Tag: Johnny Cueto Page 1 of 3

TWIWBL 62.1: Year 2, Week 5

On June 20, 2024

April 30

#Awards

Willie Mays (RIP IRL) of the New York Gothams was the NL Player of the Week after hitting .417 with 3 home runs. Over in the AL, the AL Player of the Week Award went to Miami‘s Ryan Braun, who hit .471 with 5 dingers.

As the calendar flipped from April to May, we also have the first player of the month awards.

Award	Player
AL Player of the Month	Ty Cobb (DET)	.411; 5 HR; 23 RBI; 21 R
AL Pitcher of the Month	Mark Buehrle (CAG)	5-0, 1.24
AL Rookie of the Month	Turkey Stearnes (SFS)	.352; 6 HR; 18 8RBI
NL Player of the Month	Larry Walker (OTT)	.395; .454 OBP; 9 HR; 23 RBI; 22 R
NL Pitcher of the Month	Toad Ramsey (HOU)	5-1, 0.96
NL Rookie of the Month	Adam Dunn (IND)	.253; 5 HR; 13 RBI

#Team Performance

Look, it’s way too early for any of this to matter. But, currently, only 3 games separate the best team in the Effa Manley Division (the Brooklyn Royal Giants at 14-11) and the worst (the Philadelphia Stars mirroring them at 11-14). The Homestead Grays are 1/2 game behind Brooklyn, and the New York Gothams and Ottawa Mounties sit at .500.

Brooklyn, Homestead, and the San Francisco Sea Lions have all gone 7-3 over their last 10 games, while the House of David are in the roughest patch of any team in the league, at 2-8 over their last 10.

#Player Performance

Batters

Some things that jump out: the House of David’s Ryne Sandberg is having an incredible start, the first player in the league to 11 homeruns. Led by Sandberg, 5 players have SLG over .700 but “only” 2 have BA over .400.

Ty Cobb (DET). 389/451/756. 18 2B, 1.8 WAR.
Carlos Correa (HOU). 420/474/659.
Eric Davis (NYY). 306/373/612. 27 R.
Lou Gehrig (NYY). 247/358/634. 10 HR.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 379/426/793.
Curtis Granderson (BBB). 256/330/654. 10 HR.
Tony Gwynn (HOU). 416/442/629.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 396/426/635. 38 H, 15 2B.
Dick Lundy (SFS). 394/467/681. 4 3B, 15 SB, 2.3 WAR.
Mickey Mantle (NYY). 274/361/621. 10 HR.
Boog Powell (KCM). 268/344/622. 26 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 293/381/576. 5 3B.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 308/430/659. 28 RBI, 24 R, 21 BB.
Ryne Sandberg (HOD). 365/409/824. 11 HR.
Bobby Wallace (BAL). 50/405/364. 22 BB.

Pitchers

Starters

Mark Buehrle (CAG). 5-0, 1.24.
Johnny Cueto (IND). 4-1, 2.38. 0.88 WHIP.
Bill Doak (MEM). 3-1, 2.76. 1.5 WAR.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 2-3, 5.03. 39.1 IP.
Frank Knauss (BRK). 5-1, 2.62.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 1-4, 4.15. 43.1 IP, 39 K.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 4-1, 1.19. 0.74 WHIP, 45 K, 1.7 WAR.

Relivers

Rod Beck (SFS). 1-2, 6.75. 7 Sv.
Eric Gagne (BRK). 0-0, 1.74. 10 Sv.
Craig Kimbrel (KCM). 1-0, 0.00. 1 Sv, 5 H.
Troy Percival (NYG). 0-0, 5.40. 5 H.
Jeff Pfeffer (KCM). 0-0, 4.32. 7 Sv.

#Featured Series

We’ll check in on a team that looks much improved over last season, the Homestead Grays. The Grays are hitting better than expected, but more importantly, are finally hitting enough to overcome their usual rough performances on the mound. They are visiting Indianapolis for a 4-game set, and are hoping to keep a recent slide by the ABC’s going.

Scheduled Starters

Homestead’s hurler listed first.

Billy Pierce (2-1, 6.55) @ Johnny Cueto (4-1, 2.38)
Carlos Zambrano (0-4, 9.15) @ Luis Padrón (3-0, 2.38)
Ray Brown (1-2, 6.28) @ Doc White (1-3, 4.93)
Francisco Liriano (1-2, 4.36) @ Rube Foster (1-1, 3.86)

Cueto has performed fantastically so far this year, and Padrón, while no Joe Rogan, has been a decent 2-way threat all season.

Game One

With the announcement that the Grays have moved Zambrano out of the rotation, their starters for the series are all a bit up in the air. They’ll lead it off with Doug Drabek, who is taking Zambrano’s spot and will be making his first start of the year.

Drabek was fantastic, allowing 2 hits and 1 run in 7 innings, but Rick Ownbey couldn’t hold the lead, giving up Barry Larkin‘s first homer of the year, a 2 run shot to tie the game in the 8th. Luckily for the Grays, Willie Stargell‘s 2nd homerun of the game gave them the lead in the 10th, and Josh Lindblom was able to hold on for the 4-3 win in extra innings.

HOM 4 (Lindblom 3-0; Ownbey 3 B Sv) @ IND 3 (Murphy 0-1)
HRs: HOM – Stargell 2 (10); Epstein (3); IND – Larkin (1).
Box Score

Game Two

The Grays turned to Billy Pierce in game 2, putting their rotation back on its expected schedule. His mound opponent, Luis Padrón, tossed a masterful 8 innings in a 14-3 walkover, allowing 5 hits and 1 run while fanning 8. Padrón improved to 4-0 and Tommy Helms had 3 hits and 4 RBI and Helms and Jake Stenzel each scored 3 runs in the rout.

Helms, Stenzel, George Foster, Adam Dunn (fresh off being named Rookie of the Month for April), and Johnny Bench each went yard for Indianapolis as they evened the series at 1 game each.

