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TWIWBL 12.1: Series X Notes – Bill James Division

On July 21, 2021

#Detroit Wolverines

Johnny Marcum‘s return to the rotation was a good sign for Detroit fans. Marcum combined with Mickey Lolich, Kevin Hart, and Mike Henneman, allowing 6 hits and 1 run in a 2-1 victory over Brooklyn. Marcum improved to 3-1, with Henneman picking up his 7th save.

All 7 of the Wolverines’ hits came from Tony Phillips (3) and Ty Cobb and Hank Greenberg (2 each).

Hank Aguirre will be on the DL for at least a 10 days, forcing the Wolverines into another change in their starting rotation. Buddy Napier was recalled from AAA to take Aguirre’s roster spot.

#Los Angeles Angels

Doc Gooden, Nolan Ryan, Jonny Venters, and Joe Nathan combined on a 5-hit shutout and Derrek Lee broke open a scoreless game with a 2-run double as the Angels triumphed over Chicago, 3-0. Gooden allowed only 2 hits in 4 innings before a rain delay forced him out of the game, a very positive sign for the struggling, young righthander.

Gerrit Cole joined the WBL’s group of 6 game winners with 7 innings of 4-hit, 1-run pitching against Chicago. Chuck Finley and Nathan finished the game off, with Cole’s record now 6-2 and Nathan picking up his 5th save. The difference in the game was Kal Daniels‘ 3rd homerun.

#Memphis Red Sox

During an 11-3 loss to the Gothams, Nomar Garciaparra was injured in a collision at home plate, and will miss at least a week. Wayne Causey was recalled from AA for infield depth.

#New York Gothams

4 hits from Willie Mays and 4 RBIs from Carl Furillo led the Gothams to an 11-3 win over Memphis, with a strong start from Juan Marichal moving the right-hander to 3-1 on the year.

Helped by back-to-back homeruns from Mays and Johnny Callison and 5 double plays, the Gothams rolled to a 9-2 victory in the second game of the series. Mickey Welch pitched 6 solid innings to improve to 4-1 and Al Mays earned his first save with 3 scoreless innings in relief.

Gaylord Perry‘s first start didn’t go so well. Then, Christy Mathewson was called into the game to replace an injured Carson Smith, who was put on the DL. All of that made the Gothams look for an SP to recall from AAA, and they settled on Buck O’Brien. Pete Donohue looks better right now, but after a recent start, Donohue would be unavailable for use for a few days, a luxury New York cannot afford.

#Wandering House of David

Closer Tom Niedenfuer, who’s been excellent all season, will miss about 3 months with shoulder inflammation. Bruce Sutter is likely to take over as closer with Phil Regan being recalled from AAA.

TWIWBL 12.0: Series X Notes

By mknn

On July 20, 2021

In TWIWBL

May 13th

Performance

Baltimore pulled off a very impressive sweep of the New York Black Yankees, moving into first place in the Cum Posey Division. It leaves the Black Yankees–who at one point seemed likely to run away from the league–with the 3rd best record in the league, behind both Baltimore (26-16) and Portland (27-15).

Reggie Jackson may be the most surprising offensive performer so far, leading the league in both BA and OBP. Babe Ruth is still the most impressive single performer, and his teammate Lou Gehrig is now second in the league in SLG behind Ruth.

The WBL is not a pitcher’s league at this point: the potent offenses reduce the number of decisions earned by starting pitchers (only 2 have won 6 games despite most starters having 8 or 9 starts) and an ERA below 3.50 or so is quite exceptional.

Leading SP: Walter Johnson (POR) 6-0, 3.21 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 2.0 WAR; Gerrit Cole (LAA) 6-2, 4.09 ERA; Camilo Pascual (MCG) 4-1, 2.26 ERA; Don Drysedale (BRK) 4-1, 2.41 ERA; Ron Guidry (NYY) 4-3, 3.41 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 76 K; Lefty Grove (SFS) 4-1, 3.33 ERA, 64 K; CC Sabathia 5-2, 2.73 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 1.9 WAR.

