Tag: Herman Long Page 1 of 2

TWIWBL 67.2 Spotlight on the Birmingham Black Barons

On October 9, 2024

Ouch.

The Black Barons were the darlings of the league last season, using a late season charge to edge into the playoffs. They were masters of the in-season trade periods, and then claimed to won the off-season as well, trading ace Andy Pettitte (because they had a surplus of arms) to add some power in the form of Albert Belle.

And nothing has worked since as Birmingham has plummeted towards a WBL worst record.

Birmingham inherits players from all the Braves (Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta).

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

Sitting 13 games behind in the Marvin Miller Division, anything that brought them within shouting distance of .500 would be a miracle. For some, this year is proof that last year was a mirage, for others, this year is just a long parade of poor fortune: how far the Black Barons recover will help the final evaluation of which is more accurate.

THE OFFENSE

Birmingham’s weakness last year was a total lack of power. They’ve addressed that with 6 players in double digits, led by Hank Aaron with 19 and Curtis Granderson and Eddie Mathews with 17 each. But everything else has plummeted: both Granderson and Mathews are hitting below .200, only 3 players have OBPs over .350.

#What’s Going Right

Jim Pagliaroni has blossomed into one of the better offensive catchers in the league, at least over the first few months, leading Birmingham in OPS at .927, powered by 14 dingers. Aaron is sporting an OPS just over .900, leading the team in runs and RBI’s as well. Mathews has seized the 3B spot, and Bob Nieman continues to be a solid contributor in the OF.

Then, at a lower pitch, JP Arencibia–while he’s fallen off significantly from his blistering start–is still hitting with a ton of power; Cupid Childs is getting on base at a good clip at the top of the order, and Belle, while currently mired in a bit of a slump, has produced some power, with 14 homeruns of his own.

#What’s Not Going Right

It’s homers or nothing for this team: only Nieman, Childs, Herman Long, and Aaron are in double digits in doubles, and there are some very odd distributions elsewhere (Pagliaroni has 1 double, Mathews 4, and Granderson 2 despite all having at least 14 homers).

Only two players (Aaron and Troy Tulowitzki, who has supplanted Long at SS) are hitting over .260.

Adrián González has seen his role reduced essentially to a platoon at 1B with Arencibia.

The team does not run well, with Childs having a whopping 15 CS to go along with 17 steals.

THE PITCHING

There are a few bright spots here, but, overall, more disappointments than pleasant surprises.

#What’s Going Right

Greg Maddux (5-5, 4.97) and Alejandro Peña (2-4, 5.23) have both pitched better than their ERA’s might suggest, and both continue to show front of rotation ability. They’ve been joined by Jim Whitney (1-1, 2.41), who has been a fantastic surprise, forcing his way into the rotation.

Harley Young (1-0, 1.80, 1 Sv, 3 H) seems to have made a full recovery from injury, and is pushing himself into the conversation at closer. Some other arms–notably Charlie Morton and John Malarkey–have done well in limited appearances.

#What’s Not Going Right

Lefty Gomez (3-6, 5.80) and Sam Streeter (1-7, 5.80–yes they both have the same poor ERA), who looked strong coming out of Spring Training, have struggled, and are in danger of losing their rotation spots.

Juan Ríncón has 6 saves, but he and Bruce Chen have both been hit very hard. Those two, along with Young, were a key trio in last year’s success, and the weakening of the back end of the bullpen has certainly been noticeable.

None of the other young talent on the mound–most notably Vic Willis, Warren Spahn, and Frank Viola–have come through.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

The future does look bright, with 7 prospects listed in the WBL top 50 in OFs Jess Barbour and Curt Flood, IF Marcus Giles and Trea Turner, C Joe Torre, and Ps Rube Melton and Alex Malloy. There’s a fair bit of talent off the WBL rankings radar as well, from P Steve Avery to the power of Nate Colbert and Gary Matthews to the OF skills of Ron Fairly, Melky Cabrera, and José Cruz.

So there are some options.

Of that group, Melton, Torre and Fairly are doing well at AAA while Flood is struggling a bit at that level.

WHAT’S NEEDED

Birmingham is underperforming, winning 2 fewer games than their runs scored/runs allowed numbers would indicate. But that’s only 2 games. So there are some deep underlying needs.

Most of all, the offense needs to become more than a threat of solo homeruns, which are just not enough to carry the team. The bullpen needs to settle, which may require some roster movement if Rincón and Chen can’t recover their form.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

How will some key pieces for last season–Pettitte, Rincón, Adrián González, Cupid Childs, Jim Pagliaroni–perform over the course of a full year? Overall, the answers here revealing: Pettitte is gone, Rincón and González are struggling, Childs is doing OK, and of that group, only Pagliaroni is excelling.
With Andy Pettitte traded, how does the rotation respond and does Albert Belle perform at a level that makes it worthwhile? Meh. The rotation has not really responded, and the Black Barons certainly feel the lack of a clear ace at the front of the rotation. Belle has hit a slump, but is still contributing with power. Meh.
Who will fill out the roster? Still a bit of a concern, although Arencibia’s ultra hot start was a great plus and Andy Pafko has been quite solid.

FEATURED SERIES

The Black Barons start the week with 3 games in Pittsburgh to take on Homestead and since we just talked about the Grays, it seemed like a good focus series.

Projected Starters

Birmingham starter listed first.

Jim Whitney (1-1, 2.41) @ Bob Friend (3-2, 4.75)
Alejandro Peña (2-4, 5.23) @ Doug Drabek (2-1, 3.50)
Greg Maddux (5-5, 4.97) @ Francisco Liriano (3-5, 5.12)

Game One

With Bob Friend still fatigued, Homestead went with Ray Brown. Jim Whitney struggled early, giving up 4 runs in the bottom of the first including back to back longballs to Rick Reichardt and Willie Stargell.

And then the rains came …

After the tarps were on, the game was called, to be completed the following day with the Grays up 4-0, and guaranteeing impact on the two team’s bullpens.

The following day, Fred Fussell would take the ball for Birmingham for the bottom of the 3rd while Brickyard Kennedy took over for Homestead in the top of the 4th. Whitney stayed in the game as the DH, and doubled in the 5th, scoring on a homerun from Herman Long that closed the game to 4-2.

That was effectively it as the bullpens were excellent. The Grays would add one more run as Birmingham was held to 5 hits on the day.

BBB 2 (Whitney 1-2) @ HOM 5 (Kennedy 3-0; Lindblom 16 Sv; Lee 3 H; Jackson 8 H)
HRs: BBB – Long (4); HOM- Stargell (18), Reichardt (20).
Box Score

Game Two

Homestead’s Bob Friend gets his chance here, facing off against Alejandro Peña.

The game was scoreless until the top of the 5th when a double by Albert Belle drove in Curtis Granderson. After a walk to Gene Tenace, Troy Tulowitzki hit his first homer of the season, and it was 4-0 Birmingham, with Peña yet to allow a hit.

Nap Lajoie broke up the no-no in the bottom of the frame, but that was all the drama for a while–Belle and Cupid Childs went deep, and the Black Barons were sailing along 7-0 until Roberto Clemente touched Peña for a long 3 run shot in the bottom of the 7th.

