Tag: Pedro Feliciano Page 1 of 2

TWIWBL 84.3: NL Playoff Previews

On January 8, 2026

In 2001 Playoffs, TWIWBL

Again, in seeding order.

#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.

TWIWBL 80.6: Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On October 15, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Brooklyn Royal Giants	82-54	.603	—
Philadelphia Stars	69-67	.507	13
Homestead Grays	67-70	.489	15.5
Ottawa Mounties	64-72	.471	18
New York Gothams	64-74	.464	19

Effa Manley Division | 2 September

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Brooklyn recalled reliever Juan Mateo from his rehab assignment and pulled C Kelly Shoppach up from AA for the rest of the stretch drive.

Dan Brouthers will miss about a week, heading to the DL with Brooklyn recalling Jim Gentile from AAA.

Duke Snider hit 2 homeruns as the Royal Giants doubled up the Stars, 8-4.

#Homestead Grays

Bartolo Colón–virtually unhittable over his first 25 innings in the WBL–has been named to Homestead’s rotation for the final weeks of the season. He turned heads immediately, fanning 10 in 6 shutout innings against the Gothams in a game the Grays would eventually lose in 11 innings, 4-2.

#New York Gothams

Minor league OF Hosken Powell retired.

Willie Mays hit 2 out including a go ahead grandslam as the Gothams came from behind to top Homestead, 7-5.

#Ottawa Mounties

Bryn Smith‘s year is likely done as the righty heads to the DL with a strained forearm. The Mounties recalled Bill Crouch from his rehab assignment to take Smith’s place on the roster.

Emil Gross hit 2 homeruns, one of which a grand slam, but Ottawa fell to the House of David, 10-7.

#Philadelphia Stars

Closer Bob Howry began a rehab assignment, likely to return to Philadelphia over the weekend. When promising hurler Bill Gatewood hit the DL with an oblique strain, the Stars went ahead and recalled Howry after a single AAA appearance.

Brad Kilby, reasonably effective all year as a late inning lefty, will miss a couple of weeks through injury. Pedro Feliciano will take Kilby’s role, with Tommy Hunter being promoted from AAA.

TWIWBL 77.3: The Trade Market

By mknn

On August 29, 2025

In TWIWBL

With the August trade deadline just around the corner, seemed to be a good time to take a look at the likely sellers and buyers, and some players that are likely to find new homes by the end of next week.

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

TWIWBL 73.5: Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On March 4, 2025

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Brooklyn Royal Giants	53-38	.582	—
Homestead Grays	51-40	.560	2
New York Gothams	45-48	.484	9
Ottawa Mounties	43-48	.473	10
Philadelphia Stars	44-49	.473	10

Effa Manley Division | 16 July

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Mike Piazza hit 2 out, leading the Royal Giants to a 13-1 walkover of Homestead. As importantly, Don Drysedale continued his midseason resurgence, improving to 8-4 with 7 plus innings allowing only an unearned run.

#Homestead Grays

Andy Van Slyke went deep twice for the second week in a row, hitting 2 out in a 13-2 trouncing of Houston. Roberto Clemente, Josh Gibson, and Judy Johnson also hit homeruns as Doug Drabek improved to 4-5 on the year.

#New York Gothams

Don Buford has fit right in since arriving with the Gothams, hitting 2 out in a 9-7 win over Ottawa. Willie Mays hit a grandslam for his 33rd of the year, and Don Sutton improved to 10-3 with Brian Wilson picking up his 14th save.

#Ottawa Mounties

Old Hoss Radbourn still has it from time to time: the Mounties’ erstwhile ace tossed a 2 hit shutout as Ottawa topped the Gothams, 10-0. Radbourn walked 4 and whiffed 8 in the effort, improving his record to 10-7. Rusty Staub, Álex Rodríguez, and Brad Ausmus each went deep in support of Radbourn.

