Tag: Sammy Sosa Page 3 of 4

TWIWBL 25.1: Series XIX Notes – Bill James Division

On June 7, 2022

#Detroit Wolverines

Detroit loses a key contributor to their bullpen, as Matt Anderson will miss about a month. Doyle Alexander was recalled from AAA.

#Los Angeles Angels

The Angels are hoping some small tweaks bring big impacts: Carlos Delgado joins, initially in a platoon at 1B with Derrek Lee, and Wally Moon adds some OF flexibility. Kole Calhoun was also recalled to the WBL.

Kal Daniels drove in 5 runs to lead the Angels in a 16-2 route of Memphis, a game that got so out of hand the Red Sox sent Ted Williams to the mound. Daniels and Doug Rader had 2 hits each and Elmer Valo scored 3 times to support 6 strong innings from Chuck Finley.

#Memphis Red Sox

Memphis actually has a pretty complicated roster situation, as they have more than 40 players who need to be on the secondary roster. As such, some more small trades may emerge.

While that works out, Stubby Overmire joins their rotation and Sammy Sosa hops into the OF mix.

#New York Gothams

Don Sutton stays with the WBL club, with Mat Latos heading to AAA.

#Wandering House of David

Newcomer Fred Lynn joins the big league club, and will see some time at RF and DH.

Elrod Hendricks had 3 hits and drove in 4 runs to lead the House of David in a 16-3 drubbing of the Detroit Wolverines. Dan Ford, Ernie Banks, and Mark Grace drove in 3, and CC Sabathia pitched a strong 8 innings for his 6th win.

TWIWBL 24.20: The All Star Trades

By mknn

On May 10, 2022

In TWIWBL

{The day after the All Star break is the first major trading period of the season, followed by the day before the trade deadline. Trades are somewhat randomized and limited in a variety of ways, basically an effort to ensure that, over time, they are at least approximately even in value.}

Portland signaled their commitment to this year, sending prized P prospect Smokey Joe Wood and Devin Mesoraco to Kansas City for all-star 2B Rogers Hornsby, OF Vince Coleman, and a 4th round draft pick.

Perhaps the prize pitching performer on the market, Birmingham‘s Tim Hudson, went to San Francisco in exchange for Rube Melton, Derrick May, and a 3rd round pick.

Brooklyn sends P Don Sutton to the New York Gothams for Ps Ray Lamb, Gil Heredia, and Lew Krausse, Jr., OF Don Mueller, and both a 1st and 8th round draft pick.

Cleveland made a clear sign of intent to compete this year, sending four players (P Hardie Henderson and OFs Jap Payne, Darrell Miller, and Gibby Brack) to Philadelphia for all-star reliever Ron Reed.

The Spiders also picked up Houston‘s struggling OF Lance Berkman to add more pop to their lineup, sending OF Harry Stovey, IF Charlie Grimm, P Chad Qualls, and a 3rd round pick to the Colt 45’s.

Media darling Tom Herr has a shot at a championship after Birmingham shipped the all-star 2B to the New York Black Yankees in exchange for a haul of talent, including IFs Moose Skowron and Reddy Mack, OFs Bill Buckner and Charlie Keller, P Heathcliff Slocumb, and a 10th round draft pick.

The Black Yankees also picked up some help on the mound, sending IF Dick Bartell, OF Sam Thompson, and a 4th round pick to Ottawa for Gary Lavelle and Jamie Moyer.

Addressing an area of clear need, Baltimore traded for Miami‘s everyday 3B, Manny Machado. The Black Sox sent a package of P Mike Morgan, 1B Richie Sexson, 3B Joe Dugan, and C Chris Hoiles to the Cuban Giants.

The Black Sox also shored up their bullpen, bringing in Memphis‘ closer, Joe Beggs, in exchange for P Willie Sudhoff, OF Alex Johnson, and a 4th round pick.

Ottawa and Los Angeles pulled off a complicated deal, with the Angels receiving 1B Carlos Delgado, IF Steve Garvey and OF Spud Johnson, sending OF Rusty Staub and Carlos Beltrán, C Jim Stephens, and Ps Dave Bennett and Sean O’Sullivan to the Mounties.

The Chicago American Giants added two of the better starting pitchers on the market, acquiring Don Newcombe from Miami and Dick Rudolph from Birmingham. The American Giants also received RP Clay Condrey and a 4th round draft pick for Minnie Miñoso from Miami, and sent Melky Cabrera, A. Rube Foster, Adrián González, and a 2nd round pick to Birmingham for Rudolph and Hoyt Wilhelm.

The American Giants also brought in SS Freddy Parent, who is expected to step right into the starting lineup. To do so, they sent IFs Sibby Sisti and Rickie Weeks and OF Bob Watson to Ottawa.

Miami’s other significant trade piece, Tommy Bridges, heads to San Francisco for two minor league pitchers, Shawn Estes and Turk Wendell, and a 5th round draft pick.

Los Angeles picked up some outfield help in the form of San Francisco’s Wally Moon. Moon heads south along with OF Dwayne Murphy and 2 draft picks (one 4th round, one 6th) in exchange for C Brian Downing, IF Kurt Stillwell, and P Dave LaRoche.

