Tag: Johnny Bates Page 3 of 4

#Cleveland Spiders

Reliever Doug Corbett hasn’t been bad, but with the Spiders needing a starter due to Whit Wyatt‘s thumb injury not healing in time, Corbett was the odd man out, heading back to AAA. Ken Schrom was promoted for his WBL debut, although the club doesn’t expect Schrom to stick around.

Two homeruns by Johnny Bates led Cleveland to a 12-3 lead over Ottawa in a game where Pat Malone improved to 11-5 on the year.

#New York Black Yankees

2 homeruns from Eric Davis (his 26th and 27th of the year) weren’t enough, as the Black Yankees fell to Portland, 6-2.

TWIWBL 32.0: Series XXV Notes

By mknn

On February 1, 2023

In TWIWBL

July 19th

For this TWIWBL we’re going to look at two of my favorite emerging plotlines.

Biggest Surprise

Right now, it’s got to be the Birmingham Black Barons. At the end of May, they were 10 games back, a .400 team, and battling Miami for last place in the Marvin Miller Division. Today, they are 7 games over .500, and only 2.5 games behind division-leading Portland. So, what happened?

Birmingham began to turn it around in late May, but their high level of activity at the all-star break has to be mentioned as well. Ultimately, they lost 2 SPs (Dick Rudolph to Chicago and all-star Tim Hudson to San Francisco), a key bullpen piece (Hoyt Wilhelm in the same trade as Rudolph), and two infielders (all-star 2B Tom Herr to the Black Yankees and U Frank Isbell to Brooklyn). They received 10 players and 4 draft picks in return, with only 1B Adrián González making the big leagues immediately.

González’ OPS with the Black Barons has been in the high 600’s, which isn’t great, but is almost 200 points higher than his struggles with Chicago. He is splitting time at 1B with Frank McCormick, and the combo is outperforming Isbell. Hank Aaron is playing more at 2B with Herr gone, allowing Bob Nieman and Curtis Granderson to be joined by a rotating cast of OFers, but overall strengthening the lineup (even if Aaron isn’t exactly good defensively at 2B). Additionally, Eddie Mathews and Pie Traynor are in the lineup most days, with Mathews becoming the primary DH.

It’s worked: the quartet of Granderson, McCormick, Mathews, and Aaron have all come to life, combining for 27 HRs and 103 RBIs since June 1st. All in all, a team that struggled to score at all is now slowly, very slowly, edging away from the bottom of the pack offensively.

But the real success has been on the mound where, quite surprisingly, the loss of Hudson, Rudolph, and Wilhelm hasn’t really been felt. Alejandro Peña has been solid all year, Greg Maddux is finally living up to his hype, and Vic Willis continues to impress in the rotation. Closer Juan Ríncón has 17 saves despite starting the season buried in the bullpen, and the trio of Bruce Chen, Harley Young, and Steve Bedrosian have been fantastic in getting the ball to Rincón.

Rincón got his 2nd, 3rd, and 4th save of the season in consecutive games in late May, about the same time Bedrosian and Willis joined the big league club, with Chen being recalled from AAA in late June.

Look, the Black Barons are still a longshot to make the playoffs–but just being in the conversation has been an unlikely triumph for Birmingham. And it’s not all luck: yes, they are outperforming their Pythagorean projection by 2 wins, but that would still leave them above .500 even if they weren’t.

Second Biggest Surprise

The New York Black Yankees were supposed to run away and hide atop the Effa Manley Division. But the Cleveland Spiders have other ideas, and currently sit 3.5 games above New York in the standings, with the second best record in baseball.

Cy Young and Pat Malone have led the rotation all year, with ERA’s right around 4.00 and excellent peripheral numbers, and the bullpen trio of Chuck Porter, Cory Gearrin, and Ron Reed (who has continued to excel since being acquired from Philadelphia) have been able to consistently get the ball to Terry Adams in good situations. Adams has delivered with 23 saves, despite an 0-5 record.

Offensively, Ron Blomberg is in the argument for the MVP, slashing 334/402/638 with 28 homeruns and 76 RBIs, but the key to the team may have been finding a way to get John Ellis in the lineup almost every day, as the C/1B/DH has an OPS over .900, ranking second to Blomberg in most offensive stats. Add in a great season from Louis Santop behind the plate, solid contributions from Jake Stahl, Chuck Knoblauch, and Johnny Bates and the surprising turnaround from midseason acquisition Lance Berkman (whose OPS is over 300 points above where it was for Houston), and the Spiders have a dangerous lineup, top to bottom.

Can they hold off the Black Yankees? If New York’s bullpen continues to be absolutely porous, yes, yes they can. Will they? That’s another question entirely.

Performance

Awards

I feel like I’ve missed these for a little while, so I’m going to list the last few Players of the Week as well as June’s Players of the Month.

Player of the Month

In an unusual occurence for a reliever, Willie Mitchell of the Indianapolis ABC’s was the Pitcher of the Month for June. Mitchell was 4-0 with a 0.95 ERA out of the bullpen, prompting him to be added to the ABC’s rotation.

The Los Angeles Angels‘ Mike Trout took the Batter of the Month award, by hitting .381 for June. Trout is still looking to add some power to his results, but it moved him firmly into the conversation of elite hitters in the game.

Player of the Week

Willie Stargell of the Homestead Grays was the PotW for the week ending 7/17, hitting .565 with 3 HRs and 9RBIs in the span.

Babe Ruth has recovered from a mini-slump with a vengeance, taking home the PotW award for the week ending 7/10, hitting .500 with 3 homeruns and 12 RBI’s.

Before Ruth, the award went to Brooklyn’s Beals Becker, who raised his season average to a cool .300 with a .478, 3 HR showing during the week.

Batters

Top 2 in all categories, with the WBL leader in bold.

