Tag: Álex Rodríguez Page 2 of 3

Two teams struggling to impress … we last saw Memphis in Series XIII and Series III while Ottawa was featured in Series XII and Series VII.

#Memphis Red Sox

Memphis is 20 games below .500, languishing in last place in the Bill James Division, 15 games behind the leaders. So, yeah, this year is pretty much done.

As a team, Memphis does nothing well. Well, other than run the bases. They do that well. For all it matters. Individually, however, there are at least some signs of life.

The class of the team is clearly Reggie Smith, who is slashing 310/379/537 and playing strong defense in CF. Ted Williams (259/345/500) has slumped over the past few months, but leads the team in HR (18) and RBI (65). And … that’s it. Claude Ritchey and Wade Boggs get on base a bit, Bill White has some power … but, yeah. If there are some disappointments here, they are OFs Mookie Betts and Manny Ramírez, both of whom are stuck with OPS’ in the low 700s.

Jon Lester (8-8, 4.04) has been their best starter, although Len Barker‘s return from injury is encouraging. Barker has a 3.31 ERA, but is still looking to establish himself as a starter. The bullpen is suspect, with closer Jonathan Papelbon struggling of late although he still leads the team in saves with 7.

#Ottawa Mounties

The Mounties are 14 games behind in the Cum Posey Division, so while they have a better record than Memphis (43 wins to 37), they are really in similar positions. But, somehow, Ottawa is just a little more intriguing–perhaps due to a near constant player churn that is generating some interesting questions. First, though, an overview.

The Mounties’ best players, by some distance, are Tim Raines (298/373/454 with a league-leading 66 SB) and Larry Walker (287/373/581). Walker has struggled to stay healthy, playing in only 34 games so far, but he is still tied for the team league in homeruns with 10 (along with Raines and Gary Carter, who also leads in RBIs with 40).

Carter has been on a tear recently, validating the Mounties’ choice to make him their everyday catcher. The team has a challenge with what to do with Roberto Alomar, who has started his WBL career at a 308/357/442 clip, and may push Raines into LF fulltime. Finally, while not as impressive as Carter’s run, SS Álex Rodriguez has raised his OPS about 100 points over the last few weeks.

The Mounties’ pitching corps seems to be in continual disarray, but one constant has been Old Hoss Radbourn, who is 7.7 with a 3.99 ERA. Jim Clancy and Monk Dubiel have been solid as well, and Clayton Richard‘s return from the DL could even give them an adequate top 4 hurlers. The challenge is, and then what? Ryan Dempster seems to be moving into the role of closer, but getting to him is a challenge. Greg Holland was absolutely torched earlier in the season, but is doing better having been recalled.

And then there is Randy Johnson, whose overall numbers are still pretty ugly, but has dropped his ERA by 2 1/2 runs since returning to the WBL in late June.

#Pitching Matchups (Memphis starter listed first)

Tim Wakefield (3-6, 5.44) @ Jim Clancy (5-4, 4.52)
Jon Lester (8-8, 4.04) @ Johnny Podgajny (1-2, 4.68)
Stubby Overmire (3-5, 3.79) @ Old Hoss Radbourn (7-7, 3.99)
Dean Chance (6-7, 4.24) @ Joe Mays (1-1, 5.52)

#Series Predictions

A split. I would root for Ottawa, but there’s so little to choose from between these two, gotta’ go for the split. The Overmire – Radbourn matchup is the most interesting.

Series XXII Best Games

By mknn

On July 22, 2022

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

New York Black Yankees @ House of David, Game 3

This was just your classic see-saw slugfest. Looking only at the score at the end of half-innings, the lead changed hands 8 times in the game–2-0; 3-2; 7-2; 8-7; 10-8; 12-8; 13-12; and finally 15-13 (and it was tied at 7, 8, and 12).

Things started well for New York, as Eric Davis singled, stole 2 bases, and scored on a sac fly before a solo shot from Lou Gehrig made it 2-0 in their favor. Cole Hamels took the mound for the Black Yankees, trying to earn his spot in the starting rotation. Didn’t go so well: Hamels didn’t get out of the 4th inning, leaving the game with the House of David leading, 7-2. He gave up homeruns to Pete Browning and Gabby Hartnett, and two to Anthony Rizzo.

The House of David’s Frank Sullivan was sailing at that point, but the top of the 5th would be his undoing as New York put together 3 hits and 2 walks to start the inning, then greeted Sullivan’s replacement, Phil Regan, with RBI doubles from Mickey Mantle and Derek Jeter. By the end of the frame, New York was ahead, 8-7.

Browning’s second homerun of the game tied it up in the 5th, with the Black Yankees’ taking the lead back on a solo shot from Babe Ruth and an RBI single from Jeter. At this point, it looked like New York’s game, especially once they doubled their lead on a 2-run double from Ruth in the top of the 7th. It was now 12-8 in favor of the Black Yankees.

But the New York bullpen has been their Achilles’ heel all year, and today proved no exception. Ralph Citarella came in and loaded the bases twice (a great throw by Ruth nailed Browning at the plate, preventing a run from scoring) before giving up a grand slam to Hartnett, tying the game at 12.

Thurman Munson immediately restored New York’s lead with his 10th homerun of the season. Sparky Lyle had a rare effective outing, and gave way in the bottom of the 9th to Gary Lavelle, newly appointed as the Black Yankees’ closer. Singles by Dan Ford and Hartnett brought up George Stone with 2 outs … and Stone neatly deposited Lavelle’s first pitch into the leftfield stands, for a walk-off 3 run homer.

Jack Taylor, forced into the game as a reliever, got the victory. Rizzo and Hartnett combined for 6 hits in 6 at bats with 9 RBIs and 6 runs scored, and Ford had 4 hits and 4 runs scored for the House of David. Ruth drove in 5 for New York.

