Tag: Jim Palmer Page 2 of 3

TWIWBL 44.2: Series XXXVI Notes – Cum Posey Division

On August 9, 2023

#Baltimore Black Sox

Baltimore wanted to add another lefty to the pen, bringing up Scott McGregor and sending Lindy McDaniel down to AAA.

Curt Blefary‘s second homerun of the game (his 26th of the season) was a walk-off affair as the Black Sox edged Ottawa 7-5. Blefary had 4 hits and 4 RBIs in a game that saw Johnny Sain take back the #5 spot in the rotation from Jim Palmer.

The Black Sox pounded out 15 hits in a 14-1 pounding of the Mounties, getting 4 RBI’s from Blefary who, along with Frank Robinson, had 3 hits. Bill Byrd threw a strong 7 innings, improving to 14-3 on the year.

#Chicago American Giants

Perhaps in a preview of what the post-season holds, Chicago has moved Ed Walsh into the 4th spot of their rotation, and have not named a number five starter, although it is assumed that either Mark Buehrle or Ben Sheets will hold down the back of the staff.

Eddie Collins scored 3 times without an official AB (he walked 4 times), and Shoeless Joe Jackson had 3 hits and 6 RBIs (3 coming on his 29th homerun) to lead Chicago to a back and forth 8-7 win over Kansas City. Cristóbal Torriente had 3 hits as well with the victory going to Buehrle in his first relief appearance.

Duffy Lewis had 4 hits in an 8-5 victory over Kansas City, but the story of the game for the postseason might be the growing success of the American Giants bullpen. Here, Don Newcombe, Fernando Rodney, Ken Sanders, and A.J. Minter combined with over 4 innings of near-perfect relief, with Rodney getting the win and Minter his 28th save.

David Price has been magnificent since joining Chicago, but he saved his best performance for the series finale against Kansas City, spinning a complete game, 2-hit shutout. Price carried a no-hitter into the 8th, improving his record with the American Giants to 4-0. Dick Allen drove in all 4 runs on 2 hits, one his 25th homerun of the season.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Bones Ely‘s return from the DL meant Tom Sturdivant was returned to AAA.

Casey Stengel ripped his second pinch hit homerun of the year, this one a grand slam, but it wasn’t enough as the Colt 45’s fell to Birmingham, 10-6.

#Kansas City Monarchs

OF Max Flack retired at the end of the AA season.

The Monarchs needed a starter and recalled Joe Blong.

#Ottawa Mounties

Clayton Richard returned to the rotation for Ottawa, taking Johnny Podgajny‘s place.

RP Steve Reed announced his retirement from AA.

Randy Johnson left with an elbow injury after only an inning of work, but will likely only miss a few days. Podgajny did a good job in relief, perhaps earning another shot at starting before season’s end. Roberto Alomar tied the game with a homerun and Carlos Beltrán added 2 hits, but it wasn’t enough as Baltimore won the game in the bottom of the 9th, 7-5.

A potential bright spot for Ottawa: Roy Halladay joined AAA to get an outing or 2 after his long DL stint, with an outside shot at seeing action in the WBL before the end of the year.

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)

TWIWBL 36.2: Series XXVIII Notes – Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On March 21, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Newcomer Connie Johnson steps into the rotation, with Johnny Sain moving to the bullpen and Jim Palmer taking the final spot in the rotation. Lindy McDaniel was returned to AAA.

#Chicago American Giants

While Sonny Dixon‘s injury is still being diagnosed, David Price‘s arrival pushed Chicago to place Dixon on the DL. Clay Condrey‘s 9.00 plus ERA earned a trip to AAA as Hoyt Wilhelm returned from his injury. Price replaced Don Newcombe in the rotation, but the bullpen remains in a bit of disarray as the American Giants await AJ Minter‘s return from shoulder soreness.

While neither have impressed, José Abreu‘s continued struggles at the plate have opened the door for Magglio Ordóñez to receive more playing time down the stretch.

Dixon will miss about 8 months, so the early trip to the DL worked out, from that perspective …

Turns out it’s really hard to overcome 4 errors. Price’s first start was brilliant: 4 hits in just under 6 innings, no earned runs … but 5 runs allowed on miscues by Eddie Collins, Jack Doyle (2), and Jackie Hayes. Ed Walsh and Scott Radinsky were solid in relief, but Wilhelm gave up some key hits and took the loss. Doyle had 4 hits in the game.

