Tag: Mike Cuellar Page 3 of 4

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Nap Rucker‘s stay was brief, as the lefty was sent down to clear room for Ralph Branca to make a start at the big league level.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Mike Cuellar had 9 wins out of the bullpen when called upon to make his first start of the year. He tossed a solid 5 innings against the Black Yankees, getting the win and improving his record to 10-5. Rogers Hornsby and Gary Pettis (who pushed his average over .400) had 3 hits each and Hornsby and Kent Hrbek went deep for the Sea Dogs in the victory. Hrbek now has 29 dingers, good for 2nd in the league.

Unfortunately for Portland, their pitching staff was still in need of rest even after Cuellar’s effort. That necessitated some roster moves, and Hughie Jennings was the odd man out, at least temporarily. Hal Griggs was recalled: Griggs struggled from the bullpen earlier in the year, but has been dominant at AAA since.

It didn’t work: Griggs was rocked, and Pascual Pérez injured. The former was returned to AAA, the latter placed on the DL. Ray Fontenot was recalled from AAA, along with Ruben Sierra.

Bobby Murcer went deep twice and the Sea Dogs pounded out 14 hits in a 10-4 win over New York. Walter Johnson moved to 10-3 on the year with a strong 6 innings of work.

More rough news for the Sea Dogs: Joe Mauer‘s recovery hasn’t gone so well, and will take at least another week before he’s ready to return.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Tommy Bridges has struggled since being acquired from Miami over the all-star break, posting an ERA approaching 9.00. Needing an emergency starter, the Sea Lions finally pulled the trigger, sending Bridges to AAA and recalling James Shields.

It didn’t last: the Sea Lions needed another emergency starter, and Shields didn’t do that well, so he headed back, with Rick Langford coming up to make the start. Langford was excellent: 1 run in 6 gutsy innings, so he should remain with the WBL for a while.

Reggie Jackson had quite a day: a record-tying 3 homeruns, 7 RBIs, 4 runs scored, and a hamstring injury that is likely to keep the Sea Lions’ best offensive player out for at least a week. Pedro Guerrero, Bobby Bonds, and Jack Clark also went deep in the 12-5 win that also saw Tim Hudson‘s best start for San Francsico.

Jackson was put on the DL after the game, with 20 year old phenom Jimmie Foxx being called up to make his debut.

TWIWBL 29.4: Series XXII Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On September 13, 2022

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Both Al Schweitzer and Gene Tenace came of the DL, with Tenace being sent to AAA in a rehab assignment. Ginger Beaumont was sent to AAA as well, with Schweitzer joining the big league club.

A grand slam from Curtis Granderson and homeruns from Billy Southworth, Bob Nieman, and Hank Aaron led Birmingham to a 15-1 rout of Memphis which brought Birmingham–shockingly–to a .500 record on the year. Alejandro Peña moved to 8-6 on the year and Kent Mercker picked up the save with 3.1 innings of scoreless relief.

The Black Barons just keep rolling. Larry Benton moved to 5-1 on the year, allowing only 2 hits and 1 run in 7 innings as Birmingham beat Memphis 6-3. Pie Traynor and Aaron had 2 hits each, combining for 5 RBIs.

#Ottawa Mounties

Old Hoss Radbourn spun a 4 hit shutout over San Francisco, with Ottawa winning 1-0 behind 3 hits from Gary Carter and 2 more from Roberto Alomar. Radbourn walked 3 and struck out 4 in the complete game effort.

#Portland Sea Dogs

The Sea Dogs got 4 hits from Joe Mauer, but it wasn’t enough as they fell to Houston 6-3 in a game that also saw Bob Porterfield hit the DL. Atlee Hammaker was promoted to the big league bullpen to take his place.

Portland got a scare when Walter Johnson had to leave his start in the series finale in the 3rd inning with a hand injury, but it looks like Big Train won’t miss his next start. Hammaker pitched well in his debut, but all of the runners he left on base for Pascual Pérez scored, crashing his numbers. The Sea Dogs lost to a walk-off hit in the 9th, with Mike Cuellar falling to 8-5.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Dick Lundy made his long-awaited return from the DL, with Denny Hocking heading back to AAA.

