Tag: Anthony Rendon Page 2 of 3

TWIWBL 17.2: Series XIV Notes – Cum Posey Division

On September 17, 2021

#Chicago American Giants

Despite committing 4 errors, Chicago blew out the House of David 14-5 behind 4 hits from Dick Allen and 3 hits and 5 RBIs from Mike Fiore. The win went to Tricky Nichols, who improves to 5-2 in an outing that should also help rest the tired American Giants’ bullpen.

Dave Nilsson hit 2 homeruns and the Chicago bullpen survived some shaky moments–most notably a 3-run homerun by Dan Ford in the top of the 9th–as the American Giants beat the House of David 8-7. Shoeless Joe Jackson had 3 hits, and Frank Smith won his 2nd game of the year with a decent start.

Eddie Collins went 4-for-4 with 2 homeruns and Carlton Fisk and Fiore drove in 3 each as the American Giants put up 15 hits and 12 runs. The bad news was their pitchers gave up 18 hits–but only 9 runs, so Chicago beat the House of David once again, this time 12-9.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Stubby Overmire finally got his first victory of the year with another strong performance, delivering 8 innings of 5-hit, 2-run ball against Los Angeles. Gentleman Jim O’Rourke had 3 hits including his 3rd homerun of the year and 5 RBIs for Houston and Carlos Correa drove in 3 runs as well.

With Leon Day on the DL for 10 days with a shoulder injury, Houston brought Bones Ely back from AAA. The Colt 45’s also activated Casey Stengel from the DL, sending DJ LeMahieu to AAA.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Andy Pettite allowed 2 hits in 6 innings and Connie Johnson followed it with 3 perfect innings of relief as the Monarchs beat the Grays, 9-1. Rogers Hornsby and Gene Freese had 2 hits each and Hornsby hit a 3-run homerun (his 6th) and Albert Pujols a solo shot (his 9th). Pettite improved to 5-3 and Johnson picked up his first save.

Lou Brock had 3 hits and 4 stolen bases, scoring twice and helping the Monarchs ease to a 7-3 win over the Grays. Frank Castillo evened his record at 4-4 with 6 solid innings and Jose Rijo gave up 1 hit in 3 innings for his first save, although it may not be enough to keep Rijo in the WBL.

Robinson Cano led the way in a 15-5 demolition of Homestead, going 5-for-5 with 4 runs scored, 4 RBIs, and 2 homeruns. Ted Simmons and Boog Powell added 3 hits each with Powell and Brock driving in 3 each.

#Ottawa Mounties

Over 13 innings, the difference between Ottawa and Portland was … a wild pitch. In the top of the 13th, Anthony Rendon, who hit his 3rd homerun in the first inning to give the Mounties an early lead, singled off Elmer Brown. He moved to second on a walk to Carlos Delgado and to third when Brown induced a double play from Freddy Parent. Then Brown uncorked a wild pitch, giving the Mounties the 3-2 lead, which Johnny Podgajny was able to preserve in the bottom of the frame. Rendon went 3-for-6 in the game, with 2 runs and 2 RBIs. The victory went to Gary Lavelle, who moved to 3-1.

The injury news on Tom Henke was not good: he tore a ligament in his elbow, and will miss close to a year. Jimmy Key was recalled from AAA, with Lavelle the logical candidate to move into the closer role for the Mounties.

TWIWBL 16.2: Series XIII Notes – Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On September 5, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Ned Garvin blanked the Cleveland Spiders on 4 hits as Baltimore rolled to an 8-0 win behind 3 hits from Bobby Wallace and Ramon Hernandez‘ first homerun of the year. Garvin walked none and struck out 3, improving his record to 5-1 and lowering his ERA to 2.09.

Despite a subpar outing, Dennis Martinez joined the list of 7 game winners, moving to 7-1 as the Black Sox came from behind to blow out Cleveland, 10-4. Ken Singleton went 5-for-5, Dan McGann added 3 hits, and Paul Blair–yes, Paul Blair–added 2 homeruns as every Baltimore starter got at least 1 hit.

