The AABL Quest

[DatCloserKid]

Hey guys, I'm just going to do sort of a play through of my seasons in me fictional league, The All American Baseball League. I am the Columbus Voyaguers, (I did spell it right) in the SoC League, Division 1. I will do 1 preseason post, 1 post for every 1-3 months (it will depend) and 1 for the offseason.

Hope you enjoy-next post coming soon
This was my first post too

[DatCloserKid]

I couldn't help myself, so I'm going to do it now. I have some free time so why not.
Also, post your suggestions and other ideas below. I'm kinda new to this, so I need all the help I can get.

But I digress. Anyway, welcome to the Columbus Voyageurs!! First of all, I'm going to break down our current roster. All ratings out of 20
My format:Position-Name-Current/Potential Stars-Notes

Pitchers
SP Alfredo Diaz-2/2-He's mediocre, but he could be my #3 starter. Good defensive pitcher, also could be trade bait.
SP Alexis Fontaine-4.5/4.5-My ace, no doubt. Good velo and a darn good curve. Not to mention an 18 sac bunt and 20 defense at P
SP Levi Fraters-1.5/1.5-Mediocre all the way, and only 8 stamina. Ew. Probably will move him to a reliever role. He's got a 16 hold though
SP David Luna-1.5/3.5-Another 8 stamina. I'll probably move him to an MR to develop him. More mediocracy, though potential is there. 1 hold though
SP Raul Salinas-1.5/1.5-Lower velo, bad stuff, good movement. Hm. All pitches are 7s and 6s. 17 stamina and 15 hold. This'll be interesting
MR Tom Bennett-.5/1.5-Less than mediocre, but with 6 pitches, a teensy bit of potential. But he has 16 stamina, he is a starter for sure. And he's 20
MR Duncan Collins-4.5/4.5-Amazing stuff, though only 3 stamina. Only two pitches with 97-99 velo. Wow
MR Cody Considine-1/1-More mediocre stuff, but I probably won't be able to trade him. He can actually steal and bunt. And has 11 stamina.
MR Ernesto Cuellar-4/4-Bad movement, but has 2 pitches, 20 rating on each. Also 97-99 velo
MR Albert Manning-.5/.5-Not that bad, but still bad. 10 stamina and 17 hold are good, but he's 34
MR Pepe Souza-3/3-Fairly decent, has 12 stamina but only 2 pitches, and 15 hold. Also a good sac bunter
CL Roberto Feliciano-5/5-ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. Also has 6 stamina 75 groundball percent and is 97-99 velo. Wow

Batters
C Tom Kerr-5/5-17 contact and 20 power. And a 14 catcher arm. Not a menace on the bases, but wow. His only flaw is that he's 34
C Larry Barr-1/1-No stats are over 10 and I'm paying him 1 mil. Terrible
1B John Burton-5/5-Homerun hitter with ok contact. Can bunt with the best of em. Much better against righties and plays 3rd better than 1st, so I might move him
2B Matt Peoples-3/3-Only 2 power but 13 contact. He's ok on the bases but is an amazing fielder
3B Mario Guzman-2/4.5-Mediocre all around. One of my best prospects Though. Unfortunately, he may be traded if I put Burton at third.
SS Rafael Chavez-2.5/2.5-Below avg hitter, but is a menace on the bases. I'm paying him 5.5 Million dollars. That's outrageous
LF David Estrada-3/3-Good hitter, and a better runner and fielder, but he sends another 7.5 mil down the drain
LF Nick Huffman-1/1-Pretty bad but runs like mad. Not that good, more possible trade material
CF Edmond Richardson-2.5/4.5-Good lead off hitter and runs like the wind. Another amazing prospect.
CF Charlie Meyer-1/1-Only good stat is bunting. Other than that he stinks. Better infielder that outfielder, so ill move him most likely
RF Seth Jones-5/5-Great player, and a better power hitter. Beware of his bunting and stealing ability, along with an under 10 error season.
RF Rikiya Matsui-1.5/1.5-Think of the most mediocre player you can imagine. This guy is more mediocre. More trade bait
RF John Duffey-1/1-Better power than contact, and a good fielder. Decent backup, but no chance to start

Team Overview-Some positions will be swapped. We also need infield backups and a little revamping of the pitching staff. Otherwise, we're actually a pretty good team.

Also, my owner Leon Arnold wants us to make the playoffs.

And if you are wondering, I'm using a 4 division, 16 team league on 2013 settings.

Our quest in the AABL begins soon!! Feedback is appreciated

[DatCloserKid]

Welcome to the Voyageurs season opener!!. I will be using the computers positions, not my own, and I'll see how that works out. Here are my starting lineups for our season opener against the Indianapolis Rhinos
Lineup:1-2B Peoples 2-CF Richardson 3-LF Estrada 4-RF Jones 5-C Kerr 6-1B Burton 7-3B Guzman 8-SS Chavez
Rotation:1-Fontaine 2-Luna 3-Diaz 4-Fraters 5-Salinas
Bullpen:1-Collins 2-Cuellar 3-Souza 4-Considine
Setup:1-Bennett 2-Manning
Closer:Feliciano

Now that that's done, on to our first game!

The Voyageurs first hit was a Matt Peoples double, and our first run came in the 2nd. The Rhinos tied it up right away, and put 2 more on the board in the fourth. Fontaine left in the 6th, and our bullpen was dominant. In the 6th, our offense kicked in too, with a Kerr 2 run homer. Next inning, Estrada did the same thing. In the eighth, Burton put icing on the cake with a solo shot. Feliciano allowed one run and got the save. Voyageurs won 6-4!

