Tag: Larry Gardner Page 3 of 5

The House of David were the wild card team with the worst regular season record, resulting in a matchup with the best team in the WBL, the Baltimore Black Sox.

#Wandering House of David

The House of David will turn to Jack Taylor (15-9, 3.42), Bob Rush (15-6, 4.39), and then either Frank Sullivan (9-10, 4.77) or CC Sabathia (13-13, 4.83). There’s quite a gap between Taylor and Rush and the rest, and Taylor’s fade–remember, after the all star break he was hailed as the best starter in baseball–is a cause for concern.

Tom Niedenfuer impressed enough to push Scott Downs off the playoff roster, and will, along with Ed Bauta and especially Lee Smith, try to get the ball to Bruce Sutter to close out ballgames. Look for Wade Miley to get the call from the pen when the House of David needs a lefty, with Sabathia being the other option.

But if the House of David are going to make some postseason noise, it’s going to fall on their offence. When they’re clicking on all cylinders, they can mash with the best of them. But its taken a lot of tinkering to make the engine hum: Jim Edmonds (293/348/576), Joe Harris (263/338/526), and Anthony Rizzo (247/346/515) were all in the minors at the start of the season. The key here is Pete Browning, who has to figure out a way out of his late season slump (Browning still finished the year at 331/370/591 after a protracted injury absence). Elrod Hendricks (41) and George Stone (30) lead the team in homeruns, but Browning, Ernie Banks, and Ryne Sandberg each added at least 20.

#Baltimore Black Sox

How do you finish with the best record in the WBL?

You boast a starting rotation where Connie Johnson (9-5, 3.65) is the 4th arm up, behind Bill Byrd (14-3, 3.33), Dennis Martínez (14-10, 3.80), and Mike Mussina (7-4, 4.08).

How do you finish with the best record in the WBL?

You can bring Buddy Groom, John Wetteland, and Joe Beggs out of the bullpen, none of which have an era over 3.60 or a WHIP over 1.25.

How do you finish with the best record in the WBL?

You do all of that while surviving injuries to Ned Garvin (9-4, 2.80) and Sean Marshall (whose injury prompted the acquisition of Beggs from Mephis).

How do you finish with the best record in the WBL?

You back that up with the duo of Frank Robinson (302/383/539 with 37 homeruns and 111 RBIs) and Curt Blefary (280/392/549). Perhaps more importantly–and perhaps a bit overlooked–you add the trio of Larry Gardner, Dan McGann, and Bobby Wallace, each of which have OBPs just shy of .400 to set the table for your big bashers. If there is a weak spot offensively, it’s in CF, but Paul Blair‘s OPS still hovers around .700 to support his excellent defense.

The playoff roster is a little odd–there are many players the Black Sox would rather have on than Brooks Robinson, whose struggles at the plate sent him to AAA for most of the season. But the options weren’t eligible for the post season, so look for Robinson to make a few late inning appearances as Manny Machado‘s glove.

#Prediction

Baltimore’s pitching is just too strong. Black Sox in 5.

TWIWBL 44.0: Series XXXVI Notes

By mknn

On August 4, 2023

In TWIWBL

September 5

Awards

Gavvy Cravath won the WBL Batter of the Month for August, marking a stunning debut month for the Portland Sea Dogs after being acquired from the Philadelphia Stars. Cravath hit .370 with 11 homers and 19 RBIs during the month.

The Pitcher of the Month was Andy Pettite, 4-0 with his new club after being obtained from the Kansas City Monarchs. Pettitte put up a 2.00 ERA for the Birmingham Black Barons in August.

Baltimore’s Curt Blefary was named the WBL Player of the Week, hitting .588 with 4 homeruns and 10 RBI’s.

Playoff Picture

And then there were eight … only eight games remain in the opening season of the WBL.

And only a single playoff spot is secured, that going to the Baltimore Black Sox, who lead the Chicago American Giants by 2 games in the Cum Posey Division, but whose .589 winning percentage is the best in the league. Chicago–with the second best record in the league–is all but guaranteed a spot in the postseason as well.

And then it starts to get flaky.

In the Bill James Division, the Detroit Wolverines and the New York Gothams are tied for first, with the Wandering House of David only 3 games behind. Right now, all three teams make the postseason.

Over in the Marvin Miller Division, Portland and the Cinderalla-story Birmingham Black Barons are tied for first, with both in playoff spots now as well.

And that leaves the shocker, where in the Cum Posey Division, the Cleveland Spiders have ridden a 9-1 record in their last 10 games to extend their lead over the New York Black Yankees to 5 games … leaving the Black Yankees–and presumptive league MVP Babe Ruth–out of the postseason picture. This is of their own doing, as the Black Yankees were swept by the lowly Memphis Red Sox in Series XXXVI.

