Tag: San Francisco Sea Lions Page 5 of 9

Series XXV Best Games

On January 25, 2023

Some very nice see-saw rides in series XXV.

San Francisco Sea Lions @ Portland Sea Dogs, Game 4

The conclusion of the clash of the sea creatures did not disappoint …

The Sea Lions scored in the first in typical fashion: Rickey Henderson bunted for a base hit, stole 2nd, moved to 3rd on a single by Bobby Bonds, and scored on a sacrifice fly from Pedro Guerrero. The 1-0 lead held until the bottom of the fifth, when Rogers Hornsby scored Kent Hrbek with a double into the gap.

Guerrero scored Bonds for a 2-1 lead, but it was short-lived, as a Bobby Murcer triple scored Harry Hooper and Iván Rodríguez, putting Portland up, 3-2. Portland looked in good shape at that point, good enough that Gary Pettis replaced Murcer in CF for better defense. Well, perhaps not only defense: after a horrid start to the year, Pettis has pushed his average well over .300.

San Francisco would tie the game in the top of the 9th in a decidedly unexpected way. With one out, John Beckwith, who is barely retaining his spot on the roster, pinch hit for Jimmy Bloodworth and singled. Phil Garner pinch ran for Beckwith and, after a walk to Sal Bando, light-hitting Miguel Cairo, forced to remain in the game for defensive purposes, doubled home the tying run off Portland’s Elmer Brown.

And there it stayed, until the 15th inning. San Francisco had turned the game over to Charlie Root, Portland to José Muñoz, and each were excellent. Mickey Cochrane–much maligned and in danger of losing his job–singled to lead off the 15th. Portland had nobody on the bench to pinch-run–or catch in the bottom of the frame–so Cochrane stayed in the game, moving to 2nd on a wild pitch by Muñoz and to third on a groundout. He scored on a single from Garner, and Root closed it out.

SFS 4 (Root 5-4) @ POR 3 (Muñoz 3-5; Brown 1 BSv; Cuellar 8 H) [15 Innings]
HRs: none.
Box Score

Homestead Grays @ Memphis Red Sox, Game 1

Willie Stargell led off the top of the 2nd with a solo homerun to kick off the scoring and while a 2-RBI double from Billy Bryan put Memphis ahead briefly, Stargell would do the same in the 4th, leading off with a homerun which, combined with an RBI groundout from Arky Vaughan that scored Chief Wilson, tied the game at 3. The teams would trade runs until, in th ebottom of the 5th, Ted Williams sent one deep to put Memphis up by 2, 6-4.

And then the Grays exploded, with a bases-clearing double from Stargell and a 2-run shot from Wilson putting Homestead up, 10-6. Each team would add a run, and Homestead would head to the bottom of the 9th, up 11-7. Should be safe, right? Especially with their closer, Michael Jackson, on the mound.

Wade Boggs doubled to start the inning, Williams walked, and Bill White doubled, scoring Boggs. Josh Lindblom promptly uncorked a wild pitch, scoring Williams and, when David Justice reached on an error from Homestead’s CF, Andrew McCutcheon, scoring White, the score was 11-10 with no outs. Manny Ramírez singled, but a fantastic throw from Rick Reichardt nailed Justice at the plate. Lindblom retired Bryan and Reggie Smith on flyouts, and the Grays squeaked through with a game that looked well in hand.

Boggs, Stargell, and Wilson each had 4 hits, with Pops driving in 5 and scoring 4.

HOM 11 (Pierce 1-2; Giusti 1 H) @ MEM 10 (Gibson 0-1; Callahan 1 BSv)
HRs: HOM – Stargell 2 (18), Wilson (8); MEM – Williams (19)
Box Score

Kansas City Monarchs @ New York Black Yankees, Game 2

New York’s Ron Guidry keeps putting in good performances to little results: in this one, he went 7 innings, giving up only 1 run. He was matched by a trio of Monarchs’ arms as Smokey Joe Wood (injured in the 4th), Joe Blong, and Trevor Rosenthal combined to also allow 1 run through 7.

