The 2073 Daily Keg - Week 11

June 26, 2073

Los Angeles was the best team in the league this week, going a perfect 7-0 to push their winning streak to nine games and take a firm hold on the Bock at 47-26. New Orleans and Washington were right behind at 6-1 apiece, with Washington’s run enough to overtake Philadelphia for the top spot in the Stout. On the other end, California had the worst week in the league at 1-5, and they had plenty of company near the bottom, as Pawtucket, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Carolina, Seattle, and New York all finished 2-5.

Matt Whitworth and Bradyn Key were honored as the week’s top players, winning the Player of the Week award in their respective leagues after huge weeks at the plate, with Whitworth hitting .542 with three home runs and seven RBI for Maine and Key hitting .385 with four home runs and eight RBI for Phoenix. The week also came with some costly injuries. Dallas lost Devon Terry, fresh off his big game against Windy City, to a fractured foot that is expected to keep him out about five weeks. Baltimore was hit hardest of all, with Aaren Hernandez (herniated disc, six weeks) and Landry Longstreth (strained PCL, about two months) both going down on the same day, and Toronto lost Scott Stone to a strained oblique that is expected to sideline him for six weeks as well.

1) Los Angeles Sharks (132.9, ++)
2) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (127.9, o)
3) Pittsburgh Millers (127.5, -)
4) New Orleans Voodoo (118.0, +)
5) Washington Bats (111.3, ++)
6) Toronto Canadians (109.0, --)
7) Phoenix Roadrunners (108.9, o)
8) Wilmington Wildcats (104.8, +)
9) Indianapolis Clowns (100.3, +)
10) Windy City Blues (100.0, ++)
11) Philadelphia Freedom (96.1, --)
12) Denver Bulls (90.5, o)
13) Maine Guides (87.0, +)
14) Dallas Drillers (82.7, +)
15) Baltimore Bulldogs (81.5, --)
16) Seattle Sasquatch (81.0, --)
17) Montreal Exports (79.0, o)
18) Batavia Muckdogs (76.7, o)
19) Hartford Whalers (71.0, +)
20) Carolina Tobs (63.1, -)
21) Pawtucket Patriots (61.5, -)
22) New York Cyclones (60.5, +)
23) California Kodiaks (58.4, -)
24) Syracuse Snappers (37.5, o)

P Corby Fareeq, WAS - Fareeq turned in the best pitching performance of the week, throwing eight shutout innings against Carolina on June 19th, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out six in an 8-0 Washington win. He was named Player of the Game, and it capped a stretch that has seen him move from the bullpen into Washington's rotation, where he's now made two starts, following up the shutout with a 6.1-inning, 3-run win over Seattle five days later. His season line sits at 5-2 with a 3.84 ERA across 22 appearances, but it's the recent transition to starting that's made him a name to watch down the stretch.

P Logan Gray, CAL - Gray, the 5th overall pick in this year's draft, made his professional debut for Moose Jaw on June 21st and delivered immediately, throwing seven innings of one-run ball with four walks and seven strikeouts in a win. The left-hander was dominant at Baylor this spring, going 4-3 with a 1.90 ERA and 53 strikeouts over 61.2 innings, and his stuff carried over in his first pro look. It's a small sample, but a clean, high-strikeout pro debut from a first-round arm is exactly the kind of start California's system wants to see.

1. Micah Lumsden signed a six-year, $195 million contract extension, locking up the face of the franchise well beyond his current deal. The 31-year-old first baseman has been the engine of the Rum Runners' dominant season, hitting .339 with 20 home runs, 44 RBI, and a 1.090 OPS through 66 games, numbers that have him sitting second in the Domestic League in WAR at 3.6. He's been with Santo Domingo since going 23rd overall in the 2059 draft, and across 14 pro seasons he's built a .295 career average with 389 home runs, 901 RBI, and 1,569 hits. With Santo Domingo running away with the Lager, the extension makes clear the organization sees Lumsden as the anchor of this era, not just a player riding a hot season.

2. Devonta Mabry's command has been absurd all season. He isn't the ERA leader, but the 22-year-old right-hander leads all Domestic League starters in walks per nine (0.9), K/BB ratio (5.9), and WHIP (1.00), the kind of across-the-board control numbers that usually point to a Pale Ale-caliber season even without the shiniest ERA. Through 15 starts, Mabry sits at 8-2 with a 3.29 ERA over 98.1 innings, striking out 59 against just 10 walks, and his 2.6 WAR is tied for the league lead among pitchers. It's a remarkable season for a pitcher with modest raw stuff by scouting standards, built almost entirely on precision, and it's been a key piece of Santo Domingo's run to the best record in the league.