The Brooklyn Royal Giants have overtaken the Houston Colt 45’s, but the Royal Giants are 4 games out of the playoffs and essentially have to win out to have a shot. They host Memphis in Series XXXVII, so there’s hope (but see above for Memphis’ sudden discovery of how to win ball games).

The Spiders and the Black Yankees both face potentially weaker opponents in this series, with Cleveland visiting the San Francisco Sea Lions and the Los Angeles Angels making the cross-country trip to ply the Black Yankees.

Many of the rest of these teams will beat up each other: Detroit hosts Birmingham, the House of David host the Colt 45’s and Chicago will visit Portland.

Performance

Batters

Only four players have an OPS above the magic 1.000 line: Babe Ruth (1.095), Ron Blomberg (1.065), Reggie Jackson (1.022), and Joe Jackson (1.005).

Again we’re omitting the two players tied for second with 12 triples, Alejandro Oms of the Miami Cuban Giants and Josh Gibson of the Homestead Grays, but we’re also not including the Ottawa Mounties‘ Tim Raines, second in the league in SB with 91.

Ty Cobb has regained the lead in BA as Pete Browning has hit a bit of a–for him–cold streak. The batting crown should come down to those 2, with Cleveland’s Ron Blomberg having a shot as well. Ruth looks to have the other 2 legs of the Triple Crown pretty well nailed down.

Ron Blomberg (CLE). 341/416/649. 41 HR.
Pete Browning (HOD). 342/379/614.
Ty Cobb (DET). 344/384/551. 179 H.
Eddie Collins (CAG). 310/409/507. 6.2 WAR.
Mike Fiore (CAG). 235/395/385. 102 BB.
Hank Greenberg (DET). 320/378/601. 44 2B.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 272/400/357. 102 BB, 93 SB.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 335/416/588. 106 R.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 318/428/594.
Willie Mays (NYG). 330/393/534. 180 H.
Stan Musial (KCM). 325/389/573. 47 2B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 333/395/535. 128 RBI.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 317/433/663. 44 HR, 127 RBI, 119 R, 104 BB, 7.7 WAR.
Louis Santop (CLE). 306/336/468. 14 3B.

Pitchers

Starters

We’re looking at, in all likelihood, a maximum of 2 starts left for the starters, so it feels like 17 or 18 wins will lead the league this year.

Andy Pettitte‘s second half of the season has been stunning. Not only does he look to have the ERA crown wrapped up, his ERA is now sub-3.00, an incredible accomplishment in this league. Only five starters have ERA’s below 3.50: in addition to Jack Taylor, whose stats are below, Baltimore’s Bill Byrd (3.33), Brooklyn’s Frank Knauss (3.39), and Portland’s Walter Johnson (3.44).

Gerrit Cole (LAA). 15-9, 4.30.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 13-7, 3.68. 196 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 7-12, 4.51. 182 K.
Pat Malone (CLE). 16-8, 3.96.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 16-8, 3.54. 198 IP.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 12-9, 3.69. 5.0 WAR, 3.41 FIP.
Andy Pettitte (KAN/BBB). 15-4, 2.95.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 12-7, 3.96. 3.45 FIP.
Charlie Root (SFS/DET). 9-6, 3.57. 1.08 WHIP.
Jack Taylor (HOD). 15-9, 3.22. 1.13 WHIP.
Cy Young (CLE). 11-9, 4.47. 197 IP, 4.7 WAR.

Relievers

35 IP for rate stats.

Terry Adams (CLE). 2-6, 2.81. 35 Sv.
Mike Henneman (DET). 2-6, 4.40. 37 Sv.
* Sean Marshall (BAL). 5-0, 1.79. 1 Sv, 8 H.
AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.75. 28 Sv. 0.97 WHIP, 2.90 FIP.
Buddy Napier (DET). 1-1, 2.75. 2 Sv, 8 H. 0.97 WHIP.
Mike Norris (NYG). 4-3, 1.44. 8 Sv, 14 H.
Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-6, 4.50. 3 Sv, 17 H.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 6-5, 4.03. 1 Sv, 17 H.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.83. 27 S, 1 H. 2.53 FIP.

* On Disabled List.

Streaks

Baltimore’s Larry Gardner heads into the final 8 games with a 19 game hitting streak (the league record is Babe Ruth’s 23). His teammate, Baby Doll Jacobson, has driven in a run in 7 straight games. While Mike Trout‘s teammate, Bobby Grich, had his consecutive games on base streak ended at 32, Trout has a 29 game run of his own.

Brian Wilson of the New York Gothams has 27 saves on the season, having converted 25 straight. More impressively to me, Cleveland’s Bill Steen hasn’t allowed a run in 19 innings, putting him only 5 behind the league record.