The Grays made it close enough for Juan Ríncón to earn a save, but that was it as the Black Barons evened up the series.

BBB 8 (Peña 3-4; Rincón 7) @ HOM 5 (Friend 3-3)
HRs: BBB – Tulowitzki (1), Belle (15), Childs (2); HOM – Clemente (6).
Box Score

Game Three

An intriguing pitching matchup: Greg Maddux seems perpetually on the verge of becoming a front of the rotation guy for Birmingham, while Doug Drabek is trying to solidify a claim to a rotation spot for the Grays.

Both hurlers were good through three, and then the wheels fell off. Birmingham exploded for 7 runs in the top of the 4th, led by homeruns from Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, and JP Arencibia; but Maddux collapsed as well, allowing 7 runs to Homestead in the bottom of the frame.

So, tied until Mathews went deep for the 2nd time in the following inning, and Herman Long added a 2 run shot to give Birmingham a 10-7 lead. They added 2 more in the top of the 8th, making it 12-8 and then survived Stargell’s second of the game as Juan Ríncón closed it out for a 12-11 victory.

Cupid Childs had 4 hits and 3 doubles in the victory and Long and Arencibia drove in 3 each.

BBB 12 (Malarkey 2-1; Rincón 9 Sv) @ HOM 11 (Pierce 4-4)
HRs: BBB – Aaron (20), Mathews 2 (19), Arencibia (6), Long (5); HOM – Stargell 2 (20).
Box Score

A series win is a series win, and this one showed the offense doing more for sure. But there is something a bit unconvincing in the bullpen–especially when called upon in the middle of the game, and the questions remain.

TWIWBL 61.5: Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On June 14, 2024

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Bill Phyle‘s time at with the big league club was minimal, as Steve Bedrosian‘s return from the DL sent Phyle back to AAA. Harley Young began a rehab assignment, signaling more good news for the Black Barons’ bullpen.

The starting rotation was supposed to be a strength for Birmingham. Instead, it’s in shambles and, even though it’s early, some changes are in store, most notably Lefty Gomez replacing Vic Willis in the rotation. Jim Whitney is also pushing for a spot, with some pressure on Sam Streeter and John Malarkey to step it up in their next starts.

Jess Barbour‘s miserable start to the year will result in some reduced playing time, but his defensive flexibility keeps him on the roster.

Alejandro Peña was ridiculously good, allowing only 1 hit in over 8 innings, but he wasn’t around when Herman Long drove in the winning run with a 2 out single in the bottom of the 9th, giving Birmingham a 1-0 walkoff win over Brooklyn.

Curtis Granderson went deep twice as the Black Barons lost to Brooklyn, 5-4. Greg Maddux had an encouraging start for Birmingham, but Bedrosian imploded, giving up 2 homeruns in the 8th.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Toad Ramsey was magnificent, striking out 12 and allowing only a single hit in a 1-0 win over Kansas City. Carlos Correa extended his 28 game hitting streak with 2 doubles and Craig Biggio drove in HR Johnson for the game’s sole tally.

Correa’s hitting streak ended at 29 games, but 2 homeruns from Casey Stengel, along with solo shots from Tony Gwynn and Jeff Bagwell carried Houston to an 8-6 win over Birmingham. Stengel drove in 4 and Gwynn had 3 hits.

Correa bounced right back, sending a ball into the Crawford Seats for a walkoff 3 run homer in a 5-2 win over Birmingham.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

2 homers from Johnny Bench and 3 hits from Oscar Charleston weren’t enough as the ABC’s fell to Homestead, 5-4.

Gorham Leverett‘s spell with the ABC’s was awfully short, as an oblique injury forced him to the DL. Lynn Brenton was recalled from AAA to take Leverett’s spot.

Year II Season Preview: Birmingham Black Barons

By mknn

On April 7, 2024

In Team News

Expectations

Pretty hard question: nobody expected a playoff run last season, now the fans will demand a repeat, but if the Black Barons can’t address some core offensive issues, that may be unlikely.

Best Case

The pitching continues to dominate, Juan Rincón holds down the closer spot, and either Sam Streeter or Warren Spahn step up to seize the 5th starting spot. On the other side, Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews move into the elite of the league and someone–anyone–steps up to support them.

Worst Case

The pitching falls apart, with Andy Pettitte and Alejandro Peña becoming solid, but no longer world-beaters and the bullpen collapses while the offense continues to be far too slapdash to be dependable.

Key Questions

How will some key pieces for last season–Pettitte, Rincón, Adrián González, Cupid Childs, Jim Pagliaroni–perform over the course of a full year.
With Andy Pettitte traded, how does the rotation respond and does Albert Belle perform at a level that makes it worthwhile.
Who will fill out the roster.

Trade Bait

The Black Barons would happily welcome an offensive star, but would have to mortgage their farm system to get one. Or, mortgage their best starter … which in a bit of a shock, is exactly what they ended up doing. It’s an interesting gambit: a true top of rotation star gone in exchange for a “win-now” bat (but Belle is aging) and a few arms for the future in Lefty Gomez and Frank Viola. We’ll see.

Roster Evaluation

POS	Elite	Strong	Solid	Meh	Weak	Unknown
C				Pagliaroni Tenace
1B			González	McCormick		Beckley
2B						Childs
3B		Mathews
SS			Long	Tulowitzki
LF/ RF		Aaron Belle	Nieman			Barbour Pafko
CF				Granderson
SP		Peña	Maddux Willis		Streeter	Malarkey
End			Bedrosian Rincón
RP				Benton Chen ~~Young~~		Gomez ~~Malloy~~ Whitney

New Addition | ~~Injured~~

Doesn’t look like a strong playoff contender to me. Now, if 3 to 4 players shift left one column … there’s just so much uncertainty. Six new faces, plus Belle, and while most of them are in reserve roles, it feels like a lot to ask for the Black Barons to repeat last year’s success.

Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	3B Eddie Mathews	1B Nate Colbert
Batting Eye	3B Eddie Mathews	OF John Titus
Contact	OF Hank Aaron	3B Pie Traynor
Running Speed	SS Herman Long	OF Rajai Davis
Base Stealing	SS Herman Long	OF Rajai Davis
IF Defense	SS Herman Long	3B Pie Traynor
OF Defense	OF Andy Pafko	OF Billy Southworth
Stuff	SP Sam Streeter	RP Bill James
Control	SP Jim Whitney	RP Johnny Ryan
Velocity	RP Juan Rincón	RP Kerry Ligtenberg

Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	POS	Name
1 (32)	24	P	Jim Whitney
2 (36)	20	C	Joe Torre
3 (43)	20	U	Jess Barbour
4 (54)	20	2B	Trea Turner
5 (58)	25	OF	Curt Flood
6 (62)	21	P	Cozy Dolan
7 (63)	26	P	Rube Melton
8 (151)	22	P	Alex Malloy
9 (156)	19	2B	Marcus Giles
10 (173)	21	P	Jonathan Pettibone

Others: OF Melky Cabrera; P Steve Avery.

Whitney, Dolan, Malloy, and Barbour start the season in the WBL (Malloy on the DL, but still). This is very much a make or break year for Flood.