HOM 3 (Pierce 2-2) @ IND 14 (Padrón 4-0)
HRs: HOM – Clemente (3); IND – Helms (3), Foster (2), Stenzel (3), Dunn (6), Bench (7).
Box Score

Game Three

Chris Sabo went deep twice, driving in 3, and the Grays held on to take the series lead with a 5-4 win. Ray Brown pitched very well, but the trio of Corey Kluber, Michael Jackson, and Josh Lindblom were all a bit shaky in relief. Still, they got the job done. Tommy Helms and Bob Bescher had 2 hits for the ABC’s and Joey Votto went deep in the losing effort.

Kluber–fresh off an injury–had to leave the game with an elbow issue, and headed to the DL afterwards. Cliff Lee was recalled.

HOM 5 (Brown 2-2; Lindblom 4 Sv; Jackson 2 H) @ IND 4 (White 1-4)
HRs: HOM – Sabo 2 (5), Lajoie (2); IND – Votto (3).
Box Score

Game Four

Homestead’s bullpen did the job, with Dave Giusti, Rick Ownbey, and Josh Lindblom combining for 3+ innings of 1 hit relief of an effective Francisco Liriano. Mike Epstein went deep for the Grays and Andy Van Slyke showed signs of breaking out of an early season slump with 3 hits. All the ABC’s could muster on the day was a 2 run shot from Adam Dunn to tie the game early.

Homestead takes the series, 3-1, continuing their surprising start to the season.

HOM 4 (Liriano 2-2; Lindblom 5 Sv; Giusti 3 H; Ownbey 2 H) @ IND 2 (Foster 1-2)
HRs: HOM – Epstein (4); IND – Dunn (7).
Box Score

TWIWBL 59.1: Year 2 – Week 2

By mknn

On May 15, 2024

In TWIWBL

Welcome to the first general issue of TWIWBL for Season 2!

April 9th

#Team Starts

3 teams have a single loss–Chicago, Brooklyn, and the House of David, each at 4-1–and 3 teams have a single victory on the year (Los Angeles is 1-4 while both Philadelphia and Houston are 1-6).

#Individual Starts

Nobody comes close to matching House of David 2B Ryne Sandberg, whose slash line is a ridiculous 455/458/1.273, and he leads the league in homeruns (6) and RBIs (15). Ottawa‘s Larry Walker (11) and Birmingham‘s Albert Belle (10) are the other batters in double digits in RBI.

Houston’s Tony Gwynn is the sole player with a BA over .500, at .552. That’s only good enough to put Gwynn 3rd in the OBP rankings, behind Portland’s Harry Hooper (.577) and Indianapolis‘ Joey Votto (.571).

#Featured Series

Each week we’ll take a look at single series, preferring 4-game sets and teams we haven’t taken a close look at before.

This week, we’ll be focusing on Indianapolis’ visit to Brooklyn. The Royal Giants are 4-1, and the ABC’s started the season 5-0 before losing their last 2 contests.

For Brooklyn, Duke Snider, John Briggs, and Roy White have all started the season with OPS’ over 1.000 while offseason acquisition Pedro Guerrero is scuffling with a slash line of 143/250/214.

Bob Bescher and Joey Votto have been mashing the ball for the ABC’s while Ed Charles is still trying to get some traction going, slashing 190/308/238 over the opening half-dozen games.

Projected Starting Pitchers:

Johnny Cueto (1-0, 0.00) @ Frank Knauss (1-0, 3.38)
Luis Padrón (1-0, 0.00) @ Orel Hershiser
Sad Sam Jones (0-0, 6.75) @ Smokey Joe Williams (1-0, 1.50)
Rube Foster (1-0, 3.00) @ Sandy Koufax (0-1, 2.45)

Game One

Both Johnny Cueto and Frank Knauss had good starts, but while Cueto blinked first (Maury Wills walked, stole a base, and scored on a John Briggs double), Knauss was hit harder, giving up a 2 run shot to Oscar Charleston in the 6th before an Ed Charles double chased him in the 7th. Burleigh Grimes relieved Knauss and gave up RBI doubles to Denis Menke and Joe Morgan.

Lefty James and Rob Dibble followed Cueto with just over 2 innings of hitless relief to seal the deal for Indianapolis. Johnny Bench had 3 hits for the ABC’s.

IND 4 (Cueto 2-0; Dibble 2 Sv; James 2 H) @ BRK 1 (Knauss 1-1)
HRs: IND: Charleston (1).
Box Score

Game Two

Pedro Guerrero launched a 3 run shot in the bottom of the 1st, but the Royal Giants couldn’t hold it with RBIs from Oscar Charleston and Jake Stenzel tying the game at 4 in the top of the 5th. After a brief rain delay in the bottom of the 8th, Mike Piazza and Ray Dandridge singled runs home, allowing Brooklyn to bring in their closer, Eric Gagne, with a 6-4 lead. Gagne set the side down in order, and Brooklyn evened up the series, 1-1.

IND 4 (Tidrow 0-1) @ BRK 6 (Mateo 1-0; Gagne 2 Sv)
HRs: IND – Menke (1); BRK: Guerrero (1).
Box Score

Game Three

We had a pitchers’ duel in game 3 of the series as Luis Padrón and Smokey Joe Williams were each excellent, but a bit unlucky: despite giving up only 1 earned run in over 6 innings, Williams took the loss and Padrón did not get the win, despite 5 scoreless. Joe Morgan went deep for the ABC’s.

IND 2 (Nolan 1-0; Dibble 3 Sv; James 3 H; Billingham 2 H) @ BRK 1 (Williams 1-1)
HRs: IND – Morgan (2).
Box Score

Game Four

It sure looked like the ABC’s would take the series: after scoring 6 in the 6th, they had surged to a 8-3 lead heading to the bottom of the 7th. But Art Griggs hit a key 2-run double in that frame, and the Royal Giants were able to rough up Indianapolis’ closer, Rob Dibble, in the bottom of the ninth, scoring runs on a sacrifice fly from Jackie Robinson, an RBI single from Pedro Guerrero, and a game-winning sac fly from Duke Snider.