Leading RP: Johan Santana (POR) 0-1, 3.18 ERA, 14 Sv; Terry Adams (CLE) 0-1, 1.98 ERA, 10 Sv; Ron Reed (PHI) 0-2, 3.05 ERA, 2 Sv, 8 H; Craig Kimbrel (KAN) 1-1, 2.37 ERA, 7 H; Aroldis Chapman (MCG) 0-2, 0.00 ERA, 9 Sv; Joe Beggs (MEM) 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 4 Sv; Jonathan Papelbon (MEM) 0-1, 1.37 ERA, 3 Sv, 2 H, 0.76 WHIP; Brian Wilson (NYG) 0-0, 2.25 ERA, 3 Sv, 0.83 WHIP.

Leading Batters: Reggie Jackson (SFS) 387/506/664; Buster Posey (NYG) 382/452/639, 33 R, 2.5 WAR; Lou Gehrig (NYY) 358/462/692; Babe Ruth (NYY) 357/451/732, 15 HR, 43 R, 2.7 WAR; Rico Carty (PHI) 358/419/562, 16 2B; Johnny Callison (NYG) 277/331/540, 13 2B; Terry Puhl 252/324/412, 5 3B; Louis Santop (CLE) 293/337/439, 5 3B; Curt Blefary (BAL) 299/410/675, 13 HR; Eric Davis (NYY) 296/337/537, 48 RBI; Doug Rader (LAA) 313/360/506, 45 RBI; Rickey Henderson (SFS) 275/442/377, 40 BB, 36 SB.

League Standings | League Statistics

Streaks

The Black Yankees’ Thurman Munson has the longest active hitting streak at 16 games.

Getting on base is, evidently, much easier than getting a hit: there are four active on-base streaks, led by Philadelphia‘s Rico Carty (20 games), Los Angeles‘ Don Buford (19 games), Ottawa‘s Carlos Delgado (18 games), and Indianapolis‘ Oscar Charleston (17 games).

Rickey Henderson has swiped his last 25 bases. Some notable pinch-hitting streaks are alive as well: Indianapolis’ Johnny Bench has come up with a hit in his last 3 pinch-hit appearances, and both Cleveland‘s Ron Blomberg and Philadelphia’s George Hendrick have hit homeruns in their last 2 pinch-hitting appearances.

Bench has been on fire, hitting 365/468/769 over his last 16 games.

On the mound, Baltimore’s Ned Garvin‘s hitless inning streak ended at 9.1 and Camilo Pascual‘s scoreless streak at 19 innings. Whit Wyatt (CLE) hasn’t allowed a run in his last 16 innings.

At the team level, Houston is 8-2 over their last 10 games and Birmingham has managed only 3 victories in their last 10. Baltimore has won 4 straight, and both Chicago and Indianapolis have lost 3 in a row.

Series Results

Series Sweeps

Baltimore over New York Black Yankees

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series X

Detroit over Brooklyn
Los Angeles over Chicago
Houston over Philadelphia
Kansas City over Indianapolis
New York Gothams over Memphis
House of David over Ottawa

Series Splits

Birmingham v Homestead
Cleveland v Portland
Miami v San Francisco

TWIWBL Special Edition: All Star Preview – Catchers

By mknn

On July 19, 2021

In All Star Games, TWIWBL

{ The All-Star game is about a month away. We’ll post occasional articles about the contenders for participation in the mid-season classic. These are written “as of now,” so the final selections may vary dramatically, but hopefully these will add to the ongoing flavor of the league. }

#AL Catchers: Bill James & Cum Posey Divisions

The New York Gothams‘ Buster Posey is the clear class of this group, hitting 377/451/623, scoring 35 runs, and already accumulating a 2.6 WAR on the season. That’s easy. So is Baltimore‘s Curt Blefary, second in the league in HR with 13 while hitting 280/392/632 with 34 RBI.