	Most	Least
Age	OF Sam Rice, 37	SP Steve Avery, 18
Height	P Dustin Nippert, 6’8″	OF Al Schweitzer, 5’6″
OPS	OF Max Kepler, 1.233 (—)	IF Gerry Jestadt, .604 (—)
HR	OF Max Kepler, 61 (—)	IF George McBride, 1 (AAA) OF Rajai Davis, 1 (AAA/AA) OF Brock Davis 1 (AA)
SB	OF Billy Southworth, 26 (WBL/AAA)	Many with 0
WAR	1B Nate Colbert, 4.4 (WBL/AAA/AA)	IF Gerry Jestadt, -2.0 (—)
W	Bill Phyle, 17 (—)	Harry Matuzak, 1 (—)
SV	Juan Rincón, 26 (WBL)
ERA	Aaron Sanchez, 1.98 (—)	Johnny Ryan, 6.90 (AA)
WAR	Aaron Sanchez, 7.3 (—)	Fred Fussell, -0.8 (WBL/AAA)

Stats are across all levels. 200 PA / 75 IP min. Non WBL leagues indicated by —.

Season Review: Birmingham Black Barons

By mknn

On December 27, 2023

In Season Reviews, Team News

84 - 71, .541 pct.
2nd in Marvin Miller Division, 1 game behind.
Lost in Wild Card Round to Detroit

Overall

The media darling of the year: from a dozen games below .500 and clearly selling top end talent to a one game playoff with Portland to determine the division title. Birmingham navigated the trade periods with a skill unmatched in the league, adding and removing talent in a way that seemed to always hit the right balance, leaving the team both better and better positioned for the future.

Still, unless some serious issues with the offense are resolved, it’s not clear how far the superlative pitching can actually carry them next season.

What Went Right

Honestly, not a lot in terms of offense. Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron showed the potential to be stars, but at the end of the day, had fairly pedestrian seasons, especially for their positions. Bob Nieman was a pleasant surprise, and Cupid Childs and Jim Pagliaroni both came in late in the season (Childs from the minors, Paglioaroni via trade) and did well at 2B and C respectively.

The Black Barons seemed to survive on always having someone who was hot enough to carry them: 3B Pie Traynor started off mashing the ball before fading dramatically at the end of the season; both Herman Long and Curtis Granderson took their turns, and Adrián González, whose overall numbers look pretty anemic, was actually quite good for Birmingham after a horrid start to the season with Chicago.

Most of what went right for Birmingham happened on the mound, where Alejandro Peña and mid-season acquisition Andy Pettitte were magnificent, combining with Scott Baker, Vic Willis, and Greg Maddux to form a very impressive rotation, rivalling Baltimore’s in quality top to bottom.

After being named the closer, Juan Rincón did an excellent job, and Harley Young, Steve Bedrosian, and Bruce Chen were solid getting to Rincón.

But you really can’t say enough about Peña and Pettitte, who accounted for nearly 400 quality innings over the course of the season.

Finally, see the Transactions section: somehow Birmingham got rid of their two all-stars as well as some other top end talent, and got better.

ALL STARS
2B Tom Herr; SP Tim Hudson

What Went Wrong

In summary: nobody was great, and few were good.

Lots of players were given plenty of opportunity: Traynor, Al Schweitzer, Troy Tulowitzki, Omar Infante, and Ginger Beaumont all had at least 30 games to show their stuff, and none did anything of note, leaving the MI and one OF position up in the air for far too long.

Hmmm … not much went wrong on the mound. Carlos Diaz only lasted 14 games as closer and Warren Spahn did quite poorly in about 60 innings, indicating that for all his talent, another year in the minors may be needed.

Transactions

March

None

June

P Tim Hudson to San Francisco for P Rube Melton, OF Derrick May & 3rd Round Pick {Gary Matthews}

Given Hudson’s immediate implosion, seems fine, although given Birmingham’s resurgence, perhaps he would have been “the difference.”

P Hoyt Wilhelm & P Dick Rudolph to Chicago for OF Melky Cabrera, P A. Rube Foster, 1B Adrián González & 2nd Round Pick {Trea Turner}

Seems like a win long term for sure, and even this year, González was key for the Black Sox.

2B Tom Herr to New York Black Yankees for IF Reddy Mack, OF Bill Buckner, P Heathcliff Slocumb, OF Charlie Keller, 1B Moose Skowron & 10th Round Pick

It’s a lot of bodies for sure, but it’s also not clear any of them have a better year than Herr did, and usually the team that gets the best player wins the trade. So, unknown.

IF Frank Isbell to Brooklyn for OF Curt Flood, IF Manny Trillo & 6th Round Pick {Steve Avery}

All depends on how Flood develops, but seems fine, especially with the González deal earlier.

July

SS Woody English & 3B Candy Jim Taylor to Memphis for C Jim Pagliaroni & 4th Round Pick {Adam Kennedy}

Pagliaroni was great for Birmingham; even with that, Taylor may end up being a star, so they may have overpaid here.

C Dale Murphy, P A. Rube Foster, 4th Round Pick & 2nd Round Pick to Kansas City for P Andy Pettitte

It would be a shock of Birmingham didn’t regret this in a few years. It was still a good trade, as without Pettitte, they never make the postseason.

Looking Forward

SP

Pitching should continue to be the hallmark of this club. Even with Peña and Pettitte aging out at some point, a future rotation of Greg Maddux, Vic Willis, Sam Streeter, Jim Whitney, and Warren Spahn looks quite impressive.

RP

Juan Rincón is the presumed closer, and even if both Bruce Chen and Harley Young prove to be short-term solutions, both Steve Bedrosian and minor leaguer Rick Camp look capable of anchoring a deep bullpen into the future.

C

Right now this is Jim Pagliaroni and Gene Tenace, but it’s an area of long term need.

1B

There is a transition here from Frank McCormick to Adrián González to the potential of Nate Colbert. None of those project as stars, so an upgrade could be in order.

2B

Cupid Childs filled in well for Tom Herr, but there really isn’t a long term solution here.

3B

The question is if Eddie Mathews is solid, or if he develops into a star, but this is Mathews’ position.

SS

Herman Long was impressive, but hit a very deep slump at the end of the season. For now, he will continue with Troy Tulowitzki as his backup.

LF

This is all very patchwork: Bob Nieman for now with some constant mixture of Joe Rudi, Billy Southworth, and perhaps eventually, Alfonso Soriano.

CF

Curtis Granderson is good enough for now, but eventually they will have to figure out what to do with him and Curt Flood.

RF

See the comment about Mathews, but there is more optimism that Hank Aaron becomes a star.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

With 6 selections in the first four rounds, Birmingham hopes to restock its system with offensive production. They start with a franchise pick that may fill an areas of need long term, drafting C Joe Torre. Their 2nd round pick’s future is less clear, but whether Trea Turner ends up on the infield or CF, he should help in a year or two. Gary Matthews, their first of two picks in the 3rd round, should arrive earlier, but doesn’t have Turner’s ceiling.

At some point, long term potential just starts to overshadow concerns about fit: that was the case with José Cruz, with the 22 year old joining Birmingham with their 2nd pick in the 3rd round. Cruz may never develop enough power to be a star, but he has a pure stroke and has been on the board far longer then he should have.

The Black Barons used their final franchise exception on MI Adam Kennedy with their first pick in the fourth round and picked up a late bloomer, 27 year old SP Bob Smith, later in the round.

