And then there was one … week to go.

#Awards

Houston‘s Jim O’Rourke continues a great recovery from a disappointing performance last season with a National League Player of the Week Award. O’Rourke hit .550 in the penultimate week of the season as the Colt 45’s try to clinch their first Marvin Miller Division title.

In the AL, the often-overlooked Lou Gehrig picked up the Award with the Black Yankee‘s 1B hitting .400 with 6 homeruns.

#Team Performance

#AL

The Black Yankees had a good week in the Bill James Division, moving from a virtual tie with Cleveland into a 1.5 game lead. The Detroit Wolverines, however, have picked a bad time to struggle, and they now hold only a half-game lead over Miami for the final Wild Card spot.

It’s an interesting final week on the schedule: the Black Yankees visit San Francisco in a likely playoff series preview, and then close out the year against the much-improved of late Baltimore Black Sox. Cleveland probably has the easiest schedule, hosting the lowly Memphis Red Sox, and then ending the year at Miami, who play Detroit before that series with the Spiders.

Miami not only has their future in their own hands, they also could decide the Black Yankees / Spiders race.

#NL

With 96 victories in the Effa Manley Division, the Brooklyn Royal Giants have an outside shot at 100 and, with a 5 game lead, Philadelphia looks to have locked up a Wild Card spot.

Houston has a clear path to the Marvin Miller Division crown on paper, with a 4 game lead and series left against the New York Gothams and the Wandering House of David. The final Wild Card spot is likely to come down to the final series of the year, with Kansas City hosting Indianapolis, although the House of David are technically still in the race.

#Player Performance

#Batters

An overpowered year on offense comes to a close. This list has been fairly constant for a while, I’ve added a 2nd list with less desirable stats as well.

Top 2 in most categories.

Lance Berkman (CLE). 279/369/645. 141 RBI.
José Canseco (MCG). 256/357/716. 66 HR.
Oscar Charleston (IND). 336/377/618. 196 H.
Ty Cobb (DET). 384/438/828. 214 H, 65 2B, 16 3B, 148 R, 9.4 WAR.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 395/492/798. 10.7 WAR.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 248/378/421. 103 BB, 121 SB.
Pete Hill (HOU). 270/345/449. 14 3B.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 355/410/607. 67 2B.
Tim Raines (OTT). 250/353/438. 111 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 282/416/745. 70 HR, 162 RBI, 142 R, 117 BB.

Here are some of the less positive performances. Only the leader is listed (although Dunn is 2nd in SO and Lajoie 2nd in negative WAR).

Cupid Childs (BBB). 222/343/327.
Adam Dunn (IND). 207/341/468. 190 SO.
Ted Kluszewski (PHI). 248/291/442. -1.5 WAR.
Nap Lajoie (HOM). 232/254/407. -1.4 WAR.
Manny Machado (BAL). 240/284/518. 24 GIDP.
Mickey Mantle (NYY). 254/367/588. 214 SO.
Doug Rader (LAA). 242/299/455. 24 GIDP.

This list is interesting, honestly. Childs’ OBP and Dunn’s power hide other clear faults, and it’s surprising that WAR sees Kluszewksi as that bad. Mantle is obviously the best of this group.

#Pitchers

#Starters

As it has been for most of the seasion, this list continues to be dominated by 3 names: A. Rube Foster, Luis Padrón, and Toad Ramsey. I’ve added some usage stats (GS, IP) to help fill out the picture as the season winds down, and, as with the batters, a 2nd list for some less desirable leaders (Hardie Henderson could be on both, given 18 wins and his league-leading walks number).

Top 2 in most categories.

A. Rube Foster (KCM). 11-7, 3.27. .187 BA, .217 BABIP, 1.01 WHIP.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 11-7, 4.51. 251 K.
Hardie Henderson (IND). 18-12, 3.78. 98 BB.
Orel Hershiser (BRK). 18-5, 3.76.
José Méndez (MCG). 13-5, 4.47. 35 GS.
Luis Padrón (IND). 23-3, 3.20. 228 IP, 7.0 WAR.
Andy Pettitte (NYY). 18-8, 4.26.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 19-7, 4.46.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 16-10, 3.23. 223 IP, 282 K, .182 BA, 0.97 WHIP, 3.39 FIP, 7.9 WAR.
Ed Walsh (CAG). 9-10, 3.84. .222 BABIP.
Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 12-12, 3.87. 3.58 FIP.

Gerrit Cole (LAA). 7-15, 6.45.
Walter Johnson (POR). 13-11, 4.10. 91 BB.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 7-15, 5.58. 36 GS.

#Relievers

Top 2 in most stats, top 3 in saves. 35 Min IP for rate stats.

Rod Beck (SFS). 4-4, 5.09. 39 Sv, 1 H.
Bruce Chen (BBB). 2-4, 6.71. 4 Sv, 11 H, 67 G.
Rheal Cormier (NYY). 1-3, 4.93. 17 H.
Eric Gagne (BRK). 3-3, 3.12. 37 Sv.
Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-3, 2.27. 2 Sv, 10 H.
Bob Howry (PHI). 4-1, 3.32. 24 Sv, 0.89 WHIP.
Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-7, 5.81. 1 Sv, 20 H.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 8-4, 3.52. 33 Sv.
Andrew Miller (MEM). 7-8, 4.42. 4 Sv, 12 H, 71 G.
Akinori Otsuka (CAG/BBB). 8-3, 2.26. 7 Sv, 5 H.
Lee Smith (KCM/HOD). 4-2, 2.75. 6 Sv, 12 H, 0.76 WHIP.

We have 2 weeks left in the season, so a ton of focus on the playoff races feels appropriate.

#Awards

The House of David‘s Anthony Rizzo hit 4 homeruns and hit .429, earning himself the NL Player of the Week Award. Over in the AL, it was a familiar name–Babe Ruth of the New York Black Yankees–earning the Award. Ruth hit .526 with 6 homeruns and 11 RBIs as New York pushes towards the playoffs.

#Team Performance

#AL

The San Francisco Sea Lions have clinched the Cum Posey Division, and either the Cleveland Spiders or the Black Yankees will win the Bill James Division (currently the 2 teams are locked in a dead heat for the top spot), with the other team taking 1 of the 2 Wild Card slots.

The Detroit Wolverines lead the Miami Cuban Giants by 1.5 games for the final playoff spot.

This week offers the Black Yankees a huge opportunity, as they host both Detroit and Cleveland: a strong week from New York could settle a lot of questions.

#NL

Brooklyn has clinched the Effa Manley Division, and all else is chaos.

Philadelphia is (a) 15 games behind the Royal Giants and (b) leading the Wild Card race by 2.5 games.

The Houston Colt 45’s have put their best baseball on the field when it matters, and are currently leading the Marvin Miller Division by 4.5 games, putting them in good position to claim their first postseason appearance.

Behind them, Indianapolis and Kansas City are tied with identical 74-76 records, with the House of David 1.5 games behind them. But the worst team in the NL–the Ottawa Mounties–are only 4.5 games out of the Wild Card. Now, climbing over 6 teams is hard, but anything is possible.

With that many teams still engaged, all of the matchups this week have meaning, but Houston visiting Indianapolis to start the week will certainly grab some attention.

#Player Performance

#Batters

Babe Ruth does Babe Ruth things, as his 6 dingers on the week have allowed the Bambino to retake his customary spot atop the HR log. While it looks like Josh Gibson will fall short in his pursuit of .400, it does seem like he may be able to hold off Detroit’s Ty Cobb in the batting average race.