Cristóbal Torriente will miss about 2 weeks, prompting Chicago to recall Kevin Mitchell from AAA.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Chad Qualls was recalled from AAA. Other than that, there’s not much change in Houston, other than the continued attempt to spread out plate appearances. This time, Pete Hill seeing more game time means George Brett seeing less.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Adam Russell and Rube Marquard were recalled from AAA, but the Monarchs did little else to reflect their build for the future outlook.

#Ottawa Mounties

Bob Moose and Kirk Reuter moved into the rotation with Clark Griffith heading back to AAA and Greg Holland joining the big league club as the merry-go-round of the Mounties’ staff continues.

Nineteen year old Ken Griffey, Jr. has done everything Ottawa has asked since his demotion, performing well at both AAA and AA. He’s been brought back up to the WBL club as Ottawa retools to see how its youth will progress. Griffey, Jr. will split time with Carlos Beltrán in CF. Trade acquisition George Burns also lands in Ottawa with both Terry Puhl and Phil Bradley heading to AAA in a major reset of the big league OF.

Things looked bleak for Ottawa as Birmingham had the lead 3-0 in the bottom of the 8th when Larry Parrish stepped up and launched his 3rd homerun of the year to tie the game. Randy Johnson and Greg Holland both pitched well in relief, and Beltrán won the game in the 12th with a walkoff grandslam. Tim Raines (who was caught stealing twice) and Anthony Rendon had 3 hits each in the 8-4 victory.

Jeremy Affeldt, a bit of a throw-in at the trade deadline, has been horrible for Ottawa: an ERA over 20 level horrible. So when he refused a demotion to AAA, the Mounties made the sensible move: they released him. Gary Peters was recalled from his injury rehab to take Affeldt’s place.

TWIWBL 33.2: Series XXVI Notes – Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On February 16, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Ned Garvin giving up 3 runs in 4 innings is rare: this time there was a cause, as the leading Cy Young contender left the Black Sox’ game against Detroit with an elbow injury. While Baltimore’s staff is deep, losing Garvin for any length of time would certainly hurt.

The news was about as bad as can be imagined, with Garvin out for the next 10 months with an elbow injury. Lindy McDaniel was recalled from AAA, with Jim Palmer sliding into the Black Sox rotation.

#Kansas City Monarchs

The news on Smokey Joe Wood was not good, as the pitcher will miss the rest of the season with nerve damage.

A mammoth, 511 ft grand slam from Boog Powell led the way as the Monarchs blew apart a pitcher duel with an 11 run 7th inning, beating Memphis 12-2. Ducky Medwick added 3 hits and Medwick, Ted Simmons, and Jack Rowe each drove in 2. Perhaps as importantly, although not involved in the decision, Bob Gibson threw 6 scoreless innings as he returned to the WBL after dominating AAA.

#Ottawa Mounties

Joe Mays not only lost his spot as the #5 starter, he lost his roster spot. An ERA north of 8 will tend to do that. Kirk Reuter was recalled.

Series XXV Featured Matchup: Houston Colt 45s @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On January 31, 2023

In Featured Series, Series Previews

Series preview here.

#Game 1: Roger Clemens @ Ned Garvin

Ned Garvin–probably the best hurler in the league so far–opens the series for Baltimore, with Houston countering with All Star break acquisition Roger Clemens.

Ken Singleton would take Clemens deep for a 2-run shot in the bottom of the 2nd for an early Black Sox lead, but Houston got one back on an RBI double from Jim Wynn, scoring Lance Blankenship, in the top of the 3rd.

Singleton and Bryce Harper would add RBI singles, but again Wynn would get something back for the Colt 45s with another double. An error by Bobby Wallace allowed Wynn to score, leaving Baltimore with a 1 run lead, 4-3.

Clemens wouldn’t make it out of the 5th as a double by Larry Gardner was followed by a balk and walks to Curt Blefary and Dan McGann, bringing Mark Melancon into the game with the bases loaded and 1 out. Manny Machado would deliver a double, extending the lead to 7-3 before Melancon could get out of the inning.

Frank Robinson would add 2 homeruns and, although Wynn would tie the league record with 3 doubles, Houston would never really threaten.

HOU 5 (Clemens 2-8) @ BAL 10 (Garvin 9-3; Beggs 11 Sv)
HRs: BAL – Singleton (11), Robinson 2 (22).
Box Score

Game #2: Roy Oswalt @ Dennis Martínez

Houston would score first, as an RBI groundout by Tony Gwynn scored Andrés Galarraga in the top of the 2nd. Dennis Martínez would load the bases (with one coming on a strikeout victim reaching on a passed ball) and give up a sacrifice fly, but that was it as the Colt 45s moved ahead, 2-0.

