Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

[Borealis]

Survived Rising Sun, Brutal Stretch Ahead
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

April 26, 2037: Fargo, North Dakota – There was a collective sigh of relief as the Borealis boarded their jet to head back across the Pacific and set across the the far reaches of the Sovereign League, into Great Lakes territory and the tricky Fargo Dinosaurs. The real trick, as April begins to melt into May - traditionally a strong month for Aurora, will be that with their 3-games at Niihama (and a nifty series win), Aurora begins a stretch of 17-straight games and 43-games in a 45-day period taking us to June 8th. That is the biggest stretch of games - by far - with the fewest off days, on the schedule. Aside from 8-games with Bakersfield - and a series against each of the other four Desert Hills teams, Aurora will face Madison twice, the 'Gnats and Warriors and a 4-game set with Okinawa. And, the upcoming series with Fargo.

Phew.

But let's review this past week's near disaster. Travel to Shin Seiki is always a rough one, and the typically powerful Evil Evas are tough to beat at home, and although they are not looking quite as intimidating as they've been in the past, it was the long ball that once again made the difference. Ask Henry Cluett, who once again had issues with the gopher ball - after three clean starts. After a career high of 31 HRA last year, the start of the year was promising. On this day, though, it wasn't just the long ball that powered the win for the Evil Evas. 'Professor Plum' allowed 6-hits over 4 IP and three were all of the extra-base variety. Noah Hill with the 2-run homer in the second to get the scoring going. Logan Malone would double and score in the 3rd and homer in the 5th. Ryan Tate and Rudy Howard were not immune to the XBH bug as they allowed the other three - and three more runs over 4-combined IP. In typical fashion, Aurora had one - a 9th inning double from Angel Silva - a minor consolation in an 8-3 loss.

Aurora managed to take a short-lived lead in game 2 as they managed a pair of doubles by Munoz and Simmons, off 'Entrop', but Armando Batista couldn't stop the Evas from putting up an Auroran rally - 5-singles and a walk to take the lead back. 'Haggis' allowed a 2-run homer in the 7th to seal the deal - despite a late rally - two walks and two singles, but killed by a double play. Aurora would salvage the series with Ramon Gonzales on the mound - even if his presence was short-lived. The Borealis jumped out early against Sebastian de Roode, as Ruben Ortega led off with a triple in the first, and with two outs, G-Rod doubled, and Arundale and de la Cruz singled to make it 2-0, but the Evas came right back with their 'R. Ortega' doubling, Takahashi walking and Scotty Weeks with the 2-out, 2-RBI single. Aurora would regain the lead as Pedro de la Cruz would. hit an unlikely triple and score. Aurora got a scare and a break in the 4th - all on the same play. Gonzales walked Weeks to start the inning, and he'd take third on Gandarilla's single. On his second pitch to Antonio Gutierrez, Batista grimaced and grabbed his side as Gutierrez lifted a medium deep flyable to center. Weeks tagged, and Tony Munoz - in for Silva on a planned day off, heaved it home - beating Weeks with ease. Gonzales lifted a feeble fist as he walked straight to the dugout. By the time that Ortega doubled with 2-outs in the 6th, giving Aurora their 6th run on the day - for what would be a 6-2 win, Gonzales would be diagnosed with mild back spasms and the training team said they expected he'd make his next start.

Aurora would enjoy an off day before heading to Niihama to face the Champion Ghosts and they hot, Wunderkind starter Fernando Valdez. Victorio Guerra was on the mound for Aurora, and both young starters would allow a first inning run. That would be where the similarities ended. Guerra would last only 4.2-innings as he would hit his pitch count and leave the game with 3 K and 5 BB. Valdez would throw the same number of pitches - in 8 IP, with 7 K and a walk. Though Valdez would allow a second run - giving Aurora a brief 2-1 lead, Uige would give it right back on a Giberto Fernandez homer, and 'Werewolf' would look anything other than hungry - giving up a pair of solo runs in the 7th and 8th - Aurora losing 4-2. Game 2 was eerily similar - other than the outcome. Brian Clark couldn't get out of the 5th as his 6 hits allowed, 3 walks and 6 K had him as the pitch count and the Ghosts fouling off - loudly - a number of pitches. On this day the 'pen pitched soundly - 4.1-shout out innings, giving the offense a change. Ortega, Silva and Munoz would all double off Connor Leith in the 5th - scoring a pair for what would be a 3-1 Aurora win. Tate would earn his first win in relief and 'Machete' picked up his 4th save.

Aurora would strike early off Alonso Hernandez in the rubber match - putting up 5-runs as 'Otter' led off the game with a homer, 'Matchbox' would hit a 2-run shot (his 4th), and the G-Rod doubled followed by three walks and a HBP saw Hernandez out of the game - Jerome Evans coming on, and order restored. Temporarily. Evans walked Ortega and de la Cruz to start the 3rd, Arundale doubled and a slow roller to the right go third by Silva brought the plodding de la Cruz home with run number 7. Cluett was better on this day, pitching into the 7th, allowing 7 H and a run, walking none and striking out 4. The rookie Icharia would allow a meaningless 2nd run in his inning, Kichida finishing up - earning a dubious save, in a 7-2 win - and series win for the Borealis. The win upped Cluett's record to 3-1.

For the week it was Angel Silva swinging the big bat - 9-19 with 2-2B, a 3B and homer and 4 RBI. Arundale was 7-19 with 2-2B and 4 SB (one CS) and Raul Munoz was 7-20 with 3-2B and 4 RBI. SS Jose Aleman had a horrid week 0 2-21 - though he managed 2 RBI... somehow. Simmons (.176), de la Cruz (.176), and Hernandez (.143, HR, 3 RBI) were all stinkers. The pitching staff worked at a 4.24 ERA - which in a week in which Aurora scored 26 runs (4.33 R/G), a 3-3 record seems about right. No one was immune to the run bug - except the two arms who threw the fewest innings - Gutierrez (2 IP, 1 save) and Twia (1 IP).

Down on the Farm
AAA Thornton has been god awful thus far, with the Sun Dogs sporting a 4-16 record, while at AA Gatineau is 13-7 and just 2 GB in their division. SLRC has just begun the A Ball campaign, and have a 6-1 record and a 1st place standing. Thus far at Thornton, two names who put up nice spring numbers have continued to impress - outfielders Masamichi Daikawa (.306, 5-2B and 7 SB) and Toshikazu Nishida (.300, 2-2B, 4 HR, and a team leading 13 RBI).

What's on Tap
As mentioned at the top of the blog, Aurora is at Fargo and then home for four with Duluth, as they are in the midst of the first of two long stretches of games over the next 40-days. Fargo is off to a miserable start - 6-13, and their offense is uncharacteristically at or near the bottom of virtually every offensive category. The losses of Pat Watson and 'Stocky', in particular, seem to be making a huge difference. Fargo's starters are not up to the club's reputation - especially with Owen Barse now in Tempe, but don't get behind - their bullpen's ERA is 2.09 - 3rd best in the SL. Batista, Gonzales and Guerra will face off with Raul Garcia, young and promising Yvon Fortier and Sang-ton Kun. Duluth - 10-9 and 4th in the Great Lakes, is getting outstanding pitching, but their offense has been uncharacteristically lagging - thought with 38 SB, they are burning up the base paths to lead the SL. That could spell trouble for Aurora if they can't keep the warriors off the bases. Clark, Cluett, Batista and Gonzales are scheduled to face vets Gary Murphy, Manual Gonzales, Chris Acevez, and their young hot arm, Rene Padilla.

[Borealis]

Survived Rising Sun, Brutal Stretch Ahead
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

May 4, 2037: Bakersfield, California – Then there are weeks when everything goes right - or nearly so. Right enough that you look back and reminisce about the great weeks in team history and ask 'where does this week stand?'

This is Aurora, dufus - there's a crowded line at the top - duh!

But there it was, hot off the heels of a struggling, yet satisfying week in Japan versus an old rival and a new, rising one, the Borealis jetted across ocean and mountain to Fargo to face a Dinosaur club with a recent history of battering the Borealis. A pair of vets squared off in the opener and they pitched to their abilities as each had started the game with 5-shut out innings before cracking. Claudio Hernandez got the scoring started with a 2-out homer, but Niko Rusanovsky matched him in the bottom of the inning - with a runner on, as Fargo came right back with a 3-spot that chased the Aurora lefty. In the 7th Aurora would tie it, but Fujii, in relief of Batista, allowed a pair of singles and a walk - making it 4-3 Fargo - which would end up the final score.

The grizzled Ramon Gonzales would go in game 2 and the young buck Yvon Fortier would be the opponent, and neither provided much of a challenge for the hitters. Gonzales was gone after a ghastly 2 IP with 5 H, 6 BB and 5 R - including a David Castro 3-run homer. Fortier didn't fair any better - though he managed to make it to the 5th - but 12 H and 7-runs later - David Simmons having a monster day - a 3-run homer off Fortier and a pair of doubles as he was 5-5 with 5 RBI. G-Rod was 4-5 on a day that Aurora pounded out 18-hits in a 9-7 win. Aurora's 'pen finished the game with 7 IP and just a run - Rudy Howard allowed a Luis Aguilera solo homer. 'Haggis' picked up the win with 3.2 IP, allowing just a hit, striking out 2.

Angel Silva and Francisco Montoya each had 3-hits in support of rookie Victorio Guerra, as 'Lanza' had one of his better outings, holding the Dinos to just 2 R over 5 IP, while Sang Kun was not as fortunate. After being spotted a 3rd inning run, he surrendered three in the 4th - thanks in no small part to an 'Otter' 2-run double, and solo runs in the 5th and 6th (a de la Cruz double and Silva triple, respectively being the big hits) as Aurora would hold on for a 5-3 win. 'Machete' would pick up his 6th save of the year, while the win for Guerra was his first decision of 2037.

The club returned to The Front Range for four with Duluth and in game 1 the Warriors had 'bookend homers' - Herrera in the 1st off Brian Clark and Bartolo Mora in the 9th off Twia, but in-between the Borealis scored 4 - three in the 3rd off Gary Murphy - singles by Tony Munoz, Ruben Ortega and 'Matchbox' and an Aleman double doing the trick. G-Rod would add a 2-out RBI single in the 5th to close the scoring and the month of April.

May would come roaring in like a lion - though the result would be the same. Gabe Rodriguez would come up three times with runners in scoring position and three times he'd drive in a run - in the first, to match Herrera's 1st inning RBI single, in the third to drive home Silva after a lead-off double, and in the 7th, after Silva reached on an error by Al MacPherson with 2-outs. Henry Cluett went 6-innings and allowed 7-hits and 2-runs while the trio of Kichida, Icharia and Gutierrez (his 7th save) closed out the final three-innings with just a walk and hit. Manuel Gonzales would take the loss for the Warriors - 7.1 IP, 8 H and 4-runs allowed (3 earned), as he watched his record fall to 1-4.