Cobb reached 200 hits this week, and may very well end the season the only batter to top that milestone (Oscar Charleston and Tony Gwynn each need 14 more hits–doable but perhaps not likely).

Top 2 in most categories.

Lance Berkman (CLE). 281/369/648. 136 RBI.
José Canseco (MCG). 253/356/716. 64 HR.
Oscar Charleston (IND). 333/376/615. 186 H.
Ty Cobb (DET). 383/437/832. 203 H, 62 2B, 16 3B, 142 R, 9.0 WAR.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 394/490/794. 10.2 WAR.
Tony Gwynn (HOU). 338/374/535. 186 H.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 246/377/423. 101 BB, 114 SB.
Pete Hill (HOU). 268/343/446. 14 3B.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 353/406/604. 64 2B.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 279/412/731. 65 HR, 150 RBI, 135 R, 111 BB.

#Pitchers

#Starters

At full usage, most starters have 2-3 chances to win games remaining. Which means 4 players are chasing 20 wins, while Indianapolis’ Luis Padrón just keeps dominating, sitting at 22-3.

This list continues to be dominated by 3 names: A. Rube Foster, Padrón, and Toad Ramsey.

Top 2 in most categories.

Roger Clemens (HOU). 17-9, 3.51. .220 BABIP.
A. Rube Foster (KCM). 11-6, 3.13. .185 BA, .211 BABIP, 1.00 WHIP, 3.67 FIP.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 10-7, 4.32. 239 K.
Orel Hershiser (BRK). 17-5, 3.75.
José Méndez (MCG). 12-5, 4.42. 216 IP.
Luis Padrón (IND). 22-3, 3.20. 6.7 WAR.
Andy Pettitte (NYY). 18-8, 4.14.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 18-7, 4.41.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 15-10, 3.26. 216 IP, 269 K, .182 BA, 0.98 WHIP, 3.43 FIP, 7.6 WAR.

#Relievers

Top 2 in most stats, top 3 in saves. 30 Min IP for rate stats, which allows the debut of the amazing start to Bartolo Colón‘s career for Homestead.

Rod Beck (SFS). 4-4, 5.20. 38 Sv, 1 H.
Bartolo Colón (HOM). 1-1, 1.70. 1 H.
Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-3, 5.04. 17 H.
Eric Gagne (BRK). 3-3, 3.06. 34 Sv.
Eddie Guardado (NYY). 2-2, 2.11. 2 Sv, 10 H.
Bob Howry (PHI). 4-1, 3.00. 23 Sv, 0.83 WHIP.
Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-7, 5.98. 1 Sv, 20 H.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 8-4, 3.42. 33 Sv.
Lee Smith (KCM). 4-2, 2.92. 6 Sv, 12 H, 0.79 WHIP.

#Injuries

Some useful pieces may be back in times for the postseason: Cleveland’s Cory Gearrin, Detroit’s Hank Aguirre, Kansas City’s Jock Menefee, Miami’s Gary Sheffield, and the House of David’s Pete Browning may all return to action this week.

This week we have more playoff updates, and a look at the best rookies so far this year.

#Awards

Freddie Freeman is immediately showing he belongs at this level for Los Angeles, with the recent acquisition earning the AL Player of the Week Award, hitting .579 for the week with 4 homeruns. Over in the NL, Brooklyn‘s Duke Snider took home the Player of the Week with a .600 (!) average and 5 homers.

#Team Performance

#AL

The San Francisco Sea Lions have clinched the Cum Posey Division.

The New York Black Yankees have taken a 1 game lead over the Cleveland Spiders in the Bill James Division. Both of these teams will make the postseason, with the 3rd place team in the Bill James, the Detroit Wolverines, leading the Miami Cuban Giants by 4.5 games for the final AL playoff spot.

So, barring some real drama, the only race here is between the Spiders and the Black Yankees for playoff seeding.

#NL

The Effa Manley is a bit of a mirror of the Cum Posey, with the Brooklyn Royal Giants playing out the string, riding a 15.5 game lead over second place Philadelphia, with the Stars currently the highest ranked Wild Card team as well.

And then it gets messy.

Houston has surged in front of the Kansas City Monarchs, with the Colt 45’s leading the Marvin Miller Division by 2.5 games now. However, 3 more teams (Indianapolis, Homestead, and the House of David) are within 2.5 games of the final Wild Card spot, with Birmingham and the New York Gothams only 4 games back. All of that means that only the Ottawa Mounties (5.5 games off the Wild Card, but having 5 teams in the way) have really given up on the season.

#Player Performance

#Batters

It’s late in the year, so there is less churn in these lists. Let’s focus on the races that are still up for grabs.

Ty Cobb‘s lead in most categories is significant, but his 15 triples is only ahead of Houston’s Pete Hill by 1, with Bullet Joe Rogan and Turkey Stearns staying close with 13 each.

Miami’s José Canseco is holding onto the homerun lead with 62. He’s trailed by 2 Black Yankees: Babe Ruth with 59 and Lou Gehrig with 56.

Rickey Henderson is ahead of Ottawa’s Tim Raines by 3 in the stolen base race, 108 to 105.

Top 2 in most categories.

Ron Blomberg (CLE). 279/346/639. 129 RBI.
José Canseco (MCG). 251/357/717. 62 HR.
Ty Cobb (DET). 382/436/827. 195 H, 59 2B, 15 3B, 135 R, 8.6 WAR.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 395/493/791. 9.7 WAR.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 248/376/431. 95 BB, 108 SB.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 354/407/611. 64 2B.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 269/402/694. 59 HR, 139 RBI, 125 R, 104 BB.

In the less glorious stats, sitting on 197, the Black Yankees’ Mickey Mantle is guaranteed to top 200 strikeouts on the season.

#Pitchers

Luis Padrón continues to totally dominate, winning his 20th and 21st game over the past week. Sitting at 21-3, Padrón has been the best starter in the league for most of the season. With only a few weeks left, it’s possible nobody else reaches 20 victories, but we’ve listed all 5 of the other hurlers with at least 16 wins.

A couple active streaks of note: José Rijo, Padrón’s teammate on the Indianapolis ABC’s, hasn’t allowed a run in 21 innings, and Brooklyn’s Sandy Koufax is riding a streak of 10 innings without giving up a hit.

#Starters

On the one hand, this list could be 3 names long: A. Rube Foster, Padrón, and Toad Ramsey.

Top 2 in most categories.

Roger Clemens (HOU). 16-9, 3.61.
A. Rube Foster (KCM). 10-6, 3.21. .187 BA, .211 BABIP, 0.99 WHIP.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 9-7, 4.29. 232 K.
Bump Hadley (SFS). 16-5, 4.15.
Orel Hershiser (BRK). 17-5, 3.87.
José Méndez (MCG). 12-5, 4.37. 206 IP.
Luis Padrón (IND). 21-3, 3.34. 205 IP, 6.2 WAR.
Andy Pettitte (NYY). 17-8, 4.19.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 17-7, 4.55.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 15-9, 3.18. 248 K, .181 BA, 0.97 WHIP, 3.33 FIP, 7.4 WAR.
Fernando Valenzuela (BRK). 13-5, 3.60. 1 Sv, 4 H, .220 BABIP.
Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 12-11, 3.87. 3.69 FIP.