Series XXVI Results

Series XXVI Sweeps

Chicago over Kansas City
Cleveland over Philadelphia
Detroit over Indianapolis
Memphis over New York Black Yankees

Taking Three Out of Four in Series XXVI

Birmingham over Houston
Brooklyn over Portland
New York Gothams over Homestead
Miami over House of David

Series Splits in Series XXVI

Ottawa @ Baltimore
San Francisco @ Los Angeles

Series XXXIV Featured Matchup: Birmingham Black Barons @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On July 6, 2023

In Featured Games, Featured Series

Series preview here.

#Game 1: Andy Pettitte @ Bill Byrd

This has the chance to be a fantastic matchup. Baltimore’s Bill Byrd is 13-3 on the year with a 3.48 ERA while Birmingham’s Andy Pettitte is 14-4 with a league leading 3.14 ERA overall and a stunning 5-0 / 1.75 since joining the Black Barons.

And then we play the game: Byrd gave up an infield single, two walks, and hit a batter in the top of the first. But it all only resulted in a single run on a sacrifice fly to put the Black Barons up 1-0.

Pettitte was better through 3 frames, allowing only 2 hits. But Byrd didn’t allow another run, despite a steady stream of baserunners. Baltimore tied the game in the bottom of the 5th with consecutive hits from Dan McGann, Manny Machado, and Bryce Harper.

We were still tied at 1 after 7 innings, so it looked like this would be decided by the bullpens eventually.

Baltimore threatened in the bottom of the 9th, as Larry Gardner reached on an infield single and Frank Robinson walked. But Steve Bedrosian induced a foul pop from Curt Blefary, bringing up Ken Singleton … who laced a single back up the middle to score the winning run.

Bob Nieman had 3 hits for Birmingham, but this was a game for the pitchers: Pettitte allowed 1 run in 8 innings, Byrd 1 run in 7.

BBB 1 (Mercker 1-1) @ BAL 2 (Groom 2-2)
HRs: none.
Box Score

#Game 2: Greg Maddux @ Mike Mussina

Another potentially great matchup, this one between 2 pitchers who struggled at the start of the season only to come on strong. On May 18th, Birmingham’s Greg Maddux earned a trip to AAA with an ERA approaching 7. He was recalled just under a month later and, since then, has lowered his ERA to just under 3.00, locking up the #3 slot in the Black Barons’ rotation.

Mike Mussina started the season at AAA for the Black Sox, but quickly earned a recall to Baltimore, and while he’s been hit a bit in his last few starts, he stood at 4-1 with a 3.15 ERA on July 24th (he’s lost 2 of his last 3 starts and seen his ERA jump to 4.11 since then).

So, advantage Birmingham? It certainly seemed so early, as a Frank McCormick single drove in a run in the top of the first and solo shots from Herman Long and Bob Nieman increased the lead to 3-0 in the second.

But Maddux lost his usual pinpoint control, walking 3 and giving up 2 hits, allowing the Black Sox to tie the game in the bottom of the frame.

And so we stayed until a Frank Robinson shot into the leftfield stands in the bottom of the 5th. A double by Curt Blefary and a walk to Bryce Harper chased Maddux. Jim Whitney relieved him, walked in a run and gave up a 2-run single to Paul Blair as Baltimore surged into the lead, 7-3.

Blefary’s 3rd double of the day–tying the WBL record–was a weird and wind-blown thing, but in the end it was just another run scored for Baltimore as the game devolved into an 11-4 rout. Blefary finished with 4 hits and Blair with 3 RBIs.

For Birmingham, Nieman continued his hot streak with 3 hits, 2 runs, and 2 RBIs, but it was far from enough as Baltimore eased to a 2-0 lead in the series.

Baltimore’s Rafael Betancourt and Milt Pappas both made their WBL debuts in relief.

BBB 4 (Maddux 4-6) @ BAL 11 (Mussina 6-3)
HRs: BBB – Long (9), Nieman (12); BAL – Robinson (34).
Box Score

#Game 3: Alejandro Peña @ Connie Johnson

Birmingham turned to Alejandro Peña, their #1 starter all season, to try to get something out of the series, with Baltimore countering with a rested Connie Johnson, displacing Jim Palmer from his scheduled start. Johnson and Peña matched each other through 5, with neither allowing a run despite a fair sprinkling of hits for each side (6 for Birmingham, 5 for Baltimore).

Peña would crack first in the bottom of the 6th, as Larry Gardner doubled to lead off the frame and moved to third on a single from Frank Robinson. Curt Blefary brought Gardner home with a sacrifice fly to right, but Dan McGann hit into a double play to limit the damage to a single run.

The 1-0 lead seemed like it might be enough, as Johnson was getting stronger as the game wore on, fanning 2 each in the 6th and the 7th, but a leadoff double in the 8th by Adrián González chased him from the mound, with Baltimore bringing in their current closer, lefty Buddy Groom to face the pinch-hitting Jim Whitney. Whitney moved Al Schweitzer–pinch-running for González–to third with a ground out, but Groom got a popout from Billy Southworth and struck out Bob Nieman to end the inning.

