Tag: Hal Newhouser Page 4 of 6

Series XXVIII Best Games

On March 9, 2023

Four games this time out, without a clear theme, so we’ll just take them in the order they happened.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants @ Wandering House of David, Game 1

Brooklyn’s Frank Knauss and the House of David’s Bob Rush came into this one as two of the hottest arms in the league … so naturally, they lasted under 5 innings combined, giving up 7 runs each. Brooklyn got a 2-run homerun from Beals Becker and a 2-run hit from Pete Browning en route to its touchdown while the House of David benefitted from a 3-run shot from Elrod Hendricks and a 2-run blast from Duke Snider.

Brooklyn’s John Briggs homered in the top of the 5th for an 8-7 lead for Brooklyn, but the House of David came back with 5 in the bottom of the 8th, keyed by Ernie Banks‘ 3-run shot and a solo shot from Joe Harris in his first WBL start. That made it 12-8 and set the stage for an entertaining 9th inning.

2 singles and a walk loaded the bases and brought in the House of David’s closer, Bruce Sutter. Sutter was off, giving up hits to Becker and Roy White, but escaped by getting the final 2 outs with the bases loaded.

Ed Bauta got rocked in his debut for the House of David and Trevor Hildenberger‘s collapse overshadowed good work by Brooklyn’s Ralph Branca and Orel Hershiser, who combined for 6 innings of 1-hit relief.

Briggs had 4 hits and scored 4 times while Ray Dandridge and Becker had 3 hits each, with Becker driving in 4. For the House of David, Banks had 3 hits and everybody else had at least one in a balanced onslaught.

BRK 11 (Hildenberger 3-1, 1 B Sv) @ HOD 12 (Downs 2-1, Sutter 16 Sv)
HRs: BRK – Becker (17), Snider (25), Briggs (3); HOD – Hendricks (27), Harris (1), Banks (19).
Box Score

#Indianapolis ABC’s @ Homestead Grays, Game 1

Indianapolis’ Doc White has wobbled a little since being inserted into the rotation, but here he was brilliant, with a 4-hit shutout through 8 innings. Surprisingly, though, Homestead’s pitching was nearly matching them: Bob Friend gave up only a single unearned run through 6 innings–a solo homerun by Joey Votto after a dropped foul ball–and the duo of Dave Giusti and Rick Ownbey–fantastic since their joint recall from AAA–chipped in with 5 innings of 2-hit relief.

Which, for those of you paying attention, means we went into extra innings.

A walk to Josh Gibson in the top of the 9th chased White from the game. Rob Dibble came in, walked Davey Johnson, and gave up a game-tying double to Roberto Clemente to tie the game.

And that’s where we stayed until the top of the 12th, when Ownbey gave up a single to Danny Hoffman and a pinch-hit, inside-the-park-homerun to Bob Bescher. Clay Carroll was perfect through 2 1/3, picking up the victory for the ABC’s.

Andy Van Slyke went 2-for-5, keeping his average above the .400 mark.

IND 3 (Carroll 2-3; Dibble 4 B Sv) @ HOM 1 (Lindblom 2-5)
HRs: IND – Votto (4), Bescher (13); HOM – none.
Box Score

#Houston Colt 45’s @ Detroit Wolverines, Game 3

Detroit’s Hal Newhouser and Houston’s Bones Ely were both strong. Ely had a 1-hit shutout through 6, but 6 walks drove his pitch count way up, chasing him from the game while Newhouser allowed 2 runs over the same span on RBI singles by Tony Gwynn and Jeff Bagwell before exiting.

2 homeruns in the 8th put Detroit in front: a 3-run shot from Oscar Gamble and a 2-run dinger from Ernie Lombardi. Both came against Houston’s Brad Lidge who had, until this outing, looked better in his return to the WBL.

The Colt 45’s made it close: with 2 outs, Craig Biggio singled and Bagwell walked, bringing Pete Hill–recently and somewhat controversially installed as the cleanup hitter–to the plate. Hill promptly tripled, making it a 1 run game at 5-4, but John Hiller was able to get Gwynn to ground out weakly to end the game.

