Phantoms Phanatics Week in Review
April 8-14, 2039
Huntsville enjoyed six games worth of home cooking last week, going 4-2 as it took two of three from the Charm City Jimmies and then two out of three from the Rockville Pikemen.
High Point: A 4-0 shutout against the Jimmies on April 10, featuring a strong start from Yu-bao Tong, 1.1 innings of shutdown relief by Justin Archer, and a three-run homer from backup first basemen Wendel Clark.
Low Point: An 8-1 meltdown loss to Rockville on April 12 in which the Pikemen pushed 7 runs across in their half of the 8th to break open a 1-1 game. The primary culprit: Justin Archer, who allowed 6 runs in 0.2 innings.
Batter of the Week
Fernando Reyes, LF: 22 AB, 8 H, 3 HR, 9 RBI, .364 BA, 1.345 OPS
Pitcher of the Week
François Mangin, SP: 8.0 IP, 4 HA, 2 BB, 3 K, 0.75 WHIP, 1-0.
Game of the Week
The Phantoms weren’t rattled when Rockville battled back to tie them at 3-all in the top of the 5th of their April 14 game at the Opera House. Huntsville put up a three-spot in the bottom of the inning, with LF Fernando Reyes providing a timely 2-run double against SP Arthur Dempster. The game also featured homers by Reyes, 3B Victor Bedolla, and SS Fernando Navarro. Starter Juan Nicto notched his second win of the season, while Justin Archer nailed down his fifth save.
News and Notes
The Phantoms continue to run like their hair’s on fire, swiping another 8 bases to bring the team’s Johnson League-leading total to 20 … Huntsville continues to lead the JL in batting average (.293), OBP (.359), slugging percentage (.514), and OPS (.872) … the starting rotation had a strong week, moving from 14th in the JL for ERA to 4th (3.74) … Juan Martinez, 38-year-old relief pitcher, announced he will retire at the end of the season. He joined Huntsville in 2037 when he was claimed off waivers from Wichita. Martinez has pitched in the majors since 2024, compiling a 68-93 record with 24 saves and a 4.49 ERA.
JL Southeast Division Standings
Down on the Farm
The Carolina Flight continued to struggle last week, going 0-3 for an overall record of 2-8, good for fifth in the Granville East Coast Division. It tells you something about Carolina’s week that the hitting “star” – Jaime Geerdinkck (again) – slashed just .235/.381/.235 … Consistency is the hobgoblin of, well, mediocre baseball teams – at least when they’re consistently going 3-4, which is what the AA Beloit Blue Sox have done two weeks in a row now. They’re 6-8, in 5th place in the Donaldo Mid-Central. Decidedly not mediocre: 1B Nate Flores, who is slashing .345/.419/.600, with 4 homers and 11 RBIs … Phantoms No. 4 prospect Aarnoud Budding is sizzling in Class A Grand Junction: .391/.431/.826 with 6 homers and 14 RBIs … His team, the Gold Sox, are off to a 7-4 start, good for a half-game lead in the Provost West Central Division.