The Whirled Baseball League

Baseball The Way It Never Was

Tag: Ned Garvin Page 5 of 6

TWIWBL 18.0: Series XV Notes

By

On November 1, 2021

In TWIWBL

June 3

We’re roughly 60 games into the season. The Baltimore Black Sox have been caught by the Portland Sea Dogs for the best record in the league, with each team sporting a 38-24 record to lead their divisions. They’re the only two teams playing above .600, although the New York Black Yankees, at .597 (37-25) are right there, too.

You can see some of the reason for Portland’s surge in the Relievers listed below, with three members of their bullpen making the list.

Performance

We’re going to look at two things before our usual lists.

Great Performances

Series XV had two standout performances, the first occurrence of each in the league, one on the mound and one at the plate.

First, Sandy Koufax of the Brooklyn Royal Giants threw the WBL’s first one-hitter, walking 2 and striking out 8 in a 3-0 victory over the Kansas City Monarchs. Koufax started the year in AAA, was impressive in Brooklyn’s bullpen, and now has cemented a spot in their rotation, improving to 2-2 with a 3.58 ERA on the season.

Then, the Miami Cuban Giants saw the first cycle of the year, with Alejandro Oms going 4-for-5 with 3 runs scored and 4 RBIs to lead Miami to a 9-6 victory over the Indianapolis ABCs. Oms homered, tripled, and singled in his first 3 at-bats, and then was thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple in his final time up–giving him an unusual completion of the cycle.

Improving?

Some of the storylines of the early season have, of course, focused on batters who have struggled, but for whatever the reason were kept in their lineups despite little to no offensive contribution. Let’s check in on how three of them are doing.

Baltimore’s Paul Blair bottomed out about a month ago, with an OPS under .550. But (a) the Black Sox were winning all the time and (b) he still contributed great defense. Since then, he’s added about .025 to his batting average, as well as some power. He’s reverted, going 4-for-24 in his last few games, leaving him at 214/273/358. Not good, and still in danger, but trending in the right direction.

The Cleveland Spiders hoped Larry Doby would be a key part of their offense, instead, he’s struggled all year. At one point, he had added about .100 points of OPS, peaking in the .650s. Like Blair, though, he’s faded from that, going 2-20 to currently sit at 205/304/310. Cleveland is playing well, but Doby is likely to lose some significant playing time after the lineup adjustments following this series.

If any team could carry a low producing offensive player, it is the Black Yankees, who have patiently waited for Willie Randolph to contribute at the plate. It’s starting to pay off, as Randolph is hitting as well as he has all year, improving to 205/339/282. Clearly, the OBP is the key stat here, and as long as Randolph gets on base, he will probably stay in the 9th position in their lineup.

Two teams have two players each who continue to struggle mightily. The Ottawa Mounties really needs to do something about the combination of Ken Griffey, Jr. (224/273/295 for the lowest OPS of any batting qualifier in the league) and Alex Rodriguez (206/251/333). With Freddy Parent on the edges of the all star discussions at SS, Rodriguez may be sent to AAA to try to work it out offensively.

The House of David has run out of patience with OF Sammy Sosa, who is limping along at 177/231/344.The power potential is clearly there, but the overall production is just far too weak. Mark McGwire is perhaps a more interesting case, hitting 167/314/203. A 150 point gap between BA and OBP is usually indicative in a player who will turn things around, but those are just putrid numbers for the big redhead.

Leading Performers

Note that Babe Ruth has tied teammate Eric Davis for the league lead in RBI, something Davis had a large lead in for most of the season. Ruth continues to dominate the leaderboards, topping the lead in 5 categories, and sitting 2nd in another, while San Francisco’s Reggie Jackson continues to lead in both BA and OBP.

On the mound, Baltimore’s Ned Garvin now qualifies for the rate stats, and tops the leaderboard in ERA and WHIP, and is second in BA against. Garvin is the only starting pitcher to lead the league in more than one category, although Portland’s Walter Johnson is close. The Black Yankees’ Ron Guidry still leads the league in strikeouts, but has slumped elsewhere.

Both Joseito Munoz (Portland) and Koufax are likely to join Garvin on the leaderboards as they accumulate more starts.

Best Batters

Rico Carty (PHI) 316/377/505, 22 2B
Eddie Collins (CAG) 329/440/551
Eric Davis (NYY) 283/337/557, 19 HR, 59 RBI
Bobby Grich (LAA) 292/369/475, 22 2B
Rickey Henderson (SFS) 254/402/348, 50 BB, 44 SB
Joe Jackson (CAG) 352/436/648, 50 R, 3.4 WAR
Reggie Jackson (SFS) 368/469/637
Willie Mays (NYG) 351/404/569, 84 H
Babe Ruth (NYY) 318/426/682, 21 HR, 59 RBI, 53 R, 43 BB, 3.5 WAR
Louis Santop (CLE) 312/342/482, 8 3B
Frank Thomas (CAG) 352/432/591, 81 H

Best Starting Pitchers

Gerrit Cole (LAA) 9-3, 4.23 ERA
Ned Garvin (BAL) 5-2, 2H, 2.76 ERA, .201 BAa, 0.93 WHIP
Lefty Grove (SFS) 6-2, 3.45 ERA, .198 BAa
Ron Guidry (NYY) 5-5, 3.74 ERA, 97 Ks
Walter Johnson (POR) 7-2, 3.61 ERA, 83 Ks,2.8 WAR
Johnny Marcum (DET) 6-2, 1H, 2.76 ERA
Dennis Martinez (BAL) 7-2, 3.15 ERA, 1.11 WHIP
Andy Petitte (KCM) 5-3, 3.13 ERA, 2.3 WAR
Toad Ramsey (HOU) 5-5, 4.52 ERA, 91.2 IP
Red Ruffing (NYY) 7-1, 4.12 ERA
Cy Young (CLE) 5-2, 3.65 ERA, 93.2 IP, 2.3 WAR

