#Birmingham Black Barons

Hank Aaron went deep twice and Greg Maddux improved to 4-4 with a solid outing as the Black Barons went up early and held on for dear life, topping the ABC’s 7-6. Jim Pagliaroni, Andy Pafko, and Eddie Mathews also went deep for Birmingham.

#Houston Colt 45s

Bret Saberhagen‘s disastrous start in an 8-2 loss to Brooklyn removed him from the starting rotation for Houston, who will use a starter-by-committee to round out their staff.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Joe Morgan went deep twice, leading the ABCs to a 12-3 walkover of Kansas City. Rube Foster improved to 2-3, but faded in the 9th, losing a shot at the complete game. Still, a fine outing for Foster in a game that saw Morgan drive in 4 and Oscar Charleston and Jake Stenzel 3 each.

#Kansas City Monarchs

With Bob Gibson out for a week or so with back issues, the Monarchs placed the struggling youngster on the DL and recalled Jock Menefee from AAA.

#Wandering House of David

Bob Robertson was excellent in his time with the House of David, but Pete Browning‘s return from injury sends Robertson back to AAA.

Ryne Sandberg went deep twice as the House of David hit 6 homeruns in a 12-6 win over Ottawa that wasn’t even that close. Sandberg had 4 hits and scored 4 runs and Bob Rush improved to 5-4 with a solid 7 innings.

Ernie Banks hit 3 homeruns and drove in 6 as the House of David beat Houston 10-3. He wasn’t done, as Banks hit 2 more including a walkoff blast in another victory over Houston, this one 10-8. Ron Santo, Sandberg, and Anthony Rizzo also went deep, but the victory had a downside, as Browning will be sidelined for most of the next week with tightness in his back.

A repeat of last year’s playoff contention, at a minimum.

Best Case

Starters are found to support repeat performances from Jack Taylor and Bob Rush; Pete Browning is healthy for a full season; Elrod Hendricks doesn’t backslide too much; and the OF talent figures itself out.

Worst Case

The pitching remains an open question; none of the marginal performers–Richie Hebner, Ron Santo, Ernie Banks–take a step forward and the pleasant surprises from last season–Jim Edmonds, Anthony Rizzo, Dan Ford–all regress and Hendricks falls off a cliff entirely.

Key Questions

• How does the team integrate its considerable young talent into the roster as the season progresses?

As many as 8 spots on the pitching staff are available, as are the backup C and IF jobs.

Trade Bait

There is a lot of duplicate talent here, most of it in the minors. Sorting through all that is the major task of the organization over the next year or two.

The two trades made seem fine, netting some draft picks, an arm for the future (Claude Osteen), and a hopefully revitalized Sammy Sosa.

Roster Evaluation

Above average, but needs some folks to step up dramatically on offense to reach the next level, and for the pitching to not regress at all. It’s possible–Sosa, Fergie Jenkins, Santo, and Banks all look like decent possibilities for upside.

Talent Ratings

Best In The Minors

It’s a top heavy system, which is what you want. Could use some more pitching, but overall the system is a strength.

The House of David enter Spring Training with 6 OFers and 4 Ps on the roster, so something most likely needs to give in the OF and the pitching is just totally wide open.

There is a ton of young talent that could force its way onto the roster with a strong Spring.

Injuries

Frank Grant will miss about 2 months with a back injury, removing for now any question of him making the opening day roster.

First Cuts

Tom Niedenfuer will be given some more time to recover from his early struggles, but Bill Stoneman, Jim Clinton, Larry Dierker, Karl Spooner, and Ken McBride were all moved to minor league camp. Even with that, there are a lot of major league opportunities on this staff.

Darren Daulton moved to the minors, with Bubbles Hargrave and Gabby Hartnett only staying in camp because the House of David needs some bodies behind the plate. At the corners, Cody Bellinger, Mark McGwire, and Jung Ho Kang were all reassigned. The situation remains a bit unclear–Deacon White and Chris Brown haven’t been terribly impressive, but have done just enough to remain in camp while a few of the presumed members of the opening day roster–Joe Harris, Anthony Rizzo, Ron Santo, and Richie Hebner especially–need to warm up.

At 2B, Charlie Gehringer is turning heads, but with Ryne Sandberg well established, it’s not clear how far that will take him. Craig Reynolds and Billy Herman were sent down, while both Bunny Downs and Orlando Cabrera have impressed enough to continue to make their case for a utility role on the IF.

In the OF, Cy Williams is forcing himself into the picture, with Billy Williams, Fred Lynn, and Tony Conigliaro heading to the minors.

Second Cuts

Tom Niedenfuer is in danger of being sent down, but his performance last season keeps him in camp for now. Beyond that, the staff is doing quite well, but of course will need pruning over the next week or so.

Mark Grace heads down to clear some of the 1B logjam … and that’s it for now.

Third Cuts

P Chad Kuhl heads to the minors, with the House of David considering sending down both Tom Niedenfuer and CC Sabathia, both of whom were solid last season. The surprises of camp have been the trio of Jocko Flynn, Ad Gumbert, and Fergie Jenkins, who have combined for over 30 scoreless innings. Flynn is 20, Gumbert 19, and Jenkins was hammered in a small handful of appearances last season.

C Bubbles Hargrave, 3Bs Chris Brown and Deacon White, IF Bunny Downs, and OFs Luis Gonzalez and Jerry Mumphrey were all sent to AAA (Gonzalez refused the assignment, and was waived). Downs’ defensive excellence may force a recall sooner rather than later, but for now there are others performing better in the race for the final roster spots.

The IF is far too crowded. Incumbents Anthony Rizzo (1B), Ron Santo (3B), and Ernie Banks (SS) are struggling mightily while Bob Robertson and Joe Harris (1B), Luis Aparicio (SS), and Charlie Gehringer and Orlando Cabrera (2B) are pounding the ball.