#Philadelphia Stars

Aaron Judge went deep twice–bringing him to 30 on the year–and the Stars edged Houston, 6-4 in a game marked by a solid string of performances from the Stars’ bullpen with John Burkett, Fred Cambria, Pedro Feliciano, and Bob Howry combining to allow only a single run over 4 innings.

TWIWBL 72.2 Spotlight on the Philadelphia Stars

By mknn

On February 13, 2025

In TWIWBL

Philadelphia was bad last year. This year, they are pushing towards .500 with–maybe, just maybe–an outside shot at the playoffs. As importantly, they seem to have an identity for the first time.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

The Stars clearly need to keep adding talent: the gap between the leaders of the team–Aaron Judge, Charles “Bullet Joe” Rogan, Hardie Henderson–and the end of the roster is just too great. But it’s a start.

THE OFFENSE

Philadelphia’s problem, simply, is its offense. They don’t hit for average, they don’t get on base, and they don’t hit for power. Not sure what else there is … they do run the bases decently.

#What’s Going Right

Aaron Judge, an extra part in the Bill Dickey/Mike Schmidt trade, has absolutely exploded on the scene, with an OPS just under 1.00 and leading the team in HR and RBI.

Charles “Bullet Joe” Rogan is far better offensively than anticipated, sporting the 2nd highest OPS on the team and leading the Stars in SLG at .615 and BA at .295. Rogan is playing all over the place, but seeing most of his time in the OF.

Scott Rolen leads the team in WAR with an OPS around .950.

At 37, Rico Carty is still useful. He can’t move, can’t field much, but he can hit, even with occasional power.

#What’s Not Going Right

Everything else?

C continues to be a black hole, with Mike Scioscia slightly more effective than Butch Wynegar and Sherm Lollar.

Willie Davis, a leader on the team last year, is slashing 233/290/373 this season, which is quite a plummet.

Ted Kluszewski has a little power, but little else: a SLG barely over .400 just won’t cut it.

But Kluszewski’s OPS is over 100 points higher than Jimmy Rollins, who has essentially lost the job to Art Fletcher.

While Rogan is doing unprecedented things as a 2-way player, JM Ward is not, to the point the team has decided they have better options at DH when he’s on the mound.

THE PITCHING

And now the good news.

#What’s Going Right

The starting pitching is strong, led by Hardie Henderson, who is 10-6 with a 3.05 ERA at the break.

Rogan and JM Ward don’t have great records (5-8 for Rogan, 4-4 for Ward), but they’ve got fantastic peripherals led by Ward’s 1.05 WHIP.

Behind them, Steve Carlton has been solid enough.

Fred Cambria, Ted Kennedy, and Brad Kilby have been fantastic getting the ball to Bob Howry. That trio has 7 saves and 21 holds, and Howry has a 0.82 WHIP and a dozen saves.

#What’s Not Going Right

The back end of the rotation is still a bit rough. Ray Collins is in the 5th spot now, but neither he nor Robin Roberts nor Larry Jackson have really seized the opportunity.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

There is hope for the future here. I mean, prospects flame out and all that, but there is hope.

Bill Gatewood is the highest ranked prospect, and probably the best arm in the system, but Jack Kralick, Jack Easton, LaTroy Hawkins, and perhaps even Scott Garrelts and Luke Weaver all have some upside.

Bill Dickey is likely to be recalled at the all star break and Harmon Killebrew and Bobby Abreu will probably see time with the Stars this year as well. Behind them, it does thin out a little, but Richie Ashburn, Andrew Payne, and Prince Fielder all have significant value.

WHAT’S NEEDED

The offense to become league average or better, preferably led by some of the prospects stepping forward. And, of course, the pitching to not regress.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

What does the bullpen look like? Fairly well answered, as most teams would welcome the combined performance of Kennedy, Cambria, Kilby, and Howry.
How does the OF resolve, and most importantly how much of Aaron Judge‘s debut performance was a mirage? The latter first: very little, evidently. This remains a question, but not as anticipated–the Stars never anticipated CF being an open question, but with Willie Davis’ loss of form, it is.
Can the flashes of talent on the IF shown last year from Juan Samuel and Roger Peckinpaugh deliver over a full season? Yoikes. No, no they cannot; in fact, neither is in the WBL and SS continues to be a bit of a mess.

