Phantoms Phanatics Week in Review: June 17-23
Two steps forward, four steps back.
In other words, an ill-timed 2-4 week dashed Huntsville’s hopes of topping the .500 mark for the first time since early May. The Phantoms dropped to 7.5 games behind Southeast Division leader New Orleans and 4 games behind Mexico City and Las Vegas in the chase for the third JL Wildcard spot.
Rule 5 pickup Celestino Balazes added one more tough week to a string of tough weeks out of the bullpen. Especially damaging: his two-thirds of an inning against Jacksonville on June 23, where he allowed 5 runs on 5 hits to put the game (and a .500 week) out of reach. The smart money says he won’t be with the team much longer …
The road gets no easier in the coming week, as the Phantoms travel to 39-35 Louisville for three games and then host a four-game series against 42-34 San Antonio.
Batter of the Week
Luis González, 3B: 21 AB, 11 H, 1 RBI, 5 R, .524 Avg., 1.165 OPS
Pitcher of the Week
Amayas Moelling, SP: 7.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 6 K’s, 2 BB’s, 0 HR
Game of the Week
Huntsville’s June 18 win at Brooklyn gets the nod this week. SP Manuel Peña had his knuckleball dancing as he helped lead the Phantoms to a 6-2 victory. He pitched 7.0 innings, allowing 6 hits and two runs while walking just 1 and striking out 4. CF Tim Torres provided some welcome offensive pop with a 3-run homer in the 2nd inning to give Huntsville a lead they would not relinquish. RP Frits Brinson closed out the win.
News and Notes
The Phantoms announced they have signed Juan Nicto, their top-of-the-rotation starter, to a 5-year, $91,100,000 contract. “There was a lot of back and forth, and many different dollar amounts thrown around, but in the end, we’re glad to say that Juan will be with us for years to come,” said GM Vic Caleca. Asked about media criticism that the contract was too big and too player friendly, Caleca grinned. “Ask me if I care what anyone else thinks, cause the answer is a big, fat stinkin’ ‘No.’ Top line starters are hard to come by, we’ve got the budget space, and we don’t have anyone else in the line for extensions right now, so we did it.” Alrighty, then. No need to get touchy … SP Vito Reyes is winding up a rehab stint in Carolina, and figures to be called up within the next couple of weeks. The question is whether he slides into the back end of the rotation or into a long relief role for now. That likely depends on how SP François Mangin does in his latest go-round with the big league club. Mangin pitched well against Jacksonville on June 22, going 6.2 innings and allowing 1 run on 7 hits and 1 BB while striking out 5. Huntsville lost that game 3-1 due to a bullpen let-down … In the wake of a BBA statistical analysis of bunting for base hits, it came out that RF Manny Cleide leads the league in that category. Through the games of June 23, Cleide is 6 of 13 on “bunting for a hit” attempts, a .461 average. He also has a hit on a sacrifice bunt attempt that he beat out, giving him 7 bunt hits on the season so far. The BBA analysis said no one else in the league has more than 2.
JL Southeast Division Standings
As of the morning of June 23, 2039
| Team | Wins | Losses | Win% | GB | RD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans | 43 | 31 | .581 | - | +57 |
| Louisville | 39 | 35 | .527 | 4.0 | +19 |
| Jacksonville | 38 | 38 | .500 | 6.0 | +4 |
| Huntsville | 36 | 39 | .480 | 7.5 | -44 |
| Nashville | 32 | 43 | .427 | 11.5 | -29 |
AAA Carolina cruised to a 5-2 record last week, sweeping a 3-game set from Annapolis, dropping 2 of 3 from New Jersey, and then taking the first of a 3-game series from El Paso. Carolina is now 40-30, 2 games behind Gotham in the GL East Coast Division … 3B Albert Ayala has scorched the baseball over his last 11 games, going 17 for 37, or .459, with 2 HRs and 5 RBIs … AA Beloit took it on the chin last week, going 2-5 to slip below .500 at 36-37 for the season. The Blue Sox are now 11 behind Duluth in the DNL Mid-Central Division … Closer Dieter Ruijghaver has had a tough go of it over his last 26 games: an 8.75 ERA over 23.2 IP with 17 K’s and 8 saves. Beloit is said to be studying its late inning options … Grand Junction struggled to a 3-4 record last week, dropping the final 2 of a 3-game series with Prince George, dropping 2 of 3 to Pahrump, and then bouncing back to take the first 2 games of its series with Topeka. The Gold Sox are now 31-39 on the year, in second place 4 games behind Aspen in the fairly awful PL West Central Division … Jorge Baca has exemplified the team’s struggles, pitching to 9.39 ERA over his last 10 games with 14 K’s in 15.1 IP. The only plus: he hasn’t taken any losses over that stretch … San Pedro de Macoris went 1-3 as it opened play in the Short A Big Islands division. The Green Sox are in second place, 2 behind San Juan … The Monclova Aqua Sox opened Rookie League play with a 2-2 record, tied with two other teams for second place in the Mexican-American Division, two games behind undefeated Berkeley … One notable performance: newly-drafted two-way player Paul Kemp pitched his first game as a professional – throwing 10.1 (!) innings of shutout ball against Cayucos, allowing 6 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3. Monclova lost the game in the 12th as Cayucos pushed 2 runs across in the top of the inning. If you’re wondering how Kemp did as a hitter: not quite as well. In two games as a DH, he went 1 for 8 with a double. Still, quite the debut week for the young man out of Stone Park, IL.