Three bad things:We had 3 errors, we left risp with 2 out, and we used 5 relievers in 3.2 innings. Wow

Also, we had 10 hits and Collins picked up a W

Next game was a close one, losing 2-1. Our game wasn't on. We out hit them and played a spotless fielding game, but still lost. Luna looks promising, though, allowing 3 hits and 2 runs in 7.2 innings. We also had no clutch hitting, with 5 RISP not scoring. Luna didn't deserve that loss.
Also, Edmond Richardson is out with a sprained knee. He goes on the DL, Meyer will take his place.
Off day before the final Rhinos game. They have a three run second before we get on the board with a run in the third. They come back with a run in the fourth. We score 3 in the 6th, and pull the struggling Diaz. He had 4 runs, with 3 earned. But, the Rhinos win on an error in the eighth. Ouch.

Next game against New York, we make easy work of them. Fraters pitched 1 run ball, and Kerr is murdering the baseball. Feliciano got the save. Game 2 was all the same. Everyone joined the fun, even the pitchers hit! It doesn't help though, Chavez, batting .455, to the 3 slot, moving sub .200 Estrada to eighth.
We played the 5-1 Houston Engines next, and David Luna put up impressive numbers:6.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2.63 ERA. Not bad. He kept the Voyageurs 4-1 lead intact through 6, but the seventh saw him give up 2 unearned runs in no outs and get pulled. Then the bullpen blew it up and gave them 3 runs in the eighth. We got 1 in the ninth, but too little too late.
The pen needs an overhaul, and so does the field. Comin soon.
Next game was interesting. Diaz gave up 6 runs in 2.2 innings, exiting early. At least the pen did OK, SHUTTING OUT Houston in 6.1 innings. Astonishing. The hitters clicked later too, putting up 2 runs each in the 4th, 6th, and seventh, along with putting the winning run on the board in the eighth for a 7-6 miracle win.

I'm on vacation so I sort of have to so this

To be continued......

[DatCloserKid]

Our next game was against the Engines. The Voyageurs enjoyed a 4-0 lead after the first, credits to Kerr and Estrada, mostly. Another run got tacked on in the second, putting us up 5-0. Levi Fraters gave up a solo shot in the third, and two more runs in the fourth but the Voyageurs did the exact same thing. One more run for each team means we win 9-5. Feliciano saved it.
Next up was the Channel Cats. It was a pitchers duel all the way. Salinas left with an injury early, but will be back for his next start. Cleveland's pitching was stellar too, shutting us out with 4 hits. Our pen actually didn't blow this game, luckily, sending it to 11. Unfortunately a walk off single did us in, as we lost 1-0. I make more lineup changes, switching .167 Seth Jones with Estrada at .250.
We lost 12-1 against the Channel Cats, as Fontaine gave up 5 runs in 4 innings. Souza gave up 4 runs without registering an out, and that was it. They also pitched a one hitter, Jared Burton getting the only run and hit.
Another 12-6 loss to Cleveland ended our series there, as our offense didn't click until 9-0 was the score, and David Luna showed off his ugly side, giving up 6 in 5 innings. We did homer thrice in three innings, though.

Hopefully things will get better against the Long Beach Eels after our off day.
It didn't. They got a three run shot in the 2nd, and we never came back, losing 7-1, and committing two errors. Diaz is now 0-1 with a 7.80 ERA. Hmm. Oh well. On a better note, Burton won player of the week.
We hoped to snap our 4 game skid against the Eels. We didn't. They scored 4 in the first 3 innings and we never recovered, scoring 2 on 3 hits. Diaz allowed 7 in the first 4 before getting pulled in a 9-2 loss. Going into game 3 we were hoping to avoid consecutive sweeps. At least we did that. Fontaine only allowed three hits and 0 ER, and Kerr and Estrada homered, all in a 4-1 win. Maybe Fontaine isn't so bad after all.
Our next series was against division foe Boston Backlash. Luna pitched 4 innings, allowing 5 runs and walks. We were constantly coming from behind, and doing it well, until Boston took the go ahead run in the 8th, We never found an answer to that, losing 7-6. We left 9 RISP. No clutch hitting. Next game we started like a rocket, getting three runs in the first. Salinas held the Backlash scoreless until his departure in the eighth. Up 3-0 Feliciano blew the save, giving the Backlash an even playing field. Then, our worst hitter, Seth Jones stepped up and launched a walk off. No kidding. Oddly enough, Feliciano got a blown save and a win. Salinas has a .6 ERA.
Edmond Richardson is healthy again, and he gained a full star on the DL. Weird.
Our next game against Boston, we took the lead and never looked back. Scoring four runs in the 4-6 innings, our stellar pitching held Boston in check. Diaz went 8.1 with 0 ER, and Feliciano got the save.
Our next opponent were the San Jose Fireants, where we scored a run in the second to start. The Fireants tied it up in the eighth. The ninth was scoreless, and on to extras we went, which we quickly put and end to, scoring in the tenth, and Felicicano saving in a 2-1 game. In our next game against them, they took an early 4-1 lead, and then their pitching took control. We tied it in the sixth, but Tom Bennett allowed a run in the eighth to lose it. Fontaine had 2 ER, but an error gave him 4 runs.
Tom Bennett needs to go. He has a 9.72 ERA and 3 losses.
The Fireants took a 5-0 lead, but Columbus easily tied it at 5-5. More offense continued and at the end of the ninth, it was 8-8. The tenth and thirteenth saw one run each, until Considine gave up a 3 run bomb to lose it 13-10. Our pen stank, an overhaul is needed.
Also, Rikiya Matsui replaces Jones in right.
The Rhinos are up again, and we easily put them away in the first game 7-5 featuring a 6-run sixth with homers by Burton and Richardson, another 8.1 inning outing for Salinas, and a save by Bennett, his first good thing all season. The next game was a pitchers battle, that saw Diaz and Estrada commit two errors for two unearned runs, as we lost 3-1. A non deserved loss by Diaz. Another lost Rhinos game followed, as our bullpen lost control again, losing us a (formerly) tight game 8-3. Souza needed to go as well with an 11.12 ERA. Darn