An RBI groundout by Carlos Correa would up it to 3-0. Meanwhile, Houston’s ace, Roy Oswalt, was sailing along with a 1-hit shutout through 5 innings. The shutout would be broken up by an RBI single from Curt Blefary in the 6th, but young phenom Pete Hill made a magnificent catch in deep CF to end the threat, leaving the score 3-1.

A double by Baby Doll Jacobson chased Oswalt from the mound in the bottom of the 6th. Luke Gregerson walked 2 and let a run score on a wild pitch, but still left with the lead, 3-2 in favor of Houston.

Correa took Jim Palmer deep with a 3 run shot in the top of the 8th, giving Houston a little additional cushion at 6-2. Jacobson would drive in a run int he 8th, but Houston’s closer, Billy Wagner, would come on to shut the door in the 9th.

HOU 6 (Oswalt 8-6; Wagner 13 Sv; Gregerson 3 H) @ BAL 3 (Martínez 10-6)
HRs: HOU – Correa (7).
Box Score

#Game 3: Toad Ramsey @ Bill Byrd

This one was a pitchers’ duel early, with Toad Ramsey and Bill Byrd essentially matching each other frame for frame. Baltimore scored twice in the bottom of the 4th on two walks, a wild pitch by Ramsey, and a 2-run single from Manny Machado, but that was it for either team until the top of the 7th.

Byrd entered the inning having allowed no runs and only 2 hits, but surrendered a leadoff single to Jeff Bagwell. George Brett reached on an error, and Andrés Galarraga scored Houston’s first run with a double. Byrd walked Carlos Correa, and the Black Sox went to their bullpen for Sean Marshall who promptly struck out Gentleman Jim O’Rourke and Craig Biggio. But Jim Wynn was able to–just barely–beat out an infield single, scoring Brett and tying the game at 2.

A leadoff single by Bobby Wallace in the bottom of the 8th chased Ramsey from the game. Trevor Hoffman was unable to preserve his good work, surrendering a 2-run shot to Ken Singleton, giving Baltimore the lead, 4-2, heading to the top of the 9th.

Bob Miller of the Black Sox pitched a perfect 9th for the save, with Marshall getting the win. Ramsey was the hard luck loser, despite only allowing 3 hits in 7 innings.

After the game, Houston placed Andrew Chafin on the 60-Day DL with a torn labrum, recalling Brad Lidge, who was strong at AAA after a horrible start in the WBL earlier in the season.

HOU 2 (Ramsey 8-10) @ BAL 4 (Marshall 4-0, 2 BSv; Miller 7 Sv)
HRs: BAL – Singleton (12).
Box Score

#Game 4: Bones Ely @ Johnny Sain

Houston will try to escape with a split by sending Bones Ely–a new addition to their staff–up against the weakest arm in Baltimore’s impressive rotation, Johnny Sain. Sain is pitching for his rotation spot, as Jim Palmer is making a strong argument to replace him.

Pete Hill put the Colt 45’s in front 1-0 in the top of the 5th with his 3rd homerun of the year. Jorge Posada added a 2-run shot, making it 3-0 in favor of Houston. Baltimore would finally get on the board in the bottom of the 6th when Larry Gardner–who tripled to lead off the inning–scored on a groundout by Baby Doll Jacobson.

A triple by Bryce Harper and a walk to Frank Robinson chased Ely from the game, bringing in Mark Melancon, who promptly surrendered an RBI single to Curt Blefary. Posada let a ball skip through his legs, scoring Robinson and tying the game at 4.

The lead was short-lived: Andrés Galarraga greeted Joe Beggs with a moonshot into the left field seats and a 5-4 edge for Houston. Houston would score another run on a Tony Gwynn sacrifice fly, giving the Colt 45s a 6-4 edge heading to the bottom of the 8th.

Houston brought in Brad Lidge, who delivered a scoreless inning, something he was unable to do when he started the year as Houston’s closer. His replacement in that role, Billy Wagner, pitched a perfect ninth, giving us a series split. Melancon continued his life as a vulture, improving to 9-2 out of the pen on the season.

HOU 4 (Melancon 9-2, 2 BSv; Wagner 14 Sv; Lidge 1 H) @ BAL 2 (Beggs 1-3)
HRs: HOU – Hill (3), Posada (5), Galarraga (3).
Box Score

TWIWBL 30.0: Series XXIII Notes

By mknn

On December 12, 2022

In TWIWBL

July 10th

Looking Back at the All Star Trades

We’re a month(ish) on from the all-star break, seemed a good time to look back at the trades and see how they are working out in the early days.