Detroit looked to improve their position behind the plate, obtaining Ernie Lombardi from Indianapolis for IFs Donie Bush and Jorge Orta, OF Gene Martin, P Brandon League, and a 2nd round pick.

Brooklyn added another versatile piece, sending OF Curt Flood, IF Manny Trillo, and a 6th round pick to Birmingham for IF Frank Isbell.

Two clubs looking towards the future made a big move, with Houston sending a 5th round pick, P Stubby Overmire, 2B DJ LeMahieu, P Jim Kaat, and OF Hack Wilson to Memphis for P Roger Clemens.

Sammy Sosa struggled so much for the House of David, it was decided the young OF could do with a change of scenery, going (along with a 5th round draft pick) to Memphis in exchange for OFs Fred Lynn and Tony Conigliaro and a 2nd round pick.

Finally, in easily the most minor deal of the day, Homestead picked up a 2nd round pick and IF Steve Hertz from San Francisco in exchange for Phil Garner.

TWIWBL 23.0: All-Star Weekend – The Futures Game

By mknn

On February 8, 2022

In All Star Games, TWIWBL

This game looks to be a bit of a mismatch: the sheer volume of talent on team USA is a bit overwhelming.

Tony Solaita of the World Team led off the inaugural Futures Game with a single up the middle off Bob Gibson, but a popout and a double play would end the inning without damage.

Fernando Valenzuela‘s opening frame didn’t go as well: Art Devlin singled and stole second, and then attempted to score on a base hit from Charlie Gehringer, but César Hernández‘ throw home was strong enough to nail him at the plate. Gehringer would score on a base-hit from Jimmie Foxx to put the USA up, 1-0.

Foxx was at it again in the bottom of the 3rd, scoring Devlin with a mammoth shot to left field, increasing the lead to 3-0.

Roberto Alomar greeted A. Rube Foster in the top of the 4th with a leadoff double. Alomar moved to third on a flyball to center by Shin-Soo Choo, and scored on a soft single from Sammy Sosa. Despite loading the bases, however, that was all the World team could muster, leaving the score 3-1.

Gehringer would drive in 2 more in the bottom of the frame upping the lead to 5-1.

And that would be it.

For the USA, Terry Forster, Frank Smith, Smokey Joe Williams, Jake Peavy, and Mike Adams combined for 5.1 innings of scoreless relief, while for the World, Steve Chitren, Jesse Crain, Moe Drabowsky, Arodys Vizcaíno, and Luiz Gohara closed the game without allowing a hit over the final 4 innings.

Foxx’s homerun and 3 RBIs were enough to walk away with the MVP Award, although Gehringer (2-for-4 with a run and 2 RBIs) and Devlin (2-for-2 with a run scored) each had an argument.

For the World, Tip O’Neill reached base 4 times, with 2 hits and 2 walks. It was a much worse day at the plate for Sosa and Hernández, each of whom struck out 3 times.

The idiotic choice by the AI to not select a catcher was impactful, as Abreu split time behind the plate with Jorge Orta, combining for 5 passed balls.

World 1 (Valenzuela 0-1) @ USA 5 (Maddux 1-0)
HRs: USA – Foxx (1).
Box Score

Roster Notes

The Wandering House of David and the Brooklyn Royal Giants each have 7 representatives in the game, and the Chicago American Giants have 5. Time will tell if that is an indicator of a strong talent pipeline or not.

Two of the players–the House of David’s Sosa and Los Angeles’ Carlos Beltrán–were traded over the all-star break. Both of them, along with San Francisco’s Sal Bando, Ottawa’s Alex Rodríguez and Roberto Alomar, and Birmingham’s Greg Maddux were recalled to the big leagues over the break.

Here are the full rosters, listing the level and WBL organization. Starters are listed in bold.

World Team Roster

Abreu was drafted in to catch, O’Neill as the DH, and López at 3B.

C: None. Whoops.

1B: Tip O’Neill (AA, Ottawa); Tony Solaita (AAA, Cleveland)

2B: Roberto Alomar (AAA, Ottawa); Jorge Orta (AA, Detroit)

3B: None, but both López and Hernández can play here.

SS: Luis Aparicio (AA, House of David); Bert Campaneris (AA, House of David, suspended); Jhonny Peralta (AAA, Indianapolis)

LF: Shin-Soo Choo (AAA, Houston)

CF: Carlos Beltrán (AA, Los Angeles); Héctor López (AA, New York Black Yankees); César A. Hernández (AA, Philadelphia)

RF: Bobby Abreu (AAA, Philadelphia); Willie Montañez (AA, Baltimore); Sammy Sosa (AAA, House of David)

P: José Capellán (AA, Memphis); Steve Chitrin (AAA, Brooklyn); Jesse Crain (AA, Ottawa); Víctor Cruz (AA, Chicago); Moe Drabowsky (AA, New York Gothams); Luiz Gohara (AAA, Memphis); Tom Harrison (AA, House of David); Fergie Jenkins (AAA, House of David); Sergio Valdéz (AA, Homestead); Fernando Valenzuela (AAA, Brooklyn); Arodys Vizcaíno (AA, Cleveland)