Final Cuts

Tom Niedenfeur‘s performance last season wasn’t enough in the end, as the struggling reliever was the first player sent down this final week of camp.

This is ridiculously hard. Ad Gumbert (18) and Jocko Flynn (20) were invited to camp mostly to help their future development. They’ve combined for over 20 innings of scoreless ball. Arnold Carter and Kyle Peterson? The longest of long shots, each with an ERA under 1.00. Bob Robertson, Luis Aparicio, Cy Williams, and Orlando Cabrera? The best hitters for the House of David this side of Ryne Sandberg.

Aparicio and Williams are merely unfortunate victims of the numbers game: Cabrera is the only other 2B on the roster behind Sandberg and will also serve as the backup SS. That means Aparicio, despite an OPS of 1.031, is sent to AAA.

The hard choices were delayed a day with Claude Osteen, a spare part in the Sosa trade, heading to AAA. 20 year old Jocko Flynn followed him after an outing that reinforced his control isn’t ready yet for the rigors of the WBL.

Needing to cut three to get to 30, the House of David had to figure some things out. OF Cy Williams was an obvious choice, and placing Bruce Sutter on the DL with his ongoing bout of elbow tendinitis made sense. That left a bit of a surprise, as OF Dan Ford–a fan favorite and a solid contributor last season–heads to AAA, pushed off the roster largely by the knock-on effects of the Sosa trade.

Kyle Peterson and Scott Downs–neither of which pitched worse than players who made the final roster–were sent to AAA, as was 20 year old Cap Anson, who did show some potential during the Spring.

Bob Robertson and Joe Harris went toe-to-toe all Spring, and came out just about even. The House of David stuck with Harris, mostly due to his contributions at the end of last season.

That left a single slot that really has to come from the pitching staff. Ad Gumbert and Arnold Carter are the obvious choices, but Gumbert–yet to turn 20–didn’t allow a run all Spring, and Carter only gave up 1. Carter was moved to AAA–his numbers were just a tad worse than Gumbert’s, and the team is curious how the teenage phenom does.

Overall

The House of David caught fire in June and never looked back. That coincided, unsurprisingly, with Pete Browning‘s return from the DL (and a late season slump coincided with Browning’s cooling off at the tail end of the season). This team revolved around 3 players: Browning, Elrod Hendricks, and Jack Taylor.

On the one hand, it’s an example of how far a few well placed stars can carry you; on the other, it reveals an overall lack of quality that needs to be addressed.

What Went Right

Elrod Hendricks and Pete Browning finished with identical .961 OPS. Browning’s performance, at least, is expected to continue although his health remains a concern.

Jim Edmonds emerged as a legitimate potential star in the league with both his glove and his bat, and Anthony Rizzo did the same, minus the bit about the glove. George Stone was perhaps the most underrated offensive player in the league.

Top to bottom, the House of David were excellent offensively: Ryne Sandberg was very good at 2B and Dan Ford, quite surprisingly, hit well enough to legitimately claim the RF spot. Their worst everyday player–SS Ernie Banks–still posted a .736 OPS with 25 homeruns.

Jack Taylor was excellent, Bob Rush quite good, and both Frank Sullivan and CC Sabathia serviceable in the rotation. The bullpen trio of Tom Niedenfuer, Lee Smith, and Bruce Sutter was above average, although both Smith and Sutter faded a bit at the end of the season.

ALL STARS
C Elrod Hendricks; OF George Stone

What Went Wrong

Many of the players who were expected to fill roles struggled: Sammy Sosa (who was traded), Mark McGwire, Mark Grace, Frank Grant, and Fred Lynn were all given significant chances to impress, and all failed. That is what opened the door for Edmonds and Rizzo, so in the end it worked out.

Browning’s injury was horribly impactful and Hendricks’ performance is most likely a career year. Neither of these things went wrong, technically, but both speak volumes to the House of David’s future.

The rest of the pitching staff struggled, with Frank Sullivan being thoroughly average and Ferguson Jenkins horrible in his 80+ innings. The middle relief was so weak it warranted the acquisition of Ed Bauta–Bauta was good, but when Ed Bauta rescues your bullpen …

Transactions

March

None

June

OF Sammy Sosa & 5th Round Pick to Memphis for OF Tony Conigliaro, OF Fred Lynn & 2nd Round Pick {Bill Lee}

Sosa was terrible for the House of David, so getting anything for him seemed a steal at the time. Given his performance for Memphis, it’s not as clear.

July

IF Bert Campaneris, P Jeff Heathcock & 3rd Round Pick to Miami for P Ed Bauta, 6th Round Pick {Ad Gumbert} & 7th Round Pick {Dave Malarcher}

See above: Bauta was very much needed.

P Dick Tidrow & 7th Round Pick to New York Black Yankees for P Jim Clinton, 3B Chris Brown & 2nd Round Pick {Darren Daulton}

Seems fine: Clinton has some potential.

Looking Forward

SP

Taylor and Rush look quite good, and the House of David still believe in Ferguson Jenkins. There is some other talent here as well: Rick Reuschel, Kerry Wood and, although they are still teenagers at this point, Larry Dierker and Joe Nuxhall.

RP

Assuming Bruce Sutter and Lee Smith recover from their late season slumps, this looks good with support from Don Aase, and Rollie Fingers.

C

Something has to give here: Elrod Hendricks is clearly the starter heading into next year, with both Gabby Hartnett and Frank Chance behind him, although Chance’s future is likely not behind the plate.

1B

Anthony Rizzo looks very solid here, although the House of David remain optimistic that, someday, Mark McGwire will start connecting with more pitches. This may get even more crowded as both Chance and Cap Anson are expected to drift across the diamond to first eventually.

2B

Ryne Sandberg has this locked down, but young Billy Herman is turning some heads.

3B

Ron Santo is the starter here, although Anson should see some time over the next few years as well.

SS

Ernie Banks, although his performance this year really needs to be his floor for him to maintain his roster spot.

LF

George Stone now, Billy Williams later.

