Tag: Rick Reichardt Page 3 of 4

This is only the 2nd featured series for the Detroit Wolverines, something that is a little unfair given they are in first place in the Bill James Division. Homestead has been featured twice before, despite languishing in last place in the Effa Manley Division, one of only two teams with a winning percentage under .400.

#Detroit Wolverines

Detroit is solid, top to bottom. They are a bit better offensively and defensively than on the mound, but they’ve earned their place atop the division. The heart and soul of the team is Oscar Gamble, who leads the group in HR (18) and RBI (63), although the trio of Hank Greenberg, Ty Cobb, and Bob Bailey have produced better numbers. Cobb is hitting .341, Baily has a .384 OBP, and Greenberg a .587 SLG. All four of them–plus OF Chili Davis–carry an OPS over .830.

The pitching staff is a work in progress, even at this stage of the season. Johnny Marcum (7-2) has been the best of the starters, but Hal Newhouser is quickly taking over as the ace of the staff. The wildcard here is Gene Conley, who was 8-1 out of the bullpen before being moved into the rotation at the all-star break. Mike Henneman has been spectacular as the closer, with 19 saves. There are a few pitchers–Justin Verlander, Kevin Hart, Buddy Napier–who have shown moments of greatness. If any of them take a big step forward, it could make all the difference for the Wolverines.

Detroit only made one move at the all-star break, bringing in Ernie Lombardi to platoon with Ed Bailey behind the plate. Lombardi has only played in 4 games for the Wolverines, with 1 HR.

#Homestead Grays

The Grays can hit a little, but they can’t pitch at all, ranking dead last in the league in runs against and starters’ ERA, and 19th out of 20 in bullpen ERA. It’s not pretty.

Vean Gregg (7-6, 3.95) has easily been the most reliable starter. Beyond that … Earl Hamilton, Stan Banhnsen, and Francisco Liriano have shown flashes of goodness, but none have managed an ERA under 4.60. The less said about the bullpen, the better.

Mike Epstein (335/439/530) and Josh Gibson (304/390/464) were both all-stars, and deservedly so. And, the OF trio of Roberto Clemente, Rick Reichardt, and Andrew McCutcheon have been solid. Add in Pops Stargell‘s 14 HRs and the occasional promise showed by Honus Wagner, and the Grays score enough to be a .500 team, which would be a huge improvement from their current state.

#Series Matchups

Detroit starter listed first

Si Johnson (3-4, 4.48) @ Earl Hamilton (1-2, 4.65)
Gene Conley (8-1, 3.59) @ Francisco Liriano (3-3, 5.08)
Hal Newhouser (4-3, 2.83) @ Vean Gregg (7-6, 3.95)
Johnny Marcum (7-2, 3.77) @ Stan Bahnsen (3-2, 4.64)

#Prediction

I mean … Detroit is just so much better, and the matchups line up well for them as well. I’m going to go ahead and predict a sweep for the Wolverines, prolonging the Grays’ misery.

TWIWBL 24.6: Mid-Season Reviews – Homestead Grays

By mknn

On February 28, 2022

In Team News, TWIWBL

Summary

Almost nothing has gone right by the three rivers: Homestead wasn’t expected to compete, but they weren’t supposed to be this bad.

What’s Gone Right

Superjew. What do you want, it was the 70s. Mike Epstein has an OPS in the mid .900s, and has easily been the Grays’ best offensive player.

The Kids. Josh Gibson (19), Andrew McCutcheon (22), and Rick Reichardt (23) have all been good, and Gibson especially looks to be a keeper.

Clemente’s Heating Up. Roberto Clemente has raised his OPS about 120 points in the last month.

What’s Gone Wrong

The Pitching: All Of It. Nothing has gone right on the mound for the Grays. It’s been a total disaster, from the starters to an unreliable bullpen and everything in between.

Stargell, Sort Of. Pops Stargell leads the team in homeruns with 13, but has struck out 113 times (!) with an OPS barely over .700. For a player expected to be the main power threat in the lineup, it’s just not enough.

The Pitching: No Help Coming. The failure of various short-term tryouts (Cliff Lee with an ERA approaching 9.00; Frank Linzy over 7.00; each with over 20 innings along with a handful of others even worse in fewer innings) has been exasperating. It’s left the Grays constantly turning to Carlos Zambrano and his 6.50+ ERA.

Key Storylines

Can anything be salvaged of the season?

Trading Outlook

SELLING.

Oh dear god, please, let us get some talent in these doors. The problem is there aren’t any obvious targets. The Grays are carrying a lot of veterans, but none of them are terribly attractive. Maybe minor leaguer Kevin Young? IF Phil Garner? C Peaches Graham? Even the iconic veteran Stargell could go.

This is just an exceptionally young organization, and may require patience.

AAA Shuttle

Chief Wilson and Phil Garner have been solid.

Midseason Changes

Billy Pierce has done enough at AAA to get another shot at the rotation.

Awards

All Stars: Mike Epstein (1B); Josh Gibson (C).

Offensive MVP: Mike Epstein (1B)
Pitching MVP: Vean Gregg (SP)

Down on the Farm

AAA: Louisville Redbirds

Next to the Show: Andy Van Slyke , Kevin Young, Paul Waner, Max Carey (29).

Prospects: OFs Andy Van Slyke & Paul Waner (both 23).

Projects: Ps Cliff Lee (28), Bartolo Colón (24), Babe Adams (27), Bob Friend (27), Mychal Givens (25), 1B Kevin Young (30).

Suspects: Bill Madlock (34), Daryle Ward (32), Miguel Tejada (39), Jeff Cirillo (34), P Rip Sewell (42), 3B Pedro Feliz (29).

