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This is what happens when you struggle to hit with mediocre pitching. While a monstrous close to the season could maybe possibly see the Gothams edging into the playoffs, really, this year is toast for them.

THE OFFENSE

There are a few very high end highlights, and a couple feel-good stories. But … it needs to get better across the board.

#What’s Going Right

Willie Mays is a spectacular talent: power, speed, defense, and at 24, coming into his prime. He leads the Gothams in homeruns, RBI, R, and (for batting qualifiers) OPS.

Buster Posey‘s raw numbers trail Mays, but he’s a catcher, and an OPS over .900 from a solid backstop is remarkable. He’s backed up by Dick Dietz, who may be the best offensively performing backup catcher in the league.

Last years AAA MVP, Benny Kauff, has stepped right into a WBL role, sitting 2nd on the team in most offensive rates.

Will Clark has emerged as an excellent 1B, with an OPS around .950.

Larry Doyle has exploded this year, outpacing even Mays with most of his rate stats. Doyle is 35, so he may not be a long-term solve there, but he’s been a revelation.

3B has been an issue for the Gothams all year, but it feels like Jim Ray Hart may have claimed it moving forward.

#What’s Not Going Right

The rest of the lineup is essentially a mess. LF and SS are weak, and the people that have been run through those, plus 2B and 3B before the emergence of Doyle and Hart, have been ridiculously bad. Jo-Jo Moore, Terry Turner, Pete Runnels, Eugenio Suárez, George Van Haltren, Ryan Zimmerman, Steve Kemp, Carl Furillo … none of them could stick with the WBL club.

THE PITCHING

There was such potential here. You have the rotation anchored by Christy Mathewson, Gaylord Perry, and Don Sutton, and one of the best bullpens in the league, led by Brian Wilson, but also featuring Mike Norris.

It didn’t work out: Mathewson has been shockingly mediocre, Perry and Sutton merely good, Norris is showing signs of age, and Wilson spent a fair bit of time on the DL.

#What’s Going Right

Brian Wilson is excellent, a true shutdown closer at the end of the bullpen, and he looks fully recovered from his earlier injury.

Mike Norris, while not as incandescent as last year, has been excellent behind Wilson.

Gaylord Perry has excellent peripheral numbers despite a mediocre win/loss record and ERA.

#What’s Not Going Right

Mathewson hasn’t been outright bad, and, as always, he chews up innings. But a 7-14 record and an ERA in the mid 5.00’s is not what the Gothams expect from him.

The back end of the rotation has been a mess, with Rube Waddell, Carl Hubbell, and others all sort of stumbling through their opportunities.

The much traveled Kent Tekulve has done well with the Gothams, but is insisting on pursuing free agency, so his signing ends up not mattering much for the team overall.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

The system is ranked dead last, but may not actually be that bad. There is some high level talent, especially in OF Kyle Tucker and 3B Howard Johnson and Sean Burroughs. On the mound, William VanLandingham and Masahiro Tanaka have some upside as well.

OK, maybe it is that bad.

WHAT’S NEEDED

A general upgrade of talent to surround the stars and the stars–especially Mathewson–stepping forward.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

• Like so many other teams, the rotation is key. Yes.
• The infield feels fragile, so how that plays out will bear watching. Yes. Fragile is an interesting word–they certainly broke apart.
• How will the Gothams get PA’s for Benny Kauff? Quite easily as the fulltime DH became the answer.

FEATURED SERIES

We’ll focus on the 3 game matchup with the House of David, only becuase, if the Gothams can sweep this series, they may actually have some Wild Card hopes.

Projected Starters

House of David starter listed first.

Jack Taylor (10-10, 6.07) @ Christy Mathewson (7-14, 5.36)
Bob Rush (10-7, 5.28) @ Gaylord Perry (11-12, 4.99)
CC Sabathia (5-11, 5.77) @ Don Sutton (15-7, 5.01)

These are unlikely to be the actual starters as both teams are auditioning rotation candidates as the season winds down.

Game One

Game 1 of this series which may determine the fate of the House of David this year. Both teams trot out their struggling aces–Jack Taylor for the House of David and Christy Mathewson for the Gothams.

Anthony Rizzo gave the House of David the lead in the first with his 24th homer of the year. Ernie Banks tripled and scored on a single from Ryne Sandberg, doubling the lead to 2-0. After Jim Edmonds scored on a passed ball, Rizzo did it again, this time with a 3 run shot. Banks followed with a solo shot of his own, making it 7-0.

Davey Johnson plated a run in the bottom of the 2nd, but there was still a long way to go.

Matty didn’t make it out of the 3rd, chased from the mound by Jim Edmonds‘ 18th of the year, replaced by Guy Hecker.

More runs were scored, but this was a rout. The only real drama was if Rizzo–who launched his 3rd of the game earlier–would become the 2nd player in WBL history to hit 4 in a game. He had 2 chances, but neither resulted in a homerun. Still, Rizzo had himself a day: 5 hits, 5 RBIs, and 4 runs scored. Sandberg added 4 hits and 4 RBIs.

Bob Shaw and Karl Spooner were solid in relief of Taylor, while the less said about the Gothams’ efforts from the mound, the better.

HOD 15 (Taylor 11-10) @ NYG 6 (Mathewson 7-15)
HRs: HOD – Rizzo 3(26), Banks (55), Edmonds (18), Sandberg (38), Stone (13); NYG – Thompson (2), Buford (8), Terry (4).
Box Score

Game Two

Bob Rush will take on Gaylord Perry in game 2.

Johnny Callison‘s 32nd homerun of the year put the Gothams in front 1-0 in the bottom of the 2nd, and his 33rd doubled the lead in the 4th.

Perry was sailing into the 5th, until a couple hit batters loaded the bases and Anthony Rizzo delivered a 2 run single to right, tying the game.

New York pulled into the lead again via a 2 run homerun from Buster Posey. A double from Willie Mays chased Rush. His relief, Ferguson Jenkins, got 2 quick outs, but gave up a double to Bill Terry, plating Mays and making it a 5-2 game.

Perry got 2 outs in the 7th before walking Richie Hebner. He had a good outing, fanning 10 and allowing only the 2 runs.