The Black Sox just find a way to win … down 4-0 after 6, and 5-4 heading into the 9th, Larry Gardner sent the fans home happy with a 2-run walkoff single. Curt Blefary hit 2 homeruns to give him 16 on the year. The win went to Buddy Groom, his first of the year.

#Chicago American Giants

Behind a strong start from Ben Sheets and 3 homeruns from Duffy Lewis, Chicago took apart Birmingham, 12-3. Allowing only 1 run on 3 hits over 7 innings, Sheets improved his record to 5-3. Lewis drove in 4 and Eddie Collins went 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs.

Ed Walsh lasted 8 pitches before having to leave the game with an apparent hamstring injury. The American Giants recalled Fernando Rodney from AAA to take Walsh’s place, and his starts should go to Joe Horlen or Frank Smith.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Trevor Hoffman‘s return from the DL moved Bones Ely back to AAA.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Robinson Cano hit 2 homeruns and drove in 4, leading the Monarchs to a 7-3 victory over Ottawa. Andy Pettite got his 4th victory of the year with 7 scoreless innings and Craig Kimbrel picked up his 8th hold. Ted Simmons also had 2 hits in a game that was a pitcher’s duel until the Monarchs exploded for 4 runs in the top of the 7th.

Willie McGee hit 2 homeruns and Frank Castillo allowed only 1 hit before running out of steam in the 8th inning as the Monarchs won the second game of the series, 9-2. McGee drove in 4, and Albert Pujols went 3-for-5 with 3 RBIs as Castillo moved to 3-4 on the year.

#Ottawa Mounties

The news was not good on Bob Brown: the Mountie’s best starter all season will miss 4-5 months with a shoulder injury. Clayton Richard, 6-1 with a 3.65 at AAA Montreal, was recalled.

Ted Bowsfield threw 1 pitch in the 9-2 loss to Kansas City before having to leave the game. He was placed on the DL with the Mounties recalling Clark Griffith.

Ottawa’s 4-1 victory over the Monarchs to close out their series was costly, as Tom Henke had to leave with an apparent arm injury. A strong start from Old Hoss Radbourn improved his record to 4-3 and Johnny Podgajny made his WBL debut to relieve Henke and pickup the save. Tim Raines had 2 hits and Anthony Rendon 2 RBIs for the Mounties.

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?

TWIWBL 13.2: Series XI Notes – Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On August 8, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Paul Blair has been the subject of much skepticism lately, mired in a horrendous slump for most of the season Still, the Baltimore center fielder has provided solid defense, and may be showing signs of finally coming around at that plate. Blair went 3-for-4 including a walkoff homerun as the Black Sox edged Memphis 3-2, bringing his batting average, at long last, over .200. More impressively, the hit came off Jonathan Papelbon, one of the best relievers in the league so far. Papelbon dropped to 0-2. Bill Byrd put in a good start, but wasn’t involved in the decision, which went to Don Bessent, who improved to 1-1.

Dennis Martinez continues to impress with 7 strong innings. He was actually outpitched by Memphis’ Roger Clemens, but the Black Sox jumped all over Turk Farrell en route to a 6-2 victory, led by Larry Gardner‘s 3 hits and 2-RBI games from Gardner, Bobby Wallace, and Dan McGann. Martinez allowed 5 hits and 2 runs in 7 innings, improving his record to 5-1, and Buddy Groom and Bessent combined to allow only 1 walk over the final 2 innings.

A grand slam by Harlond Clift, 4 runs scored by McGann, and 3 hits from McGann and Frank Robinson powered the Red Sox to a 12-4 victory. McGann hit his 5th homerun of the year, and Robinson drove in 4. The win went to Mike Mussina–his first of the year–who pitched 3 scoreless innings in relief of a labored Johnny Sain.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Toad Ramsey continues to befuddle. Impress, but also befuddle. This time, it was a complete game effort against San Francisco, allowing only 6 hits and 2 runs. But the Colt 45’s didn’t score, so Ramsey’s effort resulted in his 4th loss of the year.