#Relievers

Top 2 in most stats, top 3 in saves and holds. 30 Min IP for rate stats, which allows the debut of the amazing start to Bartolo Colón‘s career for Homestead.

Rod Beck (SFS). 4-4, 4.93. 36 Sv, 1 H.
Bartolo Colón (HOM). 1-0, 0.87. 1 H, 0.84 WHIP.
Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-3, 5.40. 16 H.
Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-3, 2.60. 33 Sv.
Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-2, 2.20. 1 Sv, 9 H.
Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-7, 5.14. 1 Sv, 20 H.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 8-4, 3.48. 32 Sv.
BJ Ryan (OTT). 2-3, 4.64. 1 Sv, 16 H.
Lee Smith (KCM). 4-2, 2.79. 6 Sv, 12 H, 0.77 WHIP.

#Injuries

A huge one: Chicago‘s Frank Thomas is out for 8-9 months with a knee injury. The Big Hurt is expected to make a full recovery, but this really will impact the American Giants’ offseason plans, as they will need a 1B for the first half of next season.

Pennant race intrigue galore as we enter the final month of the season!

#Awards

#August Awards

Brooklyn‘s emerging stud Fernando Valenzuela went 5- 1 in August, earning the NL Rookie of the Month for August; in the AL, San Francsico‘s rookie superstar Turkey Stearnes hit .389 with 10 homers and 24 RBI’s during the month, taking home the AL Award.

Valenzuela was eclipsed by Indianapolis‘ Luis Padrón for the overall monthly award. Padrón went 5-0 in the month with a 3.09 ERA as he solidified his status as the best hurler in the WBL this season, winning the NL Pitcher of the Month for August. The AL Pitcher of the Month went to Andy Pettitte of the New York Black Yankees, who rode a 5-1 record to the Award.

Ernie Banks of the House of David had a torrid August, slugging 14–FOURTEEN–homeruns and hitting .370 as he was named the Batter of the Month in the AL. Over in the NL, the Batter of the Month Award went to Detroit‘s Ty Cobb, who hit .452 in August, reclaiming a shot at a .400 average for the season.

#Weekly Awards

Stearnes hit .435 with 4 homers over the final week of August, earning the rookie CF the AL Player of the Week while Brooklyn’s 3B Ron Cey hit .455 with 5 homers, earning him the NL Player of the Week Award.

#Team Performance

Here is where we are.

In the American League, The San Francisco Sea Lions are going to win the Cum Posey Division, and either the Cleveland Spiders or New York Black Yankees are going to win the Bill James Division (right now, the Spiders hold a 1.5 game edge). Whoever loses the Bill James will take one Wild Card spot, and either Detroit (8 gams back in the Bill James) or Miami (1.5 games behind Detroit) will take the other.

Over in the National League, it’s a lot more complicated. Brooklyn is running away with the Effa Manley Division, and right now Philadelphia–13 games behind the Royal Giants–is leading the Wild Card chase. The Marvin Miller Division is still tightly packed, with the Houston Colt 45’s holding a 2 game edge over Kansas City. However, 7 teams are within 5 games of the final Wild Card slot, so essentially, other than the Effa Manley crown, everything is left to play for in the NL.

#Player Performance

#Batters

This week, we have the story of 2 slumps. Josh Gibson has dipped below .400 for the first time in months and Babe Ruth has gone 10 games without a homerun (and only has 2 in his last 17 games). While Gibson has retained the BA lead, Ruth has surrendered the HR edge and is in fact closer, with 57, to Ernie Banks in 3rd place with 54 than José Canseco in 1st with 62.

Top 2 in most categories.

Ron Blomberg (CLE). 283/347/657. 126 RBI.
José Canseco (MCG). 261/367/749. 62 HR.
Oscar Charleston (IND). 338/382/619. 174 H.
Ty Cobb (DET). 388/443/846. 189 H, 58 2B, 15 3B, 130 R, 8.6 WAR.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 396/497/775. 9.1 WAR.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 251/382/439. 93 BB, 103 SB.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 363/415/623. 64 2B.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 266/400/689. 57 HR, 134 RBI, 121 R, 101 BB.

#Pitchers

#Starters

All 5 players with at least 16 wins are listed, as well as the top 2 in other categories.

A. Rube Foster (KCM). 10-6, 3.09. .205 BABIP, 0.98 WHIP.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-7, 4.40. 222 K.
Bump Hadley (SFS). 16-5, 4.06.
Orel Hershiser (BRK). 17-5, 3.94.
Luis Padrón (IND). 19-3, 3.49. 5.9 WAR.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 16-7, 4.68.
Andy Pettitte (NYY). 16-8, 4.28.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 15-9, 3.25. 240 K, 0.98 WHIP, 3.34 FIP, 7.1 WAR.
Fernando Valenzuela (BRK). 12-5, 3.56. 1 Sv, 4 H, .218 BABIP.
Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 11-11, 3.93. 3.70 FIP.

#Relievers

Top 2 in most stats, top 3 in saves and holds.

28 Min IP.

Rod Beck (SFS). 4-4, 5.22. 33 Sv, 1 H.
Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-3, 5.34. 15 H.
Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-3, 2.68. 31 Sv.
Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-1, 1.99. 1 Sv, 9 H.
Bob Howry (PHI). 4-1, 3.27. 21 Sv. 0.85 WHIP.
Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-7, 5.05. 1 Sv, 20 H.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 7-4, 3.62. 32 Sv.
BJ Ryan (OTT). 2-3, 4.80. 1 Sv, 16 H.
Lee Smith (KCM). 4-2, 2.81. 6 Sv, 12 H. 0.77 WHIP.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 2-2, 2.51. 17 Sv.

#Streaks

Been a while since I checked in on these … and there is very little going on in terms of active streaks. George Gore of the House of David has reached base in his last 8 consecutive at bats, but that’s about it.

Houston’s Carlos Correa had a 29 game hitting streak earlier this season, and San Francisco’s Lefty Grove went 34 innings without allowing a run.

As August closes down, we have roster expansion and a bevy of trades.

#Awards

The House of David‘s Ernie Banks hit .483 with a half-dozen homeruns, taking home the NL Player of the Week Award. Another stellar week from Detroit‘s Ty Cobb netted him another AL Player of the Week Award, his 4th of the season. Cobb hit .500 with 6 homeruns over the week.

#Team Performance

Same old: San Francisco (despite going 3-7 over their last 10 games) has the Cum Posey Division sewn up, and Brooklyn has the Effa Manley Division all but so–the Sea Lions have a 17 game edge, and the Royal Giants are up by 11.

The Bill James Division is a 2 horse race, as the Cleveland Spiders now lead the New York Black Yankees by only 2.5 games.

And then we have the Marvin Miller Division, where the Houston Colt 45’s have surged ahead of Kansas City by 1/2 game, but Indianapolis is only 2.5 back, with the House of David 3 and the Black Barons 4.

The Wildcards are all up for grabs, as 8 teams in the NL are within 4 games of making the postseason that way. It’s more settled in the AL, with Miami leading Los Angeles for the 2nd wildcard spot by 4 games.

#Player Performance

#Batters

As usual, top 2 in most categories are listed, with Detroit’s Turkey Stearnes and Los Angeles’ Kal Daniels listed so we have all 6 batters with OPS’ over 1.100.

