WHIV 2035.20- Sim #6 in Review

[recte44]

2035 Las Vegas Hustlers- Sim #6 in Review

5/5- Mounties Get Road Win (Vancouver 7, at Las Vegas 3)
Vancouver rode a decent outing from starter Manuel Soliz to victory over the Las Vegas Hustlers at The Casino by Moe Fugger. The final score was 7-3. Soliz got the win, improving to 3-2. He allowed 7 hits and walked 1 over 7.2 innings. Soliz allowed 3 earned runs. The Hustlers fall to 14-17 and continue their wobbly start to the 2035 season. With one out in the top of the fifth, Guy Webb stroked a go-ahead 2-run single. It was his 30th hit of the season and put Vancouver in front, 4-2. "There's a lot of passion in our clubhouse," said Soliz. "When we put it together we're a great ball club." Hustlers starter Chin Kim (2 - 2, 3.97 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 39 K) had his worst performance of the year, allowing 6 runs in 4 1/3 innings. Maximo Trevino (1 - 0, 3.68 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 8 K) continues to be awesome in relief, pitching in 3 1/3 scoreless innings in relief. Brian Bender (.235/.328/.471, 4 HR, 8 RBI) hit his 3rd homer of the year for Vegas.

5/6- Hustlers Edge Robins (Las Vegas 4, at Brooklyn 3)
The Las Vegas Hustlers trumped the Brooklyn Robins, 4-3, at Red Robin Park at Ebbets Field. Las Vegas third baseman Mario Murillo (.224/.278/.403, 3 HR, 9 RBI) was named player of the game for his performance. He went 2 for 4 with 2 home runs. He drove in 3 runs and scored twice. Las Vegas reliever Julio Velasco (2 - 2, 5.01 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 27 K) picked up the win, bumping his record to 2-2. Ryosei Akiyama was collared with the loss. Every game is important, even these early ones, if the Hustlers hope to make a postseason run. Hank Brewer (.295/.341/.467, 6 HR, 17 RBI) had a crucial at bat in the tenth inning that proved to be a game-changer. With one out, he rapped a cutter from Ryosei Akiyama for a run-scoring single. It put Las Vegas in front, 4-3. "One win at a time, one game at a time. We try not to get too far ahead of ourselves," Murillo told the Las Vegas Citizen. Lost in the late game heroics was another quality start by Sam Romero (1 - 4, 5.77 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 24 K) for Vegas (7 IP, 3 ER).

5/7- Robins Lose to Hustlers (Las Vegas 7, at Brooklyn 4)
The Las Vegas Hustlers defeated the Brooklyn Robins, 7-4, at Red Robin Park at Ebbets Field today. Leading the charge for Las Vegas was shortstop Lloyd Braun (.269/.322/.388, 2 HR, 16 RBI) who went 2 for 3 with a home run and 2 walks. He scored 2 times and drove in 2. Their 16-17 record puts the Hustlers third in the Johnson League Sun Belt Division. Braun had a big at-bat with a runner on 2nd in the top of the sixth inning, when he hit a 2-run home run. The Hustlers went on to win. "If we play like this, we can win a lot of games," Braun told the Las Vegas Citizen. Starting pitcher Hirotada Miura (2 - 1, 2.96 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 23 K) improved to 2-1 on the year, and Shawn Huber (1 - 0, 4.50 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 24 K) recorded his second save in two days to improve to 8 saves on the year. Vegas slugger Gervasio Ridder (.343/.401/.679, 12 HR, 25 RBI) hit his 11th homer of the year in the first inning off former Hustler Ken Bates , and Elroy Hinson (.241/.333/.333, 1 HR, 7 RBI) finally hit his first longball of the year in the win. Antonio Cruz (.202/.281/.323, 2 HR, 15 RBI) was 3-5 on the day with two doubles, two runs scored, and a run driven in as the leadoff hitter.

5/8- Robins Throttle Hustlers (at Brooklyn 5, Las Vegas 0)
Brooklyn beat Las Vegas on the strength of starter Francisco Ruiz's fine effort. The right-hander led his team to a 5-0 win. Ruiz picked up the win for Brooklyn, going 6.2 innings. He gave up no runs on 5 hits. He now sports a record of 4-2. The Robins bumped their record to 19-15 with this latest triumph. The Robins picked up the win with a combination of good hitting and good pitching. Ruiz told a Brooklyn Times reporter that he was "more than satisfied" with the win. Jimmy Greenwood (4 - 3, 5.59 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 19 K) went the distance for Las Vegas but the loss dropped his season record to 4-3. Henry Rectenberg (.250/.340/.403, 3 HR, 13 RBI) hit a double in the fifth inning that would prove to be the only extra base hit the Hustlers could muster on the day.

