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TWIWBL 40.0 – Series XXXII Notes

On June 1, 2023

August 18th

Playoff Series of Note

From here on out, it’s pretty much all about the playoffs.

The Bill James Division has been thrown into a bit of chaos, with the Detroit Wolverines falling from first to third place over the past series. The Wolverines dropped 3 out of 4 to the New York Black Yankees, while the New York Gothams swept the Indianapolis ABC’s. That leaves the Gothams 1.5 games ahead of both Detroit and the Wandering House of David. The House of David will host the Chicago American Giants in the featured matchup of Series XXXIII, while Detroit has an easier opponent (the basement dwelling Memphis Red Sox) than the Gothams, who visit Birmingham.

Three consecutive losses leave the Cleveland Spiders clinging to a 1 game edge over the Black Yankees in the Effa Manley Division. This race is key as, right now, the Black Yankees would miss the postseason, trailing Portland for the final wild card slot by 2 games.

The Cum Posey and Marvin Miller Divisions remain unchanged, with Baltimore leading the American Giants by 4 games in the former and Birmingham clingnig to a 1/2 game lead over Portland in the latter.

Really, that’s it: Houston, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and Indianapolis are all between 5 and 10 games out of the wild card race, so technically we’re saying there’s a chance …

Performance

Batters

The MVP race really is between Babe Ruth, Ron Blomberg, and Doug Rader with Ruth having a clear edge.

Dick Allen (CAG). 302/373/533/ 10 3B.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 340/408/645. 158 H, 36 HR.
George Brett (HOU). 273/304/407. 10 3B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 343/389/548.
Eric Davis (NYY). 274/350/520. 5.4 WAR.
Mike Fiore (CAG). 234/400/382. 98 BB.
Bobby Grich (LAA). 292/381/483. 41 2B.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 272/402/363. 84 SB.
Kent Hrbek (POR). 309/382/602. 36 HR.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 336/422/592. 97 R.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 318/438/592.
Stan Musial (KCM). 327/392/579. 41 2B.
Alejandro Oms (MCG). 258/309/402. 10 3B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 339/398/554. 161 H, 119 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 289/365/432. 81 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 316/433/661. 39 HR, 11o RBI, 104 R, 94 BB, 6.7 WAR.
Louis Santop (CLE). 304/334/462. 12 3B.

Pitchers

Starters

All 4 14 game winners are included.

Don Drysedale (BRK). 7-7, 3.77. 1.20 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 12-7, 3.61. 178 Ks.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 6-10, 4.67. 162 Ks.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 15-7, 3.61.
Dennis Martínez (BAL). 14-7, 3.64.
Tricky Nichols (CAG). 14-7, 3.68.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 10-8, 3.71. 4.5 WAR, 3.42 FIP.
Andy Pettitte (KCM/BBB). 14-4, 3.14.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 10-5, 3.95. 1 Sv, 4.0 WAR, 3.30 FIP.
Jack Taylor (HOD). 14-8, 2.99. 1.13 WHIP.

Relievers

35 IP for rate stats.

Terry Adams (CLE). 2-6, 3.12. 29 Sv, 1H.
Mike Henneman (DET). 1-5, 4.74. 33 Sv.
Ken Howell (SFS). 4-4, 2.39. 4 Sv, 4 H. 0.98 WHIP.
* Sean Marshall (BAL). 5-0, 1.79. 1 Sv, 8 H, 0.98 WHIP.
Mike Norris (NYG). 4-3, 1.40. 5 Sv, 13 H.
Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-6, 4.40. 3 Sv, 16 H.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 6-4, 3.86. 1 Sv, 16 H.
Ed Walsh (CAG). 8-6, 2.82. 5 H, 2.98 FIP.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.00. 24 Sv, 1 H, 2.58 FIP.

* Currently injured.

Streaks

In terms of active streaks, Bobby Bonds (San Francisco) has hit in 20 consecutive games; Homestead‘s Rick Reichardt has homered in 5 consecutive (tying him for the WBL record); and Los Angeles’ Bobby Grich has reached base in 32 straight.

Kansas City‘s Boog Powell‘s consecutive streak of reaching base ended after an impressive 52 games.

Series Results

Series Sweeps in Series XXXII

New York Gothams over Indianapolis

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXXII

Baltimore over Cleveland
Chicago over Birmingham
Brooklyn over Homestead
New York Black Yankees over Detroit
Los Angeles over Miami Cuban Giants
House of David over Portland

Series Splits in Series XXXII

Houston @ Memphis
Ottawa Mounties @ Kansas City
Philadelphia Stars @ San Francisco

TWIWBL 39.0: Series XXXI Notes

By mknn

On May 5, 2023

In TWIWBL

August 14th

There’s less than a month left in the first season of the WBL. Well, the first season on OOTP, the first season in this form. Whatever.

One month to go and we still have pennant races in each of the four divisions. The playoffs have 3 rounds, with 8 teams making the post-season (the four division winners, and 4 wild cards).

Baltimore, who has the best record in the league at 74-52, also has the biggest lead, ahead of the Chicago American Giants by 4 games in the Cum Posey Division. But Chicago leads the wild card race, so both teams look likely to mkae the playoffs.

The Cleveland Spiders are ahead of the New York Black Yankees by 3 games in the Effa Manley Division. However, the Black Yankees are currently out of the playoffs entirely, also 3 games out of the wildcard race. The two teams meet in the final 4 games of the season, so if the Black Yankees can stay close, they’ll have a chance.

The Bill James Division is the tightest, with 3 teams currently slated to make the postseason, led by the Detroit Wolverines, who are 1.5 games ahead of the New York Gothams. The Wandering House of David are currently in the final wild card spot, only 1/2 game behind the Gothams. The House of David have a series left against each of the other two, so there is still plenty of opportunity for churn here.

Finally, over in the Marvin Miller Division, the shocking Birmingham Black Barons hold a narrow 1/2 lead over the Portland Sea Dogs. The race is close, but with Portland tied with Chicago for the lead in the wild card race, both teams seem likely to make the playoffs. The challenge here is for Birmingham, who have remaining series against Chicago, the Gothams, Baltimore, and Detroit.

