Weekly Report: June 22, 1931

It was a wild third week in the Uplantic Association as the White Sox looked to hold on to baseball’s top record.

The defending champion Platte Bears rebounded from their stumble out of the gate, finding themselves in the hunt for first place in the West.

The Stars faced tests this week with series against Salvation and Northsouth, and brought in a new power hitter from a trade with the NPL’s Toppers.

In addition to their big series against the Stars, the Brothers faced the Stags in Roland on Sunday.

The Guardians and White Sox began a series on Sunday between two division leaders in what could be an early playoff preview.

(Jump to UA Standings & League Leaders)

UA News:

6/15:

Miners 2B Tim Moore is ejected in the 5th inning after striking out and calling the umpire a “half-blind turd licker.” The Miners go on to beat the White Sox, 2-1, despite a 3-hit, 7-inning performance from SP Roberto Tokorres.
Platte RHP Travis Voelker pitches 8 scoreless innings as the Bears beat the Rivals, 3-1. Rivals SP, perennial Pitcher of the Year candidate, Noa Dutertre leaves the game with back spasms after entering in relief in the 9th. He is day-to-day, but expects to make his next start.
Roland LF Jose Lia Tinta hits his 8th home run and drives in 5 as the Stags beat the Owls, 11-3.
Stars RHP Ron Rivera strikes out 7 in 7 innings as Delle walks off on 3B Mario Olivo’s sac fly in the 11th inning of a rollercoaster game against the Guardians. Final: DEL 6, NOR 5 (11 inn.)
Salvation SP Jeff Walker strikes out 10 batters in 7.1 innings of the Brothers’ 4-0 shutout of the Herders.

6/16:

Guardians RHP Matt Reimer wins a pitching duel against Stanley Quinn in Delle, 1-0. He strikes out 7 and allows 3 hits in 6.1 innings.
After dealing with a sore elbow two weeks ago, White Sox RH SP Jacob Hudson leaves today’s game with arm pain. We await official word on a diagnosis. Deerborn goes on to beat Lia Kompos, 6-2.
Stags 3B Patrick Tokorres goes 4 for 4 with a double, a triple, and 3 RBI. Roland beats Redwood, 11-8.
LF Juan Tumaini and 1B Bob Gunther each hit 2 HR today as Prissley stomps Taawa, 9-3.
Cherricaw RF Holth Lass is 3 for 3 with 2 doubles and a home run in the Herders’ 4-1 win over Salvation.

6/17:

White Sox RHP Mathew Huertata spins a gem, going 8 scoreless innings with only 2 hits and 10 Ks, as Deerborn outlasts Lia Kompos in the rubber match, 1-0.
Guardians star RF Brad Bailey comes out of today’s game in Delle with a sprained elbow. He has not been placed on the IL, but his injury could limit his abilities for weeks to come. The Guardians beat the Stars, 9-5, taking 2 of 3 in the series between two of this season’s top teams.
Rivals RHP Alfredo Hernankez strikes out 9 in 7 innings as Railey avoids the sweep, beating Platte 1-0.
Roland SP Gabe Kefentse comes up with a possible upper body muscle strain on the base paths after his 2nd hit of the day. He leaves in the 3rd inning, but the Stags go on to beat the Owls, 8-6, taking the sweep and staying a game back of the White Sox in the East. We await official word on Kefentse’s injury.
Trail Blazers RHP Jeff Rogers allows just 2 hits in 8 scoreless innings as Prissley sweeps Taawa for their 4th straight win, winning by a final score of 3-0. Chargers starter Ricardo Molina, the only right-handed starter on the Taawa staff, leaves with a back strain in the loss. This, in addition to forearm tendinitis, is going to keep the veteran out for at least a week.
The Brothers outfield takes another hit as RF Mike Wilson twists an ankle while running the bases. He is day-to-day for the next few days, along with Howard Tenney, who is has been playing with a strained back muscle. Star CF Andy Thompson’s time on the IL is over, but it may be another week or more before he is able to return. Salvation loses to the Herders, 8-5, in a 14-inning, 4-hour-and-38-minute marathon. After a strong start, the Brothers have now lost series to both the Chargers and the Herders. They trail the Guardians by 1 game in the West.