Behind him, it gets a little tougher. The House of David‘s Elrod Hendricks deserves consideration at 263/323/483. Kansas City‘s Ted Simmons (296/330/444) and Houston‘s Jim O’Rourke (254/342/433) have been solid offensively, but neither have really played enough and O’Rourke spends a lot of his time at other positions.

Hendricks has a CERA of 4.06, which helps his case, but has only thrown out 6 of 42 base-stealers, which doesn’t. But nothing else really stands out defensively: Ottawa‘s Emil Gross has thrown out 37.5% of opposing runners, but hasn’t hit enough to merit consideration.

Both I and the AI make the fairly easy choices: Posey, Blefary, and Hendricks.

#NL Catchers: Effa Manley & Marvin Miller Divisions

The choices get harder in the NL.

Johnny Bench of Indianapolis has seen a recent hot streak take him to 289/394/578 with 9 homeruns. And that might not be enough to start, as Portland‘s Joe Mauer is hitting 356/456/625. But the two of them have to be selected.

That leaves one slot with several worthy candidates. Even if you eliminate Cleveland‘s John Ellis (299/352/608) and Philadelphia‘s Sherm Lollar (263/374/513) for not having played quite enough, you have to pick between Homestead‘s Josh Gibson (321/410/473) and the Black Yankees‘ Thurman Munson (303/345/508). WAR favors Gibson by quite a bit, 1.6 to 1.1.

Turning to the defensive statistics, Mauer has thrown out 35.5% of would-be base stealers, but he’s already in. Defensively, Munson has an edge, helped by Gibson’s 9 errors, but it’s not as big of an edge as you may think. Cleveland’s Louis Santop may be the best defensive catcher in the league, but his offense–which is quite respectable with a 314/354/488 slash line–is a notch behind these others, and splitting time with Ellis has kept him off the field a bit too much.

So, once again, we’re in agreement with the AI: Mauer, Bench, and Gibson.

TWIWBL Special Edition: All Star Preview – NL Relievers

By mknn

On July 17, 2021

In All Star Games, TWIWBL

There are, of course, a lot of candidates in relief. Many of these will fall off the radar, as a single bad outing is likely to take them out of all-star contention.

Johan Santana of Portland has been the leading reliever all season, with 14 saves. His ERA has taken a recent hit, but it still sits a highly respectable 3.18. Terry Adams of the Cleveland Spiders has 11 saves to go along with an 0-1 record and a 1.84 ERA, and merits strong consideration.

A trio of closers sit immediately behind Santana: San Francisco‘s Rod Beck (10 saves and a 0.00 ERA, but only 9 innings pitched), Miami‘s Aroldis Chapman (2-0, 9 saves, also yet to be scored upon), and Brooklyn‘s Watty Clark (2-1, 2.51 ERA). Clearly, if Beck or Chapman continue to not allow a run, they’re in.

Philadelphia‘s Bob Howry is more problematic: his 10 saves look strong, but his 0-2 record and, even more, 6.59 ERA probably rule him out of the game. Howry’s teammate, Ron Reed, may have a stronger case: 0-2, 2 saves, 8 holds, and a 3.13 ERA.

The Black Yankees‘ David Robertson (2-1, 2 holds, 2.28 ERA) and Ralph Citarella (1-2, 1 save, 7 holds, 3.71 ERA) and Cleveland’s Chuck Porter (3-2, 2 holds) have all been impressive in setup roles. Add Portland’s Elmer Brown (2-2, 2 saves, 5 holds, 2.37 ERA) and Brooklyn’s Erig Gagne (0-1, 1 save, 5 holds, 2.45 ERA) into the mix, as well as San Francisco’s Ken Howell, who is 1-1 with a save and 2 holds and a sparkling 1.47 ERA.