Performance

Batters

Top 2 for each stat, leader in bold.

A 3-way tie for second place in the league in triples puts Houston‘s George Brett and Miami‘s Alejandro Oms on this list for the first time all season. On the one hand, neat-0, on the other hand, it dilutes from the overall excellence.

You know there are some classic old-school arguments going on: Los Angeles‘ 3B Doug Rader is leading the league in hits and RBIs and, you know, is just so valuable. But the argument just pales when faced with the overall dominance of the Black Yankees’ Babe Ruth.

Dick Allen (CAG). 308/378/538. 10 3B.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 336/405/629. 152 H.
Ty Cobb (DET). 341/387/551.
Eric Davis (NYY). 278/353/530. 5.6 WAR.
George Brett (HOU). 278/305/411. 10 3B.
Mike Fiore (CAG). 238/404/390. 95 BB.
Bobby Grich (LAA). 292/380/483. 41 2B.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 257/391/346. 81 SB.
Kent Hrbek (POR). 311/384/605. 36 HR.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 336/421/590. 95 R.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 322/441/596.
Willie Mays (NYG). 323/388/530. 152 H.
Stan Musial (KCM). 330/391/588. 40 2B.
Alejandro Oms (MCG). 267/316/415/ 10 3B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 338/395/552. 157 H, 118 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 297/373/445. 80 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 317/435/669. 39 HR, 109 RBI, 103 R, 92 BB, 6.7 WAR.
Louis Santop (CLE). 299/329/459. 12 3B.

Pitching

Starters

6 pitchers have 13 wins each, but only the Gothams’ Christy Mathewson has reached 14. Mainly for depth, all six are listed. The House of David’s Jack Taylor is emerging as the best starter in the league.

Gerrit Cole (LAA). 13-7, 4.33.
Don Drysedale (BRK). 7-7, 3.74. 1.18 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 12-7, 3.62, 174 Ks.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 6-10, 4.67. 162 Ks.
Pat Malone (CLE). 13-7, 3.99.
Dennis Martínez (BAL). 13-7, 3.65.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 14-7, 3.73.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 10-8, 3.56, 3.31 FIP, 4.6 WAR.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 10-5, 3.95. 3.30 FIP, 4.1 WAR.
Tricky Nichols (CAG). 12-7, 3.82.
Andy Pettitte (KCM/BBB). 13-4, 3.17.
Jack Taylor (HOD). 13-8, 3.07, 1.14 WHIP.

Relievers

There is an argument that the Gothams’ Mike Norris has been the most valuable reliever in the league, filling in impeccably in any role asked while getting the ball to closer Brian Wilson, who has proven virtually unhittable.

35 IP for rate stats.

Terry Adams (CLE). 2-6, 3.12. 29 Sv.
Mike Henneman (DET). 1-5, 4.86. 32 Sv, 1 H.
Ken Howell (SFS). 4-4, 2.44. 4 Sv, 9 H, 1.03 WHIP.
Sean Marshall (BAL). 5-0, 1.79. 1 Sv, 8 H, 0.98 WHIP.
Mike Norris (NYG). 4-3, 1.43. 5 Sv, 13 H.
Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-6, 4.29. 3 Sv, 16 H.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 5-3, 3.58. 1 Sv, 16 H.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.00. 24 Sv, 1 H.

Streaks

Lots of streaks ended last series, but the Boog lives on! Kansas City‘s Boog Powell has reached base in 51 straight games, extending his league record.

Houston’s Andrés Galarraga has a hit in his last 7 at-bats and has reached base 8 consecutive plate appearances: both marks are 1 shy of the league record.

Results

Series Sweeps in Series XXXI

None

Taking 3 out of 5 in Series XXXI

New York Gothams over Cleveland (1 makeup game from prior rainout)

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXXI

Baltimore over Los Angeles
House of David over Kansas City
Memphis Red Sox over Miami

Series Splits

Portland @ Birmingham
Philadelphia Stars @ Brooklyn Royal Giants
Chicago @ Indianapolis ABCs
San Francisco @ Detroit
Homestead Grays @ Ottawa Mounties
New York Black Yankees @ Houston

TWIWBL 38.0: Series XXX Notes

By mknn

On April 20, 2023

In TWIWBL

August 9th

There was a single game on August 9th: the Indianapolis ABCs visited the House of David to makeup a game rained out earlier in the year. And what a game it was …

The ABCs Willie Mitchell has struggled a bit since joining the starting rotation, but he’s still been effective; here he would be opposed by the House of David’s Frank Sullivan.

Mitchell struggled early, giving up 4 runs in the first two innings on a 2-run single from Joe Harris and an RBI triple from Dan Ford. Both are stories of note: Harris, a 35 year old minor league veteran, has hit well over .300 since being recalled a few weeks ago and Ford, an injury fill in early in the season, has blossomed, keeping his average over .300 with some power in becoming the House of David’s starting RF.

But Mitchell settled down after that, not allowing a run through 7 innings.

In the meantime, the ABCs scratched and clawed their way back with 2 in the 6th, 1 in the 7th, and a solo homerun from Dave Henderson in the 8th to tie the game.

Anthony Rizzo singled home the go-ahead run in the bottom of the frame as the game was handed over to two expended bullpens.

Indianapolis would get a pinch-hit, 2-run shot in the top of the 9th from Bob Bescher to take the lead, but Harris would answer with a 2-out solo shot in the bottom of the frame to send us to extra innings.

The 10th was scoreless, but after Ford reached on an error, Harris doubled him home to win the game.

Harris drove in 4 on 4 hits, and Ryne Sandberg and Jim Edmonds added 3 hits apiece for the winning side. Pete Browning went 1 for 6, edging closer and closer to qualifying for the league lead in batting (he currently sits at .358).

