Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

[Borealis]

Borealis Recover on Home Cooking
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

April 15, 2030: Yuma, Arizona - The Borealis made it home after a hard Opening week that saw them win just 2 of 6 games, only to come home and turn that around on some good old fashion home cooking - much to the delight of the fans on The Front Range. It'll be hard to get too worked up with a 6-6 record two weeks in.At least things felt better, if nothing else.

Aurora welcomed the Duluth Warriors to Northern Lights Park and John Turner took the mound in the series opener. It did not take the Warriors long to strike against Aurora's co-ace - Andy Sharp singled to lead-off the game, and Francisco Munoz followed him directly with a run scoring double - and then scoring himself three pitches later on a wild pitch - giving Duluth a 2-0 lead.

As it would turn out, Duluth would mange just two more hits off JT and really not threaten him again, as Turner would post 7-innings of 4-hit ball, with 5 K and no walks. The question would then turn to whether Aurora would manage to do anything against Kata Nakamura?

Aurora would get a pair of hits in both the first and third inning - and in each, they'd have the lead runner thrown out at third by RF Dewitt Barry, who is not known for his strong arm - killing potential big innings in each instance. Aurora would get on the board in the 4th, as Nick Heath led off with a double and he would score on a pair of ground outs, cutting the lead to 2-1. Aurora would go quietly in the 5th and 6th innings, as Nakamura was looking strong on this cool 48º night.

In the 7th, 'Fido' Castro came to the plate to lead off and grounded one hard through the infield for a lead off single. Hector Prado followed with a successful sac bunt, giving Paul Carlisle the chance to get Aurora even with Duluth. Carlisle got ahold of one, but it stayed in the park, but it was deep enough for Castro to move to third, where he'd score moments later - this time Nakamura throwing the ball to the backstop, allowing the tying run to score.

As so, with the score 2-2 in the 8th, John Gray entered the game. He would walk the venerable Jim Klein, but otherwise get through the inning unscathed, bringing up Roy Duke and then the top of the order. The light hitting Duke came through, lining a single on the first pitch. Rookie Stewart Arundale followed Duke, and after getting a cut at the first pitch, he was given the bunt sign and managed that successfully, moving Duke to second. Harry Hutchins grounded out for the second out - but Duke was able to scamper to third, then finally scoring the go ahead run as Nick heath laced a double to right (his third hit of the night).

Bob Burns would come on for the save, and for a few moments he gave the crowd moments to pause, as a lead off single and a two-out single put the tying run in scoring position, but he got John Howe to hit a lazy fly for the final out, and Aurora would take their home opener, 3-2.

The brief two-game series with the Warriors saw game two open much like game 1: Andy Sharp had a lead off triple off Bartolo Esquivel, then scoring on a double play ball off Barry's bat - but like JT the night before, Bartolo would allow just that first inning run, give up 4 hits over 7-innings, while this time Aurora would pound Jose Santos and Atilio Gaivo for13-hits and 10-runs. Aurora waited for the 4th inning, again, to get started (Castro and Heath singling, followed by a Montoya error). Harry Hutchins doubled in a run in the 5th (highlighting a 3-run rally), and then 5-singles and a double in the 7th sparked a 6-run inning as Aurora won this one going away, 10-1. Arundale would go 3-4, with a double, while Hutchins, Torres and Heath all had a pair of hits.

Canton followed Duluth to The Front Range for a 4-games that was a weird one. For starters, Kelsy Buck - Aurora's 2nd round pick in 2026, whom they traded to Duluth as part of a package for Esquivel in 2028, was a Rule 5 pick up for Canton, took the mound in the series opener against his parent club. Kelsey looked good in his first major league start, against Toyama (8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, for his first career win), but on this day he struggled: 6.2 IP, 10 H, 5 R, a HR and 4 BB (and 4 K). Amongst the damage was a Manny Castro homer and a Jose Torres RBI double. With the score only 4-2, in the 7th, Harry Hutchins tripled - then watched as Carlisle, Torres and Heath all walked - forcing Hutchins home with the 5th run in a 5-2 Aurora win.

Game 2 of the series was brutal. The teams combined for 11-runs in the first three innings (7-4, Aurora) as Richard Neely and Clotilde Casco (the Brazilian international free agent signing by Canton) would each allow 6 runs. The highlight of all that was Ricardo Zamora, Paul Carlisle, and Nick Heath each hitting homers in Aurora's 5-run first inning. And yet, in the end, Bob Burns would blow a save (George Wilson's 2-out single plating Anastasio Silva, who had doubled) and John Gray would cough up a solo homer to the first batter he'd face in the 10th, as Aurora would lose a wild one, 8-7, with the Longshoremen outhitting the Borealis 16-9.

Aurora would get some extra inning revenge the next night, behind 'Tugboat', who was outstanding (7.1 IP, 1 H, 5 K and a BB). Carlisle would start the scoring with his second 1st inning 2-run homer in as many nights, and Arundale would add to that in the 2nd with a 2-out triple, scoring on a Hutchins single. That lead would last until the 9th, as Aurora got nothing off the Canton pitching after the first - and it was in the 9th that John Gray - for the second night in a row, looked shaky, as he allowed Canton to hit for the cycle - in order (single, double, triple and homer) - in four consecutive AB! And suddenly Canton had a 4-3 lead.

But Aurora wasn't done. With one out, 'Litterbug' walked and raced around to third as Hutchins followed with a single. With two out, Nick Heath singled home Arundale, tying the game, and sending it to extras. Neither team managed anything for the 10th and 11th, and in the 12th, Aurora had the winning run at second with one out, but failed to score. But in the 13th, Canton watched as one of their pitchers would walk three batters in a row, to give up, in this case, the winning run as Aurora would gladly take the 4-3 win in 13-innings.

All you need to know about game 4 of the series is that John Turner had nothing. Canton pounded him for 9 hits and 9 runs - that included a pair of 2-run homers (Mu-sang Ch'oe and Pedro Castro). Mark Powers would follow JT and throw a tidy 3.2 innings in relief - allowing 2 hits and his first allowed run in 9 IP. Aurora would chip away at Manual Lopez and the Canton 'pen, but would not get closer than 10-6.

For the week, it was much like last week as the outfield continues to lead the way. Harry Hutchins was 12-27 (.444), scored 8-runs and stole 3 bases.Nick Heath was 9-25 (.360), with 2-2B, a homer and 6 RBI and 'Litterbug' was 7-20, with a double, triple and a pair of steals. That collective is hitting .383, .370 and .310, collectively, thus far on the early season. Not to be outdone, 'Fido' Castro is leading the team at .386, and Felipe Lopez is making a case for the starting 2B spot, as he's 5-13, while Hector Prado has started cold at 5-29. Also starting cold is Teddy Loetzsch, at a cool .190.

[Borealis]

Perfect Week Propel Borealis to Familiar Spot
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

April 22, 2030: Duluth, Minnesota - The rugged start to the 2030 season - and it's 3-, 1-run losses, has passed into the rearview mirror, and the Borealis find themselves in a spot they would have hoped they would be in when the 2030 season schedule was released - back atop the Desert Hills with a 2-game lead over Reno and the Bears. After 10-games Aurora found themselves 4-games behind the Bears, tied with the Codgers. It's amazing what a 9-game stretch - and a 7-game win streak will do for the health of one's standings. It helps when you spend the week playing teams that are now a combined 9-28. Enjoy the good play while you can, fans of The Front Range Nine - May is about to get really ugly.

But for now...

Aurora hit the road for 4-games in Yuma and a return engagement with the Longshoremen, this time in Canton, and there is one relevant stat for the week: Aurora hit .331 as a team while the Yumans and L-men limped in at a buck-85. Aurora scored 44-runs, while the gave up just 10 - John Turner posting a complete game shutout of Canton and Bartolo Esquivel pitching 7.1 innings of shutout ball the next night. All in all, it was the sort of week we have long been familiar with, dating back to the Championship years and beyond. It felt like Old School Aurora Baseball.

But can they keep it up? Aye, that's the rub...

The week didn't start out hot. Yuma starter Felipe Lopez did a number on the bats in the series opener, throwing 9-innings of 4-hit ball as this game would go into extra innings. Esquivel (who started the week with 5.1 IP of 1-hit ball - no runs, 7 K, 3 BB, to go along with the Canton start) and the 'pen would hold Yuma to just a run (a Bob Cox solo homer in the 8th off Kamuta). It took a 'Fido' homer in the 11th to seal the 4-1 win for Aurora. The bats picked up the pace in game 2, as Aurora would greet Vinnie de Brouwer - last years remarkable 0-23 pitcher (now 0-26) with 18-hits and 9-runs. Aurora's outfield continue to pound the ball, as Zamora, Heath, Joyce and Carlisle (with 2-2B) all had 3-hits - and Torres and Prado had a pair each. Aurora would steal 6-bases in the game, with Zamora and Heath nabbing a pair each.

