Gopher Holes for September

A timely September surge spelled 13 wins for the Bushwood Gophers and a flat-footed tie with the Destin Beach Bums atop the Northbound standings entering the final month of the season.

The Gophers are already looking forward to the crucial October series vs. Destin, which could well decide the division title and also determine who gets the No. 1 seed for the playoffs.

“We will be ready for whatever the Bums throw at us,” vowed Bushwood manager Dave Renbarger, still smarting from his team’s collapse in the 2021 World Series after winning three of the first four games.   

That 13-7 September included four series wins:  4-1 vs. Margaritaville and 3-2 vs. Olympic Coast, SGP and West Atlanta.  For the month, the Gophers outscored their opponents 157-95, averaging a lusty 7.85 runs per game.  For the season, the Gophers have scored a league-high 841 runs (well ahead of runner-up Destin’s total of 746) and boast a league-high run differential of plus-255 (far better than runner-up Destin at plus-130).

The opening series vs. West Atlanta started on a bad note, with the Crush winning the first two games.  In the opener, the Gophers raced out to an 8-1 lead after five innings behind ace Jacob deGrom.  Thinking a seven-run lead might be safe, the Gophers made several usage-based substitutions, only to watch the Crush roar back to claim a 9-8 victory.  Lesson learned:  No lead is safe.  Fortunately, Bushwood recovered to win the last three games of the series, including shutouts in Games 3 and 5.

The Orcas were next up, and the teams split the first four games before Trevor Bauer come through with a strong Game 5 outing to clinch the series.  Game 2 was an epic 12-11 Bushwood victory that went 11 innings.  The Bushwood bullpen again melted down in surrendering a six-run eighth to put the Gophers behind 8-6.  But the Gophers plated runs in the eighth and ninth to force two eventful extra innings.  Both teams scored once in the 10th before the Orcas added two more in the 11th.  That set the table for Jared Walsh’s three-run walkoff homer in the bottom of the 11th.

The Warriors series featured three blowout victories for Bushwood (combined score 36-10) and two one-run SPG victories.  Through 140 games. Bushwood’s record in one-run games is a putrid 15-23.

The Bushwood bats continued to boom in the September finale vs. the Volcanoes, as the Gophers won the first three games by a combined margin of 33-7.  Margaritaville righty Luis Castillo silenced those bats in the Volcanoes’ 9-1 victory in Game 4 before Bauer delivered another Game 5 victory.

For the month, the Gophers hit .286 with 47 homers.  SS Brandon Crawford hit .369 with eight homers, and DH Nicholas Castellanos hit. .349 with seven homers and a whopping 26 RBIs.  Castellanos leads the league with 108 RBIs through 140 games.  OF Brett Phillips had his second big month since his trade-deadline acquisition, hitting .372 with two homers and four triples in 43 ABs.  For the season, the highly limited Phillips leads the league with 11 triples.

On the mound, deGrom (2-0, 1.69 ERA) and Bauer (3-1, 2.86 ERA) sparkled, while workhorse reliever Jonathan Loaisaga logged 18.2 effective innings.  Bushwood featured a 100 percent right-handed staff for September, with lefties Jordan Montgomery and Aroldys Chapman both on the cab squad.

And now it’s on to October for the Gophers.  

That’s all for now.  So long from Bushwood.

Gopher Holes for August

After dealing away their best hitter at the trade deadline to beef up the rotation and bullpen for the stretch run, the Gophers’ offense came alive in August. Who needs Yordan Alvarez?

Despite a difficult August schedule featuring three top playoff contenders, the Gophers went 12-8 and outscored their opposition 130-73 in the process. The won-loss record would have been better if not for five one-run losses.

Things started out swimmingly with a lopsided sweep of the struggling Hypnotoads, who were outscored 43-12. The powerful Titans then visited Bushwood and took the first two games by one-run margins before the Gophers caught fire to win the next three. The red-hot Treblemakers were next up. After a split of the first two games, the Gophers’ offense went silent in consecutive losses to Walker Buehler (4-1), Jack Flaherty (3-2) and Charlie Morton (5-0). Dyersville outscored Bushwood 22-14 in the shockingly low-scoring series.

The deflating 1-4 series loss to Dyersville left the Gophers with a 9-6 August record entering the showdown against the defending World Series champion Beach Bums, who had already won 14 of 15 August games. Fortunately, the Bushwood bats were again booming in the 3-2 series victory that saw the Gophers outscore the Bums 37-17. Despite the critical series win, the Gophers’ 12-8 August slate paled in comparison to Destin’s 16-4 ledger. As a result, the Bums hold a three-game lead over the Gophers entering September play.

For the month, Bushwood hit .292 with 38 homers (two vs. Dyersville and 36 vs. the other three teams). Second baseman Jake Cronenworth led the way with five homers and 18 RBIs, and slumping third baseman Yoan Moncada hit .316 to raise his season average to .220.

And Bushwood’s cadre of newly acquired big arms enjoyed strong debut performances for the most part. Ace Jacob deGrom went 1-1 with a 1.54 ERA in four starts. Tyler Houck was 2-1 with a 3.47 ERA in four starts. Ryan Tepera was 2-0 with two saves in 8.2 solid innings. And workhorse reliever Matt Barnes saw his first action of the season, posting a 2.66 ERA in a whopping 20 innings of relief. Jonathan Loaisiga was the lone newcomer to disappoint, logging an inflated 6.57 ERA over 12.1 innings.