TWIWBL 24.17: Mid-Season Reviews – Portland Sea Dogs

By mknn

On May 2, 2022

In Team News, TWIWBL

Summary

It’s been an excellent year for the Sea Dogs, who look primed for a post-season run.

What’s Gone Right

Hrbek & Murcer. Kent Hrbek and Bobby Murcer have combined for 34 homeruns and 102 RBIs, anchoring a strong lineup.

Excess of Catchers. Joe Mauer and Iván Rodríguez are both putting up spectacular numbers from behind the plate. Mauer’s are slightly better (and he has played far more), but Rodríguez still has an OPS over .900. Mauer is 22, Rodríguez 20, and at some point you would think a blockbuster trade might happen around one of them.

That Staff. This maybe the strongest pitching staff, end-to-end, in the league, from starters Walter Johnson, Bert Blyleven, and the surprising Wade Miller to Elmer Brown and Johan Santana at the back of the bullpen to the amazing emergence of Joseíto Muñoz.

What’s Gone Wrong

2B, or not. Fred Dunlap is heading towards Greg Litton like numbers, and given those two are the options at 2 for the Sea Dogs, it’s not pretty. Litton’s versatility maintains his roster spot, but something must be done here.

The Allure of Power. Both Gil Hodges and Jeff Burroughs have power. Hodges is second on the team with 17 homeruns, Burroughs has 10. But neither can get their OPS over .700, which make them a bit one dimensional for a championship contender.

Putting the Train Back on Track. Nineteen-year old Walter Johnson started this year looking like the best arm in the WBL. Since then, he’s become merely good. If Portland can get the earlier version back, it would go a long way in the postseason.

Key Storylines

The pair of Murcer and Hrbek need to maintain their level of production and the Sea Dogs need another couple of players to step it up. Similarly, the rotation has the potential to be truly great–the closer they get to it, the further Portland will go.

Long term, there’s a need to figure out the C question–Rodríguez is just too good to be a backup for too much longer, especially given the dearth of catching talent elsewhere in the league.

Trading Outlook

BUYING!

A few upgrades, and this could be a championship team. The catching deal is always out there in the shadows, but aside from that, it looks more like minor league parts on the market, unless Mike Cuellar gets some interest.

AAA Shuttle

Adrián Beltré is demanding more playing time since his recall. Couple his performance with that of Muñoz, and it’s been quite a success.

Midseason Changes

Muñoz joins the rotation, forcing Smokey Joe Wood to the bullpen on his return from injury. Jim Kern and Pascual Pérez head to AAA.

Awards

All Stars: Buddy Bell (3B); Jim Fregosi (SS); Kent Hrbek (1B); Joe Mauer (C); Bobby Murcer (CF); Johan Santana (P).

Offensive MVP: Kent Hrbek (1B)
Pitching MVP: Walter Johnson (SP)

Down on the Farm

AAA: Seattle Rainiers

Next to the Show: RPs Jeremy Blevins & Brian Duensing, C Cliff Lee, 1B Rafael Palmeiro

Prospects: C Cliff Lee (22)

Projects: 1B Rafael Palmeiro (30), 1B Mickey Vernon (24), P Bob Porterfield (34).

Suspects: Ps Al Worthington (37), Charlie Hough (40), Colby Lewis (30), 2B Connie Ryan (27), OF George Browne (32), SS Elvis Andrus (23).

AA: Atlantic City Bacharach Giants

Prospects: P Rick Wise (18), C Frankie Hayes (19)

Projects: RPs Matt Guerrier and Nick Goody (both 26), OF Kenny Hogan (18), 1B Buck Jordan (26), P Lefty George (24).

Suspects: None?

Series XVII Featured Matchup: Portland Sea Dogs @ Brooklyn Royal Giants

By mknn

On December 27, 2021

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

#Game One: Walter Johnson @ Dutch Leonard

Walter Johnson and Dutch Leonard both started well, with Portland taking the lead in the top of the 2nd on a Jeff Burroughs homerun. The Royal Giants tied it in the bottom half of the 3rd, when Beals Becker returned the favor, depositing a fastball from Johnson in the left field seats.

Brooklyn would take their first lead in the 4th, with a Ron Cey double scoring Duke Snider. Dan Brouthers added an RBI single and Ray Dandridge a sacrifice fly, and the Royal Giants were up 4-1 at the end of the inning.

