Power Pros Forum

I really enjoyed your power rankings. My tip would be make them shorter, like the size of the Buffalo one. Don't get me wrong, I love them being a paragraph each. I just think it might be better for you to shorten them so you can avoid going insane

Well, I really wanted to write what I wrote for the Mustangs. They were the first team I wrote about, and I guess I just got carried away into writing longer summaries for each team.

UPCOMING SERIES

Sacramento Slayers (20-9) vs Durham Dinosaurs (10-19)

The red-hot Slayers take on the Dinosaurs for the first 3 games of a 6-game road trip. Let's take a look at the key Dinosaurs players in this series.

Lon Gaspar, CF, #47, L/R, 31 years old
4 TRJ, C CON, A PWR, C RUN SPD, C ARM STR, A FLD, C E RES
GM REPORT: Gaspar is known as the 2nd-best all-around center fielder in the NL (the best, you ask? Falcons CF Evan Moseley), and has the best stats so far in the NL of anyone at that position. He leads the team in pretty much every offensive category, and his .459 average ranks 5th in the NL.

Baheer Patel, P, #34, R/R, 28 years old
94 TOP SPD, B CTRL, A STAM, Lv. 3 2SFB, Lv. 5 DCB, Lv. 4 FORK, Lv. 5 H-SNK
GM REPORT: Patel, the ace of the staff, thrives on control and getting ground ball outs. He is struggling so far with a 5.64 ERA, and part of that is due to leaving pitches up in the zone. If he can turn in a quality start against the Slayers, it will put him on a streak of many more starts of that variety.

Kenneth Hughes, P, #39, S/L, 33 years old
92 TOP SPD, A CTRL, E STAM, Lv. 4 SLD, Lv. 4 SCB, Lv. 2 CHG
GM REPORT: The strength of the Dinosaurs is their bullpen. Closer Shaun Keller and set-up man Giancarlo Romero have arguably some of the best stuff in the game. However, the best performer from the 'pen has been Hughes, a veteran lefty who is also a set-up man. He leads the majors in games pitched, with 20. Chances are, the Slayers will see him more than once in this series, and they need to score some runs off of Hughes, because they certainly don't want to have to face Keller anytime soon.

PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUP:

Game 1: C.J. Wilson (4-0, 2.23) vs. Steve Tanaka (94 TOP SPD, F CTRL, B STAM, Lv. 2 2SFB, Lv. 2 SLD, Lv. 2 PALM; 1-3, 14.5)
Game 2: B. Morrow (0-1, 6.38) vs. B. Patel (2-2, 5.64)
Game 3: J. Jurrjens (3-1, 2.93) vs. Horatio Ambriz (97 TOP SPD, C CTRL, A STAM, Lv. 2 2SFB, Lv. 4 HSLD, Lv. 4 PALM, Lv. 5 SNK; 2-4, 14.2)

I'll be playing the entire Dinosaurs series tomorrow. In the meantime, I have a question:

How would you guys feel about me changing the recaps from simply copying the post-game boxscore to taking pictures of said boxscore?

Nah, I think I like what you've been doing. But that's just my opinion.

It would depend on two things. 1. How steady and neat would the pictures be? and 2. Would this allow you to get updates up quicker?

I really would enjoy the pictures. So, yes, please do.

I'm going to do pictures for the Dinosaurs series. If I like doing them, and if they come out well enough, I'll continue doing them.

As for the poll, it appears there is a tie. I'll say first one to 10 wins, because I really am not concerned about time for the poll.

I'll never say which option I voted for!

I think pictures would be cool, but do what you like best. Otherwise it won't be fun for you anymore.

So, uh, disregard my last posts. Pictures will not work for this. Sorry.

Update will be coming up soon.

5-2-08

Sacramento Slayers 7 - Durham Dinosaurs 8

SUMMARY: This was probably the toughest loss the Slayers have had to go through this season. Things looked great for the Slayers after the top of the first, when Jose Bautista and Jeff Francoeur each hit 3-run and 2-run shots, respectively. Francoeur's homer knocked Dinosaurs starter Steve Tanaka out of the game, only recording 1 out. The Dinosaurs bullpen proceeded to only allow 2 more runs in 12 innings of work.
Star center fielder Lon Gaspar hit a moonshot to right field in the bottom of the 1st to bring the deficit to 5-2. In the bottom of the 5th, second baseman Kendall Erickson drove in 2 with a 2-out single to center field, but he was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double. However, the second run still counted despite barely crossing the plate before Erickson was tagged out. Jeff Francoeur provided an insurance run in the top of the 6th with an RBI triple, and Adam Jones provided another with an RBI single, driving in Francoeur. The wheels fell off for the Slayers in the bottom of the 8th. The Dinosaurs loaded the bases off of David Aardsma and manufactured 2 runs to make it a 1-run game. First baseman Willie Bowen doubled into right center to tie the game up at 7. From there, no team would score until the bottom of the 13th inning, where third baseman Gannon Gregory hit a walk-off homer over the left center field wall off of Jason Frasor to give the Dinosaurs their third straight win, ending the Slayers' 5-game winning streak.

