5/1 Transactions

The Dover Destroyers claimed Ernie Mitchell off of waivers today from Pawtucket.

"We've been disapointed with the offensive output of our right field position all season," says owner "Mike999". "Mitchell still has some juice left in him, even at 34 years old."

OTHER TRANSACTIONS
Philadelphia removed Scooter Brock from the 15-day DL.

Oklahoma City removed Brandon Epstein from the 15-day DL.

Houston signed international free agent second baseman Cristobal Beltre.

Pawtucket promoted Dude Steele and Donnie Robinson from AAA to the big league club.

CHICAGO MAULERS AT SCRANTON SCRUBS 4/29PM2

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Scranton, PA (7M7AP): The Scranton Scrubs took advantage of young reliever Jonathan Hansen's inexperience, tagging him for six runs in one inning, on their way to routing the Chicago Maulers, 16-4, at Lackawana County Stadium, Thursday night.

Hansen, only 23 years old, has been tagged for the second time this season. Not known for his control, Hansen struggled in his only inning of the game. He gave up a three-run double to Scrubs left fielder James Anderson in the fifth inning and a three-run home run to second baseman Alex Caufield in the sixth.

Hansen wasn't the only Maulers reliever who struggled. Sean Lukasiewicz gave up six runs in his three innings as well.

"Our relievers have to wake the hell up," said irritated Maulers coach Steven Ledee. "Not that Duran did much to help out, but our relievers gave up twelve runs in four innings. That's not going to help you win ball games."

"Yeah, I flat out stunk tonight," said a dejected Lukasiewicz. "What I did tonight was embarassing."

Caufield went 3-for-4 in the game with a triple and a home run, while knocking in five runs.
Anderson went 4-for-5 for Scranton with a double, a home run, and a stolen base. In the game, he scored two runs and knocked in five.

"We were seeing the ball really well at the plate," an elated Anderson commented.


NOTES: James Anderson is 6-for-10 in his first two games back in the majors... Sean Lukasiewicz has given up six runs in an appearance twice this season... Scranton scored three runs in five out of eight innings in the game... After the game, the Maulers demoted Hansen to AAA.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Hardball Dynasty's

Alex Caufield

OWNER PROFILE - SharkyAZ - Chicago Maulers

This will be a weekly installment, hoping it will give us all a chance to get to know each other a bit and create sort of a tight knit league.



Screen name: sharkyaz

Real name: Nick

Age: 32

Current Residence: Oklahoma City, OK

Born in: Lansdale, PA

Occupation: Director of Merchandise for the Oklahoma City Thunder (contracted through XP Events)

Single? Married? Kids? - Have a girlfriend back in Seattle

How long have you been in HBD? Third season

What season did you join 7Mickey7? Season 8

What drew you to HBD? I saw it the year it started, but I was working for an expansion hockey team... I wouldn't have the time to devote to it, so I didn't join. Last season, when the Sonics had left, we had nothing to do. I saw HBD again and decided to join.

What condition was your team in when you took over? The team had a decent minor league system, but the team hadn't had a winning season 3. I had a pretty harsh learning curve, but I feel like I'm getting much better at managing my team. I had only done one trade since I started, but this season, I've done two or three. I feel like I made smart trades, and my team has started out 12-5. I'm hoping they can keep it up!

What are your plans for your team this season? I have a lot of superstars in the making that are starting to be called up to the majors. I brought up Spud Daly and Phil Beckett to start out with, and Daryl Lockwood will make it up at some point this season. I made a free agent acquisition in Louis Bieser, an absolute speedster, and I'm hoping to get him up here as well.

By no means did I think my team would start how they are, but I'm hoping they'll keep it up!

Prediction for your team? Wild Card, won't make it past the first round.

Pitcher of the Week

Rangers Starter Named Pitcher of the Week

Omar Campos Anaheim Rangers Age: 26 B/T: L/L Born: Oakley, CA Position(s): P (SP1) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Anaheim, CA (7M7AP): Rangers starter Omar Campos today was named the 7Mickey7 pitcher of the week for week 1.

Campos has given up only four runs in his first five appearances this season, striking out 23 batters and walking only nine over 37 innings. Campos' season era is .097, and he has earned four wins in five appearances.

"We're excited that Campos has earned this great honor," said Rangers manager Troy Waters. "He's off to a career start this season, and we're excited to see how he will do the rest of this season."

The Rangers will travel out to Santa Fe to take on the slugging Slammers for four games before traveling to Huntingdon to take on the Healeys for a three game set.

Player of the Week

Ariel Cervantes named 7Mickey7 Player of the Week

Ariel Cervantes Chicago Knights Age: 26 B/T: R/R Born: Bonao, DO Position(s): 2B/CIF/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Chicago, IL (7M7AP): Chicago Knights second baseman Ariel Cervantes was named the 7Mickey7 player of the week for week one of the season.

For the week, Cervantes batted .357 with six home runs, 15 RBI, and two stolen bases. Cervantes has it safely in 18 of 20 games, while hitting ten of his 15 RBI's within the first five games.

"We're very proud of Ariel and what he accomplished in the first week," Knights manager Tom Ensberg. "His contributions are a lot of the reason we are currently leading the division."

The Knights host the Kansas City Bo Knows starting tomorrow morning.

Injury Update

Tommy Kreuter Lost for the Season

Tommy Kreuter Philadelphia Wings Age: 35 B/T: R/R Born: Seffner, FL Position(s): 3B/1B/2B/COF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Philadelphia, PA (7M7AP): The Philadelphia Wings lost right-handed slugger, Tommy Kreuter, today in the sixth inning of their morning game against the Salt Lake City Utes, a game in which Philadelphia was victorious, 5-0.

"Tommy took a weird turn at first base on his flyout to left field," Philly coach Bernard Mullin explained. "It was a very strange injury, how he tweaked his neck, but we'll have to pick up and move on."

Kreuter hasn't been on the DL since Season 1 when he had shoulder surgery.

"This is a tough injury to swallow... especially since it happened in such an odd way," Kreuter lamented. "I battled back from my shoulder surgery in Season 1, and I'll do it again and be ready for Season 12."

"It will be hard to replace his leadership, but we will move on and continue to be successful," Mullin added.

Injury Update

O.J. Tracy placed on the 60-day DL

O.T. Tracy Little Rock Raiders Age: 26 B/T: R/R Born: Fairless Hills, PA Position(s): P (P) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Little Rock, AR ( 7M7AP): The Little Rock Raiders lost a vital part of their pitching staff today when O.T. Tracy (1-0, 2.93ERA) went down with a shoulder ligament tear in the second inning of their game against the St. Louis Redbirds this morning. The Raiders placed Tracy on the 60-day DL.

"That's obviously a huge blow to our team," Raiders manager Red Nixon commented. "Any time you lose your number one starter, you know your team will have a tough time down the road."

Tracy was off to a great start this season, posting a 2.93 ERA in five starts and holding opponents to a .264 batting average.

"This is very disappointing for me, personally," Tracy said. "I've been feeling great all season long, and this injury came out of left field."

Tracy is slated for surgery on Tuesday and will be out for at least nine weeks.