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TWIWBL 18.0: Series XV Notes

On November 1, 2021

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

Series XV Featured Game: Baltimore Black Sox @ Birmingham Black Barons

By mknn

On October 29, 2021

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

The opening and closing matches between the Baltimore Black Sox and the Birmingham Black Barons were both worthy of consideration as the Game of the Series.

The first game started with Birmingham taking it to the best team in the league, with the legend that is Tom Herr and Dale Murphy both going deep. Earlier in the season, Murphy was sent to AAA after an absolutely horrific start to the season, and while he’s not exactly setting the world on fire, he has been doing better since his recall.

A Frank Isbell homerun extended Birmingham’s lead to 4-3, but the Black Sox tied it up in the top of the 5th when Ken Singleton drove in 2 with a single.

And there it stayed until the bottom of the 7th, when there goes that man again as Herr doubled and scored on a single by Bob Nieman. But Bobby Wallace took Hoyt Wilhelm deep for a 2-run shot and for a brief moment, the world was normal once more, with Baltimore on top, 6-5.

I did say briefly. Hank Aaron led off the bottom of the inning against Mike Mussina with a solo shot of his own, knotting the contest at 6.

And there we stayed, until the top of the 13th, when Bryce Harper singled home Curt Blefary for a 7-6 lead for Baltimore. And with Don Bessent heading out for the bottom of the frame, Black Sox fans began to pack up … but Aaron would lead off with a single, moving to 3rd on a base-hit from Pie Traynor. He would score on a groundout by Del Crandall, which moved Traynor to third … and Curtis Granderson would deliver the walk-off base-hit for an improbable victory for The Black Barons.

But the series wasn’t done delivering the goods. Baltimore’s Bill Byrd threw a 3-hit shutout in game 2, and Birmingham rode big days from Aaron and Isbell to win game 3.

That brought us to what could be a great pitching matchup, with Baltimore’s Ned Garvin taking on Birmingham’s Tim Hudson. Neither pitcher were in their team’s rotations at the start of the year (Hudson was in AAA), and both were doing fantastically well.

Garvin came into the game at 5-2 with a 2.47 ERA and Hudson at 5-0 with a 2.70 ERA.

And, for once, the matchup held! Hudson had a shutout through 6 innings while Garvin’s line was only marred by a 2-run homerun from Granderson.

The 7th was definitive for the game: Hudson gave up a homerun to Blefary and an RBI single to tie the game in the top of the frame, but Garvin was touched for an RBI double from Murphy and a run-scoring single from Frank McCormick, extending the lead to 4-2.

Neither starter would make it out of the 8th, as a solo shot from Frank Robinson chased Hudson. His replacement, Steve Bedrosian, was greeted by Blefary’s second homerun of the game, with the back-to-back jacks tying the game at 4.

Buddy Groom came in for Baltimore to start the bottom of the 8th, and gave up an RBI double to Aaron and a 2-run shot to Troy Tulowitzki, putting the Black Barons back in front, and their closer, Juan Rincon came on to shut the door on the 7-4 victory.

So, a great series with an especially thrilling two games.

BAL 7 (Bessent 1-2, 1 B Sv) @ BBB 8 (Benton 1-1; Wilhelm 1 B Sv) [13 Innings]
HRs: BAL – Wallace (4); BBB – Murphy (1), Herr (2), Aaron (8), Isbell (1)
Box Score

BAL 4 (Groom 1-1) @ BBB 7 (Bedrosian 1-0, 1 BSv)
HRs: BAL – Blefary 2 (18), Robinson (14); BBB – Granderson (7), Tulowitzki (7)
Box Score

Other Games of Note

That’s more like it. After struggling in his first start, Sandy Koufax delivered perhaps the finest start in the league so far, a 1-hit shutout of Kansas City. Koufax walked 2 and struck out 8 in the 3-0 victory. Brooklyn took the lead on a solo homerun from Roy White, and was helped out by2 hits from Duke Snider. Luke Hamlin pitched quite well, but still took the loss and Kansas City’s only hit was a double by Stan Musial in the top of the first.