Rounds 5-8

The Black Barons have decent depth, so they can really take the best available talent. At some point, they need to pickup a 1B and a C, but in the 6th round it was lefty Steve Avery followed by 2B Marcus Giles–Giles is just too much better than the rest of their franchise selections to risk losing. George H. Stone was their 7th round selection and C Greg Olson their 8th.

Rounds 9-12

P Bill James, P Kerry Ligtenberg; P Eddie Solomon; P Kid Madden; 1B Del Bissonette.

TWIWBL 48.7: The Playoffs! Wild Card Round, Day IV– September 19

By mknn

On September 19, 2023

In 2000 Playoffs, Featured Games, TWIWBL

Three teams could clinch today: Detroit, New York, and Baltimore all lead their series 3-0. A victory by Chicago over Portland, however, would even that series at 2 games apiece.

#Portland Sea Dogs v Chicago American Giants, Game 4

Portland leads, 2-1.

The choice for the Sea Dogs comes down to either Pascual Pérez (1-2, 4.92) or Mike Cuellar (13-8, 4.56). Cuellar has been more comfortable coming out of the pen all season, making only 6 starts, which is probably the reason for Pérez getting the nod. There is little controversy for Chicago, where Dick Rudolph takes his scheduled turn.

Adrián Beltré gets the nod at 3B for Portland over Buddy Bell while Rocky Colavito gets the start in LF for Chicago.

The choice of Pérez proved immediately controversial: Eddie Collins took his 4th pitch into the right field stands for a 1-0 Chicago lead. But Pérez quickly settled down, lasting all the way until the 7th, when Dick Allen doubled with one out and Mike Fiore walked. Cuellar was called on, and got the second out of the inning, but Colavito doubled, increasing the lead to 3-0.

Rudolph was even better, not giving up a hit until a Gavvy Cravath single in the top of the 5th inning, then nothing thereafter. The one-hit shutout was still intact after 8, and with Rudolph on only 88 pitches, he headed back out to the mound.

He got the first two outs, but Joe Mauer singled. After a visit to the mound, Rudolph fanned Kent Hrbek, and we had a series tied at 2 games each!

Obviously, this one was all about Rudolph: 2 hits and 5 strikeouts in a complete game, 99 pitch gem.

POR 0 (Pérez 0-1) @ CAG 3 (Rudolph 1-0)
HRs: POR – none; CAG – Collins (2).
Box Score

And now we move to the win or go home games.

#Detroit Wolverines v Birmingham Black Barons, Game 4

With no need to push things, Detroit will turn to the red hot Hank Aguirre (9-10, 4.34) while Birmingham counters with Vic Willis (4-6, 3.57), but today, and for any future games, all of Birmingham’s staff is down in the pen, ready to go. The Black Barons make 2 tweaks to their lineup, starting Al Schweitzer in CF over the struggling Curtis Granderson, and giving Jim Pagliaroni a day off behind the plate in favor of Gene Tenace.

Schweitzer repaid the faith immediately, singling in the bottom of the first and coming around to score on a hit from Eddie Mathews. Not to be outdone, Tenace doubled to lead off the home second, but was stranded at third.

Willis was sailing until the 4th, when he gave up homeruns to Bob Bailey, Hank Greenberg, and Chili Davis, putting Detroit up 4-1, and ending his afternoon. Andy Pettitte was summoned from the bullpen, hoping to make up for his subpar start in game one of the series.

Aguirre struggled a bit through his five plus innings, giving up 6 hits and a walk, but he surrendered only the single run.

Johnny Marcum relieved Aguirre and got into some trouble in the bottom of the 7th: Tenace walked, and Granderson pinch-ran and promptly stole second. Then, Adrián González, pinch-hitting for Herman Long, was granted first on catcher’s interference. After an out, Marcum walked Bob Nieman to load the bases. That fetched Buddy Napier from the Wolverines’ bullpen to face Schweitzer, who lifted a fly to shallow center. Chili Davis made the catch and nailed the runner at home to end the inning.

And so we made our way to the bottom of the 9th with Birmingham trailing 4-1 and the Wolverines’ closer, Mike Henneman, on the mound. Three up, three down, and Detroit were through to the next round!

Yeah, Willis gave up the three homers, but Birmingham knew it would need to tally more than a single run to have a chance. At the end of the day, the fault has to be laid at the feet of their offense, who managed only a single homerun in the 4 games. Mention should be made of Pettitte’s effort as well: 3.2 scoreless innings and, clearly tiring, getting Ty Cobb to end the 7th with his final pitch.

DET 4 (Aguirre 1-0; Henneman 1 Sv; Marcum 1 H; Napier 1 H) @ BBB 1 (Willis 0-1)
HRs: DET – B. Bailey (1), Greenberg (2), C. Davis (1); BBB – None.
Box Score

Hank Greenberg was declared the MVP of the series, hitting .438 with 2 homeruns and 7 RBIs.

#Cleveland Spiders v New York Gothams, Game 4

This one surprised quite a few people, but the Gothams are just a solid team. The Spiders will turn to Stan Coveleski in what could be their final game of the season, while New York has the luxury of giving the mercurial Rube Waddell a game.

Lance Berkman gets the start at first for Cleveland, with John Ellis sliding behind the plate in place of the slumping Louis Santop.

The Spiders would clearly not go quietly: Kenny Lofton beat out an infield hit to start the game, moved to second on a walk to Tris Speaker, and scored on a soft single to right by Jake Stahl. A 2-out double by Chuck Knoblauch plated them both, giving the Spiders an early 3-0 lead.

Benny Kauff continues to impress: after a leadoff double from Willie Mays, Kauff took a pitch from Coveleski off the wall in centerfield, putting the Gothams on the board. Without another hard hit ball, New York loaded the bases and scored on a soft topper by Jimmy Sheckard that didn’t make it past the mound. Another infield hit–this one by Pete Runnels–tied it up.

Both pitchers recovered, but were beginning to tire. Coveleski didn’t make it out of the 5th: a walk to Buster Posey and a single from Mays chased him. Cleveland turned to Ron Reed, looking to prove he was worth his mid-season acquisition: the jury is out, as Reed walked Kauff and surrendered a bases-clearing double to Will Clark for a 6-3 lead for the Gothams.

That took the wind out of Cleveland’s sails, and when New York added 2 more on a double from Runnels and sacrifice hit from Mays.

New York rode its bullpen, like it’s done all year, right into the next round.

Nobody hit for Cleveland, other than Lofton. But Ron Blomberg‘s 1-for-16 performance jumps off the page–that ain’t no MVP performance, that’s for sure.

CLE 3 (Coveleski 0-1) @ NYG 8 (Waddell 1-0)
HRs: None.
Box Score

Willie Mays won the MVP hitting .438 for the series, but Will Clark rediscovering his stroke and the contributions of Benny Kauff deserve some recognition as well. And if you could, the MVP award really could go to the entire Gothams bullpen, who allowed 4 runs in 11 effective innings.

#Baltimore Black Sox v Wandering House of David

Baltimore leads, 3-0.

Can any of the teams with their backs against the wall gain any breathing room? The House of David will turn to CC Sabathia (13-13, 4.83), with a full bullpen behind him, while Baltimore will counter with Mike Mussina (7-4, 4.08).