Boom Shaka Laka

The Los Angeles Angels and the Ottawa Mounties swapped 8 players, with early returns making the Angels–by far–the winner in the exchange as veteran 1B Carlos Delgado is slashing 344/400/547 since the trade, providing what may be the final piece to the Angels’ puzzle. While Rusty Staub has done OK for Ottawa, none of the rest of the pieces have shown much at all. Wally Moon, who the Angels picked up from San Francisco, has been impressive as well, slashing 354/458/458 since the break. Two of the pieces the Angels gave up for Moon–C Brian Downing and P Dave LaRoche–have done well for San Francisco (Downing at AAA, LaRoche with the Sea Lions themselves), so this deal may work out for both sides.

Encouraging

The New York Gothams gave up a haul for Don Sutton, and so far it looks OK: Sutton looks to join the Gothams’ rotation shortly, posting a 2.70 ERA in 8 relief appearances. For Brooklyn, two of the prospects received are doing quite well: OF Don Mueller is slashing 387/395/653 and P Lew Krausse, Jr. has started his career with his new organization with some strong outings on the mound.

All-Star Ron Reed has just continued his strong year having moved from Philadelphia to Cleveland, with an ERA of 0.75 over his first half-dozen games with the Spiders. Even more importantly for Cleveland’s playoff push, OF Lance Berkman looks to have blossomed with the change in scenery, slashing 276/417/500 with 4 HRs since coming over from Houston–a jump of of over 200 points to his OPS. The Spiders gave up 7 players across those 2 deals, none of which have earned significant playing time with their new clubs, although both Jap Payne (sent to Philadelphia) and Harry Stovey (to Houston as part of the Berkman deal) have hit well in limited appearances).

The Chicago American Giants brought in 4 pitchers, with encouraging returns from Dick Rudolph (acquired from Miami) and Hoyt Wilhelm (from Birmingham). The best prospect the American Giants gave up–Minnie Miñoso to the Cuban Giants–has been injured, so the jury is still out on this deal in general, but it looks alright so far, even if Don Newcombe has struggled mightily, and may have been overvalued at the trade deadline. Perhaps as importantly, the American Giants seem to have solved their SS question, as all-star Freddy Parent has continued his strong form since joining them from Ottawa.

Birmingham’s fire sale went well. We’ll cover some of those below, but both Curt Flood and Manny Trillo–picked up in the trade of Frank Isbell (who has been alright) to Brooklyn–are both tearing up AAA.

Meh

The Baltimore Black Sox have to be pleased with Manny Machado‘s performance so far, as he’s slotted quite comfortably as their everyday 3B. But the Miami Cuban Giants can’t really complain, as they aren’t going to compete for a while and Joe Dugan is tearing up AAA while Chris Hoiles has established himself as a C at the big league level. The Black Sox also brought in Joe Beggs from Memphis to solidify the end of their bullpen. Results have been mixed so far.

Memphis’ fan base was quite critical of a few of their moves, and Roger Clemens‘ short-term success in Houston has only increased their fury. But Stubby Overmire has added some depth to their staff and perhaps more importantly, 2B DJ LeMahieu and P Jim Kaat look to be strong prospects for Memphis’ future.

Disappointing

Portland hoped picking up Rogers Hornsby from Kansas City would spark their offense for a playoff push, and while he’s better than Greg Litton, his .648 OPS is actually pretty Littonish, and a far cry from his .853 mark over the first half of the season.

Tim Hudson was supposed to solidify San Francisco’s rotation, but was roughed up in his first few starts. While he’s shown signs of coming around, the 36 year old is only 1-3 with an ERA north of 5 since his move to the Left Coast. Rube Melton, one of the pieces the Sea Lions gave up for Hudson, has excelled at AAA for Birmingham, and looks to be a nice pickup for the Black Barons.

Another one who took a bit to find his footing, Tom Herr, is finally showing some life for the New York Black Yankees. Still, a 228/267/298 slash is not what the New York faithful had hoped to see from their All-Star acquisition. The Black Yankees’ other significant acquisitions–Jamie Moyer and Gary Lavelle–have struggled as well, although Lavelle has been installed as their closer, which is more a comment on the other options than a compliment to him. Several of the prospects they gave up–Bill Buckner and Charlie Keller for Birmingham and Dick Bartell and Sam Thompson for Ottawa–are performing very well for their new organizations, so these trades may come back to haunt New York.

Performance

As usual, top 2 performers in all categories, with the WBL leader in bold.