FEATURED SERIES

Philadelphia opens the second half of the season with 3 games at Ottawa.

Projected Starters

Philadelphia’s starter listed first.

Steve Carlton (7-9, 5.62) @ Old Hoss Radbourn (9-6, 6.13)
Charles Rogan (5-8, 4.46) @ Roy Halladay (8-6, 4.92)
Ray Collins (2-4, 5.08) @ Bill Smith (6-2, 3.57)

Game One

Both teams are in an odd spot where their #1 starter is not their best, with the opening game matching Steve Carlton against Old Hoss Radbourn.

The much-maligned Willie Davis led the game off with a solo shot to right, giving the Stars a 1-0 lead. Tim Raines matched him, leading off the bottom of the frame with his 12th homer of the year to tie the game. Rusty Staub took Carlton deep with a runner on in the 2nd, but Carlton induced an inning-ending double play from Roberto Alomar to limit the damage.

After Davis doubled in the 3rd, Aaron Judge went deep to tie the game, then, in the 5th Davis (who has been stung by the criticism, it must be said) homered again.

Larry Walker tied it up with a 2-out double in the bottom of the 5th, but the Stars broke the deadlock immediately, as Judge tripled and Rico Carty chased Radbourn from the game with an RBI double.

Carlton got the first out in the 7th, but his relief, Ted Kennedy, was greeted with a solo shot from Adrián Beltré to once again tie the contest. Kennedy–helped by Art Fletcher gunning down Raines at home and the just-recalled Bill Dickey throwing out Alomar on a steal attempt–got out of the inning without further damage.

George Hendrick hit a 2-run shot in the 8th: 7-5 Stars. But it was never going to be that easy: Gary Carter sent a Brad Kilby pitch over the wall in left with Walker on, tying us up once again.

It ended with a walkoff dinger, of course: Alomar taking Pedro Feliciano deep in the bottom of the 9th.

Davis and Judge had 3 hits for the Stars.

PHI 7 (Feliciano 0-1; Kennedy 6 BSv; Kilby 2 BSv) @ OTT 9 (Ryan 2-2)
HRs: PHI – Davis 2 (8), Judge (27), Hendrick (9); OTT – Raines (12), Staub (15), Carter (32), Alomar (19).
Box Score

Game Two

The Stars gave Hardie Henderson the start in game 2; he would face the Mounties’ Roy Halladay.

Gary Carter hit his 33rd of the year in the bottom of the first, putting the Mounties up, 2-0, and an RBI double from Álex Rodríguez made it 3-0 in the 2nd, and then the miracle of Rick Monday continued: his 21st homer of the year increased the lead to 4-0.

Jimmy Rollins‘ 1st homer of the year made it 4-1.

Henderson was chased from the game in the 5th by a 2-run shot from Roberto Alomar and an RBI double from Rusty Staub. He was relieved by Robin Roberts who gave up an RBI single to Monday before getting out of the inning with Ottawa ahead, 8-1.

There was some more: homers by Ted Kluszewski and Adrian Beltré, some other stuff. But the outcome was never in doubt, as the Mounties rolled, 14-3.

Monday had 4 hits and 4 RBIs.

PHI 3 (Henderson 10-7) @ OTT 14 (Halladay 9-6)
HRs: PHI – Rollins (1), Kluszewski (12); OTT – Carter (33), Monday (21), Alomar (20), Beltré (23).
Box Score

Game Three

Trying to salvage a game, the Stars would send out J.M. Ward to face Ottawa’s Bill Smith. Ward was recently removed from being used as DH when he pitched: we’ll see if being able to focus solely on his mound duties changes anything for Philadelphia.

The game was scoreless through 5, with Smith allowing 3 hits and Ward only 1. Rusty Staub broke the deadlock in the bottom of the 7th, touching Ward for a 2-run homerun.

