Dennis Martínez was solid, leading Baltimore to a 6-1 win in the opening game of the series.
Dan McGann put Baltimore on the board with a 2-run double in the bottom of the 1st. Babe Ruth went deep to cut the lead in half (and drive in his 100th run of the year), but Baltimore took hold of the game int he bottom of the 4th on a 3 run blast from the very unlikely source of Brian Roberts. Roberts would add another RBI, singling home Manny Machado in the bottom of the 6th, and that was that.
All 6 runs were charged to Jamie Moyer, who fell to 1-2.
Martínez moved to 12-7 on the season, allowing only the one run, despite giving up 6 hits and 5 walks in just short of 7 innings. But the Black Yankees couldn’t get the timely hit, and Buddy Groom and Gregg Olson were near-perfect in relief for Baltimore.
Red Ruffing and Bill Byrd matched zeros frame for frame until, with 2 outs in the bottom of the 5th, Frank Robinson took Ruffing deep for a 3-0 Black Sox lead. Babe Ruth launched his 35th dinger of the year in the 6th, and Albert Belle sent one into the seats in the 7th, chasing Byrd and making it a 1 run game, 3-2.
Sean Marshall came in and was a little off, allowing 2 baserunners before having to leave injured. That brought in Don Bessent to face Ruth … who flew out to centerfield to end the inning.
A walk to Manny Machado and a double by Baby Doll Jacobson chased Ruffing, bringing in Dick Tidrow from the bullpen. Tidrow gave up a 2-run single to Larry Gardner, but escaped further damage leaving it 5-2 Baltimore.
Bessent gave up Lou Gehrig‘s 20th homerun of the year to lead off the 8th, followed by singles from Mickey Mantle and Mike Schmidt. Bessent retired Belle, but gave up a single to Tom Herr to load the bases. That brought in Johnny Sain from a beleaguered Black Sox bullpen.
Red Rolfe–hitting under .150 in the year–drove in 2 to tie the game and Munson singled to give New York their first lead of the game, 6-5 … and turn it over to the mightily struggling Black Yankees pen.
Gary Lavelle walked Dan McGann, but retired the side in order after that. Could the bullpen be on the verge of redemption? It seems so: Aroldis Chapman allowed a baserunner, but that was it, and New York had a come-from-behind victory.
Things were looking great for Baltimore, as an RBI single from Frank Robinson and a solo shot from Manny Machado gave them an early 2-0 lead, with Mike Mussina looking absolutely dominant through 4 innings. But then came the 5th. A walk, a HBP, and a single loaded the bases, but Mussina struck out Eric Davis for the first out. But Mussina was unable to do much else: Thurman Munson singled in 2 to tie the game, Babe Ruth singled to load the bases, Lou Gehrig walked in a run, and Mike Schmdit singled in 2 more. That was it for Mussina, and even though John Wetteland induced a double-play ball from Don Mattingly, the damage was done with New York now leading 5-2.
Dan McGann doubled in 2 runs in the bottom of the frame, making it a 5-4 game, but the Black Sox would get nothing else off the trio of Jack Scott, Gary Lavelle, and Goose Gossage. It wasn’t for lack of opportunity: New York pitchers walked 8, and the Black Sox left 11 on base.
The Black Yankees, meanwhile, would tack on via a 2-run double from Davis, Ruth’s 36th homerun of the season, and a single from Munson who, along with Tom Herr, ended the day with 3 base hits.
The Black Sox will turn to newcomer Connie Johnson as they try to salvage a split.
Babe Ruth, on fire this series, did it again in the top of the 3rd, sending a pitch from Johnson into the right field stands after walks to Tom Herr and Thurman Munson. That gave the Black Yankees a 4-0 lead.
Waite Hoyt needed double plays to get out of the 3rd and 4th, but he got them. Paul Blair put the Black Sox on the board in the 5th with a solo shot and, the following inning, Frank Robinson brought them to within 1 run with his 27th of the season.
A hit by Baby Doll Jacobson and a walk to Blair chased Hoyt from the game. Which means the New York bullpen had another chance to prove itself … Dick Tidrow gave up a single to tie the game.
A homerun from Ken Singleton gave Baltimore the lead in the bottom of the 8th. A perfect 9th from Don Bessent sealed the deal, earning the series split for Baltimore.