Ben Oglive, mired in one of the worst starts to a WBL career we’ve seen, went deep for his first career homerun for the final margin of victory. So, a split to the series, with a deciding game 3 on tap.

HOD 2 (Rush 10-8) @ NYG 6 (Perry 12-12; Waddell 3 H)
HRs: HOD – none; NYG – Callison 2 (33), Posey (35), Oglivie (1).
Box Score

Game Three

A win for the Gothams would pull them to within 3 games of the Wild Card spot, so there is still a bit to play for here.

CC Sabathia will take the mound for the House of David while New York will turn to Pete Donohue, giving him his 4th start of the season.

Buster Posey, Willie Mays, and Will Clark each took Sabathia deep in the home first, giving New York an early 3-0 lead. Mark McGwire got one back in the 2nd, but Donohue worked out of a jam, escaping with the 3-1 lead.

Robby Thompson launched one in the 2nd with a runner on, extending the edge to 5-1.

Sabathia settled down, but the damage was done. Donohue lasted into the 7th, and the combination of Aaron Loup, Santiago Casilla, and Brian Wilson kept the House of David under wraps.

HOD 2 (Sabathia 5-12) @ NYG 5 (Donohue 3-1; Wilson 19 Sv; Loup 1 H)
HRs: HOD – McGwire (21); NYG – Posey (36), Mays (45), Clark (30), Thompson (3).
Box Score

While a sweep would have been nice, taking 2 out of 3 keeps New York in the running for the Wild Card, leaving that position no clearer than before.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Frank Knauss fanned 12, combining with Trevor Hildenberger on a 4 hit shutout of Indianapolis, with Brooklyn winning 4-0.

The Royal Giants had a very quiet trade deadline, but they did commit to Vern Stephens at SS, sending Germany Smith to AAA to make room for OF George Hendrick, who came over from Philadelphia.

#Homestead Grays

Doug Drabek was recalled from his rehab assignment as Cliff Lee started one. Drabek regained his spot in the rotation, with Moose Haas heading back to AAA.

Andy Van Slyke homered twice in a losing cause, as the Grays fell to Birmingham, 8-5, then Nap Lajoie duplicated the feat as the Grays fell to the Black Barons again, this time 6-5.

Finally, Rick Reichardt broke the pattern, hitting his 2 homeruns in a Homestead win, 10-6 over Ottawa.

Gary Lucas, Rick Ownbey, and Ray Brown were all sent to AAA to make room for newcomers Juan Marichal, Robb Nen, and David Price.

Marichal’s first start was a disaster, but the Grays fought back, and Nen got the win with 2 scoreless innings in an 11-10 victory over Ottawa.

#New York Gothams

Pete Donohue was returned to AAA, clearing the way for Carson Smith‘s return from injury. The Gothams moved a lot of their staff at the trade deadline, replacing them with FA Kent Tekulve and promoting Donohue, Rube Waddell, and newly acquired Dellin Betances.

They were nearly as active with their field players, sending Terry Turner and J0-Jo Moore down and making room for Robby Thompson and Davey Johnson while promoting Matt Williams and George Van Haltren to the big league club.

#Ottawa Mounties

Carlos Beltrán hit 2 out, reaching 30 on the year, but Ottawa fell to the New York Gothams, 14-8. This staff is so awful in some games: Álex Rodríguez hit 2 out in another loss as the bullpen gave up a 9 run lead with the Mounties falling to Homestead 11-10 in 11 innings.

#Philadelphia Stars

Aaron Judge hit 2 out of the park, reaching 40 dingers on the season, as the Stars topped the House of David, 5-2.

Young Pete Alexander was sent to AAA to make room for newcomer Mark Melancon in the Stars’ bullpen.

Scott Rolen reached 30 dingers on the year, hitting 2 out in a 12-5 win over the New York Gothams. Bill Dickey duplicated Rolen’s feat, but this time the Stars fell to the Gothams, 5-4.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Looking to cement their bullpen for the stretch run, the Royal Giants sent the struggling Dutch Leonard to AAA in exchange for Jim Bunning.

While all three players will continue to see a lot of time there, it looks like recently acquired Vern Stephens will see the bulk of the time at SS, with Germany Smith slipping below Ray Dandridge in the pecking order.

Stephens has been quite strong for Brooklyn, and he helped Don Drysedale continue his recent resurgence with 2 dingers in a 10-2 victory over Kansas City. Drysedale improved to 10-4, and John Briggs, Beals Becker, Mike Piazza, and Jackie Robinson also went deep for Brooklyn.

Becker and Robinson each went deep twice as Brooklyn defeated Ottawa, 8-7.

#Homestead Grays

Brickyard Kennedy continues to ride the AAA shuttle, heading down as the Grays need a starter in the form of Bob Knepper, who will make his WBL debut. Knepper wasn’t great, but he did get the win as Willie Stargell hit 2 out and the Grays pounded the House of David, 13-4.

Stargell hit another 2, the second a walk-off job in the bottom of the 11th as the Grays again topped the House of David, 8-7.

Bartolo Colón‘s great start to his WBL career was derailed momentarily, with the young righty headed to the DL for about a week. Homestead recalled lefty Gary Lucas in the interim.

#New York Gothams

Vean Gregg was returned to AAA with Rube Waddell being recalled from a rehab assignment.

The revolving door at 3B continues, as the Gothams brought Jim Ray Hart up from AAA, giving up for the time being on Ryan Zimmerman.

Don Buford went deep twice, but the Gothams bullpen–the strength of the club–collapsed entirely in an 8-6 loss to the Stars.

Will Clark went deep twice, but the Gothams fell to Birmingham, 7-6 in a close contest. Willie Mays hit his 37th of the season as well.

#Ottawa Mounties

Bill Smith will miss about a week, earning himself a trip to the DL with the Mounties recalling Danny Cox.

Larry Walker came out of a slump in a big way, going 4-for-4 with 2 homeruns, 4 runs scored, and 3 RBI’s to give him 100 on the year. Roberto Alomar also had 4 hits and Gary Carter, Adrián Beltré, and Carlos Beltrán each went deep as well.