Jim Edmonds slides over to 1B, with George Gore taking over in CF for the House of David.

A sacrifice fly from Edmonds scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the second, and Richie Hebner and George Stone took Mussina deep with back to back jacks in the next inning. That made it 3-0, but Dan McGann hit his second homerun of the series with a man on to close the score to 3-2.

Mussina gave up another shot to Stone in the 5th, and was relieved by Jim Palmer, who let in another run. The House of David had hope, a 5-2 lead, and a cruising Sabathia. He was replaced by Ed Bauta in the 7th, then Lee Smith in the 8th, and Bruce Sutter in the 9th.

Each team added runs, but the outcome was secured: we will have a game 5!

Stone and Gore had 3 hits each for the House of David, and Elrod Hendricks even had his first hit of the series–a weak single to right, but still, a hit.

Things just got worse for Baltimore: Larry Gardner was forced out of the game in the bottom of the 7th with an apparent rib injury.

BAL 3 (Mussina 0-1) @ HOD 8 (Sabathia 1-0)
HRs: BAL – McGann (2); HOD – Stone 2 (2), Hebner (1), Gore (1).
Box Score

News on Gardner was better than feared: he’ll be day-to-day for about a week, so Baltimore will hold off on roster moves for now.

TWIWBL 48.5: The Playoffs! Wild Card Round, Day II – September 16

By mknn

On September 14, 2023

In 2000 Playoffs, Featured Games, TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons v Detroit Wolverines, Game II

Game two would see Birmingham send its second ace–Alejandro Peña–to the mound against perhaps Detroit’s most effective pitcher all season, Gene Conley, who started out in the bullpen, but has made 16 starts since moving into the rotation.

Peña seemed to have a hard time settling, and in the bottom of the 3rd, Detroit finally broke through: a single from Tony Phillips, who moved to second on Bob Bailey‘s sacrifice bunt, and came around to score on a single from Hank Greenberg. It continued in the 4th: 4 more hits brought in 2 more runs (one on a single from Ed Bailey and the other on a sacrifice fly from Bob), making it 3-0 in favor of the Wolverines.

Meanwhile, Conley had allowed 2 hits through 7 innings, but was showing signs of fatigue, prompting the Wolverines to bring in Matt Anderson for the 8th. Anderson got 2 outs, then had to leave with some sort of leg injury.

The Wolverines added a run in the bottom of the 8th, which looked like it could be important when Cupid Childs greeted Mike Henneman with a leadoff triple. Henneman got two quick outs, but Curtis Granderson brought home Childs, and when Adrián González walked, Herman Long stepped up as the potential tying run. Long singled to load the bases, but Henneman got Jim Pagliaroni to fly out to end the game. So, a typical Mike Henneman save.

Phillips had 3 hits for Detroit, but the star was Conley, who struck out 8 in his 7 scoreless innings.

Two close games, but 2 wins for Detroit to open the series at home.

BBB 1 (Peña 0-1) @ DET 4 (Conley 1-0; Anderson 1 H; Hiller 1 H)
HRs: None.
Box Score

#Chicago American Giants v Portland Sea Dogs, Game 2

Chicago decided to go with the hot hand to try to even up the series, sending out David Price to face Bert Blyleven. Price is 4-0 with a 2.44 ERA since coming over from Indianapolis, making him preferred over Dick Rudolph and Ed Walsh (the likely game 3 starter).

Chicago came out firing after their game one loss: Eddie Collins and Frank Thomas walked, both scored on Duffy Lewis‘ double, and Lewis came home on a groundout by Dick Allen. But a shot from Bobby Murcer with 2 on board in the bottom of the inning reset us in a tie. Game one hero Gil Hodges–the 9th Sea Dog to bat in the inning–hit a 2-run single before Price could finally get the final out in an inning that saw 2 Chicago errors, a walk, and 4 hits.

Portland scored again in the 2nd, but the lead was short lived as Carlton Fisk took Blyleven deep in the 3rd with the bases loaded, putting Chicago back in front, 7-6.

Price didn’t make it out of the 4th, as a leadoff single from Kent Hrbek brought in Ben Sheets from the Chicago bullpen. Likewise, Blyleven was relieved by Wade Miller to start the 5th.

And suddenly the offenses were held in check: Chicago preserved its one run lead through the 5th, through the 6th, through the 7th. But in the 8th, Hoyt Wilhelm surrendered an RBI single to Hrbek and then, after Thomas dropped a throw for the American Giants’ 3rd error of the day, Rogers Hornsby laced a 2-run double down the left field line. A single from Buddy Bell scored Hornsby and chased Wilhelm.

That gave the Sea Dogs a 10-7 lead heading to the 9th. Singles from Thomas and Lewis brought the tying run to the plate, but Bob Porterfield induced a double play from Allen, leaving Chicago’s hopes up to Mike Fiore … who grounded out weakly to first, giving Portland a 2-0 edge in the series.

It’s hard to overcome 3 errors, even harder in the post season.

Thomas had 3 hits for Chicago, and Hrbek 3 for Portland, who got 3 RBIs each from Murcer and Hornsby.

CAG 7 (Wilhelm 0-1, 1 B Sv) @ POR 10 (Hoffman 1-0; Porterfield 1 Sv)
HRs: CAG – Fisk (1); POR – Murcer (1).
Box Score

#New York Gothams v Cleveland Spiders, Game 2

Cleveland would send out Bill Steen to face the Gothams’ Gaylord Perry.

Cleveland sat Johnny Bates in favor of getting both Kenny Lofton and Tris Speaker in the lineup, and it paid dividends early against Perry. Lofton singled, stole second, and scored on a homerun from Speaker that curled just around the right field foul pole. Cleveland would bat around, but score only one more run, on an RBI single by Chuck Knoblauch, giving the Spiders a 3-0 lead after one inning.

New York clawed one back in the 3rd on an RBI single from Pete Runnels. But that was really it, as Steen allowed only 3 hits through 6 innings.

Sergio Romo relieved Perry, but had to leave with injury after the first two outs.

New York had a chance in the bottom of the 8th, as Pinky Higgins led off the inning with a walk and moved to second on Jimmy Sheckard‘s single. That brought in Chuck Porter, who got Runnels to hit into a double play, ending the threat and the inning, and preserving the Spider’s 3-1 lead.

Terry Adams came in for Cleveland to close it out, but promptly gave up singles to Buster Posey and Willie Mays and, after an out, a game-tying single from Johnny Callison. Carl Furillo delivered a pinch-hit single, plating Callison and giving the Gothams a 4-3 lead.

That brought Brian Wilson in to seal the deal, with the unusual move of Posey playing third. Kenny Lofton singled, setting up a 2-out confrontation with Ron Blomberg. Wilson got him to fly out to center, giving the Gothams a dramatic victory and a 2-0 series lead.

This one will hurt: the Spiders out-hit the Gothams 10-8 and left 9 runners on base. The victory went to Mike Norris, who pitched 1.1 scoreless innings despite giving up 2 hits.

NYG 4 (Norris 1-0; Wilson 2 Sv) @ CLE 3 (Adams 0-1, 1 B Sv; Porter H 1)
HRs: NYG – none; CLE – Speaker (1).
Box Score

The news was encouraging on Romo, who will only miss a day or two of action with a stiff back.

