[JetsIn06]

The 1957 Portland Rosebuds

We start off decently well, enough to put us in a tie for 3rd place and just 3GB at the end of May; but I was expecting to be a little bit better. SP Joey Parrish is off to a slow start, with a 4.90 ERA after 10 starts. Offensively, we're clicking; we're 2nd in runs scored, and 1st in home runs with 8, and are scoring 4.9 R/G. On the prevention side, we're doing okay, but I thought we'd be really good. We're allowing 4.3 R/G at the moment, but we have the most strikeouts in the league so hopefully that number drops a bit.

April: 16-12
May: 17-12

Amateur Draft

We pick 15th, and go with prep right-handed SP Cameron Spann out of Maryland. He's got a very interesting profile (8/3/8), with crazy high stuff and control but a tendency to give up a lot of loud contact. That could play well in our park but there's obviously a limit on what we can tolerate. The crazy high stuff is always going to interest me and the numbers he put up in high school are just bonkers (240 K over 95 IP).

We go with another prep arm in the 2nd round with right-handed SP Jerry Bridges. He's a bit more balanced (6/6/6) but has four great pitches and the makeup is second-to-none.

Canadian SP Scott Lent, another high-school right-handed is our pick in the 3rd round. He's got elite stuff but low control (8/5/4), but has a dominant changeup which should help neutralize left-handed hitters.

As June comes to a close, we call up 3B Jose Luis, who played in two games and then broke his kneecap. But we weather the storm, and on July 10th, we surge ahead after a 9-1 stretch and take 1st place from Detroit.

Trade Deadline

On July 27th, we have a one-game lead over Detroit. We have a trade available to us, and I think we're going to use it. A great bullpen piece always feels like a good option, but we also could really use some speed. We move a minor-league relief arm for OF Scott Morrissey, a contact and speed oriented RHB who's suited for a corner spot in the outfield.

FA: 1
Trades: 0

As we head into the final stretch, we're 67-43 and in 1st place.

June: 17-10
July: 17-9

Final Stretch

September 11, 12, 13. Home vs Detroit. Tied for first place. This is a huge series that will propel the winner into 1st place with twelve games remaining.

SP Joey Parrish takes the ball in the opener and hurls a masterpiece, a 4-hit, no run, 8-inning gem with 7 Ks over 92 pitches. We only muster three hits and two runs, both of which score in the 1st. But it's enough.

SP Chris Rodriguez is up next, but even with as good as he's been this year (2.88 ERA) he struggles to tame Detroit. The offense doesn't help. We lose 7-0.

SP Nick Moody pitchers in the rubber match, and it's a struggle for him too. We lose 11-3, and with twelve games to go we're now one game back.

But Detroit gets swept in their next series against St. Louis, and while we're on the verge of the same vs Vancouver, we squeak out a 6-4 win in the third game. Tied again! And then we sweep Pittsburgh and are up a game with six to go, all on the road.

We lose. Detroit wins. Tied again. But the next day sees us get back into 1st. What a ride this is. We head into the FINAL series of the season against the Philadelphia Patriots, and we're up by one game.

We both lose the first game. Still up by one. And SP Joey Parrish takes the ball for game two. He struggles, we go down 4-0 early, and then come back to tie it in the 8th inning on a pinch-hit, two-run homer by 3B Ruben Perez! And then heartbreak; in the 11th inning, Philadelphia scores, and we lose the game. But so did Detroit. With one game left to go, we're up by one. A win, and we're in.

SP Tom Brown, who just came back from injury, takes the ball for us; it's not perfect, and despite just one strikeout, he gives up no runs. The bullpen keeps it scoreless. 1B Nick Henriksen, who hit 24 HRs this season for us, launches one deep over the fence in the 6th inning, a two-run bomb. They're the only runs of the game.

August: 18-10
September: 11-13

We win the pennant with a record of 96-66. World Series next.