Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#421 Post by Borealis »

I’ve always watched the replays - and take pain-staking effort not to look at the top of the screen to see team record. Glasses on the end of the nose, blurring the screen, and setting the game bookmark each sim to the opening game for the next week (on the scores screen) allows for a quick F2 to the right place! It’s much more fun to see those games first, before digesting all the rest...
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#422 Post by Borealis »

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Week 2 Looking Like 2nd Half '27
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

April 17, 2028: Palm Springs, California - After comfortably winning the Desert Hills title for the 7th straight year - mostly due to being the clear cream of the division, most fans seem to have forgotten the poor overall play of the Borealis over the second half - accentuated by the inability to keep the ball in play - particularly against Okinawa, Aurora's host for the opening series this past week - and 2028 didn't look a whole lot different.

In winning 2 of 3 games against Aurora, the Shisa pounded out 10 homers - including 3 from young Tim Patton - who in his rookie year in '27 hit 14. Alex Bothwell had a pair, as did Jerry Rutledge. The scary part of Okinawa's barrage upon Aurora's arms is 14 of their 26 hits were for extra-bases - the other 4 were doubles. Meanwhile, Aurora managed all of 6 XBH - 2-2B, 1-3B and a pair of homers. Both those homers came off the bat of rookie sensation Ricardo Zamora.

Zamora was the 29th overall selection in the 2025 draft and is joined by Neo-Tokyo's Jeffrey Grier as the first hitters of that classes first round to get PEBA playing time (Grier is 8-49, with a pair of 2Bs). Zamora (along with RF Paul Carlisle) led the team in the series against Okinawa with a 5-11 series and another pair of homers (giving him 4 at that moment). Carlisle added a homer of his own - to compete the Borealis homer parade. The past few seasons have seen Aurora significantly out-homered, and it already looks like that isn't about to change.

As a team, Aurora didn't hit poorly - their .283 beat the Shisa's .271 - and in classic Aurora fashion, walked more, struck out less, but when your opponent scores 58% of their runs on one hit and you need 2.5 H to get a run, it's pretty hard to win a series. The big guilty party was Teddy Loetzsch - 1-13 grounding into a pair of DP and stranding a couple of runners in scoring position. Teddy has started very poorly - 9-42 overall, and is rumored to be hitting the pine for a while.

Gabe McIntyre, a steady 5-13 against the Shisa and .306 on the your season, is rumored to slide to the left side of second and replacing Loetzsch. We speculate that with that move, Pablo Medrano would likewise slide over to second - paving the way for... Another rookie? Jose Torres (27th overall in 2024) is 7-21 in part-time play, but he does have 2-2B and a 3B, while Carlos Saenz - brought in with the hope for power and average - has delivered neither as the former-Bear is 1-13.

The relief corps were mostly on point - as the 4-runs allowed coming on a pair of 2-run HRs allowed by 'Onion' and Pedro Vega, otherwise they were scoreless in their 22.7 IP - with 25 K and a somewhat disturbing 11 BB. The starters, on the other hand, were a little disconcerting - 20 runs, 31 H in 33 IP. It was the work of the 3 & 4 starters - Nieves and Diaz, that were the most disturbing - each giving up 3-HRs and 7 R to the Shisa. For 'Chief' that's 4 HRs and 9 R in 17 IP, while 'Terror' has a similar line (4 HR & 8 R) in 12.2 IP. Could it be the rotation is already missing Provost? Turner and 'Tugboat' are seasoned, top-notch starters, and one would expect nothing but the best from them - but perhaps the pressure of picking up the slack is already simmering in the minds of Diaz and Nieves.

Carlos Rivera has another day left on the DL, then he'll be ready to return - and if another poor week happens - with Palm Springs and Reno on the agenda, we might see Carlos come right back into the rotation. No one expects Billy Taylor to be the answer - and at least he held Okinawa to just 3 runs, but for now, he's the 3rd best arm on the team. Another option may be the spring option that never materialized - Rob Imhoff, fresh off the DL will make his 2028 debut tonight v. 5-4 Sioux Falls.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#423 Post by Fishermen »

Borealis wrote: After comfortably winning the Desert Hills title for the 7th straight year
Crikey :shock: I feel half the time I'm lucky to win seven times let alone seven titles :lol:
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#424 Post by Borealis »

Sluggish April Continues, Trade Rumors Blow Upslope
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

April 24, 2028: Crystal Lake, Illinois - April has traditionally been a crap shoot for Aurora - some years they've smoked through April, other times they've slogged along, waiting for that equally traditional red hot May. With Paul Carlisle, fresh off his SL Player of the Week honors, hitting .400 and Manny Castro checking in with .325 and 3 HR (yet only 5 RBI), offensively they have just offset the poor starts by River Pope (.210), Pablo Medrano (.233) and Domingo Gutierrez (.234).

Rookies Ricardo Zamora (.284, with a team leading 5 HR, 14 RBI and 8 SB) and Jose Torres (.239, 2 HR and 9 RBI) have somewhat canceled each other out, and their combined 25 K in 113 AB haven't helped. If anything, the motivation of adding these two youngin's to the lineup in search for more power seems to have paid off early, as their 7 HRs are no doubt more than Medrano, McIntyre, Pope and the departed Ferringo would have generated at 1B, LF and DH.

Treading Colorado River water? John Turner has a 1.16 ERA in his first 4 Aurora starts, with 31 K in 23 IP, but Billy Taylor (3.54), 'Tugboat' (3.57), Nieves (4.30) and 'Terror' Diaz (4.74) have been a combined meh, and averaged less than 6 IP per start. That's going to catch-up with a bullpen that features an ERA a full run-plus less than the starters - a bullpen where the work of Ron Latour (11.2 IP, no runs allowed) and Dan Feld (14 IP, 1 run allowed) have made the 'pen's numbers somewhat deceptive.

With the team getting set for their first series with the treacherous 'Gnats, there are more than just the concerns about play on the major league diamond - rumors abound that a deal may be in the works which will see one of Aurora's prized prospects hitting the road with his passport in tow. There are no details as of yet - but one could always speculate... Might Aurora's once highly anticipated ''F' & 'F' Brothers' be faced with separation? If the rumors I'm hearing are true - Aurora's look to the future might just be in full swing.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#425 Post by Borealis »

Adios 'Fudd'
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

April 24, 2028: Crystal Lake, Illinois - The hardest thing for a team to do is to admit failure. The hardest thing about admitting failure is the prospect that said failure may flourish as you envisioned all along - for someone else. Case in point, Roberto 'Fudd' Martinez.