Batista and Chris Acevez were the game three starters - Armando getting into the 6th, Acevez into the 7th, and neither being particularly sharp as each struck out 3 and allowed a homer. For the former-Evil Eva it was particularly frustrating and he was spotted 3-runs in the first and a run in the third, but each time Duluth scored, Aurora answered - Raul Munoz with an RBI single in the first and Silva, Aleman and Munoz with singles in the 3rd - making it a 4-2 Duluth lead. Both pitchers settled after that, and Ryan Tate would relieve Batista in the 6th and continue to keep Duluth's bats at bay. Then in the 7th Acevez would walk David Simmons to start the inning and then after going 0-2 trying to bunt, Ruben Ortega founded off three 1-2 pitches to start alive and with an even count he launched one - just over the wall in left-center - a 2-run homer to tie the game. Arundale and Silva would follow with singles to chase Acevez, and with 2-out, Munoz singled home 'Litterbug' - with Silva thrown out at the plate - the second runner to be caught at the plate for Aurora in the game. The wheels fell off for Duluth in the 8th as Bill Rice would hit both G-Rod and Simmons with 1-out, and after Ortega singled home Tony Munoz (running for Rodriguez) and Simmons, Rice would walk Qing and Arundale to load the bases. Rice was replaced with Guo-fang His, who allowed an RBI single from Silva and he would walk in a run by giving Aleman the free pass, before Montoya ground into a double play. Ryan Tate would pick up his second win with 3.2 IP, allowing just 2-hits while striking out 3. Silva was 4-5 on the day, while both Munoz and Ortega had 3-hits. Ortega scored two and drove in 4 for the Borealis.

Having won the first three of the series and guaranteed a series win and a solid week, the Borealis set their sights on a sweep - but Duluth had no intention of going down without a fight. Ramon Gonzales, looking to shake the taste of a bad start out of his mount, allowed a single run in the first, but was quickly bailed out as Arundale would hit a 2-out, 2-run triple in the first and Montoya would triple in the 2nd - followed by a Juan Rodriguez double and a 2-out, 2-run homer from Claudio Hernandez - his 6th on the year, giving Aurora a commanding 5-1 lead and ample wiggle room for Ramon to find his groove. That would never happen. A walk, his own errors, a Pat Watson single, a HBP, and RBI groundout and two more singles had the Warriors in business with 3-runs, Gonzales was out of the game - and when long-time Borealis Gabe McIntyre singled to great Uige, two more runs scored - and just like that, Duluth had a 6-5 lead and Aurora was legitimately concerned about Gonzales' health. Earlier he had come out of a game with back spasms, and though the club isn't saying anything, his two starts since then have been poor. Duluth's Rene Padilla wasn't much better, and after he walked 'Litterbug' and gave up a single to de la Cruz, he, too, was gone in under 3 IP. Montoya greeted Bob Hodge with an RBI single, and after 3-innings, the game was tied at 6.

Duluth would take the lead in the 5th - Uige walked Steve Spencer, and a walk to McIntyre - sandwiched around a Culpepper single, loaded the bases for Juan Velasquez. The powerful Velasquez took a huge rip, but topped it on the 3rd base line - beating 'Haggis' throw to first for an infield single - and the lead. Uige would recover, striking out Raul Garcia, and then the 'Werewolf' came on to strikeout Watson and end the threat. Aurora would single in the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th - but that would be all they would muster and it appeared that Duluth would steal a win in the series - until Sang-hyuk Pak came on in the 9th. Hernandez singled to lead off. Munoz followed with a single as did David Simmons - but not in a spot that allowed the plodding 'Matchbox' to score - but loading the bases. Tensions rose as did the crowd as the hot-swinging Stewart Arundale came to the plate. He struck it well, but a shallow liner that was snagged by the CF and not deep enough to score a run. Feeling somewhat relieved, Pak proceeded to walk Pedro de la Cruz - tying the game! But Montoya struck out and Tony Munoz dribbled one to first to end the promising inning - and send the game to extra innings.

Aurora had played only two thus far - a win and a loss, as 'Machete' took the mound. He took care of Duluth in the 10th, while Claudio Hernandez singled in the bottom of the inning - all Aurora could manage. David Simmons booted a Spencer grounder with 2-out in the 11th - and after a steal, he was in scoring position - but Culpepper struck out. Simmons walked to start the 11th, but in, perhaps and attempt to make amends for the error, drifted too far from 1B and got picked off, ending another possible threat. But in the 12th, Tony Munoz singled off Peter MacLeish, stole second and Jose Aleman drove a ball in the gap - scored an RBI double as Munoz raced home - giving the Borealis the win and a well earned 4-game sweep of the Warriors - a club that has given Aurora fits the past few years.

For a week that saw the Borealis go 6-1, the best they did was pick up just a game on the Apollos as Tempe was 5-2 against Neo-Tokyo (a sweep) and Niihama (split four games). Aurora is 17-7, leading the Desert Hills by 3 over Tempe and 6 ahead of the 11-13 Reno Zephyrs. Their .708 win percentage is best in the SL and is second only to the 20-6 streaking Thoroughbred - who are 2.5 games ahead of Florida. Imagine that.

Kudos on the week go to Angel Silva, as the 'Otter' has a 13-game hitting streak and has raised his average .100 points - something easier done in the early season, yet nonetheless impressive - hitting .363 - which puts him 2nd in the SL behind teammate Gabe Rodriguez. G-Rod is hitting .367. David Simmons was 12-23 on the week with 2-2B a homer and 6 RBI and Ruben Ortega was 9-19 also with 6 RBI. Silva (.464), Rodriguez (.450), Montoya (.444) all led the way hitting over .400, with 'Matchbox' clocking in at .385. The crazy week that saw Aurora hit .354 as a team has landed the club at .294 for the year - tops in the SL. They are 3rd in hits and 4th in runs, while the pitching staff has allowed the fewest runs and second fewest hits - a pretty good combo at the moment.

With all the excitement it is well worth noting that Ramon Gonzales does not seem to appear to be recovered from his back injury as well as the club wants us to believe. Over two start he has thrown 4.e innings and allowed 11-hits and 11-runs - while walking 8 and striking out just 2. He is scheduled to pitch Friday's game against Yuma.

What's on Tap
The streak continues. 10-games in on a 17-game streak, Aurora is 8-2, with four games at Bakersfield at the former-YUM! Field and then they are back home to face the Yumans at Northern Lights. Aurora has already taking 3 of 3 from the Bears and 2 of 2 from Yuma over their first 8-games. Both clubs have struggled thus far and sit at the bottom of the division with identical 10-15 marks. The Bears come in off a dominating performance in sweeping the previously hot Badgers, before dropping 2 of 3 to Fargo. Both their offense and pitching lie at or near the bottom third of the SL - as does their pitching, though they are 8-6 at home. They will have Willis, Mendoza, Cisneros and Derrick Harvey matching up with Guerra, Clark, Cluett and Batista. Yuma, whose numbers lie in the same zone as the Bears will have Carson, Pin and and young Michael Farmer against Gonzales, Guerra and Clark - pending Aurora's jostling the rotation to skip a turn for Ramon - a hard thing to do in the midst of a long stretch of games.

[Borealis]

Gonzales' Turn Skipped, Gutierrez Promoted
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

May 4, 2037: Bakersfield, California – With the club having concerns over the health of starting pitch Ramon Gonzales - he of the $22.4M contract plus two more years, Aurora has shuffled their major league and AAA rosters in an attempt to give Gonzales some rest - and a turn skipped, without putting him on the DL while in the midst of 17-straight games played.

This morning the club announced that Gonzales will be sat for the next 7-days after sustaining back spasms during his April 22 start that lasted all of 3.2 innings. He followed what had been thought to be a short term, non-consequential injury with 2-innings of 5-run ball against Fargo on the 28th and 2.2 innings of 6-run ball against Duluth last night. He is scheduled to face Yuma on Friday, but he has been scratch from that start. When he might start again is unclear, but the club will have an off day following the Yuma series and his next turn would be May 14 at Madison. Potentially with that off-day they could push him back yet another day and with starts with 'Lanza' Guerra, thus pitching at home against Crystal Lake. For the year, Gonzales is 1-1 with a 5.32 ERA with 20 K and 11 BB in 22 IP. He has allowed 3 HR.

Taking his place in the rotation will be swing-man Ryan Tate, who thus far has made 6 relief appearances and is 2-0 with a 2.30 ERA with 15 K and 2 BB in 15.2 IP. Tate's Aurora career has been a roller coaster of an experience. He made 5 starts in 2032 when he made his debut, then pitched exclusively out of the 'pen in 2033 - earning 23 saves, before returning primarily to the rotation in 2034, making 23 starts and 10 relief appearances for a 10-8 mark and a 2.54 ERA. In 2035 he would miss most of the year with injury, making just 6 appearances, and last year he had 12 starts out of 37 trips to the mound and was 9-3 with a 2.56 ERA. Regardless of the role, Ryan Tate has been consistent, with a roughly 5:1 K:BB ratio and allowing 0.5 HR/9. The club is fully confident in Tate's abilities, despite a rough start to his spring while in a starting role.

Not putting Gonzales on the DL puts some stress on the staff - especially during any long stretch of games, so as a result Aurora has sent outfielder Tony Munoz to AAA - he was the only suspect who had any options left, and promoted reliever and potential swingman himself, Martin Gutierrez. This Gutierrez is a 22-year old right-hander who came to Aurora out of the Crystal Lake international complex and was traded to the Borealis along with a 3rd round pick for three minor leaguers - none of who are still with the 'Gnats - and an apparent 'agreement over free agent negotiations'. At the time, when questioned about the rumor, GM Will Topham had simply said "We have enough wood in the wood pile".

Gutierrez is a hard thrower - his fastball tops out at 101 MPH, who had pitched exclusively as a starter for Aurora during his time at Monserrat, Mokulle'ia, SLRC, Gatineau and Thornton. This is the first time he has pitched in relief, and in five appearances as the closer with the Sun Dogs he has 2 saves and has not allowed a run in 5 IP. The tall, lanky Aruban will be looking at this no doubt as a try-out. Aurora will be no doubt looking deeper at his probate one-week stay at the major league level as they have had many an inquiry into his availability over the years. There had been rumor he was potentially headed to Niihama in exchange for Miguel Fernandez - but obviously that rumor never became fruitful.

Tony Munoz is in his third season with the Borealis after an impressive minor league career. His major league career has been less impressive - hitting .249 and .244 his first two seasons. This year he is hitting .216 over 12-games. The decision to send him down is a bit of a calculated risk as in doing so they leave themselves short in the outfield with only DH Claudio Hernandez as the only experienced outfielder as back-up.

[Borealis]

First Long Stretch Survived
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

May 11, 2037: Madison, Wisconsin – Phew... an off day. After the first 17 days straight of a grueling 43 games in 45 days, Aurora gets an off day and the beauty of it is the pitching staff isn't trashed. Sure, Ryan Tate will need an extra day before returning to his relief role and 'Machete' will be happy for the day off and might even need an extra day (attention offense - win big on Tuesday), otherwise the club is looking good as they open a 3-game series at Madison before heading home for a very brief 3-game homestead with the surprising 'Gnats.

Then it gets grueling - 20-games in 20-days - and 16 of those will be on the road (a four-game homestead with Bakersfield in the penultimate series of the stretch). Good news? Aurora will make up for that difference at the season's conclusion when they have 18 of the final 22 and 21 of the final 29 at home.

This past week began with four games at Bakersfield - the first of three 4-game series with the Bears. Aurora had already swept a 3-games series from the Bears at Northern Lights. This time around it wouldn't be so easy.