Ron Blomberg (CLE). 295/361/688. 125 RBI.
José Canseco (MCG). 264/373/759. 60 HR.
Oscar Charleston (IND). 342/384/624. 170 H.
Ty Cobb (DET). 388/443/844. 181 H, 54 2B, 15 3B, 125 R, 8.3 WAR.
Kal Daniels (LAA). 357/444/670.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 406/501/798. 9.0 WAR.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 361/414/621. 60 2B.
Joe Rogan (PHI). 288/343/605. 13 3B.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 273/405/713. 57 HR, 133 RBI, 117 R.
Turkey Stearnes (DET). 340/381/722.

#Pitchers

#Starters

All 7 players with at least 15 wins are listed, as well as the top 2 in other categories.

A. Rube Foster (KCM). 10-5, 2.79. .200 BABIP, 0.95 WHIP, 3.60 FIP.
Roger Clemens (HOU). 13-9, 3.60. .218 BABIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 15-5, 4.37.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-7, 4.41. 211 K.
Bump Hadley (SFS). 16-5, 4.09
Orel Hershiser (BRK). 16-5, 4.04.
José Méndez (MCG). 11-5, 4.29. 195 IP.
Luis Padrón (IND). 18-3, 3.55. 5.5 WAR.
Andy Pettitte (NYY). 15-8, 4.32.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 15-7, 4.73.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 15-9, 3.13. 190 IP, 230 K, 0.96 WHIP, 3.26 FIP, 7.1 WAR.

#Relievers

The top 3 in the league remain Josh Lindblom, Rod Beck, and Eric Gagne, who have 30, 29, and 26 saves respectively. Of those, Gagne has been the most dominant, and is probably only challenged by Kansas City’s Craig Kimbrel, who had 11 holds before being named their closer, and has posted 9 saves since. The other 3 relievers with 20-plus saves are listed as well.

26 Min IP.

Terry Adams (CLE), 1-6, 4.93. 21 Sv, 2H.
Rod Beck (SFS). 4-4, 5.65. 30 Sv, 1H.
Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-3, 2.88. 28 Sv.
Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-1, 2.01. 1 Sv, 8 H.
Bob Howry (PHI). 4-1, 3.27. 21 Sv. 0.85 WHIP.
Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-7, 5.09. 1 Sv, 20 H.
Craig Kimbrel (KCM). 3-4, 1.95. 12 Sv, 11 H.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 7-4, 3.70. 31 Sv.
Joe Nathan (LAA/SFS). 5-5, 4.64. 20 Sv, 2 H.
Jonathan Papelbon (MEM/MCG). 3-5, 4.80. 20 Sv.
BJ Ryan (OTT). 2-3, 5.03. 1 Sv, 15 H.
Lee Smith (KCM/HOD). 4-2, 2.78. 6 Sv, 10 H. 0.77 WHIP.

#Debuts

Tony Conigliaro isn’t a bad prospect. But he had one of the best days, let alone debuts, in WBL history, going 4 for 4 with a record 4 homeruns in an 11-9 win. The 22 year old was obtained at the all star break last season in the deal that initially sent Sammy Sosa to Memphis (Sosa would return after flopping for the Red Sox).

At least Jorge Orta is listed among the top 100 WBL prospects, coming in 87th. Orta had a great debut for his new club, the New York Black Yankees, going 4 for 5 with 4 doubles.

Memphis’ Dustin Pedroia and the New York Gothams‘ Bill Terry have also turned heads, each with 2 homers in their first few games at the WBL level.

The trade deadline is the biggest news, but the league rolls on into the pennant races.

#Awards

Homestead‘s Andy Van Slyke hit .500 with 7 homeruns over the past week, earning him the NL Batter of the Week Award. Over in the AL, it’s a familiar name, as Detroit‘s Ty Cobb rode a .556 average and 8 RBIs to the AL Player of the Week Award.

#Team Performance

Very little has changed.

San Francisco still dominates the league, with 80 wins, a .650 winning percentage, and a 21 game lead in the Cum Posey Division. The Sea Lions have a decent chance at clinching the division before the end of August.

Cleveland still leads the New York Black Yankees in the Bill James Division, now by 3 games, with both teams exceedingly likely to make the postseason.

The surprising Brooklyn Royal Giants lead Homestead by 9.5 games in the Effa Manley Division, with Philadelphia still within touch.

And then there is the Marvin Miller Division, where last-place Birmingham is only 3.5 games behind first place Kansas City, with everything to play for over the last month-plus of the season.

#Player Performance

#Batters

Some fascinating changes here, led by Babe Ruth ceding the HR lead, at least temporarily (this happened last year as well before Ruth pulled away). Josh Gibson‘s attempt to stay over .400 is in danger, but he’s still the most formidable offensive force in the league, with Ty Cobb and Ruth close behind.

Only 4 players have a BA over .350: Gibson, Cobb, Daniels, and Chicago‘s Joe Jackson.

Ron Blomberg (CLE). 295/361/688. 125 RBI.
José Canseco (MCG). 264/370/759. 58 HR.
Oscar Charleston (IND). 340/381/634. 162 H, 12 3B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 381/436/813. 169 H, 52 2B, 14 3B, 114 R, 7.3 WAR.
Kal Daniels (LAA). 358/447/674.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 401/500/781. 8.3 WAR.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 248/379/433. 84 BB.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 351/402/598. 54 2B.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 279/408/736. 56 HR, 132 RBI, 111 R, 89 BB.

#Pitchers

#Starters

All 5 players with at least 15 wins are listed, as well as the top 2 in other categories.

A. Rube Foster (IND). 8-5, 2.93. 0.97 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 15-5, 4.37.
Bump Hadley (SFS). 16-5, 4.07.
Orel Hershiser (BRK). 16-5, 3.82.
José Méndez (MCG). 10-5, 4.36.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 13-9, 3.19. 217 K, 6.6 WAR, 0.97 WHIP.
Luis Padrón (IND). 17-3, 3.57. 5.1 WAR.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 15-5, 4.38.

#Relievers

The top 3 in the league remain Josh Lindblom, Rod Beck, and Eric Gagne, who have 30, 29, and 26 saves respectively. Of those, Gagne has been the most dominant, and is probably only challenged by Kansas City’s Craig Kimbrel, who had 11 holds before being named their closer, and has posted 9 saves since. The other 3 relievers with 20-plus saves are listed as well.

28 Min IP.

Terry Adams (CLE), 1-5, 4.28. 21 Sv, 2H.
Rod Beck (SFS). 4-3, 5.05. 29 Sv, 1H.
Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-2, 5.07. 14 H.
Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-2, 2.39. 26 Sv.
Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-1, 2.06. 1 Sv, 8 H.
Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-7, 5.15. 1 Sv, 19 H.
Craig Kimbrel (KCM). 3-4, 2.10. 9 Sv, 11 H.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 7-4, 3.86. 30 Sv.
Joe Nathan (LAA/SFS). 5-5, 4.31. 20 Sv, 1H.
Jonathan Papelbon (MEM/MCG). 3-5, 4.71. 20 Sv.
BJ Ryan (OTT). 2-3, 5.24. 1 Sv, 14 H.

#Down On the Farm

As roster expansion looms, a look at the best AAA and AA performers of the year so far. We’re listing the slash, homerun, and stolen base leaders for hitters, wins, ERA, and saves for pitchers, and WAR for both.

#AAA Batters

Jack Hannifin (26, LVA / LAA). 267/327/706. 54 HR.
Kenny Lofton (27, BUF / CLE). 277/345/482. 72 SB.
Jerry Mumphrey (29, CBB / HOD). 321/377/564. 4.0 WAR.
Elmer Valo (35, LVA / LAA). 343/430/583.