HOU 4 (Lidge 1-5, 3 B Sv; McGraw 3 H; Qualls 1 H) @ DET 5 (Bradford 1-0; Hiller 2 Sv; Napier 7 H)
HRs: HOU – none; Gamble (22), Lombardi (3).
Box Score

#Birmingham Black Barons @ Ottawa Mounties, Game 4

Birmingham just keeps rolling. This game is illustrative of their sweep of Ottawa: here, the Mounties’ Bob Moose was excellent in his first start for the team, allowing only 1 earned run through 7 innings. Birmingham’s Vic Willis was solid, and each team had fielding miscues that contributed to runs, but we ended the 7th with Ottawa leading, 5-3, with Ottawa’s Roy Sievers and Birmingham’s Jim Pagliaroni going deep.

The Black Barons tied the game in the top of the 8th on a 2 run homerun by Curtis Granderson. And it stayed that way for another 5 innings, until Troy Tulowitzki doubled home 2 runs in the top of the 13th.

Scott Baker, Larry Benton, Steve Bedrosian, and Kent Mercker combined for 7 innings of 2-hit relief and the two staffs combined to whiff 27 batters combined, with Ottawa’s Ryan Dempter fanning 5 of the 7 batters he faced.

The Mounties’ Larry Parrish had 3 hits in the losing cause.

BBB 7 (Bedrosian 3-1; Mercker 2 Sv) @ OTT 5 (Clancy 5-6; Affeldt 1 B Sv; Dubiel 1 H) [13 Innings]
HRs: BBB – Pagliaroni (1), Granderson (14); OTT – Sievers (6).
Box Score

Series XXVII Featured Matchup: Detroit Wolverines @ Miami Cuban Giants

By mknn

On February 24, 2023

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

Game 1: Gene Conley @ Roenis Elias

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

Series XXVII Preview: Detroit Wolverines @ Miami Cuban Giants

By mknn

On February 21, 2023

In Featured Series, Series Previews

Two teams going in two different directions: Detroit (who we saw in Series XXI and Series IV) and Miami (Series XXII and Series XI).

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.

TWIWBL 33.1: Series XXVI Notes – Bill James Division

By mknn

On February 15, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Detroit Wolverines

Hal Newhouser improved to 7-3 with a strong start (6.2 IP, 1 run, 8 Ks), and homeruns by Robbie Thompson and Ty Cobb drove the offense as the Wolverines beat Baltimore, 6-1.

#Los Angeles Angels

OF Wally Moon will miss a couple weeks, prompting the Angels to recall Spud Johnson from AAA.

Doug Rader had 4 hits (including a league-record tying 3 doubles) and Steve Garvey, who is hitting nearly .370 since joining the Angels, had 3, but it wasn’t enough as Gerrit Cole struggled and Los Angeles fell to the Grays, 7-5.

Rader drove in his 100th run of the season with a sacrifice fly in a 10-5 loss to Homestead. Rader finished the game with 2 hits, but it wasn’t enough.

#New York Gothams

Carson Smith, a key member of the Gothams’ dominant bullpen, will be out close to a month. With a 1.80 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP, Carson will surely be missed. Jeremy Affeldt, almost as good at AAA as Smith was in the WBL, was recalled.

Pinky Higgins had 4 hits and both scored 3 runs and drove in 3 to lead the Gothams to an 11-5 demolition of Philadelphia. Carl Furillo added 3 hits and Brandon Crawford drove in 4 for New York.

Series XXVI Best Games

By mknn

On February 10, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

In Series XXVI, we’re going to look at a game that allowed some individual storylines to play out and then two series that featured a couple of great contests each.

Portland Sea Dogs @ New York Black Yankees, Game 2

The game itself isn’t so interesting: Portland exploded for 8 runs in the top of the 5th inning, blowing it open en route to an 11-5 victory. But some of the details may have some impact on the rest of the season:

Portland’s Hal Griggs, recalled for the start, was battered, giving up all 5 runs in 3 innings of work and seeing his MLB ERA balloon over 10. The challenge is that injuries are beginning to take their toll on the Sea Dogs’ staff, and with Pascual Pérez injured later in the game, maybe Griggs sticks around? Atlee Hammaker‘s scoreless 3 plus innings of relief put him in a position to get a look as a spot starter from here on out.
Kent Hrbek had 2 hits and drove in 3, and tied New York’s Babe Ruth for the WBL homerun lead with 30. Could Ruth be surpassed?
Rogers Hornsby has, despite hitting for good power, struggled since being acquired from Kansas City. But he’s turning it around, scoring twice and driving in 2 in this game, and edging his numbers up. New York’s Tommy Herr is in a similar position, but his 3-for-4 performance here is also part of a resurgence, having found some footing with his new team.
New York’s bullpen just continues to struggle, but today actually had some decent innings, especially 2 hitless frames from Goose Gossage.