Aurora would chase Pat Willis in the 3rd by pounding out 8 H and scoring 7-runs - all part of an 8-run rally. Jose Aleman was 3-5 with 3 RBI and G-Rod was 3--5 with 2-2B to support Victorio Guerra's strong outing that earned him his 2nd win. 'Lanza' threw 7-innings and allowed just 4 H and a pair of runs in Aurora's 8-3 win - their 3rd 8-3 win against the Bears on the year. Jeff Mendoza, who was recovering from a rough start of the season, was sharp over 7.1 IP as he allowed just 2 unearned runs off 3-hits (Ikki Nakashima had errors on back to back batters), while Brian Clark allowed just 3-hits - all doubles - two of which came in a 4-run 4th for Bakersfield that began with two HBP and a walk as Clark was his own worst enemy in a 5-2 Bears win.

Game 3 of the series was a crazy affair, as the Bears used 3-doubles - all from Jose Rameriez, and a Mata homer off Cluett to overcome Aurora's 5-1 lead that chased Robert Cisneros who allowed 9-hits. Fuji would allow a 2-out double in the 7th that put Bakersfield ahead 6-5, setting up yet another Chris Puddifoot implosion. Stewart Arundale would battle him to a well earned walk, and with Silva hitting he would steal second and hustle to third on a Mata throwing error. 'Otter' would battle Puddifoot and finally single to tie the game, and with Aleman at the plate Silva would steal second and score the go ahead run on a wild pitch to Munoz. G-Rod would double home an insurance run and 'Machete' would strike out the side in the bottom of the 9th to earn his 8th save - guaranteeing at least a split with the Bears.

Bakersfield would continue with their extra base barrage in game four as they would have 4-doubles and a homer off Armando Batista in the 2nd through 4th innings to build a 4-1 lead that Bears starter Derrick Harvey would take to the 8th. Martin Gutierrez, the rookie reliever brought in to take the pressure off the 'pen with the decision to just rest Gonzales and not DL him, carried the game to the 8th for Aurora with 2.2-innings of relief of Batista, allowing just a hit - following up his 2-inning, 1-hit effort in game 1. Zack Newman would make it a scary finish as Angel Silva singled to lead off the 9th - and 'Matchbox' followed with a homer (#8) to make it 4-3. SS Shawn George would boot a grounder by G-Rod to put the tying run on base - but he'd redeem himself starting a nifty 6-4-3 double play off the bat of Ruben Ortega to end the game. Harvey would even his record at 2--2 with the win, while the loss did the same for Batista.

Aurora returned to The Front Range to face the Arroyos and it would be Ryan Tate making the spot start in place of Ramon Gonzales, and has so often the case, Tate was sharp. Ryan would nearly finish 7 IP with just a hit allowed - taking a no-hitter into the 7th, before 'Haggis' replaced him with 2-outs because of the pitch count on the normally reliever. Yuma starter Joel Carson looked good over his first 5-innings - scattering 5-hits, but in the 6th five singles and a Lan-quing Qing double (scoring two) would chase Carson and put five on the board. Simmons and Ortega would lead off the 7th with doubles as Aurora would finish the scoring with a pair of runs in a 7-0 victory. Tate earned his 3rd win (against no losses) and his first as a starter in 2037 - and possibly not his last(?), while the Borealis handed Carson his first loss.

Aurora would need a 3-run 4th in game 2 to tie the game (a 2-out 2-run double by Munoz) and after Mei-shan Kum homered in the 7th Aurora needed 'Matchbox' to match that in the bottom of the 7th as this one would head to the late innings tied. Aurora caught a break after Pedro de la Cruz led the 8th off with a single - Francisco Montoya beat out a perfect sacrifice bunt, allowing Juan Rodriguez to bunt them both into scoring position. Yuma would walk Silva to load the bases - and it looked like a smart move as Almen would ground it to second for the force at the plate, but Raul Munoz - looking more like the threat he was in his first couple of seasons, would single home Francisco and 'Otter' with what would be the winning runs in a 6-4 game. Victorio Guerra - who fell back a step with 4-walks in his 4.2 IP - though he made up for it some with 9 K, was bailed out of a loss, while Martin Gutierrez threw another scoreless 1.1-innings allowing just a hit and Gutierrez shutting it down in the 9th for his 9th save. Yuma's Young Pin (with literally and figuratively) matched 'Lanza' with 4 BB in his 5 IP, with 7 H and 3 R.

Brian Clark would fail to go beyond 5 IP once again, allowing just a run (a JCG solo homer) and he was already in the shower when 'Matchbox' tied the game in the 6th with a double and scoring on an error by catcher Scott Phillips on a swing bunt by G-Rod. Hernandez would be back in the 7th with his 10th homer of the year - following a 2-out single by Raul Munoz. 'Chattahoochee' Fujii (2 IP), 'Hyena' and 'Machete' would close the game out with just a hit and a walk - and a combined 8 K, Hector Guterrez earning his 10th save, as Aurora would sweep the Yumans.

For the week, Munoz (11-31, 3-2B, 8 RBI) and 'Matchbox' (8-23, 4 HR, 8 RBI) were the big hitters, with Aleman (8-26) and David Simmons (7-24, 4-2B), while Angel Silva would score 10-runs. Ryan Tate had by far the best start of the week, while the 'Gutierrez Boys' combined for 9 IP and just a run (on a balk), 3-hits, a walk and 10 K - plus the 3 saves for 'Machete'.

What's on Tap
For starters, Gonzales will be back, and with the off day, he will be slotted behind Guerra and into the 5th spot of the rotation to give him one extra off day. That move means that Martin Gutierrez will go back to closing games for the Sun Dogs and Tony Munoz will return and restore Aurora's already thin outfield depth. Tony Munoz, who had been struggling to begin with (8-37) got 6-starts at Thornton and was just 4-27.

After today's off day, Aurora will open a 3-game series at Madison.The Malts are 15-18 this year, 4th in the Great Lakes, 5 GB of 19-12 Crystal Lake - Aurora's opponents as the return to Northern Lights Park for the latter half of the week. Madison's offense is horrendous thus far - ranking 15th or 16th in nearly every offensive category - last in AVE, SLG, OBP, H, XBH - while their pitching has been middle of the road - 10th in ERA, 7th in OAVG. Cluett, Batista and Guerra will face Erik Watson (3.94), Pete Blaquiere (5.08) and Seong-chin Kim - who has been Madison's big story of the year - 6-1 with a 1.35 ERA. The former-1st round pick of Shin Seiki ended up in Madison in trade from Okinawa in exchange for Pablo Garza.

Crystal Lake is trying to bounce back from the worst season in PEBA history - their 67-95 record was their worst by 16-games - their only sub-.500 finish. The 'Gnats will bring their near top ranked pitching staff to The Front range - their starter's 2.97 ERA is tops in the SL and despite their 9th ranked bullpen, the club has allowed the fewest runs - in no small part to their 1st ranked BABIP, 3rd ranked OAVG and BB mark. They will be a challenge for Aurora's leading hitting and OBP team that has the 4th most walks. Gonzales returns for Aurora and will square off with Randy Ziimmerman (2.23), who is having his best season for the 'Gnats. Clark will face Manuel Velasquez (4.15) and Cluett finishes the week with Hisashi Ishii (2.39).

[Borealis]

Borealis Chose Daikawa Over Munoz
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

May 12, 2037: Madison, Wisconsin – The saga of Tony Munoz continued when at the last minute, as the young outfielder was packing his bags in Henderson, Nevada to jump a flight to Madison for Aurora's game with the Malts this evening. Sun Dog manager Mike 'Big Whiskey' Britt came up to him and gave him the bad news - unpack that bag, you are staying for the unforeseeable future.

The former-Aurora star 3B then slid over a few lockers and gave younger outfielder Masamichi Diakawa better news: 'Skinny', you are on your way to the Big Leagues - pack your bags and catch that flight to Wisconsin.

The change was partly precipitated by the return of Martin Gutierrez to the Sun Dogs as his brief stint with the Borealis was over as Ramon Gonzales returned to the rotation and Aurora's need to bring back an outfielder resulted; the club was playing with SS Francisco Montoya as the back-up outfielder on the depth chart last week.

But the real reason may center upon the report my colleague at Northern Lights News, Francis Ferry published, that the fragile chemistry in the clubhouse - which many pointed to as a major factor in last years downfall, had been improving - and that there had been a huge sigh of relief when Munoz had been temporarily demoted. It probably doesn't help that Munoz reportedly was often seen pouting, in a foul mood while posting a 6-game AAA average of .148.

Daikawa, 21, was signed by the Borealis as an International amateur in August of 2032 for a $1.2M signing bonus. Two-years later he was promoted to Montserrat - and he's been on the run ever since. He hit .307 that year with the Mystique, and followed that up with a .317 in the 2035 Paradise League season. Last year, with Mokule'ia he hit .305 with 23-2B, 7-3B and 4 HR, for 81 RBI. His play was so strong he was given a shot this spring, where he posted a .317 spring training average - enough to convince the Organization to skip his expected AA placement and begin 2037 at AAA. Thus far he was hitting .279 and was 13-14 in SB for the Sun Dogs.

With Aurora's outfield performing outstandingly thus far, Diakawa's initial cup o' Joe is likely to be short lived - particularly if he struggles. It makes sense that he should play every day at AAA instead of spot starting for Aurora, but as GM Will Topham said to me in a recent text, 'It doesn't hurt to see how he responds, and Tony looks like he needs a reset'.

[Borealis]

Aurora Survive Risky Week
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

May 18, 2037: Tempe, Arizona – The chance of a let down was there - after a 2nd longest stretch of games for the year, and off day, and after a pair of games that smelled of risky business - at Madison, home to Crystal Lake, there is today's off day. Now the longest stretch of games on the year - 20-days against teams with a combined 111-117. That's a deceptive mark - Bakersfield, who visit Northern Lights, is 14-24 and erase - on paper, the 22-17 record that takes the field at Gisolo-Duppa Field this evening; Tempe has become a dangerous foe. But the stretch is full of pot holes, as Aurora spends most of it on the road - Tempe followed by Okinawa and that long flight, then back to Madison - who played Aurora really tough this past week. Don't discount the Bears or Codgers, either. As I said - potholes. Potholes abound...

For now, let us look at this past week. As mentioned, Madison was a dangerous host and we saw that right off the bat as Henry Cluett - looking more like his pre-2036 self, and Erik Watson, the former-Bear, locked horns in a tight battle. Cluett would go 6.2-innings and Watson 7; both allowed only 5-hits - for Watson one was to Masamichi Daiakawa's first major league hit in his first at-bat - a double to lead off the 3rd. He 'Skinny' would score what would become just an insurance run as Ruben Ortega led off with a single, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a grounder through the infield by G-Rod - and that was pretty much it. 'Professor Plum' would pitch out of a pair of 4th inning singles and a 6th inning double by Jose Luna. Perhaps CLuett would have gone deeper, but a 2-out error by Raul Munoz extended the 7th - and that was that. 'Werewolf' would come on and allow a single before ending the threat. 'Machete' would throw a perfect 9th for his 11th save.