AA: Syracuse Sky Chiefs

Prospects: 1B Tim Harkness (23), P Chris Zachary (20).

Projects: OF José Guillén (23), OF Lloyd Waner (22), P Catfish Hunter (19), P Fred Beene (25), SS Jack Wilson (25).

Suspects: C George Gibson (24), P Bob Malloy (26), OF Cliff Heathcoate (31).

TWIWBL 21.1: NL All Star Selections

By mknn

On January 26, 2022

In All Star Games, TWIWBL

AL All Stars here.

The final choice was the hardest, as the NL decided to go with only 11 pitchers, electing to select both Rickey Henderson and Josh Gibson over Joseíto Muñoz‘ arm in the bullpen.

Predictably, the New York Black Yankees have the most players going with seven, but the Portland Sea Dogs will supply four of the starters for the NL.

The Indianapolis ABC’s and the Miami Cuban Giants will have a single representative each.

Catchers

Portland’s Joe Mauer is the starting backstop. The question here is whether Thurman Munson (Black Yankees) has done enough to overtake Indianapolis’ Johnny Bench behind him. Munson’s OPS is .001 higher, and he’s spent a little more time behind the plate. But Bench has played more overall, and leads Munson in all counting stats other than doubles. It’s a bit of a moot point, as all three make the team.

That potentially leaves two deserving players off the roster: the Homestead Grays‘ Josh Gibson is putting up incredible numbers for a teenager and Mauer’s teammate, Iván Rodríguez, would easily make the team if he had more playing time (it’s a pretty good problem for the Sea Dogs to have).

Johnny Bench (IND). 278/394/542.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 315/406/472.
Joe Mauer (POR). 317/401/545.
Thurman Munson (NYY). 330/392/544; 20 2B.
Iván Rodríguez (POR). 352/370/555.

First Base

Three players have an OPS over 1.000 but only one will make the roster as a first baseman. The Cleveland Spiders‘ Ron Blomberg will start for the NL, but at DH, while Portland’s Kent Hrbek will take the field at first. The third player, Blomberg’s teammate John Ellis, just hasn’t played enough, with under 200 plate appearances. Still, those numbers are a little hard to ignore.

New York’s Lou Gehrig deserves a selection, but like Blomberg, he’s seen the field very rarely, so he’ll also make the roster as a DH. Finally, both Homestead’s Mike Epstein and Indianapolis’ Jake Stahl deserve a very close look for a roster spot, but with both Blomberg and Gehrig ahead of them, it’s not clear they’ll make it. In the end, Epstein is the strongest candidate from the Grays, so he does make the roster.

Ron Blomberg (CLE). 335/405/618; 18 HR; 18 2B; 49 RBI; 48 R.
John Ellis (CLE). 311/351/659; 16 HR.
Mike Epstein (HOM). 336/438/521.
Lou Gehrig (NYY). 284/382/591; 16 HR.
Kent Hrbek (POR). 322/393/617; 22 HR; 54 RBI; 53 R.
Jake Stahl (IND). 277/337/564.

Second Base

Despite Tom Herr‘s recent slump, the Birmingham Black Barons‘ second baseman remains a media darling, and was anointed as the all star starter many moons ago. It’s a little unfair to Cleveland’s Chuck Knoblauch, who really has surpassed Herr by a hair. Herr has been the superior fielder by quite a bit, so perhaps that justifies his getting the starting nod.

After those two, it’s hard. Indianapolis’ Joe Morgan deserves it, but has played in barely over half the ABC’s games. The other two candidates–the San Francisco Sea Lion‘s Jimmy Bloodworth and the Brooklyn Royal Giant‘s Jackie Robinson–come with their own concerns. In Robinson’s case, he’s really played much more at 1B, where his offensive contribution is decidedly mediocre; Bloodworth’s numbers are just a tad weaker across the board than the others.

Jimmy Bloodworth (SFS). 282/320/467.
Tom Herr (BBB). 310/355/440. 16 2B.
Chuck Knoblauch (CLE). 300/353/451. 16 2B.
Joe Morgan (IND). 301/385/412.
Jackie Robinson (BRK). 273/338/485.

Third Base

The hot corner is a little weak in the NL. The Philadelphia Star‘s Scott Rolen is among the better hitters and has been–by far–the flashiest with the leather, so he gets the starting nod.

Portland’s Buddy Bell has hit better than Rolen, but is both mired in a slump and has been weaker defensively. Still, it’s enough to make the team. After those two … who knows? Brooklyn’s Ron Cey has been fine, and if there is a need for a third player, he’s likely it. San Francisco’s Pedro Guerrero has neither played enough in general, nor enough at 3B to warrant inclusion, but he has been a force offensively.

Buddy Bell (POR). 290/354/506; 44 RBI.
Ron Cey (BRK). 242/350/465.
Pedro Guerrero (SFS). 298/367/530.
Scott Rolen (PHI). 284/353/491. 19 2B.

Shortstop

Offensively, there are really only two contenders: Portland’s Jim Fregosi and New York’s Derek Jeter. Both have been below average defensively, but Fregosi has been better than Jeter: between that and his better offensive output, he gets the starting nod.

Homestead’s Arky Vaughan has been spectacular defensively, but it’s not clear it’s been enough to offset a very poor offensive showing, while San Francisco’s Dick Lundy was making a good argument before he got injured.

Jim Fregosi (POR). 286/356/435; 16 2B.
Derek Jeter (NYY). 278/325/393; 17 2B.
Dick Lundy (SFS). 278/292/421.
Arky Vaughan (HOM). 223/340/327.