It’s been the Babe Ruth show since Reggie Jackson‘s triple crown run fell apart, but we’re seeing some others, most notably Kansas City‘s Stan Musial, edge into the MVP discussion.

Dick Allen (CAG). 307/375/553. 10 3B.
Johnny Bench (IND). 295/411/564. 4.4 WAR.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 334/402/638. 28 HR.
Rico Carty (PHI). 287/360/461. 34 2B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 350/392/559. 124 H.
Mike Epstein (HOM). 332/432/535.
Mike Fiore (CAG). 249/405/415. 70 BB.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 252/388/341. 74 BB; 69 SB.
Kent Hrbek (POR). 309/379/591. 28 HR.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 340/422/593. 76 R.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 327/439/587.
Stan Musial (KCM). 340/396/602. 129 H; 36 2B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 324/382/532. 94 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 290/365/433. 71 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 313/421/643. 30 HR; 91 RBI; 80 R; 5.3 WAR.
Louis Santop (CLE). 312/344/470. 10 3B.

Pitchers

Starters

Top 3 in each category, with the league leader in bold. No fewer than nine hurlers have 10 victories each, so only the top two in wins–Cole and Mathewson–are listed.

Bill Byrd (BAL). 10-2, 3.12. 1.18 WHIP.
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-4, 4.10.
Don Drysedale (BRK). 6-3, 3.49. 1 H; 1.17 WHIP.
Ned Garvin (BAL). 9-3, 2.66. 2 H; 1.15 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 10-6, 3.72. 150 Ks.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-8, 3.99. 144 Ks; 3.4 WAR.
Walter Johnson (POR). 9-3, 3.54. 3.3 WAR.
Frank Knauss (BRK). 10-4, 3.19. 1 Sv.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 11-6, 3.78. 123 Ks.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 8-6, 3.65. 3.6 WAR.

Relievers

Detroit‘s Mike Henneman has finally passed the injured Johan Santana for the league lead in saves.

22 IP for rate stats; top 2, leader in bold.

Terry Adams (CLE). 0-5, 3.48. 23 Sv; 1 H.
Watty Clark (BRK). 3-1, 1.20. 17 Sv.
Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.41. 25 Sv.
AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.22. 18 Sv, 0.86 WHIP.
Chuck Porter (CLE). 4-3, 2.04. 1 Sv; 10 H; 0.86 WHIP.
Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-3, 2.59. 3 Sv; 16 H.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-2, 3.35. 13 H.
Johan Santana (POR). 1-1, 2.78. 23 Sv; 1 H.
Jonny Venters (LAA). 3-3, 3.35. 5 Sv; 13 H.
Brian Wilson (SFS). 1-0, 1.15. 20 Sv.

Streaks

Beals Becker‘s on-bas streak ended at 32 games, but Boog Powell‘s is still alive at 29 and counting. Other active streaks of note include Brian Wilson‘s 18 consecutive saves and Bill Byrd‘s 14 starts without a loss, as well as Harley Young‘s 12 scoreless innings in relief.

Series Results

Series XXV Sweeps

Birmingham over Indianapolis

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXV

Chicago over Philadelphia
House of David over Cleveland
Kansas City over New York Black Yankees
San Francisco over Portland

Series XXV Splits

Houston Colt 45’s @ Baltimore Black Sox
Miami Cuban Giants @ Brooklyn
Detroit Wolverines @ New York Gothams
Homestead @ Memphis Red Sox
Ottawa Mounties @ Los Angeles

Series XIX Featured Matchup: Cleveland Spiders @ New York Black Yankees

By mknn

On June 2, 2022

In Featured Series

Series preview here.

#Game One: Whit Wyatt @ Waite Hoyt

The Black Yankees took the lead in the bottom of the first on a three run HR from Mickey Mantle, followed immediately by a solo shot from Eric Davis. The Spiders got one back in the third on a bases loaded groundout from Johnny Bates, but Waite Hoyt induced a double play ball from Chuck Knoblauch, keeping the score 4-1 in favor of New York.

Solo shots from Thurman Munson in the 4th and Davis in the 5th chased Whit Wyatt from the game, with the Black Yankees now up 6-1.

The Spiders put a few runners on base, especially after a rain delay led to Hoyt leaving the game, but nobody else scored.

Davis is now tied with Babe Ruth for the WBL league in homeruns with 24.

CLE 1 (Wyatt 3-5) @ NYY 6 (Hoyt 6-1)
HRs: NYY – Mantle (10), Davis 2 (24), Munson (9)
Box Score

#Game Two: Cy Young @ Ron Guidry

Ron Guidry gave up back-to-back hits to Peanuts Lowery and Jake Stahl to start the game, but a double play and a weak flyball to right got him out of the inning without a score.

Stahl would open the scoring in the top of the fourth with his 14th homerun of the year. The Spiders would add 2 more in the fifth, on a double by Louis Santop, a triple from Jim Gantner, and a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0. Cy Young, meanwhile, had a 2-hit shutout through 5 innings.

The shutout lasted until the bottom of the 9th, when Don Mattingly led off with a pinch-hit homerun. That brought in Terry Adams, who fanned Derek Jeter and Eric Davis before getting Babe Ruth to groundout weakly to 2B to end the game.

CLE 3 (Young 7-3; Adams 17 Sv) @ NYY 1 (Guidry 5-7)
HRs: CLE – Stahl (14); NYY – Mattingly (15)
Box Score

#Game 3: Pat Malone @ Red Ruffing

Cleveland sends Pat Malone to the mound as they try to get ahead in the series against New York’s all-star, Red Ruffing.

The Spiders would strike first, with Ron Blomberg hitting his 20th homerun of the year with a runner on for a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. In the bottom of the second, Albert Belle would cut the lead in half with a solo shot, and Babe Ruth would send the Black Yankees in front 3-2 with a a long homerun in the bottom of the third inning.