For higher usage relievers, another Philadelphia Star, Rheal Cormier should get some attention, as he has put up a 4-0 record with 1 save and 4 holds, a 2.33 ERA and a stellar 1.14 WHIP. San Francisco’s Charlie Root is also 3-0, with a 3.33 ERA and an even better 1.07 WHIP.

Indianapolis‘ Rob Dibble just needs more innings: he has been virtually unhittable so far, sitting at 2-1 with 6 saves and a 1.55 ERA along with a 1.08 WHIP. But that’s only across 12 innings of work.

The AI likes Cormier, Stan Coveleski (Cleveland; 3-0, 2 holds, 2.81 ERA), Lefty James (Indianapolis; 3-1, 2.52 ERA), and Robertson.

Right now, my five would be Santana, Adams, Chapman, Cormier, and … Dibble.

TWIWBL Special Edition: All Star Preview – AL Relievers

By mknn

On July 17, 2021

In All Star Games, TWIWBL

There are, of course, a lot of candidates in relief. Many of these will fall off the radar, as a single bad outing (or injury) is likely to take them out of all-star contention.

Tom Henke of the Ottawa Mounties has 10 saves, with a 3.29 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP, easily the AL leading closer at this point.

Detroit‘s Mike Henneman (0-2, 2.89 ERA) and Kansas City‘s Jeff Pfeffer (4-1, 3.05 ERA) have 7 saves each (as does the House of David‘s Tom Niedenfuer, who was arguably having a better year before injuring his shoulder) and either could sneak in, with Pfeffer’s record perhaps giving him an edge. Memphis‘ Joe Beggs has only 4 saves, but he has yet to give up a run: clearly if that continues, he deserves serious consideration.

Baltimore‘s Don Bessent (0-1, 6 saves, 1.42 ERA) is the only other closer with decent usage with a WHIP below 1, at 0.87 (Baltimore has actually split closing opportunities between Bessent and Bob Miller, but Bessent has had more saves and save opportunities–Miller sits at 1-0 with 3 saves and 2 holds and a 3.29 ERA, but a similar 0.95 WHIP).

In addition to Beggs, the Memphis bullpen offers Jonathan Papelbon, who has a 1.35 ERA and a sparkling WHIP of 0.80 to go along with an 0-1 record, 3 saves, and 2 holds. Setting up Henke, Ottawa’s Gary Lavelle is 2-1 with 1 save and 2 holds and a 1.96 ERA and teammate Ted Bowsfield is 2-0 with a 2.14 ERA.

Kansas City may have the best quartet of relievers in the league, with–in addition to Pfeffer as the closer–Craig Kimbrel, who has been virtually unhittable, at 1-1 with a 2.37 ERA and a WHIP of 1.00 and Adam Wainwright and Frank DiPino. Wainwright has only an 0-1 record, but a 1.80 ERA and 0.96 WHIP and DiPino is 0-2 with 1 save and 2 holds along with a 1.74 ERA.

The House of David’s Bob Rush may be the closest competition Wainwright has as a high inning reliever. Rush is 3-1 with a 1.66 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. Some would argue that Baltimore’s Ned Garvin belongs here as well–Garvin has made 2 starts and 8 relief appearances, accumulating a 3-1 record with 2 holds and a 2.62 ERA with a 0.96 WHIP.

Chuck Finley‘s role for Los Angeles has been in flux all year, but he’s been excellent no matter how he’s been used, at 2-0 with 4 holds and a 2.96 ERA to go along with a 1.11 WHIP.

The AI’s choices are somewhat inexplicable: Finley, Baltimore’s Buddy Groom (0-0, 1 save, 4 holds, 2.42 ERA), Lavelle, and the Gothams‘ Mike Norris (1-1, 1 hold, 2.25 ERA). I mean, I love me some Mike Norris, but …

I would project five relievers as Henke, Papelbon, Finley, Kimbrel, and Wainwright. But it’s very unpredictable this early in the game.