Another division foe faced us next in the New York Steamwheelers. Before that was an off day, though.
Fontaine lost us another one. I'm getting sick and tired of him. He let up a grand slam and a two run shot to lose it 6-2. Our offense is dead silent as well. I'll stick Jones back in the lineup and see what that does.
Jones was back in the lineup, but it didn't help, as Burton hit a solo blast in the second to give us our only run. Luna let in three and now has a 7.14 ERA. We lost 3-1.
The Voyageurs took an early 3-1 lead to start the next game, and kept their 2 run lead through the fifth at 7-5. We lost it thanks to Cuellar, who gave the Steamwheelers a 3 run sixth and a 8-7 lead. We had some clutch hitting to tie it in the ninth, and more clutch hitting to win it in the tenth, 9-8.

Bennett has his ERA down to 6.75, but Cuellar has a 10.95 ERA. I see trades in my future.

The final game in April is versus the Engines, and it was a pitching duel. The first run came in the sixth, when Fraters gives up 3 hits and a walk. We got eight hits without a run. Against their worst pitcher. How??? How in the world do we do this???

We are currently 11-17 at .393 and 5 GB the Fireants and Backlash, who are tied for first.

And we are supposed to make it to the playoffs.

[DatCloserKid]

I'm back for May, where the Voyageurs can hopefully recover after a sub-.400
April.

But first, some roster moves.

Tom Bennett is a starter now, and David Luna becomes our new setup guy. John Burton gets moved over to third, replacing Guzman. A slumping Charlie Meyer gets sent to the minors, in favor of our new free agent acquisition, Edward O'Day. He is 2 stars with some pop in his bat, but terrible fielding. He is trade bait and only temporary. All he wants is a minor league contract. I offer it and will hear back in a couple of days. Up next: more games.

Another Engines game follows, and we start hot with our pitching getting two runs before allowing a hit. 4-0 is the final. Luna went two hit less innings in a group two hitter, which was good.
Bad news:Fontaine strained his hammy throwing a pitch. We'll see him in July. There goes our ace. Our starting Pitching in the minors reeks, so I spice things up a bit.
A veteran MR Elroy Rodenburg is on the market, he is 2.5 stars and mediocre, but he will help. He wants a minors contract, which I submit. I will stick to a 4 man rotation until he joins.
O'Day and Rodenburg signed, so O'Day is our new 1B, and Burton now starts at third. Luna is a SP again. Souza will be setup, and Rodenburg relief.

All of that paid off. Salinas went 8 again, allowing only 1 ER, and our offense clicked. Managing 7 runs and 13 hits in a 8-2 win.
Up next were the Channel Cats, and a six run eighth was the highlight of another 7-2 win. Souza picked up a W in relief. The next game was different though, and Kerr, Jones, Burton, and Chavez, successfully botches an inning allowing in 4 run, none of which earned, seventh inning to lose it 4-1. Thanks!
The Channel Cats love the seventh inning, scoring two runs two win 2-0. Both teams were 3 hit. Luna 'lost' by pitching his best game.
But Tom Keer earned Player of the Week, so it's all good.

Long Beach was up next, and we took our anger out on them, scoring 4 in the 1st and 5 in the 6th for a 10-3 win. Rodenburg pitched a shutout inning, his first inning pitched.
The Eels came back hungry, but not hungry enough, as Salinas pitched ANOTHER 8 inning outing, allowing 4 hits in a 5-0 shutout win.
More hungry Eels, but still not enough, as Diaz pitched a 4 hot shutout in 8 innings (again), and Burton launched his 13th homer in a 3-0 win to sweep the series, our first sweep.

An update on our newbies, Rodenburg has yet to allow a run, and O'Day is batting .278.

We receive an off day before going back to work against our division foe, and one of the best teams in the league, the Boston Backlash, of whom we were 5 games behind.

The series started in our favor, as we squeaked by 5-4. Luna picked up his first win, and Guzman pinch hit homered. We also got a little help from Boston with 3 errors. Next game was more of the same. Another close win at 4-3, and all our runs came from the long ball, with Jones, Estrada, and Burton homering. Game 3 completed our 2nd consecutive sweep, and put us over .500 for the first time. Chavez launched a home run, and Burton notched his 30th RBI with a 2-0 win. Another three error game for Boston. Salinas only went seven this time.

The Voyageurs launched a dramatic comeback, going 9-2 in May's first 11 games. We are now 20-19, and sit 2 back in our division, tied with New York.

Notable Voyageur performers:CF Edmond Richardson .315/.330/.380 1 HR 7 RBI, 3B John Burton .269/.338/.604 14 HR 30 RBI, SP Raul Salinas 5-0 1.36 ERA, 46.1 IP, CL Roberto Feliciano 3-1 1.66 ERA, 10 S, 11.22 K/9

Feedback is appreciated!

[DatCloserKid]

Once again, the Voyageurs await us.