Robinson hit his first homerun of the year and drove in 4 on the day, and Guerrero, Mike Piazza, and Beals Becker each had 2 hits. Both Brooklyn starter Sandy Koufax and the ABC’s Doc White pitched better than their scorelines represent, but the key was Dibble’s implosion (2 walks and 3 hits in 1/3 of an inning) and Brooklyn’s Darren Dreifort chipping in with 2 scoreless innings for the win.

Of concern for the ABC’s, 2B Joe Morgan had to be lifted for a pinch runner with an apparent elbow injury, but so far no further information is available as to his status.

IND 8 (Dibble 0-1, 1 BSv; Carroll 1 H) @ BRK 9 (Dreifort 1-0; Valenzuela 1 BSv)
HRs: IND – Dunn (1); BRK – Robinson (1).
Box Score

TWIWBL 58.6: Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On May 2, 2024

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Gene Tenace went deep twice as Birmingham pulled away late in a 9-2 victory over Philadelphia. Albert Belle hit his first homer of the year as he and Bob Nieman each had 3 RBI’s, supporting a strong start from Alejandro Peña.

Eddie Mathews went deep twice and Greg Maddux and Jim Whitney combined on a 6-hitter as the Black Barons blanked the Stars, 7-0.

#Indianapolis ABCs

The ABC’s pounded out 17 hits and 10 walks (4 to Joey Votto) in a 15-9 win over Birmingham. Joe Morgan, Denis Menke, and Oscar Charleston had 3 hits each, and Johnny Bench drove in 4.

The ABC’s pitched the first shutout of the season, a combined 8-hitter as they topped Houston 2-0 despite managing only 4 hits themselves. Johnny Cueto threw 6 innings for the win, followed by Dick Tidrow, Jack Billingham, and Clay Carroll, who picked up his 2nd save of the season.

Carroll will happily return to his setup duties as Indianapolis welcomed Rob Dibble back from injury. Billingham was sent to AAA very briefly, being recalled after only a day when Ewell Blackwell was diagnosed with bone chips in his elbow, putting him on the shelf for about 7 months.

#Kansas City Monarchs

C Ted Simmons launched a 507 ft bomb in a 9-5 loss to Birmingham.

It took a great start from Smokey Joe Wood to deal Indianapolis their first loss of the season. Robinson Canó and Ozzie Smith had 2 hits each and Dale Murphy hit an inside-the-park homerun as the Monarchs beat the ABC’s 3-0. Wood allowed 4 hits in over 7 innings, and Eddie Guardado and Jeff Pfeffer closed it out without allowing a baserunner.

Willie McGee had 4 hits (including 2 triples), drove in 4 and scored 4, leading the Monarchs to a 9-3 win over Indianapolis.

#Wandering House of David

Ryne Sandberg had 2 homeruns (one a grand slam) and drove in 6 as the House of David pummeled Houston, 10-1 behind a good start from Bob Rush.

Promising teenager Ad Gumbert strained his shoulder and was placed on the DL with Kyle Peterson being recalled from AAA. Peterson’s stay was brief, however, as Bruce Sutter was activated from the DL the following day.

Sandberg and Sammy Sosa hit 2 homeruns apiece as the House of David destroyed the Gothams 10-1. Perhaps most importantly, Jack Taylor put in a good shift, allowing 1 run in just over 5 innings. Sandberg’s start to the year is absolutely ridiculous, hitting .455 with 6 homeruns and 15 RBIs in his opening 5 games.

WBL Year II Statistics

I needed a place to hold statistics that aren’t easily displayed in OOTP. Most of these are game-level performances.

For complete statistics, poke around on the WBL Stats Page.

Batting Statistics

2+ 3B Games

2. Bob Bescher (IND); Craig Biggio (HOU), Ty Cobb (DET); Willie McGee (KCM); Tim Raines (OTT).

3+ 2B Games

3. Ron Cey (BRK); Ty Cobb (DET); Hank Greenberg (DET); Pete Runnels (NYG); Reggie Smith (MEM).

3+ HR Games

3. Jeff Bagwell (HOU); Ron Blomberg (CLE); José Canseco (MCG).

3+ OF Assists

4+ BB Games

4. Ed Bailey (DET); Eddie Collins (CAG); Mike Epstein (HOM); Willie McGee (KCM); Andrew McCutchen (HOM), Joey Votto (IND).

4+ Run Games

4. Jeff Bagwell (HOU); Bob Bailey (DET); Ed Bailey (DET); Johnny Bates (CLE); Albert Belle (BBB); Curt Blefary (BAL); Willie McGee (KCM); Billy Nash (DET); Babe Ruth (NYY); Jim Wynn (HOU).

4+ SB Games

6. Rickey Henderson (SFS).
4. Frank Chance (HOD); Dick Lundy (SFS).

5+ Hit Games

5. Jeff Bagwell (HOU); Joe Jackson (CAG).

5+ SO Games

5. Beals Becker (BRK); Ron Cey (BRK).

6+ RBI Games

7. Jeff Bagwell (HOU); Ron Blomberg (CLE); Charlie Gehringer (DET).
6. Johnny Callison (NYG); Babe Ruth x2 (NYY); Ryne Sandberg (HOD).

Longest HRs

558 ft. Aaron Judge (PHA).
551 ft. Eddie Mathews (BBB).
550 ft. Lance Berkman (CLE).
544 ft. Eddie Mathews (BBB).
542 ft. Ron Blomberg (CLE).
539 ft. Johnny Bates (CLE); Craig Biggio (HOU).
538 ft. Josh Gibson (HOM), Pete Hill (HOU); Buster Posey (NYG).
535 ft. Buster Posey (NYG).
534 ft. Robinson Canó (KCM).
530 ft. Dale Murphy (KCM).
528 ft. Johnny Callison (NYG).
527 ft. Joe Adcock (NYG).
525 ft. Bullet Joe Rogan (PHI).
514 ft. Oscar Gamble (DET).
512 ft. Tony Gwynn (HOU).
509 ft. Ted Simmons (KCM).
508 ft. Travis Shaw (MEM).
507 ft. Ted Simmons (KCM).
505 ft. Lou Gehrig (NYA).
503 ft. Ryne Sandberg (HOD).
502 ft. Albert Belle (BBB); Mike Epstein (HOM).
501 ft. Derek Jeter (NYA).
500 ft. Andrew McCutchen (HOM).