NYY 13 (Lavelle 0-2, 2 B SV) @ HOD 15 (Taylor 7-8)
HRs: NYY – Gehrig (17), Ruth (28), Munson (10); Browning 2 (13), Rizzo 2 (5), Hartnett 2 (4), Stone (21).
Box Score

Other Games of Note

In pretty much the exact opposite game, Houston’s Stephen Strasburg and Portland’s Joseito Muñoz faced off in one of the best-pitched games of the year. Muñoz gave up only 3 hits over 8 innings, with a Jorge Posada double accounting for Houston’s only run. But Strasburg was even better, taking a 1-hitter into the 9th inning. He needed help at the end from Billy Wagner, but the two Colt 45 pitchers combined for a 3-hit shutout in the 1-0 win.

POR 0 (Muñoz 3-3) 0 @ HOU 1 (Strasburg 5-5; Wagner 9 Sv) 1
HRs: None.
Box Score

This was a fun one that went down to the wire. If you look at the box score, you might think that LA’s Doc Gooden and Indianapolis’ Willie Mitchell (making his first start of the year after spectacular performances in relief) were hit hard, but the real story was the inability of either Pud Galvin or Clay Carroll to help them get out of a jam. LA took an early lead on an RBI double from Derrek Lee, but the real drama was in the late innings as the lead changed hands 3 times. An RBI single from Jake Stenzel off the Angels’ closer, Joe Nathan, tied the game, and Ed Charles‘ fly deep to CF was snagged by a great catch from Mike Trout, but allowed Danny Hoffman to stroll home from third with the winning run. Carlos Delgado (slashing 375/423/562 since arriving in LA) had 2 hits, and Stenzel and Dave Henderson had 4 each for Indianapolis, with Henderson driving in 4.

LAA 6 (Nathan 3-5, 5 B Sv; Venters 10 H) @ IND 7 (Faber 6-5, 2 B Sv; Carroll 1 B Sv)
HRs: LA – Grich (7).
Box Score

When Álex Rodríguez took San Francisco closer Rod Beck deep in the bottom of the 9th for a walkoff homerun, it consigned the Sea Lions to their 7th straight loss. Ottawa’s Rusty Staub, hitting .346 since coming to the Mounties in a trade, had 2 hits, as did Anthony Rendon, helping the team overcome 3 errors in the victory. In perhaps his best outing of the year, Randy Johnson gave Ottawa 3+ innings of hitless relief, fanning 6.

SFS 4 (Beck 1-3, 4 B Sv; Howell 5 H; Robinson 10 H) @ OTT 5 (Holland 3-1)
HRs: Ott – Walker (9), Alomar (1), Rodríguez (8).
Box Score

TWIWBL 25.2: Series XIX Notes – Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On June 8, 2022

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Despite a stellar showing, Bob Welch is sent to AA A to clear room on the roster for the arrival of Joe Beggs. Manny Machado steps into the starting lineup at 3B, sending Brooks Robinson back to AAA.

#Chicago American Giants

The pitching staff was overhauled in a big way, with Frank Smith, Ken Sanders, and Joe Horlen heading to AAA to clear room for newcomers Don Newcombe, Dick Rudolph, Clay Condrey, and Hoyt Wilhelm, with Newcombe and Rudolph joining the rotation. Freddy Parent steps right into the SS role, sending Luis Aparicio to AAA and clearing space on the roster for José Abreu, who looks to see a fair bit of time at 1B against lefties.

The new guys were good in their first game: Parent hit a homerun and Wilhelm was effective in relief. But it was the old guard who won the game, with Frank Thomas hitting a homerun and Dick Allen getting 3 hits in a 7-2 victory over Brooklyn to start the second half for the American Giants. After the game, Tom Brookens was promoted to Chicago as Jack Doyle was placed on the DL.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Everyone can play everywhere … which isn’t as big a deal as you might think. But, 17 year old Pete Hill, Paul Goldschmidt, and Lance Blankenship all move to Houston to fill out the roster. Roger Clemens slides directly into the rotation with Brad Lidge heading to AAA.

Hill hit a go-ahead homerun in his first start, helping Houston to a 4-3 win over Ottawa. Trevor Hoffman moved to 5-0, and Billy Wagner picked up his 5th save of the year.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Steve Evans and Frankie Frisch join the big league club. The pitching situation is a bit more interesting: Bob Gibson remains at AAA due to the arrival of Smoky Joe Wood and the return of Andy Pettitte from the DL.

#Ottawa Mounties

The Mounties have essentially tossed in the towel, looking to sort through some of their young talent with an eye towards next year. This means a return to the rotation for Johnny Podgajny, a return to Ottawa for Randy Johnson, and a debut for RP Bobby Castillo.

A similar bunch of changes offensively: Jim Stephens takes over for Emil Gross as the backup catcher, Rusty Staub moves into a platoon at 1B, Álex Rodríguez gets another shot as the full time SS, and Carlos Beltrán tries to solve the ongoing woes at CF for Ottawa.

Roberto Alomar had 4 hits and 5 RBIs and Rodriguez scored 4 times with 3 hits and 3 RBIs leading the Mounties in a 14-5 rout of Houston in the first game of a doubleheader. Rodriguez and Roy Sievers went deep and Clayton Richard put in a strong 7 innings for his second win.

TWIWBL 24.15: Mid-Season Reviews – Ottawa Mounties

By mknn

On April 26, 2022

In Team News, TWIWBL

Summary

Ottawa is a team in constant struggle without enough talent to maintain much optimism for the second half.

What’s Gone Right

When It Raines. Tim Raines was probably the most egregious omission from the all-star game, hitting over .300 and leading the league in steals.

The Corners. Carlos Delgado and Anthony Rendon have been quite solid at the corners, even with a slump from Rendon towards the end of the first half.

Top Two, Eventually. Roy Halladay has been consistent from the get-go, but it took a while for the Mounties to realize what they had in veteran Jamie Moyer. Now, the two of them form a solid top of the rotation for a pitching staff that has struggled otherwise.

What’s Gone Wrong

Larry Walker. The fantastically talented outfielder has been a one man wrecking crew, with an OPS around 150 points above the next best on the team (see below). So why is Larry Walker listed here? He’s hit the DL twice, only appearing in 16 games for the Mounties so far.