IND 6 (Carroll 2-4, 2 B Sv) @ HOD 7 (Downs 3-2; Niedenfuer 3 H; Smith 1 B Sv) [11 Innings]
HRs: IND – Henderson (10), Bescher (14); HOD – Harris (4).
Box Score

Awards

The House of David’s Elrod Hendricks was named the WBL Player of the Week, hitting .474 with a whopping 5 homeruns during 19 at-bats over the past 7 games.

Performance

Some random statistical accomplishments …

The New York Black Yankees‘ Eric Davis leads the Power/Speed combos, with 30 homeruns and 57 steals. Five other players have at least 20 of each, with Brooklyn‘s Beals Becker (21 HRs and 42 SBs) being the next highest total.

Davis’ teammate Don Mattingly has 24 homers and only 26 strikeouts.

The New York Gothams‘ Jimmy Sheckard and Willie Davis of the Philadelphia Stars have yet to hit into a doubleplay.

The Chicago American Giants‘ Dick Allen is the only player in the league in double digits in doubles (21), triples (10), and homeruns (19).

Batters

Standard stuff: top 2 in all categories, leader in bold.

Babe Ruth of the New York Black Yankees has put some distance between the rest of the homerun hitters. He and the Los Angeles Angels‘ Doug Rader are the dominant offensive players, but Ruth is clearly the man.

Dick Allen (CAG). 303/371/538. 10 3B.
Johnny Bench (IND). 302/410/598. 5.4 WAR.
Ty Cobb (DET). 343/388/562.
Mike Fiore (HOM). 241/403/396. 89 BB.
Bobby Grich (LAA). 288/377/483. 40 2B.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 253/383/338. 80 SB.
Kent Hrbek (POR). 305/378/594. 34 HR.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 333/418/586. 92 R.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 327/444/605.
Willie Mays (NYG). 327/392/526. 147 H.
Stan Musial (KCM). 333/396/585. 40 2B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 340/393/553. 153 H, 115 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 297/372/442. 78 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 320/435/675. 39 HR, 108 RBI, 99 R, 87 BB, 6.7 WAR.
Louis Santop (CLE). 298/327/457. 11 3B.

Pitchers

Same as the batters: top 2 in all categories, leader in bold.

Starters

Pitchers keep passing up their opportunities to lead the league in wins: currently 3 are tied with 13 wins each. Jack Taylor of the House of David is emerging as perhaps the best starter in the league.

Bill Byrd (BAL). 12-3, 3.18.
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 13-6, 4.40.
Don Drysedale (BRK). 7-6, 3.59. 1.16 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 11-7, 3.74. 169 Ks, 9.7 K/9.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 6-10, 4.67. 162 Ks, 9.2 K/9, 3.5 K/BB.
Luke Hamlin (KCM). 7-10, 4.99. 1.8 BB/9, 3.1 K/BB.
Pat Malone (CLE). 13-6, 3.89.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 13-7, 3.90.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 10-7, 3.28. 4.8 WAR; 3.13 FIP.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 9-5, 4.08. 3.28 FIP.
Stephen Strasburg. 7-6, 3.26. 3.9 WAR.
Jack Taylor (HOD). 12-8, 2.98. 1.12 WHIP.
Cy Young (CLE). 9-7, 4.50. 1.8 BB/9.

Relievers

Relievers are weird, right? The Gothams’ Brian Wilson has been the most dominant. Baltimore‘s Sean Marshall will miss the rest of the season through injury, but may still end up leading the relievers in WHIP at the end of the season.

33 minimum IP for rate stats.

Terry Adams (CLE). 2-6, 3.26. 27 Sv; 1 H.
Watty Clark (BRK). 3-2, 1.82. 21 Sv. 1.01 WHIP.
Mike Henneman (DET). 1-5, 4.50. 32 Sv.
Sean Marshall (BAL). 5-0, 1.79. 1 Sv; 8H. 0.98 WHIP.
Mike Norris (NYG). 4-3, 1.47. 4 Sv; 12 H.
Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-5, 4.12. 3 Sv; 16 H.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 5-3, 3.59. 1 Sv, 16 H.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.02. 24 Sv.

Streaks

The king is dead! Long live the king! Boog Powell of the Kansas City Monarchs‘ has now reached base in 48 straight games, surpassing the Black Yankees’ Thurman Munson‘s mark of 43 games.

Ryne Sandberg‘s hitting streak ended at 22, tying him with Munson for 2nd place behind Ruth’s 23. During that streak, Sandberg scored in 15 straight games, setting the league record, but Ruth has scored in his last dozen contests, so we’ll see if he can reclaim that particular mark.

Baltimore’s Frank Robinson has hit a homerun in 4 consecutive games, 1 shy of the league record.

Two pitchers are threatening the Black Yankees’ Red Ruffing‘s league record of 24 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. The House of David’s Jack Taylor has a 21 inning streak and Birmingham‘s Greg Maddux is at 20 innings.

Results

Series XXX Sweeps

Indianapolis ABCs over Portland Sea Dogs

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXX

Baltimore over Memphis Red Sox
Detroit Wolverines over Philadelphia
Los Angeles over New York Gothams
New York Black Yankees over Miami Cuban Giants

Series Splits

Birmingham @ Kansas City
Brooklyn @ Ottawa Mounties
Cleveland Spiders @ Chicago
House of David @ Homestead Grays
Houston Colt 45s @ San Francisco Sea Lions

TWIWBL 37.2: Series XXIX Notes – Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On April 5, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

The hits keep coming for Baltimore’s pitching staff as Sean Marshall–perhaps the most effective reliever in the league–will miss about 7 months with a shoulder injury. AAA closer BJ Ryan was recalled.

#Chicago American Giants

Carlton Fisk hit 2 homeruns including a grand slam to lead Chicago to a 7-4 victory over Los Angeles. Fisk drove in 5, Eddie Collins had 3 hits, and the just-recalled Kevin Mitchell went 2-for-4.

Here’s one way to win a game in extra innings: 5 walks, an HBP, a wild pitch, 2 singles, and a 3-run homerun from Joe Jackson. All in all, 9 runs, and a 15-6 victory over Los Angeles in 11 innings.