KCM 0 (Hamlin 3-5) @ BRK 3 (Koufax 2-2)
HRs: BRK – White (7)
Box Score

The opening game of the Cleveland Spiders’ visit to Houston was an old-fashioned pitcher’s duel. For the Colt 45’s, Roy Oswalt‘s only error in 8 innings was a first inning homerun by Ron Blomberg as the Houston starter only allowed 5 hits and 2 walks in that span. But Cleveland’s Bob Feller was even better, throwing a 6-hit shutout with 9 whiffs over 7.2 innings. Trevor Hoffman came on in the top of the 9th, and Blomberg took him deep for his 2nd of the day, and the Spiders’ closer, Terry Adams, made it stand up.

CLE 3 (Feller 5-4; Gearrin 4 H; Adams 14 Sv) @ HOU 0 (Oswalt 5-4)
HRs: CLE – Blomberg 2 (15)
Box Score

The series closer between Indianapolis and Miami was notable for a few reasons. First, Miami’s Dontrelle Willis was making his first career start. It did not go well, as Willis was touched for 5 runs (4 earned) in 4 innings. But Indianapolis’ Red Faber fared little better, surrendering 7 runs in only 5 innings of work. The Cuban Giants’ Eustaquio Pedroso delivered 3 solid innings of relief en route to the victory for Miami, which also saw Alejandro Oms hit for the first cycle in WBL history. Jim Thome added 3 hits and 2 homeruns for Miami, and Oscar Charleston and Ed Charles had strong days at the plate for the ABC’s. Finally, Aroldis Chapman did indeed record his 11th save, but he did it in Chapman style, giving up 2 walks while walking his tightrope.

IND 6 (Faber 4-4) @ MCG 9 (Pedroso 3-4; Condrey 2 H; Bauta 8 H; Chapman 11 Sv)
HRs: MCG – Oms (2), Thome 2 (9)
Box Score

TWIWBL Special Edition: All Star Previews II – Second Basemen

By mknn

On October 1, 2021

In All Star Games

{ With under three weeks until the All Star Teams are announced, we’re looking at what’s changed since our original previews. }

Preview I here.

#AL – Bill James & Cum Posey Divisions

Original selections: Eddie Collins, Tim Raines, Larry Gardner.

After struggling briefly on his return from the DL, Chicago’s Collins has resumed being the class of the second basemen in the league with a 309/431/517 slash line. He’s the clear starter.

But after that, it gets awfully muddled. Purely by OPS, you would go with Kansas City’s Rogers Hornsby (309/390/500) and Baltimore’s Gardner (288/419/464).

But Ottawa’s Raines certainly deserves strong consideration (and he may be Ottawa’s only representative in the midseason classic). Raines’ OPS is a shade worse at 282/365/445, but he leads the group with 7 homeruns and 38 runs scored, and is way ahead with 38 steals, putting him behind only Collins in WAR (2.5 to 1.8). Los Angeles’ Bobby Grich is also at a 1.8 WAR, slashing 300/374/485.

Grich sits just behind Collins and the New York Gothams’ Cookie Rojas in the defensive rankings. (Houston’s HR Johnson–who has hit well enough to be in the conversation–has been among the worst defensive 2B in the league, moving him clearly out of contention at this point.)

So, what to do …

This is a position I expect to change a little as the month plays out, but right now, I would go with Raines and Gardner behind Collins. But I could also be convinced to carry four to include Hornsby. And, if Baltimore drops off as a team, that probably weakens Gardner’s argument as well.

Somewhat inexplicably, the AI goes with Collins, Johnson, and Raines.

#NL – Effa Manley & Marvin Miller Divisions

Original selections: Chase Utley, Jimmy Bloodworth, Tom Herr.

Brooklyn’s Jackie Robinson presents a bit of a conundrum, having split his time almost equally between 1B and 2B. He clearly hasn’t hit well enough to make it as a 1B, but his 291/350/511 is pretty spectacular for a middle infielder. For now, I’m going to punt on him though, and perhaps add a utility category for each league in the final selections.