SLAYERS' LINEUP
M. Prado - 1-6, 2B, R, K, .293
B. Zobrist - 1-6, R, .314
J. Bautista - 2-6, HR (15), 3 RBI, 2 R, .301
A. Lind - 3-6, R, E, .291
M. Morse - 1-6, .270
J. Francoeur - 2-6, 3B, HR (7), 3 RBI, 2 R, K, .372
A. Jones - 2-5, RBI, SB, .304
K. Suzuki - 1-5, .256
C.J. Wilson - 0-2, .500
PH - F. Gutierrez - 0-1, .202
J.P. Howell - 0-0, .000
D. Aardsma - 0-0, ----
PH - E. Aybar - 0-1, .125
J. Chamberlain - 0-0, .000
PH - S. Rodriguez - 0-1, .250
J. Frasor - 0-0, .000

DINOSAURS' LINEUP
R. Dunn - 2-6, R, .346
K. Erickson - 3-4, 2 RBI, R, .327
PR - A. Colamarino - 0-2, R, K, .294
L. Gaspar - 3-6, HR (10), 2 RBI, 2 R, .462
H. Glass - 1-4, RBI, .233
Def Sub - A. Thrasher - 0-2, .200
G. Gregory - 1-6, HR (8), RBI, R, .228 (Player of the Game)
W. Bowen - 2-4, 2B, RBI, K, .360
PR - R. Thompson - 0-1, .333
P. Thrower - 3-5, R, .245
A. Spade - 1-3, R, K, .218
PR - M. McDonald - 0-2, .167
S. Tanaka - 0-0, .200
G. Romero - 0-1, .000
E. Brantley - 0-1, .143
PH - C. Perry - 0-1, .300
K. Hughes - 0-1, .105

SLAYERS' PITCHING
C.J. Wilson - 6 IP, 7 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 4 ER, 2.76
J.P. Howell - 1 IP, 2 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 1 ER, 1.74
D. Aardsma - 1 IP, 3 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 2 ER, 9.00
J. Chamberlain - 3 IP, 3 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 0 ER, 3.46
J. Frasor - 1 IP, 1 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 0 ER, 2.76 (L, 1-1)


DINOSAURS' PITCHING
S. Tanaka - 0.1 IP, 5 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 5 ER, 16.1
G. Romero - 5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 2 ER, 2.70
E. Brantley - 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 0 ER, 2.82
K. Hughes - 4 IP, 3 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 0 ER, 2.00 (W, 1-2)

The best the Slayers can do is come out next game with no memory of this one.

League Blowouts
Lions beat Cobras 22-10
Malamutes defeat Canadians 15-2

5-3-08

Sacramento Slayers 2 - Durham Dinosaurs 1

SUMMARY: Today's game was a far cry from yesterday's, as this was a pitchers' duel throughout. Jose Bautista drove in the first run in the top of the first with an infield single, scoring Martin Prado who led off the game with a walk (yes, I actually drew a walk! Huzzah!). Brandon Morrow kept his pitch count low, and Baheer Patel got plenty of groundouts. Neither team would score until the bottom of the 8th. Brandon League threw a wild pitch, scoring pinch runner Alex Colamarino from third, who had failed to tag up on a deep fly ball to left field on the previous play. Colamarino's baserunning passiveness later cost the Dinosaurs the win, as pinch hitter Conn Perry laced a double down the left field line in the bottom of the 10th with him on first. Colamarino had plenty of time to score from first, but he stopped at third. He would have been the game-winning run, but Jesse Carlson got the next batter to ground out to first to end the inning. In the top of the 11th, Adam Lind broke the tie with a home run off reliever Doug Roberts that barely cleared the right field wall. Brian Wilson closed the game out for his 10th save of the season.

SLAYERS' LINEUP
404 - Lineup not Found

DINOSAURS' LINEUP
R. Dunn - 1-5, .339
K. Erickson - 0-4, K, .316
Def Sub - A. Thrasher - 0-1, K, .190
L. Gaspar - 0-5, K, .440
H. Glass - 0-4, 2 K, .224
PH - A. Costas - 0-1, .080
G. Gregory - 0-4, .219
W. Bowen - 0-4, K, .344
P. Thrower - 0-4, K, E, .235
A. Spade - 3-3, .244
PR - A. Colamarino - 1-1, R, .333
B. Patel - 0-2, .059
K. Hughes - 1-1, 2B, .150
PH - C. Perry - 1-1, 2B .300
D. Roberts - 0-0, .375