Clark Griffith was sent to AAA in exchange for Randy Johnson, who will get a spot start after some effective time at in the minors.

#Philadelphia Stars

Steve Carlton threw the second no-hitter in WBL history as the Stars topped the Gothams, 5-0. Carlton, who improved his record to 10-9, only walked 1 while fanning 8 in the dominant performance. Rico Carty hit a grand slam in support of Lefty.

Aaron Judge hit a walkoff grand slam, leading the Stars to an 8-6 win over the Gothams.

John Burkett was sent to AAA with young Pete Alexander recalled after a long term injury.

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That said, they are 7.5 games behind, and struggling a bit for sure, and it’s not clear that trading away a an all-star arm in Jim Whitney was the right move at the midseason break.

THE OFFENSE

It’s a bit weird. The Black Barons have a ton of power, with over 250 homers, second in the NL in that department. But that’s about it. They struggle to get on base, struggle to hit singles and doubles, and, at the end of the day, are only meh at what matters for an offense, scoring runs.

#What’s Going Right

Hank Aaron continues to position himself right on the edge of superstar level, leading the team in OPS (.953), homeruns (39), and RBIs (77).

Behind Aaron, Eddie Mathews continues to be an offensive force despite struggling to hit over .230.

Newly acquired Ryan Braun is a monster at the plate given Birmingham a truly impressive top 3 in the lineup..

While not at the same level as those three, Jim Pagliaroni is among the better offensive backstops in the league and Albert Belle, brought in during the offseason to hit for power, has done exactly that.

A shade of last year: Richie Sexson was brought in over the all star break as a throw-in to the Braun trade. Sexson has 4 homeruns in his first 10 games with Birmingham.

Gene Tenace is demanding more playing time now that he’s back from injury, with an OBP over .400 and SLG over .500 in pretty limited action.

#What’s Not Going Right

Even with 31 homers, Curtis Granderson is somewhat exemplary of what’s wrong with Birmingham’s offense overall: he’s hitting under .200 despite all those homeruns, with only 7 other extra base hits. Likewise, fan favorite JP Arencibia keeps hitting them out–12 dingers in 127 PAs–but doing little else at the plate.

Despite being given every opportunity to lock down the 1B job, Adrián González is not doing much. He’s performing better than last year, but an OPS under .800 is rough from a 1B in this league.

Similarly, despite Troy Tulowitzki‘s recent improvement, neither he nor Herman Long have been able to hold onto the SS job for long.

Cupid Childs is flashy, leading the team with 28 homers and the same number of steals. But closer examination reveals some weaknesses, with his OPS hovering barely over .700 and 19 caught stealings reducing the impact of those stolen bases.

THE PITCHING

The offense is better than last year, but the record is worse: an indication that not all is great on the mound for Birmingham.

#What’s Going Right

Harley Young has moved into the closer role, and the first-time all-star has continued his dominance, with 6 saves, 6 holds, and an ERA under 3.00.

Alejandro Peña and Greg Maddux are both pitching better than their raw numbers might suggest. While both have losing records and ERA’s around 5.00, their WHIPs remain solid.

#What’s Not Going Right

Even the above has caveats: Peña and Maddux have surrendered 68 homeruns combined, which is nearly unfathomable.

Juan Rincón has 12 saves, but has been pretty awful, losing his closer role and perhaps in danger of a trip to AAA–an ERA around 8.50 will do that.

While Bruce Chen has been better of late, he still sports an ERA near 6.00, and he and Rincón are both surrendering dingers at a Peña and Maddux like rate.

Nobody else has stood up in the rotation, with John Malarkey and Lefty Gomez being thoroughly meh to date.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

There is talent here, but it’s not clear how it all fits together. As an example, Joe Torre looks for real behind the plate, but unlikely to unseat Pagliaroni, and it’s not clear what Curt Flood offers that Granderson does not.

That said, Jess Barbour, Marcus Giles, Trea Turner, Ozzie Albies, and Gary Matthews all have some significant upside. But right now Giles, Turner, and Albies all play the same position, and Braun’s acquisitions further crowds the OF situation.

On the mound, the best arms–Cozy Dolan and Steve Avery–are still a few years away, with little help likely from the upper levels.

WHAT’S NEEDED

Fewer solo homers, more overall offensive production, and the pitching to improve across the board.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

• How will some key pieces for last season–Pettitte, Rincón, González, Childs, Pagliaroni–perform over the course of a full year. Mixed. Pettitte, of course, was traded, Pagliaroni has excelled and González has been acceptable.
• With Andy Pettitte traded, how does the rotation respond and does Albert Belle perform at a level that makes it worthwhile. Belle has been good, but Birmingham would rather have Pettitte, given the rest of their roster right now. This is not in small part due to Lefty Gomez (part of the Pettitte trade) being unable to keep up his early strong performance.
• Who will fill out the roster. Still a question …

FEATURED SERIES

The Black Barons travel to New York at the end of the week for a 3 game set against the Gothams.

Projected Starters

Birmingham’s starter listed first.

Lefty Gomez @ Christy Mathewson
Alejandro Peña (5-6, 4.91) @ Juan Marichal (8-9, 4.92)
Charlie Morton (4-3, 5.01) @ Gaylord Perry (8-10, 4.88)
Greg Maddux (8-9, 5.10) @ Don Sutton (11-4, 4.75)

(Forgot to grab stats for Gomez and Mathewson before playing the game.)

I mean … who knows? These are two teams still searching for an identity, let alone a .500 record.

Game One

Birmingham took the lead in the 2nd on a 2-run double from Herman Long, and then made it 4-0 on a 2-run shot from Ryan Braun in the 3rd. But Lefty Gomez gave it back in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single by Willie Mays and a 3-run pop fly that curled just inside the short left field pole from Will Clark.

RBI’s from Curtis Granderson and Albert Belle gave the Black Barons a 2-run lead, later halved by a solo shot from Mays. And that’s where we stood in the bottom of the 7th, 6-5 in favor of Birmingham. Clark then took Bill Phyle deep for his second homerun of the game, tying us up at 6.

On this day, though, Birmingham would prevail: Gene Tenace homered off Robb Nen in the top of the 9th and Harley Young pitched a perfect frame in the bottom for his 7th save of the season.