We’re in August, so we’re changing the rules; while we still plan to highlight as many teams in the league as we can, we’ll start to focus on matchups that have some additional interest (most likely on pennant races).
We’ve seen most teams thrice, with only Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Portland, and San Francisco featured only twice.
The Black Yankees are 5.5 games behind in the Effa Manley Division, and the Black Sox have the best record in the WBL, with 66 wins, ahead of Chicago by 2 games in the Cumberland Posey Division.
#New York Black Yankees
A great offense, excellent starting pitching, and an incredibly poor bullpen. That’s the Black Yankees in a nutshell.
New York leads the WBL in runs scored, OPS, WAR, and homeruns, and it ain’t all because of Babe Ruth. Mickey Mantle leads the team with a .323 batting average, Ruth leads in virtually everything else.
Red Ruffing leads the staff in wins at 11-6 and in ERA at 3.88. But the staff is strong 1 through 4, and Jamie Moyer seems to have claimed the 5th spot. And then there’s the bullpen … the only hope for the Black Yankees is that the newcomers–Rheal Cormier, Dick Tidrow, and especially closer Aroldis Chapman–can address the team’s glaring weakness.
#Baltimore Black Sox
Baltimore’s staff is first in the league in runs against, both starting and relieving ERA, and the Black Sox lead in most fielding metrics. Dennis Martínez and Bill Byrd have 11 wins each, and both have ERAs under 3.50. There aren’t any weak spots here: reliever Sean Marshall is virtually unhittable, and Don Bessent–now the full time closer since Bob Miller‘s injury–has 16 saves. Joe Beggs has been a disappointment since his acquisition, but seems more likely to rebound than not.
It’s not like the Black Sox lack offense: Bobby Wallace and Larry Gardner are each hitting .309 with OBPs hovering around .400. Frank Robinson leads in HR (25) and RBI (79), trailing only Curt Blefary in OPS. The only offensive weak link–CF Paul Blair–provides gold glove defense and has improved from a miserable hitter to merely well below average.
#Projected Starters
New York listed first
Red Ruffing (11-6, 3.88) @ Dennis Martínez (11-7, 3.46) Jamie Moyer (5-4, 4.06) @ Bill Byrd (11-3, 3.29) Jack Scott (10-5, 4.38) @ Mike Mussina (4-2, 3.67) Waite Hoyt (9-6, 4.07) @ Connie Johnson (5-5, 4.13)
#Prediction
The classic question: good hitting or good pitching? I’m going to side with the bats this time, not least of all because it would tighten up some good pennant races–Black Yankees take 3 of the 4.
We’re at the end of July, so let’s take a look at the front-runners for the major awards.
The Mel Trench Award (MVP)
I mean … look, Cleveland‘s Ron Blomberg (341/410/649; 32 HR) is a great story and the key to the Spiders’ offense. And Chicago‘s Eddie Collins (311/402/513; 43 SB) may be the best all-around player in the game–it’s him or his teammate Joe Jackson (337/423/585). And some of you will create convoluted definitions of “valuable” in support of Los Angeles‘ Doug Rader, the league RBI leader and (as of right now) the only player in triple digits or Portland‘s Kent Hrbek, who is now tied for the league league in HR with 33.
But it’s really all about the guy he’s tied with. Barring something quite surprising, the New York Black Yankees‘ Babe Ruth should take the inaugural Mel Trench Award. Ruth has led the league in HRs all season, in OPS most of the year, and is in the top few in almost every offensive category. He is, simply, the most devastating offensive force in the league.
The Brock Rutherford Award (Pitcher of the Year)
Portland’s Walter Johnson began the year as the favorite here, and was then overtaken by Los Angeles’ Gerrit Cole. But Cole has stalled a bit after rattling off 5 straight victories to improve his record to 11-3, going 1-3 over his last 9 starts, allowing the rest of the league to catch up.
And then there’s Baltimore‘s Ned Garvin, who looked to be the front-runner, posting a 9-4 record and an ERA well under 3. But Garvin is out for the rest of the season.
Cleveland’s Pat Malone and the New York Gotham‘s Christy Mathewson join Cole with 12 wins, and 7 pitchers have 11. So if one of those go on a streak, they have to be considered favorites. But I would put forth three other names: Birmingham‘s Alejandro Peña has been the statistical front-runner, with an over 1 point of WAR edge on Johnson and leads the league in FIP. Peña was considered a bit of a joke when the Black Barons were buried in the standings; now that they are challenging for a playoff spot, he merits serious consideration. Jack Taylor of the House of David is posting an actual ERA at about the same level as Peña’s FIP, leading the league in both that and WHIP.