Ruffing and Malone would trade blanks after that until Goose Gossage took the mound for New York in the top of the 7th. The big righthander continued to struggle: Bill Dahlen walked and stole second, Kenny Lofton singled him to third, and then Chuck Knoblauch sent an 0-1 pitch into the seats for a 5-3 Cleveland lead.

That was it for Gossage, who was replaced by Cole Hamels, who gave up a pinch-hit 2 run shot to Evan Longoria, increasing the lead to 7-3.

Meanwhile, Malone was masterful, allowing only 4 hits over a complete game, 108 pitch performance, putting the Spiders in position to overtake New York in the division if they can win the final game.

Thurman Munson‘s wild 43 game streak of getting base ended in this contest.

CLE 7 (Malone 7-4) @ NYY 3 (Gossage 4-4, 5 B Sv)
HRs: CLE – Blomberg (20), Knoblauch (5), Longoria (6); NYY – Belle (9), Ruth (25)
Box Score

#Game 4: Bill Steen @ Jamie Moyer

If Bill Steen can pull a win out for Cleveland, they will take over first place from the Black Yankees, who will counter with recently acquired Jamie Moyer‘s first start for the club.

Moyer would struggle early, with Cleveland loading the bases twice in the first three innings. But the Spiders were unable to push a run across the plate in either frame. They did score first when John Ellis took Moyer deep in the top of the 5th with a runner on base. Peanuts Lowery added an RBI single, and the Spiders took the lead, 3-0.

Steen was sailing along until the bottom of the 5th, when Mike Schmidt led off with a walk and Tom Herr–who had struggled a bit in his first few days for the Black Yankees–ripped a double to right, putting New York on the board. Herr scored on a single by Derek Jeter. Singles by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig chased Steen from the game in favor of Mel Harder. Harder was greeted by an RBI single by Mickey Mantle, and we exited the 5th inning tied at 3.

It’s not clear which is more surprising, that Cole Hamels would strike out the side in the top of the 6th or that Thurman Munson, after being hit by a pitch, would steal second base. He would score on a double from Jeter, putting the Black Yankees up, 4-3.

Hamels finished with 7 strikeouts in 3 innings before giving way to Ralph Citarella with a runner on first and 2 outs. Citarella–the most dependable arm in New York’s beleaguered bullpen–hit Chuck Knoblauch and gave up a long shot into the left field stands by Ron Blomberg. That made it 6-4, and an RBI double from Ellis made it 7-4.

Cory Gearrin struggled in the bottom of the frame, giving up 3 hits, but retiring Jeter with 2 runners on to close the frame and preserve the lead.

That left Cleveland’s closer, Terry Adams, to close out the victory … if he could get through Don Mattingly, Ruth, and Gehrig. Mattingly led off with a hit, and Ruth got on with an infield squib. Gehrig followed with a double, putting runners on second and third and closing the gap to 7-5. Another infield hit, this one by Mantle, scored the runner from third, but Adams whiffed Albert Belle for the first out. Munson would send a ball deep into the night, but it would stay in the ballpark. Still, it was more than enough to score Gehrig from third.

And Herr would win the game with another infield dribbler. This one hurts the Spiders, who had a solid chance to move into first place and, instead, leave New York in the same position they were when they arrived.

Mantle had 4 hits and Herr 3 for New York while both Blomberg and Ellis drove in 3 for Cleveland.

CLE 7 (Adams 0-4, 5 Bsv; Gearrin 7 H) @ NYY 8 (Baldwin 4-0; Citrarella 2 B Sv)
HRs: CLE – Ellis (17), Blomberg (21)
Box Score

#Series Summary

For Cleveland, Ron Blomberg finished on fire, with 5 hits and 2 homeruns in the final 2 games of the series. Kenny Lofton and Bill Dahlen also had 5 hits, and John Ellis went 6-for-18 in the four games.

Mickey Mantle was 7-for-16 and Don Mattingly continued to push for more time, going 5-for-11 in the four games. Eric Davis only had 2 hits in the series, but both were homeruns.

TWIWBL 24.4: Mid-Season Reviews – Cleveland Spiders

By mknn

On February 24, 2022

In Team News, TWIWBL

Summary

A great first half performance from the Cleveland Spiders, who are basically keeping pace with the Black Yankees in the Effa Manley Division, only 1.5 games behind.

What’s Gone Right

Big Ron. Ron Blomberg is a borderline MVP candidate, with an OPS over 1.000.

C/1B. The trio of John Ellis, Jake Stahl, and Louis Santop has been fantastic at those three positions. Santop’s 297/333/446 is the worst slash line of the three, and they have combined for 76 extra-base hits (including 29 homeruns). Ellis and Santop are very young (Santop is only 19).

Solid Starting. Only Cy Young has been excellent, but the rest of the Spiders’ starting pitching has been uniformly solid. Of the quartet of Pat Malone, Whit Wyatt, Bob Feller, and Bill Steen, the highest ERA is 4.82 and the highest WHIP is 1.32 (both Wyatt). It’s a testament to how far you can go as long as none of your starters are bad.

What’s Gone Wrong

Centerfield. Kenny Lofton has been decent since being handed the job, but the real story here is Larry Doby, whose .600 OPS has finally earned him a trip to AAA. Tris Speaker–yet to play after a gruesome injury in spring training–may return as an option.

Peanut & Office. Rowland Office shockingly won the LF job in the preseason, then collapsed to be replaced by another AAA callup, Peanuts Lowrey. Both Office and Lowery started insanely hot, and then fell hard.

The Hot Corner. The Spiders have tried Evan Longoria, Sammy Strang, Ken Keltner, and Casey Blake at third. Longoria has the job right now, but his OPS is in the mid .600s, which tells you just how bad the others have been.

Key Storylines

Are they for real–and if so, where they may end up if they can solve some of their weaknesses.

This has been a rotation that has survived with a variety of relatively unknown contributors–initially Hit Wyatt, but also Steen and Malone. The question is if that can continue.