With the calendar turning to September, the Gophers will be hosting Olympic Coast and South Grand Prairie and facing Margaritaville and West Atlanta on the road.

That’s all for now.

So long from Bushwood.

Gopher Holes for July

After a delightful 13-7 month highlighted by 4-1 series triumphs over Savannah and Greendale, the Gophers found themselves atop the Northbound standings with 100 games in the books.  At 59-41, Bushwood held a scant one-game lead over defending World Series champion Destin with the trade deadline at hand.

What to do?  What to do?

About a week earlier, the Gophers swung two deals to upgrade their pitching staff.  They send overachieving lefty Martin Perez to SGP for reliever Jonathan Loasiaga, adding a valuable bullpen arm while subtracting a highly retainable lefty starter.  And they surprisingly dealt away rotation stalwart and longtime favorite Yu Darvish to Olympic Coast, despite the fact that they had no intention of doing so.  The persistence of Orcas skipper Jamin Rader paid off, and starter Nate Eovaldi, closer Matt Barnes and OF-1B Connor Joe were the newest Gophers.

A severe case of seller’s remorse quickly set in, after the Gophers’ braintrust realized that they dealt a hands-down 2023 ace for a collection of good-but-not-great this-year cards who offer nominal future value.  Sometimes it’s better to just say no, but if Eovaldi and Barnes both come up big down the stretch and in the postseason, all will be forgiven.

Meanwhile, the Volcanoes came calling for highly coveted DH Yordan Alvarez, with always persistent Margaritaville skipper John McMillan offering this and that and the other thing.  The Gophers dutifully considered these offers before finally informing Grid that the prized Alvarez was just too good and too young to trade.  Yordan and his MLB-leading OPS would be staying in Bushwood.

Fast forward to last week’s trade-a-thon, where Huggers manager John Renbarger surprisingly decided to cash in on the 2022 season and load up for 2023.  He badly wanted Yordan and made an offer almost too good to believe.  

Did he really say Jacob deGrom (the oft-injured superstar with 56 incomparable innings remaining) AND Tanner Houck (the super handy starter-reliever with 52 high-quality innings left) AND Ryan Tepera (a true lights-out reliever and difference maker) AND Brett Phillips (a 1 in right who ravages righties)?  Is that right?  All four of these studs for Yordan and the 190 garbage innings represented by the unretainable Kyle Hendricks?  Is this your offer?

Yes it was.

What to do?  What to do?

After 60 minutes of uneasy deliberations, the risk-averse Gophers braintrust decided to pull the trigger and go all-in.  With an admittedly awful retention roster, the Gophers seemed unlikely to contend in 2023 with or without Alvarez.  So we are going for the gusto this year.  It is World Series title or bust for Bushwood.

The Gophers’ retooled roster will be put to the test immediately in August.  The schedule includes a showdown series vs. divisional rival Destin, along with matchups against Westbound powerhouses Dyersville and Superior.  

Let the fun begin.

That’s all for now.

So long from Bushwood.

Gopher Holes for May

The Strat gods certainly smiled upon the Gophers in May.  In a month that saw Bushwood hit just .223, post a 4.74 ERA, get outhomered 39-32 and outscored 110-103, the Gophers somehow managed to win 12 games.

The Gophers and Bums squared off in May’s marquee series, with Destin winning the series 3-2.  An extra-inning victory in Game 5 averted a 1-4 outcome for the Gophers, but the defending World Series champion Bums were impressive in outscoring Bushwood 36-28 for the series.

Likewise, a series against West Atlanta saw the Gophers go 2-3 and get outscored 33-21 by the Crush.

Fortunately, a pair of 4-1 series victories vs. Olympic Coast and Dyersville tilted the month in the Gophers’ favor.  The series against the Orcas began with two more nerve-wracking extra-inning wins and included three one-run victories in a row for the Gophers.  

Similarly, the Gophers parlayed some timely hitting and lots of doubleplays on defense into four narrow wins vs. the Treblemakers.  The four victories came by a total five runs in a series that truly could have gone either way.

Ace starter Kevin Gausman, who has been sensational all year, outdid himself in May, going 4-0 in four starts with a 2.35 ERA.  Gausman, acquired prior to the draft from Boulder for young all-star catcher Will Smith, is 10-1 in 12 starts on the season with a 2.90 ERA.  Alas, No. 2 starter Yu Darvish has a 5.97 ERA and has surrendered a league-leading 20 homers.

On offense, slugging right fielder Joey Gallo, benefiting from three series in his homer-friendly home park, cranked nine balls over the fence and had 18 RBIs in May.  Conversely, third baseman Yoan Moncada (.111 for May and .165 for the year) has become the poster boy for Bushwood’s under-achieving offense.  

Following a 10-10 March and a 12-8 April, Bushwood stands at 34-26 after 60 games, one game behind Destin in the Northbound race.  The team’s playoff prospects, however, are far from certain due to pitching deficiencies.  The rotation is a gigantic question mark after Gausman, and the overworked bullpen is a mostly dysfunctional, white-knuckle mix-and-match brigade lacking a consistent and balanced anchor.  

If the club is able to add a solid No. 2 starter and/or a nicely balanced reliever via the trade market, those playoff hopes would be enhanced.  All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson and shockingly effective lefty starter Martin Perez (0.99 WHIP and zero HRs allowed in 56.1 innings so far for the Rangers) stand out as attractive trade bait.  Unused lefty-swinging catcher Reese McGuire is also available.