The Fireants were up first, and Diaz let up 2 runs right away, and we never recovered. A 3-1 loss went in the books. In our next game against them, Tom Bennett pitched surprisingly well, giving up 3 ER. Our offensive struggles ensued, though, only scoring 4, forcing the game into extras. Manning pitched until he was no longer needed in the 13th, when Chavez singled to score Peoples for a walk off. Hoping to win the series, we shot out of the gate early in the 2nd, when Seth Jones blasted a 2 run shot to give us an early lead. It didn't last long, though, as Luna allowed his only two runs in the game in the 3rd. Burton homered to give us the lead back. No more runs until the eighth, when the Fireants shelled Manning and Cuellar for four runs on ONE HIT. All runs were earned, too. But, we came right back for a SEVEN run eighth. Right back at ya, Fireants. One more run scored off of Rodenburg for a 11-7 win, while out hitting them 15-6.

I was getting sick of Cuellar. His ERA was back over 10. It was trade time. Possible trades (in order):
1.Middle Reliever or a Starter
2.Real First Baseman
3.Prospects
4. Another Ace
That's it. I don't have any key missing pieces. Also I have a lot of trade bait (cough cough Seth Jones cough)

I will sub backup RF Rikiya Matsui in for the forever struggling Jones in our next series versus the Rhinos.

Yes, the Rhinos. Those Rhinos.
Fraters and Collins let in 4 in four innings, only two of which we would get back. A 4-2 loss put us in our place. But Burton jacked his 15th HR, tied for the league lead.
Next game stank too. Salinas let in 4, only one earned, off of a crucial Burton error. We lost 7-6 on a run Manning allowed, and Cuellar blew a save. I've had enough of him. Indy swept the series next game when Diaz had a terrible outing with 4 ER in 5 innings. We lost 6-2.
But we won after the game, when we traded Cuellar and a prospect for MR Ed Sampson. He has a 1.97 ERA and .88 WHIP.
Up next were the Steamwheelers. We bashed a run in the first, but they did the same. Then, in the sixth, Larry Barr hit a RBI double to win it. Tom Bennett went 8 with 5 hits. Next game, we started out hot, up 3-1, but cooled off for the rest, and Luna pitched terribly. Another needed trade. Next game was the same in a 3-2 loss.
Good News:Matsui is hitting .262/.328/.459 with 3 HR. and we get an off day, Engines are up next.
We lost 2-0, but we lost more than the game. We lost John Burton, hitting .241/.319/.536 with 15 HR. for 4 months. There goes our season.
Guzman will replace Burton, and 3B Pancho Solis gets called up.
Another off day before the Engines, and we take our fury out on them, demolishing them with a Kerr homer, Guzman triple, and 3 doubles for a 7-0 win. And Salinas went 8 innings AGAIN. But Houston sent their rage back at us, winning 4-2. Our offense reeked, and when you pair that with Luna pitching, we lose, 4-2 in this case.
It also doesn't help that we play the leagues best team, the Channel Cats, next.
But we won!? Oh, in extras. Still, wow. Fraters pitched 5 innings allowing 4 runs, none earned (though he made the error), and Sampson allowed a hit and had 2 Ks in his first IP with the Voyageurs.
But O'Day homered in the 11th to bring in three, for a 6! run 11th for a 11-5 win. Yay.
MORE EXTRAS in our next game. Bennett pitched 8 superb innings, forcing extras at 2-2, and Duffield hit a pinch hit walk off double for a 3-2 win.
Diaz won in another 3-2 game to sweep the Channel Cats and bring us back up to .500. Keep it going, boys!!
Our last series in May is against the Eels, and if we win it, we could lead the division.
Salinas pitched another great outing, allowing 1 run in, and the batters box boys took care of the rest, creating a 5-3 win.
And we are going to win the series, because Luna actually pitched well, and Estrada and Chavez homered in a 9-2 winning effort. Not bad.
But we didn't sweep it, and we out hit them 11-7, but couldn't get runs across in a 7-4 loss.
May is in the books, and 29-28 record sets us 2 back from the Backlash. Raul Salinas also earned pitcher of the month. He leads the league with a 1.19 ERA.
Oh and Luna is determined to win the walks title, as he has 46, and 2nd place is 40.
Cuellar has an 8.10 ERA with a 3 WHIP with the Venom. Suckellar still sucks!!

I would love some feedback!!!

[DatCloserKid]

It's Voyageur time!!

We will see the Backlash first, and it was a pitchers duel, but Chavez homered in the ninth to bring home the W 3-2.
Boston was talking smack before the game, but we shoved it back down their pie holes, with a 3-0 win against their ace. Ha ha. Chavez also won player of the week.
More Backlash smack, more pie hole shoving. John Duffield, a pinch hitter, hit a two out homer in the bottom ninth to walk off 1-0. Salinas pitched a complete game.
Also I put Luna as a reliever and Considine as a starter for no good reason.
Matsui wants a new contract, but I don't resign until after the draft.
An off day rests us before the Fireants, but it didn't help, as we lose 4-2, with Fraters giving up 3 long balls. Next game we creamed them 9-5, with Considine picking up his first win as a starter. More of the same next game with a 13-6 win. The 4-5 combo of Estrada and Kerr blow teams up, with 21 HR and 86 RBI between the two.

We have more Rhino action up next, and Salinas gets his first loss while only allowing 1 ER in a 2-1 loss.
I officially hate the Rhinos. A 5-3 loss confirmed that for me. We also get swept, when a 6-1 manhandling proved that Fraters stinks too.
We hoped to recover against New York, who were 1 GB us. We didn't. Luna lost us the game in the 13th. I hate him.
So I traded him. AND SETH JONES. For SP Carl Ramos, an ace, and Eisaku Ohashi, a developing MR. Yep, I just did.

