Newcomer Connie Johnson steps into the rotation, with Johnny Sain moving to the bullpen and Jim Palmer taking the final spot in the rotation. Lindy McDaniel was returned to AAA.
#Chicago American Giants
While Sonny Dixon‘s injury is still being diagnosed, David Price‘s arrival pushed Chicago to place Dixon on the DL. Clay Condrey‘s 9.00 plus ERA earned a trip to AAA as Hoyt Wilhelm returned from his injury. Price replaced Don Newcombe in the rotation, but the bullpen remains in a bit of disarray as the American Giants await AJ Minter‘s return from shoulder soreness.
While neither have impressed, José Abreu‘s continued struggles at the plate have opened the door for Magglio Ordóñez to receive more playing time down the stretch.
Dixon will miss about 8 months, so the early trip to the DL worked out, from that perspective …
Turns out it’s really hard to overcome 4 errors. Price’s first start was brilliant: 4 hits in just under 6 innings, no earned runs … but 5 runs allowed on miscues by Eddie Collins, Jack Doyle (2), and Jackie Hayes. Ed Walsh and Scott Radinsky were solid in relief, but Wilhelm gave up some key hits and took the loss. Doyle had 4 hits in the game.
Cristóbal Torriente will miss about 2 weeks, prompting Chicago to recall Kevin Mitchell from AAA.
#Houston Colt 45’s
Chad Qualls was recalled from AAA. Other than that, there’s not much change in Houston, other than the continued attempt to spread out plate appearances. This time, Pete Hill seeing more game time means George Brett seeing less.
#Kansas City Monarchs
Adam Russell and Rube Marquard were recalled from AAA, but the Monarchs did little else to reflect their build for the future outlook.
#Ottawa Mounties
Bob Moose and Kirk Reuter moved into the rotation with Clark Griffith heading back to AAA and Greg Holland joining the big league club as the merry-go-round of the Mounties’ staff continues.
Nineteen year old Ken Griffey, Jr. has done everything Ottawa has asked since his demotion, performing well at both AAA and AA. He’s been brought back up to the WBL club as Ottawa retools to see how its youth will progress. Griffey, Jr. will split time with Carlos Beltrán in CF. Trade acquisition George Burns also lands in Ottawa with both Terry Puhl and Phil Bradley heading to AAA in a major reset of the big league OF.
Things looked bleak for Ottawa as Birmingham had the lead 3-0 in the bottom of the 8th when Larry Parrish stepped up and launched his 3rd homerun of the year to tie the game. Randy Johnson and Greg Holland both pitched well in relief, and Beltrán won the game in the 12th with a walkoff grandslam. Tim Raines (who was caught stealing twice) and Anthony Rendon had 3 hits each in the 8-4 victory.
Jeremy Affeldt, a bit of a throw-in at the trade deadline, has been horrible for Ottawa: an ERA over 20 level horrible. So when he refused a demotion to AAA, the Mounties made the sensible move: they released him. Gary Peters was recalled from his injury rehab to take Affeldt’s place.
While the rest of the league is buzzing with trade talk, let’s take a look at what the game tells us about flashing the leather. We’ll go by position, trying to get a sense of the best fielders in the league so far.
C (500 IP min)
Thurman Munson of the New York Black Yankees has over 150 more total chances than Homestead‘s Josh Gibson, having started 86 games behind the plate. That has to count for something. Of starting catchers, Baltimore‘s Curt Blefary leads in cERA with 4.08, and Cleveland‘s Louis Santop–yet to turn 20–leads the league in framing runs–1.2 ahead of Gibson. In terms of gunning down base runners, everyone is clustered around 33% or so–Emil Gross (Ottawa) was way up at 46%, but couldn’t hit enough to stay in the league and Alan Ashby (Miami) has been excellent at 36% since taking over for Miami. Looking at all of that, it’s got to be Munson, Gibson, Blefary, or Santop, with apologies to Indianapolis‘ Johnny Bench and the House of David‘s Elrod Hendricks.
IP
TC
E
RTO%
cERA
FRM
C. Blefary (BAL)
599
401
11
29.4
4.08
-1.2
J. Gibson (HOM)
718
559
14
27.2
5.77
1.5
T. Munson (NYY)
765
719
5
33.0
4.72
-1.3
L. Santop (CLE)
624
542
2
32.6
4.20
2.7
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; RTO% = Runners Thrown Out %; cERA = Catching ERA; FRM = Framing Runs Saved
I think Santop takes it, but I would be OK if Munson’s higher usage swung it to him.
1B (600 IP min)
Philadelphia‘s Ted Kluszewski has the best fielding percentage (.996), having committed only 3 errors, but trails well behind Dan McGann (BAL)’s league leading 10.20 Range Factor. Will Clark of the Miami Cuban Giants leads in Zone Rating at 3.3. So McGann makes the most plays overall, but Clark makes the most plays that other 1B miss.
IP
TC
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
Will Clark (MCG)
791
818
5
.994
9.25
3.3
Ted Kluszewski (PHI)
676
711
3
.996
9.43
1.0
Dan McGann (BAL)
749
854
5
.994
10.20
2.5
Bill White (MEM)
788
814
4
.995
9.25
1.8
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
It comes down to whether you think McGann’s RNG is more a product of his glovework or the superior Black Sox pitching staff. For me, Clark making plays nobody else in the league makes takes it.
2B (600 IP min)
Cleveland‘s Chuck Knoblauch and San Francisco‘s Jimmy Bloodworth each sport a .993 Fielding Percentage with only 3 errors each. The House of David’s Ryne Sandberg has, by a fair bit, played the most at 2B, making his leading the league in Range Factor more impressive. The New York Gotham‘s Cookie Rojas leads in ZR, trailed by Chicago‘s Eddie Collins. Those are the contenders.
IP
TC
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
Jimmy Bloodworth (SFS)
753
423
3
.993
5.02
3.7
Eddie Collins (CAG)
715
390
5
.987
4.85
5.5
Chuck Knoblauch (CLE)
801
426
3
.993
4.75
-1.8
Cookie Rojas (NYG)
703
369
3
.992
4.68
6.5
Ryne Sandberg (HOD)
850
524
7
.987
5.48
0.8
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
I can’t get away from Rojas. Behind him it’s rough: Collins makes some great plays, but Sandberg’s greater usage may give him the edge.
3B (600 IP min)
Mike Schmidt of the Black Yankees has the highest fielding percentage, Ottawa’s Anthony Rendon leads in Range Factor, and Philadelphia’s Scott Rolen has a massive edge in Zone Rating. It’s hard to put together.
IP
TC
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
Ron Cey (BRK)
808
221
6
.973
2.39
5.4
Anthony Rendon (OTT)
853
266
7
.974
2.73
1.8
Scott Rolen (PHI)
813
240
5
.979
2.60
8.5
Mike Schmidt (NYY)
677
193
3
.984
2.53
6.3
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
Rendon’s ZR confirms that his other stats are really a product of being on the field a lot. I think that leaves Rolen and Schmidt pretty much neck and neck.
SS (550 IP min)
The lower requirement is basically to allow Philadelphia’s Mickey Doolin to be listed. Homstead’s Arky Vaughan has played the most at SS, giving him roughly 20% more chances than the next few shortstops. Couple that with only 5 errors for a .990 PCT and Vaughan has to be in the argument. George Wright (Los Angeles) has a .995 PCT with only 2 errors, which is remarkable. Vaughan also leads in RNG, and is one of 3 SS with a ZR over 10, along with Detroit‘s George Davis and Kansas City‘s Ozzie Smith.
IP
TC
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
George Davis (DET)
855
479
12
.975
4.91
13.0
Mickey Doolin (PHI)
597
343
5
.985
5.10
8.0
Ozzie Smith (KCM)
868
467
5
.989
4.79
12.5
Arky Vaughan (HOM)
884
520
5
.990
5.24
10.1
George Wright (LAA)
754
411
2
.995
4.88
9.8
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
You gotta’ give it to Wright, right? But after that, how do you figure out the difference between Smith and Vaughan? Smith is more spectacular, Vaughan more steady … I’ve always been a sucker for the spectacular.