And then the bullpens collapsed–expected for the Black Yankees, but a surprise for Kansas City. First, New York’s Goose Gossage and Gary Lavelle combine to give up 3 runs in the top of the 8th, with the key hits being 2-out RBI’s from Stan Musial and Ducky Medwick. But Craig Kimbrel was equally weak for the Monarchs, giving up back-to-back doubles to Eric Davis and Thurman Munson to start the frame, and a 2-run homerun to Don Mattingly to give the Black Yankees a 5-4 lead.

But no lead is safe for New York: Lavelle gave up a single, a walk, and an error to tie the game, and Ralph Citarella gave up a go-ahead single to Albert Pujols. Kansas City’s Jeff Pfeffer had no such struggles, picking up his 12th save in closing the game out.

KCM 6 (Kimbrel 3-2, 2 BSv; Pfeffer 12 Sv) @ NYY 5 (Lavelle 0-3)
HRs: KCM – none; NYY – Mattingly (20).
Box Score

Ottawa Mounties @ Los Angeles Angels, Game 3

A successful suicide squeeze from Jim Stephens scored Anthony Rendon for Ottawa, tying the game at 1 in the top of the 4th. In the next inning, Rendon would single in a run before Larry Parrish went deep with a 3-run blast to put the Mounties up, 5-1. The Angels would roar back, taking a 7-5 lead behind RBI hits from Don Buford, Bobby Grich, Mike Trout, and Carlos Delgado.

But Ottawa doesn’t fold as easily as they did earlier in the season, with George Van Haltren sending Francisco Rodríguez‘ 4th pitch of the ballgame into the bleachers for a 3-run homerun, putting the Mounties back on top, 8-7. Ted Bowsfield, Steve Howe, and Ryan Dempster closed the game out with 3.1 hitless innings.

OTT 8 (Bowsfield 5-2; Dempster 4 Sv; Dubiel 2 BSv; Howe 4 H) @ LAA 7 (Rodríguez 3-2, 1 BSv)
HRs: OTT – Parrish (2), Van Haltren (2); LAA – none.
Box Score

Miami Cuban Giants @ Brooklyn Royal Giants, Game 4

Brooklyn’s Frank Knauss has been great all year. Miami’s Roenis Eliás less so. But they matched frame for frame in this one, each tossing 7.1 IP while allowing only 3 hits and 1 run. The game remained tied at 1 into the 10th, when Miami’s closer Aroldis Chapman was left in to pitch a second inning. He gave up a walk to Art Griggs, a single to Duke Farrell, and a walk to Al López. That brought José Méndez in from the pen for the Cuban Giants … who promptly gave up a walkoff, grand slam shot to Beals Becker.

MCG 1 (Chapman 4-3) @ BRG 5 (Gagne 4-4) [10 Innings]
HRs: MCG – Canseco (24); BRG – Becker (16).
Box Score

TWIWBL 30.4: Series XXIII Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On December 16, 2022

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Birmingham recalled Gene Tenace from his rehab assignment, sending Earl Battey to AAA.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Frank Isbell will miss about a week with an elbow injury, prompting a trip to the DL with Art Griggs getting called up to the WBL for the first time. After the series, both Davey Lopes and Michael Brantley headed down to AAA, with Ray Dandridge and Trevor Hildenberger joining Brooklyn.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Wade Miller moved to 8-0 on the season in a 15-2 trouncing of Detroit. The top of the lineup–Gary Pettis, Iván Rodríguez, and Kent Hrbek–went 9-for-16 in the game and Gil Hodges drove in 5 and Buddy Bell 4. Heck, even Greg Litton chipped in 2 hits.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

San Francisco is so happy to have Dick Lundy back … Lundy and Rickey Henderson combined to steal 5 bases and Bob Cerv added 3 hits as the Sea Lions beat the Grays 10-9. Tim Hudson finally turned in a quality start for his new team, winning his first game as a Sea Lion, despite the best efforts of relivers Tommy Bridges, Chad Bradford, and Dave LaRoche to give the game away. That trio gave up 7 runs in 1 1/3 innings, but Ron Robinson and Rod Beck were able to close it out, with Beck picking up his 19th save of the season.

TWIWBL 29.4: Series XXII Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On September 13, 2022

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Both Al Schweitzer and Gene Tenace came of the DL, with Tenace being sent to AAA in a rehab assignment. Ginger Beaumont was sent to AAA as well, with Schweitzer joining the big league club.