The feel-good story of the season so far, Birmingham’s Herr, is not only still performing at an all-star level, he’s likely the starter right now, hitting 338/381/455. It doesn’t seem sustainable, but it didn’t at the last update either.

San Francisco’s Bloodworth sits just behind him in OPS at 288/328/488 with 9 homeruns and 25 RBIs. Utley has been in a slump, but he remains the only other candidate with an OPS over .800, and at 263/335/481 still would make it, although a surge by Homestead’s Davey Johnson or Indianapolis’ Joe Morgan could remove him.

Utley and Bloodworth have been the best defensive 2B so far, which helps them here as well.

So I would stick with the same three, just in a different order. The AI selects only Herr, which is amusing.

Series XIV Featured Matchup: Birmingham Black Barons @ New York Gothams

By mknn

On September 12, 2021

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Preview here

#Game One: Scott Baker @ Sad Sam Jones

Win-Loss records can be so deceiving. Birmingham’s Scott Baker sits at 5-3, despite an ERA over 5.00 while the Gothams’ Sad Sam Jones is pushing for consideration as an all-star, despite a 3-3 record.

Bob Nieman took Jones deep in the top of the first for a 1-0 lead for Birmingham, and Omar Infante doubled home Billy Southworth in the second to double it. Jones wouldn’t get out of the 5th: Nieman led off with a double, went to third on a single from Eddie Mathews, and scored on a base hit from Hank Aaron. Del Crandall would plate another run with a sacrifice fly, and Carson Smith would relieve Jones. So much for the all star argument …

Baker, meanwhile, had allowed only 1 hit through 5 innings, and nothing else until Willie Mays doubled with 1 out in the bottom of the 7th. By that point, Birmingham had added 2 more runs, and led 6-0.

Yasiel Puig drove the ball deep to left field with 2 outs, where it took an odd bounce, eluding Southworth’s pursuit. Puig ended up with an inside-the-park homerun, and hits from Willie McCovey and Brandon Crawford chased Baker from the game.

Harley Young relieved him, and gave up RBI hits to Cookie Rojas and Jimmy Sheckard, closing the score to 6-5.

That was as close as it got, however, as Juan Rincon was able to close the door in the 9th, and the Black Barons opened the four game series with a victory.

Matthews and Aaron had 3 hits each for Birmingham, who outhit New York 14-9. Baker, who ended up allowing 4 runs in his 6.2 innings did in fact earn his 6th victory of the year.

After the game, Birmingham learned that Gene Tenace‘s injury will sideline him for 5 to 6 weeks. That was better news than the Gothams received, as they learned that Carl Hubbell would miss 2-3 months with his current DL stint.

BBB 6 (Baker 6-3; Young 5 H; Bedrosian 1 H; Rincon 3 Sv) @ NYG 5 (Jones 3-4)
HRs: BBB – Nieman (3); NYG – Puig (2)
Box Score

#Game Two: Dick Rudolph @ Christy Mathewson

While Birmingham has, in Tom Herr, undoubtedly the surprise performance by an infielder so far in the WBL, the Gothams’ Eugenio Suarez comes close with an OPS over .900. Suarez continued his strong season with a 2-run homerun off Dick Rudolph in the bottom of th 2nd.

Meanwhile, Christy Mathewson had a no-hitter going until Hank Aaron led off the top of the 5th with a triple to centerfield over Willie Mays‘ head. Del Crandall followed with a fly to right field, but Carl Furillo‘s throw nailed Aaron trying to score from third.

Mathewson gave up 3 consecutive hits to start the 6th, with Bob Nieman driving in 2 with a double. That tied the game, and when Nieman scored on a sacrifice fly by Eddie Mathews, Birmingham took the lead, 3-2.

Yasiel Puig would tie the game in the bottom of the frame with an RBI double, placing the game firmly in the hands of the bullpens. Pete Donohue relieved Mathewson, and Larry Benton came on to pitch for Birmingham in the top of the 7th.

