Tag: George Brett

We haven’t touched on these two clubs since the very start of the season, when Houston visited Homestead in Series I and Memphis hosted Birmingham in Series III.

#Memphis Red Sox

Memphis is struggling. They come into series XII 10 games below .500 at 20-30, but only 6 games out in the Bill James Division.

They have really had issues across the board, with some recent hiccups in the bullpen calling what had been a strength all season into question.

There are some bright spots: Ted Williams is a likely all-star, slashing 291/381/542 and Reggie Smith has been on a tear, bringing his line up to 307/368/513. Those two, along with Mookie Betts and Bill White have been quite dependable all season.

The biggest concern offensively is probably Wade Boggs, who has been removed from the 2-spot in the lineup given his 244/362/327 slash line. Still, the OBP is solid and the Memphis faithful are convinced he’ll bounce back. The bigger question is how the sextet of recently promoted players, especially infielders Claude Ritchey and Wayne Causey, will perform at the WBL level.

On the mound Jon Lester leads the staff in wins at 5-3 with a quite solid 3.91 ERA. Roger Clemens, who has shown real flashes of brilliance, has little to show for it, at 0-4 with a 5.56 ERA to date. The other starters–Dean Chance, Tim Wakefield and Nixey Callahan–have been perfectly fine, but little more.

Joe Beggs has 7 saves and is yet to allow a run over 13 innings, and Jonathan Papelbon has been fantastic setting him up. Getting to Papelbon via Turk Farrell and Heath Bell has been bumpy at times, but overall the bullpen has been solid for the Red Sox.

So, it’s a team in need of better starting pitching and hoping the changes they have made offensively might all click.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Houston is who they are: currently 25-25 and 7 games back in the Cum Posey Division. They’re a solid team across the board, lacking power and suffering a bit in their bullpen, but just … solid. Which is almost a compliment.

Jim Wynn, Jeff Bagwell, and HR Johnson have been their best players offensively. Wynn, slashing 293/402/467, leads the team in OBP and SLG, and Johnson at .324 in BA. Wynn and Johnson have combined to steal 33 bases in 42 attempts, making the top of their lineup dangerous on the basepaths. Bagwell has 7 homeruns to lead the Colt 45’s and his 27 RBIs trail George Brett by 1.

The most obvious need is for one or more of Tony Gwynn, Craig Biggio, or Carlos Correa to break out of OPS’ hovering roughly around .700.

The starting pitching has been anchored, as expected, by Roy Oswalt at 5-2, 4.21. But the contributions of Toad Ramsey and Stubby Overmire have been totally unexpected, and if Bret Saberhagen‘s recent starts are indicative of him getting back on track, the rotation could be significantly better than average.

In the bullpen, Brad Lidge leads with 6 saves, but his 9.35 ERA has moved him out of the closer role, which now falls to Billy Wagner, who has impressed with a team low 2.38 ERA and 0.79 WHIP. It’s not clear how much longer the team will stick with Leon Day, Dock Ellis, or Bones Ely at the deep end of the bullpen.

#Series Matchups

Memphis’ starter listed first. Nixey Callahan (3-5, 4.91) @ Stubby Overmire (0-2, 3.58); Tim Wakefield (2-3, 4.33) @ Stephen Strasburg (2-3, 3.81); Roger Clemens (0-4, 5.56) @ Bret Saberhagen (3-3, 5.29); Jon Lester (5-3, 3.91) @ Roy Oswalt (5-2, 4.21).

It’s hard to argue that Memphis has the edge in any of the matchups: maybe, if Clemens puts together all the parts of his best starts and maybe Lester over Oswalt.

TWIWBL 15.2: Series XII Notes – Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On August 24, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Ned Garvin kept Los Angeles’ Gerrit Cole from becoming the first 7 game winner in the WBL, spinning a brilliant 8 innings, allowing only 2 runs in a 4-2 Black Sox victory. Garvin moved to 4-1 on the year, and Bob Miller picked up his 4th save. Curt Blefary hit his 14th and Harlond Clift his 8th homerun of the year.