LF (500 IP min)
Homestead’s Rick Reichardt has spent the most time out there, has the best RNG among qualifiers, and leads LFers with 10 OF Kills. Los Angeles’ Don Buford and Ottawa’s Phil Bradley are second with 6, so that’s quite a gap. There are six–SIX–LFers who qualify who are yet to make an error. Of those, only Brooklyn‘s Roy White and Detroit’s Oscar Gamble have positive supporting metrics as well. White has routinely pulled of the spectacular, making roughly 4 additional plays in LF than the Gotham’s Jimmy Sheckard and San Francisco’s Rickey Henderson.
IP
TC
A
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
Phil Bradley (OTT)
552
121
6
0
1.000
1.97
-1.9
Don Buford (LAA)
629
144
6
3
.979
2.02
1.0
Oscar Gamble (DET)
535
118
2
0
1.000
1.99
1.5
Rickey Henderson (SFS)
689
173
5
3
.983
2.22
2.7
Rick Reichardt (HOM)
799
211
10
2
.991
2.35
-1.2
Jimmy Sheckard (NYG)
865
207
5
4
.981
2.11
2.6
Roy White (BRK)
865
204
2
0
1.000
2.12
6.7
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
I think White has to get the nod here, and behind him it’s a bit f a jumble. Reichardt is far from spectacular, but he’s added twice as many cold, hard outs than the next contenders without many miscues, so he gets a nod despite the negative ZR.
CF (600 IP min)
The Gothams’ Willie Mays has 15 OF kills to lead the way, but of note is Ottawa’s Ken Griffey, Jr., who has 13 in half the games. Griffey, currently at AAA, doesn’t qualify here, but what an arm! Baltimore’s Paul Blair has yet to make an error. Mays and Philadelphia’s Willie Davis make the most plays, with Blair, Mays, and Birmingham‘s Curtis Granderson leading in ZR.
There are others having strong years–Kansas City’s Willie McGee, Memphis’ Reggie Smith, and Detroit’s Chili Davis spring to mind–but it’s really between those initial four names.
IP
TC
A
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
Paul Blair (BAL)
801
303
8
0
1.000
3.40
9.0
Willie Davis (PHI)
781
323
7
2
.994
3.70
5.2
Curtis Granderson (BBB)
631
247
10
3
.988
3.48
6.4
Willie Mays (NYG)
899
381
15
2
.995
3.79
7.7
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
Mays and Blair seem the easy choices here.
RF (500 IP min)
RF is probably the most difficult of the OF spots to evaluate. The Gothams’ Johnny Callison leads in OF Kills, but with only 8. Callison is tied with Homestead’s Roberto Clemente in ZR, far, far ahead of the next cluster. Jeff Burroughs (POR) has yet to make an error, but the rest of his numbers aren’t terribly impressive. The House of David’s Dan Ford leads in RNG and is solid enough elsewhere.
The challenge is that several of the best in RF–Miami’s Alejandro Oms, Indianapolis’ Oscar Charleston, and Ottawa’s Larry Walker–don’t qualify here. Walker especially draws the eye, with 7 Kills and great peripheral numbers. But all of them are under 400 innings.
IP
TC
A
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
Johnny Callison (NYG)
671
181
8
1
.994
2.41
6.2
Roberto Clemente (HOM)
747
194
4
2
.990
2.31
6.2
Dan Ford (HOD)
542
160
5
4
.975
2.59
1.2
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
I think it’s pretty clear that Ford is in third place here and I think it’s hard to push Clemente above Callison.
SP (100 IP min)
Sample size is clearly an issue here, but the Gothams’ Gaylord Perry had handled the most chances and leads in RNG. Jack Taylor (HOD) and Dutch Leonard (BRK) lead in ZR. Unwinding a pitcher’s responsibility for controlling stolen bases is hard, but since we know that, on the whole, the league runs about 33% in terms of cutting them down, we can look for who is far above that: Leonard shows up, but if we look at those with at least 10 attempts against them, we are looking at San Francisco’s Eddie Plank, Taylor, and Portland‘s Jerry Koosman.
IP
TC
RNG
ZR
RTO%
Jerry Koosman (POR)
119
12
0.83
2.2
46
Dutch Leonard (BRK)
139
18
1.17
2.4
67
Gaylord Perry (NYG)
117
27
1.92
-0.5
21
Eddie Plank (SFS)
116
13
0.93
1.8
64
Jack Taylor (HOD)
142
21
1.26
2.5
56
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; RTO% = Runners Thrown Out %
I think this ends up going to Taylor and Leonard, but there will probably be more churn here than in other fielding evaluations between now and the end of the season.
Final Analysis
Gold Glove
Silver Glove
C
Louis Santop (CLE)
Thurman Munson (NYY)
1B
Will Clark (MCG)
Dan McGann (BAL)
2B
Cookie Rojas (NYG)
Ryne Sandberg (HOD)
3B
Scott Rolen (PHI)
Mike Schmidt (NYY)
SS
George Wright (LAA)
Ozzie Smith (KCM)
LF
Roy White (BRK)
Rick Reichardt (HOM)
CF
Willie Mays (NYG)
Paul Blair (BAL)
RF
Johnny Callison (NYG)
Roberto Clemente (HOM)
SP
Jack Taylor (HOD)
Dutch Leonard (BRK)
Defense is so hard to evaluate, right? Despite being the only team with 3 players listed here, the Gothams aren’t at the top of any of the team fielding ratings.
Looking at overall mentions may be more interesting–here is the list of players considered above, by team.
5 – New York Gothams 4 – Homestead; Philadelphia 3 – Baltimore; Brooklyn; House of David; San Francisco 2 – Cleveland; Detroit; Los Angeles; New York Black Yankees; Ottawa 1 – Birmingham; Chicago; Kansas City; Memphis; Miami; Portland 0 – Houston
Yeah, not any better actually. The Gothams are among the best teams in the league, but both Homestead and Philadelphia are most decidedly not.
Defense. Shrug.
Performance
Batters
Top 2 in each stat, leader in bold.
Dick Allen (CAG). 310/380/544. 10 3B. Johnny Bench (IND). 314/421/608. 5.2 WAR. Ron Blomberg (CLE). 338/407/649. 31 HR. Rico Carty (PHI). 285/356/460. 35 2B. Ty Cobb (DET). 350/390/572. 134 H. Eric Davis (NYY). 278/353/539. 81 R. Bobby Grich (LAA). 284/370/474. 35 2B. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 252/383/335. 76 BB, 72 SB. Kent Hrbek (POR). 303/376/591. 31 HR. Joe Jackson (CAG). 334/419/592. 81 R. Reggie Jackson (SFS). 331/445/610. Stan Musial (KCM). 332/391/594. 37 2B. Doug Rader (LAA). 335/391/546. 135 H, 100 RBI. Tim Raines (OTT). 299/371/449. 72 SB. Babe Ruth (NYY). 312/429/643. 32 HR, 96 RBI, 85 R, 79 BB, 5.6 WAR. Louis Santop (CLE). 304/336/468. 10 3B.
Pitchers
Starters
Top 2 in each stat (top 4 in ERA and WHIP), leader in bold.
17 pitchers have at least 10 wins, accounting for why we went deeper in ERA and WHIP this time. Have also included FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) for the first time, helping to unravel some of the mystery of Alejandro Peña.
