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Series VII Featured Matchup: Ottawa Mounties @ Cleveland Spiders

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On June 13, 2021

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

April 26: Game 1 – Roy Halladay v Cy Young

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 27: Game Two – Rained Out

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 28: Game Three – Bob Brown @ Pat Malone

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 29: Game Four – Randy Johnson @ Bill Steen

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Series Notes

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

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

Previewing Series VII: Ottawa Mounties @ Cleveland Spiders

By

On June 9, 2021

In Series Previews

Ottawa heads to Cleveland for four games sitting in 4th place in the Cum Posey division with a 10-16 record. Cleveland is only a game better at 11-15 in the Effa Manley Division, making this a series of evenly-matched mediocrity. Cleveland has struggled to score runs, while the Mounties have just struggled.

The expected pitching matchups are (Ottawa hurler first) Roy Halladay (0-2, 5.34 ERA) v. Cy Young (1-2, 3.35 ERA); Randy Johnson (1-3, 7.27) v. Whit Wyatt (1-0, 1.74); Bob Brown (0-1, 4.91) v. Pat Malone (2-1, 4.55); and Old Hoss Radbourn (1-2, 5.40) v. Bill Steen (1-0, 2.30).

Some of the storylines appear right there: at what point do the Mounties give up–for the time being–on the immense talent contained in Johnson’s tall frame? Can Steen and, especially, Wyatt, continue to be essentially unhittable? (You could add Young to that, who has a 1.23 ERA over his last 14 innings.)

If Ottawa can get that far, closer Tom Henke has been lights-out, allowing only 3 hits in 10 IP so far, leading to 7 saves. Relievers Ted Bowsfield and Gary Lavelle each have streaks of 4 scoreless appearances, so there has been some improvement there.

Cleveland is led by Ron Blomberg (302/396/558) and John Ellis (255/321/608), and come into the series having just shuffled quite a bit of their lineup, instituting Sammy Strang into a platoon at 3B with Evan Longoria and Peanuts Lowery and Rowland Office into one in LF (Lowery was recalled when Office went down with an injury, and has hit well enough to stay). The key for the Spiders is if either Larry Doby (163/278/286) or Louis Santop (222/300/333) can get some offense going.

Ottawa’s offense has been effective at times, mostly when Larry Walker (345/406/690) has been healthy and Tim Raines (298/407/462; 12 SB) has been loose on the basepaths. Things fall off dramatically after those two, and the Mounties need better production throughout their lineup, but more from either Alex Rodriguez (207/250/322) or Ken Griffey, Jr. (205/253/217) would be especially welcome. Griffey has been especially miserable, managing only a .368 OPS over his last 10 games.

Ottawa’s Carlos Delgado has homered in 3 consecutive games.

TWIWBL 3.1: Notes from Series II

By

On September 12, 2020

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Frank Robinson went 9 for 19 with 2 HRs and 5 RBIs as Baltimore took 3 out of 4 from Chicago.

#Birmingham Black Barons

The Black Barons remain winless on the season after dropping 4 to the New York Black Yankees … Warren Spahn and Scott Baker have both been torched in their 2 starts. Both are 0-2, with Spahn’s ERA ballooning above 20 … Dale Murphy is hitless on the year, starting the season 0 for 14; while Eddie Mathews and Chipper Jones went hitless for the series … Gene Tenace at 286/400/714 is about the only bright spot for Birmingham offensively.

#Chicago American Giants

RP Ken Sanders has yet to allow a hit over 4 appearances … Shoeless Joe Jackson hit .500 in the 4 game series against Baltimore.

#Cleveland Spiders

The Spiders sent SP Hardie Henderson to AAA to make room for Bill Steen‘s return from the DL, but the injuries kept coming as OF Rowland Office will be unavailable for the next 2 weeks and SS Bill Dahlen was put on the 10 Day DL … Rick Burleson was recalled to take Dahlen’s place … Larry Doby–considered a key to the Spiders’ success this year–went 3 for 18 in the 4 game split with Los Angeles … looking for some more flexibility, the Spiders recalled Tom Brookens from AAA, sending down Robby Thompson.

#Houston Colt 45’s

3B George Brett went 9 for 19 with 5 RBIs in a 4 game series with Homestead, but Houston only managed a single victory.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

With Joe Morgan out for 10 days, the ABC’s recalled Lonny Frey from AAA … Hal Morris continued his hot start, going 7 for 15 with 2 HRs and 5 RBIs as Indianapolis swept a 4 game series from Memphis.

#Kansas City Monarchs

The Monarchs relievers have been fantastic, with Frank DiPino, Craig Kimbrel, and Adam Wianwright combining for 7 scoreless IP out of the pen and Jeff Pfeffer has 3 saves … Albert Pujols led the Monarchs to 3 victories in 4 games against Houston with 9 hits in 15 ABs, including 3 2Bs and a HR.