AAA Pitchers

Mark Baldwin (29, WAS / BAL). 10-8, 3.58. 4.5 WAR.
Al Brazle (28, CBB / HOD). 10-2, 3.54.
John Denny (34, QUE / BRK). 13-6, 4.32.
Red Ehret (24, SJB / SFS). 13-10, 4.54.
George Jeffcoat (26, HRT / NYG). 4-7, 3.23. 28 Sv.
Dick Redding (21, QUE / BRK). 13-6, 3.71.

#AA Batters

Andrew Benintendi (23, TUL / MEM). 343/450/572.
Lorenzo Cain (28, ABS / HOU). 333/382/554. 4.3 WAR.
Rajai Davis (29, ASN / BBB). 278/315/396. 34 SB.
Cy Williams (26, ALI / HOD). 306/361/716. 44 HR.

#AA Pitchers

Ping Gardner (24, SYR / HOM). 10-1, 2.67.
Art Johnson (22, JCS / BRK). 10-4, 3.45.
Lew Krausse, Jr. (22, JCS / BRK). 8-6, 3.99. 3.6 WAR.
Doc Newton (21, JCS / BRK). 10-0, 2.86. 3.6 WAR.
Lance McCullers (20, CCH / HOU). 3-5, 3.50. 24 Sv.
Mike Minor (25, 6-4, 2.58.
Masahiro Tanka (24, TRO / NYG). 10-12. 4.28.

The trading deadline is only a week away, so that becomes a bit of the focus for both this week and next.

#Awards

Ottawa‘s Gary Carter had 6 homeruns and a .450 average last week, earning him the National League Player of the Week honors while over in the AL, Player of the Week accolades went to Los Angeles‘ Kal Daniels. Daniels, who is having a borderline MVP candidate season, went 14-for-25 on the week, raising his overall batting average to .353.

#Team Performance

Cleveland and Brooklyn have both put some distance between themselves and their chase packs: in the Bill James Division, Cleveland (9-1 over their last 10 games) leads the New York Black Yankees by 4 games while in the Effa Manley Division, Brooklyn is now up by a whopping 10.5 over Homestead.

With the San Francisco Sea Lions running away with the Cum Posey Division (with the best record in baseball, they currently hold an 18.5 game lead), that leaves the Marvin Miller Division as the only currently close race, with the Kansas City Monarchs in first and Birmingham in last, with only 4.5 games separating the 5 teams in the division.

We’ll start to pay more attention to the Wild Card standings soon, for now, the Black Yankees and the Detroit Wolverines would make it in the AL, with Homestead and the surprising Ottawa Mounties in the NL. However, those races are all still very close.

With 5 losses in a row, Baltimore has recovered the worst record in the league with a .427 winning percentage (they briefly ceded this dubious honor to the Chicago American Giants, who have improved just enough to move ahead of the Black Barons).

#Player Performance

#Batters

What jumps out at me most is how widespread the talent is. This list has the top 2 performers in all categories, yet each team is only represented once.

Ron Blomberg (CLE). 295/361/688. 125 RBI.
José Canseco (MCG). 260/369/740. 52 HR.
Oscar Charleston (IND). 348/388/650. 157 H, 12 3B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 370/426/788. 154 H, 47 2B, 104 R, 6.4 WAR.
Kal Daniels (LAA). 353/444/660.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 408/507/790. 8.1 WAR.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 352/406/586. 51 2B.
Bullet Joe Rogan (PHI). 287/341/610. 12 3B.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 280/411/730. 53 HR,126 RBI, 106 R, 87 BB.
Ted Williams (MEM). 308/427/653. 80 BB.

#Pitchers

#Starters

All 5 players with at least 14 wins are listed, as well as the top 2 in other categories.

A. Rube Foster (KCM). 8-4, 3.01. 0.98 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 14-4, 4.12.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-7, 4.40. 197 K.
Orel Hershiser (BRK). 15-5, 3.79.
Bump Hadley (SFS). 16-5, 4.11.
Luis Padrón (IND). 16-3, 3.36.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 15-5, 4.32.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 13-8, 3.13. 207 K, 0.98 WHIP, 3.19 FIP, 6.4 WAR.
Jim Whitney (MCG). 8-3, 2.86. 0.98 WHIP.
Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 10-9, 3.82. 3.58 WHIP, 5.1 WAR.

#Relievers

3 closers have 25+ saves, including Brooklyn’s Eric Gagne, who may be the most dominant fireman in the league at the moment. If it’s not Gagne, it’s one of the relievers who have recently taken over the closer role for their teams: Chicago’s Akinori Otsuka or Kansas City’s Craig Kimbrel.

25 Min IP.

Rod Beck (SFS). 4-3, 5.23. 27 Sv, 1 H.
Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-1, 2.52. 25 Sv.
Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-1, 2.11. 1 Sv, 8 H.
Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-6, 5.36. 1 Sv, 17 H.
Craig Kimbrel (KCM). 3-4, 2.23. 7 Sv, 11 H.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 7-3, 3.56. 27 Sv.
Akinori Otsuka (CAG). 5-1, 1.85. 6 Sv, 5 H.
BJ Ryan (OTT). 2-3, 4.95. 1 Sv, 14 H.

#Game of the Week

So so close to the no no.

Pitching on short rest, Indianapolis‘ Johnny Cueto delivered 5 hitless innings in a start against Ottawa … then Clay Carroll added 2 more, and Rob Murphy another. Which meant Rob Dibble came in for the bottom of the 9th with the ABC’s leading 7-0 and throwing a combined no-hitter. Dibble got Roberto Alomar to groundout, Larry Walker to whiff … and then gave up a long fly ball to Gary Carter that just barely cleared the outfield fence, ruining the shutout and the no-no.

IND 7 (Carroll 1-2) @ OTT 1 (Radbourn 11-10)
HRs: IND – Dunn (33), Charleston (30), Votto (26); OTT – Carter (44).
Box Score

#Injury Report

Not a lot of impact here right now: names that might see a rehab stint this week include John Tudor (BAL), Bob Brown (OTT), Ross Reynolds (LAA), and Casey Stengel (HOU).

We enter the dog days …

In addition to the natural clarification of the playoff races, August has 2 very important dates: 8/17 is the trading deadline and 8/23 marks the day rosters can be expanded.

#Awards

#July Awards

All hail Homestead‘s Josh Gibson, who hit .487 with 11 homeruns and 36 RBIs in July to win the NL Batter of the Month. For good measure, Gibson added 19 walks, giving him an OBP for the month approaching .600 (.598).

Los Angeles‘ Kal Daniels continues to deliver on his talent, hitting .371 with 12 homers and 30 RBI’s to take home the AL Batter of the Month.

Don Drysedale was in what could most generously be called a funk until July hit, with some even calling for Brooklyn‘s ace to be moved to the bullpen. Instead, he went 5-0 in the month with a 1.81 ERA to take home the NL Pitcher of the Month Award.

Memphis‘ Stubby Overmire was named the AL Pitcher of the Month, going 3-0 with a 1.36 ERA in the year, finding some of the form that led to his ERA crown last year.

