[mikev]

Slow Start For Crusaders

One month down, and the Crusaders picked up a bit from their slow 3-6 start to finish April with an 11-11 record.

It's been a rough first couple weeks for some of the big guys in the middle of the lineup. Jakob Forest has been miserable, though he picked things up over the last week by going 8-22 with a couple doubles. The same can be said for Cristian Ruvalcubu, Francisco Mendez, and Rafael Lopez.

Really the only guy pulling his weight with the bat is Mark Edwards. The youngster has gotten off to a great start this year, hitting .235/.372/.613 with 6 homers and 18 RBI in his first month as a full time starter.

On the pitching side of things, we've actually been okay. Enriquez has been as reliable as ever, though he's been pegged with 3 losses already. The 31 year old has already tossed 3 complete games (one in losing fashion) and has a 2.12 ERA and 1.07 WHIP.

Ace-In-Waiting George Adams has also been solid, going 4-1 over his 6 starts in April with a 3.70 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. As long as he continues to put up above average numbers, we're content with letting him sit in the #2 spot in the rotation until his ratings catch up with his talents.

The bullpen, much maligned in a preseason preview, is currently 3rd in the MBBA with a 2.65 ERA. Led by Angel Sandoval and his 4 saves and 1.86 ERA, Old Man Jin who is still effective in a setup role, and The Corpse Of Luis Vargas who is still getting guys out - for now, until his ratings drop to match his talents - I'm still confident that the pitchign staff overall will be just fine.

The Next Crusade

5/2 - v. Los Angeles
5/3 - v. Los Angeles
5/4 - v. Los Angeles

5/5 - @ Long Beach
5/6 - @ Long Beach

5/7 - @ Valencia
5/8 - @ Valencia
5/9 - @ Valencia

5/10 - @ Las Vegas