Leonard sailed through the game, not allowing another run until Kent Hrbek hit his 19th homerun of the season in the ninth inning.

POR 2 (Johnson 7-3) @ Brooklyn 6 (Leonard 5-7)
HRs: POR – Burroughs (9), Hrbek (19); BRK – Becker (8)
Box Score

#Game Two: Bert Blyleven @ Frank Knauss

Fred Dunlap led off the game with a homerun off Frank Knauss on the first pitch of the game to give the Sea Dogs a 1-0 lead, but Brooklyn tied it up when Dan Brouthers, who tripled, scored on a Bert Blyleven wild pitch.

The Royal Giants took the lead for good on a two run shot by Dickie Thon in the bottom of the 2nd. The Sea Dogs closed it to 3-2 on Kent Hrbek‘s 20th homerun of the year, but the game was broken open in the bottom of the 7th when, after a leadoff double by Duke Farrell, Joseito Muñoz relieved Blyleven. Muñoz had been virtually unhittable all season, but the Royal Giants got to him, with Hi Myers and Jermaine Dye delivering RBI hits, extending the lead to 6-2.

It should have been worse: the Royal Giants’ batters left 16 runners on base.

POR 2 (Blyleven 5-4) @ BRK 6 (Knauss 5-4; Von Ohlen 1 Sv)
HRs: POR – Dunlap (5), Hrbek (20); BRK – Thon (1)
Box Score

#Game Three: Jerry Koosman @ Sandy Koufax

Harry Hooper stole second and scored on a single by Bobby Murcer to give Portland the lead in the top of the first. Sandy Koufax would struggle, walking in a run and allowing another to score in a sacrifice fly, as the Sea Dogs jumped out to a 3-0 lead attempting to win their first game of the series.

An Iván Rodríguez RBI single and a 2-run shot into the left field seats by Kent Hrbek–his third of the series–made it 6-0 in the second.

But Brooklyn wasn’t ready to give it up: after an RBI infield singly by Ray Dandridge, Jackie Robinson came through with his 9th homerun of the year, a grand slam that just cleared the outfield fence.

That made the score 6-5, and while Koufax wouldn’t make it out of the 4th, Tommy Hanson was able to close the door, keeping the game a one run affair.

Jermaine Dye tied the game in the bottom of the 6th, greeting Pascual Pérez with a homerun to make it 6-6.

And it stayed that way for six more innings: Pérez, Jim Kern, and Mike Cuellar for Portland traded blanks with Hanson, Trevor Hildenberger, and Eric Gagne for Brooklyn. That was, until the 12th, when Gagne gave up a triple to Gary Pettis, a run-scoring single to Joe Mauer, and another homerun to Hrbek for a 9-6 Portland lead. Johan Santana picked up his 22nd save of the season and the Sea Dogs had their first victory of the series.

POR 9 (Cuellar 5-4; Santana 22 Sv; Pérez 3 BSv) @ BRK 6 (Gagne 2-3)
HRs: POR – Hrbek 2 (22); BRK – Robinson (9), Dye (2)
Box Score

#Game Four: Wade Miller @ Don Sutton

In addition to salvaging a series split, Portland’s Wade Miller will try to protect his perfect record as he sits at 5-0 on the year. Brooklyn’s Ron Cey had other ideas, though, taking Miller deep in the bottom of the 2nd for an early 1-0 lead for the Royal Giants.

Adrián Beltré took Don Sutton deep with the bases loaded to put the Sea Dogs up, 4-1 and two batters later, Jeff Burroughs sent a ball to almost the same spot, extending Portland’s advantage to 5-1.

A Duke Farrell double and a triple from Davey Lopes helped Brooklyn get back in it in the bottom of the 4th, closing the lead to 5-4. Brooklyn tied it in the bottom of the 7th when, after stealing second and moving to third on a fielder’s choice, Lopes scored on a sacrifice fly by Ray Dandridge.

Despite getting two runners on in the bottom of the 9th, the teams were unable to score, and we had the second consecutive extra-inning game.

Beals Becker would send the crowd home happy when he ended the game in the bottom of the 12th with a solo homerun, giving Brooklyn the 6-5 win and the 3-1 edge in the series.

