WHIV 2056.24- Brooks Lost For Season

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Ashton Brooks has been arguably the Las Vegas Hustlers most consistent starter all season. But on July 31st, he complained of elbow pain and after examinations team doctors announced that Brooks was suffering from "acute elbow soreness". Out of an abundance of caution and not willing to risk a potential Tommy John surgery, he is being shut down for the year.

It's a killer to a Hustlers rotation that, after recent trades, has lost its' depth. The natural candidate to step in would have been John Rasmussen III, but he's been traded off to Edmonton. The next guy would have been Albert Krant, who has been a pleasant surprise since coming over from Rocky Mountain, but he strained his oblique on August 4th and will be out for about 6 weeks. So the club will have to dig deep, and that may involve a tactic that Hustlers manager Edward Allen has never used.

After going through a horrendous start to 2056 with the Chicago Black Sox (13 G, 4 GS, 10.13 ERA), Anthony "Onion" Jones was released, and then signed to a minor league deal by Las Vegas. Through four starts with Milwaukee (AAA), the results have been encouraging (4 GS, 2-2, 3.86 ERA, 1.11 WHIP). He's the next man up.

Right around the same time, the Hustlers signed a veteran reliever for depth. Lefty Brian Smith is a veteran with 725 BBA appearances. He's pitched in eight games for Milwaukee, with a 1.12 ERA and 1.25 WHIP.

Both of these guys have earned another shot at the big leagues. They will both be called up, and Allen is considering using Smith as an opener, with Jones as a follower. "It's something I've never done before, and it's not for sure we'll even do it," said Allen. "I'm open to ideas, so I'm considering this one."