.500 week, but Riyadh still make roster changes
A 3-run eighth innings by the Cedars in the week’s first game sent Riyadh to a one-run loss and stopped the Red Crescents from equalling their best ever run of five wins on the trot. Last year we played two series in Athens and lost all six games, this year we had a home series at last and won two out of three games. The loss was 1-11 though and equalled Riyadh’s biggest of 2047 which was almost exactly a month ago when we went down by the same scoreline in Tripoli. The week finished with Riyadh splitting the first two games in Manama. Riyadh have been keeping the runs down though, those two 11 runs against games are the only double-digit games against the Red Crescents this season A 3-3 week was while the only two times they have hit double-digit runs in a game was ten runs twice, both 10-9 wins in extra innings games.
A 3-3 week was not as bad as it was when Riyadh opened 2047 but still leaves them trailing in behind all other nine UMEBA teams. We have though played one or two games less than the teams around us. Colin Adams just hasn’t cut the mustard in Riyadh and he’s now heading for Double-A Santiago with Roy MacGugan coming the other way to earn his first major league contract. In the outfield the gloves haven’t been really bad, but they haven’t flashed the leather or the bats either, so 32-yr-old Aurelio Lopez heads for waivers and Donnie Peacock will be returning to the UMEBA to try his luck once more. Juan Martinez had replaced Lopez as the starting left fielder last week and responded by hitting three homers which coincidently equals the number of homers the rest of the Riyadh outfield, put together, has hit all season. We have improved the infield this year, now next year fixing the outfield must be a priority.
Two of the big three pitchers we recruited this off season to improve the staff came to me this weekend, both saying that they don’t wish to play for losers anymore. I summonsed our Director of sand holes and explained, in front of him, to Juan Rodriguez (1-5) and Raul Correa (1-4) that if they hadn’t have been so shit we probably wouldn’t have been losing. I then motioned to our Director of sand holes that we had two volunteers to fill his latest holes. As I went home that night I noted with pleasure that both of them had filled the holes in the car park, buried up to their necks in the holes. We would let them out when it was their turn to pitch next, hopefully it might encourage them to put more effort into their throwing.
2047 Riyadh Results against the UMEBA (Up to May 25th)
Vs BURT
| Team | HW | HL | AW | AL | RF | RA | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baghdad | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 39 | 39 | 4-5 |
| Beirut | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 43 | 46 | 5-5 |
| Jerusalem | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 37 | 46 | 3-7 |
| Manama | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 37 | 48 | 4-6 |
| Team | HW | HL | AW | AL | RF | RA | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 21 | 2-1 |
| Bucharest | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 |
| Cairo | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 11 | 1-2 |
| Mumbai | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 |
| Tripoli | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 23 | 0-3 |