Team USA Roster

C: Cliff Lee (AAA, Portland); Mike Piazza (AAA, Brooklyn)

1B: Cap Anson (AA, House of David); Jimmie Foxx (AA, San Francisco)

2B: Charlie Gehringer (AAA, Detroit)

3B: Sal Bando (AAA, San Francisco); Art Devlin (AAA, New York Gothams)

SS: Ray Chapman (AA, Detroit); Alex Rodríguez (AAA, Ottawa)

LF: Bob Watson (AAA, Chicago)

CF: John Briggs (AA, Brooklyn); Kirby Puckett (AA, Portland)

RF: Dwight Evans (AAA, Memphis); Al Kaline (AAA, Detroit); Merv Rettenmund (AAA, Baltimore)

P: Mike Adams (AAA, Chicago); Terry Forster (AAA, Brooklyn); A. Rube Foster (AAA, Chicago); Bob Gibson (AAA, Kansas City); Greg Maddux (AAA, Birmingham); Jake Peavy (AAA, New York Black Yankees); Chris Short (AA, Brooklyn); Frank Smith (AAA, Chicago); Karl Spooner (AA, House of David); Smokey Joe Williams (AAA, Brooklyn).

Series XVI Preview: Wandering House of David @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On November 16, 2021

In Featured Series

It’s been a long time since we checked in on the House of David, who were featured way back in Series V when they visited Los Angeles. The Baltimore Black Sox–currently tied for the best record in baseball–were featured in Series IX.

Wandering House of David

The House of David are struggling towards .500, sitting 6 games below that mark, and 5 games behind Detroit in the Bill James Division. Honestly, even that may be outperforming their metrics (they are, in fact, 2 games above their Pythagorean projection at this point).

The pitching has been an issue all season. C.C. Sabathia started the year quite well, and if the House of David have an ace, he’s it. But he’s only 5-5 on the year, with a 4.29 ERA (his WHIP of 1.33 is more respectable), and some would look at Jack Taylor (4-5, 3.57 ERA) as having been more dependable. Probably their best pitcher has been Bob Rush, who sparkled out of the pen, and has just recently moved into the rotation. Rush is 4-3, with a 3.07 ERA, and both he and Taylor have identical 1.18 WHIPs.

The bullpen has been fairly mediocre: Joakim Soria started the year as the closer, lost that role to Bruce Sutter, and was just released. Sutter has been fine, and recently promoted Lee Smith has some potential, but neither he nor Rollie Fingers seem terribly reliable at the moment.

The House of David’s best offensive player has, hands down, been Pete Browning, who is slashing 385/419/606, The problem is Browning has only been healthy for about 28 games. He’s back now, and hopefully can spark a struggling offense.

The bright spots of the offense are clear: OF George Stone (318/407/552 and a team-high 12 homeruns), C Elrod Hendricks (291/344/581), and–in one of the shocks of the league–OF Dan Ford (375/396/557 in about half their games) have led the team along with SS Ernie Banks who tops the team with 44 RBIs. And … that’s about it. Ron Santo and Mark Grace have been fine, and Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire have been miserable (Sosa was just sent to AAA to work it out).

Optimism for the House of David centers around Browning’s health and Ford not collapsing. We’ll see.

Baltimore Black Sox

The Black Sox have ridden strong starting pitching and a solid offense to the best record in the league, even after a shocking series against Birmingham, where they lost 3-out-of-4. They’ll be looking to right the ship immediately, with their ace, Dennis Martinez taking the mound for the first game. Martinez is 7-2 with a 3.15 ERA, but calling him their ace may be a little misleading: Bill Byrd has essentially the same ERA at 3.16 and Ned Garvin may be the best pitcher in the league at the moment, with an ERA well under 3.00.

Don Bessent and Bob Miller have combined for 11 saves, with neither actually being declared the official closer, and Sean Marshall and Buddy Groom continue to pitch really well out of the pen.

Offensively, Curt Blefary has slowed down slightly, but is still mashing the ball at a 289/392/639 clip to lead the way, and he and Frank Robinson (313/394/537) are among the better duos in the league. Three regulars–SS Bobby Wallace, 1B Dan McGann, and 2B Larry Gardner have OBPs over .400, ensuring plenty of traffic on the basepaths, and the Black Sox’ patience with Bryce Harper has really paid off as, after a month of struggle, the young outfielder is starting to contribute more and more offensively.

Recently recalled Baby Doll Jacobsen was perhaps the most dominant hitter in AAA, so the club is eager to see if he can contribute.

Starting Pitchers

House of David starter listed first.

Wade Miley (2-2, 6.12 ERA) @ Dennis Martinez (7-2, 3.15 ERA)
Jack Taylor (4-5, 3.57 ERA) @ Jim Palmer (4-5, 4.85 ERA)
Frank Sullivan (4-6, 4.90 ERA) @ Bill Byrd (5-2, 3.16 ERA)
CC Sabathia (5-5, 4.29 ERA) @ Johnny Sain (5-4, 5.42 ERA)

Series Prediction

I mean … Baltimore is clearly the superior team. And they’ll be looking to bounce back after a disappointing series with Birmingham. I think they will, and the House of David will only win one game, either for Taylor or Sabathia.