#Ottawa Mounties

Roy Halladay pitched a complete game against Brooklyn, allowing only 1 run and 5 hits in a 7-1 victory for the Mounties. He gave up 3 hits to Beals Becker and 2 to Roy White, and that was it. Anthony Rendon and Ken Griffey, Jr. each had 3 hits for Ottawa, with Roy Sievers delivering a key pinch-hit and Freddy Parent going yard for the 5th time this year.

TWIWBL Special Edition: All Star Preview – Third Basemen

By mknn

On July 28, 2021

In All Star Games, TWIWBL

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

#AL Third Basemen: Bill James & Cum Posey Divisions

Detroit’s Bob Bailey has been one of the surprise performers of the year so far, slashing 328/413/565. The problem is that he’s really been a DH for Detroit all season and, if he makes the all-star team, it should be at that position.

Doug Rader of the Los Angeles Angels merits strong consideration for the starting position. He’s second in the league in RBI with 49, and is hitting 317/365/511 to go with it.

The challenge is who the third selection could be. Kansas City’s Albert Pujols is hitting 304/368/492, but plays as much at LF, 1B, and DH as 3B. If either Chicago’s Dick Allen (253/302/482) or Ottawa’s Anthony Rendon (294/387/412) get hot, they could force their way into the conversation.

Perhaps the right selection is the New York Gothams’ Pinky Higgins, who has been very steady at 316/382/456.

Bailey’s teammate–and Detroit’s actual third baseman, Jimmy Collins, is hitting 236/284/401, which is nowhere near all-star levels. But he has been the best fulltime defensive 3B in the division (Baltimore’s Brooks Robinson has been even better with the glove, but absolutely putrid offensively), so perhaps that gives him a shot?

The AI prefers Bailey, Rader, and Pujols (as a LF). Removing Bailey from consideration here, I would select Rader, Allen (predicting he hits another hot streak and overtakes Rendon), and Higgins.

#NL Third Baseman: Effa Manley & Marvin Miller Divisions

The first two selections are pretty easy: Philadelphia’s Scott Rolen (306/373/556) and Portland’s Buddy Bell (325/388/537) should both make it, with Bell looking like the current starter. Rolen and Bell have also been the best defensive 3B, making the choice even easier.

After that, there are a lot of questions. Miami’s Manny Machado has 9 homeruns, but not much else, and New York’s Mike Schmidt has needed a recent surge to get his numbers up to 258/313/484.

The AI goes with Rolen and Bell. I’m going to predict that Schmidt continues his improved performance, and forces himself into the conversation as well.

TWIWBL 11.2: Notes from Series IX – Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On July 11, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

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

#Chicago American Giants

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

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

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

#Houston Colt 45’s

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

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

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

#Ottawa Mounties

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

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

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

TWIWBL 10.3: Notes from Series VIII – Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On July 6, 2021

In TWIWBL

With two rainouts, the Spiders and the Grays ended up playing two doubleheaders. The losing team scored 1 run … combined. Three shutouts, and a 3-1 victory, as each twin bill was split.

#Cleveland Spiders

Cy Young delivered a complete game, 4-hit shutout to take the second half of the first doubleheader against Homestead, striking out 5 and evening his record at 2-2. Cleveland’s offense was led by John Ellis, who had 3 hits and a homerun, with Ron Blomberg and Bill Knickerbocker adding 2 hits apiece in the 8-0 victory.

Whit Wyatt opened the second doubleheader by combining with Chuck Porter and Terry Adams on a 6-hit shutout. Wyatt improved to 2-1 and brought his ERA under 3, but he also walked 7 in 7.2 innings, making the performance a little less impressive than it may seem.

#Homestead Grays

Vean Gregg and Stan Bahnsen combined on a 5-hit shutout in the first game of the series against Cleveland. Gregg pitched 7.1 innings, improving his record to 2-3, and Bahnsen followed with a perfect 1.2 for his first save. Davey Johnson had 3 hits and drove in 2, and Pops Stargell had 2 hits for the Grays.

