Tag: Fred Dunlap Page 1 of 2

{ These are in no particular order–or, more exactly, they are in the order in which teams wrap up their Spring Training games. }

Spring Training Questions

The competition between Ruben Sierra and first round pick Chuck Klein for a corner OF spot should be fierce; similarly, while Buddy Bell excelled at 3B for Portland last year, he continues to be pushed by Adrián Beltré.

First Cuts

With the roster expected to be essentially set, much of this is pro forma for the Sea Dogs. But still there are some surprises–on the negative side, the relative struggles of many of the more established arms. Two pitchers who were seen as contenders for bullpen spots–Atlee Hammaker and Harry Harper–were returned to minor league camp, along with José Berríos.

That leaves 19 pitchers still in camp, something that will have to be sorted out over the next week or so.

Cliff Lee and Ernie Krueger have been fantastic so far in camp, which is just what a team with Iván Rodríguez and Joe Mauer behind the plate needs. Carlos Ruiz was returned to the minors.

At the corners, things have cleared up a little: Mickey Vernon, Don Baylor, Miguel Sanó, Jeff Cirillo, and Freddie Freeman were all sent down with very strong starts from Al Oliver, Eddie Yost and Buck Jordan keeping their hopes alive. And, at least so far, Beltré is dominating Bell in the contest to be the Sea Dogs’ starting 3B.

Wayne Garrett hits minor league camp while Greg Litton is only around due to the lack of other options at 2B behind Rogers Hornsby and Fred Dunlap (but that was how he stayed on the roster most of last season, so …). Strong starts from Hughie Jennings, Howdy Caton, and Elvis Andrus keeps the field crowded at SS.

The OF remains crowded as well, even with five departures (Charlie Jamieson, Gene Stephens, Wes Parker, Hugh Duffy, and Kiki Cuyler). Oliver has played here, and Chuck Klein has been fantastic at the plate, as has last year’s fourth OF, Jeff Burroughs. With Bobby Murcer seeming a bit slow in CF, the competition for the corner spots is pretty fierce.

Second Cuts

The Sea Dogs staff remains a puzzle, with only Ray Fontenot heading out of camp right now. The other four pitchers who are struggling (Elmer Brown, Mark Melancon, Mike Cuellar, and Bob Porterfield) all performed well last season, but do need to turn it around over the next week or two.

The long national nightmare is over for now, as Greg Litton was jettisoned to the minors, along with Eddie Yost. Tom Satriano was recalled for some 2B depth.

And … that’s it. Chuck Klein, Jeff Burroughs, Al Oliver, and Gary Pettis are hammering the ball and even the worst hitting players (Riggs Stephenson, Ruben Sierra) are doing fine. So that needs to be sorted out.

Third Cuts

Mike Cuellar won 13 games for Portland last year, but has lost all command so far this season and fins himself headed to AAA, along with fellow pitcher Bill Dietrich.

Neither Cliff Lee nor Ernie Krueger has much of a shot at making the team, but with both Iván Rodríguez and Joe Mauer struggling mightily and those two sporting OPS’ over 1.100, they stick around for a while. That performance also may make the Sea Dogs open to astounding offers for either of their top tier backstops.

1B Buck Jordan, SS Elvis Andrus, and OF Riggs Stephenson all head to AAA.

Final Cuts

Tom Satriano heads to the minors as does Ruben Sierra.

It was assumed that Alan Ashby–brought over in the trade with Miami that sent Pudge Rodríguez to the Cuban Giants–would backup Joe Mauer for the Sea Dogs. But Ashby heads to AAA, leaving the reserve C spot still up for grabs between Cliff Lee and Ernie Krueger.

The trade also brought over Paul Molitor, whose presence makes Fred Dunlap a bit redundant, sending him to AAA.

Four cuts were needed to get to 30: P Kris Medlen (who performed quite well this Spring), SS Howdy Caton (who also performed well, but not as well as Hughie Jennings), RP Bob Porterfield (who has struggled mightily, but is a bit of a surprise after his excellent performance last season), and C Ernie Krueger (who has been perhaps the Sea Dogs’ best hitter all Spring, and has rocketed up their prospect charts). This means the much lauded Cliff Lee will slide into the reserve C spot.

Veteran 1B Rafael Palmeiro had an outside chance to make the roster, but a late slump, combined with his being blocked by Gil Hodges and Kent Hrbek, moves Palmeiro to AAA.

Marc Hall and Cliff Markle had marvelous Springs, but in the end the Sea Dogs’ pitching staff was basically set: there was one open spot, and draft pick Walter Ball cemented that.

Draft pick Chuck Klein finished the Spring with a 1.101 OPS … and it wasn’t enough, as incumbent reserve OF Jeff Burroughs ended at 1.142. Klein heads to AAA in search of regular at-bats, with clear expectations of being back in Portland very soon.

The final cut was Hughie Jennings, who had as good a Spring as can be imagined, hitting .459 with 5 steals. But incumbent SS Jim Fregosi is an all star and a Silver Stick winner, and Paul Molitor–part of the high-profile trade of Pudge Rodríguez–can backup Fregosi (as well as 2B and CF).