Groom gave up a pinch-hit to Pie Traynor in the top of the 9th, but held on for the narrow victory.

Robinson had 3 hits in the victory.

BBB 0 (Peña 11-9) @ BAL 1 (Johnson 2-1; Groom 6 Sv)
HRs: none.
Box Score

#Game 4: Vic Willis @ Dennis Martínez

Baltimore’s sweep of the first 3 games dropped Birmingham to a game behind in the Marvin Miller Division. The Black Barons will turn to Vic Willis to try to salvage a game while the Black Sox will counter with their ace, Dennis Martínez.

Chick Stahl took advantage of his first opportunity in the WBL, sending a pitch from Willis deep into the LF stands in his first at-bat in the bigs for a 1-0 Baltimore lead, but Eddie Mathews tagged Martínez for his 23rd of the year to tie it up in the 4th. A 2nd run scored on an Adrián González sacrifice fly, and the Black Barons held a slim lead, 2-1.

Baltimore looked to tie it up in the bottom of the inning when, with one out and the bases loaded, Manny Machado launched a fly to right, but Hank Aaron sent an absolute strike to the plate, cutting down Curtis Granderson attempting to score form third. An RBI from Cupid Childs added to the lead in the 5th, and then 2 out hits from González and Jim Pagliaroni both added to the lead and chased Martínez from the mound in the 6th. That made it 4-1 in favor of Birmingham with Willis sailing along, allowing only 5 hits and 1 run through 5 innings.

A solo shot from Curt Blefary made it 4-2, but Herman Long preserved the 3 run lead with an RBI double in the 7th which was followed by a 2-run single from Granderson, and the flood gates opened from there. By the time the inning was over, Birmingham was up 10-2.

Baltimore would score a couple times, but not enough to threaten. Long, Pagliaroni, and Traynor each had 3 hits for Birmingham. The game saw 3 OF kills: 2 by Birmingham (Aaron and Granderson) and 1 from Baltimore’s Stahl.

BBB 10 (Willis 4-3) @ BAL 4 (Martínez 14-9)
HRs: BBB – Mathews (23); BAL – Stahl (1), Blefary (23).
Box Score

Series XXXIV Preview: Birmingham Black Barons @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On June 30, 2023

In Featured Series, Series Previews

Nobody has more at stake in this series than Portland: if Baltimore–the best team in the league–can slow down Birmingham, Portland may be able to sneak by them into first place in the Marvin Miller Division.

Baltimore has been featured in Series IX, XVI, XXV, and XXIX; Birmingham in Series III, XIV, XXIII, and just now in XXXI.

#Birmingham Black Barons

In 3 months, the Black Barons went from a dozen games below .500 to a dozen games above, taking them from the basement to first place in their division. They’ve done it with spectacular pitching and a seeming omniscient sense of how to navigate the trade market.

Andy Pettitte is 5-0 with a 1.75 ERA since joining Birmingham, joining advanced metrics darling Alejandro Peña (11-8, 3.82, but with a 4.5 WAR and 3.49 FIP) and Greg Maddux (a 2.97 ERA) to form as fearsome a front of the rotation is exists in the league. While Juan Ríncón has been hit a little harder of late, he’s still got 22 saves and a solid 3.45 ERA, with both Steve Bedrosian and Bruce Chen proving quite capable as setup men.

Offensively, it’s a patchwork quilt, but it’s getting the job done. Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron lead the offense, although neither is a superstar, they each sport an OPS around .820 and have combined for 49 homeruns and 158 RBIs. Cupid Childs has locked down the 2B job, managing an OPS over .900 through his first 100 ABs, but other than that … Bob Nieman has been solid in the OF, Herman Long hits really well for a SS, Curtis Granderson is a threat … patchwork.

#Baltimore Black Sox

We kept waiting for the Black Sox to stumble, but they never did. Turns out good pitching and good hitting tends to win games.

Strictly speaking, the pitching has been a bit better. The front 3 of the rotation (Dennis Martínez, Bill Byrd, and Mike Mussina) has been excellent, but there is very little drop off to Connie Johnson, Jim Palmer, and Johnny Sain (the last 2 have alternated in and out of the fifth slot all year, currently, it’s Palmer’s). Byrd, Johnson, and Martínez all have ERA’s under 4.00, led by Byrd at 3.48. Martínez leads in victories with 14, but Byrd’s record is better at 13-3 on the season. The bullpen seems to have settled a bit behind the superlative Buddy Groom (13 H, 5 Sv, and a 2.03 ERA), although the loss of Sean Marshall has certainly hurt.