Furillo and Puig singled off Benton in the 8th, bringing in Steve Bedrosian for Birmingham in relief of Harley Young. Mark Loretta greeted Bedrosian with a 2-run double, and Suarez–there’s that man again–brought him home with a single to right. That gave the Gothams a 6-3 lead, with their closer, Brian Wilson, on the mound.

It was enough, as Wilson only allowed a walk in picking up his 7th save, with the win going to Donohue and Benton taking the loss. Puig had 3 hits and Suarez 3 RBIs for the Gothams as they evened up the series.

BBB 3 (Benton 0-1) @ NYG 6 (Donohue 1-0; Wilson 7 Sv)
HRs: NYG – Suarez (4)
Box Score

#Game Three: Tim Hudson @ Mickey Welch

Birmingham scored 2 in the top of the 2nd off Mickey Welch off an RBI single from Omar Infante, who later scored on an error by the Gotham’s shortstop, Eugenio Suarez. A Welch wild pitch would score Hank Aaron in the 3rd, and a Curtis Granderson homerun in the 6th would extend the lead to 4-0, chasing Welch from the game.

In the meantime, Birmingham’s Tim Hudson only allowed 1 hit through 5 innings. New York would break through in the 6th when a Jimmy Sheckard single plated Suarez, who had walked to leadoff the frame. Willie Mays would lead off the 7th with his 10th homerun of the year, cutting the lead in half to 4-2.

Hudson gave up another homerun, this one to Jimmy Sheckard, to leadoff the 9th, chasing Hudson and bringing in Juan Rincon. Rincon got one out, and then Willie Mays was injured beating a threw to first for the infield hit. Rincon got another out before giving up a single to Yasiel Puig, who took second when John Kerins–who replaced Mays as a pinch-runner–went first-to-third on the hit.

Willie McCovey grounded out to first to end the game, but all attention for New York was on the health of their young centerfielder.

Hudson moved to 5-0, keeping his ERA under 3.00, and Rincon picked up his 4th save.

BBB 4 (Hudson 5-0; Rincon 4 Sv) @ NYG 3 (Welch 5-3)
HRs: BBB – Granderson (5); NYG – Mays (10); Sheckard (6)
Box Score

#Game 4: Rain, Rain, Rain

The 4th game of the series was rained out, to be made up in mid-August. Which means the Black Barons come out with a 2-1 series win, quite an unexpected result.

#Series Notes

Omar Infante, Hank Aaron, Curtis Granderson, and Bob Nieman each had 4 hits for Birmingham, with Nieman adding 3 RBIs.

For the Gothams, Willie Mays went 5-for-11 and, more importantly, was declared healthy enough to play in New York’s next game. Yasiel Puig also had 5 hits in the three games.

Series XIV Preview: Birmingham Black Barons @ New York Gothams

By mknn

On September 10, 2021

In Featured Series, Series Previews

We last focused on the Birmingham Black Barons in Series III and on the New York Gothams in Series II.

Since then, their fortunes have diverged significantly, with Birmingham 12 games back in the Marvin Miller Division at 22-32 and the Gothams only 1/2 game behind Los Angeles in the Bill James Division at 28-25.

So we go into this series expecting a dominant performance from the Gothams.

#Birmingham Black Barons

The bright spots are, as you may guess from their record, few and far between.

Offensively, the story of the year has to be 2B Tom Herr, who has come out of nowhere to lead the team regulars in all 3 categories of his 348/384/464 slash line. Other than Herr, there are some reasons for optimism, as Pie Traynor, Bob Nieman, Del Crandall, and Al Schweitzer have all hit well in very limited opportunities (Crandall and Traynor are recent recalls from AAA, Schweitzer has just returned from the DL).

Eddie Mathews has 9 homeruns to lead the team, while Hank Aaron has 28 RBIs.