Left Fielders

Even with his numbers dropping over the past few weeks, Babe Ruth of the New York Black Yankees is the dominant player here. There is a bit of a drop after Ruth, with possible arguments being made for Philadelphia’s Rico Carty and Portland’s Harry Hooper. None of those three players bring much defensively, and taking that into consideration, Brooklyn’s Roy White and Homestead’s Rick Reichardt, and perhaps San Francisco’s Rickey Henderson enter the conversation.

Finally, there is the Albert Belle conundrum: his numbers are beyond impressive, but he’s not played a lot of innings.

Albert Belle (NYY). 315/377/558; 18 2B.
Rico Carty (PHI). 287/354/470; 25 2B.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 261/398/370; 52 R; 50 SB.
Harry Hooper (POR). 297/399/418; 45 R.
Rick Reichardt (HOM). 284/372/436; 42 RBI.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 305/413/649; 24 HR; 16 2B; 67 RBI; 58 R.
Roy White (BRK). 284/352/451; 17 2B.

Center Fielders

Now things get a little more interesting.

Bobby Murcer (Portland) is the clear starter, but an argument can be made for another four players behind him: San Francisco’s Bobby Bonds, Brooklyn’s Duke Snider, and the Davis twins–New York’s Eric Davis and Philadelphia’s Willie Davis–are all fairly indistinguishable. Eric was once considered the lock starter, but has slumped recently, but he is still certain to make the squad.

Eric Davis and Snider have been among the better defenders, bolstering each of their arguments as well.

Bobby Bonds (SFS). 314/364/531; 26 SB.
Eric Davis (NYY). 286/337/557; 22 HR; 66 RBI; 55 R; 35 SB.
Willie Davis (PHI). 299/358/537.
Bobby Murcer (POR). 327/402/567; 15 2B; 48 RBI; 46 R.
Duke Snider (BRK). 327/363/548; 16 HR; 44 RBI.

Right Field

The starter is the most obvious selection of all: triple-crown threat Reggie Jackson of the San Francisco Seals earns the honor. Behind Jackson, New York’s Mickey Mantle and Miami’s José Canseco are the clear choices, with Homestead’s Roberto Clemente forcing himself into the conversation over the last few weeks.

José Canseco (MCG). 295/365/502; 41 R.
Roberto Clemente (HOM). 309/336/486; 15 2B; 40 RBI.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 356/453/648; 16 2B; 16 HR; 44 R.
Mickey Mantle (NYY). 292/399/456; 48 R.

Starting Pitchers

Red Ruffing of the New York Black Yankees has come out of nowhere to be in the conversation for the starting slot for the AL with a 9-2 record. San Francisco’s Lefty Grove is close behind at 8-2, and several pitchers have 7 wins. Brooklyn’s Don Drysedale leads the AL in ERA among starters, and Cleveland’s workhorse Cy Young leads in WHIP. So those four feel pretty solid. Two more Black Yankees–Waite Hoyt and WBL strikeout leader Ron Guidry (whose last few starts have probably moved him off the roster)–are in the conversation, as is Miami’s Camilo Pascual and Portland’s Walter Johnson.

Pascual and Guidry have losing records, making their selection harder to justify, although Pascual plays for a bad team, making that less of an issue for him.

Finally, Tim Hudson of the Birmingham Black Barons has forced his way onto the roster, despite being a few inning short of qualifying as a starting pitcher. Going 5-0 with an ERA under 3.00 and a WHIP under 1.00 will do that.

Don Drysedale (BRK). 5-3; 3.23; 1.19 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 8-2; 3.49; 1.30 WHIP.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-6; 4.27; 1.25 WHIP.
Waite Hoyt (NYY). 5-1; 3.51; 1.22 WHIP.
Tim Hudson (BBB). 5-0; 2.73; 0.93 WHIP.
Walter Johnson (POR). 7-3; 3.83 ERA; 1.30 WHIP.
Camilo Pascual (MCG). 4-6; 3.42; 1.27 WHIP.
Red Ruffing (NYY). 9-2; 3.79; 1.32 WHIP.
Cy Young (CLE). 6-3; 3.54; 1.17 WHIP.

Relief Pitchers

For the closers, WBL save leader Johan Santana of Portland is an automatic choice, as are Cleveland’s Terry Adams and San Francisco’s Rod Beck. And then it becomes a matter of tradeoffs: Philadelphia’s Bob Howry‘s other numbers are great, but his ERA is over 5.00 while Brooklyn’s Watty Clark and Miami’s Aroldis Chapman have a decent number of saves, but probably fall short.

Portland’s Elmer Brown and San Francisco’s Ron Robinson have 9 Holds each, trailing Philadelphia’s Ron Reed, who has 12.

Indianapolis’ Willie Mitchell has been absolutely dominant, with an ERA barely over 1.00, but it’s hard to really choose between him, San Francisco’s Ken Howell and Charlie Root, and Portland’s Joseíto Muñoz.

Terry Adams (CLE). 0-3; 17 Sv; 2.91; 1.66 WHIP.
Rod Beck (SFS). 1-1; 16 Sv; 2.65; 1 H; 0.76 WHIP.
Elmer Brown (POR). 2-4; 4 Sv; 2.35; 9 H; 1.14 WHIP.
Aroldis Chapman (MCG). 201; 12 Sv; 1.59 ERA; 2.06 WHIP.
Watty Clark (BRK). 3-1; 13 Sv; 1.66; 1.11 WHIP.
Ken Howell (SFS). 3-3; 3 Sv; 1.45; 3 H; 0.97 WHIP.
Bob Howry (PHI). 2-3; 16 Sv; 5.04; 1.66 WHIP.
Willie Mitchell (IND). 2-2; 1 Sv; 1.08; 1 H; 1.16 WHIP.
Joseíto Muñoz (POR). 3-1; 3 Sv; 1.19; 2 H; 1.02 WHIP.
Ron Reed (PHI). 0-2; 3 Sv; 2.72; 12 H; 1.13 WHIP.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-1; 3.45; 9 H; 1.36 WHIP.
Charlie Root (SFS). 4-1; 2.98; 0.99 WHIP.
Johan Santana (POR). 1-1; 22 Sv; 2.57; 1 H; 1.48 WHIP.