TWIWBL Special Edition: All Star Preview – NL Starting Pitchers

By mknn

On July 14, 2021

In All Star Games, TWIWBL

We’ll start with the starting pitchers. Note that the NL is actually the Marvin Miller & Effa Manley Divisions.

First, the shoo-in. Portland‘s Walter Johnson is 6-0 with a 3.07 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, and 1.9 WAR. Only a massive collapse would prevent Big Train from being the inaugural starter for the NL.

After Johnson, it gets cloudy very quickly.

Brooklyn‘s Don Drysdale was hit hard in his most recent start, seeing his ERA move all the way to 2.41. That’s impressive, but it puts him behind Miami‘s Camilo Pascual at 2.26, and both hurlers have records of 4-1.

The Black Yankees‘ Ron Guidry has a record of only 4-3, but a 3.41 ERA and a WBL-leading 76 strikeouts, along with a 1.12 WHIP, given him a strong case. It’s an interesting comparison with Ray Collins (PHI), who is 4-1 with a 2.87 ERA, but a WHIP just under 1.3, and more walks than strikeouts.

Cleveland‘s Whit Wyatt is 3-1, but if he continues to maintain a 2.41 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP, along with a sub 4.00 FIP, he’ll have to be in the conversation. Another Spiders’ hurler, Cy Young, is emerging as well. Young is only 2-2 for his record, but has a 3.26 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP and 1.2 WAR.

Miami’s Tommy Bridges was added to the rotation after the start of the season, but has performed well, with a 3-0 record and a 2.87 ERA.

The AI thinks the NL should take fifteen pitchers, eleven of them starters, to the all-star game. That’s not going to happen.

If I had to pick five, thinking about likely future performance, they would be Johnson, Drysedale, Pascual, Guidry, and Young.

TWIWBL Special Edition: All Star Preview – AL Starting Pitchers

By mknn

On July 13, 2021

In All Star Games, TWIWBL

We’ll start with the starting pitchers. Note that the AL is actually the Bill James & Cum Posey Divisions.

As the only 6-game winner in these divisions, Gerrit Cole (LAA) has the inside track on a spot, even if his performance may not strictly warrant it. Still, 6-2 with a WHIP under 1.3 and 1.8 WAR is pretty good, even if his ERA is slightly over 4.

CC Sabathia (HOD) has better numbers (2.73 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 1.9 WAR) and at 5-2 a very similar record. Chicago’s Tricky Nichols sits at 4-1 with a 3.93 ERA, and could certainly be selected if the wins keep piling up.

From there, it’s pretty wide open.

Baltimore’s Johnny Sain and Dennis Martinez are both at 4-1. Martinez has better numbers–a 3.42 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP–but the challenge is whether they can keep those levels up for the next month or so. Kansas City’s Andy Petite is 3-2, but with a 3.66 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP and is certainly in the conversation, as is Ben Sheets (CAG), whose 1.18 WHIP and 4-2 record are more impressive than his 3.98 ERA.

If you look past identical 2-3 records, Sad Sam Jones (NYG), Jack Taylor (HOD), and Hank Aguirre (DET) have good numbers. They sit second through fourth in ERA (from 3.15 for Jones to 3.44 for Aguirre) and WHIPs all at roughly 1.2. Aguirre is injured, but it’s currently unknown how much time–if any–he’ll miss.

Two Memphis hurlers, Roger Clemens and Nixey Callahan, have a shot as well, but you have to look pretty deep at the numbers. Clemens is 0-4 on the season with an ERA approaching 6, but his WHIP is under 1.4 and he has the 3rd lowest FIP at 3.63. Callahan is 3-4 with a far more acceptable 3.68 ERA and is holding opposition batters to a .230 BA.