Aaron Judge hit his 28th in the top of the 9th, ending Smith’s shutout bid, but, after a single by Ted Kluszewski, Ottawa’s closer, Tom Henke, was able to retire Rico Carty on a popout to center.

Ward was once again a hard luck loser, pitching 7 strong innings.

PHI 1 (Ward 4-5) @ OTT 3 (Smith 7-2; Henke 7 Sv)
HRs: PHI – Judge (28); PHI – Staub (16).
Box Score

Not good. Not only were the Stars swept, they were outscored 26-11. Still, for Philadelphia, it’s all about next year, so there will be bruises in the process.

TWIWBL 66.5: Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On September 24, 2024

In TWIWBL

Team	W/L	Pct	GB
Brooklyn Royal Giants	28-21	.571	—
Homestead Grays	29-22	.569	—
New York Gothams	26-25	.510	3
Ottawa Mounties	26-25	.510	3
Philadelphia Stars	25-27	.481	4.5

Effa Manley Division | 28 May

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

While the Royal Giants wait for Jackie Robinson‘s return, they swap out a couple of bench pieces, sending Frank Isbell to AAA in exchange for Matty Alou, a move facilitated by Germany Smith‘s slight uptick in offensive output (from miserable to merely below average). When Robinson was recalled from his brief rehab assignment, Art Griggs was sent to AAA.

#Homestead Grays

Daniel Hudson was sent to AAA as Doug Drabek was recalled from his rehab assignment, and slotted directly into the 3rd spot of the rotation.

#New York Gothams

Willie Mays hit 2 out, leading the Gothams to a 7-4 win over Brooklyn. Larry Doyle did the same (1 a 503 ft. bomb) in a 4-2 win over the Royal Giants.

#Ottawa Mounties

Bill Smith will spend a stint on the DL, with the Mounties recalling Chris Bosio for a look at the big league level.

Dave Gregg will miss about a month with a sore shoulder, with the Mounties recalling Jesse Crain from AA for a look in their bullpen.

Adrián Beltré went deep twice as Ottawa topped Philadelphia 10-8 in extra innings.

#Philadelphia Stars

With Bob Howry heading to the DL for about a week, the Stars recalled Pedro Feliciano from AAA.

TWIWBL 11.3: Notes from Series IX – Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On July 11, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Cleveland Spiders

Both Phenomenal Smith and Nap Lajoie were eligible to return from the DL for the Spiders. Smith will head to AAA for a rehab assignment, but Lajoie rejoins the big league club, with Kenny Lofton heading back to Buffalo. Lofton was never really given a shot, which is puzzling given that Larry Doby is still struggling to get his OPS to .600.

A single by Bill Dahlen in the bottom of the 14th gave the Spiders a come from behind win over Kansas City. The player of the game was probably Stan Coveleski, who allowed 1 run in over 4 innings of relief, but he wasn’t involved in the decision with the win going to Chuck Porter, who improved his record to 3-2. Dahlen finished the game 3-for-6 with 2 RBIs, and Louis Santop had 3 hits as well.

Pinch-hitting in the bottom of the 9th, Ron Blomberg hit his 8th homerun of the year to give the Spiders a 4-3 victory in the 3rd game of the series with the Monarchs. Bob Feller earned the win with 4 innings of hitless relief, following a largely ineffective Cy Young, and Terry Adams picked up his 9th save.

The Spiders needed a starter, and sent the highly ineffective Chad Qualls to AAA in favor of Hardie Henderson.

On the one hand, once-time wunderkind Rowland Office, Sammy Strang, and Doby are all struggling, with OPS around .600; on the other, the Spiders are surging. So, for now, all 3 stay in the WBL, but the clock is ticking.

#Homestead Grays

Needing a starter, the Grays send Bartolo Colon back down to AAA after just 4 innings of work, bringing up 21 year-old John Candelaria to make the start in their final game against Indianapolis.