Looking ahead to June, the Gophers get a home rematch with the Tree Huggers, whom they beat four times in March, and will host the Volcanoes in the first of three meetings.  Bushwood will also get their first look at SGP and will try to avenge a 3-2 March setback vs. Applegate.

That’s all for now.

So long from Bushwood.

Gopher Holes for April

The Gophers were delighted to win three of four series in a 12-8 April. Combined with a 10-10 March ledger, the Gophers stand at 22-18 through 40 games, one game behind the front-running Beach Bums in the Northbound.

The Bushwood bats were booming in a 4-1 series victory over New New York that saw the Gophers outscore the Toads 32-20. Matching 3-2 outcomes vs. the Rebels and Zealots followed, with the Gophers rallying from a 1-2 deficit to win the last two games against Tatooine and roaring back after an 0-2 start to win three straight vs. Greendale by a combined score of 31-7.

Game 3 vs. the Rebels was a wild one, won by the Rebels 10-8 in 13 innings. With the ghost runner on second rule in play, the two teams somehow failed to score in six consecutive nerve-wracking half innings before Aroldis Chapman served up a grand slam to Sal Perez in the top of the 13th.

Bushwood fell to Superior 2-3 in the remaining series, splitting the first four games but coming up short 7-3 in the decisive finale.

Several Gophers are showing well in the league’s 40-game stats. Shortstop Brandon Crawford ranks second in average (.354), second in slugging (.646) and third in total average (1.120). Center fielder Starling Marte ranks third in average (.351), fifth in on-base (.419) and first in stolen bases (14). And ace righty Kevin Gausman is tied for the lead in wins (6) and seventh in ERA (3.23).

Defensively, the 1-1 up-the-middle combo of Jake Cronenworth at second and Crawford at short has been sensational. Cronenworth has converted 46 of 47 X rolls into outs, and Crawford’s conversion rate is 36 of 38.

Somewhat surprisingly, however, the Gophers have turned only 31 double plays (13th in the league) and seven fewer than their opponents. And the other infielders are both 2s (Jered Weaver at first and Yoan Moncada at third).

After enduring three road series in April, the Gophers will enjoy 15 home games in May, hosting the Beach Bums in a big division showdown, as well as the league-leading Treblemakers and West Atlanta. The only road trip of the month will take the Gophers to the Pacific Northwest to face the Orcas.

On the trade front, the Gophers are officially placing controversial righty starter Trevor Bauer on the block. If you are in the market for a guy who may or may not make his triumphant return to I-75 play in 2025, Trevor is your guy.

Gopher Holes for March

As the calendar turns to April, the Gophers can reflect on a month of March that included a fascinating draft and four season-opening series that resulted in a 10-10 slate for Bushwood.

The Gophers lacked a first-round pick in the draft (having dealt it to Margaritaville to obtain slugging first baseman Jered Walsh).  Having retained zero relievers, Bushwood’s glaring need was the bullpen.  The big question:  Which great relievers would still be there when pick No. 25 rolled around? 

Somewhat surprisingly, no righty relievers were selected in the first round, but four good ones were snapped up early in the second (Clase, Kittridge, Quantrill and McHugh).  The remaining arms didn’t seem worthy of a second-round choice, so the Gophers pivoted and grabbed catcher Mike Zunino to fill two significant voids (a needed backup catcher who might even be able to replace the retiring Buster Posey as the starter in 2023 and a needed big bat vs. lefties to give opposing managers pause before bringing in a lefty reliever.

That choice made the selection of a reliever imperative in Round 3, and for lack of a better option, reverse righty Tyler Rogers was the choice, mainly due to his 85 innings and 3 closer rating.  At that point the pickings were slim, but in hindsight the much more balanced Drew Rasmussen would probably have been a wiser choice.  The Gophers, blessed with a great lineup and a strong defense entering the draft, went on to draft eight more relievers but still wound up with a less-than-stellar assortment of one-sided cards out there, making the bullpen an area of concern (along with a mediocre rotation).

But it was time to play ball, and we got the ball rolling with an impressive 4-1 series victory at Boulder.  The Gophers won the first four games, most of them convincingly, before dropping a 6-5 decision in the finale.

Optimism was running high at this point, with the possibility of a 12-win month or better seemingly good.  But three consecutive 2-3 series losses — vs. Applegate, at Savannah and vs. Bismarck — shattered that dream.

Gopher Holes for September

The Gophers’ playoff chances, seemingly on life support in mid-September, received a healthy jolt to lift the club back into the crowded wild-card chase entering the season’s final month.

Coming off a dismal 9-11 August, the Gophers were looking for a fast start to September to right the ship.  Instead, Bushwood opened the month with a pair of damaging 2-3 series losses, the first to the non-contending Orcas and the second to the up-and-coming Crush.

And then, all of a sudden, the Gophers could do no wrong in going 4-1 against a pair of solid contenders:  SGP and Margaritaville.  

The SGP series featured a 15-inning loss, three excruciatingly close, low-scoring victories and one blowout as the Warriors could not buy a decent split throughout.  

Against the Volcanoes, the Gophers put it all together in one of the most lopsided series on record.  Bushwood swept the first four games by a cumulative margin of 51-11, establishing huge early leads in all four games.  Then the run-scoring faucet suddenly went dry as Margaritaville posted a 2-0 victory in the finale.

