Weekly Report: August 31, 1931

The trade deadline came on Friday in both the UA and NPL. Contenders made some last-minute additions in their quest for the Windsor and National Cups, and basement dwellers sought to offload big contracts and build toward the future by adding young prospects.

Baseball’s top two teams met in the UA, with the Stags visiting the White Sox for a 3-game series. Deerborn led the season series coming into these final three meetings, 4 games to 2.

The Stars and Guardians met for a 3-game series in Delle with huge implications in a tight UA Wild Card race.

(Jump to UA Standings & League Leaders)

(Jump to NPL Standings & League Leaders)

UA News:

8/24:

• The Bears have added another big bat to their lineup ahead of Friday’s trade deadline, trading for 2B Tim Rogers from the Rivals. The Bears send LHP prospect Howard Ferguson to Railey in return. Platte also receives 18-year old outfielder Benton Raigoza. We can only speculate as to how Platte will utilize Tim Rogers, as they already have a fairly stacked infield with Jonathan Kapkobi, Ralph Maxwell, and Juan Tokorres.
• The White Sox take game 1 in the big series against Roland. Deerborn 3B Rygh Ogg hits his 22nd and 23rd HRs, while teammates Bob Hove and Jorge Oko both hit their 22nd. Final: DEE 8, ROL 5.
• Salvation 1B Curt Lawson goes deep twice for the 2nd game in a row in the Brothers’ 6-2 win at Taawa.
• Platte 3B Juan Tokorres takes the lead in the home run race with his 31st of the season as the Bears beat the Trail Blazers, 6-2. Bears RF Gurr Gurr will be day-to-day for the next 4 days after being hit in the knee with a pitch today.
• Delle CL David Rogers’s streak of 17 straight saves is over. Rogers gives up a game-tying run in the bottom of the 10th on a solo homer by Owls LF Ambroise Forestier. Redwood beats the Stars in a 15-inning, 4+ hour game, 5-4. Despite today’s win, the Redwood Owls become the first team to mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

8/25:

• The Stars make another deal to shore up for the playoff race, adding CF T.J. Harrison in a trade with the NPL’s Petchon Carp. In exchange, the Carp receive 23-year old OF prospect Craig Evans.
• Guardians 1B Cal Oluoch hits his 27th and 28th home runs as Northsouth knocks off the Herders, 9-2. Northsouth LHP Justin Morris strikes out 9 over 6.2 innings in the win.
• Bears 3B Juan Tokorres adds to his lead in the UA HR race with his 31st of the year. The Bears down the Blazers, 7-6. Platte LF Adam Sullivan goes 3 for 3 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI in the win. Platte retains a 3-game lead over the Guardians in the West.
• White Sox 3B Rygh Ogg hits his 3rd HR in 2 days as the White Sox take another game from Roland, 2-0. White Sox 1B Jorge Oko goes deep for the 2nd straight game for his 23rd of the year.
• Brothers 1B Curt Lawson is red-hot, hitting his 5th home run in the last 3 games as Salvation erupts for 5 runs in the 13th to beat the Chargers. It is Salvation’s 3rd straight win, and they have several injured players due back soon, but time is running out on their season. Their 3-year streak as the only team to make the playoffs every season may be at an end. They are currently 8 games behind for both the Wild Card and the UA West lead with 22 games to go.
• Stars RHP Stanley Quinn allows just 2 hits and strikes out 7 batters over 5.1 scoreless innings. The Stars rebound for a win in Redwood, 5-1. They are now just 2 games behind the Stags in the Wild Card race. Stars RF Antonio Teakowa hits his 28th HR in the win; 3B Mario Olivo hits his 25th.

8/26:

• Miners 27-year old RH SP Alberto Bilali is out for the remainder of 1931 and likely the entire 1932 season after his injury against the Rivals on Monday turns out to be a torn UCL in his right elbow. Bilali previously tore a ligament in his throwing elbow in 1928. With declining numbers and very little playing time ever since his debut season in ’28, the future of his career is certainly in doubt.
• White Sox 1B Jorge Oko homers in every game of the series against the Stags. He hits his 24th of the season today as Deerborn completes the sweep to solidify their position as baseball’s juggernaut of the 1931 Regular Season. RHP Arturo Kolon pitches well in his first start since coming to Deerborn from Railey, allowing 1 run on 4 hits and striking out 8 over 7 innings. The White Sox are well in control of the league with a 59-20 record, 10 games better than the Stags, who currently hold the UA Wild Card with 21 games remaining.
• Guardians 1B Cal Oluoch hits his 29th HR of the year as Northsouth completes the sweep of the Herders with a 4-1 win.
• 3B Ted Sharpe hits a pair of home runs for 5 RBI and the Chargers avoid the sweep at home, beating the Brothers, 6-1.
• 2B Tim Rogers hits his first home run as a Bear and teammate Juan Tokorres adds to his league lead with his 33rd homer, a 2-run blast in the bottom of the 9th to walk off against RH RP Sonny Martineau and the Trail Blazers. Platte sweeps Prissley, has won 7 of their last 8 and leads the UA West by 3 games over Northsouth.
• Antonio Teakowa and Mario Olivo both homer in back-to-back games as the Stars beat the Owls, 8-1. The Stars are now just 1 game behind the Stags for the UA Wild Card.