Corey Kluber continues to improve his performances, but not his results: Kluber went 6.2 innings, giving up 3 runs in the opening game of the second doubleheader, but fell to 0-6 on the season.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Danny Hoffman delivered a 3-run homerun in the top of the 9th against Ottawa’s closer Tom Henke, giving the ABC’s a 5-2 comeback win. Hal Morris added 2 hits, and Red Faber, despite not being involved in the decision, had a strong start. The win went to Lefty James, his first of the year, and Rob Dibble picked up his 5th save.

The last game of the series was almost a contender for the featured game. Indianapolis blew the game open in the fifth inning, scoring 5 runs, keyed by a 2-run double from Oscar Charleston and a 2-run single from Edd Roush (Roush had replaced Jake Stenzel, who was tossed for arguing ball and strikes in the first inning). Johnny Cueto was sailing along with one of the better games we’ve seen all year: a 2-hit shutout through 8 innings.

… and then came the 9th, with the ABC’s up, 9-0, thanks to 2 homeruns by Morris.

Cueto walked Tim Raines and Anthony Rendon, but got Freddy Parent to fly out to center for the first out. And then the wheels fell off: Carlos Delgado and Phil Bradly sandwiched RBI singles around a bases-loaded walk to Terry Puhl, and Cueto left the mound, still up 9-3.

Indianapolis called on the controversial Bronson Arroyo, who made waves by refusing to be sent to AAA despite a horrific season to date. Arroyo was as inefficient as ever this year: a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly, an RBI single to Ken Griffey, Jr. and a pinch hit homerun to Gary Carter made the score 9-7 … but Arroyo finally ended the game with a groundout from Raines.

Arroyo was waived after the game, with Doc White–who had dominated AAA–being recalled.

#New York Black Yankees

New York salvaged a split in their series with Chicago thanks to 3 RBIs each from Don Mattingly and Thurman Munson, and 3 hits from Mike Schmidt. Each of them–as well as Lou Gehrig–went deep in the 12-6 win, which went to Lady Baldwin for 3.1 innings of 1-run relief of a hugely ineffective Dave Righetti.

#Philadelphia Stars

Jaret Wright had been hit hard in his first 5 WBL appearances, so there wasn’t much optimism when he was pressed into an emergency start in the Stars’ final game against Baltimore. Wright responded with 6.1 innings of 1-run ball, surrendering only 1 run to the Black Sox. Philadelphia made it stand up, winning the game 6-4 behind key 5th inning RBIs from Gavvy Cravath and Ted Kluszewski. Bob Howry picked up the save, his 9th, while Pedro Feliciano continued to collapse out of the bullpen. Feliciano gave up 3 runs in less than an inning, and is likely to lose his setup role as his ERA balloons close to 12.

Series VII Featured Matchup: Ottawa Mounties @ Cleveland Spiders

By mknn

On June 13, 2021

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

April 26: Game 1 – Roy Halladay v Cy Young

A topsy-turvy game featuring two hurlers struggling to live up to their high expectations.

Things started rough for Cy Young, as he allowed 2 runs with 2 outs in the top of the first on consecutive doubles by Larry Walker and Phil Bradley, and an RBI single by Emil Gross.

Cleveland’s Rowland Office–just back from a stint on the DL–tied it up in the bottom of the 2nd with a 2-run HR off Halladay, and the Spiders took the lead an inning later on an RBI triple from Louis Santop, who scored on a groundout by John Ellis giving Cleveland a 4-2 edge.

But Young was far from his best, giving up a double to Gross and a single to Freddy Parent to start the 4th inning. Gross would score when Santop’s throw to 2B on Parent’s steal attempt sailed into the OF.

In the top of the 5th, Anthony Rendon led off against Young with a double, but was thrown out trying to stretch it to third. That seemed to settle Young down for a few innings, and the game remained 4-3 in favor of Cleveland until the bottom of the 6th, when Halladay surrendered another HR to Office, this one a 3-run shot to extend the Spiders’ advantage to 7-3.

Young would give up a 2-run HR to Walker in the top of the 7th, making it 7-5, and would finally be chased from the contest after walking Gross with 1 out in the 8th. Chuck Porter relieved Young, and promptly walked Parent and gave up a 2-run triple to Terry Puhl, tying the game at 7.

