Bill Steen improved to 11-3 on the year with nearly 8 shutout innings as Cleveland rolled to a 9-2 victory.
Cleveland took the lead with 5 runs in the top of the 2nd, led by unexpected sources: 2 RBI’s from Louis Santop and 3 from Sammy Strang. They chased Detroit’s starter, Johnny Marcum, from the game in the top of the 4th with consecutive hits from Lance Berkman, Arky Vaughan, and Jim Gantner. At that point, it was 8-0, and a Tris Speaker pinch-hit homerun made it 9-0 after 8.
Detroit scored twice in the bottom of the 9th, but the game was long decided. Tony Phillips had 3 hits for Detroit in the loss.
CLE 9 (Steen 11-3) @ DET 2 (Marcum 11-4) HRs: CLE – Speaker (2); DET – none. Box Score
#Game 2: Pat Malone @ Gene Conley
Game 2 had a shot at being a decent pitching duel between Cleveland’s Pat Malone and Detroit’s Gene Conley.
Cleveland had an early lead as Lance Berkman scored on a Sammy Strang sacrifice fly. And that was it … Detroit loaded the bases in the bottom of the 6th, but Malone escaped without any damage, leaving the score at 1-0.
Both Conley and Malone were pretty much toast at this point, but both bullpens were able to preserve the score, despite some traffic on the bases.
That lasted until the 8th, when John Hiller uncorked a wild pitch with the bases loaded to make it 2-0. The Spiders added another in the 9th, allowing them to send their closer, Terry Adams, out for the bottom of the 9th with a 3-0 lead.
Adams was perfect, and the Spiders had a combined 5-hit shutout between Malone, Chuck Porter, Cory Gearrin, and Adams.
Detroit turns to Charlie Root–3-1 with a 2.29 ERA since his mid-season acquisition from San Francisco–in their attempt to turn the series around. He’ll be opposed by Mel Harder, 5-2 on the year for Cleveland.
Detroit led early, with Bob Bailey tripling and scoring on a single from Al Kaline in the 2nd and Oscar Gamble singling home Hank Greenberg in the 4th.
Root was strong, allowing only 3 hits through 6 innings, but a Louis Santop triple (his league leading 14th) to lead off Cleveland’s 7th and got the Wolverine’s bullpen up and busy. Chuck Knoblauch singled home Santop, closing the score to 2-1 and chasing Root in favor of Justin Verlander … who promptly gave up a dinger to Lance Berkman, putting the Spiders in front, 3-2.
After an Al Kaline single chased Harder, the Spiders turned to Ron Reed, brought in for exactly these kind of situations. It hasn’t gone as planned. Reed, an all-star with Philadelphia, is 0-4 with an ERA near 7 with the Spiders. Here, he walked Jenkins and gave up a single to Robby Thompson to load the bases. Bill Carrigan pinch-hit and delivered a sacrifice fly to tie the game once more, but Reed escaped without further damage.
Evan Longoria gave the Spiders the lead again in the top of the 9th with an RBI single. Terry Adams came in for Cleveland to close out the game. Jenkins greeted Adams with a double, and his pinch-runner, Jimmy Collins, scored on a sacrifice fly from George Davis.
That sent us to extra innings, tied at 4.
In the bottom of the 11th, Kaline greeted Yordano Ventura with a leadoff single, and Chili Davis followed with a double. An intentional pass to Thompson loaded the bases, and a single from George Davis won the game for Detroit.
CLE 4 (Ventura 0-2; Reed 2 B Sv; Adams 7 B Sv) @ DET 5 (Henneman 2-6; Verlander 1 B Sv) [11 Innings] HRs: CLE – Berkman (9); DET – none. Box Score
#Game 4: Cy Young @ Hal Newhouser
After the extra inning heroics in game 3, the Wolverines would turn to Hal Newhouser to try to even up the series.
Newhouser and Cy Young were both solid through 5, with Cleveland leading 1-0 behind an RBI single from Jim Gantner. That lasted until the bottom of the 7th when Al Kaline scored on a wild pitch from Young, tying the game. At this point, Newhouser was gassed, bringing in John Hiller from Detroit’s bullpen, who surrendered the lead on an RBI double to Jake Stahl with 2 outs.
With Detroit’s closer, Terry Adams, unavailable after 2 innings yesterday, the Wolverines sent Young back out for the bottom of the 9th, clinging to the 2-1 lead. It worked: 3-up / 3-down and the Spiders both took the game and the series.
The more things change, the more things stay the same …
On the whole, the playoff teams took care of business, with Cleveland sweeping Houston and Baltimore, Chicago, Portland, and the New York Black Yankees all winning 3 of 4 games.
As such, Baltimore still has the best record in the lead, and still leads the Chicago American Giants by 4 games in the Cum Posey Division. Chicago leads the wild card race, and both teams seem certain to make the postseason.
Each of the other divisions are tight as tight can be. In the Bill James Division, the Detroit Wolverines and the New York Gothams are tied for first place, with the Wandering House of David 1 game back. Over in the Effa Manley Division, the Black Yankees have maintained their lead, but it’s down to 1 game over the Cleveland Spiders and in the Marvin Miller Division, the Portland Sea Dogs lead the Birmingham Black Barons by a single game, helped by Baltimore’s 3 wins coming against the Black Barons.
Right now, Cleveland and Birmingham are tied for the final wild card slot. The Houston Colt 45’s–five games back–still have an outside shot, but getting swept essentially took them out of the race. Realistically it looks like 1 of the 9 teams vying for the divisional leads won’t make the postseason.
Performance
Going into a little more depth this time, providing some insight into players who are not performing well, but have still, for a variety of reasons, amassed enough PA or IP to qualify for the leaderboards.
Batters
The list is longer, but not really. With Babe Ruth taking over the OBP lead from San Francisco‘s Reggie Jackson, if you ignore some of the outliers (the SB leaders, the 3B, etc), the offensive leaders of the WBL boil down to Ron Blomberg and Babe Ruth, with Pete Browning, Stan Musial, and Doug Rader in a second group, with apologies to Johnny Bench of the Indianapolis ABC’s, who is putting up outrageous numbers for a backstop. Bench, Musial (Kansas City) and Rader (Los Angeles) are out of the playoff picture, but the rest should be around for the postseason.
Johnny Bench (IND). 286/390/575. 5.7 WAR. Ron Blomberg (CLE). 339/410/655. 168 H, 40 HR, 101 R. Pete Browning (HOD). 353/390/629. Ty Cobb (DET). 348/391/557. 169 H. Eric Davis (NYY). 277/352/517. 5.7 WAR. Willie Davis (PHI). 301/350/498. 11 3B. Mike Fiore (CAG). 238/402/396. 100 BB. Hank Greenberg (DET). 317/376/589. 41 2B. Bobby Grich (LAA). 292/381/483. 41 2B. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 268/398/356. 86 SB. Reggie Jackson (SFS). 316/430/598. Stan Musial (KCM). 326/389/574. 44 2B. Alejandro Oms (MCG). 255/308/398. 11 3B. Doug Rader (LAA). 335/395/542. 122 RBI. Tim Raines (OTT). 288/367/426. 89 SB. Babe Ruth (NYY). 318/435/673. 43 HR, 121 RBI, 113 R, 100 BB, 7.4 WAR. Louis Santop (CLE). 304/336/464. 13 3B.