Manning gets sent to the minors, Considine is a setup guy, Ohashi a reliever, and Ramos a starter.

It didn't help. We fell 3-1 when Samson collapsed in the ninth.
I pulled 1B Ramon Cruz up to pinch hit.
The Steamies swept us with a 3-0 win, and Salinas pitched his worst outing of the year.
An off day revealed that Souza herniated a disk and was out for 3 weeks. He goes on the DL, and Manning is called up.
We snapped our streak against the Engines. Duffield and Kerr blasted bombs to bring home a 5-3 win. Manning got the win.
Then came the draft. We were picking ninth. We picked MR Juan Rubio, reliever with 5 star potential. Another MR pick ensued, with Jorge Gonzalez, a 4 star potential player. Next was Angel Pilar, a 4 star potential starter, but he stank right now. Pedro Ortiz was our fourth rounder, he stank but tore up the bases. 1B John Walker was our final pick. He stank to high heaven.

Not to mention that we lost to Houston 7-0. Ramos got the loss, but our pen didn't exactly aid him either.

I cleaned up our roster on our off day. We sent Bennett and Manning down so they could make room for rookies Jorge Gonzalez and Juan Rubio. Considine was a starter again, and the rookies were setup men.

We are now 35-36, and are three games back of the Steamwheelers.

Goodbye, more is coming soon. Feedback is appreciated!!

[DatCloserKid]

The Voyageurs are ready for action!

Even though Fraters botched a 5-2 lead to lose it 7-5.
On our off day, I trade Fraters and Bennett for up and coming starter Dennis Zimmerman.
We caught the Channel Cats when they were struggling, so we got a 3-2 win very luckily. Or maybe it's not luck, because we put up 3 3 run innings in the next game for a 9-6 win. Kerr and Estrada homered. Another win proves us it wasn't luck. Ramos and Rubio pitched superbly, Ramos with 10 K. Kerr also homered in a 3-0 win.

Also, Salinas, Feliciano, Kerr, and Estrada were chosen to represent the league in the All Star Game, which gives us a much needed break.
And Kerr won player of the week.

Up next were the Eels, who were 1 out away from a win when Tom Kerr hit a WALK OFF GRAND SLAM to win it 6-3. Diaz, Rubio, and Feliciano all pitched great. Kerr has 60 RBIs.

(panting) that was intense

The intensity subsided next game with a 4-2 win where Ramos pitched great. We completed the sweep next game, where Kerr, Estrada, and Guzman all homered in a 5-4 win. Zimmerman got off to a rocky start with 4 ER, but he went 7.2 innings. Up next are the Backlash.

Whom we came back against for a 4-2 win. Salinas got his 10th win, and Rubio the Rookie got the save. This stuffs the Backlash farther down the division that we are winning.

But that didn't last. Considine handed them the game on a silver platter and gave up 5 ER in a 6-2 loss.

But Fontaine is healthy. YAAAAYYYY!!! Considine gets demoted, and Fontaine is in the rotation.
We get an off day, and then play the Backlash again. We take them easily in a 3-1 win where Diaz pitched a 1 run game for 8 innings. Feliciano got the save.
We play the Fireants to conclude June.

Fontaine didn't play too strongly in his first start after the injury, allowing 7 ER in 4.2 IP to keep his winless record intact. Our bullpen allowed 1 ER the rest of the game, but a Kerr error cost us two more in a 10-3 loss.

Kerr still earned player of the week and player of the month.

I am going to look back on my trades.
Cuellar-Samson: Cuellar is doing a little better, but not much better with a 6.10 ERA. That's better than Samson's, though. His is 10.18. Jim Peters is still in their minors.
Jones, Luna-Ramos, Ohashi:Jones is hitting .316/.400/.719 in The Bronx, but I actually don't mind, because Matsui is hitting .254/.308/.373, which isn't as good, but I have 4 other guys murdering baseballs, so it's all good. Luna has a 1.46 ERA and is 1-0 in 2 starts. Why not with the Voyageurs? But Ramos is 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA with us, so it's ok. As for Ohashi, he has a 0 ERA in 2.1 IP. Not much, but still good.

And when I said I have four guys with multiple offenses of baseball slaughter, can anybody guess who they are??

Not to mention that we are 43-39 and in 1st in our division with the Steamwheelers 2 GB.

Me gusta feedback!!

[DatCloserKid]

It's Voyageur time again!!

We are back against the Fireants, and a fablos Ramos outing puts us on top 5-3. We were on top 6-1. But they rallied late against Salinas, scoring 3 in the seventh. Luckily, Rubio, Collins, and Feliciano protected the lead for a 6-5 win. Whew.

A series against the hated Rhinos was next. They showed us why they were hated, shelling Zimmerman for 5 in a 5-2 loss. But Kerr homered.
We got a trade request from LA giving us cash and a first baseman for two prospects. I ask for another MR and we complete the trade.
I also concoct a trade with Omaha with Sampson, Souza, and Zimmerman for a 5 star reliver and two mediocre starters. Deal done. Kendall, the amazing reliever, is to relieve (nobody saw that coming) and Rose, the mediocre starter, is starting.

Moving on, Diaz couldn't keep up with Indy, giving up four in a 4-3 loss with Estrada homering. But revenge is ours!! We won 8-1 in a blowout Fontaine's pitching was stellar, and Kerr homered twice. It was great.

On our off day, I put Beachy on 1st for O'Day, who got demoted.

