Both teams will go back to the same pitchers that opened the first series, Toad Ramsey for Houston and Orel Hershiser for Brooklyn.

Houston opted for Jim O’Rourke behind the plate over Jorge Posada, while Brooklyn opts to keep the hot hand in the lineup, keeping Ray Dandridge at SS over Vern Stephens. It’s a hard choice–Ron Cey could be benched, allowing both Dandridge and Stephens to play, but Cey was an offensive juggernaut during the season, so despite his struggles in the series against Indianapolis, Cey retains his cleanup position.

Jim Wynn led off the game with a homerun off Hershiser, but Cey must have heard the muttering, as he touched Ramsey with a 3 run shot in the bottom of the frame (John Briggs and Jackie Robinson had singled). As is so often the case, you anticipate a pitching duel, you get homeruns: Paul Goldschmidt hit the 3rd of the game to cut the lead to 1 and Wynn hit his 2nd of the game to tie it at 3 in the top of the 3rd. Then Piazza hit a solo shot in the bottom of the 4th and Robinson a 2 run shot in the 5th, followed by Cey’s 2nd of the game.

So, yeah, 11 hits in the game with 7 of them being homeruns.

Ramsey picked a horrible time for his worst outing of the season, as the Colt 45’s now trailed, 7-3.

Hershiser was relieved by Burleigh Grimes–solid in the postseason so far, but not today. Doubles from Goldschmidt and George Brett narrowed the score to 7-5.

Grimes was relieved by Dave Von Ohlen, who promptly loaded the bases, bringing in Sandy Koufax, who walked Goldschmidt, but got out of the inning without further damage. It was now a 1 run game, 7-6 Royal Giants, which is how it stood in the 9th, with Eric Gagne coming in to face the heart of Houston’s lineup.

Three up, three down, and Brooklyn leads the series, 1-0.

Robinson, Cey, and Piazza had 2 hits each for Brooklyn with Cey driving in 4 with his pair of homers. Wynn, Gwynn, and Goldschmidt had 2 hits for Houston. Hershiser improved to 3-0 in the postseason, but the real story was Ramsey’s ineffectiveness: always a risk for a knuckler.

HOU 6 (Ramsey 2-1) @ BRK 7 (Hershiser 3-0; Van Ohlen 1 H; Koufax 1 H; Hildenberger 3 H)
HRs: HOU – Wynn 2 (3), Goldschmidt (4); BRK – Cey 2 (3), Piazza (6), Robinson (1).
Box Score

#Game 2, Sun Oct 14

Two pitchers of similar molds will face off, Brooklyn’s Don Drysedale and Houston’s Roger Clemens, with the Colt 45’s trying to steal an away game early in the series.

At long last, Dickie Thon is available for Brooklyn, but Ray Dandridge and Vern Stephens are playing so well, he’ll start his postseason from the bench.

Drysedale walked the first 2 batters, but looked to get out of the inning after striking out Carlos Correa and retiring Jeff Bagwell on a brilliant catch by gold glove candidate Roy White in LF. But then Paul Goldschmidt launched a pitch into the LF seats. George Brett followed with a shot to right and it was 4-0 Houston aver a half inning.

John Briggs singled and stole 2nd and scored on a single from Jackie Robinson in the 4th, putting Brooklyn on the board at 4-1. White scored the following inning on a groundout, cutting the lead in half to 4-2.

Bagwell hit a solo shot in the 6th, and a Brett double chased Drysedale. Frank Knauss came in for his first action of the postseason. Pete Hill singled in Brett, and scored on a hit from Jorge Posada, making it 7-2.

Clemens gave up 2 walks in the 6th, and gave way to Jim Kern. Kern got 2 groundouts, 1 scoring a run, making it 7-3, Houston after 6. Some more runs were scored–3 for Houston and a solo shot by Mike Piazza for Brooklyn–but the outcome was never really threatened.

Goldschmidt and Brett had 2 hits each and Goldschmidt drove in 4 for Houston, but the story was really a solid start from Clemens followed by scoreless relief from Kern, Andrew Chafin, and Tug McGraw.

We are now in a best-of-5, with the action swinging back to Houston.

HOU 10 (Clemens 2-0) @ BRK 4 (Drysedale 1-1)
HRs: HOU – Goldschmidt (5), Brett (2), Bagwell (5); BRK – Piazza (7).
Box Score

#Game 3, Tue Oct 16

Game 3 will see Brooklyn’s Smokey Joe Williams face Houston’s Ice Box Chamberlain, in a matchup of pretty cool nicknames.

Gorman Thomas gets the start in CF for Houston, with Ray Dandridge playing SS for Brooklyn.

After Chamberlain struck out the side in the top of the first, Carlos Correa doubled home Tony Gwynn in the bottom of the inning for a 1-0 Houston lead.

Both pitchers ran into some trouble–Williams had runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs and Chamberlain the bases loaded with 1–but both worked out of the jams without giving up a run. The Colt 45’s added a run in the 4th on a wild pitch, and 4 more on a 2 run homers in the 5th, 1 from Jim Wynn, the other from Correa.

That chased Williams–who honestly hadn’t pitched that badly, despite the 6 runs allowed.

Meanwhile, Chamberlain had a 4 hit shutout until Mike Piazza hit a solo homerun in the 6th. Bagwell added one of his own, and Houston’s bullpen did the rest as the Colt 45’s took a 2-1 lead in the series.

BRK 1 (Williams 0-1) @ HOU 7 (Chamberlain 1-1)
HRs: BRK – Piazza (8); HOU – Wynn (4), Correa (2), Bagwell (6).
Box Score

#Game 4, Wed Oct 17

Fernando Valenzuela will try to tie the series for Brooklyn, opposed by game 1 starter Toad Ramsey, who will try to get his postseason performance on track.

It didn’t start great for Ramsey: Ron Cey went deep after a walk to Jackie Robinson for a 2-0 Brooklyn lead that held until the 4th, when a triple from Dan Brouthers made it 3-0.

Valenzuela was dominant here early: 0 hits, 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts through 3 innings. Houston touched him for a run in the 5th on a single by George Brett, but that was it.

Duke Snider greeted Jim Kern with a solo shot in the 7th, making it 4-1. In the bottom of the frame, Valenzuela hit Jeff Bagwell and gave up a single to Paul Goldschmidt, which ended his day. Dave Von Ohlen eventually loaded the bases, but escaped the inning unscathed, preserving Brooklyn’s 3 run lead.

Trevor Hildenberger had been effective all year setting up Eric Gagne, but he’s struggled this postseason. Here, he gave up a run when Tony Gwynn doubled in Craig Biggio and allowed the tying runs to score on a 2-run double from Goldschmidt.

So we were tied at 4 heading to the 9th. Tug McGraw set Brooklyn down in the top of the frame and a 1-out double by Jim O’Rourke brought Gagne in from the pen. He did his job, and we were off to extra innings.

Beals Becker led off the 10th with a solo shot off Sparky Lyle. Gagne gave up a leadoff single to Gwynn, but induced a double play from Carlos Correa and whiffed Bagwell, ending the game and tying the series at 2.

BRK 5 (Gagne 1-0; Von Ohlen 2 H; Hildenberger 1 B Sv) @ HOU 4 (Lyle 0-1) [10 Innings]
HRs: BRK – Cey (4), Snider (2), Becker (2); HOU – none.
Box Score

#Game 5, Thu Oct 18

With the series tied at 5, we are looking at a best-of-three at this point. Orel Hershiser will get the ball for Brooklyn while Houston, needing to bridge to its primary starters, will go with Stephen Strasburg over Dock Ellis, although Ellis is at the ready should Strasburg falter.

For the first time in the postseason, Houston will start Craig Biggio behind the plate, giving Bama Rowell a chance to make a difference at 2B.

Dan Brouthers walked and stole 2nd and 3rd before scoring on a groundout from Jackie Robinson, but Biggio did gun down Ron Cey at 2nd to end the inning. Still, it put the Royal Giants up, 1-0.

Mike Piazza and Roy White went back-to-back in the top of the 4th, increasing the lead to 3-0, and generating activity in the Houston bullpen.

The Colt 45’s generated traffic each inning, but Hershiser escaped any real danger until the bottom of the 5th, when Pete Hill singled and Rowell walked, putting runners at 1st and 2nd with no outs. Biggio grounded into a double play, but this time Houston at least got a run, as Hill scored on a passed ball, making it 3-1.

Cey took Strasburg deep, making it 4-1 and summoning Ellis from the pen. An errant throw by George Brett brought in Brooklyn’s 5th run and Robinson forced in a run by getting nicked by a Roberto Osuna pitch. So, 6-1 Brooklyn.

Houston wasn’t done, but it’s a long way back. Biggio went deep in the bottom of the 8th and Brett led off the bottom of the 9th with a solo shot of his own. A single from Hill summoned a somewhat fatigued Eric Gagne from the Royal Giants’ pen.

Gagne struck out the side, retiring Jim O’Rourke, Biggio, and Jim Wynn. No problem.

Hershiser was dominant in a crafty way, improving to 4-0 on the postseason, and Brouthers, Piazza, and Becker each had 2 hits pulling Brooklyn to within 1 win of the Whirled Series.