Herr has a parallel on the mound, where Tim Hudson has moved from AAA into the rotation, going 4-0 with a 2.51 ERA, although in under 30 innings (3 relief appearances and 3 starts). Scott Baker leads the team in wins at 5-3, but has an ERA over 5. Alejandro Pena, with a 4-4 record and a 3.76 ERA, has probably been Birmingham’s most dependable starter.

#New York Gothams

The Gothams’ offense revolves around Buster Posey (347/433/568) and Willie Mays (354/408/561), but the surprise of the season is probably SS Eugenio Suarez, who continues to hit for power, at 304/349/506 on the season. Posey and Mays have 9 homeruns each, with Mays leading the team with 46 RBIs.

Two minor league callups have been impactful, with Wes Westrum (318/375/727) taking over the backup C role behind Posey and Yasiel Puig becoming a nearly everyday player, with an OPS just under .800.

The starting pitching has been a little uneven: while Juan Marichal (6-1), Mickey Welch (5-2), and Christy Mathewson (5-5) have a lot of victories, they all have pretty high ERA’s. New York’s best starter has probably been Sad Sam Jones, who is 3-3, but has an ERA of 3.49.

The bullpen has been excellent, with Mike Norris (2-1, 1 Sv, 3 H, 1.91 ERA) and Robb Nen (4 Sv) setting up Brian Wilson, who has 6 saves and a 2.40 ERA.

#Series Matchups

Birmingham’s projected starter first: Scott Baker (5-3, 5.08 ERA) @ Sad Sam Jones (3-3, 3.49 ERA); Dick Rudolph (3-4, 4.52 ERA) @ Christy Mathewson (5-5, 4.96 ERA); Tim Hudson (4-0, 2.51 ERA) @ Mickey Welch (5-2, 6.04 ERA); Sam Streeter (2-3, 5.00 ERA) @ Gaylord Perry (2-4, 3.56 ERA).

You have to think the Gothams will take this series, with a sweep a distinct possibility.

TWIWBL 16.4: Series XIII Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On September 7, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

In a blowout loss to Chicago, 3B Pie Traynor hit a homerun in his first WBL at-bat.

Tim Hudson cemented his spot in the rotation, moving to 4-0 with over 7 strong innings in a 4-3 win over Chicago. Recently moved into the closer role, Juan Rincon picked up his 2nd save and Tom Herr, Bob Nieman, and Eddie Mathews had 2 hits each.

The American Giants were sailing along until, in the bottom of the 4th, Birmingham suddenly exploded for 5 runs behind a grand slam from Troy Tulowitzki. The Black Barons kept pouring it on, ending up with a 14-3 win. Billy Southworth has 3 hits including 2 triples, Del Crandall–replacing an injured Gene Tenace–went 3-for-3 with 3 runs and 3 RBIs and Herr added 3 hits in pushing his average back towards .350. Traynor continued his torrid start, going 2-for-5 with another homerun, and is now hitting .600 in his first few games for the club.

With Tenace’s injury still being diagnosed, the Black Barons went ahead and sent him to the DL, recalling Dale Murphy–who hasn’t done any better at AAA than he did before being sent down–and reinstating Al Schweitzer from the DL (Fred Fussell was sent back to AAA).

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Don Drysedale put in another strong start, but wasn’t around to see Ron Cey stroke a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 10th, lifting Brooklyn to a 6-5 victory over Homestead. The win went to Watty Clark, who moved to 3-1 with 2 innings of scoreless relief. Roy White had 3 hits, and he and Dan Brouthers both went deep.

In a game that saw Dutch Leonard become the WBL’s first 7 game loser, Tommy Hanson made his WBL debut by striking out the first 4 batters he faced.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Miami destroyed Los Angeles 18-3, with Will Clark going 4-for-4 with 4 runs and 4 RBIs. Both Clark (his 11th) and Charlie Bennett (his 3rd) went deep, and Bennett drove in 5. The news wasn’t all good: Ramon Martinez was sailing along, allowing only 2 hits and no runs into the 6th inning when he had to be removed from the game with tricep pain. It was enough to get his 3rd win of the year, but he’ll miss about six weeks. Dalier Hinojosa was waived to make room for Dontrelle Willis on the roster.