Anti-Batters
Looking at the pool of hitters who qualify for rate stats only. 17 of them haven’t hit a triple, so those are omitted.
Hank Aaron (BBB). 263/302/498. 21 GIDP. Ernie Banks (HOD). 262/287/459. 16 BB. Wade Boggs (MEM). 286/364/412. 25 GIDP. José Canseco (MCG). 291/352/525. 159 SO. Rico Carty (PHI). 264/340/421. 48 R. George Davis (DET). 258/334/326. 1 HR. Mike Fiore (CAG). 238/402/396. 89 H. Tom Herr (BBB/NYY). 288/357/390. 2 HR, 25 RBI. Gil Hodges (POR). 222/297/423. -0.4 WAR. Frank Isbell (BBB/BRK). 310/341/401. 2 HR, 14 BB. Derek Jeter (NYY). 262/311/369. -0.6 WAR. Ted Kluszewski (PHI). 249/327/478. 48 R. Freddy Parent (OTT/CAG). 257/305/431. 9 2B. Ozzie Smith (KCM). 221/309/292. 86 H, 2HR, 25 RBI. Pops Stargell (HOM). 243/327/427. 179 SO. George Stone (HOD). 289/380/512. 12 2B. Arky Vaughan (HOM/CLE). 235/348/335. 12 2B. George Wright (LAA). 240/296/396.
This is an interesting list. There are some players considered stars on their teams–Aaron for Birmingham and Canseco for the Miami Cuban Giants especially (although GIDP and SO aren’t such awful things to lead the league in). Others are having decent seasons overall–Boggs, Banks, Hodges, Stone.
And then there is Ozzie Smith, hands down the weakest overall offensive player in the WBL. He’s been good defensively, but that’s a lot of negative output at the plate to overcome.
Mike Fiore offers the interesting case of being the only player to make both lists, leading the league in walks and having the second fewest hits of anybody qualifying for the leaderboards (behind Smith, of course).
Pitchers
Starters
A shorter list this time: 6 players have 14 wins, but since they would be 3rd in the league behind Christy Mathewson and Jack Taylor, they aren’t listed unless they qualify under another stat.
One thing to note: the presence of two starters from the San Francisco Sea Lions underscores how disappointing the season has been for them.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 13-7, 3.55. 191 K. Ron Guidry (NYY). 7-11, 4.42. 175 K. Christy Mathewson (NYG). 16-7, 3.50. Roy Oswalt (HOU). 12-8, 3.63. 188.1 IP. Alejandro Peña (BBB). 11-9, 3.72. 4.8 WAR, 3.45 FIP. Eddie Plank (SFS). 11-6, 3.87. 3.29 FIP. Andy Pettitte (KCM/BBB). 14-4, 3.05. 1.18 WHIP. Jack Taylor (HOD). 15-9, 3.13. 1.12 WHIP. Cy Young (CLE). 10-9, 4.64. 188.1 IP, 4.4 WAR.
Anti-Starters
Bert Blyleven (POR). 10-10, 4.17. 30 HRA. Roger Clemens (MEM/HOU). 11-8, 5.31. Vean Gregg (HOM). 9-8, 4.78. 97 BB, 1.59 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 13-7, 3.55. 98 BB. Luke Hamlin (KCM). 9-12, 4.80. Jon Lester (MEM). 9-12, 4.68. Dolf Luque (IND). 8-10, 5.29. 5.67 FIP. Juan Marichal (NYG). 11-8, 5.64. 1.56 WHIP. Wade Miley (HOD). 7-5, 5.05. 5.50 WHIP. Don Newcombe (MCG/CAG). 4-13, 6.44. 34 HRA. Jack Scott (NYY). 14-5, 4.41. 30 HRA.
Lefty Grove is on both lists: if he ever masters his control, he could be the best starter in the league (and if he loses an edge to his pitches, he could quickly be out of the league).
Blyleven and Scott are front of rotation starters for playoff bound teams, and Clemens has pitched far better since arriving in Houston, but his earlier performance for the Memphis Red Sox was so, so poor.
Newcombe is an conundrum: he doesn’t give up many hits or many walks, but when he does get hit, he gets hit hard.
Relievers
The best of the lot are probably Baltimore’s Buddy Groom and a duo from the Gothams, closer Brian Wilson and do-everything Mike Norris.
35 IP for rate stats.
Terry Adams (CLE). 2-6, 2.84. 33 Sv. 1 H. Buddy Groom (BAL). 2-2, 1.93. 6 Sv, 13 H, 0.99 WHIP. Mike Henneman (DET). 1-6, 4.83. 35 Sv. * Sean Marshall (BAL). 5-0, 1.79. 1 Sv, 8 H, 0.98 WHIP. Mike Norris (NYG). 4-3, 1.34. 8 Sv, 13 H. Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-6, 4.58. 3 Sv, 17 H. Ron Robinson (SFS). 6-4, 3.92. 1 Sv, 17 H. Ed Walsh (CAG). 8-6, 2.73. 5 H, 3.00 FIP. Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.00. 24 Sv, 1 H, 2.58 FIP.
Streaks
Very little going on here.
Los Angeles’ Bobby Grich–who should come of the DL soon–has reached base in 32 consecutive games, good for the 4th best streak in the league.
Brian Wilson has converted 22 consecutive saves and Andy Pettitte, between his time with Kansas City and Baltimore, has won his last 9 decisions, and is undefeated in his last 12 appearances.
While the rest of the league is buzzing with trade talk, let’s take a look at what the game tells us about flashing the leather. We’ll go by position, trying to get a sense of the best fielders in the league so far.
C (500 IP min)
Thurman Munson of the New York Black Yankees has over 150 more total chances than Homestead‘s Josh Gibson, having started 86 games behind the plate. That has to count for something. Of starting catchers, Baltimore‘s Curt Blefary leads in cERA with 4.08, and Cleveland‘s Louis Santop–yet to turn 20–leads the league in framing runs–1.2 ahead of Gibson. In terms of gunning down base runners, everyone is clustered around 33% or so–Emil Gross (Ottawa) was way up at 46%, but couldn’t hit enough to stay in the league and Alan Ashby (Miami) has been excellent at 36% since taking over for Miami. Looking at all of that, it’s got to be Munson, Gibson, Blefary, or Santop, with apologies to Indianapolis‘ Johnny Bench and the House of David‘s Elrod Hendricks.
IP
TC
E
RTO%
cERA
FRM
C. Blefary (BAL)
599
401
11
29.4
4.08
-1.2
J. Gibson (HOM)
718
559
14
27.2
5.77
1.5
T. Munson (NYY)
765
719
5
33.0
4.72
-1.3
L. Santop (CLE)
624
542
2
32.6
4.20
2.7
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; RTO% = Runners Thrown Out %; cERA = Catching ERA; FRM = Framing Runs Saved
I think Santop takes it, but I would be OK if Munson’s higher usage swung it to him.