Season Review: Portland Sea Dogs

By mknn

On December 28, 2023

In Season Reviews, Team News

85 - 70, .548 pct.
1st in Marvin Miller Division
Lost to Baltimore in Division Round

Overall

Portland’s year was, if we’re being honest, a bit of a surprise, even though they led the Marvin Miller Division virtually wire to wire. Their offense was excellent all year, they made very impactful acquisitions via trade in Rogers Hornsby and Gavvy Cravath, and their top end pitching was among the league’s best.

Things are unlikely to go as well offensively next year, so it may take some talent acquisition for the Sea Dogs to maintain their place.

What Went Right

Let’s get the acquisitions out of the way first: 2B was an issue for the Sea Dogs all season until they brought in Rogers Hornsby from Kansas City. Hornsby was excellent and looks likely to remain with Portland for a while. Then, even knowing it was likely a rental for the last few months of the season, the Sea Dogs brought in Gavvy Cravath from Philadelphia who was spectacular, slugging .750 over 40 games. Cravath has moved on to Baltimore, proving the old rich get richer thing.

This was a team already hitting at an elite level: CF Bobby Murcer, 1B Kent Hrbek, C Joe Mauer, and SS Jim Fregosi all hit about as well as anyone in the league at their position. 3B Buddy Bell and OF Harry Hooper were solid as well.

Two reserves were magnificent: each was behind an all star talent, but each kept pushing even them for playing time. Both C Iván Rodríguez and CF Gary Pettis faded a bit at the end of the year, but still posted OPS’ of .827 (Pettis) and .780 (Pudge).

It’s hard to figure out if Gil Hodges‘ year went right or not: on the good side, he was 2nd on the team with 29 homers.

Walter Johnson was fantastic, clearly one of the best starting pitchers in the league at the tender age of 20. Joseíto Muñoz was even better, even younger, and coming on strong when he was injured.

Bert Blyleven and Dizzy Trout were solid enough.

Johan Santana was leading the league in saves before his injury: there are hopes he will be fully recovered by Spring Training. In his absence, the rest of the bullpen stepped up with Portland getting very strong performances from Bob Porterfield, Trevor Hoffman (acquired at midseason), Pascual Pérez, and Elmer Brown.

ALL STARS
3B Buddy Bell; SS Jim Fregosi; 1B Kent Hrbek; C Joe Mauer; OF Bobby Murcer; P Johan Santana

What Went Wrong

Somehow Greg Litton became a fan favorite despite struggling to get his OPS over .600. Neither he nor Fred Dunlap showed anything at all at the plate, although they were useful enough as utility players.

It’s hard to figure out if Gil Hodges‘ year went right or not: on the bad side, he hit .223 with an OPS under .750.

Muñoz and Santana’s injuries sucked. Muñoz may miss most of next season as well.

Not a lot went wrong in the Pacific northwest.

Transactions

March

None

June

P Smokey Joe Wood, C Devin Mesoraco to Kansas City for 2B Rogers Hornsby, OF Vince Coleman & 4th Round Pick

A clear win. Wood is likely to have the best career, given Hornsby’s age, but Hornsby was key to Portland’s postseason push.

July

OF Kirby Puckett, P Jim Kern, P Rick Wise, 3rd Round Pick & 5th Round Pick to Houston for P Trevor Hoffman, P Mark Melancon & 4th Round Pick {Denard Span}

We’ll see. Hoffman was quite strong, and may challenge Santana for the closer’s job next year. It was a clear win for this year, it was also a lot of value to give up.

3B Harmon Killebrew & 1st Round Pick to Philadelphia for OF Gavvy Cravath & 2nd Round Pick {Hugh Duffy}

For this year, totally worth it. Down the road … not so much.

Looking Forward

SP

Walter Johnson is elite. Bert Blyleven and Jerry Koosman should be solid, and while Joseíto Muñoz is unlikely to be as good as his debut, he should be a good rotation starter for many years. So … solid, but another top arm would be welcome. Some believe Johan Santana will come back as a starter, which may help.

RP

This group is solid, but there aren’t many likely reinforcements coming. Still, Trevor Hoffman should be the closer for a few years.

C

As if having Joe Mauer and Iván Rodríguez weren’t enough, the Sea Dogs have the best C prospect at AAA, Cliff Lee, as well. Someone will be traded.

1B

Kent Hrbek for a while, but Rafael Palmiero is pushing him long term. Gil Hodges also plays here, and is an interesting piece: Hodges’ power is undeniable, but he really doesn’t hit well enough to hold down an everyday job.

2B

Rogers Hornsby probably has a few years left, but not much more than that. There is nothing behind him, so this is an area of need.

3B

Another position where someone is going to be moved on: Buddy Bell was excellent this year, but Adrián Beltré probably has the ability to be his equal.

SS

Jim Fregosi was excellent for Portland. Hughie Jennings looks promising for the future as well.

