Leaders:
Avg - John McGraw .345
HRs - Paul Hines 6
RBIs - Paul Hines 31
Wins - Kid Nichols 8
ERA - Kid Nichols 2.70
Ks - Kid Nichols 61
Top Performance: Silver King threw a 4-hit shutout against Las Vegas on May 6, striking out 8 and walking 1.
Injuries: Fred Dunlap suffered a sports hernia on May 9, and is expected to miss 7 to 8 weeks.
Round Trip (Four miscellaneous points about the team):
1) Josh Johnson has been outstanding, converting 6 of 7 save opportunities.
2) The assumption that
Ben Sheets had taken the #5 starter role was premature, as he made no start between April 29 and May 17. But then he returned to the hill and allowed 1 earned run over 8 innings in a 7-3 win at New York.
3) The injury to
Fred Dunlap will push
Clint Barmes into the second base role. Manager
Tommy LaSorda has thrown his support behind Barmes, but won't ask too much of him. "Catch the ball and do the fundamentals," LaSorda said when asked his expectations for Barmes.
4) Pitching continues to carry the Cougars, who lead the Southern League in pitching with a dominant 3.19 ERA. But after going 3-1 with a 2.11 ERA in April,
Tim Keefe has gone 1-2 with a 6.86 ERA in May.
Chicago Hitmen
Record: Last 2 Weeks (3-7), Overall 13-23
2-Week Synopsis: Lost both vs Memphis, Lost 3 vs New York, Swept 2 vs Charlotte, Lost 2 of 3 vs Sacramento
Leaders:
Avg -
King Kelly .314
HRs -
Albert Pujols 6
RBIs -
Albert Pujols 28
Wins -
George Bradley 4
ERA -
Cy Young 3.86
Ks -
George Bradley 52
Top Performance: Pink Hawley allowed 1 run over 8 innings in a 4-1 win over Charlotte May 14th.
Injuries: Cy Young was placed on the 15-day DL on May 5 with elbow inflamation. He's not expected to need surgery, but is expected to miss 6 to 7 weeks. The next day
Troy Tulowitzski suffered a hip injury that is expected to shelve him for the remainder of the season.
Round Trip (Four miscallaneous points about the team):
1) Albert Pujols had a homer and 4 RBI over the last two weeks, and the Hitmen's 3-7 mark is further testament to Pujols being necessary for this team to win.
2) King Kelly leads the team in batting at .314, with Pujols second at .282. Third?
Adam Dunn at .217.
3) The Hitmen committed 7 more errors in their past 10 games, raising their total to 37 in 36 games.
4) Despite struggles (allowing runs in his last three outings),
Johan Santana is expected to take
Cy Young's spot in the rotation. The ages of the rotation will then be 23, 19, 17, 21 and 21.