#Los Angeles Angels

Larry Anderson and Chuck Finley have been great out of the bullpen, each going 1-0 without giving up a run in a combined 10.2 IP, placing Finley in line for the next spot start … Don Buford had a rough series, going 1 for 14.

#Memphis Red Sox

When David Bush went on the DL, the Red Sox had to scramble a bit, resulting in Tim Wakefield and Eddie Cicotte joining the WBL roster and Derek Lowe being sent back down to AAA … Joe Beggs, Dean Chance, Turk Farrell, and Wakefield have combined for just shy of 20 bullpen innings, giving up a total of 8 hits and 0 runs, which you would think would result in better results than being swept in 4 games against Indianapolis … 3B Wade Boggs, Vern Stephens, and Ted Williams combined to go 5 for 46 (.109) in the 4 games.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Eustaquio Pedroso has been absolutely rocked in 2 starts, giving up 13 hits and 9 runs in only 4 IP and–not surprisingly–going 0-2.

#New York Black Yankees

The Black Yankees scored 42 runs in sweeping a 4 game series from Birmingham … Babe Ruth went 9 for 18 in the series, which is nothing compared to Eric Davis‘ 7 for 16 with 3 HRs and 12 RBIs.

#Ottawa Mounties

The injury to Gary Peters–and general overusage of the bullpen–led to the Mounties’ recalling Felix Hernandez for a start, then sending him down in exchange for Monk Dubiel. Hernandez did well, giving the Mounties 7 decent innings, keeping him in line for future promotions. Dubiel was better, keeping the Mounties in the final game of the series, allowing 3 runs in 7.2 IP … Old Hoss Radbourn has been spectacular in 3 relief appearances covering 8.2 IP, putting him in line for a start in the near future … there was plenty of blame to go around as Ottawa was swept by Philadelphia in a 4 game series, but much of it goes to 1B Carlos Delgado and OF Terry Puhl, who combined for only 4 hits in 25 ABs.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Jack Clark struggled in a series against the Wandering House of David, managing only 2 hits in 17 ABs … at the other side of the spectrum, Bobby Bonds is on fire, going 8 for 13 with 5 RBIs in the same series.

#Wandering House of David

The House of David’s bullpen has been pretty fantastic, with Tom Niedenfuer, Joakim Soria, Bruce Sutter, and Dick Tidrow combining for 11 IP without giving up a run and Rollie Fingers managing a 1.69 ERA in 5.1 IP … Elrod Hendricks cooled off significantly as the House of David took 3 out of 4 games from San Francisco, managing only 1 hit in 12 ABs.

TWIWBL 2.2: Practice? We Talking About Practice?

By

On September 5, 2020

In TWIWBL

It’s only 5 games, but here’s a quick look at whether or not Spring Training means anything.

Spring? We’re So Cold, It’s More Like Winter, amirite?

These are the players who tore the cover off the ball (or were lights out on the mound) during the Spring who have struggled now that the season has started.

#Baltimore Black Sox

Baltimore’s 19 year old OF Bryce Harper forced his way onto the roster with a torrid Spring. He’s hitting .238 so far, but his .429 SLG does hint at the talent there. Of more concern to Baltimore is Curt Blefary, who was supposed to be the slugging C in the middle of the order for the Black Sox, but has started the season with a 154/313/154 line.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

2B Davey Lopes–another player who became a starter in Spring Training–opened the season at 188/316/188.

#Cleveland Spiders

Rowland Office is struggling with a 150/190/200 start. That may not surprise many people, but Larry Doby‘s struggling to a 136/200/136 start is a bit of a shock.

#Indianapolis ABCs

Johnny Bench is struggling to a 053/182/211 start and surprise platoon starter at 3B Chase Headley has started out 083/083/333. Both Bench and Headley have a single hit: a HR each.

I Yam Who I Yam

Players who have performed over the first few games much like they did in the Spring.

#Chicago American Giants

Ben Sheets was fantastic in the Spring, and continued with 8 strong IP in his opening day win. Likewise, Shoeless Joe Jackson finished the Spring with an OPS around 1.2 and finished his 1st 5 games at 1.226.

#New York Black Yankees

And then there’s Mike Schmidt, who played himself out of a job in Philadelphia, was the centerpiece of a blockbuster trade, and has now started the season hitless for the Black Yankees.

#New York Gothams

Buster Posey continues to be a torrid offensive force, starting the season at 350/350/750.

It Was Just Spring, What Do You Want?

These are the Iverson’s, those for whom Spring Training is a meaningless flurry of sun and windsprints.

#Detroit Wolverines

1B Hank Greenberg had shown signs of life towards the end of Spring Training, and he continued the hot streak right into the games that matter, putting up a 444/522/778 line.

#Memphis Red Sox

After a poor Spring, Reggie Smith performed as soon as the bell rang, starting the year with a 348/423/609 line.