LF

Riggs Stephenson has this for now, but this may be an area the Sea Dogs look to upgrade.

CF

Bobby Murcer was Portland’s most dangerous hitter all year, even if Hrbek had more power. It’s not clear how many years Pettis will accept being a reserve.

RF

This coming year, this is likely to be a mix of Harry Hooper and Ruben Sierra. If they don’t work out, Candy Maldanado and Tom Brunansky have shown some promise.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

With the pick to compensate for the loss of Cravath, Portland had three consecutive picks to close out the first round and start the second. With two of them, they took the closest things to Cravath they could find: OFs Chuck Klein and Hugh Duffy. With the other, they took a franchise arm that is several years away in 18 year old Jon Matlack. They balanced out Matlack with the 15th pick of the 2nd round by selecting Walter Ball, who, at twenty-seven, looks ready for WBL action right now.

Portland has 3 4th round picks and only a single franchise exception remaining. That final choice went to Lee May, who projects to have WBL level power, maybe. The other two 4th round picks were OF Denard Span and reliever Joaquin Benoit.

Rounds 5-8

Portland needs arms. At some point, a SS would be nice, but essentially, arms. They start in the 6th with CJ Wilson, in the 7th with Harry Harper, and in the 8th with Lee Stange.

Rounds 9-12

OF Adolis García; IF Josh Jung; OF Howie Shanks; OF Billy Lush.

12th round Billy Lush decided to not sign with the Sea Dogs.

TWIWBL 48.2: Playoff Previews – Chicago American Giants @ Portland Sea Dogs

By mknn

On September 8, 2023

In 2000 Playoffs, Series Previews, TWIWBL

As a reward for winning a one game playoff against Birmingham, Portland gets to host Chicago, a team with the 3rd best record in the league, and 3 more wins than the Sea Dogs amassed.

#Chicago American Giants

A media favorite as an underdog to go all the way, Chicago’s playoff hopes rest on their pitching–which doesn’t even have to be good, just good enough to support their spectacular offense.

Behind Tricky Nichols (15-9, 4.14), Chicago will turn to some mix of David Price (8-5, 3.98 but on fire as of late), Ben Sheets (11-8, 4.50), and Dick Rudolph (10-9, 4.58) and will hope that Ken Sanders and Hoyt Wilhelm can get the ball to AJ Minter, who has been fantastic with a 2.61 ERA and 30 saves.

The wild card here is Ed Walsh, 8-3 on the season with a 3.26 ERA. Walsh excelled in a swing role throughout the season, and may slide into the #2 spot behind Nichols, or may be called on to cover the middle innings in multiple games. Or, you know, both.

Enough of that, let’s talk about fun things. Like the American Giants’ offense. With 4 starters with OPS over .900 (Joe Jackson, Dick Allen, Eddie Collins, and Frank Thomas), the heart of the lineup is spectacular. Thomas, Jackson, and Allen each drove in over 100 (with Duffy Lewis just missing at 94), and Collins and Jackson each scored over a century. Jackson led the way with 31 homers, and Collins added 61 SB to the mix.

There’s no real weakness in the starters: Carlton Fisk‘s .790 OPS is excellent for a catcher and Mike Fiore‘s .405 OBP more than makes up for his utter lack of power. Chicago traded for all-star SS Freddy Parent, who has been thoroughly mediocre, so perhaps that is their one lineup hole.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Portland’s fought off some injuries and some challenges in finding enough PA’s for all their talent, but has remained a solid team all season. Shorter series should help them: anything that gets Walter Johnson (14-5, 3.50) more starts is good for the team. Johnson is followed by Bert Blyleven (11-11, 4.30) and then some mix of Pascual Pérez, Dizzy Trout, Mike Cuellar, and Wade Miller.

The bullpen has been solid, although the closer role is a little unsettled, split between Bob Porterfield, Trevor Hoffman, and Elmer Brown.

Two midseason acquisitions really took the offense from solid to spectacular: 2B Rogers Hornsby and RF Gavvy Cravath have embraced their new surroundings, with Cravath being especially impactful, slugging well over .700 in his 40 games with the Sea Dogs.

But the lineup can mash top to bottom: Bobby Murcer, Joe Mauer, and Kent Hrbek all have OPS over .900 (Hrbek has 36 homeruns and drove in 106 to lead the team). Gary Pettis and Iván Rodríguez have cooled off slightly, making, but still, along with Adrián Beltre and Jeff Burroughs, form one of the deeper benches in the league.

The Sea Dogs led the league in homers, with 5 players (Hrbek, Cravath, Mauer, Buddy Bell, and Gil Hodges) having over 20.

The end of roster choices were challenging. Cult hero Greg Litton got the final position spot–neither he nor Fred Dunlap can hit, but Litton is a little more flexible defensively and the final pitching spot went to Atlee Hammaker, who has struggled, but with Cuellar the only other lefty option from the pen, Hammaker edges out Ray Fontenot for now.

#Prediction

Chicago in 7. The most anticipated of the four series of the opening round.