Checking the stat sheet, the Gophers hit a robust .364 vs. the Volcanoes, with Jake Cronenworth leading the way at .524.  The team ERA vs. Margaritaville was 2.45, and Yu Darvish took a no-hitter into the seventh.

For the month, the team average was a healthy .291, ending a long stretch of offensive futility, and the team ERA was 2.99.  George Springer had 7 homers and 20 RBIs for the month, and Tim Anderson hit .377.  Darvish went 4-0 on the month, and Trevor Bauer took a no-hitter into the ninth against Olympic Coast.

So the Gophers are in the barn with 12 wins for September, waiting to see how the month shakes out for the many other wild-card contenders across the league.

Hopefully, the momentum from the last two series will carry over into October (although we all know that there is no such thing as momentum is Strat).  Four series against divisional rivals are on tap for the final month, and several Gophers are facing severe usage shortages.   The few remaining at-bats for infielder Willi Castro, catcher Will Smith and jack of all trades Dylan Moore, among others, will be carefully rationed during the final month.  Bushwood fans are eagerly awaiting the season debut of uber-limited slugger Yordan Alvarez, whose 24 at-bats will certainly come in handy. 

Gopher Holes for July

July was an up and down month for the Gophers — often frustrating but all even in the end.

The up:  A 5-0 series vs. luckless Bismarck and a narrow 3-2 triumph over Savannah.

The down:  A matching pair of 1-4 outcomes vs. powerhouse teams from Tatooine and Grenedale.  In both series, the Gophers won the opener and then dropped four in a row against the leaders of the other divisions, with Bushwood’s beleaguered bullpen failing in the late innings time and time again.

The final result:  A 10-10 month that somehow erased a two-game deficit in the standings, putting the Gophers atop the tight four-team Northbound race at 55-45, sitting on a one-game lead entering August.

Before August, of course, we have the trade deadline that looms on July 29th with the Gophers straddling the line between buyers and sellers, meaning that they could very well stand pat as other teams wheel and deal.

Sure, we are in first place right now, and a division title would seem to be well in reach, especially with the addition of a bullpen arm or big bat.  The problem, of course, is that the mighty Rebels are sitting there at 70-30 and clicking on all cylinders.  It is difficult to justify trading away future assets to mount a likely futile charge over the next three months.  (But it would be fun to try, considering our four losses to the Rebels in July were all very winable games.)

So what to do?  Bushwood’s one glaring weakness continues to be the bullpen, so an offer including a balanced closer would appeal to the buyer in me.  And looking ahead, our rotation for 2022 is quite thin, so a retainable starter might actually tilt me toward the seller’s position.

If you need a very solid and retainable shortstop, Brandon Crawford is having a career year and could be yours.  And Garrett Cooper is a very retainable first baseman/outfielder who could be had.

Feel free to look over the Gophers roster and shoot any offers or feelers my way before or during the trade-a-thon on Thursday evening.  

Looking ahead to the August schedule, we will be focusing on two big series vs. Northbound contenders New New York and Destin.  A trip to Dyersville and a home series vs. Superior round out the month.  

Fun fact:  The Gophers and the Titans both sport the same record after 100 games (55-45).  The Gophers are in first place in the Northbound, and the Titans are 15 games back in the Westbound.  Go figure.

That’s all for now.

So long from Bushwood.

Postscript: The Gophers did indeed trade Cooper, along with relief pitcher Tommy Hunter, to Olympic Coast for this-year cards in reliever Tyler Duffey and outfielder Yairo Munoz.

Gopher Holes for June

BUSHWOOD — The Gophers mustered just two highlights in a dreadful June swoon that saw the club lose four series, 13 games and a once-comfy five-game lead in the Northbound standings.

Two Gophers flirted with history in June.  Trevor Bauer tossed a complete game one-hitter against the Tree Huggers, and Carlos Carrasco combined with two relievers on another one-hit gem against the Warriors.

Other than that, the month was a nightmare of poor hitting, crummy relief pitching and failures in the clutch that left the sagging Gophers with a 45-35 record at the halfway point of the season, two games behind the surging Toads.

The month started on an ominous note with a 15-inning loss to the Clips.  Bushwood had a chance to win the series, but No. 5 starter Masahiro Tanaka was torched in a 10-1 Game 5 loss.

The Huggers were next up, and after Bauer’s Game 4 gem, Tanaka got another chance to deliver a series win but lasted only three innings in a 7-3 loss.

Division rival Margaritaville then came to town and lo and behold, the teams again split the first four games.  This time, Tanaka was actually decent, but Shane Beiber outpitched him in the Volcanoes’ 4-3 victory.

After three disappointing 2-3 series, the Gophers were determined to end the month with a bang and go 4-1 against the Warriors to salvage a 10-10 monthly record.  And Carrasco got things started on the right foot with his combined one-hitter.  At that point, the dice did a complete 180-degree shift to the SGP dugout, and the Warriors reeled off four wins a row to cement the Gophers’ fate for June.  The finale was especially painful, as Tanaka was shelled again in a 12-1 loss.

Not surprisingly, Tanaka’s stats for the month were horrendous:  0-4 with a 15.23 ERA.  He started the month with an impressive 3.27 ERA and ended it at 5.56.  Likewise, overachieving No. 4 starter Spencer Turnbull crashed back to earth in June, going 0-2 with a 10.13 ERA for the month.  In his first 11 starts, he posted a 2.69 ERA and allowed just 3 total homers.  In June he gave up 6 homers and saw his ERA climb to 4.24.