BRK 6 (Hershiser 4-0; Gagne 4 Sv) @ HOU 3 (Strasburg 1-1)
HRs: BRK – White (2), Piazza (9), Cey (5); HOU – Biggio (1), Brett (3).
Box Score

#Game 6, Sat Oct 20

So, will Brooklyn advance to the Whirled Series, or will Houston force a deciding game 7? It will be a rematch of the hurlers from game 2, with Houston’s Roger Clemens taking on Brooklyn’s Don Drysedale.

Houston took the lead in the top of the first, when Jeff Bagwell doubled in Jimmy Wynn, but a Duke Snider dinger in the 2nd tied the game at 1. Tony Gwynn and Carlos Correa went deep back to back in the 3rd, and George Brett scored Bagwell with a double. When Pete Hill doubled home Brett, Drysedale’s day was done, with Houston now leading 5-1 after 3 innings.

Houston added another, but Clemens was dealing until John Briggs took him deep with a runner on in the 5th, making it 6-3, Houston. Jackie Robinson singled to open up the 6th, prompting Clemens’ removal, much to his dismay. Roy Oswalt entered the game for Houston and promptly got a double play from Ron Cey to lower the threat and an inning-ending groundout from Roy White.

We were 9 outs from a Game 7.

Beals Becker got one back in the 7th with a homerun. 6-4, 6 outs to go for Houston to extend their season.

In the bottom of the 8th, Tug McGraw came on for Houston and gave up an RBI single to Cey and a 2 run homer to Piazza. Brooklyn came all the way back, and now lead 7-6.

Once again they turned to Eric Gagne, looking to close the series. With 2 outs, Goldschmidt took a pitch from Gagne and launched it to deep right … where it was caught at the base of the wall by Becker, sending Brooklyn to the Whirled Series.

As they have all year, Piazza and Robinson were the heart of Brooklyn’s offense, but the real story was on the mound, where Frank Knauss–passed over for postseason starts–gave 3 innings of 1-hit relief, earning the victory.

HOU 6 (McGraw 0-1, 1 B Sv; Oswalt 1 H) @ BRK 7 (Knauss 1-0; Gagne 5 Sv)
HRs: HOU – Gwynn (1), Correa (3); BRK – Snider (3), Briggs (1), Becker (3), Piazza (10).
Box Score

The Stars opted to start Hardie Henderson over Steve Carlton for game 1; for the Colt 45’s there was no question they would turn to Toad Ramsey and his mighty knuckleball.

Sherry Magee continues to be effective as the Stars’ leadoff hitter: here he coaxed a walk from Ramsey, stole 2nd and 3rd, and scored on Jim Fregosi‘s grounder for an early 1-0 lead. It may have been wasted effort, as Aaron Judge hit one into the Crawford Boxes, giving Philadelphia a 2-0 advantage.

It was short-lived: Jim Wynn doubled and scored on a triple from Tony Gwynn. Henderson got 2 outs, but left a sinker up to Paul Goldschmidt, who sent it deep into the seats for a 3-2 edge to Houston after 1 inning.

Ramsey seemed to settle down, but Houston continued its onslaught against Henderson, with George Brett going deep in the 2nd and Goldschmidt, after an error by Scott Rolen put Jeff Bagwell on base, hit his 2nd of the day, making it 6-2.

A single from Pete Hill leading off the 4th chased Henderson, but Robin Roberts escaped the inning without additional damage.

The Stars put runners on 2nd and 3rd (a walk to Chase Utley and a Magee double) with 1 out in the 5th. Ramsey walked in a run, but Philadelphia would be sad not to take greater advantage of the situation. Roberts continued to be effective, and we ended 5 with Houston ahead, 6-3.

Houston got some insurance in the bottom of the 8th as Hill laced a 2 run double, scoring 2 and increasing the score to 8-3.

Philadelphia had their chances, leaving 10 runners on base in the contest, but in the end–in what can only be seen as a good sign for the Colt 45’s–Andrew Chafin, Roberto Osuna, Tug McGraw, and Sparky Lyle combined for 4 scoreless innings in relief of Ramsey.

Goldschmidt was the clear star for Houston, driving in 4, but Carlos Correa and Hill chipped in 2 hits apiece. Magee and Rogan had 2 hits for the Stars.

Houston up, 1-0.

PHI 3 (Henderson 0-1) @ HOU 8 (Ramsey 1-0; Chafin 1 H; Osuna 1 H; McGraw 1 H)
HRs: PHI – Judge (1); Goldschmidt 2 (2), Brett (1).
Box Score

#Game 2, Thu 4 Oct

Philadelphia would turn to Steve Carlton, trying to even out the series against Houston’s Roger Clemens.

Once again Aaron Judge went deep in the opening frame, this time with a solo shot. The Stars scored a second on an RBI single from Rico Carty, meaning, for the 2nd consecutive game, Philadelphia leads 2-0 before Houston comes to bat.

The script diverged there, however briefly: the Colt 45’s cut the deficit in half on a solo shot from Jeff Bagwell in the 2nd. In the 3rd, a leadoff walk to Craig Biggio was followed by a double in the right field corner by Jim Wynn. Tony Gwynn launched a ball to left, forcing a nice diving catch from Sherry Magee, but it was more than enough for Biggio to trot home. But the Colt 45’s weren’t done: Carlos Correa hit an RBI single and then Bagwell launched his 2nd of the game, giving Houston a 5-2 lead.

Carlton lasted 5, Clemens 6, with neither pitching particularly well, turning the game over to the shakiest parts of each bullpen.

Houston seemed to blink first, as John Franco gave up singles to Ted Kluszewski and Bill Dickey to start the 7th. But a pop to short center and a good throw by Jorge Posada to nail Dickey’s attempt to steal second seemed to offer an avenue out. But Franco allowed singles to Magee and Chase Utley, narrowing the lead to 5-4 and fetching Jim Kern from Houston’s bullpen. Kern induced a flyout from Charles Rogan, maintaining the single run advantage for the Colt 45’s.

And this is what Houston had envisioned: Tug McGraw shut it down before yielding to Sparky Lyle to close it out, giving the Colt 45’s a 2-0 edge in the series.

Bagwell’s 2 homeruns were key, of course, but so were Posada’s erasing 2 runners attempting to steal.

It was another game of missed opportunities for Philadelphia, who outhit Houston 11-5 in the contest. 3 of those came from Judge, who is 4-for-8 across the 2 games. The Stars’ bullpen did well, with Brad Kilby, Fred Cambria, and Ted Kennedy combining for 3 frames without giving up a hit.

PHI 4 (Carlton 0-1) @ HOU 5 (Clemens 1-0; Lyle 1 Sv; McGraw 2 H; Kern 1 H; Franco 1 H)
HRs: PHI – Judge (2); Bagwell 2 (2).
Box Score

#Game 3, Sat Oct 6

We head to Philadelphia with something of a must-win game for the Stars, who will turn to the magnificent Charles Rogan, while Houston will counter with Ice Box Chamberlain.

Rogan balked in a run in the top of the first, but escaped a flurry of baserunners without further damage.

Aaron Judge did not hit a homerun in the opening frame, but he did drive in a run with a single, and later scored on a 3-run opposite drive by Jim Fregosi, putting the Stars up 4-1 after 1.

Then both hurlers settled down, and the score was unchanged through 5 innings. Jeff Bagwell took Rogan deep in the 6th, and when that was followed by a walk to Paul Goldschmidt, JM Ward was summoned from the Philadelphia bullpen. Ward retired Pete Hill, and the Stars still led, 4-2.

Judge was not to be denied, hitting one out of the park after Rogan was hit by a pitch. Fregosi followed with his 2nd of the day, chasing Chamberlain who gave up only 4 hits, but 8 runs.

Judge would add another, and Bill Dickey would go deep as well in what turned out to be a bit of walkover, 10-2 in favor of the Stars. Judge drove in 4 and Fregosi 5 on the day as Philadelphia corrected their errors of the first 2 games scoring 10 runs on 6 hits and leaving only a single runner on base.

HOU 2 (Chamberlain 0-1) @ PHI 10 (Rogan 1-0; Ward 1 H)
HRs: HOU – Bagwell (3); PHI – Fregosi 2 (2), Judge 2 (4), Dickey (1).
Box Score

#Game 4, Sun Oct 7

Game 4 presents challenges for each team’s pitching staffs.

For Houston, Stephen Strasburg‘s solid performances down the stretch earned him the start, while Philadelphia will counter with their ace, Hardie Henderson, fully rested after a very short appearance in game 1.

Henderson started well, but walked 3 batters to start the top of the 2nd. George Brett doubled home 2 runs and another scored on a groundout from Jim O’Rourke. Pete Hill tripled home another run and scored on a sacrifice fly from Paul Goldschmidt, making it 5-0.

Chase Utley took Strasburg deep with Willie Davis on 2nd in the 3rd, closing the gap to 5-2.

A leadoff single from Craig Biggio chased Henderson, bringing in Robin Roberts. Bill Dickey whipped Roberts first strike to first, catching Biggio leaning the wrong way–something that may matter, as Jim Wynn followed with a homerun. Houston now led, 6-2–we’ll see if that extra run comes back to haunt them.

