WHIV 2038.14- After Strong April, Hustlers Look To May

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After Strong April, Hustlers Look To May
May 6, 2038

The Las Vegas Hustlers wrapped up April 2038 with a solid record of 17-10 in April and 20-12 through May 5th, but refuse to become complacent. "We still have a long ways to go to be the team we think we can be," manager Edward Allen said.

There are three major areas that Allen noted as opportunities to improve.

#1: Starting Pitching
While Hyun-sik Chang (6 GS, 5-0, 3.24 ERA) and Chin Kim (6 GS, 2-1, 2.80 ERA including a no-hitter) have been outstanding, the rotation as a whole has been uneven. Currently they are 9th in the JL in Starters ERA (4.60). Mauro Flores (7 GS, 3-3, 4.79 ERA) had a rough start to his Hustlers career but has been outstanding in his last two starts. After losing Gerardo Fajardo for four months, the Hustlers gave first crack at his rotation spot to Alvin Chartrand (4 GS, 1-2, 7.13) but he was once again horrible and was sent back to AAA today. Bert Hugill (6 G, 2.53 ERA) will take his spot in the rotation. Most concerning has been Hao Kun (7 GS, 3-3, 6.41 ERA, 1.75 WHIP) but his BABIP of .383 leads the Hustlers to believe his numbers will normalize over time, especially if the club can address the next weakness...

#2: Defense
Las Vegas' .314 BABIP against is 15th in the JL. That's DEAD LAST. Currently the primary starter has a positive zone rating only at catcher and first base. Miguel Rodriguez is an even 0.0 at shortstop. Everyone else has a negative ZR. Carlos Camacho offers a minor upgrade in center field and Sancho Castillo gives the team a big time upgrade at third base. Since those two were installed the pitching has gotten better. Despite Henry Rectenberg and Sadaharu Oh IIIhaving negative ZR's in the outfield corners, at least the team can say that none of their outfielders has made an error all season to date.

#3: Power Outage
The Hustlers knew homers would be down when they moved the right field fence out over the offseason, and they were right. Their club also isn't built for home run power. "We're more of a gap team," explained Allen. "But we do need to find more power besides Rectenberg and Gervasio Ridder and we will." The addition of Declan Crauen to the lineup, against LHP for now, should help. He won the RHML Player of the Month Award for April with 11 ding-dongs for the Milwaukee Choppers. The team also expects Oh III to get going with more power, and Camacho added to the lineup will add more pop (he hit three longballs in 8 at-bats this week since joining the every day lineup).

News and Notes
- The Hustlers lost 3B Kazuo Yamamoto to Brooklyn on waivers.
- Corey Jackson elected free agency at the end of April rather than stay with the Hustlers minor league affiliate in Milwaukee.
- The Hustlers finally pulled the plug on Hector Gomez after he continued what has been nearly a year long slump. He was designated for assignment to make room for Crauen on the roster.
- Wayne Jackson had a short stay on the big league roster. He was optioned back to Milwaukee along with Chartrand. The Hustlers called on two veterans to take their place in the bullpen. Matt Mills and Jose Perez are back in the bigs and should offer some stability in the middle innings.