Tag: CC Sabathia Page 2 of 4

Series preview here.

Game One: Doc White @ Frank Sullivan

This one was all about the House of David’s Frank Sullivan, who had a no-hitter going through 5 innings. By that point, he had a 5-0 lead to work with, as Pete Browning and Anthony Rizzo went back-to-back with solo shots in the 4th, and Browning homered again in the 5th, this one a 2-run shot.

Indianapolis finally got a hit in the 6th, and scored a run, but it wasn’t until the 8th that the game showed some life: a one-out single by Indianapolis’ Barry Larkin and a walk to Denis Menke chased Sullivan. The House of David brought in Scott Downs, who got Edd Roush to ground towards shortstop, but Ernie Banks fumbled the ball, loading the bases on the error. Jake Stenzel singled, making the score 5-2.

Lee Smith relieved Downs, and with the infield in, induced a weak groundball from Dave Henderson. Ryne Sandberg was able to cut down the runner at home., and Oscar Charleston grounded out to end the threat.

A 2-run shot by Jim Edmonds put the game out of reach, making Bob Bescher‘s solo drive in the 9th merely window dressing.

IND 3 (White 5-2) @ HOD 7 (Sullivan 7-7; Smith 2 Sv)
HRs: IND – Bescher (12); HOD – Rizzo (8), Browning 2 (16), Edmonds (5)
Box Score

Game 2: Johnny Cueto @ Jack Taylor

Indianapolis got some good news before the game, as 2B Joe Morgan started a rehab assignment at AAA, and should be back with the ABC’s in time for their next series.

The House of David surged ahead in the bottom of the first, with a leadoff homerun from Ryne Sandberg and a 2-run shot from Elrod Hendricks. The two of them did it again in the third, chasing Johnny Cueto from the game. Meanwhile, Jack Taylor was mowing them down, tossing a shutout through 6 innings.

Johnny Bench broke up the shutout with his 21st homerun of the year in the top of the 7th, and when Joey Votto went deep two batters later, that was it for Taylor.

Pete Browning and Jim Edmonds added homeruns for the final spread.

IND 2 (Cueto 7-6) @ HOD 8 (Taylor 9-8)
HRs: IND – Bench (21), Votto (3); HOD – Sandberg 2 (14), Hendricks 2 (23), Browning (17), Edmonds (6).
Box Score

Game 3: Rube Foster @ CC Sabathia

Perhaps the biggest news of the day was the House of David’s George Stone being unavailable, and likely to miss the next few days with a fever.

Elrod Hendricks started the scoring in the bottom of the 1st with a 2 run shot off Rube Foster for an early 2-0 lead for the House of David. In the second, Anthony Rizzo doubled, moved to 3rd on an error by Indianapolis 2B, Barry Larkin, and scored on a deep sacrifice fly from Ron Santo.

The ABC’s would get on the board in the 4th, as Jake Stenzel singled and scored on a double by Ed Charles. Hal Morris would double in Charles, and the score would narrow to 3-2. Hendricks hit his second homerun of the day, and a following single by Dan Ford chased Foster from the game. Ford would score when, on a Jim Edmonds double, Oscar Charleston‘s throw sailed over Johnny Bench‘s head for Charleston’s first error of the year. Indianapolis’ Rob Murphy got out of the inning without further damage, leaving the House of David ahead, 5-2.

After 7 strong innings, CC Sabathia turned the game over to his bullpen. That looked to be a mistake, as Scott Downs was greeted by an Edd Roush single and a walk to Denis Menke. Charleston brought them both home with a double down the rightfield line. Downs escaped further damage, leaving the House of David clinging to their lead, 5-4.

Lee Smith took care of Indianapolis in the 8th, with the House of David closer, Bruce Sutter, taking the mound in the top of the 9th. Roush led off with a double, but Sutter whiffed Menke and got Charleston to popout to center. Bench tied the game, scoring Roush with a double, but Dave Henderson flew out to Edmonds to end the inning.

On to extra innings … in the bottom of the 10th, Hendricks singled with 2 outs and went to 3rd on a hit by Ford. Clay Carroll came into the game to face Rizzo … who quietly grounded out, sending us to the 11th.

