Phantoms Phanatics Week in Review: Aug. 18 – 24
So, with Huntsville’s 4-2 week, the Phantoms have now clawed their way back to .500.
Again.
Not so very long ago (Aug. 4), Huntsville was 8 games under .500, 12 games out, and throwing in the towel for the season.
But August has changed things: The Phantoms are tied for second-best winning percentage in the BBA so far this month. Here, if you’re wondering, are the Top 5:
| Team | Wins | Losses | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton | 14 | 7 | .667 |
| Huntsville | 15 | 8 | .652 |
| Phoenix | 15 | 8 | .652 |
| Brooklyn | 13 | 8 | .619 |
| Nashville | 12 | 8 | .600 |
Um. You’ve gotta be kidding.
Because we’ve been here before, too.
Flash back to the first week of July, when Huntsville had come back from a dreadful May to go from 7 under .500 to, well, .500.
How’d things go after that?
Well, the Phantoms went 9-16 in July, setting up their most recent ascent from the pit. The pattern is well set this season: a winning April, followed by a horrendous May, a winning June, followed by a rancid July, a decent August (so far, at least), followed by what?
We don’t know, of course.
But we can guess …
Batter of the Week
Diesel Dave, C: 9 AB, 4 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI (.444 AVG, 1.722 OPS)
Pitcher of the Week
Manuel Peña, SP: 1-0, 7.0 IP, 1 R, 5 Ks, 2 BBs
News and Notes
CF Raúl Gasco suffered an abdominal strain during the Phantoms’ Aug. 22 win over Las Vegas, and trainers said he would be day-to-day for at least a week and classified his injury as moderate. Rather than risk a longer-term injury, the team put Gasco on the 7-day Injured List. CF Jim Lorenzen, newly-acquired in a trade with California, was called up from AAA Carolina to fill in … C Diesel Dave, hitter of the week, put the hurt on his old team, Las Vegas, last week. He knocked in a key run to help fuel a 2-1 win on Aug. 20, then came back on Aug. 22 with a 2-HR game to help key a 6-5 win. Dave, the team captain, has been hot all month, slashing .360/.467/.800 with 3 HRs and 8 RBIs … Justin Archer is back with the big club. After a couple of weeks of rehab in Carolina following a shoulder injury that shelved him for two months, Archer was brought back to Huntsville early this week and will pitch in a setup role for now. RP Maximo Trevino, who struggled (1-1, 6.37 ERA) with Huntsville since signing a free agent contract in late May, was optioned to Carolina to make room.
JL Southeast Division Standings
As of the morning of Aug. 25
| Team | Wins | Losses | Win% | GB | RD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans | 74 | 56 | .569 | - | +102 |
| Jacksonville | 68 | 62 | .523 | 6.0 | +44 |
| Huntsville | 65 | 65 | .500 | 9.0 | -59 |
| Nashville | 62 | 65 | .488 | 10.5 | -28 |
| Louisville | 60 | 68 | .469 | 13.0 | -7 |
As of the morning of Aug. 25
| Team | Wins | Losses | Win% | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas | 70 | 59 | .565 | +2.5 |
| San Antonio | 69 | 59 | .539 | +2.0 |
| Jacksonville | 68 | 62 | .523 | - |
| Mexico City | 63 | 60 | .512 | 1.5 |
| Brooklyn | 65 | 63 | .508 | 2.0 |
| Huntsville | 65 | 65 | .500 | 3.0 |
| Nashville | 62 | 65 | .488 | 4.5 |
| Wichita | 61 | 65 | .484 | 5.0 |
| Louisville | 60 | 68 | .469 | 7.0 |
| Charm City | 59 | 70 | .457 | 8.5 |
AAA Carolina went 3-4 last week, to slip into a tie for first in the GL East Coast Division. The Flight are now 71-53 on the season, tied with Gotham. This sets up an exciting chase for the division crown with just 11 games left in Carolina's season … 3B Albert Ayala has been tearing things up of late. He’s 11-29 over his last 8 games, good for a .379 BA with 2 HRs and 6 RBIs … AA Beloit won 2 and lost 2 last week, bringing its record to 62-62 on the year. The Blue Sox are in third place, 13 games behind first place Duluth in the DNL Mid-Central Division … LF Myeong-hwan Im has been hot for the Blue Sox over his last 7 games, going 10-22. That’s a .455 BA with 1 HR and 4 RBIs … Single-A Grand Junction went 4-3 last week, raising its season record to a lackluster 54-70. The Gold Sox are in third place in the PL West Central Division, 10.5 games behind Pahrump … Thomas Kirchmann, who splits time between the starting rotation and the bullpen, has been effective of late. In his last 6 appearances, he has pitched 20.1 innings with a 1.33 ERA, 8 Ks, and 1 save … Short-Season A affiliate San Pedro de Macoris staggered through a 2-5 week, slipping to 26-31 on the season. The Green Sox are in 4th place, 8 games behind SL2 Big Islands Division leader Santo Domingo … RF Wally Poole remains hot, going 8-21 in his last 6 games, good for a .381 BA with 4 HRs and 10 RBIs … Rookie League team Monclova went 3-3 on the week, bringing its record to 25-30. The Aqua Sox are in 5th place in the HL Mexican-American Division, 11 games behind Ogden … 2B Jeffrey Cote has had a nice week: he’s 9-17 over his last 5 games, with a .529 BA and 4 RBIs.
