We Got Wood - 40.38 - Can the Lumberjacks Finish it off?

[7teen]

After a dismal June that saw the Lumberjacks go 8-20 overall, Portland is looking to rebound in July and perhaps post their first winning record for a month all season. After a solid 4-3 sim, the Lumberjacks now sit 9-7 overall for July and could possibly pull off the feat. But it won't be easy.

"Did someone say it would be easy" asked GM Chris Wilson? "Nothing is easy, especially when you're an expansion team. But the schedule does bode well for us to a degree. We play Seattle, Omaha, and Chicago to conclude the month. Omaha is the only squad with a winning record in the bunch. Seattle has been playing poorly for most of the season but they're still ahead of us in the standings. As for Chicago, well, they're pretty damn clueless out there. They've tried to steal, cheat, and rob their way to wins this season and it hasn't worked out very well. Now that Simpson is out, I wouldn't be surprised if they just gave up the rest of the way. The only problem we have with our schedule and these teams is every series is on the road. And we haven't played too well on the road this season."

The Lumberjacks have already kicked off this massive road trip by taking 2 of 3 against Hawaii in Hawaii. The club then flew North and started their Seattle series by dropping the opener. Three games still remain in the four-game set. They'll then travel to Omaha after an off-day and then to Chicago for what GM Chris Wilson has dubbed "The Series in Hell".

"It's the first time we've had a series in Chicago in a very long time. There was a reason the BBA left the city many years ago. Kyle, the old GM there, was wise to move out and head south to Alabama. Now this new owner there, Vinnie and his lacky, Vic, thought it was good to move back there to run some illegal towing company. The whole concept just puts a black eye on the whole league."

Ortega Nails Down 5 Straight

It's been a rough season for Luis Ortega (so bad the team flirted with waiving him and actually did but failed to send in that export) but the Lumberjacks closer has turned it around of late by saving 5 consecutive games. "It's been a rough season" said Ortega. "I just haven't had my best stuff it seems and when I do, it seems something just goes wrong. Hopefully this is a sign of better things to come and I have a monster second half of the season."

Ortega is 1-7 on the season with 18 saves and a 6.23 ERA.



Schipper Homers in 4 Straight
Little known Nikita Schipper is becoming a household name in Porltand this season. After getting sent down to the minors in the first week of the season, Schipper has returned with a vengeance. The un-heralded shortstop hit 5 homeruns in the most recent sim, including homering in 4 consecutive games. "When you get in a groove, it just sticks sometimes" said the 165 pound stud. "When things are good you hope to stay on that ride for a while. Of course when things go bad, you'll do almost anything to make it stop."

Schipper is batting .264/.311/.586 in 39 games played with 11 homeruns, 33 RBI, and a 1.1 WAR on the season.