Selections by Team

Listed alphabetically, Italic indicates a starter.

Birmingham Black Barons: Tom Herr (2B); Tim Hudson (P).
Brooklyn Royal Giants: Don Drysedale (P).
Cleveland Spiders: Terry Adams (P); Ron Blomberg (DH); Chuck Knoblauch (2B); Cy Young (P).
Homestead Grays: Mike Epstein (1B); Josh Gibson (C).
Indianapolis ABC’s: Johnny Bench (C)
Miami Cuban Giants: José Canseco (RF)
New York Black Yankees. Eric Davis (CF); Lou Gehrig (1B); Derek Jeter (SS); Mickey Mantle (RF); Thurman Munson (C); Red Ruffing (P); Babe Ruth (LF).
Philadelphia Stars: Ron Reed (P); Scott Rolen (3B).
Portland Sea Dogs: Buddy Bell (3B); Jim Fregosi (SS); Kent Hrbek (1B); Joe Mauer (C); Bobby Murcer (CF); Johan Santana (P).
San Francisco Sea Lions: Rod Beck (P); Lefty Grove (P); Rickey Henderson (LF); Ken Howell (P); Reggie Jackson (RF); Charlie Root (P).

Series XVII Featured Game: Birmingham Black Barons @ Houston Colt 45’s

By mknn

On December 8, 2021

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

We’re going to focus on the usual see-saw affair, this one between the Birmingham Black Barons and Houston’s Colt 45‘s, pitting Birmingham’s Tim Hudson against Houston’s Stephen Strasburg.

It’s an interesting matchup: Hudson was seen as pretty washed-up, but the 36-year old has posted a 5-0 record with an ERA in the mid 2.00’s, and could begin appearing on league leaderboards within a few starts. Strasburg, on the other hand, has shown great promise at only 23, but has yet to harness his potential, posting a 2-4 record with an ERA in the low 4.00’s.

The two hurlers were at the top of their game, and we saw a scoreless contest into the bottom of the 5th when a solo homerun from Jim O’Rourke gave Houston a 1-0 lead. Houston missed a chance to double their lead when HR Johnson missed on a suicide squeeze attempt, leaving Craig Biggio to be easy pickings at home.

The Black Barons would finally touch Strasburg in the top of the 7th, when Hank Aaron launched a 2 run homerun, scoring Curtis Granderson to put Birmingham in front. They would add another run in the 8th, scoring against Mark Melancon when an RBI single from Tom Herr plated Omar Infante for a 3-1 lead, and then another in the 9th when Eddie Mathews took Melancon deep.

So. 4-1 Birmingham. But Hudson was gassed at this point after a marvelous effort: 8 innings, 5 hits, and only the single run allowed. But, Birmingham’s closer, Carlos Díaz, wasn’t an option. So the Black Barons turned to Harley Young to close the door.

It went OK at first: Jim Wynn led off the bottom of the 9th with a single, but Johnson grounded out, and after consecutive singles loaded the bases, Lance Berkman struck out. So, bases loaded, 2 outs.

Young gave up an RBI single to Jorge Posada, prompting Birmingham to bring in hard-throwing Steve Bedrosian … who promptly surrendered a walk-off, grand-slam, homerun to Casey Stengel.

Melancon, who did not pitch very well, improved his record to a stunning 7-1 out of the bullpen, while Birmingham ended up with nothing to show for Hudson’s great effort.

Granderson had 2 hits for Birmingham, while Jeff Bagwell and Tony Gwynn had 2 each for Houston.

BBB 4 (Young 0-4; Bedrosian 2 BSv) @ HOU 6 (Melancon 7-1)
HRs: BBB – Aaron (11), Mathews (11); HOU – O’Rourke (5), Stengel (6).
Box Score

Other Noteworthy Games

The Ottawa Mounties turned to Gary Peters, freshly back from AAA, to take on Ned Garvin of the Baltimore Black Sox, who is making an argument for the best pitcher in the WBL at the moment: this certainly seemed like a mismatch. But it was Ottawa, perhaps enlivened by the return of Larry Walker from the DL, who held the lead, 4-3, heading into the 9th. Curt Blefary turned it around with a 2-run shot, Brian Roberts added another RBI, and while they gave up a run in the bottom of the frame, Baltimore’s bullpen held on.

BBB 6 (Miller 2-0, 1 BSv; Bessent 8 Sv) @ OTT 5 (Bowsfield 2-1, 1 BSv; Dempster 2 H; Leroux 1 H)
HRs: BBB – Blefary (19).
Box Score

A 6-run Homestead comeback in the bottom of the 8th, keyed by homeruns from Tom Brown and Rick Reichardt, went for naught as Yasiel Puig hit his third homerun of the day in the 9th inning to give the New York Gothams the win. Puig tied the league record for homeruns in a game and picked up 6 RBIs, while Mike Epstein and Reichardt each had 3 hits for the Grays. While note involved in the decision, the Gothams’ Gaylord Perry was fantastic through 5 innings, allowing only 1 unearned run.