TWIWBL 18.1: Series XV Notes – Bill James Division

By mknn

On November 4, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Detroit Wolverines

Four Detroit pitchers combined to allow 6 hits and 1 run while striking out 10 as the Wolverines beat Los Angeles 5-1. Matt Anderson got his first win of the year, striking out 6 of the 9 batters he faced, and John Hiller picked up his first save. Chili Davis hit 2 homeruns, giving him 10 on the season.

The Wolverines scored 16 runs on 15 hits (Los Angeles pitchers allowed a stunning 14 walks) in a 16-5 drubbing of the Angels. Bob Bailey drove in 4 and Tony Phillips and George Davis each had 3 hits to lead the way.

Jimmy Collins hit a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the 9th, leading the Wolverines to a 3-2 victory over Los Angeles. The win went to Buddy Napier in relief of an excellent Si Johnson, who allowed only 4 hits and 2 runs through 7.

#Los Angeles Angels

Needing a fresh arm, the Angels sent Sid Fernandez to AAA, bringing Doc Gooden back up to the WBL for a start. It went better than could have been expected, with Gooden turning in his best performance of the year, allowing Detroit only 3 hits and 1 run through 6.2 innings in a game the Angels would eventually lose.

Gerrit Cole keeps doing just enough–despite giving up 5 walks and 6 hits in 6 innings, Cole became the WBL’s first 9 game winner, moving to 9-3 on the year in a 6-3 victory over Detroit. Francisco Rodriguez and Jeurys Familia combined for a hitless 3 innings of relief, and George Wright had 3 hits while Mike Trout and Doug Rader added 2 RBIs each in the victory.

#Memphis Red Sox

Joe Beggs gave up his first runs of the year, surrendering a 2-run homer to Philadelphia’s Scott Rolen in the bottom of the ninth, but it didn’t really matter, as 5 RBI’s from Wade Boggs (including a grand slam) powered Memphis to the 9-6 victory. Reggie Smith scored three times and Heath Bell got the win with 2.1 innings of perfect relief.

#Wandering House of David

Frank Sullivan and 2 relievers combined to allow only 4 hits in a 4-1 victory over the Gothams. Mark Grace went 3-for-5 with his 3rd homerun of the year, and George Stone also went deep for the 12th time on the season.

The House of David released Joakim Soria to make room for Scott Downs on the staff, and finally gave up on Sammy Sosa for the time being, sending the OF to AAA as Pete Browning was again welcomed back from the DL.

TWIWBL 18.0: Series XV Notes

By mknn

On November 1, 2021

In TWIWBL

June 3

We’re roughly 60 games into the season. The Baltimore Black Sox have been caught by the Portland Sea Dogs for the best record in the league, with each team sporting a 38-24 record to lead their divisions. They’re the only two teams playing above .600, although the New York Black Yankees, at .597 (37-25) are right there, too.

You can see some of the reason for Portland’s surge in the Relievers listed below, with three members of their bullpen making the list.

Performance

We’re going to look at two things before our usual lists.

Great Performances

Series XV had two standout performances, the first occurrence of each in the league, one on the mound and one at the plate.

First, Sandy Koufax of the Brooklyn Royal Giants threw the WBL’s first one-hitter, walking 2 and striking out 8 in a 3-0 victory over the Kansas City Monarchs. Koufax started the year in AAA, was impressive in Brooklyn’s bullpen, and now has cemented a spot in their rotation, improving to 2-2 with a 3.58 ERA on the season.

Then, the Miami Cuban Giants saw the first cycle of the year, with Alejandro Oms going 4-for-5 with 3 runs scored and 4 RBIs to lead Miami to a 9-6 victory over the Indianapolis ABCs. Oms homered, tripled, and singled in his first 3 at-bats, and then was thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple in his final time up–giving him an unusual completion of the cycle.

Improving?

Some of the storylines of the early season have, of course, focused on batters who have struggled, but for whatever the reason were kept in their lineups despite little to no offensive contribution. Let’s check in on how three of them are doing.

Baltimore’s Paul Blair bottomed out about a month ago, with an OPS under .550. But (a) the Black Sox were winning all the time and (b) he still contributed great defense. Since then, he’s added about .025 to his batting average, as well as some power. He’s reverted, going 4-for-24 in his last few games, leaving him at 214/273/358. Not good, and still in danger, but trending in the right direction.

The Cleveland Spiders hoped Larry Doby would be a key part of their offense, instead, he’s struggled all year. At one point, he had added about .100 points of OPS, peaking in the .650s. Like Blair, though, he’s faded from that, going 2-20 to currently sit at 205/304/310. Cleveland is playing well, but Doby is likely to lose some significant playing time after the lineup adjustments following this series.