Pitching Statistics

80+ Game Scores

99. José Rijo (KCM).
97. JM Ward (PHI).
93. Toad Ramsey (HOU).
91. Toad Ramsey (HOU)
90. Alejandro Peña (BBB); Joe Rogan (PHI).
89. Smokey Joe Wood (KCM).
87. Carl Hubbell (NYG); Dennis Martínez (BAL).
85. Roger Clemens (HOU); Lefty Grove (SFS); Hardie Henderson (PHI); Jameson Taillon (MEM).
84. Frank Castillo (KCM); Ed Walsh (CAG)
82. Mark Buehrle (CAG).
80. Toad Ramsey (HOU).

10+ Strikeout Games

13. Charlie Root (DET).
12. Johnny Cueto (IND); Toad Ramsey (HOU) x2; José Rijo (KCM); JM Ward (PHI).
11. Ron Guidry (NYY); Connie Johnson (BAL); Frank Knauss (BRG); Toad Ramsey (HOU); Smokey Joe Williams (BRK).
10. Bob Friend (HOM); Doc Gooden (LAA); Hardie Henderson (PHI); Orel Hershiser (BRK); Don Sutton (NYG).

8+ Walk Games

Shutouts

NO HITS. José Rijo (KCM).
1 Hit. Toad Ramsey (HOU).
2 Hits. Dennis Martínez (BAL); Joe Rogan (PHI).
3 Hits. Frank Castillo (KCM); Roger Clemens (HOU); Lefty Grove (SFS); Carl Hubbell (NYG); Toad Ramsey (HOU).

Shutouts (Combined)

2 Hits. Jameson Taillon / Skel Roach / Andrew Miller (MEM).
3 Hits. Hardie Henderson / Robin Roberts (PHI).
4 Hits. Toad Ramsey / Bones Ely (HOU); Hardie Henderson / Brad Kilby / Tim Belcher / Ted Kennedy (PHI); Dwight Gooden / Francisco Rodríguez (LAA).
5 Hits. Kenshin Kawakami / Barry Latman / Ed Brandt / Sandy Consuegra (MCG); Len Barker / David Bush / Andrew Miller (MEM).

Year II Season Preview: Indianapolis ABC’s

By mknn

On April 7, 2024

In Team News

Expectations

Playing .500 ball would be a nice step; doing so while nurturing some talent for the future would begin to raise hopes in Indianapolis.

Best Case

Some starting pitching comes out of nowhere to support the continued development of Doc White and Willie Mitchell, Johnny Bench and Oscar Charleston anchor the offense, and some of the MI talent finally emerges fully onto the scene. The 6 man rotation turns out to be a thing of beauty, allowing the ABC’s to maximize their talent on the mound.

Worst Case

Only Bench remains as a real offensive force and the pitching stays totally muddled, with the 6 man rotation confusing fans, pundits, and players alike.

Key Questions

Who starts, and does the team retain its experimentation with a 6-man rotation?
How do the uncertainties at SS/3B resolve?

Trade Bait

Not enough talent to really be active.

Davey Concepción was sent to the Gothams in exchange for Sad Sam Jones, adding another arm to the pile and clearing one person from the MI crowd.

Roster Evaluation

POS	Elite	Strong	Solid	Meh	Weak	Unknown
C	Bench					Ritter
1B			Votto
2B			Morgan
3B				Charles
SS			Menke		Larkin
LF/ RF			Bescher Charleston			Dunn Foster Padrón
CF		Stenzel	Henderson
SP			Cueto	White Mitchell ~~Faber~~	Foster Jones	Padrón
End		~~Dibble~~	Carroll		James
RP				Tidrow		Bellingham Blackwell Nolan

New Addition | ~~Injured~~

That is a lot of new arms on the staff, and a lot of unknowns. But performance last year was so bad, you would think anything would be an improvement.

Some interesting things here, though: the continued use of the 6 man rotation, the emergence of Luis Padrón as a 2-way threat, the promise of some of the young talent, especially Oscar Charleston.

Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	C Johnny Bench	OF Wally Post
Batting Eye	IF Joe Morgan 1B Joey Votto	IF Edwin Encarnación
Contact	IF Joe Morgan	CF Edd Roush
Running Speed	OF Bob Bescher	IF Pokey Reese
Base Stealing	OF Bob Bescher	1B Doc Hoblitzell
IF Defense	IF Barry Larkin	3B Robin Ventura
OF Defense	OF Oscar Charleston	OF Curt Walker
Stuff	P The Only Nolan	P George Pipgras
Control	SP Johnny Cueto	SP Eppa Rixey
Velocity	RP Ewell Blackwell	RP Tyler Clippard

Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	POS	Name
1 (24)	19	P	Edward Nolan
2 (28)	19	P	Jim Maloney
3 (42)	22	3B	Oliver Marcell
4 (59)	24	3B	Robin Ventura
5 (101)	22	OF	George Foster
6 (105)	20	2B	Dario Lodigiani
7 (123)	19	P	Tom Glavine
8 (144)	23	1B	Sean Casey
9 (153)	25	P	Bob Ewing
10 (182)	25	P	Chris Hammond

Others: None.

Nolan and Foster start the year with the WBL club. There’s decent help on the mound working through the system, but little else, especially if Ventura ends up being a bust.