Backstops. Gary Carter has improved lately, but still the backstop duo of him and Emil Gross has struggled all season.

Cutting Losses. The raw talent of Álex Rodríguez and Ken Griffey, Jr. is obvious to anyone that watches them. But they just aren’t ready for the WBL yet and it took Ottawa a long time to decide to send them to AAA. CF remains an issue for the team, although Freddy Parent has done well at SS.

Key Storylines

Tom Henke‘s injury has opened up the door for Gary Lavelle to serve as a closer for Ottawa–or for someone else.

Two players–Raines and Halladay–are on the verge of establishing themselves as true stars in the league, and with little on the line for the team, individual stories will dominate the second half for Ottawa.

Trading Outlook

SELLING. Selling, selling, selling.

The fire sale is on as the Mounties look to the future. Moyer, Lavelle, and Delgado are the biggest chips they have to cash in, but there are some others, including perhaps all-star shortstop Parent.

AAA Shuttle

Not great. Jackie Jensen did well, but this is a team with revolving doors at a lot of positions.

Midseason Changes

Gary Peters goes back to AAA as Monk Dubiel returns from the injured list.

Roy Sievers, George Cutshaw, and Rick Monday all head to AAA with John Olerud, George Van Haltren, and Roberto Alomar coming up to the big leagues.

Awards

All Stars: Freddy Parent (SS).

Offensive MVP: Tim Raines (2B)
Pitching MVP: Roy Halladay (SP)

Down on the Farm

AAA: Montréal Expos

Next to the Show: OFs Jackie Jensen, George Van Haltren, and Jesse Burkett.

Prospects: 3B Steve Garvey (20), OF Rick Monday (23).

Projects: OF George Van Haltren (26), SS Álex Rodríguez (20), OF Ken Griffey, Jr. (19), OF Jackie Jensen (31), P Randy Johnson (25).

Suspects: C Brad Ausmus (35), OF Spud Johnson (33), C Jeff Reed (21), P Kirk McCaskill (31), RP Juan Cruz (33).

AA: Edmonton Trappers

Prospects: OF Lloyd Moseby (20), 1B John Mayberry (19)

Projects: OF Otto Briggs (26), 1B Tino Martinez (24), RP Joel Hanrahan (30).

Suspects: P Chuck Crim (29), 3B Glenn Williams (27), P Andy Lapihuska (19), RP Doug Henry (28).

TWIWBL 23.0: All-Star Weekend – The Futures Game

By mknn

On February 8, 2022

In All Star Games, TWIWBL

This game looks to be a bit of a mismatch: the sheer volume of talent on team USA is a bit overwhelming.

Tony Solaita of the World Team led off the inaugural Futures Game with a single up the middle off Bob Gibson, but a popout and a double play would end the inning without damage.

Fernando Valenzuela‘s opening frame didn’t go as well: Art Devlin singled and stole second, and then attempted to score on a base hit from Charlie Gehringer, but César Hernández‘ throw home was strong enough to nail him at the plate. Gehringer would score on a base-hit from Jimmie Foxx to put the USA up, 1-0.

Foxx was at it again in the bottom of the 3rd, scoring Devlin with a mammoth shot to left field, increasing the lead to 3-0.

Roberto Alomar greeted A. Rube Foster in the top of the 4th with a leadoff double. Alomar moved to third on a flyball to center by Shin-Soo Choo, and scored on a soft single from Sammy Sosa. Despite loading the bases, however, that was all the World team could muster, leaving the score 3-1.

Gehringer would drive in 2 more in the bottom of the frame upping the lead to 5-1.

And that would be it.

For the USA, Terry Forster, Frank Smith, Smokey Joe Williams, Jake Peavy, and Mike Adams combined for 5.1 innings of scoreless relief, while for the World, Steve Chitren, Jesse Crain, Moe Drabowsky, Arodys Vizcaíno, and Luiz Gohara closed the game without allowing a hit over the final 4 innings.

Foxx’s homerun and 3 RBIs were enough to walk away with the MVP Award, although Gehringer (2-for-4 with a run and 2 RBIs) and Devlin (2-for-2 with a run scored) each had an argument.

For the World, Tip O’Neill reached base 4 times, with 2 hits and 2 walks. It was a much worse day at the plate for Sosa and Hernández, each of whom struck out 3 times.

The idiotic choice by the AI to not select a catcher was impactful, as Abreu split time behind the plate with Jorge Orta, combining for 5 passed balls.

World 1 (Valenzuela 0-1) @ USA 5 (Maddux 1-0)
HRs: USA – Foxx (1).
Box Score

Roster Notes

The Wandering House of David and the Brooklyn Royal Giants each have 7 representatives in the game, and the Chicago American Giants have 5. Time will tell if that is an indicator of a strong talent pipeline or not.

Two of the players–the House of David’s Sosa and Los Angeles’ Carlos Beltrán–were traded over the all-star break. Both of them, along with San Francisco’s Sal Bando, Ottawa’s Alex Rodríguez and Roberto Alomar, and Birmingham’s Greg Maddux were recalled to the big leagues over the break.

Here are the full rosters, listing the level and WBL organization. Starters are listed in bold.

World Team Roster

Abreu was drafted in to catch, O’Neill as the DH, and López at 3B.

C: None. Whoops.

1B: Tip O’Neill (AA, Ottawa); Tony Solaita (AAA, Cleveland)

2B: Roberto Alomar (AAA, Ottawa); Jorge Orta (AA, Detroit)

3B: None, but both López and Hernández can play here.