Batters

Reggie Jackson‘s triple crown hunt is back on! And Babe Ruth‘s dominance just continues unabated.

Dick Allen (CAG). 298/368/550. 9 3B.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 335/410/646. 1.056 OPS. 26 HR.
Rico Carty (PHI). 295/362/480. 34 2B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 336/379/533.
Eric Davis (NYY). 277/337/528. 4.1 WAR.
Mike Epstein (HOM). 336/441/539.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 253/389/342. 67 BB, 64SB.
Kent Hrbek (POR). 301/370/582. 26 HR.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 337/449/610. 1.059 OPS.
Willie Mays (NYG). 316/373/523. 112 H.
Stan Musial (KCM). 331/390/585. 115 H, 31 2B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 316/373/523. 112 H, 88 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 298/373/454. 66 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 314/424/656. 1.080 OPS. 29 HR, 88 RBI, 73 R, 66 BB, 5.0 WAR.
Mike Trout (LAA). 318/390/455. 112 H.

Pitchers

It’s just all over the place, once you move past the dominant performances by Ned Garvin (BAL) and Gerrit Cole (LAA).

Starters

Bill Byrd (BAL). 9-2, 3.29.
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-3, 3.66. 128 IP.
Gene Conley (CLE). 10-2, 3.17.
Ned Garvin (BAL). 8-3, 2.64. 1.14 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 9-6, 3.84. 135 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-8, 4.15. 135 K.
Waite Hoyt (NYY). 8-2, 3.29. 1.15 WHIP.
Walter Johnson (POR). 8-3, 3.60. 3.2 WAR.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 10-6, 3.96.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 8-6, 3.77. 3.5 WAR.
Red Ruffing (NYY). 10-4, 3.55.
Cy Young (CLE). 8-4, 3.84. 129 IP.

Relievers

20 IP minimum for rate stats.

Watty Clark (BRK). 3-1, 1.23. 17 Sv.
Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.67. 23 Sv.
Ken Howell (SFS). 3-3, 1.14. 3 Sv, 7 H.
AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.08. 16 Sv, 0.88 WHIP.
Ron Reed (CLE). 0-2, 2.26. 3 Sv, 16 H.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-2, 3.58. 12 H.
Johan Santana (POR). 1-1, 2.78. 23 Sv.
Jonny Venters (LAA). 3-3, 3.24. 4 Sv, 12 H.
Billy Wagner (HOU). 0-2, 3.63. 11 Sv, 2 H, 0.90 WHIP.

Streaks

Not a lot of interesting active streaks. Brooklyn’s Beals Becker–who has the league record for consecutive games with a HR with 5–has a 25 game streak of getting on base. It’s no Thurman Munson, but it’s something. Becker is slashing 382/432/853 over his last 10 games. Gary Pettis, once considered a liability at the plate, is slashing 600/667/1050 over his last 15 games (because of Pettis’ utility as a defensive replacement, those 15 games cover only 24 ABs).

Christy Mathewson (NYG) hasn’t allowed a hit in over 8 innings.

Baltimore’s entire staff is on fire: Bill Byrd, Ned Garvin, Sean Marshall, Mike Mussina, and Jim Palmer are all on hot streaks on the mound. The most impressive is Byrd, who has a 1.07 WHIP and 2.38 ERA over his last 10 games.

Series Results

Series XXIII Sweeps

Cleveland over Indianapolis

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXIII

Baltimore over Brooklyn
Birmingham over Los Angeles
Houston over Chicago
Detroit over Portland
Kansas City over Philadelphia
New York Black Yankees over Ottawa

Splitting Series XXIII

Homestead @ San Francisco
House of David @ Memphis
Miami @ New York Gothams

TWIWBL 24.0: Mid-Season Reviews – Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On February 14, 2022

In Team News, TWIWBL

{The next 20 (!) posts are midseason reviews for each team. They have a consistent structure, and should provide a snapshot for each franchise halfway through the inaugural season.}

Summary

Overall, Baltimore is one of the big surprises in the league, heading into the midpoint of the season with a league-best 45-29 record, giving them a 2 game lead in the Cum Posey Division.

What’s Gone Right

The Pitching. The trio of Dennis Martínez, Ned Garvin, and Bill Byrd is easily the best in the league, with a combined record of 20-8 and ERA’s all within 10 points of 3.00. But it doesn’t stop there. Sean Marshall, Bob Welch, and Mike Mussina are all pushing hard to replace either Johnny Sain or Jim Palmer (who have struggled fairly equally) as starters, with all three of them posting eye-popping numbers, albeit in limited innings.