We then hit the road for a Steamwheelers series. It didn't start out too well for us, when Salinas have up two in the fifth. Our offense couldn't hit the ball, and we fell 2-0. In the next game, Ramos gave up 2 in the sixth to fall behind 2-0. But Kerr solo homered to spark a rally that ended with an Estrada walk off triple for a 3-2 win. The third game saw Diaz pitch well, but have Rubio blow it up in the eighth for a 5-3 loss.

We had zero offense in that series. We hoped to end that, but we didn't, and still won. Fontaine pitched well in a 3-2 close win. We finally broke our offensive spell in the next game, but Rose, our new acquisition, gave up 7 in the second to get pulled in a 13-7 loss, though we outhit them 14-13. We did end up winning the series with a masterful outing by Salinas.

But that Rose start frustrated me, so I thought up another trade:Rose and 1B Ramon Cruz for SP Jesus Trujilo and 1B Soh Araki. Trujilo is a temporary 5th starter, and Araki stinks like cow poo, but he's 17. Trujilo is starting, Araki gets demoted in favor of O'Day.

We are currently tied with the Steamwheelers for 1st in our division at 49-44.

That's all for this update, goodbye, and feedback is appreciated.

[DatCloserKid]

Ok, some Voyageur action is up next.

The Channel Cats are our next opponent, and a struggling offense wins a pitcher's duel, while Ramos tore up the Cats. A 3-0 win was the reward.

The offensive struggles continued in our next game, as Diaz gave up a 2 run homer for the game's only runs in a 2-0 loss, though we outhit them 5-3. Diaz got his third consecutive win in the next game, and the Voyageurs scored 4 runs on 4 hits to win a close 4-3 game.

Lets hope our game against the Eels is a sign of our offense clicking again with a 9-2 win. Our new acquisition, Trujilo, allowed 1 ER in 7 innings. Beach, another new player, homered. Our offense slowed back down the next game, with Beach providing all the offense. A 3-2 loss put us back in our place.

I guess zero offense is enough to win, because we won 2-1with Beach homering in his third straight. Ramos also pitched excellent.

An off day followed that, and then there will be a Backlash series.
The Backlash were no match for Diaz, as he pitched 3 hit ball allowing 1 run. Beach (4th straight) and Guzman homered in a 5-1 game. More great pitching ensued, as Fontaine threw a complete game to win 3-1. Guess who homered?

BEACH DID
And he also won player of the week.
Salinas didn't pitch his best outing in the next game, but two Estrada long balls and a Kerr moonshot aided him in a 8-5 win for the sweep. Beach didn't homer.
The Fireants were standing in our way next, and we couldn't move them out of the way, falling 5-4. We had 10 LOB. We finally pushed them aside the next game, with Trujilo going 5, and the pen masterfully working the rest. Diaz didn't masterfully work anything in the third game though, allowing 6 in 5 IP. Kerr and Beach homered in a 7-3 losing effort.

The hated Rhinos were next, and we hate them for a reason. Fontaine got mauled for 6, and the game went down the drain at 14-4.
And LA wants Salinas in a trade. That's a no-no.
Speaking of Salinas, he went 7.2 innings for 2 runs for a 4-2 win. In the next game, we saw former Voyageur Weldon Rose in his natural habitat with the Rhinos (if they aren't with Columbus, I can insult them all I want). Ramos pitched amazing, and our offense played wonderfully in a 6-1 win.

Also, before the rapidly approaching trade deadline, I'm trying to get rid of Rodenburg, who blows innings like nobody's business.

But the Steamwheelers were up next. They were one GB us in the division. Trujilo pitched a beauty of a game, allowing only 1 run. Kerr also homered in a 2-1 squeaker.

LA wants another trade. They went after Diaz for some 1B. Nah, I already have a 1B hitting .345, I'm good.
But I did trade. I traded Rodenburg and Considine for Jesus Tellez, a mediocre pen boy. He is a setup, and Gonzalez the rookie goes into relief.

But going back to the games, the Steamwheelers demolished Diaz for 4, and they won 4-1 while getting outhit 8-7. Sigh.

This next game decides the division lead.

That decision fell in our favor, as Fontaine number their offense to two runs, and Kerr, Guzman, and the rest of the gang took care of the rest with 7-2 victory.

Also, I offer both catchers new contracts. Kerr gets a 2 year, 26.5 mil offer, and Barr gets offered a 2 year, 1 mil contract.

The Voyageurs have a 61-50 record and sit atop the division with the Steamwheelers 2 GB.

Thanks for reading, would love some feedback.

[DatCloserKid]

It's Voyageur time!

We get an off day to start August before facing the Engines.
And Kerr still wants his 3 year contract. I offer him 26.75 mil for 2 years.

But back to the Engines. Salinas pitched only 6 innings and gave up 4 in a 4-3 loss with our hopeless offense.

Tom Kerr is stubborn. I now offer him 26.6 mil for 3 years this time.
Another off day before our game. Larry Barr accepted his offer, too.
Ramos pitched a fabulous game, and a group hitting effort earned us a 5-1 W. Diaz also rocked the house pitching game three, and we put a 10-1 whopping on the Engines, with Kerr homering twice.
But Duncan Collins is out 6-7 months with radial nerve decrompression surgery. I will call Ben Miller up to the bigs. He is decent. He'll be setup and Jesus Tellez will be in relief.