Scott Rolen went deep in the bottom of the 4th. 6-3. Doubles from Dickey and Sherry Magee plated another run in the 5th. 6-4.

But Tony Gwynn singled in 2 runs in the 6th to restore the cushion, making it 8-4, Houston.

A 1 out walk to Rolen in the 6th chased Strasburg after a decent enough effort, but Andrew Chafin was able to escape unscathed. The 7th did not go as well for Chafin, who gave up opening singles to Davis and Utley. In came Jim Kern, who induced a double play from Magee and a sharp grounder to short from Charles Rogan, preserving the lead.

But in the 8th, Jim Fregosi came through with a 2-run shot, cutting the lead in half, 8-6.

Philadelphia’s bullpen sort of imploded in the 9th: Bagwell doubled and scored on a single by Hill, who scored on a double by Goldschmidt. Wynn then drew a bases loaded walk, and Gwynn singled in 2 more runs. The 5 run explosion made it 13-6, Houston.

Philadelphia had some baserunners, but it came to naught, and Houston took a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.

Brett and Gwynn had 3 hits each with Gwynn, now hitting .353 in the series, driving in 4 runs on the day.

The bottom of the Stars’ order came to play, with Dickey, Davis, and Utley each having 2 hits.

HOU 13 (Strasburg 1-0, Kern 2 H, McGraw 3 H) @ PHI 6 (Henderson 0-2)
HRs: HOU – Wynn (1); PHI – Utley (1), Rolen (1), Fregosi (3).
Box Score

#Game 5, Mon Oct 8

Perhaps surprisingly, the first team with a chance to clinch their spot in the Division Series is the Houston Colt 45’s. The stellar Toad Ramsey gets the ball for Houston, while the Stars will turn to Ray Collins.

Jeff Bagwell singled in a run in the top of the first, and then Paul Goldschmidt launched a ball deep into the OF. An odd bounce and a poor throw later, and Goldschmidt had an inside-the-park homerun and Houston had a 3-0 edge.

Ramsey started a bit rough giving up singles to Sherry Magee, Aaron Judge, and Scott Rolen to score 1 and a 2-out double to Charles Rogan, resetting the game in a tie. Houston nudged ahead again when George Brett, who had tripled, scored on an RBI groundout from Jorge Posada.

And then both pitchers remembered how to pitch: the score remained 4-3, Houston, through 6 innings, which marked the end of Collins’ day.

Bagwell greeted Brad Kilby with a solo shot in the top of the 8th, extending the lead to 5-3. Houston brought in Jim Kern for the 8th, and he struck out 2, preserving the 2 run advantage, and then they padded it, scoring 3 in the top of the 9th (2 on Carlos Correa‘s first homerun of the series).

The Colt 45’s brought in Sparky Lyle with a 5 run edge, leading 8-3. Rico Carty and Rogan whiffed, bringing Philadelphia to their last batter, catcher Bill Dickey … a hard groundball, fielded by Correa, rifled to first. And Houston is through to the Division Series!

Bagwell, Gwynn, Brett, and Posada each had 2 hits for the Colt 45’s.

HOU 8 (Ramsey 2-0) @ PHI 3 (Collins 0-1)
HRs: HOU – Goldschmidt (3), Bagwell (4), Correa (1); PHI – none.
Box Score

Bagwell, who hit .300 with 4 homeruns, was named Series MVP, but Goldschmidt and Gwynn deserved consideration as well. And, perhaps most importantly for Houston, Tug McGraw, Sparky Lyle, Jim Kern, and Andrew Chafin combined for over 10 innings of scoreless work out of the bullpen.

Aaron Judge (.421 with 4 homeruns and 6 RBIs) also deserved at least cursory MVP consideration.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Sailing under the radar for most of the season, Brooklyn still managed 99 victories, led by a ridiculously strong pitching staff.

The Royal Giants are one of the a very few teams with a legitimate top 4, and it’s unclear if Don Drysedale‘s 2nd half resurgence earns him a start in the opening game, given that Orel Hershiser (19-5, 3.69), Smokey Joe Williams (12-13, 3.93), and Fernando Valenzuela (14-5, 3.69) each had better seasons than Drysedale’s 11-8, 5.66 record.

The bullpen sports 2 of the dominant relievers of the league, with closer Eric Gagne and setup man Trevor Hildenberger, and Burleigh Grimes and Sandy Koufax provide excellent middle inning help when needed.

The offense is a notch below the pitching: Ron Cey and Mike Piazza are stars, and Dan Brouthers, John Briggs, Jackie Robinson, Beals Becker, and Duke Snider are all quite good. Vern Stephens and Dickie Thon seem to be sufficient at SS, and the versatility of Ray Dandridge helps around the IF, despite his lackluster offense.

George Hendrick has been lights out since being brought over in a trade, and makes the playoff roster ahead of swing starter Jim Bunning.

#Philadelphia Stars

Quite a turnaround for Philly, who were horrible last year, mediocre much of this year, and then turned it on the final few months to finish in 2nd place in the Effa Manley Division.

It’s an odd team in many ways. Clearly, Charles Rogan and his unique combination of a 308/362/620 slash line and legitimate #2 starter mound performances count for a lot, as does Aaron Judge breaking out with an OPS over 1.000, 63 homers, 133 RBI’s, and 108 runs scored. Scott Rolen is excellent at 3B, and Rico Carty held off the demons of age for another productive season.

And then the question marks start … Bill Dickey seems to be the answer behind the plate, but is untested, Sherry Magee could be useful, and the newly acquired Jim Fregosi might finally provide some stability at SS. Seems, could be, might …

The rotation is … odd. Hardie Henderson (18-12, 3.78) is probably the #1, but Steve Carlton‘s stuff is electric, despite a 12-13 record and a 5.05 ERA. Then, Rogan. Behind those, JM Ward has been far, far, far better than his 6-10 record would indicate and lefty Ray Collins is dependable.

Bob Howry, Ted Kennedy, Fred Cambria, and Pedro Feliciano form a solid, no-name bullpen (with trade acquisition Mark Melancon‘s selection to the postseason roster in doubt).

In the end, Melancon made it, as did the disappointing Harry Hooper, but that was more a function of a lack of relevant alternatives than anything else.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Most saw this Houston team as being a year or 2 away, but they kept winning through the Summer, and ended up topping the Marvin Miller Division by a comfortable margin.

The pitching staff is not structured as it was to start the season, as both Stephen Strasburg and Roy Oswalt have struggled mightily all season. Still, it’s a strong opening trio, led by the dominant Toad Ramsey (16-10, 3.23) and Roger Clemens (17-10, 3.71) and the now-healthy Ice Box Chamberlain (4-4, 3.56).

The bullpen has been poor all season, with Sparky Lyle (brought over to be the closer) struggling and Tug McGraw having his issues as well. Jim Kern has been a surprising bright spot, and Andrew Chafin and Roberto Osuna have been solid enough.

The offense is an intriguing mix. Carlos Correa, Jeff Bagwell, and Tony Gwynn are a solid core and Paul Goldschmidt has forced his way into the conversation in about 1/3 of a season’s work. Gentleman Jim O’Rourke has bounced back from a poor first season, and the rest of the pieces–mostly Jim Wynn and teenage phenom Pete Hill–are solid enough.

The worst news for Houston is that C Will Smith, who has absolutely destroyed WBL pitching since his recall, is not eligible for the postseason, putting the onus behind the plate on Jorge Posada, who has struggled. Given the presence of Gorman Thomas–who has also been on fire in limited action–we may see O’Rourke catching more than anticipated.

Thomas’ performance forced Casey Stengel off the playoff roster, as, especially with Dock Ellis injured for a few days, both Strasbourg and Oswalt made it.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

It came down to a playoff, but baseball fans are happy to see the ABC’s make the playoffs, as it extends the season for the best pitcher in baseball, Luis Padrón, and the emerging superstar Oscar Charleston.

The postseason likely brings an end to Indianapolis’ 6 man rotation, as the team will try to maximize the starts for Padrón (23-3, 3.22) and Johnny Cueto (12-14, 4.62). Eppa Rixey, Guy White, and Joe Lake are the most likely candidates behind those 2.

The back end of the bullpen was supposed to be a strength, but both Rob Dibble and Rob Murphy have struggle of late, leaving Jack Billingham and the surprising Mike LaCoss as the strongest performers at the moment.

Offensively, this is Charleston’s team, with the young CF slashing 337/381/619 with 38 homers, 130 RBIs, and 101 runs scored. Joey Votto and George Foster have been excellent and while Johnny Bench fell short of last year’s heights, 46 homers and 116 RBIs from behind the plate is nothing to sneeze at.

Chris Sabo has mostly displaced Ed Charles at 3B, but the biggest issue is the absence of Joe Morgan, who will miss the postseason through injury. Morgan was among the best in the game, and without him, the middle infield becomes pretty mediocre, relying on Tommy Helms and Barry Larkin.

#Predictions

Brooklyn is just that much better than Indianapolis across the board, so I think the Royal Giants take that one, 4-2.

The Houston/Philadelphia series is even harder to predict, and I think it is either very close, going the full 7 games, or Houston’s offense clicks on all cylinders and the Colt 45’s win in 5. Let’s say the former, with Houston edging it in a final contest.

