American Association Insider: Thursday July 9th Takeaways

Kevin Luckow

(non member of IBWAA)

I feel like I've used this byline enough that I should offer up an explanation. In 2020 I decided to become a member of a group called Internet Baseball Writer's Association of America. For a fee, your work got promoted and would be seen by a wider audience. My first piece after joining was a piece in which I expressed, rightly so, concerns about how unsafe Minneapolis has become and how it would adversely affect Minnesota Twins attendance (that and negativity towards ownership gave the Twins a crowd of less than 18,000 on a pleasant Summer night with division rival Cleveland in town Tuesday). I have not been to a Twins game since 2019, after being a partial season ticket holder in 2010. Minneapolis was out of control after George Floyd's death, and my views on that and related items did not conform with the far left ideology that was the IBWAA higher ups. They refused to endorse my blog. So I quit and got a refund. Damned if I was going to let libs from the East Coast censor a blog, the most uncensored "journalism" around.  

Now that is out of the way, we had a matinee and four games under the lights in the Association on Thursday night.

Wisconsin Dive Bars 8 Kane County 7

Fans at Kamp Oconomowoc today were happier than Dive Bar folks after seeing the bartender get a fresh jug of pickled gizzards from the cooler. The Dive Bars defeated the Cougars in a game in which they never trailed after a four run third inning, though the Cougars kept battling back, falling a run short in the ninth. Charles Mack is on a home run tear, collecting his team leading 10th for the Cougars, a two run shot. Sam Dexter added a solo bomb for the Cougars. Joshua Mears was the story of the game for the Dive Bars, going 3-4 with a pair of home runs, his 18th in the first inning, a two run shot. Then a three run blow in the four run fourth inning. 

Kansas City 5 Cleburne 2

The Monarchs took a 5-0 lead in the fourth and didn't look back, taking the series finale from the Railroaders at Legends Field. Nick Martini drove in three runs going 2-3 with a walk from the lead off spot. Should we just call the top of the Monarchs order with Martini, J.D. Davis and Luken Baker ML3? Speaking of MLB alums, Mallex Smith went 2-4 and stole three bases for the Railroaders, bumping his season total to 31, good for third in AAPB.  Jimmy Endersby picked up the win allowing two runs in 6.1 innings. Tyler Myrick picked up the save, with the assumption he will take over closing duties after Durbin Feltman had his contract transferred to St. Louis. 

Sioux Falls 8 Chicago 3

If this was Sesame Street, this game would be sponsored by the number 4 and the letters HR. Down 1-0 in the fifth, the Canaries put up four runs on a pair of two run home runs by Chase Engelhard and Josh Rehwaldt. Rehwaldt's home run was his ninth. One has to wonder if he would be nipping at the heels of Jose Sermo and Joshua Mears if he hadn't missed a couple of weeks. In spite of walking six Dogs in 5.1 innings, Thomas Dorminy won his second straight start going 5.1 innings, allowing two runs, one earned. Kelvan Pilot got the loss to continue his tough season. Pilot's only win was against his current team when he had 20 runs of support in a win on June 6. 


Photo courtesy of Jennifer Andreachi

Sioux City 7 Fargo-Moorhead 3

Sometimes adversity allows the unexpected an opportunity to shine. Jaseel De La Cruz an arm expected to boost the Explorers went on the injured list. The reaction was to give the start to Reed Butz who had been in the rotation earlier in the season. In the end the answer was in the bullpen as Nathan Mertens took over for Butz in the third inning and went the rest of the way, not allowing an earned run as the Explorers take two of three from the visiting RedHawks. Now the dilemma for the Explorers is, do you insert Mertens into the rotation as he was obviously stretched out tonight. Or do you keep him as a Rob Wort kind of weapon in the bullpen, a solid pitcher that can thrown long relief in a bullpen that has struggled outsidie of closer Trey Morrill? To me, starting pitching is so hard to find, if Mertens shows he belongs, he has to be inserted into the rotation out of the All Star Break. Jose Sermo had a pair of runs batted in but did not go deep as he has now been passed for the league lead in home runs. Zane Denton drove in three in the winning effort for the X's.

Lincoln 16 Gary SouthShore 10 

Six runs in the fourth and four in the sixth were the big innings for the Saltdogs as they defeated the RailCats in a slugfest at Haymarket Park. Jake Hjelle homered twice bumping his total to nine for the season. It was 4-6 night for Hjelle as he drove in four runs to lead the Saltdogs attack. Cam Phelts had three hits and drove in three runs from the lead off spot. Elvis Peralta hit a grand slam in the second inning to erase a 5-2 deficit. Peralta had six runs driven in to lead the RailCats. Tough night for RailCats pitching as closer Jacob Coats was the only one out of five pitchers to not give up a run. 








































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