'Fudd' was the 16th overall selection in the 2023 draft - a pick Aurora acquired in the 2022 Winter Meetings deal with the Alleghenies for former-Aurora CF Matt Ferrell. Martinez was drafted and came into the Aurora family with high expectations - a 5-tool player that Aurora envisioned at the top of the line-up, hitting .300 and a litany of 20-20 seasons. Instead, a minor league career of success and failure - and a (somewhat) small sample size at the PEBA-level that just didn't match expectations. One might suggest that 'Fudd' was destined to fail. Others might suggest Aurora lacked patience.

To make matters worse, two-years later, Aurora drafted Ricardo Zamora - a redundant selection, his similarities to 'Fudd' were stunning. This spring, Zamora out-played Martinez for a roster and the starting spot in LF, which came available with River Pope moving into the DH role vacated by Pedro Ferringo. Three weeks in, Zamora is hitting .284 with 5 HR, 14 RBI and 8 SB - all team highs, while 'Fudd' went back to AAA and pouted - to the tune of .227, 2 HR and 19 K. And 'Fudd' is on his last option. Aurora needed to put him out there - sink or swim, or let him go.

Then Toyama came knocking on the door, and quickly made 'let him go' and option. The Wind Dancers - a team needing talent at the big league level, a team with some young pieces with potential well down the line, and a hard look in the mirror by the Borealis, led to an improbable trade - well, improbable 6 months ago.

Aurora's 'Boy Wonder' GM, Will Topham, announced today that the teams had come to a deal for the erstwhile OF, as the Borealis sent Martinez and 29-year old OF Lawrence Justice to the Win-D's for two young and promising SP - 20-year old right-handed Englishmen Henry Cluett and 19-year old Panamanian lefty Pedro Morales. Also included in the deal is 24-year old OF Howard Joyce, a former 2022 2nd-round pick of Shin Seiki, who replaces Justice on the roster with age and options to his advantage.

So what was the true motivations of the Borealis management in their sudden change of heart on 'Fudd'? Could it be Mike Provost's UCL surgery, and the $35M team option for 2029? Could it be 'Tugboat's $26M vesting option for 2029 and 2030? Is it Carlos Rivera's $15M team option for 2029? Is it Luis Nieves' $14M and $13M team options for 2029 and 2030? For the record, that's four starting pitchers with options for 2029 for a total salary of $92M. Yuma has a salary base of $94M this season.

It's no surprise to fans of the Planetary Extreme Baseball Alliance that the Aurora Borealis have made grand strides over the past 17 seasons depending on exemplary starting pitching. That 'look in the mirror' soul-searching is telling: Provost, Smith and Rivera are 35. Nieves is 33. Then there is Edgar Diaz, who is 29, but is in the last year of his contract (upping that potential salary savings to $100M). Only John Turner is guaranteed to be here in 2030. What does that soul-searching tell us? There's a pitching crisis in Aurora. There's also $100M potentially available for immediate solutions.

Aurora has been trying to plan in advance, focusing on starting pitching over the past few drafts - but that has been a challenge over the course of the Leagues history, as Aurora has traditionally ended up drafting late in rounds - while the top pitching prospects of the draft frequently long gone. Rob Imhoff, their top pick in 2026 (29th overall), has struggled to stay healthy, and as such, has struggled to show his potential. Jesus Solis, a compensation pick in 2026 (38th), has moved steadily through the ranks, and in 4 starts at AAA has posted a 2.25 ERA this year. Miguel Torres, last years top dog (32nd) had a stellar Short A season last year (2.06 in 14 GS). Kelsey Buck, 2026 2nd rounder (64th overall) has a career 3.00 ERA in 40 GS at Short A and A Ball going into 2028. These four form the core of what Aurora envisions as a potential future rotation.

Cluett and Morales add to this mix as a pair of young arms who already grade out as high or higher than Aurora's future 'Core Four'. Cluett, an international find by the Toyama scouts, is currently considered the #30 PEBA prospect after winning the 2027 Short A Golden Arm with a 12-4, 2.48 season, with 106 K in 134 IP. In his lone start in 2028, he was an out shy of a complete game as he beat Marduk (SS), allowing 7 H, 2 solo HRs and 6 K, 0 BB. Cluett is a side-armer, who's fastball tops out at 96 MPH, but it's his slider and change that are his out-pitches.

Morales, likewise, was a scouting discovery - in 2025, and has toiled the past 4-years in Toyama's International Complex, and currently is PEBA's 65th rated prospect. Aurora's scouts rave about his fastball, which is topping out at 100 MPH, as well as excellent sliders and curveballs. The scouting combine at OSA raves about his control, though Aurora's scouts feel like that may be his chink in his armor. He is already slotted to be Mokule'ia's opening day starter. One are he will need to focus on is his conditioning, as he's shown signs of tiring early during workouts.

Lost in this all, but probably making the most immediate impact is Howard Joyce, an outfielder who's game is not too different than the man he replaces. 29-year old Lawrence Justice's time at Aurora has been marked by excellence in the corner outfield spots - something scouts rave about in Joyce, and when he managed to get called up, he'd perform well - a career .290 in 815 AB, with 25 SB and just 45 K (and an equally small 21 BB). Justice may have been patient at the plate, but if he saw anything close to a strike, he swung. Much the same can be said about Joyce, though he has shown to be more patient and willing to take a walk. Scouts also expect Joyce to hit for more solid contact than Justice and thus a higher average. Though much faster than Lawrence, Howard's base running skills leave a little to be desired. Justice, 5-years older than Joyce, had served his time as Aurora's '6th outfielder', as he has run out of options and passed through waivers to find himself back at AAA. Joyce, with 2 options left, will find himself filling that same '6th' role and will head to AAA, awaiting that inevitable injury - or perhaps a fall to earth by Zamora.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#426 Post by Sandgnats »

That's one expensive popsicle stand!
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#427 Post by Borealis »

Sandgnats wrote:That's one expensive popsicle stand!
Hmmmmm... let's see... Trade for young arms... check... Scope out the future FA list... Coming right up...
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#428 Post by Sandgnats »

Borealis wrote:
Sandgnats wrote:That's one expensive popsicle stand!
Hmmmmm... let's see... Trade for young arms... check... Scope out the future FA list... Coming right up...
Oh I have... no way I am letting any one of my dudes walk into that bidding war!
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#429 Post by Borealis »

With April Gone, May Means Business'
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

May 1, 2028: Aurora, Colorado - So I get it... 15-11 is nothing to sneeze at. That's a pace to win 93 - though it would be the team's lowest since 2020, the 'tween year in their 4 in 5 year title run. You have to go back to 2016 to find a year where 93-wins doesn't get you in the playoffs. Despite all that, despite the 5-2 start to the year and taking a series at Crystal Lake this past week, that 15-11 mark feels... tenuous.