3. York “Mungo” Goldschmidt has quietly been Philadelphia’s second monster bat all season, and this past week was no exception. The switch-hitting left fielder went 8 for 23 with three doubles, two home runs, and seven RBI, part of a season that has him leading the Import League in hits (81) and doubles (24) while hitting .331 with 16 home runs, 43 RBI, and a .633 slugging percentage through 67 games. His 2.0 WAR gives Philadelphia a legitimate second force in the lineup alongside Alec Bridges, even with the Freedom sitting half a game back of Washington in the Stout. Goldschmidt has been in Philadelphia’s organization since going 4th overall in the 2064 draft, and at 26 he’s already built a career line of .291 with 226 home runs, 570 RBI, and a .593 slugging percentage over nine pro seasons.

4. Los Angeles is winning with pitching, not offense, and the numbers back it up completely. The Sharks’ staff leads the Import League in ERA at 3.35 and has racked up 36 saves, both tops in the league, even though their offense is middling at 4.7 runs per game and a .775 team OPS. It’s a build that looks nothing like the rest of the contenders and still has them running away with the Bock at 47-26. The rotation has been remarkably deep for a club not leaning on its bats. Collin Edson is still unbeaten at 6-0 with a league-best 2.27 ERA, Mitchell Kovich has quietly been the wins leader on the staff at 9-2 with a 3.08 ERA, and Rashawn Coachman has gone 7-3 with a 3.77 ERA in a swing role. At the back of the bullpen, closer Blaine Near has been nearly untouchable, converting 27 saves with a 0.78 ERA, giving Los Angeles a finishing punch that’s as good as anyone’s in the league. It’s pitching and defense carrying a middle-of-the-pack offense to the best record in the division, and that’s a formula that tends to play well in October.

5. What’s on tap?

• Wilmington Wildcats (39-32, 19-20 Road) at Santo Domingo Rum Runners (50-22, 25-11 Home), June 26, 2073, 3-game series
  - Lager Division rivals meet as Wilmington rides a 4-game winning streak into a visit with the league’s best team, who remain 6 games clear of Toronto atop the division. Eamon Hakki takes the ball for Wilmington at 2-3 with a 3.76 ERA against Toby Anderson, who is 5-4 with a 4.64 ERA for Santo Domingo.

• New Orleans Voodoo (43-30, 20-14 Road) at Toronto Canadians (44-28, 30-11 Home), June 26, 2073
  - New Orleans brings its own 4-game winning streak into Toronto, and both clubs enter the week with winning records in a Lager race that has New Orleans sitting 7.5 back of Santo Domingo. Tommy Myers starts for New Orleans at 6-5 with a 4.15 ERA against Lewis Coleman (3-4, 3.77 ERA), with Toronto leaning on a 30-11 home mark that’s among the best in the league.

• Los Angeles Sharks (47-26, 18-16 Road) at Denver Bulls (35-37, 25-16 Home), June 26, 2073
  - Los Angeles enters on a 9-game winning streak, the longest active run in the league, as the Sharks visit a Denver club still fighting to stay above .500 in the Bock. Ed Higgins gets the start for Los Angeles at 4-6 with a 4.04 ERA, opposite Denver’s Joell Kanada, who has quietly been excellent at 8-3 with a 2.59 ERA. Closer Blaine Near has now converted 22 straight save chances for the Sharks, giving them a finishing punch to match the streak.

• Washington Bats (40-31, 16-17 Road) at Baltimore Bulldogs (35-37, 19-16 Home), June 26, 2073, 3-game series
  - Washington carries a 4-game winning streak into Baltimore, which enters on a 4-game slide of its own, and the Bats already lead this season series 4-2. Cole Grizzle takes the mound for Washington having not lost in 12 straight starts, a striking run against a Baltimore staff that sends out Richard Scott at 1-7 with a 6.22 ERA.

• Windy City Blues (35-35, 17-21 Road) at Seattle Sasquatch (34-38, 19-16 Home), June 26, 2073, 3-game series
  - Bock Division rivals meet with Windy City leading the season series 4-2 and Seattle entering on a 4-game losing streak. Both starters have been sharp lately, with Reynard Mendes at 8-2 with a 2.73 ERA for Windy City and Leighton Bean at 7-3 with a 3.60 ERA for Seattle, making this a better pitching matchup than either team’s overall record would suggest.

• Philadelphia Freedom (40-32, 24-15 Road) at Los Angeles Sharks (47-26, 29-10 Home), June 29, 2073
  - Two of the league’s better teams collide as Philadelphia travels to face a Los Angeles club that’s been the hottest in baseball. The Sharks are a stout 29-10 at home, and Philadelphia’s own 24-15 road mark makes this one of the more competitive matchups on the schedule this week.