If any team could carry a low producing offensive player, it is the Black Yankees, who have patiently waited for Willie Randolph to contribute at the plate. It’s starting to pay off, as Randolph is hitting as well as he has all year, improving to 205/339/282. Clearly, the OBP is the key stat here, and as long as Randolph gets on base, he will probably stay in the 9th position in their lineup.

Two teams have two players each who continue to struggle mightily. The Ottawa Mounties really needs to do something about the combination of Ken Griffey, Jr. (224/273/295 for the lowest OPS of any batting qualifier in the league) and Alex Rodriguez (206/251/333). With Freddy Parent on the edges of the all star discussions at SS, Rodriguez may be sent to AAA to try to work it out offensively.

The House of David has run out of patience with OF Sammy Sosa, who is limping along at 177/231/344.The power potential is clearly there, but the overall production is just far too weak. Mark McGwire is perhaps a more interesting case, hitting 167/314/203. A 150 point gap between BA and OBP is usually indicative in a player who will turn things around, but those are just putrid numbers for the big redhead.

Leading Performers

Note that Babe Ruth has tied teammate Eric Davis for the league lead in RBI, something Davis had a large lead in for most of the season. Ruth continues to dominate the leaderboards, topping the lead in 5 categories, and sitting 2nd in another, while San Francisco’s Reggie Jackson continues to lead in both BA and OBP.

On the mound, Baltimore’s Ned Garvin now qualifies for the rate stats, and tops the leaderboard in ERA and WHIP, and is second in BA against. Garvin is the only starting pitcher to lead the league in more than one category, although Portland’s Walter Johnson is close. The Black Yankees’ Ron Guidry still leads the league in strikeouts, but has slumped elsewhere.

Both Joseito Munoz (Portland) and Koufax are likely to join Garvin on the leaderboards as they accumulate more starts.

Best Batters

Rico Carty (PHI) 316/377/505, 22 2B
Eddie Collins (CAG) 329/440/551
Eric Davis (NYY) 283/337/557, 19 HR, 59 RBI
Bobby Grich (LAA) 292/369/475, 22 2B
Rickey Henderson (SFS) 254/402/348, 50 BB, 44 SB
Joe Jackson (CAG) 352/436/648, 50 R, 3.4 WAR
Reggie Jackson (SFS) 368/469/637
Willie Mays (NYG) 351/404/569, 84 H
Babe Ruth (NYY) 318/426/682, 21 HR, 59 RBI, 53 R, 43 BB, 3.5 WAR
Louis Santop (CLE) 312/342/482, 8 3B
Frank Thomas (CAG) 352/432/591, 81 H

Best Starting Pitchers

Gerrit Cole (LAA) 9-3, 4.23 ERA
Ned Garvin (BAL) 5-2, 2H, 2.76 ERA, .201 BAa, 0.93 WHIP
Lefty Grove (SFS) 6-2, 3.45 ERA, .198 BAa
Ron Guidry (NYY) 5-5, 3.74 ERA, 97 Ks
Walter Johnson (POR) 7-2, 3.61 ERA, 83 Ks,2.8 WAR
Johnny Marcum (DET) 6-2, 1H, 2.76 ERA
Dennis Martinez (BAL) 7-2, 3.15 ERA, 1.11 WHIP
Andy Petitte (KCM) 5-3, 3.13 ERA, 2.3 WAR
Toad Ramsey (HOU) 5-5, 4.52 ERA, 91.2 IP
Red Ruffing (NYY) 7-1, 4.12 ERA
Cy Young (CLE) 5-2, 3.65 ERA, 93.2 IP, 2.3 WAR

Best Relievers

Terry Adams (CLE) 0-3, 3.20 ERA, 14 Sv
Rod Beck (SFS) 0-1, 1.84 ERA, 14 Sv, 1 H
Elmer Brown (POR) 2-3, 2.33 ERA, 3 Sv, 3 H, .160 BAa
Ken Howell (SFS) 3-2, 1.38 ERA, 3 Sv, 3 H
Bob Howry (PHI) 1-2, 4.35 ERA, 15 Sv
Sandy Koufax (BRK) 2-2, 3.58 ERA, .132 BAa
Mark Melancon (HOU) 6-1, 2.86 ERA
Joseito Munoz (POR) 2-1, 0.77 ERA, 3 Sv, 0.94 WHIP
Ron Reed (PHI) 0-2, 3.00 ERA, 2 Sv, 11 H
Johan Santana (POR) 1-1, 2.76 ERA, 19 Sv
Doc White (IND) 1-1, 1.76 ERA, 1 Sv, 2 H, 0.65 WHIP

Streaks

The Homestead Grays are winning the race to the bottom, with only 1 victory in their last 10 games, leaving them with the worst record in the WBL at 23-39.

Miami and the Philadelphia Stars have only won 3 of their last 10, while at the other end, the Memphis Red Sox, Ottawa, the San Francisco Sea Lions, and the Birmingham Black Barons have all won 7 of their last 10 games. Memphis, Ottawa, and Birmingham were all among the worst teams in the league by winning percentage, so the tables are once again tightening up.

The House of David’s Elrod Hendricks has the most prolonged hot streak in the league, slashing 390/422/976 with 6 homeruns over his last 11 games. The miracle that is Birmingham’s Tom Herr isn’t far behind, hitting 424/500/758 over his last 9 contests.