1B (600 IP min)
Philadelphia‘s Ted Kluszewski has the best fielding percentage (.996), having committed only 3 errors, but trails well behind Dan McGann (BAL)’s league leading 10.20 Range Factor. Will Clark of the Miami Cuban Giants leads in Zone Rating at 3.3. So McGann makes the most plays overall, but Clark makes the most plays that other 1B miss.
IP
TC
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
Will Clark (MCG)
791
818
5
.994
9.25
3.3
Ted Kluszewski (PHI)
676
711
3
.996
9.43
1.0
Dan McGann (BAL)
749
854
5
.994
10.20
2.5
Bill White (MEM)
788
814
4
.995
9.25
1.8
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
It comes down to whether you think McGann’s RNG is more a product of his glovework or the superior Black Sox pitching staff. For me, Clark making plays nobody else in the league makes takes it.
2B (600 IP min)
Cleveland‘s Chuck Knoblauch and San Francisco‘s Jimmy Bloodworth each sport a .993 Fielding Percentage with only 3 errors each. The House of David’s Ryne Sandberg has, by a fair bit, played the most at 2B, making his leading the league in Range Factor more impressive. The New York Gotham‘s Cookie Rojas leads in ZR, trailed by Chicago‘s Eddie Collins. Those are the contenders.
IP
TC
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
Jimmy Bloodworth (SFS)
753
423
3
.993
5.02
3.7
Eddie Collins (CAG)
715
390
5
.987
4.85
5.5
Chuck Knoblauch (CLE)
801
426
3
.993
4.75
-1.8
Cookie Rojas (NYG)
703
369
3
.992
4.68
6.5
Ryne Sandberg (HOD)
850
524
7
.987
5.48
0.8
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
I can’t get away from Rojas. Behind him it’s rough: Collins makes some great plays, but Sandberg’s greater usage may give him the edge.
3B (600 IP min)
Mike Schmidt of the Black Yankees has the highest fielding percentage, Ottawa’s Anthony Rendon leads in Range Factor, and Philadelphia’s Scott Rolen has a massive edge in Zone Rating. It’s hard to put together.
IP
TC
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
Ron Cey (BRK)
808
221
6
.973
2.39
5.4
Anthony Rendon (OTT)
853
266
7
.974
2.73
1.8
Scott Rolen (PHI)
813
240
5
.979
2.60
8.5
Mike Schmidt (NYY)
677
193
3
.984
2.53
6.3
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
Rendon’s ZR confirms that his other stats are really a product of being on the field a lot. I think that leaves Rolen and Schmidt pretty much neck and neck.
SS (550 IP min)
The lower requirement is basically to allow Philadelphia’s Mickey Doolin to be listed. Homstead’s Arky Vaughan has played the most at SS, giving him roughly 20% more chances than the next few shortstops. Couple that with only 5 errors for a .990 PCT and Vaughan has to be in the argument. George Wright (Los Angeles) has a .995 PCT with only 2 errors, which is remarkable. Vaughan also leads in RNG, and is one of 3 SS with a ZR over 10, along with Detroit‘s George Davis and Kansas City‘s Ozzie Smith.
IP
TC
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
George Davis (DET)
855
479
12
.975
4.91
13.0
Mickey Doolin (PHI)
597
343
5
.985
5.10
8.0
Ozzie Smith (KCM)
868
467
5
.989
4.79
12.5
Arky Vaughan (HOM)
884
520
5
.990
5.24
10.1
George Wright (LAA)
754
411
2
.995
4.88
9.8
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
You gotta’ give it to Wright, right? But after that, how do you figure out the difference between Smith and Vaughan? Smith is more spectacular, Vaughan more steady … I’ve always been a sucker for the spectacular.
LF (500 IP min)
Homestead’s Rick Reichardt has spent the most time out there, has the best RNG among qualifiers, and leads LFers with 10 OF Kills. Los Angeles’ Don Buford and Ottawa’s Phil Bradley are second with 6, so that’s quite a gap. There are six–SIX–LFers who qualify who are yet to make an error. Of those, only Brooklyn‘s Roy White and Detroit’s Oscar Gamble have positive supporting metrics as well. White has routinely pulled of the spectacular, making roughly 4 additional plays in LF than the Gotham’s Jimmy Sheckard and San Francisco’s Rickey Henderson.
IP
TC
A
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
Phil Bradley (OTT)
552
121
6
0
1.000
1.97
-1.9
Don Buford (LAA)
629
144
6
3
.979
2.02
1.0
Oscar Gamble (DET)
535
118
2
0
1.000
1.99
1.5
Rickey Henderson (SFS)
689
173
5
3
.983
2.22
2.7
Rick Reichardt (HOM)
799
211
10
2
.991
2.35
-1.2
Jimmy Sheckard (NYG)
865
207
5
4
.981
2.11
2.6
Roy White (BRK)
865
204
2
0
1.000
2.12
6.7
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
I think White has to get the nod here, and behind him it’s a bit f a jumble. Reichardt is far from spectacular, but he’s added twice as many cold, hard outs than the next contenders without many miscues, so he gets a nod despite the negative ZR.
CF (600 IP min)
The Gothams’ Willie Mays has 15 OF kills to lead the way, but of note is Ottawa’s Ken Griffey, Jr., who has 13 in half the games. Griffey, currently at AAA, doesn’t qualify here, but what an arm! Baltimore’s Paul Blair has yet to make an error. Mays and Philadelphia’s Willie Davis make the most plays, with Blair, Mays, and Birmingham‘s Curtis Granderson leading in ZR.
There are others having strong years–Kansas City’s Willie McGee, Memphis’ Reggie Smith, and Detroit’s Chili Davis spring to mind–but it’s really between those initial four names.
IP
TC
A
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
Paul Blair (BAL)
801
303
8
0
1.000
3.40
9.0
Willie Davis (PHI)
781
323
7
2
.994
3.70
5.2
Curtis Granderson (BBB)
631
247
10
3
.988
3.48
6.4
Willie Mays (NYG)
899
381
15
2
.995
3.79
7.7
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
Mays and Blair seem the easy choices here.
RF (500 IP min)
RF is probably the most difficult of the OF spots to evaluate. The Gothams’ Johnny Callison leads in OF Kills, but with only 8. Callison is tied with Homestead’s Roberto Clemente in ZR, far, far ahead of the next cluster. Jeff Burroughs (POR) has yet to make an error, but the rest of his numbers aren’t terribly impressive. The House of David’s Dan Ford leads in RNG and is solid enough elsewhere.
The challenge is that several of the best in RF–Miami’s Alejandro Oms, Indianapolis’ Oscar Charleston, and Ottawa’s Larry Walker–don’t qualify here. Walker especially draws the eye, with 7 Kills and great peripheral numbers. But all of them are under 400 innings.
