56.08 Injuries Down the Stretch Threaten Monarch Lead

[pandan]

London announced this week another injury to its squad. SP Manaalii Cardinia tore his flexor tendon and will miss the next 16 months. He joins LF Taylor Barfoot and SS Barrett Marshall on the sidelines for the back end of the season. The Monarchs recalled SP Motka Beteev to take Cardinia's spot in the rotation.

Cardinia's had an up and down season, splitting time between GBC and London's AAA affiliate in Victoria. His injury contextualizes his performance, and it makes this writer wonder if he had been feeling a tweak in his elbow before learning it was torn. In 16 starts (82.1 IP) for London, Cardinia is 5-6 with a 5.03, good for .6 WAR and a 113 FIP-. Hardly unplayable, but certainly below average. Beteev's also been up and down, getting 6 starts earlier this season, posting a 5.91 ERA.

It's another setback for a London team that's been in the driver's seat for most of the year. After a strong first half that saw London take the GBC lead, the injuries to top performers after the all-star break have started to take its toll. The team's lead in the division has shrunk to 3 games over Cairo, Jerusalem, and Sydney. All are within striking distance and could easily take London's top spot, especially as the team struggles to get production with these injuries.

Thankfully, London's pitching has been the bright spot in the GBC. London leads or is top 2 in all pitching categories except for K's. Conversely, its batting statistics place it in the bottom half of teams across the board, most notably a dead last in batting average with a .252 for the season. It's clear London's been relying on the strength of their pitching, but the low octane offense certainly will cause problems down the stretch. Last week's sweep at the hands of Cairo certainly put the team in a more precarious situation then they'd hoped.

The slew of free agent signings and call-ups have done little to fill the shoes of their injured counterparts. Despite the strong record, its clear this isn't the same London team that we saw in the first half. With a little more than 6 weeks left, London will be closely monitoring performance across the org and making moves to ensure they are in a position to stay competitive down the stretch.