Leaders:
Avg - John McGraw .362
HRs - Paul Hines 6
RBIs - Paul Hines 33
Wins - Kid Nichols 8
ERA - Kid Nichols 3.01
Ks - Kid Nichols 71
Top Performance: John McGraw went 5-for-5 with a double, 2 runs and 2 RBI in a 12-2 win over Orlando on May 24.
Injuries: 2B Fred Dunlap suffered a sports hernia on May 9, and is expected to miss another 4 to 5 weeks.
P Tim Keefe is out with a shoulder strain and expected to miss 5 weeks.
LF Elmer Smith is out with a sore shoulder and expected to miss three weeks.
Round Trip (Four miscellaneous points about the team):
1) After going 19-5 in April, the Cougars went 10-13 in May, including dropping 8 of their last 10. Nobody else in the divison played particularly well during the month, but the poor effort by Charlotte in May upended their chance to run away early.
2) The loss of
Tim Keefe could prove devastating.
Ben Sheets was given the chance to replace him, and in two starts gave up 6 runs over 3 innings followed by 7 runs over 4. Sheets had three strong starts before that, so he's not going anywhere. But he must be steady at least in replacing Keefe, who is 5-3 with a 3.13 ERA so far.
3) The Cougars' success has largely been driven by their 14-5 mark in 1-run games, by far the best in the PBL.
4) Besides Keefe's injury, those on the offensive side have caused a big problem themselves.
Fred Dunlap (.313, 2 HR, 19 RBI) has been replaced by
Clint Barmes (.256, 2 HR, 11 RBI), while
Elmer Smith (.283, 4 HR, 23 RBI) has been replaced by
Mark Teahen (.114, 0 HR, 0 RBI). Those are exchanges the next-to-last offense in the Northern League can ill afford.
Chicago Hitmen
Record: Last 2 Weeks (4-7), Overall 17-30
2-Week Synopsis: Lost 3 of 4 at Wichita, Lost both at San Antonio, Split 2 vs Los Angeles, Won 2 of 3 vs Louisville
Leaders:
Avg -
King Kelly .321
HRs -
Albert Pujols 8
RBIs -
Albert Pujols 33
Wins -
George Bradley 5
ERA -
George Bradley 3.86
Ks -
George Bradley 75
Top Performance: Marcus Giles went 4-for-5 with 2 runs in an 8-7 loss to Los Angeles on May 24.
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 another 2 to 3 weeks.
Troy Tulowitzski suffered a hip injury that is expected to shelve him for the remainder of the season. Closer
Bobby Jenks is out with a strained oblique. He should be back in about 2 weeks.
CF Chick Stahl separated his shoulder diving for a ball, and is expected to miss 5 weeks.
Round Trip (Four miscallaneous points about the team):