Game three saw Richard Neely and Jorge Valentin each go 7 innings - Neely allowing a run on 7-hits and 5 K, while Jorge allowed 2-runs on 7-hits. That's where the difference ended, as Yuma's bullpen would allow another 9-hits and 5-runs, while Aurora's Mark Powers and Rob Imhoff allowed just a single hit. The big news offensively was Harry Hutchins' went 5-5, with a pair of SB (with his average up to .421), and Hector Prado, who built on the previous day's results by going 4-5, with a double, a triple and boosting his average to .262. 'Tugboat' was on the mound in game four, and he'd pitch into the 6th, allowing 5-hits and 2-runs, as Aurora continues to monitor his pitch count early in the year. Yuma starter Fernando Gusman would not be as fortunate, as he'd pitch into the 5th, allowing 8 H, 6 R (including a Nick Heath HR - his 3rd of the year). The top of Aurora's order continued to roll, as 'Litterbug', Hutchins and Carlisle each had 2-hits and 5-RBI between them.

Fresh off their 4-game sweep of the 'Dozers, Aurora raced off to Canton looking to avenge a couple of tough loses at Northern Lights, and as previously mentioned, 'Tugboat' and Bartolo shut Canton down to the tune of a combined 16.1 IP and 8 H (John Gray gave up 1 in his 1.2 IP). Turner was supported by a 13-hit attack that included a 4-5 from Arundale (a double and 2-SB), a triple for Hutchins and 'Fido' Castro's 3rd home run. Hector Prado, also with 2-hits, edged his season average up to .277, overcoming his rough start that had him at .143 after 8-games. Aurora would post near identical 5-0 win's to start the series - and each saw Aurora get 13-hits. Game two highlights included a 2-5 from 'Litterbug' Arundale, with his 2nd triple, 2-5 by Hutchins (a pair of doubles and 4 RBI, and 2-5 from Prado (.288) Roy Duke, who got the start at 3B, was 3-4. Aurora jumped to a 4-0 lead in game 3, but on this day Aurora's 'pen would be generous, as Kamuta and Erickson would each allow a homer in a 6-3 Borealis win to clinch the perfect week. Aurora would steal 8-bases on this day (Arundale, Heath, Hutchins each had a pair), Jose Torres would finally hit his first home run, and Nick Heath would go 3-5.

The week ended with both great and sour news for Hutchins. He would earn Player of the Week honors for his 14-27 week with 9 RBI and 6 SB (He's hitting a PEBA leading .432, with 9-2B, 15 R, 15 RBI and 9 SB), but in the 3rd innings, stretching a single into a double, he slide hard into the bag, jamming his knee and needing to be removed from the game. The prognosis is simply tendinitis of the patellar tendon (below the kneecap), requiring a weeks rest. Considering all the racing around the bases Harry's had these three weeks, it's no surprise. With Duluth and Kalamazoo on this week's schedule, then the start of a brutal 21-game stretch that has Aurora playing - in order, Fargo, Bakersfield, Okinawa, Shin Seiki, Neo-Tokyo, Crystal Lake and Palm Springs (a combined 75-54), Aurora will chose to rest Hutchins for the next 6-days and hope that's sufficient enough to keep his bat hot and in the line-up. With only Crystal Lake and Shin Seiki's starters posting an ERA better than Aurora's, a continued hot stretch for the month of May would be beneficial to the team's race to the finish.

[Borealis]

Solid April Gives Way to Killer Month
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

May 6, 2030: Aurora, Colorado - A 17-10 month (.629) to start the season was a fine way to go - better than the past few April's - finishing the month a game up on Bakersfield. Quite the amazing feat considering the Bears 9-1 start as of April 11, while Aurora was just 5-4. But the fun is just getting started as Aurora welcomes the champion Evil Evas and Neo-Tokyo, before heading to The Lake to face the' smoking so hot the kids back in the 'teens would have called them vaping' Sandgnats. May will also bring a trip to Northern Lights by Crystal Lake and a home-and-home with Palm Springs - who struggled through a 13-14 April that included a pair of series with Shin Seiki (1-5), a pair with Bakersfield (5-2, thank you very much), and an abbreviated pair with Neo-tokyo (3-2). The highly regarded, pre-season favorites for the Desert Hills crown are 15-16, 4 GB of Aurora.

April ended well enough with a fine effort turned in by John Turner, as he went 6 IP and allowed just a run own 3 hits, while striking out 8. The Bears Erik Watson was equally strong, allowing all 3 of Aurora's runs in this days 3-1 Borealis victory, on 5 hits and with 6 K. The hitting star on this day was Teddy Loetzsch, with a double and his 51st career triple (he'd get another on the week, and is currently tied for 16th All-Time), scoring two of Aurora's 3 runs. May would open much like April - with a 4-3 loss, as Kamuta would allow a go ahead 2-run homer to Chris Webb - already his 8th of the year, ruining a fine outing by Esquivel, who went 6 IP, 4 hits, 2 runs and 8 K. Also looking sharp was former-Warrior Henry Carter, who also allowed 2 runs on 6 hits over 6.2 IP. Jose Torres had his best day of the year, with a 3-4, scoring a pair of runs.

Aurora returned home for a wrap-around weekend series with Okinawa, with a pair of wins thus far (9-3 and 4-0), and a loss (6-3). The 4-0 win was by way of 'Tugboat's 6 hit, 7.1 shut out innings, with John Gray and Bob Burns finishing the job. Torres would have a couple more hits, a double and a pair of RBI's, while in the 9-3 win, Hector Prado would homer and Nick Heath would hit two home runs (his 5th) on a 3-4 day. Of note, Howard Joyce was 2-5, and is hitting .361 as Harry Hutchins' replacement. Richard Neely pitched well enough to win (5 IP, 6 hits, 2 runs), but Rob Imhoff imploded for 4 runs in only 2/3 of an inning, walking 3 - including walking in a run, and that was pretty much the game.

What's on Tap
JT closes out the series with the Shisa, before Shin Seiki comes to town, and it looks like Aurora lucks out for once, with Suitani not scheduled to pitch. It'll be Esquivel v. Castillo (2-3, 3.75), Nieves v. Littleworth (3-0, 3.72, and a world of experience v. Aurora) and Neely v. Hernandez (3-2, 3.06).

[Borealis]

Signs Looking Positive, Solid 'Japan' Run
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

May 13, 2030: Crystal Lake, Illinois - The past couple of seasons have been a struggle for the Borealis when it came time to face their Far East rivals, losing far often than not, and being a major contributing factor to Aurora's failure to make the post-season in 2029. It may only be a 10-day stretch, and at 38-games played thus far (24-14, 3 games up on Bakersfield), there's a lot of baseball to be played, a much of the tale of 2030 to be told, but based on 10-days, maybe this year will be different.

The week began with game 4 of Aurora's wrap-around weekend series with Okinawa at Northern Lights, and after taking 2 of the first 3, Aurora was looking to win the series with John Turner on the mound. JT and Louis Whitaker locked horns in this one. For six innings Turner scatters 5 hits before in the 7th Jose Guillen greeted him with a solo homer to lead off the inning. But Turner would bear down and finish the inning otherwise unscathed, while Whitaker likewise scattered 5 hits until the 7th. He quickly dispatched Joyce and Lopez on 1-pitch before it caved in. Roy Duke, who would have a huge week, would start a rally that would win the game with a simple single up the middle, just out of the reach of Shisa shortstop Edison Terry. Whitaker looked like he's get out of it with a groundball to third of Trundle's bat, but Roberto Diaz booted it for an error, putting Duke and tying run into scoring position. Louis made matters worse, uncorking a wild pitch before walking Teddy Loetzsch to load the bases with 2-out. That was all for Whitaker and on came one-time Aurora 2nd round pick, Gustave Cabrera and he did nothing but throw gasoline on the fire. He walked Nick Heath on 4 pitches and then Paul Carlisle singled in the go ahead run, and when Tom Patton's airmailed the plate, Loetzsch scored the 3rd and final run of the game. Gray and Burns (8th save) would close this one out - a 3-1 win for Aurora.

The Evil Evas came to The Front Range for the start of a three game series and Jorge Castillo and Bartolo Esquivel brought an encore to the previous game. Castillo pitched 7-innings and allowed a run on 6 hits (a Prado 2-out double giving Aurora a short lived 1-0 lead), while Esquivel would pitch into the 7th, also allowing 6 hits (and striking out 8 ) - but the 7th was his downfall. 1-out singles by Felix Rodriguez and Luis Cervantes, then a 2-run double by Gary Charron gave the Evas the lead. Carlos Marino would close the days scoring with a 2-out single, giving Shin Seiki the opener, 3-1. Aurora faced a familiar face in game 2 - former-Bear Declan Littleworth, who allowed just 3-hits - two of which were in the third, leading to Aurora's lone run. Luis Nieves continued his shaky run on the season - he didn't even finish the 5th, as he allowed 9 hits and 5 runs, picking up the 5-1 loss. On the plus side, Mark Powers, Rob Imhoff and recent call-up, rookie Rafael Benitez combined for 4.1 scoreless innings. The worse news for Aurora in the bottom of the 9th, as Paul Carlisle, who was 0-4, was stepped on his hand by Carlos Marino on a force play at second, as he awkwardly stretched for the throw, with the result being a fractured finger. Carlisle is expected to be out 6-7 weeks - basically around July 1.

