[mikev]

Crusaders Still in First Place

A 6-3 sim featuring two of three from Green Bay, a three game sweep of Buffalo, and losing two of three to Washington puts the Crusaders at 27-14, good for a 4 game lead over Valencia(!) in the Pacific.

Miguel Garcia and Kenkichi Sugiyama led the way offensively, each hitting a pair of home runs while the rest of the offense floundered. There really isn't a whole lot to say, when you hit .228 as a team with a .280 OBP, you look at a 6-3 record over 10 games, thank your pitching staff, and look forward to the next few games.

We've already touched on the Kennelly injury, which is just an absolute killer. Gramachoto will move back into the rotation, which I'm not excited about /at all/. Yes, he's only 24, but is it too early to label the guy as AAAA quality? Totally dominant in the minors, totally awful in the bigs (okay, small smaple size).

The more I look at it, the more I'm tempted to give Kramer a shot in the rotation. He's listed as a borderline SP by OOTP anyway, features two plus pitches and a third not so plus pitch, but he's been very good so far in the bullpen. Couldn't hurt, I guess. It could hurt the bullpen though. He's been a big part of it, along with Angel Sandoval, and the disappointing Ismael Enriquez hasn't been very good at all with the Crusaders. Strange to see after being so great in Moscow, but it would appear that he just doesn't enjoy being a Crusader.

There have been no serious trade rumors lately out of California, but several members of the organization have hinted that there is nobody in the minors who can replace Kennelly's roster spot. Might this mean a deal is in the works? We're not sure.

The Next Crusade

5/21 - v. Valencia
5/22 - v. Valencia
5/23 - v. Valencia
5/24 - v. Valencia

5/26 - v. Los Angeles
5/27 - v. Los Angeles
5/28 - v. Los Angeles

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