CF

Browning for as long as he stays healthy. There is a need for a better long term solution here.

RF

If Dan Ford cannot hold this down, Tony Conigliaro looks decent at AAA, and George Gore was among the better 4th OFers in the league.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

With 3 picks in the first two rounds, the House of David is looking to add a fair bit of high end talent. It starts in the 1st round with P Zack Greinke and continues in the 2nd with franchise P Bill Lee. Greinke is a great talent; Lee has a lower ceiling, but could help sooner.

The House of David had back-to-back picks later in the second round. With one, they hope to have solved a long term need at catcher: there are whispers that Hendricks’ year was a fluke and that Frank Chance‘s future may be at 1B . So, while he’s clearly a few years away, they picked up teenager Darren Daulton as a long-term project, and with their final pick of the round, they picked up the highest rated franchise player remaining, Cody Bellinger, who looks eventually to further complicate the CF question, but that’s a challenge for another day.

In the 4th round, the House of David picked up Frank Dwyer, probably the best remaining arm in the draft.

Rounds 5-8

Corner OF, 1B, and pitching should be the focus with these picks for the House of David, starting with a franchise selection, 19 year old pitcher Ad Gumbert. That was followed by their final exemption, P Al Brazle. Their 2 picks in the 7th round were Dave Malarcher and John Peters, both of whom offer some infield depth, but neither of whom have much power potential.

Rounds 9-12

P Justin Steele; OF Mitch Webster; IF Charlie Deal; P Hal Mauck.

13th overall pick Zack Greinke refused the House of David’s offer, and will re-enter the draft next year.

#Portland Sea Dogs @ Chicago American Giants, Game 3

Portland leads, 2-0.

Dizzy Trout (7-5, 4.18) will take the mound for Portland, opposed by Ed Walsh (8-3, 3.26). Walsh is a bit of a wild card for the American Giants, having made only 11 starts during the season, but with Dick Rudolph struggling down the stretch, he’s emerged as a solid choice for a game Chicago knows it has to win.

Walsh worked out of a bases loaded jam in the 3rd, and with Trout only allowing one hit–a single to Freddy Parent–we were scoreless through three innings. We stayed that way until the 5th, when a Joe Mauer single scored Gil Hodges for the game’s first run. Again, Walsh faced a bases-loaded jam, but after whiffing Kent Hrbek, he walked Gavvy Cravath to force in a second run, which also prompted a call to Chicago’s bullpen, bringing in Don Newcombe, who gave up a 2-RBI single to Rogers Hornsby, making it 4-0 in favor of Portland.

Frank Thomas broke up the shutout, knocking home Freddy Parent in the bottom of the 6th. Duffy Lewis followed with a double, and that was it for Trout, who gave way to Mark Melancon. Dick Allen greeted Melancon with a sharp single to right, scoring both Thomas and Lewis, pulling Chicago within a run.

Eddie Collins picked a heckuva time to announce himself: he was hitless in the series until he rocked a Trevor Hoffman slider into the right field seats with Parent on base. Chicago had come all the way back to take a 5-4 lead. Hoffman gave up a further walk and a single, but Elmer Brown came in to prevent any further damage.

That setup the 9th inning Chicago had hoped for all along: AJ Minter on the mound against the lefty dominant lineup of the Sea Dogs. Three up, three down, and Chicago was back in the series led by Parent’s 3 hits and Collins’ key clout.

POR 4 (Hoffman 1-1, 1 B Sv; Melancon 1 H) @ CAG 5 (Sanders 1-0; Minter 1 Sv)
HRs: POR – none; CAG – Collins (1).
Box Score

#Detroit Wolverines @ Birmingham Black Barons, Game 3

Detroit leads, 2-0.

This is an interesting matchup, with Detroit sending Charlie Root (10-6, 3.53 overall, but 5-1, 2.62 since joining the Wolverines) to face Greg Maddux, who overcame some early season struggles to end the season at 6-7, 3.53.

Detroit would score first, as Oscar Gamble and Al Kaline each took Maddux deep in the second inning. Ed Bailey would add a moon shot of his own in the 4th, putting the Wolverines in front, 6-0. A walk and a single chased Maddux, but Sam Streeter was able to get out of the inning without further harm.

With Root only allowing 3 hits through 5 innings, Detroit looked like they were sailing towards a dominant series lead. But Pie Traynor and Bob Nieman led off the 6th with singles, and a double from Hank Aaron scored the first 2 runs of the day for the Black Barons, chasing Root from the game. His repalcement, Justin Verlander, was solid, escaping the inning without allowing more runs despite allowing a walk.

That brought us to the top of the 7th, with the Wolverines leading, 6-2.

A double by Ty Cobb–only the 2nd hit allowed by Streeter–brought in Larry Benton for Birmingham, who allowed an RBI single to Hank Greenberg before escaping the inning. The Wolverines threatened again in the 8th, but a tired Bruce Chen was called on to face Cobb, and induced an inning-ending double play without letting the 5 run deficit get any worse.

But all it did was delay the inevitable, with Detroit going up 3-0 in the series with the 7-2 win. George Davis had 3 hits in support of Detroit’s three long balls, but the real story might be Maddux having very bad timing to have arguably his worst outing of the season.

Both bullpens were excellent with Verlander and John Hiller combining to allow only 2 hits in 4 innings for Detroit and, while hit a little harder, Streeter, Benton, Harley Young, Chen, and Steve Bedrosian held the Wolverines to 1 run over 5 innings.

DET 7 (Root 1-0) @ BBB 2 (Maddux 0-1)
HRs: DET – Gamble (1), Kaline (1), E. Bailey (1); BBB – none.
Box Score

#Cleveland Spiders v New York Gothams, Game 3

New York leads 2-0.

Cleveland will hope Cy Young can slow the Gothams down. The Gothams had a more difficult choice picking between Juan Marichal (13-9, 5.47) and Don Sutton (6-8, 4.94). In the end, they went with Marichal, partially because Sutton was far more used to coming out of the bullpen.