Bill Byrd (BAL). 11-2, 3.09. 1.17 WHIP. Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-5, 4.07. Don Drysedale (BRK). 7-4, 3.37. 1.15 WHIP. Ned Garvin (BAL). 9-4, 2.80. 1.18 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 11-7, 3.75. 160 K. Ron Guidry (NYY). 6-9, 4.41. 155 K, 3.5 WAR. Frank Knauss (BRK). 10-4, 3.07. Alejandro Peña (BBB). 9-7, 3.54. 3.24 FIP, 4.2 WAR. Gaylord Perry (NYG). 8-7, 3.92. 3.54 FIP. Stephen Strasburg (HOU). 6-6, 3.27. Jack Taylor (HOD). 10-8, 3.35. 1.18 WHIP.
Relievers
Top 2 in each stat (top 4 in ERA and WHIP), leader in bold. 25 IP for rate stats.
Terry Adams (CLE). 2-5, 3.09. 24 Sv. Elmer Brown (POR). 3-4, 1.65. 7 Sv, 9 H. Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.94. 28 Sv. Trevor Hildenberger (BRK). 3-0, 2.45. 1 Sv, 3 H, 0.94 WHIP. Ken Howell (SFS). 3-4, 2.17. 4 Sv, 7 H, 1.01 WHIP. AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.81. 19 Sv, 0.97 WHIP. Mike Norris (NYG). 4-3, 1.62. 3 Sv, 10 H. Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-5, 3.73. 16 H. Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-3, 3.80. 14 H. Carson Smith (NYG). 2-0, 1.80. 1 Sv, 8 H. Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.11. 21 Sv, 1.02 WHIP.
Series Results
Series XXVII Sweeps
Baltimore over Philadelphia
Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXVII
Detroit over Miami Kansas City over Los Angeles Portland over Memphis New York Gothams over San Francisco
Series XXVII Splits
House of David @ Birmingham Houston @ Brooklyn New York Black Yankees @ Chicago Homestead @ Cleveland Ottawa @ Indianapolis
For Series XXVII, we’ll start with the ongoing miracle of the Birmingham Black Barons, touch on a couple of games with great starting pitching, and finish with an update to the saga of Greg Litton.
#House of David @ Birmingham, Game 2
The House of David scored 5 runs in the top of the first (2 on a Pete Browning triple, 2 more on a homerun from Dan Ford) to take an early 5-0 lead. Browning’s production has been expected, Ford has come out of nowhere to cement a starting spot in their OF. Anthony Rizzo (who has a similar narrative and an even more impressive start than Ford) drove in another, and even when Birmingham‘s Bob Nieman went deep with a man on in the 3rd, it was still 6-2 in favor of the House of David.
Birmingham kept edged closer in the bottom of the 4th on a 2 run shot from Gene Tenace, but the game seemed well out of reach when the House of David scored 3 more in the top of the 5th, pushing the lead to 10-4.
It was a 5 run lead–10-5–in the bottom of the 8th. With 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th. Then 4 consecutive singles off Kerry Wood resulted in 3 runs, making it 10-7. But it’s OK, right? The House of David still had its closer, Bruce Sutter, to handle the 9th, right?
Al Schweitzer walked, Hank Aaron singled, and Adrián González walked to load the bases, but Sutter got a double play from Pie Traynor. Tenace singled home Aaron, and Cupid Childs–who sure looks like a solution at 2B for Birmingham–singled. Sutter walked Frank McCormick, and that was all for him, bringing in Scott Downs … who promptly gave up a game-winning hit to Herman Long, capping Birmingham’s comeback.
Ryne Sandberg and Browning had 3 hits each for the House of David, with Browning driving in 4. McCormick had 4 hits for Birmingham, and Tenace and Childs had 3, with Childs scoring 4 times.
HOD 10 (Sutter 2-2; Smith 9 H; Downs 2 B Sv) @ BBB 11 (Young 2-4) HRs: HOD – Ford (9); BBB – Nieman (8), Tenace (10). Box Score
San Francisco Sea Lions @ New York Gothams, Game 1
A good old fashioned pitching duel. San Francisco‘s Eddie Plank and New York‘s Christy Mathewson each went 8 strong innings. Mathewson allowed only 3 hits and 2 runs and, if anything, Plank was even better, allowing a single run and fanning 9. That turned the game over to the bullpens with the Sea Lions up, 2-1. The Gothams’ Mike Norris pitched a perfect 9th, preserving his sub-2.00 ERA. San Francisco’s closer, Rod Beck, walked Jimmy Sheckard and gave up a single to Johnny Callison. That brought up John Kerins, who had doubled home the Gothams’ only run earlier in the game … he took Beck deep for a 3-run homer, and a walkoff win for New York.
#New York Black Yankees @ Chicago American Giants, Game 1
This one started with great pitching, as New York‘s Jack Scott and Chicago‘s Mark Buehrle locked horns through the early going. Solo homers by Joe Jackson and Derek Jeter left the game tied at 1 heading to the bttom of the 6th, when Frank Thomas took Lady Baldwin–on in relief of Scott–deep for a 2-run shot for a 3-1 lead for the American Giants.
We stayed that way until the top of the 9th, when Chicago’s closer, AJ Minter, took the mound. Singles from Albert Belle, Lou Gehrig, and Don Mattingly loaded the bases bringing up the person Chicago least wanted to see in this situation, the ever-dangerous Babe Ruth. Ruth singled in 2 runs to tie the game and, perhaps even worse for Chicago, Minter was forced out clutching his elbow.
New York had emptied the bench, and now had a purely makeshift infield: Manny Sanguillén at first, Mattingly at 3B, and Mike Schmidt at SS. But they survived the inning, which took us to the 10th. Again 3 singles loaded the bases (this time by Thurman Munson, Mickey Mantle, and Sanguillén). Munson scored on a passed ball, Mantle on a sacrifice fly, and Sanguillén on a single by Mattingly. New York now lead 6-3.
José Abreu singled to lead off the bottom of the frame and New York brought in Sparky Lyle, the poster child for their much maligned bullpen. Could Lyle redeem himself and, perhaps, his season?
You know the answer: he struck out the first two batters he faced, but walked Jackson and Thomas to load the bases, and then Mike Fiore to force in a run. Dick Allen singled and Cole Hamels replaced the clearly dejected Lyle … only to allow a game winning, walk-off single to Cristóbal Torriente.
Minter will head to the DL, with Ken Sanders being recalled to Chicago.
NYY 6 (Lyle 0-3; Hamels 1 B Sv) @ CAG 7 (Walsh 5-3; Dixon 8 H; Minter 2 B Sv) [10 Innings] HRs: NYY – Jeter (8); CAG – Jackson (22), Thomas (20). Box Score
Portland Sea Dogs @ Memphis Red Sox, Games 3 & 4
We close out with an update on Greg Litton, who has, somehow, someway, remained with Portland all year despite being perhaps the worst offensive regular in the league. Litton sticks around because he plays 6 positions, and most decently, allowing the Sea Dogs to conserve precious roster spots.
And in these two games against Memphis, miraculously, he found a way to hit the ball, going 7 for 9 across the 2 contests, both of which were won by Portland in 10 innings. That raised Litton’s average for the year to a whopping .230.
All four games went to extra innings, and by the time the 2nd two games rolled around, both bullpens were pretty much shredded.
In game 3, Portland was forced to throw the (so far) thoroughly ineffective Hal Griggs out for the start. He struggled as expected, but so did Mike Cuellar in relief, which was a bit of a surprise. However, nobody for Memphis could get consistent outs: not Len Barker, who started and gave up 4 runs in 6 IP, not Bill Doak, who was hit hard for 3 runs in his 2.2 IP, and not Nixey Callahan, who ultimately took the loss. Memphis outhit Portland, 16 to 11, with Claude Ritchey, Ted Williams, and Bill White each knocking out 3 in the loss.
The final game of the series saw Portland’s Walter Johnson and Memphis’ Jon Lester each throw 7 strong innings, but the Sea Dogs’ bullpen was a notch better. Both teams asked their closers to stretch out, and Portland’s Elmer Brown didn’t give up a hit in his 2 innings, while Jonathan Papelbon hit a batter and gave up 2 hits–the last an RBI single by Adrián Beltré–to take the loss.