Drysedale’s teammate John Briggs just keeps proving his doubters wrong. The 21 year old CF took home the July Rookie of the Month Award in the NL, hitting .366 for the month with 8 homeruns, 17 RBI’s, and 20 runs scored. Another CF–Detroit‘s budding superstar Turkey Stearnes–took home the honors in the AL, hitting .337 with 9 homeruns and 25 RBI’s in the month.

For once, there wasn’t much controversy with the awards. Gibson, whose 1.651 OPS led the league for the month, was a clear choice, meaning Houston‘s Jeff Bagwell–second at 1.375–could understand the decision not going his way.

Birmingham‘s Hank Aaron, and Cleveland‘s Lance Berkman and Ron Blomberg each had 13 homers on the month, with Blomberg driving in a ridiculous 39 runners. But Daniels had the higher OPS, and certainly was a defensible choice.

Drysedale was the only hurler with 5 wins in July, and Overmire and he were 1-2 in ERA. So, overall, solid selections across the board.

#Weekly Awards

Stearnes’ hot streak also earned him the AL Player of the Week Award, as he hit .500 with 5 homers in the first week of August. In the NL, a .536 average with 3 homers earned Brooklyn’s Jackie Robinson the Player of the Week Award.

#Team Performance

In the Bill James Division, it looks like a 2-team race, with Cleveland now leading the New York Black Yankees by a single game. That makes it and the Marvin Miller Division the ones worth watching–the Marvin Miller is a 3 team race currently, with Kansas City leading Indianapolis by 1.5 and Houston by 3. But Birmingham and the House of David are only 5.5 games back, so nobody is truly out of the picture.

Not so in the Cum Posey Division: with the best record in baseball, San Francisco is the only team in the division over .500 and leads second place Miami by 18.5 games.

The Effa Manley Division is edging closer to being settled, as Brooklyn, now with the 2nd best record in the league, leads Homesteads by 7.5.

Chicago–yes, last year’s playoff contender Chicago–has the worst record in baseball, at 49-63.

#Player Performance

#Batters

I mean … Josh Gibson, ladies and gentlemen. Ty Cobb has regained the SLG lead by .003, but Gibson is having himself a year for the ages at this point.

Top 2 across all categories.

Ron Blomberg (CLE). 291/358/668. 117 RBI.
José Canseco (MCG). 259/370/741. 50 HR.
Oscar Charleston (IND). 342/384/637. 145 H, 12 3B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 369/423/799. 145 H, 44 2B, 96 R, 6.2 WAR.
Kal Daniels (LAA). 339/432/656.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 406/505/794. 7.7 WAR.
Tony Gwynn (HOU). 348/386/558. 141 H.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 355/408/580. 50 2B.
Charles Rogan (PHI). 287/339/614. 12 3B.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 280/413/739. 51 HR,117 RBI,102 R, 5.9 WAR.
Ted Williams (MEM). 313/432/651.

#Pitchers

#Starters

7 players have 13 or more wins, led by San Francisco’s Bump Hadley with 16; we’ve included all of those as well as the top 2 in other categories.

The list has settled somewhat–only the Black Yankee’s Ron Guidry doesn’t really belong on a list of the best starters in the WBL (those strikeouts tho …).

Roger Clemens (HOU). 13-6, 3.43.
A. Rube Foster (KCM). 7-3, 2.89. 0.98 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 14-4, 3.93. 167 IP.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-7, 4.14. 191 K.
Orel Hershiser (BRK). 14-5, 3.92.
Bump Hadley (SFS). 16-5, 4.05.
José Méndez (MCG). 9-5, 4.34. 164 IP. 0.98 WHIP.
Luis Padrón (IND). 15-3, 3.40. 3.65 FIP, 5.0 WAR.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 15-5, 4.14.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 13-8, 3.13. 197 K, 0.97 WHIP, 3.17 FIP, 6.2 WAR.
Jim Whitney (MCG). 7-3, 3.05.

#Relievers

All 5 closers with 20 or more saves are listed, as well as top 2 in relevant stats. Relievers are weird–Rod Beck and Michael Jackson have had strong years, but have also had a couple disastrous outings each, leading to ERA’s over 5.00 despite leading the league in saves and holds, respectively.

24 Min IP.

Terry Adams (CLE). 1-4, 3.82. 20 Sv, 2 H.
Rod Beck (SFS). 3-3, 5.17. 27 Sv, 1 H.
Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-1, 2.76. 23 Sv.
Ken Howell (SFS). 4-1, 2.09. 4 Sv, 6 H.
Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-6, 5.73. 1 Sv, 15 H.
Ted Kennedy (PHI). 2-2, 3.64. 4 Sv, 13 H.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 7-3, 3.60. 26 Sv.
Joe Nathan (LAA). 5-4, 3.57. 20 Sv.
Akinori Otsuka (CAG). 4-1, 1.99. 5 Sv, 5 H.
BJ Ryan (OTT). 2-3, 3.43. 1 Sv, 13 H.

#Looking Back at Preseason Predictions

Some good/some bad, as usual.

In the AL, The San Francisco Sea Lions were the clear preseason favorite, and they’ve delivered; but the experts also had the New York Black Yankees running away with their division, which has certainly not been the case. And nobody saw Chicago’s collapse–the experts saw the American Giants in 2nd place behind the Sea Lions, led by an MVP quality season from Frank Thomas. The Big Hurt has been good, but not that good, and the American Giants have floundered for most of the season.

Over in the NL, the prediction was for Brooklyn and Homestead to be tied for first place, which is not far off. But the Marvin Miller Division is a bit mixed up, with Houston being predicted to coast to a 7 game lead with Kansas City and Indianapolis (currently 1-2) foundering at the bottom of the table.

#Injury Report

Memphis’ Dobie Moore should start a rehab assignment this week, as will the New York Gothams‘ Carson Smith and Ottawa’s Bill Smith.

Coming off a short week for most teams.

#Awards

Josh Gibson of the Homestead Grays hit .409 last week–which barely moved his overall batting average of .408. That, along with 5 homers and 12 RBIs earned him the NL Player of the Week Award. In the AL, one of the surprising cogs in the Detroit Wolverines‘ machine, Juan Beníquez, earned the Award, hitting .423 with 3 homers.

#Team Performance

More of the same.

San Francisco is riding a 9-1 streak, improving their winning percentage to .648, easily the best in the WBL. They lead the Cum Posey Division by 17 games over Miami.

In the Effa Manley Division, the surprising Brooklyn Royal Giants are extending their edge over Homestead, now leading the Grays by 5.5 games.

But the other 2 divisions are building to be close races: in the Bill James Division, the New York Black Yankees continue to struggle, falling to the 3rd best record in the league and only leading Cleveland by a single game. And, in the Marvin Miller Division, while the Kansas City Monarchs are in first, both Indianapolis and Houston sit only 1.5 games back.

Baltimore, despite better showings as of late, continue to hold the worst record in the league at .429.

#Player Performance

#Batters

Remember when we were talking about Tony Gwynn and Ty Cobb competing to hit .400? They now sit roughly 40 points behind Josh Gibson, leading the universe with a .408 average. Offensively, the league revolves around three players: Gibson, Cobb, and Babe Ruth. And Ruth’s exploits are even more impressive when you consider his .285 average.

But, for now, Gibson stands alone, leading in all 3 slash categories.

As always, top 3 in most stats with the leaders in bold.