BBB 7 (Jackson 1-5, 5 B Sv; Kemmerer 2 H) @ NYG 6 (Crain 1-2; Henke 9 Sv)
HRs: BBB – Braun (38), Tenace (9); NYG – Clark 2 (24), Mays (37).
Box Score

Game Two

Alejandro Peña and Juan Marichal would face off in game two.

Marichal struggled immediately: a single, 2 walks, and an HBP gave Birmingham a 1-0 lead, Ryan Braun delivered a grandslam, and Curtis Granderson a 2-run shot to make it 7-0. Then it got comical: a hit, 2 errors, and a walk led to another run. So, 8-0 good guys after half an inning.

By the end of the 3rd, the Gothams had clawed their way back into it with a solo shot from Jim Ray Hart and a homerun and double from Willie Mays, closing the score to 8-5.

A rain delay of just over half an hour removed both starters in the 4th inning. Peña’s replacement, Joe Orrell, only lasted a few pitches before having to leave via injury. Birmingham brought in Charlie Morton, scrambling their rotation for the rest of the series.

A double from Benny Kauff brought the Gothams back to within a single run, 8-7, but the Black Barons remembered how to score in the 7th when Cupid Childs plated 2 with a single and Hank Aaron drove in another, for an 11-7 lead.

But New York wasn’t done: Larry Doyle took Bruce Chen deep, making it a 2 run game at 12-10. Again, though, Harley Young was up to it, giving Birmingham a 2-0 lead in the series.

BBB 12 (Morton 5-3; Young 8 Sv; Malloy 2 H) @ NYG 10 (Marichal 8-10)
HRs: BBB – Braun (39), Granderson (33); NYG – Hart (2), Mays (38), Doyle (14).
Box Score

Game Three

Before the game, even though it wasn’t clear what the exact nature of his injury was, the Black Barons needed a starter, so Joe Orrell headed to the DL with Warren Spahn being recalled for the start. He’d be opposed by Gaylord Perry for the Gothams.

Spahn was roughed up, giving up 5 homeruns in under 5 innings, with Larry Doyle going deep twice and Will Clark, Jim Ray Hart, and Buster Posey each sending one over the fence as well. After 5 innings, the Gothams led 7-0, with Perry surrendering neither a hit nor a walk in that span.

Perry walked Bob Nieman to lose the perfecto, but held onto the no-no until the 7th, when a single from Eddie Mathews gave Birmingham their first hit. At that point, it was 9-0, and the result was unlikely to come into doubt.

Perry ended with a 3-hitter, whiffing 10 in the complete game effort. Doyle and Hart had 4 hits each, and Doyle and Clark drove in 3.

BBB 0 (Spahn 2-3) @ NYG 10 (Perry 9-10)
HRs: BBB – none; NYG – Clark (25), Hart (3), Posey (29), Doyle 2 (16).
Box Score

Game Four

So, will Birmingham take the series 3-1, or will the Gothams come back and earn a series split? The Black Barons turn to Greg Maddux, while New York will counter by giving Rube Waddell the spot start.

Waddell struggled out of the gate, allowing an RBI single to Hank Aaron, walking Albert Belle with the bases loaded, and giving up a third run on a groundout while Brooklyn batted around in the top of the first.

Recently acquired Don Buford led off the bottom of the inning with his 21st homer of the year, closing it to 3-1 in favor of Birmingham.

Waddell settled down, and we were still 3-1 after 6 innings. Waddell was unlikely to come out for the 7th, but an elbow injury forced the Gothams’ hand, with Mike Norris taking the ball in the top of the 7th.

Maddux gave up a leadoff homer to Benny Kauff in the bottom of the frame, closing the gap to 3-2, and a single from Will Clark raised action in the Birmingham bullpen. Jim Ray Hart launched his 4th of the year, chasing Maddux with the Gothams having suddenly taken the lead, 4-3. Buford added an RBI with his 3rd hit of the day, and New York’s bullpen took over with a 2 run edge.

Robb Nen had a poor inning, but Jo-Jo Moore nailed Aaron at the plate to end the frame, preserving the 2 run lead. Brian Wilson had no such issues, walking 1 and whiffing 3 in picking up his 15th save of the year.

BBB 3 (Maddux 8-10) @ NYG 5 (Norris 4-4; Wilson 15 Sv; Nen 11 H)
HRs: BBB – none; NYG – Buford (5), Kauff (26), Hart (4).
Box Score

Waddell will miss a couple weeks, earning the oft-injured lefty a trip to the DL with Pete Donohue being recalled from AAA.

So, a series split. Birmingham’s bats fell off dramatically over the final 2 games, pointing to the inconsistency the Black Barons need to overcome if they are to escape the bottom few slots in the league.

Homeruns continue to plague Birmingham’s staff: the Gothams hit 15 out in the 4 games, with Jim Ray Hart launching his first 4 of the season and Will Clark and Larry Doyle hitting 3 each.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Duke Snider went deep twice, but Brooklyn needed a single from John Briggs in the bottom of the 9th to best Birmingham, 7-6.

Mike Piazza hit 2 out to reach 23 on the year as Brooklyn topped the Gothams 9-3.

#Homestead Grays

Andrew McCutchen had 4 hits, scored twice, and hit 2 homeruns as the Grays beat Birmingham, 13-7. Perhaps more importantly, Cliff Lee was solid on the mound in a spot start, earning his first victory of the year.

#New York Gothams

Benny Kauff hit a walkoff dinger in the bottom of the 10th to give the Gothams a 10-9 win over the House of David.

Needing a starter, the highly ineffective Tony Mullane was sent to AAA, with Rube Waddell being recalled for the outing. Waddell was injured in his outing, placed on the DL, and Guy Hecker was recalled in the Gothams never-ending search for reliable arms.

Johnny Callison went deep twice and the Gothams poured on runs throughout in a 10-3 defeat of the House of David.

#Ottawa Mounties

Gary Carter went deep twice but it wasn’t enough as the Mounties fell to Homestead, 8-5.

#Philadelphia Stars

Ray Collins took Larry Jackson‘s place in the Stars’ rotation and Art Fletcher took over from Jimmy Rollins as the everyday shortstop.