In the next game, Dennis Martinez moved to 6-1 on the year, allowing only 3 hits and 1 run in 7.2 innings. Bryce Harper drove in 2, and Harper, Ken Singleton, and Dan McGann all chipped in with 2 hits.

Bill Byrd pitched 8.1 innings of shutout ball before being relieved by Don Bessent, who finished the job in a 5-0 win for the Black Sox. Byrd brought his ERA under 4.00 and improved his record to 4-2, helped by 3 hits from Bobby Wallace and the suddenly resurgent Paul Blair, who even hit his 4th homerun of the year in the game.

Clearly not a fan of the if it ain’t broke school of thought, the team with the best record in the WBL shook its roster up some on the day off, demoting P Mark Baldwin, 3B Brooks Robinson, and SS Mark Belanger to AAA. Baldwin and Robinson had done very little in their opportunities, and Belanger had only played in 7 games all season. P Bob Welch, and IFs Cal Ripken, Jr. and Brian Roberts were recalled to the big league club.

#Chicago American Giants

Frank Thomas went 3-for-4 and Dick Allen had 3 RBI’s to lead Chicago to a 5-4 victory over Indianapolis. Herb Pennock survived 6 rocky innings to pick up his 2nd win, with AJ Minter pitching a perfect 9th for his 6th save.

Adrian Gonzalez was sent to AAA, ending his nightmare of a year so far in the majors; with Joe Horlen being promoted to fill out the bullpen and C Pop Snyder being waived.

All of that will result in Cristobal Torriente and Avisail Garcia seeing more time in the American Giants’ OF.

#Houston Colt 45s

Behind 3 hits and 3 RBIs from George Brett, including his 5th homerun of the year, the Colt 45s put away the Black Yankees, 9-4. It could be a difficult game for Houston, as Bret Saberhagen and Casey Stengel (who also hit his 5th homerun) both had to leave with injuries.

Bones Ely was recalled, and if you ignore a 499 foot homerun to Babe Ruth and one nearly as long to Lou Gehrig, he did alright, earning the save with 3 innings of work in a 13-5 blowout win. Craig Biggio drove in 4 and HR Johnson and Lance Berkman 3 each in support of Roy Oswalt, who moved to 5-2 on the year.

Brad Lidge was replaced by Billy Wagner as Houston’s closer, with Mike Hartley being sent to AAA. Carney Lansford was recalled from the minors to add another bat off the bench.

#Kansas City Monarchs

2 homeruns from Stan Musial helped the Monarchs overcome a 90 minute rain delay in an 11-5 win over the House of David. Musial drove in 4, and the win went to Connie Johnson, who pitched 3 scoreless innings after the rains came down.

Who knows what to make of Luke Hamlin? He seems to mix mediocre starts with absolute gems. This was one of the latter, as Hamlin had a no-hitter into the 7th and ended up with a 2-hit, complete game shutout to level his record at 3-3. 5 pitchers had thrown 3-hit shutouts, but this was the first game to go below that, and it was the 3rd best game score of the season at 86.

Willie McGee was 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs in the 6-0 victory. Hamlin’s performance was especially welcome, as the Monarchs’ bullpen was fairly decimated.

Jose Rijo lost his spot in the starting rotation in favor of Adam Wainwright, and McGee–who had been in a platoon with Fielder Jones–has become the everyday CF for the Monarchs.

#Ottawa Mounties

Greg Holland was sent to AAA with Ryan Dempster coming back the other way. Josh Donaldson–0-for-15 in his time in the big leagues–was returned to AAA as well, with Steve Garvey coming off the DL to return to Ottawa. The Mounties would like to promote Larry Parrish, who is playing very well at 3B, but haven’t found a corresponding move to free up room on the 40-man roster.