A grand slam from Curtis Granderson and homeruns from Billy Southworth, Bob Nieman, and Hank Aaron led Birmingham to a 15-1 rout of Memphis which brought Birmingham–shockingly–to a .500 record on the year. Alejandro Peña moved to 8-6 on the year and Kent Mercker picked up the save with 3.1 innings of scoreless relief.

The Black Barons just keep rolling. Larry Benton moved to 5-1 on the year, allowing only 2 hits and 1 run in 7 innings as Birmingham beat Memphis 6-3. Pie Traynor and Aaron had 2 hits each, combining for 5 RBIs.

#Ottawa Mounties

Old Hoss Radbourn spun a 4 hit shutout over San Francisco, with Ottawa winning 1-0 behind 3 hits from Gary Carter and 2 more from Roberto Alomar. Radbourn walked 3 and struck out 4 in the complete game effort.

#Portland Sea Dogs

The Sea Dogs got 4 hits from Joe Mauer, but it wasn’t enough as they fell to Houston 6-3 in a game that also saw Bob Porterfield hit the DL. Atlee Hammaker was promoted to the big league bullpen to take his place.

Portland got a scare when Walter Johnson had to leave his start in the series finale in the 3rd inning with a hand injury, but it looks like Big Train won’t miss his next start. Hammaker pitched well in his debut, but all of the runners he left on base for Pascual Pérez scored, crashing his numbers. The Sea Dogs lost to a walk-off hit in the 9th, with Mike Cuellar falling to 8-5.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Dick Lundy made his long-awaited return from the DL, with Denny Hocking heading back to AAA.

Series XXII Best Games

By mknn

On July 22, 2022

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

New York Black Yankees @ House of David, Game 3

This was just your classic see-saw slugfest. Looking only at the score at the end of half-innings, the lead changed hands 8 times in the game–2-0; 3-2; 7-2; 8-7; 10-8; 12-8; 13-12; and finally 15-13 (and it was tied at 7, 8, and 12).

Things started well for New York, as Eric Davis singled, stole 2 bases, and scored on a sac fly before a solo shot from Lou Gehrig made it 2-0 in their favor. Cole Hamels took the mound for the Black Yankees, trying to earn his spot in the starting rotation. Didn’t go so well: Hamels didn’t get out of the 4th inning, leaving the game with the House of David leading, 7-2. He gave up homeruns to Pete Browning and Gabby Hartnett, and two to Anthony Rizzo.

The House of David’s Frank Sullivan was sailing at that point, but the top of the 5th would be his undoing as New York put together 3 hits and 2 walks to start the inning, then greeted Sullivan’s replacement, Phil Regan, with RBI doubles from Mickey Mantle and Derek Jeter. By the end of the frame, New York was ahead, 8-7.

Browning’s second homerun of the game tied it up in the 5th, with the Black Yankees’ taking the lead back on a solo shot from Babe Ruth and an RBI single from Jeter. At this point, it looked like New York’s game, especially once they doubled their lead on a 2-run double from Ruth in the top of the 7th. It was now 12-8 in favor of the Black Yankees.

But the New York bullpen has been their Achilles’ heel all year, and today proved no exception. Ralph Citarella came in and loaded the bases twice (a great throw by Ruth nailed Browning at the plate, preventing a run from scoring) before giving up a grand slam to Hartnett, tying the game at 12.

Thurman Munson immediately restored New York’s lead with his 10th homerun of the season. Sparky Lyle had a rare effective outing, and gave way in the bottom of the 9th to Gary Lavelle, newly appointed as the Black Yankees’ closer. Singles by Dan Ford and Hartnett brought up George Stone with 2 outs … and Stone neatly deposited Lavelle’s first pitch into the leftfield stands, for a walk-off 3 run homer.

Jack Taylor, forced into the game as a reliever, got the victory. Rizzo and Hartnett combined for 6 hits in 6 at bats with 9 RBIs and 6 runs scored, and Ford had 4 hits and 4 runs scored for the House of David. Ruth drove in 5 for New York.