Frank Robinson is a bonafide star, with 33 HR and 102 RBIs driving an OPS near .900. But Baltimore is very solid top to bottom, 2B Larry Gardner, SS Bobby Wallace, and 1B Dan McGann all sporting OBP’s near .400 and Curt Belfary (22), Manny Machado (17), and Ken Singleton (16) all adding power.

#Projected Starters

Birmingham’s pitcher listed first.

Andy Pettitte (14-4, 3.14) @ Bill Byrd (13-3, 3.48)
Greg Maddux (4-5, 2.97) @ Mike Mussina (5-3, 4.09)
Scott Baker (7-4, 4.68) @ Jim Palmer (9-8, 4.65)
Alejandro Peña (11-8, 3.82) @ Connie Johnson (6-5, 3.88)

TWIWBL 40.2: Series XXXII Notes – Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On June 5, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Don Bessent has lost his role as closer for the Black Sox, with that honor now being split between Joe Beggs and Buddy Groom.

Paul Blair threw out a runner at home and launched a grandslam for his 10th homerun of the season, leading the Black Sox to a 6-3 win over Cleveland. Larry Gardner had 3 hits and 2 RBIs and Connie Johnson pitched into the 9th for his first win with Baltimore and Groom got the final 2 outs to pick up his 3rd save of the season.

Dennis Martínez had a solid start, earning his 14th victory of the year in a game where Curt Blefary and Brooks Robinson went deep in a 7-2 win over Cleveland.

The Black Sox kept rolling, pounding out 19 hits in a 13-6 victory in the last game of the series with Cleveland. Bobby Wallace and Baby Doll Jacobson had 3 hits each and Dan McGann and Manny Machado each drove in 3 in a game that saw Bill Byrd improve to 13-3 despite giving up 5 runs in under 6 innings.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Holding onto a slim shot at the playoffs, the Colt 45’s made some changes, abandoning some of their flexibility for some more offensive pop. Jim O’Rourke heads to AAA as Pete Hill is activated from a short stint on the DL.

After another blown save by Brad Lidge–his 7th of the year–Houston decided enough is enough, returning Lidge to AAA and recalling Jay Howell.

Harry Stovey had 4 hits and scored 3 times, but it wasn’t enough as the Colt 45’s fell to Memphis in 12 innings.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Lou Brock‘s year keeps getting better: 3 hits lifted his average to .308, and 4 RBIs led the Monarchs to a 10-2 victory over Ottawa. Ted Simmons drove in 3 runs and a solid start from Luke Hamlin improved his record to 8-11. Brock’s OBP edged over .350, and his OPS is nearing .800, proving he is more than just a set of wheels (although his 45 steals ranks 6th in the league).

#Ottawa Mounties

Clayton Richard pitched 6 strong innings, but left injured after 6 innings of 1 run ball. Chris Leroux, Ryan Dempster, and Gary Peters combined for 5 innings of scoreless relief, and the Mounties eked out 1 2-1 win in 11 innings over Kansas City, with Ken Griffey, Jr. driving in the winning run. Richard hit the DL after the game, with Clark Griffith being recalled.

Sam Thompson will miss the next month–meaning perhaps the rest of the season. Young Julio Gotay was recalled to help out defensively.

Series XXX Best Games

By mknn

On April 18, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

No real theme this time, just three close contests and checking in on the New York Black Yankees’ revamped bullpen.

Miami Cuban Giants @ New York Black Yankees, Game #2

Down 2-0 and 4-2, the New York Black Yankees scored the last 5 runs of the game in a 7-4 victory over Miami. Most importantly, the reconstructed New York bullpen provided 3.2 innings of scoreless, 2-hit relief to close out the game, with Aroldis Chapman picking up his 3rd save since being acquired. As is often the case, Miami was nearly totally reliant on José Canseco, who had 3 hits and 3 RBIs, including his 29th homerun of the year. Ryan Braun also had 3 hits for Miami.

MCG 4 (Pedroso 6-6; López 1 B Sv) @ NYY 7 (Burnett 3-2; Chapman 3 Sv; Cormier 1 H)
HRs: MCG – Canseco (29); NYY – Mattingly (24).
Box Score

Baltimore Black Sox @ Memphis Red Sox, Game #2

Baltimore held an early 4-2 lead, but Memphis exploded in the 5th inning, with Ted Williams‘ 3-run shot being the key hit. That put the Red Sox in front, 6-4.

It wouldn’t last very long: RBI hits from Bryce Harper and Manny Machado gave the lead back to the Black Sox, but another 3 run homerun, this one from Vern Stephens, put Memphis back ahead by 1 run at 9-8.

The Red Sox’s closer, Jonathan Papelbon, took the mound in the top of the 9th. He pitched decently, but a single by Paul Blair, an error by Memphis’3B, Wade Boggs, and a sacrifice fly from Larry Gardner tied the game. Papelbon and Baltimore’s Joe Beggs traded scoreless frames through the 11th, but in the 12th, Frank Robinson hit a long homerun off Bill Doak, his 29th of the season, to put the Black Sox ahead, 10-9.