#Houston Colt 45s

Pete Hill was hit in the head, and will miss a week or two with concussion like symptoms. Harry Stovey was recalled from AAA, with hopes of improving the power off the bench for Houston.

The rest of the series against Philadelphia was a showcase for Houston’s pitching. First, Toad Ramsey allowed 1 run in 7 innings. Tug McGraw–yet to be scored on in the WBL–pitched a perfect 8th and Billy Wagner picked up his 16th save in the 2-1 victory.

The next day, Stephen Strasburg, Chad Qualls, and Brad Lidge combined on a 5-hit shutout (all singles). Craig Biggio drove in 3 of Houston’s 4 runs, 2 on his 6th homerun of the season.

Finally, Houston’s 5-2 win over the Stars ended up transforming the Colt 45’s pitching staff: Bones Ely struck out 7 in 3 innings, but left the game hurt. Dock Ellis and Scott Erickson have also pitched themselves out of the WBL, with Jim Kern, Ice Box Chamberlain, and Kyle Kendrick being recalled.

#Ottawa Mounties

A Larry Walker shot in the top of the 5th seemed to make the game safe, but Ottawa needed a three run homer from Carlos Beltrán in the top of the 9th to cement the victory over the House of David. Greg Holland got the win after a solid start from Kirk Reuter.

TWIWBL 37.0: Series XXIX Notes

By mknn

On April 3, 2023

In TWIWBL

August 5th

Awards

Jack Taylor of the House of David was the WBL Pitcher of the Month for July, going 5-0 with a 1.51 ERA.

The WBL Batter of the Month award went to the New York Black Yankees‘ Babe Ruth, who hit .363 for the month with 7 HRs.

The Dog Days

Not much has changed, but in the most wonderful of ways: all four divisions are tight, with multiple teams in the hunt for playoff spots.

In the Bill James Division, the New York Gothams and the Detroit Wolverines are tied for first place, with the Wandering House of David (a scalding 29-14 since the all-star break) only 2.5 games back. All 3 teams are outperforming their Pythagorean projections by 2-3 games.

Baltimore continues to have the best record in the league (technically, tied with Portland), but also continue to be unable to shake Chicago in the Cum Posey Division, 2 games back in second place. Chicago is +3 against their Pythagorean, while Baltimore is dead even with it, so the numbers at least would indicate that the Black Sox are safe with their lead.

In the Effa Manley Division, Cleveland has the largest lead in the league, at 4.5 games ahead of the New York Black Yankees. But the underlying numbers pull them even closer–the Spiders have the edge in run differential, but at only 10 runs, it’s pretty close to even. And if you trust the Pythagorean, their records should be identical. Especially with the Black Yankees (Seemingly? Perhaps? Maybe?) addressing their bullpen weakness, there is still a lot of baseball to be played here.

As mentioned, in the Marvin Miller Division, being tied with Baltimore for the best record in the league keeps Portland in first place. But Birmingham, who are 31-13 since the all star break, seems unstoppable, having pulled to within 2.5 games of the Sea Dogs.

All races to watch!

Performance

Batters

Just last series, Ruth was in danger of leading his league lead in HRs. He’s gone deep in 4 straight games, creating some distance between himself and the rest of the crowd.

I keep waiting for this list to condense, but it keeps not cooperating.

Top 2 in all categories, league leader in bold.

Dick Allen (CAG). 309/378/543. 10 3B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 346/391/569.
Johnny Bench (IND). 306/414/602. 5.3 WAR.
Mike Fiore (CAG). 240/400/400. 84 BB.
Bobby Grich (LAA). 285/375/484. 38 2B.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 252/385/339. 84 BB, 78 SB.
Elrod Hendricks (HOD). 300/360/648.
Kent Hrbek (POR). 303/379/592. 33 HR.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 333/420/584. 89 R.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 332/446/610.
Stan Musial (KCM). 337/398/597. 144 H, 40 2B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 339/392/553. 147 H, 109 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 295/370/442. 74 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 317/432/663. 37 HR, 105 RBI, 95 R, 84 BB, 6.3 WAR.
Louis Santop (CLE). 303/332/466. 11 3B.

Pitchers

Same as with the batters, top 2 in all categories, league leaders in bold.

Starters

For now the logjam of wins has begun to break a little as the league has its first 3 13-game winners, with 2 others at 12. I’ve included all 5 in the listings, making it a little longer than before. That said, Guidry is really the only one not having an excellent season–he’s striking a lot of batters out, but that’s about it.

Gerrit Cole (LAA). 13-6, 4.40.
Don Drysdale (BRK). 7-5, 3.48. 1.16 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 11-7, 3.84. 162 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 6-9, 4.56. 159 K.
Pat Malone (CLE). 13-5, 3.83.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 13-6, 3.55.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 10-7, 3.28. 3.14 FIP, 4.9 WAR.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 9-5, 3.90. 1 Sv, 3.31 FIP.
Stephen Strasburg (HOU). 7-6, 3.21. 3.8 WAR.
Jack Taylor (HOD). 11-8, 3.15, 1.15 WHIP.

Relievers

Walsh is the outlier here and is next in line to be moved into the starting lineup for Chicago.

33 IP for rate stats.

Terry Adams (CLE). 2-6, 3.35. 26 Sv., 1 H.
Mike Henneman (DET). 1-5, 4.50. 32 Sv.
Ken Howell (SFS). 4-4, 2.10. 4 Sv, 8 H. 0.99 WHIP.
Sean Marshall (BAL). 5-0, 1.79. 1 Sv, 8 H, 0.98 WHIP.
Mike Norris (NYG). 4-3, 1.50. 4 Sv, 11 H.
Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-5, 4.18. 3 Sv, 16 H.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-3, 3.40. 1 Sv, 16 H.
Ed Walsh (CAG). 6-3, 3.05. 4 H, 3.01 FIP.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.05. 23 Sv, 2.59 FIP.

Streaks

The House of David’s Ryne Sandberg kept his hitting streak alive, extending it to 22 games–only 1 behind Ruth’s league record. He’s also scored in 14 straight games, setting a new record in the process.