NYY 13 (Lavelle 0-2, 2 B SV) @ HOD 15 (Taylor 7-8)
HRs: NYY – Gehrig (17), Ruth (28), Munson (10); Browning 2 (13), Rizzo 2 (5), Hartnett 2 (4), Stone (21).
Box Score

Other Games of Note

In pretty much the exact opposite game, Houston’s Stephen Strasburg and Portland’s Joseito Muñoz faced off in one of the best-pitched games of the year. Muñoz gave up only 3 hits over 8 innings, with a Jorge Posada double accounting for Houston’s only run. But Strasburg was even better, taking a 1-hitter into the 9th inning. He needed help at the end from Billy Wagner, but the two Colt 45 pitchers combined for a 3-hit shutout in the 1-0 win.

POR 0 (Muñoz 3-3) 0 @ HOU 1 (Strasburg 5-5; Wagner 9 Sv) 1
HRs: None.
Box Score

This was a fun one that went down to the wire. If you look at the box score, you might think that LA’s Doc Gooden and Indianapolis’ Willie Mitchell (making his first start of the year after spectacular performances in relief) were hit hard, but the real story was the inability of either Pud Galvin or Clay Carroll to help them get out of a jam. LA took an early lead on an RBI double from Derrek Lee, but the real drama was in the late innings as the lead changed hands 3 times. An RBI single from Jake Stenzel off the Angels’ closer, Joe Nathan, tied the game, and Ed Charles‘ fly deep to CF was snagged by a great catch from Mike Trout, but allowed Danny Hoffman to stroll home from third with the winning run. Carlos Delgado (slashing 375/423/562 since arriving in LA) had 2 hits, and Stenzel and Dave Henderson had 4 each for Indianapolis, with Henderson driving in 4.

LAA 6 (Nathan 3-5, 5 B Sv; Venters 10 H) @ IND 7 (Faber 6-5, 2 B Sv; Carroll 1 B Sv)
HRs: LA – Grich (7).
Box Score

When Álex Rodríguez took San Francisco closer Rod Beck deep in the bottom of the 9th for a walkoff homerun, it consigned the Sea Lions to their 7th straight loss. Ottawa’s Rusty Staub, hitting .346 since coming to the Mounties in a trade, had 2 hits, as did Anthony Rendon, helping the team overcome 3 errors in the victory. In perhaps his best outing of the year, Randy Johnson gave Ottawa 3+ innings of hitless relief, fanning 6.

SFS 4 (Beck 1-3, 4 B Sv; Howell 5 H; Robinson 10 H) @ OTT 5 (Holland 3-1)
HRs: Ott – Walker (9), Alomar (1), Rodríguez (8).
Box Score

TWIWBL 27.4: Series XXI Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On July 12, 2022

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Where has this been all year? Greg Maddux finally delivered on his potential, spinning a 3-hit, complete game shutout of the mighty Black Yankees in a 5-0 Black Barons win. Maddux was helped from homeruns from Billy Southworth and Del Crandall.

Alejandro Peña allowed only 4 hits and 1 run through 7 innings, and Steve Bedrosian and Juan Ríncón were near perfect in relief as Birmingham beat New York again, 3-1. Adrián González‘ first HR for Birmingham was key, breaking a 1-1 tie in the 8th inning.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

After the series, Brooklyn finally lost patience with Hi Meyers, releasing the struggling CF and promoting promising John Briggs all the way from AA to the big league club.

#Miami Cuban Giants

The search for the right staff continues in Miami, with Bill Landrum and being sent to AA. Chris Resop and Steve Brown move to Miami, with Chico Fernández and Sandy Consuegra being released. Eddie Milner, ice cold after a nice debut, was sent down as well, with Carlos Peña being recalled to further complicate the 1B situation.

#Portland Sea Dogs

They couldn’t quite overcome a 7-0 deficit, but Kent Hrbek‘s 26th HR tied Babe Ruth for the league lead as the Sea Dogs fell 7-6 to Miami.

Walter Johnson delivered a great performance, allowing only 2 hits and 1 run over 8 innings while striking out 10, but he wasn’t involved in the decision, as José Canseco greeted Portland’s closer Johan Santana with a tying homerun in the top of the 9th. Jeff Burroughs won the game in the bottom of the 12th with his 13th homerun of the season, but the victory was costly, as Santana was injured while on the mound.