Aaron Judge went deep twice, leading the Stars to an 8-2 win over Houston.

This lineup is so much more dangerous if Ted Kluszewski gets his bat working. Klu went deep twice, as did Chase Utley, and the Stars weathered some rough pitching to beat Houston 11-9 in 12 innings.

Two homeruns from Ron Cey helped bust a game wide open as the Royal Giants pummeled the House of David, 15-4. The win was costly for Brooklyn, as Jackie Robinson was forced to the DL with a sprained ankle. Veteran Frank Isbell was recalled from AAA.

Ray Dandridge went deep twice, but it wasn’t enough as the House of David prevailed over the Royal Giants 6-5 in 10 innings. Mike Piazza duplicated Dandridge’s feat, homering twice in a loss, as the House of David triumphed once more, 9-6.

#Homestead Grays

Mike Epstein went deep twice and Josh Gibson added a grandslam as the Grays built a big lead against the Colt 45’s and held on for a 15-10 victory. Gibson drove in 6 and Epstein scored 4 times and Bob Friend pitched barely well enough to even his record at 2-2.

Rick Reichardt went deep twice leading the Grays to a 9-6 win over the Gothams.

#New York Gothams

The Gothams made some changes on the mound, deciding that Rube Waddell and Don Sutton just allow far too many homeruns. Waddell was moved to AAA with Sutton being removed from the rotation. Tony Mullane was recalled to take Waddell’s spot.

The Gothams were more reluctant to pull the trigger on the other saide of the roster, but with the quartet of Jimmy Sheckard, Eugenio Suárez, Carl Furillo, and Wes Westrum all struggling mightily, their hand may be forced soon enough.

#Ottawa Mounties

Roberto Alomar homered twice, each shot giving Ottawa the lead after scores from Philadelphia and the Mounties edged the stars, 5-3. Old Hoss Radbourn had a good outing, improving his record to 5-3, and Clark Griffith earned his first save.

Larry Walker and Carlos Beltrán each went deep twice as the Mounties beat Philadelphia, 10-3. Walker did it again, going deep twice in support of another strong start from Bill Smith in a 6-1 victory over Houston. Walker now has 20 on the season, tying him for the league lead.

#Philadelphia Stars

Young Bill Gatewood was sent to AAA to work out his command with Fred Cambria being recalled. José Ramírez and Sherm Lollar retain their roster spots for now, but both may see their playing time reduced due to their offensive struggles.

Overall

The Gothams were one of the more pleasant surprises of the year. Just goes to show how far you can go with a single ace (Christy Mathewson), two elite bats (Willie Mays and Buster Posey), and the best bullpen in the league (Brian Wilson as closer, but also spectacular seasons from Mike Norris and Carson Smith).

This is a team that, despite their talent this year, is a little bereft of talent. With very few draft picks this season, they have a challenge in front of them to remain competitive. This is compounded by the Gothams being built … unusually. They hit for average, but not power; they get batters out, but don’t strike out many. Those are not recipes for long term success, but there’s no arguing with what it accomplished this season.

What Went Right

Willie Mays and Buster Posey, yes; but the contributions of Johnny Callison and Joe Adcock should not be underestimated.

Jimmy Sheckard and Pinky Higgins were solid, and Pete Runnels was fantastic down the stretch.

Wes Westrum quickly established himself as fan favorite, providing some pop as the backup C.

Benny Kauff was dominant in a September call up, and the question of how much more he has in the tank could be key to the Gothams’ success next season. He certainly has nothing left to prove at AAA, having won the MVP award there at age 27.

Christy Mathewson established himself as a true ace in the WBL, and Gaylord Perry‘s peripheral numbers were almost as good, although his results trailed far behind Matty’s.

Don Sutton, Juan Marichal, and Rube Waddell were all thoroughly meh. It’s not exactly something that went right, but that’s almost 400 not bad innings.

Oh, the bullpen … Brian Wilson was perhaps the most effective closer in the league, and he was the 3rd best performer in the Gothams’ bullpen, behind Carson Smith and the magnificent Mike Norris. Robb Nen was quite good and while Steve Howe was fine during the regular season, he found another gear entirely in the postseason.

ALL STARS
OF Willie Mays; C Buster Posey; RP Brian Wilson

What Went Wrong

The left side of the infield was a mess aside from Pinky Higgins as Brandon Crawford, Eugenio Suárez, Mark Loretta, and Johan Camargo all fumbled chances to claim starting roles.

Will Clark was poor after being (re)acquired from Miami. Offensively, that’s about it.

On the mound, even less: injuries to Carl Hubbell, Al Mays, and Pete Donohue probably count. Beyond that, the worse of the Gothams’ starters (Mickey Welch, Sad Sam Jones, and Vean Gregg) were still not horrid. It was about as good a year on the mound as a team can have, all things considered.

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March

1B Will Clark, C Harry Danning & OF Carlos Morán to Miami for OF Yasiel Puig, 2B Cookie Rojas, 1B Joe Adcock & P Liván Hernández

Half of these players came back later, so we’ll evaluate the deal as a whole below.

June

OF Don Mueller, P Ray Lamb, P Gil Heredia, P Lew Krawusse, Jr, 1st Round Pick & 8th Round Pick to Brooklyn for P Don Sutton

This is a lot to give up. But Sutton showed flashes of front of rotation potential. Call it a push.

July

P Travis Bowyer, OF Mike Shannon & 4th Round Pick to Homestead for P Vean Gregg & 5th Round Pick {Tom Burns}

Gregg wasn’t much, but not much was lost, either.

P Freddie Fitzsimmons, 2B Cookie Rojas, OF Yasiel Puig & 2nd Round Pick to Miami for P Rube Waddell, 2B Pete Runnels & 1B Will Clark

OK, so at the end of the day, this is Danning, Morán, Fitzsimmons, and a 2nd rounder for Adcock, Hernández, and Runnels. New York also got a solid half season from Rojas fwiw. Given Adock and Runnels’ late season heroics, it seems like a decent deal for the Gothams.