Baltimore’s bullpen was pretty stretched, but Johnny Sain and Buddy Groom combined to successfully close out the game.

BAL 10 (Sain 9-7; Groom 2 Sv; Wetteland 1 B Sv) @ MEM 9 (Doak 1-3; Callahan 1 H; Bell 4 H; Wakefield 1 B Sv; Papelbon 3 B Sv) [12 Innings]
HRs: BAL – Wallace (5), Robinson (29); MEM – Williams (23), Stephens (6).
Box Score

Brooklyn Royal Giants @ Ottawa Mounties, Game #3

Pitching lines can be deceptive, right? Brooklyn’s Tommy Hanson looks to have been thoroughly average, giving up 4 runs in 5 innings. But he turned in an solid start, fanning 9 but suffering from giving up 2 homeruns (to Carlos Beltrán and Gary Carter) and an ineffective outing from Dave Von Ohlen, who allowed both inherited runners to score.

Brooklyn used a 3 run shot from Ron Cey to keep the game tied at 5 after 7 innings, but were unable to manage anything late, as Monk Dubiel, Randy Johnson, and Ryan Dempster combined to allow only 1 hit over the final 3 innings.

Ottawa’s Larry Parrish hit a walkoff homerun to give the Mounties the victory.

BRK 5 (Gagne 4-5; Von Holen 4 H; Hildenberger 2 B Sv) @ OTT 6 (Dempster 3-1)
HRs: BRK – Cey (18); OTT – Carter (15), Beltrán (8), Parrish (4).
Box Score

Wandering House of David @ Homestead Grays, Game #4

Homestead got off to a great start as Mike Epstein hit a grand slam in the bottom of the first. But the House of David clawed back, scoring in 3 different innings to tie the game at 4. The Grays again responded with the long ball, with Davey Johnson hitting a 2-run homerun in the bottom of the frame, but again we were quickly tied with Ron Santo going deep in the 7th.

And there we stayed for 4 more innings, until the House of David’s Bruce Sutter–asked to stretch into a second inning–gave up a triple to Chief Wilson and a 2-run shot to Rick Reichardt for a walk-off victory for the Grays. Homestead’s duo of Cliff Lee and Dave Giusti combined for 4 innings of 2-hit relief.

The standout performance of the game–by far–came from the House of David’s Pete Browning, who had 5 hits in 6 at-bats, raising his average to .361 in the process. If he stays healthy, Browning should take over the WBL lead in batting within the month.

HOD 6 (Sutter 2-3) @ HOM 8 (Giusti 2-0; Zambrano 2 B Sv) [11 Innings]
HRs: HOD – Santo (13); HOM – Epstein (20), Johnson (13), Reichardt (20).
Box Score

Series XXIX Featured Matchup: New York Black Yankees @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On March 31, 2023

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

#Game 1: Jamie Moyer @ Dennis Martínez

Dennis Martínez was solid, leading Baltimore to a 6-1 win in the opening game of the series.

Dan McGann put Baltimore on the board with a 2-run double in the bottom of the 1st. Babe Ruth went deep to cut the lead in half (and drive in his 100th run of the year), but Baltimore took hold of the game int he bottom of the 4th on a 3 run blast from the very unlikely source of Brian Roberts. Roberts would add another RBI, singling home Manny Machado in the bottom of the 6th, and that was that.

All 6 runs were charged to Jamie Moyer, who fell to 1-2.

Martínez moved to 12-7 on the season, allowing only the one run, despite giving up 6 hits and 5 walks in just short of 7 innings. But the Black Yankees couldn’t get the timely hit, and Buddy Groom and Gregg Olson were near-perfect in relief for Baltimore.

NYY 1 (Moyer 1-2) @ BBB 6 (Martínez 12-7)
HRs: NYY – Ruth (34); BBB – Roberts (1).
Box Score

Game 2: Red Ruffing @ Bill Byrd

Red Ruffing and Bill Byrd matched zeros frame for frame until, with 2 outs in the bottom of the 5th, Frank Robinson took Ruffing deep for a 3-0 Black Sox lead. Babe Ruth launched his 35th dinger of the year in the 6th, and Albert Belle sent one into the seats in the 7th, chasing Byrd and making it a 1 run game, 3-2.

Sean Marshall came in and was a little off, allowing 2 baserunners before having to leave injured. That brought in Don Bessent to face Ruth … who flew out to centerfield to end the inning.

A walk to Manny Machado and a double by Baby Doll Jacobson chased Ruffing, bringing in Dick Tidrow from the bullpen. Tidrow gave up a 2-run single to Larry Gardner, but escaped further damage leaving it 5-2 Baltimore.