#Monday

Miami moved in front of Detroit by a half game in the AL Wild Card race behind a great start from Phenomenal Smith, whose return may be a difference maker for the Cuban Giants. Smith gave up 1 run in 7 innings, moving to 4-0. Hal Newhouser was good for Detroit, but an early homer from Gary Sheffield and a late one from Joe Adcock sealed the game for Miami.

Cleveland was supposed to have an easy time of it, hosting the lowly Memphis Red Sox. But the Spiders’ bullpen collapsed, and they dropped a 9-8 decision to the visitors, who were powered by homers from Lefty O’Doul, Hack Wilson, and David Ortiz.

In a series that means more for Indianapolis than Philadelphia, the ABC’s opened with a decisive win, 15-8 over the Stars. Johnny Bench hit 2 out, and the game wasn’t as close as the score (Philadelphia tallied 5 in the 9th to make it more respectable).

#Tuesday

Detroit pulled back into a dead heat with Miami, pounding out 6 homeruns (2 from JD Martinez) in an 11-5 win. Ernie Lombardi, Tony Lazzeri, Oscar Gamble, and Ty Cobb also went deep for the Wolverines in an easy win for the visitors.

Memphis did it again, beating Cleveland 4-2, and dropping the Spiders 2.5 games behind the Black Yankees. Homers from Reggie Smith and Wade Boggs backed a strong showing from Stubby Overmire, who moved to 13-9 on the year. The Spiders, however, remained only 2 games behind the Black Yankees as New York fell to San Francisco, 9-0, as Bump Hadley improved to 18-6 with a masterful 1-hitter.

Philadelphia stormed back from a 7-1 deficit, beating the ABC’s 8-7 on a pinch-hit walkoff shot from Aaron Judge–his 60th of the year–in a game that saw 2 grandslams, one from Indianapolis’ Ed Swartwood, the other from the Stars’ Charles Rogan. This was good news for Houston, who dropped a 9-8 decision to the New York Gothams, who were powered by 2 homeruns from Willie Mays. Houston remains 3.5 games ahead in the Marvin Miller Division.

Riding an excellent start from Rick Reuschel, the House of David pulled into a tie with Kansas City by defeating the Monarchs 3-1. Reuschel was supported by Ryne Sandberg‘s 40th homer of the year, and the win leaves both teams 1 game behind Indianapolis in the Wild Card race.

#Wednesday

What you see depends on where you stand: Miami fans will be miserable at their bullpen’s performance, as the Cuban Giants’ relievers surrendered 11 runs over the final 4 innings n an 11-8 loss to Detroit. Wolverines fans, of course, will be applauding the clutch performance of their team, led by Juan Beníquez‘ 4 hits and 3 RBI’s from Charlie Gehringer and Bob Bailey. The win moves Detroit 1.5 games up in the Wild Card chase.

The Spiders are struggling, but they refuse to give up: a Larry Doby homerun and walkoff RBI single from John Ellis gave Cleveland a 9-8 win over Memphis, keeping them at least within touch of the Black Yankees for the Bill James Division crown. Willie McCovey hit his 15th homerun in 35 games, and Paul O’Neill (the first of his WBL career) and Ron Blomberg also went deep.

The Black Yankees fell to San Francisco, as Eddie Plank earned his 20th win of the season with 6 strong innings for the Sea Lions. San Francisco’s bullpen–Ken Howell, Joe Nathan, and closer Rod Beck–fanned 7 of the 9 batters they retired, with Beck earning his 40th save of the season.

Houston bounced back in a big way, using a phenomenal start from Ice Box Chamberlain and 7 homeruns to beat the Gothams, 9-2. Chamberlain allowed 1 hit in just under 8 innings, fanning 12 and 2 of the important cogs in the Colt 45’s late season surge–OF Gorman Thomas and C Will Smith–carried the team, twice launching back-to-back homeruns. Jim Wynn led off the game with a dinger, and Paul Goldschmidt and Jim O’Rourke also went deep.

The victory sealed the pennant for Houston, setting off raucous celebrations in the home dugout. It also meant all of the attention in the NL is now focused on the final Wild Card Spot, currently owned by Indianapolis, but with Kansas City and the House of David hot on their heels (and Homestead still hanging around with at least a mathematical chance).

After fighting back from a 6-1 deficit, Indianapolis suffered a gut-wrenching loss, falling to Philadelphia, 12-8. The Stars were led by homeruns from Sherm Lollar, Harmon Killebrew, Jung Ho Kang, and Sherry Magee.

Ryne Sandberg had 4 hits including a go-ahead solo homer in the bottom of the 8th as the House of David topped Kansas City, 6-5. Jack Taylor continued a late-season rebound with a solid start, but both bullpens struggled in this one. The victory moves the House of David into a dead heat with Indianapolis in the Wild Card chase, with Kansas City 1 game back.

#Thursday

Miami just refuses to lose: Cleveland had taken the lead, 5-4 in the 6th inning, but the Cuban Giants scored 8 runs in their final 2 frames in a 12-6 victory. Miami pounded out 17 hits, led by 3 each from Jim Thome and Martín Dihigo. The game was never sure: Cuban Giants pitchers gave up 8 walks, so the Spiders had constant traffic on the basepaths. But they did just enough, with homeruns from Julio Rodríguez, Dihigo, Alejandro Oms, and Thome.

With the result, the Spiders drop to 1.5 games behind the Black Yankees and the Cuban Giants move to 1 game behind Detroit in the Wild Card race.

Speaking of the Black Yankees … their bullpen continues to be their Achilles’ heel, with 4 relievers giving up 9 runs in 2.1 innings. Ouch. The big blows were homeruns from Jimmie Foxx and Bobby Bonds as San Francisco defeated New York, 13-10.

#Friday

The Black Yankees continue not to grab the Bill James Division by the throat, falling to lowly Baltimore 5-4 in the opening game of the final series of the season. Homers from Eddie Murray, Manny Machado, and a final go-ahead blast from Earl Averill gave the Black Sox the edge in another game that saw less than stellar performances from New York’s bullpen.

Two homers from Gary Sheffield carried Miami to a 5-4 win over Cleveland, preserving New York’s 1 game advantage, and keeping the pressure on Detroit. The Cuban Giants got another strong outing from Jim Whitney, and were able to fade a 9th inning comeback from the Spiders for the victory.

So what will Detroit do with their opportunity?

Play a game for the ages where they held leads of 3-1, 4-2, 9-5, and 10-6. And it was never enough as, after closer Mike Henneman was forced from the game with a back injury, Troy Percival came in and gave up a grand slam to Manny Ramírez and a walkoff shot to Gabby Hartnett. Both Ramírez and Hartnett had 2 homers in the game, while Al Kaline had 2 for Detroit. Kaline had 3 hits and 7 RBIs while Hartnett had 4 hits for Memphis. A true thriller of a game that leaves everything pretty much undecided.

The House of David fell to Houston 8-2, as all eyes turned to the 4 game series between Indianapolis and Kansas City.

Kansas City’s Smokey Joe Wood and the ABC’s’ Luis Padrón squared off in the series opener and while each pitched well, neither were involved in the decision. Instead, after a 2 run shot from Ducky Medwick tied the game, Kansas City won it on a sacrifice fly from Dale Murphy in the bottom of the 9th. So Padrón fails in his attempt to win his 24th game of the year and, more importantly, Kansas City forces a 3 way dead heat for the final Wild Card spot.

#Saturday

Memphis keeps embracing their role as spoiler while relying on a handful of late season call ups. In this case, Bucky Walters gave a good starting performance, Lefty O’Doul had 3 hits, and Wayne Causey drove in 2 with an 8th inning single for a 5-3 victory over Detroit.

It sure looks like Miami has found a key part of their rotation: Phenomenal Smith improved to 5-0, combining with Ricky Nolasco on a 3 hit shutout of Cleveland. Smith struck out 10 before yielding to Nolasco, for the last 2 outs. Martín Dihigo drove in 2 runs, continuing his second half surge.

Miami moves a full game ahead of Detroit for the Wild Card slot, and Cleveland falls 1.5 games behind the Black Yankees for the Bill James Division title, with New York’s magic number reduce to 1.

And then it was none. New York topped Baltimore 11-7 behind homers from Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, and Roger Maris, giving the Black Yankees their first Bill James Division title.

Oh boy … Indianapolis has nobody to blame but themselves.

Behind a great start from Johnny Cueto and 3 RBI’s from Oscar Charleston, the ABC’s took a 6-2 lead into the bottom of the 9th, with their closer, Rob Dibble, on the mound. Dibble got one out, and then 16 of his next 20 pitches missed the strike zone, resulting in 4 consecutive walks, scoring a run. Rob Murphy relieved Dibble, and an RBI groundout and 2 wild pitches later, the game was tied at 6.

Cool Papa Bell walked in the bottom of the 10th, stole second, and scored on a hit from Ozzie Smith, moving Kansas City a game ahead in the Wild Card race.

#Sunday

The final day of the season leaves both final Wild Card spots up for grabs: in the AL, Miami has a 1 game lead over Detroit and in the NL, Kansas City has the edge over both Indianapolis and the House of David.