P Jeremy Affeldt, OF George Burns, 3B Art Devlin, P Bob Moose & 3rd Round Pick to Ottawa for RP Steve Howe, OF George Van Haltren & 5th Round Pick {Kyle Tucker}

Probably overpaid slightly, but Howe and Van Haltren were excellent down the stretch, and getting Tucker with the pick helps a lot.

Looking Forward

SP

Christy Mathewson, Gaylord Perry, and Carl Hubbell should be good, and the odds are at least a few of the other arms will come good. But some depth would be useful.

RP

Norris is aging but the rest of the bullpen should be around for a while.

C

Buster Posey‘s position to lose.

1B

While Will Clark looks good, long term the Gothams believe Bill Terry will eventually take over from him.

2B

Who knows? Pete Runnels has this right now, but this is an area of need.

3B

Who knows? Pinky Higgins has this right now, but this is an area of need.

SS

Who knows? Eugenio Suárez has this right now, but this is an area of need.

LF

Who kno–no, really, this is Jimmy Sheckard, with some pressure from both Steve Kemp and Ben Oglive. George Van Haltren should help here and in RF as well.

CF

Willie Mays is the one true offensive superstar the Gothams have (depending on how susceptible you think backstops are to injury). Benny Kauff will be here some next year as well.

RF

Johnny Callison and Carl Furillo, with perhaps some pressure from Mike Tiernan.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

None. Yep, a team that needs to stock a fairly empty system will add zero high ceiling talent this off season through drafts.

Rounds 5-8

They do have 3 picks in the 5th round, the first two being the 4th and 5th picks of the round. They used these on IF Tom Burns and OF Kyle Tucker. Tucker clearly has the higher ceiling while Burns fills some holes in a system devoid of MI talent. Their final pick is used on 2B David Eckstein.

In the 6th round they unearthed one of the few remaining arms capable of immediately contributing at the WBL level, Masahiro Tanaka and then an arm that is a few years away in Logan Webb. Round 7 brought C depth with Dick Buckley.

Rounds 9-12

P Ferdie Schupp; P Jordan Montgomery; P Bugs Raymond; P William VanLandingham.

Overall

It was considered an accomplishment that Miami didn’t end up with the worst record in the WBL: that’s how low expectations were. As such, finding anything to cheer–José Canseco, Robin Yount, Camilo Pascual–makes it a successful season.

It’s all about the future, and while it isn’t exactly bright yet, there are some glimmers of hope in South Beach.

What Went Right

Not a helluva lot.

The Cuban Giants were bad. But they were supposed to be bad. The surprise was they didn’t end up with the worst record in the league: there is hope here, even if it is a few years away.

José Canseco had a nice season, with 35 homeruns and an .889 OPS, leading the team in most statistical categories.

Yasiel Puig and Smoky Burgess showed enough at the end of the season for some optimism about their roles next year, and Robin Yount did enough to lock down the SS position.

Martín Dihigo may be the best defensive prospect in the history of the game.

Eustaquio Pedroso and Alejandro Oms did enough to be intriguing (while Pedroso may never be much above average in the field or on the mound, he does both serviceably; Oms has star power).

Camilo Pascual looks like a front of the rotation starter and both José Méndez and Ramón Martínez showed flashes of that as well. Freddie Fitzsimmons and Phenomenal Smith were strong in brief showings, although Smith’s recovery from injury bears watching.

ALL STAR SELECTIONS
OF José Canseco

What Went Wrong

Nobody could really take the C, 1B, 3B, or LF spot and claim it, although Jim Thome‘s tendency to launch 500 foot homeruns on the rare occasions he makes contact has certainly made him a fan favorite.

Martín Dihigo was the worst offensive performer in the league, perhaps.

Cole Hamels sort of imploded after his arrival. Hopefully, he bounces back.

Most everyone else who took the mound for Miami stunk up the joint.

Trade Evaluations

March

OF Yasiel Puig, 2B Cookie Rojas, 1B Joe Adcock, SP Liván Hernández to New York Gothams for 1B Will Clark, C Harry Danning, OF Carlos Morán

Half these guys came back, so we’ll net it out below. Morán did well enough, and looks like a keeper.

June

3B Manny Machado to Baltimore for P Mike Morgan, 1B Richie Sexson, C Chris Hoiles, 3B Joe Dugan

Machado was their second best player at this point, but there also was a logjam of talent on the left side of the infield. Sexson has potential, and Hoiles should be on the roster next year. Still, a bit of a loss here overall.

P Tommy Bridges to San Francisco for P Shawn Estes, P Turk Wendell & 5th Round Pick

Meh all around. Bridges was expendable, so getting anything is fine.

P Don Newcombe, P Clay Condrey & 4th Round Pick to Chicago for OF Minnie Miñoso

Newcombe can’t keep the ball in the park, and it doesn’t feel like you can get Miñoso’s potential in the 4th round. Would feel better about it if he hadn’t struggled so mightily after coming to Miami.

July

P Ed Bauta, 6th Round Pick & 7th Round Pick to House of David for IF Bert Campaneris, P Jeff Heathcock & 3rd Round Pick {Roy Thomas}

Feels like a steal.

P Rube Waddell, 2B Pete Runnels, 1B Will Clark to New York Gothams for P Freddie Fitzsimmons, 2B Cookie Rojas, OF Yasiel Puig & 2nd Round Pick {Josh Beckett}

OK, so you net this out and the deal is Adcock, Hernández, Runnels, and Waddell for Fitzsimmons, Danning, Morán, and a pick, which turned into Josh Beckett. Feels fine if Fitzsimmons or Beckett pan out.

Looking Forward

SP

Pascual, Méndez, and Hamels should be solid. But it drops pretty quickly after that. An area of need.

RP

Please, anybody. Pedroso and Dihigo will help out here occasionally.

C

Burgess and Andy Ashby should handle this next year, but unless Burgess takes control, this is an area of long term need.

1B

Some mixture of Thome, an aging Willie McCovey, and a young Richie Sexson should be OK here, although there could be an upgrade for sure.

2B

Cookie Rojas for now, with some spells from Paul Molitor (although Rojas may end up seeing more time in CF than anticipated). Long term, this is probably Martín Dihigo‘s most played spot.