Results

Series XXIX Sweeps

Indianapolis ABC’s over Kansas City Monarchs
Birmingham over Homestead Grays

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXIX

House of David over Ottawa Mounties
Houston Colt 45’s over Philadelphia Stars
Portland over Cleveland
San Francisco Sea Lions over Miami Cuban Giants

Series XXIX Splits

Memphis Red Sox @ New York Gothams
Detroit @ Brooklyn Royal Giants
Chicago @ Los Angeles Angels
New York Black Yankees @ Baltimore

Series XXIX Featured Matchup: New York Black Yankees @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On March 31, 2023

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

#Game 1: Jamie Moyer @ Dennis Martínez

Dennis Martínez was solid, leading Baltimore to a 6-1 win in the opening game of the series.

Dan McGann put Baltimore on the board with a 2-run double in the bottom of the 1st. Babe Ruth went deep to cut the lead in half (and drive in his 100th run of the year), but Baltimore took hold of the game int he bottom of the 4th on a 3 run blast from the very unlikely source of Brian Roberts. Roberts would add another RBI, singling home Manny Machado in the bottom of the 6th, and that was that.

All 6 runs were charged to Jamie Moyer, who fell to 1-2.

Martínez moved to 12-7 on the season, allowing only the one run, despite giving up 6 hits and 5 walks in just short of 7 innings. But the Black Yankees couldn’t get the timely hit, and Buddy Groom and Gregg Olson were near-perfect in relief for Baltimore.

NYY 1 (Moyer 1-2) @ BBB 6 (Martínez 12-7)
HRs: NYY – Ruth (34); BBB – Roberts (1).
Box Score

Game 2: Red Ruffing @ Bill Byrd

Red Ruffing and Bill Byrd matched zeros frame for frame until, with 2 outs in the bottom of the 5th, Frank Robinson took Ruffing deep for a 3-0 Black Sox lead. Babe Ruth launched his 35th dinger of the year in the 6th, and Albert Belle sent one into the seats in the 7th, chasing Byrd and making it a 1 run game, 3-2.

Sean Marshall came in and was a little off, allowing 2 baserunners before having to leave injured. That brought in Don Bessent to face Ruth … who flew out to centerfield to end the inning.

A walk to Manny Machado and a double by Baby Doll Jacobson chased Ruffing, bringing in Dick Tidrow from the bullpen. Tidrow gave up a 2-run single to Larry Gardner, but escaped further damage leaving it 5-2 Baltimore.

Bessent gave up Lou Gehrig‘s 20th homerun of the year to lead off the 8th, followed by singles from Mickey Mantle and Mike Schmidt. Bessent retired Belle, but gave up a single to Tom Herr to load the bases. That brought in Johnny Sain from a beleaguered Black Sox bullpen.

Red Rolfe–hitting under .150 in the year–drove in 2 to tie the game and Munson singled to give New York their first lead of the game, 6-5 … and turn it over to the mightily struggling Black Yankees pen.

Gary Lavelle walked Dan McGann, but retired the side in order after that. Could the bullpen be on the verge of redemption? It seems so: Aroldis Chapman allowed a baserunner, but that was it, and New York had a come-from-behind victory.

NYY 6 (Tidrow 1-1; Chapman 2 Sv; Lavelle 1 H) @ BBB 5 (Bessent 1-5; Sain 1 BSv; Marshall 8 H)
HRs: NYY – Ruth (35), Belle (13), Gehrig (20; BBB – Robinson (26).
Box Score

#Game 3: Jack Scott @ Mike Mussina

Things were looking great for Baltimore, as an RBI single from Frank Robinson and a solo shot from Manny Machado gave them an early 2-0 lead, with Mike Mussina looking absolutely dominant through 4 innings. But then came the 5th. A walk, a HBP, and a single loaded the bases, but Mussina struck out Eric Davis for the first out. But Mussina was unable to do much else: Thurman Munson singled in 2 to tie the game, Babe Ruth singled to load the bases, Lou Gehrig walked in a run, and Mike Schmdit singled in 2 more. That was it for Mussina, and even though John Wetteland induced a double-play ball from Don Mattingly, the damage was done with New York now leading 5-2.

Dan McGann doubled in 2 runs in the bottom of the frame, making it a 5-4 game, but the Black Sox would get nothing else off the trio of Jack Scott, Gary Lavelle, and Goose Gossage. It wasn’t for lack of opportunity: New York pitchers walked 8, and the Black Sox left 11 on base.

The Black Yankees, meanwhile, would tack on via a 2-run double from Davis, Ruth’s 36th homerun of the season, and a single from Munson who, along with Tom Herr, ended the day with 3 base hits.

NYY 10 (Scott 11-5; Lavelle 2 H) @ BBB 4 (Mussina 4-3)
HRs: NYY – Ruth (36); BBB – Machado (4).
Box Score

Game 4: Waite Hoyt @ Connie Johnson

The Black Sox will turn to newcomer Connie Johnson as they try to salvage a split.

Babe Ruth, on fire this series, did it again in the top of the 3rd, sending a pitch from Johnson into the right field stands after walks to Tom Herr and Thurman Munson. That gave the Black Yankees a 4-0 lead.

Waite Hoyt needed double plays to get out of the 3rd and 4th, but he got them. Paul Blair put the Black Sox on the board in the 5th with a solo shot and, the following inning, Frank Robinson brought them to within 1 run with his 27th of the season.

A hit by Baby Doll Jacobson and a walk to Blair chased Hoyt from the game. Which means the New York bullpen had another chance to prove itself … Dick Tidrow gave up a single to tie the game.

A homerun from Ken Singleton gave Baltimore the lead in the bottom of the 8th. A perfect 9th from Don Bessent sealed the deal, earning the series split for Baltimore.

Larry Gardner had 3 hits for the Black Sox.