Miami was unable to clinch it: Larry Doby became the 2nd player in WBL history (and the first in the AL) to hit 4 homeruns in a game, driving in 7 as Cleveland topped the Cuban Giants, 13-7. That leaves Miami’s fate in the hands of Detroit later in the day.

Detroit used a mix of the old reliable–2 homeruns from Al Kaline and 1 from Ty Cobb–and the newly acquired (a strong start from Connie Johnson and key innings from Steve Howe and Troy Percival) to beat Memphis, 8-4.

And so, we finish in a dead heat.

Eppa Rixey combined with 4 relievers (including an important 1.2 innings from Doc Mitchell), leading the ABC’s to a 7-3 win over Kansas City, meaning Indianapolis and the Monarchs finish with identical 79-83 records. The only question is if the House of David will join them in a 3-way tie for the final playoff spot.

Nope.

The House of David tried valiantly, and even outhit Houston, 10-8, but they fell to the Colt 45’s, 10-9 in a game that saw Tony Gwynn rap out 3 hits, reaching 200 on the season. Richie Hebner, Ryne Sandberg, and Anthony Rizzo each had 2 hits, but they didn’t get enough support as the House of David season ends, falling just short of the postseason.

#Monday

So, two playoff games, winner makes the postseason.

#AL

First up, we have Miami visiting Detroit.

The Cuban Giants will turn to Hugh McQuillan who, despite being roughed up in his last start, has been solid for Miami. If he struggles early, look for Jim Whitney to try to give the team some innings on short rest. For Detroit, Pete Conway will take the mound, also on a pretty short leash.

Ty Cobb may be almost universally disliked, but his baseball talent cannot be denied: he launched a 3 run homer in the top of the first and a grand slam in the 2nd, helping Detroit to a 9-0 lead after 2 innings.

Conway, meanwhile, had allowed a single run on 3 hits through 5, and left after 6 with the score 13-2.

Miami scored 3 in the 9th, but fell well short, 14-5. In the end, a just result, as Detroit really feels like the better team. Still, the Cuban Giants went from being the worst team in the league to being this close to the playoffs: a good year for them.

Cobb finished with 2 homers and 7 RBIs, and Al Kaline, Charlie Gehringer, Ernie Lombardi, and Hank Greenberg each also went deep. There was some bad news on Greenberg, who will be out of action for a few days with a leg injury.

#NL

Indianapolis would turn to Doc White while Kansas City gave the start to young Matt Morris.

Kansas City took an early lead on Albert Pujols‘ second homerun of the game, pulling ahead 6-3 after 3 innings, with the ABC’s runs coming on longballs from George Foster and Chris Sabo.

Morris was OK–not great, but not bad–until Tommy Helms singled and scored on a double from Barry Larkin in the top of the 4th. A Bob Bescher walk put runners on the corner, and fetched Frank Castillo from the bullpen. The move backfired as Sabo and Oscar Charleston singled and, after a couple of outs, Johnny Bench brought home 2 with a single of his own, giving Indianapolis an 8-7 lead. Foster followed with his 2nd dinger of the game, extending the lead to 10-7 and chasing Castillo. His successor, Bob Shawkey, gave upa solo shot to Helms and when all of the dust settled, the ABC’s had scored 8 and were up 11-7.

The ABC’s coasted from there, riding additional homeruns by Ed Charles and Sabo to a 15-8 win, powering Indianapolis into the postseason. Sabo drove in 5 and Foster 4, with each of them notching 3 hits on the day.

Kansas City had ridden its pitching staff all year; here their arms betrayed them, surrendering 14 hits and 15 runs.

#Birmingham Black Barons

SS Wally Gerber announced his retirement.

JP Arencibia and Eddie Mathews each hit 2 out as Birmingham topped Indianapolis, 9-4. Lefty Gomez carried a no-hitter through 6 innings, and Hank Aaron and Jim Pagliaroni also went deep for the Black Barons.

Then, Adrián González and Albert Belle did the same, pounding 2 homers each in a 13-7 victory over Indianapolis. Belle drove in 6, giving him 99 on the year.

Aaron again hit 2 out, but the Black Barons fell to Houston in 10 innings, 7-6. There were some positives: Greg Maddux had a good start, something of which they’ll need more of if they want to slide into that final Wild Card slot.

#Houston Colt 45s

37 year old backstop Bob Boone announced his retirement, as well as a desire to go into coaching.

The Colt 45’s had one of their most dominant showings of the year in a 22-1 triumph over Ottawa. Roger Clemens improved to 17-9 with 8+ innings and 10 strikeouts, and the team rapped out 8 homeruns, including 2 from Jeff Bagwell. Bagwell drove in 8 on the day, eclipsing the century mark on the season. Paul Goldschmidt, Jim Wynn, Elliott Maddox, Will Smith, Craig Biggio, and Jackie Warner each also went deep for Houston, and the win extended the Colt 45’s lead in the Marvin Miller Division to 4 games.

Indianapolis ABC’s

Luis Padrón remains superlative, improving to 22-3 with a 4 hit shutout of Philadelphia. Chris Sabo had 2 homers as the ABC’s triumphed, 8-0.

George Foster drove in a half-dozen runs as the ABC’s came from behind to beat Philadelphia 10-8. Foster and Ed Charles had 3 hits each and Foster, Charles, and Johnny Bench each went deep.

#Kansas City Monarchs

The Monarchs recalled Dale Murphy from a rehab assignment, sending utility speedster Rex Hudler back to AAA. More importantly, Smokey Joe Wood began his own rehab, with a goal of being back with the big club by the end of the week.

Wood was indeed recalled, with Dustin Hermanson being returned to AAA. Wood will start in the bullpen, but should re-enter the rotation next week.

#Wandering House of David

Jim Clinton began a rehab assignment, and then was recalled with Frank Sullivan heading to AAA.

Speedy minor league OFer Bob Dernier retired.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Roy Oswalt fanned 14, but took the loss in a 7-2 defeat by the House of David. Neither Oswalt’s heroics nor Tony Gwynn‘s 4 hits could help Houston, who still maintain a 1 game lead in the Marvin Miller Division.

Travis Jackson, Will Smith, and Jackie Warner were recalled to fill out the Colt 45’s bench.

George Brett went deep twice and Warner hit one out in his first WBL at bat as Houston topped Indianapolis, 11-6.

Wow. Gorman Thomas and Paul Goldschmidt each hit 3 homeruns as Houston topped Indianapolis, 12-7. Roger Clemens wasn’t great, but he did whiff 10 en route to improving his record to 15-9.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Luis Padrón won his 19th game of the year, striking out 10 as the ABC’s topped Homestead, 3-2. Padrón struggled some, but Indianapolis’ bullpen came through with 3 solid innings of relief, including Rob Dibble‘s 19th save of the season, to nail down the victory.

Johnny Bench went deep twice, leading the ABC’s to an 8-2 win over Homestead. Then Joey Votto did the same, hitting 2 out and reaching 30 on the season as the ABC’s topped Houston, 7-5.

Bob Bescher swiped 5 bases, but the ABC’s couldn’t overcome 6 homeruns by Houston in a 12-7 loss.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Albert Pujols hit 2 out to reach 33 on the season, but the Monarchs’ bullpen couldn’t hold a lead and Kansas City fell to Philadelphia, 8-7.

After the game, Dale Murphy suffered a mysterious burn on his arm, and will miss about a week. Sam Mongin was recalled to provide some depth in the middle infield.

José Rijo delivered another gem, this one a 2 hit shutout of Philadelphia. Rijo walked 2 and fanned 6 in the 3-0 win, getting all the support he needed from 3 solo homeruns–2 from Boog Powell and 1 from Robinson Canó.

#Wandering House of David

Both Richie Hebner and Ernie Banks went deep twice, leading the House of David to an 11-4 win over Birmingham.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

Houston is just an odd team right now. Solid starting pitching, good speed, a strong ability to get on base … but very little power, a horrendous bullpen, and some very unsettled positions, at least at present.

THE OFFENSE

The most important thing is how young this team is. Only Jorge Posada (36) and Jim O’Rourke (29) are on the far side of the magic age of 27, and and George Brett and Jim Wynn (23), Carlos Correa (22), and Pete Hill (19) are well under it.

#What’s Going Right

Jeff Bagwell, Carlos Correa, and Tony Gwynn all have OPS over .900, although Gwynn’s has fallen since an earlier flirtation with a .400 BA. Bagwell looks to be on the very edge of stardom, but it is Correa, who is slashing 326/404/553, who may be the biggest surprise.

Jim Wynn has 27 HRs, second on the team to Bagwell’s 28.

Jim O’Rourke has bounced back from a disappointing first season, slashing 258/362/500 in a super-utility role.

Mention must be made of Paul Goldschmidt, who has 8 homers in under 100 PAs, making the most of his limited chances.

#What’s Not Going Right

Jorge Posada struggles offensively, with an OPS under .750. Not horrific for a backstop, but not good.

Pete Hill continue to show power, but his .765 OPS won’t cut it in a WBL OF. BUT, Hill is 19, so you could also see this as part of what’s going right.

George Brett and Craig Biggio both continue to show flashes of great talent, along with long periods of low production. But with the departure of HR Johnson, the team seems committed to each of them for the future.