Candelaria was mediocre, allowing 10 baserunners over 7 innings, but only 4 runs. A long homerun by Pops Stargell, 3 hits from Davey Johnson, and 4 RBI’s from Roberto Clemente helped drive the Grays to an 11-4 victory.

Stan Bahnsen has allowed 4 hits and no runs in 8 innings, enough for him to slide into the rotation. Jeff Kent was sent to AAA with Phil Garner getting the call to the big leagues (Bill Mazeroski is hitting a little better than Garner, but Garner’s defensive versatility was probably the deciding factor).

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Jake Stenzel hit a grand slam, more than enough to support a fantastic outing by Red Faber against Homestead. Faber allowed 4 hits in the complete game effort as the ABC’s won easily, 9-1.

Looking for a way to get Edd Roush more playing time, the ABC’s have inserted him into a platoon with Dave Henderson in CF. Perhaps more importantly, Joe Morgan was finally cleared to return from the DL, waiving Lonny Frey.

#New York Black Yankees

The Eric Davis RBI engine just keeps on going–given a start against the Gothams, Davis went 3-for-4 with a double and a homerun and 4 RBIs in a 5-3 victory for the Black Yankees. The win went to AJ Burnett and the save to Sparky Lyle, his 4th.

Despite the win, Burnett was sent to AAA to straighten himself out, with Cole Hamels being recalled into New York’s bullpen. The Black Yankees would gladly move Craig Counsell (178/260/289), but their only real option is Aaron Hill, who isn’t hitting that well all the way down at AA, so for the time being, they’ll accept Counsell’s lack of offense in exchange for his defensive versatility.

#Philadelphia Stars

Ray Collins gave up 6 hits–3 to Alexei Ramirez–in a complete game shutout of Miami, improving his record to 4-0 and lowering his ERA to 2.57. Collins was helped by homeruns from Jose Ramirez–the first of his WBL career–and Sherm Lollar.

Trailing 9-5 after 5 innings, the Stars scored the next 5 runs in a 10-9 victory. Mickey Doolin and Buck Freeman had 3 RBIs each, and Scott Rolen had 4 hits. Each of the three of them hit homeruns, with the victory going to Rheal Cormier (3-0) and Bob Howry earning his 10th save.

Jack Easton was sent to the IL with a burnt hand, having not really done enough to guarantee a return to Philadelphia when he becomes eligible. Larry Jackson was recalled to take his place.

Another ineffective outing by Pedro Feliciano has ended his time in the WBL for now, with the reliever unable to get his ERA into single digits. Don Carman was promoted to take his spot in the bullpen, and Feliciano was eventually waived to clear room on the 40-man roster for other transactions.

Jackson was quickly returned to AAA, with Bob McClure moving to Philadelphia and 37-year old Ken Forsch being released. The Stars have declined to indicate whether Jaret Wright or JM Ward will take the final rotation spot.

Gene DeMontreville has some value with his glove, but hitting 156/156/178 is rough, and his defense means less on a team with Doolin already at SS. DeMontreville was sent to AAA, with 22-year old Jimmy Rollins recalled from AA to backup Doolin.

TWIWBL 10.3: Notes from Series VIII – Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On July 6, 2021

In TWIWBL

With two rainouts, the Spiders and the Grays ended up playing two doubleheaders. The losing team scored 1 run … combined. Three shutouts, and a 3-1 victory, as each twin bill was split.

#Cleveland Spiders

Cy Young delivered a complete game, 4-hit shutout to take the second half of the first doubleheader against Homestead, striking out 5 and evening his record at 2-2. Cleveland’s offense was led by John Ellis, who had 3 hits and a homerun, with Ron Blomberg and Bill Knickerbocker adding 2 hits apiece in the 8-0 victory.

Whit Wyatt opened the second doubleheader by combining with Chuck Porter and Terry Adams on a 6-hit shutout. Wyatt improved to 2-1 and brought his ERA under 3, but he also walked 7 in 7.2 innings, making the performance a little less impressive than it may seem.