NYY 4 (Tidrow 1-2; 2 B Sv) @ BBB 5 (Wetteland 1-0; Bessent 17 Sv)
HRs: NYY – Ruth (37); BBB – Blair (9), Robinson (27), Singleton (16).
Box Score

Series XXIX Preview: New York Black Yankees @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On March 28, 2023

In Featured Series, Series Previews

We’re in August, so we’re changing the rules; while we still plan to highlight as many teams in the league as we can, we’ll start to focus on matchups that have some additional interest (most likely on pennant races).

We’ve seen most teams thrice, with only Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Portland, and San Francisco featured only twice.

To kick it off, we’ll focus on the New York Black Yankees (who we saw in Series XI, XV, and XIX) visit to Baltimore to take on the Black Sox (who we featured in Series IX, XVI, and XXV).

The Black Yankees are 5.5 games behind in the Effa Manley Division, and the Black Sox have the best record in the WBL, with 66 wins, ahead of Chicago by 2 games in the Cumberland Posey Division.

#New York Black Yankees

A great offense, excellent starting pitching, and an incredibly poor bullpen. That’s the Black Yankees in a nutshell.

New York leads the WBL in runs scored, OPS, WAR, and homeruns, and it ain’t all because of Babe Ruth. Mickey Mantle leads the team with a .323 batting average, Ruth leads in virtually everything else.

Red Ruffing leads the staff in wins at 11-6 and in ERA at 3.88. But the staff is strong 1 through 4, and Jamie Moyer seems to have claimed the 5th spot. And then there’s the bullpen … the only hope for the Black Yankees is that the newcomers–Rheal Cormier, Dick Tidrow, and especially closer Aroldis Chapman–can address the team’s glaring weakness.

#Baltimore Black Sox

Baltimore’s staff is first in the league in runs against, both starting and relieving ERA, and the Black Sox lead in most fielding metrics. Dennis Martínez and Bill Byrd have 11 wins each, and both have ERAs under 3.50. There aren’t any weak spots here: reliever Sean Marshall is virtually unhittable, and Don Bessent–now the full time closer since Bob Miller‘s injury–has 16 saves. Joe Beggs has been a disappointment since his acquisition, but seems more likely to rebound than not.

It’s not like the Black Sox lack offense: Bobby Wallace and Larry Gardner are each hitting .309 with OBPs hovering around .400. Frank Robinson leads in HR (25) and RBI (79), trailing only Curt Blefary in OPS. The only offensive weak link–CF Paul Blair–provides gold glove defense and has improved from a miserable hitter to merely well below average.

#Projected Starters

New York listed first

Red Ruffing (11-6, 3.88) @ Dennis Martínez (11-7, 3.46)
Jamie Moyer (5-4, 4.06) @ Bill Byrd (11-3, 3.29)
Jack Scott (10-5, 4.38) @ Mike Mussina (4-2, 3.67)
Waite Hoyt (9-6, 4.07) @ Connie Johnson (5-5, 4.13)

#Prediction

The classic question: good hitting or good pitching? I’m going to side with the bats this time, not least of all because it would tighten up some good pennant races–Black Yankees take 3 of the 4.

TWIWBL 36.0: Series XXVIII Notes

By mknn

On March 15, 2023

In TWIWBL

July 31

Awards Preview

We’re at the end of July, so let’s take a look at the front-runners for the major awards.

The Mel Trench Award (MVP)

I mean … look, Cleveland‘s Ron Blomberg (341/410/649; 32 HR) is a great story and the key to the Spiders’ offense. And Chicago‘s Eddie Collins (311/402/513; 43 SB) may be the best all-around player in the game–it’s him or his teammate Joe Jackson (337/423/585). And some of you will create convoluted definitions of “valuable” in support of Los Angeles‘ Doug Rader, the league RBI leader and (as of right now) the only player in triple digits or Portland‘s Kent Hrbek, who is now tied for the league league in HR with 33.

But it’s really all about the guy he’s tied with. Barring something quite surprising, the New York Black Yankees‘ Babe Ruth should take the inaugural Mel Trench Award. Ruth has led the league in HRs all season, in OPS most of the year, and is in the top few in almost every offensive category. He is, simply, the most devastating offensive force in the league.

The Brock Rutherford Award (Pitcher of the Year)

Portland’s Walter Johnson began the year as the favorite here, and was then overtaken by Los Angeles’ Gerrit Cole. But Cole has stalled a bit after rattling off 5 straight victories to improve his record to 11-3, going 1-3 over his last 9 starts, allowing the rest of the league to catch up.

And then there’s Baltimore‘s Ned Garvin, who looked to be the front-runner, posting a 9-4 record and an ERA well under 3. But Garvin is out for the rest of the season.

Cleveland’s Pat Malone and the New York Gotham‘s Christy Mathewson join Cole with 12 wins, and 7 pitchers have 11. So if one of those go on a streak, they have to be considered favorites. But I would put forth three other names: Birmingham‘s Alejandro Peña has been the statistical front-runner, with an over 1 point of WAR edge on Johnson and leads the league in FIP. Peña was considered a bit of a joke when the Black Barons were buried in the standings; now that they are challenging for a playoff spot, he merits serious consideration. Jack Taylor of the House of David is posting an actual ERA at about the same level as Peña’s FIP, leading the league in both that and WHIP.

And if I had to vote, I would vote for Baltimore’s Bill Byrd, who has sat on the leaderboards all season, quietly and consistently anchoring the best staff in the league. Byrd is 11-3, with a 3.29 ERA, not league-leading, but among the leaders.

The Phineas Flint Award (Reliver of the Year)

Another award that has been greatly impacted by injury, as Portland’s Johan Santana was the clear leader here. But he’s been surpassed, and the award probably has to go to Detroit’s Mike Henneman, the league leader in saves with 30, 5 more than Cleveland’s Terry Adams.

The only other argument right now is, I think, the Gothams’ Brian Wilson, who has 22 saves and a microscopic 1.08 ERA.

Ron Reed was making a case as an all-purpose reliever, but while he still leads the league in holds, he has struggled enough since his trade to Cleveland to fall out of contention. If anyone in that category should be in the conversation at this point, it’s the Gothams’ Mike Norris.