Best Relievers

Terry Adams (CLE) 0-3, 3.20 ERA, 14 Sv
Rod Beck (SFS) 0-1, 1.84 ERA, 14 Sv, 1 H
Elmer Brown (POR) 2-3, 2.33 ERA, 3 Sv, 3 H, .160 BAa
Ken Howell (SFS) 3-2, 1.38 ERA, 3 Sv, 3 H
Bob Howry (PHI) 1-2, 4.35 ERA, 15 Sv
Sandy Koufax (BRK) 2-2, 3.58 ERA, .132 BAa
Mark Melancon (HOU) 6-1, 2.86 ERA
Joseito Munoz (POR) 2-1, 0.77 ERA, 3 Sv, 0.94 WHIP
Ron Reed (PHI) 0-2, 3.00 ERA, 2 Sv, 11 H
Johan Santana (POR) 1-1, 2.76 ERA, 19 Sv
Doc White (IND) 1-1, 1.76 ERA, 1 Sv, 2 H, 0.65 WHIP

Streaks

The Homestead Grays are winning the race to the bottom, with only 1 victory in their last 10 games, leaving them with the worst record in the WBL at 23-39.

Miami and the Philadelphia Stars have only won 3 of their last 10, while at the other end, the Memphis Red Sox, Ottawa, the San Francisco Sea Lions, and the Birmingham Black Barons have all won 7 of their last 10 games. Memphis, Ottawa, and Birmingham were all among the worst teams in the league by winning percentage, so the tables are once again tightening up.

The House of David’s Elrod Hendricks has the most prolonged hot streak in the league, slashing 390/422/976 with 6 homeruns over his last 11 games. The miracle that is Birmingham’s Tom Herr isn’t far behind, hitting 424/500/758 over his last 9 contests.

At the other end, Sammy Sosa‘s struggles were mentioned above. The House of David OF is at 098/098/220 over his last 41 at-bats. Once among the hottest in the league, Philadelphia’s Chase Utley has had a rough 10 games, managing only a 132/154/211 line in that time.

Series XV Results

By far the shock of Series XV was Birmingham taking 3-out-of-4 from Baltimore. Nobody saw that coming.

Series XV Sweeps

Brooklyn over Kansas City

Taking 3 Out of 4 in Series XV

Birmingham over Baltimore
Detroit Wolverines over Los Angeles Angels
Portland over Homestead
Memphis over Philadelphia

Series XV Splits

Chicago American Giants @ Ottawa
Cleveland @ Houston Colt 45’s
Indianapolis @ Miami
Black Yankees @ San Francisco
New York Gothams @ House of David

Series XV Featured Game: Baltimore Black Sox @ Birmingham Black Barons

By

On October 29, 2021

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

The opening and closing matches between the Baltimore Black Sox and the Birmingham Black Barons were both worthy of consideration as the Game of the Series.

The first game started with Birmingham taking it to the best team in the league, with the legend that is Tom Herr and Dale Murphy both going deep. Earlier in the season, Murphy was sent to AAA after an absolutely horrific start to the season, and while he’s not exactly setting the world on fire, he has been doing better since his recall.

A Frank Isbell homerun extended Birmingham’s lead to 4-3, but the Black Sox tied it up in the top of the 5th when Ken Singleton drove in 2 with a single.

And there it stayed until the bottom of the 7th, when there goes that man again as Herr doubled and scored on a single by Bob Nieman. But Bobby Wallace took Hoyt Wilhelm deep for a 2-run shot and for a brief moment, the world was normal once more, with Baltimore on top, 6-5.

I did say briefly. Hank Aaron led off the bottom of the inning against Mike Mussina with a solo shot of his own, knotting the contest at 6.

And there we stayed, until the top of the 13th, when Bryce Harper singled home Curt Blefary for a 7-6 lead for Baltimore. And with Don Bessent heading out for the bottom of the frame, Black Sox fans began to pack up … but Aaron would lead off with a single, moving to 3rd on a base-hit from Pie Traynor. He would score on a groundout by Del Crandall, which moved Traynor to third … and Curtis Granderson would deliver the walk-off base-hit for an improbable victory for The Black Barons.

But the series wasn’t done delivering the goods. Baltimore’s Bill Byrd threw a 3-hit shutout in game 2, and Birmingham rode big days from Aaron and Isbell to win game 3.

That brought us to what could be a great pitching matchup, with Baltimore’s Ned Garvin taking on Birmingham’s Tim Hudson. Neither pitcher were in their team’s rotations at the start of the year (Hudson was in AAA), and both were doing fantastically well.

Garvin came into the game at 5-2 with a 2.47 ERA and Hudson at 5-0 with a 2.70 ERA.

And, for once, the matchup held! Hudson had a shutout through 6 innings while Garvin’s line was only marred by a 2-run homerun from Granderson.

The 7th was definitive for the game: Hudson gave up a homerun to Blefary and an RBI single to tie the game in the top of the frame, but Garvin was touched for an RBI double from Murphy and a run-scoring single from Frank McCormick, extending the lead to 4-2.

Neither starter would make it out of the 8th, as a solo shot from Frank Robinson chased Hudson. His replacement, Steve Bedrosian, was greeted by Blefary’s second homerun of the game, with the back-to-back jacks tying the game at 4.

