Javelina Ground Eagles In 7-5 Win

It wasn't pretty, it certainly wasn't easy, but a "W" is a "W"; and the Javelina walked away with just that in winning a hotly contested week eight match-up of playoff hopefuls. Despite hitting only .220 as a team and struggling to drive in runs all week, Julian escaped Olivet with a crucial 7-5 series win. While the pitching led the way, late home runs from Geovany Soto and Ryan Zimmerman iced the win.

While late offense won it, there is no mistaking that the Julian pitching staff made that win possible. Just one week after posting a 6+ ERA, the Julian pitchers responded to a challenge from GM Jamie Hoyle and were nearly flawless from start to finish. The starting rotation got it started by allowing only four earned runs in 41 total innings (5 W, 41 IP, 26 H, 4 ER, 16 BB, 43 K). Jered Weaver, Johnny Cueto, and Yovanni Gallardo combined for 22 scoreless innings.

As they tend to do, the bullpen put the finishing touches on a great pitching week with 16 scoreless innings, 16 strike outs, a save and five holds. While all of the relievers were nearly untouchable, the best performance of the week came from set-up man Mike Adams (4 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 6 K, 2 Holds).

As good as the pitching was, the offense was equally bad. The offense hit only .215 for the week, drove in only 19 runs, scored a paltry 26 runs. They did manage eight home runs, including two from Ryan Zimmerman on Sunday, and 26 walks; which was enough to win both categories. The offense was led by Josh Willingham (.333, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 4 R, 4 BB) and Orlando Hudson (.292, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 6 R, 3 BB).

Swing and Misses....

Ryan Zimmerman's two home runs on Sunday were the 100th and 101st of his career....Sunday was the ninth career multi-homer game for Zimmerman....OF Adam Lind will watch week nine action from the bench as he continues to work through his offensive funk...OF Shin Soo Choo was hitless in his weekend series against the Yankees.

Julian Take Bite Out of Springfield, Wins 8-4

Don't look now, but the Julian Javelina appear to be finding their rhythm. Julian downed its third consecutive opponent last week, defeating the Springfield Flying Squirrels of Republic by a count of 8-4. The series win gave the Javelina a record of 36-31-5 and vaulted them past two teams and into first place in the West.

The win was highlighted by yet another sparkling pitching performance which included 42 strike outs, a 1.69 team ERA, and two saves. The staff was led by the right arms of Jered Weaver (7IP, 1 ER, 12K) and Joel Pineiro (12 IP, 0 ER, 12K, 0.50 WHIP), despite the fact that they combined for only one win. The bullpen was also nearly flawless in recording two saves and four holds en route to controlling half of the pitching stats.

Perhaps more importantly, the offense showed its first signs of sustained life. After a slow start, Julian hit a combined .382 (34/89) Thursday through Saturday with 6 home runs, 25 RBI, 22 R, 10 BB and 3 SB. The offense was led by Ryan Zimmerman (.345, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 7 R, 3 BB), Andrew McCutchen (.381, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 6 R, 3BB, 2 SB), and Austin Kearns (,300, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 7 R, 3 BB). All told, the offense captured 5/6 offensive categories.

"The pitching is performing well enough that we can afford to wait for the bats to come around, and they're beginning to do just that. ," said GM Jamie Hoyle. "Anytime you beat a solid team like the Squirrels 8-4, you've had a good week."

Julian finds its self in the eMLB featured series of the week this week against Great Lakes Division leaders Mid Michigan Tigers.

Hits and Misses....

The team added 2B Orlando Hudson, 1B/OF Eric Hinske, IF Willie Aybar, OF Andres Torres and RP Joe Beimel to the mix in an effort to deepen their bench...SP Mat Latos will make his first appearance in the starting rotation Tuesday night....SP Johnny Cueto has been on a roll since April 30th (3-0, 27 IP, 2.00 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 26 K) and may be earning his way into the rotation....An unnamed source indicated the team might look to move a starting pitcher - likely Pineiro or Garland - for an accomplished bat, thus creating a permanent home in the rotation for both Latos and Cueto.