Bert Blyleven turned in one of the better performances of the season, fanning a WBL record 14 batters in a complete game, 5-hit shutout of Miami. Gary Pettis had 2 hits, scored twice, and stole 3 bases in the 4-0 victory.

Bad news for the Sea Dogs, as their closer–and WBL saves leader–Santana will miss the rest of the season with a partially torn labrum. Elmer Brown takes over the closer duties for Portland, with Hal Griggs joining the bullpen from AAA.

Somehow, Greg Litton remains in the WBL.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Tim Hudson‘s 2nd start for the Sea Lions was better than the first, but the result was the same as San Francisco fell to the House of David despite Bob Cerv‘s pair of homeruns.

TWIWBL 26.4: Series XX Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On June 24, 2022

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Larry Benton struck out 11 batters in 6 innings, leading the Black Barons over San Francisco 6-4 in his first start of the year. Billy Southworth and Hank Aaron drove in 2 runs each, and Harley Young bailed out an exhausted bullpen with his 2nd save of the season.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Trevor Hildenberger will miss about a week, sending him to the DL with Orel Hershiser returning to Brooklyn.

#Miami Cuban Giants

José Canseco hit 2 homeruns to lead the Cuban Giants to an 11-7 victory over Kansas City. Will Clark had 3 hits and drove in 3 runs.

The Cuban Giants exploded for 5 runs in the 1st, then saw their lead evaporate before a bases-loaded walk to Gary Sheffield in the bottom of the 9th eked out a 7-6 win. Canseco had 4 hits and Jim Thome drove in 3. Each of them, along with Alan Ashby, went deep.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

The experiment of leaving Miguel Cairo without a backup at SS ends after only a few games, as Ron Hunt goes to AA with Denny Hocking coming up to San Francisco.

Tim Hudson‘s first start for the Sea Lions did not go as planned with the recent acquisition giving up 4 runs in 5 innings en route to a loss to lowly Birmingham. Bobby Bonds and Pedro Guerrero had 3 hits each in the losing effort.

TWIWBL 25.4: Series XIX Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On June 10, 2022

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

With all of the trades, the Black Barons brought Warren Spahn back to the big leagues and promoted both Kent Mercker and Bruce Chen. Changes in the field include a platoon at first between Frank McCormick and newcomer Adrián González and at third between Eddie Mathews and Pie Traynor. Herman Long and Ginger Beaumont were both promoted as well.

Bob Nieman and Del Crandall had 3 hits each and Hank Aaron drove in 3 runs as the Black Barons started the 2nd half with a 7-3 victory over Philadelphia.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Darren Dreifort joins the Royal Giants’ bullpen and newcomer Frank Isbell steps right into the lineup.

With Ray Dandridge missing a couple weeks, the Royal Giants recalled SS Germany Smith from AAA.

#Miami Cuban Giants

José Méndez and Eustaquio Pedroso join the rotation, with Sandy Consuegra, Bill Landrum, and Phenomenal Smith all getting promotions to the big leagues. Alan Ashby took over a the fulltime catcher, with newly acquired Chris Hoiles his backup and Charlie Bennett moving to AAA.

Alexei Ramírez was sent to AAA as was José Tartabull (whose WBL stay lasted exactly one game) as both Alejandro Oms and Martín Dihigo were activated from the DL.

José Cardenal went deep twice and Ashby drilled a go-ahead 3-run homerun to lead the Cuban Giants to a come from behind, 8-6 victory over the Grays.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Frank Williams and Pascual Pérez move up to Portland’s bullpen. Rogers Hornsby‘s arrival means Fred Dunlap goes down to AAA, as Greg Litton‘s flexibility continues to keep him around.

Wade Miller improved to 6-0 by carrying a no-hitter through 6 innings en route to a 7-2 victory over the New York Gothams. Buddy Bell had 3 hits and he and Harry Hooper drove in 2 runs each for the Sea Dogs.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Lots of churn here. Huston Street and Eddie Joost were waived, although the Sea Lions hope to retain them. With a lot of moving parts, the Sea Lions are taking a risk by going with only one shortstop–Miguel Cairo–until Dick Lundy comes of the DL. Ron Hunt and Sal Bando are called up in the interim.