Beltré is now hitting .481 in his first 14 WBL games after his 3-for-5, 4 RBI performance here.

POR 5 (Brown 2-4; Wood 1 BSv) @ BRK 6 (Von Ohlen 4-0) [12 Innings]
HRs: POR – Beltré (2), Burroughs (10); BRK – Cey (11), Becker (9)
Box Score

#Series Summary

For Portland, Kent Hrbek had a dominant performance, going 6-for-19 with 4 homeruns and Jeff Burroughs went deep twice.

Brooklyn was led by Beals Becker, who went 6-for-16 in the four games with 2 homeruns. Duke Snider went 5-for-18 for Brooklyn, and Dickie Thon and Roy White had 4 hits each.

A bit of a surprise as Portland was favored going in, but a good series for sure.

Series XVII Preview: Portland Sea Dogs @ Brooklyn Royal Giants

By mknn

On December 5, 2021

In Series Previews

Series XVII allows us to check back in with two teams we haven’t touched on in quite a while: for the Portland Sea Dogs, it was way back in Series II, for the Brooklyn Royal Giants, Series IV.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Portland comes into their series with the best record in the league and a 5.5 game lead in the Marvin Miller Division. As you would expect given that, there are a lot of fine performances across the board here.

On the mound, the Sea Dogs are led by Walter Johnson, who is 7-2 with a 3.61 ERA. Since moving into the rotation to replace the injured Smokey Joe Wood, Wade Miley has been a revelation, posting a 5-0 record in 6 starts, with an ERA under 4.00. The rest of the starting rotation is solid, if unspectacular, each of them with ERA’s in the mid 4’s.

The bullpen has been strong, with the emergent Joseito Munoz making it spectacular. Since his recall, Munoz has pitched in 9 games (1 start), amassing a 2-1 record, 2 holds, and 3 saves. His ERA is a microscopic 0.70, with a WHIP under 1. Elmer Brown has been great as a setup arm, and Mike Cuellar quite good as well. And all of that leads to the WBL’s saves leader, Johan Santana, who as 21 saves on the season.

No fewer than five Sea Dogs sport OPS’ over .900. Two of those share a position, with Joe Mauer (321/404/560) getting most of the time behind the plate ahead of Ivan Rodriguez (361/372/565). The others are 1B Kent Hrbek (318/393/597), CF Bobby Murcer (330/411/573), and 3B Buddy Bell (308/371/545). Hrbek leads the team in homeruns with 18 (Gil Hodges has 16) while Harry Hooper leads in RBIs with 37.

Even Greg Litton–at one point much maligned and on the verge of being sent down–has eased his OPS over .600 which, combined with his defensive versatility, continues to earn him a roster spot.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Brooklyn sits second in the Marvin Miller Division, behind the Sea Dogs, but the gap between them is fairly clear: while the Royal Giants have a fantastic pitching staff (arguably the best in the league), they have struggled to score runs.

The pitching staff is led by Don Drysedale whose 3.32 ERA and 1.23 WHIP warrant more than his 4-3 record. After Drysedale, it falls off a bit. Frank Knauss and Sandy Koufax (he of the only 1-hitter in WBL history) have been solid; Dutch Leonard and Don Sutton less so.

The bullpen has been very strong, with Eric Gagne and Trevor Hildenberger quite effectively bridging the way to closer Watty Clark (12 saves).

After their last series, the Royal Giants turned over both catchers and a few outfielders and the jury is still out on whether that was a good move. In extremely limited opportunities so far, Jermaine Dye and Al Lopez have done well, while Hi Myers and Michael Brantley are still looking to find their sea legs. Recalled a few weeks ago, Ray Dandridge has had an excellent start to his WBL career, and looks poised to take over from Dickie Thon at SS.

The team is led by the trio of Duke Snider (329/366/557), Jackie Robinson (287/349/509), and Roy White (288/354/468). Snider leads the team in homeruns and RBIs with 15 and 41, respectively.

But Brooklyn needs someone else to step up–whether one of the newly promoted players, or, perhaps more likely, Beals Becker, Davey Lopes, or Dan Brouthers–in order to have a hope of catching Portland.

#Starting Pitchers

Portland starter listed first.

