By Hamish Campbell
The Edinburgh News
May 7, 2029
Week in Review
April 30-May 6, 2029
Scotland put together a second consecutive winning week to move into a tie with Havana at the top of the hotly-contested Trans Atlantic Division. The Claymores won both of their series for the week, taking two of three from San Juan in Edinburgh and two of three from the Bureaucrats in Arlington.
Hot hitting from LF José Guillén, CF Teruo Nagai, and INF Orlando Barrón helped carry the Scottish, along with strong pitching performances by Clark Snow and Francisco Robles.
The Claymores will need to stay hot in the coming week as they travel stateside to take on West Virginia in a three-game set and then Manchester for another three-game series.
Top Batter
José Guillén, LF: .364/.417/.545, 22 AB, 8 H, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 R, 4 RBI, 0.3 WAR
Top Pitcher
Allen Guthrie, SP: 0-0, 8.0 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 HA, 7 Ks, 1 BB, 1.13 ERA, 0.2 WAR
Top Game
A 13-inning nail biter against San Juan on May 1 is our game of the week.
Scotland struck in the bottom of the first as 1B Orlando Barrón beat out a bunt single down the third base line, then moved to second on a tough dribbler back to the mound, and ultimately scored on a single to right by LF José Guillén. San Juan tied the score in the top of the 3rd as 3B Bob Vollmer smashed a towering homer to left center that traveled an estimated 420 feet.
Both teams scored again in the 6th, and the score remained knotted at 2-2 until the bottom of the 13th when Coqui RP Luis Monsalve issued two walks and a HBP to load the bases. San Juan brought in Marty Bernard to face CF Teruo Nagai, who lined a rocket to center that allowed Guillén to tag at third and race home with the winning run.
Both starters – Allen Guthrie for Scotland, and Fernando Castro for San Juan – threw excellent games, but neither figured in the decision. Terry Dumont picked up the win in relief for the Claymores, and Monsalve was tagged with the loss.
News and Notes
3B Bob Swift remained on the injured list last week as team physicians reported a snag in his recovery from a hamstring strain, suffered on April 14. A return date has not been set, as doctors say the only treatment for the injury is rest. Swift was batting .227 with 1 HR and 2 RBIs when he went down … RF Pat Barry, arguably Scotland’s splashiest off-season acquisition, continues to struggle at the plate. Through the games of May 6, he was slashing .195/.246/.345 with 5 HRs, 18 RBIs, and -0.4 WAR … Fans continue to stream through the turnstiles at The Castle: attendance per game is averaging 37,857, up 13 percent over last season. The Claymores have drawn 605,712 fans so far this year, which ranks them 14th in the PEBA, 7th for the Imperial League.
IL Trans Atlantic Division Standings
As of the morning of May 7, 2029
|Team.........|Wins|Losses|Win%|GB|RD|
|Scotland|.....|18|12|.600||--|+19|
|Havana........|18|12|.600|--|+36|
|San Juan......|18|13|.581|0.5|+3|
|Amsterdam..|14|17|.452|4.5|-17|
|London........|13|17|.433|5.0|-27|
Fresh From The Farm
Aberdeen turned in an excellent week, going 6-1 as it took two of three games at Joplin, and then swept a four-game series at home from Camaguey. The Golden Sands are 18-14, good for first place in the GBB Europe and Islands Division … RF Will Nelson helped lead the way with 2 HRs and 9 RBIs … AA Inverness went 4-3 for the week, sweeping a three-game series against Rockville and then dropping three of four at Maine. Inverness is 16-16 for the season, 6.5 games off the lead in the ATAL Euro-Caribbean Division … SP Edward Moore stayed hot, allowing just one run over 15 IP in two starts last week, striking out 10 and walking 3. On the season now, Moore is 4-3 with a 1.42 ERA in 44.1 IP, with 26 Ks and 18 BBs … Govan turned in a .500 week, losing all three games to Middle Bass and then turning around to sweep a three-game set from Bismarck. The Shipbuilders are 8-12 on the season now, in 4th place in the AWL Intercontinental Division … C Jorge Ramos has been hot at the plate, going 8-21 over his last 7 games. That translates to a .381 BA, with 2 HRs and 7 RBIs.
