The 2072 Daily Keg - Week 22

September 5, 2072

Wilmington, Washington, and Phoenix all turned in perfect 6-0 weeks, the best stretch of the season. Washington's run is part of an 11-game winning streak, powered by Karter McClatchie's league-best .563 week that earned him Import League Player of the Week. New Orleans went 4-2, highlighted by Edgar Pollert's three-homer, 8-RBI eruption in an 11-2 rout of New York on August 30th, with Holden Ritchey picking up the win by allowing just 2 runs over 7 innings.

Indianapolis and Dallas had the league's worst weeks, both going winless at 0-6, with the Clowns on a 6-game slide and the Drillers riding a brutal 9-game losing streak.

1) Washington Bats (125.9, ++)
2) Phoenix Roadrunners (122.7, ++)
3) New Orleans Voodoo (115.7, -)
4) Wilmington Sorcery (112.2, +)
5) Philadelphia Freedom (110.4, -)
6) Pittsburgh Millers (109.7, --)
7) Baltimore Bulldogs (105.2, o)
8) Montreal Exports (102.5, o)
9) Windy City Blues (97.7, ++)
10) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (95.5, -)
11) Batavia Muckdogs (91.0, ++)
12) Seattle Sasquatch (90.3, ++)
13) Pawtucket Patriots (89.0, o)
14) Carolina Tobs (88.5, --)
15) Denver Bulls (87.7, --)
16) Hartford Whalers (80.0, ++)
17) Toronto Canadians (77.8, +)
18) Los Angeles Sharks (76.5, +)
19) Indianapolis Clowns (71.5, --)
20) Maine Guides (70.8, --)
21) New York Cyclones (67.3, o)
22) Syracuse Snappers (66.8, +)
23) California Kodiaks (57.8, +)
24) Dallas Drillers (52.5, -)

Performance of the Week

1B Edgar Pollert, NO - Pollert put on a show against New York on August 30th, going 4-for-5 with three home runs, 8 RBI, and 3 runs scored in an 11-2 New Orleans win. It's the kind of night that's become a signature for him, his fourth career three-homer game in the BLB, joining outbursts against Toronto (2069), Baltimore, and Maine (both 2070). It capped a week that also earned him Domestic League Player of the Week honors. "It was full throttle on our side," Pollert said afterward, fitting for a Voodoo team that's now 84-55 and still comfortably ahead in the Lager Division, even with Wilmington closing back to 5 games behind..

Prospect of the Week

RF Mason Tormey, CAL - While California's big league club continues to struggle, one of its farmhands is having a monster year. Mason Tormey, a third-round pick out of Pacific this June, has hit .332 with 21 home runs and a 1.106 OPS in his first 61 professional games at Single-A Moose Jaw, numbers that already earned him a Batter of the Month award for July. He arrives with a strong track record, having won a College World Series and a Golden Glove at Pacific, and the early pro results suggest the power and contact skills are translating well. At just 20 years old, he's someone worth tracking as he climbs the system, even if it'll be a while before he's ready to help the big club.

Five Things We Think We Think

1. Pittsburgh and Phoenix have fully locked up their divisions at 100%, and New Orleans and Philadelphia are both playoff-bound for certain (100% playoff odds apiece) even though their division races aren't technically closed out yet, New Orleans still has a 97.3% grip on the Lager with Wilmington at 2.7%, and Philadelphia sits at 97.7% in the Stout with Washington and Baltimore combining for the rest.

The Domestic wildcard picture is now mostly settled too, with Wilmington, Montreal, Santo Domingo, and Pawtucket all above 94% to claim the four spots while Indianapolis (5.3%) is running out of room. The Import wildcard race has an interesting quirk: Washington and Baltimore have both clinched playoff spots outright (100% each) without winning their division, leaving just two contested spots among Windy City (59.0%), Denver (57.2%), Batavia (43.5%), and Seattle (38.2%), a genuine four-team scramble for the stretch run in the Bock and Stout alike.

2. Washington has rocketed to the top of the league's power rankings on the back of an 11-game winning streak, a run that's actually understating it since the Bats have gone 10-0 over their last ten games and are hitting on all cylinders to get there. Karter McClatchie has been the engine, riding a hot streak of his own (.391 with 3 home runs over his last six games) that already earned him Import League Player of the Week, and he's got company: Gavin Porter is hitting .458 over his last seven games and Nathan Yarnes .550 over his last five. The offense leads the Import League outright in both runs scored (779) and on-base percentage (.345), and it's built Washington a 6.5-game cushion over Baltimore for second in the Stout, with Philadelphia the only team still ahead of them in the standings.