Buddy Groom came in for Baltimore to start the bottom of the 8th, and gave up an RBI double to Aaron and a 2-run shot to Troy Tulowitzki, putting the Black Barons back in front, and their closer, Juan Rincon came on to shut the door on the 7-4 victory.

So, a great series with an especially thrilling two games.

BAL 7 (Bessent 1-2, 1 B Sv) @ BBB 8 (Benton 1-1; Wilhelm 1 B Sv) [13 Innings]
HRs: BAL – Wallace (4); BBB – Murphy (1), Herr (2), Aaron (8), Isbell (1)
Box Score

BAL 4 (Groom 1-1) @ BBB 7 (Bedrosian 1-0, 1 BSv)
HRs: BAL – Blefary 2 (18), Robinson (14); BBB – Granderson (7), Tulowitzki (7)
Box Score

Other Games of Note

That’s more like it. After struggling in his first start, Sandy Koufax delivered perhaps the finest start in the league so far, a 1-hit shutout of Kansas City. Koufax walked 2 and struck out 8 in the 3-0 victory. Brooklyn took the lead on a solo homerun from Roy White, and was helped out by2 hits from Duke Snider. Luke Hamlin pitched quite well, but still took the loss and Kansas City’s only hit was a double by Stan Musial in the top of the first.

KCM 0 (Hamlin 3-5) @ BRK 3 (Koufax 2-2)
HRs: BRK – White (7)
Box Score

The opening game of the Cleveland Spiders’ visit to Houston was an old-fashioned pitcher’s duel. For the Colt 45’s, Roy Oswalt‘s only error in 8 innings was a first inning homerun by Ron Blomberg as the Houston starter only allowed 5 hits and 2 walks in that span. But Cleveland’s Bob Feller was even better, throwing a 6-hit shutout with 9 whiffs over 7.2 innings. Trevor Hoffman came on in the top of the 9th, and Blomberg took him deep for his 2nd of the day, and the Spiders’ closer, Terry Adams, made it stand up.

CLE 3 (Feller 5-4; Gearrin 4 H; Adams 14 Sv) @ HOU 0 (Oswalt 5-4)
HRs: CLE – Blomberg 2 (15)
Box Score

The series closer between Indianapolis and Miami was notable for a few reasons. First, Miami’s Dontrelle Willis was making his first career start. It did not go well, as Willis was touched for 5 runs (4 earned) in 4 innings. But Indianapolis’ Red Faber fared little better, surrendering 7 runs in only 5 innings of work. The Cuban Giants’ Eustaquio Pedroso delivered 3 solid innings of relief en route to the victory for Miami, which also saw Alejandro Oms hit for the first cycle in WBL history. Jim Thome added 3 hits and 2 homeruns for Miami, and Oscar Charleston and Ed Charles had strong days at the plate for the ABC’s. Finally, Aroldis Chapman did indeed record his 11th save, but he did it in Chapman style, giving up 2 walks while walking his tightrope.

IND 6 (Faber 4-4) @ MCG 9 (Pedroso 3-4; Condrey 2 H; Bauta 8 H; Chapman 11 Sv)
HRs: MCG – Oms (2), Thome 2 (9)
Box Score

TWIWBL Special Edition: All Star Previews II – AL Relievers

By

On September 27, 2021

In All Star Games

{ With under three weeks until the All Star Teams are announced, we’re looking at what’s changed since our original previews. }

Preview I here, which selected Tom Henke, Jonathan Papelbon, Chuck Finley, Craig Kimbrel, and Adam Wainwright.

This gets complicated pretty quickly: both Finley and Wainwright are now in their teams’ starting rotations (Finley for Los Angeles, Wainwright for Kansas City), but both still are worthy of consideration. Finley is 2-0 with 4 holds, a 3.16 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP and Wainwright is 0-1 with 1 hold, a 2.35 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP.

For closers, Henke and Detroit’s Mike Henneman continue to lead the way. Henke was injured in Ottawa’s most recent game, so that will play a factor, but he’s currently 0-3 with 12 saves for the Mounties. The problem is recent struggles have ballooned his ERA to 5.00–combine that with his injury, and he may no longer be in contention.

Henneman is 1-2 with 10 saves and a 3.46 ERA, but he would probably be behind Memphis’ Joe Beggs, who has yet to give up an earned run to go along with his 8 saves. For them, along with the New York Gothams’ Brian Wilson (6 saves, 2.40 ERA), the next few weeks will be key.

Kimbrel is still a likely choice, sitting at 1-1 with 8 holds and a 3.09 ERA for Kansas City, as is Memphis’ Papelbon (0-3, 3 saves, 4 holds, 2.13 ERA, 1.07 WHIP). Baltimore’s Ned Garvin has to receive strong consideration as well. Garvin has appeared in 12 games, starting 4 of them, and has a 5-1 record with 2 holds, a 2.09 ERA, and a 0.87 WHIP.

Two more names to consider. The House of David’s Bob Rush has 13 relief appearances and 1 start, having just moved into the rotation. So far, he is 4-1 with a 1.83 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. The Gothams’ Mike Norris continues to excel as well, appearing in 22 games out of the bullpen with a 2-1 record, 1 save, 3 holds, and a 1.91 ERA.

The AI picks Garvin and Rush as starters, and then, in addition to Norris, Houston’s Andrew Chafin, Memphis’ Turk Farrell, and Baltimore’s Buddy Groom.