#Wandering House of David v Baltimore Black Sox, Game 2

The House of David will try to even the series behind Bob Rush while Baltimore will counter with Dennis Martínez.

A solo shot by Ernie Banks put the House of David in front in the top of the 3rd. That was all the offense through five innings, with Martínez actually pitching better than Rush, despite the 1-0 deficit for Baltimore.

In the bottom of the 6th, Bryce Harper tied the game with a solo shot that barely cleared the right field wall. Two hits in the top of the 7th chased Martínez, but John Wetteland caught George Stone looking to end the inning, leaving the game tied, 1-1.

This is the kind of situation for which the House of David brought Ed Bauta over from. Here, the reliever gave up a leadoff single to Paul Blair, who stole second and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Bobby Wallace. But Ryne Sandberg cut down Blair at the plate on a slow ground ball, and Bauta got a groundout from Frank Robinson to end the threat. So, onto the 8th, still tied.

Pete Browning‘s end of season struggles have been well documented, but he had two sharply hit singles today before facing Wetteland in the 8th, when he drove a pitch deep to straight away center for his first post-season homerun, and a 2-1 edge for the House of David.

Harper would strike again with a triple, scoring Brian Roberts (who had pinch run for Curt Blefary, who singled to lead off the frame) to tie the game. Ken Singleton followed with a soft single to right for a 3-2 lead. Lee Smith struggled some more, and the House of David had to turn to Wade Miley to get the final out of the inning. But, he did, sending us to the top of the 9th with Baltimore having seized a 1 run edge.

Buddy Groom gave up a leadoff single to Dan Ford, but Banks bounced into a tailor made 6-4-3 double play, leaving the House of David’s hopes on pinch hitter Ron Santo, who lined a ball hard to the left side, caught by Bobby Wallace, putting the Black Sox up in the series, 2-0.

Browning had 3 hits–a welcome sign for House of David fans, and a requirement if they are to make a comeback. For Baltimore, 3 players–Harper, Singleton, and Manny Machado–had 2 hits each, with Harper the clear hitting star.

HOD 2 (Smith 0-1, 1 B Sv) @ BAL 3 (Miller 1-0; Groom 1 Sv)
HRs: HOD – Banks (1), Browning (1); BAL – Harper (1).
Box Score

TWIWBL 48.1: Playoff Previews – Birmingham Black Barons @ Detroit Wolverines

By mknn

On September 7, 2023

In 2000 Playoffs, Series Previews, TWIWBL

Detroit had the second best record in baseball, so they get a matchup with the #7 seed, the Cinderalla story Birmingham Black Barons.

#Detroit Wolverines

The Wolverines are significantly better than they were when the year started, as the conversion of Gene Conley (12-6, 3.28) into a full time starter and the acquisition of Charlie Root (10-6, 3.53 overall and 5-1, 2.62 with Detroit) has moved their starting from passable to dominant, led by Hal Newhouser (8-4, 3.06) and Hank Aguirre (9-10, 4.34) and possibly leaving Johnny Marcum (11-4, 4.40) out of the playoff rotation.

Chad Bradford and Buddy Napier have been fantastic out of the bullpen, getting the ball to Mike Henneman, who has been … um … yeah. Henneman ended the season tied for the league lead in saves with 38. But also with an ERA of 4.60 and 6 blown saves. So the Wolverines will still turn to him, but they’ll also still hold their breath occasionally.

The other addition of note for the Wolverines is young Al Kaline, who has just over 100 ABs under his belt. In that span, he’s slashing 301/374/573, and forcing his way into an already crowded OF.

Detroit is led by Ty Cobb (352/391/557 and 52 SBs) and Hank Greenberg (317/374/595 and a team leading 31 HR and 113 RBI). But there’s really not a weak spot here: Bob Bailey, Oscar Gamble, and Tony Phillips all have OPS over .800, and their weakest hitter–SS George Davis–compensates with spectacular glovework.

The final playoff spot fell to a choice between the fielding prowess of Jimmy Collins and the hot start to Olmedo Sáenz‘ career. Sáenz is slashing 292/378/415 over his first 20 games, and in the end the Wolverines thought that overcame Collins’ glove (Collins only managed a 225/266/360 slash line over 300 PAs).

#Birmingham Black Barons

Just … wow. From out of the race and clear sellers at the trade deadline to a one-game playoff for the division title.

Birmingham’s strength is its pitching, with 2 clear #1 starters in Alejandro Peña (12-9, 3.79) and Andy Pettitte (15-5, 3.20, and 6-1, 2.54 with Birmingham). Vic Willis (4-6, 3.57) will get the 3rd start, and beyond that the Black Barons will have to figure it out. The options are strong, there’s just not a lot to differentiate Scott Baker, Greg Maddux, Larry Benton and Sam Streeter.

Juan Rincón was moved into the closer’s role in late May, and has been solid with 26 saves and an ERA just over 3.00, and Harley Young‘s return from injury helps out the duo of Bruce Chen and Steve Bedrosian in the later innings.

Offensively, there is a sense of smoke and mirrors here. Hank Aaron led the team in HR and RBI (28 and 93, respectively) and Curtis Granderson carried them for some of the middle months, but both cooled off dramatically towards the end, with their OPS’ dipping below .800. Eddie Mathews (243/335/490) and Bob Nieman (296/368/475) picked up the slack, but its still a bit patchwork.

Newcomers Cupid Childs and Jim Pagliaroni have settled down the 2B and C positions, and Adrián González has provided some much-needed power, slugging over 200 points higher than he did with Chicago.

So far, enough people have been hot at different times–SS Herman Long, 1B Frank McCormick, Nieman–to keep scoring runs. But it’s precarious.

#Prediction

Detroit in 5. The fairy tale ends unless Aaron suddenly remembers to roll his wrists.

Series XXXIV Featured Matchup: Birmingham Black Barons @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On July 6, 2023

In Featured Games, Featured Series

Series preview here.

#Game 1: Andy Pettitte @ Bill Byrd

This has the chance to be a fantastic matchup. Baltimore’s Bill Byrd is 13-3 on the year with a 3.48 ERA while Birmingham’s Andy Pettitte is 14-4 with a league leading 3.14 ERA overall and a stunning 5-0 / 1.75 since joining the Black Barons.

And then we play the game: Byrd gave up an infield single, two walks, and hit a batter in the top of the first. But it all only resulted in a single run on a sacrifice fly to put the Black Barons up 1-0.

Pettitte was better through 3 frames, allowing only 2 hits. But Byrd didn’t allow another run, despite a steady stream of baserunners. Baltimore tied the game in the bottom of the 5th with consecutive hits from Dan McGann, Manny Machado, and Bryce Harper.

We were still tied at 1 after 7 innings, so it looked like this would be decided by the bullpens eventually.

Baltimore threatened in the bottom of the 9th, as Larry Gardner reached on an infield single and Frank Robinson walked. But Steve Bedrosian induced a foul pop from Curt Blefary, bringing up Ken Singleton … who laced a single back up the middle to score the winning run.

Bob Nieman had 3 hits for Birmingham, but this was a game for the pitchers: Pettitte allowed 1 run in 8 innings, Byrd 1 run in 7.