8/27:

• Bears RH RP Orlando Nunez is done for the year after he finally learns that he has partially torn his ulnar collateral ligament. He will miss around 9 months, and hopes to return for the beginning of next season for the final year of his contract with Platte. Nunez is 36 years old, and his performance since moving to the bullpen last year with the Chargers has been mediocre at best, so we will see if the Bears choose to move on.
• White Sox RH SP Jacob Hudson makes his return to the mound after missing nearly 8 weeks with a forearm strain. He gives up just 1 run on a solo shot from Miners RF Ivan Tuwaa over a 7-inning performance. He also helps himself out with 2-run home run in the 3rd inning. Deerborn beats Lia Kompos, 4-1. It’s the White Sox 60th win of the year. They are on pace to break the Bears’ record mark of 70 wins, set last year.
• Stags LF Jose Lia Tinta goes 4 for 4 in Roland’s 4-1 win over Redwood. It’s the 50th win of the year for the Stags, who lead a tight Wild Card race.
• Stars LF Antonio Teakowa goes yard twice. He now has 4 HR in 3 days. Delle 3B Mario Olivo also homers in his 3rd straight game as the Stars stomp the Guardians, 7-1, in the first of 3 big games between the two Wild Card contenders. With the win, the Stars stay within 1 game of Roland. Northsouth now trails Roland by 3 games.

8/28:

• Owls LF Ambroise Forestier goes 3 for 5 with 2 doubles and his 19th home run of the year. Redwood rallies late to beat the Stags, 10-8.
• White Sox LF Bob Hove’s 23rd home run is a walk-off solo shot in the bottom of the 10th to beat the Miners, 2-1. White Sox 1B Jorge Oko hits one out as well. He has homered in 4 of the last 5 games for the White Sox. It’s the 5th win in a row for Deerborn.
• Northsouth RF Brad Bailey hits his 22nd and 23rd home runs for 4 RBI in the Guardians’ 5-3 win at Delle. Roland is now just 1 game ahead of the Stars and 2 games in front of the Guardians.
• Bears 3B Juan Tokorres hits his league-leading 34th homer. He’s gone deep in 4 of the last 5 games. However, Railey wins, 6-2, and the Bears now lead the UA West by just 2 games over the Guardians.

8/29:

• Lia Kompos avoids being swept by the White Sox with a 6-5 win in Deerborn. Miners 3B Hichem Colle has a double and a home run for 4 RBI; LF Jesus Lia Taawa has 2 doubles. White Sox 2B Luke Pia Puedris hits 2 HR for 4 RBI in the loss.
• Bears RHP Julio Martinezto returns from shoulder inflammation to pitch 6 innings with zero earned runs. However, the Rivals rally for 3 runs in the 7th for a 5-2 win for a shocking sweep against Platte.
• The Owls shock the Stags with another win in Roland to take 2 of 3 in the series. LF Ambroise Forestier homers for the 2nd straight game as Redwood beats Roland, 6-5.
• Trail Blazers LF Juan Tumaini is 3 for 5 with 2 HR and 6 RBI in Prissley’s 13-3 win over Taawa. Tumaini has 28 homers this season.
• Delle and Northsouth go 12 innings in the rubber match of their 3-game series. Delle walks off in the 12th with a solo home run by Mario Olivo to tie it, and a Jon Garcika RBI double to win it. Stars 1B Carlos Lia Idris hits 2 triples in the win. Guardians 1B Cal Oluoch hits his 30th HR in the loss. The Guardians are now behind by 2 games in both the UA West and Wild Card standings. With the win, the Stars are now tied with the Stags atop the Wild Card standings with 18 games to go.

Current UA Standings:

Current UA League Leaders:

NPL Watch:

8/24:

• The Carver Canaries pick up another arm for the final stretch of the season, acquiring RH SP Brian Bullock in exchange for struggling CF Angel Enckarnacion and 18-year old pitching prospect Martin Tokorres.
• Toppers RHP Kris Jackson allows just 1 earned run on 2 hits over 6.1 innings, and 1B Lee Gutierrekaz hits his NPL-leading 20th dinger in Trimble’s 4-3 win over Elderwood.
• The Canaries take another game from the Spiders, 6-3. Canaries RF Aime Bellec had 4 RBI in the win, and DH Raul Sotio hit his 18th HR. With this victory, Carver takes a 1-game lead over Wight in the NPL standings with 19 games remaining in the 1931 season. The Canaries will go for the series sweep tomorrow. Wight 3B Van Ogg will be a game-time decision tomorrow after suffering a mild groin strain today. Spiders LF Theron Landry saw an 11-game hit streak come to an end in today’s loss.