But let's look what April did bring us... starting with the past week.

Series win at Crystal Lake
Are you sitting down? Well, then grab a chair... I'll wait. OK? Good. Aurora out homered the 'Gnats 7-1 in their 3-game series. No, that's not a mistake. Antonio Vegas walk-off solo shot off John Gray in the B10 of game 2 was all they got. Remarkable for a team that has made a habit of giving up homers the past few seasons. On the flip side, Mike Britt, 'Fido' Castro and rookie Jose Torres, in his first extended series of starts, all homered twice in the series, with River Pope delivering #7. As a matter of fact, Britt hit both in Aurora's 8-2 win in game 1, behind the fine work of 'Tugboat', with the 'Onion' working 2-shut out, no-hit innings (with 4 K) to close it out; while Castro hit his two in game 3 in support of the excellent, if not labored effort of the 'Chief', with Thomas Moya throwing his own 2.1-shut out, no-hit innings (with 3 K) to finish the game. Torres had a homer in each game. The one game Aurora did lose was a brilliant pitchers duel between John Turner and Dan McNeil. JT struggled at times, walking 5, but with only 2-hits allowed in his 7 innings, with 6 K, he was able to dodge bullets right and left. McNeil was dominant, with 8, 3-hit innings. As a matter of fact, only Smith and Gray gave up runs, as the staff allowed just a run a game. The aforementioned four hitters, along with Tomas Flores, were the offense as the five combined for 20-57 (.350), 9 R, all 14 RBI and the 7 homers. If you were an Aurora fan, this series had everything - the taut pitchers duel, the breather shut-out, and close game with the big inning to close it (6-run 9th in game 1, highlighted by Torres' first career grand slam).

Series Loss to Duluth
By contrast, you have the follow-up series with Duluth at Northern Lights. Once more, the pitchers were stingy - 0 HRs - that's right... Zero! When was the last time Aurora pitched like that in recent memory... Uh... Never?? And yet, Aurora lost because they could not get the big out. Coupled with 13 BB and you have a formula for disaster, starting with Xavier Diaz, making the surprise start game 1for 'Terror's Diaz who missed the start with some mysterious ailment (the club declined to explain what was up). 'X' gave up 5 H and 5 BB in 4 innings - but that led only to 2-runs, which wasn't so bad as the game would go 12-innings, where Ron Latour and Lando Lagerveld (making his season debut, coming off the DL for a spring injury) couldn't hold Duluth anymore, in a 5-3 loss. Not to be outdone, Billy Taylor 'inverted' Diaz' outing, going 5 innings with 4 H and 4 BB and his own 2-runs. Once more, mostly solid relief work took game 2 into extras, where CF Nick Heath (3-5, 2 R) doubled with 1-out in the B10, and Mike Britt would single him home with 2-outs to send the fans home happy. Game 3 was doomed, as 'Tugboat' struggled over 6 IP, allowing 4-runs on 7-hits, while former-Codger Jose Campos - used mostly as a reliever over the past few season, make a spot start, looked masterful, as Aurora managed only 3-hits in a 4-0 shut-out loss. Saenz (3-7), Flores (4-10) and Carlisle (4-12) were the main offensive drivers, though there was only a single run amongst them, and Carlisle's 2-RBI were all the group generated. As they say, timing is everything.

April's Numbers
Paul Carlisle is leading the team in average, at .360, which is good enough for 2nd (to Alex Bothwell's .373) in the SL and 6th overall. To continue with the theme at the top of this story, Aurora has 23 homers - more than the 20 the pitchers have given up - so that's something, and one can thank the two rookies, Torres, Ricardo Zamora and a resurgent Manny Castro (.300, 5 HR, 8 RBI) who all have 5 homers to lead the team. Mike Britt has 4 and leads the team with 18 RBI - good enough four 4th in the SL. Zamora started hot the first two weeks, but has cooled the last two weeks, while Torres has been a little more consistent, but with each having 5 homers and 14 and 15 RBI, respectively, the rookies are doing their share when it comes to upping the power numbers - the goal when the decision was made to bring them up and thrust them into the lineup. Disappointing is Carlos Saenz (4-28), Pablo Medrano (15-66, .227) and Domingo Gutierrez (21-87, .231)

On the mound, despite some recent shakiness, John Turner continues to lead the staff with a tidy 0.89 ERA in 5 starts (tops in the SL). His WHIP still sits well below 1.00 (0.79) and his 37 K lead the team (and are 4th overall). After Turner, it's been a rough go, as Smith (3.79), Nieves (3.34), Taylor (3.55) and Diaz (the 'Terror' variety, checking in at 4.74) have had moments of brilliance and more than equal moments of... pain. They have combined to give up 15 of the 20 HRs Aurora has allowed, and the 70 walks is uncharacteristically greater than the 60 the hitters have drawn - Aurora pitchers have been historically stingy in this department. It's a deceptive lot, Aurora pitchers. As a whole, they are holding the opponents to a .223 AVE, so clearly the walks, in front of those 20 HRs are making a difference.

Where the pitching staff is excelling these days is the 'pen. Castro (1.98), Feld (1.00), Gray (2.77, but 2 loses and 6 saves), Latour (1.10) and Moya (2.87) have done an excellent job. The group as a whole is averaging more than a strikeout per inning. The big surprise in the group is Tomas Moya, who is really building upon his solid 2027 and is on pace to surpass last years strikeout number and reduce his walk total. The coaches and scouts have all been waiting for the big, hard-throwing righty to piece it together. Perhaps the 2021 3rd rounder is doing just that. Also having a bit of a renaissance is the 'Onion. Coming off a lost year due to an elbow ligament tear, Aurora took a chance in trading for him (from Palm Springs) during the Winter meetings and he certainly looks like he hasn't missed a beat and looks like the pitcher Shin Seiki thought they were getting when they signed him as a free agent in March of 2023 out of the Dominican League for $122M. by comparison, Aurora has a margin at $4.93M this year, with the sure-to-be-picked-up option for next year at $5.93. Castro has a 1.98 ERA in 13.2 IP, 21 K and 3 BB.