At the other end, Sammy Sosa‘s struggles were mentioned above. The House of David OF is at 098/098/220 over his last 41 at-bats. Once among the hottest in the league, Philadelphia’s Chase Utley has had a rough 10 games, managing only a 132/154/211 line in that time.

Series XV Results

By far the shock of Series XV was Birmingham taking 3-out-of-4 from Baltimore. Nobody saw that coming.

Series XV Sweeps

Brooklyn over Kansas City

Taking 3 Out of 4 in Series XV

Birmingham over Baltimore
Detroit Wolverines over Los Angeles Angels
Portland over Homestead
Memphis over Philadelphia

Series XV Splits

Chicago American Giants @ Ottawa
Cleveland @ Houston Colt 45’s
Indianapolis @ Miami
Black Yankees @ San Francisco
New York Gothams @ House of David

TWIWBL 15.1: Series XII Notes – Bill James Division

By mknn

On August 23, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Detroit Wolverines

Hal Newhouser allowed 1 hit and 1 run in 6 innings … along with a WLB record-tying 8 walks. But it was enough for a win, improving his record to 2-1 and lowering his ERA to 1.67. Gene Conley, Buddy Napier, John Hiller, and Mike Henneman combined to allow only 1 more hit over the rest of the ballgame, with Henneman picking up his 9th save in a 2-1 victory for Detroit over San Francisco.

Doyle Alexander was moved into the starting rotation, which may last only as long as Si Johnson‘s rehab assignment (by which point, the Wolverines are hoping the mix of Napier, Matt Anderson, and Mickey Lolich have worked themselves out in terms of who belongs at the big league level).

#Los Angeles Angels

Pud Galvin and Harry Howell have been replaced in the Angels’ starting rotation by Nolan Ryan and Chuck Finley; really the only surprise here is that Doc Gooden has retained his starting spot despite continuing to struggle. The Angels also made a shock move, replacing their entire catching corps by sending Jim Stephens and Brian Downing to AAA and promoting Ron Hassey and John Stearns, who are expected to platoon for the big league club. As part of this, the club recalled Rusty Staub to help fill in at RF, and waived Armando Benitez and his 8.00+ ERA. These moves also mean that Elmer Valo and Kal Daniels find spots in the lineup every day (Valo in RF, Daniels as the DH).

#Memphis Red Sox

Nomar Garciaparra‘s demotion to AAA from the disabled list was no surprise, but the choice to also send both Bob Brenly and Dustin Pedroia to New Orleans may have been. Billy Bryan was recalled from AAA, but Brenly’s demotion means Jim Pagliaroni becomes an everyday catcher. Iván de Jesus was recalled as well, mostly due to his defensive versatility.

#New York Gothams

Led by 3 hits apiece from Yasiel Puig and Pinky Higgins, the Gothams destroyed Cleveland 10-3. Juan Marichal improved to 5-1 with the victory.

Buck O’Brien‘s time in the WBL was very brief, as after being left as sacrificial arm in a blowout game, absorbing 11 hits in just over 2 innings pitched, O’Brien was returned to AAA with Carl Hubbell making his long awaited return from injury.

#Wandering House of David

In a see-saw game, the House of David relied on 4 hits from George Stone and Ryne Sandberg and 3 RBIs from Ron Santo in a 15-9 triumph over Kansas City. The Monarchs hit 4 homeruns, but the House of David responded by outhitting them, 22 to 13. After Wade Miley was hit hard, Bob Rush continued his great season with 4 innings, allowing only 1 run and improving his record to 4-1.

Rush has replaced Ferguson Jenkins in the House of David’s rotation and Bruce Sutter has been named the closer, with Tom Niedenfeuer out for several months. Jerry Mumphrey, Jung Ho Kang, and Bunny Downs were all sent down to AAA (essentially giving Sammy Sosa the job in CF for the time being). Dave Altizer was waived to make room for Craig Reynolds on the 40-man roster, and Jim Edmonds and Anthony Rizzo were recalled as well.

All of that results in Dan Ford parlaying his strong showing with the House of David into a starting job in RF.

TWIWBL 7.1: Series VI Notes – Bill James Division

By mknn

On June 5, 2021

In TWIWBL

{With the day off on April 25th, it was a time of roster moves and lineup and pitching adjustments. As such, there are a few more notes for each team than usual.}

#Detroit Wolverines

Bob Bailey had four hits including a HR and Hank Greenberg added a grand slam, powering the Wolverines over the New York Gothams.

To clear room for Hal Newhouser‘s return from a rehab stint in AAA, Long Tom Hughes was demoted. Justin Verlander was moved into the starting rotation as well, despite some recent struggles.

Ty Cobb‘s 397/453/655 line is demanding more playing time, despite a crowded Detroit lineup.

#Los Angeles Angels

RP Larry Anderson, highly effective in 6 appearances, will miss a couple months with a sprained ankle. Armando Benitez was recalled from AAA to take his roster spot.