TWIWBL 37.4: Series XXIX Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On April 11, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

The newcomers just keep delivering. Adrián González went deep twice and is sporting an OPS nearly 300 points higher than his time with Chicago and the newly acquired Andy Pettite moved to 2-0 with Birmingham with 7 strong innings as the Black Barons defeated Homestead 8-2.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Beals Becker hit 2 homeruns, putting him in the 40/20 club (20 homers, 41 steals), but it wasn’t enough as the Royal Giants fell 6-4 to Detroit.

#Portland Sea Dogs

It took an injury to stop the force known as Greg Litton. As the utility player hit the DL, Portland recalled Fred Dunlap from AAA. Dunlap, who started the year at 2B for the Sea Dogs, hit even less than Litton in that stretch, as inconceivable as that seems. Litton went out with a bang, getting 3 hits in the game where he was injured. Gil Hodges also had 3 hits, including his 24th homerun of the year, in a come-from-behind 8-6 victory over Cleveland.

Portland’s 6-2 victory in the 3rd game was notable for a few things: 5 runs in the last 2 innings; another strong performance by Joséito Muñoz; a key homerun by Gavvy Cravath (his first as a Sea Dog); more hits from Gary Pettis, who moved his average back over .400; and a decent showing by Dunlap, looking to stay in the bigs this time. Mike Cuellar moved to 11-6, despite only 1 start.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

With Reggie Jackson‘s return from the DL, the Sea Lions chose to send 18 year old John Beckwith to AAA in hopes of more regular at-bats, keeping Jimmie Foxx at the WBL level.

Tim Hudson put in another strong start in Jackson’s first game back, allowing 1 earned run in 7 innings. Six Sea Lions–including Jackson–had 2 hits in the 9-2 victory.

TWIWBL 25.4: Series XIX Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On June 10, 2022

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

With all of the trades, the Black Barons brought Warren Spahn back to the big leagues and promoted both Kent Mercker and Bruce Chen. Changes in the field include a platoon at first between Frank McCormick and newcomer Adrián González and at third between Eddie Mathews and Pie Traynor. Herman Long and Ginger Beaumont were both promoted as well.

Bob Nieman and Del Crandall had 3 hits each and Hank Aaron drove in 3 runs as the Black Barons started the 2nd half with a 7-3 victory over Philadelphia.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Darren Dreifort joins the Royal Giants’ bullpen and newcomer Frank Isbell steps right into the lineup.

With Ray Dandridge missing a couple weeks, the Royal Giants recalled SS Germany Smith from AAA.

#Miami Cuban Giants

José Méndez and Eustaquio Pedroso join the rotation, with Sandy Consuegra, Bill Landrum, and Phenomenal Smith all getting promotions to the big leagues. Alan Ashby took over a the fulltime catcher, with newly acquired Chris Hoiles his backup and Charlie Bennett moving to AAA.

Alexei Ramírez was sent to AAA as was José Tartabull (whose WBL stay lasted exactly one game) as both Alejandro Oms and Martín Dihigo were activated from the DL.

José Cardenal went deep twice and Ashby drilled a go-ahead 3-run homerun to lead the Cuban Giants to a come from behind, 8-6 victory over the Grays.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Frank Williams and Pascual Pérez move up to Portland’s bullpen. Rogers Hornsby‘s arrival means Fred Dunlap goes down to AAA, as Greg Litton‘s flexibility continues to keep him around.

Wade Miller improved to 6-0 by carrying a no-hitter through 6 innings en route to a 7-2 victory over the New York Gothams. Buddy Bell had 3 hits and he and Harry Hooper drove in 2 runs each for the Sea Dogs.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Lots of churn here. Huston Street and Eddie Joost were waived, although the Sea Lions hope to retain them. With a lot of moving parts, the Sea Lions are taking a risk by going with only one shortstop–Miguel Cairo–until Dick Lundy comes of the DL. Ron Hunt and Sal Bando are called up in the interim.

Two homeruns by Pedro Guerrero and a stellar start by Charlie Root weren’t enough as Indianapolis came back to beat San Francisco 4-3 in 10 innings. Chad Bradford balked in the winning run after Rod Beck suffered his third blown save of the season.

TWIWBL 24.17: Mid-Season Reviews – Portland Sea Dogs

By mknn

On May 2, 2022

In Team News, TWIWBL

Summary

It’s been an excellent year for the Sea Dogs, who look primed for a post-season run.

What’s Gone Right

Hrbek & Murcer. Kent Hrbek and Bobby Murcer have combined for 34 homeruns and 102 RBIs, anchoring a strong lineup.

Excess of Catchers. Joe Mauer and Iván Rodríguez are both putting up spectacular numbers from behind the plate. Mauer’s are slightly better (and he has played far more), but Rodríguez still has an OPS over .900. Mauer is 22, Rodríguez 20, and at some point you would think a blockbuster trade might happen around one of them.

That Staff. This maybe the strongest pitching staff, end-to-end, in the league, from starters Walter Johnson, Bert Blyleven, and the surprising Wade Miller to Elmer Brown and Johan Santana at the back of the bullpen to the amazing emergence of Joseíto Muñoz.