Cleveland would respond in the bottom of the 8th when, with 2 outs, Chuck Knoblauch singled and stole second. Larry Doby, mired in a horrible slump, delivered a pinch-hit single to score Knoblauch, and Terry Adams got the final 3 outs, preserving the win for the Spiders.

The Spiders were led by Office, who ended the game 3-for-4 with 5 RBI’s and Santop, who raised his BA to an even .300 with a 4-for-4 performance.

For Ottawa, Walker, Gross, and Parent had 2 hits each.

OTT 7 (M. Dubiel 1-2) @ CLE 8 (C. Porter 2-2, 2 BS; T. Adams 5 Sv)
HRs: OTT – L. Walker (4); CLE – R. Office 2 (2)
Box Score

April 27: Game Two – Rained Out

Game two of the series was rained out, rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on April 28th.

April 28: Game Two – Old Hoss Radbourn @ Whit Wyatt

Whit Wyatt rolled into the early game of the doubleheader with an ERA under 2 and looking like a contender for the Brock Rutherford Award. Then Ottawa sent 8 batters to the plate, scoring 3 runs with RBIs from Carlos Delgado, Freddy Parent, and Gary Carter.

John Ellis would get one back for Cleveland, doubling home Johnny Bates in the bottom of the first, but Ottawa’s Old Hoss Radbourn had his full repertoire working.

Wyatt, in contrast, continued to struggle: an RBI single by Parent added a run in the top of the 2nd and Tim Raines added a 2-run HR in the top of the 3rd, pushing the lead to 6-1.

Radbourn couldn’t solve Ellis, who lashed a 2-run HR in the bottom of the 3rd, halving Ottawa’s lead to 6-3, and, in the bottom of the 5th, a sacrifice fly from Ron Blomberg made it a 2 run game, 6-4.

Larry Walker had to leave the game after Blomberg’s sac fly–if he is forced back to the DL, that’s a major hit to the Mounties.

Radbourn hit his stride, and Wyatt’s replacement, Stan Coveleski, matched him frame for frame–a great job, given how wrecked the Spiders’ bullpen could have been with another game to play on the day. But Ottawa jumped on Chad Qualls, who replaced Coveleski in the top of the 9th, for 2 more runs on an Anthony Rendon double and a sacrifice fly from Delgado.

So we went to the bottom of the 9th with Ottawa holding what looked like a comfortable 4 run lead, 8-4.

An error by Delgado let pinch-hitter Peanuts Lowrey reach first base to start the inning, and after a groundout by Chuck Knoblauch, Jake Stahl tripled to right field, scoring Lowery.

That brought in Ottawa’s closer, Tom Henke, who had been perfect on the season. He gave up a deep flyball to Louis Santop, scoring Stahl, and then a homerun to Kenny Lofton for his first earned run of the year. This was Lofton’s first WBL start, making it even more surprising. Henke retired Bates to end the game, and the Mounties took the first game of the doubleheader, 8-7.

For Ottawa, Raines stole 3 bases and scored 4 runs, going 3-for-4 on the day, and Parent added 3 hits.

The Spiders were led by Blomberg’s 3 hits and Ellis’ 3 RBIs.

OTT 8 (Radbourn 2-2; Henke 8 Sv) @ CLE 7 (Wyatt 1-1)
HRs: OTT – Raines (4); CLE – Ellis (6), Lofton (1)
Box Score

April 28: Game Three – Bob Brown @ Pat Malone

It’s really hard to sweep a doubleheader … but that’s what Ottawa’s Bob Brown would attempt as he took the mound to face Cleveland’s Pat Malone.

Brown suffered from control issues, and the Spiders opened the scoring in the bottom of the 2nd, when a single by Louis Santop was followed by walks to Rowland Office and Jake Stahl to load the bases. Struggling Larry Doby followed with a double-play ball that Ottawa SS Alex Rodriguez booted, allowing a run to score. Chuck Knoblauch added a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead for the Spiders.

