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TWIWBL 64.4: Cum Posey Division

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On August 7, 2024

In TWIWBL

#Chicago American Giants

Ed Walsh allowed only 2 hits through 8 innings–both to Miami’s Julio Rodríguez as the American Giants blanked the Cuban Giants, 6-0. A rain delay forced Walsh, who improved to 3-1, out of the game in the 8th, but Tom Williams pitched a perfect 9th to preserve the shutout. Much ridiculed Jack Doyle was hit by a pitch 3 times in the game, which is, you know, something.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Lou Fette headed back to AAA with Braden Looper‘s activation from the DL. The promising Kenshin Kawakami will miss over a month with a sprained ankle, with Steven Wright recalled from AAA.

Ryan Braun went deep twice–giving him 20 on the year–as the Cuban Giants came from behind to beat Chicago, 4-3. José Méndez was fantastic, but didn’t figure in the decision while Sandy Consuegra was roughed up, but got the win with Ricky Nolasco earning his 7th save of the season.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Two homeruns from Gil Hodges and an excellent start from Walter Ball led Portland to an 11-1 win over the Black Yankees.

Last year’s reserve darling, Gary Pettis, was sent to AAA. No matter your speed and no matter your glove, a .400 OPS can do that. Jeff Burroughs was recalled from a rehab stint.

Rogers Hornsby and Bobby Murcer went deep twice as the Sea Dogs trounced the Angels, 11-4. Ken Griffey, Jr., Jim Fregosi, Kent Hrbek, and Joe Mauer also went deep for the Sea Dogs as Bert Blyleven improved to 2-1 on the year despite being roughed up for 9 hits and 4 runs in 6 innings.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Reggie Jackson hit 2 homeruns and Denny Walling went 4 for 5 with a dinger in his WBL debut as the Sea Lions pounded out a 15-4 victory over the Wolverines. San Francisco had 6 homeruns among their 21 hits, with Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Cochrane, and Turkey Stearnes joining Walling and Jackson.

Not to be outdone, Jack Clark went deep 3 times, but it wasn’t enough as the Sea Lions fell to Detroit, 7-6.

Lefty Grove put it all together with a complete game, 4 hit shutout of Memphis, striking out 9 and improving his record to 5-4. The Sea Lions also only managed 4 hits, but managed to score twice, once on a 2-out RBI from Clark and once on a solo shot from Bobby Bonds to win the game, 2-0.

Year II Season Preview: Portland Sea Dogs

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On March 27, 2024

In Team News

Expectations

A deep playoff run once again, with championship contention.

Best Case

Everyone behind Walter Johnson in the rotation takes a step forward: Bert Blyleven becomes a legitimate #2, Dizzy Trout becomes more consistent, Elmer Brown makes the transition from the bullpen successfully, and first round pick Walter Ball steps right in, making the choice when Joséito Muñoz returns from injury a difficult one. Even without Gavvy Cravath (lost to free agency), the Sea Dogs should score quite a few runs, especially if Rogers Hornsby can prove a permanent solution (at least for a couple of years) at 2B.

Worst Case

None of that happens in the rotation, Hornsby and Gil Hodges show the effects of age, and the OF ends up regressing towards absolute mediocrity (which really comes down to how much you think Bobby Murcer, Harry Hooper, and supersub Gary Pettis overperformed last season).

Key Questions

  • How will the Sea Dogs compensate for the loss of Cravath?
  • Who joins the OF?

Trade Bait

Yes: the Sea Dogs still need to resolve the situation behind the plate, and trading either Joe Mauer or (more likely) Iván Rodríguez seems likely. Moving people on could also resolve the Buddy Bell/Adrián Beltré situation as well as provide Pettis an everyday opportunity elsewhere.

Well that was interesting. The Sea Dogs essentially turned Beltré, Rodríguez, and some useful prospects into Paul Molitor, Vladimir Guerrero, and Ken Griffey, Jr.

Roster Evaluation

POSEliteStrongSolidMehWeakUnknown
CMauerLee
1BHrbekHodges
2BHornsbyMolitor
3BBell
SSFregosi
LF/
RF		MurcerHooperBurroughs
CFPettisGriffey, Jr
SPJohnsonBlyleven
Muñoz		Trout
Pérez		KoosmanMillerBall
EndHoffmanBrownMelanconSantana
RPWilliams
New Addition | Injured

There’s clearly potential here–the players likely to regress (Murcer, Kent Hrbek, Hornsby) are balanced by newcomers Griffey, Jr and Molitor, both of whom are strong favorites to improve. But, like so many teams, they’ll go as far as the pitching will take them.