3B

Carlos Móran‘s surprising shift here highlights how unsettled the position is. Gary Sheffield and Minnie Miñoso will both get time as well, although neither is a long term solve here. Willie Kamm has shown some promise, but again a long-term solve here would be good.

SS

Robin Yount, with some help eventually from Bert Campaneris. But basically Yount.

LF

Ryan Braun for now.

CF

This was a position of strength for the team last season, but seems like there has been regression across the board. Guessing Alejandro Oms sees a lot of time here, although Rojas can play here as well.

RF

Canseco and Puig.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

This is a franchise that needs long term, top end talent. Given that, 19 year old Vladimir Guerrero was a no-brainer at #2 in the first round. Another teenager, CF Julio Rodríguez, was taken in round 2, which feels like the right kind of risk for the Cuban Giants. With the 17th pick of that round, they took their first pitcher, franchise selection Josh Beckett.

In the 3rd round, the Cuban Giants were pretty shocked that CF Roy Thomas–who could step right into their starting lineup–was still available.

Rounds 5-8

With the second pick of the 5th round, Miami exhausted their franchise exemptions with the choice of OF Jason Bay. They followed that with OF Mark Kotsay and P Jim Colborn.

Rounds 9-12

OF Randy Arozarena; P Luis Tiant, Sr; P José Lima; and 1B José López.

#Portland Sea Dogs v Chicago American Giants, Game 4

Portland leads, 2-1.

The choice for the Sea Dogs comes down to either Pascual Pérez (1-2, 4.92) or Mike Cuellar (13-8, 4.56). Cuellar has been more comfortable coming out of the pen all season, making only 6 starts, which is probably the reason for Pérez getting the nod. There is little controversy for Chicago, where Dick Rudolph takes his scheduled turn.

Adrián Beltré gets the nod at 3B for Portland over Buddy Bell while Rocky Colavito gets the start in LF for Chicago.

The choice of Pérez proved immediately controversial: Eddie Collins took his 4th pitch into the right field stands for a 1-0 Chicago lead. But Pérez quickly settled down, lasting all the way until the 7th, when Dick Allen doubled with one out and Mike Fiore walked. Cuellar was called on, and got the second out of the inning, but Colavito doubled, increasing the lead to 3-0.

Rudolph was even better, not giving up a hit until a Gavvy Cravath single in the top of the 5th inning, then nothing thereafter. The one-hit shutout was still intact after 8, and with Rudolph on only 88 pitches, he headed back out to the mound.

He got the first two outs, but Joe Mauer singled. After a visit to the mound, Rudolph fanned Kent Hrbek, and we had a series tied at 2 games each!

Obviously, this one was all about Rudolph: 2 hits and 5 strikeouts in a complete game, 99 pitch gem.

POR 0 (Pérez 0-1) @ CAG 3 (Rudolph 1-0)
HRs: POR – none; CAG – Collins (2).
Box Score

And now we move to the win or go home games.

#Detroit Wolverines v Birmingham Black Barons, Game 4

With no need to push things, Detroit will turn to the red hot Hank Aguirre (9-10, 4.34) while Birmingham counters with Vic Willis (4-6, 3.57), but today, and for any future games, all of Birmingham’s staff is down in the pen, ready to go. The Black Barons make 2 tweaks to their lineup, starting Al Schweitzer in CF over the struggling Curtis Granderson, and giving Jim Pagliaroni a day off behind the plate in favor of Gene Tenace.

Schweitzer repaid the faith immediately, singling in the bottom of the first and coming around to score on a hit from Eddie Mathews. Not to be outdone, Tenace doubled to lead off the home second, but was stranded at third.

Willis was sailing until the 4th, when he gave up homeruns to Bob Bailey, Hank Greenberg, and Chili Davis, putting Detroit up 4-1, and ending his afternoon. Andy Pettitte was summoned from the bullpen, hoping to make up for his subpar start in game one of the series.

Aguirre struggled a bit through his five plus innings, giving up 6 hits and a walk, but he surrendered only the single run.

Johnny Marcum relieved Aguirre and got into some trouble in the bottom of the 7th: Tenace walked, and Granderson pinch-ran and promptly stole second. Then, Adrián González, pinch-hitting for Herman Long, was granted first on catcher’s interference. After an out, Marcum walked Bob Nieman to load the bases. That fetched Buddy Napier from the Wolverines’ bullpen to face Schweitzer, who lifted a fly to shallow center. Chili Davis made the catch and nailed the runner at home to end the inning.

And so we made our way to the bottom of the 9th with Birmingham trailing 4-1 and the Wolverines’ closer, Mike Henneman, on the mound. Three up, three down, and Detroit were through to the next round!

Yeah, Willis gave up the three homers, but Birmingham knew it would need to tally more than a single run to have a chance. At the end of the day, the fault has to be laid at the feet of their offense, who managed only a single homerun in the 4 games. Mention should be made of Pettitte’s effort as well: 3.2 scoreless innings and, clearly tiring, getting Ty Cobb to end the 7th with his final pitch.

DET 4 (Aguirre 1-0; Henneman 1 Sv; Marcum 1 H; Napier 1 H) @ BBB 1 (Willis 0-1)
HRs: DET – B. Bailey (1), Greenberg (2), C. Davis (1); BBB – None.
Box Score

Hank Greenberg was declared the MVP of the series, hitting .438 with 2 homeruns and 7 RBIs.

#Cleveland Spiders v New York Gothams, Game 4

This one surprised quite a few people, but the Gothams are just a solid team. The Spiders will turn to Stan Coveleski in what could be their final game of the season, while New York has the luxury of giving the mercurial Rube Waddell a game.

Lance Berkman gets the start at first for Cleveland, with John Ellis sliding behind the plate in place of the slumping Louis Santop.

The Spiders would clearly not go quietly: Kenny Lofton beat out an infield hit to start the game, moved to second on a walk to Tris Speaker, and scored on a soft single to right by Jake Stahl. A 2-out double by Chuck Knoblauch plated them both, giving the Spiders an early 3-0 lead.