SS: Luis Aparicio (AA, House of David); Bert Campaneris (AA, House of David, suspended); Jhonny Peralta (AAA, Indianapolis)

LF: Shin-Soo Choo (AAA, Houston)

CF: Carlos Beltrán (AA, Los Angeles); Héctor López (AA, New York Black Yankees); César A. Hernández (AA, Philadelphia)

RF: Bobby Abreu (AAA, Philadelphia); Willie Montañez (AA, Baltimore); Sammy Sosa (AAA, House of David)

P: José Capellán (AA, Memphis); Steve Chitrin (AAA, Brooklyn); Jesse Crain (AA, Ottawa); Víctor Cruz (AA, Chicago); Moe Drabowsky (AA, New York Gothams); Luiz Gohara (AAA, Memphis); Tom Harrison (AA, House of David); Fergie Jenkins (AAA, House of David); Sergio Valdéz (AA, Homestead); Fernando Valenzuela (AAA, Brooklyn); Arodys Vizcaíno (AA, Cleveland)

Team USA Roster

C: Cliff Lee (AAA, Portland); Mike Piazza (AAA, Brooklyn)

1B: Cap Anson (AA, House of David); Jimmie Foxx (AA, San Francisco)

2B: Charlie Gehringer (AAA, Detroit)

3B: Sal Bando (AAA, San Francisco); Art Devlin (AAA, New York Gothams)

SS: Ray Chapman (AA, Detroit); Alex Rodríguez (AAA, Ottawa)

LF: Bob Watson (AAA, Chicago)

CF: John Briggs (AA, Brooklyn); Kirby Puckett (AA, Portland)

RF: Dwight Evans (AAA, Memphis); Al Kaline (AAA, Detroit); Merv Rettenmund (AAA, Baltimore)

P: Mike Adams (AAA, Chicago); Terry Forster (AAA, Brooklyn); A. Rube Foster (AAA, Chicago); Bob Gibson (AAA, Kansas City); Greg Maddux (AAA, Birmingham); Jake Peavy (AAA, New York Black Yankees); Chris Short (AA, Brooklyn); Frank Smith (AAA, Chicago); Karl Spooner (AA, House of David); Smokey Joe Williams (AAA, Brooklyn).

TWIWBL 18.2: Series XV Notes – Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On November 8, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Bill Byrd allowed 3 hits (2 by Tom Herr, who continues to impress) in a complete-game shutout of Birmingham. The 7-0 win moved Byrd to 5-2 and lowered his ERA to a sparkling 3.16. Curt Blefary, Larry Gardner, and Dan McGann had 2 hits each in support of Byrd, with McGann and Bryce Harper driving in 2 each.

The Black Sox finally ran out of patience with Miller Huggins, sending the struggling 2B to AAA in favor of OF Baby Doll Jacobson, who had been absolutely demolishing minor league pitching.

#Chicago American Giants

Shoeless Joe Jackson took Jimmy Key‘s first ever pitch in the WBL out of the ballpark for the first of his 2 homeruns on the day, setting the tone for a blowout victory for the American Giants over Ottawa. Damian Jackson–who started the day hitting .165–went 4-for-5 and six–yes, six–Chicago batters had 3 hits (Shoeless Joe, Frank Thomas, Eddie Collins, Duffy Lewis, Dick Allen, and Carlton Fisk). Thomas drove in 4, and Tricky Nichols improved to 6-2 with 7 solid innings on the mound.

Not all news was good for Chicago, as Cristobal Torriente had to leave the game with a leg injury that landed him on the DL. Rocky Colavito was recalled from AAA in his place.

As the American Giants try to solve their bullpen, Frank Smith was returned to AAA, with Joe Lake coming up to Chicago to compete with Joe Horlen for the final rotation spot. Despite his good day detailed above, The Damian Jackson experiment is clearly on its way out. While Jackson stays with the big league club–someone has to play 2B when Collins is out–Jack Doyle, way down in AA, provides the same defensive flexibility, and cannot hit any worse. Avisail Garcia was also sent down, with Magglio Ordonez coming up to the big leagues. Jim Davenport and Nellie Fox were both released to make room on the 40-man roster.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Mark Melancon picked up his 5th victory from the bullpen when Lance Berkman won the ballgame with a walk-off homerun against Cleveland. Jorge Posada also went deep and Jeff Bagwell and HR Johnson added 2 hits in the 4-3 victory.

Melancon did it again, moving to 6-1 when Jim O’Rourke provided a walk-off hit in the bottom of the 10th. Felipe Alou–perhaps playing to remain in the league–had 3 hits and 2 RBIs and Melancon, Dock Ellis, and Trevor Hoffman combined for 3.2 innings of 2-hit, shutout relief of an effective Stephen Strasbourg.

#Ottawa Mounties

Just another day for Tim Raines: 2 hits, 3 runs scored, 3 stolen bases to lead Ottawa to a 7-2 win over Chicago. Freddy Parent added his 9th homerun of the year and Jim Clancy pitched well, allowing 5 hits and 2 runs in just over 5 innings, moving to 3-2 on the season.

Jimmy Key was waived and Clark Griffiths returned to AAA to make room for Ted Bowsfield and Steve Howe‘s return from injury. More dramatically, the Mounties sent down Steve Garvey, Ken Griffey, Jr., and Alex Rodriguez to AAA in an effort to jump start their offense. Rick Monday, Larry Parrish, and–surprisingly, all the way from AA–Harry Easterday were recalled, with Felix Hernandez being waived. The end result of all this is that Jackie Jensen and Roy Sievers will get a lot of at-bats for a while.

TWIWBL 18.0: Series XV Notes

By mknn

On November 1, 2021

In TWIWBL

June 3

We’re roughly 60 games into the season. The Baltimore Black Sox have been caught by the Portland Sea Dogs for the best record in the league, with each team sporting a 38-24 record to lead their divisions. They’re the only two teams playing above .600, although the New York Black Yankees, at .597 (37-25) are right there, too.

You can see some of the reason for Portland’s surge in the Relievers listed below, with three members of their bullpen making the list.

Performance

We’re going to look at two things before our usual lists.

Great Performances

Series XV had two standout performances, the first occurrence of each in the league, one on the mound and one at the plate.

First, Sandy Koufax of the Brooklyn Royal Giants threw the WBL’s first one-hitter, walking 2 and striking out 8 in a 3-0 victory over the Kansas City Monarchs. Koufax started the year in AAA, was impressive in Brooklyn’s bullpen, and now has cemented a spot in their rotation, improving to 2-2 with a 3.58 ERA on the season.