	Most	Least
Age	OF Harold Baines, 39	3B Bob Aspromonte, 18
Height	P Ewell Blackwell, 6’6″ OF Adam Dunn, 6’6″	SS Donie Bush, 5’6″
OPS	C Johnny Bench, .951 (WBL)	SS Walt Weiss, .441 (—)
HR	OF Adam Dunn, 35 (WBL/AAA/AA)	SS Walt Weiss, 0 (—)
SB	OF Bob Bescher, 37 (WBL)	Many with 0
WAR	C Johnny Bench, 6.0 (WBL)	SS Walt Weiss, -3.9 (—)
W	Eppa Rixey, 16 (WBL/AAA)	Joe Moeller, 3 (—) Teddy Higuera, 3 (—)
SV	Rob Dibble, 30 (WBL)
ERA	Jack Powell, 2.83 (—)	Joe Moeller, 7.11 (—)
WAR	Virgil Trucks, 7.0 (WBL/AAA)	Brad Radke, -1.1 (—)

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

Season Review: Indianapolis ABC’s

By mknn

On December 20, 2023

In Season Reviews, Team News

73 - 81, .474 pct.
3rd in Effa Manley Division, 13 games behind.

Overall

Just a very average performance. There are some good pieces here, and the organization as a whole is quite young, but until the pitching is sorted, nothing else is going to really matter.

What Went Right

Most of all, Johnny Bench. Bench is a superstar C, giving Indianapolis an edge in a difficult position to fill.

Beyond that there were a few surprises–neither Jake Stenzel or Dennis Menke were on many preseason lists to be strong offensive players, and Joey Votto was excellent in limited action after being recalled from the minors–and there was some promise for the future, most of all in Joe Morgan and Oscar Charleston, who were fine this year, but were also quite young (Charleston began the season as a teenager).

Dave Henderson, Bob Bescher, and Danny Hoffman were all perfectly acceptable in the OF.

Robin Ventura finally showed some promise after arriving via trade.

Willie Mitchell and Doc White, both of whom started the season in the bullpen, were the ABC’s best pitchers by the end of the season. Johnny Cueto was fine as a starter as well.

Rob Dibble was a first rate closer for Indianapolis.

ALL STARS
C Johnny Bench

What Went Wrong

1B was a right mess until Votto showed up; 3B Ed Charles faded badly after promising starts. Barry Larkin and Davey Concepción–one of whom is supposed to be the SS of the future–were awful.

But most of what went wrong was on the mound. The trio of Red Faber, Rube Foster, and Dolf Luque were thoroughly mediocre as starters, and Rob Murphy and Lefty James the same out of the pen.

Transactions

March

IF Miller Huggins & OF Willie Montañez to Baltimore for P Rube Foster

Foster wasn’t great, but he was a WBL player all season, so this seems fine.

June

C Ernie Lombardi to Detroit for IF Donie Bush, IF Jorge Orta, P Brandon League, OF Gene Martin & 2nd Round Pick {Matt Chapman}

It looks like more than it is, but with Lombardi blocked by Bench in Indianapolis, moving him is fine.

July

P David Price and IF Jorge Orta to Chicago for 3B Robin Ventura, P Tyler Clippard, 4th Round Pick & 5th Round Pick {Pete O'Brien}

It all hinges on whether the Ventura who showed up for Indianapolis in September is a mirage or not.

Looking Forward

SP

Such a random assortment of good-but-not-great here. Luis Padrón, Eppa Rixey, and Dolf Luque should be the long term front of rotation guys, but that doesn’t exactly strike terror in the hearts of the opposing team. An area of need.

RP

Solid, with Rob Dibble at closer and some mix of Clay Carroll, Rob Murphy, Octavio Dotel, and Norm Charlton behind him.

C

For as long as he’s healthy, it’s all about Johnny Bench.

1B

Joey Votto did well, but he’s 31 and unlikely to improve making this an area of need long term.

2B

Joe Morgan should be here for quite some time.

3B

Unknown. If Robin Ventura shows up, it’s his; if not, this is a bit of a black hole.

SS

Right now, it’s Dennis Menke; longer term, this should be either Barry Larkin or Davey Concepción, with the other being expendable. My bet would be on Larkin, despite his struggles this year.

LF

Some mixture of Bob Bescher and Adam Dunn are keeping this spot warm for George Foster.

CF

This should be Oscar Charleston‘s home for a long time.

RF

Unknown, although many in the organization see Pete Rose stepping up here.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

There are a few pitchers who look to be only a year or two from helping their WBL franchise, with Tom Glavine probably the best of them. That made the ABC’s pick in the first round pretty easy. In the 2nd round, franchise arm Jim Maloney was still available, who projects as a rotation starter, maybe.

Looking for some insurance in case Ventura doesn’t pan out, the ABC’s picked up 20 year old 3B Matt Chapman at the end of the 2nd round.

In the 3rd round, they took Maloney, version 2: another franchise arm with an outside shot at being useful, Bob Ewing; and in the 4th, slick fielding MI Leo Cardenas.

Rounds 5-8

These rounds should focus on position players: in the 5th round, 3B Oliver Marcelle and OF Pete O’Brien; in the 6th, OF Chris Dickerson and C Admiral Schlei; OF Adam Duvall in the 7th, and IF Pokey Reese in the 8th.

Rounds 9-12

P Jack Billingham; Pete Schourek; C Patsy Gharrity; and P The Only Nolan.

Series XXXIV Best Games

By mknn

On July 3, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

A good collection of games overall … a few pitching duels, a few intriguing games.

We’ll start with two games from the series between San Francisco and the New York Black Yankees–first a great pitching matchup, then a bit of a see-saw.

#San Francisco Sea Lions @ New York Black Yankees, Games 2 and 4

The opening game of the series saw a great pitching matchup where, honestly, the better performance lost. Ron Guidry continued a bit of a hard-luck season, falling to 7-11 on the year despite allowing only 2 hits in 7 innings while striking out 9. But an error by Eric Davis (1 of 2 on the day by the Black Yankees’ CF) led to a run in the 6th and a solo shot by Sal Bando in the 7th put the Sea Lions up, 2-0. That was all San Francisco’s starter, Eddie Plank, needed, as San Francisco’s starter allowed 4 hits and 0 runs in his time. Plank improved to 11-6 on the season with Rod Beck picking up his 29th save.