Two homeruns by Pedro Guerrero and a stellar start by Charlie Root weren’t enough as Indianapolis came back to beat San Francisco 4-3 in 10 innings. Chad Bradford balked in the winning run after Rod Beck suffered his third blown save of the season.

Series XIX: Best Games – Chicago American Giants @ Brooklyn Royal Giants

By mknn

On May 13, 2022

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

And with all that, we are back from the first All-Star Break!

The theme in Series XIX was what came after the great starting pitching, as three of the games feature no-hitters in the early going.

#Chicago American Giants @ Brooklyn Royal Giants, Game Four

The American Giants would send Dick Rudolph to the mind, hoping to salvage a split of the series against Brooklyn, with the Royal Giants countering with young Sandy Koufax.

Frank Isbell–acquired by Brooklyn over the all-star break–singled off Rudolph in the bottom of the first and Jermaine Dye singled and scored on a double by Duke Snider in the bottom of the 4th.

And that was it.

Rudolph was good. But Koufax was masterful.

He was perfect through five innings before walking Mike Fiore and Freddy Parent to start the 6th, and didn’t allow a hit until the top of the 8th, when Dick Allen led off with a single and, after Carlton Fisk whiffed, Fiore hit a homerun. That was it for Koufax, who was clearly tiring, but what a performance!

After Koufax was replaced by Trevor Hildenberger, Freddy Parent singled and scored on a double by Magglio Ordóñez, putting Chicago in front, 3-1.

Rudolph allowed six hits, but only the single run through 7 innings. But his replacement, Sonny Dixon, wasn’t as strong, allowing a leadoff double to Beals Becker in the bottom of the 8th, and eventually seeing Becker score on a groundout from Dye.

Chicago sent their closer, A.J. Minter, to the mound in the bottom of the 9th with a 3-2 lead. Roy White doubled to lead off the inning, but Minter retired Ron Cey and Hi Myers, putting the American Giants one out away from the win … but Al López ripped a single through the infield, scoring White and sending the game to extra innings.

Fisk started the extra frame with a double off Eric Gagne. After one out, Parent–acquired as the final piece in Chicago’s postseason push–hit his second homerun as an American Giant, making the score 5-3.

Minter retired Isbell to start the bottom of the tenth, and was then replaced by Clay Condrey to close the game. But Germany Smith, in his first at-bat in the big leagues, greeted Condrey with the first hit of his WBL career, a homerun that just cleared the right field fence. Condrey retired Jackie Robinson for the second out, and walked Duke Snider. Up stepped White, who has really been the heart and soul of Brooklyn all year … and he deposited Condrey’s pitch into the right-field stands for a walk off victory for Brooklyn.

Chicago 5 (Condrey 0-1, 1 BSv; Dixon 3 H; Minter 1 BSv) @ Brooklyn 6 (Von Ohlen 5-0) [10 Innings]
HRs: CAG – Fiore (8), Parent (2); BRK – Smith (1), White (9).
Box Score

#Other Games of Note

Two games from the Los Angeles Angels‘ visit to Memphis bear mentioning. In the first, Los Angeles jumped out to 6-0 lead while Doc Gooden carried a no-hitter through 4 innings before Jim Pagliaroni singled with one out in the fifth. Two singles and a walk would chase Gooden … and then the wheels would come off for the Angels, who ended up giving up 7 runs in the inning. Mike Trout would hit one out of the park in the 8th to put them ahead, and the Angels, led by Carlos Delgado‘s 4-for-5 debut after his acquisition from Ottawa, would win, 9-7.

Another pitcher would take a no-hitter into the middle of the third game of the series, but it wasn’t the WBL leader in wins, Los Angeles’ Gerrit Cole. Instead, Memphis’ Tim Wakefield had his knuckleball dancing, not allowing a hit until Don Buford‘s solo homerun in the top of the 6th. The back end of the Angels’ bullpen wasn’t available, forcing Los Angeles to turn to Harry Howell to close out the game, which didn’t work out well, as Memphis’ David Justice took Howell deep for a walk-off homer to win the game for the Red Sox.