What’s Gone Wrong

2B, or not. Fred Dunlap is heading towards Greg Litton like numbers, and given those two are the options at 2 for the Sea Dogs, it’s not pretty. Litton’s versatility maintains his roster spot, but something must be done here.

The Allure of Power. Both Gil Hodges and Jeff Burroughs have power. Hodges is second on the team with 17 homeruns, Burroughs has 10. But neither can get their OPS over .700, which make them a bit one dimensional for a championship contender.

Putting the Train Back on Track. Nineteen-year old Walter Johnson started this year looking like the best arm in the WBL. Since then, he’s become merely good. If Portland can get the earlier version back, it would go a long way in the postseason.

Key Storylines

The pair of Murcer and Hrbek need to maintain their level of production and the Sea Dogs need another couple of players to step it up. Similarly, the rotation has the potential to be truly great–the closer they get to it, the further Portland will go.

Long term, there’s a need to figure out the C question–Rodríguez is just too good to be a backup for too much longer, especially given the dearth of catching talent elsewhere in the league.

Trading Outlook

BUYING!

A few upgrades, and this could be a championship team. The catching deal is always out there in the shadows, but aside from that, it looks more like minor league parts on the market, unless Mike Cuellar gets some interest.

AAA Shuttle

Adrián Beltré is demanding more playing time since his recall. Couple his performance with that of Muñoz, and it’s been quite a success.

Midseason Changes

Muñoz joins the rotation, forcing Smokey Joe Wood to the bullpen on his return from injury. Jim Kern and Pascual Pérez head to AAA.

Awards

All Stars: Buddy Bell (3B); Jim Fregosi (SS); Kent Hrbek (1B); Joe Mauer (C); Bobby Murcer (CF); Johan Santana (P).

Offensive MVP: Kent Hrbek (1B)
Pitching MVP: Walter Johnson (SP)

Down on the Farm

AAA: Seattle Rainiers

Next to the Show: RPs Jeremy Blevins & Brian Duensing, C Cliff Lee, 1B Rafael Palmeiro

Prospects: C Cliff Lee (22)

Projects: 1B Rafael Palmeiro (30), 1B Mickey Vernon (24), P Bob Porterfield (34).

Suspects: Ps Al Worthington (37), Charlie Hough (40), Colby Lewis (30), 2B Connie Ryan (27), OF George Browne (32), SS Elvis Andrus (23).

AA: Atlantic City Bacharach Giants

Prospects: P Rick Wise (18), C Frankie Hayes (19)

Projects: RPs Matt Guerrier and Nick Goody (both 26), OF Kenny Hogan (18), 1B Buck Jordan (26), P Lefty George (24).

Suspects: None?

Series XVII Featured Matchup: Portland Sea Dogs @ Brooklyn Royal Giants

By mknn

On December 27, 2021

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

#Game One: Walter Johnson @ Dutch Leonard

Walter Johnson and Dutch Leonard both started well, with Portland taking the lead in the top of the 2nd on a Jeff Burroughs homerun. The Royal Giants tied it in the bottom half of the 3rd, when Beals Becker returned the favor, depositing a fastball from Johnson in the left field seats.

Brooklyn would take their first lead in the 4th, with a Ron Cey double scoring Duke Snider. Dan Brouthers added an RBI single and Ray Dandridge a sacrifice fly, and the Royal Giants were up 4-1 at the end of the inning.

Leonard sailed through the game, not allowing another run until Kent Hrbek hit his 19th homerun of the season in the ninth inning.

POR 2 (Johnson 7-3) @ Brooklyn 6 (Leonard 5-7)
HRs: POR – Burroughs (9), Hrbek (19); BRK – Becker (8)
Box Score

#Game Two: Bert Blyleven @ Frank Knauss

Fred Dunlap led off the game with a homerun off Frank Knauss on the first pitch of the game to give the Sea Dogs a 1-0 lead, but Brooklyn tied it up when Dan Brouthers, who tripled, scored on a Bert Blyleven wild pitch.

The Royal Giants took the lead for good on a two run shot by Dickie Thon in the bottom of the 2nd. The Sea Dogs closed it to 3-2 on Kent Hrbek‘s 20th homerun of the year, but the game was broken open in the bottom of the 7th when, after a leadoff double by Duke Farrell, Joseito Muñoz relieved Blyleven. Muñoz had been virtually unhittable all season, but the Royal Giants got to him, with Hi Myers and Jermaine Dye delivering RBI hits, extending the lead to 6-2.

It should have been worse: the Royal Giants’ batters left 16 runners on base.

POR 2 (Blyleven 5-4) @ BRK 6 (Knauss 5-4; Von Ohlen 1 Sv)
HRs: POR – Dunlap (5), Hrbek (20); BRK – Thon (1)
Box Score

#Game Three: Jerry Koosman @ Sandy Koufax

Harry Hooper stole second and scored on a single by Bobby Murcer to give Portland the lead in the top of the first. Sandy Koufax would struggle, walking in a run and allowing another to score in a sacrifice fly, as the Sea Dogs jumped out to a 3-0 lead attempting to win their first game of the series.