Armando Batista was a bit unlucky in game 2, surrendering a pair of first inning runs - Gabe Rodriguez misjudging a fly ball, turning it into a run scoring error, making only one of the runs earned. Otherwise the Aurora leftie allowed just 4-hits over the next 6 IP while he struck out 5. But it wasn't that simple. the Malts had a pair of singles in the 3rd, and in the 5th - after Pete Blaquiere walked the bases loaded, to no harm, Armando allowed two walks (his only walks) and a single - but to no effect thanks to Pedro de la Cruz cutting down speedster Javier Aguilar - he of the 20 SB in 25 attempt, with a steal attempt. Aurora had managed a run in the third - Montoya and Silva singled, and after a WP, Montoya scored on an infield out, and when Silva tripled in the 7th off former-Aurora farmhand Lou Butler, Jose Aleman promptly drove him home, tying the game. Aurora would have runners on base in the 8th and 9th - and 10th as this one went to extra innings, while it wasn't until the 11th that the Malts got anything going - Chor-min Park getting hit by a Guterrez pitch and racing to third on a 2-out single by Sun-woo Ha - but 'Machete' got Kato to end the threat. Aurora would take the lead in the 12th as a walk by Jong-oil Song to Montoya to lead off, followed by a steal of second and singles by Aleman and 'Matchbox' made the score 4-2. 'Chattahoochee' Fuji would strike out 2 and allow a harmless 2-out single to get his first save of the year and give the win to Hector Gutierrez (2-1).

23-year old Victorio Guerra continued to show promise as he would hold the Malts to three hits while walking three and striking out 5 over 6.1-innings, while his counterpart - Seong-chen Kim, the hottest pitcher in the League allowed 6-hits and a walk, striking out 5 in a like number of innings. They allow allowed a like number of runs - 1. Javier Aguilera walked to lead the game off for Madison - never a good plan as 2 SB and a groundball later, the Malts had a 1-0 lead. Twice Aurora had a runner at third with 2-outs but failed to drive the run home, but in the 7th, back-up catcher Lan-quing Qing doubled with one out - and after Kim walked Montoya - who fouled off four pitches in the process, Fred Gross came in and was promptly greeted by a stinging David Simmons RBI single - tying the game. Aurora had a runner in scoring position in the 8th and 9th, and Madison ditto in the bottom of the 9th, but for the second night in a row, the teams went to extras. Aurora thought they had it won when for the third straight inning they had a double - this time Ortega delivered the 2-out single to give Aurora the lead, but there was Aguilar once again - single, stolen base and a Gary Faris single tied the game up once more at 2-2. This time it would be Fujii who failed in extra innings - and this time it was faris, again, with a 2-out walk-off homer - giving the Malts a 3-2 win, fending off a potential sweep.

For the third straight game, as Aurora returned home and Crystal Lake visited The Front Range, Aurora would fall behind, they would play extra innings, and for the second game in a row, they would lose in extras, 3-2. Ramon Gonzales would return to the mound after having his turn skipped and pushed back an extra day due to some back tenderness, and it seemed to pay off - at least he pitched considerably better than his previous two starts. Tony Torres and Jon Woods would team up for a run in the 2nd and Mario Valdes tripled to start the 3rd and scored on a ground out - giving the 'Gnats an early 2-0 lead. Good news, Gonzales allowed just two more hits as he pitched into the 6th - on a reduced pitch count, with Icharia and Gutierrez getting the game to the 11th with nary a hit nor walk, striking out 7 - 5 by 'Machete'. Ryan Zimmerman was mostly solid himself, not allowing much until the 4th when Raul Munoz doubled to lead off, Ortega singled and a sac fly by G-Rod got Aurora halfway there, and a walk to Juan Rodriguez to start the 5th, an Aleman single and a Munoz sac fly tied it up. Aurora had runners and chances, but in the 11th, with Rudy Howard on the mound, Will David singled, was bunted over and Yosai Kouki singled him home with what would be the winning run. Not that Aurora didn't make it interesting. Montoya grounded to Herb MacGruder at first - certainly and out, but Manuel Lopez dropped the shuffle throw - and the tying run was on base. Roberto Vega came in and after getting Simmons for the second out, Angel Silva singles - and then so to did Aleman - but it was just rubbed on the infield to load the bases for Munoz. The Aurora 1B was over anxious, and rolled it over to second for the final out of the game.

We can talk about Brian Clark's efforts in game 2 (7 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 K and a run), or Manuel Velasquez (6 IP, 4 H, 8 K, no runs), but that would be a disservice to the game. What do you need to know in this one? After the 'Gnats took the lead after Clark walked two in the 6th, Aurora would attack Kyle Weaver in the 8th. The former-closer walked Silva to start the 8th and after 'Litterbug' bunted 'Otter' to second - and beat it out! Aleman singled Silva home to tie it, Munoz would come through with a double to take the lead. 'Matchbox' was walked. Simmons singled to score Aleman and Diakawa rolled a ball down the third base line to load the bases. Silva walked to bring home a 5th run - and suddenly it was a comfortable 5-1 lead headed to the 9th. Comfortable, right? Nope! Ryan Tate, who pitched well in his spot start of Gonzales, walked Masami Sano and gave up a single to MacGruder - and on came 'Hyena'. Twia was of no help. German Lima singled to load the bases for River McCausland. The 'Gnats star drove the ball in the gap - Sano scored, MacGruder scored - they all scored as River stood at third. That was when he lost sight of the ball. David Simmons walked past McCausland and feigned throwing it to the mound, River stepped off the bag and was promptly tagged out - the hidden ball trick worked to perfection! With that, the threat was over - thankfully as Will David followed with a single that would have tied the game, but Aurora would hold on for the win. Twia picking up the not so well earned save, his second.

The rubber match was (mostly) over early, as Aurora put up 5-runs in the 3rd - Silva tripled, Ortega and Munoz singled, Montoya doubled (and more on that in a bit) and with 2-out, the light hitting Qing homered - a 2-run shot - Aurora's lone homer on the week. In supporting Henry Cluett's 6th win of the year - tied for the SL lead, Montoya would tie a SL record with four doubles in the game, as he was 4-4 and in doing so upped his average to .324 on the year - his best stretch of play since joining the Borealis in 2035. 'Haggis' would finish the final 2.2-innings perfectly and has his ERA at a nifty 1.74 as the former #1 pick seems to have found his groove after a shaky 2035.

For the week, Montoya was 7-18 with 6-2B in all - made somewhat less impressive with just 2 RBI. Qing, with his spot starts and late-inning relief work behind the plate, was 3-8 with a double and the homer. Aleman (6-16) and Silva (9-25, 2-2B and 2-3B) rounded up the top hitters on the week. Cluett picked up a pair of wins for his 13 IP, allowing just the 2-runs, as 'Slug', Batista and 'Lanza' all allowed just a single earned run in their outings. The rotation was outstanding this time around - anchoring a pitching staff who have moved into the top spot in the SL with a team ERA of 3.06. The club has allowed the fewest runs, 2nd fewest hits, and has the 3rd lowest OAVG, BABIP, HRA and walks. Even the defense, ranked 2nd, seems to be pulling their weight.

What's on Tap
As mentioned at the lead, Aurora's return home was a short one, as they now embark on a road heavy stretch beginning in Tempe, before heading to Reno. Batista, Guerra and Gonzales will face Goto (5.31), Barse (4.23) and Taylor (3.77) in the opening series. The free-swinging Apollos are right at the top of most offensive categories - though they don't walk much and they do strikeout a lot - so it should be an interesting match-up - the teams have each won a series, 2-1, on the road. Reno, who are 18-19 and will be coming off a series with Yuma, have struggled in all aspects of the game and will have Ojeda (4.79). Ayers (3.97) and Endo (5.80) facing Clark, Cluett and Batista. Of note, Reno's bullpen is last in the SL with a 3.96 ERA with 5 blown saves - tied for 2nd most in the SL - with amongst others, Tempe.

The big factor, as it often is in these long stretches, is for the starters to go deep and keep the 'pen fresh, and avoid those extra-inning games - which in recent years we've seen Aurora get into long 17-inning, bullpen busting affairs early on in stretches like this. Fortunately there is no Crystal Lake and Shin Seiki on this years 20-game stretch - they seem to always be the culprits in those instances.

[Borealis]

A Week to Forget
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

May 25, 2037: Somewhere over the Pacific – That wasn't what we had hoped for.

With a chance to create a little more space, with Tempe and Reno on the week's agenda, Aurora was focused on taking care of business early in games, reduce the strain on the bullpen, and heading to Okinawa for four games having upped the gap between themselves and their Desert Hills brethren. Instead Aurora was 1-5, losing a pair of 1-run games, getting swept by Reno, while both the Zephyrs and Apollos posted 5-1 weeks - each picking up four games on Aurora. Tempe moving to within a game and Reno four back.

What went wrong? For starters, Reno hit .364 as a team - Cluett, Clark and Batista each allowed 4+ runs - Batista allowed 5 and didn't get out of the third. The bullpen allowed 13-runs - Tate and Uige giving up 9 in Aurora's 14-4 loss in yesterdays sweep clinching Reno win. Against Tempe, the Borealis were outhit as well - though not as dramatically. Once again, it was the starters who failed to meet expectations - 9 of the 10 runs Tempe would score came against the starters.

For Tempe, they treated Aurora to their own medicine - stacking hits together in their scoring innings - getting the hit when they needed it, while Aurora would fail to get the big hit - no better illustrated in the 7th and 8th inning of game 1 of the Tempe series - where Aurora needed just the big hit to extend the innings - and potentially gain the lead; particularly in the 8th with 'Matchbox' and G-Rod striking out to end the inning. Three times in game 3 Aurora had 1-out doubles, and not one of them scored, while Tempe would plate 2-runs in the 4th on three singles - A classic Aurora inning.

It's worth noting in that last Tempe game that Ramon Gonzales returned to the rotation and pitched well - into the 6th, 3-hits, 2-runs and 5 K, though he did walk four - which he managed to pitch around with no harm done. Also worth noting, in the middle game - and Aurora 12-4 win, Aurora chased Owen Barse for the second straight game - as the former-Dinosaur ace allowed 5-runs in 2 IP - Claudio Hernandez with a grand slam with no outs in the third being the final pitch base would throw. The loss leaves Barse 3-5 with a 5.01 ERA - no doubt a concern for the Apollos.

Then again, Aurora has their own pitcher concerns. Armando Batista finds himself at 2-4 with a 5.17 ERA and like Barse, has a pair of 5-run outings and the Aurora lefty has failed to pitch 5-innings in four of his 9 outings - only twice pitching beyond the 6th - including his opening start of the season against Tempe (8 IP, 2 H, shutout).

Lex Pomper (7-10), Freddy Morales and Jon Hill (5-9 each) led the way against the Borealis, combined driving in 12-runs and scoring 7. Reno's last place standing bullpen allowed just a pair of runs in 7.1 IP. At the end of the day, what Reno was able to accomplish - that may haunt the Borealis over the next two weeks, is over-working Aurora's 'pen. Uige, Howard, Icharia and Tate are all dragging and it has shown on the mound.

What's on Tap
Aurora heads to Okinawa for four, then back to Madison and the success of the week - and the remaining 14-consecutive games, may well come down to this opening series. Okinawa have won 10 of their last 13-games - winning series against Tempe, Crystal Lake, Bakersfield and Neo-Tokyo (a sweep). To make it even more intriguing the Shisa opened May with a sweep of Reno and a sweep of Toyama as they sit in 2nd place in the Rising Sun - 3 GB of Niihama, thanks to losing 5 of 6 against the Ghosts. Guerra, Gonzales, Clark and Cluett will need to shut-down the Shisa offense that is led by Pablo's: Garza (.298, 6 HR, 16 RBI) and Ortiz (.327, 12 HR, 31 RBI). Madison is 4th in the Great Lakes, 6 GB of Kalamazoo. The Malts should be a familiar foe as Aurora just won a tight series against them - a 3-2, 12-inning loss in game 3 keeping it from being a sweep.

