By Hamish Campbell
The Edinburgh News
May 28, 2029
The Claymores put together a winning record last week – barely.
But in the intensely competitive kill zone atop the Trans Atlantic Division this season, that simply isn’t enough.
Translation: the Scottish slipped out of a tie for second in the division down to third and fell 2.5 games off the blistering pace set by first place Havana and second place San Juan.
“This is the best division in baseball at this point, and anything less than our absolute best will not bring the results we wish to see,” said Scottish Manager Hayato Sasaki.
“Right now, we are like a Salieri symphony in a division of Mozarts. Or, if you wish a popular music metaphor, we are currently Ed Sheeran in a division of Springsteens and Neil Youngs.”
Um. OK.
Well, rolling with that metaphor, the Scottish "Sheerans" took 2 of 3 games from Hartford at home, then split a 4-game series on the road against San Antonio to bring their record on the season to 30-19.
Which sounds fine – until you consider that Havana went 6-1 and San Juan went 5-2 over the same stretch. In other words, Springsteen and Neil Young vs. Ed.
Sheeran.
Going forward, the Claymores need to find a way to stop “Thinking Out Loud” and start “Rockin’ in the Free World.”
So to speak.
Top Hitter
José Escobido, 2B: .360/.385/.440, 2 2Bs, 2 RBIs, .825 OPS
Top Pitcher
Soichiro Ogawa, SP: 1 GS, 8.0 IP, 1-0, 9 HA, 5 Ks, 0 BB, 2.25 ERA
Top Game
A Scottish offensive barrage on May 22 resulted in a 14-3 blowout of Hartford before a near-capacity crowd at The Castle. Scotland pounded out 18 hits, including six homers. RF Pat Barry and LF José Guillén had two apiece, while 3B Eric Jacobs and SS Naomi Honma each had one. The win went to Terry Dumont in relief of Roger Keller, who’s being held to a strict pitch count this season in hopes of preserving his arm over the long haul of the season. Hartford RF Walter Winston made a bit of history he no doubt wishes he could have avoided: he tied the Imperial League regular season record by striking out 5 times in the game.
News and Notes
Scotland signed two relief pitchers to minor league contracts last week, in moves that could pay dividends for the major league club later in the season. Luis Puente, who was released by West Virginia in early May, was assigned to AAA Aberdeen, where he will work in the closer role in preparation for a call-up later in the season. The Claymores also signed Spencer Cox, who pitched last year in the Florida Featherheads organization before becoming a minor league free agent last November. Cox was assigned to the AA Inverness Highlanders, where he will assume closer duties … RF Pat Barry continues to make progress after taking more than a month to reach the so-called Mendoza line (a .200 BA). After another strong week at the plate (.333/.481/.619), Barry has raised his season slash line to .251/.310/.464 with 12 HRs and 35 RBIs. That’s more what Scottish GM Vic Caleca had in mind when he signed Barry as a free agent to a $118 million, 5-year contract in the offseason … So far this season, Scotland has been about equally comfortable on the road as at home. The Claymores’ road record is 15-9 (.625), while its home record is 15-10 (.600).
IL Trans Atlantic Division Standings
As of the morning of May 28, 2029
|Team...........|W | L | W % |GB |RD |
|Havana|.......|33|17|.660| -- |+60|
|San Juan......|32|19|.627| 1.5|+20|
|Scotland|.....|30|19|.612| 2.5|+45|
|London........|22|26|.458|10.5|-32|
|Amsterdam..|22|27|.449|10.5|-23|
Fresh From the Farm
AAA Aberdeen had a disastrous week, going 1-5 – but somehow still managed to stay in first place in the AML Europe and Islands Division. The Golden Sands are 27-24 on the season with a 2.5 game lead over second place Eindhoven … RP Andrew Blowey has been hot for Aberdeen, with 3 saves and a 0.00 ERA over 15.2 innings of work in his last 12 appearances … AA Inverness, meanwhile, had its best week of the season, going 6-0 to raise its season record to 29-21. The Highlanders are still in third, 7 games behind division leader Port-au-Prince … CF Dale Cooper has been blistering the baseball of late, going 8-21 in his last 6 games. He’s hit for a .381 BA with 1 HR and 3 RBIs in that stretch. For the season, he’s slashing .284/.356/.456 with 6 homers, 25 RBIs and 11 SB … A-level Govan pulled out of its death spiral last week, going 3-3. The Shipbuilders are still in 5th (last) place in the AWL Intercontinental Division, 15 games behind Utrecht. Doesn’t sound like much, but it’s better than last week’s 1-6 effort … SP Andrew Smith has sparkled, despite the team’s woes: he’s 2-1 with a 0.86 ERA over his last 4 starts. He’s struck out 23 in 31.1 IP over that span. On the season now, he’s 3-4 with a 1.68 ERA, 49 Ks and 16 BBs.