POR 8 (Trout 6-3) @ MEM 7 (Callahan 5-8; Doak 1 B Sv) [10 Innings] HRs: POR – Lee (1); Fregosi (12); MEM – Williams (20). Box Score
POR 4 (Brown 3-4; Hammaker 1 B Sv) @ MEM 3 (Papelbon 0-6) [10 Innings] HRs: POR – none; MEM – White (14). Box Score
We are one series away from the trading deadline, so it seemed a good moment to check in on what teams may be doing what on the 27th.
Sellers
You never know what deals may emerge, but here are some veterans and/or players not looking to resign with their current teams that may be on the move. Probably the biggest change here are the Philadelphia Stars and the Kansas City Monarchs both seeming now to fall firmly in this category.
SP: Luke Hamlin (KCM), Connie Johnson (KCM), Andy Pettitte (KCM).
RP: Rheal Cormier (PHI), Bob Howry (PHI), Michael Jackson (HOM), Josh Lindblom (HOM), Mike Norris (SFS), Jonathan Papelbon (MEM)
Buyers
Each of the four divisions can be seen as a two-team race at this point, so we’ll look at each in turn, looking at both the teams we’re assuming are selling and those that are looking to offload some talent.
Bill James Division
The Detroit Wolverines and the New York Gothams are neck and neck. Detroit could use help in the bullpen, while New York is (like many teams) looking for rotation help, and perhaps an infield upgrade.
Cum Posey Division
The Baltimore Black Sox retain the best record in the league, but it’s getting closer. The Chicago American Giants are only 2 games back, and with Baltimore’s Brock Rutherford Award favorite Ned Garvin out for the year, there does seem to be an opportunity to reel the Black Sox back to the pack. In addition to a replacement for Garvin, Baltimore could use a little more depth, especially on the IF. Chicago’s offense is pretty much set but could also be in the market for rotation help.
Effa Manley Divison
The surprise continues: the Cleveland Spiders are starting to show some distance between them and the second place New York Black Yankees. The Spiders could use an upgrade on the left side of the infield while the Black Yankees are clearly in desperate need of bullpen help–to the point where they are almost certain to be willing to overpay.
Marvin Miller Division
The shocking rise of the Birmingham Black Barons continue, with the Portland Sea Dogs only 3.5 games ahead at this point. Birmingham needs to be careful: they were never supposed to be here and need to be aware of disturbing their current balance. Still, they could use offensive help, especially at C and SS. Portland would love to improve its bench.
Performance
Some things of note:
Los Angeles‘ Doug Rader is the first to triple digits, surpassing 100 RBI’s on the year this series.
Stan Musial (Kansas City) and Babe Ruth (NYY) remain the only batters leading the league in more than a single category.
Batters
Top 2, league leaders bold as usual.
Dick Allen (CAG). 308/374/547. 10 3B. Rico Carty (PHI). 285/356/453. 34 2B. Ty Cobb (DET). 351/393/572. Eric Davis (NYY). 278/348/542. 4.7 WAR. Mike Epstein (HOM). 330/4334/532. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 251/386/338. 75 BB, 70 SB. Kent Hrbek (POR). 311/380/609. 31 HR. Joe Jackson (CAG). 337/419/587. 78 R. Reggie Jackson (SFS). 331/445/610. Stan Musial (KCM). 338/394/601. 132 H, 37 2B. Doug Rader (LAA). 332/389/545. 130 H, 100 RBI. Tim Raines (OTT). 293/365/440. 71 SB. Babe Ruth (NYY). 314/428/643. 31 HR, 93 RBI, 83 R, 75 BB, 5.5 WAR. Louis Santop (CLE). 306/337/466. 10 3B.
Some of the less positive leaders:
SO: Willie Stargell (HOM), 146. GIDP: Wade Boggs (MEM), 20. CS: Reggie Jackson (SFS), 23.
Pitchers
Top 2 in each category, other than wins. There are 5 pitchers with 11 wins behind Gerrit Cole (LAA), but only Bill Byrd (BAL) is listed here, due to his WHIP.
Garvin does not have enough IP to hold onto the ERA crown as the season progresses.
Starters
Bill Byrd (BAL). 11-2, 3.09. 1.17 WHIP. Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-4, 4.24. Don Drysedale (7-3), 1.15 WHIP. Ned Garvin (BAL). 9-4, 2.80. Lefty Grove (SFS). 10-7, 3.83, 158 K. Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-9, 4.38. 149 K. Walter Johnson (POR). 10-3, 3.65. 3.3 WAR. Frank Knauss (BRK). 10-4, 3.07. Alejandro Peña (BBB). 9-6, 3.45. 3.9 WAR.
Relievers
25 IP minimum for rate stats.
Terry Adams (CLE). 1-5, 3.24. 23 Sv, 1 H. Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.48. 27 Sv. Ken Howell (SFS). 3-4, 2.06. 4 Sv, 7 H, 0.98 WHIP. AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.13. 19 Sv, 0.83 WHIP. Mike Norris (SFS). 3-3, 1.71. 3 Sv, 10 H. Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-4, 2.90. 3 Sv, 16 H. Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-3, 3.86. 13 H. Jonny Venters (LAA). 3-3, 3.32. 5 Sv, 13 H. Brian Wilson (SFS). 1-0, 1.11. 21 Sv.
For this TWIWBL we’re going to look at two of my favorite emerging plotlines.
Biggest Surprise
Right now, it’s got to be the Birmingham Black Barons. At the end of May, they were 10 games back, a .400 team, and battling Miami for last place in the Marvin Miller Division. Today, they are 7 games over .500, and only 2.5 games behind division-leading Portland. So, what happened?
Birmingham began to turn it around in late May, but their high level of activity at the all-star break has to be mentioned as well. Ultimately, they lost 2 SPs (Dick Rudolph to Chicago and all-star Tim Hudson to San Francisco), a key bullpen piece (Hoyt Wilhelm in the same trade as Rudolph), and two infielders (all-star 2B Tom Herr to the Black Yankees and U Frank Isbell to Brooklyn). They received 10 players and 4 draft picks in return, with only 1B Adrián González making the big leagues immediately.
González’ OPS with the Black Barons has been in the high 600’s, which isn’t great, but is almost 200 points higher than his struggles with Chicago. He is splitting time at 1B with Frank McCormick, and the combo is outperforming Isbell. Hank Aaron is playing more at 2B with Herr gone, allowing Bob Nieman and Curtis Granderson to be joined by a rotating cast of OFers, but overall strengthening the lineup (even if Aaron isn’t exactly good defensively at 2B). Additionally, Eddie Mathews and Pie Traynor are in the lineup most days, with Mathews becoming the primary DH.
It’s worked: the quartet of Granderson, McCormick, Mathews, and Aaron have all come to life, combining for 27 HRs and 103 RBIs since June 1st. All in all, a team that struggled to score at all is now slowly, very slowly, edging away from the bottom of the pack offensively.
But the real success has been on the mound where, quite surprisingly, the loss of Hudson, Rudolph, and Wilhelm hasn’t really been felt. Alejandro Peña has been solid all year, Greg Maddux is finally living up to his hype, and Vic Willis continues to impress in the rotation. Closer Juan Ríncón has 17 saves despite starting the season buried in the bullpen, and the trio of Bruce Chen, Harley Young, and Steve Bedrosian have been fantastic in getting the ball to Rincón.
Rincón got his 2nd, 3rd, and 4th save of the season in consecutive games in late May, about the same time Bedrosian and Willis joined the big league club, with Chen being recalled from AAA in late June.
Look, the Black Barons are still a longshot to make the playoffs–but just being in the conversation has been an unlikely triumph for Birmingham. And it’s not all luck: yes, they are outperforming their Pythagorean projection by 2 wins, but that would still leave them above .500 even if they weren’t.