Ron Blomberg (CLE). 255/370/668. 40 HR, 105 RBI.
José Canseco (MCG). 255/370/717. 44 HR.
Oscar Charleston (IND). 342/385/641. 136 H, 12 3B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 369/421/794. 136 H, 41 2B, 86 R, 5.8 WAR.
Kal Daniels (LAA). 332/431/640.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 408/503/809. 102 RBI, 88 R, 7.2 WAR.
Tony Gwynn (HOU). 360/398/574. 138 H.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 358/409/587. 47 2B.
Stan Musial (KCM). 319/388/569. 40 2B.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 285/420/751. 49 HR, 113 RBI, 98 R, 81 BB, 6.0 WAR.
Ted Williams (MEM). 312/429/656. 770 BB.

Tim Raines and Rickey Henderson are in a see-saw battle for the SB lead, with Raines currently on top , 78-73. See below for some more on speed in the league …

#Pitchers

#Starters

San Francisco’s big three is just humming along. Bump Hadley and Eddie Plank are the only hurlers with 15 wins, and Lefty Grove has 13. Only Indianapolis’ Luis Padrón (14) and Houston’s Toad Ramsey (13) have that many.

Ramsey or Kansas City’s A. Rube Foster are probably the best overall starters in the league right now, but we’ll see how August plays out.

A. Rube Foster (KCM). 7-3, 2.66. 0.96 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 13-4, 3.92. 170 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-7, 4.16. 187 K.
Bump Hadley (SFS). 15-4, 3.64.
José Méndez (MCG). 9-5, 4.38. 0.99 WHIP.
Luis Padrón (IND). 14-3, 3.58. 3.60 FIP, 4.6 WAR.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 15-5, 4.02.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 13-7, 3.04. 190 K, 0.96 WHIP, 3.07 FIP, 6.1 WAR.
Jim Whitney (MCG). 6-3, 3.10. 1 Sv, 2 H.
Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 9-9, 3.62. 3.59 FIP, 4.5 WAR.

#Relievers

Brooklyn’s Eric Gagne is probably the league’s dominant closer, but some of the hurlers whose role has been more fluid–notably the Gothams’ Robb Nen and the Black Yankees’ Goose Gossage–have perhaps been more valuable.

23 IP Min.

Rod Beck (SFS). 3-2, 3.72. 26 Sv.
Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-1, 2.93. 21 Sv.
Goose Gossage (NYY). 3-3, 2.02. 122 Sv, 8 H.
Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-1, 2.02. 1 Sv, 7 H.
Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-6, 5.35. 1 Sv, 14 H.
Ted Kennedy (PHI). 2-2, 3.83. 4 Sv, 12 H.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 6-3, 3.65. 25 Sv.
Robb Nen (NYG). 3-2, 1.88. 10 Sv, 9 H.

#Steals and Speed

Seemed a good time to check in on some oddities in running the bases.

Let’s start with some players who perhaps should be running a bit less, led by the New York Gothams‘ recently acquired Don Buford, who has 21 steals, but has been caught 20 times. Houston’s Craig Biggio has been even worse, with only 10 steals in 26 attempts. Chicago‘s Eddie Collins has been gunned down 23 times, but has 45 swipes: not a great success rate, but far ahead of Buford and Biggio.

San Francisco’s Rickey Henderson has been caught the most times in the league, but with 73 steals against 25 caught stealings, his success rate remains decent.

On the other end of the scale, Indianapolis’ Bob Bescher has only been caught 10 times in 53 attempts; Kansas City’s Ozzie Smith is doing even better, with an 84% success rate (42 for 50 so far); and the Black Yankees’ Eric Davis has gone 37 for 42.

Ottawa‘s Carlos Beltrán has been thrown out only once in 26 tries but, interestingly, nobody with at least 5 steals has a perfect record on the basepaths.

#Injury Report

A big week, led by Chicago perhaps finally getting some insight into Tricky Nichols‘ year-long struggles, as last year’s ace will miss 4 or 5 months with a shoulder ailment.

Detroit and Homestead both may have some help for their pitching staffs on the way, as Buddy Napier and Joakim Soria should start rehab assignments this week for the Wolverines while Cliff Lee and Doug Drabek should do so for the Grays.

Memphis‘ Dobie Moore, the Black Yankees’ Dave Righetti, and the House of David‘s Anthony Rizzo should also find their way back this week.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

Odd how much optimism can be generated by a team whose record isn’t very good.

THE OFFENSE

It’s all good here, end to end. When the only offensive black hole is your backup catcher, your offense is doing OK. Ten–TEN–Mounties are in double digit homeruns, from Tim Raines at 14 to Larry Walker‘s 38.

#What’s Going Right

Gary Carter and Larry Walker are among the best in the league at their positions, with Walker leading the team in HR and RBI.

Roberto Alomar has blossomed, and leas the team in H with an OPS in the .950s, which is incredibly strong for a middle infielder. His partner at SS, Álex Rodríguez, has finally begun to deliver on his promise, validating Ottawa’s decision to retain him last season.

The rest of the lineup is solid, with everyone delivering OPS’ between .800 and .850. It’s a fairly consistent model–mediocre BAs, a decent OBP, and a ton of power. Tim Raines–2nd in the WBL in SB by 1 at 68–is the exception to the model, but his value remains clear.

Special mention has to be made of Rick Monday. Not really thought of as a significant prospect, Monday has flourished, slashing 302/385/755 closing in on 200 PAs. A CF by trade, Monday’s future is uncertain as his current performance clearly exceeds a role as Carlos Beltrán‘s backup, but with Walker in RF and Raines in LF, it’s not clear where he can move to.

#What’s Not Going Right

Brad Ausmus has already announced his retirement at the end of the season. He’s being kept around for his, um, veteran leadership at this point.

I mean … that’s about it. Bob Watson struggled and was sent to AAA, and Mike Dorgan is back to being a useful utility player instead of a world-beater.

It’s been a good year at the plate in Ottawa so far. However …

THE PITCHING

Yoikes. Yoikes, yoikes, and yoikes.

#What’s Going Right

Roy Halladay continues to tantalize, showing flashes of ace-ish potential. Halladay sits at 10-6 with an ERA under 5.00, and has yet to put it all together for an extended length of time, but the potential is there.

Bill Smith has pitched excellently when healthy, sitting at 8-2 with a 3.225 ERA.

Atlee Hammaker struggled initially, but has pitched very well out of the bullpen, far better than his 6+ ERA would indicate.

Old Hoss Radbourn continues to oscillate between excellence and … other things. At worst, he’s a solid innings eater.

#What’s Not Going Right

Nobody else has succeeded as a starter, and the back 3 spots in the rotation have essentially been a revolving door, a situation that has surely been hurt by Bob Brown, Bob Moose, and Gary Peters all being on the DL for extended lengths of time (Moose and Peters are out well into next year). The whole staff has been mediocre at best, but there are some lowlights …

Randy Johnson is … perhaps the most frustrating bundle of talent in the WBL? Johnson has been sent to the minors after struggling mightily, but the Mounties hope he returns soon. Ish.

Tom Henke came back from a long term injury to provide an ERA over 7.00 in the closer role.

Jesse Crain, who looked promising initially, is on the verge of being sent back down as his ERA has ballooned over 7.00.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

There might be help here, but there isn’t much high end talent. As an example, Otto Briggs, Warren Cromartie, Willie Upshaw, Leon Roberts, and Denard Span could all see time, but all are in A ball. Wee Willie Keeler is closer, and perhaps likely to make an impact.