Of those, Groom makes sense, both on his own merit (4 holds, 1.91 ERA, 1.06 WHIP) and as a nod to Baltimore’s overall record. Chafin has been quite good (3-1, 2.25 ERA), and Farrell is incomprehensible: 0-2 with a 3.51 ERA just doesn’t cut it.

So, given all that, I would go with Garvin, Kimbrel, Papelbon, Rush, and one of the closers. Let’s say Beggs. But Groom has probably been more valuable than any of the closers, it’s just wanting someone with some saves to be in there as well.

TWIWBL Special Edition: All Star Preview II – AL Starting Pitchers

By

On September 24, 2021

In All Star Games

{ With under three weeks until the All Star Teams are announced, we’re looking at what’s changed since our original previews. }

Initial preview here, selecting Gerrit Cole, CC Sabathia, Tricky Nichols, Ed Walsh, and Dennis Martinez.

It doesn’t look terribly different at this point. Los Angeles’ Cole (7-3) and Baltimore’s Martinez (7-1) are the only 7 game winners in the league, so you have to assume they make it, although Cole’s 4.04 ERA will lead to some arguments. There can be little disagreement about Martinez, though, as El Presidente has a 3.16 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP for the best team in baseball.

Behind them, Kansas City’s Andy Petitte (4-3, 3.31 ERA) and Sabathia (5-4, 3.65 ERA) deserve some consideration, as do the House of David’s Jack Taylor (only a 3-5 record, but a sub-4 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP) and Chicago’s Ben Sheets (5-3, 3.95 ERA, 1.21 WHIP).

Nichols has fallen out of the conversation, and Walsh is on the DL for about a month, so they’re no longer in the running.

The AI does some interesting things, selecting Baltimore’s Ned Garvin, Detroit’s Johnny Marcum and Hal Newhouser, and the House of David’s Bob Rush along with Martinez and Petitte. Garvin, Marcum, and Rush have just recently moved into their team’s starting rotations. All three are strong choices, especially Garvin, who is 5-1 with a 2.09 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP in 8 relief appearances and 4 starts, but I’m still considering them as relievers at the moment.

Newhouser is a decent possibility. He’s made 7 starts, so it could all fall apart, but so far he looks like a potential ace, with only a 2-1 record, but a microscopic 1.93 ERA. Clearly, if he keeps that up over his next 3 or 4 starts, he’ll warrant very strong consideration.

So at this point I would go with Martinez as the starter, with Cole, Sabathia, Pettite and … let’s say the Gothams’ Juan Marichal, who is 6-1, with a high ERA that is likely to drop (I have a fear that Newhouser will implode, or be injured over the next few weeks).

TWIWBL 17.0: Series XIV Notes

By

On September 14, 2021

In TWIWBL

May 30

As May comes to a close, the Los Angeles Angels, Baltimore Black Sox, New York Black Yankees, and Portland Sea Dogs sit atop their respective divisions. Only LA is below .600, with Baltimore–yes, Baltimore–continuing to be the best team in the WBL at 37-21.

That said, the divisions continue to tighten: the four division leaders went 8-8 for the series.

Awards

The Houston Colt 45’s Tony Gwynn was selected as the Player of the Week, going 14-for-25 (.560), raising his average over .300.

Performances

Dennis Martinez remains, probably, the best starting pitcher in the league, but his teammate Ned Garvin is quietly having a spectacular year, as is the unheralded Johnny Marcum of the Detroit Wolverines.

The San Francisco Sea Lions‘ Reggie Jackson has surpassed the Black Yankees’ Babe Ruth as the best hitter in the league, leading in batting average, on base percentage, and OPS. Ruth’s teammate, Eric Davis, has led the league in RBI since week one, and has now tied Ruth for the homerun crown. But the New York Gothams‘ Willie Mays may be the league MVP: spectacular offense and a league-leading 10 assists from the outfield (he’s actually tied in that category with Ken Griffey, Jr. of the Ottawa Mounties).

Best Starting Pitchers.

Gerrit Cole (LAA): 8 – 3; 4.20 ERA; 2.0 WAR
Dennis Martinez (BAL): 7-2; 3.15 ERA; 1.11 WHIP
Red Ruffing (NYY): 7-1; 4.12 ERA
Johnny Marcum (DET): 6-1; 2.41 ERA; 1.09 WHIP
Ned Garvin (BAL): 5-2; 2.47 ERA; 0.93 WHIP
Ron Guidry (NYY): 5-5; 3.67 ERA; 89 Ks
Lefty Grove (SFS): 5-2; 3.23 ERA; 77 Ks
Walter Johnson (POR): 6-2; 3.75 ERA; 2.6 WAR
Cy Young (CLE): 5-2; 3.63 ERA; 2.1 WAR
Luke Hamlin (KCM): 3-4; 3.92 ERA; 2.1 WAR

Best Relievers.

Johan Santana (POR): 1-1; 18 Sv; 2.93 ERA
Rod Beck (SFS): 0-0; 14 Sv; 1 H; 0.66 ERA; 0.51 WHIP
Bob Howry (PHI): 1-2; 14 Sv; 4.58 ERA
Ron Reed (PHI): 0-2; 2 Sv; 11 H; 2.50 ERA
Craig Kimbrel (KCM): 2-1; 8 H; 2.88 ERA
Joe Beggs (MEM): 1-0; 8 Sv; 0.00 ERA
Aroldis Chapman (MCG): 2-0; 10 Sv; 0.63 ERA
Doc White (IND): 1-1; 1 Sv; 2 H; 1.76 ERA; 0.65 WHIP

Best Batters.