For the 3rd time in four games, game 3 went deep before any real offense occurred. Richard Neely was surprisingly effective for Aurora, throwing 7-, 2-hit innings, while striking out 9 - perhaps Neely's finest outing for Aurora since his acquisition at last years trade deadline. Meanwhile, Jose Hernandez scattered 5 hits over his first 6 innings, but in the 7th, Aurora struck for another 5 hits - all singles, as Prado, Joyce, Duke and Heath all singled to start the 7th for a lone run. 'Bullfrog' looked about to get out of the inning without any harm when 'Litterbug' stroked a 2-out, 2-run single to give Aurora a 3-0 lead heading to the 8th. This one looked to go into Aurora's win column, when Bob Burns took the mound in the 9th, and after sandwiching a single between a pair of outs, Rodriguez singled with two outs and Luis Cervantes crushed Burns first offering deep into the night to tie the game. Former-Borealis Mike Monroe would pitch a quiet 9th for the Evas and just like that, a sure win was headed to extras. Bob Erickson would come on in the 10th, and despite giving up a pair of singles, he'd strikeout Jerry Long to end the threat. It looked like Aurora would end this one quickly and Domingo Gutierrez led off with a walk, and the otherwise slow catcher hustled to third an a 'Litterbug' single. Loetzsch lifted a medium-deep ball to center, and there must have been some miscommunication, as Gutierrez bolted for home, but the ball was waiting for him, ending the threat. Erickson would pitch 3.1 innings in relief - allowing only those opening hits, and Mark Powers another 1.2 innings, as Shin Seiki would go 1-2-3 for the remaining 4-innings. Aurora, on the other hand, would have runners in every innings, and eventually they would breakthrough in the 14th. Stewart Arundale laced a ball into Triples Alley for a triple, followed by Aurora's triple king, Loetzsch, who singled him home for the thrilling - unnecessarily so, win. Mark Powers would earn his first ML win, and by weeks end his stats line would be a 0.41 ERA, allowing only 1 run, 5 BB and 15 K in 22 IP. Quite the Rule 5 pickup.

Neo-Tokyo followed the Evas into Northern Lights, looking much unlike the team that had dominated the Borealis - and the Sovereign League over the past two seasons, sitting with a 16-17 mark - though playing better of late, including taking 2 of 3 from Bakersfield last weekend. "Tugboat' was on the mound for the opener and he'd allow 7 hits over his 6 IP, and just a pair of solo runs. Jose Ferreira, on the other hand, last only 4 innings, surrender 7 hits, 3 walks and 5 runs. Those runs were all Aurora would score, while Lagerveld and Gray each allowed a run to make the game closer, but Bob Burns would close it out in the 9th for his 9th save, a 5-4 win for Randy Smith - his 4th win of the year. Aurora would jump on the Akira's game 2 starter Alfonso Ramos for 3-runs in the 1st inning - a 2-out, 2-run triple by the normally plodding Jose Torres (who who triple again in the 5th for another 2-runs) and they wouldn't look back. A third Borealis triple - this from Hector Prado would score a 5th run for Aurora, more than enough to support John Turners 6-, 5-hit shutout innings. This game was noteworthy for rookie Rafael Benitez' 3-inning work in relief. He would surrender just 2-hits and an unearned run, giving him 6.1 shutout innings since his April 29th call-up. Aurora went for the sweep in game three as Esquivel and Jose Fernandez square off - Fernandez going 7-inningsn ad Bartolo just 6, and all the runs in this game would be charged to the starters. Tomas martinez would get the scoring started with a 2-out, solo homer in the 4th, but Aurora struck right back - and it didn't take long, as Teddy Loetzsch led off the bottom half of the inning with his own solo homer. Neo-Tokyo threatened in the 5th, loading the bases, and then again in the 7th - Kichibei Kamuta would walk his first two hitters and then a single to Hector Rodriguez to load the bases, but Lando Lagerveld came on and struck out Brian Coleman and Martinez to end the threat. In the bottom of the inning, with 2-out, Duke would single and score on a Felipe Lopez double - who then took third on the throw home in an attempt to get Duke, and score on a wild pitch. That would be Aurora's third run, and this one would finish that way - 3-1, Lagerveld getting the win (his first decision in 2030) and Burns earning his 10th save.

Of note on the week, Roy Duke was 10-22 and the leading hitter for Aurora, with 'Fido' Castro next up at 9-24. Aurora continues to struggle with the power bats, and after just Loetzsch's solo homer, Aurora has just 18 on the year - 12 less than Canton and Yuma! Now there's your depressing stat! That said, Aurora's 70 doubles are tied with The Evil Evas for tops in all of PEBA and their 15 triples lead the SL and trail only West Virginia's 19. Things don't look to improve any with the loss of Carlisle, whose career .465 SLG has been a major contributor to Aurora's power numbers for the past 9 seasons. With Harry Hutchins out for another 4 weeks, Aurora has opted to bring up 1B Brandon Johnson to replace Carlisle on the roster - leaving Aurora with just four outfielders - for now. Johnson, formerly of Canton, has spent the past season-plus at Thornton, and has performed enough to warrant a shot. Last year he hit .268 with 16 HR and 46 RBI for a pathetic FasTrax squad. This year he's hitting .289 with 4 HR and 12 RBI. IN 378 games with his original club, ironically Crystal Lake (he was a 4th round pick in 2017), and Canton, Johnson hit .269 with 34 HR and 135 RBI. With Zamora, Ruiz and Lopez all hitting well below the Mendoza Line, Johnson will be thrust into the fire of this early pennant race to show what he can do, replacing Carlisle in the DH spot.

Down on the Farm
With Aurora's minors having a modicum of success, it is the individual achievements of a small body of players - primarily pitchers Henry Cluett, Pedro Morales and Armando Batista. The 'follow' list got shorter as severe elbow pain in Morales' elbow has been diagnosed as Radial nerve compression - pain he was experiencing, apparently unbeknownst to coaches, and it took all of three batters in his last start to make it apparent it was a 'deal', as he put it post-game. The issue will require surgery and end his season. He should be fully recovered for the start of the 2031 season. For the organization, it's a frustrating result, as GM Will Topham revealed that there was a high likelihood that Morales was to be promoted - possibly with the other two AA starters (Cluett and Batista) by the end of June. Pedro was 1-3, with a 3.43 ERA after that last start (0.1 IP, 2 BB, 2 R); it was 3.00 after the previous 7 starts.

Meanwhile, the previous day, Cluett went 8-, shutout innings, allowing just 3-hits and striking out 9. He has a 5-3 mark and a 2.26 ERA. After a 2029 season, also at AA Gatineau, in which Henry was 14-13, with a 2.73 ERA over 29 GS, it's quite likely that a promotion is near. Batista is 3-3, with a 3.43 ERA. He's allowed a hit an inning, and 2.2 BB/9, so he may need to work on his craft a bit more before heading to The Front Range and AAA Thornton.

At the plate, there's been little to get excited about. At AAA, C Yato Shirane is hitting .275 with 6 HR and 17 RBI. At Gatineau, 1B Gary Dyer hit .328, with 6 HR and 14 RBI - enough to get a AAA promotion. His Gatineau teammate, OF Arturo Vega is having a breakout year, with a .297 average and an Aurora minor league leading 12 HR and 20 RBI. Up to this point, Vega has been a disappointment, so Aurora may wait a tad longer to see if these results continue. At San Luis Rio Colorado, SS Ramon Vela and OF Nuno Napoleo are hitting .304 and .289, respectively.

The Short A season begins in ernest in a week - as with the addition of the PEBA Rookie League (the International Baseball Coalition), the Surf and Snow will begin 3 weeks earlier than in the past. Names to watch include 20-year old IC graduate, Yellel Twia, who struck out 51 in 40 IP last year with a 0.45 ERA. 2029 2nd round selection Washichi Yamada, the closer at Mokule'ia, had 15 saves and a 0.96 ERA, with 33 K in 37 IP. 2029 8th round pick Takeichi Kozawa was a surprising 8-3 last year, with a 1.14 ERA and 105 K in 110 IP. He will open the season for the Oceanic at Kauai.

What's on Tap
We shall continue to see how the Borealis will fare this season as they take on the hottest team in the SL this year - Crystal Lake. The 'Gnats are 28-9 and lead Fargo by 2-games in the Great Lakes. They already have a run differential of 108 (a far-and-away leading 213 runs for) - but who is second in SL run differential? Aurora. The 'Gnats are led by Clarence Carpenter, in his third season now for Crystal Lake, who is hitting .400 and already has 33 steals - and being caught only 3 times! The biggest story of the year for the Sandgnats may be rookie pitcher Joe Arnold, who beat out Stewart Arundale for Aprils Rookie of the Month. The former Yuma draftee is 6-0, with a 2.13 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP. This young phenom will square off against one of PEBA's all-time bests in game 3 of the series - 'Tugboat'. That'll be must-see-TV. Cuellar and Womack will face-off with Nieves and Neely to start the series. Aurora will then have an off-day to travel to the Desert Portion and their first action with the Codgers. Palm Springs is 18-20 and in 4th, 6 GB of the Borealis.

[Borealis]

Maybe We Were Wrong?
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

May 20, 2030: Toyama, Japan - Maybe...