Series VIII Featured Game: Brooklyn Royal Giants @ Houston Colt 45’s, Game 4

By mknn

On June 29, 2021

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

These are, simply, fair-to-middling teams with more promise than performance so far on the season. Houston has won the first three games of the series, raising their record to 15-18 while lowering Brooklyn‘s to 18-14.

The final game would see Brooklyn’s Don Sutton face the Colt 45’s Roy Oswalt, a well anticipated matchup as both hurlers have shown flashes of strong performances.

In the top of the first, Oswalt gave up a 1-out double to Beals Becker, but he struck out Duke Snider and seemed to be out of danger when Roy White lashed the first pitch he saw into right field for an RBI single, giving the Royal Giants an early 1-0 lead.

Houston would tie it up in the bottom of the frame when Casey Stengel sent a pitch from Sutton deep into the night for a solo homerun.

Oswalt struggled all day, never really finding his rhythm, giving up 2 more runs in the top of the second on RBI hits from Jackie Robinson and Becker, and then another in the top of the third on a double from Robinson. He would get through 5 innings, leaving the game with Houston down 4-2 (they scored their second run in the bottom of the 5th on an RBI groundout from DJ LeMahieu, scoring Carlos Correa who had led off the inning with a double down the left field line).

Houston would tie it up in the bottom of the 6th on doubles from Jimmie Wynn, Jeff Bagwell, and Lance Berkman. Despite the 4 runs, Sutton was actually in control for most of the game, and lasted 8 innings, allowing only 6 hits and 1 walk.

Houston’s Leon Day followed Oswalt with 2 scoreless innings, and he was followed by Trevor Hoffman, who pitched a scoreless 8th.

That brought us to the top of the 9th, with Hoffman still on the mound. Dickie Thon led it off with a single, then stole second and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Robinson. Becker hit a ball deep enough to centerfield to score Thon, and Brooklyn had a 5-4 lead. Hoffman served a gopher ball into the short left field seats to Snider, giving the Royal Giants a 2-run cushion.

Brooklyn’s closer, Watty Clark, relieved Sutton in the bottom of the 9th. His first 16 pitches included 11 balls and a wild pitch, with George Brett and Correa starting the inning with walks before Jorge Posada doubled them both home to tie the game at 6. That was enough for Clark, who was relieved by Terry Forster … who had similar problems, walking pinch-hitter Paul Goldschmidt on five pitches (HR Johnson replaced Posada as a pinch-runner) and Tony Gwynn on four to load the bases. Forster got Wynn to ground weakly to Robinson at second, who threw to Mike Piazza to force Johnson at the plate, and when Stengel flew out in shallow right field, it looked like extra innings were likely.

Bagwell worked Forster from a 1-2 count to 3-2 … and looked on as his next pitch was low and outside, forcing in the winning run.

Bagwell finished the game 2-for-4 with a run and 2 RBIs, Correa scored twice and Posada drove in 2 as well as the Colt 45’s left only 3 runners on base all day.

Brooklyn outhit Houston 11 to 7, with Robinson, Becker, White, and Thon each having 2. Thon scored three times and Robinson and Becker drove in 2 each.

Clark suffered both his 2nd blown save of the year and his first loss, giving up 3 runs on a hit and 2 walks without recording an out. Mark Melancon picked up the win for one-third of an inning in relief of Hoffman.

BRK 6 (Clark 2-1, 2 BS) @ HOU 7 (Melancon 2-1)
HRs: BRK – Snider (8); HOU – Stengel (4)
Box Score

TWIWBL 6.2: Series V Notes – Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On May 24, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Houston Colt 45’s

Bret Saberhagen was hit hard falling to 0-2 and seeing his ERA reach 10.45, but you have to feel for Scott Erickson, who gave up 12 hits and 10 runs in 3 IP in relief of Saberhagen as a sacrificial arm in a blowout loss.

The team bounced back with an extra-innings win, sparked when Tony Gwynn tripled with 1 out in the 10th against New York Gothams‘ closer Robb Nen. Gwynn scored on a single from George Brett; then Brett and Lance Berkman (who singled) scored on a hit from HR Johnson, giving the Colt 45’s a 6-3 victory.