NYG 8 (Wilson 1-0) @ HOM 7 (Jackson 2-2, 1 BSv)
HRs: NYG – Puig 3 (6), Rojas (1); HOM – Brown (1), Reichardt (9).
Box Score

When the Los Angeles Angels closed out their series against the San Francisco Sea Lions, they were looking to salvage a series split and, perhaps as importantly, to find out more about what they have in young Nolan Ryan, who has been a bit erratic since moving into the starting rotation. Ryan delivered a typical “good” performance for him: 5 innings, 2 hits (but 7 walks), and no runs. San Francisco’s Eddie Plank turned in another strong start, going 7.2 innings allowing only 2 runs. So the Angels took a 2-1 lead into the 9th. And then the wheels fell off for both teams: Los Angeles rocked Ron Robinson for four runs, the key hit being a 2-out, bases loaded triple from Doug Rader. But two of the Angels better bullpen arms–Jonny Venters and closer Joe Nathan–couldn’t hold it, with Mickey Cochrane, who seems perpetually on the verge of being sent to AAA, ending the contest with a walk-off 3 run homerun.

LAA 6 (Nathan 3-4, 4 BSv; Galvin 1 H; Rodríguez 6 H; Venters 8 H) @ SFS 7 (Robinson 4-1)
HRs: SFS – Cochrane (5).
Box Score

TWIWBL Special Edition: All Star Previews II – Left Fielders

By mknn

On October 5, 2021

In All Star Games

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

Preview I here.

#AL – Bill James & Cum Posey Divisions

Original Selections: Duffy Lewis, Frank Robinson, Don Buford.

With Los Angeles’ Buford sliding slightly, this is really down to a pool of four: Baltimore’s Robinson and Chicago’s Lewis along with the House of David’s George Stone and Detroit’s Oscar Gamble. Here’s how they compare:

Gamble: 268/388/536; 14 HR; 43 RBI
Lewis: 310/354/619; 17 HR
Robinson: 319/397/529; 12 HR
Stone: 322/413/539; 10 HR

Lewis is on a tear and currently the dominant choice to start. The other three are virtually indistinguishable and perhaps Baltimore’s overall performance combined with Stone’s very poor defense provides the difference, making the final selections Lewis, Robinson, and Gamble.

The AI selects all four and adds Jimmy Sheckard of the New York Gothams. Sheckard has a good argument: 306/412/477 with 42 runs scored.

#NL – Effa Manley & Marvin Miller Divisions

Original Selections: Babe Ruth, Rico Carty, Roy White.

The New York Black Yankees’ Ruth is the clear starter. Beyond that, though, it’s gotten a little muddy. Brooklyn’s White has slumped, and even his great defense can’t make up that ground.

That leaves Philadelphia’s Carty, who has been rock-solid all year with an OPS over .900 and tied for the league lead in doubles. So he’s in.

The third spot probably goes, right now, to Homestead’s Rick Reichardt, who is hitting 302/391/450, and is the only other LF with an OPS in the .800’s.

The challenge here is really San Francisco’s Pedro Guerrero and the Black Yankees’ Albert Belle. Both of them have hit well enough to warrant selection, but neither have played enough for me. Belle has been seeing more time in the field lately, so there is a chance he slides in, either directly or as a “utility” choice.

The AI selects Ruth, Carty, and Belle.

Series XII Featured Matchup: Ottawa Mounties @ Homestead Grays

By mknn

On August 18, 2021

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Preview here.

Rain, rain, go away, give us a doubleheader another day. The opening game in this series was rained out, setting up a twinbill the following day.

#Game 1: Jamie Moyer @ Ray Brown

Both pitchers struggled early, and both turned it around, somewhat.

Jamie Moyer gave up 5 runs in 3 innings, including a solo homerun to Andrew McCutcheon and a 2 run shot to Willie Stargell. But with the bullpen on constant alert, Moyer settled down, making it through 6 innings, trailing 5-2.

Homestead’s Ray Brown gave up 7 hits, but only the 2 runs in 5 innings of work, and the Grays bullpen basically held down the fort, with John Candelaria, Kent Tekulve, Bartolo Colon, and Josh Lindblom combining for 4 solid innings. Lindblom picked up his 6th save.

Chris Leroux followed Moyer with a scoreless inning, but hopes of an Ottawa comeback were really dashed when Steve Howe allowed 2 runs, including a homerun to Honus Wagner.

McCutcheon had 3 hits and 3 RBIs for the Grays, while–in what really could be an important turnaround for Ottawa–Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey, Jr. combined to go 5-for-8 with 4 runs scored.

It was a solid win for Homestead, but one that could have implications for their bullpen in game 2.

OTT 4 (Moyer 1-2) @ HOM 7 (Brown 4-2; Candelaria 1 H; Tekulve 3 H; Colon 1 H; Lindblom 6 Sv)
HRs: OTT – none; HOM – Stargell (7), McCutcheon (7), Wagner (3)
Box Score

#Game 2: Jim Clancy @ Hal Carlson

Ottawa opened up the scoring in this one, relying on their two best performers of the season, as Tim Raines doubled and stole a base and scored on an RBI double from Carlos Delgado in the top of the first against Hal Carlson.

But Homestead began to hit Jim Clancy pretty hard in the 2nd: Josh Gibson led the inning off with a double, Rick Reichardt walked, and a single from Willie Stargell loaded the bases, setting the stage for two consecutive sacrifice flies, one from Tom Brown and one from Arky Vaughan. Chris Sabo added an RBI double, and the Grays emerged with a 3-1 lead.

Rick Monday, given a rare start, doubled to lead off the 3rd for Ottawa, and eventually scored on a wild pitch, cutting the lead to 3-2. But, Clancy was still struggling, again loading the bases to open the bottom of the 3rd. The Grays would score twice, once on a double play and once on an RBI single from Stargell, extending their lead to 5-2.