6/18:

Roland starter Gabe Kefentse’s injury is revealed to be a pulled ab muscle. He is day-to-day, likely to miss his next scheduled start against Salvation.
Northsouth 3B Nathan Crayton hits a grand slam to tie the game in the bottom of the 9th, but the Stags win in the 11th on 3B Antonio Said’s 2-run home run. Final: ROL 6, NOR 4 (11 inn.)
Rivals C Pedro Romanota hits a pair of deep balls as Railey blanks Taawa, 8-0. It is the Chargers’ 4th straight loss, in front of their smallest crowd of the season.
The Stars take the opening game of a big early-season series against Salvation, winning 6-3, thanks in part to C Jon Garcika’s 2 doubles and home run.
Owls SS Fouad Lefevre hits a double and 2 home runs for 4 RBI against the White Sox. The Owls tie it in the 9th on a sac fly from Rayan Lefebvre, but Deerborn wins in 11 innings on a 2-run single from Steve Kiteoko. The White Sox are baseball’s top team at 13-4.

6/19:

The Stars send CF Hamza Laporte to the NPL’s Toppers in exchange for 1B Carlos Lia Idris. Lia Idris is a power-hitting lefty who should add some pop to Delle’s lineup as they try to compete with offensive powerhouses Deerborn and Roland in the UA East.
Roland sends veteran C Carlos Martinezto to the NPL in a trade with the Kings. The Stags receive 24-year old lefty Khaled Vidal in the trade. Stags fans are devastated, even though the star catcher fell to backup status last season. Martinezto was a team leader with the Stags who helped lead the team to two Regular Season Championships.
Stars 1B Yassine Joseph’s 3-run HR is the difference in Delle’s 7-5 win over Salvation as they take a second straight game at the City Center. The Stars will go for the sweep tomorrow.

6/20:

Roland wins the rubber match at Trefellen Field, beating the Guardians, 3-2. Northsouth remains in first place in the West.
The Chargers beat the Rivals, 9-4, but Taawa SS Samir Devaux will likely miss about a week after severely bruising his left hand in a collision at 2nd base. Having the league’s worst record makes being bitten by the injury bug all the worse for the perennial basement dwellers.
The Brothers break their 4-game skid with a 2-0 win at home against the Stars to avoid the sweep and stay just a game behind the Guardians in the West.
The Bears have a winning record for the first time this year. Travis Voelker strikes out 9 as Platte sweeps Lia Kompos, winning today by a score of 4-2. The defending champs are just 2 games behind the Guardians in the West division.
White Sox RF Curt Sawyer hits his 9th HR of the year, tied with Prissley’s Juan Tumaini for the league lead. Deerborn beats the Owls in 11 innings, 9-7. Every game of this series saw extra innings, but the White Sox sweep for their 5th straight win, improving their league-best record to 15-4.

6/21:

The White Sox finally announce that SP Jacob Hudson will miss 5-6 weeks with a forearm strain that he sustained Tuesday pitching against Lia Kompos. LHP Domingo Lia Itoldino will make his first appearance of 1931, starting today against the Guardians in the the first of a 3-game series between the first-place teams.
Domingo Lia Itoldino is rocked for 5 runs in his 1931 debut, but the White Sox manage to hold on for an 8-7 win over the Guardians. Lia Itoldino gives up solo home runs to Tom Katamori and Cal Oluoch. All in all, Oluoch has a 3-for-5 day with 2 HR and 3 RBI in the loss. White Sox C Jerry Marquez leads the way for Deerborn with a bases-clearing 3-RBI double in the 6th. Curt Sawyer hits his league-leading 10th HR in the win. Deerborn holds a 2-game lead over Roland in the East with baseball’s best record at 16-4.
Rivals C Pedro Romanota will be day-to-day for the next week after being plunked in the back by an Armando Katakien pitch in the 6th inning of the Rivals’ 5-2 win over the Herders.
Adam Evans strikes out 7 in the Bears’ 6-2 over Taawa. Platte has won 4 in a row and are now a game out of first place in the West.

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Current UA League Leaders:

NPL Watch:

The Kings acquire 32-year infielder Martin Johnson from the Toppers. (6/16)
The Toppers add defensive specialist CF Hamza Laporte in a trade with the Delle Stars, giving up power-hitting 1B Carlos Lia Idris. (6/19)
The Kings add star veteran C Carlos Martinezto to their roster, in what may be the final piece of a top contender in 1931. (6/19)