IP
TC
A
E
PCT
RNG
ZR
Johnny Callison (NYG)
671
181
8
1
.994
2.41
6.2
Roberto Clemente (HOM)
747
194
4
2
.990
2.31
6.2
Dan Ford (HOD)
542
160
5
4
.975
2.59
1.2
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; A = Assists; E = Errors; PCT = Fielding %; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating
I think it’s pretty clear that Ford is in third place here and I think it’s hard to push Clemente above Callison.
SP (100 IP min)
Sample size is clearly an issue here, but the Gothams’ Gaylord Perry had handled the most chances and leads in RNG. Jack Taylor (HOD) and Dutch Leonard (BRK) lead in ZR. Unwinding a pitcher’s responsibility for controlling stolen bases is hard, but since we know that, on the whole, the league runs about 33% in terms of cutting them down, we can look for who is far above that: Leonard shows up, but if we look at those with at least 10 attempts against them, we are looking at San Francisco’s Eddie Plank, Taylor, and Portland‘s Jerry Koosman.
IP
TC
RNG
ZR
RTO%
Jerry Koosman (POR)
119
12
0.83
2.2
46
Dutch Leonard (BRK)
139
18
1.17
2.4
67
Gaylord Perry (NYG)
117
27
1.92
-0.5
21
Eddie Plank (SFS)
116
13
0.93
1.8
64
Jack Taylor (HOD)
142
21
1.26
2.5
56
IP = Innings Played; TC = Total Chances; RNG = Range Factor; ZR = Zone Rating; RTO% = Runners Thrown Out %
I think this ends up going to Taylor and Leonard, but there will probably be more churn here than in other fielding evaluations between now and the end of the season.
Final Analysis
Gold Glove
Silver Glove
C
Louis Santop (CLE)
Thurman Munson (NYY)
1B
Will Clark (MCG)
Dan McGann (BAL)
2B
Cookie Rojas (NYG)
Ryne Sandberg (HOD)
3B
Scott Rolen (PHI)
Mike Schmidt (NYY)
SS
George Wright (LAA)
Ozzie Smith (KCM)
LF
Roy White (BRK)
Rick Reichardt (HOM)
CF
Willie Mays (NYG)
Paul Blair (BAL)
RF
Johnny Callison (NYG)
Roberto Clemente (HOM)
SP
Jack Taylor (HOD)
Dutch Leonard (BRK)
Defense is so hard to evaluate, right? Despite being the only team with 3 players listed here, the Gothams aren’t at the top of any of the team fielding ratings.
Looking at overall mentions may be more interesting–here is the list of players considered above, by team.
5 – New York Gothams 4 – Homestead; Philadelphia 3 – Baltimore; Brooklyn; House of David; San Francisco 2 – Cleveland; Detroit; Los Angeles; New York Black Yankees; Ottawa 1 – Birmingham; Chicago; Kansas City; Memphis; Miami; Portland 0 – Houston
Yeah, not any better actually. The Gothams are among the best teams in the league, but both Homestead and Philadelphia are most decidedly not.
Defense. Shrug.
Performance
Batters
Top 2 in each stat, leader in bold.
Dick Allen (CAG). 310/380/544. 10 3B. Johnny Bench (IND). 314/421/608. 5.2 WAR. Ron Blomberg (CLE). 338/407/649. 31 HR. Rico Carty (PHI). 285/356/460. 35 2B. Ty Cobb (DET). 350/390/572. 134 H. Eric Davis (NYY). 278/353/539. 81 R. Bobby Grich (LAA). 284/370/474. 35 2B. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 252/383/335. 76 BB, 72 SB. Kent Hrbek (POR). 303/376/591. 31 HR. Joe Jackson (CAG). 334/419/592. 81 R. Reggie Jackson (SFS). 331/445/610. Stan Musial (KCM). 332/391/594. 37 2B. Doug Rader (LAA). 335/391/546. 135 H, 100 RBI. Tim Raines (OTT). 299/371/449. 72 SB. Babe Ruth (NYY). 312/429/643. 32 HR, 96 RBI, 85 R, 79 BB, 5.6 WAR. Louis Santop (CLE). 304/336/468. 10 3B.
Pitchers
Starters
Top 2 in each stat (top 4 in ERA and WHIP), leader in bold.
17 pitchers have at least 10 wins, accounting for why we went deeper in ERA and WHIP this time. Have also included FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) for the first time, helping to unravel some of the mystery of Alejandro Peña.
Bill Byrd (BAL). 11-2, 3.09. 1.17 WHIP. Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-5, 4.07. Don Drysedale (BRK). 7-4, 3.37. 1.15 WHIP. Ned Garvin (BAL). 9-4, 2.80. 1.18 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 11-7, 3.75. 160 K. Ron Guidry (NYY). 6-9, 4.41. 155 K, 3.5 WAR. Frank Knauss (BRK). 10-4, 3.07. Alejandro Peña (BBB). 9-7, 3.54. 3.24 FIP, 4.2 WAR. Gaylord Perry (NYG). 8-7, 3.92. 3.54 FIP. Stephen Strasburg (HOU). 6-6, 3.27. Jack Taylor (HOD). 10-8, 3.35. 1.18 WHIP.
Relievers
Top 2 in each stat (top 4 in ERA and WHIP), leader in bold. 25 IP for rate stats.
Terry Adams (CLE). 2-5, 3.09. 24 Sv. Elmer Brown (POR). 3-4, 1.65. 7 Sv, 9 H. Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.94. 28 Sv. Trevor Hildenberger (BRK). 3-0, 2.45. 1 Sv, 3 H, 0.94 WHIP. Ken Howell (SFS). 3-4, 2.17. 4 Sv, 7 H, 1.01 WHIP. AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.81. 19 Sv, 0.97 WHIP. Mike Norris (NYG). 4-3, 1.62. 3 Sv, 10 H. Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-5, 3.73. 16 H. Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-3, 3.80. 14 H. Carson Smith (NYG). 2-0, 1.80. 1 Sv, 8 H. Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.11. 21 Sv, 1.02 WHIP.
Series Results
Series XXVII Sweeps
Baltimore over Philadelphia
Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXVII
Detroit over Miami Kansas City over Los Angeles Portland over Memphis New York Gothams over San Francisco
Series XXVII Splits
House of David @ Birmingham Houston @ Brooklyn New York Black Yankees @ Chicago Homestead @ Cleveland Ottawa @ Indianapolis
Detroit scored first after loading the bases in the 2nd, but only managed a single tally on an RBI groundout by Robby Thompson. Will Clark tied it in the bottom of the frame with his 18th homerun of the season.
Roenis Elias has been on a hot streak, and it continued here, as he settled down, allowing 3 hits while striking out 8 over 6 innings. Detroit’s Gene Conley has matched him frame for frame, allowing only 1 run on 2 hits in the same stretch.
In the bottom of the 6th, things took an unlikely turn: Martín Dihigo, he of the .170 average, launched a pitch from Conley nearly 450 feet into leftfield for his first homerun and a 2-1 lead for Miami. Gary Sheffield tripled home a run to make it 3-1, ending Conley’s day in favor of Mickey Lolich.