SLAYERS' PITCHING
B. Morrow - 7.1 IP, 5 H, 5 K, 0 BB, 0 ER (1 R), 4.88
J.P. Howell - 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 0 ER, 1.71
B. League - 1 IP, 0 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 0 ER, 4.00
J. Carlson - 1 IP, 2 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 0 ER, 1.40 (W, 3-2)
B. Wilson - 1 IP, 0 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 0 ER, 4.26 (S, 10)

DINOSAURS' PITCHING
B. Patel - 7.1 IP, 6 H, 1 K, 1 BB, 1 ER, 4.78
K. Hughes - 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 0 ER, 1.82
D. Roberts - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 1 ER, 1.93 (L, 0-1)

A good win by the Slayers today. Let's see if they can win the series tomorrow.

League Blowouts
Raiders beat Mustangs 14-1
Canadians defeat Malamutes 15-4

SLAYERS NOTIFICATION

The projected pitching matchup had lefty Horatio Ambriz starting game 3 of the Slayers-Dinosaurs series. However, it appears he will be scratched from this start. Long reliever Jerry Johnson, a 40-year old who will likely retire after this season, will start in his place. Let's take a loos at his skills:

92 TOP SPD, D CTRL, C STAM, SLD 1, CB 2, SPLT 1.

In a league that is no stranger to inflated ERAs, Johnson's might be the worst yet. His stands at 28.5, with 12.1 innings of work. I don't think there's any way his ERA doesn't go down in this next start.

Also, Johnson would need to give up about 7 runs in 2 innings to raise his ERA (or 4+ in 1 inning).

5-4-08

Sacramento Slayers 6 - Durham Dinosaurs 8

SUMMARY: This was a rare occurrence. The Slayers have lost a series. Just like the first game of the series, it started out well, as the Slayers had a 5-3 lead after the 3rd. However, just like in game 1, they were hurt by 1 bad inning. Specifically, the bottom of the 7th. The Dinosaurs scored 5 runs in that inning, capped off by a 3-run shot by Sacramento's Public Enemy #1, third baseman Gannon Gregory. The Slayers tried to attempt a comeback against closer Shaun Keller, but Ben Zobrist grounded out to Keller with Martin Prado on second to end the game.

SLAYERS' LINEUP
M. Prado - 1-5, 2B, RBI, K, .289
B. Zobrist - 2-5, R, .313
J. Bautista - 2-4, HR (16), 2 RBI, 2 R, .303
A. Lind - 2-4, 2B, RBI, R, .301
M. Morse - 2-4, HR (12), 2 RBI, R, .267
J. Francoeur - 1-4, 2B, .364
A. Jones - 1-4, .258
K. Suzuki - 0-4, K, .248
J. Jurrjens - 0-2, .067
PH - R. Barajas - 0-1, .500
D. Aardsma - 0-0, ----
B. League - 0-0, 1.00
PH - S. Rodriguez - 1-1, 2B, R, .333

DINOSAURS' LINEUP
R. Dunn - 3-5, 2 R, K, .351
K. Erickson - 2-4, K, .322
PR - A. Colamarino - 0-0, R, .333
L. Gaspar - 2-4, 2B, RBI, 2 R, .442
H. Glass - 2-4, 2B, RBI, .224
G. Gregory - 2-4, HR (9), 5 RBI, R, .229
W. Bowen - 0-4, K, .330
P. Thrower - 1-4, .235
A. Spade - 1-4, .245
J. Johnson - 1-1, .143
G. Romero - 0-1, .000
PH - A. Costas - 1-1, R, .115
D. Roberts - 0-1, K, .333
S. Keller - 0-0, .000

SLAYERS' PITCHING
J. Jurrjens - 5 IP, 10 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 3 ER, 3.19
D. Aardsma - 1 IP, 3 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 2 ER (3 R), 10.0
B. League - 2 IP, 2 H, 2 K, 0 BB, 2 ER, 4.50

DINOSAURS' PITCHING
J. Johnson - 3.1 IP, 7 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 5 ER, 25.3 (it went down!)
G. Romero - 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 0 ER, 2.28
D. Roberts - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 0 ER, 1.85
S. Keller - 1 IP, 2 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 1 ER, 2.84

Gannon Gregory has really rustled the jimmies of Slayers fans with his late inning heroics.

The Slayers have announced two things: 1) That they are sending down RP David Aardsma and calling up Mark Prior, and 2) That they are willing to make a 3-for-1 deal. GM Preston Greene says: "I am willing to trade Suzuki, Barajas, and a pitcher for a top-class catcher. I will be consulting with my main scout and trade advisor on which catcher to trade for based on the interest of other teams' GMs in the trade itself."

League Blowouts
None. Wow.

RATINGS IMPROVEMENTS
Jeff Francoeur's Contact ability has moved up from a D level to a C level.