Doug Rader had two HRs including a grand slam to lead Los Angeles to a 10-inning 11-6 win over Ottawa. Rader drove in 7 in the game on 3 hits.

The Angels left a dozen runners on base in the final game of their series with Ottawa, losing 5-1 despite 12 hits, 11 of which were singles.

The C platoon of Brian Downing and Jim Stephens is really not working out, but options aren’t terribly available. OF Rusty Staub‘s 151/252/237 start did earn him a trip to AAA Las Vegas with 3B Tim Wallach joining the Angels.

#Memphis Red Sox

The Red Sox turned five double-plays in the final game of their series with Homestead, en route to a 6-2 victory. 2B Dustin Pedroia was part of each one, 3B Wade Boggs had 4 hits, and Ted Williams and Bob Brenly both went deep in support of Dean Chance, who moved to 4-1 on the year.

Tim Wakefield‘s consistent bullpen performances have warranted his move into Memphis’ starting rotation.

OF Freddie Lynn and C Billy Bryan are destroying AAA pitching, but there is no room for them in Memphis as of yet.

#New York Gothams

Both C Buster Posey‘s 14-game and OF Willie Mays‘ 12-game hitting streaks came to an end in the same contest, but–perhaps surprisingly given that–it was a dramatic victory for the Gothams, 12-8 over Detroit in 10 innings. New York scored 4 runs in the top of the 9th to tie it and 4 more in the 10th to win. Johnny Callison had 3 hits, scored 4 times, and drove in 5 only to be outdone by Pinky Higgins who had 6 RBIs on his 3 hits.

RP Marcel Lachemann was sent to AAA to clear room for Carson Smith‘s return from a rehab assignment. SS Art Fletcher was released–he refused to go to AAA, despite hitting 224/250/318–setting up a platoon between Eugenio Suarez and the newly-recalled Brandon Crawford.

#Wandering House of David

When Jerry Mumphrey was sent up to pinch-hit for Sammy Sosa with the bases loaded, the House of David were hoping for a hit to get them back in the ballgame. Instead, Mumphrey wrapped Cory Gearrin‘s pitch around the right field foul pole for a grand slam, and a 6-4 lead in the bottom of the 9th against Cleveland. The lead held, and the House of David emerged victorious.

IF Frank Grant and C Gabby Hartnett are both struggling, but the House of David wants to wait before making any moves. 3B Jung Ho Kang was promoted to take the place of the recently injured George Gore.

Series V Featured Matchup – Wandering House of David @ Los Angeles Angels

By mknn

On May 20, 2021

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Four games pitting the Wandering House of David against the Los Angeles Angels in a series between two of the better teams from the Bill James Division. See here for the series preview.

Game One: Jack W. Taylor v. Pud Galvin

Game one was dominated by Pud Galvin, who pitched 7 innings giving up only 1 run on 6 hits to lead the Angels to a 5-1 victory. Galvin’s opposite number, Jack W. Taylor, gave up 5 runs in 6 innings.

Both bullpens were stellar: Rollie Fingers threw 2 innings of scoreless relief for the House of David and Jeurys Familia, Larry Anderson, and Joe Nathan allowed only one hit behind Galvin.

Mike Trout and Doug Rader combined for 6 hits and all 5 RBIs for Los Angeles, with Trout hitting his second HR of the year. Don Buford added 2 hits and scored twice.

HOD 1 (Taylor 2-1) @ LAA 5 (Galvin 1-1)
HRs: Trout (LAA, 2)
Box Score

Game Two: Frank Sullivan v Harry Howell

The game itself was overshadowed by an injury to Pete Browning, who was put on the DL by the House of David, and is expected to miss between one and two weeks. Dan Ford was recalled from AAA after the game to take Browning’s spot on the roster.

That compounded a bad day, as Los Angeles moved to a 2-0 lead in the series with a walk-off victory. The House of David scored 4 times in the first two innings to take an early lead, led by HRs from Browning and Sammy Sosa, but a 3-run 6th inning keyed by a 2-run 2B from George Wright, tied the game at 5.

The score would stay that way until the bottom of the 9th, when Wright led off with a single against Joakim Soria. Kal Daniels followed with a single, with Wright heading to third, and Elmer Valo scored him with a hard single through the right side, sending the home crowd happy with a 6-5 walk-off win for Los Angeles.

Daniels and Wright had 3 hits each, with Wright scoring 3 times and driving in 2, and Derrek Lee looked to break out of his slump, going 2-for-2. For the House of David, both Ryne Sandberg and Mark Grace went 2 for 4.

Chuck Finley continued his strong start to the year for Los Angeles, with 3 innings of scoreless relief, while Aaron Heilman pitched a scoreless ninth for the victory, his first of the year. For the House of David, Dick Tidrow, who had been fantastic to date, was roughed up for 2 earned runs in 1.2 innings, earning his second blown save of the year.

HOD 5 (Soria 0-1) @ LAA 6 (Heilman 1-0)
HRs: Browning (HOD, 4); Sosa (HOD, 2)
Box Score

Game Three: CC Sabathia v Doc Gooden

The House of David look to get back into the series without their leading hitter, Pete Browning, who was placed on the DL.