BBB 1 (Mercker 1-1) @ BAL 2 (Groom 2-2)
HRs: none.
Box Score

#Game 2: Greg Maddux @ Mike Mussina

Another potentially great matchup, this one between 2 pitchers who struggled at the start of the season only to come on strong. On May 18th, Birmingham’s Greg Maddux earned a trip to AAA with an ERA approaching 7. He was recalled just under a month later and, since then, has lowered his ERA to just under 3.00, locking up the #3 slot in the Black Barons’ rotation.

Mike Mussina started the season at AAA for the Black Sox, but quickly earned a recall to Baltimore, and while he’s been hit a bit in his last few starts, he stood at 4-1 with a 3.15 ERA on July 24th (he’s lost 2 of his last 3 starts and seen his ERA jump to 4.11 since then).

So, advantage Birmingham? It certainly seemed so early, as a Frank McCormick single drove in a run in the top of the first and solo shots from Herman Long and Bob Nieman increased the lead to 3-0 in the second.

But Maddux lost his usual pinpoint control, walking 3 and giving up 2 hits, allowing the Black Sox to tie the game in the bottom of the frame.

And so we stayed until a Frank Robinson shot into the leftfield stands in the bottom of the 5th. A double by Curt Blefary and a walk to Bryce Harper chased Maddux. Jim Whitney relieved him, walked in a run and gave up a 2-run single to Paul Blair as Baltimore surged into the lead, 7-3.

Blefary’s 3rd double of the day–tying the WBL record–was a weird and wind-blown thing, but in the end it was just another run scored for Baltimore as the game devolved into an 11-4 rout. Blefary finished with 4 hits and Blair with 3 RBIs.

For Birmingham, Nieman continued his hot streak with 3 hits, 2 runs, and 2 RBIs, but it was far from enough as Baltimore eased to a 2-0 lead in the series.

Baltimore’s Rafael Betancourt and Milt Pappas both made their WBL debuts in relief.

BBB 4 (Maddux 4-6) @ BAL 11 (Mussina 6-3)
HRs: BBB – Long (9), Nieman (12); BAL – Robinson (34).
Box Score

#Game 3: Alejandro Peña @ Connie Johnson

Birmingham turned to Alejandro Peña, their #1 starter all season, to try to get something out of the series, with Baltimore countering with a rested Connie Johnson, displacing Jim Palmer from his scheduled start. Johnson and Peña matched each other through 5, with neither allowing a run despite a fair sprinkling of hits for each side (6 for Birmingham, 5 for Baltimore).

Peña would crack first in the bottom of the 6th, as Larry Gardner doubled to lead off the frame and moved to third on a single from Frank Robinson. Curt Blefary brought Gardner home with a sacrifice fly to right, but Dan McGann hit into a double play to limit the damage to a single run.

The 1-0 lead seemed like it might be enough, as Johnson was getting stronger as the game wore on, fanning 2 each in the 6th and the 7th, but a leadoff double in the 8th by Adrián González chased him from the mound, with Baltimore bringing in their current closer, lefty Buddy Groom to face the pinch-hitting Jim Whitney. Whitney moved Al Schweitzer–pinch-running for González–to third with a ground out, but Groom got a popout from Billy Southworth and struck out Bob Nieman to end the inning.

Groom gave up a pinch-hit to Pie Traynor in the top of the 9th, but held on for the narrow victory.

Robinson had 3 hits in the victory.

BBB 0 (Peña 11-9) @ BAL 1 (Johnson 2-1; Groom 6 Sv)
HRs: none.
Box Score

#Game 4: Vic Willis @ Dennis Martínez

Baltimore’s sweep of the first 3 games dropped Birmingham to a game behind in the Marvin Miller Division. The Black Barons will turn to Vic Willis to try to salvage a game while the Black Sox will counter with their ace, Dennis Martínez.

Chick Stahl took advantage of his first opportunity in the WBL, sending a pitch from Willis deep into the LF stands in his first at-bat in the bigs for a 1-0 Baltimore lead, but Eddie Mathews tagged Martínez for his 23rd of the year to tie it up in the 4th. A 2nd run scored on an Adrián González sacrifice fly, and the Black Barons held a slim lead, 2-1.

Baltimore looked to tie it up in the bottom of the inning when, with one out and the bases loaded, Manny Machado launched a fly to right, but Hank Aaron sent an absolute strike to the plate, cutting down Curtis Granderson attempting to score form third. An RBI from Cupid Childs added to the lead in the 5th, and then 2 out hits from González and Jim Pagliaroni both added to the lead and chased Martínez from the mound in the 6th. That made it 4-1 in favor of Birmingham with Willis sailing along, allowing only 5 hits and 1 run through 5 innings.

A solo shot from Curt Blefary made it 4-2, but Herman Long preserved the 3 run lead with an RBI double in the 7th which was followed by a 2-run single from Granderson, and the flood gates opened from there. By the time the inning was over, Birmingham was up 10-2.

Baltimore would score a couple times, but not enough to threaten. Long, Pagliaroni, and Traynor each had 3 hits for Birmingham. The game saw 3 OF kills: 2 by Birmingham (Aaron and Granderson) and 1 from Baltimore’s Stahl.

BBB 10 (Willis 4-3) @ BAL 4 (Martínez 14-9)
HRs: BBB – Mathews (23); BAL – Stahl (1), Blefary (23).
Box Score

Series XXXIV Preview: Birmingham Black Barons @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On June 30, 2023

In Featured Series, Series Previews

Nobody has more at stake in this series than Portland: if Baltimore–the best team in the league–can slow down Birmingham, Portland may be able to sneak by them into first place in the Marvin Miller Division.

Baltimore has been featured in Series IX, XVI, XXV, and XXIX; Birmingham in Series III, XIV, XXIII, and just now in XXXI.

#Birmingham Black Barons

In 3 months, the Black Barons went from a dozen games below .500 to a dozen games above, taking them from the basement to first place in their division. They’ve done it with spectacular pitching and a seeming omniscient sense of how to navigate the trade market.

Andy Pettitte is 5-0 with a 1.75 ERA since joining Birmingham, joining advanced metrics darling Alejandro Peña (11-8, 3.82, but with a 4.5 WAR and 3.49 FIP) and Greg Maddux (a 2.97 ERA) to form as fearsome a front of the rotation is exists in the league. While Juan Ríncón has been hit a little harder of late, he’s still got 22 saves and a solid 3.45 ERA, with both Steve Bedrosian and Bruce Chen proving quite capable as setup men.

Offensively, it’s a patchwork quilt, but it’s getting the job done. Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron lead the offense, although neither is a superstar, they each sport an OPS around .820 and have combined for 49 homeruns and 158 RBIs. Cupid Childs has locked down the 2B job, managing an OPS over .900 through his first 100 ABs, but other than that … Bob Nieman has been solid in the OF, Herman Long hits really well for a SS, Curtis Granderson is a threat … patchwork.

#Baltimore Black Sox

We kept waiting for the Black Sox to stumble, but they never did. Turns out good pitching and good hitting tends to win games.