POR 11 (Hammaker 2-1) @ NYY 5 (Hoyt 8-5)
HRs: POR – Murcer (16), Hrbek (30), Hornsby (6); NYY – none.
Box Score

Baltimore Black Sox @ Detroit Wolverines, Games 1 and 3

This series was a matchup of league heavyweights and 2 of the games lived up to the billing.

In the series opener, Mike Mussina was dominant for Baltimore … until he wasn’t, and then the Black Sox’ bullpen just collapsed, with Joe Beggs, Bob Miller, and Don Bessent combining to give up 5 runs in 1.1 innings, with Miller forced onto the DL with injury (a move that effectively ends the closer-by-committee for a while).

Detroit’s pitching wasn’t much better, but Si Johnson held it together for 5 plus, and Mike Henneman is quite a weapon in the bullpen, as the WBL leader in saves picked up his 26th of the season.

Detroit hit four homeruns in the game, with Bob Bailey‘s 3 run shot in the bottom of the 8th off Bessent being the deciding moment.

BAL 6 (Miller 3-2; Bessent 3 B Sv; Beggs 5 H) @ DET 8 (Lolich 1-1; Henneman 26 Sv)
HRs: BAL – Jacobson (6), Machado (3); DET – Greenberg (20), Jenkins (8), C. Davis (17), B. Bailey (16).
Box Score

Hal Newhouser would dominate in the 2nd game, leading Detroit to a 6-1 win. The most important note from that contest was Ned Garvin‘s injury, which turned out to be disastrous, sidelining the Brock Rutherford Award favorite for close to a year. But we’re here to talk about Game 3, which pitted each team’s current ace against each other–Baltimore’s Dennis Martínez and Detroit’s Johnny Marcum.

Both were excellent through 4, but Martínez lost the game in the 5th to the most unlikely of foes: Detroit’s light hitting utility infielder, Sparky Adams, took him deep for his first longball of the year, giving the Wolverines a 3-2 lead. Each team would add one more, but again it was Henneman closing the door, despite surrendering a run on an RBI double from Bobby Wallace.

A nice, taut game.

BAL 3 (Martínez 10-7) @ DET 4 (Marcum 10-2; Henneman 27 Sv; Hiller 11 H)
HRs: BAL – none; DET – Adams (1).
Box Score

FWIW, Baltimore did win the final game to avoid the sweep.

Miami Cuban Giants @ Houston Colt 45’s, Games 1 and 4

These teams split the series, but the more interesting games were the 2 victories by the Cuban Giants.

The story of game 1, at least early on, was missed opportunities. Miami’s 2-way OF/P Eustaquio Pedroso, gave up 9 baserunners in the first 4 innings, but the Colt 45’s managed only 1 run. Pedroso was tagged with a 3-run HR from Tony Gwynn in the 5th, but the score should have been much worse than 4-0.

Meanwhile, Houston’s Stephen Strasburg was magnificent, twirling a 3 hit shutout through 7. In the 8th, Robin Yount led off with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly from Alan Ashby, chasing Strasburg from the game with a still comfortable 4-1 lead.

You can tell what’s coming.

Houston’s closer, Billy Wagner came in and gave up a game-tying 3-run moon shot to José Canseco. Miami’s bullpen was excellent, with José Méndez, Ed Bauta, and Aroldis Chapman combining for 5.2 innings of 1-hit relief. Chapman was already gassed, so after he retired a batter, the Cuban Giants turned to Braden Looper as we headed to the 12th.

In the top of the frame, Houston’s Scott Erickson could not get the final out, giving up a walk and 2 hits, the last being a 2-run single from Chris Hoiles to give Miami a 2 run lead. Looper gave up 4 hits in the bottom of the 12th, all singles, but escaped with the victory when José Cardenal gunned down George Brett at the plate to end the game.

Houston ended the game with 13 runners left on base, to Miami’s 4. Offensive efficiency matters.

Thrilling.