It should be noted that if Aurora expects to remain atop the Desert Hills and earn a playoff spot, they will need to improve upon their 12-13 road record. Five of those 13-road losses are by 1-run - two in extra innings, and another four by 2-runs.

[Borealis]

Aurora Survives The Gauntlet
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

June 8, 2037: Aurora, Colorado – That turned out surprisingly well. It could have gone all sideways on the Borealis. It could have gone all bad, but instead the Borealis kept upright and at the end of the day they even had managed to increase their lead in the Desert Hills.

On April 23 the Borealis embarked on a journey - 17-straight games, an off day, 6-straight games, and off day and then 20-straight games - 43-games over 46-days - but two lengthy stretches that could have imploded on them. Just one 17-inning bullpen buster that would last for a week, but no. Six extra-inning games were played - none longer than 12-innings - of which there were four - and three of the extra-inning affairs were sandwiched between the two off-days, making them less painful.

When they embarked on the journey, Aurora had just a half game lead - and by the time they hit the start of the 20-game stretch, having gone 17-6, they had built a 5-game lead over Tempe and 8 over Reno, they would close out the stretch of games with a 12-8 mark - and increase their lead in the division by a game on each of their nearest rivals. And with a 9-2 mark against Bakersfield - that included a 4-game sweep last week, the Bears have been effectively removed from the equation as their stunning collapse continues to 20 GB and last place in the Desert Hills.

Aurora has a 16-game stretch (TEM, PS, four with SS, and YUM) left on the calendar and a pair of 13-gamers (one which follows the 16-game stretch with PS, @KAL for 4, NII and FAR - 9 of 13 at home) - other than that, the remainder of the schedule is not taxing. Plus, Aurora has already played 13-games on the road than at home - a little balance to the stretches ahead; that 16-game stretch, in mid-August, begins with 10-straight at home.

Looking at the recent stretch of play, Aurora was in Japan to face Okinawa - a surprising team that today stands 33-25 and just 4.5 GB of Niihama, and is a half-game better than The Evil Evas. Aurora took the first game behind excellent pitching from Rookie Victorio Guerra (6.1 IP, 3 H and a run), and the second on with an onslaught of doubles and triples. The Shisa showed resilience by shutting the Borealis down in games 3 (7-0 - a Seung-krab Park 6-hit CG) and 4 (11-3, featuring Pablo Ortiz with 3 HRs, 6 RBI).

Leaving the Rising Sun, Aurora awoke on Madison, Wisconsin, where the Borealis handed the Malts a pair of big losses - a 5-run 9th featuring 5-singles and 3-walks for a 7-2 win - killing a fine effort by the Malts Pete Blaquiere; and a 9-1 effort behind Guerra's best outing - 7 IP, 5 H a run and 7 K - and no walks! Masamichi Daikawa continued his excellent play with a 3-4, with 3 R - setting his average at .326. Aiming for a sweep, the two went to the 12th, where 'Machete' was inexplicably left in to pitch 3.1-innings - surrendering a double and 2-singles in a 2-1. 12-inning, loss.

The last week of the stretch began with a bang as the Borealis put forth an unconventional no-hitter on the Bears, where Clark, Kichida and Twia combined for the no-no. Henry Cluett saw the hitless streak end pretty quickly as he surrendered a 1st inning run. Davis Simmons, 3-4 on the day, doubled with 2-out in the 4th, driving home the only two runs Aurora would get on the day for a 2-1 win, giving Cluett his 7th win of the year. Henry Carter continued his struggles, as he allowed the Borealis to score 5 runs over 3 IP - 5 H, 5 BB, 5 K - and German Godina threw more fuel on the fire for another 3 runs in Aurora's 8-4 win in game 3. Armando Batista was to sharp either - 5 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 5 BB, and 5 K. 'Lanza' would make it four-consecutive winning starts over the stretch of games, giving up just 4 H and a run to the Bears - though the four walks shows he's still struggling with his control. The win made his record 6-0, with a 3.05 ERA.

A series at Palm Springs finished the 20-game stretch, and Aurora finished up with a sweep. In Aurora's come from behind 6-3 win in the opener, Ramon Gonzales was lifted after two batters with more back spasms, but Ryan Tate came on for 4.1-innings of relief - giving up 5 H and a run. Uige put in another 2.1 scoreless innings kept Aurora in the game - and a four run 8th - highlighted by a 3-run homer from Jose Aleman. It was another comeback win in game two, backing up the efforts of Brian Clark, who picked up his 4th win and 'Machete' earning his 15th save. Stewart Arundale, who'd been struggling hard after a strong start came up with the game winning RBO in the 7th, as Aurora won 4-1. 'Professor Plum' was there in the finale, looking to clinch the sweep - and picking up his 8th win - leading the SL. Claudio Hernandez homered in support of the win - and a perfect week to conclude the 20-game stretch.

It's worth taking a moment to point out the efforts of Masamichi Daikawa over 20-games - 24-72 (.333), 6-2B, a triple and 11-runs. Tony Munoz, whose spot Masamichi took, is hitting .238 at Thornton, with 5-2B,2-3B and a homer. It would seem that for the immediate future that Tony will remain at AAA.

What's on Tap
For starter's, While Aurora enjoy's an off day in Madison, further east the PEBA Draft will be happening. Madison is 27-31 and they trail Crystal Lake, who are back atop the Great Lakes. Erik Watson, Pete Blaquiere and Augusto Padilla are expected to go for Madions against Batista, Guerra and Ryan Tate, who will be taking Gonzales spot while he's on the DL for those back spasms. The Borealis will return to The Front Range to face Reno, who will be arriving from Japan and a series with the Ghosts. Clark, Cluett and Batista will be on the mound for Aurora, with Ojeda, Ayers and Montes going for the Zephyrs.

[Borealis]

Mid-Season Update
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

July 6, 2037: Aurora, Colorado – The majority of the Planeary Extreme Baseball Alliance have reached the official mid-way point of the season - Aurora having just played game 81 are in that bunch, and we can just say this: What a difference a year makes. Last year the club was in the race, but felt nowhere near a legit playoff contender. This year, at 52-29 Aurora not only holds a 12-game lead over both Reno and Tempe, they have a slight edge over Toyama (1-game) for the top record in the Sovereign League. Let's review some of the news of late:

The Week That Was
A 4-2 homestead this past week - losing 2 of 3 to Fargo in frustration means (Henry Cluett and Armando Batista pitching excellently, yet both walking away with 3-1 defeats), then sweeping Neo-Tokyo in explosive fashion (outscoring the Akira 33-9) as part of a 7-game home-and-home series. G-Rod was the hitting star - 11-20 with 5 R, 3-2B and 5 RBI. Ruben Ortega (.368), Masamichi Daikawa (.353) and David Simmons (.350 - 6 R and 6 RBI) all were major contributors for a week in which Aurora outhit their opponents .362 to .203.

'Lanza' Sharp as a Lance
Victorio Guerra has been nothing but outstanding on the year after his season opening start that had him allowing 5 R to Tempe. 10 of his 16 starts he has allowed 1 or no runs and only one other time (oddly also against Tempe) has he allowed more than 3-runs (4). After his 7-inning, 3-hit and 1-run outing against the Akira this week he is 10-0 with a 2.40 ERA and is averaging 8 K/9 with teams hitting just .193 against. For all rookies, only James MccCoy of Arlington has a lower ERA and he has the lowest OAVG and BABIP. Not only is his 10-wins the most by an SL rookie, he is the only to be undefeated. The coaching staff is elated as 'Lanza' is showing the stuff that had him pitch back-to-back no-hitters in Short A back in 2034.

Batista Signs Extension
One trademark for the Borealis front office has been their ability to and decision making forethought to sign their players ahead of arbitration hearings and beyond - keeping their talent happy and locked in - allowing the team to readily keep an eye on the bottom line over the coming seasons. Occasionally there is a stickler, and of late Armando Batista has been that stickler. Last year Aurora looked to avoid arbitration and encourage the lefty to ink himself to a 2-year extension - which he rejected, and his extension asks were reportedly so out of line with Aurora's contract offers that he wound up with an arbitration hearing. Numerous times since the two have tried to agree on a deal for next season - only to break apart - and come back together. Finally, this week the club and their 33rd overall pick in the 2028 draft came to an agreement on a 1-year deal worth $4.6M in 2038. That will possibly be the last contract with Aurora, if current history is any indication. It feels likely the 30-year old pitcher may opt to look at free agency after the 2038 season.

Daikawa Proves Jump From Short A is Possible
Masamichi Daikawa has been a revelation. After the .353 week he is hitting .309 in 43-games since his call-up, with 9-2B and 3-3B, and is 15-21 in SB. This time last year Masamichi was toiling in Hawaii while earning an Hawaiian League All-Star nod. Over 103 games he hit .305 with 23-2B, 7-3B, 4 HR and 81 RBI - he also scored 72-runs. All earning him a spring training invite - where he hit .317, prompting the club to place him at AAA to start the season. After 31-games (and a .279 average) and Tony Munoz struggling, Daikawa was promoted, stuck in the line-up and over the 50-games since his promotion Aurora is 30-20. Meanwhile Tony Munoz is hitting .255 at Thornton and reportedly very unhappy.

Gonzales and the DL
When Aurora went out on a limb and signed Ramon Gonzales to a mega-deal - 4-years, $86M, they had hoped they would get some good seasons from an arm they hoped would be aging well. At times, he's been electric - at others, it's been a struggle. Last year he spent time at AAA on rehab, and again this year as twice now he has suffered back spasms. The hind sight on the deal is real - and the likelihood of ridding themselves of his contract and mediocre performance seems dim. For Ramon the bigger question will be: does he get replaced in the rotation, by whom, and how will he respond to life in the bullpen for the next two seasons? Maybe. Good question. Poorly. That's my guess.

Minor Update
There was a time when Aurora minor league teams dominated much as the major league club did, but in more recent years that success was seen only through the eyes of the Oceanic - Aurora's lone, consistent playoff appearing club - playoff-bound in 10 of the past 12-years. That looks to continue as Mokule'ia is 31-8 and leading the Aloha division. Montserrat, who finally broke through with a playoff berth last year in the IBC's 7th season, is continuing to play well this year and is 15-5, tied with Port Royal (San Juan) and Melbourne (Madison) for top record in the Rookie League. SLRC leads the Mexican Division of the NAFTA with a 46-24 mark that is currently tops in the Baja-Cali League. It has been 5-seasons since the Rapids Blancos were last in the playoffs - three consecutive years after a 7-year dry spell.

What's on Tap
Aurora jet sets to Japan for four games at Neo-Tokyo and three at Niihama before the All-Star break and game in Reno. Aurora hopes to continue the bashing of the Akira pitching staff, gaining some additional momentum heading into the pivotal series with the Ghosts. Niihama is just a half-game behind Toyama and as such, just 1.5-games behind Aurora as we begin to contemplate the race for home field in the playoffs. The 51-31 Ghosts are just 19-17 since their young ace - Fernando Valdez went down for the season. Meanwhile, Toyama, the hottest club in the PEBA since that date - and Aurora's opponents out of the break, are 29-9 and picked up 9-games on Niihama.

[Borealis]

Hefty Price Nets Young Power Arm
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

July 6, 2037: Somewhere over the Pacific – The biggest question for pitcher Barry Rodriguez might be, "Which way do I go to get from Florida to Japan?"

