| Team | W/L | Pct | GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Spiders | 67-48 | .583 | — |
| New York Black Yankees | 65-54 | .546 | 4 |
| Detroit Wolverines | 57-60 | .487 | 11 |
| Memphis Red Sox | 55-63 | .466 | 13.5 |
| Baltimore Black Sox | 50-67 | .427 | 18 |
#Baltimore Black Sox
Two homeruns from Frank Robinson weren’t enough as the Black Sox fell to Los Angeles, 5-2. There was a positive: Ned Garvin pitched very much like the Ned Garvin of last year despite taking the loss.
After a few trades, the Black Sox welcomed Gene Conley and recalled Bill Byrd to their bullpen, and recalled Larry Gardner to backup Miller Huggins at 2B.
#Cleveland Spiders
Ed Bailey went deep twice, giving him a dozen with Cleveland and 32 on the season, as the Spiders topped Portland, 13-4.
#Detroit Wolverines
Superstar Ty Cobb hit for the cycle, but it wasn’t enough, as the Wolverines fell to Miami in a slugfest, 16-11.
The next day, Oscar Gamble hit 2 homeruns and this time the Wolverines prevailed, 11-5. However, starter Johnny Marcum had to leave the game, and is headed to the DL nursing an oblique injury. Gene Conley was recalled, having improved a bit during his stint at AAA.
Needing a starter, the Wolverines exchanged Billy Hoeft (who has struggled mightily after a promising start to the season) for Ray Sadecki. Sadecki did alright–2 earned in over 5 innings–but still got tagged with the loss as Detroit fell 10-1 to Miami. George Bechtel, who had pitched well of late, was injured, and will spend about a week on the DL, with Detroit recalling Buddy Napier from his rehab stint after the game.
Ernie Lombardi had 2 round trippers, leading the Wolverines to an 8-6 win over Miami. Chili Davis did the same: 2 homeruns, reaching 30 on the year, in a 10-6 victory over Memphis.
To make room for trade acquisitions, Dick Donovan and Sadecki were both shipped to AAA. Connie Johnson steps into the rotation, while Troy Percival and Steve Howe hit the Wolverines’ bullpen and Bobby Wallace steps into the starting role at SS.
#Memphis Red Sox
At some point, you gotta’ produce … veteran IF Nomar Garciaparra was released, with Dobie Moore being recalled from his rehab assignment.
Sadie McMahon was recalled from AAA leaving the Red Sox bullpen full of arms, but not terribly clear on roles.
Stubby Overmire tossed a complete game 3-hitter as Memphis topped Detroit, 5-0. With the win, Overmire improved to 11-9 and lowered his ERA to 4.27.
#New York Black Yankees
Rogers Hornsby was recalled from his rehab assignment, with Tom Herr heading back to AAA.
Dave Righetti returned to the Black Yankees’ rotation.
Babe Ruth hit his 53rd and 54th homers of the year, leading New York to a 7-1 win over Memphis.
With Waite Hoyt‘s departure, the Black Yankees named the surprising Tony Brizzolara to their rotation for the time being and promoted reliever Jeff Nelson from AAA.
Mike Schmidt and Hornsby went back-to-back twice, but it wasn’t enough as New York’s bullpen couldn’t close it out in an 11-10 loss to Baltimore. The next day, it was Lou Gehrig‘s turn to hit 2 out of the park, giving him 47 on the year and leading New York to a 5-2 win over Baltimore.