Walter Johnson (7-2, 3.61) @ Dutch Leonard (4-7, 4.25)
Bert Blyleven (5-3, 4.73) @ Frank Knauss (4-4, 3.10)
Jerry Koosman (4-5, 4.85) @ Sandy Koufax (3-2, 3.86)
Wade Miller (5-0, 3.76) @ Don Sutton (2-4, 4.71)

#Series Prediction

My heart wants a Brooklyn sweep to tighten up the division race.

But my head says the best the Royal Giants could hope for is a tie, with the more likely outcome being three Sea Dogs victories.

TWIWBL 19.4: Series XVI Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On December 3, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Frank McCormick led the Black Barons to a 7-1 win over Miami, driving in 5 with 2 homeruns. One was a grand slam, the other a 525 foot bomb for the 2nd longest homerun in WBL history. Omar Infante, Frank Isbell, and Bob Nieman added 2 hits each in support of Alejandro Pena, who moved to 5-5 with 6 strong innings.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

3 hits each from Duke Snider and Jermaine Dye (including Snider’s 15th homerun of the season) led Brooklyn to a 10-5 victory over the Black Yankees. Jackie Robinson and Ray Dandridge added 2 hits apiece and each scored 2 runs in support of Sandy Koufax, who improved to 3-2 on the season.

#Miami Cuban Giants

A WBL record-tying 3 doubles from José Cardenal weren’t enough as the Cuban Giants fell to Birmingham, 5-4. Manny Machado added 2 hits for Miami, who are more troubled by Camilo Pascual‘s fall from among the league’s best than this particular loss. Pascual is now 4-5 with an ERA heading towards the mid-3.00’s.

With Paul Molitor out for about a month, Miami recalled Pete Runnels from AAA. Runnels, who started the year with Memphis, was released on May 25th and signed with the Cuban Giants five days later.

The injuries keep coming for Miami: Alejandro Oms is out for just over a week with a strained shoulder. Eddie Milner was recalled from AAA to help out in CF in Oms’ absence.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Harry Hooper drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 11th in a game Portland almost gave away. Hooper and Fred Dunlap each drove in two runs, and Mike Cuellar earned the victory with three innings of relief, evening his record at 4-4.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Dick Lundy, who has forced his way into the starting lineup, will miss about a month with a strained oblique muscle. This both prolongs the challenge of Eddie Joost (still struggling at 156/277/291) and brings Miguel Cairo up from AAA.

Wally Moon and Rickey Henderson had 3 hits each, leading the Sea Lions to a come from behind victory over Memphis by a score of 8-6. Henderson scored 3 times and stole 2 bases–just another day at the office for Rickey–and Jack Clark hit a 3-run homerun. After Cy Falkenberg struggled through 5 innings, the victory went to Huston Street, with Rod Beck picking up his 16th save.

Series IV Featured Matchup – Portland Sea Dogs @ Detroit Wolverines

By mknn

On May 10, 2021

In Featured Series, Game Recaps, TWIWBL

The Detroit Wolverines (6-8) host the Portland Sea Dogs (8-6) for four games (series preview here).

Game One: Bert Blyleven v Si Johnson

Game one pitted Portland’s Bert Blyleven against Detroit’s Si Johnson. The game was a blowout for a while, with the Sea Dogs leading 8-1 through 7 innings, led by HR’s from Kent Hrbek, Bobby Murcer, and Joe Mauer. Blyleven had easily his best start of the year, with Bob Bailey‘s double in the bottom of the 8th only the 4th hit he allowed. Johnson, on the other hand, was chased after 6 IP, replaced by Gene Conley, who was pretty miserable, giving up 3 runs in 1.2 IP.

In the 8th, Blyleven retired Jimmy Collins, and was then relieved by Frank Williams, who came in to face Chili Davis … who took him deep for a 2 run HR.

Detroit would add 2 more in the bottom of the 9th, but it wasn’t enough, and Portland opened the series with a win. Mauer ended the day 3-4 with 2 runs and 3 RBIs, with Harry Hooper, Hrbek, Murcer, and Jeff Burroughs each chipping in with 2 hits apiece. Detroit’s Geoff Jenkins had 2 hits and 2 runs scored.

Blyleven finished with a Game Score of 71 (7.2 IP, 4 hits, 10 strikeouts), upping his record to 2-1 and Johan Santana got the final out for his 7th save.