#Homestead Grays

Vean Gregg and Stan Bahnsen combined on a 5-hit shutout in the first game of the series against Cleveland. Gregg pitched 7.1 innings, improving his record to 2-3, and Bahnsen followed with a perfect 1.2 for his first save. Davey Johnson had 3 hits and drove in 2, and Pops Stargell had 2 hits for the Grays.

Corey Kluber continues to improve his performances, but not his results: Kluber went 6.2 innings, giving up 3 runs in the opening game of the second doubleheader, but fell to 0-6 on the season.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Danny Hoffman delivered a 3-run homerun in the top of the 9th against Ottawa’s closer Tom Henke, giving the ABC’s a 5-2 comeback win. Hal Morris added 2 hits, and Red Faber, despite not being involved in the decision, had a strong start. The win went to Lefty James, his first of the year, and Rob Dibble picked up his 5th save.

The last game of the series was almost a contender for the featured game. Indianapolis blew the game open in the fifth inning, scoring 5 runs, keyed by a 2-run double from Oscar Charleston and a 2-run single from Edd Roush (Roush had replaced Jake Stenzel, who was tossed for arguing ball and strikes in the first inning). Johnny Cueto was sailing along with one of the better games we’ve seen all year: a 2-hit shutout through 8 innings.

… and then came the 9th, with the ABC’s up, 9-0, thanks to 2 homeruns by Morris.

Cueto walked Tim Raines and Anthony Rendon, but got Freddy Parent to fly out to center for the first out. And then the wheels fell off: Carlos Delgado and Phil Bradly sandwiched RBI singles around a bases-loaded walk to Terry Puhl, and Cueto left the mound, still up 9-3.

Indianapolis called on the controversial Bronson Arroyo, who made waves by refusing to be sent to AAA despite a horrific season to date. Arroyo was as inefficient as ever this year: a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly, an RBI single to Ken Griffey, Jr. and a pinch hit homerun to Gary Carter made the score 9-7 … but Arroyo finally ended the game with a groundout from Raines.

Arroyo was waived after the game, with Doc White–who had dominated AAA–being recalled.

#New York Black Yankees

New York salvaged a split in their series with Chicago thanks to 3 RBIs each from Don Mattingly and Thurman Munson, and 3 hits from Mike Schmidt. Each of them–as well as Lou Gehrig–went deep in the 12-6 win, which went to Lady Baldwin for 3.1 innings of 1-run relief of a hugely ineffective Dave Righetti.

#Philadelphia Stars

Jaret Wright had been hit hard in his first 5 WBL appearances, so there wasn’t much optimism when he was pressed into an emergency start in the Stars’ final game against Baltimore. Wright responded with 6.1 innings of 1-run ball, surrendering only 1 run to the Black Sox. Philadelphia made it stand up, winning the game 6-4 behind key 5th inning RBIs from Gavvy Cravath and Ted Kluszewski. Bob Howry picked up the save, his 9th, while Pedro Feliciano continued to collapse out of the bullpen. Feliciano gave up 3 runs in less than an inning, and is likely to lose his setup role as his ERA balloons close to 12.

TWIWBL 8.3: Series VII Notes – Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On June 21, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Homestead Grays

Corey Kluber became the first 5 game loser in the WBL, but did so with easily his best performance of the year, giving up only 1 run until things fell apart a bit in the 7th. Still, Kluber’s 7 innings and 3 earned runs was the kind of performance Homestead had hoped for from him, even if the 0-5 record is not.

For more about the slugfest with Los Angeles, read here. The injury to Francisco Liriano will cost the hurler about a month, and Cliff Lee‘s horrific outing pushed the Grays to demote him to AAA. Bartolo Colon and Earl Hamilton were called up.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Four HRs, including 2 from Johnny Bench, weren’t enough to hold on to victory as the ABC‘s lost a 5-1 lead en route to an eventual 10-7 loss to the House of David.

Bench was the hero in the final game of the series, belting a 2-run HR in the bottom of the 11th for a come from behind victory.

