Russell Cox Patiently Waits

After RP Xavier Brooks failed to make the leap from AAA to the majors earlier this year, Russell Cox, another promising relief arm, earned the final bullpen spot. That was on May 17. Now, 35 games later, Cox has yet to make his major league debut.

"Our starting rotation is so good at getting deep into the ball games that our go-to relievers don't get used up that often. It's my job to be ready if the situation calls, but it simply hasn't yet. I'm keeping my arm strength up by throwing on the side, and when I finally get the call, I'll be ready."

Despite his seemingly calm exterior, Cox certainly must be itching to finally pitch to the big boys. Flash manager Sour Surfer has stated that he thinks the lack of work for Cox could potentially haunt him, and so he is going to make an effort to get him into more ball games.

"The kid's got a live arm and could certainly contribute. We've got (SP Quinn) Stevenson on the mound today, and so there should be some innings available. (RP Jose) Maduro's earned his day off, so Cox is gonna get his shot if there's anything I can do about it."

"If we need to, we can even use him in different spots. He can stretch out a bit and give you 2, 3 innings of long relief if we need it. He'll have his opportunities soon."

Standings Update: After defeating the Washington D.C. Senators 5-3 today to split the first series after the All-Star Break, the Flash moved ahead of the division by 10 games. The entire NL East Division is playing .500+ baseball though, so the Flash cannot afford to coast their way into the playoffs in the back half of the schedule. The race for the first-round byes could also get interesting. The Flash are 3 games out of the 2-seed and 4 games out of the 1-seed as of today, and with the Atlanta Mad Dogs slumping a bit, that race could get even tighter before long.