No Closer, No Cry. The Black Sox were ridiculed for splitting the duties between Don Bessent and Bob Miller. Bessent has 9 saves to Miller’s 3, but that’s been more accidental than intentional, and both have been highly effective.

Top of the Order. Three players with OBPs over .400 (Bobby Wallace, Dan McGann, and Larry Gardner) followed by as destructive a duo as you’ll find anywhere in Frank Robinson and Curt Blefary is enough to build an offense around.

What’s Gone Wrong

The Blair Project. Paul Blair‘s continued struggles certainly stand out. Blair’s been good defensively, but can’t get his OPS over .650.

Infield Woes. Third base and the backup infielder roles have been pretty poor: both Miller Huggins and Brooks Robinson were moved down to AAA, but neither Brian Roberts nor Cal Ripken, Jr. have really done much, either. Harlond Clift has been the de facto starter at 3B, but is hitting under .200 with an OPS barely over .600.

The AAA Gap. Baby Doll Jacobson might have been the best hitter in AAA when he was called up. Roberts and Ripken, Jr. were smacking the ball there. All have struggled since their WBL debuts. The gap between AAA and the WBL is significant.

Key Storylines

Moving Garvin into the starting lineup has paid massive dividends, and with Welch and Mussina’s performance, the Black Sox haven’t lost anything from the middle of the bullpen.

Sticking with Bryce Harper through his early season struggles is proving smart as well, with the 19 year-old now sporting an OPS just over .700 with a great batting eye.

Trading Outlook

HOLDING.

They would like to buy, but there aren’t a lot of obvious possibilities. They need a solution at 3B. Alex Johnson and Merv Rettenmund seem the most obvious pieces. There are some live arms in the minors as well.

AAA Shuttle

Not a lot. Ripken, Jr. and Jacobson will stay in the majors for at least a few more weeks, although both are struggling to adapt to big league pitching. Chick Stahl would be next in line to try his hand at unseating Blair if it comes to that.

Midseason Changes

Mussina has just been too good, and will start the second half as the fifth starter ahead of Palmer. Sain only has a few starts before his spot is under consideration as well.

Brooks Robinson has recovered his batting eye at AAA, and with Clift struggling so mightily, he will be recalled with Clift heading to Washington. Worst case, Robinson is a better glove.

Awards

Player of the Week: Frank Robinson (5/15); Dan McGann (5/22)

All Stars: Bill Byrd (P); Curt Blefary (C); Ned Garvin (P); Sean Marshall (P); Dennis Martínez (P); Dan McGann (1B); Bobby Wallace (SS).

Offensive MVP: Curt Blefary (C)
Pitching MVP: Ned Garvin (SP)

Down on the Farm

AAA: Washington Senators

Next to the Show: OF Merv Rettenmund (25), Chick Stahl (31); P BJ Ryan (27)

Prospects: 1B Eddie Murray (21).

Projects: SS Mark Belanger (24), OF Merv Rettenmund (25), P Milt Pappas (22).

Suspects: P Mike Flanagan (31), OF Ken Griffey, Sr. (33), C Tom Haller (31).

AA: Charlotte Hornets

Prospects: 2B Asdrúbal Cabrera (21) and OF Larry Sheets (24).

Projects: 3B Joe Dugan (26), 1B Willie Montañez (18), RPs Dave Smith (26) and Jeff Karstens (23).

Suspects: OF Corey Patterson (26), SP Willie Sudhoff (30).

Series XVI Featured Matchup: Wandering House of David @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On November 19, 2021

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

#Game 1: Jack Taylor @ Dennis Martinez

Pete Browning‘s return from the DL began with a single to left off Dennis Martinez in the first inning, sending George Stone to second base. But Martinez was able to get out of the inning without giving up a run.

The Black Sox took the lead in the bottom of the 3rd on a 3-run shot by Frank Robinson.

An RBI single by Stone got one back for the House of David in the top of the 4th.

In the top of the 5th, with Martinez struggling, Baby Doll Jacobson made a mark on his WBL debut by throwing out Elrod Hendricks at home. Martinez would give up only the 1 run in his 5 innings, despite surrendering 8 hits.

And that was it: Bob Welch, Sean Marshall, and Gregg Olson shut down the House of David the rest of the way, and the Black Sox took the opening game of the series.

HOD 1 (Taylor 4-6) @ BAL 3 (Martinez 8-2; Olson 1 Sv; Welch 1 H; Marshall 4 H)
HRs: BAL – Robinson (15)
Box Score

#Game 2: Wade Miley @ Jim Palmer

Elrod Hendricks took Jim Palmer deep in the top of the first, giving the House of David a 3-0 lead. Dan McGann got one back for Baltimore, taking Wade Miley down the left field line for his 9th homerun of the season.