Maybe it's a mirage that will vanish with the dog days of summer - just as the Borealis leveraged their future chasing the hint of a title - just as they did in 2028 and 2029... Maybe... Maybe we were wrong, and we under-estimated the talents of this team as we moved into spring training and then Opening Day... and Maybe the fans who spent money on season tickets for a 3rd place team - much more than those in 2030, oddly enough, knew something those of us paid to know, didn't... Maybe...

Then again, Maybe rookie Stewart 'Litterbug' Arundale, hitting .335 in his first 38 PEBA games, is the hitter Aurora thought he'd be when drafted 34th overall 2-years ago... Maybe Howard Joyce (.310) and Roy Duke (.315) are better hitters than their early PEBA careers suggested... Maybe we can lay to rest any questions about what Trader Matt thought about Teddy Loetzsch, as he continues to provide above average offense - with gap power...

And after a week in which Aurora went 6-0, extending their win streak to 10-straight - and 13-4 in May, in what shaped up as the toughest month on the schedule - by pounding the best the SL has to offer (Crystal Lake) and the preseason odds-on favorite in the DH (Palm Springs), Maybe this team is a serious threat to dethrone The Evil Evas...

Maybe...

So thorough was the offense this week, you'd think you were transported in time, to the Aurora Three-peat squads, or back to the days of 'Ice Cold', Steve McDonald, Al Edwards, Cory Pierce and 'El Chupacabra'. This week the offense felt relentless at times. We could spent time detailing each game, but I would run out of blog space. So I'll do my best to paraphrase the best week Aurora has had... ever?

Maybe...

Crystal Lake hosted Aurora to begin the week and they were looking formidable. They were 28-9 - two games better than Fargo and 4.5 games better than Aurora. The 'Gnats were leading the SL in runs, 2nd in average, their pitching had given up the fewest runs and had the top rotation and bullpen, by ERA. It seemed everything was going right for the Sandgnats - an extension of their 2029 second half. Granted, Aurora's year was humming along nicely - the Borealis had the highest average in the SL, though they struggled to score (6th in runs, heading into the series) and they had the 3rd and 2nd best rotation and 'pen, so one would have thought this would be another Aurora-Crystal Lake series - close games, lots of runs. Well, you'd have had it half right.

Game 1 featured 'Chief' Nieves and Tony Cuellar and they each pitched exceptionally well - for 6-innings. Choe's 2nd inning homer off Nieves was the lone run heading into the 7th - but by the time Cuellar left the top of the 7th, he'd allow four singles and a walk - and two runs scored, and Josh Hall made it worse, allowing a Loetzsch 2-out, 2-run double to settle 5-runs onto Cuellar's record for the day. Nieves would allow 9-hits, and Mark Powers - who continues to get the job done (0.36 ERA), would allow four hits over his 3-inning save (his first) with no further damage; So the 'Gnats DID hit the ball, they just suffered the Borealis run-drought malaise. Aurora would make the final score 8-2 with three runs off Luis Puentes, who faced 5-batters, two walks and 3 singles. Teddy Loetzsch was the star of the game: 3-4, 2-2B, 4 RBI... Game 2 which was a nail-biter, of the variety we would expect from these teams, will be noted for both Clarence Carpenter and Stewart Arundale both setting their team records for hits in an extra-inning game, as 'Litterbug' went 5-6 and Carpenter 5-5 - each scoring a pair of runs. Neither starter - Richard Neely (4.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R) and former-Bear, Fred Womack (6 IP, 9 H, 5 R) had much on this day. With Carpenter having a triple and homer, and Ricardo Zamora a pair of doubles and a triple (3-5, 2 R and 2 RBI), there was action throughout the first 7-innings of this one. Then the bullpens took over. Aurora got 6.2 innings, scoreless, from their 'pen, and Crystal Lake got 4-scoreless from theirs - until the 11th, when Jose Ruiz, with 2-out, singled, and 'Litterbug' doubled him home to give Aurora the winning run in this thrilling contest.

The two teams combined for 26-hits in game 1 and 24-hits in game 2, and they would combine for 19-hits in game 3, featuring 'Tugboat' v. young phenom Joe Arnold (6-0, 2.13 going into the start). In this one, age and experience trumped the future. Randy Smith was as outstanding as ever. He would pitch 8-innings and only allow 4-hits and give up an uncharacteristic 3 BB, but he had the 'Gnats off-balance all day, while the rookie Arnold had his second-straight short, 5-run outing, as Aurora knocked him for 7 hits (two homers, Zamora and the first of two by Nick Heath) and 5-runs; though he did have 7 K. Heath's 2-out 3-run homer in the 5th gave Aurora a 4-0 lead, that looked solid as 'Tugboat' cruised along. He would hit a solo shot in the 8th off Browning, and recent call-up, Brandon Johnson, hit a grand slam off Browning in the 9th to finish off the 10-0 white wash and give the Borealis the shocking sweep of their Great Lakes rival.

Aurora had Thursday off as they traveled to the Desert Portion of the DH, to face the struggling Codgers, who were 20-22 after losing two-straight to the improved Zephyrs, and in game 1, the Codgers troubles continued as JT looked equally as sharp as his rotation mate did in the previous game. Turner would only pitch 6-innings, before the pitch count bit him (97-pitches), but when you strike out 8, you'll be throwing some pitches. Palm Springs managed just three hits off Turner, and a fourth off rookie Rafael Benitz (a double). Benetiz would allow the Codgers lone run (lifting his ERA to 0.93), but this day belonged to Aurora, as the hitting machine continued to run. With 41 hits in the previous 3-games, Aurora knocked the Codgers pitching for another 14, as George Lee allowed 9 of them and 5-runs. Slowly awaking Jose Torres' 3rd homer - a 2-out, 2-run shot in the first, giving Aurora an early 3-run lead, set the tone for this 8-1 win for the Borealis. Manny Castro was 3-5 and Teddy Loetzsch 2-4, with 2 R and 2 RBI. Ricardo Zamora, also suddenly waking up, was 2-3 with a run-scoring double.

Game 2 finally saw someone cool the Aurora bats, as Lateef Kamomba, the South African formerly of Fargo - and having an excellent start (1.74 ERA in 7 appearances), held Aurora to 5 H and a single run (a solo homer by Torres) - but unfortunately for the Codgers, that was all Aurora needed, as Bartolo Esquivel continued the dominance of Aurora's rotation - 8 IP, 1-hit, 0 BB, 6 K - and with Bob Burns striking out the side in the 9th for his 11th save, Brandon Johnson's RBI double in the 9th became but an afterthought - as a matter of fact, he had a pair of doubles on this day. Aurora returned to the 'week's way' in game 3 as they would touch the Codger's starter Reynaldo Molina for 5 H and 4 R and his relief (after Molina left with a back strain) Tullu Boumedienne (the second South African in as many days), for 5 H and 5 R. Luis Nieves, starting to look sharper, came an out shy of a complete game, allowing 5 H and 2 R. Brad Johnson would have another homer - this one a 3-run shot, and another 4 RBI - giving him 9 in his first 5 games for Aurora. In all, Aurora netted 12 hits in their 10-2 win, sweeping the Codgers and moving Palm Springs further back in the division, 10.5 games and in fourth place. Thanks to Crystal Lake having a bounce back against the Bears - sweeping Bakersfield 2-1, 2-1, and 4-0, Aurora's 10-game win streak has their lead in the division up to 6.5 over Bakersfield.

A crazy week - no Maybe about that. Arundale lead the hitters with an 11-21 and the rookie has his average up to .335. Ricardo Zamora, who had been struggling fiercely - he was on an 0-18 streak before the start of the Crystal lake series, exploded in the 4-games he played - 8-17, 3-2B, a 3B and homer, driving in 6. Loetzsch was 10-22 with 3-2B as well and 7 RBI, and Jose Torres, hitting .194 on April 24, had a 5-12 week, with a double and two homers, upping his average to .276, primarily in a platoon role at the moment.

Then there is the case of Brandon Johnson. He was a 4th round pick by Crystal Lake in the 2017 draft and after a successful minor league career, found himself at The Lake in 2022. He would split the next 4 seasons between the 'Gnats and Evansville before being traded to Canton after the 2025 season. He continued to have modest success with the Longshoremen but was not offered arbitration after the 2028 season. Aurora signed him to a minor league deal during the spring of 2029 - where he hit .268 with 16 HR and 46 RBI for a bad Thornton club. He was brought back this year, and in 36 games he hit .289 with 4 HR and 12 RBI. Needing some punch with the loss of Carlisle, Aurora to the shot, called him up and installed him at DH. He paid off at the tune of 8-20, 2-2B, 2 HR, 9 RBI. Those five, above named players were a combined 42-92 (.456), 24 R, 10-2B, 5 HR, 28 RBI.

As for the mound, the set you need to know is this: Aurora gave up just 10 runs on the week - and 9 were off Neely (5) and Nieves (4, but he had two starts). The remaining 37 IP saw just a single run allowed. The staff allowed only 2 HR - amazing considering the Codgers are third in homers and Crystal Lake is 3rd in SLG. Both teams managed just a combined .196 for the week. All in all, an excellent week for the Borealis.