They would add another run in the 3rd on consecutive groundouts following a double by Ron Blomberg, with Office’s out scoring the run.

Three 2-out singles in the top of the 4th put the Mounties on the board, with Emil Gross driving in Rodriguez and, an inning later, Tim Raines would hit a solo homerun to close the lead to 3-2.

Recently recalled P Jamie Moyer took over from Brown in the 6th, and was greeted by a double by Knoblauch. Moyer then plunked Sammy Strang, and Blomberg plated both of them with a single, extending the lead to 5-2. Moyer survived the inning, but was replaced by Monk Dubiel who closed out the game strong for the Mounties.

It was never a comfortable lead, as Ottawa had opportunities, but Mel Harder and Terry Adams were solid in relief of Malone. The game ended when Kenny Lofton–he of the walkoff HR in the first game and inserted as a defensive substitute in this one–made a diving catch in right-center field to end the game.

Phil Bradley and Ken Griffey, Jr (who may be emerging from his season-long slump) had two hits for Ottawa; Blomberg had 3 hits and 2 RBIs for Cleveland.

OTT 2 (Brown 0-2) @ CLE 5 (Malone 3-1; Harder 1 H; Adams 6 Sv)
HRs: OTT – Raines (5)
Box Score

April 29: Game Four – Randy Johnson @ Bill Steen

Bill Steen has exceeded expectations so far, coming into the game with a 1-0 record and a 2.30 ERA. Ottawa will try to bring him back to Earth much as they did Whit Wyatt, and will hope that the erratic Randy Johnson (1-3, 7.27) can deliver a solid performance. The Big Unit has either been quite good or horrid, with his worst starts hinging on an inability to locate his fastball.

This was not one of his good starts. But Steen wasn’t great, either giving up 11 hits in 5.2 IP. Somehow, though, the 12 baserunners (Steen walked one) only added up to 2 earned runs (3, total).

Johnson, on the other hand, also gave up 11 hits, but in only 4.2 IP and walked 3, with 9 runs scoring against him. The key hits were a 2-run double from Sammy Strang and a 3-run HR from Chuck Knoblauch that chased Johnson from the game.

Cleveland was led by Knoblauch, who went 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored from the leadoff spot and Ron Blomberg, who delivered another 3-hit game. Perhaps as importantly, Evan Longoria showed signs of emerging from his doldrums with a 3-for-5 day.

For Ottawa, Ken Griffey, Jr. isn’t hot yet, but he’s got his average all the way up to .211 with a homerun in 4 at-bats. Phil Bradley added 4 hits and Anthony Rendon 3, but the Mounties left a whopping 13 batters on base. Jim Clancy was OK in relief of Johnson, allowing 1 run in 2 innings, and Gary Lavelle closed the game out with 1.1 IP of scoreless relief.

For Cleveland, Cory Gearrin and Chuck Porter combined for 3.1 IP of 1-run ball behind Steen.

OTT 3 (Johnson 1-4) @ CLE 10 (Steen 2-0)
HRs: OTT – Griffey, Jr. (4); CLE – Knoblauch (2)
Box Score

Series Notes

Cleveland got good performances from Louis Santop, who was 7-for-12 with 4 RBIs and Jake Stahl, who was 6-for-12 with 4 extra-base hits. But the Spiders were led by Ron Blomberg, who had 10 hits in 15 at-bats with 6 RBIs.

For Ottawa, Tim Raines was 5-for-17 with 2 HRs and 4 SBs, Freddy Parent was 5-for-9, and Phil Bradley was 7-for-13 in the series.

Game of Series IV: New York Black Yankees @ Ottawa Mounties

By mknn

On May 11, 2021

In Featured Games, Game Recaps, TWIWBL

Sometimes a game is so good it deserves its own writeup.

Such was the case in game two of the series between the New York Black Yankees and the Ottawa Mounties. A lot of narrative threads came into play in this one, although before the game started, the only items of note were the disparity in records (New York came into the game at 12-3, Ottawa at 5-10) and Babe Ruth‘s 15 game hitting streak.