Erickson was sent to AAA, both for the performance and to help get a fresh arm to the big leagues, with hard-throwing Billy Wagner coming back the other way.

#Ottawa Mounties

After a 15 inning marathon loss against Memphis, Ottawa needs pitching arms: C Kirk Manwaring was released and SP Terry Mulholland added to the 40-man roster and promoted to the big leagues.

They’ll need more, as the season finale against Memphis went 18 innings. Jim Clancy started his WBL career strong, with a scoreless inning in the first extra-inning game, and then 3 more in the 18 inning marathon where he combined with Ted Bowsfield, Gary Lavelle, and Old Hoss Radbourne for 12.1 scoreless innings in relief of Roy Halladay. Despite giving up a HR, Tom Henke picked up the save, while Radbourn got the victory.

A pitch from Tim Wakefield broke Larry Walker‘s nose in the top of the 13th, but it’s not clear if Walker will hit the DL or not.

Mulholland was sent right back down, along with Clark Griffith, with Gary Peters called back from his rehab assignment along with Greg Holland.

TWIWBL 4.1: Notes from Series III

By mknn

On September 30, 2020

In TWIWBL

The New York Black Yankees saw their 10 game winning streak come to an end in a 4-2 loss to the Wandering House of David. The Black Yankees are tied with the Kansas City Monarchs for the best record in the league at 11-3, with the Brooklyn Royal Giants the only other team with double-digit victories. Those 4 teams–New York, Wandering, Kansas City, and Brooklyn–each lead their divisions.

Two decent hitting streaks are still intact: Babe Ruth has a 14 game streak (see below for a dramatic extension by Ruth) and the Baltimore Black Sox‘s Dan McGann has hit safely in 13 straight games.

Philadelphia‘s Ray Collins and Brooklyn‘s Don Drysedale are the only 3 game winners in the league (both are 3-0), and Portland‘s Johan Santana leads the league with 6 saves.

Houston‘s George Brett hit .538 with 2 HR’s and 7 RBIs to win the WBL Player of the Week.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Orel Hershiser (1-0) gave up only 5 hits while striking out 8 in a complete game victory over Cleveland. Hershiser’s only mistake of the day was a 2-run HR to Evan Longoria as the Royal Giants eased to a 6-2 win.

#Cleveland Spiders

Cleveland has basically created a fast shuttle between their AAA affiliate in Buffalo and the big leagues. Just across these five games, here’s who used it:

With John Ellis no longer carrying an injury, the Spiders demoted Harry Bemis.
Jim Gantner was called up from AAA to provide some depth at 2B behind Chuck Knoblauch.
Whit Wyatt returned from the DL, sending Sudden Sam McDowell down.
Yordano Ventura was put on the IL even though the Spiders were, at the time, unsure as the extent of his injuries (turns out to have been fine, Ventura is out for 4 months with bone spurs).
With the OF totally gassed and lacking depth, Peanuts Lowrey was called up.

Not all news for Cleveland was injury related: Bob Feller moved to 2-0 with 8 shutout innings against Brooklyn in a 9-1 Spiders’ victory.

#Detroit Wolverines

Phenom Ty Cobb continues to press for more playing time, going 3-for-4 with a HR in a start against Kansas City.

#Homestead Grays

With Corey Kluber still injured, Homestead recalled Cliff Lee for an emergency start. Lee was excellent, leading the Grays to keep him on the roster at the expense of Bill Fischer, who had struggled in a few early season appearances.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Bret Saberhagen was still not 100%, so the Colt 45’s did some roster juggling, sending Saberhagen to AAA for a day and recalling David Clyde. Clyde was lit on fire in his start, and sent right back to AAA after the game.

Roy Oswalt (2-1) combined with Trevor Hoffman for a 6 hit shutout against Portland.