Talent Ratings

WBLMinors
Raw PowerIF Rogers HornsbyIF Miguel Sanó
Batting EyeIF Rogers HornsbyIF Eddie Yost
ContactOF Ken Griffey, JrOF Bubba Morton
Running SpeedOF Gary PettisOF Alex Diaz
OF Hugh Duffy
OF Otis Nixon
OF Howie Shanks
Base StealingOF Gary PettisOF Otis Nixon
IF Defense3B Buddy BellIF Lee Tannehill
OF DefenseOF Gary PettisOF Charlie Jamieson
StuffSP Walter JohnsonP Harry Harper
ControlSP Bert BlylevenP Bob Porterfield
VelocityRP Trevor HoffmanP Heath Hembree

Best In The Minors

RankAgePOSName
1 (16)20OFVladimir Guerrero
2 (20)20OFHugh Duffy
3 (23)22OFChuck Klein
4 (40)26IFHughie Jennings
5 (124)25PWalter Ball
6 (137)23PDylan Bundy
7 (138)18PHarry Harper
Others: None.

What a weird system. Their top end is probably the strongest quartet in the game, Ball is in the opening day rotation, and then the entire system falls off the cliff.

MostLeast
AgeIF Jeff Cirillo, 35
OF Bubba Morton, 35
P Bob Porterfield, 35		P Harry Harper, 18
HeightOF Walt Bond, 6’7″OF Nemo Leibold, 5’6″
IF Howdy Caton, 5’6″
OPSIF Freddie Freeman, 1.130 (—)IF Elvis Andrus, .558 (AAA/AA)
HRIF Freddie Freeman, 47 (—)IF Elvis Andrus, 1 (AAA/AA)
SBOF Harry Hooper, 38 (WBL)Many with 0
WARIF Freddie Freeman, 6.2 (—)IF Bobby Wine, -1.6 (—)
WWalter Johnson, 14 (WBL)Pascual Pérez, 3 (WBL/AAA)
Colby Lewis, 3 (AAA)
SVJohan Santana, 23 (WBL)
ERAJoseito Muñoz, 2.80 (WBL/AAA)Mike Trombley, 6.56 (—)
WARWalter Johnson, 4.7 (WBL)Mike Trombley, -0.5 (—)
Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.

TWIWBL 56.1: Spring Training Notes – Portland Sea Dogs

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On February 16, 2024

In TWIWBL

{ 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).

TWIWBL 55.5: Spring Training Trades

By

On January 25, 2024

In TWIWBL

The first of three trading periods for the WBL is usually marked by teams trying to find the final piece of a championship puzzle.

About half the league decided to stand pat, preferring to wait until the next trading period at the All Star break to see how the season unfolds.

MAJOR TRADES

#The Black Yankees Go For It

That was certainly the case here, as the Black Yankees pulled off a shock blockbuster, obtaining league ERA champion Andy Pettitte from Birmingham. New York sends slugging (but non-starting) OF Albert Belle and two quality arms in Lefty Gomez and young Frank Viola. To make it all work, the Black Barons are adding CF Mickey Rivers and a 3rd Round Draft Pick and the Blank Yankees U Jess Barbour.

Why Birmingham Made The Deal

At 31, Belle has a few years left and immediately goes from a bench role to being a starter and a likely cleanup. Pettitte was magnificent for Birmingham, but with both Jim Whitney and Warren Spahn looking good, the Black Barons believe they have enough pitching depth to absorb his loss and while Gomez may see WBL time this year, the organization is really excited about the long term potential of Viola.

Why New York Made the Deal

Pettitte immediately joins Jack Scott and Ron Guidry to form a leading top of rotation group, and while losing Gomez may hurt, with Dave Righetti, Whitey Ford, AJ Burnett, and Noah Syndergaard all still in camp, the Black Yankees believed they could cover the back end of their rotation.

Belle was never going to start for New York, and this move clears the way for Lou Gehrig and Don Mattingly to be in the lineup every day.