Strictly speaking, the pitching has been a bit better. The front 3 of the rotation (Dennis Martínez, Bill Byrd, and Mike Mussina) has been excellent, but there is very little drop off to Connie Johnson, Jim Palmer, and Johnny Sain (the last 2 have alternated in and out of the fifth slot all year, currently, it’s Palmer’s). Byrd, Johnson, and Martínez all have ERA’s under 4.00, led by Byrd at 3.48. Martínez leads in victories with 14, but Byrd’s record is better at 13-3 on the season. The bullpen seems to have settled a bit behind the superlative Buddy Groom (13 H, 5 Sv, and a 2.03 ERA), although the loss of Sean Marshall has certainly hurt.

Frank Robinson is a bonafide star, with 33 HR and 102 RBIs driving an OPS near .900. But Baltimore is very solid top to bottom, 2B Larry Gardner, SS Bobby Wallace, and 1B Dan McGann all sporting OBP’s near .400 and Curt Belfary (22), Manny Machado (17), and Ken Singleton (16) all adding power.

#Projected Starters

Birmingham’s pitcher listed first.

Andy Pettitte (14-4, 3.14) @ Bill Byrd (13-3, 3.48)
Greg Maddux (4-5, 2.97) @ Mike Mussina (5-3, 4.09)
Scott Baker (7-4, 4.68) @ Jim Palmer (9-8, 4.65)
Alejandro Peña (11-8, 3.82) @ Connie Johnson (6-5, 3.88)

Series XXXI Featured Matchup: Portland Sea Dogs @ Birmingham Black Barons

By mknn

On June 7, 2023

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

{ Whoops … somehow this never got published … }

Series preview here.

#Game One: Bert Blyleven @ Alejandro Peña

There is a statistical argument that Birmingham’s Alejandro Peña has been the best starting pitcher in the WBL this season, but today he was totally out classed by Portland’s Bert Blyleven.

Blyleven was perfect through 5 2/3, had a no-hitter through 7 1/3, and ended up giving up 3 hits and 1 run through 9 2/3 innings, striking out 7 while walking none (he did hit 2 batters, and clearly was tiring towards the end). Still, it was a great performance, lowering Blyleven’s ERA to 4.46 and improving his record to 9-9 on the year.

Peña, on the other hand, lasted only 3 innings, surrendering 9 hits and 6 runs, including homeruns from Bobby Murcer and Kent Hrbek (his 35th of the year). Murcer, Jim Fregosi, and Joe Mauer ended the day with 3 hits each as the Sea Dogs cruised to the 7-1 victory, retaking 1st place in the Marvin Miller Division.

POR 7 (Blyleven 9-9) @ BBB 1 (Peña 10-8)
HRs: POR – Murcer (22), Hrbek (35); BBB – none.
Box Score

After the game, Portland announced that Joséito Muñoz would be out 3-4 weeks. He was placed on the DL with Frank Williams recalled from AAA.

#Game 2: Dizzy Trout @ Vic Willis

Birmingham seemed to bounce back, scoring in the two opening innings on sacrifice flies while Vic Willis quieted the Portland bats. Willis exited after 6 innings with Birmingham up 3-1, and suddenly the game got far more interesting. Kent Mercker gave up 2 homeruns–a 2 run shot by Kent Hrbek and a solo drive by Jim Fregosi–to put the Sea Dogs up by one.

Portland’s starter, Dizzy Trout, was long-gone by this point, with Ray Fontenot providing solid relief until Herman Long tripled with one out in the bottom of the inning. Mike Cuellar relieved Fontenot, and allowed a sacrifice fly to Adrián González, tying the game at 4.

In the bottom of the 8th, an RBI double from Cupid Childs scored Bob Nieman, giving the Black Barons a 1 run lead, and turning the game over to their closer, Juan Rincón.

Rincón couldn’t reclaim first place, giving up RBI singles to Hrbek and Buddy Bell before being replaced by Bruce Chen, who gave up one more run on a base hit from Rogers Hornsby, putting Portland in front 7-5.

Elmer Brown walked 2, but induced a double play from Frank McCormick to end the game. Could Birmingham’s magical run be ending?

POR 7 (Porterfield 3-0; Brown 10 Sv; Cueller 2 B Sv) @ BBB 5 (Rincón 2-4, 5 Sv; Mercker 1 B Sv)
HRs: POR – Hrbek (36), Fregosi (16); BBB – none.
Box Score

Game 3: Wade Miller v Andy Pettitte

Victories in the first two games of the series have moved Portland 1.5 games ahead of Birmingham, who will turn to Andy Pettitte to stop their slide. Pettitte is 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA since arriving in Birmingham.

Another trade acquisition, Portland’s Gavvy Cravath, put the Sea Dogs on top 1-0 with a solo shot in the top of the 2nd. 2 walks and a weak infield hit loaded the bases with 2 outs, and Jim Pagliaroni touched Wade Miller for a 2-run single to give the Black Barons a 2-1 edge. But Pettitte gave it back on a double to Bobby Murcer, knotting the contest at 2.

The Black Barons began to gain some separation with a double by Eddie Mathews in the 3rd and a homerun from Adrián González in the 4th.

Pettitte had settled right down by then, and left the game allowing only 5 hits and the 2 runs over 8 innings. Juan Rincón came in and struck out the first two batters, but singles from Rogers Hornsby, Buddy Bell, and Jeff Burroughs loaded the bases with 2 outs with Harry Hooper at the plate. Rincón got him looking for the save, pulling Birminghan back within 1/2 game of Portland.

POR 2 (Miller 9-5) @ BBB 4 (Pettitte 4-0; Rincón 20 Sv)
HRs: POR – Cravath (4); BBB – González (6).
Box Score

Game 4: Atlee Hammaker v Greg Maddux

Trying to edge back into first place, Birmingham turned to perhaps the hottest arm in the league in Greg Maddux.

In the 2nd, a triple by Gavvy Cravath and a homerun from Rogers Hornsby put Portland ahead 2-0, a lead cut in half when Gene Tenace took Atlee Hammaker into the seats in the bottom of the frame.

It remained that way into the 5th, when Bobby Murcer doubled and scored on a single from Kent Hrbek. Maddux would last one more inning, departing with the Sea Dogs ahead, 3-1. Portland touched his relief for 3 runs in the top of the 7th, the key hit being a 2 run homerun by Joe Mauer.

Hammaker at this point was cruising, allowing only 5 hits through 6 innings, but hits from Curtis Granderson and Pie Traynor chased him with 2 outs in the 7th. Trevor Hoffman relived him, and Birmingham countered by pinch-hitting Eddie Matthews, who delivered a 3-run shot to close the score to 6-4.

There would be more baserunners after, but neither team could score, setting up Elmer Brown‘s entrance for Portland in the bottom of the 9th for the save. Adrián González led off the inning with a double down the left field line, and Brown followed with a walk to Jim Pagliaroni. Brown would allow the game to be tied in the most unlikely fashion: on consecutive wild pitches. That setup a 2-out single from Cupid Childs, winning the game and putting Birmingham back on top of the division, although just barely.

After the game, Mathews referred to himself as, “the straw that stirs the drink.” Wonder where he got that from?

POR 6 (Brown 3-6, 3 B Sv; Porterfield 3 H) @ BBB 7 (Baker 7-3)
HRs: POR – Hornsby (10), Mauer (11); BBB – Tenace (11), Mathews (21).
Box Score