Roush walked, and scored on a double by Menke, who scored on a single by Bench. That put the ABC’s on top, 7-5. Edmonds greeted Carroll in the bottom of the frame with his 7th homerun of the season, pulling the score back to 7-6. Pinch-hitter George Gore flew out to center, and Ernie Banks to left, but Sandberg sent a pitch into the LF seats on a line to tie the game once again.

Menke went deep in the top of the 13th, scoring Tommy Helms and, with 2 outs, Bench took Eddie Rommel deep and then, after a single by Henderson, Stenzel joined the party with a shot to right. The hits kept coming: Helms drove in 2 with a double, scoring on a single by Roush, and at the end of it all, Indianapolis had scored 8 times, taking a 15-7 lead.

The House of David would score in the bottom of the 13th on Edmonds 2nd homerun of the day and a 2-run double from Pete Browning, but Hendricks fanned to end the game, with the ABC’s coming back for a 15-10 victory in 13 innings.

IND 15 (Mitchell 6-4) @ HOD 10 (Tidrow 4-5; Downs 4 H; Smith 8 H; Sutter 3 BSv) [13 Innings]
HRs: IND – Menke (4), Stenzel (7), Bench (22); HOD – Hendricks 2 (25), Edmonds 2 (8), Sandberg 15.
Box Score

Game Four: Chris Hammond @ Bob Rush

This six man rotation thing keeps leaving the ABC’s in a lurch for an actual starter. They sent Virgil Trucks down, bringing up Chris Hammond for the start against the House of David’s Bob Rush.

It wasn’t needed in the end, as the game was rained out, rescheduled for July 27th.

Series XXVI Preview: Indianapolis ABC’s @ Wandering House of David

By mknn

On February 8, 2023

In Featured Series, Series Previews

We looked at Indianapolis Series XVIII and Series X and saw the House of David in action in Series XVI and Series V.

Indianapolis ABC’s

The ABC’s have struggled all year, sitting 6 games under .500 and 9.5 off the pace in the Effa Manley Division. There have been some bright spots, especially offensively, where Johnny Bench continues to be among the best backstops in the league, slashing 295/411/564 and leading the team in HRs (20) and RBIs (64). The problem is Bench has been virtually the only power source for the ABC’s, with only 3 other players in double digits in homeruns (Danny Hoffman and Bob Bescher with 11 and Hal Morris with 10). SS Denis Menke (305/394/431) has been a bit of a pleasant surprise, but the team is really hoping the return of Oscar Charleston and Joe Morgan from the DL can jump start a pretty anemic attack.

Quite controversially, Indianapolis has adopted a 6 man rotation, choosing almost at random between Dolf Luque, Rube Foster, Doc White, Johnny Cueto, David Price, and Willie Mitchell. White has been excellent, both in the bullpen and across 8 starts, but the rest are fairly identical, sporting ERA’s in the 4’s with decent secondary numbers. Rob Dibble has been excellent as a closer, with 20 saves.

Wandering House of David

The House of David are also 3rd in their division, but they sit 4 games over .500 and only 4 games back in the Bill James Division.

It’s not clear how they’re doing it, honestly. There is a lot of power here, with both George Stone (23) and Elrod Hendricks (21) having hit over 20 homeruns. Ernie Banks–3rd on the team with 17–leads the way with 63 RBIs. Stone has been superb, slashing 301/391/555, but that only puts him 3rd among the starters in OPS, with Pete Browning (341/380/584) and the blistering Anthony Rizzo (329/440/700) in front of him. Rizzo has to cool off at some point, with 7 homeruns in his first 25 games, but the success of the House of David may rest on Browning staying healthy, something that has been a bit of a struggle for him all year. Ron Santo, Ryne Sandberg, and the surprising Dan Ford fill out a lineup that is pretty solid top to bottom.

Jack Taylor and Bob Rush have led a mediocre group of starters, although both Eddie Rommel and Kerry Wood have shown great promise in their first few big league appearances. Bruce Sutter is the closer, with Dick Tidrow and Lee Smith being the most effective arms out of the pen.

Projected Starters

Indianapolis pitcher listed first.

Doc White (5-1, 3.38) @ Frank Sullivan (6-7, 5.20)
Johnny Cueto (7-5, 4.94) @ Jack Taylor (8-8, 3.54)
David Price (4-5, 4.84) @ CC Sabathia (9-9, 4.81)
Dolf Luque (8-8, 4.68) @ Bob Rush (8-5, 4.41)

Prediction

Meh. I like Indianapolis in the first game behind White, but the rest is pretty much a toss-up. Let’s say the House of David gets hot, and wins the final 3 to take the series, 3-1.