Reggie Jackson (SFS): 379/483/651
Willie Mays (NYG): 359/412/578; 80 H; 3.1 WAR
Eddie Collins (CAG): 327/446/569
Babe Ruth (NYY): 330/433/689; 19 HR; 51 R; 54 RBI; 3,3 WAR
Frank Thomas (CAG): 355/433/593; 76 H
Rico Carty (PHI): 328/392/520; 20 2B
Bobby Grich (LAA): 299/372/485; 20 2B
Louis Santop (CLE): 315/343/500; 8 3B
Eric Davis (NYY): 290/347/581; 19 HR; 59 RBI
Joe Jackson (CAG): 345/433/621; 46 R
Doug Rader (LAA): 309/364/505; 54 RBI
Rickey Henderson (SFS): 241/391/314; 47 BB; 41SB
Bryce Harper (BAL): 219/355/339; 40 BB
Tim Raines (OTT): 283/365/442; 39 SB

Streaks

The Chicago American Giants‘ Duffy Lewis has 6 homeruns in his last 8 games and his teammate, Joe Jackson, is slashing an insane 542/560/1042 over his last 25 at-bats. The House of David‘s Elrod Hendricks has 14 RBIs in his last 8 games, over which he’s hitting 448/469/1172.

Baltimore’s Ned Garvin is 5-1 with a 1.71 ERA over his last 11 games, including 5 starts: his time in the bullpen is clearly over.

Roberto Clemente of the Homestead Grays has a 16 game hitting streak while both Thurman Munson of the Black Yankees and Buster Posey of the Gothams have maintained their consecutive games reaching base (29 games for Munson, 23 for Posey).

San Francisco have won five in a row while the Grays have lost 6 straight, and have won only 2 of their last 10.

Series XIV Results

Series Sweeps

San Francisco over Brooklyn Royal Giants
Kansas City Monarchs over Homestead

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XIV

Chicago over the House of David
Ottawa over Portland
Black Yankees over Philadelphia Stars
Cleveland Spiders over Miami Cuban Giants

Taking 2 out of 3 in Series XIV

Birmingham Black Barons over Gothams (1 game rained out)

Series Splits

Detroit @ Memphis Red Sox
Houston Colt 45’s @ Los Angeles
Indianapolis ABC’s @ Baltimore

TWIWBL 16.0: Series XIII Notes

By

On September 2, 2021

In TWIWBL

May 26

There were no series sweeps in Series XIII, and half the matchups resulted in 2 game splits, leading most of the divisions to drawing closer together.

The best teams in the WBL continue to surprise, with only two teams playing over .600 ball: the Baltimore Black Sox lead the way at 35-19 and the Portland Sea Dogs are at 34-20. Baltimore leads the Cumberland Posey Division by 6 games; Portland is atop the Marvin Miller Division by 5.5. The other two divisions are much closer, with the Los Angeles Angels, New York Gothams, and Detroit Wolverines all within 1 game in the Bill James Division (the Angels lead the way at 29-25) and the New York Black Yankees ahead of the Philadelphia Stars by 3 in the Effa Manley Division.

Only 1 team–the Miami Cuban Giants–is playing under .400 ball, with Florida’s team managing only 21 wins so far on the season.

After a few weeks of trying, the WBL has its first two 7 game winners, with Los Angeles’ Gerrit Cole and Baltimore’s Dennis Martinez both reaching that mark.

Martinez has probably surpassed Walter Johnson as the best pitcher in the league right now, and the Black Yankees’ Ron Guidry is the only starter ranking 1st or 2nd in four major statistical categories.

Two closers, Aroldis Chapman of Miami and Joe Beggs of the Memphis Red Sox, have yet to give up a run in roughly 13 innings each.

Reggie Jackson‘s run at the triple crown continues: he leads the league in BA and OBP and is fifth in SLG. Jackson’s performance may be the most surprising, but catcher Louis Santop leading the league in triples has to be close, as is the continued excellence from Curt Blefary.

All that said, the Black Yankees’ Babe Ruth continues to be the most valuable offensive player in the league, followed closely by the centerfielder for the cross-town Gothams, Willie Mays.

Performances

Top Starting Pitchers.

NameTmW-LERAOther
Dennis MartinezBAL7-13.161.11 WHIP
Gerrit ColeLAA7-34.04
Don DrysedaleBRK4-22.71
Ron GuidryNYY5-43.231.13 WHIP; 86 K
Walter JohnsonPOR6-13.582.5 WAR
Luke HamlinKAN3-43.922.1 WAR
Lefty GroveSFS5-23.2377 K

Top Relievers.

NameTmW-LERASvHldWHIP
Johan SantanaPOR1-13.0017
Bob HowryPHI1-24.5814
Aroldis ChapmanMIA0-20.009
Joe BeggsMEM0-00.008
Ron ReedPHI0-22.83211
Craig KimbrelKAN1-13.098
Ned GarvinBAL5-12.0920.87

Top Batters.

NameTmSlashOther
Reggie JacksonSFS376/485/643
Willie MaysNYG354/408/56175 H; 2.8 WAR
Mike EpsteinHOM333/437/549
Babe RuthNYY325/427/68519 HR; 48 R;
52 RBI; 3.0 WAR
Curt BlefaryBAL288/402/66016 HR
Frank ThomasCAG353/430/60771 H
Rico CartyPHI352/415/56020 2B
Louis SantopCLE316/346/5138 3B
Eric DavisNYY284/339/55254 RBI
Jimmy SheckardNYG309/418/47041 R
Rickey HendersonSFS236/392/31545 BB; 39 SB
Tim RainesOTT292/377/45837 SB

Streaks

The Homestead Gray‘s Roberto Clemente has hit in 14 straight games, Baltimore’s Dan McGann has scored in 9 straight, and Detroit’s Oscar Gamble as hit a homerun in his last 3 games.