Then, the Miami Cuban Giants saw the first cycle of the year, with Alejandro Oms going 4-for-5 with 3 runs scored and 4 RBIs to lead Miami to a 9-6 victory over the Indianapolis ABCs. Oms homered, tripled, and singled in his first 3 at-bats, and then was thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple in his final time up–giving him an unusual completion of the cycle.

Improving?

Some of the storylines of the early season have, of course, focused on batters who have struggled, but for whatever the reason were kept in their lineups despite little to no offensive contribution. Let’s check in on how three of them are doing.

Baltimore’s Paul Blair bottomed out about a month ago, with an OPS under .550. But (a) the Black Sox were winning all the time and (b) he still contributed great defense. Since then, he’s added about .025 to his batting average, as well as some power. He’s reverted, going 4-for-24 in his last few games, leaving him at 214/273/358. Not good, and still in danger, but trending in the right direction.

The Cleveland Spiders hoped Larry Doby would be a key part of their offense, instead, he’s struggled all year. At one point, he had added about .100 points of OPS, peaking in the .650s. Like Blair, though, he’s faded from that, going 2-20 to currently sit at 205/304/310. Cleveland is playing well, but Doby is likely to lose some significant playing time after the lineup adjustments following this series.

If any team could carry a low producing offensive player, it is the Black Yankees, who have patiently waited for Willie Randolph to contribute at the plate. It’s starting to pay off, as Randolph is hitting as well as he has all year, improving to 205/339/282. Clearly, the OBP is the key stat here, and as long as Randolph gets on base, he will probably stay in the 9th position in their lineup.

Two teams have two players each who continue to struggle mightily. The Ottawa Mounties really needs to do something about the combination of Ken Griffey, Jr. (224/273/295 for the lowest OPS of any batting qualifier in the league) and Alex Rodriguez (206/251/333). With Freddy Parent on the edges of the all star discussions at SS, Rodriguez may be sent to AAA to try to work it out offensively.

The House of David has run out of patience with OF Sammy Sosa, who is limping along at 177/231/344.The power potential is clearly there, but the overall production is just far too weak. Mark McGwire is perhaps a more interesting case, hitting 167/314/203. A 150 point gap between BA and OBP is usually indicative in a player who will turn things around, but those are just putrid numbers for the big redhead.

Leading Performers

Note that Babe Ruth has tied teammate Eric Davis for the league lead in RBI, something Davis had a large lead in for most of the season. Ruth continues to dominate the leaderboards, topping the lead in 5 categories, and sitting 2nd in another, while San Francisco’s Reggie Jackson continues to lead in both BA and OBP.

On the mound, Baltimore’s Ned Garvin now qualifies for the rate stats, and tops the leaderboard in ERA and WHIP, and is second in BA against. Garvin is the only starting pitcher to lead the league in more than one category, although Portland’s Walter Johnson is close. The Black Yankees’ Ron Guidry still leads the league in strikeouts, but has slumped elsewhere.

Both Joseito Munoz (Portland) and Koufax are likely to join Garvin on the leaderboards as they accumulate more starts.

Best Batters

Rico Carty (PHI) 316/377/505, 22 2B
Eddie Collins (CAG) 329/440/551
Eric Davis (NYY) 283/337/557, 19 HR, 59 RBI
Bobby Grich (LAA) 292/369/475, 22 2B
Rickey Henderson (SFS) 254/402/348, 50 BB, 44 SB
Joe Jackson (CAG) 352/436/648, 50 R, 3.4 WAR
Reggie Jackson (SFS) 368/469/637
Willie Mays (NYG) 351/404/569, 84 H
Babe Ruth (NYY) 318/426/682, 21 HR, 59 RBI, 53 R, 43 BB, 3.5 WAR
Louis Santop (CLE) 312/342/482, 8 3B
Frank Thomas (CAG) 352/432/591, 81 H

Best Starting Pitchers

Gerrit Cole (LAA) 9-3, 4.23 ERA
Ned Garvin (BAL) 5-2, 2H, 2.76 ERA, .201 BAa, 0.93 WHIP
Lefty Grove (SFS) 6-2, 3.45 ERA, .198 BAa
Ron Guidry (NYY) 5-5, 3.74 ERA, 97 Ks
Walter Johnson (POR) 7-2, 3.61 ERA, 83 Ks,2.8 WAR
Johnny Marcum (DET) 6-2, 1H, 2.76 ERA
Dennis Martinez (BAL) 7-2, 3.15 ERA, 1.11 WHIP
Andy Petitte (KCM) 5-3, 3.13 ERA, 2.3 WAR
Toad Ramsey (HOU) 5-5, 4.52 ERA, 91.2 IP
Red Ruffing (NYY) 7-1, 4.12 ERA
Cy Young (CLE) 5-2, 3.65 ERA, 93.2 IP, 2.3 WAR

Best Relievers

Terry Adams (CLE) 0-3, 3.20 ERA, 14 Sv
Rod Beck (SFS) 0-1, 1.84 ERA, 14 Sv, 1 H
Elmer Brown (POR) 2-3, 2.33 ERA, 3 Sv, 3 H, .160 BAa
Ken Howell (SFS) 3-2, 1.38 ERA, 3 Sv, 3 H
Bob Howry (PHI) 1-2, 4.35 ERA, 15 Sv
Sandy Koufax (BRK) 2-2, 3.58 ERA, .132 BAa
Mark Melancon (HOU) 6-1, 2.86 ERA
Joseito Munoz (POR) 2-1, 0.77 ERA, 3 Sv, 0.94 WHIP
Ron Reed (PHI) 0-2, 3.00 ERA, 2 Sv, 11 H
Johan Santana (POR) 1-1, 2.76 ERA, 19 Sv
Doc White (IND) 1-1, 1.76 ERA, 1 Sv, 2 H, 0.65 WHIP

Streaks

The Homestead Grays are winning the race to the bottom, with only 1 victory in their last 10 games, leaving them with the worst record in the WBL at 23-39.

Miami and the Philadelphia Stars have only won 3 of their last 10, while at the other end, the Memphis Red Sox, Ottawa, the San Francisco Sea Lions, and the Birmingham Black Barons have all won 7 of their last 10 games. Memphis, Ottawa, and Birmingham were all among the worst teams in the league by winning percentage, so the tables are once again tightening up.