What's on Tap
Aurora travels to Toyama to face the surprising Win-D's, who are 23-30, 6.5 back of division leading Shin Seiki. As good as Aurora's starting pitching has been (just 44th in the SL at 3.19), Toyama's sports the top ERA in the SL at 2.86. It is their bullpen that has failed them this season (4.89, next to last). The tandem of 'Gorilla' Gandarilla (.347, 8 HR, 33 RBI) and Lorenzo Gonzalez (.343, 7 HR, 23 RBI) have been the main drivers of the Toyama offense, as they are currently 3rd and 4th in average in the SL. Game 3 of the series looks like must-see-TV as John Turner will face-off with Mito Nomura, the former-Coqui, who is 3-2, but with a 1.25 ERA. Aurora will then have an off day before the Sandgnats invade Northern Lights for the highly anticipated rematch of last weeks sweep. McNeill, Cuellar and Womack against Esquivel, Nieves and Neely.

May was expected to be a killer. May was expected to tell us a lot about Aurora. May has left on it's table 4 games with Toyama (a May 31 date to end the month and start June), three with Crystal Lake and three with Palm Springs (also on The Front Range). Finishing the month off 5-5 in those games would make May a successful month (if not a little disappointing). Peeking around the corner, Bakersfield, though struggling of late, has six games with K-zoo and three with the WIn-D's, so it's likely that playing well down the stretch of May is key to maintaining the current lead - and don't forget last years tale - Bears had a lead, Aurora stormed ahead, the Bears regained it down the stretch. Those Dog Days and September's schedule will be a challenge for Aurora (6 v. SS, 6 v. CL, 7 v. NT, 3 v. BAK), so the time is now for them to make hay, if they are to Maybe win the division and/or Maybe make the playoffs. Historically, the pitching has always been there for the Borealis. But can this offense match it - maybe not to the extent it did this week, but sufficiently to lead this team to glory?

Maybe...

[Borealis]

Focus on Youth Marks Draft day 2
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

June 8, 2030: Asheville, North Carolina - Aurora's Draft Day 1 ended early, after round two, having traded their 3rd, 4th and 5th round picks - as my colleague Francis Ferry outlined in her draft run-down, so my job will be to focus on what happened in those rounds, 6-20, that came on the drafts second day.

The plan was to focus on youth - those who came from high school, and for half the second day, that was the case - but not quite as one would have thought. Instead, lacking the aforementioned picks, Aurora selected college players with their 6th and 8th picks (their 7th, traded away to Neo-Tokyo for Bob Pinksen -who not even a month later, was shipped to San Antonio for Richard Neely.

With the 6th selection, Aurora took LHP Carlos Herrera out of Oxford College. Herrera was a four-year starter for Oxford with an 11-7 record and a 2.17 ERA. Over 244 IP he struck out 278 and walked just 65. The 6'4", 190 lb pitcher is a bull on the mound - tireless, featuring excellent fastball and sliders. Coaches praise his leadership skills and ability to hold runners on base - a skill that might give Carlos a longer shelf life in a starters job doesn't pan out. He finished 3rd in the International Collegiate top pitcher voting. Like Lewis Uige, Herrera is destined for the Oceanic rotation in Mokule'ia.

Corner outfielder Shusui Sato was Aurora's pick in round 8, and the muscular 6-footer comes with a power bat (13-HR each of the past two seasons at Windsor College) and great speed (13 SB in 14 attempts), while hitting .261. If there is an Achilles Heel to Sato's game, it's the strikeout - 104 in 106 games these past two seasons. Sato will initially get at-bats as DH for Mokule'ia. 8th round picks (and beyond) often struggle to make an impact, and that may be the case here, but he won't be able to say he isn't going to get a chance.

Aurora spent their 9th pick on a catcher - seeking the best available at that position, and in doing so they drafted Takeo Toiguchi, from Island High School. A three-time high school all-star, his numbers are underwhelming at best. It is clear this was more a pick of simple need - a 3rd young catcher for the newly minted Montserrat Mystique. Though not considered a song catcher, at this stage, he has a decent ability and a reasonably strong arm - and it's long been Aurora's philosophy that a strong defensive catcher is better then no catcher. Takeo has three seasons to prove himself to the Borealis, but as I read things, he may not last that long.

In the 10th round, Aurora took an excellent defensive center-fielder, with excellent base running skills - Tsunami Okamoto, from Osaka Toin High School. You may view Okamoto as a bit better hitter than Takeo, but it would be a slight advantage. Poor career hitting numbers beg to ask, why was he drafted - but keep in mind, high schoolers are a tough read, and speed and defensive skills at this age are a huge plus to build upon.

The selection of players to fill the Montserrat roster continued in the 11th, with reliever Akihiro Tada out of Hoorn. Tada, a strapping, 6'5" lefty had a mixed bag of results. He averaged 13 K/9 IP with a career WHIP of 0.80. That works out to 132 K in 92 IP, with just 23 walks. Featuring a strong fastball and tricky curve, the one complaint about Akihiro is that his pitches can be a bit flat - which never translate to real success at higher levels. Although a reliever through HS, Tada has a bit of stamina, and a decent change that could see him even be a starter at some point.

Aurora's 4th high schooler in as many picks went to the infield this time, as the took 2B Ju-Il Chon from Strathcona High. A 1-year player, with very little success, this is another example of Aurora settling on scout opinion, regarding potential, and taking the gamble. A speedy player, with some moderate defensive skills, the scouts fell that he has excellent power - he hit 4 in 65 AB, but he also struck out 23 times. Once again, this may simply be a filler pick.

13th-round selection Connor Crichton is likely not to be remembered for what he does on the ball field - like Chon, Connor a one-year player at Lycée Fenelon - a 2B with modest defensive ability, with great speed and above average base running skills. What he will be remembered for is his being the grandson of best-selling author Michael Crichton, known for, amongst other tales, Jurassic Park.

Is there anything worth noting in these latter rounds? Howard Snow (14) - decent on the bases and the field; SP Luis Romano (15) - a potentially nasty slider, 154 K in 127 IP - but 19 HRA; Sean Reece (16) - pffffffffffttttt....; And the beat goes on for Mike Allen, Brady Krause, Johnny Wiggins and Arlen Duncan.

So unlike the season that has reached this point - a grand tale that has the Borealis leading, surprisingly, the Desert Hills, this day in Asheville looms as forgettable. Might there be surprises out in the Caribbean this summer? Perhaps, but don't expect much from this group, as they look... dull.

[Lions]

With the 6th selection, Aurora took LHP Carlos Herrera out of Oxford College. Herrera was a four-year starter for Oxford with an 11-7 record and a 2.17 ERA. Over 244 IP he struck out 278 and walked just 65. The 6'4", 190 lb pitcher is a bull on the mound - tireless, featuring excellent fastball and sliders. Coaches praise his leadership skills and ability to hold runners on base - a skill that might give Carlos a longer shelf life in a starters job doesn't pan out. He finished 3rd in the International Collegiate top pitcher voting. Like Lewis Uige, Herrera is destined for the Oceanic rotation in Mokule'ia.

I went back and forth on Herrera a lot. In the end, I felt like his road to the majors was too long, but he could be a sleeper.

[Borealis]

Strong Play Continues Deep into June
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

June 24, 2030: Canton, Ohio – Father’s Day is in the rear view mirror, The 4th of July on the horizon, the All-Star Game is in two weeks, and the Aurora Borealis – unexpectedly, find themselves in a familiar position – atop the Desert Hills. And not just a familiar place, but 8.5-games, plus, over the heavily favored Bakersfield Bears and Palm Springs Codgers. Thanks to a 20-7 May and (thus far) 13-8 June, the Borealis have turned an early season 4-game deficit into the current lead – grabbing the division lead April 18 and surrendering it for just a day.

June brought a dreaded stretch for the Borealis – a trip through the Rising Sun – a series of games in the past would present itself as a killer beyond the obvious. But instead, Aurora held their own. For starters, the upwardly moving Win-D’s came to Northern Lights for a 4-game series, that the teams split, with the losing team managing just a run in all four games. Aurora struggled against Toyama’s pitching, as a team hitting just .221, while the Win-D’s managed a bit better, at .270. Teddy Loetzsch continued his strong ways, 6-13, 2-2B and a homer, and former Toyama farm hand, Howard Joyce, was 6-18. Aurora’s starters were there usual strong selves – 27 IP, and just 5 runs allowed – and three of those came on a single swing of the bat off JT. Turner compensated for that by chalking up 11 K over his 6 IP. Richard Neely was at the top of his game, allowing 5 H and notching 5 K in his 7 –shut out innings.

Aurora followed the split by hopping a plane for Japan, first taking on Okinawa. The Shisa have struggled this season, at the time of this posting they are 11-games back of Shin Seiki. The hitting script was flipped in this one – the Borealis pounding Okinawa’s pitching at a .356 clip. Ricardo Zamora – the former #1 pick who has struggled making his mark in the PEBA, continues to show promise, was 7-15, with 2 HR and 4 RBI (not to mention 3 SB). Roy Duke (6-13) and rookie Stewart Arundale (4-10) also were big contributors to the three game sweep of the Shisa. The rotation, once again, with Neely once again looking solid (6 IP, 4 H and a solo homer) and Bartolo Esquival, who pitched into the 8th, with 5 H and 5 K and no runs allowed.