Offensively, Blomberg has outperformed all expectations. If he can maintain anything close too that level, and if Ellis can as well, the Spiders could go far.

Trading Outlook

BUYERS.

Detroit finds themselves perhaps surprisingly high in the standings: they need to take advantage of the opportunity. The problem is they really have no established talent to move. There are some intriguing minor leaguers, but that’s about it.

AAA Shuttle

It hasn’t really worked so far, although it must be recognized that Office and Lowery did well before collapsing.

Midseason Changes

Johnny Bates takes over in LF, with Blomberg taking the field in right. This allows the Spiders to get Ellis in the lineup more reliably.

The 3B question remains unresolved–Keltner (who struggled with the big league club) has hit well at AA. But it’s AA.

Awards

All Stars: Terry Adams (P); Ron Blomberg (DH); Chuck Knoblauch (2B); Cy Young (P).

Player of the Month: Ron Blomberg (May)
Player of the Week: Ron Blomberg (5/1)

Offensive MVP: Ron Blomberg (OF)
Pitching MVP: Cy Young (SP)

Down on the Farm

AAA: Buffalo Bison

Next to the Show: There’s not a ton of help here as the better performers-Tony Solaita and Hal Trosky–are both primarily 1B.

Prospects: None, really.

Projects: 2B Bobby Knoop (27), OF Gibby Brack (30), C Andy Etchebarren (24), P Firpo Marberry (27), P Sudden Sam McDowell (24), OF Harry Stovey (25), 1B Tony Solaita (25), P Wade LeBlanc (23).

Suspects: SS Rick Burleson (33), P Willis Hudlin (27).

AA: Rochester Hustlers

Prospects: 3B Ken Keltner (22), 1B Charlie Grimm (20), RPs Arodys Vizcaíno (21) and Jae Kuk Ryu (23), SS Joe Sewell (22).

Projects: RP Balor Moore (19)

Suspects: OF Félix Pié (22), 2B Bill Wambsganss (25), OF Darrell Miller (26), OF Charlie Jamieson (33), SP Alex Cobb (31), P Wild Bill Widner (27)

Series XVIII: Featured Game – New York Black Yankees @ Los Angeles Angels

By mknn

On January 20, 2022

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

Series XVIII was a little light on compelling games. The best of the series was the second game of the New York Black Yankees visit to the Los Angeles Angels.

The Yankees’ Jack Scott would get the start with Ron Romanick making his WBL debut for the Angels. Not a lot is expected of Romanick–Los Angeles would be thrilled to get 5 decent innings from him before he heads back to AAA.

Romanick got through the top of the first without incident, and when Doug Rader took Scott deep with Don Buford and Mike Trout on base for a 3-0 lead, the Angels could begin to feel a little optimistic. Romanick got the first two batters in the second, but RBIs from Doug DeCinces and Willie Randolph made it 3-2, and then homeruns by Don Mattingly and Eric Davis in the 3rd but New York ahead, 5-3.

It turns out Scott was the first starter to leave, as 6 hits and a walk in the bottom of the 3rd chased him from the mound. The innings started with doubles by Buford and Kal Daniels. Rader, Elmer Valo, and Ron Hassey singled in runs, bringing in Cole Hamels from the Yankees’ bullpen.

Hamels gave up hits to Tim Wallach and Buford, and the inning ended with Los Angeles putting up 6, and now leading 9-5.

Babe Ruth would take Romanick deep in the 4th for a 2-run shot, and Romanick would finally leave the game in the top of the 5th after giving up a leadoff single to Davis. He stole second and third, and scored on a wild pitch by Romanick’s replacement, Doc Gooden. That reduce the league to a single run, 9-8.

Davis would tie it in the top of the 7th with his second homerun of the game.

And we would stay that way until the top of the 12th inning, when Mike Schmidt would take Pud Galvin deep for an 11-9 lead for the Black Yankees.

Note that we haven’t mentioned any offense for Los Angeles after their 6 run burst. That’s because New York’s bullpen provided over 9 innings of scoreless relief, with Hamels, Dellin Betances, Ralph Citarella, and Goose Gossage combining to allow only 4 hits for the rest of the game.

It’s not like the Angels’ pen was bad: Gooden, Francisco Rodríguez, and Joe Nathan allowed one run in 7 innings before handing it over to Galvin in the 12th.

Davis scored 3 times and drove in 3 to lead New York. Trout and Buford had 3 hits each and Rader had 4 RBIs for Los Angeles.

NYY 11 (Gossage 4-3) @ LAA 9 (Galvin 2-5) [12 innings]
HRs: NYY – Mattingly (12), Davis 2 (22), Ruth (24); LAA – Rader (11)
Box Score

Other Games of Note

Both Diego Seguí of the San Francisco Sea Lions and the Cleveland Spiders‘ Pat Malone came into the game pitching well. Instead, the offenses dominated with the Spiders’ Johnny Bates driving in the winning run–his 3rd RBI on the day–in the bottom of the 9th for an 8-7 victory for Cleveland. The Sea Lions’ John Beckwith went 3-for-3 with a homerun in the losing cause.

SFS 7 (Bradford 1-5, 4 BSv; Devlin 1 BSv) @ CLE 8 (Gearrin 1-4)
HRs: SFS – Beckwith (5); CLE – Knoblauch (4)
Box Score

Series XII Featured Game: Cleveland Spiders @ New York Gothams

By mknn

On September 9, 2021

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

{ Whoops. This never got published from about 10 game days ago. }

The second game between the Cleveland Spiders and the New York Gothams saw the Spiders’ Bob Feller (4-4, 5.09 ERA) facing off against the Gothams’ Sad Sam Jones (3-3, 3.28). Feller’s peripheral numbers aren’t great, although his strikeout rate is impressive, while Jones has been one of the hottest starting pitchers in the league.

Feller struggled more, but neither pitcher did very well.