While there aren’t many hitting streaks of note, the Black Yankees’ Thurman Munson has reached base in 26 straight games, the Ottawa Mounties‘ Terry Puhl in 23, and the Gothams’ Jimmy Sheckard in 22.

Baltimore’s Ned Garvin hasn’t allowed a run in 15 innings, and his teammate Dennis Martinez has had 5 consecutive quality starts, as has the Kansas City Monarchs‘ Andy Pettite.

The Brooklyn Royal Giants‘ Raul Mondesi was an early season surprise, but the bloom is off the rose: he’s struggling at 115/164/135 over his last 14 games. Baltimore’s Brooks Robinson–122/170/134 over 35 games–is easily the coldest hitter in the WBL, to the point he’s no longer in the WBL, having been optioned to AAA.

Series XIII Results

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XIII

Baltimore over Cleveland Spiders
Brooklyn over Homestead
New York Gothams over Indianapolis ABCs
Los Angeles over Miami
Portland over Wandering House of David

Splitting Series XIII 2-2

Chicago @ Birmingham
New York Black Yankees @ Detroit
Kansas City @ Ottawa
Memphis @ Houston
San Francisco @ Philadelphia

TWIWBL 15.2: Series XII Notes – Cum Posey Division

By

On August 24, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Ned Garvin kept Los Angeles’ Gerrit Cole from becoming the first 7 game winner in the WBL, spinning a brilliant 8 innings, allowing only 2 runs in a 4-2 Black Sox victory. Garvin moved to 4-1 on the year, and Bob Miller picked up his 4th save. Curt Blefary hit his 14th and Harlond Clift his 8th homerun of the year.

In the next game, Dennis Martinez moved to 6-1 on the year, allowing only 3 hits and 1 run in 7.2 innings. Bryce Harper drove in 2, and Harper, Ken Singleton, and Dan McGann all chipped in with 2 hits.

Bill Byrd pitched 8.1 innings of shutout ball before being relieved by Don Bessent, who finished the job in a 5-0 win for the Black Sox. Byrd brought his ERA under 4.00 and improved his record to 4-2, helped by 3 hits from Bobby Wallace and the suddenly resurgent Paul Blair, who even hit his 4th homerun of the year in the game.

Clearly not a fan of the if it ain’t broke school of thought, the team with the best record in the WBL shook its roster up some on the day off, demoting P Mark Baldwin, 3B Brooks Robinson, and SS Mark Belanger to AAA. Baldwin and Robinson had done very little in their opportunities, and Belanger had only played in 7 games all season. P Bob Welch, and IFs Cal Ripken, Jr. and Brian Roberts were recalled to the big league club.

#Chicago American Giants

Frank Thomas went 3-for-4 and Dick Allen had 3 RBI’s to lead Chicago to a 5-4 victory over Indianapolis. Herb Pennock survived 6 rocky innings to pick up his 2nd win, with AJ Minter pitching a perfect 9th for his 6th save.

Adrian Gonzalez was sent to AAA, ending his nightmare of a year so far in the majors; with Joe Horlen being promoted to fill out the bullpen and C Pop Snyder being waived.

All of that will result in Cristobal Torriente and Avisail Garcia seeing more time in the American Giants’ OF.

#Houston Colt 45s

Behind 3 hits and 3 RBIs from George Brett, including his 5th homerun of the year, the Colt 45s put away the Black Yankees, 9-4. It could be a difficult game for Houston, as Bret Saberhagen and Casey Stengel (who also hit his 5th homerun) both had to leave with injuries.

Bones Ely was recalled, and if you ignore a 499 foot homerun to Babe Ruth and one nearly as long to Lou Gehrig, he did alright, earning the save with 3 innings of work in a 13-5 blowout win. Craig Biggio drove in 4 and HR Johnson and Lance Berkman 3 each in support of Roy Oswalt, who moved to 5-2 on the year.

Brad Lidge was replaced by Billy Wagner as Houston’s closer, with Mike Hartley being sent to AAA. Carney Lansford was recalled from the minors to add another bat off the bench.

#Kansas City Monarchs

2 homeruns from Stan Musial helped the Monarchs overcome a 90 minute rain delay in an 11-5 win over the House of David. Musial drove in 4, and the win went to Connie Johnson, who pitched 3 scoreless innings after the rains came down.

Who knows what to make of Luke Hamlin? He seems to mix mediocre starts with absolute gems. This was one of the latter, as Hamlin had a no-hitter into the 7th and ended up with a 2-hit, complete game shutout to level his record at 3-3. 5 pitchers had thrown 3-hit shutouts, but this was the first game to go below that, and it was the 3rd best game score of the season at 86.

Willie McGee was 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs in the 6-0 victory. Hamlin’s performance was especially welcome, as the Monarchs’ bullpen was fairly decimated.

Jose Rijo lost his spot in the starting rotation in favor of Adam Wainwright, and McGee–who had been in a platoon with Fielder Jones–has become the everyday CF for the Monarchs.

#Ottawa Mounties

Greg Holland was sent to AAA with Ryan Dempster coming back the other way. Josh Donaldson–0-for-15 in his time in the big leagues–was returned to AAA as well, with Steve Garvey coming off the DL to return to Ottawa. The Mounties would like to promote Larry Parrish, who is playing very well at 3B, but haven’t found a corresponding move to free up room on the 40-man roster.