Javelina Eek Out 7-5 Win

The Julian Javelina went into their week five series with the Encinitas Beach Bums in need of a divisional win. Having already dropped series to the Blacksox and Rangers, it was imperative that Julian find a way to earn a win over a division rival, and they did.

Julian won the series by a count of 7-5 thanks in no small part to an overwhelming showing by the team's pitching staff. The Javelina won all six pitching categories. Julian pitching posted an impressive 6 wins, 48 strike outs, 6 holds, 2.98 ERA, and 1.19 WHIP, and managed to win despite getting only one save. Through five weeks, the Julian pitching staff finds its self ranked in the league's top five in wins (19), strike outs (258), and holds (25).

"Right now, our pitching is keeping us in games," said GM Jamie Hoyle. "They've been outstanding across the board, but the starting pitching has been even better than expected. They're taking us late into games, missing bats, and keeping guys off base for the most part."

The real (and most disappointing) story as it relates to this win is yet another lackluster performance by the Julian offense. Picked by many to be one of the better offenses in the league this season, the Javelina bats compiled a mere 3 home runs, 21 runs batted in, 24 runs, and failed to steal a single base. They did, however, post respectable walk (27) and batting average (.280) totals for the week. As a team, the Javelina rank near the bottom in two of six offensive categories (R, RBI), in the middle in two (HR, SB), and top five in two (BB, BA).

"The offense is an area of concern for us through five weeks," said Hoyle. "We're not hitting for the power we expected, the speed has not translated into steals, and the bottom line is we just aren't producing enough runs. That said, it's only five weeks and we do expect some guys to improve as the season progresses."

Swings and Misses....

OF/DH Adam Lind is mired in a horrible slump in May, bringing his average down near .230...Geovany Soto is enjoying a bounce back season and leads the offense with an astounding 23 walks in the early going...Andrew McCutchen hit .630 (10-16, 5 2B, 5 R, 3 BB) last week...Jon Garland has allowed 2 ER in his previous four starts (28 IP, 2 ER, 14 H, 16 K).

Week 4 Recap -- Javelina v Heat

The Julian Javelina went into their week four match-up with the South Texas Heat reeling to a certain degree. They had lost two of their first three series, both losses coming within the division, and the offense was sputtering. Not only did the Javelina badly need a good showing, but they needed a big win over a projected playoff contender. They got what they needed.

The Javelina streaked out to a big early lead thanks to an extremely balanced attack. It started with an offensive outburst that included hitting .365 for the first two days of the week. As the week progressed, the Javelina pitchers took control. Before the start of play on Friday, Javelina starting pitching had logged 26 innings while allowing only 2 ER and striking out 25. Yovanni Gallardo's seven inning, eleven strike out performance Saturday night allowed the Javelina to lock up all six pitching categories.

The offense, while still something of a work in progress, did an excellent job of holding up its end of the bargain, as well. They hit only .265 for the week, but they managed to pound out nine home runs and drive in 34 runs. While the Javelina managed to win only two offensive categories, they were largely competitive across the board. A poor showing Sunday dragged down some of the totals.

After four weeks of play, the Javelina find themselves #2 in the power rankings thanks. As a team, the Javelina rank in the top five in four of six offensive categories (HR, SB, BB, AVG) and in three pitching categories (W, H, K). They rank in the top half of the league in 10 of 12 categories (all except ERA and WHIP).

The Javelina will take on division rival Encinitas in week five. Having already dropped series to ES and North Texas, Julian must win this week in order to begin climbing back up to the top of the division. While the pitching match-ups seem fairly even on paper, one would have to expect the Javelina to carry most of the offensive categories.

Hits and Misses....

Andrew McCutchen awakened from something of a power drought with three home runs during week four....the team welcomed 3B Ryan Zimmerman back with open arms, and he responded by drilling two homers in his first game back....Adam LaRoche smashed three homers and drove in ten...the team added Eric Young Jr for 2B depth last week, and he will start at that position with Brian Roberts still ailing....with both Bengie Molina and Geovany Soto hitting well, the team will experiment with playing both catchers in week five.