Game Two: Smokey Joe Wood v Whitey Wilshire

Detroit would look to Whitey Wilshire to even up the series against Smokey Joe Wood. Oscar Gamble would put the Wolverines in front in the bottom of the first, ripping a double that scored Jim Fregosi and Gil Hodges. They would double their lead in the bottom of the 4th when Hank Greenberg took Wood deep for a 2-run HR.

Portland would finally break through in the top of the 5th on back to back singles from Kiki Cuyler and Fregosi. They pulled off a double steal, allowing Cuyler to score on a groundout by Hodges. But Jimmy Collins and Chili Davis would hit back-to-back HR’s in the bottom of the inning, pushing Detroit’s lead to 6-1.

Wilshire was replaced by John Hiller and Kevin Hart, who were pretty rough, giving up 3 runs in the 9th. But it was enough to close out the game with Detroit winning 6-4.

Hodges was the offensive star, finishing the game 2-3 with 4 RBIs. Ivan Rodriguez and Fred Dunlap added 2 hits each. For Detroit, Collins continued his strong start with a 2-3 day, 2 runs, and 1 RBI.

Wilshere did well for the win, allowing only 1 run in 6.2 IP, improving his record to 2-1 while Wood fell to 1-2. Mike Cuellar and Jim Kern were good for Portland in relief of Wood, combining for over 3 IP of scoreless relief.

Game Three: Walter Johnson v Long Tom Hughes

With the series tied 1-1, Portland turned to Walter Johnson, who came into the game with a 2-0 record, against Long Tom Hughes for Detroit. This was an old-fashioned blowout with Portland scoring 13 times on 17 hits. Buddy Bell went 5-6 with 2 runs scored, Bobby Murcer went 2-4 with 4 RBIs, Jeff Burroughs scored 3 times, and Smokey Joe Wood atoned some for his pitching performance the previous day, walloping a 3 run HR as a pinch hitter.

Hughes gave up 6 runs in 3 IP, and while Gene Conley bounced back with a scoreless 3 IP, Justin Verlander–who had been fantastic so far this season–gave up 7 runs (3 earned) in 1.1 IP.

Johnson improved his record to 3-0 with 7.2 dominant IP, allowing only 3 hits while fanning 7.

Game Four: Jerry Koosman v Hank Aguirre

In the final game, Detroit will look to Hank Aguirre (1-2) to even the series against Portland’s Jerry Koosman (1-1). Both starters struggled over 4 innings, but Aguirre managed to skate through, allowing a single run in 4 IP despite walking 4. Koosman was far less effective, given up 10 hits and 6 runs in his time.

Frank Williams and Elmer Brown followed Koosman, with each of them giving up runs as well, while Johnny Marcum and John Hiller combined for 5 innings of 3 hit, shutout ball for Detroit. Marcum got the win, giving the Wolverines the series split.

Bob Bailey and Chili Davis had 3 hits and 3 RBIs each, with Bailey and Ty Cobb hitting HRs. Ivan Rodriguez had 2 hits for Portland.

TWIWBL 2.1: Notes From The Opening 5 Games

By mknn

On September 4, 2020

In TWIWBL

All 20 teams opened with 5 game series this week. Some notes from around the league.

First, the WBL Player of the Week went to Indianapolis’ Hal Morris, Morris did hit 450/476/1000 with 3 HRs and 8 RBIs. Still, Lou Gehrig of the New York Black Yankees (538/600/1154, 2 HRs, 6 RBIs) and the Portland Sea Dog’s Buddy Bell (412/444/1059 with 3 HRs) had to deserve significant consideration as well.

#Birmingham Black Barons

SP Fred Fussell and DH Emil Frisk will both miss about a month with injuries to start the season, with Greg Maddux returning to the WBL to replace Fussell.

The Black Barons’ starter’s ERA of 11.84 is the biggest contributor to their 0-5 start to the season.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Dutch Leonard tossed a 5 hit shutout in his 1st start of the year, and teammates Don Drysdale and Brickyard Kennedy only allowed 1 run in their starts, leading the Royal Giants to a 4-1 start. Dickie Thon–handed the starting SS role despite not playing in Spring Training–hasn’t embarrassed himself, hitting .250 so far.