TWIWBL 12.2: Series X Notes – Cum Posey Division

By

On July 22, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Bryce Harper hit 2 homeruns, scoring 4 runs and driving in 5, and Frank Robinson had 4 hits (including a homerun) as did Bobby Wallace (Wallace also drove in 4 runs). That was enough to support a decent effort from Jim Palmer and defeat the Black Yankees, 12-2. Palmer improves to 4-3 on the year.

Despite 15 strikeouts–a record 5 by Wallace–the Black Sox beat the Black Yankees in game 2 as well, 8-3 behind homeruns from Curt Blefary, Harlond Clift, and Robinson. Johnny Sain improved to 5-2 on the year and Mark Baldwin, recently moved to the bullpen, earned his first save with 3 scoreless innings.

Ned Garvin‘s hitless streak ended at 9 innings when Don Mattingly doubled with one out in the top of the first. That didn’t stop Garvin from another fine outing, holding the Black Yankees to one run in 7.2 innings. Robinson had 3 hits as the Black Sox triumphed, 4-2, with Garvin improving to 3-1 and Don Bessent picking up his 6th save.

#Chicago American Giants

Dick Allen made 3 errors in the American Giants’ 8-1 loss to Los Angeles. They led to 2 unearned runs, so the loss can’t really be pinned on Allen’s poor glovework. Tricky Nichols gave up 6 runs in 5 innings to take his first loss of the year.

Despite setting a league record for strikeouts with 13, Ed Walsh took the loss, 2-1 against Los Angeles, evening his record at 3-3.

#Houston Colt 45’s

A 3-run homerun by Lance Berkman and a dominant start from Roy Oswalt led to a 4-2 victory for Houston over Philadelphia. Oswalt allowed only 4 hits in 7 innings, moving to 4-2 on the year and Brad Lidge picked up his 5th save in a game that dealt the Stars’ Ray Collins his first loss of the season.

Jimmy Wynn went 5-for-5 with 3 runs and 3 RBIs as Houston routed Philadelphia 15-6. Felipe Alou made his WBL debut, and went 3-for-5 with 5 RBIs and HR Johnson added 4 hits, with the win going to Toad Ramsey, who is now 4-3 on the season.

With Trevor Hoffman complaining of shoulder pain, the Colt 45’s recalled Mike Hartley from his rehab assignment while placing Hoffman on the 10 day DL.

#Ottawa Mounties

Old Hoss Radbourn was brilliant, allowing 1 run and 4 hits over 8 innings, and Tom Henke struck out the side for his 10th save. Radbourn evened his record at 3-3, helped by a first inning HR from Tim Raines, who had 3 hits on the day. Carlos Delgado and Phil Bradley added 2 hits and an RBI each.

A pinch-hit single in the bottom of the 9th by Delgado scored Alex Rodriguez–who had singled home Freddy Parent to tie the game–and gave the Mounties a 4-3, walk-off win in a game they trailed 3-0 in the bottom of the 7th. Gary Carter hit a two-run homerun then, setting the stage for Delgado’s heroics.

Monk Dubiel will miss two or three weeks, prompting Ottawa to recall Chris Leroux, who has been essentially unhittable at AAA.

TWIWBL 12.0: Series X Notes

By

On July 20, 2021

In TWIWBL

May 13th

Performance

Baltimore pulled off a very impressive sweep of the New York Black Yankees, moving into first place in the Cum Posey Division. It leaves the Black Yankees–who at one point seemed likely to run away from the league–with the 3rd best record in the league, behind both Baltimore (26-16) and Portland (27-15).

Reggie Jackson may be the most surprising offensive performer so far, leading the league in both BA and OBP. Babe Ruth is still the most impressive single performer, and his teammate Lou Gehrig is now second in the league in SLG behind Ruth.

The WBL is not a pitcher’s league at this point: the potent offenses reduce the number of decisions earned by starting pitchers (only 2 have won 6 games despite most starters having 8 or 9 starts) and an ERA below 3.50 or so is quite exceptional.

Leading SP: Walter Johnson (POR) 6-0, 3.21 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 2.0 WAR; Gerrit Cole (LAA) 6-2, 4.09 ERA; Camilo Pascual (MCG) 4-1, 2.26 ERA; Don Drysedale (BRK) 4-1, 2.41 ERA; Ron Guidry (NYY) 4-3, 3.41 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 76 K; Lefty Grove (SFS) 4-1, 3.33 ERA, 64 K; CC Sabathia 5-2, 2.73 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 1.9 WAR.

Leading RP: Johan Santana (POR) 0-1, 3.18 ERA, 14 Sv; Terry Adams (CLE) 0-1, 1.98 ERA, 10 Sv; Ron Reed (PHI) 0-2, 3.05 ERA, 2 Sv, 8 H; Craig Kimbrel (KAN) 1-1, 2.37 ERA, 7 H; Aroldis Chapman (MCG) 0-2, 0.00 ERA, 9 Sv; Joe Beggs (MEM) 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 4 Sv; Jonathan Papelbon (MEM) 0-1, 1.37 ERA, 3 Sv, 2 H, 0.76 WHIP; Brian Wilson (NYG) 0-0, 2.25 ERA, 3 Sv, 0.83 WHIP.