#Kansas City Monarchs

The Monarchs’ Luke Hamlin–of all people–threw the best start of the year so far, allowing only 1 hit over 7 innings against Detroit while striking out 11. Neither Frank DiPino nor Jeff Pfeffer allowed a hit in closing the game out for a 1-0 Kansas city win.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Ramon Martinez tied the best game score of the year with a 5-hit complete game shutout of Chicago that took only 94 pitches, earning his first victory of the year.

#New York Black Yankees

With a 12-game hitting streak on the line, Babe Ruth came to the plate as a pinch hitter with his team down 2 in the bottom of the 9th and a runner on first. Ruth deposited Tom Niedenfuer‘s pitch in the left field seats for his 4th HR of the year to tie the game, extending his streak to 13 (New York would lose the game 5-4 in 13 innings).

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Lefty Grove continued his dominant start to the year, pitching 8 innings of 3-hit, 1-run ball while striking out 11 against Ottawa to go 2-0 on the season. Grove’s game score of 80 was the best in the league to date (later surpassed by Hamlin).

#Wandering House of David

OF Pete Browning continued his torrid start with a 4-for-4 game against the Black Yankees with a 2B, a 3B, and 2 RBIs to key a 13 inning HoD victory.

TWIWBL 3.1: Notes from Series II

By mknn

On September 12, 2020

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Frank Robinson went 9 for 19 with 2 HRs and 5 RBIs as Baltimore took 3 out of 4 from Chicago.

#Birmingham Black Barons

The Black Barons remain winless on the season after dropping 4 to the New York Black Yankees … Warren Spahn and Scott Baker have both been torched in their 2 starts. Both are 0-2, with Spahn’s ERA ballooning above 20 … Dale Murphy is hitless on the year, starting the season 0 for 14; while Eddie Mathews and Chipper Jones went hitless for the series … Gene Tenace at 286/400/714 is about the only bright spot for Birmingham offensively.

#Chicago American Giants

RP Ken Sanders has yet to allow a hit over 4 appearances … Shoeless Joe Jackson hit .500 in the 4 game series against Baltimore.

#Cleveland Spiders

The Spiders sent SP Hardie Henderson to AAA to make room for Bill Steen‘s return from the DL, but the injuries kept coming as OF Rowland Office will be unavailable for the next 2 weeks and SS Bill Dahlen was put on the 10 Day DL … Rick Burleson was recalled to take Dahlen’s place … Larry Doby–considered a key to the Spiders’ success this year–went 3 for 18 in the 4 game split with Los Angeles … looking for some more flexibility, the Spiders recalled Tom Brookens from AAA, sending down Robby Thompson.

#Houston Colt 45’s

3B George Brett went 9 for 19 with 5 RBIs in a 4 game series with Homestead, but Houston only managed a single victory.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

With Joe Morgan out for 10 days, the ABC’s recalled Lonny Frey from AAA … Hal Morris continued his hot start, going 7 for 15 with 2 HRs and 5 RBIs as Indianapolis swept a 4 game series from Memphis.

#Kansas City Monarchs

The Monarchs relievers have been fantastic, with Frank DiPino, Craig Kimbrel, and Adam Wianwright combining for 7 scoreless IP out of the pen and Jeff Pfeffer has 3 saves … Albert Pujols led the Monarchs to 3 victories in 4 games against Houston with 9 hits in 15 ABs, including 3 2Bs and a HR.

#Los Angeles Angels

Larry Anderson and Chuck Finley have been great out of the bullpen, each going 1-0 without giving up a run in a combined 10.2 IP, placing Finley in line for the next spot start … Don Buford had a rough series, going 1 for 14.

#Memphis Red Sox

When David Bush went on the DL, the Red Sox had to scramble a bit, resulting in Tim Wakefield and Eddie Cicotte joining the WBL roster and Derek Lowe being sent back down to AAA … Joe Beggs, Dean Chance, Turk Farrell, and Wakefield have combined for just shy of 20 bullpen innings, giving up a total of 8 hits and 0 runs, which you would think would result in better results than being swept in 4 games against Indianapolis … 3B Wade Boggs, Vern Stephens, and Ted Williams combined to go 5 for 46 (.109) in the 4 games.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Eustaquio Pedroso has been absolutely rocked in 2 starts, giving up 13 hits and 9 runs in only 4 IP and–not surprisingly–going 0-2.

