Bats Are Hot Again (Hoppy Endings, post sim 12) [PP:2054.21]

[neugey]

A lot sure can change in a week. This last week of action saw the Jackrabbits rapidly get hot at the plate like hadn't seen since April. As a result, Edmonton is now elevated to #6 in the BBA Power Rankings and is currently on a Brewster-leading 5-game winning streak.

One of the chief components of Edmonton's success continues to be Gonzalo Martinez. The veteran DH hasn't slowed down much at all since his contract extension. He even produced a 3 home run outing in game 2 of a sweep of the Atlantic-leading Blazers. That sweep, with a combined run total of 23-7 in Edmonton's favor, now has critics thinking that Edmonton might actually be the premier Canadian team to watch out for in the BBA this season.

Edmonton's current record seems to be causing erratic behavior from owner Jim Leonard. He's still reportedly "unhappy" with the team's progress, but also considers the team to be in a Win-now mode. Thus GM Mike Bauer is happy with the team's success, but continues to preach patience and consistency. "We've done nicely, but we need to finish the job," admitted Bauer. "The accomplishments this year though have given us a lot to build on. We've already extended Gonzalo, and we'll give serious consideration to extending manager Alonso Chavez in the next few weeks. We may have finally found the right manager who has the pulse of this veteran team and will push the right buttons. He and the staff have put in the hard work and it hasn't gone unnoticed."

Catcher Ron Shiplack, acquired in April as a free agent, has also lived up to his star billing, hitting a .315/.330/.473 line. He's hot as well, generating 6 hits in his last 4 games.

Despite what the naysayers have said so far, the veteran-laden Jackrabbits are in position to make the wild-card race a little more crowded in the Johnson League in 2054.