The long balls kept coming: George Stone hit a solo shot in the top of the 2nd and Baby Doll Jacobson, making his first start after his recent recall from AAA, launched a 2 run shot in the bottom of the frame for his first WBL hit.

Dan Ford–who has cemented himself as the House of David’s regular RFer–went deep in the top of the 5th, making the score 5-3.

Miley couldn’t complete the 5th, leaving after back-to-back 2-out walks in favor of Dick Tidrow, who fanned Frank Robinson to preserve the lead and strand the two baserunners. Palmer lasted a little longer, surrendering to Mike Mussina when he gave up a walk to open the 6th inning.

Mussina finally ran out of gas in the top of the 9th, giving up hits to Ryne Sandberg and Mark McGwire before giving way to Buddy Groom, who allowed an RBI single to pinch-hitter Ron Santo. Groom struck out Stone, but the ball got away from Curt Blefary, and his throw to first sailed into the outfield, scoring another run.

That made it 7-3, House of David, heading to the bottom of the 9th. Larry Gardner led off with a single, but Rollie Fingers induced a double play from Bobby Wallace. A single from McGann chased Fingers, bringing in Bruce Sutter to face Robinson, who singled. Sutter got Ken Singleton to ground out to end the game, evening the series at a game apiece.

HOD 7 (Tidrow 3-4; Smith 1 H; Fingers 3 H) @ BAL 3 (Palmer 4-6)
HRs: HoD – Hendricks (12), Stone (13), Ford (3); BAL – McGann (9), Jacobson (1)
Box Score

#Game 3: Frank Sullivan @ Bill Byrd

Baltimore would turn to Bill Byrd to try to change their fortunes in game three.

Byrd would give up a leadoff triple to George Stone, who scored on a groundout from Dan Ford. Baltimore would get the first singles from their first two batters, but were unable to score, and we ended the first inning with the House of David ahead, 1-0.

Byrd would give up a solo shot to Elrod Hendricks in the top of the 4th, doubling the lead to 2-0 in favor of the House of David.

Frank Sullivan was sailing along until the bottom of the 5th, when Bryce Harper led off with a walk and Cal Ripkin, Jr. followed with a double to straight away CF. Paul Blair brought home Harper with a sacrifice fly, but that was all Baltimore could manage, and the 5th inning ended with the score 2-1.

Harper tied the game with an RBI single in the bottom of the 6th.

Baltimore’s Sean Marshall worked in and out of trouble in the top of the 8th, putting two runners on base, but inducing a double-play and a soft popout to maintain the tie.

A scoreless ninth ensued, and we were heading to extra innings.

Ryne Sandberg triple with one out in the top of the 10th, and scored on a single by Richie Hebner. Stone would follow with his 2nd three-bagger of the day, scoring Hebner and making it 4-2 in favor of the House of David.

Bruce Sutter gave up a walk, but worked around it to seal the victory, putting the House of David up, two games to one.

Hendricks ended the day with four hits.

HOD 4 (Sutter 2-0) @ BAL 2 (Bessent 1-3) [10 Innings]
HRs: HOD – Hendricks (13)
Box Score

#Game 4: @ Johnny Sain @ CC Sabathia

Two of the coldest arms in the WBL face-off in game four. Baltimore’s Johnny Sain sits at 5-4 with an ERA well over 5.00 while the House of David’s CC Sabathia is 5-5 with an ERA about a run lower. But neither have thrown well in a while.

The House of David’s best hitters generated their first run: Pete Browning singled, stole second, and scored on an RBI single by Elrod Hendricks.

The Black Sox tied the game in the bottom of the first on an RBI single from Frank Robinson, and took the lead when Richie Hebner made a throw that sailed over Mark Grace‘s head at first. Bryce Harper followed with a double into the right field corner, and when Sabathia finally got out of the inning, Baltimore was in front, 5-1.

Hendricks drove in Dan Ford with a single in the top of the third, but a great throw from Paul Blair nailed Browning at home to limit the damage.

Ramon Hernandez made it 7-2 with a homerun in the bottom of the frame.

Browning’s third hit of the game was a long shot to left-center, making the score 7-3 and generating activity in the Black Sox bullpen.

Both bullpens actually did well, and the game was scoreless across the final four frames. Hendricks ended with 4 hits for the House of David, while Harper had 3 for Baltimore.