#New York Black Yankees

The Black Yankees scored 42 runs in sweeping a 4 game series from Birmingham … Babe Ruth went 9 for 18 in the series, which is nothing compared to Eric Davis‘ 7 for 16 with 3 HRs and 12 RBIs.

#Ottawa Mounties

The injury to Gary Peters–and general overusage of the bullpen–led to the Mounties’ recalling Felix Hernandez for a start, then sending him down in exchange for Monk Dubiel. Hernandez did well, giving the Mounties 7 decent innings, keeping him in line for future promotions. Dubiel was better, keeping the Mounties in the final game of the series, allowing 3 runs in 7.2 IP … Old Hoss Radbourn has been spectacular in 3 relief appearances covering 8.2 IP, putting him in line for a start in the near future … there was plenty of blame to go around as Ottawa was swept by Philadelphia in a 4 game series, but much of it goes to 1B Carlos Delgado and OF Terry Puhl, who combined for only 4 hits in 25 ABs.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Jack Clark struggled in a series against the Wandering House of David, managing only 2 hits in 17 ABs … at the other side of the spectrum, Bobby Bonds is on fire, going 8 for 13 with 5 RBIs in the same series.

#Wandering House of David

The House of David’s bullpen has been pretty fantastic, with Tom Niedenfuer, Joakim Soria, Bruce Sutter, and Dick Tidrow combining for 11 IP without giving up a run and Rollie Fingers managing a 1.69 ERA in 5.1 IP … Elrod Hendricks cooled off significantly as the House of David took 3 out of 4 games from San Francisco, managing only 1 hit in 12 ABs.

TWIWBL 2.0: Series I – Houston @ Homestead

By mknn

On September 3, 2020

In TWIWBL

For each set of games played, we’ll go in-depth for one series, and then have an issue of TWIWBL with news and notes from around the league.

For the opening round of games, it’s the Houston Colt 45’s visiting Pittsburgh to play the Homestead Grays.

Houston is a dark horse pick to make some noise in the league, but like so many teams, there are questions on the mound. Roy Oswalt was virtually unhittable in Spring Training, but the names Toad Ramsey and Ice Box Chamberlain don’t exactly strike fear into the hearts of many. But they should score some runs with Jim Wynn, Tony Gwynn, and George Brett setting the stage for Lance Berkman, Paul Goldschmidt, and Jeff Bagwell.

But Homestead may be one of the favorites with a lineup anchored by Pops Stargell and wunderkid Josh Gibson. The question is if Mike Epstein and Rick Reichardt–both of whom hit well in the Spring–can continue to contribute. The rotation looks good, with Corey Kluber, Carlos Zambrano, and Vean Gregg leading the way.

And then they actually play the games …

Andrew McCutchen opened the season for the Grays by taking Oswalt 388 feet to left for a HR in his first at-bat. Houston would tie it up in the top of the 3rd on a bloop single to right by Gwynn, but at that point it was clear both pitchers were on their game.

The top of the 5th saw back-to-back doubles by Grant “HR” Johnson and Jorge Posada, giving the Colt 45’s a 2-1 lead, but an inning later Epstein would tie the game with a groundout, scoring Stargell from 3rd.

A Kluber wild pitch would prove decisive, scoring Johnson from 3rd. That was it: Gwynn would score Craig Biggio, but Michael Jackson would slam the door in the 8th and Brad Lidge would earn the save, giving Houston an opening day 4-2 win.

Game 2 was close for 7 innings, as Ramsey and Gregg traded zeros, each allowing only 1 run. But Daniel Hudson relieved Gregg and was torched for 4 runs in 1 inning, The big blow was a 3 run HR from Berkman that traveled nearly 500 feet, and Houston went on to win 7-1.