Bessent gave up Lou Gehrig‘s 20th homerun of the year to lead off the 8th, followed by singles from Mickey Mantle and Mike Schmidt. Bessent retired Belle, but gave up a single to Tom Herr to load the bases. That brought in Johnny Sain from a beleaguered Black Sox bullpen.

Red Rolfe–hitting under .150 in the year–drove in 2 to tie the game and Munson singled to give New York their first lead of the game, 6-5 … and turn it over to the mightily struggling Black Yankees pen.

Gary Lavelle walked Dan McGann, but retired the side in order after that. Could the bullpen be on the verge of redemption? It seems so: Aroldis Chapman allowed a baserunner, but that was it, and New York had a come-from-behind victory.

NYY 6 (Tidrow 1-1; Chapman 2 Sv; Lavelle 1 H) @ BBB 5 (Bessent 1-5; Sain 1 BSv; Marshall 8 H)
HRs: NYY – Ruth (35), Belle (13), Gehrig (20; BBB – Robinson (26).
Box Score

#Game 3: Jack Scott @ Mike Mussina

Things were looking great for Baltimore, as an RBI single from Frank Robinson and a solo shot from Manny Machado gave them an early 2-0 lead, with Mike Mussina looking absolutely dominant through 4 innings. But then came the 5th. A walk, a HBP, and a single loaded the bases, but Mussina struck out Eric Davis for the first out. But Mussina was unable to do much else: Thurman Munson singled in 2 to tie the game, Babe Ruth singled to load the bases, Lou Gehrig walked in a run, and Mike Schmdit singled in 2 more. That was it for Mussina, and even though John Wetteland induced a double-play ball from Don Mattingly, the damage was done with New York now leading 5-2.

Dan McGann doubled in 2 runs in the bottom of the frame, making it a 5-4 game, but the Black Sox would get nothing else off the trio of Jack Scott, Gary Lavelle, and Goose Gossage. It wasn’t for lack of opportunity: New York pitchers walked 8, and the Black Sox left 11 on base.

The Black Yankees, meanwhile, would tack on via a 2-run double from Davis, Ruth’s 36th homerun of the season, and a single from Munson who, along with Tom Herr, ended the day with 3 base hits.

NYY 10 (Scott 11-5; Lavelle 2 H) @ BBB 4 (Mussina 4-3)
HRs: NYY – Ruth (36); BBB – Machado (4).
Box Score

Game 4: Waite Hoyt @ Connie Johnson

The Black Sox will turn to newcomer Connie Johnson as they try to salvage a split.

Babe Ruth, on fire this series, did it again in the top of the 3rd, sending a pitch from Johnson into the right field stands after walks to Tom Herr and Thurman Munson. That gave the Black Yankees a 4-0 lead.

Waite Hoyt needed double plays to get out of the 3rd and 4th, but he got them. Paul Blair put the Black Sox on the board in the 5th with a solo shot and, the following inning, Frank Robinson brought them to within 1 run with his 27th of the season.

A hit by Baby Doll Jacobson and a walk to Blair chased Hoyt from the game. Which means the New York bullpen had another chance to prove itself … Dick Tidrow gave up a single to tie the game.

A homerun from Ken Singleton gave Baltimore the lead in the bottom of the 8th. A perfect 9th from Don Bessent sealed the deal, earning the series split for Baltimore.

Larry Gardner had 3 hits for the Black Sox.

NYY 4 (Tidrow 1-2; 2 B Sv) @ BBB 5 (Wetteland 1-0; Bessent 17 Sv)
HRs: NYY – Ruth (37); BBB – Blair (9), Robinson (27), Singleton (16).
Box Score

Series XXIX Preview: New York Black Yankees @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On March 28, 2023

In Featured Series, Series Previews

We’re in August, so we’re changing the rules; while we still plan to highlight as many teams in the league as we can, we’ll start to focus on matchups that have some additional interest (most likely on pennant races).

We’ve seen most teams thrice, with only Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Portland, and San Francisco featured only twice.

To kick it off, we’ll focus on the New York Black Yankees (who we saw in Series XI, XV, and XIX) visit to Baltimore to take on the Black Sox (who we featured in Series IX, XVI, and XXV).

The Black Yankees are 5.5 games behind in the Effa Manley Division, and the Black Sox have the best record in the WBL, with 66 wins, ahead of Chicago by 2 games in the Cumberland Posey Division.

#New York Black Yankees

A great offense, excellent starting pitching, and an incredibly poor bullpen. That’s the Black Yankees in a nutshell.

New York leads the WBL in runs scored, OPS, WAR, and homeruns, and it ain’t all because of Babe Ruth. Mickey Mantle leads the team with a .323 batting average, Ruth leads in virtually everything else.