The wheels fell off for Carlson in the top of the 5th. Emil Gross led off with a double for the Mounties, Monday walked, and Raines and Anthony Rendon delivered RBI hits. A walk to Delgado loaded the bases, and the Grays brought in Earl Hamilton … who immediately walked in a run, giving Ottawa a 6-5 lead.

Given the lead, Clancy suddenly excelled, retiring 11 straight batters between a walk to Vaughan in the 4th and a 2-out single by Davey Johnson in the 7th. Greg Holland relieved Clancy and got out of the inning without allowing anything else.

Holland gave up a leadoff double to Gibson in the bottom of the 8th, and an RBI single to Brown to tie the game.

Hamilton’s work should not go unmentioned–he allowed only 2 hits in 5 innings in what is probably his best outing of the season. But he wouldn’t feature in the decision, as the offenses were unable to do much, sending the game into extra innings.

Ottawa’s closer, Tom Henke, gave up hits to Roberto Clemente and Andrew McCutcheon to open the bottom of the 11th, and after an out, a single to Mike Epstein to load the bases. The Mounties brought in Ted Bowsfield, who retired Honus Wagner, but gave up a walk-off grand slam to Reichardt to win the game for Homestead. Henke took the loss, as the winning run was his responsibility, and the win went to Michael Jackson, who threw a hitless 1.2 innings in relief of Hamilton.

Gibson had 4 hits for the Grays and scored twice, while Raines and Rendon had 2 hits each for Ottawa.

OTT 6 (Henke 0-3; Holland 3 BSv) @ HOM 10 (Jackson 2-1)
HRs: Reichardt (5)
Box Score

#Game 3: Old Hoss Radbourn @ Carlos Zambrano

With Vean Gregg not ready to go, Homestead turned to Carlos Zambrano to make the start against Old Hoss Radbourn. Zambrano’s performance–especially since losing his spot in the rotation–has been far better than his 1-2 record and 6.28 ERA might indicate. Radbourn sits at 3-3, 4.94.

The first inning had a couple of minor baseball moments: In the top of the first, Tim Raines was thrown out stealing by Josh Gibson, something that has only happened 4 times in 37 attempts this season. Then, in the bottom of the frame, Radbourn loaded the bases with no outs, but got out of the inning unscathed.

Gary Carter gave Ottawa a 2-0 lead with a homerun in the top of the 2nd.

In the top of the 3rd, Gibson did it again, ending the inning with a strike-em-out, throw-em-out double play by nailing Raines at second base once more. A few innings later, Pops Stargell tied the game with a solo shot down the rightfield line. They would take the lead when an RBI single from Andrew McCutcheon scored Roberto Clemente.

It was a see-saw game for a bit: in the top of the 5th, a solo homerun from Ken Griffey, Jr. would tie the game at 3; in the bottom of the inning, another hit from Stargell, this one an RBI double, would return the lead to the Grays; in the top of the 6th, Terry Puhl would go yard to again tie the game, 4-4.

Cliff Lee-considered for the start originally–relieved Zambrano in the top of the 5th, and Greg Holland took over from Radbourn in the bottom of the inning.

Holland was greeted by a Clemente homerun, and gave up 3 walks and another hit before being relieved managing to record only a single out. Ottawa’s bullpen was already stretched, and it got worse: Steve Howe surrendered a run on a sacrifice fly, but was forced from the ballgame with an apparent back injury. Chris Leroux–already a bit overworked–replaced him, and when the inning ended, Homestead was up, 7-4.

Rick Reichardt added a 2-run homerun, and Kent Tekulve slammed the door with 2 scoreless innings as the Grays won, 9-4. McCutcheon, Stargell, and Clemente had 3 hits each, with Reichardt driving in 3.

After the game, Howe was put on the DL, with Ottawa recalling the impressive Johnny Podgajny from AAA.

OTT 4 (Holland 2-1) @ HOM 9 (Lee 3-0; Tekulve 1 Sv)
HRs: OTT – Carter (4), Griffey Jr (2), Puhl (4); HOM – Reichardt (6), Stargell (8), Clemente (6)
Box Score

#Game 4: Bob Brown @ Vean Gregg

Vean Gregg was ready to take the ball for game four, hoping to lead Homestead to the sweep over Ottawa and Bob Brown.

Brown and Gregg matched zero’s through five innings, each allowing only 3 hits.

It remained scoreless until the top of the 8th, when with two outs Carlos Delgado doubled in Tim Raines for a 1-0 Ottawa lead. After an error by Honus Wagner, Ottawa added another run, making it 2-0.

Brown couldn’t come out to take the mound in the 8th, so the Mounties turned to one of the hottest pitchers in the WBL, Gary Lavelle.

It got interesting in the bottom of the 9th. Lavelle got the first out before giving way to closer Tom Henke, who has struggled in his last few appearances. Henke gave up 3 consecutive hits to load the bases with one out. But he struck out Phil Garner and got Andrew McCutcheon to fly out to Ken Griffey, Jr. in centerfield to end the game, salvaging a win in the series for Ottawa.

Arky Vaughan had 3 hits for Homestead, who outhit the Mounties, 7-6 but were unable to put a run on the board.

OTT 2 (Brown 3-3; Lavelle 4 H; Henke 11 Sv) @ HOM 0 (Gregg 3-5)
HRs: none
Box Score

#Series Notes

The story of the series was the collapse of Ottawa’s bullpen–a strength up to now. But Tom Henke, Steve Howe, and Greg Holland all struggled quite a bit in the series.

