovsky (7-5, 4.74)
Win, 9-3. We may never lose a game again… Dalton Burch went 1-for-2 with 3 RBI, 3 Runs, and 2 walks, Otto finished 3-for-4 with a triple, Chance Bell scored and drove one in, and backup backstop, Julian Nagy, drove two runners in on a single. Larimel secured his 12th win after tossing it around for 5.1-innings, allowing a scant 5 hits and 1 earned, and the club, after reeling off 10-straight, is sitting at 89 wins (16 more than the next club) with a chance at becoming the first to 90 as early as tomorrow.

131 of 162: Dani Thorpe (8-6, 3.79) @ Steve Allen (6-2, 4.02)
Loss, 4-5. We’d make an attempt at a comeback of mythical proportions… down 5 to nothing heading into the top of the 8th, the boys would make a go of it, pouring on 4-runs during the frame but ultimately unable to get us over the hump for what would have been our 11th straight win and 90th overall. Dani Thorpe takes the loss, falls to 8-7 on the year, Oh Hong committed his 14th fielding flub, Burch was caught stealing, and the heart of our order – Oh Hong / Otto / Chance – went a combined 0-for-11 with 4 K’s.

Record: 89-42, .679, 1st NL West
Up Next: We’ll head from one man’s paradise to another & kick off September in San Diego with a 3-game set against the Skipjacks.

[pauwoo]

Los Angeles Leopards (89-42, .679, 1st NL West) @ San Diego Skipjacks (69-62, .526, 3rd NL West)
At 69-62 and power ranked 9th overall in the league, the San Diego Skipjacks are on something of a come up… and, if this was last season, they’d already be up as they would, no doubt, qualify for one of the 4 WC slots that were available prior to the 2082 campaign. And, well, that’s sort of unfortunate – a by-product of my decision to change our playoff system after we were unceremoniously usurped from the top of the NL West by Austin yet still made the playoffs. These Skipjacks are primed, ready to take their next step towards the promised land, to represent our division in the playoffs in the not too distant future – they are, literally (in my mind), only a pitcher or two away from really making some noise, from peeling enough wins off the likes of us to lay claim to the throne that has been (mostly) ours for the last 8 years.

132 of 162: Marco Ortega (14-6, 3.48) @ Jan Hernandez (6-5, 4.50)
Win, 8-3. Dan Blasko led the way offensively, finishing 3-for-4 with a 2-run homer and 3 runs scored, Otto drove one in on his only hit of the game, a triple, his 4th of those this year, and backstop extraordinaire, Lee Rolon, drove in 4 runs – two on a TANK and two more on a well-hit single. Marco went 5.1-innings, allowing 5 hits and 2 earned while picking up his 15th win of the season, and the defense, as evidenced by our THREE DP’s, did its level best to make sure the Skipjacks understood that there are levels to this thing. And, perhaps most importantly, they’re not on ours.

Roster Expansion: Roster sizes increased by three to 28… for our part we’ll bring up SP Sherwin Kane, SP William Tajima, C Darby Helton, and 3B Walter Tignor – and, yes, that’s four… RP Ryan McGuire went on the 10-day due to a strained forearm.

133 of 162: Leonardo Duarte (10-3, 2.62) @ Calvin Fox (13-7, 3.98)
Win, 5-2. Dalton went 3-for-4 from the leadoff slot, Joseph Brant drive two in on a TANK, we hit three doubles as a team, swiped three bags, and totally outclassed San Diego once again to pick up our 91st(!) win of the year…. Win for Duarte, his 11th, another save for Haag, his 43rd, and the defense fielded another crispy DP with an OF Assist from Chance Bell tossed in to round things out a bit.