#Chicago American Giants

Ticky Nichols threw a 3 hit shutout on 111 pitches to start the season.

#Cleveland Spiders

With John Ellis out about a week, the Spiders sent Hardie Henderson to AAA and recalled Harry Bemis to spell Andy Etchebarren at C. Ellis is still on the active roster, but Detroit has a league-leading 7 players on the DL, but Whit Wyatt, Doug Corbett, and Bill Steen should all be back within about a week.

#Detroit Wolverines

OF Oscar Gamble was hot out of the gates, with 3 HRs and 7 RBIs in the 1st 5 games. Hal Newhouser lasted less than 2 innings before his elbow gave out, sidelining him for a couple weeks. With Claude Passeau also injured, it’s not clear who will get Newhouser’s starts between Gene Conley, Johnny Marcum, and Justin Verlander.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Stan Musial is as hot as any player in the league, opening the season at a 455/500/773 clip. Jose Rijo fanned 10 in 8 IP in a strong 1st start.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Camilo Pascual only allowed 3 hits in 8.2 IP in a strong opening start for the Cuban Giants.

#New York Black Yankees

Eric Davis leads the league with 11 RBI. Both Willie Randolph and Mike Schmidt are still looking for the 1st hits on the season.

#New York Gothams

It’s been a rough 5 days to be a Gothams pitcher: Carl Hubbell is out for over a month, Carson Smith for a few weeks, and Al Mays will be out about a week. Mat Latos (freshly returned from the injury list himself), Al Spalding, and Gaylord Perry are on hand to pick up the starts.

Brian Wilson has 2 saves in the Gothams’s 3 wins.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Mike Cuellar is the 1st 2-game winner in the league, picking up 2 victories in relief and Johan Santana leads the league with a save in each of the Sea Dogs’ 3 wins.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Lefty Grove only gave up 3 hits and 1 run in a complete game win in his 1st start of the year. Jack Clark is hitting 417/417/750 with 10 RBI, leading the Sea Lions to a 5-0 record. Newly acquired Dick Lundy proved a sparkplug off the bench for San Francisco, even managing a steal of home in his first appearance.

Season Preview: Portland Sea Dogs

By mknn

On August 20, 2020

In Team News

The Sea Dogs look to have a strong pitching staff, led by Smokey Joe Wood and Dizzy Trout, but their success may have more to do with whether Walter Johnson can cash in on his immense promise sooner rather than later. The offense looks solid end-to-end, but lacks real star power unless someone (Gil Hodges? Bobby Murcer?) really has a breakout season.

Final Roster

SP: Smokey Joe Wood, Walter Johnson, Jerry Koosman, Dizzy Trout, Bert Blyleven.
RP: Wade Miller; Frank Williams & Mike Cuellar; Jim Kern & Elmer Brown; Johan Santana.

C: Joe Mauer & Ivan Rodriguez
1B: Kent Hrbek; Harmon Killebrew
2B: Fred Dunlap; Greg Litton
3B: Buddy Bell
SS: Jim Fregosi
LF: Harry Hooper & Kiki Cuyler
CF: Bobby Murcer; Gary Pettis
RF: Jeff Burroughs
DH: Gil Hodges

Notes

There was virtually nothing to distinguish between Bert Blyleven and Mike Cuellar, with Portland naming Blyleven the 5th starter … there’s a lot of talent being sent to AAA: Connie Ryan hit quite well at 2B and Rafael Palmiero is a legitimate WBL starter at 1B caught in a massive logjam of talent … the final cut ended up being P Ray Fontenot who performed adequately, but was caught in the numbers game … C ends up being a platoon between Joe Mauer and Ivan Rodriguez … at some point, we would expect Portland to go to 12 pitchers, as both Smokey Joe Wood and Walter Johnson can help in pinch-hitting duties.

Portland sports one of the younger rosters in the leauge, with 30 year old P Mike Cueller and 30 year old OF Kiki Cuyler the elders of the roster. Two of the starting rotation–Walter Johnson and Bert Blyleven–are 19 years old.

19 year old Joseito Munoz doesn’t look to stay at AAA for very long. A trio of teenagers at AA hold promise as well: C Frankie Hayes, LF Kenny Hogan, and P Rick Wise.