With 2 outs in the 7th, Elias gave up a solo shot to Al Kaline–the first of his WBL career. That brought in Chris Resop, who closed it out preserving the one run lead for Miami.
Alan Ashby led off the bottom of the 7th with a single, and Paul Molitor came on to run. Two outs later, and Dihigo was up again, this time against Detroit’s reliever Kevin Hart. With the lead, the Cuban Giants kept Dihigo in the game for his glove. He delivered a much more typical response, grounding out weakly to second to end the inning.
It all worked out: Resop and Ed Bauta passed the baton to Aroldis Chapman, who shut the door in the 9th.
DET 2 (Conley 10-3) @ MCG 3 (Elias 5-3; Chapman 19 Sv; Resop 1 H; Bauta 11 H) HRs: DET – Kaline (1); MCG – Clark (18), Dihigo (1). Box Score
Game 2: Si Johnson @ Rube Waddell
Detroit comes into the game with a bit of an infield crisis: Sparky Adams is carrying a knock, and both Bob Bailey and George Davis are showing signs of wear and tear. Since they all back each other up at 3B and SS, two of the three are going to forced into action: today, it’s Davis and Bailey.
Will Clark‘s 19th homerun of the year put Miami up 3-0 in the bottom of the first. And that was it through 5 innings. Si Johnson had settled down after Clark’s blast, and Miami’s starter, Rube Waddell had yet to give up a hit.
Geoff Jenkins broke up the no-no with a single to lead off the 6th for Detroit, and singles from Bailey and Hank Greenberg put the Wolverines on the board.
In the bottom of the frame, Johnson issued a walk to load the bases, bringing in Mickey Lolich, who promptly forced in a run with a walk to Carlos Morán, increasing Miami’s lead to 4-1.
Waddell got one out on the 7th, but a hit from Davis and a walk to Robby Thompson turned the game over the Cuban Giants’ bullpen. Phenomenal Smith whiffed Jenkins, but immediately grabbed his left shoulder, and had to leave the game.
José Méndez replaced Smith, and shut down Detroit. He gave up a hit in the 9th, giving way to Ed Bauta, who completed the victory, giving Miami a surprising 2-0 lead in the series.
DET 1 (Johnson 4-7) @ MCG 4 (Waddell 4-6; Bauta 1 Sv; Smith 4 H; Méndez 2 H) HRs: Det – none; MCG – Clark (19). Box Score
Game 3: Hal Newhouser @ Eustaquio Pedroso
The matchup certainly favors the Wolverines to get back into the series, with Hal Newhouser and his sub-3.00 ERA going against Eustaquio Pedroso, who is in real danger of losing his rotation spot.
And, you know, just because … Pedroso gets through the top of the first without damage, and Newhouser walks Pete Runnels, Minnie Miñoso, and Gary Sheffield to start the bottom of the frame. But José Canseco whiffed and Ryan Braun grounded into a double play, so we stay scoreless.
Geoff Jenkins took Pedroso deep for a 1-0 Detroit lead in the second, but Sheffield sent a Newhouser pitch in the 3rd deep into the night, putting Miami up 2-1.
Martín Dihigo was forced out of the game with a back injury in the 6th after a hard slide into second and Paul Molitor, who replaced him, scored on a single by Runnels. Miami loaded the bases again, but again Canseco and Braun failed to deliver, so we headed to the 6th with the Cuban Giants ahead, 3-1.
That was it for Pedroso, who had pitched gamely in one of his better outings of the year. His reliever, Braden Looper, gave up a leadoff double to Chili Davis, but escaped with only 1 run scoring, making it a 1 run game at 3-2.
Newhouser didn’t finish the 6th, but Justin Verlander escaped without giving up a run. Looper, on the other hand, gave up a double to Robby Thompson and a single to Bob Bailey to lead off the 7th. Looper was relieved by Chris Resop who gave up a single to Ty Cobb to tie the game at 3. An RBI double from Hank Greenberg and a sacrifice fly by Davis put the Wolverines up, 5-3.
Cobb took Aroldis Chapman deep in the top of the 9th, giving Mike Henneman the ball with a 3-run lead, 6-3. Which seemed plenty for the WBL’s save leader, but Canseco and Robin Yount each hit solo homeruns, closing it to 6-5. Alan Ashby‘s soft line was speared by Thompson, though, to end the game.
Cobb ended the day with 4 hits, 2 runs, and 2 RBI’s, raising his league-leading average to .351.
After the game, Dihigo was placed on the DL, with Tony Taylor being recalled.
DET 6 (Verlander 8-3; Henneman 28 Sv; Napier 6 H) @ MCG 5 (Looper 1-1; Resop 1 BSv) HRs: DET – Jenkins (9), Cobb (16); MCG – Sheffield (6), Canseco (26), Yount (9). Box Score
Game 4: Johnny Marcum @ Camilo Pascual
Before the game, Miami continued to get bad news from their medical staff as Phenomenal Smith–excellent in his early time with the Cuban Giants–will miss about a year with an elbow injury. That prompted the recall of Ricky Nolasco from AAA.
The pitching matchup of the series finale was the best of the four games, with Johnny Marcum (10-2, 3.38) taking on Camilo Pascual, Miami’s most consistent starter all season.
Detroit pushed across a run in the opening inning on a wild pitch, but Miami tied it up in the bottom of the second with Alan Ashby‘s 7th homerun of the year. The Wolverines regained the lead on a deep sacrifice fly from Hank Greenberg, scoring George Davis. But again Miami would reply in the next inning, tying the game on a triple from José Cardenal, scoring Will Clark. Cardenal would score on a single from Robin Yount, giving the Cuban Giants their first lead of the day, 3-2.
Each team would score a run on a sacrifice fly in the 5th, making it 4-3 in favor of Miami.
Marcum was the first starter to be chased from the game, giving way to Matt Anderson in the bottom of the 6th, but Anderson was able to close the door with runners on base, keeping the score 4-3.
José Méndez relieved Pascual in the top of the 8th and retired Cobb, Greenberg, and Oscar Gamble–no mean feat. Chili Davis led off the 9th against Méndez with a single, but Detroit was unable to bring him around, and Miami emerged with the victory and the very surprising series win.
DET 3 (Marcum 10-3) @ MCG 4 (Pascual 7-10; Méndez 1 Sv) HRs: DET – none; MCG – Ashby (7). Box Score
The Wolverines lead the Bill James Division by 1.5 games, and sit 14 games above .500, tied with Portland for the second best record in the WBL (behind Baltimore). Miami, on the other hand, is tied with Memphis for the worst record in the league, languishing at 22 games under .500.
#Detroit Wolverines
They’re just a solid team. Not best in the league at anything, but top 5 in almost everything, just lacking a bit of team speed. OF Ty Cobb not only leads the team, but the entire league, in batting at .351, and his OPS of .965 leads the Wolverines. But 1B Hank Greenberg is an equally important cog in their machine, slashing 306/372/586 and leading Detroit in RBIs (74). Greenberg is tied with OF Oscar Gamble for the team lead in HRs with 21, but Cobb (15), 3B Bob Bailey (16) and OF Chili Davis (17) are also all in double digits. SS George Davis at .694 is the only regular with an OPS under .700. Like I said, solid.
