September callups

Gonzalo Diéguez

Pity the catcher

Backstop

When gonzalo takes windup

Down

Down

In the dirt

Off shins

Nether regions

Nasty

Ninety four plus

Sinkers

Sliders

Forkballs

Levers always pointing south

Burly six foot seven

Like a bear attacking swing

Thinking your

Bat

Is a picnic

Eat it up

But now

You’re in the bigs

And no matter

How many inches

How much heat

That number on your back

Says, “rookie”

 ____________

The Hops enter September and the last 27 games of the season with a good chance to finish above .500 for just the third time in franchise history. Though unlikely, there is still an outside chance that the Hops can make playoffs for only the second time in history. Coming off a 7-3 run despite injuries to key players (OF/1b Kyle Reader, DH/1b Shannon Chase and C Goldi Lebel), the Hops real test will come in their next seven games on the road where they are only 25-38.

Young southpaws, Mal Tosewell, 16-5 with a league’s third best 3.67 ERA, and rookie, Francisco Rólon, 6-2 and a 4.11 ERA, are leading the turnaround on the mound. Top hitters are the usual San Diego suspects for the most part: Carlos Avila, slash line of .302/27/105, Terrence Sepkiechler, .314/17/84, Antonio Rojas, filling in for Lebel behind the plate, .283/13/47, and newly minted star, Ricardo Romo, .344/12/70.

Badry Makaev just came off the injured list after missing the entire season so far, and Justin Davis returns from AAA exile to shore up an outfield struck by the Reader injury. Local pundits are interested in the rookie pitchers other than Rólon, “Skates” Cheung who has been sporadic in this his first real test after six games in 2022, and rd. 8 draft pick Gonzalo Diéguez, who at 6’7”, is a big drink of water with a 14-5 AAA record.

Down on the farm in Coronado, a pair of first round draft choice 20 year olds are exciting the San Diego fans, switch hitting Phillipine OF Jejomar Butardo, and another switch hitter, Taiwanese OF Zhao-Ying Gai. To further highlight a United Nations farm system, Iraqi lefty Salah Bin Atif is climbing through the system with three big-league pitches, and Mexican closer, Alonso Esquivel. In fact, only six of the top twenty prospects in the SD farm system are native to the United States.