8/25:

• The Stars make another deal to shore up for the playoff race, adding CF T.J. Harrison in a trade with the NPL’s Petchon Carp. In exchange, the Carp receive 23-year old OF prospect Craig Evans.
• The Canaries pick up 35-year old veteran LHP Bill Engleman in a trade with the UA’s Prissley Trail Blazers. The Canaries also pick up OF prospect Michael Pratt and send OF prospect Pete Hines to Prissley in the deal.
• Carver completes the sweep in Wight with a convincing 7-1 win. Spiders DH Lier Semb hit a home run in each game of the series, but it wasn’t enough. Noa Dutertre struck out 8 in 5.1 scoreless inning for the Spiders after relieving SP Mark Flower, who left the game with back stiffness. Flower will be dealing with the pain for about a week according to team doctors, and is listed as day-to-day. Canaries SP Morgan Burnett also left the game early with a sore ankle. He is also day-to-day for about the next week. With the impressive sweep, the Carver Canaries are now in first place in the NPL, 2 games ahead of the Spiders.
• The Reapers beat the Kings, 7-4, taking 2 of 3 in the series. Plains City trails the Canaries by 6 games.

8/26:

• Carver 1B Bob Jones hits his 18th home run and the Canaries win their 4th in a row, taking the opener against Petchon, 8-1. The Canaries enjoy a 2.5 game lead, pending the outcome of tonight’s game between Wight and Lia Puedris.
• Alfonso Lopetokaz strikes out 8 over 7.1 innings, but the Spiders win in a bullpen game, 8-2. The Spiders utilize RH RP Danny McGhee as an opener for 2.2 innings. Starter Rayan Bouchet comes in and gets the win as Wight uses 7 pitchers over the course of the game. Wight trails Carver by 2 games for the NPL lead.

8/27:

• Carp 1B Pedro Bausi hits a grand slam in the 7th as part of a 5-RBI day as Petchon snaps Carver’s 4-game win streak with an 11-3 win.
• Metros DH Jose Tokorres hits 2 home runs and ties the NPL single-game record with 7 RBI in Tiny Sea’s 9-0 pounding of the Lakers. Tokorres had another 7-RBI game just one week ago. Although it has been by 5 players, Jose Tokorres is now the only NPL player to have done it twice.
• The Spiders fail to capitalize on Carver’s loss earlier in the day, losing to the Kings, 5-2. Wight remains 2 games back of Carver in the standings.

8/28:

• Plains City 1B Bob Gunther hits a triple and a home run for 6 RBI as the Reapers beat the Toppers, 7-5. The Reapers avoid being swept by the Toppers, but they may be running out of time to make a run for the National Cup.
• Carp LHP Kent McConnish strikes out 7 in 6 IP, allowing 1 run on 3 hits. The Carp beat the Canaries, 5-3, to take 2 of 3 in the series. Carver 1B Bob Jones hit his 20th HR in the loss to tie Trimble’s Lee Guiterrekaz for most in the NPL.
• The Spiders once again fail to strike in the wake of a Canaries loss. They lose to the Kings in 11 innings, 3-2, as Angel Enckarnacion scores from 2nd on a Martin Johnson single for the walk-off win. The Spiders still trail Carver by 2 games.

8/29:

• Kings RH RP Mark Sapfoot is out for the season after tearing his shoulder labrum on Tuesday in Plains City. He hopes to return to the Lia Puedris bullpen next season, if the Kings renew his contract.
• Lakers CF Wallace Veka hits a double and a home run in Elderwood’s 6-4 over Carver. The 1st-place Canaries drop their 3rd straight.
• Metros 1B Chuck Parker is on fire! He hits 2 HR today and ties the single-game RBI record with 7. Parker has now homered in 5 straight games. SP Carlos Pultudos strikes out 7 in 5 scoreless innings as Tiny Sea beats up Plains City, 11-1.
• The Spiders drop their 3rd straight game, failing once again to gain a game on Carver after a Canaries loss. Final: PET 5, WIG 4.

8/30:

• Kings LF Carlos Kayra’s ankle sprain is likely to keep him out at least 2 more weeks, putting his return this season somewhat in doubt. He has been out of action since August 1.
• Reapers CF Jimmy Hamm is once again dealing with back issues after leaving the game in Tiny Sea early today. We are awaiting word on Hamm’s status going forward. The Metros beat the Reapers again, 4-1. Tiny Sea has now won 6 in a row. Tiny Sea 1B Chuck Parker has now hit 10 straight games, and driven home at least 1 run in the last 9 games.
• Toppers RPH Kris Jackson notches 8 Ks, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits over 5.2 innings. Trimble beats Lia Puedris, 6-4.
• Wight LHP Rayan Bouchet strikes out 9 batters over 6 innings. Spiders RF Jeff Pekerez hits his 17th HR; 1B Dave Phillips hits his 16th and has homered in 3 straight games, as Wight snaps their 3-game skid with a 9-2 victory in Petchon.
• Carver 1B Bob Jones takes the NPL HR lead with his 21st dinger, but the Canaries lose their 4th straight. Wallace Veka has another great day for the Lakers, going 4 for 5 with a double and 2 RBI in Elderwood’s 7-2 win. Veka has hit in 10 straight games. With this loss, the Canaries now lead the Spiders by just 1 game, with 13 games left in the season.

Current NPL Standings:

Current NPL League Leaders:

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