Offensively, the team’s power supply mirrored the state of Texas’ power grid — totally unreliable and prone to frequent complete shutdowns — as the normally powerful Gophers were outhomered 31-13.  Entering the month, Bushwood had outhomered the opposition 110-61.  First baseman Mitch Moreland barely registered a pulse in June, going 4-for-53 (.075).

So where do the Gophers go from here?  With the trade deadline one month away, the division race can still be won.  But it is shaping up as a wide open four-team race with New New York leading the way with 47 wins, followed by Bushwood (45), Margaritaville (42) and Destin (41).  Bushwood’s biggest area of need is in the bullpen, so minor deals involving relief pitchers could be in the offing.  But the Gophers seemingly lack the necessary trade capital (young up and coming players with bright futures) to swing a meaningful blockbuster with a retooling club next month.

Meanwhile, a tough July slate of non-division foes looms with home series against Savannah and Greendale and visits to Tatooine and Bismarck.

Gopher Holes for May

The Gophers banked 12 more wins in May to extend their lead in the Northbound Division to five games, reaching the 60-game milepost with a record of 38-22.

First up in May were the brand-new Olympic Coast Orcas with interim manager Jamin Rader making his I-75 debut.  The first game (a 9-0 Bushwood victory) was rough for the rookie, but the next four were all nail-biters chock full of tough decisions on both sides.  The Gophers were fortunate to emerge with a 4-1 slate.

The tables were turned on the Gophers in their next series vs. West Atlanta, as the Crush totally silenced the Bushwood bats en route to a 4-1 series triumph.  Things started well enough, with the Gophers scoring five runs in the first two innings of the opener.  Over the remaining 44 innings of the series, however, Bushwood could only muster three total runs.  After dropping four straight games (two via shutouts started by Hyun-Jin Ryu and Sandy Alcantara), the Gophers salvaged the finale by a 2-0 margin, with No. 5 starter Masahiro Tanaka surprisingly outdueling Crush ace Lucas Giolito.

The month ended with a 3-2 series victory over Destin in the first of three showdowns between the division’s presumed top contenders.  The teams split the first four games before the Gophers took Game 5 by a 2-1 margin, greatly aided by some absurdly lucky split-die rolls.  On 6-6 vs. lefties, the card of Bushwood ace Yu Darvish features a single 1-19 and lineout on 20.  Four times during a two-inning span, that 6-6 roll came up, and all four times the split die landed on the 20.  I am not sure how to calculate the odds of hitting a 5 percent roll four times in a row, but it was certainly enough of a long shot for Bums co-skipper Ken Crawford to question Strat’s much-maligned game engine.

A quick look at the 60-game stats reveals the reason behind Bushwood’s strong start through three months:  The rotation has been incredibly effective from top to bottom.  Of course, that rotation is headed by a pair of true aces in Darvish and Trevor Bauer.  Those two horses have lived up to expectations, with Darvish going 7-5 with a 3.13 ERA and Bauer checking at a 7-4 and 3.07.  

But the efforts of Bushwood’s three other starters has been nothing short of remarkable.  No. 4 starter Spencer Turnbull has a 2.69 ERA (second-lowest in the league to Jacob deGrom’s 2.26).  In 60.1 innings, Turnbull has surrendered only 3 homers.  

Meanwhile, No. 3 man Carlos Carrasco sports a 5-3 record and a 3.12 ERA, and No. 5 Masahiro Tanaka checks in at 4-2 and 3.27.  Overall, Bushwood boasts a league-low 3.35 team ERA.  Frankly, these stats seem wholly unsustainable for much longer, so we must brag about them now while we still have the chance.

Looking ahead to June, the Gophers will see the Volcanoes and the Warriors for the first time this season and will have rematches against two teams they faced back in March, when they swept the Tree Huggers and went 3-2 vs. the Clips.

Gopher Holes for April

That unprecedented 16-4 March was a tough act to follow for the Gophers, as the boys from Bushwood predictably came back to earth with a 10-10 mark for April.

The month included two 3-2 series triumphs (at Superior and at New New York) and two 2-3 setbacks (at Greendale and vs. Tatooine).  Truth be told, squeezing out 10 wins against high-quality opponents with only one home series felt like a winning month.  I could complain about an overall lack of offense (most notably in a 2-0 loss to the Rebels) or the failure of the bullpen to protect leads (as evidenced by three consecutive blown leads and one-run losses to the Zealots), but what good would that do?  We are certainly delighted with a 26-14 record and a 3-game lead in the Southbound standings over Destin, Margaritaville and New New York at the season’s quarter pole.

The month opened at Superior with the Gophers winning the first installment of the 42nd year of this sibling rivalry.  Bushwood had visions of a 4-1 outcome after Trevor Bauer blanked the Titans in Game 4, but Taijuan Walker outpitched Carlos Carrasco in the finale.

The Tatooine series got off on the wrong foot as the mighty Rebels posted three quick wins, outscoring the Gophers 14-5 and besting co-aces Bauer and Yu Darvish in the process.  Fearing a potential sweep, the bats came alive against Rebel lefty Yusei Kikuchi in a 9-1 Game 4 romp, and Spencer Turnbull came up big in the finale, a 4-2 Bushwood victory.

Next up were the Zealots, where Darvish came through in similar fashion with a Game 5 gem to salvage a 2-3 outcome.  It was the fourth straight one-run game in the tightly contested series, following frustrating losses by the scores of 5-4, 2-1 and 7-6.  That 2-1 game was an old-school pitchers duel between Bauer and lefty Clayton Kershaw.

