How are the New Orleans Crawdads getting it done? A bit mysteriously, that's how. They're 6th in Runs Scored, 8th in Runs Allowed. No dominating statistic, all very middle of the road. How long will they keep sending out Eru Likiliki (4-5, 5.38 ERA, 1.61 WHIP) to make regular starts?
The Rockville Pikemen are five games out, featuring a productive small ball offense, and a highly effective bullpen. Their struggle is in the starting rotation, where Sergio Tormes (4-8, 6.44, 1.53) and one time super-spec Gerald Sizemore (4-7, 5.38, 1.56) are really dragging the rotation down. On offense, third baseman Mike Galloway may be one of the most solid, consistent players you've never heard of.
Want a mirror image of the Pikemen? Take a look at the team they are tied with, the Atlantic City Gamblers. They've got all the starting pitching and slugging you could want or dream of. They are more than just Flores and Rivera. 24 year old right-hander Kevin Shepard is in his third year and continues to pitch well, now leading the team with a 11-4 record, 2.63 ERA and 1.07 WHIP.
Since a brutal April and May (23-33) the Jacksonville Hurricanes have picked up steam considerably (28-9 from June 1 to July 14th). They may have the most consistent starting five in the division right now:
After a highly successful 2049 season, most expected the Charlotte Cougars to take another step and become an elite team. At 45-46, it's clear things haven't gone according to plan. Dig a little deeper and you'll see the Cougars may be a victim of bad luck. They've scored 397 runs and allowed just 365, a spread that usually suggests a team with a winning record. Offseason free-agent signing 3B Brian Dixon is finding life in Charlotte to be quite satisfactory. He's already bested his career high in homers with 20 as he's enjoying a career year at age 29.
The troubles surrounding the Montreal Blazers this year aren't hard to diagnose. Their pitching is quite simply brutal. Consider this:
- montreal.png (15.43 KiB) Viewed 1068 times
We've yet to see "The Genius" @felipe make many changes or put his stamp on the club yet. Instead, it's been more of the same mediocrity of last year. It doesn't help that Bill Constable was lost for the year with the dreaded radial decompression surgery. Tadasuke Kawaguchi has, in a limited role, been crushing opposing pitchers and hitting homers at an unprecedented rate.
Sometimes calling a team terrible is unfair. That's not the case with the Brooklyn Robins, who are indeed, terrible (see below).
needs more #Heartland in the review