TWIWBL 32.1: Series XXV Notes – Bill James Division

By mknn

On February 2, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Detroit Wolverines

Ty Cobb tied the league record with 5 hits, leading the Wolverines to a 6-2 win over the New York Gothams. Detroit was actually pretty wasteful in the game, leaving a whopping 15 runners on base. Ed Bailey and George Davis had 3 hits each, with Bailey also driving in 3.

#New York Gothams

Christy Mathewson moved to 11-6 on the year with 7 strikeouts in just over 6 strong innings as the Gothams beat the Wolverines, 4-2. Carson Smith got New York out of a jam in the 7th, and Brian Wilson picked up his 19th save, despite allowing 2 baserunners in the 9th.

#Memphis Red Sox

A solo shot by Reggie Smith in the bottom of the 8th put the Red Sox on top, 2-1 over Homestead. Stubby Overmire put in his best start since arriving in Memphis, but the victory went to Norwood Gibson, with Jonathan Papelbon picking up the save.

#Los Angeles Angels

Doc Gooden and Mike Smith combined on a 4-hit shutout as the Angels triumphed over Ottawa, 7-0. Gooden improved to 4-7 on the year, striking out 6 in 6 1/3 innings. Bobby Grich and Steve Garvey had 3 hits each for Los Angeles.

#Wandering House of David

CC Sabathia evened his record at 9-9 with a strong showing to lead the House of David to an 8-3 win over Cleveland. Ryne Sandberg drove in 4 runs in the game.

TWIWBL 27.1: Series XXI Notes – Bill James Division

By mknn

On July 6, 2022

In TWIWBL

{ There is no TWIWBL 27.0–the series overview post–so we’ll just dive into the Division by Division notes. }

#Detroit Wolverines

Jimmy Collins‘ two month slump has landed him in AAA, with Bill Carrigan‘s return from the DL. This means the Wolverines are carrying 3 catchers (Carrigan, Ed Bailey, and Ernie Lombardi), which is always a bit of a challenge.

#Los Angeles Angels

Mike Trout picked up his 100th hit of the season in a 12-2 mauling of Cleveland. Kal Daniels went 4-for-5 with 5 RBI’s and Trout scored 4 times in support of Chuck Finley, who evened his record at 4-4 with the victory.

Brett Anderson will be out for over a month, causing some shuffling in the Angels’ staff and a bunch of churn elsewhere. Harry Howell, OF Kole Calhoun, and 2B Mark Ellis head to AAA, Larry Anderson is recalled from his rehab assignment and both Pud Galvin and Tom Seaver join the staff, with the 22 year old Seaver moving into the rotation. IF Steve Garvey, who has torn up AAA since being acquired from Ottawa, is recalled to Los Angeles as well.

#Memphis Red Sox

Eddie Cicotte was sent to AAA with the Red Sox in need of a starter. IF Glenn Williams was released to make room for Norwood Gibson on the 40-man roster. Gibson was excellent, allowing only 2 runs on 4 hits in over 5 innings of work, and earning himself a bit of a stay at the big leagues, especially with Turk Farrell heading to the DL, with Cicotte making a quick return.

Len Barker replaces Nixey Callahan in the rotation.

#New York Gothams

The Gothams have finally pulled the plug on Willie McCovey, waiving the 32 year-old 1B and promoting 38 year-old Joe Adcock back to the WBL.

#Wandering House of David

Ernie Banks and Pete Browning had 3 hits each, with Banks driving in 5 runs with 2 homeruns, including a grand slam, giving him 14 on the season. Wade Miley pitched well to go to 5-2, and the bullpen did enough to hold off the Sea Lions for an 8-5 victory.

CC Sabathia took a 2-hitter into the 9th inning in the series finale, but Reggie Jackson led off the frame with a homerun to make the score 4-1 in favor of the House of David. Bruce Sutter relieved Sabathia and retired the side in order for his 11th save, while Sabathia improved to 8-7 on the season.

TWIWBL 25.1: Series XIX Notes – Bill James Division

By mknn

On June 7, 2022

In TWIWBL

#Detroit Wolverines

Detroit loses a key contributor to their bullpen, as Matt Anderson will miss about a month. Doyle Alexander was recalled from AAA.