Elsewhere: LF Arthur Grant, former Leopard and a member of Vancouver’s 2077 World Series winning club, who now plies his trade in the Bush League, went 4-for-5 with a double, TWO TANKS, 5 RBI and 3 runs to lead his Decatur Donnybrooks to a resounding, 13-8 win over the visiting Hagerstown Hummingbirds. Grant is hitting .298/.343/.557 with 22 HR’s, 58 RBI, and a 139 OPS+ in Bush League play. Currently, the Donnybrooks are doing their level best to hang on to the last available Wild Card slot as the BL season starts to wind down…

134 of 162: Larimel Alvarez (12-8, 3.17) @ Alan Barrientos (6-14, 4.21)
Loss, 0-1. Alan Barrientos gave us the business for 7.2-innings, allowing just three base knocks and nothing earned while fanning six… and, things wouldn’t let up from there as former Leopard, Dylan Miotke earned a hold by fanning the only batter he faced to close out the top of the 8th, and Closer Brady Mackay earned his 41st save despite giving up two hits during the top of the 9th. Three strikeouts for Oh Hong, 6 men left stranded, two errors, and Benavidez was caught with his hand in the honeypot – so, not our best outing and certainly not the best way to close out this set…

Record: 91-43, .679, 1st NL West
Up Next: Some R&R followed by a three-game set, at home, against the visiting New Orleans Alligators.

[pauwoo]

New Orleans Gators (66-68, .493, 5th NL East) @ Los Angeles Leopards (91-43, .679, 1st NL West)
The Gators’ pitching staff, more pointedly their bullpen, is doing everything within their power to keep New Orleans’ vessel afloat. The problem then, and this is likely obvious, is their offense – ranked dead last in the National League overall and 12th in OBP, OPS, wOBA, and Stolen Bases – where, try as they might, these Gators can’t really get anything going. After finishing August with a 10-17 record, likely placing themselves way outside the cake, this is a squad that is actively seeking an exit, some way out of what has been a dreadful campaign – of course there’s baseball left to be played, and rumor has it that they do have some professional baseball players on the line… so, dangerous like a wounded animal, we’ll need to come with the energy we’ve been bringing to the table of late to keep these Gators from getting too chippy while they’re in town.

Also… Nacho returns to the big club from the IL after a rehab stint in Compton/Watts. William Tajima returns to Compton.

135 of 162: Russ Galan (8-10, 3.05) @ Nacho Valadez (8-1, 2.75)
Win, 5-4. We’d win this one by the skin of our teeth on a walk off run-scoring single courtesy of D-Rod… Otto finished 2-for-4 with a 2-run dinger, his 35th, we hit three doubles as a club (D-Rod, Benavidez, Tignor), swiped tow bags (both for Humberto), and craft a dastardly double play that kept New Orleans from breaking this game wide open. So-so return to the big club for Nacho – 5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K’s – and Don Haag picked up his 5th win of the season after blowing the save during the top of the final frame – funny how that works.


Elsewhere: The Outlaws’ Aitor Cubas had himself a game during a road win in Philadelphia, pacing his club with a 3-for-4 day at the plate that included THREE HOMERUNS and 4 total RBI. The win further cements their standing ahead of the Phoenix Coyotes and improves their record to 67-67 on the year. I mean, hey, good for those guys.

136 of 162: Jack Boucher (2-6, 5.66) @ Dani Thorpe (8-7, 3.79)
Win, 5-3. New Orleans pulled within two during the top of the 7th but our bullpen would keep their pedestrian offense in check the rest of the way with Ewing Rivera earning a 1.2-inning hold and Don Haag securing his 44th save of the season. Nice day at the plate for our backup backstop, Julian Nagy, who hit a 2-run double during the bottom of the 6th that would ultimately be the difference-maker for us here.

Also, from the game generated recap…

"I like our moxie," said Leopards manager Michael Scott.

Elsewhere: 1B Ruben Zarate, former big leaguer with 11 years of service time and member of our ’75 championship squad, is still doing the dirt as a professional baseball man leading his Decatur Donnybrooks to an 11-3 win over the Naperville Nibbler on the strength of his 3-for-4, THREE HOMERUNS, 4 RBI day at the plate. Ruben is trending to deliver 3.8 in WAR and is currently hitting .319/.380/.625 for his Bush League club… 24 dingers too.

