Under New Managment: A Crimson Hose Dynasty

[CameRoN0407]

Well, I decided to play a AAA game for two reasons. One, I wanted to see my prospects in action (The real action is down an AA with Gerrit and Co.). Two, is the pitching matchup. We are facing the Knights (White Sox), and here's the pitchers:





Former farmhand Anthony Ranaudo! If you remember, we sent him to Chicago last year along with Ryan Kalish for Alex Rios to help out left field.

Let's just start by saying Barnes went OFF on Chicago. Our offense did too. Our offense scored 7 runs, and Brock Holt was responsible for 3 pf them thanks to a home run. Jacobs got 2, Hedges and Brentz both got a single ribby.

Barnes allowed 0 runs thru 8.1 innings, when he had to leave because of an arm injury. Carpenter would come in and finish 'em off to finish the game at 7-0. And your player of the game:





That would be it for that. I scouted, and came up with great results. The FO is pretty happy about the season for our prospects. Now, as for Barnes:



Massive sigh of relief for us. Barnes looked hurt out there, but he was able not to miss too much time. Thank goodness, because we expect him to be in the majors within the year.

Our AA crop of pitchers include Owens, Stephenson, Buttrey, Hale, and Johnson. All of which are close to AAA. Man, am I excited for the future of this dynasty!

[CameRoN0407]

Well, It's time for one of, if not, the biggest sports rivalry in sports history. Man, these two teams have gone at it time and time again, but today, it will be a clash like never before. The Yankees are 3.5 out of the AL East lead, behind only the Red Sox. They had a shot coming into the series, but lost game 1, won game 2, and now it's game 3 of the 4 game matchup.



That is a map outlining the border that was made up for Sox fans shun NY fans, and vice-versa. Today we are East of that in the great city of Boston. Our starters would've been Sabathia vs. De La Rosa, but Sabathia Fractured his head about 2 weeks ago, and is out for the season. So, they send out their new ace, Ivan Nova. Nova is 7-3 on the season with a sub 3.90 ERA, and 54 Ks. De La Rosa has been on a hot streak lately, so hopefully he'll continue. Let's begin!

The scoring started in the third, with a Evan Gattis solo no-doubter. Pedroia would get an RBI groundout that would score Jackie Bradley. Victorino, who was advanced on that play, would score on a Big Papi single. That would mean a 3 run fourth!

Texeria almost started the scoring for the Yanks in the 6th,



But it would be a leadoff triple, in which De La Rosa was able to get three more outs, and keep Texeria right there. But next inning, Austin Romine was driven to the plate on a Brett Gardner hit. 3-1. Then in the eigth, a milestone would be reached:



A Curtis Granderson solo shot. But that would be his 250th career home run! We would like to congratulate him on that virtual feat!

But we would turn that moment sour for Yankee fans, as Will Middlebrooks would get a double to score Pedroia. 4-2. Closer Drew Storen would come in the ninth, get two outs, allow Gardner and Ichiro to get on base, then end it on a Texeria ground out.





**Note: We optioned SS Xander Bogaerts to AAA because he was doing horrible in a Freshman slump. He's hitting .221/.287/.328 5 HR, 23 RBIs. We are discussing who to send up.

[CameRoN0407]

End of June Recap; Part 1: Standings

In order to go in depth more, I am making 3 parts to the End of Month Recaps. They will all begin with standings. Here is a look at your standings as of July 1, 2014:





AL:
A tight AL East, Central, and West, as well as wild card, make this the toughest league. I mean, 8.5 games seperate the AL Wild Card leader, v.s the last place Astros! The toughest division in baseball is also here. 8.5 games seperate AL Central leader Kansas City, from last place Chicago. The Angels came back from the worst record in baseball, to even this month. Now they are in the hunt for the AL West, which by the way, holds the the teams with the 2 best records! This will be a fun deadline!

NL:
The seniors! The NL is also an action packed league. It is also filled with suprises. The Marlins actually do not sport the worst record in baseball, and the Nationals came back from a .500 record. In the central, Milwaukee is not showing any hurt in losing Ryan Braun. In fact, they are 13-9 without him (better than I thought), and are linked to several top OFers. And then there's the West. The Padres are doing better, but are still 16 games under .500. A huge bummer as now they don't have their top C prospect, and are just wasting away with a huge contract for Ellsbury, Headley flirting with FA. The rest of the NL West in in contention for the top spot which is currently held by LA.