Next up was a journey to the lair of The Evil Evas, and Iwao Maryuyama and Suitani both shut Aurora down cold – each allowing but a run on 4-hits. Facing a sweep square in the face, Bartolo Esquival took the mound as the stopper, and stop them he did – pitching into the 6th, allowing just a hit and striking out 9. Although Lando Lagerveld did his best to give the Evas a win, Hector Prado would homer in the 6th AND 7th to lift Aurora to a 7-3 win. Offensively, in an offensively inept week, Zamora joined Prado, with a pair of HRs in the series – as Aurora had 5 HR in the series – all but 2 of Aurora’s runs attributed to those long balls. Meanwhile, contrary to the previous two series, the starters – Esquival aside, were roughed up, as Turner (6 R, 5 ER) and ‘Tugboat’ (5 R) didn’t even make it through the 5th. Aside from Lagerveld, the bullpen did their part to at least give the Borealis a shot to come back. They just failed to do so.

Aurora’s journey through the Land of the Rising Sun finished up in Tokyo, and the Evil Eva hang-over was evident, and Aurora hit only .208 in their 2-game set. And yet, they managed to come back against the Akira in game 1 after being down 5-1 – a bases-clearing 2-out double by ‘Fido’ in the 5th and a run scoring triple from Duke in the 6th giving Aurora the win. Richard Neely was solid in game 2, but he got little support, to which Tomas Martinez’ 3-run homer in the 6th – which pretty much ended Neely’s night, was enough to earn the Akira the split.

Aurora finished the interdivisional stretch with the Rising Sun actually increasing their division lead by a game – making the 7-5 stretch a success. After a well earned off day, it was time to turn our attentions to the Great Lakes, as Aurora began the second half of the month with Kzoo and Fargo coming to The front Range, before hitting the road with three more with the Badgers and three with Canton.

The Badgers have already posed a challenge for Aurora – opening the season with a pair of wins at Portage Park, then earning a split in two games at Northern Lights – and Aurora’s struggles with the struggling Badgers – including back-to-back shutouts, one to the hands of a familiar face. ‘Tugboat’ looked sharper in the opener, allowing just a pair of runs, with just enough offensive support (Manny Castro with a pair of doubles) to earn a 4-3 win in the opener. Sand-Hyuk Pak was masterful in game 2, as he held the Borealis to just a single hit – making JT’s 3-hit, 1-run outing (a Valentin Davila HR the only blemish) a second thought in the Badgers 1-0 win. Mike Provost made it 18-straight scoreless innings over two days, as he held the Borealis to 5-hits into the 8th, with Dean Walden’s 2-run homer being the game winner. Aurora was able to manage a split, as they touched Jose Orozco for 4-runs in his 5 IP – death by the single, as 10 of Aurora’s 11-hits were singles. ‘Chief’ pitched 6-innings, struck out 9 and was effective enough to leave with the lead. For the year, Aurora is 4-5 against Kalamazoo.

Fargo followed the Badgers, and game 1 was one of the more entertaining games of the year – despite the painful nature of the loss. Owen Barse (6 IP, 5 H, 2 R) and Neely (5 IP, 8 H, 2 R) did decent jobs navigating the first half of the game, and Aurora was on the doorstep of a win over the Dinos when John Gray surrendered a 2-out grand slam to Gustavo Lopez in the 8th, giving Fargo an 8-5 win. Familiar foes faced off in game 2 – Ernesto Molina and ‘Tugboat’, and they didn’t disappoint as the game was tied at 1 after 7-innings. But in the 8th, Molina tired and when Molina walked Nick Heath on four pitches in the 8th, he was pulled, and Ricardo Zamora – still streaking in Paul Carlisle’s stead, greeted Mike Jackson with a game winning 2-run double, allowing Bob Burns to earn his 21st save. The rubber game of the series had Turner and Noboru Imai – notoriously tough on Aurora (single-handedly knocking Aurora out of the 2028 playoffs) starting the game – each pitching 5.2 innings and each allowing 3-runs; Turner allowing a pair of solo HR and Jose Torres having a 2-run shot off Imai. Aurora would win this one in the bottom of the 7th, thanks to the legs of Roy Duke, whose 1-out single was followed by steals of 2nd and 3rd, scoring on Harry Hutchin’s RBI single – who in turn would score on a Heath double. Burns would earn his 22nd save. The series win evens Aurora’s season series with Fargo at 3-games apiece.

Aurora hit the road after the series with the Dinosaurs, heading to Michigan to face the pesky Badgers, and this time Aurora flexed their muscles. In sweeping the Badgers, not only did the bats swing at the tune of .298, and not only did the pitchers hold the Badgers to .186 – The Aurora Borealis beat ‘Train Arollin’’. Imagine that.

Down on the Farm
It’s been a running theme: Henry Cluett, a GNL All-Star, was indeed promoted and after a 7-5 record and a 2.20 ERA (83 K, 12 BB in 98 IP), he’s had two starts at Thornton, and is 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA and 15 K, 0 BB in 16 IP… He’s cruised under the radar since being selected 76th overall in 2027, but SP Brian Clark deserves some love 0 he was 3-0, with a 2.57 at SLRC over 7 starts and 1-1, with a 2.20 ERA over 5 GS at Gatineau… Left behind at SLRC, Humberto Hernandez is 7-2, with a 1.40 ERA and Jesus Booth is 5-4, 1.65… Then there is the case of Yellel Twia. The South African closer-to-be, over two seasons and 59 IP, has allowed 2-runs – both last year. In nearly 19 IP in 2030, at Mokule’ia and now SLRC, he’s struck out 26 and walked 9 – more than the 7-hits he’s surrendered. Aurora would like to see his control imprve some first, before moving up to AA, but that may still happen this season… This years top pick – 1B Raul Munoz, began his A Ball, pro career with a hot week, but has cooled, and after two weeks on the job, he’s hitting .267… SS Ramon Vela has the early lead on the Top Minor League Hitter, Organizational award, with a .316 average and 8 HR, 27 RBI and 13 SB to boot. The Mexican international has gotten a mixed bag worth of playing time, but is certainly waving a flag, saying ‘Play Me’… Speaking of this year’s draftees, 31st overall, SP Lewis Uige, has made a pair of starts, earning a win and loss, with a 2.70 over 13.1 IP. He struck out 15 and walked 3 out on the Islands… Also looking at the promotion train is Twia’s partner in crime in the Mokule’ia ‘pen – Washichi Yamada, who has 11 saves in 13 appearances (12.1 IP), with no runs allowed… 32nd overall selection in this year’s draft, LF Gabriel Rodriguez, his hitting .300 in 40 AB… Lastly, the newly minted Montserrat Mystique of PEBA’s new Rookie League, has a week under it’s belt, finishing that week at 3-4. We will address their progress in a later blog…

Prior to the week, Aurora struck a couple of deals with the Bulldozers and amongst the return was Ryan Tate, who the Yumans had just recently acquired from the F-heads. Tate was a 35th overall pick by Florida in the 2028 draft, and is viewed by the global scouting firm, OSA – quite the contradiction to many PEBA scouts and his performance. He performed well at Ewe Beach, post draft, but at Mexicali over these past three seasons he’s been treated roughly by the Baja-Cali hitters – to the point of a 5.19 ERA – mostly thanks to a bad three games in 2028, but he posted a 4.96 in 2029 and 4.76 thus far in 2030. Head Scout Mauro Sanchez and Asst. GM John Donohue felt it was worth a chance to see if a different perspective might make a difference. Maybe it will – in his first start he pitched into the 8th, allowed 6 H and no runs, striking out 5 and walking none – his longest outing of the year, and only scoreless one…

What’s on Tap
With two weeks worth of games before we all head to Palm Springs for the All-Star Game, Aurora holds an 8.5 game lead in the division, trail Crystal Lake by 1.5-games and lead The Evil Evas by 3.5. It’s looking clear that the SL race for the #1 seed will be a tight one, so for the Borealis, this series of games leading into the All-Star Break, with Canton, Yuma (twice) and Reno, will be key – one would think they need to minimally maintain their place in the standings (The ‘Gnats face Yuma, Canton, Kzoo and the Codgers; Shin Seiki has the Codgers, Shisa, and Akira – twice).

Aurora will begin the stretch here in Canton, and it’ll have the top of the rotation leading things off, with Smith, Turner and Esquival facing the Longshoremen.

[Ghosts]

An official Get Well Soon to John Turner. We want Aurora to be at its best once wrest our division crown from your hands.

[Sandgnats]

An official Get Well Soon to John Turner. We want Aurora to be at its best once wrest our division crown from your hands.

[Borealis]

Mid-Season Review: Can the Blazing Light Continue?
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

July 15, 2030: Reno, Nevada – We have past the actual mid-season point (June 30, Aurora was 54-27, .667, +8.5 over Bakersfield) and the 'traditional' mid-point - the All-Star Game (59-29, .670, still +8.5), but as the Borealis 'mountain jump' from Bakersfield to Reno, they do so having lost a critical series with the Bears, losing 3 of 4, and in doing so, their lead in the Desert Hills dropping to 6.5 games, they've fallen out of a brief tie with the 'Gnats for the top seed (now 3 GB) and their small lead over Shin Seiki for the second spot has dwindled to just a half game.