Cleveland opened the scoring in the top of the first, with Johnny Bates (who reached to lead off the game on an error by New York’s Pinky Higgins at 3B) coming home on an RBI double from John Ellis.

But the bottom of the first saw New York provide a strong response. Feller sandwiched strikeouts of Jimmy Sheckard and Buster Posey around a double by Higgins, but, after Willie Mays walked, Johnny Callison ripped a double scoring two and–after another walk–RBI singles by Joe Adcock and Brandon Crawford gave the Gothams a 4-1 advantage.

Cleveland would claw one back in the top of the 4th, when Jake Stahl led off the inning with a solo homerun. But again Feller would struggle in the bottom of an inning where his team scored in the top of the frame, and New York would add 2 more runs on two hits and two walks, with RBIs from Higgins and Mays extending the lead to 6-2.

That would be it for Feller, as Mel Harder replaced him in the bottom of the 5th. It wasn’t much better, as Adcock, Cookie Rojas, and Sheckard each hit doubles, making the score 8-2 and seeming to send the Gothams on their way to a comfortable victory.

The Spiders finally got to Jones again in the top of the 7th, with an RBI from Louis Santop and Stahl’s second homerun of the game (moving him into double digits on the year) chasing him from the game in favor of Al Mays. That made the score 8-5, and New York added another run in the bottom of the frame, extending it to a four run lead heading to the 8th inning.

Mays retired Rowland Office to start the inning, but then gave up 3 walks and 2 singles, exiting with the bases loaded and the score 9-7. New York turned to Mike Norris, one of their more reliable bullpen arms so far this season. Norris had one of his worst outings of the year, giving up an RBI single to Ellis, walking Stahl to drive in another run, and hitting Evan Longoria to give Cleveland a 10-9 lead in an inning where the Spiders sent 10 batters to the plate.

We weren’t done, though: Cleveland turned to Cory Gearrin in relief of Stan Coveleski with Gearrin entering the contest with one out and a runner on first. He struck out McCovey for the second out, but then walked two batters to load the bases. Rojas sent a ball to center that Office seemed to lose sight of, turning to see it sail over his head for a bases-clearing double. Higgins would add an RBI single, and we headed to the 9th with the Gothams back in front, 13-10.

Despite surrendering a double to Santop, New York’s closer, Brian Wilson, was able to slam the door, earning his fifth save of the year. Norris picked up both his third blown save and his second win and Mays–despite giving up 5 runs, 3 walks, and 2 hits in under an inning–picked up a hold.

Gearrin took the loss, but in the end, the poor outings from Feller and Harder just dug too deep of a hole.

Santop went 3-for-6 with 2 RBI’s, and Stahl had 3 hits and 4 RBIs for Cleveland. If there was any offensive blame for the Spiders, it went to shortstop Bill Dahlen, who stranded seven runners.

For New York, the offensive star was Rojas, who scored 3 times and drove in 4 with his 3 hits. Higgins also had 3 hits and 3 RBIs. Perhaps most surprisingly, the Gothams’ best player, Buster Posey, went 0-for-5 on the day.

The pitching staffs combined to allow 28 hits and 17 walks. Ouch.

CLE 10 (Gearrin 0-4, 3 BSv) @ NYG 13 (Norris 2-1, 3 BSv; Wilson 5 Sv; Mays 1 H)
HRs: CLE – Stahl 2 (10)
Box Score

#Other Games of Note

Birmingham and Portland combined for 7 homeruns in an 8-7 victory for the Black Barons. For Birmingham, Eddie Mathews, Curtis Granderson, and Frank McCormick all went deep; for the Sea Dogs, Bobby Murcer, Buddy Bell, Fred Dunlap, and Ivan Rodriguez all found the seats.

BBB 7 (Spahn 2-5) @ POR 8 (Munoz 2-1, 1 BSv; Myers 1 H; Santana 16 Sv)
HRs: BBB – Mathews (9), McCormick (5), Granderson (4); POR – Murcer (8), Bell (9), Dunlap (2), Rodriguez (2)
Box Score

Philadelphia edged Brooklyn with a walk-off single by Gavvy Cravath scoring Chase Utley in the bottom of the 11th inning. The game was notable for the very strong starts by both the Stars’ Steve Carlton (6.1 IP, 1 run) and the Royal Giants’ Don Sutton (8 IP, 2 runs). Brooklyn’s Dick Redding took the loss, despite pitching well enough in relief while Bob Howry–Philadelphia’s usual closer–got the win with 2 scoreless innings to close out the game.

BRK 2 (Redding 0-1) @ PHI 3 (Howry 1-2; Reed 4 BSv) [11 Innings]
HRs: none
Box Score

Indianapolis carried a 4-1 lead into the 9th, with closer Rob Dibble on the mound against Chicago. They got there largely on a key double by Davey Concepcion and 6 stolen bases in support of just shy of 8 innings of 1-run pitching from a commanding David Price. But Dibble imploded after Luke Appling reach on an error by Ed Charles (who was in the game as a defensive replacement) to start the inning. After getting an out, Dibble hit a batter and gave up 2 hits, including an RBI single by Eddie Collins that left the bases loaded. Joe Jackson walked, forcing in another run, Frank Thomas hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game, and Duffy Lewis singled to right, scoring Collins for the Chicago win.

IND 4 (Dibble 2-2, 3 BSv; Carroll 2 H) @ CHI 5 (Dixon 2-1)
HRs: none
Box Score

TWIWBL 15.3: Series XII Notes – Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On August 25, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Cleveland Spiders

Ron Blomberg had 3 hits and 4 RBIs, leading the Spiders to an opening game victory over the New York Gothams, 9-4. Cleveland OF Johnny Bates had an odd day: 3 walks and 2 sacrifice bunts, meaning he walked up to the plate 5 times without an official at-bat. The win went to Cy Young, now 3-2, and Doug Corbett pitched 2 scoreless innings to close it out for his first save.