Down on the Farm
The talk of the week was the big trade the Borealis struck with Toyama, as Aurora jettisoned the disappointing 'Fudd' Martinez to the Wind Dancers in exchange for two young SPs and a ML ready OF. Lawrence Justice also headed to Japan in the deal. The excitement over the deal was enhanced when 20-year old Henry Cluett arrived at SLRC and made two starts on the week, split decisions, but threw 17 innings, allowed 10-hits, 2-runs, struck out 12 and walked 2. An awfully nice way to say howdy to your new teammates - and to make friends in high places. The second pitcher, 19-year old Pablo Morales is scheduled to open at Mokule'ia. The outfielder, Howard Joyce, a superb defensive, corner outfielder, was with Toyama, but finds himself back at AAA, and was 4-20, with a homer.

Yeah... Speaking of AAA, Thornton has hit an organizational low - they rank last in the GBB, and at 5-20, are already 14 games behind Provo. The only key stats where they are not in a double-digit position are Batter K's (4th fewest in the RML), Stolen Bases (7th), Bullpen ERA (8th) and Pitcher Strikeouts (3rd). It's all bad at Thornton, where they are on an 11-game losing streak. Want to find a FasTrax on the RML Leader Board? Look hard - Felix Trujillo's 8 Doubles (tied for 2nd), Jesus Negron leads the GBB with 5 Loses and Jesus Solis' 9.4 K/9 (6th) is all you'll see. Trujillo might be the teams Hitting Star (.253, 8-2B), while reliever Felix Juarez might be the best pitcher of the lot (2.70, 18 K, 1 BB in 16.2 IP - though with 4 HR).

Gatineau, meanwhile, has posted a 14-12 mark, good enough to be just a game back of Brampton in the Maple Leaf Division. Unlike Thornton's pitching, there isn't a double-digit to be found on the pitching rankings , where the staff is ranked 2nd in ERA - and the bullpen #1, as the teams .190 OAVG is the major contributor to the teams success. It's a good thing, because the team is hitting .217. At least they've struck out the fewest and is second in SB. The early candidate for Balloonist MVP would be Arthur Bonsall (.244, 7-2B, 4 HR, and 16 RBI). The Top Arm might be closer Kade Hamilton (0.64, 13 K, 3 BB, 5 saves).

The NAFTA always starts late, so A Ball San Luis Rio Colorado has just 13 games under their belt, but after 6 consecutive seasons of not winning their division (after winning 11 of 15 in the Leagues first 15 seasons), a 7-6 start, 2 games back of Rosarito is a welcomed start. The team's rankings are a mixed bag - something befitting a team that is likely to finish somewhere in the middle of the road. Then again, when .231 is good enough for 3rd in the BajaCali... CF Mario Flores is the quick bat our of the gate (.315, 4-2B, HR) while the previously mentioned Cluett gets the pitching nod.

What's on Tap
May has historically been a strong month for Aurora, and they'll get tested early as they open with Palm Springs at Northern Lights for 4 (the teams recent;y split 4 in Palm Springs), then the 'Gnats visit the Front Range for 3-games over the weekend, seeking a little revenge. Turner, Nieves, Diaz and Taylor will start things off v. the Codgers.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#430 Post by Borealis »

Hard Start May Portends Challenges Ahead
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

May 8, 2028: Aurora, Colorado - If you believe the powers who be, who write, who predict, who prognosticate, who masticate the ins and outs and doings of the PEBA, then you knew this day was coming soon. They all looked at the Palm Springs Codgers with adoring eyes and pointed fingers, anointing them the future 'Kings of the Hills (and Deserts). Just over a month into the 2028 season, perhaps, the future is now.

Two weeks into the season the Borealis rolled into Elderberry Field, looking forward to the early challenge, only to struggle to find themselves leaving the California desert with a four-game split with the Pink & Green. Aurora was out hit (.296 to .257), out-homered (3-2) and uncharacteristically struck out more (36-31) - something I think Aurora fans will have to get a grip on, as having two young bats in the line-up is certain to produce more sullen walks to the dugout.

Fast forward to this past week and Aurora's experience with the Codgers hasn't gotten any better.

May opened with another four-games with Palm Springs, this time in the comfy confines of Northern Lights Park and it was the Codgers who looked to all the world to be the comfy, confident team. In winning 3 of the 4 games (5-1, 6-4, 11-0 - Aurora's lone win, in game 3, was 4-3), the Codgers pummeled the Borealis, while their pitching stifled th home team. The Codgers out hit Aurora .292 to .202, out slugged the Borealis (.431 to .290) and out pitched Aurora (2.06 to 5.25 ERA). All in all, it was an ugly series.

Xavier Gonzalez continues to show the big investment the Codgers made in the former-Mauler was a wise investment, as he went 7-innings, allowing just 4 H and a run, while his counterpart, Aurora's big money purchase, John Turner, struggled - 5 H, 3 R and a homer over 4.2 IP, before he left with a sore arm (which fortunately appears to have been nothing but a precaution). SS Royce Raines flexed his muscles like his Big Brother with a homer and a couple of RBIs. Aurora's lone run game in the first on a Mike Britt single that followed a walk and a single. Big Stuff.

Game 2 was at least more entertaining, as both starters, Reynaldo Molina and 'Chief' pitched 6 innings and both gave up 3 runs - neither looking super effective. Aurora's three runs in the 6th came on back-to-back homers by rookie Jose Torres and Gabe McIntyre. The game went sideways in the 9th when Aurora's defense went AWOL - A leadoff walk surrendered by closer John Gray and a 1-out single put the Codgers in business, but Pablo Medrano dropped a Britt throw on a potential DP ball that would have ended the inning - opening the flood gates - single, single, sac fly and suddenly it was 6-3 and the game was in the bag.

Game 3 mirrored game 2, in the sense that neither starter looked like world beaters - 'Terror' allowing 8 H and 3 R over 6 IP, while losing pitcher Kokei Yamashita, the former-Longshoreman, gave up 8 H and 4 R in 4 IP. For Aurora, Tomas Flores (4-4) and a suddenly hot Jose Torres (4-3, with his average up to .282) were the hitting stars. Lando Lagerveld pitched the final two innings for Aurora to earn the save.

As for game 4 - it's best to forget about it. Codger starter Seu Tong left after two innings with a sore shoulder (he'll miss a few weeks), but the Palm Springs bullpen, led by Ken Hill's 4, no-hit innings, shut Aurora down on just 4-hits. Also all you need to know is that starter Billy Taylor (4.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 BB), X Diaz (2 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 4 BB) and Tomas Moya (2.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R) had nothing on this day. The only positive was once again, Jose Torres, who was 2-2 with a pair of walks. With that loss, the Codgers, at 17-13, passed the Borealis into a first place tie with Bakersfield. Ugh!