The Aurora Borealis, in the wake of some early maneuvering by fellow Sovereign League contenders, responded as they typically do - the beefed up their bullpen in a move that is slightly surprising by the name and depth of value they gave up. Meanwhile, Barry Rodriguez, who thought his Sunday night flight was just a little "up-now-your-down" puddle jump between San Juan and Jacksonville, now finds himself rushing to hope on a plane to Tokyo and travel near half-way around the world.

In exchange for the Coqui's closer - a role he will mostly not serve with Aurora, the Borealis sent San Juan a pair of minor leaguers - A Ball 1B Xavier Toro and Short A outfielder Carlos Martinez - their 2nd round pick in next year's draft, and arguably most surprising of all, swing-man Ryan Tate.

Barry Rodriguez - now the 3rd Rodriguez on the roster, will be 26 come the end of the season and was the Coqui's 1st round pick - 16th overall, in the 2033 draft out of Georgetown where he was 5-3 with a 1.21 ERA, 43 saves and a whopping 157 K in 74.2 IP - which, for those who can't do the math, was am 18.9 K/9 average. There's a number you don't see often! All thanks to a devastating fastball-slider combo that comes at the batter topping out at 101 mph. Barry made his big league debut early last season and in 61-games he earned 24 saves while posting a 3.50 ERA - struggling with his control - averaging 5 BB/9. This year he already has 13 saves in 28 appearances, has cut the walks more than in-half, with his K/9 up to 10.4, while posting a 2.27 ERA - much more like the Coqui had hoped. Now, as San Juan has nearly completed a near collapse in the IL after many competitive seasons, Barry Rodriguez finds himself off to what he - and the Borealis, can only hope are greener pastures.

The biggest name heading to Puerto Rico - and off to finally pitch from the mound at the Streets Casino owned ballpark in Florida, is Ryan Tate. Originally the 35th overall pick by Florida in the 2028 draft he found himself traded to Yuma two-years later - only to end up with Aurora a week later - and making his major league debut 2-years further on. Originally a starter out of college, for the Borealis he has served as the ultimate swing-man - he's started - he has 46 GS in 162 G; he's closed - he had 223 saves in 2033 before flaming out of that role and settling into a combination of set-up and middle relief spots. And, in his first four full seasons with Aurora, his ERA never topped 3.00 - until this year, where 19-appearances into the season he has a 4.79 ERA, allowed 7 HR - as many as last season adjust shy of the 9 he allowed in 2034, when he started 23 games and threw 156-innings. To make matters worse, he's allowed a run - or more, in each of his last 10-appearances - dating back to May 16 when he almost blew a 5-1 9th inning lead against Crystal Lake.

Xavier Toro was an offseason free agent signee out of Mexico - at a hefty $4M price tag, but since Aurora has acquired Juan Carlos Sanchez from Okinawa - an 1B/3B they like far better, to join last year's 3rd round pick, Mark Newton - who hit .329 at Montserrat last year and is at .295 thus far at Mokule'ia. He will likely move up to take Toro's place. Xavier didn't get much of a chance to prove his worth to the Borealis - hitting just .236 in 64 games with SLRC, with 4 HR and 37 RBI.

Carlos Martinez, who was a 4th round pick in 2035, was hitting .268 for the Oceanic in 19 games after hitting .350 for the Mystique last year in just 120 AB. Drafted out of high school, Aurora GM said - more or less - we have plenty who fit Carlos' mould.

When push comes to shove, as long as Rodriguez pitches to his potential, the loss of the 2nd round pick next draft will be lessened. He's on his rookie minimum contract, and was on pace to be an early arbitration eligible player - something that may not come to pass now with Aurora and how he will be used with Hector Gutierrez firmly ensconced as the closer. But regardless of his salary in the near future, Barry Rodriguez gives Aurora another powerful arm to offset the more powerful line-ups Aurora faces in the Rising Sun and Great Lakes - just this morning I passed a coffee shop with a sign already up in the window: "Duluth, Javier Aguilar? We raise you a Barry Rodriguez."

[Borealis]

Painful Japan Trip, Stateside Hangover
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

July 27, 2037: Palm Springs, California – It all looked super - the schedule set with a week's worth of games against Neo-Tokyo - the once proud franchise that has fallen on very hard times. Three at home netting a sweep, then a quick flight (yeah - a quick flight to Japan? No such thing) and four more with the Akira, netting the same result - though closer games. Then they hopped over to the Maze and the hosting Ghosts were not kind - nor the Win-D's - though the Borealis managed to win one in their series after the All-Star break, out slugging Toyama - the now top of the heap Toyama, in game 2.

Troubles continued as the Borealis returned home and faced Kalamazoo and then made the trip to The Lake, facing two of the teams who are bouncing back and forth atop the Great Lakes. Aurora found themselves on the short end of each series, managing only a win in each to salvage something.

That result - coupled with Tempe's surprising perfect week saw Aurora's 14.5 game lead rapidly shrink to 8-games, and drop 4 GB of Toyama and Niihama for the SL's top seed - a spot Aurora had held for a number of weeks. Aurora can only hope that as we stare down the trade deadline and a Desert Hills-heavy August - 29 of the next 34-games taking us to September 1 come against their division rivals - including 6 with Tempe and 4 with Reno. Nine games will be with Yuma, offset some by four games with The Evil Evas at Northern Lights.

The Borealis best take advantage of the soft August schedule as September is loaded with landmines. Toyama on the road to end August and start September. KZoo for four in Michigan, Niihama, Fargo,Tempe and Toyama at home for a crucial 12-game home stand. Then Bakersfield - who will be dangerous just because it's the Bears and they'd love to spoil Aurora's party, before finishing with Reno and the Codgers on The Front Range. That's 18 of the final 22 at home, where Aurora is 32-11 thus far this season - while a pedestrian 27-27 on the road.

Games of Note
July 10 @ Niihama: Raul Ortega spotted Brian Clark with a 2-run homer in the first that looked like it would stand up as 'Slug' was cruising - until the 5th, where he had the misfortune of giving up 5 unearned runs. David Simmons muffed a grounder to start the inning and the cascade followed - 3 singles and a 3-run homer from Esteban Rodriguez was the difference. Aurora's G-Rod looked to get them back in the game with a 2-run homer, but 'Haggis' couldn't close the door in relief, as the Ghosts won 9-5.

July 12 @ Niihama: Armando Batista threw one of his better games of the year - and certainly of late, as he went 7.2 IP and allowed only a run (MacVurich solo homer in the 7th) on 4 H, while Alsonso Hernandez posted virtually the same line - a David Simmons RBI single in the top of the 7th being the only run he allowed. This game would go 14-innings, with 'Hyena', in his second inning allowed a walk-off homer to Gilberto Fernandez for a 2-1 Ghosts win.

July 18 @ Toyama: Ramon Gonzales returned after a four-start rehab at AAA, and he didn't look particularly good - failing to finish 5-innings as he gave up 5 H, walked 4 and surrendered a homer in a 4-run outing. Rookie Martin Gutierrez would come on and throw 3.1-innings and allow just a run on 3-hits (and 2 BB) and eventually he would earn his second win. Alonso Gonzales was not as fortunate as Aurora knocked him around for 10-hits in 6 IP and 8-runs (7-earned). Triples from Aleman and Montoya in the first two innings gave Aurora the initial lead, and then a 6-run inning of their own - in the 7th, that featured 4-singles and 2-2B gave Aurora a much needed win.

July 20 v Kalamazoo: This time it was Hector Gutierrez who blew the game - his first blown save of the year, as Hector Perez and Torvald Bouwman greeted him with doubles in the top of the 9th to ignite a 3-run rally that turned a 4-3 lead into a 6-4 loss. Jose Aleman was 2-3 with 2 R and a homer (#5 on the year).

July 24 @ Crystal Lake: Martin Gutierrez was dropped into the rotation as Ramon Gonzales was once again DL'd for the back spasms that have haunted hi all season. Gutierrez making his first PEBA start got off poorly, as the 'Gnats scored 4 in the first - a double, three singles and a walk doing the damage. His final 3.2 IP weren't as bad, as he would allow one more run as Aurora would lose to the 'Gnats for the 5th time on the year. Claudio Hernandez hit his 17th homer of the year.

July 26 @ Crystal Lake: Old School PEBA baseball was on display in Sunday's finale at Ellison Field, as Brian Clark and James MacCowan dueled it out - each going 7-innings, each allowing 5-hits, each striking out 3. The difference was Angel Silva's RBI double in the 6th going Aurora a 1-0 lead - in what would be a 2-0 series salvaging win for Aurora. Recently acquired Barry Rodriguez pitched a scoreless 8th - after a pair of walks, and 'Machete' struck out 2 with a hit allowed in the 9th for his 26th save.

Down on the Farm
Aurora's three lowest minor league clubs - SLRC, Mokule'ia and Montserrat, are all steaming ahead with outstanding records and playoff aspirations - the best season for Aurora farmhands in a number of years.

The Rapids Blancos have spent a good portion of the Baja Cali League with the best record, only to have faded - though they still lead the Mexican Division over hot Rosarito - who trail be just a game. CF Declan Ingall started the year very slowly, but has his average up to .302, while Darren Curran (10) and See Murtada (11) are leading the squad in homers. Closer Ricardo Vargas has 24 saves.

The Oceanic have been atop the Aloha division from the start, and have held off Ewa Beach and stand with a 5-game lead while leading the Hawaiian League. This years #1 pick, Hideki Nishikawa is hitting .277, Raul Martinez is hitting .335 with 6 HR and Jung-hyun Yi is 9-1 with a 0.94 ERA. 'Dingo' Massingham has 17 saves for the Oceanic.

Montserrat, who toiled near last place over the first five seasons of the IBC, before taking first last year in a heated pennant race, are 30-9 and leading the Paradise League by 4-games with the best record in the IBC. Josh Whiskin, a 2035 draftee continues to launch the long ball, with 21 the far and a .286 average. IC promoter, Victor Carvajal is hitting .318 with 5 HR and 3rd round pick Pedro Lujan is hitting .299 with 8 HR. other 2037 draftees playing well in their pro debuts include Toshimichi Ohayashi (3-2, 3.32), Jack McRae (5-0, 3.62) and Elijah Roberts, 1-0 and 1.40 in 6 relief appearances and one recent start). Lyndon Marshland has 10 saves and a 1.12 ERA pitching as the closer.

What's on Tap
With 5-games left in July (Palm Springs for 3, Yuma for 2), Aurora desperately needs to improve on their 10-10 record on the month. Aurora has faced the Codgers one - sweeping them the first weekend of June, while the Borealis are 5-0 v. Yuma - two games for the season opener and three the second weekend of May. Palm Springs has had their best month of the season in July, at 12-8, while the Yumans are 25-24 over the last two months after a 16-34 start.

Cluett, Batista and Martin Gutierrez will face the Codgers as Aurora gives the young Gutierrez another shot a starting (the club is missing Ryan Tate more than they thought they might), and Guerra, Clark and Cluett will face the Yumans - for Guerra he is coming off his first loss (4-3 to Crystal Lake) of the season after an 11-0 start.

[Borealis]

A New 'Stocky'man on The Front Range
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

July 31, 2037: Yuma, Arizona – Yeah... but can he hit home runs?