[CameRoN0407]

End of June Recap Part 2/3: League Leaders


Batting:

MLB League Leaders - Updated: Jul 1, 2014
AL Batting Average		AVG.	NL Batting Average		AVG.
	1. Dustin Pedroia (BOS)	.345		1. Joey Votto (CIN)	.322
	2. Adrian Beltre (TEX)	.338		2. Jon Jay (STL)	.318
	3. Joe Mauer (MIN)	.330		3. Starlin Castro (CHC)	.313
	4. Mike Aviles (CLE)	.317		4. Andrew McCutchen (PIT)	.307
	5. Josh Hamilton (LAA)	.315		5. Pablo Sandavol (SFG), Rickie Weeks (MIL)	.307
AL Home Runs		HR	NL Home Runs		HR
	1. David Ortiz (BOS)	29		1. Giancarlo Stanton (MIA)	26
	2. Mark Trumbo (LAA)	22		2. Andrew McCutchen (PIT)	20
	3. Adam Jones (BAL)	20		3. Buster Posey (SFG)	18
	4. Brandon Moss (OAK)	20		4. Yasiel Puig (LAD)	16
	5. Josh Hamilton (LAA)	19		5. Domonic Brown (PHI)	16
AL Runs Batted In		RBI	NL Runs Batted In		RBI
	1. David Ortiz (BOS)	70		1. Giancarlo Stanton (MIA)	54
	2. Billy Butler (KC)	67		2. Buster Posey (SFG)	54
	3. Mark Trumbo (LAA)	60		3. Paul Goldschmidt (ARI)	52
	4. Chris Young (OAK)	59		4. Jay Bruce (CIN)	52
	5. Nick Swisher (CLE)	59		5. Bryce Harper (WAS)	49
MLB Slugging %		SLG%	MLB Stolen Bases		SB
	1. Andrew McCutchen (PIT)	.637		1. Brett Gardner (NYY)	36
	2. David Ortiz (BOS)	.623		2. Michael Bourn (CLE)	34
	3. Josh Hamilton (LAA)	.622		3. Coco Crisp (OAK)	33
	4. David Murphy (TEX)	.605		4. Billy Hamilton (CIN)	27
	5. Giancarlo Stanton (MIA)	.594		5. Ben Revere (PHI)	26

Pitching:

MLB League Leaders - Updated: Jan 1,
AL Wins		W	NL Wins		W
	1. Clay Buchholz (BOS)	11		1. Zack Greine (LAD)	10
	2. Allen Webster (BOS)	11		2. Jeff Samardzija (CHC)	9
	3. Dallas Braden (OAK)	9		3. Daniel Hudson (ARI)	9
	4. 7 Tied	8		4. Trevor Cahill (ARI)	9
	5.	8		5. Michael Fiers (MIL)	9
AL Earned Run Average		ERA	NL Earned Run Average		ERA
	1. Aaron Harang (HOU)	2.01		1. Daniel Hudson (ARI)	1.91
	2. C.C. Sabathia (NYY)	2.41		2. Stephen Strasburg (WAS)	2.23
	3. Clay Buchholz (BOS)	2.44		3. Clayton Kershaw (LAD)	2.57
	4. Jeff Niemann (TB)	2.56		4. Josh Beckett (LAD)	2.62
	5. Chris Sale (CWS)	2.77		5. Edwin Jackson (CHC)	2.65
AL Strikeouts		K	NL Strikeouts		K
	1. Yu Darvish (TEX)	115		1. Stephen Strasburg (WAS)	131
	2. Kyle Gibson (MIN)	100		2. Clayton Kershaw (LAD)	120
	3. Chris Sale (CWS)	98		3. Jeff Samardzija (CHC)	115
	4. Michael Pineda (NYY)	97		4. Yavani Gallardo (MIL)	113
	5. Brandon Morrow (TOR)	95		5. Matt Garza (CHC)	108
MLB Innings Pitched		IP	MLB Saves		SV
	1. Daniel Hudson (ARI)	117.2		1. John Axford (MIL)	31
	2. Zack Creinke (LAD)	117.1		2. Rafael Betancourt (COL)	28
	3. Stephen Strasburg (WAS)	113.0		3. Craig Kimbrel (ATL)	26
	4. Clay Buchholz (BOS)	110.2		4. David Robertson (NYY)	25
	5. Jeff Samardzija (CHC), Jarrod Parker (OAK)	109.2		5. Marmol (CHC), Hanrahan (TB), Putz (ARI)	24

[CameRoN0407]

End of June Recap Part 3/3: In the Red Sox

Player of the Month:
David Ortiz; Ortiz had a stellar month. He hit 9 homers, 22 RBis, and was able to raise his average almost 30 points (.275 to .302) He is easily having a career year at age 38, and is currently in first place for AL MVP voting. Ortiz said retirement is still in the possibilities, as he will be 39 next season, but let's hope he stays put to give the Sox a chance next year!

Prospect of the Month:
David Gerrit, 1B, 18, Portland: Gerrit hit .345/.421/.584 this month, with 16 RBIs and his 5 HRs. He is looking like one of the best prospects in baseball. In fact, he was recently slated as baseball's #3 prospect in Baseball America's most recent Top 100 list. Expect big things.