To make matters worse, the struggling Borealis then set out to host the Crystal Lake Sandgnats, who at 19-11, were a game back in the Great Lakes - behind a smoking hot, surprising Fargo squad. After losing 2 of 3 earlier this season to Aurora in the 'Gnats home park, they were certainly out for blood. Then again... Baseball is a funny game - just when you think you've seen a trend, think again.

Series Deux was a repeat, as far as the pitching as concerned, with game 1 matching Aces 'Tugboat and the young Jim MacCowan. Both were effective, if not overpowering, as Smith would pitch into the 7th with just 6 H and a run allowed, and MacCowan into the 8th with 8 H and 3 runs allowed. Mike Britts solo homer (his 5th) off MacCowan in the 4th and Medrano's 2-out RBI double in the 7th spotted Aurora a 2-1 lead in the 8th. But the 'Gnats ace was chased in the 8th, only to see Josh Hall give up a booming 3-run homer to Paul Carlisle and another 2-out XB to Medrano (this time a run scoring triple) to finish the game out at 6-1. After managing just 25-hits against Palm Springs (11 were in the Borealis' lone win), Aurora managed half that in the first game against Crystal lake.

Game 2, also a rematch - this time JT v. Dan McNeil - but this time, things would end differently. Turner continued to labor - and the Aurora front office has spoken in hushed terms of some concerns, as he went 5 innings and allowed 8 hits and 4 runs, but McNeil was no better, as he allowed 12-hits and 4-runs in his 7 IP. For Tuner, the damage was all in the 4th, where Tony Parker would hit a 3-run homer, and Hikaru Arai's 2-out triple would cap the scoring for Crystal Lake. Aurora would tie the game in the 7th, Rookie Ricardo Zamora's 2-out triple of his own and Tomas Flores' follow-up single would ultimately send us to extra innings. It wouldn't take long to decide this on. After a 1-2-3 10th for Gray, Mike Britt would leadoff and take a 3-1 pitch opposite field, over the high wall in right for a walk-off homer! In what was Aurora's 6th extra-inning game already this season, Britt's homer gave the Borealis their 4th win.

Game 3 for these two bitter inter-division rivals had the 'Chief (6.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R and 8 K) face off with the newly minted rich guy in the 'Gnats dugout - To-wai Zhou, who just signed a 6-year, $111.5M contract extension. Zhou would only go 5 innings against Aurora, giving up 11-hits and 4-runs. In this game, the scoring was all done by the time the relievers entered the game as only former-Borealis farmhand, Christian George's lone hit allowed in the 6th (a Pope triple) blemished an otherwise perfect day for the 'pens. Ray Kimball's 10th homer of the year in the 1st (a 2-run shot) and McIntyre's solo shot in the 2nd were the day's big hits. Five Borealii had 2-hits - including Jose Torres, whose 2-4 has his average up to .319!

So go figure - Aurora manages just 13-hits in 3 of the 4 games with Palm Springs, then pounds Crystal Lake for 38. Aurora out hit the 'Gnats .358 to .255, out-homered them 5-2 and struck out just 15 times, to the 'Gnats 29. What a difference a series makes!

For his efforts in the season's first month, Zamora was named SL Rookie of the Month, mostly on the efforts of the first two weeks. With a .241 average and 5 HR with 14 RBI in April, Zamora was hitting .342 on April 14, but a horrendous slump that saw him get a hit in only 5 of his last 15 games (after finishing an 8-game hit streak), his average has fallen to .217.

Looking to make a push for his own hardware, Jose Torres has 6 HR and 19 RBI and a .319 average - all of which would put Torres in 'Rookie Triple Crown' status, f he had but a few more ABs. Those ABs are sure to come as long as Aurora's young 1B keeps hitting. He currently is on a 6-game hitting streak, where he is 12-21 (.761), and although there may only be 2-XBH in those 12-hits, many hitting coaches would tell you - hit first, power will follow.

The weeks Neats go to (not surprisingly) Torres (12-24, 5 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI), Flores (8-25, 2B, HR), McIntyre (7-22, 2 HR) and Britt (7-22, 6 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI). Also, needless to say, most of that work at the hands of the 'Gnats. On the mound, 'Tugboat's lone start was a highlight, but the rest of the starters looked pedestrian. The bullpen, by contrast, aside from a bad outing by Moya and X Diaz, gave up no runs.

Down on the Farm
AAA Thornton continues to suck, but Rob Imhoff continues to work his way back from his spring injury, and aside from a bad outing v. Glendale (Reno), he's looked better. Walks continue to be bothersome, but even that's looking like it's improving. Look at the substance, not the 0-3, 5.68... Also needing you to look beyond a bad outing, Jesus Solis got bat up by Grand Rapids, his first bad outing of the year.

What's on Tap
Struggling Canton comes to The Front Range - at 13-20, they are in 4th place in the Great Lakes and 10-games out of first, as 23-10 Fargo continues to open eyes. Then, after a much needed off day (more on that in a bit), Aurora heads to the Land of the Rising Sun, to face the other 23-10 squad - the Evil Evas of Shin Seiki. It will be the first matchup since Aurora's unceremonious booting out of the 2027 post-season. Offensively, there's no secrets in the Evil Evas camp - they are near the top in nearly every offensive category - 2nd in average, 2nd in OPS, 2nd in runs, and in a very Aurora-like manner, 2nd fewest K's. They will be a stern test for the Borealis. Then again, we thought Crystal Lake would be... So... who knows.

With the off-day, and the need to promote the rehabbed Carlos Rivera, the Borealis are going to attempt to give John Turner an extra-extra day's rest by temporarily going with a 6-man rotation. Rivera will move into the 5-slot, with Taylor moving down to 6 - you can read this as Taylor is on the outs (for now). This move also, coincidentally, lines up the top of the rotation - 'Tugboat', Turner and Nieves against Shin Seiki. It also leaves Aurora short-handed in the 'pen, but with the off-day, Aurora's hoping that won't be much of a problem.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#431 Post by Borealis »

A 'What Coulda Been' Weekend at Evas, Bears on Deck
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

May 15, 2028: Bakersfield, California - The week coulda been worse. Lets just get that formality out of the way. From the Jaws of a 1-5 week, Aurora salvaged a 3-3 run that saw them drop 3-games back of Bakersfield at the top of the Desert Hills, and lose two games to the Evil Evas in the ever increasingly looking impossible chase for the SL Top Dog spot.