Nap Lajoie and Evan Longoria were both sent to AAA to try to get their swings on track. IF Bobby Knoop and OF Kenny Lofton were recalled to Cleveland. The challenge for the Spiders remains juggling playing time at DH/C/1B, with Blomberg, Louis Santop, John Ellis, and Jake Stahl among their better contributors.

#Homestead Grays

Earl Hamilton moved into the starting rotation, but the fifth slot remains up in the air, with Carlos Zambrano recovering a bit from his early season struggles and John Candelaria not showing enough to stake a solid claim. Cliff Lee was sent to AAA. With a slash line of 162/311/216, Peaches Graham should be joining him, but there aren’t a lot of options in the minors, and Graham’s ability to get on base has some value, especially given how limited his role is as Josh Gibson‘s backup.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Lefty James will miss about 3 weeks with a sore elbow, which is a blow to the Indianapolis bullpen as the lefty was 3-1 with a 2.36 ERA. Octavio Dotel was promoted from AAA to take James’ place.

Clay Carroll has been struggling in his bullpen role, but not enough to warrant demotion, at least not until the ABC’s learn more about what they have in Dotel. 3B has been a problem spot for Indianapolis all season. Chase Headley‘s demotion to AAA hands the fulltime job to Ed Charles, but it’s not clear that’s a long-term solution. Barry Larkin was recalled to take Headley’s spot, but he’s more likely to pressure Davey Concepcion at SS than to challenge for the 3B job.

#New York Black Yankees

Jack Scott opened the series against Houston with a 6-hit shutout victory, 4-0. Mickey Mantle, Albert Belle, and Thurman Munson each had 2 hits, with Munson extending his hitting streak to 21 games.

In a game that saw Munson’s hitting streak end at 22 games, the Black Yankees clawed their way back to a walk-off win in 12 innings. Babe Ruth plated Derek Jeter with a hit through the drawn-in infield to give Goose Gossage his 3rd victory on the season. Gossage, Ralph Citarella, and Dellin Betances combined for 5 innings of 1-hit relief after a strong start from Waite Hoyt. Belle had 3 hits, Ruth and Jeter 2 each.

The recent dip in form by the Black Yankees has revived the question of what to do with Willie Randolph and Craig Counsell, neither of whom are hitting well enough to justify a big league roster spot. The challenge is that there really aren’t any options, especially with New York carrying 12 pitchers. Aaron Hill was promoted to AAA, and if he does well there, he may replace Counsell on the big league roster shortly.

#Philadelphia Stars

Led by Buck Freeman‘s 7th homerun of the year and Robin Roberts‘ best start, the Stars put together walk-off, 3-2 victory over Brooklyn. The win went to Bob McClure in relief of Roberts, and was sealed by an RBI single from Sherm Lollar, scoring Scott Rolen.

The top of Philadelphia’s lineup–Chase Utley and Gavvy Cravath–went 5-for-9 with 3 runs scored and 5 RBIs, leading the Stars over Brooklyn, 11-3. Utley, Sherry Magee, and Rico Carty all homered, and Ray Collins improved to 5-2 on the season with John Montgomery Ward throwing 3+ scoreless innings for his second save of the season.

Philadelphia is in a hard situation with Bill Dickey at C and Mickey Doolin at SS, both of whom are stretching credulity on how much defensive value a player can add. Both Dickey and Doolin carry OPS’ below .500, but for now both retain their jobs. The Stars would love recently recalled Jimmy Rollins to show more offensively to push Doolin, but so far, no luck.

TWIWBL 12.3: Series X Notes – Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On July 24, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Cleveland Spiders

Whit Wyatt was on the verge of WBL history, having allowed 1 hit through 8 innings against Portland. He struck out Jeff Burroughs for the first out, his 9th of the game, and then retired pinch-hitter Ivan Rodriguez on a popout to Jake Stahl at first base. But back-to-back singles by Harry Hooper and Joe Mauer were followed by a walk to Bobby Murcer to load the bases, chasing Wyatt from the mound. Terry Adams relived him and gave up an RBI single to Buddy Bell, making the score 3-1. But Adams earned the save, his 10th, by inducing another popout to Stahl to end the game, this one by Gil Hodges.

Johnny Bates hit a homerun and Stahl had 2 hits in support of Wyatt’s great outing, which improved his record to 3-1.

#Homestead Grays

The 19 inning marathon with Birmingham decimated the Grays’ pitching, a situation that worsened when Corey Kluber had to leave after just 2 innings, and was placed on the DL after the game. The Grays used 9 pitchers, necessitating additional roster moves, complicated by the previously struggling Carlos Zambrano and Kent Tekulve pitched better lately, leaving Billy Pierce the odd man out for the time being. Bartolo Colon and Cliff Lee were recalled back to Homestead, despite their earlier struggles at the big league level.

Birmingham’s Harley Young had a horrible 9th inning, giving up a double, 3 walks (driving in the tying run), and a game-winning single to Rick Reichardt as the Grays stole a 5-4 victory from the jaws of defeat. Honus Wagner, Roberto Clemente, and Mike Epstein had 2 hits each for Homestead, with Wagner adding his 2nd homerun of the year and Clemente his 3rd.

#New York Black Yankees

Babe Ruth hit 2 homeruns, and Lou Gehrig and Derek Jeter also went deep for New York, but it wasn’t enough, as Sparky Lyle gave up 2 runs in the 9th and Baltimore came from behind for an 8-7 victory over the Black Yankees.

Series VII Featured Matchup: Ottawa Mounties @ Cleveland Spiders

By mknn

On June 13, 2021

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

April 26: Game 1 – Roy Halladay v Cy Young

A topsy-turvy game featuring two hurlers struggling to live up to their high expectations.