#Philadelphia Stars

Jack Meyer will be out over a year, facing Tommy John surgery. Jack Easton was recalled from AAA to take his place on the roster.

The Stars salvaged a doubleheader split with the New York Gothams behind a strong performance from their bullpen and 3 RBIs from CF Willie Davis. The win went to Steve Carlton (3-3), who labored through 6 innings before turning the ball over to Rheal Cormier, Ron Reed, and Pedro Feliciano who combined to deliver 3 scoreless innings with Feliciano getting the save.

Riggs Stephenson, injured since Spring Training, will head to AAA on a rehab assignment.

Series VI Featured Matchup- Chicago American Giants @ Philadelphia Stars

By mknn

On June 1, 2021

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

The American Giants (12-10) head to Philadelphia to take on the Stars (13-9) in a four game series. Series preview here.

Game 1: Mark Buehrle v Robin Roberts

Mark Buehrle brings a 1-2 record and a 3.20 ERA into his matchup with Robin Roberts who is at 2-1 with an inflated ERA of 6.30. Roberts has pitched better than his ERA would indicate, for sure.

Still, the American Giants have a heckuva lineup. Roberts would give up three runs four innings, first on an RBI single by Dick Allen, then twice when Duffy Lewis scored without a hit (first on a Luke Appling double play, then, in the top of the fourth, on a wild pitch).

Buehrle sailed along for five innings, but the Stars broke through in a big way in the bottom of the sixth with George Hendrick, Sherry Magee, and Rico Carty all hitting doubles to cut the lead to 3 to 2. Ted Kluszewski–gaining some redemption on his return from AAA–then took Buehrle deep for a 3-run HR, putting Philadelphia on top, 5-3, and chasing Buehrle from the game, relieved by Koji Uehara.

The lead was short-lived: Roberts would walk Adrian Gonzalez and give up a single to pinch-hitter Kevin Mitchell before giving way to Rheal Cormier. Brought in to face three consecutive left-handed batters, Cormier was hit hard despite getting a few outs, with Dave Nilsson hitting a deep fly to score Gonzalez, Eddie Collins doubling, and Shoeless Joe Jackson plating Mitchell with a groundout. Jack Meyer relieved Cormier and got Frank Thomas to popout to 1B for the final out with the score tied at 5.

Philadelphia’s strategy in the top of the eighth was a bit of a surprise: when Meyer couldn’t come out due to injury, the Stars turned to Jaret Wright, just recalled from AAA. It was a mistake: Allen greeted him with a triple, Mike Fiore walked, and Wright was pulled midway through Duffy Lewis’ AB in favor of Pedro Feliciano, who had been fantastic so far this season. Feliciano gave up a single to Lewis, scoring Allen and then a 2-run double to light-hitting Damian Jackson. An RBI groundout from Eddie Collins pushed the score to 9-5.

Philadelphia would claw back one run, but that was it, and Chicago had the victory in hand.

Carty had three hits, all doubles, for Philadelphia. Lewis went four-for-four and scored 3 runs for Chicago.

CAG 9 (Uehara 1-0; Minter 3 Sv) @ PHI 6 (Wright 0-1; Cormier 1 BS)
HRs: Kluszewski (PHI, 5)
Box Score

Game 2: Joe Lake @ J.M. Ward

John Montgomery Ward gets a spot start for Chicago, his first of the year. Ward has pitched 7 times in relief, with a 1-0 record and 4.50 ERA. Joe Lake is just trying to get on track, coming in with an 0-1 record and an ERA approaching 8.

It was a rough day for everyone who took the mound …

Chicago roared out of the gate, taking a 7-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth, but Philadelphia would at least make a game of it, starting the frame off with five consecutive hits and a sacrifice fly, closing the gap to two runs at 7-5.