Both CC Sabathia and Doc Gooden struggled early, but Sabathia got on track, allowing four hits over 7.1 innings to lead the House of David to a 4-1 victory. Gooden was not nearly as good, walking 5 and allowing 6 hits in 4.1 innings, giving up four runs in the process.

Both bullpens excelled: Nolan Ryan followed Gooden with 3.2 hitless innings while striking out four, while for the House of David, Bruce Sutter got his second hold of the year and Tom Niedenfuer pitched a scoreless 9th for his 4th save.

Richie Hebner drove in 2 runs with a bases loaded single in the top of the 2nd, and Mark McGwire and Mark Grace drove in runs with walks in the top of the 5th.

For Los Angeles, the offense was highly concentrated in two batters: Mike Trout went 3-for-4 and Bobby Grich 2-for-4.

HOD 4 (Sabathia 3-2; Niedenfuer 4 Sv) – LAA 1 (Gooden 1-3)
HRs – None.
Box Score

Game Four: Fergie Jenkins v Gerrit Cole

Sabathia and Gooden were a good matchup, but this one was even better. Fergie Jenkins comes into the game with a 2-1 record and a 4.50 ERA and Cole with an identical record and a 3.90 ERA. Both have shown flashes of brilliance, however, Cole especially, whose year started with 3 consecutive solid starts before being roughed up by Kansas City his last time out. Jenkins was masterful his last time out, allowing only 3 hits and 1 run over 7 innings in a victory over Memphis.

Sometimes, though, a game just comes down to a single swing. With the House of David up 2-0 in the bottom of the 5th, singles by George Wright and Don Buford scored the Angels’ first runs. Mike Trout walked to load the bases, and Doug Rader deposited a Jenkins fastball into the left field seats for a grand slam. That put the Angels up, 6-2.

The House of David closed the gap to 6-5, but the Angels’ Joe Nathan pitched a perfect 9th for his 3rd save, preserving the win for Cole, who struck out 10 in 7 strong innings.

HOD 5 (Jenkins 2-2) – LAA 6 (Cole 3-1; Nathan 3 Sv)
HRs: Rader (LAA, 3)
Box Score

Series Notes

Rader had 6 RBIs in the 4 games, but the hitting star was Trout, who went 8 for 14 in the four games, effectively breaking out of his early season slump. Richie Hebner and George Stone had 5 hits each for the House of David.

The Angels took 3 of the 4 games, but they still trail the House of David by 1 game in the Bill James Division.

The key storylines were Browning’s injury and Trout’s emergence–the former a significant challenge for a suddenly struggling House of David; the latter a ray of hope for the Angels.

Previewing Series V – Wandering House of David @ Los Angeles Angels

By mknn

On May 17, 2021

In Series Previews

For Series V, we’ll take a closer look at the Wandering House of David‘s four game road trip to the left coast to face the Los Angeles Angels in a matchup of the top two teams in the Bill James Division. At 12-6, The House of David, fresh off a four game sweep in Series IV, lead the Angels, who sit at .500 with nine wins and nine losses by three games.

The matchups of the series are (House of David SP first) Jack W. Taylor (2-0, 3.54 ERA) v. Pud Galvin (0-1, 4.34); Frank Sullivan (2-1, 5.31) v. Harry Howell (1-1, 3.18); CC Sabathia (2-2, 4.23) v. Doc Gooden (1-2, 5.92); and Fergie Jenkins (2-1, 4.50) v. Gerrit Cole (2-1, 3.90).

As those numbers suggest, the SP for each of these teams has been solid, but not spectacular. The same cannot be said of the House of David’s bullpen, which leads the WBL with a 1.36 ERA. Bruce Sutter has yet to give up a run, and Rollie Fingers, Joakim Soria, Dick Tidrow, and Tom Niedenfuer have each allowed only a single earned run on the season. Niedenfuer leads the team with three saves, with Sutter adding two.

The Angels’ bullpen has been less spectacular but still quite solid, led by Larry Anderson–yet to give up a run–and Joe Nathan‘s 2 saves. Chuck Finley looks to get a shot at starting soon, giving up only 2 runs in over 9 IP with 15 strikeouts.

Kal Daniels has been the best hitter for the Angels in the early going, slashing a 348/474/652 line. Don Buford (308/410/415) and Doug Rader (289/333/461 with 16 RBIs) have been their other key producers, with both Mike Trout and Derrek Lee mired in significant slumps. Lee, Rusty Staub, and Brian Downing all have OPS below .600, meaning they are likely to see a trip to AAA if they don’t pick up the pace soon.

For the House of David, it’s all been about reigning WBL Player of the Week Pete Browning, who is hitting at a 467/484/717 clip to go with 15 runs scored and 9 SBs. George Stone has been their second best hitter at 373/429/627, but the whole offense has been solid. Five players have three HRs each: Browning, Stone, Ryne Sandberg, Mark McGwire, and Ernie Banks. At the other end, Ron Santo, Sammy Sosa, and Frank Grant have all struggled mightily out of the gate, with BAs hovering around .200 and OPS under .600 each.