#Los Angeles Angels

The Angels are hoping some small tweaks bring big impacts: Carlos Delgado joins, initially in a platoon at 1B with Derrek Lee, and Wally Moon adds some OF flexibility. Kole Calhoun was also recalled to the WBL.

Kal Daniels drove in 5 runs to lead the Angels in a 16-2 route of Memphis, a game that got so out of hand the Red Sox sent Ted Williams to the mound. Daniels and Doug Rader had 2 hits each and Elmer Valo scored 3 times to support 6 strong innings from Chuck Finley.

#Memphis Red Sox

Memphis actually has a pretty complicated roster situation, as they have more than 40 players who need to be on the secondary roster. As such, some more small trades may emerge.

While that works out, Stubby Overmire joins their rotation and Sammy Sosa hops into the OF mix.

#New York Gothams

Don Sutton stays with the WBL club, with Mat Latos heading to AAA.

#Wandering House of David

Newcomer Fred Lynn joins the big league club, and will see some time at RF and DH.

Elrod Hendricks had 3 hits and drove in 4 runs to lead the House of David in a 16-3 drubbing of the Detroit Wolverines. Dan Ford, Ernie Banks, and Mark Grace drove in 3, and CC Sabathia pitched a strong 8 innings for his 6th win.

TWIWBL 24.19: Mid-Season Reviews – Wandering House of David

By mknn

On May 6, 2022

In Team News, TWIWBL

Summary

The House of David is too good to tank for the season, but really don’t have a shot at catching the three teams ahead of them.

What’s Gone Right

Elrod & Stone. Probably the least likely dominant duo in the league. C Elrod Hendricks and OF George Stone are among the best in the league, with OPS’ approaching 1.000.

Pete Browning. Pete Browning has played in just over half of the House of David’s games. In that time he has been one of their dominant players, electrifying at the plate and on the basepaths.

Surprises on the Mound. The best arms for the House of David may not be who was expected, but that doesn’t mean the trio of SP Jack Taylor, RP Bob Rush, and closer Bruce Sutter haven’t been excellent.

What’s Gone Wrong

Pete Browning’s Health. Like I said, Browning has played in just over half of their games, making two trips to the DL.

Big Red. Mark McGwire puts on a great show in batting practice … but has hit himself down to AAA once the games start.

Not Enough Help. Dan Ford has been a pleasant surprise and Ryne Sandberg solid at 2B. Beyond that … it’s all pure mediocrity.

Key Storylines

The biggest is whether the pitching staff can come together. There have been moments when it seemed on the verge, but then C.C. Sabathia or Rollie Fingers or someone else would start to struggle.

Browning’s health is probably the most important thing, though. The performances of Hendricks and Stone have been excellent, if Browning is able to add to them, they House of David could move into contention.

Trading Outlook

BUYING.

Or maybe holding. Or buying.

How do they convert some of the aging value they have into talent without totally tanking the season? Players like Lee Smith, Sandberg, Sutter, and Ford would have value, but only if the House of David is no longer trying to compete this season … which makes it sound like they should stand pat until the later trading period.

AAA Shuttle

Ford has earned a starting OF role. Other than that, not a ton of help so far.

Midseason Changes

Frank Chance, McGwire, and Jim Edmonds all head back to AAA.

Awards

All Stars: Elrod Hendricks (C); George Stone (LF).

Player of the Week: Pete Browning (4/17); Elrod Hendricks (6/12)

Offensive MVP: Elrod Hendricks (C)
Pitching MVP: Bob Rush (SP)

Down on the Farm

AAA: Columbus Blue Birds

Next to the Show: 3B Jung Ho Kang, C Gabby Hartnett, 1B Anthony Rizzo

Prospects: C Frank Chance (22)

Projects: 3B Jung Ho Kang (28)

Suspects: P Wild Bill Hutchinson (35)

AA: Atlantic City Bacharach Giants

Prospects: Ps Joe Nuxhall (15) & Larry Dierker (17)

Projects: OF Danny Green (22), SS Luis Aparicio (22), 2B Billy Herman (23), OF Olaf Henriksen (23)

Suspects: P Justin Grimm (25), P Bob Shaw (26), OF John Shelby (31)

Series XVI Featured Matchup: Wandering House of David @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On November 19, 2021

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

#Game 1: Jack Taylor @ Dennis Martinez

Pete Browning‘s return from the DL began with a single to left off Dennis Martinez in the first inning, sending George Stone to second base. But Martinez was able to get out of the inning without giving up a run.