SFS 2 (Plank 11-6; Beck 29 Sv) @ NYY 0 (Guidry 7-11)
HRs: None.
Box Score

San Francisco, powered by key hits from Bob Cerv and Pedro Guerrero, held a 5-3 edge going into the bottom of the 7th inning (Babe Ruth‘s 43rd and 44th homeruns of the year, both off Lefty Grove, had kept the Black Yankees in the game). Late season call-up Roger Maris started New York off with a pinch hit single. Maris was replaced at first by Tommy Herr, who, along with Thurman Munson, scored on a single by Mickey Mantle to tie the game. Mike Schmidt followed with a 2-run shot to put New York up, 8-5.

The Black Yankees bullpen continues to be weak, with Ralph Citarella giving up 2 runs (one one on a solo shot by Gene Oliver, the other on an RBI from Jack Clark) in the 8th. Aroldis Chapman had a rough 9th, but did survive to earn his 10th save with the Black Yankees and 30th overall.

Mantle had 3 hits on the day, Ruth scored 3 times, and Schmidt drove in 3.

After the game, San Francisco’s Mickey Cochrane hit the DL, with the Sea Lions recalling Brian Downing.

SFS 8 (Howell 4-5, 4 B Sv; Shields 2 H) @ NYY 9 (Lavelle 1-3; Chapman 10 Sv; Citarella 11 H; Cormier 3 H)
HRs: SFS – Oliver (2); NYY – Ruth 2 (44), Mantle (24), Schmidt (21).
Box Score

Let’s look at a few other games with fantastic efforts by the starting pitchers, starting with Miami‘s visit to Indianapolis then heading to Kansas City, where the Monarchs, and one of the most mercurial arms in the league, hosted Brooklyn.

#Miami Cuban Giants @ Indianapolis ABC’s, Game 2

Johnny Cueto and José Méndez each delivered their best start of the year, with Cueto’s 7 scoreless innings topped by Méndez’ 8 innings of 3-hit, shutout ball. Neither would figure in the decision. Cookie Rojas put Miami ahead with a solo shot in the top of the 9th, but Indianapolis tied it on an Ed Charles single in the bottom of the frame. The ABC’s walked off in the bottom of the 10th on a Jake Stenzel single, with Octavio Dotel earning the victory with an inning of scoreless relief.

MCG 1 (López 3-2; Looper 2 B Sv) @ IND 2 (Dotel 2-1) [10 Innings]
HRs: MCG – Rojas (2); IND – none.
Box Score

Brooklyn Royal Giants @ Kansas City Monarchs, Game 4

Kansas City’s Luke Hamlin is one of the more frustrating pitchers in the league. He turned in his 3rd start with a Game Score over 80 in this one, allowing only 3 hits over 9 innings. But he also has four starts this year with a Game Score below 30. And it’s hard to build a rotation around someone that mercurial: the 87 pitch gem he threw today merely improved his record to 9-12 with an above-league-average 4.80 ERA.

Brooklyn’s Frank Knauss was the hard-luck loser here, giving up a single to Stan Musial to lead off the bottom of the 9th. Knauss was replaced by Trevor Hildenberger, who surrendered a deep fly to Ducky Medwick, scoring Jack Rowe, who had pinch-run for Musial.

BRK 0 (Knauss 11-5) @ KCM 1 (Hamlin 9-12)
HRs: none.
Box Score

Two more season finales of note.

#Philadelphia Stars @ Memphis Red Sox, Game 4

Memphis‘ Bill Doak turned in a strong start, but Philadelphia used a late comeback to force extra innings in this one. The game entered the 9th inning tied at 2, but a homerun by one of the few bright spots for Philadelphia, young RF Aaron Judge, gave the Stars a 1 run lead.

It wouldn’t last, as Memphis’ Claude Ritchey followed up a Vern Stephens sacrifice fly with a 2-run triple, putting the Red Sox up, 5-3 with their closer, Jonathan Papelbon taking the mound in the top of the 9th. Papelbon was hit hard: a single by Juan Samuel was followed by a triple from Willie Davis and a double from Bobby Abreu, tying the contest at 5.

Sammy Sosa–who is playing fantastically for Memphis after being brought over from the House of David–singled to lead off the bottom of the 10th and eventually scored the winning run on a Manny Ramírez double.

PHI 5 (Howry 3-7; Rojas 2 B Sv) @ MEM 6 (Farrell 3-4; Papelbon 5 B Sv) [10 Innings]
HRs: PHI – Freeman (17), Judge (4); MEM – none.
Box Score

#Detroit Wolverines @ Los Angeles Angels, Game 4

Homeruns by Mike Trout and Steve Garvey helped the Angels to a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the 5th, but a 2-out rally fueled by 2 walks, a wild pitch, and a 2 run single by Ty Cobb pulled Detroit back into the lead, 5-4. A sacrifice fly from Los Angeles’ Elmer Valo tied the game in the 8th, and the bullpens took over from there.

The 11th was eventful, as Oscar Gamble touched Francisco Rodríguez for a solo shot, giving Detroit a 1 run lead. The Wolverines turned to the league leader in saves, Mike Henneman, who promptly blew the game, allowing a single and 2 walks to load the bases, followed by a sharp single from Trout that allowed the winning run to score when Chili Davis‘ throw was wildly errant.

Gamble and Cobb had 3 hits each for Detroit; Trout and John Stearns had 3 hits for the Angels, with Trout driving in 4.

DET 6 (Henneman 1-6, 5 B Sv; Anderson 2 B Sv) @ LAA 7 (Venters 5-3; Smith 2 B Sv) [11 Innings]
HRs: DET – Gamble (26); LAA – Trout (18), Garvey (3).
Box Score

TWIWBL 41.3: Series XXXIII Notes – Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On June 20, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Homestead Grays

The Grays continue to try to figure out their middle infield of the future, recalling Rennie Stennett from AA and Nap Lajoie–their prize acquisition from the final trading period–from AAA, sending Bill Mazeroski and Jack Wilson back down.

Chief Wilson had 4 hits–2 doubles and a triple–leading the Grays to a 5-4 win over Kansas City. John Candelaria improved to 3-1 with a solid start and Josh Lindblom picked up his 13th save.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Johnny Cueto had one of his best starts of the year–7 innings, 3 hits, and only 1 run–but the ABC’s needed a pinch-hit, walkoff double from Hal Morris to win the game after a very rough outing from Clay Carroll let Baltimore back into the contest.

