The calendar has turned to the second half of June, and the contenders have begun to separate from the pretenders.
In the Platonic League, the two top teams faced off in a three-game set. The surprising Pisces took two of three from Seattle, in Seattle no less, and now have a half-game lead over the Ministry for the division crown. Stockholm and Sylva have exchanged the third position in the division over the last few days. Stockholm holds the number three slot for the time being, 8.5 games out of first, while Sylva lingers another game back. The defending champs in Maryland, who clearly made some sort of devil's bargain to snatch the title last year, are struggling with Cairo to see who can claim next year's first pick. Right now, Cairo has the edge with a one-game deficit in the standings.
In the Socratic League, Brooklyn has a 2.5 game lead for first place. New York has the best Pythagorean record in the OEL and is in the wild card spot. Winnipeg, who appears handicapped by the inability to solve the team's glaring woes through trades, has now dropped 5.5 games out of first. Jersey City and Helena are struggling to reach .500 while the Marietta squad looks forward to next year.
Injuries finally struck, at least in the Platonic League. Pittsburgh lost starting pitcher Ramiro Roxas for 7-8 weeks to a ruptured elbow ligament, the second injury to their rotation in the last week. Seattle lost starting catcher Herman "Blowhole" Colon for 5-6 weeks to a "broken finger". Stockholm, Cairo, and Sylva also suffered some day-to-day losses.
Other miscellaneous notes...
A number of players on the Jersey City, Seattle, and Pittsburgh squads scored lucrative contract extensions.
Seattle's Darren Schmelzer (fresh off a three-homer performance on June 11) and Brooklyn's Tyler Conn took home Player of the Week honors.
New York's Alfonso Reyes tied a record with four walks in a game on June 16.
Sylva's Harry Linton had the fifth best pitching performance of the year, shutting out Cairo on three hits over eight innings while striking out nine and walking none.
Helena, thanks to some timely development in outfielder James Bray, now has the top-rated farm system in the OEL.
Rookie starter Abe Nix of the New York Knights is the first pitcher to win 10 games this season.
Winnipeg's pitcher Tobias Rosado has moved to and from the starting rotation and is on pace for 5 wins, 14 losses, and 43 saves. That would be a very busy season.
Lots of shutouts, late comebacks, and exciting games this sim. Go ahead and post a comment about your favorite, but my interest was drawn (naturally) to the rubber match of the series between Seattle and Pittsburgh on June 14. The Pisces prevailed in a wild game, 10-9, to take the division lead. Neither starter Billy Lowry nor Wilfredo Desilva had much to offer as a starter, but Seattle's bullpen cracked for five runs in the seventh and eighth innings, which proved to be the difference.
Next sim will be by me on Friday, as Nate's battling computer demons. (Perhaps set upon him by the irritated manager of Winnipeg.) League file and web pages will be posted shortly.
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