And if I had to vote, I would vote for Baltimore’s Bill Byrd, who has sat on the leaderboards all season, quietly and consistently anchoring the best staff in the league. Byrd is 11-3, with a 3.29 ERA, not league-leading, but among the leaders.
The Phineas Flint Award (Reliver of the Year)
Another award that has been greatly impacted by injury, as Portland’s Johan Santana was the clear leader here. But he’s been surpassed, and the award probably has to go to Detroit’s Mike Henneman, the league leader in saves with 30, 5 more than Cleveland’s Terry Adams.
The only other argument right now is, I think, the Gothams’ Brian Wilson, who has 22 saves and a microscopic 1.08 ERA.
Ron Reed was making a case as an all-purpose reliever, but while he still leads the league in holds, he has struggled enough since his trade to Cleveland to fall out of contention. If anyone in that category should be in the conversation at this point, it’s the Gothams’ Mike Norris.
Silver Sticks
C: Johnny Bench (IND). 308/414/602. 1B: Kent Hrbek (POR). 304/378/598. 2B: Eddie Collins (CAG). 311/402/513. 3B: Dick Allen (CAG). 315/381/548. SS: Bobby Wallace (BAL). 309/408/441. OF: Babe Ruth (NYY). 315/433/645. OF: Eric Davis (NYY). 277/354/539. OF: Willie Mays (NYG). 324/387526.
Predictably, the OF spots are the most contentious, with Joe Jackson, Reggie Jackson, and a half-dozen others not sharing the same last name all making arguments as well.
Performance
Batters
Usual stuff: top 2 in each category, leaders in bold.
Dick Allen (CAG). 315/381/548. 10 3B. Ron Blomberg (CLE). 341/410/649. 138 H. Rico Carty (PHI). 289/359/469. 37 2B. Ty Cobb (DET). 345/390/562. Eric Davis (NYY). 277/354/539. 5.3 WAR. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 257/390/338. 81 BB, 77 SB. Kent Hrbek (POR). 304/378/598. 33 HR. Joe Jackson (CAG). 337/423/585. 85 R. Reggie Jackson (SFS). 331/445/610. Stan Musial (KCM). 333/395/595. 39 2B. Doug Rader (LAA). 333/387/544. 139 H, 104 RBI. Tim Raines (OTT). 299/373/451. 72 SB. Babe Ruth (NYY). 315/433/645. 33 HR, 99 RBI, 90 R, 83 BB, 5.8 WAR. Louis Santop (CLE). 305/337/473. 11 3B.
Pitchers
Starters
Top 2 in each category, leaders in bold.
Bill Byrd (BAL). 11-3, 3.29. Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-6, 4.39. Don Drysedale (BRK). 7-5, 3.48. 1.16 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 11-7, 3.84. 162 K. Ron Guidry (NYY). 6-9, 4.56. 159 K. Walter Johnson (POR). 10-4, 3.79. 3.4 WAR. Pat Malone (CLE). 12-5, 3.84. Christy Mathewson (NYG). 12-6, 3.70. Alejandro Peña (BBB). 9-7, 3.44. 4.5 WAR, 3.17 FIP. Eddie Plank (SFS). 8-5, 4.06. 3.41 FIP. Jack Taylor (HOD). 11-8, 3.15, 1.15 WHIP.
Relievers
30 IP for rate stats.
Terry Adams (CLE). 2-6, 3.44. 25 Sv, 1H. Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.71. 30 Sv. Ken Howell (SFS). 3-4, 2.15. 4 Sv, 8 H. 0.99 WHIP. Sean Marshall (BAL). 5-0, 1.81. 1 Sv, 7 H. 0.95 WHIP. Mike Norris (NYG). 4-3, 1.57. 4 Sv, 10 H. Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-5, 3.82. 3 Sv, 16 H. Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-3, 3.54. 1 Sv, 15 H. Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.08. 22 Sv.
Awards
The Gothams’ Joe Adcock showed that 38 year olds can still hit, winning the Batsman of the Week Award by going 12-for-27 with 4 homeruns.
Streaks
Ryne Sandberg of the House of David has an 18 game hitting streak, and has scored in 10 straight games (1 off the league record).