The House of David’s Elrod Hendricks has the most prolonged hot streak in the league, slashing 390/422/976 with 6 homeruns over his last 11 games. The miracle that is Birmingham’s Tom Herr isn’t far behind, hitting 424/500/758 over his last 9 contests.

At the other end, Sammy Sosa‘s struggles were mentioned above. The House of David OF is at 098/098/220 over his last 41 at-bats. Once among the hottest in the league, Philadelphia’s Chase Utley has had a rough 10 games, managing only a 132/154/211 line in that time.

Series XV Results

By far the shock of Series XV was Birmingham taking 3-out-of-4 from Baltimore. Nobody saw that coming.

Series XV Sweeps

Brooklyn over Kansas City

Taking 3 Out of 4 in Series XV

Birmingham over Baltimore
Detroit Wolverines over Los Angeles Angels
Portland over Homestead
Memphis over Philadelphia

Series XV Splits

Chicago American Giants @ Ottawa
Cleveland @ Houston Colt 45’s
Indianapolis @ Miami
Black Yankees @ San Francisco
New York Gothams @ House of David

Series XIV Featured Game: Brooklyn Royal Giants @ San Francisco Sea Lions

By mknn

On September 13, 2021

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

Brooklyn had already lost the first 2 games of the series against San Francisco when they sent Dutch Leonard to the mound to face Diego Segui. The two pitchers were on dramatically different trajectories: Leonard, at 3-7 with an ERA approaching 5.00, was trying desperately to hold on to his place in the Royal Giants’ rotation; Segui, on the other hand, had performed well enough since being recalled in mid-April to earn his 5th start of the season. His record was only 2-2, but his ERA was a sparkling 2.36.

Roy White would take Segui deep in the top of the first, but that would be the only run he allowed in 7 sparkling innings where he actually lowered his ERA to 2.18 before departing.

Leonard matched him frame-for-frame, though, only giving up a run in the 4th, when a leadoff single by Ricky Henderson was followed by a double from Jack Clark and a sacrifice fly from Pedro Guerrero to tie the game at 1.

So, after 7 innings, we had a 1-1 deadlock, with the game now in the hands of the two bullpens.

They were not up to the task.

Huston Street relieved Segui and gave up a 2-out, 2-run homerun to Duke Snider, scoring White and putting Brooklyn on top, 3-1.

But Eric Gagne–who had been lights out for the Royal Giants all season–gave up a leadoff homerun to San Francisco’s Cy Perkins, and then a triple to Dick Lundy. Lundy would score on a sacrifice fly by Henderson, and after 8 innings, we were tied at 3.

Ken Howell set Brooklyn down in order in the top of the 9th, setting the stage for the bottom of the frame. Gagne got two outs, but then allowed a double to Wally Moon, prompting Brooklyn to bring in Trevor Hildenberger.

Out came Reggie Jackson–triple crown and early season MVP candidate–to pinch hit. The crowd rose as one, the ever-present chant of REG-GIE, REG-GIE filling the air …

… Jackson delivered, lifting an RBI single into right field that easily scored Moon for the walkoff victory for the Sea Lions.

BRK 3 (Gagne 1-2, 3 B Sv) @ SFS 4 (Howell 2-2)
HRs: BRK – Snider (13), White (6); SFS – Perkins (2)
Box Score

Other Notable Games

Homestead suffered from an overly tired bullpen, as the Grays really had nobody to pick up the slack once starter Carlos Zambrano ran out of steam. Instead, Kansas City was able to chip away until scoring 3 in the bottom of the 9th, with Rogers Hornsby delivering the winning, walk-off single. Hornsby and Ted Simmons had 3 hits each and Ducky Medwick went 4-for-4 with 3 RBIs. Roberto Clemente had a strong game for the Grays in a losing effort, with 3 hits and 2 RBIs.

HOM 8 (Lindblom 0-3, 3 B Sv; Linzy 1 H) @ KCM 9 (Kimbrel 2-1)
HRs: n/a
Box Score

It was a wild night in Portland as the Sea Dogs held off a furious rally by Ottawa to hold on for an 11-10 victory. Freddy Parent hit 2 homeruns and Alex Rodriguez 1 for the Mounties while Jeff Burroughs, Bobby Murcer, and Harry Hooper all went deep for Portland. Murcer drove in 5 on 3 hits and Burroughs added 3 RBIs.

OTT 10 (Griffith 1-5) @ POR 11 (Miller 3-0; Santana 18 Sv; Kern 5 H)
HRs: OTT – Parent 2 (8), Rodriguez (4); POR – Burroughs (6), Murcer (9), Hooper (5)
Box Score

Despite a shaky outing that saw him surrender his first earned runs of the year, Aroldis Chapman did enough to earn his 10th save as Miami defeated Cleveland 7-6. The Cuban Giants got 2 hits each from Gary Sheffield and Carlos Moran and 2 RBIs from Jim Thome, while Jake Stahl had 3 hits and 3 RBIs (including a solo homerun off Chapman) for the Spiders.

MCG 7 (Bridges 4-1; Chapman 10 Sv; Willis 1 H; Bauta 6 H) @ CLE 6 (Coveleski 3-1)
HRs: CLE – Stahl (11)
Box Score

Series XII Featured Matchup: Ottawa Mounties @ Homestead Grays

By mknn

On August 18, 2021

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Preview here.

Rain, rain, go away, give us a doubleheader another day. The opening game in this series was rained out, setting up a twinbill the following day.

#Game 1: Jamie Moyer @ Ray Brown

Both pitchers struggled early, and both turned it around, somewhat.

Jamie Moyer gave up 5 runs in 3 innings, including a solo homerun to Andrew McCutcheon and a 2 run shot to Willie Stargell. But with the bullpen on constant alert, Moyer settled down, making it through 6 innings, trailing 5-2.