Of course that was a rhetorical question - these are the Aurora Borealis and they don't do home runs, but they did add a bat that they've been rumored to be after for a number of seasons - at a reasonable cost.

Aurora GM Will Topham made the announcement at 10:45pm - an hour and 15-minutes to the trade deadline, while the team was straggling off the field after Yuma rookie Rio Broom homered to lead off the 11th inning of 'Machete'; Aurora's 2nd straight 1-run loss to the Yumans and 4th 1-run loss of the week - having lost a pair to Palm Springs to begin the week. The end result being that Aurora's once 14-game lead was down to 5 - in a heart beat. But then came the announcement and (some) renewed hope.

Lorenzo 'Stocky' Castanieda, the just-turned 33-year old OF and 3B - formerly of Fargo, had been traded from New Orleans to the Borealis in exchange for a pair of Rookie League players and Aurora's 3rd round pick in next years draft. The Borealis will also receive in exchange New Orleans' 2nd round selection - a nice pick-up for the club that traded their #2 pick to San Juan in the Barry Rodriguez deal. Not an overlooked scenario as the Dominican speedster, and his $23.72M contract, is due to be a free agent after this season. Reports out of New Orleans is he has been clear he wants to test the waters this offseason.

But that's putting the cart before the horse. 'Stocky' his hitting .311 for the Trendies with a .403 OBP - higher than his SLG; a real oddity. His power numbers are certainly down thus far this year, but Aurora is hoping the wider outfield will help bring some of that back. Perhaps more critically for a team that is only 14-14 against LHP, Castanieda's .354/.418/.433 vLHP can help. He also is hitting .318 with 2-outs and .382 with runners in scoring position - for a team that has frequently searched for that clutch hit, explaining their horrid 7-17 record in 1-run games (see this week), and 3-7 record in extra-innings, Castanieda may feel like a godsend.

The odd man out in this scenario is rookie Masamichi Daikawa, who has made the jump from Short A last year to the Big Leagues after a brief 31-game stay at AAA to begin the season. Diakawa is hitting .282 against both right-handed and left-handed pitching, with a modest 15-2B and 4-3B. Why a hitter with a .282 average? Options, plain and simple. But his stay back up the road in Thornton will be a short one as we are just the month away from roster expansion.

Heading to New Orleans and likely going from 1st place Montserrat to last place Bridgetown in the Paradise League is C Karsten 'Kracken' Koertig and CF Joel Grummit. Koertig was a highly thought of catching prospect when he was taken in the second round last year, hitting 17 HR for the Mystique, but Aurora's scouting department has since soured on him as his power numbers have slumped heavily, while international find, Vicente Carvajal has impressed more offensively. Grummit was a 6th round pick last year and is hitting .217 in 31 GS.

Whether Topham has anything else his sleeves over the next hour and change is to be seen - rumor is they are making a hard push for another bat - but that's all we are hearing at this moment. Meanwhile, the Borealis need to turn their attentions to the field and search hard for a split with Yuma and turn things around as the Dog Days are here. We shall expect to see Lorenzo in tomorrow's line-up as New Orleans is playing at San Antonio this weekend.

[Borealis]

'Division August' Begins Slowly
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

August 9, 2037: Aurora, Colorado – 'Division August', that's what we will call it. 29-games, 24 within the Desert Hills, just a pair of off days, six with Tempe, six with the Codgers, four with Reno and eight with Yuma. The odd balls? The four that start this coming week with The Evil Evas and Roster Expansion Eve at Toyama.

Thus far, eight games in, the Borealis have split the eight: 1-1 v. Yuma, taking a much needed 2 of 3 for Tempe and losing 2 of 3 to Palm Springs. Tempe, who have their own division-laden August, has begun August at 5-3, moving to within 4-games of Aurora in the Desert Hills. Then there is the tale of Lorenzo Castanieda, whose trade deadline arrival has provided some hope - he's 10-28 in 7-games, with 2 R, 2 RBI and 2 SB.

The Lamentful Saga of Ramon Gonzales continues, as he managed just 3 IP against Tempe - walking 5, giving up 5 runs before coming out with a hamstring strain - his 5th minor injury and after pitching fairly well against the Codgers, made his 3rd trip to the DL as things were not looking promising, leg-wise. The move also was to accommodate Martin Gutierrez' return from the DL. It will be 'Haggis' Uige who will be taking a shot in Gonzales' rotation spot.

The Borealis came back after the 10-2 loss to the Apollo's to take the next two. 'Lanza' upped his record to 12-1, with 5.2 -iinnings of 1-hit ball - his night cut short by 6 BB. 'Hyena' and 'Machete' finished the night for a 3-0 win, dropping Owen Barse's record to 3-10. Brian Clark held Tempe to a run on 7-hits in the rubber match, with Icharia and Barry Rodriguez closing out the final 3-innings of a 4-1 Aurora win.

Armando Batista continued to perform spottily, allowing 5-runs over 5.1 IP as his record dropped to 8-10 as Aurora lost 5-3 to the Codgers - following a rugged 7-6 loss the night before dropping Aurora's 1-run record to 7-19. They have lost 7-consecutive 1-run decisions since the All--Star game - a huge contributor to their losing 8-games in the standings since that point in time - Tempe, meanwhile is 7-1 in 1-run games since the Break and are 22-18 in 1-run games.

Down on the Farm
While Thornton and Gatineau continue to perform poorly, Aurora's lower minor league clubs all lead the divisions. SLRC has seen their lead in the Mexican Division evaporate as a red hot Rosarito (WV) club retired to form. Both clubs have a 7-game lead as wild card teams. Takoka (TOY) leads the BCL by 2-games over SLRC/Rosarito, with National City (PS) 2-gmaes further back in what promises to be an exciting race to the finish. The Rapids Blancos play al three of those teams - including hosting Rosarito for the final series of the season. Of note is 2036 3rd round pick Mark Newton, who after hitting .295 in 34-games at Mokule'ia is hitting .322 in 30 games with SLRC with 8-2B, 4-3B, 3 HR.

Mokule'ia leads the Aloha division by 3-games over Ewa Beach (FLA) and their 51-18 record is 2-games better than Lana'i City (PS) and 9-games better than Osakasayama (TOY) for the Hawaiian League top spot. The Oceanic have two remaining games at Ewa Beach this week, completing the season series. Of note is 2034 8th round pick Gijsbert Verboven, who is hitting .311 with 11 HR and 48 RBI and Jung-hyun Yi, a scouting find, who is 10-1 with a 1.15 ERA, with 95 K in 86 IP.

Montserrat is the most impressive of the three, with a 37-13 record and a 5-game lead over Port Royal (SJ) and 6-games up on Aruba (WV). The Mystique have a pair of home-and-home series with both clubs - including over the final 9-days of the season. Of note is 3rd round pick, 2B Pedro Lujan who is hitting .305 with 11 HR and 30 RBI and Lyndon Marshland, the 2nd round closer who has 12 saves and a 1.23 ERA.

What's on Tap
The week begins with The Evil Evas, who are losers of 6 of their last 9 and find themselves in the unenviable position of being 12.5 GB of Niihama and 11.5 behind Toyama. Though the division may look doubtful, they and Tempe sit only 1.5 games behind Okinawa (Tempe's first for of the week) for the second WC spot. Aurora lost 2 of 3 at Shin Seiki way back in April - so long ago that we really can't learn much from that. Aurora then visits the Yumans down in the desert, with a 6-3 mark against their division foes.

[Borealis]

Collapse Complete
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

September 1, 2037: Kalamazoo, Michigan – 52-days. 46-games. That's how long it takes to watch a 14.5 game lead vanish. Poof. Aurora was on top of the SL - 14.5 ahead of Tempe in the Desert Hills, a game-and-a-half ahead of Niihama for the top spot in the SL and 9.5 games better than Kzoo and the 2-seed. What a difference 52-days makes - Aurora sit's tied with Tempe, just 2-games better than Great Lakes leading Duluth and 3 ahead of Kalamazoo and 11-games back of Niihama in the race for the top spot - and worse yet, just a half-game better than The Evil Evas for what would be the 2nd wild card.

That's how quickly things can fall.

And it doesn't get any better as September is a mine filed loaded with hand grenades, and enough opportunities to commit suicide that the post-season assurances of mid-July now look like golf date October certainties. Five with Toyama, three with Niihama, four with Kalamazoo, three with Fargo, Tempe and Reno (suddenly with some renewed hope at 9 GB) - and six with the pesky, troublesome Codgers. Of the six contenders for division crowns, Aurora sports the most difficult schedule.

Before dwelling on the dreary, a few positives: Over the 46-games Raul Munoz seems to have found his stroke - finally - and is hitting .325 and has his average up to .307 on the year. Catcher Lan-suing Qing, who has been starting regularly against lefties, has been hitting .316 during the stretch, while 'Matchbox' is up to .291 of late, with 9 HR over 40-games, and is hitting .279 with 25 HR for the season - both numbers that look to surpass his previous two seasons on The Front Range.

Now for the downers - and there are many. 'Lanza' Guerra was 11-0 with a 2.20 ERA and seemed destined to be a serious contender for Wunderkind honors, and then it fell apart - he's 1-4 since Aurora's high-water mark, with a 6.47 ERA with a WHIP that ballooned from 1.06 to 1.88 - as his K:BB ratio went from nearly 3:1 to even money and after teams struggled to hit .198 over his first 17 GS, they are pounding him to the tune of .295. But he's not alone - Henry Cluett, who seemed to have bounced back after a horrid 2036 (he was 10-6 with a 3.20 ERA), is 2-5 with a 4.58 ERA.

That doesn't even include the up and down tail of Ramon Gonzales and his bad back who has missed 3 combined weeks of injury time and pitched six rehab games at AAA - but his three starts for Aurora over this stretch have been ugly - 7.30 ERA (11 R in 12.1 IP), with 9 K, 11 BB and a WHIP of 2.11 - so bad he was demoted the 'pen for a start or two. It took Aurora four pitchers to finally settle on the mostly effective 'Haggis' to fill the rotation spot - the departed Ryan Tate, 'Chattahoochee' Fujii, and Martin Gutierrez all failed to hold down the fort.

Perhaps the most disappointing contributor to this mess - and maybe not even perhaps, has been Lorenzo Castanieda. Acquired from New Orleans in a deadline deal, after a fairly strong start he is hitting .253, has just 4-2B and his OBP is just .312 - thanks to only 4 BB (compared to 13 K) for a hitter who has walked more than struck out in his career. More interesting is the fact that 'Stocky' is a free agent at the end of the season and many thought he'd resign with Aurora. Now? Hard to say - especially with both Hernandez and Francisco Montoya currently sitting on option years for 2038.

So where does Aurora go from here, 25-29 for July and August; 14-15 for the month of August that was primarily an intra-division month - and finishing 12-12 in that portion after losing 4 of 6 against Palm Springs, splitting 6 with Tempe, losing 3 of 4 to Reno, and taking 6 of 8 from Yuma. Six of those 15 August losses were by a run (they won 4) and 7 were by 2-runs (winning 2) - 13 of the 15-losses were 2-runs or less. They've outscored their opponents over the stretch and outhit their opponents as well. Perhaps it's what we've harped on for years - and the club seemingly doesn't address: a lack of power requires too many hits in an inning to make impactful rallies. Or pitchers are walking more and giving up more homers - so that minor increases in OAVG and WHIP (a +.14, thanks to the walks) have made up the difference over the first half of the season - where Aurora had outscored their opponents by 130 runs, out hit them by 43 points.

