Tag: George Brett

TWIWBL 3.1: Notes from Series II

On September 12, 2020

#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