Both teams tweaked their lineups slightly: for Cleveland, they still have been unable to find a way to get Lance Berkman in the starting lineup, preferring to have Kenny Lofton and Tris Speaker back to back at the top of the lineup, but they did replace Sammy Strang at 3B with Jim Gantner. The Gothams’changes were a little more drastic, with George Van Haltren starting in RF and Benny Kauff at DH.

Cleveland’s choices paid immediate dividends: Lofton led off the game with a double and scored on Speaker’s single. Perhaps more importantly for the Spiders, Ron Blomberg picked up his first hit of the series, a comebacker through the middle for a single. Marichal settled down, allowing only one more run despite loading the bases.

The Gothams’ response was immediate: Jimmy Sheckard singled, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Pete Runnels. Despite a Buster Posey double and another wild pitch by Young, the Gothams only managed the single tally, ending the first inning trailing 2-1.

Singles to lead off the 4th by Louis Santop and Arky Vaughan brought in Sutton in relief of Marichal. He shut the door, retiring Gantner, Lofton, and Speaker in succession.

Kauff took Young deep in the 5th to tie the game at 2, but the Cleveland starter closed out the inning. He was chased from the game in the 6th, after giving up 2 hits and a walk to start the inning (Sheckard led off with a hit, but was caught stealing). In came Yordano Ventura, who surrendered a sharp hit to Willie Mays, but Lofton was able to gun down Runnels at the plate to preserve the tie.

Sutton was fantastic, most likely sealing his role as a starter should the Gothams progress, allowing only a hit in just over 3 innings. He was relieved by Steve Howe, who had been erratic all year, but usually effective against lefties. Howe came through here: a routine grounder from Lofton was bobbled by Runnels, but Speaker flew out and Blomberg grounded into a double play.

And from there, things just got more and more tense as the bullpens proved their worth until Mays led off the bottom of the 9th with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Johan Camargo, and scored on a base hit from Will Clark.

The key here for New York was their bullpen, as it has been all year, although there were some different names involved this time: Sutton, Howe, and Robb Nen combined to allow only 2 hits over 6 innings.

On the whole, the managerial choices proved solid: Gantner had a hit and Kauff the key homerun.

CLE 2 (Porter 0-1) @ NYG 3 (Nen 1-0)
HRs: CLE – none; NYG – Kauff (1).
Box Score

#Baltimore Black Sox v Wandering House of David, Game 3

Baltimore leads 2-0.

Baltimore had indicated that Mike Mussina would get the third start, but have opted instead for Connie Johnson, one of the hottest arms in the league. Johnson was 9-5 on the year with a 3.65 ERA, so he’s been pretty stellar throughout. The House of David will counter as planned, with Frank Sullivan (9-10, 4.77).

For Baltimore, Baby Doll Jacobson will get the start in CF in place of Paul Blair. The House of David react to a somewhat desperate situation with Ron Santo and Joe Harris both joining the starting lineup in place of Richie Hebner and Anthony Rizzo, a move questioned by fans, given the choice to give up the platoon advantage.

Baltimore wasted no time: Bobby Wallace led off the game with a triple and scored on a long flyball from Larry Gardner. A homerun from Dan McGann in the top of the second doubled the lead to 2-0.

Sullivan settled down after that, but Johnson was just that much better, striking out 7 over 5 scoreless innings.

Wade Miley relieved Sullivan, but not effectively: two walks and a 3-run homer from Ken Singleton pushed the Black Sox lead to 5-0.

A glimmer of hope for the House of David in the 7th, when Pete Browning took Jim Palmer deep with a man on, cutting the deficit to 5-2. Which is how it ended: the House of David had their chances, but couldn’t come through when it mattered, and now face the steepest of uphill climbs.

McGann had 3 hits for Baltimore; Ryne Sandberg and Dan Ford 2 each for the House of David.

BAL 5 (Johnson 1-0; Groom 2 Sv; Beggs 1 H) @ HOD 2 (Sullivan 0-1)
HRs: BAL – McGann (1), Singleton (2); HoD – Browning (2).
Box Score

Game two would see Birmingham send its second ace–Alejandro Peña–to the mound against perhaps Detroit’s most effective pitcher all season, Gene Conley, who started out in the bullpen, but has made 16 starts since moving into the rotation.

Peña seemed to have a hard time settling, and in the bottom of the 3rd, Detroit finally broke through: a single from Tony Phillips, who moved to second on Bob Bailey‘s sacrifice bunt, and came around to score on a single from Hank Greenberg. It continued in the 4th: 4 more hits brought in 2 more runs (one on a single from Ed Bailey and the other on a sacrifice fly from Bob), making it 3-0 in favor of the Wolverines.

Meanwhile, Conley had allowed 2 hits through 7 innings, but was showing signs of fatigue, prompting the Wolverines to bring in Matt Anderson for the 8th. Anderson got 2 outs, then had to leave with some sort of leg injury.

The Wolverines added a run in the bottom of the 8th, which looked like it could be important when Cupid Childs greeted Mike Henneman with a leadoff triple. Henneman got two quick outs, but Curtis Granderson brought home Childs, and when Adrián González walked, Herman Long stepped up as the potential tying run. Long singled to load the bases, but Henneman got Jim Pagliaroni to fly out to end the game. So, a typical Mike Henneman save.

Phillips had 3 hits for Detroit, but the star was Conley, who struck out 8 in his 7 scoreless innings.

Two close games, but 2 wins for Detroit to open the series at home.

BBB 1 (Peña 0-1) @ DET 4 (Conley 1-0; Anderson 1 H; Hiller 1 H)
HRs: None.
Box Score

#Chicago American Giants v Portland Sea Dogs, Game 2

Chicago decided to go with the hot hand to try to even up the series, sending out David Price to face Bert Blyleven. Price is 4-0 with a 2.44 ERA since coming over from Indianapolis, making him preferred over Dick Rudolph and Ed Walsh (the likely game 3 starter).