5/9- DAY OFF

5/10- Hustlers Come Back Late to Top Outlaws (Las Vegas 5, at San Antonio 3)
The Las Vegas Hustlers beat the San Antonio Outlaws, 5-3, at The Tap Room. The win was largely due to the efforts of third baseman Mario Murillo (.224/.278/.403, 3 HR, 9 RBI), who captured player of the game honors. He was 2-4 with a home run, while scoring 2 times and driving in 3. Las Vegas's record now stands at 17-18, placing them third in the Johnson League Sun Belt Division. Murillo had a game-changing home run in the top of the ninth. On a 1-1 fastball from Dillon Young, he banged a 3-run home run to right, giving the Hustlers a 5-3 lead. It was the 3rd home run of the year for Murillo. "Say want you want about this team, they play nine innings hard," said Las Vegas manager Matthew Barnard. Hyun-sik Chang (0 - 1, 3.09 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 33 K) is earning the nickname "Mr. No Decision" as he again was solid. Augute Balun (4-3) earned the win in relief, and Huber closed the door for his ninth save. Ridder hit his 12th homer of the year while going 3-4 on the day. Hustlers outfielder Adrian Young (.255/.324/.447, 3 HR, 15 RBI) has now been caught stealing SIX TIMES on the year.

5/11- Fernandez Cracks 5 Hits, Hustlers Still Win (Las Vegas 7, at San Antonio 6 in 13 innings)
The 5th time was not the charm for Juan Fernandez today. The designated hitter for the San Antonio Outlaws hit the milestone today at The Tap Room, but it was the Las Vegas Hustlers that salvaged a 7-6 victory. Fernandez finished with a 5-for-7 line at the plate, and it still wasn't enough. "He was not an easy out, that's for sure," Las Vegas manager Matthew Barnard said to the press in the postgame interview. "I'm just glad we held everybody else in check and got the win." Fernandez declined to speak to reporters at length following the game, saying only that "no loss is a good one." Juan Fernandez singled in the 1st, singled in the 3rd, singled in the 6th, singled in the 8th, grounded out in the 9th, grounded out in the 11th and singled in the 13th. Fernandez is hitting .300 so far this season with 13 RBIs and 7 runs scored. He has 24 hits including 1 home run, 5 walks and .333 OBP. Kim started for Las Vegas and bounced back nicely with 7 strong innings (3 ER). After Velasco earned his first hold with a scoreless eighth inning, Huber was tagged with this second blown save of the year, sending the game to extra frames. The Hustlers rode the strong pitching of Balun (3 IP, 2 H, 0 R) through the twelfth inning. In the top of the thirteenth, Rectenberg hit his second triple of the game (tying a JL extra inning single game record) to lead things off for Vegas. After intentionally walking Bender, Antonio Cruz (.202/.281/.323, 2 HR, 15 RBI) was able to hit a deep fly ball that allowed Rectenberg to tag and score, giving the Hustlers the lead. To close out the game, Barnard turned to Orlando Rivera) for the bottom of the thirteenth, and despite allowing a hit and a walk, he was able to tapdance around them and close the door for his first save, and bring the Huswtlers back to .500 for the first time all season (i think).

News and Notes:
- Roman Reyes) was a meager 1-10 as a short term fill in for Juan Sweetworld (.209/.260/.339, 3 HR, 10 RBI) while he was on the 7-day DL, and fellow crusty vet Juan Olivarez (.190/.320/.381, 1 HR, 2 RBI) was also 1-10 on the week. Looks like DFA time for the veteran outfielders.
- Early returns on the Murillo trade were pretty good in this reporters' opinion.
- To address a question pondered on a recent podcast which asked why anyone would want Brian Bender (.235/.328/.471, 4 HR, 8 RBI) as their DH? His .625 SLG% and .958 OPS last sim is pretty much why.
- Amazing to think how close the Hustlers were to parting ways with Trevino. Now through 10 G and 14.2 he's only allowed 9 hits and has a 3.68 ERA and 0.98 WHIP.
- Velasco seems to be taking to this relief role (3 G, 3.1 IP, 2 H, O R, 1 BB, 4 K, 1-0).