#New York Black Yankees

Ron Guidry‘s return from the DL pushes AJ Burnett back to AAA, although probably only until rosters expand next week.

Guidry’s return was triumphant: 6 innings of 1 run ball in a blowout, 17-2 win over Philadelphia. Eric Davis, Babe Ruth, and Albert Belle each had 3 hits and Lou Gehrig drove in 5 runs. Belle and Mickey Mantle went deep in the romp which, most importantly of all, moved the Black Yankees into a tie for first place in the Effa Manley Division.

In a rain-shortened game, Waite Hoyt improved to 10-6 on the year with a 7-inning, 2-hit shutout as the Black Yankees topped the Stars 3-0.

Ruth hit 2 homeruns–his league-leading 40th and 41st of the year–as the Black Yankees continued their run, beating Philadelphia 5-3 behind a good start from Jamie Moyer and another save from Aroldis Chapman.

#Philadelphia Stars

3 hits from Willie Davis and another 3 from George Hendrick (who added 4 RBIs) weren’t enough, as the Stars fell to the Black Yankees 8-5. The game might have thrown Philadelphia’s rotation into a bit of chaos as starter Jaret Wright was injured, forcing both Don Carman (who gave up 3 runs in a single inning to take the loss) and Pete Alexander into relief duty.

Wright will miss the rest of the season, heading to the DL with a torn meniscus. Robin Roberts was recalled from AAA for the Stars.

Series XXIX Best Games

By mknn

On March 29, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

Detroit‘s trip to Brooklyn and Kansas City‘s visit to Indianapolis each provided 3 games worth recapping.

We’ll take a look at the Wolverines matchup with the Royal Giants first.

#Detroit Wolverines @ Brooklyn Royal Giants

Detroit’s Charlie Root and Brooklyn’s Frank Knauss hooked up in a pitcher’s duel. Ty Cobb‘s 17th homerun of the year–a 3 run shot–gave the Wolverines a 3-1 lead in the top of the 8th, but John Briggs sent one over the fence to tie it in the bottom of the frame. Bill Carrigan doubled in Hank Greenberg in the top of the 10th, and Detroit turned to the league leader in saves, Mike Henneman, to close it out. Ron Cey greeted Henneman with a double, but was thrown out, inexplicably trying to stretch the hit into a triple. That ended the threat, and Henneman ended the game.

DET 4 (Hiller 3-1, 2 B Sv; Henneman 31 Sv) @ BRK 3 (Von Ohlen 5-2) [10 Innings]
HRs: DET – Cobb (17); BRK – Becker (18), Briggs (4).
Box Score

Detroit won game 2, taking the lead on a 3-run homer from Oscar Gamble in the top of the first and never looking back. That put the Wolverines up 2-0 in the series, setting the stage for game 3.

Gene Conley continues to be a rare find for Detroit, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) and 3 hits in 7 innings. But the usually reliable Wolverines bullpen wasn’t able to hold a lead, giving up 4 runs in the final 3 innings with Duke Farrell doubling in the winning run in the bottom of the 9th.

John Hiller blew his second save of the series, falling to 3-2 on the season, with the victory going to Trevor Hildenberger who pitched a scoreless final 2 innings.

DET 3 (Hiller 3-2; 3 B Sv) @ BRK 4 (Hildenberger 4-1)
HRs: DET – Greenberg (22); BRK – Briggs (5).
Box Score

Whoops he did it again … Just like in Series XXV, Beals Becker ended a game with a walk-off grandslam. Again it was the Detroit bullpen that collapsed, this time–shockingly–it was Mike Henneman who gave up a walk and 3 hits (including Becker’s blast) to the 4 batters he faced.

Tony Phillips–who has sparkled since his return from injury–had 4 hits for Detroit, and Frank Isbell went 3-for-3 for Brooklyn.

DET 5 (Henneman 1-5, 4 B Sv; Lolich 3 H; Anderson 6 H) @ BRK 7 (Dreifort 1-3)
HRs: DET – Bailey (17), Kaline (2), Phillips (7); BRK – Farrell (6), Snider (27), Becker (21).
Box Score

#Kansas City Monarchs @ Indianapolis ABC’s

Indianapolis won all four games against Kansas City. A bases-clearing double by Joe Morgan was the key hit in game 1. The other 3 games were all close contests.

In the 2nd game, Kansas City out hit the ABC’s 17-7, but 4 RBIs (3 on his 25th homerun of the year) by Johnny Bench keyed an 8-6 Indianapolis victory. Ted Simmons had 4 hits for the Monarchs and Ducky Medwick 3, but Kansas City left 11 runners on base.

KCM 6 (Blong 3-2, 1 B Sv) @ IND 8 (Murphy 2-4; Dibble 24 Sv; Carroll 8 H)
HRs: KCM – Pujols (18), Medwick (12); IND – Votto (5), Bench (25).
Box Score

Game 3 saw Kansas City’s Trevor Rosenthal and Frank DiPino implode as the ABC’s scored 6 runs in the 7th, coming back from a 7-2 deficit. The ABC’s Dolf Luque logged only 2 innings, but Johnny Cueto had his best appearance in a while, allowing a single run in 5 strong innings of relief work.

KCM 7 (DiPino 1-5) @ IND 8 (Cueto 8-6; Carroll 2 Sv; James 5 H)
HRs: KCM – Medwick (13); IND – none.
Box Score

It took 12 innings for Indianapolis to secure the sweep in a see-saw game. The ABC’s were wasteful throughout, leaving 19–nineteen–runners on base in the contest. Joey Votto and Jake Stenzel had 4 hits each, with Votto driving in 3. Kansas City’s Boog Powell tied the game in the top of the 9th with his 14th homerun of the season.

Both bullpens were exhausted, so an unexpectedly strong performance from Octavio Dotel was desperately needed by Indianapolis.

