| Team | W/L | Pct | GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wandering House of David | 21-17 | .553 | — |
| Houston Colt .45’s | 20-18 | .526 | 1 |
| Kansas City Monarchs | 20-18 | .526 | 1 |
| Birmingham Black Barons | 14-23 | .378 | 6.5 |
| Indianapolis ABC’s | 12-25 | .324 | 8.5 |
#Birmingham Black Barons
Asdrúbal Cabrera came off his rehab assignment, with Cupid Childs sent down to AAA Atlanta.
Alejandro Peña began a rehab assignment.
Prized rookie catcher Joe Torre‘s strong start (341/383/455) combined with Jim Pagliaroni‘s ongoing struggles led to another nudge upwards in Torre’s playing time.
Setup man Akinori Otsuka (0.82 ERA in 11 innings) will miss about 3 months, as will Peña, who tore a finger tendon on his rehab assignment. Carlos Diaz was recalled from Atlanta.
Eddie Mathews hit 2 homeruns and drove in 3 in an 8-6 win at Indianapolis. The surprising Kerry Ligtenberg closed it out for his 1st save, though Luis Padrón took him deep in the 9th for the first run Ligtenberg had allowed all year.
Hank Aaron hit 2 homeruns and drove in 3 the next day, but Birmingham lost 7-5 to the ABC’s.
#Houston Colt .45’s
Houston finally pulled the plug on Trea Turner‘s painful 1-for-29 start to his WBL career, demoting the young prospect and recalling Bama Rowell.
Roy Oswalt, Andrew Chafin, and Sparky Lyle combined on a 4-hit shutout in a 1-0 win over the Chicago American Giants. Paul Goldschmidt‘s RBI triple in the 4th was the only run.
#Indianapolis ABC’s
Indianapolis, as always, shifts its rotation constantly. This week, it added Eppa Rixey (1.02 ERA in 17.2 innings of relief), sending Willie Mitchell to the pen.
Jeff Robinson went to the DL for about a week, and Elmer Steele was recalled from AAA.
#Kansas City Monarchs
Closer Craig Kimbrel began a rehab assignment.
With A. Rube Foster on the DL, Bob Gibson, who seems to finally be establishing himself at this level, moved into the rotation.
The Monarchs are still not sure how to structure their lineup–Sam Mongin will see some more IF time, but the high-speed, low-OBP trap of past seasons seems to be rearing its head again, as Frankie Frisch struggles, Kolten Wong is a black hole, and Cool Papa Bell and Ozzie Smith both are what they are at this point–blindingly fast, rarely on base.
#Wandering House of David
In something of a surprise, the House of David moved struggling one-time ace Jack W. Taylor (7.04 ERA in 7 starts; 205 innings at 3.42 in 2000) to the bullpen, with Bob Shaw (2.42 in 26 innings of relief) taking his turn in the rotation.
John Beckwith, now playing more and more behind the plate, went 3-for-4 with 2 solo homeruns in a 5-4 loss to the Chicago American Giants.
Jim Clinton (2.88 ERA over his first 4 starts) was hurt facing his first batter in a 10-0 loss to Chicago and will miss about a year. Kerry Wood was recalled from Columbus.
George Gore was hurt running the bases in a 14-2 loss at Homestead and will miss about a week. Tony Conigliaro (38 homeruns at Columbus last year, and 3 HR in his first WBL game) was recalled.
John Beckwith hit 2 more homeruns, the second a 2-run shot in the 9th that tied it 6-6, but Homestead won 7-6 in the 10th. Ron Santo struck out 5 times in the same game.
Brett Anderson, Scott Downs, and Dellin Betances combined on a 3-hit shutout in a 1-0 win at Homestead. Pete Browning, off to a magnificent start to the season, doubled and scored the only run, but was hurt running the bases. The House of David’s collective fandom held its breath over the historically fragile Browning, but he will miss only a few days.