The week began inauspiciously, as Canton's Orlando Garcia held the Borealis to just a pair of hits and a single run - Ricardo Zamora's triple in the first, followed by a sac fly off the bat of Domingo Gutierrez was all Aurora would muster. Garcia dominated Aurora's bats for 7-innings, striking out 4, while walking none, baffling hitter after hitter. It's not that 'Terror' Diaz pitched poorly, but Canton managed their on 1st inning triple - scoring on a ground ball, but three walks in the second, with a double and sac fly mixed in and Canton had all they were going to get - or need.

Aurora faced a familiar one in game two, as Ray Graham, Aurora's Supplemental Pick in the 2013 draft (31st overall) - can you believe that - 15-years ago?!?) took the mound for Canton. Graham never got a shake with Aurora after posting a couple of decent seasons at AAA Thornton, then found himself claimed off waivers by Omaha-soon-to-be-Hartford, where he posted satisfactory numbers for the Harpoon: 80-78, 3.92 ERA, 882 K, 307 BB and 167 HR in 256 games. He signed a 2-year, $7.2M deal with Canton and has pitched well - aside from one hideous outing against Toyama (4/18), where he gave up 12 H, 11 R and a HR - in 2/3 of an inning - an the got the first batter out! Did I mention the word hideous??

Graham would pitch well against the Borealis - Zamora would double home a run in the 3rd, and Britt would homer with 2-out in the 6th to tie the game. Canton had manufactured runs in the 4th and 5th - bunts, steals and a pair of sac fly's doing the damage. But Aurora can play small ball, too and in the 7th, Jose Torres led off with a single. Gutierrez tried to bunt him over to second and it was just bad enough to entice the Longshoremen to go for the force - and just good enough to get the plodding Torres to second, just beating the throw - and Domingo beating the relayed attempt back to first. Pablo Medrano would then attempt his own bunt - successfully so, to set up Teddy Loetzsch's RBI single. Aurora had a 3-2 lead - all they would need in this one.

Lost in the mix of game 2 was Carlos Rivera's return from the DL and a couple of rehab starts at Thornton (2 GS, 9 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 8 K, 4 BB). A mostly satisfying the coaches 4.2 IP, with just those two runs, despite surrendering 7 H and walking three - coupled with 4 K. Rivera threw 91 pitches and reported no upper body stiffness that landed him on the DL to begin with. Dan Feld would end up with the win after he threw 3 shut out innings in relief, with John Gray pitching a perfect 9th for his 8th save.

Game 3 was a blow-out for Aurora - 14 runs on 17 hits. Paul Carlisle would have a pair of opposite field homers and 4 RBIs off those homers. Carlos Saenz would start the scoring with a lead-off homer in the third - his first as a member of the Borealis. Flores would have 2-2B in 3 AB and walk twice, Loetzsch would be 3-5 with a double of his own, and Jose Torres would continue his hot hitting with a 2-5 day, as he sits at a very neat .324. Billy Taylor - the expected odd man out with Rivera's return, went 6 innings with 3 H and just 2 R. The 5 walks allowed sort of put the final nail in his coffin. Tomas Moya would earn the easy save with 3 hitless, shut out innings of relief.

So with a series win under their wings - literally, Aurora had a blessed off day to fly to The Land of the Rising Sun and their first of only two meetings with the Evil Evas - you be the judge to the goodness or badness of that scheduling quirk (and then remind yourself that the equally hot, 1st place in the Great Lakes Fargo Dinosaurs still have 16 games with Aurora). That quirky schedule has the Evas coming to The Front Range for the 4th of July holiday. For now, this series had something for every one.

Like yourself a good ol' fashion slugfest? Check with game 1. Aurora would score 2 in the 2nd, 3 in the 3rd, 3 in the 4th and 3 in the 5th. Unfortunately, that would be all they would score. Britt and Carlisle would have 2-run homers. Jose Torres would hit his 7th homer of the year. But just as Aurora pounded Shin Seiki's young, promising arm, Jorge Castillo, The Evil Evas would pound Aurora ace, Randy Smith for 13 H and 7 R, with former-Borealis farmhand Federico Olivas (2nd round, 2019) and Armando Gandarilla would homer off 'Tugboat'. But at the end of the day, it came down to a former-Eva, Juan 'Onion' Castro, who had no clue as to how t get the Evas out - allowing 4 H, 5 R and a homer in just a third of an inning - as a 5-run 8th killed Aurora's chances and wiped out a 7-run lead - Gandarilla hitting his second homer of the game, a 3-run shot that chased 'Onion'.

Perhaps you prefer the nail biter? Then game 2 had everything you need. The Evas looked like they were picking up where they left off - Olivera's 2-out double scoring Shin Seiki's second run of the inning off John Turner, and then another former-Borealis - Harley Schneider, who started the 2-run inning in the first with a single, would hit a run scoring 2-out double in the 2nd and the Evil Evas were off being evil again. Turner would settle down, giving up and unfortunate run in the 5th - with 2-out and nobody on, it appeared that he had Jerry Long struck out - only for the ball to get by Gutierrez and Long reached first. A quick steal of second and a double by Hernandez would plate long with Shin Seiki's 4th run (to tie the game).

Aurora got back into the game - and would take a temporary lead, in the 3rd and 4th - Flores would single home Medrano in the 3rd and then the 4th, a 1-out Britt double, followed by singles by Carlisle, Torres, and McIntyre - and a sac fly from Pope would get Aurora their 4th run. Who knew at the time that the two teams would then embark on a collective 18-innings in which each team would score just once. Turner would be lifted after the 5th and Moya (2 IP, 1 H), Castro (a redeeming 1 IP), Gray (2 IP, 1 H), Feld (2 IP, 2 H) and Lagerveld (3 IP, 3 K) would shut the Evas down the rest of the way, as this game would go 14-innings.

Shin Seiki starter, 'Bullfrog' Hernandez, would leave after 6, with the game tied and it took the entire Evas bullpen to maneuver the game into the 14th - where reliever Ken Thompson would give up his first hit and first run of the season - Ricardo Zamora would hit a 1-2 pitch deep into the night, giving Aurora a 5-4 lead. Soetsu Hirai would come on in relief and give up three singles, looking like Aurora would add to their lead - but Carlisle would be thrown out at the plate. Lagerveld's 1-2-3 14th inning would give the Borealis the palpitating 5-4 win.