The rotation is led by Johnny Marcum, 10-2 with a 3.38 ERA, followed by two hurlers who did not start the year in their current roles: Hal Newhouser (7-3, 2.91) has been brilliant since his recall and Gene Conley (10-2, 3.27) was just too good to leave in the bullpen. Mike Henneman leads the WBL in saves with 27, and John Hiller has been quite effective getting the ball to him.
Solid.
#Miami Cuban Giants
José Canseco has been brilliant: leading the team in all 3 slash categories at 289/358/530 for an OPS just shy of .900 and a team-high 25 homeruns and 61 RBIs.
Beyond that … Gary Sheffield has shown some signs of life lately, and Will Clark is second on the team in both HR (17) and RBI (56). 2B Pete Runnels has done well since being picked up from Memphis, And … hey, have I mentioned José Canseco?
There are some other storylines here: how long can Martín Dihigo‘s defense–stunning as it is–preserve a roster spot for the eighteen year old who is slashing 169/210/208? Will Minnie Miñoso–the key acquisition over the all-star break for the Cuban Giants–get a chance to prove himself?
Camilo Pascual leads the staff in victories with 6, but also in losses with 10. Several pitchers have shown flashes of promise–Roenis Elías, Phenomenal Smith, José Méndez–but none have lasted. Closer Aroldis Chapman (18 saves and a 2.32 ERA) has been excellent, as has Ed Bauta (10 holds, 2.12 ERA).
And there’s always Canseco …
Projected Starters
Detroit listed first.
Gene Conley (10-2, 3.27) @ Roenis Elías (4-3, 4.97) Si Johnson (4-6, 4.85) @ Rube Waddell (3-6, 4.20) Hal Newhouser (7-3, 2.91) @ Eustaquio Pedroso (6-5, 5.73) Johnny Marcum (10-2, 3.38) @ Camilo Pascual (6-10, 4.06)
Prediction
3-1 Detroit. It would be fun if Miami made it a series.
Ty Cobb tied the league record with 5 hits, leading the Wolverines to a 6-2 win over the New York Gothams. Detroit was actually pretty wasteful in the game, leaving a whopping 15 runners on base. Ed Bailey and George Davis had 3 hits each, with Bailey also driving in 3.
#New York Gothams
Christy Mathewson moved to 11-6 on the year with 7 strikeouts in just over 6 strong innings as the Gothams beat the Wolverines, 4-2. Carson Smith got New York out of a jam in the 7th, and Brian Wilson picked up his 19th save, despite allowing 2 baserunners in the 9th.
#Memphis Red Sox
A solo shot by Reggie Smith in the bottom of the 8th put the Red Sox on top, 2-1 over Homestead. Stubby Overmire put in his best start since arriving in Memphis, but the victory went to Norwood Gibson, with Jonathan Papelbon picking up the save.
#Los Angeles Angels
Doc Gooden and Mike Smith combined on a 4-hit shutout as the Angels triumphed over Ottawa, 7-0. Gooden improved to 4-7 on the year, striking out 6 in 6 1/3 innings. Bobby Grich and Steve Garvey had 3 hits each for Los Angeles.
#Wandering House of David
CC Sabathia evened his record at 9-9 with a strong showing to lead the House of David to an 8-3 win over Cleveland. Ryne Sandberg drove in 4 runs in the game.
Things are tightening up around the league, with the most shocking news being that the New York Black Yankees are now in 2nd place in the Effa Manley Division, 1.5 games behind the Cleveland Spiders.
Thought it might be interesting to take a look at some of the less important stats going on the WBL.
Sacrifice Hits are a big deal for some WBL teams, and 5 players are tied for the league lead with 12 each. They tend to make sense–players like Detroit’s George Davis or Baltimore’s Dan McGann. But then two names jump out: Chicago’s Duffy Lewis and the New York Black Yankees’ Lou Gehrig (Lewis has 12, Gehrig 10). What are those teams thinking? These are elite sluggers who are being told to “just move the runner over” far too often.
Wade Boggs of the Memphis Red Sox leads the WBL in GiDP, with 17, followed by Gil Hodges (Portland) and Ken Singleton (Baltimore) with 14. That all feels appropriate, although Willie Mays (New York Gothams) being next with 13 seems a little off.
Speaking of Mays, he leads all OFers with 14–FOURTEEN–OF assists. Ken Griffey, Jr–despite spending significant time in the minors for the Ottawa Mounties–is second with 12.
On the mound, let’s take a look at Meltdowns and Shutdowns, and specifically the mystery of the Kansas City Monarch‘s Trevor Rosenthal, who has 9 of the former and 10 of the latter. Roger Clemens, now of the Houston Colt 45’s, has allowed the most stolen bases in the league, as 30 players have successfully swiped bases against the Rocket.
Performance
Batters
Usual stuff: top 2 in various stats (plus all 1.000+ OPS), league leader in bold.
It’s still a widely diverse list, and it’s still dominated by Babe Ruth. The San Francisco Sea Lions‘ Reggie Jackson has fallen from leading the league in all 3 categories to “only” leading in OBP.
Dick Allen (CAG). 296/365/550. 9 3B. Ron Blomberg (CLE). 328/403/621. Rico Carty (PHI). 295/364/481. 31 2B. Eddie Collins (CAG). 307/408/530. 4.0 WAR. Ty Cobb (DET). 341/385/532. Mike Epstein (HOM). 337/443/523. Mike Fiore (CAG). 245/400/391. 65 BB. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 258/388/348. 63 BB, 61 SB. Kent Hrbek (POR). 309/376/599. 26 HR. Joe Jackson (CAG). 331/412/583. 68 R. Reggie Jackson (SFS). 338/448/618. Stan Musial (KAN). 333/392/595. 111 H, 30 2B. Doug Rader (LAA). 318/371/535. 85 RBI. Tim Raines (OTT). 300/378/457. 65 SB. Babe Ruth (NYY). 311/418/664. 29 HR, 87 RBI, 69 R, 4.9 WAR. Louis Santop (CLE). 316/351/470. 8 3B. Frank Thomas (CAG). 328/433/575. Mike Trout (LAA). 322/396/466. 108 H.
Starting Pitchers
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-3, 3.66. 128 IP. Ray Collins (PHI). 7-6, 3.96. 127.1 IP. Ned Garvin (BAL). 7-3, 2.82. 1.13 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 8-6, 3.96. 128 K. Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-8, 4.32. 127 K. Dennis Martínez (BAL). 8-5, 3.23. Alejandro Peña (BBB). 8-6, 3.81. 3.4 WAR. Red Ruffing (NYY). 10-3. 3.63. Cy Young (CLE). 8-4, 3.48. 1.14 WHIP, 3.4 WAR.
Relievers
25 IP for rate stats.
Tommy Hanson (BRK). 0-0, 3.16. 0.86 WHIP. Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.96. 22 Sv. Ken Howell (SFS). 3-3, 1.23. Chuck Porter (CLE). 4-3, 2.16. 0.84 WHIP. Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-2, 2.42. 15 H. Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-1, 3.44. 11 H. Johan Santana (POR). 1-1, 2.78. 23 Sv. Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.37.