Silver Sticks

C: Johnny Bench (IND). 308/414/602.
1B: Kent Hrbek (POR). 304/378/598.
2B: Eddie Collins (CAG). 311/402/513.
3B: Dick Allen (CAG). 315/381/548.
SS: Bobby Wallace (BAL). 309/408/441.
OF: Babe Ruth (NYY). 315/433/645.
OF: Eric Davis (NYY). 277/354/539.
OF: Willie Mays (NYG). 324/387526.

Predictably, the OF spots are the most contentious, with Joe Jackson, Reggie Jackson, and a half-dozen others not sharing the same last name all making arguments as well.

Performance

Batters

Usual stuff: top 2 in each category, leaders in bold.

Dick Allen (CAG). 315/381/548. 10 3B.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 341/410/649. 138 H.
Rico Carty (PHI). 289/359/469. 37 2B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 345/390/562.
Eric Davis (NYY). 277/354/539. 5.3 WAR.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 257/390/338. 81 BB, 77 SB.
Kent Hrbek (POR). 304/378/598. 33 HR.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 337/423/585. 85 R.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 331/445/610.
Stan Musial (KCM). 333/395/595. 39 2B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 333/387/544. 139 H, 104 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 299/373/451. 72 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 315/433/645. 33 HR, 99 RBI, 90 R, 83 BB, 5.8 WAR.
Louis Santop (CLE). 305/337/473. 11 3B.

Pitchers

Starters

Top 2 in each category, leaders in bold.

Bill Byrd (BAL). 11-3, 3.29.
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-6, 4.39.
Don Drysedale (BRK). 7-5, 3.48. 1.16 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 11-7, 3.84. 162 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 6-9, 4.56. 159 K.
Walter Johnson (POR). 10-4, 3.79. 3.4 WAR.
Pat Malone (CLE). 12-5, 3.84.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 12-6, 3.70.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 9-7, 3.44. 4.5 WAR, 3.17 FIP.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 8-5, 4.06. 3.41 FIP.
Jack Taylor (HOD). 11-8, 3.15, 1.15 WHIP.

Relievers

30 IP for rate stats.

Terry Adams (CLE). 2-6, 3.44. 25 Sv, 1H.
Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.71. 30 Sv.
Ken Howell (SFS). 3-4, 2.15. 4 Sv, 8 H. 0.99 WHIP.
Sean Marshall (BAL). 5-0, 1.81. 1 Sv, 7 H. 0.95 WHIP.
Mike Norris (NYG). 4-3, 1.57. 4 Sv, 10 H.
Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-5, 3.82. 3 Sv, 16 H.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-3, 3.54. 1 Sv, 15 H.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.08. 22 Sv.

Awards

The Gothams’ Joe Adcock showed that 38 year olds can still hit, winning the Batsman of the Week Award by going 12-for-27 with 4 homeruns.

Streaks

Ryne Sandberg of the House of David has an 18 game hitting streak, and has scored in 10 straight games (1 off the league record).

Kansas City‘s Boog Powell is now only 2 games behind Thurman Munson‘s record 43 game on-base streak.

Series Results

Series XXVIII Sweeps

Baltimore over San Francisco

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXVIII

Birmingham over Ottawa
House of David over Brooklyn
Cleveland over Kansas City
Detroit over Houston
Homestead over Indianapolis

Series XXVIII Splits

New York Gothams @ New York Black Yankees
Chicago @ Memphis
Los Angeles @ Portland
Miami @ Philadelphia

Series XXV Featured Matchup: Houston Colt 45s @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On January 31, 2023

In Featured Series, Series Previews

Series preview here.

#Game 1: Roger Clemens @ Ned Garvin

Ned Garvin–probably the best hurler in the league so far–opens the series for Baltimore, with Houston countering with All Star break acquisition Roger Clemens.

Ken Singleton would take Clemens deep for a 2-run shot in the bottom of the 2nd for an early Black Sox lead, but Houston got one back on an RBI double from Jim Wynn, scoring Lance Blankenship, in the top of the 3rd.

Singleton and Bryce Harper would add RBI singles, but again Wynn would get something back for the Colt 45s with another double. An error by Bobby Wallace allowed Wynn to score, leaving Baltimore with a 1 run lead, 4-3.

Clemens wouldn’t make it out of the 5th as a double by Larry Gardner was followed by a balk and walks to Curt Blefary and Dan McGann, bringing Mark Melancon into the game with the bases loaded and 1 out. Manny Machado would deliver a double, extending the lead to 7-3 before Melancon could get out of the inning.

Frank Robinson would add 2 homeruns and, although Wynn would tie the league record with 3 doubles, Houston would never really threaten.

HOU 5 (Clemens 2-8) @ BAL 10 (Garvin 9-3; Beggs 11 Sv)
HRs: BAL – Singleton (11), Robinson 2 (22).
Box Score

Game #2: Roy Oswalt @ Dennis Martínez

Houston would score first, as an RBI groundout by Tony Gwynn scored Andrés Galarraga in the top of the 2nd. Dennis Martínez would load the bases (with one coming on a strikeout victim reaching on a passed ball) and give up a sacrifice fly, but that was it as the Colt 45s moved ahead, 2-0.

An RBI groundout by Carlos Correa would up it to 3-0. Meanwhile, Houston’s ace, Roy Oswalt, was sailing along with a 1-hit shutout through 5 innings. The shutout would be broken up by an RBI single from Curt Blefary in the 6th, but young phenom Pete Hill made a magnificent catch in deep CF to end the threat, leaving the score 3-1.

A double by Baby Doll Jacobson chased Oswalt from the mound in the bottom of the 6th. Luke Gregerson walked 2 and let a run score on a wild pitch, but still left with the lead, 3-2 in favor of Houston.

Correa took Jim Palmer deep with a 3 run shot in the top of the 8th, giving Houston a little additional cushion at 6-2. Jacobson would drive in a run int he 8th, but Houston’s closer, Billy Wagner, would come on to shut the door in the 9th.