Chicago came out firing after their game one loss: Eddie Collins and Frank Thomas walked, both scored on Duffy Lewis‘ double, and Lewis came home on a groundout by Dick Allen. But a shot from Bobby Murcer with 2 on board in the bottom of the inning reset us in a tie. Game one hero Gil Hodges–the 9th Sea Dog to bat in the inning–hit a 2-run single before Price could finally get the final out in an inning that saw 2 Chicago errors, a walk, and 4 hits.

Portland scored again in the 2nd, but the lead was short lived as Carlton Fisk took Blyleven deep in the 3rd with the bases loaded, putting Chicago back in front, 7-6.

Price didn’t make it out of the 4th, as a leadoff single from Kent Hrbek brought in Ben Sheets from the Chicago bullpen. Likewise, Blyleven was relieved by Wade Miller to start the 5th.

And suddenly the offenses were held in check: Chicago preserved its one run lead through the 5th, through the 6th, through the 7th. But in the 8th, Hoyt Wilhelm surrendered an RBI single to Hrbek and then, after Thomas dropped a throw for the American Giants’ 3rd error of the day, Rogers Hornsby laced a 2-run double down the left field line. A single from Buddy Bell scored Hornsby and chased Wilhelm.

That gave the Sea Dogs a 10-7 lead heading to the 9th. Singles from Thomas and Lewis brought the tying run to the plate, but Bob Porterfield induced a double play from Allen, leaving Chicago’s hopes up to Mike Fiore … who grounded out weakly to first, giving Portland a 2-0 edge in the series.

It’s hard to overcome 3 errors, even harder in the post season.

Thomas had 3 hits for Chicago, and Hrbek 3 for Portland, who got 3 RBIs each from Murcer and Hornsby.

CAG 7 (Wilhelm 0-1, 1 B Sv) @ POR 10 (Hoffman 1-0; Porterfield 1 Sv)
HRs: CAG – Fisk (1); POR – Murcer (1).
Box Score

#New York Gothams v Cleveland Spiders, Game 2

Cleveland would send out Bill Steen to face the Gothams’ Gaylord Perry.

Cleveland sat Johnny Bates in favor of getting both Kenny Lofton and Tris Speaker in the lineup, and it paid dividends early against Perry. Lofton singled, stole second, and scored on a homerun from Speaker that curled just around the right field foul pole. Cleveland would bat around, but score only one more run, on an RBI single by Chuck Knoblauch, giving the Spiders a 3-0 lead after one inning.

New York clawed one back in the 3rd on an RBI single from Pete Runnels. But that was really it, as Steen allowed only 3 hits through 6 innings.

Sergio Romo relieved Perry, but had to leave with injury after the first two outs.

New York had a chance in the bottom of the 8th, as Pinky Higgins led off the inning with a walk and moved to second on Jimmy Sheckard‘s single. That brought in Chuck Porter, who got Runnels to hit into a double play, ending the threat and the inning, and preserving the Spider’s 3-1 lead.

Terry Adams came in for Cleveland to close it out, but promptly gave up singles to Buster Posey and Willie Mays and, after an out, a game-tying single from Johnny Callison. Carl Furillo delivered a pinch-hit single, plating Callison and giving the Gothams a 4-3 lead.

That brought Brian Wilson in to seal the deal, with the unusual move of Posey playing third. Kenny Lofton singled, setting up a 2-out confrontation with Ron Blomberg. Wilson got him to fly out to center, giving the Gothams a dramatic victory and a 2-0 series lead.

This one will hurt: the Spiders out-hit the Gothams 10-8 and left 9 runners on base. The victory went to Mike Norris, who pitched 1.1 scoreless innings despite giving up 2 hits.

NYG 4 (Norris 1-0; Wilson 2 Sv) @ CLE 3 (Adams 0-1, 1 B Sv; Porter H 1)
HRs: NYG – none; CLE – Speaker (1).
Box Score

The news was encouraging on Romo, who will only miss a day or two of action with a stiff back.

#Wandering House of David v Baltimore Black Sox, Game 2

The House of David will try to even the series behind Bob Rush while Baltimore will counter with Dennis Martínez.

A solo shot by Ernie Banks put the House of David in front in the top of the 3rd. That was all the offense through five innings, with Martínez actually pitching better than Rush, despite the 1-0 deficit for Baltimore.

In the bottom of the 6th, Bryce Harper tied the game with a solo shot that barely cleared the right field wall. Two hits in the top of the 7th chased Martínez, but John Wetteland caught George Stone looking to end the inning, leaving the game tied, 1-1.

This is the kind of situation for which the House of David brought Ed Bauta over from. Here, the reliever gave up a leadoff single to Paul Blair, who stole second and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Bobby Wallace. But Ryne Sandberg cut down Blair at the plate on a slow ground ball, and Bauta got a groundout from Frank Robinson to end the threat. So, onto the 8th, still tied.

Pete Browning‘s end of season struggles have been well documented, but he had two sharply hit singles today before facing Wetteland in the 8th, when he drove a pitch deep to straight away center for his first post-season homerun, and a 2-1 edge for the House of David.

Harper would strike again with a triple, scoring Brian Roberts (who had pinch run for Curt Blefary, who singled to lead off the frame) to tie the game. Ken Singleton followed with a soft single to right for a 3-2 lead. Lee Smith struggled some more, and the House of David had to turn to Wade Miley to get the final out of the inning. But, he did, sending us to the top of the 9th with Baltimore having seized a 1 run edge.

Buddy Groom gave up a leadoff single to Dan Ford, but Banks bounced into a tailor made 6-4-3 double play, leaving the House of David’s hopes on pinch hitter Ron Santo, who lined a ball hard to the left side, caught by Bobby Wallace, putting the Black Sox up in the series, 2-0.