Second Biggest Surprise
The New York Black Yankees were supposed to run away and hide atop the Effa Manley Division. But the Cleveland Spiders have other ideas, and currently sit 3.5 games above New York in the standings, with the second best record in baseball.
Cy Young and Pat Malone have led the rotation all year, with ERA’s right around 4.00 and excellent peripheral numbers, and the bullpen trio of Chuck Porter, Cory Gearrin, and Ron Reed (who has continued to excel since being acquired from Philadelphia) have been able to consistently get the ball to Terry Adams in good situations. Adams has delivered with 23 saves, despite an 0-5 record.
Offensively, Ron Blomberg is in the argument for the MVP, slashing 334/402/638 with 28 homeruns and 76 RBIs, but the key to the team may have been finding a way to get John Ellis in the lineup almost every day, as the C/1B/DH has an OPS over .900, ranking second to Blomberg in most offensive stats. Add in a great season from Louis Santop behind the plate, solid contributions from Jake Stahl, Chuck Knoblauch, and Johnny Bates and the surprising turnaround from midseason acquisition Lance Berkman (whose OPS is over 300 points above where it was for Houston), and the Spiders have a dangerous lineup, top to bottom.
Can they hold off the Black Yankees? If New York’s bullpen continues to be absolutely porous, yes, yes they can. Will they? That’s another question entirely.
Performance
Awards
I feel like I’ve missed these for a little while, so I’m going to list the last few Players of the Week as well as June’s Players of the Month.
Player of the Month
In an unusual occurence for a reliever, Willie Mitchell of the Indianapolis ABC’s was the Pitcher of the Month for June. Mitchell was 4-0 with a 0.95 ERA out of the bullpen, prompting him to be added to the ABC’s rotation.
The Los Angeles Angels‘ Mike Trout took the Batter of the Month award, by hitting .381 for June. Trout is still looking to add some power to his results, but it moved him firmly into the conversation of elite hitters in the game.
Player of the Week
Willie Stargell of the Homestead Grays was the PotW for the week ending 7/17, hitting .565 with 3 HRs and 9RBIs in the span.
Babe Ruth has recovered from a mini-slump with a vengeance, taking home the PotW award for the week ending 7/10, hitting .500 with 3 homeruns and 12 RBI’s.
Before Ruth, the award went to Brooklyn’s Beals Becker, who raised his season average to a cool .300 with a .478, 3 HR showing during the week.
Batters
Top 2 in all categories, with the WBL leader in bold.
It’s been the Babe Ruth show since Reggie Jackson‘s triple crown run fell apart, but we’re seeing some others, most notably Kansas City‘s Stan Musial, edge into the MVP discussion.
Dick Allen (CAG). 307/375/553. 10 3B. Johnny Bench (IND). 295/411/564. 4.4 WAR. Ron Blomberg (CLE). 334/402/638. 28 HR. Rico Carty (PHI). 287/360/461. 34 2B. Ty Cobb (DET). 350/392/559. 124 H. Mike Epstein (HOM). 332/432/535. Mike Fiore (CAG). 249/405/415. 70 BB. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 252/388/341. 74 BB; 69 SB. Kent Hrbek (POR). 309/379/591. 28 HR. Joe Jackson (CAG). 340/422/593. 76 R. Reggie Jackson (SFS). 327/439/587. Stan Musial (KCM). 340/396/602. 129 H; 36 2B. Doug Rader (LAA). 324/382/532. 94 RBI. Tim Raines (OTT). 290/365/433. 71 SB. Babe Ruth (NYY). 313/421/643. 30 HR; 91 RBI; 80 R; 5.3 WAR. Louis Santop (CLE). 312/344/470. 10 3B.
Pitchers
Starters
Top 3 in each category, with the league leader in bold. No fewer than nine hurlers have 10 victories each, so only the top two in wins–Cole and Mathewson–are listed.
Bill Byrd (BAL). 10-2, 3.12. 1.18 WHIP. Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-4, 4.10. Don Drysedale (BRK). 6-3, 3.49. 1 H; 1.17 WHIP. Ned Garvin (BAL). 9-3, 2.66. 2 H; 1.15 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 10-6, 3.72. 150 Ks. Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-8, 3.99. 144 Ks; 3.4 WAR. Walter Johnson (POR). 9-3, 3.54. 3.3 WAR. Frank Knauss (BRK). 10-4, 3.19. 1 Sv. Christy Mathewson (NYG). 11-6, 3.78. 123 Ks. Alejandro Peña (BBB). 8-6, 3.65. 3.6 WAR.
Relievers
Detroit‘s Mike Henneman has finally passed theinjured Johan Santana for the league lead in saves.
22 IP for rate stats; top 2, leader in bold.
Terry Adams (CLE). 0-5, 3.48. 23 Sv; 1 H. Watty Clark (BRK). 3-1, 1.20. 17 Sv. Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.41. 25 Sv. AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.22. 18 Sv, 0.86 WHIP. Chuck Porter (CLE). 4-3, 2.04. 1 Sv; 10 H; 0.86 WHIP. Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-3, 2.59. 3 Sv; 16 H. Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-2, 3.35. 13 H. Johan Santana (POR). 1-1, 2.78. 23 Sv; 1 H. Jonny Venters (LAA). 3-3, 3.35. 5 Sv; 13 H. Brian Wilson (SFS). 1-0, 1.15. 20 Sv.
Streaks
Beals Becker‘s on-bas streak ended at 32 games, but Boog Powell‘s is still alive at 29 and counting. Other active streaks of note include Brian Wilson‘s 18 consecutive saves and Bill Byrd‘s 14 starts without a loss, as well as Harley Young‘s 12 scoreless innings in relief.
Series Results
Series XXV Sweeps
Birmingham over Indianapolis
Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXV
Chicago over Philadelphia House of David over Cleveland Kansas City over New York Black Yankees San Francisco over Portland
The Baltimore Black Sox–with the best record in baseball–just can’t shake the Chicago American Giants, who are 5 games back. The rest of the division would need to make a significant move to change this from a two team race, with the Houston Colt 45’s–9 games back–the closest.
Effa Manley Division
The Cleveland Spiders are writing a great story, having overtaken the dominant favorite New York Black Yankees, who they now lead by 3.5 games. Everyone expects the Black Yankees to catch up, but they also never expected Cleveland to be where they are. The Indianapolis ABC’s sit 8.5 games back.
As usual, top 2 performers in all categories, with the WBL leader in bold.
Batters
Everything is tightening up: 6 batters sit between .336 and .339 for the league lead in BA, but the Black Yankees’ Babe Ruth continues to be the dominant offensive force in the league. It’s still a long list, though.
Dick Allen (CAG). 307/374/557. 9 3B. Johnny Bench (IND). 301/420/585. 4.5 WAR. Rico Carty (PHI). 289/361/469. 34 2B. Willie Davis (PHI). 283/336/509. 9 3B. Mike Epstein (HOM). 336/439/544. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 257/394/351. 72 BB; 64 SB. Kent Hrbek (POR). 308/375/593. 27 HR. Joe Jackson (CAG). 339/422/598. 74 R. Ron Blomberg (CLE). 339/410/646. 27 HR. Reggie Jackson (SFS). 336/447/610. Willie Mays (NYG). 325/382/536. 119 H. Stan Musial (KCM). 337/396/591. 121 H; 34 2B. Doug Rader (LAA). 325/378/542. 92 RBI. Tim Raines (OTT). 298/373/447. 69 SB. Babe Ruth (NYY). 321/431/659. 30 HR; 91 RBI; 78 R; 69 BB; 5.3 WAR. Louis Santop (CLE). 311/345/467. 9 3B.
Pitchers
There are 5 other pitchers tied with Bill Byrd with 10 victories; other than that the top 3 in each category are listed with the league leader in bold. No idea why Alejandro Peña is so highly rated in WAR.