#The Kid Is On the Move

Ottawa sends prized CF prospect Ken Griffey Jr. and a 4th Round Pick to Portland for 3B Adrián Beltré, a 2nd Round Pick, and a trio of prospects (CF Denard Span, and P’s Atlee Hammaker and Pedro Ramos).

Why Ottawa Made the Deal

Simply, Carlos Beltrán, who has grabbed the starting CF job. Combine that with Griffey’s in ability to hit in multiple opportunities with Ottawa and Rick Monday looking like a capable reserve, and suddenly, for all his clear talent, the Kid became expendable. Beltré instantly steps into the starting role at 3B, and the rest of the talent could be useful at some point. This deal also resolves Álex Rodríguez‘ position for the Mounties, keeping him at SS for the time being.

Why Portland Made the Deal

Buddy Bell has 3B locked down, and the team isn’t convinced that Gary Pettis is really set to be an everyday CF. This allows a pseudo-platoon to emerge in CF, and frees Bobby Murcer to play one of the corner slots. For a team looking to win now, the rest of the deal is pretty insignificant.

#Portland Does It Again

The Sea Dogs had been looking to resolve their C situation for a while, knowing they couldn’t hold on to both Joe Mauer and Iván Rodríguez. Preliminary talks with Miami sort of spiraled out of control and ended up with Portland sending Pudge, 3 prospects (OFs Adolis García and Al Oliver and P Jon Matlack), and 2 picks (a 1st and a 4th) to the Cuban Giants for IF Paul Molitor, overall #2 pick Vladimir Guerrero, C Alan Ashby, and a 2nd Round Pick.

Why Portland Made the Deal

The Sea Dogs pick up immediate offense in Molitor, a solid C option to backup Mauer in Ashby, and a top 5 prospect in Guerrero. What’s not to like?

Why Miami Made the Deal

Rodríguez is a long term solve at a needed position (although it may complicate Smoky Burgess‘ future with the club), Oliver looks set for WBL action, and both Matlack and García are decent enough prospects. Add in an overall increase in draft picks for a team that is still rebuilding, and it makes sense. Molitor’s departure also clears up some roster challenges: Martín Dihigo probably takes over at 2B, and it opens up some room for both Cookie Rojas and Bert Campaneris.

OTHER TRANSACTIONS

#Gehringer Goes Home

After being cut by San Francisco last year, Charlie Gehringer almost dropped out of the game. Instead he signed with the House of David and re-established himself as a top IF prospect; prompting Detroit to make a move for the Michigan native. The Wolverines send Claude Osteen and a 1st Round Pick to the House of David for Gehringer and a 3rd.

#Sosa, Too

Sammy Sosa struggled mightily with the House of David, but blossomed after being traded to Memphis. But with Memphis’ OF incredibly crowded, the House of David decided the speedy young OFer was worth another try, sending C Gabby Hartnett, young RP Rollie Fingers, and a 4th Round Pick to the Red Sox for him. Hartnett should solidify one of the weak spots in Memphis’ lineup, while Sosa steps back into a crowded situation with the House of David, presumably pushing Dan Ford into a 4th OF role.

#Turkey Effects

First round draft pick Turkey Stearnes has locked up the CF job for San Francisco suddenly making the Sea Lions’ OF over-crowded. They addressed this by shipping Pedro Guerrero to Brooklyn for Watty Clark. Clark was one of the best closers in the league last season, but seems destined for the rotation at some point while Guerrero immediately becomes one of the better bats in the Royal Giants’ lineup. Brooklyn threw in reserve OFer Matt Holliday to make the deal work.

#Minor Swaps

Memphis sent veteran OF David Justice, prospect Ozzie Albies, and a 2nd Round Pick to Birmingham for 2 prospects, Bill Buckner and Joe Rudi.

Two players blocked in their organizations got new opportunities, with Indianapolis sending SS Dave Concepción (blocked by Denis Menke and Barry Larkin) to the New York Gothams for SP Sad Sam Jones, who looked unlikely to make the Gothams’ roster, but may vie for a spot in the ABC’s 6 man circus. Indianapolis sent a 3rd Round Pick with the Gothams sending back a 4th to make it all work.

Season Review: Portland Sea Dogs

By

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 49.7: The Playoffs! Division Round, Day VII– October 1

By

On October 5, 2023

In 2000 Playoffs, Featured Games, TWIWBL

Our first game seven!