But Shoeless Joe Jackson would hit two homeruns in the later innings, and Herb Pennock would throw a perfect 2.2 IP to close it out. Pennock was the only successful hurler for either team: Ward was rocked for 7 runs in under 4 innings, and Rheal Cormier and Pedro Feliciano gave up 6 more in 4 innings in relief. Lake was hit hard as well, surrendering 5 runs and 9 hits in 5 innings, and Lee Meadows gave up 3 more in just over an inning of relief.

Meadows and Lake are unlikely to be in Chicago much longer, as today’s performances were no worse than they’ve shown all season.

Shoeless Joe went 3-for-6 with 4 RBIs, and Mike Fiore added 3 hits and scored 3 times as the American Giants pounded out seventeen hits, with only Dick Allen failing to get a hit on the day.

For Philadelphia, Buck Freeman, Rico Carty, Chase Utley, and Mickey Doolin each had two hits apiece.

CAG 14 (Lake 1-1; Pennock 1 Sv; Meadows 1 H) @ PHI 8 (Ward 1-1)
HRs: Jackson 2 (CAG, 8); Lewis (CAG, 3)
Box Score

Game 3: Tricky Nichols @ Ray Collins

Because of the surprise start of JM Ward last game, game three of the series features the first matchup of two 3-0 pitchers on the season, with Chicago’s Tricky Nichols facing Philadelphia’s Ray Collins. Both pitched well for a while, and then ran out of gas.

Nichols was cruising with a 4-1 lead heading into the bottom of the 6th, but a 3-run HR by Chase Utley and a solo shot by Bill Dickey chased him from the game giving Philadelphia a 5-4 lead.

Collins left after 7 innings with the 1 run lead, but Ron Reed immediately gave it up, surrendering a 2-run blast to Mike Fiore to give the American Giants the edge, 6-5. But, an error by Dick Allen allowed a run to score in the bottom of the 8th, tying it up at 6.

Bob Howry–fantastic so far on the season–came in for Chicago and promptly gave away the farm: Allen atoned for the error with a leadoff shot, and after an RBI single from Duffy Lewis, Shoeless Joe Jackson capped off a 4-for-4 day with a 3-run shot to RF. Ken Sanders mowed through the Philadelphia lineup in the bottom of the 9th, giving Chicago the 12-6 victory and a 3-0 lead in the series.

CAG 12 (Sanders 2-0, 1 BSv) @ PHI 6 (Howry 0-1; Reed 2 BSv)
HRs: Dickey (PHI, 2); Utley (PHI, 1); Jackson (CAG, 9); Fiore (CAG, 3); Allen (CAG, 4)
Box Score

Game 4: Ben Sheets @ Steve Carlton

Despite similar numbers, Ben Sheets comes into the game with a 3-0 record while Steve Carlton sits at 1-3 on the season.

Each pitched a strong game. Sheets looked sharper, but he had one bad inning–with Chicago ahead 2-1 heading into the bottom of the 6th, the big righthander made three mistakes in the span of six pitches, with Buck Freeman, Gavvy Cravath, and Sherry Magee each blasting solo HRs, giving the Stars a 4-2 lead.

Carlton left after getting one out in the seventh, with the Stars having to bring in SP Pete Alexander because their bullpen was so depleted. It worked: Alexander pitched 2.2 perfect innings, and the game ended 4-2 with Carlton picking up the win and Alexander the save for Philadelphia’s first win in the series.

The three homeruns were half the hits Sheets surrendered, but he still went down to his first loss on the year.

CAG 2 (Sheets 3-1) @ PHI 4 (Carlton 2-3; Alexander 1 Sv)
HRs: Freeman (PHI, 4); Kluszewski (PHI, 6); Magee (PHI, 2); Cravath (PHI, 5).
Box Score

Series Notes

For Chicago, Shoeless Joe went 9-for-16 in the series with 3 HRs and 9 RBIs and Fiore went 6-for-13.

Despite going hitless at AAA, Kluszewski found his stroke immediately on his promotion, going 5-for-15 with 2 HRs and 5 RBI’s for Philadelphia.

Chicago looks to have a shot at being a real contender, something that will elude Philadelphia until they find some more consistency on offense.