Starters
Bill Byrd (BAL). 10-2, 3.20. 1.19 WHIP. Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-4, 4.03. Ned Garvin (BAL). 8-3, 2.64. 1.14 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 9-6, 3.86. 142 SO. Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-8, 4.13. 138 SO. Roy Halladay (OTT). 3-9, 4.13. 1.19 WAR. Walter Johnson (POR). 8-3, 3.57. 3.4 WAR. Johnny Marcum (DET). 9-2, 3.33. Christy Mathewson (NYG). 10-6, 3.91. Alejandro Peña (BBB). 8-6, 3.77. 3.5 WAR. Jack Scott (NYY). 10-4, 4.10. Cy Young (CLE). 8-4, 3.81. 3.2 WAR.
Relievers
20 IP minimum for rate stats. Top 2, leaders in bold.
Terry Adams (CLE). 0-5, 3.60. 23 Sv. Watty Clark (BRK). 3-1, 1.20. 17 Sv. Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.54. 24 Sv. Trevor Hildenberger (BRK). 3-0, 2.18. 0.92 WHIP. AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.08. 16 Sv, 0.88 WHIP. Ron Reed (PHI). 0-3, 2.52. 16 H. Johan Santana (POR). 1-1, 2.78. 23 Sv. Jonny Venters (LAA). 3-3, 3.15. 13 H. Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.23. 18 Sv.
Streaks
There are 4 active on-base streaks of note, led by Brooklyn’s Beals Becker (30 games). Iván Rodríguez (POR, 27 G), Don Buford (LAA, 26), and Boog Powell (KAN, 25) are also live. Not much else: George Stone of the Wandering House of David has delivered 4 straight pinch-hits.
Indianapolis over Brooklyn Detroit over Chicago Homestead Grays over New York Black Yankees House of David over Los Angeles Portland over Philadelphia Stars
We’re a month(ish) on from the all-star break, seemed a good time to look back at the trades and see how they are working out in the early days.
Boom Shaka Laka
The Los Angeles Angels and the Ottawa Mounties swapped 8 players, with early returns making the Angels–by far–the winner in the exchange as veteran 1B Carlos Delgado is slashing 344/400/547 since the trade, providing what may be the final piece to the Angels’ puzzle. While Rusty Staub has done OK for Ottawa, none of the rest of the pieces have shown much at all. Wally Moon, who the Angels picked up from San Francisco, has been impressive as well, slashing 354/458/458 since the break. Two of the pieces the Angels gave up for Moon–C Brian Downing and P Dave LaRoche–have done well for San Francisco (Downing at AAA, LaRoche with the Sea Lions themselves), so this deal may work out for both sides.
Encouraging
The New York Gothams gave up a haul for Don Sutton, and so far it looks OK: Sutton looks to join the Gothams’ rotation shortly, posting a 2.70 ERA in 8 relief appearances. For Brooklyn, two of the prospects received are doing quite well: OF Don Mueller is slashing 387/395/653 and P Lew Krausse, Jr. has started his career with his new organization with some strong outings on the mound.
All-Star Ron Reed has just continued his strong year having moved from Philadelphia to Cleveland, with an ERA of 0.75 over his first half-dozen games with the Spiders. Even more importantly for Cleveland’s playoff push, OF Lance Berkman looks to have blossomed with the change in scenery, slashing 276/417/500 with 4 HRs since coming over from Houston–a jump of of over 200 points to his OPS. The Spiders gave up 7 players across those 2 deals, none of which have earned significant playing time with their new clubs, although both Jap Payne (sent to Philadelphia) and Harry Stovey (to Houston as part of the Berkman deal) have hit well in limited appearances).
The Chicago American Giants brought in 4 pitchers, with encouraging returns from Dick Rudolph (acquired from Miami) and Hoyt Wilhelm (from Birmingham). The best prospect the American Giants gave up–Minnie Miñoso to the Cuban Giants–has been injured, so the jury is still out on this deal in general, but it looks alright so far, even if Don Newcombe has struggled mightily, and may have been overvalued at the trade deadline. Perhaps as importantly, the American Giants seem to have solved their SS question, as all-star Freddy Parent has continued his strong form since joining them from Ottawa.
Birmingham’s fire sale went well. We’ll cover some of those below, but both Curt Flood and Manny Trillo–picked up in the trade of Frank Isbell (who has been alright) to Brooklyn–are both tearing up AAA.
Meh
The Baltimore Black Sox have to be pleased with Manny Machado‘s performance so far, as he’s slotted quite comfortably as their everyday 3B. But the Miami Cuban Giants can’t really complain, as they aren’t going to compete for a while and Joe Dugan is tearing up AAA while Chris Hoiles has established himself as a C at the big league level. The Black Sox also brought in Joe Beggs from Memphis to solidify the end of their bullpen. Results have been mixed so far.
Memphis’ fan base was quite critical of a few of their moves, and Roger Clemens‘ short-term success in Houston has only increased their fury. But Stubby Overmire has added some depth to their staff and perhaps more importantly, 2B DJ LeMahieu and P Jim Kaat look to be strong prospects for Memphis’ future.
Disappointing
Portland hoped picking up Rogers Hornsby from Kansas City would spark their offense for a playoff push, and while he’s better than Greg Litton, his .648 OPS is actually pretty Littonish, and a far cry from his .853 mark over the first half of the season.
Tim Hudson was supposed to solidify San Francisco’s rotation, but was roughed up in his first few starts. While he’s shown signs of coming around, the 36 year old is only 1-3 with an ERA north of 5 since his move to the Left Coast. Rube Melton, one of the pieces the Sea Lions gave up for Hudson, has excelled at AAA for Birmingham, and looks to be a nice pickup for the Black Barons.
Another one who took a bit to find his footing, Tom Herr, is finally showing some life for the New York Black Yankees. Still, a 228/267/298 slash is not what the New York faithful had hoped to see from their All-Star acquisition. The Black Yankees’ other significant acquisitions–Jamie Moyer and Gary Lavelle–have struggled as well, although Lavelle has been installed as their closer, which is more a comment on the other options than a compliment to him. Several of the prospects they gave up–Bill Buckner and Charlie Keller for Birmingham and Dick Bartell and Sam Thompson for Ottawa–are performing very well for their new organizations, so these trades may come back to haunt New York.
Performance
As usual, top 2 performers in all categories, with the WBL leader in bold.
Batters
Reggie Jackson‘s triple crown hunt is back on! And Babe Ruth‘s dominance just continues unabated.
Dick Allen (CAG). 298/368/550. 9 3B. Ron Blomberg (CLE). 335/410/646. 1.056 OPS. 26 HR. Rico Carty (PHI). 295/362/480. 34 2B. Ty Cobb (DET). 336/379/533. Eric Davis (NYY). 277/337/528. 4.1 WAR. Mike Epstein (HOM). 336/441/539. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 253/389/342. 67 BB, 64SB. Kent Hrbek (POR). 301/370/582. 26 HR. Reggie Jackson (SFS). 337/449/610. 1.059 OPS. Willie Mays (NYG). 316/373/523. 112 H. Stan Musial (KCM). 331/390/585. 115 H, 31 2B. Doug Rader (LAA). 316/373/523. 112 H, 88 RBI. Tim Raines (OTT). 298/373/454. 66 SB. Babe Ruth (NYY). 314/424/656. 1.080 OPS. 29 HR, 88 RBI, 73 R, 66 BB, 5.0 WAR. Mike Trout (LAA). 318/390/455. 112 H.
Pitchers
It’s just all over the place, once you move past the dominant performances by Ned Garvin (BAL) and Gerrit Cole (LAA).
Starters
Bill Byrd (BAL). 9-2, 3.29. Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-3, 3.66. 128 IP. Gene Conley (CLE). 10-2, 3.17. Ned Garvin (BAL). 8-3, 2.64. 1.14 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 9-6, 3.84. 135 K. Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-8, 4.15. 135 K. Waite Hoyt (NYY). 8-2, 3.29. 1.15 WHIP. Walter Johnson (POR). 8-3, 3.60. 3.2 WAR. Christy Mathewson (NYG). 10-6, 3.96. Alejandro Peña (BBB). 8-6, 3.77. 3.5 WAR. Red Ruffing (NYY). 10-4, 3.55. Cy Young (CLE). 8-4, 3.84. 129 IP.