Browning had 3 hits–a welcome sign for House of David fans, and a requirement if they are to make a comeback. For Baltimore, 3 players–Harper, Singleton, and Manny Machado–had 2 hits each, with Harper the clear hitting star.

HOD 2 (Smith 0-1, 1 B Sv) @ BAL 3 (Miller 1-0; Groom 1 Sv)
HRs: HOD – Banks (1), Browning (1); BAL – Harper (1).
Box Score

#Game 1: David Price @ Wade Miley

Chicago’s David Price was masterful, allowing only 1 run and 3 hits in just shy of 8 innings, leading the American Giants to a 5-1 victory. Dick Allen hit his 21st homerun and Kevin Mitchell his 2nd for Chicago, who also got 2 hits from Frank Thomas and Duffy Lewis.

The American Giants got a bit of a scare in the 7th as a Scott Downs fastball slammed into Mike Fiore‘s face. The American Giants CF got up from the ground with blood streaming from their nose, and had to be replaced by Jack Doyle.

CAG 5 (Price 2-0) @ HOD 1 (Miley 7-5)
HRs: CAG – Allen (21), Mitchell (2); HOD – Edmonds (15).
Box Score

News after the game was good for Chicago: Fiore would only miss a few days with a broken nose and, perhaps, a new profile.

More importantly, Pete Browning has, at long last, accumulated enough plate appearances to qualify for the the league leader lists. Browning leads the league in BA at .354 and is 3rd in SLG at .636.

#Game 2: Mark Buehrle @ Frank Sullivan

The House of David got one back with a sterling starting performance of their own as Frank Sullivan pitched into the 9th inning having allowed only 1 run and 5 hits. Despite some recent struggles, Bruce Sutter was solid in relief, picking up his 20th save of the year.

Elrod Hendricks gave the House of David an early lead with his 33rd homerun of the year, a 2-run shot in the bottom of the first. They would double their lead in the 5th, first on an RBI double from Skeeter Barnes and then when Barnes pulled off a steal of home with 2 outs.

Chicago’s Mark Buehrle was the hard luck loser, allowing 7 hits in what turned out to be a complete game 8 innings.

CAG 1 (Buehrle 10-9) @ HOD 4 (Sullivan 9-8; Sutter 20 Sv)
HRs: CAG – Collins (18); HOD – Hendricks (33).
Box Score

#Game 3: Ben Sheets @ Jack Taylor

While Chicago considered sending Ed Walsh out instead of the struggling Ben Sheets, the American Giants decided in the end to keep their rotation intact, hoping Sheets can match up against the league’s best pitcher, Jack Taylor.

Homeruns from Frank Thomas and Cristóbal Torriente gave Chicago an early 3-0 lead, but Taylor settled down after that. Surprisingly, Sheets was even better, tossing a 3-hit shutout through 5 innings.

The 6th was decisive: a double by Duffy Lewis made it 4-0, and Dick Allen‘s 22nd homerun (and 99th RBI) chased Taylor with the score 6-0 Chicago. 3 more runs in the 7th made it 9-0, and the game seemed out of reach.

Seemed.

2 runs in the bottom of the inning put the House of David on the board, and then they exploded in the bottom of the 8th, fueled by a 2-run double by Pete Browning and a bases clearing double from Richie Hebner. Suddenly, it was 9-7 with Hebner on 3rd and 1 out. A single from Ron Santo–his 4th hit of the day–made it 9-8 and chased Don Newcombe from the mound. Hoyt Wilhelm got out of the inning, but suddenly we had a ballgame.

But AJ Minter closed it out for his 23rd save, and Chicago won a game that was far closer than it should have been. The win put Chicago ahead 2-1 in the series.

CAG 9 (Sheets 9-8; Minter 23 Sv; Wilhelm 3 H) @ HOD 8 (Taylor 14-9)
HRs: CAG – Thomas (24), Torriente (1), Allen (22); HOD – none.
Box Score

#Game 4: Tricky Nichols @ CC Sabathia

George Stone led off the bottom of the 1st with his 26th homerun, but Chicago answered with a bases-loaded double from Freddy Parent. Chicago’s Tricky Nichols never really settled down, giving up dingers to Jim Edmonds and Ernie Banks in the 3rd before another homerun, this one to Anthony Rizzo, chased him in the 4th.

CC Sabathia, meanwhile, was cruising, not allowing a run since Parent’s double through 6 innings. His relief didn’t do so well: a Dick Allen homerun started their 8th inning, and a flurry of singles brought in 3 more runs. That closed the gap to 8-7 in favor of the House of David.

But, much like the prior game, the closer came through: Bruce Sutter struck out 2 in a perfect 9th to give the House of David a series split.

CAG 7 (Nichols 14-8) @ HOD 8 (Sabathia 11-11; Sutter 21 Sv; Smith 13 H)
HRs: CAG – Allen (23); HOD – Stone (26), Edmonds (16), Banks (23), Rizzo (13).
Box Score

Miami Cuban Giants @ New York Black Yankees, Game #2

Down 2-0 and 4-2, the New York Black Yankees scored the last 5 runs of the game in a 7-4 victory over Miami. Most importantly, the reconstructed New York bullpen provided 3.2 innings of scoreless, 2-hit relief to close out the game, with Aroldis Chapman picking up his 3rd save since being acquired. As is often the case, Miami was nearly totally reliant on José Canseco, who had 3 hits and 3 RBIs, including his 29th homerun of the year. Ryan Braun also had 3 hits for Miami.

MCG 4 (Pedroso 6-6; López 1 B Sv) @ NYY 7 (Burnett 3-2; Chapman 3 Sv; Cormier 1 H)
HRs: MCG – Canseco (29); NYY – Mattingly (24).
Box Score

Baltimore Black Sox @ Memphis Red Sox, Game #2

Baltimore held an early 4-2 lead, but Memphis exploded in the 5th inning, with Ted Williams‘ 3-run shot being the key hit. That put the Red Sox in front, 6-4.