Andrés Galarraga bounced down from an excellent first season, earning himself a trip to AAA.

THE PITCHING

A real challenge: there are some truly top end performances here in Ramsey and Clemens, and then a lot of potential. And lets not even discuss the bullpen.

Some of the same comments as with the position players: Oswalt is the aged veteran of the crew at 27, so this is a very young staff (and that doesn’t even account for teenage phenom Leon Day at AAA).

#What’s Going Right

Toad Ramsey is putting together one of the best seasons in WBL history, sitting at 13-9 with a a3.19 ERA and 217 strikeouts. The knuckleballer has been absolutely dominant, with a 6.6 WAR on the mound so far.

Roger Clemens has been excellent, matching Ramsey in wins with a very impressive 3.60 ERA of his own.

Andrew Chafin has been excellent in the bullpen, as have (in very limited action so far) Jim Kern and Roberto Osuna (Kern is a special surprise, after being torched last season).

Ice Box Chamberlain seems to have recovered from injury, posting a 3.41 ERA over his 7 starts.

#What’s Not Going Right

Roy Oswalt and Stephen Strasbourg are just frustrating, mixing good outings with horrible one, with both of them posting ERA’s over 6.00.

The bullpen has been quite poor, especially since Tug McGraw–fairly effective as a closer–hit the DL.

John Franco and Chafin are the only arms left from the start of the year, with Brad Lidge, Kent Tekulve, and Billy Wagner all having moved back to AAA (and, in Tekulve’s case, out of the system entirely).

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

This is a strong system, at least on the field. In the OF, César Cedeño (who was OK in the WBL earlier in the season), Kirby Puckett (who wasn’t), Shin-Soo Choo, and Von Joshua all have some promise.

3B Edgar Martínez may be the best bat in the system, and SS Travis Jackson clearly has WBL talent. Add to that C Will Smith–who may replace Posada as soon as next season–and you have a decent amount of talent.

On the mound, it’s a little more spare, but Vida Blue and Leon Day are still teenagers as is Ice Box Chamberlain. Additionally, at least a couple from the group of Bret Saberhagen, Bill Harper, Carlos Rodón (part of the HR Johnson trade), and Rick Wise should emerge as WBL rotation starters.

WHAT’S NEEDED

The Colt 45’s just need to continue to develop, especially on the mound.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

• Can the bullpen perform? Some indications (McGraw, Chad Qualls, and Andrew Chafin‘s performance last year in small samples) are positive; others not so much (the size of those samples, Kent Tekulve‘s challenges). In a word, no. Although, McGraw should be back soon, and he, Chafin, and the newly-acquired Sparky Lyle do give Houston as good a trio of lefties as you can want.
• Who emerges at C? Evidently, nobody. Currently, it rotates between Posada, Craig Biggio, and O’Rourke, but the latter two are really not catchers. Look for Will Smith here next season.

FEATURED SERIES

Houston heads to Homestead to start the week for a four game series.

Projected Starters

Houston’s starter listed first.

Ice Box Chamberlain (2-3, 3.41) @ David Price (3-6, 5.33)
Toad Ramsey (13-9, 3.19) @ Doug Drabek (4-5, 5.04)
Roger Clemens (13-8, 3.60) @ Billy Pierce (9-7, 5.07)
Roy Oswalt (6-8, 6.44) @ Juan Marichal (8-11, 6.10)

I mean, a sweep is not out of the question. But both of these teams are just so inconsistent, I would say a series split is the most likely outcome.

Game One

David Price‘s debut start for Homestead gets to wait a little while, as Doug Drabek gets the nod for the Grays against Ice Box Chamberlain.

Paul Goldschmidt drove in a run with a single in the top of the first but Willie Stargell tied it up in the bottom of the frame. Chamberlain struggled with his command, surrendering a solo shot to Rick Reichardt, then hitting both Owen Wilson and Honus Wagner. But he settled down and got out of the inning without further damage.

The bottom of the 5th saw Josh Gibson–already with 2 doubles on the day–go deep for his 35th homerun, extending the lead to 5-1.

The Colt 45’s closed to 5-3 in the 6th, chasing Drabek from the mound with 2 outs on an RBI groundout from Carlos Correa and a seeing eye single through the left side from Goldschmidt.

Tony Gwynn brought the Colt 45’s within 1, and then, in the top of the 9th and facing the newly-aquired Robb Nen, Jim Wynn launched one out of the park to tie the game. Then Gorman Thomas hit his 4th homerun in 15 at-bats and, out of nowhere, Houston had a 7-5 lead. Nen couldn’t make it out of the inning, and when the smoke cleared, the Colt 45’s had a 4 run lead, 9-5.

Craig Biggio, Gwynn, and Goldschmidt each had 3 hits for Houston while Gibson had 4 hits and 3 RBI’s for the Grays in a losing effort.

HOU 9 (Osuna 2-1) @ HOM 5 (Nen 1-1, 1 BSv; Price 1 H; Friend 1 H)
HRs: HOU – Wynn (28), Thomas (4); HOM – Reichardt (34), Gibson (35).
Box Score

Game Two

Game two will see the stellar Toad Ramsey face off against Homestead’s Billy Pierce.

After a Tony Gwynn double, Jeff Bagwell drove in his 90th run of the year with a single in the top of the first. Jim Wynn followed with his 29th homer of the year, and the Colt 45’s staked Ramsey to a 3-0 lead.

But this Grays team is hard to put away: Rick Reichardt hit a 2 run shot, making it a 1 run game.

Houston seemed to have Pierce’s number, though: Pete Hill and Jorge Posada hit back to back homers in the 2nd, and Jim O’Rourke singled in another run in the 4th, extending the lead to 6-2.

Back to back doubles from Andrew McCutcheon and Judy Johnson made it 6-3, but that was really it. Houston scored some more, notably on Posada’s second drive of the game, but the outcome had already been secured for Houston.

HOU 10 (Ramsey 14-9) @ HOM 3 (Pierce 9-8)
HRs: HOU – Wynn (29), Posada 2 (11), Hill (8); HOM – Reichardt (35).
Box Score

Game Three

Bartolo Colón will take the ball for the Grays in game 3, opposed by Houston’s Roger Clemens as the Colt 45’s look to take the first 3 of the series.

Josh Gibson took Clemens deep in the bottom of the 1st, and Roberto Clemente did the same in the 2nd for an early Grays lead. Meanwhile, Colón was dealing, allowing no runs and 3 hits over 5 innings.

Clemens had to exit with back pain after 5, relieved by Dock Ellis.

Homestead added 2 more on an Andy Van Slyke bomb in the 8th, but the story was Colón, who took the mound in the 9th with a 3 hit shutout. He walked Craig Biggio with 2 outs, but got Tony Gwynn to fly out to LF to preserve the shutout and, more importantly, the victory.

With the shutout, Colón lowered his ERA on the year to 0.45 over 20 innings.

HOU 0 (Oswalt 6-8; Blue 1 H; Kern 1 H) @ HOM 4 (Williams 10-11)
HRs: HOU – none; HOM – Gibson (36), Clemente (21), Van Slyke (24).
Box Score

It was good news for Houston after the game, as Clemens is expected to make his next start.

Game Four

Roy Oswalt will try to get the Colt 45’s the series win, but Cliff Lee, making his first start since his injury, will try to even it up for Homestead. Both teams have minor league franchises deep in the thick of it and hence have not yet benefitted from the full roster expansion.

Oswalt has struggled all year, laboring to a 6-8 record and an ERA in the mid 6.00’s.

Paul Goldschmidt drove in a run in the top of the first, but the score was evened at 1 when Judy Johnson scored on a passed ball. The Grays surged ahead, 4-1, on a 2 run shot from Goose Goslin and a solo homer from Andrew McCutcheon in the 2nd.

A bad throw from McCutcheon allowed a run to score for Houston in the 5th, halving the lead to 4-2, Homestead.

Oswalt couldn’t make it out of the 5th, as a walk to Willie Stargell and a single by Mike Epstein prompted Houston to turn to young Vida Blue out of the pen.

Goldschmidt chased Lee with a game-tying shot into the right field stands in the 6th, and his relief, Bob Friend, allowed a deep shot to George Brett, giving the 1 run lead back to Houston at 5-4. Johnson went yard in the 6th, and we were all tied once more, 5-5.

McCutcheon’s second error of the day allowed Ice Box Chamberlain (on as a pinch runner) to score the go-ahead run in the 7th as Casey Stengel celebrated his return from a rehab assignment with a slow bouncer up the middle that the Grays’ CF let go under his glove.

Jim Wynn added a homerun, and–perhaps more importantly–Tug McGraw and Sparky Lyle closed the game out, offering hope for some stability at the back end of the Colt 45’s bullpen.

HOU 7 (Blue 1-0; Lyle 1 Sv; McGraw 1 H; Osuna 4 H) @ HOM 5 (Friend 5-10)
HRs: HOU – Goldschmidt (9), Brett (14), Wynn (30); HOM – Goslin (7), McCutcheon (19), Johnson (6).
Box Score

Houston took the series, putting themselves in prime position to overtake Kansas City for the Division lead. It was a strong performance: power, starting pitching, and most importantly, a bullpen that may be finally coming together at the most important time of the year.