The extent of Bob Brown‘s injury is unknown at this time, which could be quite a blow for Ottawa, as his 3.43 ERA is quite respectable.

Carlos Delgado was 6-for-12 and Phil Bradley 4-for-10 in a series where the Mounties struggled to do much offensively.

For Homestead, Roberto Clemente was 7-for-12, Josh Gibson was 5-for-12, Arky Vaughan was 5-for-10, Andrew McCutcheon 8-for-19, Rick Reichardt 5-for-17 with 2 homeruns, and Pops Stargell 6-for-17 with 2 homeruns, 2 doubles, and 5 RBIs. Yeah, they feasted a bit on Ottawa pitching.

TWIWBL 13.3: Series XI Notes – Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On August 10, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Cleveland Spiders

The Spiders 8-3 win over Chicago could be important for their season. Whit Wyatt produced another fine performance, Stan Coveleski improved to 3-0 with 2.2 innings of perfect relief, Ron Blomberg continued his fantastic season with his 10th homerun and a 2-for-5 day at the plate, Louis Santop went 3-for-4, and, perhaps most importantly, Larry Doby also went 3-for-4, dragging his average closer and closer to .200.

2 hits and 2 RBIs from Jake Stahl backed another good start from Bill Steen in a 5-2 win for Cleveland. Steen had to leave with a back injury, but he looks like he won’t miss more than about a week. The win went to Hardie Henderson in relief, despite his allowing both of Chicago’s runs.

Steen was put on the DL, with Doug Corbett recalled from AAA.

#Homestead Grays

Hal Carlson and Bartolo Colon combined to blank the House of David on 6 hits, 5-0. The Grays were powered by an unlikely source, as Rick Reichardt went 3-for-5 with 4 RBIs, hitting 2 homeruns on the day. Davey Johnson had 2 hits, and Peaches Graham threw out 3 baserunners in the game.

2 homeruns, 3 hits, 4 runs, and 6 RBIs from Mike Epstein and a strong start from Vean Gregg led the Grays in an 11-2 romp over the House of David. Gregg improved his record to 3-4 with 7.2 strong innings, allowing 5 hits and 2 runs.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

It looked like a 3-run pinch-hit homerun by Portland’s Gil Hodges had resigned the ABC’s to defeat in the series opener, but they came back with 3 runs of their own in the bottom of the 8th for an 8-5 victory led by Jake Stenzel‘s 3 hits and 3 RBIs. Light hitting SS Davey Concepcion added a key 2-run double, and Lefty James–despite giving up a lead–got the win, moving to 3-1, with Rob Murphy picking up his 3rd save.

Rob Dibble blew his second save of the year, but a key pinch single from Edd Roush set up a sacrifice fly from Hal Morris in the bottom of the 9th to give Dibble his second victory of the season. Johnny Cueto put in a strong shift: 7 innings, 4 hits, only 1 earned run, but wasn’t part of the decision.

In the series finale, Danny Hoffman hit 2 homeruns, Joe Morgan had 3 hits, and Oscar Charleston had 3 RBIs in a 10-2 victory. Rube Foster improved his record to 4-2 with 8 strong innings.

#Philadelphia Stars

The Stars blew open a tight game with 5 runs in the 7th en route to an 8-2 victory over Detroit. Philadelphia had 19 hits–16 of which were singles–with Sherry Magee going 4-for-6 with 3 RBIs and Buck Freeman, Scott Rolen, George Hendrick, and Jose Ramirez each adding 3 hits. Don Carman–hit pretty hard in his WBL debut–got the start, and did OK, giving up 7 hits, but only 1 run, in 4.2 innings. Rheal Cormier moved to 4-0 with 2.1 innings of 1 hit relief.

The middle of the Stars’ lineup–Rico Carty, Ted Kluszewski, and Freeman–powered the Stars to an 8-6 victory in the series finale. The trio went 8-for-14 with 6 runs scored and 6 RBIs, and Carty and Kluszewski both went deep. Pete Alexander struggled through 6 innings, but got the victory, and Bob Howry picked up his 12th save of the year.

TWIWBL Special Edition: All Star Preview – Left Fielders

By mknn

On August 1, 2021

In All Star Games, TWIWBL

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

#AL Left Fielders – Bill James & Cum Posey Division

The leader in the AL is pretty clear: Baltimore’s Frank Robinson has been the key to their surprising season at 341/417/553, and is a fair bit ahead of the rest of the pack.

Probably the best candidates behind Robinson are Chicago’s Duffy Lewis at 311/349/571 with 11 homeruns and 25 RBIs and the House of David’s George Stone, who is hitting 322/412/517.

But Los Angeles’ Don Buford deserves some strong consideration: Buford is hitting 320/412/473, and has been the key to the Angels’ offense all season, scoring 28 runs. Detroit’s Oscar Gamble has hit a bit of a slump, but at 267/385/491 with 28 RBIs is still in the mix.

Buford and Gamble are the only folks here who have done much defensively, but we’re not talking about the great gloves of the WBL with this group.

The AI goes for Lewis, Robinson, and Stone, which is hard to argue with, but I would probably slide Buford ahead of Stone.

#NL Left Fielders – Effa Manley & Marvin Miller Division

The NL starter is pretty easy: the New York Black Yankees’ Babe Ruth is the dominant player in the league at 337/445/697, 16 HRs, and 45 RBIs. And that’s after a recent slump.

After Ruth, Philadelphia’s Rico Carty is a no-brainer at 354/416/570.

And then it gets complicated.

Ruth’s teammate, Albert Belle, is slashing 322/375/579 in somewhat limited playing time, and then there is a large gap to a trio with OPS’ in the low 800s: San Francisco’s Wally Moon, Brooklyn’s Roy White, and Homestead’s Rick Reichardt.