MCG 6 (Looper 1-0) @ HOU 5 (Gregerson 0-1; Hoffman 6 H; Wagner 6 B Sv) [12 Innings]
HRS: MCG – Canseco (25); HOU – Gwynn (6).
Box Score

The series finale was somewhat similar. Here, though, both starters had excellent outings, with Miami’s Ramón Martinez and Houston’s Toad Ramsey essentially matching efforts, each surrendering only 2 runs.

When Jim Wynn took Braden Looper deep in the 8th for a 3-2 lead for Houston, the script seemed written: Mark Melancon has been a victory vulture all year, with a 9-2 record out of the bullpen. Again, though, Trevor Hoffman and Billy Wagner were unable to hold it–this time with more dire consequences, as both pitchers left with injuries (Wagner will only miss a few days, Hoffman is looking at a trip to the DL).

The late innings were highly tactical: Miami tied it because Carlos Morán, pinch hitting for Pete Runnels, scored from 1st on a José Canseco double.

Brad Lidge, who started the year as Houston’s closer and was just recently recalled from AAA, matched Miami’s Phenomenal Smith with great relief efforts (Lidge pitched 2 perfect frames, Smith allowed a single hit in 3.1 innings), but Houston turned to Dock Ellis, highly mediocre all year, in the 12th.

It didn’t work well: Gary Sheffield doubled and, after Ellis was able to get 2 outs, Alan Ashby singled him home for the lead. Alejandro Oms pinch ran for Ashby, and scored on a single from Ryan Braun for a 5-3 lead for the Cuban Giants.

Aroldis Chapman shut the door, cementing the series split for Miami.

Hoffman’s injury opened the door for Tug McGraw to be recalled from AAA for Houston.

MCG 5 (Smith 1-1; Chapman 18 Sv) @ HOU 3 (Ellis 0-5; Hoffman 1 B Sv)
HRs: MCG – Yount (8); HOU – Wynn (14)
Box Score

TWIWBL 31.1: Series XXIV Notes – Bill James Division

By mknn

On January 18, 2023

In TWIWBL

{ Yes, this is out of order–31.2 got published before 31.1 for those keeping score at home. }

#Detroit Wolverines

Six strong innings from Hal Newhouser led Detroit to a narrow 3-2 win over Chicago. 3 hits from Ty Cobb, including his 12th homerun of the year, helped Newhouser improve to 5-3, with John Hiller earning his 10th hold and Mike Henneman his 24th save.

Whitey Wilshire will miss a couple weeks with a shoulder injury. Mickey Lolich was recalled from AAA to take Wilshire’s place, while 20 year old Al Kaline will get his first taste of the big leagues as the Wolverines sent Greg Brock to AAA.

#Los Angeles Angels

Five RBIs on two doubles and a homerun from Bobby Grich weren’t enough, as the Angels fell to the House of David.

#New York Gothams

Don Sutton, impressive since his acquisition from Brooklyn at the all-star break, replaces the struggling Sad Sam Jones in the Gothams’ rotation.

#Wandering House of David

Jack Taylor evened his record at 8-8 with 7 innings of shutout ball, combining with Scott Downs and Kerry Wood on the 5-hit shutout of Los Angeles. George Stone drove in 3 with 2 hits, including his 22nd homerun of the year and Richie Hebner went deep for the 8th time this season in the 8-0 victory.

Anthony Rizzo continues to impress: 3 hits raised his average to .340 in a 9-7 victory over Los Angeles. Rizzo is now officially the fulltime 1B, with Mark Grace being sent to AAA and Jung Ho Kang being recalled for another stint with the big league club.

Series XXI Featured Matchup: Detroit Wolverines @ Homestead Grays

By mknn

On June 30, 2022

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

#Game One: Si Johnson @ Earl Hamilton

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.

Series XXI Preview: Detroit Wolverines @ Homestead Grays

By mknn

On June 27, 2022

In Featured Series, Series Previews

This is only the 2nd featured series for the Detroit Wolverines, something that is a little unfair given they are in first place in the Bill James Division. Homestead has been featured twice before, despite languishing in last place in the Effa Manley Division, one of only two teams with a winning percentage under .400.