Zambrano struggled through 3 innings, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits, with doubles by Goldschmidt and Wynn knocking in the runs. Stephen Strasburg had no such issues, throwing 6 shutout innings. Each team would add a run in the 8th, but Houston won again, 4-1.

At this point, the home fans were getting restless. At the least, they wanted to see the Grays score more than 1 run. Which they did–9 of them, in fact. The question is, would it be enough?

It didn’t seem so early on, as Houston scored 3 in the 1st and another Berkman HR in the 3rd put the Colt 45’s up 4-0. But in the bottom of the 4th, back-to-back doubles by Stargell and Roberto Clemente scored the Grays’ 1st run, and consecutive sacrifice flies brought the score to 4-3.

It stayed that way to the 7th, when Houston finally knocked Homestead starter Francisco Liriano out of the game, and a Wynn double made the score 5-3. Houston would add 6 more in the 8th, with a 3 run double by Bagwell and a 2 run HR by Wynn accounting for most of the damage.

The Grays would score 2 in the 8th and 4 on the 9th, with a bases-loaded triple by Davey Johnson the big hit, but it wasn’t enough, and Houston held on for the 11-9 win.

The Grays would finally get their 1st victory of the year in the series finale, winning 10-5 behind a strong start from Ray Brown. Stargell and Reichardt each hit HRs, and Clemente chipped in with 3 hits and 3 RBIs.

The strong start from Oswalt was expected, but those from Ramsey and Strasburg were a pleasant surprise for Houston, who were led by Berkman and Wynn, who combined for 11 RBI and 3 HRs. Wynn also stole 5 bases in the 5 games.

Clemente started the year red-hot with 9 hits and 5 RBI in the series, but really their issues were on the mound. The starters were mediocre, but the bullpen finished the 5 games with a 9.89 ERA.

Both teams emerged largely unscathed in the opening series: Houston’s game 5 starter, Bret Saberhagen, will miss about a week, with Dock Ellis or Scott Erickson likely to get the start when his turn in the rotation comes up again.

Season Preview: Houston Colt 45’s

By mknn

On August 20, 2020

In Team News

Houston is a dark horse to do something this year with a starting rotation that looks solid led by Roy Oswalt and an offense that is good top to bottom, anchored by the talents of Tony Gwynn, George Brett, and the intriguing potential of HR Johnson.

Final Roster

SP: Roy Oswalt, Toad Ramsey, Stephen Strasbourg, Ice Box Chamberlain, Bret Saberhagen.
RP: Scott Erickson & Dock Ellis; Mike Hartley & Andrew Chafin; Trevor Hoffman & Mark Melancon; Brad Lidge.

C: Jorge Posada & Jim O’Rourke
1B: Paul Goldschmidt
2B: HR Johnson; Craig Biggio
3B: George Brett
SS: Carlos Correa
LF: Lance Berkman
CF: Jim Wynn; Larry Hisle
RF: Tony Gwynn; Casey Stengel
DH: Jeff Bagwell

Notes

The final rotation spot goes to Bret Saberhagen … Most of the other cuts were obvious due to poor Spring performances: Andres Galarraga and Luis Gonzalez were especially disappointing … several players rebounded over the 2nd half of the Spring: Larry Hisle was red hot after a short stint in minor league camp, and Jeff Bagwell began to hit with some power … all of that made the final cut very hard, coming down, effectively, to DJ LeMahieu and Craig Biggio. Biggio stays due to his ability to fill in at some other positions, despite LeMahieu being older (27 to 25) and looking better at bat … Biggio’s ability to catch may come in handy early as Jim O’Rourke works his way back from injury.

34 year old C Jorge Posada is the oldest player on the opening day roster, which sports 2 teenagers in the starting rotation: 18 year old Ice Box Chamberlain and 19 year old Bret Saberhagen.

