[mikev]

2013: April Comes To A Close

One month down, and the MBBA Pacific is pretty much shaping up as expected.

It's pretty much a 3 team race, with the Crusaders and Los Angeles sharing 18-9 records to set the pace, with Vegas only 1 game back.

The Crusaders have used a pretty balanced attack to go along with fantastic pitching. Reigning Golden Arm winner Ken McKain is off to a solid start, going 4-1 with a 2.86 ERA and 0.95 WHIP to start 2013. McKain shut out Valencia in his last start, tossing a complete game 3-hitter with 8 strikeouts and only 2 walks.

After McKain, former ace turned #2 starter Jorge Enriquez has been nearly as good as McKain. Jorge, also sporting a 4-1 record, has a 2.98 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. He doesn't have as many strikeouts as McKain does, and has the triva question "Who has thrown 10 innings in a single game and not gotten a decision" with his April 12th start against Green Bay.

The big surprise, however, is 3rd starter George Adams. Adams has only made 4 starts, one of them a forgettable 2.1 inning, 4 run outing against Vegas in which the offense saved him and he was awarded a no-decision. His other three starts? 25 innings, 2 earned runs, 17 strikeouts, 4 walks. Hey, that's pretty good, and his 1.98 ERA leads the team.

Fourth starter Lindsay Blackley has struggled, but the offense is helping him out so he's got a 4-2 record, but the control artist is expected to turn things around.

On the offensive side of things, well, Forest is a monster, so nothing new to report there.

Vincente Gonzalez has a .475 OBP, and is somehow slugging .568 with only 9 extra base hits.

Yoelbi Barro appears to really love being traded, as he's currently sporting a .938 OPS with the Crusaders and has been solid at second base with a .975 fielding percentage and 3 errors.

Tommy Aucoin: 8/7/6/4/9 ratings, but a .694 OPS. Does not compute. I expect him to finish around .750 or so when it's all said and done.

In all, the team is shaping up to be pretty good again this year. If Blackely continutes to falter, another pitcher could be in order. The offense has been solid, but a defensive reshuffle may be on the horizon if Robinson Leyva doesn't start getting the hang of third base a bit quicker.

The Next Crusade

5/1 - v. Vancouver
5/2 - v. Vancouver

5/3 - v. Las Vegas
5/4 - v. Las Vegas
5/5 - v. Las Vegas

5/7 - @ Manhattan
5/8 - @ Manhattan
5/9 - @ Manhattan

5/10 - @ Des Moines