And the fun is just starting, as Aurora's remaining schedule carries (as of now) a .533 winning % - that's the toughest schedule left in the SL - and only Manchester, in the IL, has a schedule that's tougher - and that's in part because everyone else in the IL is better than the Maulers. The Bears opponents check in at .482, which over the course of 162 games, is an 8 game difference - good thing there are only 70 games left...

But first off, let's take a brief look at the All-Star Game. There were 6 members of the Borealis who made the squad this year, a 6-2 SL win. Nick Heath had a nice day: he was 2-2, scored a run and his first inning double of Havana's Enrique Vasquez was the games first hit. Teddy Loetzsch joined Heath as a starter - but with a much different result - Teddy was 0-2 and grounded into an inning ending DP. 'Fido' came on as a sub for Tony Parker and he, too, was 0-2, but he had an RBI groundout in his first AB. Bartolo Esquivel started the game in place of the injured Jim MacCowan, and had a 1-2-3 first inning. Mark Powers and Bob Burn each pitched just a third of an inning - Powers gave up an RBI single to former-Auroran John Dickson and struck out Scottish catcher Yasunari Fujihara. Burns struck out Manchester's Scott Carpenter to end the game. The fun part - well, fun if you weren't lying on the clubhouse floor, puking your guts out from food poisoning, was that because of the sudden onset of illness amongst players on both sides, and so late into a game where most substitutions had already occurred, Aurora's Mark Power and Havana's 'Puddi' Perez - both relievers by trade, were forced to hit in this game. It is believed that Mark Powers is the first pitcher in PEBA history to have taken an at bat! We are still researching this fact...

So since we last checked in, Aurora went to Canton and swept the L-men, to Yuma, where the 'Dozers did their best Evil Evas imitation (6 HR, 4-2B). Then, at home before the break, they lost 2 of 3 to Reno and then swept four, uncomfortably tight games from Yuma – three of which were 1-run games, two of which were do to 9th inning breakdowns by Bob Burns. After the break came the aforementioned series with the Bears - where Aurora managed just 1-run in the last two games, combined, while hitting just .225 – mostly thanks to Roy Duke’s 7-14 in the series. During that 2.5 week, 4-series stretch, Aurora amazingly hit .279, compared to the .248 of their opponents - but they were outscored 60-48 - and more importantly, out-homered 18-6. There is the anatomy of a rough stretch! Ten of those homers came at the hands of three relievers: Bob Burns, who allowed 4 in three games - that included a blown save at v. Yuma, though Aurora won in the bottom of the 9th on a Dan Frazier RBI single; Mark Powers and Rob Imhoff each allowed 3 HRs - for Powers it was a brutal game in which he was left in way too long, and for Imhoff, he also earned a BS in a game with Yuma that Aurora ultimately won.

Another peculiarity of the stretch - Aurora struck out only 59 times (just 4.2 times per game - a K less per game than their average) and their opponents struck out 121! times (8.6 per game, a little more than the 7.9 the Aurora staff has chalked up) – and this is without John Turner, and yet, the Borealis had a real hard time of things.

So where are we with this team – mid-way through July, the dog-days of August staring us square in the face, with what feels like a daunting schedule ahead?

First off, that schedule. Looking ahead – each of the teams that one might view as a post-season competitor have what looks to be a (mostly) cushy finish – Aurora and the Bears each finish with Yuma and Reno. Crystal Lake with Canton and Kalamazoo; Fargo finishes with Duluth, with a series with Palm Springs thrown in for S & G’s. Shin Seiki finishes with Okinawa and a pair with Toyama, while the Win-D’s – who have suddenly made themselves relevant and not to be ignored, have Neo-Tokyo on their docket. Analysis: You better have your position set by September 20 – picking up ground after that will be a difficult chore! And to make it more difficult for Aurora, those first 20 days of September include the Bears, the Evil Evas, the Win-D’s, Okinawa and Neo-Tokyo. At least the Bears have Shin Seiki and Crystal Lake on their path. One small plus to the remaining schedule for Aurora – none of the series with the contenders are consecutive – there is a series or two with a ‘non-contender’ nestled in there. If Aurora is a true contender, those will have to be games they win far more often than not.

Offensively, if there is anything to be learned from the past couple of weeks, it is this: The Borealis, who are 6th in the SL in runs scored (though, only a run behind SS – odd, but behind the likes of Reno, Palm Springs and Toyama) will continue to struggle to score if they can’t drive in runs with the long ball – once again, their Achilles Heel – with 59 HR on the year, they are dead last and 9 homers behind K-zoo. Aurora’s .282 team average is by far the best in the Desert Hills, and only Toyama, at .276, is close in the SL – but at some point the need to string three or four hits together to score even a single run catches up to you and puts undue pressure on your pitchers. And as we know, Aurora is now short-handed.

But you play with the hand you are dealt, and Aurora’s hand is full of guys who are having career years – or seemingly so. Harry Hutchins, for instance. He’s hitting .352, with 16-2B, 24 RBI and 20 SB in 38 games – having missed 5 weeks with his broken hand. That .352 is 100 points better than last year. But after a scorching start – he was at .440 when he broke his hand, he’s been Cold as Ice in July, at 4-22. As a matter of fact, in this past 4-games with Bakersfield, he was 1-14. But he was not alone – rookie Stewart Arundale was also 1-14 v. the Bears. ‘Litterbug’, who was hitting .340 after May, has seen a decline in his average – hitting .276 in June, and .256 in July – and that’s after a 1-14. Arundale has had, by all accounts, and amazing rookie season – all Aurora could have hoped for: he’s hiting .310, 19-2B, 57 R, 21 SB (though the 10 CS sucks) – but Aurora’s strong play, and recent slide, coincide with the decline in his play – and when you compare the past two seasons, with the loss of Ferringo, that one offensive bat clearly makes a huge difference for the small ball Borealis. Stewart continues to lead the SL rookies in most categories, so hopes of a Wunderkind in Aurora Blue continues.

Aurora’s outfield, in general, has been the driving force this season, and that needs to continue. The All-Star, Nick Heath, is in the midst of a banner year. He’s hitting .305, with 15 HR and 65 RBI – both numbers should, in short order, top his career bests (18 & 69). His .856 OPS is nearly 100 points better than his career high of last season. But in July, he’s 9-39. Paul Carlisle – who has also missed significant time, being on the mend for 9 weeks, sits at .305, but has lacked the punch that has made him one of the most consistent hitters in the game since he was brought up back in 2020. He’s averaged over 20 homers a season – had had four straight years with 24, and two years ago had 30. Currently he’s at 3, and on pace to finish in single digits. We won’t mention that he has a player option for 2031 – and that the team has a pair of options themselves, for $16M each of the next two seasons – that’s a story for down column, or another day.

The return to health of Carlisle – and for that matter Zamora, have left the Borealis with 6 major league quality OF on the roster, meaning someone had to go down. Howard Joyce started well – but his numbers in June and July (.210), and a .306 SLG for the season made him the easy choice. Ricardo Zamora, who Aurora has fingers crossed on, had strong numbers in May and June, is hitting .255, but has 13-2B, 2-3B and 10 HR, to go along with 30 RBI and 19 SB. For the moment he’s listed as the back-up, but he should be seeing plenty of playing time, as he’s slotted for playing time at LF, RF, and DH each week. With Aurora hoping to give Hutchins enough rest to avoid the injury bug, and Heath listed as the back-up CF, Zamora’s bat should stay hot – even if he is 4-26 for Thornton this July as part of a rehab assignment.

So a 6-5 July? Lay it on a lack of production from the OF: ‘Litterbug’ (.256). Carlisle (.250), Heath (.231), Joyce (.200), Hutchins (.182) and Zamora, who was out. The outfield got us to July in good stead, but can the infield pick up the pace?

The answer there is apparently an easy one: no.

The most consistent performer on the infield is perhaps the one we all least expected: Roy Duke. The Rule 5 pick-up out of West Virginia hit .223 in 74 games last year, as Aurora stuck with him, and he’s repaid that faith. Duke is hitting .285 (and .386 in July) – and though he’s provided little pop, he does have 33 SB – good enough for 6th in the SL. Teddy Loetzsch has also provided more offense than one would expect, though like much of his teammates, July has been ugly: 8-40. But he is hitting .274 on the season, with 18-2B and 5-3B, and a .322 OBP. Both have been stalwarts defensively – a huge factor for a team like Aurora whose offense lacks the power of a big inning.

It’s the right side of the infield that has been the real problem for Aurora. Hector Prado was brought in on a cheap, 1-year deal, and has failed to produce. Sure, he had a nice, 2-homer game to beat Shin Seiki, but he’s hitting .206 on the year – and just .140 since May 1. Aurora had Felipe Lopez – the free agent from the Dominican League, on the ML roster for 42 games, but he hit just .207, with less power (though better D) and was demoted to Thornton (where he’s hitting .280, with 7-2B in 20 starts). Recently, journey-man (and former 7th-round pick of the Borealis) Dan Frazier was picked up on a minimum deal and he’s provided a lift – hitting .259, 4-2B, 2 HR, in 23 games, and with some solid defense – but is he really the solution for the year, much less the future? In stints with Palm Springs, West Virginia and Kalamazoo he hit a combined .211. But for now, he’s providing something.