#Portland Sea Dogs v Baltimore Black Sox, Game 7

Baltimore is 4-1 at home in the postseason, but they’ll be up against Walter Johnson, 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA so far. The Black Sox’s Bill Byrd had been no slouch (2-1, 1.50), but you have to give the Sea Dogs the edge on the mound. Portland makes one change to its lineup with Adrián Beltré coming in for the slumping Buddy Bell at 3B.

Baltimore’s Bobby Wallace led off the bottom of the first with a double and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Larry Gardner. But Big Train gonna’ roll, striking out both Frank Robinson and Curt Blefary to end the threat.

Beltré took his first at-bat with runners on first and third (singles from Rogers Hornsby and Jim Fregosi) and 2 outs … and beat out a slow hopper to second for the infield hit, driving in Hornsby. Portland would leave the bases loaded, but with a 1-0 lead.

Ken Singleton would tie the game with an RBI double in the bottom of the second, but Portland would bounce back immediately, again using hits from Hornsby and Fregosi to take a 3-1 lead. Byrd didn’t make it out of the 4th, and Jim Palmer was greeted in relief by a long blast from Kent Hrbek, increasing their lead to 6-1.

Johnson wasn’t dominant, but he was solid; still, a leadoff walk to Blefary, followed by a triple from Dan McGann got Portland’s bullpen busy in the 6th. Singleton doubled in McGann to close the lead to 7-3, and that was it for Johnson. Mark Melancon came in and gave up two soft singles before ending the inning, scoring 1.

Through six, Portland led, 7-4. 9 outs to go.

Through seven, Portland led, 7-4. 6 outs to go.

In the top of the 8th, Joe Mauer pulled up lame legging out a double and had to be replaced. In the bottom of the frame, Bryce Harper lead things off with a double down the right field line and moved to third on a single from Singleton. Manny Machado sent a flyball to left, and Harry Hooper fired an absolute strike to nail Harper trying to score form third.

Through eight, Portland led, 7-4. 3 outs to go.

Wallace ledoff the bottom of the 9th with a double. Gardner followed with a single, putting runners at first and third and prompting Portland to replace Elmer Brown with Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman surrendered an RBI single to Robinson, making the score 7-5, but Blefary grounded into a fielders choice. McGann tagged a Hoffman slider to dead center field, driving in 2 to tie the game, and going to third on the throw home.

A three run comeback to tie the game, with one out in the bottom of the 9th of game 7! What else could you ask for?

Hoffman got Harper to lift a flyball to center, where Gary Pettis sat. He caught it, launched a throw home … and McGann beat the throw! The Black Sox score 4 in the bottom of the 9th to come back from a 3-1 series deficit, and are headed to the Whirled Series!

Wallace had 4 hits and Singleton 3 and McGann drove in 3 runs for Baltimore in the clincher, while Mauer had 3 hits for Portland in the losing effort. The focus really needs to be on the bullpens, though: Brown and Hoffman gave up 4 runs while Buddy Groom, Gregg Olson, and John Wetteland combined for 4 innings of scoreless work to close out the game.

POR 7 (Hoffman 1-2, 2 B Sv; Porterfield 1 H; Brown 1 H) @ BAL 8 (Wetteland 1-1)
HRs: POR – Hrbek (1); BAL – none.
Box Score

Frank Robinson was named series MVP in a puzzling decision. Robbie slashed 345/406/621 and led the Black Sox with 8 RBI, but Larry Gardner‘s 412/474/824 performance sure seemed a better choice.

TWIWBL 49.1: The Playoffs! Division Round, Day I– September 23

By

On September 25, 2023

In 2000 Playoffs, Series Previews, TWIWBL

And away we go with the Divisional Round!

#New York Gothams v Detroit Wolverines, Game One

A very different start for Christy Mathewson in this one: Tony Phillips led off with a double and Bob Bailey followed with a homerun, giving Detroit an early 2-0 lead. Ty Cobb and Hank Greenberg followed with singles, but Matty recovered, retiring the next 3 batters. He gave up 2 more hits–but no runs–in the second, but his pitch count was skyrocketing.

He never settled down: a hit and a walk in the third were followed by a 3-run homerun by Chili Davis, extending Detroit’s lead to 5-0.

Meanwhile, Hal Newhouser was perfect through 3 innings.