The distressing trend of poor bullpen worked continued during the final series of the month, a 3-2 triumph at New New York.  Both of the Bushwood losses came in extra innings, 8-7 in the 13-inning opener and a 4-3 10-inning affair in Game 4.  Masahiro Tanaka and Darren O’Day combined to shut out the Toads in Game 2, then Carrasco and two relievers did even better with a combined one-hitter in Game 4.

Checking the stat sheet, the Gophers’ early trend of strong pitching and subpar hitting was obvious in April.  Bushwood pitchers posted a stellar team ERA of 2.86 for the month, but the hitters checked in with an anemic batting average of .212.  Bauer went 2-2 for the month with a sparkling 1.50 ERA.  Tim Anderson (.326) and Garrett Cooper (.300) held their own at the plate, and George Springer had 8 homers and 15 RBIs on the month despite a .200 average.  Slumping sluggers included Starling Marte (.179), Willi Castro (.193), Will Smith (.175) and Dylan Moore (.143).

Through 40 games, Tim Anderson leads the league in hitting (.379) and OBA (.434).  He is hitting a cool .571 vs. lefties.  Dylan Moore leads the league in stolen bases with 12.  Trevor Bauer’s league-leading ERA is 1.90, with opponents hitting a paltry .164 against him.

Bushwood’s team ERA of 3.11 is easily the lowest in the league.  Boulder is No. 2 at 3.74.  Despite a neutral HR park, the Gophers have allowed just 38 homers through 40 games, another league-best mark.

A home series against top divisional rival Destin highlights the Gophers’ May schedule.  West Atlanta will also visit.  Road series are on tap against Dyersville and Olympic Coast.

That’s all for now.  So long from Bushwood.

Gopher Holes for March

After a demoralizing opening-day loss that almost wound up in the record books, the Bushwood Gophers sprinted to 16 wins over their next 19 games to finish March with an impressive 16-4 record. 

As always, hopes were high on opening day when the Gophers, with a revamped lineup featuring top draft picks Jake Cronenworth, Willi Castro and Dylan Moore, took the field against the Applegate Paperclips.  The pitching matchup — Yu Darvish for the Gophers vs. Kyle Hendricks for the Clips — looked good on paper.  And it turned out even better on the field.

The Clips nicked Darvish for two runs on a walk and two hits in the first inning, but that was all she wrote for Applegate.  Darvish dominated the next seven innings, allowing no runs, one hit and three walks while striking out 15.  As impressive as this sounds, Hendricks was even better.  The righty retired the first 17 Gophers in order before Tommy La Stella ended the perfecto with a clean single with two outs in the sixth.  Hendricks got Moore to ground out to end the sixth, then relievers Jeurys Familia, Bryan Garcia and Diego Castillo combine to retire the last nine Gophers in succession to complete an amazing one-hitter that saw Bushwood muster only one baserunner and send only 28 hitters to the plate.  Darvish was the hard-luck loser in the memorable 2-0 pitchers’ duel that saw only two combined hits after the the first inning.

Fortunately, Bushwood found its dormant offense quickly, scoring 24 combined runs in winning the next three games before coming up against Hendricks again in the series finale.  This time, the Bushwood nemesis outdueled Masahiro Tanaka to notch a 3-1 victory as the Gophers claimed a 3-2 series triumph.

From there, Lady Luck took up residence in the Bushwood dugout for a series at Boulder and vs. Bismarck as the Gophers shockingly ripped off 10 wins in a row, a feat unprecedented in franchise history.  Four of the five games against the Huggers were lopsided wins for Bushwood, excepting a 7-6 nailbiter in Game 4.  The Bombers came up short in three close contests, including one in extra innings.

A 3-2 series victory over Savannah put a wrap on the month.  In a tightly contested series, Darvish proved to be the difference by winning both of his starts.

For the month, Bushwood’s 1-2 punch of Darvish and Trevor Bauer was dominant.  Darvish was 2-1 in five starts, logging a 3.03 ERA with 58 strikeouts in 38.2 innings.  Bauer was even better, going 4-0 in his four outings with a 2.27 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 31.2 innings.  Bauer’s start against the Bombers was near-historic.  He tossed a complete-game one-hitter, allowing only a clean single to Josh Harrison in the second inning while recording 14 strikeouts (and issuing six walks).  As a team, the Gophers posted an impressive 3.37 ERA.

Offensively, new shortstop Tim Anderson made a great first impression, hitting .414 with 29 hits, including eight doubles.  Fellow newcomer Tim Locastro wasn’t far behind at .409.  The clutch-hitting backup outfielder drove in 11 runs in just 22 ABs and smacked a pair of pinch-hit homers.  As a team, the Gophers hit .259, outscoring the opposition 131-74 and outhomering them 34-16.

The fast start has raised expectations for the defending Northbound champs, who suffered a substantial talent drain since last year’s playoffs.  An April schedule featuring Tatooine, Greendale, New New York and Superior promises to be a challenge.

