Injuries Pile Up; So Do The W's

A rash of injuries as of late have left the Flash scrambling to assemble a 25-man team, but you wouldn't know it by looking at their recent stretch of games. Despite losing 3B Cozy Thomas to a tight groin and SP Benny Aybar to a strained shoulder, both essential pieces to the team, the Flash have streaked to a 10-2 record over their last 12 games. And, of course, CF Willie Campos remains on the DL with his torn knee ligament.

How have they done it? The Flash have gotten contributions from everyone available, despite the grind of the long season. SP Julio Reynoso, acquired earlier this season from Colorado Springs, will temporarily man Aybar's position on the squad after receiving a callup from AAA. The 25-year-old made his ML debut one to remember by spinning a complete-game victory in which he looked dominant until the later innings, when his slider flattened out a bit.

Used to being surrounded by talented hitters like Thomas and Campos, SS Richard Takada has put the offense on his back of late. He leads all players in the majors in both HRs and RBIs, and his steady production in the middle of the lineup amid an ever-growing cast of characters hitting around him has kept the team not only afloat, but prospering.

1B Davy Hausmann, who was the benefactor of a callup when Campos went down, personifies the total-team effort the Flash have gotten out of their roster en route to the NL's best record. Hausmann has announced his major league arrival with authority, hitting .327 with 1 HR per 11 ABs during his limited playing time. "This is something that's instilled in us at AAA all the time. Especially at that level, the call could come at any time, and you've got to be ready to contribute for your team. I'm just doing the best I can, hoping to build off the success of the guys already up here who have brought the team this far," said Hausmann.

Those interested in the return dates of the injured Flash should expect to see Thomas back in action first, in about a week. Following him will be the much anticipated return of Campos a few days later. Aybar, unfortunately, will likely miss his next 3 starts, all of which should fall into Reynoso's hands.

All-Star Reliever Added for Stretch Run

Reports indicate that the Philadelphia Flash and Detroit Great Lake St have agreed to a deal that would bring RP Earle Edmonds to the Flash in exchange for 2 minor league pitchers, pending league approval. With the Transaction Deadline fast approaching it seemed the Flash might remain idle, but their long search for an affordable reliever finally bore fruit in the eleventh hour.

Edmonds, most notably famous for the trademark sunglasses he wears while he's on the mound, has been the Closer in Detroit for 3+ seasons, and has enjoyed much success in that role. Edmonds has 125 career saves, and a 91% save success rate. He also is a 3-time former all-star. It is unclear if Edmonds will usurp RP Rafael Perez' closer role, either immediately or during the playoffs.

For their part, the Flash packaged High A SP Nick Beck and Low A RP Chris Graves. Those in the know might remember Beck as the 49th overall draft pick in Season 1. He has posted good numbers in the minor leagues, and could very well be an important cog in a big league rotation someday. Graves, already 24 and still in Low A ball, also posted servicable numbers during his work in the Philly farm, but management has said he was not a part of their long-term plans.

The rest of the NL East had been rather busy in recent weeks picking up pieces for the final portion of the schedule while the Flash had stood pat. But GM Sour Surfer said this deal made too much sense to pass up. "Detroit had a lot of high payroll guys that weren't producing, so they needed to get younger, and we needed to tool up for the playoffs. Our bullpen is a bit of a soft underbelly for us, but we think Edmonds really gives us a shot to do big things this year."

As for that "beleaguered" Flash bullpen, only 25-year-old RP Albert Rosado has an ERA over 4 at 5.40, though he has only worked 5.0 innings this season. It seems likely that Rosado will be optioned to AAA once Edmonds joins the club.

Midsummer Classic Invites 3 Flash

The Philadelphia Flash send 3 representatives to this year's All-Star Game, up from one solitary honoree from a year ago. Each Flash All-Star is enjoying the honor for the first time in their career. It becomes the second consecutive year the Flash have sent no offensive players to the event.

First and foremost is SP Maximo Lemon, who had a Cy Young-caliber first half. Signed as a free agent from the Augusta Black Bears in the offseason, Lemon has really flourished in the senior circuit. At the break he is 10-3 with a 2.07 ERA, which leads the majors. He also touts an unheard of sub-1 WHIP at 0.99. That stat also leads the majors. It becomes obvious pretty quickly why he earned this nomination. At 35, Lemon could not be more excited to earn his first All-Star Game invitation.