An Iván Rodríguez RBI single and a 2-run shot into the left field seats by Kent Hrbek–his third of the series–made it 6-0 in the second.

But Brooklyn wasn’t ready to give it up: after an RBI infield singly by Ray Dandridge, Jackie Robinson came through with his 9th homerun of the year, a grand slam that just cleared the outfield fence.

That made the score 6-5, and while Koufax wouldn’t make it out of the 4th, Tommy Hanson was able to close the door, keeping the game a one run affair.

Jermaine Dye tied the game in the bottom of the 6th, greeting Pascual Pérez with a homerun to make it 6-6.

And it stayed that way for six more innings: Pérez, Jim Kern, and Mike Cuellar for Portland traded blanks with Hanson, Trevor Hildenberger, and Eric Gagne for Brooklyn. That was, until the 12th, when Gagne gave up a triple to Gary Pettis, a run-scoring single to Joe Mauer, and another homerun to Hrbek for a 9-6 Portland lead. Johan Santana picked up his 22nd save of the season and the Sea Dogs had their first victory of the series.

POR 9 (Cuellar 5-4; Santana 22 Sv; Pérez 3 BSv) @ BRK 6 (Gagne 2-3)
HRs: POR – Hrbek 2 (22); BRK – Robinson (9), Dye (2)
Box Score

#Game Four: Wade Miller @ Don Sutton

In addition to salvaging a series split, Portland’s Wade Miller will try to protect his perfect record as he sits at 5-0 on the year. Brooklyn’s Ron Cey had other ideas, though, taking Miller deep in the bottom of the 2nd for an early 1-0 lead for the Royal Giants.

Adrián Beltré took Don Sutton deep with the bases loaded to put the Sea Dogs up, 4-1 and two batters later, Jeff Burroughs sent a ball to almost the same spot, extending Portland’s advantage to 5-1.

A Duke Farrell double and a triple from Davey Lopes helped Brooklyn get back in it in the bottom of the 4th, closing the lead to 5-4. Brooklyn tied it in the bottom of the 7th when, after stealing second and moving to third on a fielder’s choice, Lopes scored on a sacrifice fly by Ray Dandridge.

Despite getting two runners on in the bottom of the 9th, the teams were unable to score, and we had the second consecutive extra-inning game.

Beals Becker would send the crowd home happy when he ended the game in the bottom of the 12th with a solo homerun, giving Brooklyn the 6-5 win and the 3-1 edge in the series.

Beltré is now hitting .481 in his first 14 WBL games after his 3-for-5, 4 RBI performance here.

POR 5 (Brown 2-4; Wood 1 BSv) @ BRK 6 (Von Ohlen 4-0) [12 Innings]
HRs: POR – Beltré (2), Burroughs (10); BRK – Cey (11), Becker (9)
Box Score

#Series Summary

For Portland, Kent Hrbek had a dominant performance, going 6-for-19 with 4 homeruns and Jeff Burroughs went deep twice.

Brooklyn was led by Beals Becker, who went 6-for-16 in the four games with 2 homeruns. Duke Snider went 5-for-18 for Brooklyn, and Dickie Thon and Roy White had 4 hits each.

A bit of a surprise as Portland was favored going in, but a good series for sure.

TWIWBL 19.4: Series XVI Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On December 3, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Frank McCormick led the Black Barons to a 7-1 win over Miami, driving in 5 with 2 homeruns. One was a grand slam, the other a 525 foot bomb for the 2nd longest homerun in WBL history. Omar Infante, Frank Isbell, and Bob Nieman added 2 hits each in support of Alejandro Pena, who moved to 5-5 with 6 strong innings.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

3 hits each from Duke Snider and Jermaine Dye (including Snider’s 15th homerun of the season) led Brooklyn to a 10-5 victory over the Black Yankees. Jackie Robinson and Ray Dandridge added 2 hits apiece and each scored 2 runs in support of Sandy Koufax, who improved to 3-2 on the season.

#Miami Cuban Giants

A WBL record-tying 3 doubles from José Cardenal weren’t enough as the Cuban Giants fell to Birmingham, 5-4. Manny Machado added 2 hits for Miami, who are more troubled by Camilo Pascual‘s fall from among the league’s best than this particular loss. Pascual is now 4-5 with an ERA heading towards the mid-3.00’s.

With Paul Molitor out for about a month, Miami recalled Pete Runnels from AAA. Runnels, who started the year with Memphis, was released on May 25th and signed with the Cuban Giants five days later.

The injuries keep coming for Miami: Alejandro Oms is out for just over a week with a strained shoulder. Eddie Milner was recalled from AAA to help out in CF in Oms’ absence.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Harry Hooper drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 11th in a game Portland almost gave away. Hooper and Fred Dunlap each drove in two runs, and Mike Cuellar earned the victory with three innings of relief, evening his record at 4-4.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Dick Lundy, who has forced his way into the starting lineup, will miss about a month with a strained oblique muscle. This both prolongs the challenge of Eddie Joost (still struggling at 156/277/291) and brings Miguel Cairo up from AAA.

