Edinburgh News - 2028-04-16 - 'Week Two"

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Edinburgh News - 2028-04-16 - 'Week Two"

#1 Post by Vic »

By Hamish Campbell
Evening News Staff Writer
2028-04-16

Best and worst.

The Scottish Claymores don’t do anything halfway. After the first two weeks of the regular season, they rank at the top of the Imperial League in several key offensive categories – and at the bottom for key pitching and fielding stats.

First the good.

The Claymores rank second in the league for both On Base Percentage and Batting Average (.327 and .271) and at the very top for runs scored (70).

But don’t start sipping your premium scotch in celebration yet. Or, on second thought, go ahead – it might numb the pain of what's coming next. Here’s the bad:

Scotland ranks dead last for runs allowed (66), for Earned Run Average (4.97), for Opponents Batting Average (.291!) and for Bullpen ERA (5.66). It’s not like the starters have set the world on fire, though – they rank 9th in the IL for ERA at 4.58.

How about that defense, though?

Well, take another swig of scotch. The Claymores rank 11th out of the IL’s 12 teams for Defensive Efficiency at .683, ahead of only Kentucky.

One note on that bullpen ERA: the fault does not lie with stoppers Eitoku Tamura or Ken Fisher, neither of whom has yielded a run yet this season. Setup men Jesús Guerra and Ángelo Gonzáles haven’t allowed any runs, either.

The middle relief and long relief corps, however, have been lit up.

Pitching coach George Mooney was understandably defensive: “Two weeks in, and you’re raising this kind of bulls—t? How about giving it a whole, entire month before hitting the panic button?”

Mooney’s boss, though, was a bit more concerned.

“Be assured that we are aware of these numbers and we are not inclined to ignore the story they tell,” said Manager Hayato Sasaki. “We are looking at everything and assessing what the numbers suggest we need to do.”

If the numbers are on speaking terms with Mooney, they might tell him he needs to work a little more with, say, Terry Dumont, who has a 14.09 ERA in long relief. Or maybe Mauro Rocha, with his 8.53 ERA in middle relief.

The numbers aren't sayin,’ they're just sayin' ...

Man of Few Words
After Yeong-hun Kim smashed the Claymores’ first grand slam on April 15 en route to a six-RBI day against New Orleans, reporters asked him what he thought.

He said he was “satisfied” with the day, and then walked off.

That brevity might have a little something to do with his disappointment over his role on the team so far. He’d expected to start after Scotland signed him to a $20.5 million two-year free agent contract in February.

Instead, he’s been stuck behind José Escobido, who signed an even bigger ($36 million over three years) contract during the offseason. As a result, Kim has appeared in just four games (started only three) and has just 14 plate appearances, so far.

His slash line: .231/.286/.538. That would likely be better, of course, if he were playing more regularly.

This is a situation that bears watching …

Man of Many Hits
Although José Guillén’s start has been written about at length elsewhere, it bears a little celebrating in his hometown publication: .533 batting average, .553 OBP, .867 slugging percentage.

The colorful left fielder ranks first in both leagues in many offensive categories, and in the hearts of Claymores fans.

“It’s all love,” Guillén said.

Just so.

Claymore Clips: ... Man of few hits: On the other end of the spectrum from Guillén is CF Jack Flynn, who went 0-21 in week two. That dropped his slash line for the season to .111/.149/.200. Not sure what that is, but it ain't love … Surprising offense: Naomi Honma has settled in nicely at shortstop, flashing his usual talent in the field. But the real surprise has been his offense – a .318/.400/.545 slash line. Last year in 142 games, his line was .223/.268/.355 … Up next: Three-game home stands against Havana and Kentucky.
Vic Caleca
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Re: Edinburgh News - 2028-04-16 - 'Week Two"

#2 Post by Fishermen »

Nice one Vic ;-D An 0-21 streak is the kind I've often had during my years in the PEBA :( . My one real success time was my years in London and that was down to some very special pitchers there I think
Andy (Sim, Chaan-Shu)
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