Some notes on these:

• Needs reflect places where the minor league systems are thin on talent and the general shape of WBL level talent needed.
• The second three bullets (Prospects, AAA Help, WBL Help) are possible players that could be available in the right context..

#BUYERS

These are teams looking to solidify their talent or make a push for the post-season. In a perfect world, they have some young talent to spare as well.

#Birmingham Black Barons

Yeah, they’re in 5th place, but they’re also only 4 games back, so there’s hope. The Black Barons have been ingenious at past deadlines, we’ll see if they can continue the trend.

Needs: IF, P, Minor League SS/3B

Prospects: OF Melky Cabrera, Curt Flood, Gary Matthews; IF Nate Colbert, Hal Trosky
AAA Help: P Tommy Bond; IF Pie Traynor
MLB Help: OF Bob Nieman

#Cleveland Spiders

Could use another SP, as well as a help in the middle infield–Chuck Knoblauch is skating along on last year’s performance, and there isn’t any depth to speak of at 2B/SS despite Steve Sax‘s excellent first 50 PA’s.

Needs: Minor League 2B/SS.

Prospects: OF Paul O’Neill, Kenny Lofton; IF Johnny Hodapp
AAA Help: P Chuck Porter, Claude Passeau; IF Bob Elliott, Brook Jacoby
MLB Help: IF Willie McCovey

#Homestead Grays

A Wild Card spot is likely for the Grays, who have a powerhouse offense and a desperate need for pitching. With some young talent blocked, they may be able to make some moves.

Needs: Bullpen is aging

Prospects: OF Max Carey, Paul Waner; IF Freddie Lindstrom
AAA Help: OF Starling Marte; IF Jeff Kent, P Brickyard Kennedy
MLB Help: OF Goose Goslin

#Houston Colt 45’s

Another team caught between a wild card chase and building for the future, the Colt 45’s would love to address their one ongoing need, which is a catcher to take over from the aging Jorge Posada, as some in the organization are not yet sold on Will Smith as the longterm solve behind the plate. There is a crunch at 1B/DH as well, as there really aren’t enough AB’s to go around for both Paul Goldschmidt and the recently demoted Andrés Galaragga.

Needs: Minor League C, SS.

Prospects: IF Bucky Dent, Travis Jackson, Wes Helms; OF César Cedeño, Hunter Pence, Shin-Soo Choo
AAA Help: P Mike Sirotka, Óscar Tuero; IF Carney Lansford, Aramis Ramírez, OF Gorman Thomas, Johnny Damon
MLB Help: Various bullpen pieces may be possible

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Another team riding the wild card roller coaster. The ABC’s are solid offensively, but struggle some behind their top end starters. There are some blocked players–perhaps most notably Jake Stenzel–so there are some pieces available.

Needs: Minor League OF

Prospects: OF Jim Eisenreich, IF Pokey Reese, Sean Casey, Hal Morris
AAA Help: P Johnny Vandeer Meer; OF Jody Gerut, Dave Henderson, Ed Swartwood; IF Dan Driessen
MLB Help: OF Jake Stenzel, Bob Bescher, IF Ed Charles

#Kansas City Monarchs

This Monarchs team will make the playoffs a year or two ahead of schedule so the choice of how much to surrender for immediate success is a bit challenging. At some point, some of the positional logjams need to be sorted out (Albert Pujols, Dale Murphy, and Ducky Medwick; Willie McGee and Cool Papa Bell), but it’s not clear that now is that time.

Needs: Minor League C; WBL Offense

Prospects: OF Wade Johnston, Earl Averill; IF Keston Hiura, Pat Burrell
AAA Help: P Adam Wainwright, Jack Quinn; IF Ken Boyer, Andre Thornton; OF Merv Rettenmund, Jim King
MLB Help: P Matt Morris, Luke Hamlin

#New York Black Yankees

Once again the Black Yankees are trying to find the right piece to extend their postseason run. At some point, they’ll need to solve their post Derek Jeter needs at SS, but this is probably not that time.

Needs: Minor League OF; P; future SS.

Prospects: OF Rob Deer, Clyde Milan
AAA Help: OF Roger Maris; IF Tom Herr, Red Rolfe; P AJ Burnett
MLB Help: P Rheal Cormier, Red Ruffing, Waite Hoyt

#MEH

A mix of teams doing well enough not need anything (San Francisco) and those not willing to give up much because they like their current talent composition moving into Year 3. Never say never, as these teams do have some pieces, but they are far less motivated to get something done at the deadline.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

This team is just beginning to gel, but they could use some offense and they are one of the few franchises with arms to spare.

Needs: SS if unconvinced by Vern Stephens; Minor League 1B

Prospects: OF Matty Alou, Raúl Mondesi, Don Mueller; IF Sonny Jackson, Ken McMullen, Maury Wills; P Doc Newton, Zach Britton
MLB Help: IF Germany Smith, Dick Bertell
AAA Help: IF Jim Gentile, Eric Karros; C Kelly Shoppach; P Ron Perranoski

#Detroit Wolverines

They’re in an odd spot: on the one hand, they are likely to be in the wild card chase; on the other, this is a team well positioned for the future, and eager to cement that status. There are a lot of pieces that are over 30, but none–other than perhaps Oscar Gamble–are key cogs in the Wolverines’ machine.

Needs: Minor League 3B; IF, esp SS; P.

Prospects: IF Wander Franco
MLB Help: OF Oscar Gamble
AAA Help: OF Brady Clark, Wes Covington; IF Jimmy Collins; P Dennis Rasmussen

#Miami Cuban Giants

The Cuban Giants have an outside shot at a wildcard slot, but this is a team building for the future. As such, I would expect them to stand pat, or perhaps move some end of roster pieces for minor league depth.

Needs: Minor League OF, 3B, 1B; WBL P.

Prospects: OF Roy Thomas, Carlos Morán
MLB Help: P Sandy Consuegra, Kenshin Kawakami; OF Andy Pafko
AAA Help: IF Nellie Fox

#Ottawa Mounties

Even though the Mounties have a shot at the playoffs, this is a team trying to position itself for the future, which basically means begging everyone and anyone for pitching.

Needs: Minor League SS, 3B, C. SP.

Prospects: OF Warren Cromartie, Willie Upshaw, Willie Keeler, Leon Roberts
MLB Help: P Bryn Smith; IF Roy Sievers; OF Rick Monday
AAA Help: IF John Olerud; OF Terry Puhl, Bob Allison; C Emil Gross; P Chris Bosio

#Philadelphia Stars

The Stars are on the fringe of the playoffs, but really this is a team aiming at cementing and building around its emerging nucleus. As such, some of its useful veterans may be available; at the same time, Philadelphia would love to add some pitching and address its issues in the middle infield.

Needs: MI, P, WBL Offense.

Prospects: ???
MLB Help: OF Rico Carty; P Bob Howry, Robin Roberts, Pedro Feliciano; IF Art Fletcher, Ted Kluszewski
AAA Help: OF Bobby Abreu; IF Jung Ho Kang, Dolph Camilli, Cecil Cooper; C Sherm Lollar

#San Francisco Sea Lions

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That said, if an easy piece comes available, it’s unlikely the Sea Lions ignore the opportunity.

Needs: Minor League 1B

Prospects: OF Jules Thomas, Matt Holliday; IF Freddie Freeman; P Jair Jurrjens
MLB Help:
AAA Help: IF Dick Green, Denny Walling; OF Josh Reddick; P Rube Walberg

#Wandering House of David

Even the House of David isn’t convinced their playoff chances are real. Still … they might be. So it’s a bit of a quandary in terms of whether they should move some of their young talent or not. The challenge is the roster really doesn’t make a ton of sense: CF is overly crowded, 1B/DH as well, and there is an abundance of talent at 2B.

Needs: P

Prospects: OF Tony Conigliaro; IF Billy Herman
MLB Help: OF Jim Edmonds, George Gore; IF Mark McGwire, Richie Hebner
AAA Help: P Joaquín Andújar; IF Tom Hutton, Mark Grace; OF Tracy Jones

#SELLERS

Teams with either an excess of talent, or who have thrown in the towel on the season and have some veteran pieces that may be attractive.

#Baltimore Black Sox

Last year’s champs, this year’s dunces. Baltimore believes in its young core, a belief that may see them retain FA acquisition Gavvy Cravath, but even he may be had for the right price.

Needs: all P, Minor League OF.

MLB Help: IF Bobby Wallace, Dan McGann; P Buddy Groom, Connie Johnson, Joe Beggs
AAA Help: P Ken Johnson, Kevin Tapani, Christhian Martínez; OF Ken Griffey, Sr; IF Brian Roberts

#Chicago American Giants

The season cannot end soon enough. Chicago has talent to be a contender, but nothing has gone right for them this season. They are willing to blow up their pitching staff, from a how much worse could it be perspective.