Needed a pitchers duel? Well game 3 gave you that (and the other 9-pitcher friendly innings). Jose Luna led off the second with a single off 'Chief' Nieves, and was replaced by Oliveras as Luna was forced at second. Webb was HBP, Donald Allen singled home Olivera and that was that. Dust off those hands, the series was over, with the Evas scoring the two-games-to-one win. Both teams had just 4 hits - Nieves going 7.1 IP in giving up that run and 4 H, while Shin Seiki's Mario Barrios went 8.1 in allowing 4 hits - the fourth hit coming off Flores bat in the 9th. Ueda come on and walked Pope, to give Aurora false hope, but with the 'Rat' coming in, Flores was thrown out stealing third (why?) with Castro up, Britt on deck... Ballgame...

Down on the Farm
One player of note to keep an eye on is last years top pitching prize - 32nd overall pick, Miguel Torres. He is 3-2 at AA Gatineau, and after three rough starts to begin the year has three 8-inning shut out performances in 5 GS. in those 24 IP, he has allowed 10 H, with 23 K and 3 BB. The other two GS weren't so kind - a combined 12.2 IP, 6 R, 14 H, 10 K, 5 BB. The plus is an ERA that sat at 6.43 after his 4/8 start is down to 3.16.

Down at A Ball SLRC, Henry Cluett came back to earth (ok, after just 1 start), and gave up 3 R in each of 2 starts this week, though with a combined 11 K and 2 BB... he also gave up a grimacing 3 HR.

What's on Tap
Aurora travels to the California Central Valley for their second 4-game series with Bakersfield. Aurora won the season opening series, 3-1, but since that time the Bears are on an 8-game win streak, 11 of 13 in May and 15 of their last 18 to streak to the top of the Desert Hills. A repeat of that opening series in Aurora would sneak the Borealis closer to the lead. A poor run at YUM! could see Aurora fall further back. Diaz, Rivera, 'Tugboat' and Turner will be on the mound for Aurora. Then Aurora returns to The front Range to entertain the plucky Badgers who, after starting the season 1-12, are on a 15-11 stretch, and new GM Frank Esselink tries to right the ship up in K-zoo.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#432 Post by Borealis »

Series Win at Bears Moves Aurora Back on Top
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

May 22, 2028: Aurora, Colorado - The Borealis went into the week sitting in second place, 3-games back of the Bears as the teams embarked on their second 4-game series of the season. In Round 1, Aurora failed to score in the Season Opener, then won the next three against the Bears. A sweep this time around would move Aurora back to the top of the Desert Hills - but they would certainly take the 3-1 series win again, and move two games closer.

A pair of arms with a mixed bag of success thus far in 2028 squared off in game 1 - 'Terror' Diaz and Steve Hott of the Bears. All the runs in this game would be surrendered by the starters, as both bullpens pitched 4-scoreless innings. The difference in this game - Hott, coming into this game with 10 homers allowed in 7 starts, would allow four more. Carlisle in the 2nd, and then again in the 4th, after 'Fido' Castro homered earlier in the inning, and the Mike Britt in the 5th - as Aurora out plate 5-runs. Meanwhile, Edgar Diaz, who has allowed only 4-homers (and three of those in one game v. Okinawa), kept the Bears in the ballpark as he allowed 4 Bear runs.

Game 2 saw Carlos Rivera match-up with Bears ace Neil Maes, and Rivera needed a Maes-like effort to beat the Bears. In fact, his 8-inning, 3-hit, 1 BB and 8 K performance was marred by only a Rudy Brown solo homer in the 3rd. Maes, uncharacteristically struggled some - a lot of deep counts, coupled with 8-hits limited him to 5.1 innings, and the Borealis' two rookies - Zamora and Torres, each doubled in the production of the only two runs Aurora would need. Then in Game 3, 'Tugboat' allowed 5 H and a pair of BB in 6.1 IP, coupled by the continued strong efforts of the bullpen (Lagerveld, Castro and Gray's 11th save) shutout the Bears. Young Oliver Martinez of Bakersfield would also pitch 6 excellent innings - only a Zamora solo homer in the first blemishing his efforts in Aurora's 3-0 win.

Aurora would awake the morning of game 4 of the series, accomplishing exactly what they had wanted to achieve - they were back in the race - three straight wins over the Bears bringing Aurora to even in the standings. That, unfortunately, didn't last long. Fred Womak was his typical tough self as he held Aurora to just 4-hits over 8-innings, but JT was his equal, as Turner would also throw 8-scoreless innings - with only 3-hits and 11 K. This game would stay scoreless until the 12th, when Rudy Brown would hit his second homer of the series (and 10th of the season) off Lando Lagerveld (the first he's given up soon the year) - a walk-off job that salvaged the series for the Bears, and moved them back up a game in the standings.

Kalamazoo came to The Front Range and 'Chief' Nieves was on his game in the series opener, as he carried a no-hitter into the fifth, and it wasn't until the game was 7-0 Aurora that he gave up another hit - and a run in the 7th, and another 3-runs in the 8th to make the final score closer. Former-Dinosaur, Miguel Vega, fooled no one on the Aurora side, as Mike Britt, Jose Torres and Domingo Gutierrez all homered as Aurora scored 7-run on 9-hits. Britt would homer a second time (#11 on the year) in Aurora's 9-4 win.

But fortune is only as good as the next day's pitcher and K-zoo starter Fred Cotton, coming off 7-shut out innings against hot Fargo, put back-to-back excellent starts on the board as he allowed just 6 H and 2 R in his 7-innnigs against Aurora. The game was close until Tomas Moya came into the game, and as he is want to do, he had one of those games you want to forget - 6-hits and 5-runs in 1.1 IP, turning a 4-2 Badger lead into a 9-2 Aurora loss.

The rubber match had Carlos Rivera back on the mound, looking to put back-to-back excellent starts together and he'd go into the 4th having allowed just a run when fortune would frown upon him. His torso problems of earlier in the year returned and has him back on the DL - but by then Flores had already hit a grand slam and the Borealis were off and running. On a day in which Dan Feld had his second bad outing in a row, letting the Badgers back into the game - but only after Aurora had already beat Tim Jefferson and Jim Pearson for 7-runs in 6 IP, to win the series, 2-games to 1.

Aurora got an assist from Neo-Tokyo, who took 2 of 3 from Bakersfield, leaving the Desert Hills rivals in a dead heat.