Similarly, Kansas City’s Frank Castillo‘s record is only 2-4, and his ERA is pushing 4.00. But his FIP is 3.20 and he’s racked up 1.7 WAR, so a few wins could move him to the center of the contenders.

Two more long shots: Chicago’s Ed Walsh leads these divisions in strikeouts with 55, and the Gothams’ Christy Mathewson is third with 47. Walsh sits at 3-3 with a 4.00 ERA and Mathewson is 4-4 with a 4.62 ERA. Both have been hit hard, but if they can improve would have a strong argument.

The AI would select Jones, Martinez, Sabathia, Taylor, and, in a surprise, Stubby Overmire of Houston. Two things led to Overmire’s inclusion: first, the AI thinks he is Houston’s only player; second, he has pitched well: a 2.35 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP, but it’s only over 3 starts and an 0-1 record. So I doubt that happens.

My prediction would be … Cole, Sabathia, Nichols, Walsh, and Martinez.

TWIWBL 11.4: Notes from Series IX – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On July 11, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

The trio of Larry Benton, Greg Maddux, and Warren Spahn have been simply miserable. Benton has only pitched 4 innings, so he may get a pass, but Maddux and Spahn are both on the edge of being sent back down to AAA.

Tim Hudson, on the other hand, has done well enough to, at least for the time being, move into the rotation as the 5th starter.

The Black Barons have finally lost patience with Dale Murphy, whose 137/254/157 line has just refused to improve. Murphy will head to AAA Atlanta, with Del Crandall–who hasn’t hit particularly well, but does offer better defense–moving to the WBL.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Two homeruns from Manny Machado and Alexei Ramirez‘ first longball of the year powered Miami to a 8-4 win over Philadelphia. Tommy Bridges improved to 3-0, reducing his ERA to 2.87.

Bill Landrum was demoted to AAA, with Clay Condrey, who had dominated AAA so far, being recalled to Miami’s bullpen. To make room for Condrey, Tony Fossas was released.

The mix of Charlie Bennett and John Munyan behind the plate has been miserable for the Cuban Giants. Bennett stays in Miami due to his defense, with Munyan and OF Tony Gonzalez both being shipped out to AAA. Alan Ashby was recalled at C and Gary Sheffield–slashing 358/450/621 in Orlando–was recalled as well.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Jeff Burroughs and Fred Dunlap hit their first homeruns of the year, and Buddy Bell added his 8th to support a strong start from Bert Blyleven in a 14-2 blowout win for the Sea Dogs over Los Angeles. Harry Hooper scored 3 times, Bobby Murcer had 3 hits, and Kent Hrbek and Dunlap drove in 3 with Bell driving in 4.

Not only did the Sea Dogs lose 7-5 to the Angels by giving up 3 runs in the bottom of the eighth, they lost both Smokey Joe Wood and Frank Williams to injuries. Both pitchers were put on the 10 day DL, with Pascual Perez and Bob Porterfield coming up to Portland (the moves also cleared the way for impressive 18-year old Rick Wise to move from AA to AAA).

Walter Johnson became the first 6-game winner in the WBL, besting Gerrit Cole in a greatly anticipated pitching matchup. Johnson threw 8 strong innings and Joe Mauer scored 4 runs as the Sea Dogs won, 9-2. Mauer and Hrbek went deep and Murcer had 4 RBI.

The Sea Dogs may have uncovered a gem: Joseito Munoz had sparkled in a few relief appearances, and given his first start, the young Cuban responded with over 6 innings of 1-run ball, winning his first game. Murcer had 3 hits and scored 3 times , and Burroughs homered again to lead Portland to a 6-1 victory.

Even with Munoz’ performance, the Sea Dogs anointed Wade Miller as their 5th starter. Harmon Killebrew was demoted to AAA, with Adrian Beltre joining Portland. Greg Litton‘s ability to cover a half-dozen positions is the only thing keeping him in the WBL, and Burroughs’ recent hot streak has moved him away from the demotion line as well.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Bobby Bonds pulled up lame, and will spend 10 days on the DL. Veteran Bob Cerv–slashing 339/382/711 at AAA–will be recalled, with the Sea Lions releasing 35-year old Jason Giambi to clear space on the roster.