137 of 162: Pete Taylor (5-9, 3.93) @ Marco Ortega (15-6, 3.47)
Win, 6-4. Another sweep… it’s starting to almost feel too easy (famous last words, I know). Oh Hong went 2-for-3 and scored twice, Hutchinson went 2-for-3 and drove two in, and D-Rod brought what would be the game-winner in on a walk… 16th W for Ortega – what a year he’s having – holds for Revera & Stiles, and SV #45 for Haag, who now finds himself a scant 4 saves behind MLB leader, Max Egner (Montreal), who’s posted 49 save so far. Note: Jack York (Detroit) set the MLB record last year with 59, so, if Egner could somehow pick up the pace he has a shot at breaking it.

Record: 94-43, .686, 1st NL West
Up Next: We’ll head to Salt Lake City for a 3-game set against, quite possibly, the worst team in the AL West… and, if we’re lucky, get a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream while in town.

[pauwoo]

Los Angeles Leopards (94-43, .686, 1st NL West) @ Salt Lake Alpines (63-73, .463, 6th AL West)
Here we’ll travel to face a club that boasts the worst rated pitching staff in the American League coupled with its second-worst rated offense. A club so foul that even the non-outdoorsy locals are loathe to attend their games, a club that, to a man, is over it, ready to pack it in, to go fishing, and, really, to do anything other than play baseball for a while – if only to wash the taste of this wasted campaign from their collective mouth. Of note: While this current incarnation of their club is nothing to celebrate, the Alpines do have the top rated prospect in baseball in CF Mason Duryea (20yo, 32/79, 65 range, currently flexing the ‘blade dirty’ facial hair style) , so that’s cool.

Note: Otto has a hyperextended elbow… so, out of an abundance of caution, we’ve placed him on the 10-day with LF Lucas Reese promoted to the big club in his stead.

138 of 162: Leonardo Diarte (11-3, 2.49) @ Peter Yamaguchi (1-4, 4.12)
Loss, 1-3. Lulled into a deep, deep slumber by the lack of anything to do during our down time and copious amounts of vanilla ice cream, your La La’s had it handed to them during the first of our three games against the Alpines… three batsmen struck out twice (Chance, Blasko, Rolon), we secured just two EBH’s (Oh Hong and D-Rod), watched on helplessly as Humberto was caught stealing for the 5th time this season, and left 7 runners stranded somewhere out on the flats with only the last remaining sunlight to guide their way home. This was not the start we were looking for in Utah, but, on the bright side, only ~21K were in attendance to see us come crashing back to earth.

Injury Note: We’ve officially lost Orlando Arce for the season – he’ll require radial nerve decompression surgery… we wish him the best. This led to several moves… Nick Simpson and Lucas Sherman were both recalled to the big club while Ethan Masson will put on a Leopards kit for the first time this year. Meaning, in addition to Arce being placed on the IL, Walt Tignor and Darby Helton were sent back to the CITY OF COMPTON.

139 of 162: Larimel Alvarez (12-9, 3.13) @ Omar Agosto (2-7, 3.02)
Win, 5-0. With each of our 5 runs being driven in by a different batsman (Humberto, Oh Hong, Chance, Sherman, Blasko) you could call this one a real team effort – and you’d be right. Add in the fact that our staff came correct as well, with Ramiro Marte improving to a perfect 10-0 on the year after taking over for Alvarez two outs into the bottom of the 5th, and what you have here is everyone, down to a man, doing their part. A double, two TANKS, a SAC BUNT, a SAC FLY, a HBP, and a well-fielded DP would all serve to neatly illustrate all the different ways our club can hurt you as we evened this series up with a chance to win it tomorrow.

140 of 162: Nacho Valadez (8-1, 2.86) @ Valentin Molinari (6-8, 3.80)
Win, 9-1. We’d secure the series victory, lambasting the Alpines in the process as Chance Bell paced our offense with a 3-for-4 day at the plate that included two doubles, 3 RBI, and a run. Dalton Burch would drive three in as well, with all of them coming on an 8th inning dinger… the club hit 5 two-baggers in this one and managed to bring 9 across while leaving 7 more stranded. Another swiped win for Ramiro Marte, who improved to 11-0 on the year, after coming in for the last out of the bottom of the 4th as Nacho ran out of gas early in this one.

Record: 96-44, .685, 1st NL West
Up Next: A quick flight back to the City of Angels where the Mexico City Jaguars will be anxiously awaiting our arrival.