Wally Moon and Rickey Henderson had 3 hits each, leading the Sea Lions to a come from behind victory over Memphis by a score of 8-6. Henderson scored 3 times and stole 2 bases–just another day at the office for Rickey–and Jack Clark hit a 3-run homerun. After Cy Falkenberg struggled through 5 innings, the victory went to Huston Street, with Rod Beck picking up his 16th save.

Series XII Featured Game: Cleveland Spiders @ New York Gothams

By mknn

On September 9, 2021

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

{ Whoops. This never got published from about 10 game days ago. }

The second game between the Cleveland Spiders and the New York Gothams saw the Spiders’ Bob Feller (4-4, 5.09 ERA) facing off against the Gothams’ Sad Sam Jones (3-3, 3.28). Feller’s peripheral numbers aren’t great, although his strikeout rate is impressive, while Jones has been one of the hottest starting pitchers in the league.

Feller struggled more, but neither pitcher did very well.

Cleveland opened the scoring in the top of the first, with Johnny Bates (who reached to lead off the game on an error by New York’s Pinky Higgins at 3B) coming home on an RBI double from John Ellis.

But the bottom of the first saw New York provide a strong response. Feller sandwiched strikeouts of Jimmy Sheckard and Buster Posey around a double by Higgins, but, after Willie Mays walked, Johnny Callison ripped a double scoring two and–after another walk–RBI singles by Joe Adcock and Brandon Crawford gave the Gothams a 4-1 advantage.

Cleveland would claw one back in the top of the 4th, when Jake Stahl led off the inning with a solo homerun. But again Feller would struggle in the bottom of an inning where his team scored in the top of the frame, and New York would add 2 more runs on two hits and two walks, with RBIs from Higgins and Mays extending the lead to 6-2.

That would be it for Feller, as Mel Harder replaced him in the bottom of the 5th. It wasn’t much better, as Adcock, Cookie Rojas, and Sheckard each hit doubles, making the score 8-2 and seeming to send the Gothams on their way to a comfortable victory.

The Spiders finally got to Jones again in the top of the 7th, with an RBI from Louis Santop and Stahl’s second homerun of the game (moving him into double digits on the year) chasing him from the game in favor of Al Mays. That made the score 8-5, and New York added another run in the bottom of the frame, extending it to a four run lead heading to the 8th inning.

Mays retired Rowland Office to start the inning, but then gave up 3 walks and 2 singles, exiting with the bases loaded and the score 9-7. New York turned to Mike Norris, one of their more reliable bullpen arms so far this season. Norris had one of his worst outings of the year, giving up an RBI single to Ellis, walking Stahl to drive in another run, and hitting Evan Longoria to give Cleveland a 10-9 lead in an inning where the Spiders sent 10 batters to the plate.

We weren’t done, though: Cleveland turned to Cory Gearrin in relief of Stan Coveleski with Gearrin entering the contest with one out and a runner on first. He struck out McCovey for the second out, but then walked two batters to load the bases. Rojas sent a ball to center that Office seemed to lose sight of, turning to see it sail over his head for a bases-clearing double. Higgins would add an RBI single, and we headed to the 9th with the Gothams back in front, 13-10.

Despite surrendering a double to Santop, New York’s closer, Brian Wilson, was able to slam the door, earning his fifth save of the year. Norris picked up both his third blown save and his second win and Mays–despite giving up 5 runs, 3 walks, and 2 hits in under an inning–picked up a hold.

Gearrin took the loss, but in the end, the poor outings from Feller and Harder just dug too deep of a hole.

Santop went 3-for-6 with 2 RBI’s, and Stahl had 3 hits and 4 RBIs for Cleveland. If there was any offensive blame for the Spiders, it went to shortstop Bill Dahlen, who stranded seven runners.

For New York, the offensive star was Rojas, who scored 3 times and drove in 4 with his 3 hits. Higgins also had 3 hits and 3 RBIs. Perhaps most surprisingly, the Gothams’ best player, Buster Posey, went 0-for-5 on the day.

The pitching staffs combined to allow 28 hits and 17 walks. Ouch.

CLE 10 (Gearrin 0-4, 3 BSv) @ NYG 13 (Norris 2-1, 3 BSv; Wilson 5 Sv; Mays 1 H)
HRs: CLE – Stahl 2 (10)
Box Score

#Other Games of Note

Birmingham and Portland combined for 7 homeruns in an 8-7 victory for the Black Barons. For Birmingham, Eddie Mathews, Curtis Granderson, and Frank McCormick all went deep; for the Sea Dogs, Bobby Murcer, Buddy Bell, Fred Dunlap, and Ivan Rodriguez all found the seats.