3. August's monthly award winners are in. Corey Hughes (Wilmington) took Domestic League Batter of the Month, hitting .398 with 10 home runs and 24 RBI in 26 games, while Nigel Torres (Windy City) claimed the Import League honor at .352 with 10 home runs and 27 RBI, with his manager praising his clubhouse leadership as much as his numbers. On the mound, Andy Blake (Montreal) took Domestic League Pitcher of the Month after going 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA, and Daquein Kim (Los Angeles) won it in the Import League with a 5-0 record and 3.00 ERA. The rookie awards went to Landon Robinette (New Orleans), who posted a 4-1 mark and 2.65 ERA for the Domestic League honor, and Cory Dorman (Phoenix), who went 5-1 with a 4.24 ERA to take the Import League's top rookie award.

4. Phoenix had the best month in the league by a wide margin, going 21-8 (.724) to take firm control of the Bock. New Orleans and Philadelphia both went 19-11, keeping pace with each other atop their respective divisions, while Denver quietly put together its best stretch of the season at 19-12, a sign the Bulls’ long-running gap between performance and record may finally be closing. Carolina was the surprise of the month, going 18-11 despite still sitting near the bottom of the Stout overall, one of the more unexpected turnarounds of the year. Wilmington and Montreal each went 18-12 to round out the league’s hottest clubs.

On the other end, California continues to “tank” and had the worst month in baseball at 7-23 (.233), extending its slide to the bottom of the Bock, with Dallas not far behind at 8-22. Syracuse also struggled badly at 11-20, and Toronto’s 11-18 month included a 6-game losing streak to close it out.

5. What’s on tap?

• Denver Bulls (68-70, Away: 36-30) at Batavia Muckdogs (70-70, Home: 36-29) — Sept. 8, four-game series.

  Batavia holds a 4-3 edge in the season series. Denver enters a middling 5-5 over its last 10, but its +92 run differential remains one of the widest gaps between performance and record in either league, a storyline that’s dogged the Bulls all year. Batavia has been equally average lately at 5-5 with a -24 run differential. The stakes are real: Batavia currently holds the final Import wildcard spot by half a game over Seattle, with Denver sitting a game and a half back of that same cutline, so every game here has playoff weight for Denver specifically.

• Denver Bulls (68-70, Away: 36-30) at Windy City Blues (70-69, Home: 35-29) — Sept. 5, three-game series.

  Windy City leads the season series 6-3 and enters red-hot at 7-3 over its last 10, currently holding the top wildcard position in this four-team scramble. Denver, despite that same +92 run differential working in its favor on paper, sits a game back of the cutline and needs to start converting that underlying performance into wins. Windy City's Coen Mkasa has been arguably the league's hottest starter over his last two outings (1.15 ERA), a tough draw for Denver's lineup.

• Philadelphia Freedom (87-51, Away: 39-29) at Batavia Muckdogs (70-70, Home: 36-29) — Sept. 5, three-game series.

  Philadelphia has dominated this season series, up 7-2, and its +174 run differential is the best in either league, though the Freedom have actually cooled to 4-6 over their last 10 even as they cruise toward the playoffs. Batavia has been better lately at 5-5. Today’s probable starters are Philadelphia’s Rocco Record (13-3, 4.04 ERA) against Batavia’s Sam Haxhiu (6-9, 4.56 ERA), a clear edge for the visitors on paper, though Batavia’s own recent form gives them a puncher’s chance at home.

• Carolina Tobs (64-74, Away: 27-44) at Windy City Blues (70-69, Home: 35-29) — Sept. 8, four-game series.

  Carolina actually leads this season series 4-3 despite sitting at the bottom of the Stout standings with a -124 run differential, the worst mark of any team in this week’s top games. Both clubs have been hot lately, each 7-3 over their last 10, but the stakes couldn’t be more different: Carolina is effectively eliminated from playoff contention (1.8% odds), while Windy City is fighting to hold the top spot in the Import wildcard race. This one matters much more to the home team.

Stat of the Week

Take a guess and check the spoiler on Slack…

Which two teams hit less than 70 home runs during an entire regular season?