Matty didn’t make it through the 4th, having thrown 91 pitches, and surrendered 9 hits and 3 walks. Sergio Romo put in a yeoman’s effort: 1 hit in over 2 innings in relief of Matty, helping prevent the Gothams’ bullpen from becoming too worn.

Newhouser surrendered his first hit in the top of the 6th, a leadoff single by Carl Furillo, and took a 2-hit shutout into the top of the 9th. And that’s all he allowed: what a performance! 2 hits, 7 strikeouts, and no runs allowed.

Look, you can blame Matty all you want for this one, but the Gothams weren’t touching Newhouser today.

NYG 0 (Mathewson 1-1) @ DET 5 (Newhouser 1-0)
HRs: NYG – none; DET – B. Bailey (2), C. Davis (2).
Box Score

#Portland Sea Dogs v Baltimore Black Sox, Game One

Neither team are set for their optimal rotations here, but Baltimore has an edge, sending Dennis Martínez against Portland’s Dizzy Trout.

Both pitchers were strong early, throwing shutouts through 3 innings. Baltimore struck first, with Frank Robinson doubling home Dan McGann in the top of the 4th. Bobby Murcer cut down Robinson trying to score on a fly to deep center to end the inning, leaving the score 1-0, Baltimore.

The throw fired Murcer up: he led off the Portland 6th with a homerun to tie the game. Martínez walked Kent Hrbek, and that was it, with El Presidente being pulled despite only throwing 75 pitches. It looked smart in the immediate: Johnny Sain came in and retired the side in order to end the inning.

Trout was removed with one out in the 7th, with Portland turning to a surprise reliever: Atlee Hammaker, despite his struggles during the regular season, was called in to face a string of lefties. Hammaker gave up a double to Curt Blefary, but got out of the inning unscathed, preserving the 1-1 tie.

Rogers Hornsby led off the top of the 9th with a double. He was replaced on the basepaths by Gary Pettis, who moved to third on a bunt by Buddy Bell and scored on a single from Jim Fregosi.

That gave Portland a chance to steal a game in Baltimore, taking a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the 9th. The Sea Dogs’ two acquisitions from Houston–Mark Melancon and Trevor Hoffman–combined to finish it off, as the Black Sox were unable to score, giving Portland a 1-0 lead in the series.

Murcer had 3 hits for Portland.

POR 2 (Melancon 1-0; Hoffman 1 Sv) @ BAL 1 (Wetteland 0-1)
HRs: POR – Murcer (4); BAL – none.
Box Score

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

By

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.

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

By

On August 3, 2023

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

#Game 1: Frank Knauss @ Mike Cuellar

Ron Cey opened up the scoring int he 4th inning with his 21st homerun of the year, a moon shot to deep left. In the 6th, Matt Holliday added a 2-run shot and an RBI double from Jackie Robinson chased Portland’s starter, Mike Cuellar, from the mound. Germany Smith would drive in another, and by the time the inning ended, the Royal Giants were up, 5-0.

Frank Knauss would lose his shutout in the bottom of the inning, surrendering a 2-run homerun to Rogers Hornsby.

That was it, as Brooklyn was able to shut down the Sea Dogs, with Smokey Joe Williams pitching 2 scoreless in relief of Knauss and Trevor Hildenberger picking up his 4th save.

BRK 5 (Knauss 12-5; Hildenberger 4 Sv; Williams 3 H) @ POR 2 (Cuellar 12-8)
HRs: BRK – Cey (21), Holliday (3); POR – Hornsby (12).
Box Score

#Game 2: Sandy Koufax @ Pascual Pérez

Brooklyn took the lead in a very Brooklyn way: Frank Isbell singled to lead off the contest and stole second, moved to third on a soft hit from Duke Snider, and scored on a groundout from Roy White. And Portland tied it in a very Portland way: a solo shot from Buddy Bell in the bottom of the second.

White hit his 15th of the year in the 4th putting the Royal Giants back in front, but Bell was not to be denied: his second shot of the game tied it up at 2.

Both starters turned it over to the bullpens, which seemed to go well until Duke Snider launched a homerun off Wade Miller in the top of the 8th, his 3rd hit of the day.