The Black Sox took the lead in the bottom of the 3rd on a 3-run shot by Frank Robinson.

An RBI single by Stone got one back for the House of David in the top of the 4th.

In the top of the 5th, with Martinez struggling, Baby Doll Jacobson made a mark on his WBL debut by throwing out Elrod Hendricks at home. Martinez would give up only the 1 run in his 5 innings, despite surrendering 8 hits.

And that was it: Bob Welch, Sean Marshall, and Gregg Olson shut down the House of David the rest of the way, and the Black Sox took the opening game of the series.

HOD 1 (Taylor 4-6) @ BAL 3 (Martinez 8-2; Olson 1 Sv; Welch 1 H; Marshall 4 H)
HRs: BAL – Robinson (15)
Box Score

#Game 2: Wade Miley @ Jim Palmer

Elrod Hendricks took Jim Palmer deep in the top of the first, giving the House of David a 3-0 lead. Dan McGann got one back for Baltimore, taking Wade Miley down the left field line for his 9th homerun of the season.

The long balls kept coming: George Stone hit a solo shot in the top of the 2nd and Baby Doll Jacobson, making his first start after his recent recall from AAA, launched a 2 run shot in the bottom of the frame for his first WBL hit.

Dan Ford–who has cemented himself as the House of David’s regular RFer–went deep in the top of the 5th, making the score 5-3.

Miley couldn’t complete the 5th, leaving after back-to-back 2-out walks in favor of Dick Tidrow, who fanned Frank Robinson to preserve the lead and strand the two baserunners. Palmer lasted a little longer, surrendering to Mike Mussina when he gave up a walk to open the 6th inning.

Mussina finally ran out of gas in the top of the 9th, giving up hits to Ryne Sandberg and Mark McGwire before giving way to Buddy Groom, who allowed an RBI single to pinch-hitter Ron Santo. Groom struck out Stone, but the ball got away from Curt Blefary, and his throw to first sailed into the outfield, scoring another run.

That made it 7-3, House of David, heading to the bottom of the 9th. Larry Gardner led off with a single, but Rollie Fingers induced a double play from Bobby Wallace. A single from McGann chased Fingers, bringing in Bruce Sutter to face Robinson, who singled. Sutter got Ken Singleton to ground out to end the game, evening the series at a game apiece.

HOD 7 (Tidrow 3-4; Smith 1 H; Fingers 3 H) @ BAL 3 (Palmer 4-6)
HRs: HoD – Hendricks (12), Stone (13), Ford (3); BAL – McGann (9), Jacobson (1)
Box Score

#Game 3: Frank Sullivan @ Bill Byrd

Baltimore would turn to Bill Byrd to try to change their fortunes in game three.

Byrd would give up a leadoff triple to George Stone, who scored on a groundout from Dan Ford. Baltimore would get the first singles from their first two batters, but were unable to score, and we ended the first inning with the House of David ahead, 1-0.

Byrd would give up a solo shot to Elrod Hendricks in the top of the 4th, doubling the lead to 2-0 in favor of the House of David.

Frank Sullivan was sailing along until the bottom of the 5th, when Bryce Harper led off with a walk and Cal Ripkin, Jr. followed with a double to straight away CF. Paul Blair brought home Harper with a sacrifice fly, but that was all Baltimore could manage, and the 5th inning ended with the score 2-1.

Harper tied the game with an RBI single in the bottom of the 6th.

Baltimore’s Sean Marshall worked in and out of trouble in the top of the 8th, putting two runners on base, but inducing a double-play and a soft popout to maintain the tie.

A scoreless ninth ensued, and we were heading to extra innings.

Ryne Sandberg triple with one out in the top of the 10th, and scored on a single by Richie Hebner. Stone would follow with his 2nd three-bagger of the day, scoring Hebner and making it 4-2 in favor of the House of David.

Bruce Sutter gave up a walk, but worked around it to seal the victory, putting the House of David up, two games to one.

Hendricks ended the day with four hits.

HOD 4 (Sutter 2-0) @ BAL 2 (Bessent 1-3) [10 Innings]
HRs: HOD – Hendricks (13)
Box Score

#Game 4: @ Johnny Sain @ CC Sabathia

Two of the coldest arms in the WBL face-off in game four. Baltimore’s Johnny Sain sits at 5-4 with an ERA well over 5.00 while the House of David’s CC Sabathia is 5-5 with an ERA about a run lower. But neither have thrown well in a while.

