2033.09 - CCJ can't hang on to JLA; Date with New Orleans

[bcslouck]

The late season injuries proved to be too much to be able to hang on to the division.

While the collective did their best, a crucial 5 game losing streak halted chances at, not only critical bye, but home field for the Wild Card round as the losing streak included Geoghegan opponent New Orleans, who swept us in 4 games.

2033 will be described as blood bath for the BBA, with star after star going down with season ending injuries, with the healthiest teams moving on to the playoffs or capturing their division in a lot of cases. Charm City did not get it the worst, as teams like Jacksonville and Vancouver were devastated. But they took some big hits.

With intent to improve the rotation, 2 players they acquired via trade went down with season injures. Sancho Delgado made just one Spring Training start before going down with a torn UCL and being cut to save the Jimmies payroll. While that trade rid them of Felipe Soto, they lost a solid SP prospect and $10,000,000 on that one. And while Nicholas Sutton wasn't very good in a Jimmies uniform, his injury put the team in a bad spot.

The biggest one was Alfredo Salazar. In the midst of arguably his best year as a Jimmie, he went down with a torn back muscle and put a big hole in the lineup. More importantly is will he be the same Alfredo Salazar when he gets back? While he's a plus defender in LF, there has been talk on if it'd be prudent to have him DH, at least part time, next year just to give him a bit more rest. Though we all know the issue could cause issues with the bat so it may not even matter.

Do the Jimmies hang on to the division if these injuries don't happen? It doesn't really matter. This is reality. We didn't hang on to the division. And while getting in to the playoffs is a good thing and anything can happen, the team could have used some time off.

Looking at New Orleans, it should be a tough series. They have a slightly better offense and there rotation was a quarter run better ERA wise. Granted, the offensive numbers are similar, but how much was fueled by Salazar? And the Jimmies will use a 3 man rotation, which closes that ERA gap based on who we know we will be using. 2 of those 3, Egbert Behner and Arturo Reyes, are hot.

The biggest difference is our bullpens. CCJ went through the year with a 3.34 ERA, good for 2nd in the JLA, though they lead much of the year in that category as well. New Orleans was 4.54. The Jimmies will probably have to rely deeply on it to make any noise. Hope to get a lead, let the SP's go 5 or 6 innings and let the bullpen do their thing.

The Jimmies aren't as much as a long shot as their first playoff appearance, but they are long shots. Pundits around the league have counted us out already and there have even been rumblings that certain GM's hope we advance so they can play us. While the team isn't whole, they still have some star power that can lead the team to a Cinderella run.

[JimBob2232]

Yeah, my bullpen has been my liability this year. Lucky for you, 3 of my best SP are on the DL. I need to get off to a hot start and win the first 2 games, because after that...its going to be a 50/50 shot at winning the next two.

[bcslouck]

2033 really was a blood bath, man. Good luck.