It wouldn’t last very long: RBI hits from Bryce Harper and Manny Machado gave the lead back to the Black Sox, but another 3 run homerun, this one from Vern Stephens, put Memphis back ahead by 1 run at 9-8.

The Red Sox’s closer, Jonathan Papelbon, took the mound in the top of the 9th. He pitched decently, but a single by Paul Blair, an error by Memphis’3B, Wade Boggs, and a sacrifice fly from Larry Gardner tied the game. Papelbon and Baltimore’s Joe Beggs traded scoreless frames through the 11th, but in the 12th, Frank Robinson hit a long homerun off Bill Doak, his 29th of the season, to put the Black Sox ahead, 10-9.

Baltimore’s bullpen was pretty stretched, but Johnny Sain and Buddy Groom combined to successfully close out the game.

BAL 10 (Sain 9-7; Groom 2 Sv; Wetteland 1 B Sv) @ MEM 9 (Doak 1-3; Callahan 1 H; Bell 4 H; Wakefield 1 B Sv; Papelbon 3 B Sv) [12 Innings]
HRs: BAL – Wallace (5), Robinson (29); MEM – Williams (23), Stephens (6).
Box Score

Brooklyn Royal Giants @ Ottawa Mounties, Game #3

Pitching lines can be deceptive, right? Brooklyn’s Tommy Hanson looks to have been thoroughly average, giving up 4 runs in 5 innings. But he turned in an solid start, fanning 9 but suffering from giving up 2 homeruns (to Carlos Beltrán and Gary Carter) and an ineffective outing from Dave Von Ohlen, who allowed both inherited runners to score.

Brooklyn used a 3 run shot from Ron Cey to keep the game tied at 5 after 7 innings, but were unable to manage anything late, as Monk Dubiel, Randy Johnson, and Ryan Dempster combined to allow only 1 hit over the final 3 innings.

Ottawa’s Larry Parrish hit a walkoff homerun to give the Mounties the victory.

BRK 5 (Gagne 4-5; Von Holen 4 H; Hildenberger 2 B Sv) @ OTT 6 (Dempster 3-1)
HRs: BRK – Cey (18); OTT – Carter (15), Beltrán (8), Parrish (4).
Box Score

Wandering House of David @ Homestead Grays, Game #4

Homestead got off to a great start as Mike Epstein hit a grand slam in the bottom of the first. But the House of David clawed back, scoring in 3 different innings to tie the game at 4. The Grays again responded with the long ball, with Davey Johnson hitting a 2-run homerun in the bottom of the frame, but again we were quickly tied with Ron Santo going deep in the 7th.

And there we stayed for 4 more innings, until the House of David’s Bruce Sutter–asked to stretch into a second inning–gave up a triple to Chief Wilson and a 2-run shot to Rick Reichardt for a walk-off victory for the Grays. Homestead’s duo of Cliff Lee and Dave Giusti combined for 4 innings of 2-hit relief.

The standout performance of the game–by far–came from the House of David’s Pete Browning, who had 5 hits in 6 at-bats, raising his average to .361 in the process. If he stays healthy, Browning should take over the WBL lead in batting within the month.

HOD 6 (Sutter 2-3) @ HOM 8 (Giusti 2-0; Zambrano 2 B Sv) [11 Innings]
HRs: HOD – Santo (13); HOM – Epstein (20), Johnson (13), Reichardt (20).
Box Score

Game One: Doc White @ Frank Sullivan

This one was all about the House of David’s Frank Sullivan, who had a no-hitter going through 5 innings. By that point, he had a 5-0 lead to work with, as Pete Browning and Anthony Rizzo went back-to-back with solo shots in the 4th, and Browning homered again in the 5th, this one a 2-run shot.

Indianapolis finally got a hit in the 6th, and scored a run, but it wasn’t until the 8th that the game showed some life: a one-out single by Indianapolis’ Barry Larkin and a walk to Denis Menke chased Sullivan. The House of David brought in Scott Downs, who got Edd Roush to ground towards shortstop, but Ernie Banks fumbled the ball, loading the bases on the error. Jake Stenzel singled, making the score 5-2.

Lee Smith relieved Downs, and with the infield in, induced a weak groundball from Dave Henderson. Ryne Sandberg was able to cut down the runner at home., and Oscar Charleston grounded out to end the threat.

A 2-run shot by Jim Edmonds put the game out of reach, making Bob Bescher‘s solo drive in the 9th merely window dressing.

IND 3 (White 5-2) @ HOD 7 (Sullivan 7-7; Smith 2 Sv)
HRs: IND – Bescher (12); HOD – Rizzo (8), Browning 2 (16), Edmonds (5)
Box Score

Game 2: Johnny Cueto @ Jack Taylor

Indianapolis got some good news before the game, as 2B Joe Morgan started a rehab assignment at AAA, and should be back with the ABC’s in time for their next series.

The House of David surged ahead in the bottom of the first, with a leadoff homerun from Ryne Sandberg and a 2-run shot from Elrod Hendricks. The two of them did it again in the third, chasing Johnny Cueto from the game. Meanwhile, Jack Taylor was mowing them down, tossing a shutout through 6 innings.

Johnny Bench broke up the shutout with his 21st homerun of the year in the top of the 7th, and when Joey Votto went deep two batters later, that was it for Taylor.

Pete Browning and Jim Edmonds added homeruns for the final spread.

IND 2 (Cueto 7-6) @ HOD 8 (Taylor 9-8)
HRs: IND – Bench (21), Votto (3); HOD – Sandberg 2 (14), Hendricks 2 (23), Browning (17), Edmonds (6).
Box Score

Game 3: Rube Foster @ CC Sabathia

Perhaps the biggest news of the day was the House of David’s George Stone being unavailable, and likely to miss the next few days with a fever.