The House of David’s best hitters generated their first run: Pete Browning singled, stole second, and scored on an RBI single by Elrod Hendricks.

The Black Sox tied the game in the bottom of the first on an RBI single from Frank Robinson, and took the lead when Richie Hebner made a throw that sailed over Mark Grace‘s head at first. Bryce Harper followed with a double into the right field corner, and when Sabathia finally got out of the inning, Baltimore was in front, 5-1.

Hendricks drove in Dan Ford with a single in the top of the third, but a great throw from Paul Blair nailed Browning at home to limit the damage.

Ramon Hernandez made it 7-2 with a homerun in the bottom of the frame.

Browning’s third hit of the game was a long shot to left-center, making the score 7-3 and generating activity in the Black Sox bullpen.

Both bullpens actually did well, and the game was scoreless across the final four frames. Hendricks ended with 4 hits for the House of David, while Harper had 3 for Baltimore.

HOD 3 (Sabathia 5-6) @ BAL 7 (Sain 6-4)
HRs: HOD – Browning (6); BAL – Hernandez (2)
Box Score

Series Overview

So, a split, a result that will disappoint Baltimore, and give the House of David some hope.

For the House of David, Elrod Hendricks was on fire, going 11-for-15 in the four games with 2 homeruns and 6 RBIs. The problem was nobody else did much of note.

The hitting star for Baltimore was Bryce Harper, who went 7-for-13, raising his average nearly 20 points. Again, though, it was pretty much a one man show.

Series XVI Preview: Wandering House of David @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On November 16, 2021

In Featured Series

It’s been a long time since we checked in on the House of David, who were featured way back in Series V when they visited Los Angeles. The Baltimore Black Sox–currently tied for the best record in baseball–were featured in Series IX.

Wandering House of David

The House of David are struggling towards .500, sitting 6 games below that mark, and 5 games behind Detroit in the Bill James Division. Honestly, even that may be outperforming their metrics (they are, in fact, 2 games above their Pythagorean projection at this point).

The pitching has been an issue all season. C.C. Sabathia started the year quite well, and if the House of David have an ace, he’s it. But he’s only 5-5 on the year, with a 4.29 ERA (his WHIP of 1.33 is more respectable), and some would look at Jack Taylor (4-5, 3.57 ERA) as having been more dependable. Probably their best pitcher has been Bob Rush, who sparkled out of the pen, and has just recently moved into the rotation. Rush is 4-3, with a 3.07 ERA, and both he and Taylor have identical 1.18 WHIPs.

The bullpen has been fairly mediocre: Joakim Soria started the year as the closer, lost that role to Bruce Sutter, and was just released. Sutter has been fine, and recently promoted Lee Smith has some potential, but neither he nor Rollie Fingers seem terribly reliable at the moment.

The House of David’s best offensive player has, hands down, been Pete Browning, who is slashing 385/419/606, The problem is Browning has only been healthy for about 28 games. He’s back now, and hopefully can spark a struggling offense.

The bright spots of the offense are clear: OF George Stone (318/407/552 and a team-high 12 homeruns), C Elrod Hendricks (291/344/581), and–in one of the shocks of the league–OF Dan Ford (375/396/557 in about half their games) have led the team along with SS Ernie Banks who tops the team with 44 RBIs. And … that’s about it. Ron Santo and Mark Grace have been fine, and Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire have been miserable (Sosa was just sent to AAA to work it out).

Optimism for the House of David centers around Browning’s health and Ford not collapsing. We’ll see.

Baltimore Black Sox

The Black Sox have ridden strong starting pitching and a solid offense to the best record in the league, even after a shocking series against Birmingham, where they lost 3-out-of-4. They’ll be looking to right the ship immediately, with their ace, Dennis Martinez taking the mound for the first game. Martinez is 7-2 with a 3.15 ERA, but calling him their ace may be a little misleading: Bill Byrd has essentially the same ERA at 3.16 and Ned Garvin may be the best pitcher in the league at the moment, with an ERA well under 3.00.

Don Bessent and Bob Miller have combined for 11 saves, with neither actually being declared the official closer, and Sean Marshall and Buddy Groom continue to pitch really well out of the pen.