Streaks
Hank Aaron has an 18 game hitting streak, the only active streak that makes the league leaders. Aaron has hit homeruns in his last 3 games, as has Babe Ruth, but the leader in that category, surprisingly, is the Brooklyn Royal Giant‘s Beals Becker, who has gone deep in 5 consecutive games.
That gives Becker a stunning 1.300 SLG over those 5 games. Carlos Delgado, on fire since his trade to LA, is hitting .542 over his last 6 games.
A sacrifice fly by Jimmy Collins in the top of the 2nd opened the scoring, and a 2-run HR from Tony Phillips in the top of the 5th made it 3-0.
But Detroit’s Si Johnson didn’t make it out of the bottom of the frame, giving way to Justin Verlander with the bases loaded and no outs. Verlander fanned 2, escaping the danger with no runs scoring, on his way to delivering 3 innings of 1-hit relief, fanning 3.
An Arky Vaughan error plated the 4th run, followed by an RBI single from George Davis, putting the Wolverines up 5-0 heading to the bottom of the 8th.
A Chief Wilson homerun ended the shutout, but Detroit would add one more run on a Ty Cobb triple and Hank Greenberg double in the top of the 9th, making it 6-1.
The Grays would not go without at least a semblance of a fight, with a Roberto Clemente pinch-hit homerun closing the gap to 6-3 and forcing Detroit to turn to its closer, Mike Henneman. Henneman would hit Andrew McCutcheon and give up a triple to Andy Van Slyke and an RBI single to Rick Reichardt (who finished with 3 hits), but would preserve the victory, 6-5.
DET 6 (Verlander 5-2; Henneman 20 Sv) @ HOM 5 (Hamilton 1-3) HRs: DET – Phillips (6); HOM – Wilson (3), Clemente (10) Box Score
#Game Two: Gene Conley @ Francisco Liriano
This one was a pitcher’s duel early, with Gene Conley showing why Detroit moved him from the bullpen into the rotation, fanning 5 of the first 6 batters he faced. Francisco Liriano matched him frame for frame, and the game was scoreless going into the bottom of the 6th. Roberto Clemente led off the inning with a triple and scored on Mike Epstein‘s single to right to give Homestead a 1-0 lead.
Detroit would tie it up in the top of the 7th when Ernie Lombardi singled home Ty Cobb, who had doubled with 1 out.
Conley was sent back out for the bottom of the 7th, and Honus Wagner greeted him with a long shot to left-center field for his 8th homerun of the year and a 2-1 Grays lead.
Josh Lindblom relieved Liriano and retired the side in order, including pinch-hitters Oscar Gamble and Hank Greenberg. Those moves led to Detroit forfeiting the DH for the rest of the game.
Homestead added to their lead with RBI’s from Andy Van Slyke and Wagner, and then tried to seal the game with a 2-run shot from Arky Vaughan which sent them to the bottom of the inning leading 6-1.
Bob Bailey walked and Cobb followed with an infield single, bringing in Michael Jackson, who was greeted by Chili Davis‘ 13th homerun of the year to make it a 2-run game, 6-4. Jackson hit Lombardi, but whiffed George Davis before Geoff Jenkins doubled, putting runners at 2nd and 3rd. Greg Brock–pinch-hitting for the pitcher’s spot–struck out, bringing up Greenberg as the winning run.
The ball was sent deep to left, but not deep enough, and Homestead evened the series at 1 game apiece.
DET 4 (Conley 8-2) @ HOM 6 (Liriano 4-3; Lindblom 6 H) HRs: DET – C. Davis (13); HOM – Wagner (8), Johnson (8). Box Score
#Game 3: Hal Newhouser @ Vean Gregg
This one could be the best pitching matchup of the series, with Detroit’s Hal Newhouser facing Homestead’s Vean Gregg.
Detroit would strike first on a 2-run homerun by Geoff Jenkins in the top of the 2nd. But Newhouser wasn’t especially sharp, and Homestead scored once in the 2nd and once in the 3rd to tie it up. The first run was driven in by Pops Stargell, the second by Rick Reichardt.
But it’s not like Gregg was was shutting them down, and Detroit started off the 4th with a single by Oscar Gamble and consecutive doubles from Jenkins and Ed Baily, giving the Wolverines a 4-2 lead. Sparky Adams would add an RBI single, and a walk to Tony Phillips and double from Ty Cobb would chase Gregg from the game with Detroit up, 6-2.
Bob Friend relieved Gregg, fanning Hank Greenberg and Chili Davis to get out of the inning without any further damage being done.
Honus Wagner doubled to right in the bottom of the frame, scoring Stargell from 1st–which is quite a sight as Pops rounded third, huffing and puffing. But Newhouser settled a little, allowing only the single run, keeping the lead at 6-3.
Newhouser wouldn’t get through the 5th, as Reichardt and Josh Gibson opened the inning with singles. Doyle Alexander relieved Prince Hal, and induced a double play, but then gave up a 2-run shot into the left field bleachers from Davey Johnson, making it a 1-run game at 6-5. In the next inning, Alexander would balk home the tying run.
Wagner would give the Grays the lead in the bottom of the 7th, doubling in a run with a shot down the left field line off Kevin Hart.
Detroit would empty the bench in an attempt to tie it in the top of the 8th. Jenkins led off with a single, and George Davis pinch-ran for him. Ernie Lombardi and Bob Bailey–both pinch-hitting–delivered singles, loading the bases with no outs and chasing Billy Pierce from the game.
Adams greeted Frank Linzy with a sacrifice fly to LF to tie the game, and Phillips followed with a double, scoring Lombardi and Bailey. Phillips was injured on the play and will miss a few weeks. That brought Detroit’s final bench player, Greg Brock, to the field, which will make their defensive arrangement interesting, to say the least.
Greenberg ended up at 3B for the final 2 innings, and Mike Henneman was able to shut the door, earning the save in a hard-fought win for Detroit.
Phillips was put on the Disabled List following the game, with Robby Thompson being recalled to the WBL.
DET 9 (Hart 2-3; Henneman 21 Sv) @ HOM 7 (Pierce 0-2; Linzy 1 BSv) HRs: DET – Jenkins (6); HOM – Johnson (9). Box Score
#Game 4: Johnny Marcum @ Stan Bahnsen
Detroit took the lead in the 3rd when Bob Bailey took Stan Bahnsen deep after a George Davis single for an early 2-0 lead.
Bill Mazeroski would hit the first homerun of his WBL career in the bottom of the frame off Johnny Marcum, cutting the lead in half.
Another 2-run shot, this one off the bat of Chili Davis, extended the Wolverine’s advantage to 4-1. And that seemed likely to be plenty, as Marcum was throwing well.
The Grays would cut the lead in half in the bottom of the 6th with a solo shot form Rick Reichardt. Josh Gibson and Arky Vaughan singled, chasing Marcum from the game, but Whitey Wilshere would escape without further damage.