The Borealis have decided to make a bold choice to replace Rivera in the rotation. They went into spring training with the plan to see if Rob Imhoff was ready for prime time - just a 21-months out of the University of Iowa. Two weeks into ST a sore shoulder (inflammation was the diagnosis) blew that experiment up. He's now 6-starts into his AAA season at Thornton and he's posted a not impressive 4.65 ERA. But what are the Borealis' choices at this point? Bring back the ineffective Billy Taylor (his ERA shot up a full run, to 4.54, in his 6-starts)? Tomas Moya? He's seemed to have settled into his relief role. Maybe High 'Mister' Jones, who pitched well in 7 starts with Aurora in 2027, but far below Imhoff on the talent scale. So it'll be Imhoff, the 2026 top pick who'll be sandwiched between Smith and Turner as the Wind Dancers come to The Front Range to begin the coming week.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#433 Post by Fishermen »

One thing everyone has plenty of is pitching injuries :lol: Can we not say that in 2028 the scientists have discovered a cure for all pitching injuries and simply turn off all injuries ? :bang:
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#434 Post by Borealis »

Weak Week & Pair of Gems
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

May 29, 2028: Aurora, Colorado - If one thing can be determined as May turns into June for the 29-23 Borealis is that they've had a hard time getting anything going - win one, lose two... win two, lose one... The Borealis have had three, 3-game win streaks - oddly enough, two against Desert Hills leading Bakersfield and the third against Crystal Lake, while they've had a 3-game losing streak and three, 2-game streaks - with Palm Springs factoring into the 3- and a 2-game streak.

And after a 5-2 week in which Aurora got them selves right back into the division, they turned around and lose 2 of 3 to Toyama (21-31) and K-zoo (22-30).

So instead of regaling you with the sordid details, let me tell you the tale of a pair of players who made news for the week. Let's start with the slightly unexpected. That would be the efforts of rookie Rob Imhoff.

Imhoff was the 29th overall selection in the 2026 draft by the Borealis, out of Iowa - where his first three seasons he posted a 1.52 ERA and struck out just shy of 300 batters in 147 IP - about as dominant a pitcher as one could imagine - yet his only recognition was a single All-Star nod. His senior season started roughly before he ruptured a tendon in his finger ended his college career. Perhaps that injury caused him to drop in the draft, but Aurora was thrilled to draft him, and once he recovered from that injury - and before missing more injury time in late August, he posted a 1.56 ERA in 9 starts at Mokule'ia.

Last year was a disaster as during a season split between AA and AAA he would battle no less than 7-injuries - shoulder, ankle, elbow, back, oblique - twice, but despite the physical ailments, he still managed a 2.74, with 93 K in 88 IP at AA. Imhoff was invited to the Major League camp this spring, the team wanting to know what they had in this young pitcher that a number of their scouts suggested to management was pretty much ready for The Show.

Then the injury bug took Imhoff down again before he even had a chance to show his stuff, as a sore shoulder put him out for 5 weeks. Upon his return to the AAA roster, he would pitch fairly well - one start making his stats somewhat deceptive. Get rid of a rough start allowing 6-runs, and he allowed 2-runs a game. When Carlos Rivera went down with a back strain, it was decided that the time was now for the not-lacking-confidence Imhoff.

In the first start of his major league career, he held the Wind Dancers to 5 hits (no more than one per inning), and only 1-run - a solo homer by Toyama catcher Reynaldo Garcia, in the 3rd - which would sadly be the only run of the game, as Dylan McIntosh would be equally tough in a game that would be a 1-0 loss for Imhoff. Rob went 7-innings and struck out 8, with no walks, to look very impressive in his debut.

Imhoff will make his second major league start against a more formidable foe - the 33-19 Fargo Dinosaurs, who lead the SL in AVE, are second in HRs and 3rd in Runs. A solid performance against Rob Raines, Gustavo Lopez and Pat Watson may very well bode well for a Borealis team that is desperate for some consistency on the mound and need a little hope for the future of the rotation.

The other tale to tell is not a new one - but is the tale of a great hitter who has toiled in the shadow of his more acclaimed team mates. For the second time this season, Paul Carlisle was named SL Player of the Week, after he went 9-14 with 2 HR and 4 RBI - which doesn't sound like much until you realize the Borealis scored 14 runs all week. Thus for this year, Carlisle has compiled Royal Raker numbers as his SL-leading .370 average, with 9 HR and 25 RBI has him amongst the early leaders in the All-Star vote for the outfield.

Paul was a second round pick for Aurora in 2017 (64th overall), out of Rice, and a year later he was named Aurora Minor League Hitter of the Year after hitting a combined .300 (and equally distributed) at SLRC, Gatineau and Thornton, with 15 HR and 67 RBI. After hitting .328 with 16 HR and 50 RBI at Thornton in 2020, he got the call-up in late July, would hit 9 homers and that was that - he was up for good.

Now in his 9th season, Carlisle is on pace to hit 20+ homers for the 6th straight year as one of Aurora's most consistent hitters. The soon to be 33-year old is in the first year of a 5-year extension that is paying him $16M this season and $18M over the next two years, before a player opt-out and a pair of team options may extend his career in Aurora through 2032.

Down on the Farm
We've focused on pitching in the feature, as the Borealis have grave pitching concerns on the horizon, and the farm system may need to produce sooner than later. Now that Imhoff has made his debut, Can Jesus Solis be far behind? The young righty - selected 9 spots after Imhoff, looked good in his time at Short A, A and AA, but AAA has proven to be more challenging - a 4.58 ERA in 10 starts. Allowing a homer in six straight starts have contributed to his difficulties.

Last years top pick, 32nd overall selection Miguel Torres has had a couple of tough starts, but he's also had 4-shut out outings, and after allowing 6 homers in his first 3 starts, has not allowed one in his last 8 starts, as his ERA has dropped from 6.43 to 3.08. While Torres' walk totals are still a tad on the high side, coaches are hoping that perhaps a little focused time during the offseason at Winter Ball will do the trick!

Henry Cluett may not have been an Aurora draftee - or a draftee at all, but the Toyama international discoveree, trade to Aurora this April continues to look like a solid acquisition, that Aurora will need if 'Fudd' turns out to not be a dud. This week Cluett pitched his second complete game shut-out - this a 2-hitter, with 7 K, defeating Florida's A squad Mexicali. Coaches continue to be impressed by his poise, and though it may be too early to expect a visit to The Front Range next season (outside time at Thornton), but don't be surprised if 2030 is the time table for Henry.

What's on Tap
Fargo heads to The Front Range, with Imhoff, Turner, Nieves and Diaz taking the mound against the surging Dinos. Then the Borealis will head to Canton - never an easy place of the Borealis, for the first of three road series through the Great Lakes (Canton, Fargo and Duluth). For those of you already looking at the standings, Bakersfield has a pair of series with the Shisa, sandwiched around their own trip to Duluth.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#435 Post by Vic »

Wow, that injury history for Imhoff is something else! Maybe more Vitamin C?
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