The good news is, the Bobwhites won more than twice as many games in August as they did in July. The bad news is, that's still only 13 wins, against 16 losses, continuing the streak of losing months that began in May. Yeah, the club still has its hitters, with a couple of them garnering JL Player of the Week honors. But things are getting stagnant around here, as evidenced by the fact that the club is on pace for over 3 million in paid attendance, yet revenues are projected to be negative for the season. Translation: a lot of fans are simply not showing up to the park anymore, spending money, buying merchandise. What a shame for a franchise that boasts some of the finest young hitters in the league.
Starter of the Month
Jerome Powell
This wasn't really planned, but due to massive ineffectiveness on the part of the big league staff, 25 year old Powell got the call as August began. And, being the lefty control artist the club got in return for Neil McKinney, it was great to see him pitch very well all month long, to the tune of a 3-3 record, 3.46 ERA, and 30 K's in 39 IP.
Reliever of the Month
Donald Boyd
Boyd has been one of the go-to guys in AAA for quite a while now, having gotten the call in each of the past 4 seasons, many times more than once. He was about the only reliever all month to do anything decent, going 2-0 while giving up 3 runs in 11 innings.
Infielder of the Month
Lamont Poper
This Cleveland, OH native has always been a huge fan favorite due to his hard-nosed play and blue collar roots. This month he recorded a .975 OPS, which included 7 home runs and 20 RBI. He also showcased some rare plate discipline for the month, drawing 15 walks compared to only 11 K's.
Outfielder of the Month
Jim Wilson
Who else could it be? In addition to posting a .307/.357/.584 slash line, he also launched 9 more bombs during the month. With the Kernels' Nigel Halime fracturing his thumb mid-month, Wilson has an excellent chance to lead the MBBA in home runs in only his second full season, becoming the first Bobwhite to surpass the 50 homer mark since McKinney did it in 1997.
Injury Report:
SS Nasir Jones now looks to miss the rest of the season with lingering post-concussion symptoms.
SP/RP Chester Palabra is still on the 60 Day DL, and the team is being very tight lipped about the situation. Is it drug rehab? Was it a mental breakdown? DO they even know where he IS???