#New York Black Yankees

Lou Gehrig struggled so much in Spring Training there was talk of him starting the year at AAA. Instead, he’s opened the season leading the league with a 538 AVG a 1.154 SLG.

Season Preview: Cleveland Spiders

By

On August 19, 2020

In Team News

Not a lot was expected of the Spiders heading into this season. And that was before 2 rotation starters and their starting C and CF were all injured. The bullpen looks strong, and there is some decent offensive talent, just not enough to convince. A lot hinges on whether Rowland Office can continue the level of performance that forced him onto the roster.

Final Roster

SP: Whit Wyatt, Cy Young, Bob Feller, Pat Malone, Mel Harder.
RP: Sam McDowell, Stan Coveleski & Hardie Henderson; Chuck Porter & Yordano Ventura; Cory Gearrin & Chad Qualls; Terry Adams.

C: Louis Santop; John Ellis; Andy Etchebarren.
1B: Jake Stahl; Nap Lajoie
2B: Chuck Knoblauch
3B: Ken Keltner; Bob Elliott
SS: Bill Dahlen; Bill Knickerbocker
LF: Rowland Office
CF: Larry Doby
RF: Johnny Bates
DH: Ron Blomberg

Notes

Anticipated opening day starter Whit Wyatt headed to the DL with a herniated disk. He’ll be back within a couple weeks, but it throws what was a settled rotation into a bit of disorder … it does keep both Sudden Sam McDowell and Stan Coveleski on the roster for a while as well … The Spiders start the season with a full DL, with Doug Corbett, Phenomenal Smith, Bill Steen, Louis Santop, Sammy Strang, and Tris Speaker all out. Corbett, Steen, and Strang should all be back around the same time as Wyatt … Santop’s injury moves John Ellis into the starting C slot and keeps Andy Etchebarren on the roster for the time being … Rowland Office has gone from Spring roster filler to starting LF after a 385/418/673 Spring, challenging the Spiders to find playing time for both him and Johnny Bates … the final cut was a bit of a shock, as Kenny Lofton looked to slot right in as Speaker’s replacement. Instead, Cleveland has opted for an OF with Office, Bates, Larry Doby, and Ron Blomberg splitting time … the dearth of production at SS has Cleveland trying to engineer a deal for Ottawa’s Freddy Parent …

35 year old P Stan Coveleski is the oldest player on the opening day roster, with 19 year old SP Bob Feller the youngest.

1B is quite deep for Cleveland, with Jim Thome and Hal Trosky waiting at AAA for a chance to contributed and 20 year old Charlie Grimm biding his time at AA.

This Week In Whirled Baseball: Spring Training Update I

By

On June 30, 2020

In TWIWBL

Welcome to the very first installment of TWIWBL, 10 days into Spring Training. Each team’s individual Spring Training Preview page has been updated, and here are some highlights from around the league, focusing on injuries and performances that have shuffled depth charts.

#BALTIMORE BLACK SOX

When Bill Byrd went down, Mike Mussina was called up and his early performances have moved the 23 year old into the competition for the end of the rotation spots.

#BROOKLYN ROYAL GIANTS

Closer Watty Clark has been nearly unhittable with 3 saves in 3 chances in the Spring.

#CLEVELAND SPIDERS

CF Tris Speaker is out for several months with a torn calf muscle, throwing the Spiders OF into some chaos, and opening the door for both Larry Doby and Kenny Lofton to see more playing time.

#HOMESTEAD GRAYS

C Josh Gibson will miss most of Spring Training, but should be back for Opening Day. His absence, however, has revealed a paucity of talent at C, both at the WBL level and throughout the organization. Hobie Landrith and Blake Swihart will see some time during the Spring in support of Peaches Graham and the GM has begun scouring the land to help fill up the Grays’ roster of minor league backstops.

#INDIANAPOLIS ABC’S

Some of the best battles of the Spring are in the infield in Indianapolis, where Jake Stenzel and Johnny Bench are both hitting incredibly well at C, and there’s barely a hair’s width difference between Joe Morgan and Miller Huggins at 2B and Piggy Ward and Ed Charles at 3B.

#MEMPHIS RED SOX

With projected front of rotation SPs Sadie McMahon, Roger Clemens, and Nixey Callahan all posting ERA’s over 8, and Jon Lester‘s 7.00 ERA the best of other options, the starting rotation is a mess in Kansas City. Luckily, they’re only 10 games in.

#NEW YORK BLACK YANKEES

One thing is constant in the WBL: Babe Ruth leads the league in HR, with 5 in 9 games. He, Mickey Mantle, Eric Davis, and Aaron Judge may be the best 4 man OF in the league.

#NEW YORK GOTHAMS

The trio of Christy Mathewson, Gaylord Perry, and Mickey Welch are having a remarkable Spring, with 5 wins and only 5 ER in over 30 IP between them.

#SAN FRANCISCO SEA LIONS

The Sea Lions are committed to the running game, with Pete Browning and Rickey Henderson tied for the Spring league with 5.

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