Edinburgh News - 2028-05-21 - 'Week Seven"

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Edinburgh News - 2028-05-21 - 'Week Seven"

#1 Post by Vic »

By Hamish Campbell
Evening News Staff Writer
2028-05-21

The Big Picture
The pall cast over the Scottish clubhouse by a 2-5 week wasn’t helped by a spate of recent injuries that necessitated a few roster moves heading into Week 8 of the regular season.

First off, a sprained elbow put Claymores’ regular #3 starter Kazuhiko Nishiyama on the 10-day disabled list. Nishiyama hurt himself during his May 21 start against Florida, coming out of the game with two down in the 9th. Although he’s been struggling this season (3-4, 5.76 ERA, 1.52 WHIP), Nishiyama’s basic talent ratings suggest he’ll eventually settle down, so missing a couple weeks of starts isn’t ideal.

He’ll be replaced in the rotation by wildly inconsistent Soichiro Obawa (40% PQS dominant starts, versus 60% disastrous starts). We’re keeping our fingers crossed that good Soichiro shows up the next couple of weeks instead of his evil twin.

Ace bullpen setup specialist Eitoku Tamura is also hurting, although his day-to-day wrist soreness hasn’t required a DL stint – yet. Manager Hayato Sasaki is expected to sit him for at least three days and rely on Ángelo Gonzáles as the sole setup man until Tamura is back up to speed. Plus, given that Tamura recently made one of the most disastrous relief appearances in recorded history (see Game of the Week below), perhaps some time on the shelf wouldn't be all bad.

In addition, of course, 2B Yeong-hun Kim is still on the DL for a few more days, too, as a result of his impromptu outfield race with OF Teruo Nagai.

What can we say, except stock up on “Get Well” cards …

Player of the Week
Ken Fisher continues to impress since taking over the closer role from Eitoku Tamura in mid-April.

Last week was no different: 4 appearances, 5 IP, no runs allowed, just one hit allowed, and 2 saves.

On the season, Fisher has converted 6 of 7 save opportunities, allowed only 1 run all season in 24.2 innings pitched (a pinch-hit HR to Arlington C Marvin Hansen on May 9). He has 2 wins, no losses to go with his 6 saves on the year. That ERA, by the way, computes to 0.36.

If Scotland could just find a way to get the man a few more save opportunities, well, that would be nice.

Game of the Week
The May 20 game at Florida’s Farmer Field was a heartbreaker: a 1-0 loss that ended on an Eitoku Tamura balk – yeah, you read that right – with the bases loaded (on walks) in the bottom of the 11th inning.

Both starters pitched well, with Carlos Pérez pitching 8 innings of 6-hit shutout ball, while Florida’s Hyotaru Hayashi went 7 innings allowing just 3 hits but four walks while keeping the Scottish off the board.

The Claymores decided to gamble and bring closer Fisher into the game with the scored tied in the 9th, and he pitched two shutout innings before yielding to Tamura, who came out to pitch the 11th.

After a leadoff ground out, Featherheads RF Alfredo Hinojosa coaxed a walk and then stole second. An unnerved Tamura then walked LF Danny Burton, and Featherheads manager Héctor Santana took advantage of his discomfort by calling a double steal: Hinojosa wound up on third, and Burton on second.

Claymores manager Sasaki tried to play the percentages and called for an intentional walk to left-handed DH Wilson Muñóz to face right-handed CF Miguel Yánez. The move backfired, though, when Tamura made a funky move towards the plate, then threw over to first. The home plate ump called a balk immediately, and stuck to his guns even as the usually-mild-mannered Sasaki jawed in his face, threw his hat, and even pulled a classic Earl Weaver move and kicked dirt on his shoes.

All the Claymores had to show for all that was a loss, an untidy umpire - and an epic fail by Tamura that could rival the Iliad, the Odyssey or both.

Stat of the Week
After several weeks of highlighting pitching stats, we turn our attention to offense with a statistic that (happily) the league keeps on its own: wOBA (or weighted on base average).

The measure was created by Sabermatician Tom Tango, who highlighted it in “The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball.” wOBA weights the value of hits (homers are worth more than singles, triples more than doubles, etc., and other offensive results to arrive at a figure that’s read like on-base percentage. To see how it’s computed, go here.

In general, if your wOBA is .400 and above, you’re elite; from .371 to .399, very good; from .321 to .370, good; .320, average; from .291 to .319, bad; .290 and below, find another day job.

So, armed with that info, how are the Claymores doing?

Not all that well. At this point in the season, more than half of the Scottish position players should be considering a future in sales.

The top three Claymores regulars (90 plate appearances or more) are: OF José Guillén, .423; 3B Bob Swift, .384; and 2B José Escobido (who’s coming off a hot week), .349.

The bottom three regulars: 2B Sixto Dueñas, .251; OF Vincent Powell, .262; and OF/1B Peter Casey, .263.

We’ll keep an eye on this - and openings in the retail industry - as the season wears on …
Last edited by Vic on Mon Feb 11, 2019 11:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
Vic Caleca
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Re: Edinburgh News - 2028-05-08 - 'Week Seven"

#2 Post by Sandgnats »

Claymores wrote:After a leadoff ground out, Featherheads RF Alfredo Hinojosa coaxed a walk and then stole second. An unnerved Tamura then walked LF Danny Burton, and Featherheads manager Héctor Santana took advantage of his discomfort by calling a double steal: Hinojosa wound up on third, and Burton on second.
Those F-heads love to steal...
RJ Ermola
Vice President and General Manager of Baseball Operations
Crystal Lake Sandgnats

*2024 PEBA Champions*
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