Gopher Holes for July

The Gophers enjoyed their best month of the season in July, going 13-7 and winning all four series. The post-month celebration was muted, however, for two reasons. First, Bushwood surrendered first place in the rugged Southbound Division, as Satellite Beach posted a sparkling 16-4 July slate to move two games ahead of the Gophers. Second, the Gophers pulled off an unprecedented and frustrating trifecta, losing the final game of three July series in walk-off fashion

In a scheduling quirk, Bushwood played three road series in July: at West Atlanta, Boulder and Dyersville. The Gophers could do no wrong in the first four games against the Crush, winning them all by an overall score of 30-10. But West Atlanta rose from the mat in the ninth inning to take the finale in dramatic fashion, tying the scored at 5 with a one-out solo homer by Pete Alonso, and then winning it when Cavan Biggio followed a Carson Kelly walk with another homer. Co-closer Brandon Workman gave up both homers, and a bizarre trend was started.

The Gophers’ next series at Boulder ended in equally frustrating fashion. Leading up to the finale, the Gophers enjoyed lusty hitting and solid pitching to take 3 of 4 from the mighty Huggers with relative ease, outscoring Boulder 25-13. The finale was an epic battle that was was still tied 3-3 entering the bottom of the 12th. Workman was again on the mound and Jorge Soler jumped on a pitch for another walk-off, two-run blast.

Gopher Holes for June

As provided by Dave Renbarger

After winning just three of their first 12 games of the month, the Gophers seemed to be falling out of the race with June play winding down.  But the boys from Bushwood did a dramatic about-face, ending the month with an eight-game win streak to climb into first place in the bunched-up Northbound standings.  Their 11-9 June slate left the Gophers at 45-35 at the halfway point, one game ahead of the Volcanoes, two up on the Brawlers and four ahead of the Bums.

First up in June were the Brawlers in a much-anticipated matchup of Northbound contenders.  Satellite Beach answered the challenge with a 3-2 series win, claiming the middle three games by a cumulative score of 20-3.  The Gophers, behind ace Justin Verlander, won the opener 7-1 and the finale 8-4.

A road trip to Savannah followed, but Steve Hart was not a gracious host as his Scorps won 4 of 5.  Only an 11-9 Bushwood triumph in Game 4 prevented a sweep.  Verlander made two strong starts again but came up on the short end of 3-1 and 4-3 decisions.

Gopher Holes for May

The Gophers broke even in May, but the 10-10 slate was somewhat disappointing given the fact that the month began with a 4-1 road series victory over red-hot Superior.  Alas, that big victory was followed with identical 2-3 outcomes vs. Margaritaville, vs. SGP and at Destin.  When the dust settled, the Gophers were tied with the Volcanoes atop the Northbound Division with a 34-26 record after three months, one game ahead of Satellite Beach.

Ace Justin Verlander keyed the triumph over the Titans, notching victories in Games 1 and 5.  Yu Darvish bested Jose Berrios in Game 3, and reverse righty reliever Chase Anderson got his first start of the season in Game 4 and delivered a 6-2 victory.

Verlander opened the big series against Margaritaville with a 5-4 victory and Darvish followed with a 6-2 triumph in Game 3.  But the Gophers fell short in the last two games, losing an 11-inning heartbreaker in Game 4 and dropping a 6-3 decision in the finale behind struggling No. 5 starter Trevor Bauer.

Next up were the struggling Warriors, who arrived in Bushwood with a 9-31 record but managed to change their luck.  To be honest, the 2-3 outcome for the Gophers could easily have been 0-5.  Both of the Gophers’ victories came on walk-off homers.  Howie Kendrick connected off Raisel Iglsias to lead off the 13th inning of Game 3 to give Bushwood a 4-3 victory.  Iglesias was victimized again the very next game, when the Gophers erased a 7-5 deficit in the ninth inning to steal a victory.  Eric Sogard started the rally with a one-out solo homer to make it 7-6.  Buster Posey was hit by the next pitch and Yoan Moncada launched the next one over the fence, triggered a huge celebration at home plate.  Unfortunately, Bauer was up again for Game 5, and the Gophers suffered a 10-4 loss in the rubber game.

Gopher Holes for April

The Gophers logged 12 more wins in April following a 12-8 March to reach the quarter pole of the season at 24-16, good for a first-place tie in the competitive Southbound Division.  Ace Justin Verlander displayed his Cy Young form all month, going 3-0 with a 2.37 ERA in four April starts, recording 38 strikeouts in 30.1 innings.  JV was particularly hard on the Treblemakers, logging 15 strikeouts in a 5-2 victory in Game 1 and then flirting with a no-hitter in a 14-3 laugher in Game 5.  Verlander lost the no-no when Javy Baez homered with two outs in the seventh inning.  In 1983, Don Sutton tossed the only no-hitter in the 41-year history of the Vlasic/Bushwood franchise.

Not to be outdone, No. 5 starter Spencer Turnbull actually posted a lower ERA than Verlander for April, going 1-1 with a 2.04 ERA over three starts. … Reliever Ryan Pressly was impressive in his first action of the season, going 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA and 19 strikeouts over 13 high-leverage innings. … The debut of lefty long man Nick Ramirez, however, was less than scintillating:  12.86 ERA over 7 innings. … Likewise, No. 2 starter Yu Darvish had a rough month:  1-2 in four starts with an even 9.00 ERA (18 runs in 18 innings).  The hard thrower gave up eight homers in the month and is on pace to allow 60 for the year.

Gopher Holes for March

As submitted by Dave Renbarger

Buster Posey’s three-year home run drought is over.

The Gophers’ veteran catcher, who last homered in October of 2018, finally connected again after 421 homerless at-bats.  Even better, it was a lucky shot (homer 1-2, flyout 3-20, split roll 2).  Best of all, it was a game-winner, a two-run blast in the fourth inning vs. Bismarck’s Mike Clevinger that broke a 4-4 tie in Bushwood’s 6-5 victory.