And that will bring up the Channel Cats. It was a close game all the way, and Fontaine pitched his ERA (around 4) and forced it to extras, but our offense couldn't get anything going, and BEN MILLER lost it in the 13th.
I found somebody on the market, he is MR Scotty Hammond. Fairly decent, and will be replacing Miller ASAP. He wants a minors contract, so I offer him one.
We got mauled by Cleveleand 13-3, mostly off of three errors for 6 unearned runs. But we didn't get swept, when Estrada nailed a homer to spark a 5 run fifth in a 6-4 win where Salinas went 8 again.
Hammond signed, too, so Miller goes bye bye, and Hammond says hello.
The Eels were next, and Ramos pitched 8.1 stellar innings, and Richardson hit a 3 run bomb in a 4-1 win. Diaz pitched a mediocre outing, but Kerr blasted his 31st HR to win it, 5-4. Fontaine blew the next game up, though, allowing 6 in 2 innings, and Fontaine must have taught the pen the same thing, because they let up 6 more in a 12-2 loss.
We were facing the Backlash next, and this is an important series, because if we won the series, we could push them out of contention for good. We got off to a good start in a 7-3 win. Solis homered and Trujilo gave us 1 ER. Salinas got shelled in the next game, though, and our pen carried us through 11 innings until Chavez hit a walk of single to win 8-7. Kerr homered.
Speaking of Kerr, he finally resigned with us at 26.6 mil for 3 years. Good.
We swept the Backlash for extra emphasis in a Ramos complete game and a Kerr 33rd homer game. Columbus tops Boston, 6-1.
An off day gives us much appreciated rest. And contract offers. Maybe.
Yep it does. We offer Rikiya Matsui 1.7 mil over 2 years.

It also brings an end to this update, as the Voyageurs sit in first at 69-54, 4 games ahead of the Steamwheelers.

Feedback is appreciated!!

[DatCloserKid]

The Voyageurs are back in action!!

We are playing the San Jose Fireants next, and we don't start out too hot, getting drilled in the pitching game, not to mention our offense didn't get an XBH in a 15-3 loss. We recover nicely, though, as Estrada, Chavez, , Richardson, and Beach all homered in an impressive 9-2 win. Kerr homered and Salinas pitched well again, but Rubio almost blew the lead in a 8-6 win that should've been 8-3.
And then there's the Rhinos. We played an ugly game and lost 6-0 while getting 5 hits. There's more reason to hate them in the next game as they destroyed Trujilo in a 5-3 loss with Estrada providing the only offense. We did avoid the sweep in the next game, scoring seven in the last two with help from a Beach homer and a Duffield pinch hit grand slam to win 11-6.

We were playing our second to last series against the Steamwheelers, and Fontaine pitched 7 scoreless innings. Solis drove in a run in the eighth for a 1-0 win. More one run games continued. Salinas pitched two run ball, but Beach provided the only offense with a solo shot in a 2-1 loss. We had to avoid losing the series in the next game. Ramos didn't pith his best outing, but our offense sparked in a close 6-5 win with Kerr and Solis homers. An Engines series followed.

Our hitting stank versus the Engines and we went down 4-1, but out hitting them 8-5. Our hitting picked up the pace, but that was overshadowed by a conspiracy between Diaz, Ohashi, and Tellez do lose the game, which they did perfectly fine in an 11-6 loss. Thankfully, we avoided the sweep in a 4-2 loss where Fontaine went 8 innings. We got a much appreciated off day, and Matsui signed.

The Channel Cats were up next, and Salinas got shelled for 6 in a 6-5 loss. C'mon, don't slump now!!!

But they did, as Ramos picked up a 1 run loss in a 1-0 game. We finally brought our offense back in a 7-5 win, with Duffield pinch hit homering in a walk off.

We play an Eels game to finish off August. Our only extra base hits were homers, in a mammoth 16-5 win with a eight run ninth.
Edmond Richardson won rookie of the month. I didn't even know he was a rookie.

We finish August at 77-62, and are 3 games ahead of New York.

Feedback is appreciated!!!

[DatCloserKid]

Voyageurs:up next!

Our rosters expanded today, and I only called up interesting prospects, which were 3 starters, a reliever, and a closer.

We resumed play against Long Island, but the people we called up teamed up with Trujilo to lose the game, allowing all 15 in a 15-2 loss.
And one got injured, so he goes on the DL and the rest get sent back down.
We get an off day to pick our wounds, and then head straight back into battle against the Eels. Salinas pitched fairly well, and Kerr hit a moonshot in a 5-4 win. The Backlash try to stop us next, but to no avail. Ramos only allowed one run, and it was unearned in a 2-1 win. Diaz also gave up only 1(though it was earned) in a well played 4-1 win. We couldn't finish the sweep, though, as Fontaine lost while only giving up 3. Even Kerr's homer didn't help in a 3-2 loss.

We played the Fireants next, and Trujilo blew a scoreless outing, giving up 4 in a 5-3 loss. This time Salinas was the one that blew it all up, allowing 5 in 5 to lose 7-6. Kerr hit his 40th homer, though. We managed to avoid a sweep with a fabulous Ramos outing. A group hitting effort created our 3 runs in a 3-2 win. We get an off day before we give the Rhinos. Ugh.
Our rest day must've helped us, because we actually won!!! Diaz pitched okay, but our offense created an 8-4 win!!! Fontaine pitched amazingly, allowing 1 run and having 9 Ks. Our offense took care of the rest, with Kerr homering and Estrada homering twice to win 9-1. Salinas was back to his old self in game 3, allowing one in eight innings. Beach homered in a 3-1 win. We actually swept a Rhinos series. YAAAYYYYYY!!

I also offer Peoples an extension, worth 4.8 million over 2 years.