Los Angeles 9 (Rodríguez 2-0; Venters 9 H; Nathan 11 Sv) @ Memphis 7 (Farrell 0-3, 4 BSv)
HRs: LAA – Delgado (1), Trout (8)
Box Score

Los Angeles 3 (Howell 3-5, 1 BSv) @ Memphis 4 (Bell 5-3)
HRs: LAA – Buford (6), Delgado (2); MEM – Justice (1)
Box Score

Lefty Grove and Doc White locked horns in the second game between Indianapolis and San Francisco, which was scoreless through 6. Indianapolis scored 4 times in the top of the 7th, keyed by a 2-run double by Jake Stenzel, and held on as Lefty James retired Pedro Guerrero with the bases loaded to preserve a 4-3 victory for the ABC’s.

Indianapolis 4 (Faber 5-4; James 1 Sv; Dibble 1 H) @ San Francisco 3 (Grove 8-4)
HRs: None
Box Score

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 24.18: Mid-Season Reviews – San Francisco Sea Lions

By mknn

On May 4, 2022

In Team News, TWIWBL

Summary

The Marvin Miller is a hard division. The Sea Lions are over .500, and within striking distance of Portland, but it will take some doing.

What’s Gone Right

REG-GIE REG-GIE. Those chants may turn into MVP MVP MVP by the end of the year. Reggie Jackson is threatening the triple crown and while that feels very unlikely, well, he’s got a shot.

The Rest of the Lineup. Bobby Bonds and AAA find Pedro Guerrero have OPS’ just under .900; Jimmy Bloodworth, Rickey Henderson, Jack Clark, and Wally Moon follow them without a real weak link.

High End Arms. Lefty Grove, Rod Beck, Ken Howell, Charlie Root, and Diego Seguí have all performed excellently in their roles.

What’s Gone Wrong

The Rest of the Arms. Jim Devlin and Cy Falkenberg have pitched themselves back to AAA, but it’s not clear who is there to replace them.

Achilles’ Heels. Henderson has 52 steals and an OBP around .400 … but little else. John Beckwith hits the ball as hard as anyone in the league … but only to a .700 OPS. Clark has power … but not much else. There are significant questions about many key contributors.

Shortstop. Dick Lundy solved this … and then he got hurt, putting San Francisco back in the hands of Eddie Joost, who has a good eye, some power, but cannot put it all together in a way that lifts his OPS over .600.

Key Storylines

Can the new players–Guerrero, Lundy, Seguí–keep up their torrid pace? And can a team likely to stay pat during the trading period improve in the second half?

The continued development of Grove bears watching, and the OF has storylines at all three spots: is Jackson’s triple crown pursuit for real? Can Henderson improve offensively to complement his unworldly base-stealing? And can Bonds continue to perform at a very high level?

Trading Outlook

HOLDING.

Bob Cerv and Moon could each move on in search of more playing time, but that’s about it.

AAA Shuttle

Guerrero and Seguí look to be true gems, as did Lundy before his injury, and both Cerv and Miguel Cairo have started very well. Overall, it’s been quite a success.

Midseason Changes

Falkenberg and Devlin head to AAA, with Nick Altrock coming back, as well as Dennis Eckersley, who struggled mightily to start the year with the big league club.

Awards

All Stars: Rod Beck (P); Lefty Grove (P); Rickey Henderson (LF); Ken Howell (P); Reggie Jackson (RF); Charlie Root (P).

Offensive MVP: Reggie Jackson (OF)
Pitching MVP: Lefty Grove (SP)

Down on the Farm

AAA: San Jose Bees

Next to the Show: P Nick Altrock, 2B Ron Hunt, 3B Sal Bando

Prospects: P Bump Hadley (21)

Projects: P Nick Altrock (28), 3B Sal Bando (25), Ron Hunt (29)

Suspects: P Rube Walberg (34)

AA: Atlantic City Bacharach Giants

Prospects: 1B Jimmie Foxx (20)

Projects: P Chad Gaudin (22), OF Dwayne Murphy (24), 2B Dick Green (23), SS Bill Russell (20), P Shawn Estes (35), RP Turk Wendell (28), RP Joe Klink (28), P Matt Barnes (25).

Suspects: C John Mizerock (22),