Things started rough for Cy Young, as he allowed 2 runs with 2 outs in the top of the first on consecutive doubles by Larry Walker and Phil Bradley, and an RBI single by Emil Gross.

Cleveland’s Rowland Office–just back from a stint on the DL–tied it up in the bottom of the 2nd with a 2-run HR off Halladay, and the Spiders took the lead an inning later on an RBI triple from Louis Santop, who scored on a groundout by John Ellis giving Cleveland a 4-2 edge.

But Young was far from his best, giving up a double to Gross and a single to Freddy Parent to start the 4th inning. Gross would score when Santop’s throw to 2B on Parent’s steal attempt sailed into the OF.

In the top of the 5th, Anthony Rendon led off against Young with a double, but was thrown out trying to stretch it to third. That seemed to settle Young down for a few innings, and the game remained 4-3 in favor of Cleveland until the bottom of the 6th, when Halladay surrendered another HR to Office, this one a 3-run shot to extend the Spiders’ advantage to 7-3.

Young would give up a 2-run HR to Walker in the top of the 7th, making it 7-5, and would finally be chased from the contest after walking Gross with 1 out in the 8th. Chuck Porter relieved Young, and promptly walked Parent and gave up a 2-run triple to Terry Puhl, tying the game at 7.

Cleveland would respond in the bottom of the 8th when, with 2 outs, Chuck Knoblauch singled and stole second. Larry Doby, mired in a horrible slump, delivered a pinch-hit single to score Knoblauch, and Terry Adams got the final 3 outs, preserving the win for the Spiders.

The Spiders were led by Office, who ended the game 3-for-4 with 5 RBI’s and Santop, who raised his BA to an even .300 with a 4-for-4 performance.

For Ottawa, Walker, Gross, and Parent had 2 hits each.

OTT 7 (M. Dubiel 1-2) @ CLE 8 (C. Porter 2-2, 2 BS; T. Adams 5 Sv)
HRs: OTT – L. Walker (4); CLE – R. Office 2 (2)
Box Score

April 27: Game Two – Rained Out

Game two of the series was rained out, rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on April 28th.

April 28: Game Two – Old Hoss Radbourn @ Whit Wyatt

Whit Wyatt rolled into the early game of the doubleheader with an ERA under 2 and looking like a contender for the Brock Rutherford Award. Then Ottawa sent 8 batters to the plate, scoring 3 runs with RBIs from Carlos Delgado, Freddy Parent, and Gary Carter.

John Ellis would get one back for Cleveland, doubling home Johnny Bates in the bottom of the first, but Ottawa’s Old Hoss Radbourn had his full repertoire working.

Wyatt, in contrast, continued to struggle: an RBI single by Parent added a run in the top of the 2nd and Tim Raines added a 2-run HR in the top of the 3rd, pushing the lead to 6-1.

Radbourn couldn’t solve Ellis, who lashed a 2-run HR in the bottom of the 3rd, halving Ottawa’s lead to 6-3, and, in the bottom of the 5th, a sacrifice fly from Ron Blomberg made it a 2 run game, 6-4.

Larry Walker had to leave the game after Blomberg’s sac fly–if he is forced back to the DL, that’s a major hit to the Mounties.

Radbourn hit his stride, and Wyatt’s replacement, Stan Coveleski, matched him frame for frame–a great job, given how wrecked the Spiders’ bullpen could have been with another game to play on the day. But Ottawa jumped on Chad Qualls, who replaced Coveleski in the top of the 9th, for 2 more runs on an Anthony Rendon double and a sacrifice fly from Delgado.

So we went to the bottom of the 9th with Ottawa holding what looked like a comfortable 4 run lead, 8-4.

An error by Delgado let pinch-hitter Peanuts Lowrey reach first base to start the inning, and after a groundout by Chuck Knoblauch, Jake Stahl tripled to right field, scoring Lowery.

That brought in Ottawa’s closer, Tom Henke, who had been perfect on the season. He gave up a deep flyball to Louis Santop, scoring Stahl, and then a homerun to Kenny Lofton for his first earned run of the year. This was Lofton’s first WBL start, making it even more surprising. Henke retired Bates to end the game, and the Mounties took the first game of the doubleheader, 8-7.

For Ottawa, Raines stole 3 bases and scored 4 runs, going 3-for-4 on the day, and Parent added 3 hits.

The Spiders were led by Blomberg’s 3 hits and Ellis’ 3 RBIs.

OTT 8 (Radbourn 2-2; Henke 8 Sv) @ CLE 7 (Wyatt 1-1)
HRs: OTT – Raines (4); CLE – Ellis (6), Lofton (1)
Box Score

April 28: Game Three – Bob Brown @ Pat Malone

It’s really hard to sweep a doubleheader … but that’s what Ottawa’s Bob Brown would attempt as he took the mound to face Cleveland’s Pat Malone.

Brown suffered from control issues, and the Spiders opened the scoring in the bottom of the 2nd, when a single by Louis Santop was followed by walks to Rowland Office and Jake Stahl to load the bases. Struggling Larry Doby followed with a double-play ball that Ottawa SS Alex Rodriguez booted, allowing a run to score. Chuck Knoblauch added a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead for the Spiders.

They would add another run in the 3rd on consecutive groundouts following a double by Ron Blomberg, with Office’s out scoring the run.

Three 2-out singles in the top of the 4th put the Mounties on the board, with Emil Gross driving in Rodriguez and, an inning later, Tim Raines would hit a solo homerun to close the lead to 3-2.

Recently recalled P Jamie Moyer took over from Brown in the 6th, and was greeted by a double by Knoblauch. Moyer then plunked Sammy Strang, and Blomberg plated both of them with a single, extending the lead to 5-2. Moyer survived the inning, but was replaced by Monk Dubiel who closed out the game strong for the Mounties.

