The Los Angeles Bruins currently trail Sacramento by three games, and sit at 11-6. While the Bruins have been playing pretty good baseball, the Mentalists have been crushing people.
CRUSHING.
Manager Brad Anderson knows the game however, after the Bruins jumped out to an early divisional lead last year only to play a game of cat and mouse with Sacramento through-out the entire season until the Bruins went all Jennifer Lawerence as Mystique (hot fellas, hot) and finished up the final month going 21-6… I think.
“ The new GM in town is shaking things up, “ said Bruins leader Brad Anderson, “ I mean. He’s got all the players you’d like with a strong staff. His bullpen is pitching lights out! “ exclaimed Brad Anderson, a jab at his own teams bullpen.
The Bruins as reported by another GM, had given up 26 runs in the previous sixth games in innings 7-9. Before the last sim, the Bruins went 2-3 blowing all three games in late innings.
“ That just isn’t us, “ said Brad Anderson to his point, “ Our bullpen was #2 in 2012, #2 in 2011, and #2 in 2010. 12th is not where we intend to be. “
“ Of we will be active, “ said Bruins GM Mike Brouillette with a smile, “ When aren’t we active? Win or go home. “
The Bruins have been active the previous three years, and were rumored to have been working on a deal to acquire a new #4 starting pitcher, but the price of CF Pena, SS Kim, SP Ramos (whose having a great start himself, ERA under 1) and star pitching prospect Michael Hoffmeyer was a godfather like offer that the Bruins could never see themselves making.
GM Brouillete always likes the arms, but his focus really should be on the bats.
The teams two leaders in the spring, the A-Lister Cooper Newell and the man who went balls deep 41x last season and 8 in the Spring (coupled with Newell’s 9 in spring) have really been playing horribly.
Newell found himself listed #2 on OSA’s top player list only to go up and down like a pogo stick this month. It happens with all the fluxuation in the league’s play but he must step it up if the Bruins are to have a legit shot at catching up/holding off Sacramento and making any noise in the postseason this year.
Outfielder Alexander Head came off the disabled list last sim and tore it up to a .365 average finding himself amongst the Bruins top 3 from the lastest sim in regardles to performers.
CF Pena’s off to a slot start, huge acqusition in Carl Crow is off to a slower star, and former #1 and #2 overall picks in the innagural draft C Julian Harle and SS Jong-min Kim are off to even worse starts.
“ That’s the beauty about baseball, “ remarked manager Brad Anderson, “ these guys aren’t going to hit sub-.200 the entire season. Things will even themselves out. “
Brad Anderson has his team focused on their trip to the slums of the BSA this sim anyways, as the team travels to Hendersonville.
Little do the Hitmen know, MLDS star Lee Brouthers has been resigned to a contract by the club, and Brouthers himself (who was acquired for OF Adrien Lewis whose actually leading the league in RBIs at the moment) will be in the starting lineup for all three games versus the Hitmen after not playing a single game since the last out of game six versus the eventual champion Rebels.
Hill, Bamber, and Ellis. The three headed monster will take on Harper, Bolden and Parsons which is sure to be the most highly anticipated games of the early season, pitching-wise atleast.
And what a match-up in game one.
There is no discussion whose the better pitcher. The 3x-KING OF THE HILL/Cy Young award winner, Scott ‘The Franchise’ Hill is already on pace to compete for his fourth straight trophy and in a contract year no less.
Earl ‘Knucklehead’ Harper
G-3, GS-3, REC-1-0, SV-0, ERA-0.82, IP-22, HA17, HR1, BB5, K30, WHIP-1.00
Scott Hill
4G, 4GS, REC-3-0, SV-0, ERA-0.87, IP-31.0, HA-19, HR-1, BB-3, K-31, WHIP-0.83
The match-up should be interesting, and while Scott Hill has only pitched at home against (and away vs) New Orleans twice, Jacksonville, and Orlando,… the Bruins starter Earl Harper has seen Quebec, as as well as offensive powerhours in El Paso and Boston.
So while Mr. Hill will have a start versus the team with the 14th worst offense in the league, Mr. Harper will hopefully do what he’s done for most of the early parts of the season. Come up big versus good teams.
The game if all signs are really indicators of the season thus far, should be a tremendous pitching match-up with Bolden/Bamber and Parsons/Ellis being fantastic as well.
But that of course, is a jinx.
The Bruins finish off a 3-game series with the Frenzy, before taking on the Hitmen (and try to avoid losing their second series) of the season.
Humpf, 11-6 isn’t bad but could be better, or much worse the way the Bruins bullpen has been playing.
The fear of the reverse jinx will keep us right here.
No comments:
Post a Comment