Top 10 Prospects:
1. David Gerrit, 1B, 18, Portland
2. Austin Hedges, C, 21, Pawtucket
3. Matt Barnes, RHP, 23, Pawtucket
4. Henry Owens, LHP, 21, Portland
5. Caleb Stephenson, LHP, 20, Portland
6. Brandon Jacobs, OF, 23, Pawtucket
7. Ty Buttrey, RHP, 20, Portland
8. Travis Shaw, 1B, 23, Pawtucket
9. Paul Zinn, INF, 18, Salem
10. Ed Herndon, OF, 23, Greenville

Notables: Fransisco, Marrero, Yoshida, Denney, Lugo, Yarbrough

Notable Injuries:
Matt Wieters, Dislocated Ankle, 5-6 Months remaining/ IL: Very High
C.C. Sabathia, Head Fracture, 6+ Months/ IL: Very Very High
Mason Williams, Fractured Hand, 1-2 Months/ IL: High
A.J. Griffin, Shoulder Seperation, 1-2 Months/ IL: Medium
Coco Crisp, Fractured Hand, 1-2 Months/ IL: High
Chris Carter, ACL Sprain, 2-3 Weeks/ IL: Medium
Jason Heyward, Torn ACL, 4-5 Months/ IL: Very Very Very Very High
Nate Evodali, Shoulder Tear, 3-4 Weeks/ IL: High
Aroldis Chapman, Broken Arm, 1-2 Months/ IL: Very Very Very High
Jonathan Lucroy, Torn Hamstring, 1-2 Months/ IL: High
Nick Markakis, Cartilage Damage in Knee, 1-2 Weeks/ IL: High
Carlos Quentin, Torn Calf, 1-2 Months/ IL: High

[CameRoN0407]

It had been a month since "it" happened. The Red Sox front office was still under repair, and the suspects were still at large. Ben sat in his makeshift office that the team had built in the clubhouse.

Quote: Originally Posted by Danny Marcus

Uh boss, can I have a word with you?

Quote: Originally Posted by Ben

Sure, close the door behind you.

Quote: Originally Posted by Danny M.

Well boss, we have a little problem, I've been looking over video and fingerprints that were at the crime scene to at leat try and see who is the culprit. I came back with some, well, drastic results. Take a look at this video...

Ben was watching the television that had a security camera-type image on the screen. It was the Clubhouse before the explosion. He looked in a little further, squinted his eyes, and then shot back with an expression of awe on his face.

Quote: Originally Posted by Ben

No,

Quote: Originally Posted by Danny M.

Yup.

Quote: Originally Posted by Ben

How?

Quote: Originally Posted by Danny M.

I don't know.

Quote: Originally Posted by Ben

We gotta tell Tuffy!

Quote: Originally Posted by Danny M.

We can't.

Just like that, Danny Marcus left the room leaving Ben in shock, not knowing why he couldn't tell anyone.

[CameRoN0407]

It's ball time again! And here's a look at the rankings of each team. The Jays have struggled the most this year by letting the most runs score, and giving up the most home runs. Today we are facing knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. Last time we faced him, we DESTROYED him. Hopefully the same will happen today. Clay Buchholz is on the hill for us, putting his AL leading 2.44 ERA on the line. Let's get this game started!

The Jays would tag Buccy early on Rasmus and Bautista solo shots in the 2nd and the 4th respectively. Rasmus would score on a Luis Cruz single later in the 4th to make it 3-0.

The Sox would get 2 on a Victorino double in the 6th, and next AB, Pedroia would drive in Victorino to tie the game up at three even. But Joey Bats would get another solo HR in the bottom of that inning, Then Reyes would do the sam in the first with 0 outs, ending Buchholz's horrid night.



We would bring in our own knuckleballer in Steven Wright, but that would prove nothing as Bautista goes deep AGAIN for his 3rd solo HR, 6-3.



I only accounted for 5 solo Hrs, where's the sixth? Oh, that would happen a few ABs later on a Rasmus solo HR, his second, and that would make it 7-3. Just in case ypou weren't keeping track,

Solo HR count:
Bautista, 3
Rasmus, 2
Reyes, 1

Chris Capuano came in the 8th, and would stay for the ninth. Will Middlebrooks would get picked off at first to end the ballgame by a final of 7-3.





Note*** The Yankees won their game today at Yankee Stadium to tie them for the AL East division lead. Danny will be calling a meeting on this purdy soon.

[CameRoN0407]

Detroit Acquires Jimmy Rollins
By Aaron Steen [July 6 at 1:02 PM CST]

The Tigers acquired what looks to be the first piece of a rebuild for the Phillies. Life-long Phillie Jimy Rollins will now wear Tiger blue. Rollins, 35, is going to become a free agent at years end, and the Phillies showed little interest in re-signing the veteran. Rollins is hitting .291/.351/.476 with 7 homers, and 38 RBIs on 254 ABs. Rollins is owed $9mm this year, and the Phillies said they are going to pay 30% of it. In return, the Phillies got infield prospect Hernan Perez, and RHP prospect Amos Hundley. Rollin is reported to be in Detroits lineup today against Kansas City.