It was never a comfortable lead, as Ottawa had opportunities, but Mel Harder and Terry Adams were solid in relief of Malone. The game ended when Kenny Lofton–he of the walkoff HR in the first game and inserted as a defensive substitute in this one–made a diving catch in right-center field to end the game.

Phil Bradley and Ken Griffey, Jr (who may be emerging from his season-long slump) had two hits for Ottawa; Blomberg had 3 hits and 2 RBIs for Cleveland.

OTT 2 (Brown 0-2) @ CLE 5 (Malone 3-1; Harder 1 H; Adams 6 Sv)
HRs: OTT – Raines (5)
Box Score

April 29: Game Four – Randy Johnson @ Bill Steen

Bill Steen has exceeded expectations so far, coming into the game with a 1-0 record and a 2.30 ERA. Ottawa will try to bring him back to Earth much as they did Whit Wyatt, and will hope that the erratic Randy Johnson (1-3, 7.27) can deliver a solid performance. The Big Unit has either been quite good or horrid, with his worst starts hinging on an inability to locate his fastball.

This was not one of his good starts. But Steen wasn’t great, either giving up 11 hits in 5.2 IP. Somehow, though, the 12 baserunners (Steen walked one) only added up to 2 earned runs (3, total).

Johnson, on the other hand, also gave up 11 hits, but in only 4.2 IP and walked 3, with 9 runs scoring against him. The key hits were a 2-run double from Sammy Strang and a 3-run HR from Chuck Knoblauch that chased Johnson from the game.

Cleveland was led by Knoblauch, who went 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored from the leadoff spot and Ron Blomberg, who delivered another 3-hit game. Perhaps as importantly, Evan Longoria showed signs of emerging from his doldrums with a 3-for-5 day.

For Ottawa, Ken Griffey, Jr. isn’t hot yet, but he’s got his average all the way up to .211 with a homerun in 4 at-bats. Phil Bradley added 4 hits and Anthony Rendon 3, but the Mounties left a whopping 13 batters on base. Jim Clancy was OK in relief of Johnson, allowing 1 run in 2 innings, and Gary Lavelle closed the game out with 1.1 IP of scoreless relief.

For Cleveland, Cory Gearrin and Chuck Porter combined for 3.1 IP of 1-run ball behind Steen.

OTT 3 (Johnson 1-4) @ CLE 10 (Steen 2-0)
HRs: OTT – Griffey, Jr. (4); CLE – Knoblauch (2)
Box Score

Series Notes

Cleveland got good performances from Louis Santop, who was 7-for-12 with 4 RBIs and Jake Stahl, who was 6-for-12 with 4 extra-base hits. But the Spiders were led by Ron Blomberg, who had 10 hits in 15 at-bats with 6 RBIs.

For Ottawa, Tim Raines was 5-for-17 with 2 HRs and 4 SBs, Freddy Parent was 5-for-9, and Phil Bradley was 7-for-13 in the series.

TWIWBL 7.3: Series VI Notes – Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On June 7, 2021

In TWIWBL

{With the day off on April 25th, it was a time of roster moves and lineup and pitching adjustments. As such, there are a few more notes for each team than usual.}

#Cleveland Spiders

A back injury has landed Napoleon Lajoie on the disable list, with the 22-year old expected to miss about two weeks. OF Kenny Lofton was recalled from AAA.

OF Johnny Bates tied the WBL record with 5 hits, going 5-for-6 with 3 runs scored as the Spiders blew out the Wandering House of David 11-2 behind a strong performance from SP Bill Steen.

Despite making his big league debut with 4.2 scoreless innings, Wilbur Cooper was sent back to AAA when Mel Harder was activated from the DL.

The above really dictated the roster moves for the Spiders, but the lineup has seen some real changes. Look for Lofton, Rowland Office, and Sammy Strang to see significantly more playing time as the next set of games unfold.

#Homestead Grays

Ps Frank Linzy and Daniel Hudson have been absolutely hammered, and both will move to AAA, with Carlos Zambrano staying in the big leagues, but being moved out of the starting rotation, to be replaced by Hal Carlson. Despite an 0-4 record and an ERA over 8, Corey Kluber stays in the rotation for now.

Jim Hegan went 0-for-11 in his big league debut, making the choice of what to do when Peaches Graham returned from the DL pretty easy: Hegan heads back to AAA Louisville.

Pedro Feliz‘ 130/141/195 nightmare is over, as the 3B was demoted with Chris Sabo being added to the big league roster. Sabo has pressure behind him, especially at AA, where both Andy Van Slyke and Freddie Lindstrom are performing very well at the hot corner.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Bronson Arroyo‘s refusal to accept a AAA assignment places him in a precarious position if his performances don’t improve, but for now he remains in the bullpen. Both Doc White and Tony Mullane are pitching well for Cincinnati, but remain at AAA for now.

The roster is challenging right now: when Joe Morgan returns (which is a subject of great mystery right now), Lonny Frey will head to AAA, but he’s needed right now. Pete Rose‘s slow start makes him expendable, and he’ll try to get back on track in the minors, freeing up a roster spot for RP Rob Murphy‘s return from the DL tomorrow.

#New York Black Yankees

Babe Ruth was on base 4 times and still saw his 23-game hitting streak end: 4 walks and a strikeout will do that. Still, streak sets the WBL standard on the young season.

New York has the luxury of carrying Willie Randolph, despite his 186/311/256 start, but look for Craig Counsell to see a bit more time at 2B.

#Philadelphia Stars

While the results of Jack Meyer‘s injury may change this, right now the Stars’ staff looks solid, although there is still some uncertainty as to who the final rotation member might be (John Montgomery Ward and Jaret Wright are the current candidates, with Jack Easton pitching well at AAA despite an 0-4 record there).

IF Al Smith (132/226/226) is headed to AAA, and Gene DeMontreville (135/135/162) should be joining him, but the lack of adequate middle infield depth keeps him with the Stars for the time being. Jose Ramirez will take Smith’s place on the big league roster.