Homestead’s Ray Brown gave up 7 hits, but only the 2 runs in 5 innings of work, and the Grays bullpen basically held down the fort, with John Candelaria, Kent Tekulve, Bartolo Colon, and Josh Lindblom combining for 4 solid innings. Lindblom picked up his 6th save.

Chris Leroux followed Moyer with a scoreless inning, but hopes of an Ottawa comeback were really dashed when Steve Howe allowed 2 runs, including a homerun to Honus Wagner.

McCutcheon had 3 hits and 3 RBIs for the Grays, while–in what really could be an important turnaround for Ottawa–Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey, Jr. combined to go 5-for-8 with 4 runs scored.

It was a solid win for Homestead, but one that could have implications for their bullpen in game 2.

OTT 4 (Moyer 1-2) @ HOM 7 (Brown 4-2; Candelaria 1 H; Tekulve 3 H; Colon 1 H; Lindblom 6 Sv)
HRs: OTT – none; HOM – Stargell (7), McCutcheon (7), Wagner (3)
Box Score

#Game 2: Jim Clancy @ Hal Carlson

Ottawa opened up the scoring in this one, relying on their two best performers of the season, as Tim Raines doubled and stole a base and scored on an RBI double from Carlos Delgado in the top of the first against Hal Carlson.

But Homestead began to hit Jim Clancy pretty hard in the 2nd: Josh Gibson led the inning off with a double, Rick Reichardt walked, and a single from Willie Stargell loaded the bases, setting the stage for two consecutive sacrifice flies, one from Tom Brown and one from Arky Vaughan. Chris Sabo added an RBI double, and the Grays emerged with a 3-1 lead.

Rick Monday, given a rare start, doubled to lead off the 3rd for Ottawa, and eventually scored on a wild pitch, cutting the lead to 3-2. But, Clancy was still struggling, again loading the bases to open the bottom of the 3rd. The Grays would score twice, once on a double play and once on an RBI single from Stargell, extending their lead to 5-2.

The wheels fell off for Carlson in the top of the 5th. Emil Gross led off with a double for the Mounties, Monday walked, and Raines and Anthony Rendon delivered RBI hits. A walk to Delgado loaded the bases, and the Grays brought in Earl Hamilton … who immediately walked in a run, giving Ottawa a 6-5 lead.

Given the lead, Clancy suddenly excelled, retiring 11 straight batters between a walk to Vaughan in the 4th and a 2-out single by Davey Johnson in the 7th. Greg Holland relieved Clancy and got out of the inning without allowing anything else.

Holland gave up a leadoff double to Gibson in the bottom of the 8th, and an RBI single to Brown to tie the game.

Hamilton’s work should not go unmentioned–he allowed only 2 hits in 5 innings in what is probably his best outing of the season. But he wouldn’t feature in the decision, as the offenses were unable to do much, sending the game into extra innings.

Ottawa’s closer, Tom Henke, gave up hits to Roberto Clemente and Andrew McCutcheon to open the bottom of the 11th, and after an out, a single to Mike Epstein to load the bases. The Mounties brought in Ted Bowsfield, who retired Honus Wagner, but gave up a walk-off grand slam to Reichardt to win the game for Homestead. Henke took the loss, as the winning run was his responsibility, and the win went to Michael Jackson, who threw a hitless 1.2 innings in relief of Hamilton.

Gibson had 4 hits for the Grays and scored twice, while Raines and Rendon had 2 hits each for Ottawa.

OTT 6 (Henke 0-3; Holland 3 BSv) @ HOM 10 (Jackson 2-1)
HRs: Reichardt (5)
Box Score

#Game 3: Old Hoss Radbourn @ Carlos Zambrano

With Vean Gregg not ready to go, Homestead turned to Carlos Zambrano to make the start against Old Hoss Radbourn. Zambrano’s performance–especially since losing his spot in the rotation–has been far better than his 1-2 record and 6.28 ERA might indicate. Radbourn sits at 3-3, 4.94.

The first inning had a couple of minor baseball moments: In the top of the first, Tim Raines was thrown out stealing by Josh Gibson, something that has only happened 4 times in 37 attempts this season. Then, in the bottom of the frame, Radbourn loaded the bases with no outs, but got out of the inning unscathed.

Gary Carter gave Ottawa a 2-0 lead with a homerun in the top of the 2nd.

In the top of the 3rd, Gibson did it again, ending the inning with a strike-em-out, throw-em-out double play by nailing Raines at second base once more. A few innings later, Pops Stargell tied the game with a solo shot down the rightfield line. They would take the lead when an RBI single from Andrew McCutcheon scored Roberto Clemente.

It was a see-saw game for a bit: in the top of the 5th, a solo homerun from Ken Griffey, Jr. would tie the game at 3; in the bottom of the inning, another hit from Stargell, this one an RBI double, would return the lead to the Grays; in the top of the 6th, Terry Puhl would go yard to again tie the game, 4-4.

Cliff Lee-considered for the start originally–relieved Zambrano in the top of the 5th, and Greg Holland took over from Radbourn in the bottom of the inning.

Holland was greeted by a Clemente homerun, and gave up 3 walks and another hit before being relieved managing to record only a single out. Ottawa’s bullpen was already stretched, and it got worse: Steve Howe surrendered a run on a sacrifice fly, but was forced from the ballgame with an apparent back injury. Chris Leroux–already a bit overworked–replaced him, and when the inning ended, Homestead was up, 7-4.

Rick Reichardt added a 2-run homerun, and Kent Tekulve slammed the door with 2 scoreless innings as the Grays won, 9-4. McCutcheon, Stargell, and Clemente had 3 hits each, with Reichardt driving in 3.

After the game, Howe was put on the DL, with Ottawa recalling the impressive Johnny Podgajny from AAA.

OTT 4 (Holland 2-1) @ HOM 9 (Lee 3-0; Tekulve 1 Sv)
HRs: OTT – Carter (4), Griffey Jr (2), Puhl (4); HOM – Reichardt (6), Stargell (8), Clemente (6)
Box Score

#Game 4: Bob Brown @ Vean Gregg

Vean Gregg was ready to take the ball for game four, hoping to lead Homestead to the sweep over Ottawa and Bob Brown.

