State of the Scorpions, sim 1 edition

The Los Angeles Scorpions got off to a strong start to the 2012 season with a dominating 7 2/3 shut-out inning performance from new ace starter Thomas Cohen. Over the first sim, the team finished 7-6, two games behind front runners River Cities. The two teams played twice in the last days of the sim, with River Cities squeaking out wins in both games as the bullpens in both teams uncharacteristically gave up late inning runs. The two teams play twice more in the second sim, as the Scorpions will travel up to Walla Walla, before returning to a homestand featuring Cleveland and River Cities, again, before traveling to Danville to finish April.

Who's Hot

• 1B Luis Jeon - 5 HR, 14 RBI, and an OPS of 1112 in the first two weeks of the season.
• 2B Duane Gerhardt - .345 AVG, 6 doubles, 3 triples, and an OPS of 1018.
• SS Ricky Peppers - .404 AVG, 6 doubles, an an OPS of 1099, plus he was named the Player of the Week for the 8th time.
• MR Johnny Cowherd - In 10 2/3 innings, he has already struck out 23 batters, which leads the team. He also had an ERA of 2.53 in the early goings.

Who's Cold

• SP Andrew Crank - 0-2, 10.80 ERA, 2.40 WHIP in just 8.1 innings (two starts) earned the #5 starter a spot in the bullpen as the team will experiment with a 4-man rotation for the next two weeks.
• RF Hector Davila - The new OF has struggled adjusting to the Zotti League, with just a .208 AVG and an OPS of 490, in the first two weeks.

Down on the Farm

• SP Joel Cavazos - Acquired with Cohen and Davila in the big Paul Shunk deal with Hickory in the off-season, Cavazos went 2-0, with a 1.93 ERA and 12 Ks in two starts for AA Kalmar Unionists. He'll soon be promoted to AAA Arizona Bay if he keeps up that performance.
  

Game of the Sim

On April 6th, aces Thomas Cohen of Los Angeles and Frank Osborne of Danville met in their second starts of the season. Cohen, coming off 7 2/3 scoreless innings in Walla Walla on Opening Day, promptly gave up his first Zotti League runs in the form of a 2-run HR to Franklin Jackson in the bottom of the first inning. That was the only scoring until the 7th, as Frank Osborne cruised through the Scorpions's potent lineup. Once Robert Young led off the top of the 7th with a solo HR, the game took on a completely different tone.

In the 8th, Luis Jeon hit his 2nd HR of the season, a two-run shot off Noble Bryant to give the Scorpions a 3-2 lead. When LA's ace closer Junior Cuomo stepped onto the mound at the bottom of the 9th, even the sportswriters started heading for the exits. However, a one-out double by Stephen Herbert, followed by a broken-bat bloop single by Danville's Reggie Glatt quickly tied the game, stunning the stragglers in the original crowd of 13,944. Furious, Cuomo struck out Angel Bejar and Billy Hayton to force extra innings.

The two ace starters long forgotten in the game, Los Angeles batted around in the top of the 10th, scoring 4 runs, before Danville's Bill Mastrangelo hit a garbage time solo HR off William Augustin in the bottom of the 10th. Los Angeles wins 8-4.