Getting to 30: Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On August 8, 2020

In 2000 Spring Training, Team News

#Birmingham Black Barons

Alejandro Pena, Fred Fussell, and Scott Baker have rotation slots nailed down, and Greg Maddux and Vic Willis were sent to AAA. The rest is a muddle with John Clarkson, Jim Whitney, Sam Streeter, Warren Spahn, and Dick Rudolph vying for 3, maybe 4, slots.

Carlos Diaz has struggled as the closer, but he’s still there, with Harley Young and Hoyt Wilhelm working behind him.

Omar Infante has impressed enough to stick around, especially given his defensive versatility. Bob Nieman‘s inability to hit opens up some possibilities for him in LF, and given how little either Troy Tulowitzki or Herman Long have hit, he may see some more time at SS as well.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Smokey Joe Williams, Frank Knauss, and Dick Redding are fighting over the final 2 rotation spots. As a 19 year old, it may make sense for Redding to get some more work at AAA in before a longer stint in the bigs.

The rest of the pen looks set, with the quartet of Terry Forster, Trevor Hildenberger, and Eric Gagne setting up Watty Clark looking to be one of the best in the league.

Despite Pee Wee Reese‘s struggles, he stays as Tommy Corcoran‘s backup at SS. Davey Lopes has burst onto the scene, to the point that Hobe Ferris–the presumptive starter–will head to AAA (while note great defensively, Jackie Robinson, Todd Walker, and Corcoran can all spell Lopes as needed).

Neither John Briggs nor Duke Snider have impressed, but Briggs was worse, and heads to the minors. What’s not clear is if Snider starts the year at CF, or if newcomer Raul Mondesi forces himself into the picture.

#Miami Cuban Giants

With Alex Colome and Dalier Hinojosa sent to AAA, the pitching staff is coming into focus. The remaining competition is between Dontrelle Willis, Don Newcombe, Tommy Bridges, and Jose Mendez for the final starting role and 2 bullpen slots. Mendez is a long shot at this point.

Perhaps as expected, Willie Kamm has cooled off dramatically, moving Manny Machado back into the starting position at 3B. His performance does, however, keep him in camp at the expense of Gary Sheffield, who was quite a disappointment all Spring.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Dizzy Trout has seized the #4 starter slot, leaving the final 3 slots up for grabs. This is all a little controversial, as others have pitched better than Walter Johnson, but the Sea Dogs remain convinced of the 19 year old’s potential, despite a growing sense from fans that he would be better served by starting the year in AAA. Still, the staff have the final say, leaving Ray Fontenot, Bert Blyleven, Mike Cuellar, and Wade Miller in competition, with Pascual Perez and Atlee Hammaker already moved down to the minors.

The good news is the back end of the bullpen is set, with the trio of Elmer Brown, Jim Kern, and Johan Santana looking almost unhittable.

Don Baylor and Kirby Puckett‘s demotions surprised some, but quite a few of Portland’s OFers hit well during the Spring, leaving those 2 out in the cold. On the infield, too many people hit well to make the choices easy. Greg Litton came to camp late, but has hit well and, more importantly, provides some needed defensive flexibility. The choice ended up being unorthodox, as with Marty Cordova being sent to AAA, they lack a true LF on the roster, relying on Kiki Cuyler, Harry Hooper and, yes, Litton there.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

The pitching staff has gotten some astounding performances, led by Cy Falkenberg, James Shields, and Dennis Eckersley. That leaves Eddie Plank, Jim Devlin, Carlos Carrasco, Charlie Root, and Lefty Grove in contention for 2 starting spots and 2 bullpen roles. Grove has struggled with his control, Devlin has been hit pretty hard, and Plank–despite the best WHIP of the bunch–has an ERA over 7.

That’s really all that is up for grabs as the back end of the bullpen, anchored by Rod Beck and Chad Bradford, looks pretty solid.

The position cuts were all a bit surprising: Mark McGwire couldn’t move through the logjam at 1B, Bert Campenaris couldn’t hit enough to warrant keeping his defensive versatility, and Pedro Guerrero was at the bottom of the OF list. The biggest shock was the failure of highly touted 20 year old Jimmie Foxx to earn a roster spot, although he’s expected to return in pretty short order.