We have the Steamwheelers next. Sigh. This is a must win series. We are 3 games ahead of them in the division, and a series win means that it will be highly unlikely for them to win the division. This is also our final series against them.

But that's in the next part. Feedback please !

[DatCloserKid]

The Voyageurs are back in action!

As I said before, the Steamwheelers series was a very important one. I won't go into too much detail, but if we're going to win the division, we need to win this series.

We started off great, as Ramos pitched 8 shutout innings for his 20th win, and Kerr and Estrda homered in a 6-1 win.
The division is ours now. Trujilo pitched a 4 hitter, and Beach homered in a 7-0 shutout. We couldn't quite finish off the sweep, when Peoples made a 4 run error in a 7-5 loss.

Peoples signed with us and Richardson won player of the week.

We wanted to kill our streak against the Engines, but a scoreless nine forced us into a scoreless tenth. Hammond allowed a long ball with two outs to lose it in the eleventh, 2-0.
We gladly take an off day. Magic number:6

Salinas is getting more and more shaky on the mound, and we saw that today when he gave up 4 in three innings. We scored 5 in the second. The ninth inning saw a 5-5 tie, so we went into extras. No scoring came until the seventeenth, when we blasted 6 runs to win 11-5.

The next person to lose us a game was Ramos. He let up 6 runs in 4 innings, and our pen didn't do any better. Duffield and O'Day each hit pinch homers, but that wasn't enough to win. 11-6 was the losing score. The Steamwheelers inch ever-closer to us in the standings. Magic number: 5

Trujilo picked apart the Channel Cat hitters in a 6-3 win versus Cleveland. Our pitching was a disaster the next game, but Kerr, Matsui, and Peoples rallied to get us into extras, where we won 8-7. We still have trouble sweeping series's, and the Channel Cats smacked Fontaine for 5 in 4 innings. Our pen stopped the bleeding, but the damage was done in a 7-4 loss.

Another off day before the season's final series. Magic number: 2

The Eels were our final opponents of the season, and Salinas pitched well with help from Beach and Chavez homers in a 5-2 win. Ramos pitched a 3 hit shutout, and the offense laid it on thick with Kerr, Matsui, and Richardson homers in a 16-0 whoopin'. We finished the season off right in a 4-1 win.

Burton finally came off the DL. I decide to have him alternate between first and third every game.

We face the Rhinos in the playoffs. Ugh.

And some guy won the hitting triple crown.

I'll see ya next time for the playoffs. Bye!

[DatCloserKid]

The Voageurs have some Rhinos to take care of!

But I have one too many guys on the roster, so Edward O'Day gets sent down. Other than that, we are ready for action!

Salinas walked two on and gave up a homer to start down 3-0 in game 1, and he almost gave up two more, but Matsui caught it at the wall to end the inning. Salinas is long ball prone, giving up 3 more on a 425 foot blast. Kerr started a rally, but two straight strikeouts ended it. We dropped game 1 8-5.

Game 2 was a scoreless tie until the eighth, until we singled three runs in. Fontaine gave up back to back solo shots in the ninth with two outs, but Feliciano finished up a 3-2 win.

More scorelessness continue into game 3 until the sixth, when Burton homered to help put Columbus up 4-0. Ramos pitched us out of a bases loaded two out jam in the eighth. He got benched in favor of Feliciano in the ninth to close out a 4-1 win.

Diaz ran us into the ground in game 4, giving up 6 runs in five innings before he got pulled. Our offense tried to bring us back into the game with a Chavez home run, but to no avail, as we fell 6-4.

Kerr started us off right with a 3 run homer, but we only got one more from there. Fontaine pitched very well, but Feliciano gave up a three run shot when he came in to close the game. We were off to extras. And in the first at bat of extras, Gonzalez surrendered a solo shot to lose us the game, and the series. Ouch.

Well, our season comes to a close with a 5-4 extras loss against the minors. We met our owners expectations, but I'm not happy, so expect some blockbuster moves in the offseason.

Bye!

[DatCloserKid]

The Voyageurs are in negotiating mood.

Well, I am, anyway.

Also, the Rhinos won the title 4-2. No karma in this world.

Our market size increased to huge, and our new budget is 160 million. Nothing new.

As far as transactions go, a bunch if sucky minor leaguers retired. No biggie.

Tom Kerr received number one batter, Roberto Feliciano earned number one pitcher, and Chavez and Estrada get Glove Wizards. Not too bad.

It's also resigning time. Here is the list
Bryan Kendall: 2 years, 9.9 mil
Alexis Fontaine: 1 year, 16.7 mil
Mario Guzman: 3 years, 1.8 mil
Juan Rubio: 2 years, 840 K
Edmond Richardson: 3 years, 3.6 mil
Jorge Gonzalez: 2 years, 840 K
Eisaku Ohashi: 1 year, 800 K
Ryan Beach: 1 year, 1.8 mil
John Duffield: 2 years, 650 K
Note:All of these are offers!

Ohashi, Duffield, Guzman, Richardson, Kendall, Rubio, and Gonzalez all resigned.
Beach and Fontaine didn't agree, so I offer Beach 1 year and 1.9 mil, but I didn't like Fontaine's offer, so I shut down negotiations.

But Beach is back, so yayyyyyyy!!

Salinas, Trujilo, Collins, Huffman, and O'Day all got arbitrAted in our favor.
Albert Manning and Scotty Hammond file for free agency. No big losses there.
I also submit a currently secret trade, and offer Anibal Cortez, a decent MR, a contract.

We'll end it at that, good bye!!