Unsurprisingly given the quality of his 5 appearances to date, Diego Segui was named to the starting rotation.

TWIWBL 11.3: Notes from Series IX – Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On July 11, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Cleveland Spiders

Both Phenomenal Smith and Nap Lajoie were eligible to return from the DL for the Spiders. Smith will head to AAA for a rehab assignment, but Lajoie rejoins the big league club, with Kenny Lofton heading back to Buffalo. Lofton was never really given a shot, which is puzzling given that Larry Doby is still struggling to get his OPS to .600.

A single by Bill Dahlen in the bottom of the 14th gave the Spiders a come from behind win over Kansas City. The player of the game was probably Stan Coveleski, who allowed 1 run in over 4 innings of relief, but he wasn’t involved in the decision with the win going to Chuck Porter, who improved his record to 3-2. Dahlen finished the game 3-for-6 with 2 RBIs, and Louis Santop had 3 hits as well.

Pinch-hitting in the bottom of the 9th, Ron Blomberg hit his 8th homerun of the year to give the Spiders a 4-3 victory in the 3rd game of the series with the Monarchs. Bob Feller earned the win with 4 innings of hitless relief, following a largely ineffective Cy Young, and Terry Adams picked up his 9th save.

The Spiders needed a starter, and sent the highly ineffective Chad Qualls to AAA in favor of Hardie Henderson.

On the one hand, once-time wunderkind Rowland Office, Sammy Strang, and Doby are all struggling, with OPS around .600; on the other, the Spiders are surging. So, for now, all 3 stay in the WBL, but the clock is ticking.

#Homestead Grays

Needing a starter, the Grays send Bartolo Colon back down to AAA after just 4 innings of work, bringing up 21 year-old John Candelaria to make the start in their final game against Indianapolis.

Candelaria was mediocre, allowing 10 baserunners over 7 innings, but only 4 runs. A long homerun by Pops Stargell, 3 hits from Davey Johnson, and 4 RBI’s from Roberto Clemente helped drive the Grays to an 11-4 victory.

Stan Bahnsen has allowed 4 hits and no runs in 8 innings, enough for him to slide into the rotation. Jeff Kent was sent to AAA with Phil Garner getting the call to the big leagues (Bill Mazeroski is hitting a little better than Garner, but Garner’s defensive versatility was probably the deciding factor).

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Jake Stenzel hit a grand slam, more than enough to support a fantastic outing by Red Faber against Homestead. Faber allowed 4 hits in the complete game effort as the ABC’s won easily, 9-1.

Looking for a way to get Edd Roush more playing time, the ABC’s have inserted him into a platoon with Dave Henderson in CF. Perhaps more importantly, Joe Morgan was finally cleared to return from the DL, waiving Lonny Frey.

#New York Black Yankees

The Eric Davis RBI engine just keeps on going–given a start against the Gothams, Davis went 3-for-4 with a double and a homerun and 4 RBIs in a 5-3 victory for the Black Yankees. The win went to AJ Burnett and the save to Sparky Lyle, his 4th.

Despite the win, Burnett was sent to AAA to straighten himself out, with Cole Hamels being recalled into New York’s bullpen. The Black Yankees would gladly move Craig Counsell (178/260/289), but their only real option is Aaron Hill, who isn’t hitting that well all the way down at AA, so for the time being, they’ll accept Counsell’s lack of offense in exchange for his defensive versatility.

#Philadelphia Stars

Ray Collins gave up 6 hits–3 to Alexei Ramirez–in a complete game shutout of Miami, improving his record to 4-0 and lowering his ERA to 2.57. Collins was helped by homeruns from Jose Ramirez–the first of his WBL career–and Sherm Lollar.