Kansas City‘s Boog Powell is now only 2 games behind Thurman Munson‘s record 43 game on-base streak.
Needing a starter, the Spiders put Whit Wyatt on the DL while still awaiting a full diagnosis of his injury. Sudden Sam McDowell was recalled for the game against Homestead. McDowell struggled mightily, but Lance Berkman won the game with a walk-off grandslam, his 13th of the year and 7th since joining the Spiders. Chuck Knoblauch and Johnny Bates added 3 hits each.
Stan Coveleski improved to 10-2 on the year with 8 good innings in a 5-3 win over Homestead.
4 hits by Kenny Lofton, 3 from Sammy Strang, and 2 homeruns from Jake Stahl weren’t enough, as Knoblauch popped out with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th to thwart a furious comeback from a 9 run deficit in a game Cleveland lost, 11-10.
The news on Wyatt was quite bad, as he will miss close to a year with an elbow injury. This makes the Spiders even more likely to pursue some trades tomorrow.
#Indianapolis ABC’s
Barry Larkin just never could get it going for the ABC’s and Joe Morgan‘s return from his rehab assignment spelled Larkin’s return to AAA. Morgan picked right up in his first game back, scoring twice on 2 hits and 2 walks, and Johnny Bench added 3 hits as Doc White improved to 6-2 with the 6-3 victory over Ottawa.
Morgan’s 4 walks in a 10-6 loss to Ottawa tied a league record. It was a frustrating game for the ABC’s, as they left a staggering 15 runners on base int he contest, including 8 in scoring position with 2 outs. Hal Morris, Bob Bescher, and Denis Menke each had 3 hits, to no avail.
#New York Black Yankees
The Yankees have finally abandoned their bullpen. The need for a starter forced a move, with Sparky Lyle heading to AAA and Dave Righetti, who has excelled since struggling in the WBL earlier in the season, was recalled. Righetti responded with 6 strong innings in a 9-1 victory for New York. Eric Davis, Don Mattingly, and Lou Gehrig each had 2 hits, and Babe Ruth regained the league lead with his 32nd homerun.
#Philadelphia Stars
Tom Sturdivant‘s stay at the WBL was brief, as the righthander was outright waived to clear room for Tim Belcher to make the start.
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.
In Series XXVI, we’re going to look at a game that allowed some individual storylines to play out and then two series that featured a couple of great contests each.
Portland Sea Dogs @ New York Black Yankees, Game 2
The game itself isn’t so interesting: Portland exploded for 8 runs in the top of the 5th inning, blowing it open en route to an 11-5 victory. But some of the details may have some impact on the rest of the season:
Portland’s Hal Griggs, recalled for the start, was battered, giving up all 5 runs in 3 innings of work and seeing his MLB ERA balloon over 10. The challenge is that injuries are beginning to take their toll on the Sea Dogs’ staff, and with Pascual Pérez injured later in the game, maybe Griggs sticks around? Atlee Hammaker‘s scoreless 3 plus innings of relief put him in a position to get a look as a spot starter from here on out.
Kent Hrbek had 2 hits and drove in 3, and tied New York’s Babe Ruth for the WBL homerun lead with 30. Could Ruth be surpassed?
Rogers Hornsby has, despite hitting for good power, struggled since being acquired from Kansas City. But he’s turning it around, scoring twice and driving in 2 in this game, and edging his numbers up. New York’s Tommy Herr is in a similar position, but his 3-for-4 performance here is also part of a resurgence, having found some footing with his new team.
New York’s bullpen just continues to struggle, but today actually had some decent innings, especially 2 hitless frames from Goose Gossage.
Baltimore Black Sox @ Detroit Wolverines, Games 1 and 3
This series was a matchup of league heavyweights and 2 of the games lived up to the billing.
In the series opener, Mike Mussina was dominant for Baltimore … until he wasn’t, and then the Black Sox’ bullpen just collapsed, with Joe Beggs, Bob Miller, and Don Bessent combining to give up 5 runs in 1.1 innings, with Miller forced onto the DL with injury (a move that effectively ends the closer-by-committee for a while).
Detroit’s pitching wasn’t much better, but Si Johnson held it together for 5 plus, and Mike Henneman is quite a weapon in the bullpen, as the WBL leader in saves picked up his 26th of the season.
Detroit hit four homeruns in the game, with Bob Bailey‘s 3 run shot in the bottom of the 8th off Bessent being the deciding moment.