Speaking of teenagers .. 17 year old OF Pete Hill and 18 year old P Leon Day are developing at AAA (although Stubby Overmire–at the ripe old age of 23–may be of more immediate help). Things are a bit leaner at AA, but a trio of OFers, all 24 years old, may help down the road: Shin-Soo Choo, Al Cowens, and Hack Wilson.

Spring Training Preview: Houston

By mknn

On June 20, 2020

In 2000 Spring Training, Team News

There’s a lot to sort out here starting with the starting rotation, where the final 2 slots will go to someone from the group of Dock Ellis, Stubby Overmire, Bret Saberhagen, and Leon Day.
- Saberhagen is leading the way in this group, and Scott Erickson has forced himself into the conversation as well. Day and Overmire are most likely to miss the roster cut based on performances so far.
  - Day has been horrible, earning a trip to AAA, along with Overmire.
  - The rotation is still a bit up for grabs. Stephen Strasbourg, Roy Oswalt, Ice Box Chamberlain, and Toad Ramsey are likely in, leaving Saberhagen, Ellis, and Erickson vying for the final spot and the long relief roles.
The bullpen is a bit more settled: Brad Lidge is set as the closer, but Spring performances will determine the exact roles for Trevor Hoffman, Tug McGraw, Mark Melancon, and Billy Wagner.
- Melancon, Hoffman, and Andrew Chafin have been great, while Wagner has been hit extraordinarily hard.
  - Wagner and Dan Quisenberry are both on the verge of heading to AAA.
On the infield, only SS is set with Carlos Correa. Paul Goldschmidt and Jeff Bagwell are vying to start at 1B, DJ LeMahieu, Craig Biggio, and HR Johnson are in the mix at 2B, and George Brett, Morgan Ensberg, and Aramis Ramirez all have shot to start at 3B.
- At 1B, Andres Galarraga has been the best of the bunch by a fair measure, with both Bagwell and especially Goldschmidt struggling.
  - Right now, there’s nothing to choose between Galarraga, Bagwell, and Goldschmidt.
- Johnson’s forcing himself into the conversation somewhere as well, especially given Correa’s struggles at SS.
  - This is still true: Johnson is hitting everything thrown to him. The end result of this is Shawon Dunston likely not making the opening day roster.
  - 3B is pretty much settled: Brett is pounding the ball and both Ramirez and Ensberg are struggling.
The OF isn’t much clearer: the group of Luis Gonzalez, Larry Hisle, Gorman Thomas, and Casey Stengel look to have a slight edge, but any of Lance Berkman, Pete Hill, Felipe Alou, Jim Wynn, and Tony Gwynn could earn a starting position.
- Wynn, Gwynn, and Stengel have been the standouts so far, with Wynn being perhaps Houston’s best hitter through 10 games. Hill, and especially Hisle, have struggled, with Hisle being sent to AAA in an effort to clear some roster space.
  - Alou and Hill are both struggling, and seem unlikely to make the roster. Hisle has been recalled, along with Lance Blankenship.

	Near Definite	Likely	Possible	Long Shot
Starting Pitchers		Toad Ramsey Roy Oswalt Stephen Strasbourg Ice Box Chamberlain	Scott Erickson Dock Ellis Bret Saberhagen
Middle Relievers			Mike Hartley Tug McGraw Andrew Chafin	Dan Quisenberry Billy Wagner
Setup		Tervor Hoffman Mark Melancon
Closer	Brad Lidge
C	Jim O'Rourke	Jorge Posada
1B			Jeff Bagwell Paul Goldschmidt Andres Galarraga
2B		HR Johnson	Craig Biggio DJ LeMahieu	Lance Blankenship
3B	George Brett		Morgan Ensberg Aramis Ramirez
SS		Carlos Correa		Shawon Dunston
OF		Casey Stengel Jim Wynn Tony Gwynn	Luis Gonzalez Gorman Thomas Lance Berkman	Pete Hill Felipe Alou Larry Hisle