Trailing 9-5 after 5 innings, the Stars scored the next 5 runs in a 10-9 victory. Mickey Doolin and Buck Freeman had 3 RBIs each, and Scott Rolen had 4 hits. Each of the three of them hit homeruns, with the victory going to Rheal Cormier (3-0) and Bob Howry earning his 10th save.

Jack Easton was sent to the IL with a burnt hand, having not really done enough to guarantee a return to Philadelphia when he becomes eligible. Larry Jackson was recalled to take his place.

Another ineffective outing by Pedro Feliciano has ended his time in the WBL for now, with the reliever unable to get his ERA into single digits. Don Carman was promoted to take his spot in the bullpen, and Feliciano was eventually waived to clear room on the 40-man roster for other transactions.

Jackson was quickly returned to AAA, with Bob McClure moving to Philadelphia and 37-year old Ken Forsch being released. The Stars have declined to indicate whether Jaret Wright or JM Ward will take the final rotation spot.

Gene DeMontreville has some value with his glove, but hitting 156/156/178 is rough, and his defense means less on a team with Doolin already at SS. DeMontreville was sent to AAA, with 22-year old Jimmy Rollins recalled from AA to backup Doolin.

TWIWBL 11.2: Notes from Series IX – Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On July 11, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Mark Baldwin has lost his spot in the starting rotation, with Ned Garvin taking his place.

#Chicago American Giants

Tricky Nichols is emerging as the ace of Chicago’s staff. He threw his second shutout of the season against Memphis, allowing only 4 hits in a 134 pitch effort. Frank Thomas went deep twice, and Mike Fiore and Duffy Lewis also homered, leading Chicago to a 5-0 victory. Nichols is now 4-0 on the season.

Two homeruns by Lewis were almost not enough, as Chicago gave up an early 5-0 lead to fall behind Memphis 6-5. But 4 runs in the bottom of the eighth, keyed by a pinch-hit double from Thomas, keyed a 9-5 American Giants victory. Sonny Dixon threw 2.1 scoreless innings of relief for the win, and AJ Minter picked up his 5th save with a perfect 9th inning.

Robin Ventura–whose OPS was under .400–was demoted to AAA, with Jim Davenport being promoted as Dick Allen‘s backup, and Kevin Mitchell went to the minors as Cristobal Torriente returned from injury.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Houston has been getting solid starts from surprising sources, the most recent being a 7 inning effort from Stubby Overmire where he only allowed 6 hits and 2 runs. Unfortunately, the Colt 45’s offense was totally shutdown, as they lost the game 3-0.

The performance moved Overmire into the rotation, despite Leon Day also making a case for regular starts. With Jeff Bagwell‘s production sky rocketing (he now leads the team in OPS), Paul Goldschmidt was demoted in hopes the big first baseman could find his stroke at AAA.

C Jason Castro has been the best player at AAA San Antonio, but the Colt 45’s already have three catchers on the roster, if you count Craig Biggio. As such, OF Felipe Alou was recalled to the big league club.

#Ottawa Mounties

With Steve Garvey out for at least a week with the flu, the Mounties recalled Josh Donaldson from AAA, a move designed both to add some depth at 3B behind Anthony Rendon and clear room for the impressive Larry Parrish to get more playing time with AAA Montreal.

Roy Halladay got his first win of the year with 8 strong innings, allowing 1 earned run. The Mounties hit 6 homeruns in a 14-2 rout of Birmingham, with Emil Gross hitting 2 and Tim Raines, Roy Sievers, Carlos Delgado, and Rendon all going deep as well.

The Mounties may have found something in thirty-five year old Jamie Moyer. Helped by three hits from Alex Rodriguez, Moyer allowed only 1 run in 8 innings for his first victory of the year, lowering his ERA to 2.08 as Ottawa won 5-1.