BBB 7 (Spahn 2-5) @ POR 8 (Munoz 2-1, 1 BSv; Myers 1 H; Santana 16 Sv)
HRs: BBB – Mathews (9), McCormick (5), Granderson (4); POR – Murcer (8), Bell (9), Dunlap (2), Rodriguez (2)
Box Score

Philadelphia edged Brooklyn with a walk-off single by Gavvy Cravath scoring Chase Utley in the bottom of the 11th inning. The game was notable for the very strong starts by both the Stars’ Steve Carlton (6.1 IP, 1 run) and the Royal Giants’ Don Sutton (8 IP, 2 runs). Brooklyn’s Dick Redding took the loss, despite pitching well enough in relief while Bob Howry–Philadelphia’s usual closer–got the win with 2 scoreless innings to close out the game.

BRK 2 (Redding 0-1) @ PHI 3 (Howry 1-2; Reed 4 BSv) [11 Innings]
HRs: none
Box Score

Indianapolis carried a 4-1 lead into the 9th, with closer Rob Dibble on the mound against Chicago. They got there largely on a key double by Davey Concepcion and 6 stolen bases in support of just shy of 8 innings of 1-run pitching from a commanding David Price. But Dibble imploded after Luke Appling reach on an error by Ed Charles (who was in the game as a defensive replacement) to start the inning. After getting an out, Dibble hit a batter and gave up 2 hits, including an RBI single by Eddie Collins that left the bases loaded. Joe Jackson walked, forcing in another run, Frank Thomas hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game, and Duffy Lewis singled to right, scoring Collins for the Chicago win.

IND 4 (Dibble 2-2, 3 BSv; Carroll 2 H) @ CHI 5 (Dixon 2-1)
HRs: none
Box Score

TWIWBL 16.4: Series XIII Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On September 7, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

In a blowout loss to Chicago, 3B Pie Traynor hit a homerun in his first WBL at-bat.

Tim Hudson cemented his spot in the rotation, moving to 4-0 with over 7 strong innings in a 4-3 win over Chicago. Recently moved into the closer role, Juan Rincon picked up his 2nd save and Tom Herr, Bob Nieman, and Eddie Mathews had 2 hits each.

The American Giants were sailing along until, in the bottom of the 4th, Birmingham suddenly exploded for 5 runs behind a grand slam from Troy Tulowitzki. The Black Barons kept pouring it on, ending up with a 14-3 win. Billy Southworth has 3 hits including 2 triples, Del Crandall–replacing an injured Gene Tenace–went 3-for-3 with 3 runs and 3 RBIs and Herr added 3 hits in pushing his average back towards .350. Traynor continued his torrid start, going 2-for-5 with another homerun, and is now hitting .600 in his first few games for the club.

With Tenace’s injury still being diagnosed, the Black Barons went ahead and sent him to the DL, recalling Dale Murphy–who hasn’t done any better at AAA than he did before being sent down–and reinstating Al Schweitzer from the DL (Fred Fussell was sent back to AAA).

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Don Drysedale put in another strong start, but wasn’t around to see Ron Cey stroke a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 10th, lifting Brooklyn to a 6-5 victory over Homestead. The win went to Watty Clark, who moved to 3-1 with 2 innings of scoreless relief. Roy White had 3 hits, and he and Dan Brouthers both went deep.

In a game that saw Dutch Leonard become the WBL’s first 7 game loser, Tommy Hanson made his WBL debut by striking out the first 4 batters he faced.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Miami destroyed Los Angeles 18-3, with Will Clark going 4-for-4 with 4 runs and 4 RBIs. Both Clark (his 11th) and Charlie Bennett (his 3rd) went deep, and Bennett drove in 5. The news wasn’t all good: Ramon Martinez was sailing along, allowing only 2 hits and no runs into the 6th inning when he had to be removed from the game with tricep pain. It was enough to get his 3rd win of the year, but he’ll miss about six weeks. Dalier Hinojosa was waived to make room for Dontrelle Willis on the roster.

Steve Brown was returned to AAA as Rube Waddell came off the DL.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Dizzy Trout allowed only 2 hits through 8 innings (1 a 2-run homerun by Ernie Banks) in an 11-3 blowout win for Portland. Five Sea Dogs hit homeruns (Jeff Burroughs, Kent Hrbek, Gil Hodges, Harry Hooper, and Adrian Beltre), and Hodges and Ivan Rodriguez had 3 RBIs each.

Bert Blyleven threw a complete game, 4 hit, 132 pitch shutout as the Sea Dogs blew out the House of David, 11-0. Buddy Bell hit a 3-run homerun, and Rodriguez and Fred Dunlap had 3 hits each. Rodriguez and Hrbek also went deep for Portland.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Lefty Grove had a no-hitter through 6 innings as the Sea Lions defeated Philadelphia, 9-1. Jack Clark had 3 hits and 3 RBIs for San Francisco and Cy Perkins hit his first homerun of the year, a 3 run shot to seal the victory for Grove, who improved to 5-2 on the year. Rickey Henderson was caught stealing after 28 consecutive thefts when the Stars’ Sherm Lollar gunned him down.