Relievers
20 IP minimum for rate stats.
Watty Clark (BRK). 3-1, 1.23. 17 Sv. Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.67. 23 Sv. Ken Howell (SFS). 3-3, 1.14. 3 Sv, 7 H. AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.08. 16 Sv, 0.88 WHIP. Ron Reed (CLE). 0-2, 2.26. 3 Sv, 16 H. Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-2, 3.58. 12 H. Johan Santana (POR). 1-1, 2.78. 23 Sv. Jonny Venters (LAA). 3-3, 3.24. 4 Sv, 12 H. Billy Wagner (HOU). 0-2, 3.63. 11 Sv, 2 H, 0.90 WHIP.
Streaks
Not a lot of interesting active streaks. Brooklyn’s Beals Becker–who has the league record for consecutive games with a HR with 5–has a 25 game streak of getting on base. It’s no Thurman Munson, but it’s something. Becker is slashing 382/432/853 over his last 10 games. Gary Pettis, once considered a liability at the plate, is slashing 600/667/1050 over his last 15 games (because of Pettis’ utility as a defensive replacement, those 15 games cover only 24 ABs).
Christy Mathewson (NYG) hasn’t allowed a hit in over 8 innings.
Baltimore’s entire staff is on fire: Bill Byrd, Ned Garvin, Sean Marshall, Mike Mussina, and Jim Palmer are all on hot streaks on the mound. The most impressive is Byrd, who has a 1.07 WHIP and 2.38 ERA over his last 10 games.
Baltimore over Brooklyn Birmingham over Los Angeles Houston over Chicago Detroit over Portland Kansas City over Philadelphia New York Black Yankees over Ottawa
Chicago jumped on Roenis Elias in the top of the first, with Eddie Collins leading off the game with a long homerun, Carlton Fisk tripling and scoring on a sacrifice fly, and Freddy Parent drilling a solo shot to right field for an early 3-0 lead for Chicago.
But Elias settled down after that, and a solo shot by Chris Hoiles in the bottom of the 2nd put Miami on the board.
Elias kept the game 3-0 until the top of the 5th, when a single by Joe Jackson and a walk by Fisk chased him from the game. Still, not a bad effort given the start. He was relieved by Phenomenal Smith who has been, um, yeah, pretty phenomenal in his first dozen WBL innings. Today, though, not so much: Smith hit a batter, walked in a run, gave up an RBI single to José Abreu, increasing the American Giants’ lead to 5-1.
Meanwhile, Mark Buehrle continued to sail along, giving up only 3 hits and the single run through 6 innings until an RBI double from Eustaquio Pedroso chased him from the game. Ed Walsh relieved Buehrle, and induced a groundball to third from pinch-hitter Sandy Amorós, but Jack Doyle booted the ball, letting Pedroso score and closing the game to 5-3.
Miami refused to go away, though, and an RBI double from Gary Sheffield in the 8th made it a 1 run game, 5-4 despite Miami only managing 5 hits.
AJ Minter walked one in the 9th, but that was it, to preserve the victory and pick up his 16th save.
José Méndez took the mound for Miami in the second game of the series, but it was Chicago’s Dick Rudolph who gave up the first run of the game on a sacrifice fly by Gary Sheffield.
Méndez couldn’t overcome an error in the top of the 2nd, allowing a 2 run double by Jack Doyle. He settled down for a few innings after that, but an RBI single from Mike Fiore and a bases-loaded walk to Dick Allen chased him from the game, trailing 4-1 in the top of the 5th. Steve Brown was summoned from the bullpen, and got the final two outs of the inning with the bases loaded to hold the score steady.
Despite giving up the run, Rudolph didn’t give up a hit until Alan Ashby doubled in the bottom of the 5th. A bases loaded walk to Sandy Amorós cut the lead in half, 4-2.
But Brown was ineffective in the 6th, giving up a 2 RBI single to Freddy Parent and another run scoring knock to Frank Thomas. That put Chicago up by 5, 7-2. Marcelino López imploded at that point, eventually giving up a 3 run homerun to Doyle (his 3rd hit of the game). That made it 11-2, and a 2 run shot from Thomas essentially ended the contest.
That did allow Cristóbal Torriente to make his first mound appearance of the year to close out the final inning of the blowout. It went pretty smoothly, with only a walk to Chris Hoiles blemishing a perfect inning.
Doyle, Thomas, and Parent each had 3 hits and Doyle drove in 5 runs for Chicago, with Rudolph picking up his 2nd victory since joining the American Giants.
CAG 15 (Rudolph 2-0) @ MCG 3 (Méndez 2-3) HRs: CAG – Doyle (2), Thomas (18). Box Score
#Game 3: Don Newcombe @ Eustaquio Pedroso
Don Newcombe faces his old team trying to avoid becoming the first 11 game loser in the WBL. He’ll be opposed by Eustaquio Pedroso, desperately trying to hold onto his rotation spot.
It didn’t start well for Pedroso as a couple of hits and a couple of walks resulted in a 2-0 lead for Chicago with the runs scoring on a single from Cristóbal Torriente. Jack Doyle took Pedroso deep in the 2nd, extending the lead to 3-0.
Miami would get on the board in the bottom of the 2nd, with a double by Robin Yount plating their first tally and a sacrifice flies from Jim Thome and Sandy Amorós tying the game at 3.
It was short lived, as a homerun by Dave Nilsson gave Chicago the lead once more, but an RBI double by Will Clark tied it up again and a single from Yount put the Cuban Giants ahead once more, 5-4. A single in the bottom of the 4th from Canseco increased the lead to 6-4 and chased Newcombe from the game, replaced by Ed Walsh. Gary Sheffield greeted Walsh with a double that scored 2, making it 8-4.
Pedroso gave way to Phenomenal Smith in the 6th, who gave up 1 run in 2 innings, leaving the score 8-5.
Akinori Otsuka gave up a long homerun to Thome in the bottom of the 7th, pushing the lead to 10-5 and another 2 run homerun, this one from José Canseco off Clay Condrey made it 12-5 heading into the bottom of the 9th.
Frank Thomas greeted Aroldis Chapman with a solo shot to left, but that was it as Miami won their first game of the series, 12-6. Canseco finished with 4 hits, 3 runs scored, and 3 RBI.
CAG 6 (Newcombe 2-11) @ MCG 12 (Pedroso 5-5) HRs: CAG – Doyle (3), Nilsson (5), Thomas (19); MCG – Thome (11), Canseco (19). Box Score
#Game 4: Ben Sheets @ Camilo Pascual
Chicago will turn to Ben Sheets in the series finale while Miami will hope Camilo Pascual can salvage a split for the Cuban Giants.
José Cardenal led off the bottom of the first with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly from Pete Runnels for an early 1-0 Miami lead. It lasted exactly to the start of the next inning when Joe Jackson took Pascual deep to tie the game. Which lasted until Will Clark went deep to lead off the bottom of the frame. And that lasted until Jackson lashed a 2-run single in the top of the 3rd with the bases loaded, putting the American Giants back on top, 3-2.
Miami returned the favor with RBI’s from Runnels, Gary Sheffield, and Clark–that’s right, a 3-run inning–to retake the lead, 5-3. Runnels continued his great game with a 3-run shot that chased Sheets in the 4th and a 2-run single in the 5th.
That gave Pascual–who had clearly settled down–a 10-3 lead heading into the 6th. The teams scored a few more times, but the outcome was never in doubt.
Runnels ended up with 3 hits and 7 RBIs, leading Miami to a series split.