The Sea Dogs got creative in the bottom of the frame: Gavvy Cravath was sent up to pinch hit and delivered a leadoff double. He was replaced at second by Gary Pettis and Adrián Beltré was inserted to hit for José González. Beltré lifted a flyball to LF just deep enough to move Pettis to third. A walk to Jim Fregosi brought Eric Gagne in to relieve Darren Dreifort, but Gagne couldn’t find the zone, walking Pudge Rodríguez to load the bases for the Sea Dogs leading slugger, Kent Hrbek. Gagne figured it out, fanning Hrbek and getting Bobby Murcer to ground out.

So that seems to have been the key opportunity.

Watty Clark threw a 1-2-3 ninth to cement the victory for the Royal Giants, whose push for the wildcard continues.

BRK 3 (Dreifort 4-3; Clark 25 Sv; Gagne 9 H) @ POR 2 (Miller 10-6)
HRs: BRK – White (15), Snider (29); POR – Bell 2 (20).
Box Score

#Game 3: Dutch Leonard @ Dizzy Trout

Brooklyn needs at least 3 wins in the series, preferably 4, so todays matchup of Dutch Leonard (11-11, 4.19) against Dizzy Trout (6-5, 4.53) looms large.

Beals Becker may be Brooklyn’s MVP this season: again he comes through, this time with a leadoff homerun. Portland’s Buddy Bell tied it up in the 3rd with his 21st round-tripper of the season. But that was it: through 5 innings, Trout had allowed 4 hits and Leonard only the single long ball.

Trout struck out the side in the 6th, and gave way to Mark Melancon in the 7th after a 1-out double from Jackie Robinson. Pinch hitter Matt Holliday singled Robinson home to give the Royal Giants a 2-1 edge.

Gavvy Cravath picked up Portland’s second hit in the bottom of the 7th and eventually came around to tie the game on an RBI single from Bell. That chased Leonard, which might have been a mistake: Orel Hershiser gave up a double to Jeff Burroughs, scoring 2 and putting the Sea Dogs on top, 4-2. Hershiser and Ralph Branca proved far too hittable, and by the time the 9th rolled around, Portland was up 7-2.

This is what Melancon did in Houston before joining Portland, earning him the nickname of The Vulture. It was his first win for the Sea Dogs, but his 10th on the season out of the bullpen. Leonard took the loss, but the blame really falls on the Royal Giants pen as Brooklyn missed a great chance to edge closer to the wildcard spots.

BRK 2 (Leonard 11-12) @ POR 7 (Melancon 1-0)
HRs: BRK – Becker (25); POR – Bell (21), Murcer (23).
Box Score

#Game 4: Tommy Hanson @ Walter Johnson

Getting a 3rd win in the series could be a challenge for Brooklyn as they’ll send Tommy Hanson up against one of the best in the league in the Sea Dogs’ Walter Johnson.

A Joe Mauer homerun in the bottom of the first put the Sea Dogs up early. In the 3rd, Brooklyn broke through against Johnson with 2 outs: 2 walks, a single, and a wild pitch tied the game, and then a single from Roy White plated 2 for a 3-1 lead for the Royal Giants. Portland responded immediately with an RBI single from Rogers Hornsby scoring Kent Hrbek and Gavvy Cravath and tying the game at 3rd.

And that was where we stayed: Hanson was laboring, throwing over 100 pitches across 4 innings, and was replaced by Smokey Joe Williams in the 5th. Jackie Robinson chased Johnson in the 7th with a double, and came around to score on a single from Al López off reliever Frank Williams. Beals Becker and John Briggs followed with singles to load the bases and bring in Ray Fontenot from the Sea Dogs bullpen. Which did not go as planned, as White drove in 2 more before Ron Cey launched his 22nd homerun deep to left. That made the score 9-3 Brooklyn.

Portland made it close with 2 homeruns in the 9th (including Mauer’s second of the game), but Brooklyn held on for the 10-8 win and their 3rd of the series.

White finished with 3 hits and 5 RBIs while both Cravath and Hornsby had 3 hits for Portland.

BRK 10 (Williams 3-1; Clark 26 Sv) @ POR 8 (Johnson 14-5)
HRs: BRK – Cey (22), White (16); POR – Mauer 2 (15), Hornsby (13).
Box Score

Series XXXVI Preview: Brooklyn Royal Giants @ Portland Sea Dogs

By

On August 1, 2023

In Featured Series, Series Previews

The Brooklyn Royal Giants were the last team in the WBL to only be featured twice (Series II and XVII). They head to Portland for Series XXXVI 5 games out of the final wild card spot and on their last legs with fewer than 15 games to play. Portland should be more familiar, having been featured in Series IV, XVII, and XXXI.