Offensively, Curt Blefary has slowed down slightly, but is still mashing the ball at a 289/392/639 clip to lead the way, and he and Frank Robinson (313/394/537) are among the better duos in the league. Three regulars–SS Bobby Wallace, 1B Dan McGann, and 2B Larry Gardner have OBPs over .400, ensuring plenty of traffic on the basepaths, and the Black Sox’ patience with Bryce Harper has really paid off as, after a month of struggle, the young outfielder is starting to contribute more and more offensively.

Recently recalled Baby Doll Jacobsen was perhaps the most dominant hitter in AAA, so the club is eager to see if he can contribute.

Starting Pitchers

House of David starter listed first.

Wade Miley (2-2, 6.12 ERA) @ Dennis Martinez (7-2, 3.15 ERA)
Jack Taylor (4-5, 3.57 ERA) @ Jim Palmer (4-5, 4.85 ERA)
Frank Sullivan (4-6, 4.90 ERA) @ Bill Byrd (5-2, 3.16 ERA)
CC Sabathia (5-5, 4.29 ERA) @ Johnny Sain (5-4, 5.42 ERA)

Series Prediction

I mean … Baltimore is clearly the superior team. And they’ll be looking to bounce back after a disappointing series with Birmingham. I think they will, and the House of David will only win one game, either for Taylor or Sabathia.

TWIWBL Special Edition: All Star Preview II – AL Starting Pitchers

By mknn

On September 24, 2021

In All Star Games

{ With under three weeks until the All Star Teams are announced, we’re looking at what’s changed since our original previews. }

Initial preview here, selecting Gerrit Cole, CC Sabathia, Tricky Nichols, Ed Walsh, and Dennis Martinez.

It doesn’t look terribly different at this point. Los Angeles’ Cole (7-3) and Baltimore’s Martinez (7-1) are the only 7 game winners in the league, so you have to assume they make it, although Cole’s 4.04 ERA will lead to some arguments. There can be little disagreement about Martinez, though, as El Presidente has a 3.16 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP for the best team in baseball.

Behind them, Kansas City’s Andy Petitte (4-3, 3.31 ERA) and Sabathia (5-4, 3.65 ERA) deserve some consideration, as do the House of David’s Jack Taylor (only a 3-5 record, but a sub-4 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP) and Chicago’s Ben Sheets (5-3, 3.95 ERA, 1.21 WHIP).

Nichols has fallen out of the conversation, and Walsh is on the DL for about a month, so they’re no longer in the running.

The AI does some interesting things, selecting Baltimore’s Ned Garvin, Detroit’s Johnny Marcum and Hal Newhouser, and the House of David’s Bob Rush along with Martinez and Petitte. Garvin, Marcum, and Rush have just recently moved into their team’s starting rotations. All three are strong choices, especially Garvin, who is 5-1 with a 2.09 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP in 8 relief appearances and 4 starts, but I’m still considering them as relievers at the moment.

Newhouser is a decent possibility. He’s made 7 starts, so it could all fall apart, but so far he looks like a potential ace, with only a 2-1 record, but a microscopic 1.93 ERA. Clearly, if he keeps that up over his next 3 or 4 starts, he’ll warrant very strong consideration.

So at this point I would go with Martinez as the starter, with Cole, Sabathia, Pettite and … let’s say the Gothams’ Juan Marichal, who is 6-1, with a high ERA that is likely to drop (I have a fear that Newhouser will implode, or be injured over the next few weeks).

TWIWBL 15.0: Series XII Notes

By mknn

On August 20, 2021

In TWIWBL

May 21

We’re 50 games into the season, and the standings are beginning to matter a little. And, they’re tightening up.

Los Angeles and Detroit are tied at 26-24 in the Bill James Division, with the New York Gothams 1/2 game back and the House of David only 2 behind. And, the New York Black Yankees have been reeled back in over in the Effa Manley Division, with both Cleveland and Philadelphia within 3 games.

In the other 2 divisions, the leads are slightly larger. The surprising Baltimore Black Sox, with a league leading 32-18 record, are 5 games up on the Chicago American Giants in the Cum Posey Division and Portland leads Brooklyn by 5.5 in the Marvin Miller Division.

Most believe Baltimore is overperforming meaning only Portland–maybe–is building a dependable lead.