Next up is RP Rafael Perez, the 24-year-old wunderkind the Flash managed to snag in last season's Rule 5 Draft. Last season, at the tender age of 23, he stole the closer's job away from Flash career saves leader, RP Duke Monroe, and has never surrendered it since. In this, his first full season as closer, Perez has successfully converted 20 of his 23 save opportunities. His 2.78 ERA is exactly where the Flash want it for a kid who can only get better as he matures.

Lastly, SP Willie Rodriguez has spun his best season in Philadelphia. Signed before Season 1 as a free agent and under the final year of that deal this season, Rodriguez's arm has suddenly come alive (perhaps because he is making a pitch for another lucrative contract). The 32-year-old has seen only 38 runners cross the plate on his ledger, good for a 10-4 record and a 2.72 ERA. If this is his final year in the red and gold, he is certainly giving the Philly fans something to remember him by.

Petersen Joins Webs' Pitching Arsenal

Anyone who follows the Wailing Onions Baseball League knows the name Mel Petersen. But now the Flash will get to know the SP a little more intimately over the second half of this season. The Charlotte Webs completed their second blockbuster trade of the year on Saturday. Petersen spent 3 and a half years in with the Detroit Great Lake St, where he went 62-24 (a .721 win percentage) with a 2.62 ERA. He also won the AL Cy Young in Seasons 2 and 3.

Anytime a pitcher of Petersen's caliber switches hands, you expect a pretty penny to have been paid. But none of the three pitching prospects Charlotte sent to Detroit (SP Alberto Barrios, SP Slick Sosa, and RP Danny Campbell) have scouts drooling over them. All three have questions about their control above all else. Sure Petersen is just a rental player, but considering he will also bring compensation draft picks to Charlotte when he leaves, the ransom for yanking the reigning Cy Young away from Detroit was certainly an affordable one.

Though Petersen bolsters a fearsome starting rotation for the Webs, some insiders have said Charlotte should have looked for bullpen aid instead. While every starter except SP Garrett Collins has a shimmering sub-3 ERA, no bullpen man has a sub-4 ERA. Even their closer, RP William Lui, has posted a 4.34 this season.

Still, the bold move may provide the necessary spark to push a 43-35 Webs team into the playoff picture, where anything could happen with such a dominant starting rotation. After 3 years and no playoff berths, the Web management has made it very clear that that result is no longer acceptable.

Webs Snag Wood: Perhaps following the advice of this very blog, reports indicate that the Charlotte Webs have agreed to a deal that will bring RP Steven Wood to them for two prospects, pending league approval. Wood has never done anything other than close games for the Santa Fe Booze Hounds, a task he successfully completed 81.7% of the time in a very tough ballpark for pitchers, earning him the distinction of being an all-star in seasons 2 and 3. The Webs packaged two power-hitting prospects to complete the upgrade, giving them yet another bullet with which to gun down the Flash, just days after bringing Petersen to the National League.

Campos Tears Knee Ligament

Philadelphia laid claim to the best record in the National League with a 9-6 win over the Augusta Black Bears. But there was a somber mood in the locker room after the game, as the team awaited word on the status of CF Willie Campos, a former all-star who left the game due to injury in the bottom of the 7th inning.

After heading back to Philadelphia to undergo an MRI, Campos got the devastating news that he would not be playing any baseball for a while. A torn knee ligament will sideline one of the Flash's everyday players for 2-3 months.

"Crushed, devastated, there's all kinds of words I could use," said ML Bench Coach Harold Willoughby after the game. "But, at the end of the day, it's part of the game, and the executives plan for exactly this kind of thing. Well, the good executives, anyway. We've got a Plan B and we'll put it into action starting tomorrow."

Replacing Campos is no easy task for a Flash club already bumping elbows with the salary cap. As Campos was placed on the 60-day DL, AAA 1B Davy Hausmann received the call-up he thought he was entitled to at the start of the year. "This is not the pretense I would like leading up to my big league Flash debut. But as an individual, this is an opportunity to get myself seen, so I have to make the most of it."

Campos was batting .293 this season with a .372 OBP, and he had also chipped in 8 HRs and 33 RBIs, while scoring 47 runs. His average is one of the highest on the team, and not having him on base in front of SS Richard Takada and 3B Cozy Thomas could cut offensive production for the club. But 2B William Saitou offered a positive spin, "We're the best team in the National League, and it's not just because of Willie. You hate to lose a teammate like that, but he'll be back, and I'm confident we can hold down the fort over the next couple of months."