BAL 6 (Miller 3-2; Bessent 3 B Sv; Beggs 5 H) @ DET 8 (Lolich 1-1; Henneman 26 Sv) HRs: BAL – Jacobson (6), Machado (3); DET – Greenberg (20), Jenkins (8), C. Davis (17), B. Bailey (16). Box Score
Hal Newhouser would dominate in the 2nd game, leading Detroit to a 6-1 win. The most important note from that contest was Ned Garvin‘s injury, which turned out to be disastrous, sidelining the Brock Rutherford Award favorite for close to a year. But we’re here to talk about Game 3, which pitted each team’s current ace against each other–Baltimore’s Dennis Martínez and Detroit’s Johnny Marcum.
Both were excellent through 4, but Martínez lost the game in the 5th to the most unlikely of foes: Detroit’s light hitting utility infielder, Sparky Adams, took him deep for his first longball of the year, giving the Wolverines a 3-2 lead. Each team would add one more, but again it was Henneman closing the door, despite surrendering a run on an RBI double from Bobby Wallace.
A nice, taut game.
BAL 3 (Martínez 10-7) @ DET 4 (Marcum 10-2; Henneman 27 Sv; Hiller 11 H) HRs: BAL – none; DET – Adams (1). Box Score
FWIW, Baltimore did win the final game to avoid the sweep.
Miami Cuban Giants @ Houston Colt 45’s, Games 1 and 4
These teams split the series, but the more interesting games were the 2 victories by the Cuban Giants.
The story of game 1, at least early on, was missed opportunities. Miami’s 2-way OF/P Eustaquio Pedroso, gave up 9 baserunners in the first 4 innings, but the Colt 45’s managed only 1 run. Pedroso was tagged with a 3-run HR from Tony Gwynn in the 5th, but the score should have been much worse than 4-0.
Meanwhile, Houston’s Stephen Strasburg was magnificent, twirling a 3 hit shutout through 7. In the 8th, Robin Yount led off with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly from Alan Ashby, chasing Strasburg from the game with a still comfortable 4-1 lead.
You can tell what’s coming.
Houston’s closer, Billy Wagner came in and gave up a game-tying 3-run moon shot to José Canseco. Miami’s bullpen was excellent, with José Méndez, Ed Bauta, and Aroldis Chapman combining for 5.2 innings of 1-hit relief. Chapman was already gassed, so after he retired a batter, the Cuban Giants turned to Braden Looper as we headed to the 12th.
In the top of the frame, Houston’s Scott Erickson could not get the final out, giving up a walk and 2 hits, the last being a 2-run single from Chris Hoiles to give Miami a 2 run lead. Looper gave up 4 hits in the bottom of the 12th, all singles, but escaped with the victory when José Cardenal gunned down George Brett at the plate to end the game.
Houston ended the game with 13 runners left on base, to Miami’s 4. Offensive efficiency matters.
Thrilling.
MCG 6 (Looper 1-0) @ HOU 5 (Gregerson 0-1; Hoffman 6 H; Wagner 6 B Sv) [12 Innings] HRS: MCG – Canseco (25); HOU – Gwynn (6). Box Score
The series finale was somewhat similar. Here, though, both starters had excellent outings, with Miami’s Ramón Martinez and Houston’s Toad Ramsey essentially matching efforts, each surrendering only 2 runs.
When Jim Wynn took Braden Looper deep in the 8th for a 3-2 lead for Houston, the script seemed written: Mark Melancon has been a victory vulture all year, with a 9-2 record out of the bullpen. Again, though, Trevor Hoffman and Billy Wagner were unable to hold it–this time with more dire consequences, as both pitchers left with injuries (Wagner will only miss a few days, Hoffman is looking at a trip to the DL).
The late innings were highly tactical: Miami tied it because Carlos Morán, pinch hitting for Pete Runnels, scored from 1st on a José Canseco double.
Brad Lidge, who started the year as Houston’s closer and was just recently recalled from AAA, matched Miami’s Phenomenal Smith with great relief efforts (Lidge pitched 2 perfect frames, Smith allowed a single hit in 3.1 innings), but Houston turned to Dock Ellis, highly mediocre all year, in the 12th.
