Phantoms Phanatics Week in Review
Week of April 15-21
Ahhhh - now that’s more like it: the Huntsville Phantoms we know and loathe finally showed up for the week of April 15-21. Poor hitting. Porous defense. Ineffectual pitching. They showcased it all in a 2-4 week that, to channel Cyndi Lauper, let their true colors shine through. The Phantoms dropped 2 of 3 to Wichita on the road, then came home and dropped 2 of 3 to Nashville as their season record dipped to 9-8 and they slipped from first to third in the JL Southeast Division.
Batter of the Week
Emilio Lugo, 1B: 7 of 16, 2 HRs, 4 RBIs, 2 Rs
Pitcher of the Week
Juan Nicto, SP: 8.1 IP, 1-0, 0 R, 8 H, 1 K, 0 BB
Game of the Week
Huntsville rode the strong right arm of ace Juan Nicto to a 1-0 victory over Nashville at the Opera House on April 20. Nicto threw 8.1 scoreless innings and likely would have made it a complete game shutout had it not been for a 19-minute rain delay in the 9th inning. As it was, he yielded to reliever Frits Brinson, who coaxed a game-ending 6-4-3 double play out of RF Abdelwahab Kamade to preserve the shutout. The game’s only score came in the bottom of the 6th when 3B Victor Bedolla lashed a leadoff double off Nashville starter Bob Ramírez, then came home on a triple to deep right center by CF Tim Torres.
News and Notes
After a hot Spring Training (.397/.417/.845) and a scorching first week of the regular season, SS Fernando Navarro has cooled considerably (.273/.293/.491 for the season). That plus his fairly indifferent defense is expected to start cutting into his playing time, as Hakim Ngowa and Santiago Morales figure to pick up more starts at shortstop … Huntsville continues to run, although its stolen base pace slowed last week as the team’s OBP plummeted (from first in the JL to 12th). The Phantoms have swiped 27 bases so far, good for 3rd in the JL. Huntsville is learning a hard truth of the BBA: it’s tough to steal bases when you’re not on base … Speculation is starting to swirl about when Huntsville fans might finally see top pitching prospect Amayas Moelling take the mound at the Opera House. After a couple of tough starts in Carolina to open the season, Moelling now has thrown back-to-back gems: 7.2 IP, 4 hits and 1 run in a victory on April 15 against Austin, and 6.1 IP, 5 hits and 1 run in a win over the Brooklyn Bombers on April 20. Still, the team isn’t expected to make a move with Moelling until May at the earliest, both for contract purposes and to let the youngster continue to fill out his skills a bit more.
JL Southeast Division Standings
As of the morning of April 22, 2039
Down on the Farm
Moelling isn’t the only pitcher heating up for Carolina: José Carlos Solíz, picked up over the winter after Jacksonville cut him, has a 1.69 ERA and 7 K’s over 16 IP in his last two starts. Solíz may well get a call from the big club soon, too … The Flight went 5-2 last week, pulling themselves up to 7-10, good for third place in the Granville East Coast Division, 6 behind first place Gotham … Careful what you wish for: Beloit fans had wearied of their Blue Sox going 3-4, so the team decided to switch it up. Last week, they went a dismal 1-5 and now sit in last place in the Donaldo Mid-Central Division at 7-13, 9 games back of first-place Duluth. Emblematic of the Sox’s troubles is SP Rafael Sosa, who’s 0-1 with an ERA of 13.00 over his last 9 IP … Grand Junction, too, has cooled, going 2-4 and slipping into second place in the Provost West Central Division at 9-8, 1 game behind Aspen … SS Bill MacDormond has played well, though: 14 for 32 over his last 10 games, a .438 BA, with 2 HRs and 4 RBIs.