Red Ruffing leads the staff in wins at 11-6 and in ERA at 3.88. But the staff is strong 1 through 4, and Jamie Moyer seems to have claimed the 5th spot. And then there’s the bullpen … the only hope for the Black Yankees is that the newcomers–Rheal Cormier, Dick Tidrow, and especially closer Aroldis Chapman–can address the team’s glaring weakness.

#Baltimore Black Sox

Baltimore’s staff is first in the league in runs against, both starting and relieving ERA, and the Black Sox lead in most fielding metrics. Dennis Martínez and Bill Byrd have 11 wins each, and both have ERAs under 3.50. There aren’t any weak spots here: reliever Sean Marshall is virtually unhittable, and Don Bessent–now the full time closer since Bob Miller‘s injury–has 16 saves. Joe Beggs has been a disappointment since his acquisition, but seems more likely to rebound than not.

It’s not like the Black Sox lack offense: Bobby Wallace and Larry Gardner are each hitting .309 with OBPs hovering around .400. Frank Robinson leads in HR (25) and RBI (79), trailing only Curt Blefary in OPS. The only offensive weak link–CF Paul Blair–provides gold glove defense and has improved from a miserable hitter to merely well below average.

#Projected Starters

New York listed first

Red Ruffing (11-6, 3.88) @ Dennis Martínez (11-7, 3.46)
Jamie Moyer (5-4, 4.06) @ Bill Byrd (11-3, 3.29)
Jack Scott (10-5, 4.38) @ Mike Mussina (4-2, 3.67)
Waite Hoyt (9-6, 4.07) @ Connie Johnson (5-5, 4.13)

#Prediction

The classic question: good hitting or good pitching? I’m going to side with the bats this time, not least of all because it would tighten up some good pennant races–Black Yankees take 3 of the 4.

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

By mknn

On January 31, 2023

In Featured Series, Series Previews

Series preview here.

#Game 1: Roger Clemens @ Ned Garvin

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

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

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

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

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

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

Game #2: Roy Oswalt @ Dennis Martínez

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

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

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

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

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

#Game 3: Toad Ramsey @ Bill Byrd

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

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

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

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

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

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

#Game 4: Bones Ely @ Johnny Sain

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

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

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

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

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

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

Series XXV Preview: Houston Colt 45’s @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On January 24, 2023

In Featured Series, Series Previews

Two teams in the same division make for an intriguing mid-season matchup.

The Baltimore Black Sox, who we saw in Series IX and XVI, have the best record in the league, led by a stellar pitching staff and a solid top-to-bottom offense, and lead the Cum Posey Division by 5 games. The Houston Colt’45‘s sit in 3rd place, 9 games back and 2 games over .500. We kicked the season off with Houston in Series I and saw them again in Series XIII.

#Baltimore Black Sox

The dominant story for the Black Sox is on the mound, where Ned Garvin (8-3 with a league leading 2.64 ERA), Bill Byrd (10-2, 3.20), and Dennis Martínez (10-5, 3.52) form the best trio in the league. Add in the emergence of Mike Mussina (3-1, 2.97) and the Black Sox starting rotation is unrivaled int he WBL. The Don Bessent / Bob Miller closer duo remains in place, with the 2 combining for 20 saves, but the key is the trio of Sean Marshall, all-star acquisition Joe Beggs, and Buddy Groom getting them the ball.

Offensively, the team is just solid top to bottom. Curt Blefary (265/383/541) leads the team with 21 HR and a 925 OPS, but the offense really revolves around Frank Robinson (298/367/501) who trails Blefary by 1 HR and whose 67 RBIs leads him by 7. Larry Gardner and Bobby Wallace both sport OBPs over .400, and Dan McGann, Ken Singleton, and Manny Machado (picked up via a midseason trade) each are in double digits in HRs.

#Houston Colt 45’s

The Colt 45’s are intriguing. They have a lot of talent, are the most flexible team in the league (in terms of players able to handle multiple defensive positions), and can’t hit homeruns to save their life.

Their starting pitching has been good, if a bit uneven, a situation exacerbated with Bret Saberhagen out for the rest of the year and Stephen Strasburg unavailable for at least a start. The back of the rotation is improving, as mid-season acquisition Roger Clemens has pitched better for Houston than he did for Memphis, and Bones Ely looks to have staked claim to the final rotation spot.

Offensively there are a lot of nice pieces, but, across the board, not enough power. Jim Wynn leads the team in HR and SLG (13 and .453) and Jeff Bagwell (272/364/418) is the only other regular in double digit homeruns with 10. Andrés Galarraga and teen phenom Pete Hill have shown more pop in limited appearances.

#Predictions

I have a soft spot for this Houston team, but facts is facts: Baltimore is better. I’d love to see a Colt 45’s sweep to tighten up the playoff race, but I think the Black Sox take 3 out of 4.