White has been one of–if not the best–LF defensively, so he’ll get my nod for the third slot along with Ruth and Carty.

The AI only selects Ruth and Carty, which is also defensible, given the OF quality in CF and RF.

TWIWBL 12.3: Series X Notes – Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On July 24, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Cleveland Spiders

Whit Wyatt was on the verge of WBL history, having allowed 1 hit through 8 innings against Portland. He struck out Jeff Burroughs for the first out, his 9th of the game, and then retired pinch-hitter Ivan Rodriguez on a popout to Jake Stahl at first base. But back-to-back singles by Harry Hooper and Joe Mauer were followed by a walk to Bobby Murcer to load the bases, chasing Wyatt from the mound. Terry Adams relived him and gave up an RBI single to Buddy Bell, making the score 3-1. But Adams earned the save, his 10th, by inducing another popout to Stahl to end the game, this one by Gil Hodges.

Johnny Bates hit a homerun and Stahl had 2 hits in support of Wyatt’s great outing, which improved his record to 3-1.

#Homestead Grays

The 19 inning marathon with Birmingham decimated the Grays’ pitching, a situation that worsened when Corey Kluber had to leave after just 2 innings, and was placed on the DL after the game. The Grays used 9 pitchers, necessitating additional roster moves, complicated by the previously struggling Carlos Zambrano and Kent Tekulve pitched better lately, leaving Billy Pierce the odd man out for the time being. Bartolo Colon and Cliff Lee were recalled back to Homestead, despite their earlier struggles at the big league level.

Birmingham’s Harley Young had a horrible 9th inning, giving up a double, 3 walks (driving in the tying run), and a game-winning single to Rick Reichardt as the Grays stole a 5-4 victory from the jaws of defeat. Honus Wagner, Roberto Clemente, and Mike Epstein had 2 hits each for Homestead, with Wagner adding his 2nd homerun of the year and Clemente his 3rd.

#New York Black Yankees

Babe Ruth hit 2 homeruns, and Lou Gehrig and Derek Jeter also went deep for New York, but it wasn’t enough, as Sparky Lyle gave up 2 runs in the 9th and Baltimore came from behind for an 8-7 victory over the Black Yankees.

Series X Featured Game: Birmingham Black Barons @ Homestead Grays

By mknn

On July 18, 2021

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

This one is a little different …

Birmingham‘s Alejandro Pena came into the game on a bit of a roll, having improved his numbers to a record of 3-3 and an ERA of 3.35. Homestead‘s Corey Kluber was just trying to stay in the league, with a record of 0-6 and an ERA over 6.

Kluber lasted only 2 innings before injury forced him from the game. He had given up one unearned run when, in the top of the first, an error by Mike Epstein allowed Tom Herr to score. Carlos Zambrano who, if anything, has been hit harder than Kluber, relieved him.

Pena allowed a run in the bottom of the 3rd and the bottom of the 4th on a sacrifice fly from Andrew McCutcheon and a bases-loaded walk to Honus Wagner that scored Josh Gibson.

So, 2-1 Homestead after 4 innings.

And then … that was it.

Pena put in 8 innings, allowing 6 hits and the 2 runs (only 1 was earned), and the combination of Kluber, Zambrano, Billy Pierce, and Michael Jackson had kept Birmingham from scoring again.

Homestead’s closer, Josh Lindblom, came into the game in the top of the 9th to close out the impressive win … and, after getting the first out, gave up a single to Billy Southworth, a walk to Troy Tulowitzki, a single to Herr, and a sacrifice fly to Frank McCormick, tying the game.

And then … that was it. For a long time, that was it.

For Birmingham, Wilhelm added 2 more innings, closer Carlos Diaz followed with 2 more, and Larry Benton added 3. For Homestead, Kent Tekulve added 2.2 and then Hal Carlson stepped in with the bullpen deeply depleted and delivered 4 crucial innings.

All scoreless. Through the 12th, scoreless. Through the 16th, scoreless. Through the 18th, scoreless.

And then … that was it.

Earl Hamilton had followed Carlson, and held Birmingham scoreless for 1.2 innings. He took the mound in the top of the 19th, and induced a groundout from Hank Aaron.

But then the floodgates opened: Omar Infante doubled, Southworth singled, and Tulowitzki broke the tie with an RBI single. Herr singled to load the bases, and McCormick walked. Then the Black Barons really took control, with Frank Isbell doubling home 2 more runs.

With Hamilton clearly gassed, the Grays called on Ray Brown, who got out of the inning, but not before allowing RBI singles to Gene Tenace, Eddie Mathews, and Infante.

So, inning after inning of no offense and then, in the top of the 19th, 7 runs for Birmingham.

It was enough: Warren Spahn retired the side in order and the Black Barons left with the win, 9-2. Honestly, Birmingham deserved to win much earlier: they banged out 28 hits during the 19 innings, with Herr and Isbell each going 5-for-10, Aaron adding 4 hits, and Infante and Southworth 3 hits apiece. But 24 of their 28 hits were singles: the Black Barons left a whopping 23 batters on base in the game.

Homestead had only 10 hits on the day, with 3 of them coming off the bat of Rick Reichardt. All 10 were singles, and the Grays had their own struggles with timing base knocks, leaving 14 runners on base.

A remarkable, and totally unexpected pitching performance from Birmingham. Even with that, both teams bullpens are likely to suffer for a few games from this one.

BBB 9 (Spahn 2-4) @ HOM 2 (Hamilton 0-1; Jackson 2 H; Lindblom 2 BS) [19 Innings]
HRs: none
Box Score