CAG 4 (Sheets 7-6) @ MCG 13 (Pascual 5-8) HRs: CAG – Jackson (19); MCG – Clark (15), Runnels (1). Box Score
Series Notes
Miami’s comeback to split has to be quite a surprise, the manner they did it even moreso, outscoring Chicago in the series, 32-30.
José Canseco was 6-for-12 in the series and Will Clark and Gary Sheffield had 6 hits each.
Freddy Parent continued to endear himself to his new team, going 6-for-14 while Frank Thomas had 5 hits and 2 homeruns for Chicago
This is only the 2nd appearance for the Miami Cuban Giants, who we first saw in Series XI. They are the last team to get their second features, perhaps appropriate for one of the weakest teams in the WBL.
#Chicago American Giants
Chicago comes into this series in 2nd place, 3 games behind Baltimore in the Cum Posey Division. They’re a good team, among the best offensively with a pitching staff that is better in the rotation than the bullpen.
The American Giants are led by a powerful quintet: OFs Joe Jackson and Duffy Lewis and IFs Frank Thomas (although he’s more a DH than a 1B), Eddie Collins, and Dick Allen. Jackson leads in BA, SLG, and OPS (328, 579, and 990, respectively); Lewis in HR (21), Thomas in OBP and RBI (429, 70), Collins in SB (38). It’s an insane lineup for opposing hurlers to get through.
Tricky Nichols leads the way on the mound at 9-3 with a 3.67 ERA while Ben Sheets is 7-5, 3.45. The key here is that none of the other starters–Mark Buehrle and newcomers Dick Rudolph and Don Newcombe–have been bad, making the staff fairly consistent.
If there is an issue for Chicago, it’s the bullpen. Closer AJ Minter (15 saves, 2.18) has been excellent, but getting to him as been a struggle at times, leading to the midseason acquisition of Hoyt Wilhelm.
#Miami Cuban Giants
The Cuban Giants are young, and bad, with what is most likely the league’s worst offense, and a pitching staff not far behind.
José Canseco (291/359/510, 18 HR) has been the one consistent bright spot, and while 1B Will Clark and the more recently promoted C Alan Ashby and Gary Sheffield have been solid, the rest have been pretty miserable.
Rube Waddell and Camilo Pascual have been solid, even occasionally excellent as starters. But after that … the less said the better. Similarly, Aroldis Chapman clearly has an elite arm at closer, but the rest of the bullpen has been quite a mess, although Phenomenal Smith has been excellent since his very recent recall from AAA.
As a point of curiosity, Eustaquio Pedroso and Martín Dihigo both look promising as 2-way players.
#Series Matchups
Chicago starter listed first.
Mark Buehrle (6-7, 4.40) @ Roenis Elías (2-2, 5.60) Dick Rudolph (6-4, 4.20) @ José Méndez (2-2, 6.25) Don Newcombe (2-10, 5.80) @ Eustaquio Pedroso (4-5, 5.95) Ben Sheets (7-5, 3.45) @ Camilo Pascual (4-8, 3.67)
#Series Predictions
With Nichols missing the series, I think Miami can win 1 game. Of course, with Waddell missing it, perhaps not even that. But I’ll stick with 3-1, Chicago.
Chicago‘s recent acquisition, Don Newcombe, makes his first start for the American Giants. He’ll be facing Christy Mathewson, moving up a day to take the first game of the series for the New York Gothams.
A long homerun in the top of the 2nd by Dick Allen put Chicago up, 1-0.
And that was it for a while. Mathewson struggled with his control, walking 4 through 4 innings, but only giving up the homerun to Allen. Cristóbal Torriente led off the 5th with a single, but was stranded there as, reaching back for a little extra, Mathewson whiffed Duffy Lewis with his final pitch.
Newcombe, on the other hand, was giving up a hit per inning, but nothing else. Willie Mays led off the bottom of the 7th with a double and moved to 3rd on an infield hit by Johnny Callison. Mays would score to tie the game on a sacrifice fly from Willie McCovey.
The Gothams would take their first lead in the bottom of the 8th when Buster Posey singled home Jimmy Sheckard. Mike Norris gave up a 2-out single to Eddie Collins, but struck out Joe Jackson to end the game, earning his 2nd save in the process as the Gothams took the first of the four game series.
Duffy Lewis opened the scoring in the top of the first with an RBI single , but despite 2 hits and 2 walks, that was all Chicago could manage off of Sad Sam Jones in the frame.
Yasiel Puig doubled off Ben Sheets in the bottom of the 2nd, moved to third on a groundout, and scored on an RBI single by Wes Westrum to tie the game. Sheets would walk Pinky Higgins and give up a single to Brandon Crawford to load the bases, but a double play ball from Cookie Rojas left the game tied at 1.
Chicago would take the lead back in the top of the 4th on an RBI single by Freddy Parent. In the next inning, Dick Allen would triple in 2 more runs, extending the lead to 4-1. Allen would score on a single by Mike Fiore, chasing Jones and bringing in Don Sutton for the Gothams.
Johnny Callison made it 5-3 in the bottom of the 8th with a 2-run homerun off Herb Pennock.
Chicago would add a run in the top of the 9th, and their closer, AJ Minter, would work around an error to close it out in the bottom of the frame.
Pete Donohue got himself into a bases loaded jam in the top of the 2nd, and got Dave Nilsson to hit a groundball. But New York only got one out, and a run crossed the plate for an early 1-0 lead for Chicago. They would double it in the 4th, taking advantage of a Carl Furillo error and a Magglio Ordóñez double to make it 2-0.
Meanwhile, Tricky Nichols was sailing along with a 3-hit shutout through five innings.
Donohue, who had only allowed 2 hits to that point, took a line drive off the leg in the top of the 5th and had to leave the game, replaced by Mike Norris.
The wheels came off for Nichols in the bottom of the 6th, when the home crowd’s fan favorite, Wes Westrum, took him deep with 2 men on, giving the Gothams a 3-2 lead.
Nichols was chased from the game by hits from John Kerins and Cookie Rojas in the bottom of the 7th, bringing Hoyt Wilhelm in from the bullpen to face the pinch-hitting Willie Mays. Mays singled, bringing in a run and extending the lead to 4-2, but Wilhelm got out of the inning without further damage.
The American Giants made a stand in the top of the 8th, first with an RBI single from Frank Thomas, and back-to-back doubles from Dick Allen and Mike Fiore and a pinch-hit single from Duffy Lewis that gave Chicago the lead again, 7-4.
Akinori Otsuka and AJ Minter would close out the game for Chicago with 2 perfect innings of relief.
Up 2 games to 1, Chicago opened game 4 of the series with a double from Eddie Collins, who scored on a single from Joe Jackson. Jackson would score on a single by Dick Allen, and Duffy Lewis would come home on a soft single from Cristóbal Torriente. Allen would score on a wild pitch as Chicago tagged Juan Marichal for 4 runs in the top of the first.
The Gothams would get one back in the bottom of the 2nd, when a Mark Buehrle wild pitch allowed Yasiel Puig to score.
Marichal would give up 2 more runs, giving Chicago the 6-1 lead heading to the bottom of the 5th. New York closed to 6-2 in the bottom of the frame, but Buehrle escaped a bases-loaded jam to maintain a 4-run cushion.
A 2-run homerun from Jackson extended Chicago’s lead to 8-3 in the top of the 7th.
The Gothams’ most pleasant surprise of the year has been Wes Westrum, who continues to just mash the ball. Westrum doubled in 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th, closing the score to 8-5.
Chicago would add one more run on a double play in the top of the 9th for the final tally.
These are two excellent teams, each leaving this series in 2nd place in their divisions. But the edge shown by Chicago does reflect a true difference in the two, and the 3-1 series result is well deserved.
Dick Allen, Joe Jackson, and Eddie Collins each had 5 hits for the American Giants and Cristóbal Torriente went 7-for-16 to lead their offense. For the Gothams, Buster Posey went 6-for-15, Cookie Rojas added 5 hits, and Wes Westrum had 4 in 3 games.