Benny Kauff continues to impress: after a leadoff double from Willie Mays, Kauff took a pitch from Coveleski off the wall in centerfield, putting the Gothams on the board. Without another hard hit ball, New York loaded the bases and scored on a soft topper by Jimmy Sheckard that didn’t make it past the mound. Another infield hit–this one by Pete Runnels–tied it up.

Both pitchers recovered, but were beginning to tire. Coveleski didn’t make it out of the 5th: a walk to Buster Posey and a single from Mays chased him. Cleveland turned to Ron Reed, looking to prove he was worth his mid-season acquisition: the jury is out, as Reed walked Kauff and surrendered a bases-clearing double to Will Clark for a 6-3 lead for the Gothams.

That took the wind out of Cleveland’s sails, and when New York added 2 more on a double from Runnels and sacrifice hit from Mays.

New York rode its bullpen, like it’s done all year, right into the next round.

Nobody hit for Cleveland, other than Lofton. But Ron Blomberg‘s 1-for-16 performance jumps off the page–that ain’t no MVP performance, that’s for sure.

CLE 3 (Coveleski 0-1) @ NYG 8 (Waddell 1-0)
HRs: None.
Box Score

Willie Mays won the MVP hitting .438 for the series, but Will Clark rediscovering his stroke and the contributions of Benny Kauff deserve some recognition as well. And if you could, the MVP award really could go to the entire Gothams bullpen, who allowed 4 runs in 11 effective innings.

#Baltimore Black Sox v Wandering House of David

Baltimore leads, 3-0.

Can any of the teams with their backs against the wall gain any breathing room? The House of David will turn to CC Sabathia (13-13, 4.83), with a full bullpen behind him, while Baltimore will counter with Mike Mussina (7-4, 4.08).

Jim Edmonds slides over to 1B, with George Gore taking over in CF for the House of David.

A sacrifice fly from Edmonds scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the second, and Richie Hebner and George Stone took Mussina deep with back to back jacks in the next inning. That made it 3-0, but Dan McGann hit his second homerun of the series with a man on to close the score to 3-2.

Mussina gave up another shot to Stone in the 5th, and was relieved by Jim Palmer, who let in another run. The House of David had hope, a 5-2 lead, and a cruising Sabathia. He was replaced by Ed Bauta in the 7th, then Lee Smith in the 8th, and Bruce Sutter in the 9th.

Each team added runs, but the outcome was secured: we will have a game 5!

Stone and Gore had 3 hits each for the House of David, and Elrod Hendricks even had his first hit of the series–a weak single to right, but still, a hit.

Things just got worse for Baltimore: Larry Gardner was forced out of the game in the bottom of the 7th with an apparent rib injury.

BAL 3 (Mussina 0-1) @ HOD 8 (Sabathia 1-0)
HRs: BAL – McGann (2); HOD – Stone 2 (2), Hebner (1), Gore (1).
Box Score

News on Gardner was better than feared: he’ll be day-to-day for about a week, so Baltimore will hold off on roster moves for now.

#New York Gothams

We’ve got a true #1 starter and the best bullpen in the league. Seems like a good recipe for the playoffs, right?

Christy Mathewson (17-8, 3.50) will pitch as many games as he can, and the Gothams will turn to Carson Smith (3-0, 2.05) and the superlative Mike Norris (4-4, 1.47) to get the ball to Brian Wilson (2-0, 2.13 with 29 saves). Beyond Matty, Gaylord Perry (9-10, 4.27) has been solid and they’ll try to find some mix of Don Sutton, Juan Marichal, and Rube Waddell for the rest.

Two additions (veteran Joe Adcock and OF George Van Haltren) have rounded out New York’s offense, adding some support for Willie Mays (322/384/516), Buster Posey (319/397/462), and Johnny Callison (304/352/543). It’s an offense that gets a lot of hits, but lacks power: Mays and Will Clark led the team with 24 homeruns, but most of Clark’s came with Miami. Callison and Jimmy Sheckard hit 20 each, but really that’s it.

Still, there aren’t really any bad hitters until you get all the way down to SS Eugenio Suárez, and his OPS is just under .700. Pete Runnels has been out of his mind since coming to the Gothams, with an OPS over .900, and could really be the key to their postseason success.

Callison’s return from injury as well as Benny Kauff‘s fantastic WBL debut at the end of the season (a 1.2o2 OPS over 20+ AB) forces LHP Vean Gregg off the playoff roster, and left the Gothams with an interesting tactical choice between defensive SS sub Brandon Crawford and IF Johan Camargo, who can play both 2B and SS, albeit mediocrely. They ended up going with Camargo for the first series.

#Cleveland Spiders

The Spiders are a good team, and Tris Speaker‘s explosion on the scene makes them better. But they are also a pretty thin team all around.

Pat Malone (17-8, 3.84), Bill Steen (13-3, 2.93), and Cy Young (11-10, 4.36) are a solid opening trio, and either Mel Harder or Stan Coveleski will cover behind them. The trio of Chuck Porter, Cory Gearrin, and Terry Adams (38 saves) has been great on the back end. But Ron Reed–an all-star with Philadelphia–has been a large disappointment with the Spiders, and the rest of the bullpen is very unknown.

The offense has been carried all year by Ron Blomberg, with strong support from Jake Stahl, John Ellis, Johnny Bates and Louis Santop. Bates, Ellis, and Stahl all have OPS in the .800s. Blomberg leads the team with 44 homeruns, 125 RBIs, and 109 runs. But only Stahl (26) and Ellis (21) have over 20 dingers, and Stahl, with 85 RBI and 83 R shows just how far behind Blomberg the rest of the offense has been.

Enter Speaker, who was injured for most of the year, and then stuck behind Kenny Lofton in CF. In just under 100 PA, Speaker is slashing 372/443/616, giving the Spiders a true second offensive threat. Also of note, while Lance Berkman‘s overall .744 OPS isn’t much to look at, his OPS with Cleveland is at .800, a significant difference.

The left side of the IF continues to be a challenge: Arky Vaughan has brought his glove with him since the trade that brought him over from Homestead, but his bat remains missing and Sammy Strang does little more at third than get on base (his .370 OBP is 4th on the team, but his .705 OPS is well towards the bottom of the list).

#Prediction

Gothams in 6. Their bullpen carries it for me.