We Got Wood - 40.16 - Cut Me Mick

[7teen]

There has to be a bright light at the end of the tunnel. Has to be! The Portland Lumberjacks, fresh off another dreadful sim, sit at 2-15 for the regular season and currently lay possession to the BBA's worst record. Let's be honest with ourselves for a minute though: Portland is an expansion team. Expansion teams are supposed to struggle. They're supposed to lose! But damn this is looking pretty damn ugly!

Cut Me Mick!
The Lumberjacks kicked off the sim with a loss to Yellow Springs. The loss marked their 5th consecutive and for the second time this season already marked two losing streaks of 5 games or more. Lumberjacks starter Ernie Kinney took his 2nd loss in 3 starts in the game. He did match a season high 6.1 innings pitched. Later in the sim, he'd start another game, and lose again to fall to 0-3 on the season. In that game, a loss to Long Beach, Kinney allowed 5 runs in just 2.1 innings pitched. In the game, he allowed 3 homeruns. As he exited the mound he looked over at Lumberjacks firstbaseman Jon Mick and uttered the words "Cut Me Mick" in reference to the bludgeoning Kinney has taken this season.



Ortega Blows Another One!
If Lumberjacks GM Chris Wilson thought Luis Ortega was going to land the team something in a trade he's probably sorely mistaken at this point. The overpaid closer continues to stink up the joint. Portland, looking for its 3rd win of the season in Des Moines, was clinging to a 7-5 lead going to the bottom of the 8th inning. The Lumberjacks bullpen, not Ortega, allowed 2 in the 8th inning to tie the game up. Portland, with the score tied, decided to give the ball to Ortega to try and force extra innings. It wasn't meant to be. Ortega allowed a single and then hit a batter to put the winning run in scoring position with no one out. After a fly out and a strikeout, it looked like the game was destined for extra frames. After a walk on a 3-1 count, Ortega fell behind 1-0 to Long Chamberlain III. The young Chamberlain needed just 1 more pitch. Ortega through a fastball than Chamerblain deposited 407 feet to deep left field for a walk-off grand slam victory for Des Moines over the Lumberjacks. After the game, Ortega only had this to say:

"I have to be better. There is nothing else to it. I'm better than this and have to prove it."

A Bright Spot Emerging
There aren't many bright spots right now for Portland, especially on the pitching side. But Ghi-cheng Kum is trying to provide one. Kum allowed a run over 5 innings pitched in the Lumberjacks home game Sunday against Yellow Springs for his first win of the season and the team's second win overall.
In 3 starts, Kum has gone 16.2 innings and has posted a decent 3.24 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. He's struck out 14 while walking 6. "I'm just glad to be having this opportunity" said the 25 year old Kum who was drafted by Portland in the 19th round of the expansion draft from Des Moines. "I just want to make the most of the opportunities I get and hopefully I can stick around all season and keep pitching well."

Kum is 6-12 overall for his career with a 5.79 ERA.

[bschr682]

Boise is 2-16. So you have a half game lead on him...

[handaspencer]

I cant help to think about Eduardo Gonzalez when I see Louis Ortega. I received Gonzalez as a compensation pick for letting Ortega walk. Ortega is a great closer but with the stage Montreal was at I just didn't want to throw that much money at the closer position. My fan base didn't like the decision but like the Kenny Rogers song sometimes "you got to know when to walk away and know when to run". I think I made the right decision.

[RonCo]

Gonzales looks pretty okay.