KCM 8 (Rosenthal 5-2; Kimbrel 4 B Sv; Russell 1 B Sv) – IND 9 (Dotel 1-1; James 6 H; Murphy 2 B Sv) [12 Innings]
HRs: KCM – Powell (14); IND – Stenzel (8).
Box Score

Series XXVI Featured Matchup: Indianapolis ABC’s @ Wandering House of David

By mknn

On February 13, 2023

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

Game One: Doc White @ Frank Sullivan

This one was all about the House of David’s Frank Sullivan, who had a no-hitter going through 5 innings. By that point, he had a 5-0 lead to work with, as Pete Browning and Anthony Rizzo went back-to-back with solo shots in the 4th, and Browning homered again in the 5th, this one a 2-run shot.

Indianapolis finally got a hit in the 6th, and scored a run, but it wasn’t until the 8th that the game showed some life: a one-out single by Indianapolis’ Barry Larkin and a walk to Denis Menke chased Sullivan. The House of David brought in Scott Downs, who got Edd Roush to ground towards shortstop, but Ernie Banks fumbled the ball, loading the bases on the error. Jake Stenzel singled, making the score 5-2.

Lee Smith relieved Downs, and with the infield in, induced a weak groundball from Dave Henderson. Ryne Sandberg was able to cut down the runner at home., and Oscar Charleston grounded out to end the threat.

A 2-run shot by Jim Edmonds put the game out of reach, making Bob Bescher‘s solo drive in the 9th merely window dressing.

IND 3 (White 5-2) @ HOD 7 (Sullivan 7-7; Smith 2 Sv)
HRs: IND – Bescher (12); HOD – Rizzo (8), Browning 2 (16), Edmonds (5)
Box Score

Game 2: Johnny Cueto @ Jack Taylor

Indianapolis got some good news before the game, as 2B Joe Morgan started a rehab assignment at AAA, and should be back with the ABC’s in time for their next series.

The House of David surged ahead in the bottom of the first, with a leadoff homerun from Ryne Sandberg and a 2-run shot from Elrod Hendricks. The two of them did it again in the third, chasing Johnny Cueto from the game. Meanwhile, Jack Taylor was mowing them down, tossing a shutout through 6 innings.

Johnny Bench broke up the shutout with his 21st homerun of the year in the top of the 7th, and when Joey Votto went deep two batters later, that was it for Taylor.

Pete Browning and Jim Edmonds added homeruns for the final spread.

IND 2 (Cueto 7-6) @ HOD 8 (Taylor 9-8)
HRs: IND – Bench (21), Votto (3); HOD – Sandberg 2 (14), Hendricks 2 (23), Browning (17), Edmonds (6).
Box Score

Game 3: Rube Foster @ CC Sabathia

Perhaps the biggest news of the day was the House of David’s George Stone being unavailable, and likely to miss the next few days with a fever.

Elrod Hendricks started the scoring in the bottom of the 1st with a 2 run shot off Rube Foster for an early 2-0 lead for the House of David. In the second, Anthony Rizzo doubled, moved to 3rd on an error by Indianapolis 2B, Barry Larkin, and scored on a deep sacrifice fly from Ron Santo.

The ABC’s would get on the board in the 4th, as Jake Stenzel singled and scored on a double by Ed Charles. Hal Morris would double in Charles, and the score would narrow to 3-2. Hendricks hit his second homerun of the day, and a following single by Dan Ford chased Foster from the game. Ford would score when, on a Jim Edmonds double, Oscar Charleston‘s throw sailed over Johnny Bench‘s head for Charleston’s first error of the year. Indianapolis’ Rob Murphy got out of the inning without further damage, leaving the House of David ahead, 5-2.

After 7 strong innings, CC Sabathia turned the game over to his bullpen. That looked to be a mistake, as Scott Downs was greeted by an Edd Roush single and a walk to Denis Menke. Charleston brought them both home with a double down the rightfield line. Downs escaped further damage, leaving the House of David clinging to their lead, 5-4.

Lee Smith took care of Indianapolis in the 8th, with the House of David closer, Bruce Sutter, taking the mound in the top of the 9th. Roush led off with a double, but Sutter whiffed Menke and got Charleston to popout to center. Bench tied the game, scoring Roush with a double, but Dave Henderson flew out to Edmonds to end the inning.

On to extra innings … in the bottom of the 10th, Hendricks singled with 2 outs and went to 3rd on a hit by Ford. Clay Carroll came into the game to face Rizzo … who quietly grounded out, sending us to the 11th.

Roush walked, and scored on a double by Menke, who scored on a single by Bench. That put the ABC’s on top, 7-5. Edmonds greeted Carroll in the bottom of the frame with his 7th homerun of the season, pulling the score back to 7-6. Pinch-hitter George Gore flew out to center, and Ernie Banks to left, but Sandberg sent a pitch into the LF seats on a line to tie the game once again.

Menke went deep in the top of the 13th, scoring Tommy Helms and, with 2 outs, Bench took Eddie Rommel deep and then, after a single by Henderson, Stenzel joined the party with a shot to right. The hits kept coming: Helms drove in 2 with a double, scoring on a single by Roush, and at the end of it all, Indianapolis had scored 8 times, taking a 15-7 lead.

The House of David would score in the bottom of the 13th on Edmonds 2nd homerun of the day and a 2-run double from Pete Browning, but Hendricks fanned to end the game, with the ABC’s coming back for a 15-10 victory in 13 innings.

IND 15 (Mitchell 6-4) @ HOD 10 (Tidrow 4-5; Downs 4 H; Smith 8 H; Sutter 3 BSv) [13 Innings]
HRs: IND – Menke (4), Stenzel (7), Bench (22); HOD – Hendricks 2 (25), Edmonds 2 (8), Sandberg 15.
Box Score

Game Four: Chris Hammond @ Bob Rush

This six man rotation thing keeps leaving the ABC’s in a lurch for an actual starter. They sent Virgil Trucks down, bringing up Chris Hammond for the start against the House of David’s Bob Rush.

It wasn’t needed in the end, as the game was rained out, rescheduled for July 27th.