Needs: Minor League OF, C; prime P

Prospects: IF Jorge Orta; OF Walter Davis, Lenny Dykstra
MLB Help: P Akinori Otsuka, Joe Lake, Mark Buehrle, Hoyt Wilhelm, David Price; IF Paul Konerko, Freddy Parent; OF Vernon Wells
AAA Help: OF Rocky Colavito, Magglio Ordóñez; C Michael McKenry

#Los Angeles Angels

It hasn’t been a bad year for the Angels, but they are still a player or three away. There is a lot of mound talent in the organization, but they could use some long term solutions at SS, 3B, and C.

Needs: Minor League OF, C, 2B; WBL Offense.

Prospects: OF Norm Miller
MLB Help: IF Eddie Joost
AAA Help: OF Elmer Valo; IF Mark Ellis; P Rich Hill

#Memphis Red Sox

There is hope in Beantown. Just not for this year. There also are some pieces that may hold attraction for contenders, most notably 1B Bill White (with the Red Sox happy to turn 1B over to David Ortiz) and closer Jonathan Papelbon. There is a lot of congestion at various positions that needs to clarify over time.

Needs: Minor League C, SS; SP; 2B/SS

Prospects: IF Dustin Pedroia, OF Joe Rudi, Dwight Evans, Lefty O’Doul, Candy Jim Taylor, P Jim Kaat
MLB Help: P Tommy de la Cruz, Jonathan Papelbon; IF Bill White, DJ LeMahieu, Iván De Jesús, Nomar Garciaparra
AAA Help: IF George Scott, Dustin Pedroia

#New York Gothams

With this season pretty much scrapped, the Gothams are looking to the future. Which puts them in an interesting spot, as they have a fair number of useful parts on the wrong side of 30. But it’s not a total fire sale, as the team isn’t that far away from competing.

Needs: Minor League SS, C, 2B; SS

Prospects: OF Rick Manning
MLB Help: P Mike Norris, Juan Marichal, Troy Percival, Gaylord Perry; IF Joe Adcock, Larry Doyle, Terry Turner
AAA Help: OF Carl Furillo, Steve Kemp, Charlie Hamburg; IF George Kell; P Liván Hernández, Wei-Yin Chen, Tony Mullane, Guy Hecker

#Portland Sea Dogs

In some sense, the Sea Dogs did their selling already, both during the offseason and the all star break. But this year is still a wash for Portland, so anything they can do to help build for the future will be worthwhile.

Needs: 2B/SS, overall WBL Offense.

Prospects: ???
MLB Help: OF Kiki Cuyler, Harry Hooper; IF Gil Hodges; P Mark Melancon
AAA Help: IF Don Baylor, Rafael Palmeiro; OF Walt Bond, Jerald Clark

#Birmingham Black Barons

JP Arencibia continued to grow in Black Barons’ folklore, tying the league record with 3 homeruns in a 13-5 victory over Brooklyn. Albert Belle went deep twice and Bob Nieman, Gene Tenace, and Adrían González each homered once for Birmingham. John Malarkey was decent, improving to 5-2 on the season.

#Houston Colt 45’s

With Casey Stengel set to miss over a month, the Colt 45’s made 2 moves, first sending struggling 1B/DH Andrés Galarraga to AAA in exchange for Paul Goldschmidt, who will slide into the same role and then also recalling closer Roberto Osuna to help out in the bullpen.

George Brett had 3 doubles and Tony Gwynn added 3 hits of his own as the Colt 45’s topped Kansas City, 10-7. After a(nother) poor start from Roy Oswalt, Houston’s bullpen finally delivered up to expectations, with Dock Ellis getting the win and John Franco, Brad Lidge, and Tug McGraw closing out the contest.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

The ABC’s finally ran out of patience with Dick Tidrow, and when the veteran refused to be demoted, Indianapolis released him. The ABC’s recalled Mike LaCoss from AAA.

OF Jake Stenzel started a rehab assignment, although it’s not clear where Stenzel fits in once he’s recalled to the WBL.

Joe Morgan went deep twice, but a late comeback was thwarted as the ABC’s fell to Birmingham, 9-8.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Bad news for the Monarchs, as Lou Brock will miss 6-7 months with a broken bone. With Kansas City struggling, the Monarchs decided to reach down to AA and give the awfully impressive Cool Papa Bell a chance. Bell–perhaps even faster than Brock–was slashing 376/428/656 at Oklahoma City before his recall. It’s a bold move, but one that perhaps overlooks what Merv Rettenmund has done at AAA.

José Rijo continues to run hot and cold in the extreme: the owner of the WBL’s only no-hitter combined with Jeff Pfeffer on a 4 hit shutout of Houston. Rijo whiffed 10 and Ducky Medwick tripled and homered in the 3-0 victory.

The Monarchs demolished Houston behind a complete game effort from Smokey Joe Wood, who improved his record to 10-6. Both Ted Simmons and Willie McGee had 3 doubles and Medwick drove in 5 as Kansas City pounded out 19 hits in the 14-1 win.

#Wandering House of David

Sammy Sosa went deep 3 times (for the 2nd time this season) and Ernie Banks twice as the House of David overcame a rough start to beat Homestead, 12-6. Banks and Sosa drove in 4 runs each, and Ron Santo added 3 RBI’s, with the win going to Bob Rush, who improved to 7-6 despite giving up 6 runs in 5 innings.

Ferguson Jenkins put on what was easily his best outing of the year, allowing 3 hits in 7 shutout innings while fanning 11 in a 5-2 win over Homestead.

Exactly how the roster shapes up, from C to MI to the reserve spots, all have to be answered.

Injuries

George Brett will miss the first few weeks of the season with a knee injury.

First Cuts

Of the starters, only Leon Day has struggled, but the teenager holds onto his position for now on the strength of his work last season. But some clarity has emerged among the relievers, where Óscar Tuero, Scott Bankhead, and Roberto Osuna were all sent down.

That leaves 22 pitchers in camp, so there will be more movement here over the next week.

Cs Bob Boone and Cy Perkins were sent down, along with Felipe Alou and, in Paul Goldschmidt, Aramis Ramírez, and Carney Lansford, three players who continue to show incredible promise at the plate until an actual game starts, when they can no longer make any contact.

3B remains a bit up in the air, as nobody has really hit–teen phenom Edgar Martínez has shown excellent plate discipline, but has yet to get a hit and Russ Adams has probably been the best of the group, with an OPS of .500.But, in all likelihood, the Colt 45’s are really just looking for someone to backup George Brett occasionally.

Bama Rowell‘s strong start at 2B keeps that position a bit crowded, while Shawon Dunstan heads to the minors, clearing a little room at SS.

In the OF, César Cedeño and Derek Bell have impressed, while Ken Henderson, Kirby Puckett, Shin-Soo Choo, and Hunter Pence have all been returned to minor league camp.

Which leaves the frustrating case of Jim O’Rourke, who refuses to show any potential at the plate, but has so much defensive flexibility that he retains a spot in camp. For the time being.

Second Cuts

Chad Qualls has imploded, giving up 12 hits in just over 2 innings of work, and earning a ticket to the minors along with Bill Harper, Harry Staley, and Wade Davis.

Jim O’Rourke and Rick Cerone were also sent down.

Of the 2B/SS/3B in camp, only Bama Rowell and Craig Biggio are hitting over .200, with only Edgar Martínez‘ eye for the strike zone joining them in having an OPS over .500. Someone has to catch fire here, but until then, they all remain.

The OFers also remain, as the worst performers–Jim Wynn and Casey Stengel–did enough last season to be virtually guaranteed roster spots.

Third Cuts

The bullpen is coming into focus, ending Chris Saenz‘ time in camp. Dock Ellis sticks around, but only as a hedge against Vida Blue‘s injury diagnosis, which should be forthcoming shortly.

Young draftee Edgar Martínez was sent to the minors, leaving only 2 players capable of playing 3B in camp in Russ Adams and the presumed starter until George Brett returns from injury, Grant Johnson.

The battle between Jason Castro and Will Smith to backup Jorge Posada at C is fierce, and Kevin Young, Bama Rowell, and César Cedeño are all making strong arguments for roster spots.

Final Cuts

SS Travis Jackson heads to AAA, along with MI partner, 2B Bama Rowell.

Leon Day will start the year at AAA as the teenager seeks a little more consistency before assuming a fulltime WBL spot.

Harry Stovey impressed in a brief showing last season, but is both blocked positionally and was unable to get anything going this Spring, leading to his starting the year at AAA.

Houston still has a ton of open questions, from the final 2-3 pitchers to be sent down to the backup C slot. But they got to 30 by demoting two OFers, Derek Bell and Gorman Thomas.

RP Andrew Chafin was placed on the DL.

The Colt 45’s rotation was always set in Roy Oswalt, Stephen Strasburg, Toad Ramsey, Roger Clemens, and Bret Saberhagen, so even Oswalt and Strasburg’s rough Springs haven’t changed that. The question, then, is which of the arms that remain would benefit more from regular starts at AAA and which could contribute from the WBL bullpen. Ice Box Chamberlain–who, it has to be remembered, is only 19–was moved out of camp.

Will Smith turned a number of heads all Spring, but the Colt 45’s believe regular playing time at AAA would serve him better than backing up Jorge Posada; a task that will fall to Jason Castro to open the season. This logic is clearly not absolute, though, as 18 year old César Cedeño will start the season on the Colt 45’s bench (assumedly only until George Brett recovers), making Kevin Young the final cut from camp.