The second half is underway. The White Sox were the hottest team in baseball coming out of the All-Star break, having won 5 in a row and 9 of their last 10, sitting just a game behind the Bears for the league’s best record.
As the Wild Card race heats up, almost every team is still realistically in the running for a playoff spot, with Roland and Delle leading the Wild Card pack coming out of the break, behind the Bears and White Sox, who lead their divisions.
UA News:
7/23:
- Owls RHP Manny Vazquiza strikes out 9 in 6 innings, but the Stars win, 3-2. Owls RF Jorge Akil hits his league-leading 21st HR.
- White Sox RHP Roberto Tokorres allows only 2 hits in 8 innings while striking out 7 in Deerborn’s 1-0 win over the Miners.
- Northsouth RF Paul Miller’s 1st HR of the year is a walk-off in the 12th against the Rivals.
- Chargers RHP Francisco Lia Taawa gives the Chargers 7 scoreless innings in their 1-0 win over the Stags.
- Trail Blazers RHP Jeff Rogers strikes out 10 in 7.1 innings, but the Brothers beat Prissley, 5-3.
7/24:
- Stags RF Albert Pentana hits his 20th and 21st home runs in Roland’s 6-4 win over the Chargers.
- Stars RHP Ron Rivera goes the distance in his first game back since breaking his collarbone in mid June. He gives up only 3 hits over 9 innings. Jorge Akil hits his 22nd home run, the Owls’ only run of the game, in Delle’s 11-1 win.
7/25:
- Owls RF Jorge Akil hits his league-leading 23rd HR of the season. The Owls beat the Stars, 6-5.
- Deerborn RHP Jorge Takato goes 7.2 innings with 8 Ks and just 1 earned run in the White Sox’ 8-1 victory over Lia Kompos. White Sox RF Curt Sawyer hits his 22nd HR of the year in the win.
- Rivals RHP Michael Mercer achieves his first career complete game, shutting out the Guardians, 5-0. Mercer gave up 6 hits and struck out 8 batters in the win.
- Stags LF Jose Lia Tinta hits his 18th and 19th home runs, alongside teammate Ramon Zuniga’s 2 knocks. Gabe Kefentse went 7 scoreless innings and struck out 8 in Roland’s 7-0 win at Taawa.
- The Brothers win, 6-1, sweeping the Trail Blazers to start the season’s second half.
7/26:
- Stags RF Albert Pentana hits his 22nd home run of the year, but the Stags fall to the Miners, 8-4. Miners 1B Juan Kiteoko gets into a shouting match with Stags RHP Hector Lia Undun that escalates to thrown punches. Kiteoko is suspended 5 games; Lia Undun is suspended 3 games.
- White Sox LF Jose Tokorres’s solo home run in the 10th walks off the Stars, 3-2. The win extends Deerborn’s lead in the East to 7 games.
- Owls RF Jorge Akil has another 2 HR game, along with a double for 4 RBI. He leads the league with 25 HR. He has now hit 6 homers in his last 5 games and in 9 of his last 10, plus a 2 HR, MVP performance in last week’s All-Star Game. He is on fire! Owls 1B Jesus Pultudos goes 4 for 5 with 2 HR, a double, and 4 RBI. Redwood beats Cherricaw, 11-1.
7/27:
- SP Mathew Huertata strikes out 9 Stars in 8 innings, and LF Bob Hove hits a pair of home runs, as the White Sox beat Delle, 5-3. The win is Huertata’s 8th straight.
- Stags 1B Francisco Kosgei strains a ligament in his right knee, and will miss about 6 weeks. Kosgei’s production has been down this year. He’s hitting just .201 with 16 RBI. Stags LHP Salim Mujer goes 7.2 innings before leaving with back tightness. He is day-to-day. The Stags beat the Miners, 9-1. Roland holds a 1-game lead in the Wild Card standings.
- Platte CF Stan Davis goes 5 for 5, just a home run short of the cycle, in the Bears’ 10-2 win over the Rivals. Platte retains the league’s best record at 37-14.
- Salvation beats Taawa, 4-2. The Brothers have won 5 in a row coming out of the All-Star break.
Current UA Standings:
Current UA League Leaders:
NPL Watch:
- Wight SP Desire Lemoine will miss the rest of the season with a torn rotator cuff. Lemoine carries the honor of pitching the UA’s first and only perfect game, for the Redwood Owls in 1929. (7/24)
- After a tough first month with Platte in the UA, RP Vist Sek was released on July 5. He has now signed a 2-year deal with Canaries. (7/25)
- Metros 3B Juan Korrea’s 9th home run is a solo walk-off shot in the 11th inning. The Metros beat the Kings 4-3, their second straight extra-innings walk-off against them. Korrea’s 9 HRs have him tied with Elderwood’s Blake Mercier for the league lead. (7/25)
- Canaries 2B Felipe Retoyes goes 4 for 4 and scores 4 times in Carver’s 7-4 win over Wight. (7/25)
- Fans are questioning the Kings’ signing of RHP Justin Antoine. While the pitcher is certainly talented, striking out 28 in 27.2 innings with Prissley before being released two weeks ago, 3 years for nearly $12 million seems too steep a price for the 33-year old hurler. He starts the same day against the Metros, going 6.2 scoreless innings for no decision in the Kings’ 5-3, 10-inning win at Tiny Sea. (7/26)
Current NPL Standings:
Current NPL League Leaders:
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