The league’s emerging parity is underscored by the longest winning and losing streak being 3 games right now (Portland having won 3 in a row, Birmingham having lost).

Baltimore and the Homestead Grays are 8-2 over their last 10 games (Homestead’s streak leaves them only at 21-29, but still is encouraging) while the House of David, Chicago, Brooklyn, and Miami have all only won 3 of their last 10 games).

#Awards

Baltimore’s 36-year old 1B, Dan McGann, took home the Player of the Week award, hitting .588 with 2 homeruns, 4 RBIs, and 9 runs scored, lifting his overall batting average to .314.

#Performance

The batter leading the league in 2 of the 3 slash categories? Not Babe Ruth, but San Francisco‘s Reggie Jackson (who is second to Ruth in SLG as well).

Top Batters: Reggie Jackson (SFS) 378/489/649; Stan Musial (KAN) 360/425/602, 67 H; Babe Ruth (NYY) 339/445/699, 17 HR, 45 R, 3.0 WAR; Willie Mays (NYG) 352/405/531, 69 H; Rico Carty (PHI) 347/410/569, 19 2B; Louis Santop (CLE) 314/348/495, 7 3B; Terry Puhl (OTT) 255/318/422, 5 3B; Eric Davis (NYY) 284/333/553, 15 HR, 53 RBI; Doug Rader (LAA) 314/364/503, 49 RBI; Rickey Henderson (SFS) 240/399/323, 43 BB, 37 SB.

Top Starters: Walter Johnson (POR) 6-1, 3.65, 2.3 WAR; Dennis Martinez (BAL) 6-1, 3.07, 1.08 WHIP; Ron Guidry (NYY) 5-3, 3.10, 83 K, 1,06 WHIP; Lefty Grove (SFS) 4-3, 3.45, 71 K; Don Drysedale (BRK) 4-2, 2.60; Camilo Pascual (MIA) 4-3, 2.90; CC Sabathia (HOD) 5-3, 3.01, 1.9 WAR.

Top Relievers: Johan Santana 1-1, 3.00, 17 Sv; Terry Adams (CLE) 0-1, 1.69, 12 Sv; Bob Howry (PHI) 1-2, 5.09, 12 Sv; Ron Reed (PHI) 0-2, 2.96, 2 Sv, 9 H; Aroldis Chapman (MIA) 0-2, 0.00, 9 Sv; Joe Beggs (MEM) 0-0, 0.00, 7 Sv; Brian Wilson (NYG) 0-0, 1.93, 5 Sv, 0.79 WHIP; Jonathan Papelbon (MEM) 0-2, 2.01, 3 Sv, 3 H, 0.90 WHIP.

#Streaks

With Thurman Munson‘s hitting streak being stopped at 22 games (1 behind Ruth’s 23 earlier this year), there are no active hitting streaks above 13 games. However, Indianapolis‘ Oscar Charleston has reached base in 24 straight games (a league high), Munson in 23, and Terry Puhl in 19.

In oddities, Rickey Henderson has stolen 26 straight bases and Johnny Bench of the ABC’s has 3 consecutive pinch hits.

On the mound, Baltimore’s Bill Byrd hasn’t given up a run in 14 innings and Cleveland’s Terry Adams and San Francisco’s Rod Beck have each converted their last 11 save opportunities.

Not coincidental to Baltimore’s rise in the standings, Frank Robinson has been on a 14 game tear where he’s hitting 453/525/755. Damian Jackson remains probably the coldest hitter in the WBL, managing only 068/212/068 over 20 games.

On the mound, CC Sabathia is 4-1 with a 2.47 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP over his last 7 starts (51 innings) and the Gothams’ Sad Sam Jones has a 2.57 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP over his last 42 innings. At the other end, Miami’s Ramon Martinez is 0-3 with a 9.45 ERA over his last 4 starts and San Francisco’s Dennis Eckersley truly earned his demotion to AAA, going 1-3 with a 9.74 ERA over 5 starts.

Series XII Results

Taking 3 of 4 in Series XII

Baltimore over Los Angeles
Portland over Birmingham
Philadelphia over Brooklyn
Chicago over Indianapolis
Detroit over San Francisco
Homestead over Ottawa
Memphis over Miami

Taking 2 out of 3

New York Gothams over Cleveland (one rainout)

Series Splits

Houston @ New York Black Yankees
House of David @ Kansas City