HOD 3 (Sabathia 5-6) @ BAL 7 (Sain 6-4)
HRs: HOD – Browning (6); BAL – Hernandez (2)
Box Score

Series Overview

So, a split, a result that will disappoint Baltimore, and give the House of David some hope.

For the House of David, Elrod Hendricks was on fire, going 11-for-15 in the four games with 2 homeruns and 6 RBIs. The problem was nobody else did much of note.

The hitting star for Baltimore was Bryce Harper, who went 7-for-13, raising his average nearly 20 points. Again, though, it was pretty much a one man show.

Series XVI Preview: Wandering House of David @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On November 16, 2021

In Featured Series

It’s been a long time since we checked in on the House of David, who were featured way back in Series V when they visited Los Angeles. The Baltimore Black Sox–currently tied for the best record in baseball–were featured in Series IX.

Wandering House of David

The House of David are struggling towards .500, sitting 6 games below that mark, and 5 games behind Detroit in the Bill James Division. Honestly, even that may be outperforming their metrics (they are, in fact, 2 games above their Pythagorean projection at this point).

The pitching has been an issue all season. C.C. Sabathia started the year quite well, and if the House of David have an ace, he’s it. But he’s only 5-5 on the year, with a 4.29 ERA (his WHIP of 1.33 is more respectable), and some would look at Jack Taylor (4-5, 3.57 ERA) as having been more dependable. Probably their best pitcher has been Bob Rush, who sparkled out of the pen, and has just recently moved into the rotation. Rush is 4-3, with a 3.07 ERA, and both he and Taylor have identical 1.18 WHIPs.

The bullpen has been fairly mediocre: Joakim Soria started the year as the closer, lost that role to Bruce Sutter, and was just released. Sutter has been fine, and recently promoted Lee Smith has some potential, but neither he nor Rollie Fingers seem terribly reliable at the moment.

The House of David’s best offensive player has, hands down, been Pete Browning, who is slashing 385/419/606, The problem is Browning has only been healthy for about 28 games. He’s back now, and hopefully can spark a struggling offense.

The bright spots of the offense are clear: OF George Stone (318/407/552 and a team-high 12 homeruns), C Elrod Hendricks (291/344/581), and–in one of the shocks of the league–OF Dan Ford (375/396/557 in about half their games) have led the team along with SS Ernie Banks who tops the team with 44 RBIs. And … that’s about it. Ron Santo and Mark Grace have been fine, and Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire have been miserable (Sosa was just sent to AAA to work it out).

Optimism for the House of David centers around Browning’s health and Ford not collapsing. We’ll see.

Baltimore Black Sox

The Black Sox have ridden strong starting pitching and a solid offense to the best record in the league, even after a shocking series against Birmingham, where they lost 3-out-of-4. They’ll be looking to right the ship immediately, with their ace, Dennis Martinez taking the mound for the first game. Martinez is 7-2 with a 3.15 ERA, but calling him their ace may be a little misleading: Bill Byrd has essentially the same ERA at 3.16 and Ned Garvin may be the best pitcher in the league at the moment, with an ERA well under 3.00.

Don Bessent and Bob Miller have combined for 11 saves, with neither actually being declared the official closer, and Sean Marshall and Buddy Groom continue to pitch really well out of the pen.

Offensively, Curt Blefary has slowed down slightly, but is still mashing the ball at a 289/392/639 clip to lead the way, and he and Frank Robinson (313/394/537) are among the better duos in the league. Three regulars–SS Bobby Wallace, 1B Dan McGann, and 2B Larry Gardner have OBPs over .400, ensuring plenty of traffic on the basepaths, and the Black Sox’ patience with Bryce Harper has really paid off as, after a month of struggle, the young outfielder is starting to contribute more and more offensively.

Recently recalled Baby Doll Jacobsen was perhaps the most dominant hitter in AAA, so the club is eager to see if he can contribute.

Starting Pitchers

House of David starter listed first.

Wade Miley (2-2, 6.12 ERA) @ Dennis Martinez (7-2, 3.15 ERA)
Jack Taylor (4-5, 3.57 ERA) @ Jim Palmer (4-5, 4.85 ERA)
Frank Sullivan (4-6, 4.90 ERA) @ Bill Byrd (5-2, 3.16 ERA)
CC Sabathia (5-5, 4.29 ERA) @ Johnny Sain (5-4, 5.42 ERA)

Series Prediction

I mean … Baltimore is clearly the superior team. And they’ll be looking to bounce back after a disappointing series with Birmingham. I think they will, and the House of David will only win one game, either for Taylor or Sabathia.