Ron Guidry (2-1) got the start for New York while Bob Brown (0-1) took the mound for Ottawa.

Eric Davis singled in the New York 2nd, and promptly stole 2nd and 3rd, but Brown was able to get back-to-back popups from Lou Gehrig and Thurman Munson, stranding Davis at 3rd.

Meanwhile, Guidry was unhittable, striking out the first 5 batters he faced.

Mike Schmidt–struggling with a sub .200 average–led off the 3rd inning with a HR to left, putting the Black Yankees up, 1-0.

Larry Walker–fresh off a return from the DL–led off the bottom of the 5th with a double. Anthony Rendon reached on an error by Willie Randolph, but was thrown out on the back end of a double-steal and Guidry forced a groundout from Gary Carter to get out of the inning with the 1-0 lead.

Guidry was great, allowing only 3 hits in 6 2/3 innings, walking 1 and striking out 10, but when, in the bottom of the 7th, Freddy Parent doubled with 2 outs, The Black Yankees went to the bullpen, bringing in Dellin Betances to face Carter. Betances walked The Kid, but got a popout from Ken Griffey, Jr to end the inning.

And, when Ruth threw out Tim Raines at the plate in the bottom of the 8th after Phil Bradley–mired in a horrific slump–doubled into the corner, it looked like the Black Yankees had the game in hand.

If anything, Brown was even better than Guidry, allowing 3 hits in 8 innings with 11 strikeouts, before giving way to Old Hoss Radbourn. Radbourn got Ruth to fly out to LF in the top of the 9th, presumably ending the Babe’s hitting streak.

The bottom of the 9th saw New York’s closer, Sparky Lyle, take the mound with the 1-0 advantage. But Lyle’s first pitch was launched by Walker deep into the night for a 450 foot HR to tie the game. Rendon followed with a double, but Lyle was able to get out of the jam, sending the game into extra innings.

Schmidt doubled in the 10th and scored on pinch-hitter Manny Sanguillen‘s single. A hit by Derek Jeter chased Radbourn from the game, and New York greeted Ted Bowsfield quite rudely, with Don Mattingly singling in a run and then Ruth–getting an unexpected chance to extend his streak–singling through the infield to plate Jeter. When the inning ended, New York now led 4-1.

After a leadoff walk to Raines, Lyle was relieved by Lady Baldwin, who struck out Bradley and Carlos Delgado around an Alex Rodriguez double. That meant there were 2 outs and 2 on for Walker, who promptly deposited a Baldwin pitch deep, deep into CF for his 2nd HR of the game, a game-tying, 487 foot HR monstrosity of a blast.

That took us to the 11th. Gehrig led off the inning with a 4-pitch walk from Bowsfield, and Munson followed with a single to RF. Walker threw out Munson trying to stretch the hit into a double for the 1st out of the inning. It would matter, as Schmidt hit his 2nd HR of the game to give the Black Yankees a 6-4 lead. Bowsfield recovered to strike out Craig Counsell and Jeter.

Baldwin gave up consecutive singles to Parent and Emil Gross before getting Griffey, Jr. to fly out. He was relieved by A.J. Burnett, who gave up a single to Raines to load the bases with 1 out.

John Olerud pinch hit for Bradley and grounded the ball down the 1B line. Gehrig picked it cleanly and threw to Jeter, but the return throw was too late for the double play, and Parent scored, making it a one run game.

Rodriguez singled to score Gross and tie the game, Delgado singled to load the bases and that brought up, you guessed it, Walker.

He deposited Burnett’s first pitch into shallow RF, scoring Olerud and giving Ottawa a great 7-6 win in extra innings.

Burnett ended up taking the loss, with Lyle, Baldwin, and Burnett all blowing save opportunities while the victory went to a largely ineffective Bowsfield.

So, Ruth extended his hitting streak to 16 games; Schmidt pushed his BA above .200 by going 3-for-5 with 2 HRs, 3 runs, and 3 RBIs, and Walker won the game almost single-handedly with 4 hits, 2 runs, 5 RBIs, and 2 HRs, plus an OF assist.