Elrod Hendricks started the scoring in the bottom of the 1st with a 2 run shot off Rube Foster for an early 2-0 lead for the House of David. In the second, Anthony Rizzo doubled, moved to 3rd on an error by Indianapolis 2B, Barry Larkin, and scored on a deep sacrifice fly from Ron Santo.

The ABC’s would get on the board in the 4th, as Jake Stenzel singled and scored on a double by Ed Charles. Hal Morris would double in Charles, and the score would narrow to 3-2. Hendricks hit his second homerun of the day, and a following single by Dan Ford chased Foster from the game. Ford would score when, on a Jim Edmonds double, Oscar Charleston‘s throw sailed over Johnny Bench‘s head for Charleston’s first error of the year. Indianapolis’ Rob Murphy got out of the inning without further damage, leaving the House of David ahead, 5-2.

After 7 strong innings, CC Sabathia turned the game over to his bullpen. That looked to be a mistake, as Scott Downs was greeted by an Edd Roush single and a walk to Denis Menke. Charleston brought them both home with a double down the rightfield line. Downs escaped further damage, leaving the House of David clinging to their lead, 5-4.

Lee Smith took care of Indianapolis in the 8th, with the House of David closer, Bruce Sutter, taking the mound in the top of the 9th. Roush led off with a double, but Sutter whiffed Menke and got Charleston to popout to center. Bench tied the game, scoring Roush with a double, but Dave Henderson flew out to Edmonds to end the inning.

On to extra innings … in the bottom of the 10th, Hendricks singled with 2 outs and went to 3rd on a hit by Ford. Clay Carroll came into the game to face Rizzo … who quietly grounded out, sending us to the 11th.

Roush walked, and scored on a double by Menke, who scored on a single by Bench. That put the ABC’s on top, 7-5. Edmonds greeted Carroll in the bottom of the frame with his 7th homerun of the season, pulling the score back to 7-6. Pinch-hitter George Gore flew out to center, and Ernie Banks to left, but Sandberg sent a pitch into the LF seats on a line to tie the game once again.

Menke went deep in the top of the 13th, scoring Tommy Helms and, with 2 outs, Bench took Eddie Rommel deep and then, after a single by Henderson, Stenzel joined the party with a shot to right. The hits kept coming: Helms drove in 2 with a double, scoring on a single by Roush, and at the end of it all, Indianapolis had scored 8 times, taking a 15-7 lead.

The House of David would score in the bottom of the 13th on Edmonds 2nd homerun of the day and a 2-run double from Pete Browning, but Hendricks fanned to end the game, with the ABC’s coming back for a 15-10 victory in 13 innings.

IND 15 (Mitchell 6-4) @ HOD 10 (Tidrow 4-5; Downs 4 H; Smith 8 H; Sutter 3 BSv) [13 Innings]
HRs: IND – Menke (4), Stenzel (7), Bench (22); HOD – Hendricks 2 (25), Edmonds 2 (8), Sandberg 15.
Box Score

Game Four: Chris Hammond @ Bob Rush

This six man rotation thing keeps leaving the ABC’s in a lurch for an actual starter. They sent Virgil Trucks down, bringing up Chris Hammond for the start against the House of David’s Bob Rush.

It wasn’t needed in the end, as the game was rained out, rescheduled for July 27th.

Indianapolis ABC’s

The ABC’s have struggled all year, sitting 6 games under .500 and 9.5 off the pace in the Effa Manley Division. There have been some bright spots, especially offensively, where Johnny Bench continues to be among the best backstops in the league, slashing 295/411/564 and leading the team in HRs (20) and RBIs (64). The problem is Bench has been virtually the only power source for the ABC’s, with only 3 other players in double digits in homeruns (Danny Hoffman and Bob Bescher with 11 and Hal Morris with 10). SS Denis Menke (305/394/431) has been a bit of a pleasant surprise, but the team is really hoping the return of Oscar Charleston and Joe Morgan from the DL can jump start a pretty anemic attack.

Quite controversially, Indianapolis has adopted a 6 man rotation, choosing almost at random between Dolf Luque, Rube Foster, Doc White, Johnny Cueto, David Price, and Willie Mitchell. White has been excellent, both in the bullpen and across 8 starts, but the rest are fairly identical, sporting ERA’s in the 4’s with decent secondary numbers. Rob Dibble has been excellent as a closer, with 20 saves.

Wandering House of David

The House of David are also 3rd in their division, but they sit 4 games over .500 and only 4 games back in the Bill James Division.

It’s not clear how they’re doing it, honestly. There is a lot of power here, with both George Stone (23) and Elrod Hendricks (21) having hit over 20 homeruns. Ernie Banks–3rd on the team with 17–leads the way with 63 RBIs. Stone has been superb, slashing 301/391/555, but that only puts him 3rd among the starters in OPS, with Pete Browning (341/380/584) and the blistering Anthony Rizzo (329/440/700) in front of him. Rizzo has to cool off at some point, with 7 homeruns in his first 25 games, but the success of the House of David may rest on Browning staying healthy, something that has been a bit of a struggle for him all year. Ron Santo, Ryne Sandberg, and the surprising Dan Ford fill out a lineup that is pretty solid top to bottom.

Jack Taylor and Bob Rush have led a mediocre group of starters, although both Eddie Rommel and Kerry Wood have shown great promise in their first few big league appearances. Bruce Sutter is the closer, with Dick Tidrow and Lee Smith being the most effective arms out of the pen.

Projected Starters

Indianapolis pitcher listed first.

Doc White (5-1, 3.38) @ Frank Sullivan (6-7, 5.20)
Johnny Cueto (7-5, 4.94) @ Jack Taylor (8-8, 3.54)
David Price (4-5, 4.84) @ CC Sabathia (9-9, 4.81)
Dolf Luque (8-8, 4.68) @ Bob Rush (8-5, 4.41)

Prediction

Meh. I like Indianapolis in the first game behind White, but the rest is pretty much a toss-up. Let’s say the House of David gets hot, and wins the final 3 to take the series, 3-1.