It was a decent month overall for Posey, who slumped miserably for the entire 2019 season, and a good start for the Gophers as well.  Posey, who hit a puny .188 with a .484 OPS last year, is currently sporting marks of .285 and .742 for 2020.  And the Gophers checked in at 12-8 for March, good for second place in the Northbound behind the front-running Brawlers.

Bushwood and Savannah opened their 41st season as I-75 rivals with a face-to-face series at Draft HQ, and the Scorps claimed a 3-2 series victory.  But the Gophers’ fortunes improved under the netplay format, going 3-2 vs. the Huggers, then 4-1 at Tatooine and then 3-2 at Bismarck to round out the month.

Gopher Holes: Draft Recap

The proud owners of four of the first 29 picks in the draft, the Gophers were hoping to make a big haul in the 2020 I-75 Mail League draft and shore up several problem areas.  In the final analysis, it was mission accomplished.

Specifically, the Gophers had their own picks in the first and second rounds (No. 4 and No. 23) plus Boulder’s first two picks (No. 14 and No. 29), acquired in the Jacob deGrom blockbuster deal with the Huggers in December.  So the plan entering the draft was to snag a difference-making young slugger (such as Pete Alonso) at No. 4, the best pitchers available at No. 14 and No. 23 and the best value on the board at No. 29.

The first surprise came early, when Yordan Alvarez slipped to No. 4.  (I probably should have anticipated this, but was pretty sure that Vlad Guerrero, Fernando Tatis and Alvarez would go 1-2-3.)  I had Alvarez ranked slightly ahead of Alonso but still coveted Alonso as an everyday player who is slightly more proven with a promising future.  I hemmed and hawed, even expending an early timeout, before settling on Yordan.  Hope he’s not a half-season, sign-stealing flash in the pan.

My twin targets for No. 14 (best pitcher available) were superstar reliever Liam Hendriks and gifted but limited starter Frankie Montas.  Alas, Hendriks went to the Clips at No. 9 followed by Montas to the Brawlers at No. 10, and I was ill-prepared with no ready-made choice as Plan C.  Another first-round mini-crisis.

I decided to pivot away from a pitcher.

Gopher Holes for April

When Kike Hernandez was still on the board at pick No. 25 at the big March draft in Scottsdale, the Gophers were delighted. Judged by some predraft analysts as a first-round talent, the Dodgers handyman looked like a perfect fit for Bushwood. With 422 at-bats, outstanding power, tremendous versatility and a nicely balanced card, Kike was a no-brainer pick for a team that desperately needed help at second base and in the outfield. Forty games into the season, however, the Gophers are still waiting for the real Kike to show up. With a .174 average and a .591 OPS, the underachieving Hernandez ranks as one of the many reasons that the Gophers are just 16-24 at the 40-game mark.

Speaking of underachievers, don’t forget about ace pitchers Jacob deGrom and Justin Verlander and slugging outfielders Joey Gallo and George Springer. DeGrom (2-4, 6.12 ERA) and Verlander (3-4, 5.75 ERA) have been roughed up so often it is almost criminal. And we figured that Gallo couldn’t hit any worse than he did last year (.174 with 32 homers), but we were wrong (.143 with 7 homers — on pace for 28). Springer is building on his career-long underachieving rep with the Gophers, hitting just .203 with only three homers. Even veteran catcher Buster Posey, a traditional overachiever, has slipped below the Mendoza line at .196, perhaps due to exhaustion. Posey has started all 40 games behind the dish this season for the Gophers.

Gopher Holes for March

With three genuine aces in the rotation for the first time in 40 years, the Gophers, a team traditionally built around offense, has a different look for 2019.  Sadly, the results fell well short of the expectations for two of the three aces in March.  Jacob deGrom went 1-2 with a 4.76 ERA over five starts, and Justin Verlander was hit even harder, going 2-1 with a 6.99 ERA in his five outings.  Thankfully, Trevor Bauer held up his end, going 3-1 with a 1.61 ERA in four starts.  The Gophers, however, went only 6-8 in their aces’ 14 starts for the month, which ain’t gonna cut it.

The bullpen, which features solid arms but lacks a true closer, had a nightmarish opening month.  The pen routinely blew leads and completely imploded at least once per series.  Relievers with inflated ERAs include Ryan Pressley (11.05), Jordan Hicks (9.00), TJ McFarland (6.75) and Steve Cishek (5.25).  Long reliever Mike Montgomery bucked that trend, however, posting a 1.56 ERA over 17.1 innings and notching four saves (all of the nine-out variety).  Overall, however, the Gophers went 0-3 in extra inning games.

Offensively, the under-achievers outnumbered the overachievers.  There was George Springer at .167, second-round draft pick Kike Hernandez at .158, Joey Gallo at .143 and Isiah Kiner-Falefa at ,087.  SS Paul DeJong earned hitter of the month honors, with 7 homers and 15 RBIs, hitting .357 with a .905 slugging and a 1.254 OPS.  Ryan Zimmerman’s stats were even better in part-time duty:  hitting .393 and slugging .893 with an OPS of 1.326.  First-round pick Jesus Aguilar led the squad with 17 RBIs but hit just .200.

The Gophers finished in a dead heat on the monthly run-differential column, scoring and allowing 96 runs.