It didn’t work well: Gary Sheffield doubled and, after Ellis was able to get 2 outs, Alan Ashby singled him home for the lead. Alejandro Oms pinch ran for Ashby, and scored on a single from Ryan Braun for a 5-3 lead for the Cuban Giants.
Aroldis Chapman shut the door, cementing the series split for Miami.
Hoffman’s injury opened the door for Tug McGraw to be recalled from AAA for Houston.
MCG 5 (Smith 1-1; Chapman 18 Sv) @ HOU 3 (Ellis 0-5; Hoffman 1 B Sv) HRs: MCG – Yount (8); HOU – Wynn (14) Box Score
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
Pat Malone improved to 10-5 on the year, allowing 3 runs in just over 7 innings in a 4-3 win over Birmingham. Terry Adams earned his 23rd save in a game where Lance Berkman and Evan Longoria had 2 hits.
Longoria plays reasonable defense, but his struggles at the plate earned him a trip back to AAA, with Tris Speaker–injured since Spring Training, but slashing 295/392/636 at AAA on a rehab assignment–being recalled to backup Kenny Lofton in CF. There’s more help at AAA, with both Larry Doby and Nap Lajoie blossoming since their early-season major league struggles.
#Homestead Grays
The Grays roared out to a 9-0 lead over the Black Yankees, then held on for dear life for a 12-9 victory. Andrew McCutcheon had 3 hits, including his 12th homerun of the year, and scored 4 runs. Rick Reichardt had 3 RBI’s and Josh Gibson 3 hits in support of Vean Gregg, who pitched 6 solid innings for his 8th win of the year.
Hal Carlson and Frank Linzy combined to allow only 3 hits and 1 run in a 5-1 victory over the Black Yankees. Andy Van Slyke and Willie Stargell had 3 hits each, with Stargell and Chief Wilson driving in two in the Grays’ victory.
Earl Hamilton was placed on the DL, and isn’t expected back until late August. Bob Friend will move into the rotation as the Grays shake up a lot of their pitching, with Ray Brown and Linzy heading to AAA, replaced by Billy Pierce, Dave Giusti, and–after some waiver wire activity–Rick Ownbey.
#Indianapolis ABC’s
Red Faber was sent down to AAA, with Virgil Trucks being recalled to the WBL. Trucks’ stay lasted one poor start, replaced by Eppa Rixey, who was also immediately returned to AA with Paul Derringer coming up for a start.
Even with all that, the ABC’s stick with a 6-man rotation–which boils down to a search each day for the most rested arm out of Dolf Luque, Rube Foster, Doc White, Johnny Cueto, David Price, and Willie Mitchell.
While Barry Larkin and Pete Rose are both struggling–neither have an OPS over .600–for now they both retain their MLB spots, although that should change when Oscar Charleston and Joe Morgan return from the injured list.
#New York Black Yankees
Babe Ruth closed out the series against Homestead with his league-leading 30th homerun of the year, as the Black Yankees hammered the Grays, 13-3. Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Mike Schmidt had 3 hits each as Jack Scott improved to 10-4 with 7 solid innings of work.
The Black Yankees continue to struggle with their middle infield. Derek Jeter and Tom Herr are established as the starters, but the experiment of the two Reds seems over, as Red Schoendienst, hitless in 10 ABs at the WBL level, was returned to AAA, giving Hardy Richardson a crack at the backup role. Red Rolfe remains with the Black Yankees. For now: Pee Wee Reese, picked up after being cut by Brooklyn, has been playing decently at AAA, and may replace Rolfe soon.
#Philadelphia Stars
Scott Rolen went 4-for-5, tying the WBL record for a single game with 3 doubles, but it wasn’t enough as the Stars fell to the Sea Dogs, 3-2 in extra innings as closer Bobby Howry was unable to hold a late lead.
Needing a spot starter, the Stars sent 1B Cecil Cooper back to AAA in exchange for Bill Laskey. Laskey was pretty rough, and sent back after the start, with Bobby Abreu being recalled. In the game itself, Willie Davis (who led off the game with his 16th homerun), Gavvy Cravath, and Rolen combined to go 8-for-11 in the game itself, scoring 7 runs and driving in 6 as the Stars prevailed, 9 to 7.
The shuttle got busier after their series, as, in search of some relief on the mound, Fred Talbot was sent to AAA and Don Carman was placed on waivers with an eye toward doing the same. Larry Jackson was recalled, as was, once Carman cleared waivers, Tom Sturdivant.