With the arrival of roster expansion Aurora has called up Ed Madore (the 34-year old is hitting .245 this season), 3B Francisco Rodriguez (making his major league debut after hitting .308 at AA and .268 at AAA, with 18 HR on the season), OF Kirk Carr (.234) and recalled Masamichi Daikawa, who was hitting .282 when he was demoted with the acquisition of Castanieda, and has hit .271 with Thornton. The Borealis also called up Kenko Hirose and Hyobe Miura, who will be making his debut. Hirose, who has 34-games in his PEBA career, had a 1.84 ERA this year with 12 saves with the Sun Dogs, while Hyobe had 2.11 ERA with 67 K in 47 IP for Thornton.

Down on the Farm
At Rookie ball, Montserrat has an 8-game lead over Aruba (WV) with 15-games to play in what will be a nearly wire-to-wire run. At 56-20, they are tied with Melbourne (MAD) for the best record in the IBC, 5-games better than Aukland (FAR) and Asmara (PS). With Port Royal 10 GB, the Mystique are nearly guaranteed a playoff spot. Of interest from this years draft class: Pedro Lujan is hitting .275 with 14 HR, Toshimishi Ohayashi is 8-2 with a 2.88 ERA and Lyndon Marshland has 17 saves and a 1.10 ERA.

Over in the Islands (of the Pacific), with 16-games to play, Mokule'ia has already clinched a playoff spot as the battle with Ewa Beach (FLA) for the division title - the Oceanic holding a 4-game lead after taking 4 of 6 on the season from the Imperialists. At 69-26, the Oceanic hold a 2-game lead over Lana'i City (PS) for the top spot in the Hawaiian League. Top draft pick Hideki Nishikawa is hitting .288 with just 3 HR.

In the NAFTA, the Mexican division came down to the last day - and the last inning, as Rosarito (WV) finished off a wild chase on the Rapids Blancos, and with a season closing 3-game sweep - including the division deciding 14-inning game 3 win, dropping SLRC to second place and the top wild card. At 83-45, SLRC tied Takaoka (TOY) for the 2nd best mark in the Baja-Cali League. They will open the playoffs hosting Mexicali (FLA) who finished 3rd in the Mexican division, 8 GB of SLRC. Ricardo Vagas, who was a 19th round pick in the 2034 draft had 34 saves and a 2.43 ERA.

Thornton and Gatineau finished miserable seasons. The Sun Dogs were 48-92 and finished 29 GB of Henderson (YUM) - by far the worst mark in the Rocky Mountain League and second only to Santo Domingo (SJ), who won 43. The Ballonists were better, at 61-79, 5th in the Maple Leaf division, 29 GB of Hamilton (KAL).

What''s on Tap
Two with Toyama and three with Palm Springs this week, then four at Kalamazoo and home for three with Niihama. With 31-games left and a razor's margin in the Desert Hills, it feels like this is it - a two-week that can make you or break you. Meanwhile, Tempe has three with Madison and Reno, then four with Toyama and three with Kzoo - so the potential for the opposite is there, and with the two teams starring at their final meeting in two-weekends, at Northern Lights, (with Tempe leading in with Yuma; Aurora hosting Fargo), ending this two-week stretch even isn't the worst outcome. Aurora will have Guerra, Clark, Cluett and Batista lined up to face the Badgers, while Uige, Gonzales (scheduled) and Guerra will take on Niihama.

[Borealis]

... And Just Like That...
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

September 21, 2037: Aurora, Colorado – Aurora finds their way back to an advantage. Granted, a lot can happen over the final 13-games of the season - with three v. Toyama, three v. Reno and three v. Palm Springs - whom Aurora is just 8-7, mostly thanks to a sweep back in May, when everything was clicking. That doesn't even count the four games at the park formerly known as YUM!, where you have to think all bets are off when playing your rivals - no matter how much of a dying quail they may look like. Bakersfield's collapse has been both unexpected and devastating. At 59-90 (and 7-11 in September), they are on pace to follow-up their worst season ever in 2036 (94 losses) with one that is even worse - quite possibly with more than a week to play.

Meanwhile Tempe - who now finds themselves fighting for their lives, after a week that was disastrous for them and affirming for the Borealis. But at least the schedule looks more promising for them. While Aurora battles the Win-D's, the Apollos are on the road at Duluth - also in their own battle with Kzoo for the Great Lakes title, but also chasing The Evil Evas for the second wild card. Once Tempe is past Duluth, they have six with Yuma and three with Bakersfield - they are 10-3 against the Bears and 10-2 v. the Arroyos and 5-1 against the Warriors. By comparison, Aurora is8-7 v. Palm Springs, 5-8 v. the Zephyrs, 2-4 with Toyama - and 9-2 against Bakersfield.

Heard from the Tempe locker room: "So you're telling us we have a chance..."

Indeed.

How did Aurora turn it around? It wasn't easy, but one can point a finger at an unlikely stat: The previously 11-25 Borealis in 1-run games, went on a tear and played four straight 1-run games - and one them all. Three against Fargo and the series opener with Tempe - a game that Tempe turned from a sure 1-run win into a 1-run loss. Couple that with two more wins aver Tempe for a three game sweep and Aurora had a perfect week, Tempe quite imperfect (after opening with two wins over the Yumans), leaving Aurora with a 6.5 game lead over Tempe - and a 4.5 game lead over the Great Lakes leader; a battle for home field in a probable Division Series match-up.

With that, Aurora is trying to accomplish a rare feat - wire to wire in first place, with only a couple of days where they were actually tied. Still first place, and still a lot of baseball to be played.

What happened that turned the ship around? Everyone started to hit. We can talk about Claudio Hernandez' hot September - and salary drive season? He has 8 HR and 21 RBI in September and that has him with 33 HR and 100 RBI on the year - his most RBI since his last season with Havana. His .277 average is online to be by far the best with Aurora as well. There's the bounce-back season of Raul Munoz, who after struggling through July has bounced back as well, and with a .307 average - best since his .308 was best in the SL in 2035 and is o pace for his 2nd best RBI total. Raul has 5 HR the past two weeks - after just two all year, with 12 RBI.

No, despite the strong efforts from the team 'leaders', this discussion equally belongs to the whole team.

Aurora's catching platoon of Pedro de la Cruz and Lan-quing Qing are killing it. Of the 'starters', Qing has hit .435 in September and .299 for the year with 3 HR - starting v. LHP, while Pedro is hitting .349 in September and .275 on the year v. RHP. Combined they have 10 HR, 33-2B - even 4-3B and are hitting .281 on the year. This far David Simmons has failed to match the power numbers his September call-up in 2035 suggested, but he's had three in September - after none in August and just three all summer, with 5-2B this fall. 'Litterbug' is hitting .364 - 8-25, 5 R, 4 RBI in six games. Angel Silva's Royal Raker bid was derailed with the August slide - to which his .254 month was a big contributor, has a .317 September with 14 R and 9 RBI.

Also promising has been the strong outings by SP 'Slug', Batista and the oft injured Ramon Gonzales. over 10 GS they are a combined 1.22 ERA and are 6-0 - nearly half the team's wins in the first three weeks of September. 'Lanza', who is 2-5 since his 11-0 start that earned him an All-Star nod and a lot of Wunderkind chatter, seems to have turned things slowly around after watching his ERA balloon from 2.22 at the break to 3.51 over 12 starts. Somewhat troubling is Henry Cluett's efforts down the stretch, as he's managed just 12.2 IP in 3 GS, with an 7.82 ERA - thanks to poundings by Toyama and Fargo. The bullpen continues to be shaky, and there has been only 4 saves out of the 13 wins - makes sense when six of the win's were not save opportunities.

Highlights
Sept. 7 @ Kalamazoo - One of the wilder games of the season. After taking a quick lead - only to see Kzoo tie it, the Badgers put two up in the 7th and 5 in the 8th for a 9-3 lead heading to the 9th, but Aurora put up 6-runs in the 9th - a pair of triples (Aleman and Silva) and singles to start the inning, had Aurora with 4-runs with just an out then two more singles loaded the bases for G-Rod who lined one for a bases-clearing double that tied the score! In the 10th, Munoz and 'Matchbox' went back-to-back HR for the win.

Sept. 15 v. Fargo - Aurora had just stolen a 12-inning victory the night before and after an early exchange of runs made it 2-2 heading to the fourth, Fargo added three more in the middle innings for a 5-2 lead. Juan Rodriguez would single with two-out in the 7th, plating a pair to close the gap to 1, and in the 8th Raul Munoz with two out would hit a 2-run homer to take the lead. 'Hyena' would pitch a perfect 9th for the win.

Sept. 18 v. Tempe - The aforementioned game 1 of Aurora's critical 3-game sweep, the Knights took an early 1-0 lead in the first that carried to the 7th as Ramon Gonzales pitched maybe his best game of the year - before surrendering a 2nd run in the 7th and leaving the game. It would be Raul Munoz, again, in the bottom of the 7th, with a 2-out homer, getting the deficit back to 1, when in the bottom of the 9th, the unexpected happen. With 1-out, de la Cruz walked and Jose Aleman doubled - and as the throw went to the plate - with the plodding Pedro beating the throw, the heads up base running of Aleman saw Aurora's shortstop standing on third. Tempe brought the infield in with Silva at the plate - who rifled one at Tony Velasquez at 3B - who bobbled it - just enough for Aleman to break for the plate and score - thanks to a walk-off error.

Aurora would go on to pound Tempe pitching for 8-runs on 13-hits in game 2 as Guerra had a shutout into the 7th, pitching into the 8th, and then Clark would hold Tempe to a run on 8 hits over 5.1 treacherous innings, with Twia and 'Machete' closing it out. Claudio Hernandez and his 33rd homer - a 3-run shot, his 100th RBI, would win the game for Aurora.

Down on the Farm
San Luis Rio Colorado would lose in heart break fashion in the NAFTA Mexican Division wild card to Mexicali (FLA) in 5-games - a 5-3 loss in game 5 - a game that was scoreless after 6. The loss was the culmination of a horrid stretch to end the season that saw them lose the division in extra innings on the last day - forcing them into the wild card series.

Mokule'ia has clinched their Aloha division crown for the 5th straight year (missed it by a game in 2032). It is their 20th division title with two games remaining with Kilauea (ARL). A win for the Oceanic or a Lana'i loss will clinch the top spot in the Hawaiian League and a match-up with the wild card winner - Kauai (WV) or Ewa Beach (FLA).

Montserrat has clinched the Paradise League title - with one to play, currently 9-games up on Aruba (WV). The Mystiques 65-wins will be 2nd best in the IBC, behind Melbourne (MAD). After dwelling in Margeritaville over the first five seasons of the IBC, the Mystique have won two division titles in a row. It looks like divisional foe Aruba will be Montserrat's opening opponent. Montserrat was 8-7 against the Wahoos this year.

What's on Tap
Toyama and Bakersfield and a division title to win. The magic number is 7, and the first three games of the week - Borealis and Win-D's; Apollos and Warriors, will go a long way in deciding the division crown. With Tempe being 6-games behind The Evil Evas in the wild card, this is all or nothing for both teams - if Tempe fails to catch Aurora, it's unlikely they catch Shin Seiki. If the Borealis drop and lose the division, it's unlikely they maintain their slight edge (half-game) over The Evil Evas. It will be Cluett, Batista and Gonzales beginning the week against Toyama.