On The Farm:
- Milwaukee (AAA) has been on a tear and are now 19-16, only 1 1/2 games out of first place.
- Holy Hector Gomez) for the love of pete! In 16 games for Milwaukee he's 30 for 67 with 22 runs scored, 9 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 20 RBI, and this slash line: .448/.500/.896/1.396. Needless to say, he's earned a promotion to the big club and is on his way to San Antonio as we speak.
- Jesus Lopez) has been pitching really well of late for Milwaukee and is now 4-2, 3.66 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 9 BB, 48 K in 46.2 IP.
- Reno (AA) had a 5-game winning streak in the last sim and are inching towards .500, now at 17-18.
- Their hot sheet is a mile long:
CF Yoriyuki Kawashima) .400, 1 HR Last 5 games
P Jose Garza) 4-0, 3.21 Last 12 games
CF Eric Chappell) .444, 3 HR Last 6 games
P Brett Rees) 2-0, 1.98 Last 2 games
LF Riley Paddock) .500, 4 HR Last 6 games
- Pahrump (A) won four games in the last sim, also trending upwards, though still at 14-20 on the year.
- Tsugiharu Ozawa) is on a red hot five game streak, batting .500 with 5 HR.

Batter of the Sim:
Henry Rectenberg (.250/.340/.403, 3 HR, 13 RBI) (SIM: 8-21, 3 R, 2 doubles, 2 triples, 1 RBI, 2 steals, .381/.409/.667/1.076)

Year to Date: Ridder (2), Sweetworld (1), Brewer (1), Young (1), Rectenberg (1)

Pitcher of the Sim:
Julio Velasco (2 - 2, 5.01 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 27 K) (SIM: 3 G, 3.1 IP, 2 H, O R, 1 BB, 4 K, 1-0)

Year to Date: Velasco (2), Huber (1), Kim (1), Romero (1), Trevino (1)

Next Sim:
1 @ San Antonio, 3 vs. Edmonton, 2 vs Atlantic City

Season To Date Recaps:
STANDINGS
Sun Belt Division W L PCT GB
Mexico City Aztecs 22 13 .629 -
Phoenix Talons 23 14 .622 -
Las Vegas Hustlers 18 18 .500 4.5
Wichita Aviators 15 21 .417 7.5
San Antonio Outlaws 14 23 .378 9.0

TEAM INFORMATION
Record overall 18-18, .500 PCT
Position in Division 3rd, 41⁄2 GB
Record at home 9-7, .563 PCT
Record on the road 9-11, .450 PCT
Record in X-inning games 4-3, .571 PCT
Record in one-run games 6-4, .600 PCT
Record versus LHP 6-6, .500 PCT
Record versus RHP 12-12, .500 PCT
Record last 10 games 7-3, .700 PCT
Record in April 11-15, .423 PCT
Record in May 7-3, .700 PCT

BATTING STATS & RANKINGS
Batting Average .242 - 13th in JL
On-Base Percentage .310 - 13th in JL
Slugging Percentage .405 - 13th in JL
On-Base + Slugging .716 - 12th in JL
Runs Scored 150 - 13th in JL
Hits 298 - 12th in JL
Extra-Base Hits 110 - tied for 11th in JL
Home Runs 43 - 9th in JL
Bases On Balls 113 - 7th in JL
Strikeouts 262 - 10th in JL
Stolen Bases 43 - 12th in JL

PITCHING STATS & RANKINGS
Earned Run Average 4.57 - 11th in JL
Starters' ERA 4.68 - 10th in JL
Bullpen ERA 4.32 - 10th in JL
Runs allowed 179 - 11th in JL
Hits allowed 329 - 10th in JL
Opponents AVG .261 - 10th in JL
BABIP .279 - 3rd in JL
Home Runs allowed 58 - tied for 12th in JL
Bases On Balls 92 - 2nd in JL
Strikeouts 238 - 9th in JL

MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM
Milwaukee Choppers (AAA)
19-16, .543, 1 1/2 GB
Reno Aces (AA)
17-18, .486, 5 GB
Pahrump Ranchers (A)
14-20, .412, 5 1/2 GB

[scottsdale_joe]

tmi

[recte44]

Sorry bro. It's theraputic for me.

I suppose I COULD divide it into four different TN, but I wont

[RonCo]

Not enough information!

[bpbrooksy]

Strange to be heading into a series with you guys with almost identical records.

[ae37jr]

I wish I could have had that first game against Romero. Would have been a huge boost for us to take two out of three. Stupid noodle arm Belcham can't throw out a guy from second on a shallow line drive with the game on the line? Might be time to bring McCrain back up.