Leading Batters: Reggie Jackson (SFS) 387/506/664; Buster Posey (NYG) 382/452/639, 33 R, 2.5 WAR; Lou Gehrig (NYY) 358/462/692; Babe Ruth (NYY) 357/451/732, 15 HR, 43 R, 2.7 WAR; Rico Carty (PHI) 358/419/562, 16 2B; Johnny Callison (NYG) 277/331/540, 13 2B; Terry Puhl 252/324/412, 5 3B; Louis Santop (CLE) 293/337/439, 5 3B; Curt Blefary (BAL) 299/410/675, 13 HR; Eric Davis (NYY) 296/337/537, 48 RBI; Doug Rader (LAA) 313/360/506, 45 RBI; Rickey Henderson (SFS) 275/442/377, 40 BB, 36 SB.

League Standings | League Statistics

Streaks

The Black Yankees’ Thurman Munson has the longest active hitting streak at 16 games.

Getting on base is, evidently, much easier than getting a hit: there are four active on-base streaks, led by Philadelphia‘s Rico Carty (20 games), Los Angeles‘ Don Buford (19 games), Ottawa‘s Carlos Delgado (18 games), and Indianapolis‘ Oscar Charleston (17 games).

Rickey Henderson has swiped his last 25 bases. Some notable pinch-hitting streaks are alive as well: Indianapolis’ Johnny Bench has come up with a hit in his last 3 pinch-hit appearances, and both Cleveland‘s Ron Blomberg and Philadelphia’s George Hendrick have hit homeruns in their last 2 pinch-hitting appearances.

Bench has been on fire, hitting 365/468/769 over his last 16 games.

On the mound, Baltimore’s Ned Garvin‘s hitless inning streak ended at 9.1 and Camilo Pascual‘s scoreless streak at 19 innings. Whit Wyatt (CLE) hasn’t allowed a run in his last 16 innings.

At the team level, Houston is 8-2 over their last 10 games and Birmingham has managed only 3 victories in their last 10. Baltimore has won 4 straight, and both Chicago and Indianapolis have lost 3 in a row.

Series Results

Series Sweeps

Baltimore over New York Black Yankees

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series X

Detroit over Brooklyn
Los Angeles over Chicago
Houston over Philadelphia
Kansas City over Indianapolis
New York Gothams over Memphis
House of David over Ottawa

Series Splits

Birmingham v Homestead
Cleveland v Portland
Miami v San Francisco

TWIWBL Special Edition: All Star Preview – AL Relievers

By

On July 17, 2021

In All Star Games, TWIWBL

{ The All-Star game is about a month away. We’ll post occasional articles about the contenders for participation in the mid-season classic. These are written “as of now,” so the final selections may vary dramatically, but hopefully these will add to the ongoing flavor of the league. The AL comprises the Bill James & Cum Posey Divisions}

There are, of course, a lot of candidates in relief. Many of these will fall off the radar, as a single bad outing (or injury) is likely to take them out of all-star contention.

Tom Henke of the Ottawa Mounties has 10 saves, with a 3.29 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP, easily the AL leading closer at this point.

Detroit‘s Mike Henneman (0-2, 2.89 ERA) and Kansas City‘s Jeff Pfeffer (4-1, 3.05 ERA) have 7 saves each (as does the House of David‘s Tom Niedenfuer, who was arguably having a better year before injuring his shoulder) and either could sneak in, with Pfeffer’s record perhaps giving him an edge. Memphis‘ Joe Beggs has only 4 saves, but he has yet to give up a run: clearly if that continues, he deserves serious consideration.

Baltimore‘s Don Bessent (0-1, 6 saves, 1.42 ERA) is the only other closer with decent usage with a WHIP below 1, at 0.87 (Baltimore has actually split closing opportunities between Bessent and Bob Miller, but Bessent has had more saves and save opportunities–Miller sits at 1-0 with 3 saves and 2 holds and a 3.29 ERA, but a similar 0.95 WHIP).

In addition to Beggs, the Memphis bullpen offers Jonathan Papelbon, who has a 1.35 ERA and a sparkling WHIP of 0.80 to go along with an 0-1 record, 3 saves, and 2 holds. Setting up Henke, Ottawa’s Gary Lavelle is 2-1 with 1 save and 2 holds and a 1.96 ERA and teammate Ted Bowsfield is 2-0 with a 2.14 ERA.

Kansas City may have the best quartet of relievers in the league, with–in addition to Pfeffer as the closer–Craig Kimbrel, who has been virtually unhittable, at 1-1 with a 2.37 ERA and a WHIP of 1.00 and Adam Wainwright and Frank DiPino. Wainwright has only an 0-1 record, but a 1.80 ERA and 0.96 WHIP and DiPino is 0-2 with 1 save and 2 holds along with a 1.74 ERA.

The House of David’s Bob Rush may be the closest competition Wainwright has as a high inning reliever. Rush is 3-1 with a 1.66 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. Some would argue that Baltimore’s Ned Garvin belongs here as well–Garvin has made 2 starts and 8 relief appearances, accumulating a 3-1 record with 2 holds and a 2.62 ERA with a 0.96 WHIP.

Chuck Finley‘s role for Los Angeles has been in flux all year, but he’s been excellent no matter how he’s been used, at 2-0 with 4 holds and a 2.96 ERA to go along with a 1.11 WHIP.

The AI’s choices are somewhat inexplicable: Finley, Baltimore’s Buddy Groom (0-0, 1 save, 4 holds, 2.42 ERA), Lavelle, and the Gothams‘ Mike Norris (1-1, 1 hold, 2.25 ERA). I mean, I love me some Mike Norris, but …

I would project five relievers as Henke, Papelbon, Finley, Kimbrel, and Wainwright. But it’s very unpredictable this early in the game.

Page 5 of 6

Previous

Next

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén