[mikev]

May 21 - First Place, Offense Still Questionable

Three weeks into May, and the Crusaders have snuck past Vancouver in the MBBA Pacific division, currently holding a 2-game lead over the Mounties and the Los Angeles Quakes.

Last sim got off to a good start, as the Crusaders grabbed two out of three from Green Bay (hah! **** you JQ - MBBA-P 4 LYFE!) before losing two out of three from Buffalo. They finished up strong, however, taking two of three from Washington and then the first game of the Valencia four game series.

Infielder Carl Hollingsworth, returning from injury and expected to provide a boost to what has been a very pedestrian California offense so far (.711 team OPS - 10th in the MBBA) didn't do much. He did homer in his first game, but only managed 7 more hits over the 10 games he played in. Clearly the lack of a Spring Training is affecting him, and we'll expect that he picks it up as he gets settled into playing every day again. The rest of the offense hasn't been doing much either, so it appears that the slow start is team wide.

The pitching continues to be very, very good. Jorge Enriquez is blossoming into a star before our eyes, Arturo Fernandez is living up to his "Big Time" nickname, and staff ace Henry McHaney is bouncing back nicely from his rocky first few weeks. Then there's the bullpen. Oh god, the bullpen. Closer Hsin-ta Jin has flourished after being given the role again for the 2010 season, compiling a 2-0 record, 9 saves, and a ridiculous 0.56 ERA and 0.63 WHIP in 16 games so far. Not to be outdone, eighteen year old Luis Vargas has tossed 23 innings with a 1.14 ERA and 1.23 WHIP, and Jesus Diaz is going 1.98 with a 0.95 WHIP in his 13 innings pitched. The "low spot" of the bullpen is Angel Sandoval, the 21 year old with a 3.74 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 21 innings pitched. I think it's pretty obvious that the starters just need to make it through 5 or 6 innings with a bullpen that can roll out four arms like that on any given night.

Outfielder Carlos Garza is still mired in his horrible, horrible slump to start the season. A source close to the team has speculated that Garza could lose some playing time to speedster Nick Cox, but at this point in the season neither looks to be much in the way of offensive output from a corner position in the outfield. For now, it appears that the team will remain in a holding pattern and hope that Garza can snap out of it.

As a whole, it's nice to still be above .500 with an offense that's borderline pathetic and pitching that's been pretty outstanding. If some of the guys in the lineup can manage to correct their rectal/cranial inversion at the plate, I think we can make a nice solid run and put some distance between ourselves and the rest of the Pacific before the All Star Break rolls around at the end of next month.

The Next Crusade

5/21 - v. Valencia
5/22 - v. Valencia
5/23 - v. Valencia

5/25 - v. Los Angeles
5/26 - v. Los Angeles
5/27 - v. Los Angeles

5/28 - @ Las Vegas
5/29 - @ Las Vegas
5/30 - @ Las Vegas