First base was to be the domain of Jose Torres, for years to come, after his first two seasons with a .266 average and 45 HR. He wasn’t the slickest of fielders, but he was providing the offensive punch the team desperately needed. But this year he finds himself platooning, hitting just .148 against lefties, while his numbers v. RHP reflect those career numbers. Brandon Johnson – signed to a minor league deal last year, has picked up those at bats against LHP, and is hitting .333, with 4 HR and a .911 OPS –realistically, he’s making a case to take the bulk of the ABs at first, with a .278 average and .737 OPS v. RHP (Torres is slightly better at .752). But, for July, they combined for a .342, so for now, something is working. Johnson, like Frazier (32-years old), is a short-term fix – he’s 34, so Aurora is hoping that Torres can turn things around in the future. But whenever the future may be – for now, Aurora needs a boost in their infield for the now and the future.

Not a short-term fix, and having a banner season (and a respectable .281 July) is ‘Fido’ Castro. He is second on the team at .334, 3rd in HR with 8, and tied for second in RBI with 41 (with Torres and Loetzsch; Heath has 65) – plus he continues with his career sneak-attack SB numbers: he’s 7 of 8 (50-53 in his career). He’s also thrown out 25% of runners trying to steal – tied for his career best. Domingo ‘Hey guys, remember me’ Gutierrez is doing his best to get into the line-up, after a poor start, and he’s hitting .281 in 28 games. The catching has clearly been consistent throughout the season – and will need to stay that way.

Is there help on the way for the offense? Is there a need to change? Might this down turn be just a blip? Perhaps. Then again, I gaze back up stream, and that little tidbit; that little fact called Opponent Win Percentage pops out at me. As Aurora fully knows, good teams shut down good teams – and praying they play those games at .500, while taking care of the rest is a concept that their recent play against Yuma and Reno suggests to be a fallacy. Bakersfield, Shin Seiki and Toyama have all made moves, already, to strengthen their teams. The trade deadline is two weeks away. This time last year, the Borealis were leaking oil and hemorrhaging money. The fans have returned to Northern Lights, and the prospects for the bottom line are positive. But is this team starting to leak oil? Is there a fix out there that makes sense for Aurora? Therein lies the question – for if we know anything about this club, their GM, and past performance, it’s likely the change won’t be rushed and it won’t be a rental. But will it hamper the future?

[Ghosts]

This race is going to be epic. 6.5 games is a nice cushion but the Bears, Codgers, and Zephyrs are going to fight tooth and nail down the stretch.

[Borealis]

This race is going to be epic. 6.5 games is a nice cushion but the Bears, Codgers, and Zephyrs are going to fight tooth and nail down the stretch.

Totally expected... It is not lost on us the lead the Bears had 2 seasons ago, and how that crazy year ended up...

[Borealis]

It Could be Worse...
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

July 22, 2030: Aurora, Colorado – ... Yes... it could...

It could get worse...

... Yes... it can...

That's pretty much how we can sum up the past 11 days, since the All-Star game, in which Aurora has lost 4 games in the standings - and it's really been more like hemorrhaging games. In one of the worst stretches - maybe ever, Aurora has lost 6 of 8 to Bakersfield and the feel good story of the first half has become the disaster crafted in less than a fortnight.

Succinctly put: July, 11: Aurora up 4-8, B8, a Nick Heath error (would have been the 2nd out), followed by a Jarrod Ricks homer ignites a 4-run rally and an Aurora loss... July 12: 'Tugboat' looks sharp, the 'pen looks sharp, Aurora gets 10 hits, but score only 2 (it doesn't help when 6 of those hits come from just 2 players - Johnson and Frazier - and neither drive in a run), but Aurora does enough to win 2-1... July 13: former-Duluthian Jeff Mendoza throws a CG, 3-hitter in a 3-0 Bears' win... July 14: Esquivel can't finish 6 IP - despite not giving up a hit - thanks to 8 K and 4 BB, but Imhoff surrenders two runs, as Bakersfield wins 2-1 on 4-hits... July 18: Gray inherits a 3-0 lead and gives up back-to-back homers to Bothwell and Ortega to tie the game at Northern Lights, then Erikson and Lagerveld give up 2 in the 13th for a Bear 5-4 win... July 19: Francisco Sutrez, who held Aurora to 4-hits in 8 IP on the 14th, held Aurora to 3-hits in 8-innings on this day - an 8-0 shellacking of Bartolo Esquivel... July 20: This time it was Henry Carter's turn, holding Aurora to a run on 5 hits over 8 IP in a 3-1 Bears' win... July 21: Aurora was down 4-1, but scored 2 in the 7th, and Carlisle has a 2-run homer in the 8th to give Aurora a salvaged game.

A horrible stretch. Despite holding Bakersfield to .252 over those 8-games, Aurora managed just .239 and were outscored 33-17, out homered 9-3, and the Bears' team ERA was nearly 2-runs less than Aurora's (3.95 - 2.04). There was really no way to describe it other than a good old fashion beat-down.

At least Roy Duke was 12-28 - that was something.

Rumors were swirling around with this club, connecting them to a number of inquiries, but thus far the only confirmation we’ve managed was that there had been deep discussions with Okinawa centering around former-Aurora farm hand, Juan Carlos Gutierrez – who ultimately ended up with Shin Seiki, in one of those odd intradivisional deals. A deal that would presumably have strengthened the line-up at 2B suddenly becomes more glaring with the loss of Teddy Loetzsch for the remainder of the season – thanks to a broken hand. As Aurora continues to struggle to fill that hole on the right-side, now they have to replace Loetzsch's defense and quality bat. Jose Ruiz has been recalled to take over at 3rd, while Duke shifts over to short, but Ruiz hit .212 in 137 AB to start the season. He has hit .340 in 24 games for Thornton, so perhaps he found his stroke.

But it wasn’t just Loetzsch that the Borealis lost – they also have lost Jesus Solis, who was taking a turn at filling the slot opened up by the loss of John Turner. Solis was in the midst of the 4th inning of his 2nd start v. Bakersfield (4 H, 1 R) when he left the game with what was diagnosed as a torn rotator cuff – leaving him on the shelf perhaps into next August – at best. So for now, Aurora is back to Gillard for another start, while the Organization ponders other options – including Henry Cluett.

Meanwhile, Shin Seiki continues to make moves – there was the deal that sent SS Errol Landry to the Shisa as part of the Gutierrez deal, then they picked up SP Onjii Yokoyama from the Scottish – and this was on top of sending SP Iwao Maruyama to Amsterdam for 1B Antonio Santos. Then word broke earlier this morning that Yokoyama has been shipped to Florida for ‘Cactus’ Kang. The Evil Evas are not being shy in their defense of the Rodriguez Cup.

The Bears, too, have made some moves to shore things up, acquiring 2B Anastasio Silva from Canton and reliever Eijiro Nakagawa from Amsterdam.

The trade deadline is 9 days away. Aurora in that time plays Canton for a pair, Duluth for four and then Fargo into the deadline. Nine huge days. The way Aurora has faired in July, they could have coughed up the entire 8.5 game lead by July 31. But at this point, with that window of time for the Borealis to win another title shrinking ever rapidly, this will be a telling time – will they make a move? Likely – they now need help. Will it be significant enough to put them back into the hunt (weird to say about a team leading their division by 4.5, but oh, so true)? That’s the hard question to answer.

[Borealis]

Barton Joins Borealis
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

July 22, 2030: Aurora, Colorado – Aurora GM Will Topham announced this afternoon, after an optional, light workout at Northern Lights Park for the Borealis on this off-day, that they have swung a small deal with the Canton Longshoremen that brings infielder Mike Barton to The Front Range in exchange for a 2031 4th round draft choice.

The Borealis have been in search for infield help all season - purportedly striking out on a couple of attempts to bring significant upgrades to the line-up, and when Teddy Loetzsch went down with a broken hand after a collision with Alex Bothwell at 2nd base yesterday, that need became magnified. The immediate response was to recall Jose Ruiz from AAA. But hours later, after a quick call with Canton GM Michael Czosnyka, Barton suddenly went from friend to foe at the team hotel in Downtown Aurora - as the Longshoremen open a series with the Borealis tomorrow.

Mike leaves Canton as their second leading hitter (remaining with the club) at .258. He doesn't have the best range in the world, or the strongest arm - but he has a great glove and a quick release when turning a double play. Primarily playing the right side of the infield - certainly more comfortable over there, he will likely begin his Aurora tenure at third, with Dan Frazier continuing at second.

Barton was originally an 8th round pick by the New Orleans Trendsetters in 2020, before being a Rule 5 pick by Kentucky in 2024, sticking with the Thoroughbreds organization until his release last offseason. He signed with the Longshoremen prior to this season and was named to the All-Star team (0-2). He was the Divisional Round MVP last season for Jefferson County's win over Manfield, on their way to the Ambassador's Cup (though they would lose to Yokohama) - hitting .333 with a pair of homers.

Barton is currently under contract for $1M and is arbitration eligible for next season - so he is, if nothing else, a cheap option. Whether he is a viable option, and gives Aurora the .274 average and .693 OPS that Teddy gave the team, is to be seen. At least the club is being proactive...