#Detroit Wolverines

Detroit is solid, top to bottom. They are a bit better offensively and defensively than on the mound, but they’ve earned their place atop the division. The heart and soul of the team is Oscar Gamble, who leads the group in HR (18) and RBI (63), although the trio of Hank Greenberg, Ty Cobb, and Bob Bailey have produced better numbers. Cobb is hitting .341, Baily has a .384 OBP, and Greenberg a .587 SLG. All four of them–plus OF Chili Davis–carry an OPS over .830.

The pitching staff is a work in progress, even at this stage of the season. Johnny Marcum (7-2) has been the best of the starters, but Hal Newhouser is quickly taking over as the ace of the staff. The wildcard here is Gene Conley, who was 8-1 out of the bullpen before being moved into the rotation at the all-star break. Mike Henneman has been spectacular as the closer, with 19 saves. There are a few pitchers–Justin Verlander, Kevin Hart, Buddy Napier–who have shown moments of greatness. If any of them take a big step forward, it could make all the difference for the Wolverines.

Detroit only made one move at the all-star break, bringing in Ernie Lombardi to platoon with Ed Bailey behind the plate. Lombardi has only played in 4 games for the Wolverines, with 1 HR.

#Homestead Grays

The Grays can hit a little, but they can’t pitch at all, ranking dead last in the league in runs against and starters’ ERA, and 19th out of 20 in bullpen ERA. It’s not pretty.

Vean Gregg (7-6, 3.95) has easily been the most reliable starter. Beyond that … Earl Hamilton, Stan Banhnsen, and Francisco Liriano have shown flashes of goodness, but none have managed an ERA under 4.60. The less said about the bullpen, the better.

Mike Epstein (335/439/530) and Josh Gibson (304/390/464) were both all-stars, and deservedly so. And, the OF trio of Roberto Clemente, Rick Reichardt, and Andrew McCutcheon have been solid. Add in Pops Stargell‘s 14 HRs and the occasional promise showed by Honus Wagner, and the Grays score enough to be a .500 team, which would be a huge improvement from their current state.

#Series Matchups

Detroit starter listed first

Si Johnson (3-4, 4.48) @ Earl Hamilton (1-2, 4.65)
Gene Conley (8-1, 3.59) @ Francisco Liriano (3-3, 5.08)
Hal Newhouser (4-3, 2.83) @ Vean Gregg (7-6, 3.95)
Johnny Marcum (7-2, 3.77) @ Stan Bahnsen (3-2, 4.64)

#Prediction

I mean … Detroit is just so much better, and the matchups line up well for them as well. I’m going to go ahead and predict a sweep for the Wolverines, prolonging the Grays’ misery.

TWIWBL 24.5: Mid-Seasons Review – Detroit Wolverines

By mknn

On February 25, 2022

In Team News, TWIWBL

Summary

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).

TWIWBL Special Edition: All Star Preview II – NL Starting Pitchers

By mknn

On September 26, 2021

In All Star Games

{ With under three weeks until the All Star Teams are announced, we’re looking at what’s changed since our original previews. }

Initial preview here, selecting Walter Johnson (Portland), Don Drysedale (Brooklyn), Camilo Pascual (Miami), Ron Guidry (New York Black Yankees), and Cy Young (Cleveland).

Johnson (6-1, 3.58 ERA), Drysedale (4-2, 2.71 ERA, which leads the league), and Guidry (5-4, 3.23 ERA) remain obvious choices, and while Young has fallen off a bit, Pascual, at 4-4 with a 3.19 ERA for a truly poor Miami team is likely still to make it.

That leaves one slot, with San Francisco’s Lefty Grove (5-2, 3.23 ERA) and Philadelphia’s Ray Collins (6-2, 3.20 ERA) as the likely candidates, although a case still could be made for Young (4-2, 3.82 ERA, 1.25 WHIP).

In addition to the 3 shoo-ins, the AI picks Collins, Grove, and Pascual along with Brooklyn’s Frank Knauss and San Francisco’s Diego Segui. Knauss has certainly pitched well, but he’s only made 6 starts, and while he’s gone 4-2 with a 2.76 ERA, it’s just not enough yet to merit consideration. Segui has seen even fewer innings and, again, while a 2.36 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP are impressive, you have to be putting up Hal Newhouser numbers to make the all star team as a starter with that few innings.

So we’ll go with Walter Johnson as the starter (although he needs to win another game someday: Johnson has 2 no-decisions and 1 loss in his last 3 starts), along with Drysedale, Guidry, Grove, and Collins.