AA Edition
Week 21: Aug. 18-24
By Rick Mariotti
Minor Leagues Beat Writer
Chicago Sports Online
Beloit, Wis. - Although the division title is still up for grabs, the Beloit Blue Sox have clinched at least a wild card slot for the Warren Cox League AA playoffs.
The Sox, who have a 4-game lead in the DNL Mid-Central Division with 7 games left to play, are seeking their second consecutive Cox league championship.
“We can check one of our goals off our list now,” said Manager Javier Montero. “We wanted to make it back to the playoffs, and we’ve done that. We still have more to accomplish, though, including winning the division, so we can’t let up!”
One other thing they can check off: Although there is still a week left in the season, the Blue Sox have set a team record for most victories in a year, with 88. That breaks the previous record of 82, which was set last year.
Week 21 Scores
At Winston-Salem
08-18: Winston-Salem 10, Beloit 3
08-19: Beloit 9, Winston-Salem 5
At Beloit
08-20: Beloit 5, Trenton 2
08-21: Beloit 7, Trenton 4
08-22: Trenton 8, Beloit 0
At St. Joseph
08-23: St. Joseph 5, Beloit 1
08-24: Beloit 2, St. Joseph 0
Record as of Aug. 24
W-L Record for Week 21: 4-3
Overall Record: 88-45, .662
Position in Standings: In 1st Place in the DNL Mid-Central Division, 4 games ahead of St. Joseph. Clinched wild-card berth for playoffs.
Position Players of Interest
| Player | Slash Line | OPS | HR | RBI | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Kemp, OF/SP | .346/.425/.563 | .988 | 15 | 58 | 2.7 |
| Robby Clements, 1B | .277/.367/.467 | .833 | 21 | 74 | 1.7 |
| Jeffrey Cote, 2B | .278/.396/.474 | .888 | 16 | 63 | 4.6 |
| Shannon Morrison, SS* | .268/.355/.436 | .791 | 7 | 27 | 1.9 |
| Juan Benitez, OF | .245/.319/.464 | .784 | 13 | 43 | 0.5 |
| Danny Bennett, OF | .304/.401/.608 | 1.009 | 30 | 99 | 3.5 |
| Ricardo Torres, OF** | .326/.439/.581 | 1.020 | 22 | 76 | 5.1 |
** Promoted to Chicago 7-27; demoted to Beloit Aug. 11
Pitchers of Interest
| Pitcher | ERA | W-L-SV | IP | K's | BB's | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ichchaam Chepchumba, SP** | 5.67 | 1-3-0 | 60.1 | 50 | 33 | 1.1 |
| Paul Kemp, SP/LF | 3.35 | 10-4-0 | 150.1 | 97 | 37 | 4.3 |
| Romeu Tameiro, SP | 4.67 | 10-9-0 | 146.1 | 106 | 51 | 2.8 |
| Carlos Vázquez, SP | 4.46 | 11-8-0 | 163.1 | 86 | 49 | 2.8 |
| Orlando Barries | 2.50 | 11-2-2 | 115.1 | 91 | 49 | 2.1 |
| Christian Rhodes, CL | 2.32 | 7-3-2 | 62.0 | 58 | 24 | 1.9 |
| Gilberto Cordero, CL | 0.57 | 3-0-21 | 31.1 | 43 | 8 | 2.1 |
| Raúl Ortíz, RP* | 1.78 | 6-0-10 | 30.1 | 45 | 15 | 1.4 |
1 Game at St. Joseph
3 Games vs Sioux City at Beloit
3 Games at Weymouth