But the Mounties need arms … and there’s just not a ton there. Dan Haren, Mark Eichhorn, Max Scherzer, and Billy Koch all have live arms, but are all at A ball.

WHAT’S NEEDED

The bottom of the lineup to step forward, and the pitching overall to improve a shade across the board.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

• Can the staff both deliver and stay healthy? No.
• Who is the bullpen? Who the hell knows.
• How the young talent sorts itself out. This one is working out OK. Walker, Carter, Raines, Staub, and Rodríguez are all 23 or younger.

FEATURED SERIES

The Mounties host Homestead for 3 to start the week.

Projected Starters

Homestead’s starter listed first.

Francisco Liriano (6-7, 5.24) @ Roy Halladay (10-6, 4.60)
Doug Drabek (4-5, 4.89) @ Bill Smith (8-2, 3.25)
Cliff Lee (5-2, 6.00) @ Johnny Podgagny (3-3, 4.61)

If the starters take their spots as planned, this may be the rare chance for the Mounties to rely on their mound work. If that happens, I think they take 2 out of 3.

Before this series began, the Mounties named Atlee Hammaker to the 5th spot in their rotation, although it’s not clear when his turn will come around.

Game One

Turns out Atlee Hammaker‘s turn is immediately available, with Roy Halladay not quite recovered from his prior outing. He’ll face Homestead’s Francisco Liriano, who has pitched very well of late, in this one.

The legend of Josh Gibson just continues … Homestead’s offensive juggernaut took Hammaker deep in the first with Judy Johnson on to give the Grays an early 2-0 lead. Tim Raines started the game for Ottawa with a solo shot, halving the deficit and then Larry Walker launched his 39th of the year, tying the game at 2.

Hammaker allows 2 baserunners in the 2nd, but he got out of it, having gotten 5 of the 6 outs in the game so far via the strikeout. Liriano is faring worse: Adrián Beltré launched a solo shot in the 2nd, and the Mounties scored another on a hit from Sam Thompson.

But Gibson and Rick Reichardt launched back to back shots in the 3rd, tying the game once again until, in the 4th, Willie Stargell hit his 29th, giving the Grays a 5-4 lead. That was it for Hammaker–4 innings and 7 K’s, but also 4 homeruns allowed.

Bryn Smith allowed a hit to Johnson, and then Gibson did it once again–his 3rd homerun of the game, launched to deep center.

Liriano made it into the 6th, but hits from Thompson and Mike Dorgan chased him.

Gibson had a chance to become the first player in WBL history to hit 4 out in a game, but had to settle for a double off the CF wall.

But there was one more twist in the game: with 2 runners on in the bottom of the 9th, Ottawa turned to Rick Monday who continued his shocking campaign with a 3-run shot off Michael Jackson to tie the game at 7. That was followed by Dorgan’s 2nd homer of the game, and Ottawa had seized the lead, which they doubled on a an RBI double from Beltrán.

So, the top of the 9th was set, with Ottawa’s closer Tom Henke destined to face Gibson. Homestead is hard to close out: Andy Van Slyke led off the inning with a homerun. Johnson may have shown his youth, getting thrown out at send trying to stretch a single into a double–an especially poor choice, given Gibson being the next batter.

Henke was very careful, and while it won’t go down as an intentional walk, it was as close as can be. Henke wrapped 2 strikeouts around a hit batsman, closing out the game for a surprising win for Ottawa.

Gibson was clearly magnificent, but Johnson and Stargell added 3 hits each, while Mike Epstein whiffed 5 times for the Grays. 11 homeruns in the game highlighted the challenge both teams have with their staffs.

HOM 8 (Jackson 1-5, 5 B Sv; Kemmerer 2 H) @ OTT 9 (Crain 1-2; Henke 9 Sv)
HRs: HOM – Gibson 3 (29), Reichardt (26), Stargell (20), Van Slyke (12); OTT – Raines (15), Walker (39), Beltré (24), Monday (22), Dorgan (2).
Box Score

Game Two

Game 2 will see Roy Halladay face off against Homestead’s Doug Drabek.

These teams cannot stop hitting the ball out of the park. Homestead’s Mike Epstein and Rick Reichardt went back-to-back in the top of the first.

Drabek had to leave the game in the 3rd with back tightness, bringing in newly promoted Bartolo Colón for his WBL debut. Colón gave up a seeing-eye 2 run single to Gary Carter that tied the game at 3, but Owen Wilson launched his 2nd of the year to put the Grays back on top, 5-3.

Both bullpens locked in at that point: Colón was followed by Rick Ownbey and Ricardo Rincón, turning the ball over to closer Josh Lindblom for the bottom of the 9th. But this Ottawa team is tough: Carter greeted Lindblom with his 35th homer of the year, making it a 1 run game.

Rusty Staub managed a bloop hit, and was replaced at first by Tim Raines, representing the tying run. Raines stole 2nd (his 70th of the year, giving him, at least for the moment, the league lead) and moved to 3rd on a groundout from Carlos Beltrán. A single from Adrián Beltré tied the game, and off to extra innings we went.

Andy Van Slyke walked, stole second, and move to 3rd on a single form Judy Johnson. Josh Gibson was plunked by Clark Griffith to load the bases. Griffith walked in a run, but that was it, and Homestead stuck with Lindblom for the bottom of the 10th. Despite an error in the frame, Lindblom closed out the game.

HOM 6 (Lindblom 5-3, 3 B Sv; Ownbey 5 H; Rincón 2 H) @ OTT 5 (Gregg 0-3)
HRs: HOM – Reichardt (27), Epstein (27), Wilson (2); OTT – Carter (35).
Box Score

After the game, Homestead moved Drabek to the DL, recalling Brickyard Kennedy from AAA.

Game Three

So, 2 one-run games and an even split.

The rubber match would see Homestead’s Cliff Lee take on Ottawa’s Bill Smith–which should be a fairly significant edge for the Mounties.

And yet … Andy Van Slyke led the game off with homer against Smith for an early 1-0 lead for the Grays. In the 4th, a double from Honus Wagner, a homer from Napoleon Lajoie, and RBI singles from Josh Gibson and Rick Reichardt made it 6-0 and chased Smith.

The Mounties finally got on the board when Tim Raines stole home (!) for his 72nd swipe of the season.

But Lee was dealing until he was forced from the game in the 7th through injury. At that point, he had a -1 lead, having surrendered only 2 hits. Ray Brown replaced Lee and gave up 2 runs, but the Grays were still up, 7-3 heading into the final 2 frames.

In the bottom of the 9th, Sam Thompson knocked in 2, closing the game to 7-5. The Mounties sent up Rick Monday as a pinch-hitter–could the legend grow? Temporarily, at least! Monday greeted Michael Jackson with a double, making it a 1-run game, 7-6.

Jackson walked Raines … and gave up a walk-off, 3 run shot to Roberto Alomar, as Ottawa once again rode their offense to a win, both for the game and the series.

HOM 7 (Jackson 1-6, 6 B Sv) @ OTT 9 (Smith, Bry 1-1)
HRs: HOM – Van Slyke (13), Lajoie (8); OTT – Alomar (22).
Box Score

In many ways, this is who Ottawa is: can they hold on by their fingernails on the mound until they find a way to score more runs than you. They hit 7 homers in the 5 games, and Tim Raines swiped 5 bases.

Some recognition does need to go to Josh Gibson, who finished the 3 game series with 3 homers, 7 RBI’s and 6 hits in 10 ABs.