Brown and Gregg matched zero’s through five innings, each allowing only 3 hits.

It remained scoreless until the top of the 8th, when with two outs Carlos Delgado doubled in Tim Raines for a 1-0 Ottawa lead. After an error by Honus Wagner, Ottawa added another run, making it 2-0.

Brown couldn’t come out to take the mound in the 8th, so the Mounties turned to one of the hottest pitchers in the WBL, Gary Lavelle.

It got interesting in the bottom of the 9th. Lavelle got the first out before giving way to closer Tom Henke, who has struggled in his last few appearances. Henke gave up 3 consecutive hits to load the bases with one out. But he struck out Phil Garner and got Andrew McCutcheon to fly out to Ken Griffey, Jr. in centerfield to end the game, salvaging a win in the series for Ottawa.

Arky Vaughan had 3 hits for Homestead, who outhit the Mounties, 7-6 but were unable to put a run on the board.

OTT 2 (Brown 3-3; Lavelle 4 H; Henke 11 Sv) @ HOM 0 (Gregg 3-5)
HRs: none
Box Score

#Series Notes

The story of the series was the collapse of Ottawa’s bullpen–a strength up to now. But Tom Henke, Steve Howe, and Greg Holland all struggled quite a bit in the series.

The extent of Bob Brown‘s injury is unknown at this time, which could be quite a blow for Ottawa, as his 3.43 ERA is quite respectable.

Carlos Delgado was 6-for-12 and Phil Bradley 4-for-10 in a series where the Mounties struggled to do much offensively.

For Homestead, Roberto Clemente was 7-for-12, Josh Gibson was 5-for-12, Arky Vaughan was 5-for-10, Andrew McCutcheon 8-for-19, Rick Reichardt 5-for-17 with 2 homeruns, and Pops Stargell 6-for-17 with 2 homeruns, 2 doubles, and 5 RBIs. Yeah, they feasted a bit on Ottawa pitching.

Series XII Preview: Ottawa Mounties @ Homestead Grays

By mknn

On August 14, 2021

In Featured Series, Series Previews

Series XII brings us back to two struggling teams we haven’t looked at for a while: the Ottawa Mounties, in last place in the Cum Posey Division at 20-26, 9 games behind Baltimore; and the Homestead Grays, who at 18-28 have the second-worst record in the league.

So the key question here is … what has gone wrong for these two teams?

#Ottawa Mounties

Here’s what’s gone right for Ottawa: they don’t make many errors and Tim Raines steals a lot of bases.

That’s a little harsh. Raines has been excellent, slashing 293/384/475 with 32 steals at 2B and Carlos Delgado (259/385/469 with 9 homeruns) has been pretty consistent in the middle of the lineup. But the Mounties are quite reliant on those two and, after them, there isn’t much: Delgado (9) and Raines (7) lead the team in homeruns, with nobody else having more than 5; they also lead the team in RBIs, 2Bs, BBs, and runs.

The challenges for Ottawa are summarized by their reliance on the quartet of Anthony Rendon, Freddy Parent, Phil Bradley, and Terry Puhl, all of whom have an OPS in the .700s.

If you want to point fingers, clearly both Alex Rodriguez (who has lost his starting job at SS to Parent with a slash line of 214/253/314) and Ken Griffey, Jr. (216/260/259) have been massive disappointments. Both have shown some sign of recovery over the past week or two, but it may be time for a trip to the minors.

Roy Sievers has done well in his two weeks in the WBL, and deserves some more playing time. George Cutshaw has also done well, but he plays the same positions as Raines and, as such, has struggled to force his way into the lineup.

The bullpen has been solid for Ottawa, led by closer Tom Henke (10 saves, 1.02 ERA) and the duo of Ted Bowsfield and Gary Lavelle, who have combined to go 4-1 with a save and 7 holds. But the starting pitching has been rough, exemplified by the long saga leading to Randy Johnson‘s demotion.

Old Hoss Radbourn (3-3, 4.94 ERA) and Roy Halladay (2-3, 4.52 ERA) have been the best of the group, and newcomers Jim Clancy (1-1, 4.44 ERA) and Jamie Moyer (1-1, 4.71 ERA) have both been useful, but this is clearly an area of need for the Mounties.

#Homestead Grays

The Grays may not have been projected to be contenders, but they weren’t supposed to be this bad.

Offensively, the team is solid, with a trio of very strong performers in Mike Epstein (360/448/596), Andrew McCutchen (304/379/494) and Josh Gibson (316/404/463). Sure, they could do with a little more power (Epstein leads the team with 8 homeruns, and McCutcheon and Pops Stargell have 6), but who couldn’t?

Of the regulars, only Arky Vaughan (192/330/322) is in danger of losing his job, but ultimately he probably draws enough walks to remain useful, especially when his defense is taken into consideration.

Which brings us to the pitching … which has been rough at best. Ray Brown, Hal Carlson, and Vean Gregg have 3 victories each, with Carlson (3.20 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) being the most dependable. Stan Bahnsen (1-0, 2 saves, 2 holds, 3.12 ERA) has been very impressive since being recalled, and has earned his place in the rotation.

The best arm out of the bullpen has a 5.79 ERA, which just about sums it up: Kent Tekulve has a team-leading 1.18 WHIP, but has been hit hard at times. Josh Lindblom remains the closer, with 5 saves, but he has a WHIP of 1.86 and has struggled at times.

#Series Matchups

Ottawa’s hurler listed first: Jamie Moyer (1-1, 4.71) @ Ray Brown (3-2, 5.21); Jim Clancy (1-1, 4.44) @ Hal Carlson (3-2, 3.20); Old Hoss Radbourn (3-3, 4.94) @ Vean Gregg (3-4, 4.81); Bob Brown (2-3, 3.91) @ Stan Bahnsen (1-0, 3.12).

None of the matchups are terribly compelling, although there are active questions–can Moyer, Clancy, and Bahnsen continue to contribute? Can Radbourn and Carlson cement their spots at the front of their respective rotations?

And, of course, will anyone show up in the stands?