HOU 6 (Oswalt 8-6; Wagner 13 Sv; Gregerson 3 H) @ BAL 3 (Martínez 10-6)
HRs: HOU – Correa (7).
Box Score

#Game 3: Toad Ramsey @ Bill Byrd

This one was a pitchers’ duel early, with Toad Ramsey and Bill Byrd essentially matching each other frame for frame. Baltimore scored twice in the bottom of the 4th on two walks, a wild pitch by Ramsey, and a 2-run single from Manny Machado, but that was it for either team until the top of the 7th.

Byrd entered the inning having allowed no runs and only 2 hits, but surrendered a leadoff single to Jeff Bagwell. George Brett reached on an error, and Andrés Galarraga scored Houston’s first run with a double. Byrd walked Carlos Correa, and the Black Sox went to their bullpen for Sean Marshall who promptly struck out Gentleman Jim O’Rourke and Craig Biggio. But Jim Wynn was able to–just barely–beat out an infield single, scoring Brett and tying the game at 2.

A leadoff single by Bobby Wallace in the bottom of the 8th chased Ramsey from the game. Trevor Hoffman was unable to preserve his good work, surrendering a 2-run shot to Ken Singleton, giving Baltimore the lead, 4-2, heading to the top of the 9th.

Bob Miller of the Black Sox pitched a perfect 9th for the save, with Marshall getting the win. Ramsey was the hard luck loser, despite only allowing 3 hits in 7 innings.

After the game, Houston placed Andrew Chafin on the 60-Day DL with a torn labrum, recalling Brad Lidge, who was strong at AAA after a horrible start in the WBL earlier in the season.

HOU 2 (Ramsey 8-10) @ BAL 4 (Marshall 4-0, 2 BSv; Miller 7 Sv)
HRs: BAL – Singleton (12).
Box Score

#Game 4: Bones Ely @ Johnny Sain

Houston will try to escape with a split by sending Bones Ely–a new addition to their staff–up against the weakest arm in Baltimore’s impressive rotation, Johnny Sain. Sain is pitching for his rotation spot, as Jim Palmer is making a strong argument to replace him.

Pete Hill put the Colt 45’s in front 1-0 in the top of the 5th with his 3rd homerun of the year. Jorge Posada added a 2-run shot, making it 3-0 in favor of Houston. Baltimore would finally get on the board in the bottom of the 6th when Larry Gardner–who tripled to lead off the inning–scored on a groundout by Baby Doll Jacobson.

A triple by Bryce Harper and a walk to Frank Robinson chased Ely from the game, bringing in Mark Melancon, who promptly surrendered an RBI single to Curt Blefary. Posada let a ball skip through his legs, scoring Robinson and tying the game at 4.

The lead was short-lived: Andrés Galarraga greeted Joe Beggs with a moonshot into the left field seats and a 5-4 edge for Houston. Houston would score another run on a Tony Gwynn sacrifice fly, giving the Colt 45s a 6-4 edge heading to the bottom of the 8th.

Houston brought in Brad Lidge, who delivered a scoreless inning, something he was unable to do when he started the year as Houston’s closer. His replacement in that role, Billy Wagner, pitched a perfect ninth, giving us a series split. Melancon continued his life as a vulture, improving to 9-2 out of the pen on the season.

HOU 4 (Melancon 9-2, 2 BSv; Wagner 14 Sv; Lidge 1 H) @ BAL 2 (Beggs 1-3)
HRs: HOU – Hill (3), Posada (5), Galarraga (3).
Box Score

Series XXV Preview: Houston Colt 45’s @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On January 24, 2023

In Featured Series, Series Previews

Two teams in the same division make for an intriguing mid-season matchup.

The Baltimore Black Sox, who we saw in Series IX and XVI, have the best record in the league, led by a stellar pitching staff and a solid top-to-bottom offense, and lead the Cum Posey Division by 5 games. The Houston Colt’45‘s sit in 3rd place, 9 games back and 2 games over .500. We kicked the season off with Houston in Series I and saw them again in Series XIII.

#Baltimore Black Sox

The dominant story for the Black Sox is on the mound, where Ned Garvin (8-3 with a league leading 2.64 ERA), Bill Byrd (10-2, 3.20), and Dennis Martínez (10-5, 3.52) form the best trio in the league. Add in the emergence of Mike Mussina (3-1, 2.97) and the Black Sox starting rotation is unrivaled int he WBL. The Don Bessent / Bob Miller closer duo remains in place, with the 2 combining for 20 saves, but the key is the trio of Sean Marshall, all-star acquisition Joe Beggs, and Buddy Groom getting them the ball.

Offensively, the team is just solid top to bottom. Curt Blefary (265/383/541) leads the team with 21 HR and a 925 OPS, but the offense really revolves around Frank Robinson (298/367/501) who trails Blefary by 1 HR and whose 67 RBIs leads him by 7. Larry Gardner and Bobby Wallace both sport OBPs over .400, and Dan McGann, Ken Singleton, and Manny Machado (picked up via a midseason trade) each are in double digits in HRs.

#Houston Colt 45’s

The Colt 45’s are intriguing. They have a lot of talent, are the most flexible team in the league (in terms of players able to handle multiple defensive positions), and can’t hit homeruns to save their life.

Their starting pitching has been good, if a bit uneven, a situation exacerbated with Bret Saberhagen out for the rest of the year and Stephen Strasburg unavailable for at least a start. The back of the rotation is improving, as mid-season acquisition Roger Clemens has pitched better for Houston than he did for Memphis, and Bones Ely looks to have staked claim to the final rotation spot.

Offensively there are a lot of nice pieces, but, across the board, not enough power. Jim Wynn leads the team in HR and SLG (13 and .453) and Jeff Bagwell (272/364/418) is the only other regular in double digit homeruns with 10. Andrés Galarraga and teen phenom Pete Hill have shown more pop in limited appearances.

#Predictions

I have a soft spot for this Houston team, but facts is facts: Baltimore is better. I’d love to see a Colt 45’s sweep to tighten up the playoff race, but I think the Black Sox take 3 out of 4.