Mike Henneman came in to close the game in the bottom of the 9th, but surrendered back-to-back doubles to pinch-hitter Chief Wilson and Andrew McCutcheon, pulling the Grays within 1 run. A deep fly to center moved McCutcheon to third, and Henneman plunked Reichardt to put the winning run on first. Tom Brown ran for Reichardt, giving Homestead some speed on the basepaths. Josh Gibson doubled, tying the game, and bringing Vaughan up with the winning run 90 feet away.
Vaughan walked, loading the bases somewhat inconsequentially, and bringing up Pops Stargell. Henneman tried to work the veteran inside, and got too far inside, plunking Stargell to drive in the winning run.
DET 4 (Henneman 1-4, 3 BSv; Wilshire 1 H; Verlander 3 H) @ HOM 5 (Zambrano 2-5) HRs: DET – Bailey (15), Davis (14); HOM – Mazeroski (1), Reichardt (12). Box Score
Series Review
A surprising split–certainly encouraging for Homestead, but a missed opportunity for Detroit, locked in a dogfight with the Gothams for the lead in the Bill James Division.
For Detroit, Ty Cobb was 7-for-19, but did most of his damage in the first 2 games. Oscar Gamble had 6 hits and Geoff Jenkins and Ernie Lombardi each went 4-for-9 in the 3 games they played.
Homestead was led by Rick Reichardt, who went 7-for-13. Andrew McCutcheon, Honus Wagner, Arky Vaughan, and Davey Johnson each had 5 hits.
Only 1 game behind in the Bill James Division, the Wolverines are still right in the hunt for the postseason.
What’s Gone Right
Power. Five batters have reached double-digits in homeruns, led by Hank Greenberg with 15 (the others are Bob Bailey, Ty Cobb, Oscar Gamble, and Chili Davis).
The Bullpen. Mike Henneman has 15 saves, but the real bullpen strength has been in the trio of Matt Anderson, Buddy Napier, and Gene Conley (who is a remarkable 7-1 out of the pen).
The Outfield. The trio of Gamble, Davis, and Cobb has been excellent, with Gamble leading the team in homeruns and RBIs.
What’s Gone Wrong
Half the Bailey Boys. Bob Bailey has held up his end of the deal, but Ed Bailey has been little more than adequate behind the plate, an issue magnified by Bill Carrigan’s injury.
The Middle Infield. That’s a little unfair: veteran Tony Phillips has been solid, usually at 2B. But the rest–George Davis at SS, Jimmy Collins at 3B, and Sparky Adams all over the place–have struggled.
The Back of the Rotation. Whitey Wilshire–expected to be one of their top starters–has just about pitched his way out of the rotation, and Si Johnson has been only a shade better.
Key Storylines
Can a team this top heavy and without a star pitcher make it to the end?
There are three intriguing questions on the mound for Detroit: two are whether Matt Anderson and Hal Newhouser can continue their success and the third is if Justin Verlander–who has been occasionally brilliant and often quite poor–can turn it around.
Cobb looks like the real deal–or as much as the real deal as a 20 year old can. So the real questions are some of the other contributors–especially Bob Bailey and the surprising–and currently injured–C Carrigan.
Trading Outlook
BUYING.
But there just isn’t a lot to sell. Maybe veteran minor leaguer Cecil Fielder?
AAA Shuttle
They’ve only really used it on the mound, with mixed results. Napier and Anderson have been excellent, but their efforts at finding starting pitchers have been far less successful.
Midseason Changes
Wilshire moves to the bullpen, and Conley gets a chance to see if he can win some more games as a starter.
Awards
All Stars: Bob Bailey (DH); Hank Greenberg (1B); Mike Henneman (P).
Pitcher of the Month: Johnny Marcum (May) Player of the Week: Hank Greenberg (4/24)
Offensive MVP: Hank Greenberg (1B) Pitching MVP: Hal Newhouser (SP)
Down on the Farm
AAA: Toronto Maple Leafs
Next to the Show: 1B Cecil Fielder, OF Ron LeFlore, 2B Robby Thompson, RP Jamie Walker.
Prospects: Al Kaline (20). George Mullin (22).
Projects: SP Mickey Lolich (26).
Suspects: OF Wes Covington (32), C Ramón Cabrera (25), IF Rob Picciolo (31), SS Damion Easley (27).
AA: Fort Wayne Daisies
Prospects: 3B Billy Nash (19), 2B Jorge Orta (22). SS Donie Bush (20), SS Ray Chapman (22).
Projects: P Jeremy Sowers (24), OF Johnny Jeter (25), 2B Charlie Gehringer (24), RP Willie Hernández (31), RP Alex Wilson (29).
Suspects: CF Herm Winningham (28), C Johnny Gooch (30), RP Brandon League (22).
Four Detroit pitchers combined to allow 6 hits and 1 run while striking out 10 as the Wolverines beat Los Angeles 5-1. Matt Anderson got his first win of the year, striking out 6 of the 9 batters he faced, and John Hiller picked up his first save. Chili Davis hit 2 homeruns, giving him 10 on the season.
The Wolverines scored 16 runs on 15 hits (Los Angeles pitchers allowed a stunning 14 walks) in a 16-5 drubbing of the Angels. Bob Bailey drove in 4 and Tony Phillips and George Davis each had 3 hits to lead the way.
Jimmy Collins hit a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the 9th, leading the Wolverines to a 3-2 victory over Los Angeles. The win went to Buddy Napier in relief of an excellent Si Johnson, who allowed only 4 hits and 2 runs through 7.
#Los Angeles Angels
Needing a fresh arm, the Angels sent Sid Fernandez to AAA, bringing Doc Gooden back up to the WBL for a start. It went better than could have been expected, with Gooden turning in his best performance of the year, allowing Detroit only 3 hits and 1 run through 6.2 innings in a game the Angels would eventually lose.
Gerrit Cole keeps doing just enough–despite giving up 5 walks and 6 hits in 6 innings, Cole became the WBL’s first 9 game winner, moving to 9-3 on the year in a 6-3 victory over Detroit. Francisco Rodriguez and Jeurys Familia combined for a hitless 3 innings of relief, and George Wright had 3 hits while Mike Trout and Doug Rader added 2 RBIs each in the victory.
#Memphis Red Sox
Joe Beggs gave up his first runs of the year, surrendering a 2-run homer to Philadelphia’s Scott Rolen in the bottom of the ninth, but it didn’t really matter, as 5 RBI’s from Wade Boggs (including a grand slam) powered Memphis to the 9-6 victory. Reggie Smith scored three times and Heath Bell got the win with 2.1 innings of perfect relief.
#Wandering House of David
Frank Sullivan and 2 relievers combined to allow only 4 hits in a 4-1 victory over the Gothams. Mark Grace went 3-for-5 with his 3rd homerun of the year, and George Stone also went deep for the 12th time on the season.
The House of David released Joakim Soria to make room for Scott Downs on the staff, and finally gave up on Sammy Sosa for the time being, sending the OF to AAA as Pete Browning was again welcomed back from the DL.