Close readers will notice that this is a repeat match up: In Series XVII: Brooklyn took 3 out of 4 from the Sea Dogs. A repeat would keep their postseason hopes alive.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Brooklyn has an outside shot at the postseason, but it’s going to take something special for them to get there. They are 7 games back in the Marvin Miller Division, and 5 games out of the final wild card spot.

They are only 2 games over .500, so they aren’t a great team by any stretch. But, man can they pitch.

The staff is led by Frank Knauss (11-5, 3.40) and Don Drysedale, whose solid performances and 3.91 ERA deserve better than his 8-9 record. Dutch Leonard is solid in the #3 slot and the mercurial Sandy Koufax (who has a 1-hitter, but also a 4.75 ERA).

But that’s only part of the story, as Watty Clark (24 saves) has been among the most effective closers in the league, and Darren Dreifort and Trevor Hildenberger have been fantastic in getting him the ball.

So that’s the good news.

The best regular has been Beals Becker (304/373/505), with OFs Duke Snider and Roy White and 3B Ron Cey providing solid production. Snider, who leads the team with 81 RBIs, has 28 homeruns, with Becker adding 24 and Cey 20.

There are a few other stories here: 20 year old John Briggs was promoted to the WBL to much consternation after dominating the lower leagues. He’s proven himself more than capable, slashing 365/455/612 over his first 100 PAs. Germany Smith, a fantastic fielder, has also provided some surprising power from SS. And, finally, there’s Jackie Robinson, whose stat line (239/324/399) is nothing special, but seems to be in the middle of most positive offensive moments for the Royal Giants.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Portland has a 2 game edge in the Marvin Miller Division, and look like a good bet for the postseason.

They’re a solid team top to bottom, but also one that has navigated quite a few key injuries and has made some brilliant acquisitions on the trade market.

Their staff is led by Walter Johnson (14-4, 3.36) and Bert Blyleven (10-11, 4.25), but Mike Cuellar (12-7, 4.52) and Wade Miller (10-5, 4.56) both have reached double digits as well. Cuellar has 48 appearances out of the bullpen and only 4 starts, but seems for now to be entrenched in the rotation.

Johan Santana was the best closer in the league before losing the season to injury. Since then, that role has been passed between Elmer Brown and Bob Porterfield, with Porterfield currently getting most of the save opportunities. Trevor Hoffman and Mark Melancon, obtained from Houston at the All-Star break, have been solid, with Hoffman also edging into the closer conversation.

Speaking of trade acquisitions …

2B Rogers Hornsby was brought in in the first trading period and has solidified the infield for Portland. While his numbers are slightly down from his time with Kansas City, Hornsby is still slashing 285/356/469 with 80 RBIs on the year. And then there is OF Gavvy Cravath, picked up from Philadelphia at the break. Cravath is slashing 367/484/776 with 11 homeruns since arriving in Portland and 306/387/554 overall.

They join Kent Hrbek (301/370/572 with 36 homeruns and 102 RBIs), Bobby Murcer (313/390/534), and Joe Mauer (310/380/507) in a lineup that is dangerous top to bottom. No fewer than 11 players are in double digits for homeruns with 4 (Hrbek, Cravath, Murcer, and Gil Hodges) over 20. Murcer’s performance keeps Gary Pettis (351/434/485) on the bench, and while Iván Rodríguez has cooled off slightly to 299/324/459, he and Mauer form one of the most formidable catching pairs in the league.

#Projected Starters

Brooklyn starter listed first.

Frank Knauss (11-5, 3.40) @ Mike Cuellar (12-7, 4.52)
Sandy Koufax (5-8, 4.75) @ Wade Miller (10-5, 4.56)
Dutch Leonard (11-11, 4.19) @ Dizzy Trout (6-5, 4.53)
Tommy Hanson (4-4, 4.22) @ Walter Johnson (14-4, 3.36)

#Prediction

I like this Portland team, but just for the way it would tighten the wild card race, I’ve got to be rooting for a Brooklyn sweep.

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