Steve Brown was returned to AAA as Rube Waddell came off the DL.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Dizzy Trout allowed only 2 hits through 8 innings (1 a 2-run homerun by Ernie Banks) in an 11-3 blowout win for Portland. Five Sea Dogs hit homeruns (Jeff Burroughs, Kent Hrbek, Gil Hodges, Harry Hooper, and Adrian Beltre), and Hodges and Ivan Rodriguez had 3 RBIs each.

Bert Blyleven threw a complete game, 4 hit, 132 pitch shutout as the Sea Dogs blew out the House of David, 11-0. Buddy Bell hit a 3-run homerun, and Rodriguez and Fred Dunlap had 3 hits each. Rodriguez and Hrbek also went deep for Portland.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Lefty Grove had a no-hitter through 6 innings as the Sea Lions defeated Philadelphia, 9-1. Jack Clark had 3 hits and 3 RBIs for San Francisco and Cy Perkins hit his first homerun of the year, a 3 run shot to seal the victory for Grove, who improved to 5-2 on the year. Rickey Henderson was caught stealing after 28 consecutive thefts when the Stars’ Sherm Lollar gunned him down.

TWIWBL 15.4: Series XII Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On August 27, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

The Black Barons may have found something with Tim Hudson. The recent callup improved to 3-0 with 8 strong innings against Portland, allowing 4 hits and 2 runs. Birmingham scored 5 runs against Walter Johnson in the 3rd inning in the 6-2 victory, preventing Johnson from notching his 7th win of the year. Tommy Herr–he of the .354 average–hit his first homerun of the season.

Not all the news was great for Birmingham, as Hoyt Wilhelm had to leave the game injured in the 9th inning. It looks like Wilhelm will miss about 5 days, leaving it up in the air whether the Black Barons will put him on the DL.

Playing .400 ball, the Black Barons made some major changes. Greg Maddux and Warren Spahn were both sent to AAA, as was closer Carlos Diaz, with Fred Fussell returning to Birmingham after injury rehab and Steve Bedrosian being recalled all the way from AA, where he had allowed only 8 hits in 22 innings. Juan Rincon will take over as closer from Diaz. Additionally, Chipper Jones and Emil Frisk were both waived, and 3B Pie Traynor was recalled into a platoon with struggling Eddie Matthews.

They would shake it up more, but the minor league talent that is performing well largely duplicates the only bright spots at the big league level–OFs Bob Nieman and Billy Southworth and IFs Frank McCormick, Frank Isbell, and Herr are playing too well to be replaced at the moment.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Brickyard Kennedy and Smokey Joe Williams were both sent to AAA, with Dave Von Ohlen completing his rehab assignment and Tommy Hanson being recalled. Sandy Koufax moves into the starting rotation, taking Kennedy’s slot. Additionally, Pee Wee Reese was released and Hobe Ferris demoted to AAA, with Ray Dandridge and Hi Myers coming to Brooklyn. Mike Piazza lost his starting role, and is on the verge of demotion as well.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Alejandro Oms and Will Clark each hit homeruns (Oms’ first of the year) and Charlie Bennett added a key long ball to blow the game open as Miami beat Memphis, 8-4. Don Newcombe got his 2nd win on the year. Not all the news was good for the Cuban Giants, as Carlos Moran had to leave the game with an apparent elbow injury.

Sandy Consuegra was sent to AAA with Steve Brown receiving the call to Miami, a move that necessitated Yonder Alonso‘s being waived. 17 year old Martin Dihigo has struggled since returning from the DL, but his defensive versatility keeps him in Miami for the time being.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Kent Hrbek had 4 hits and Jim Fregosi–who had stranded 6 runners on base earlier in the game–delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning to lead the Sea Dogs over the Black Barons 3-2. Portland pitchers only allowed 4 hits in the game (all from starter Jerry Koosman, who gave up 2 earned runs in 8 innings of work). Johan Santana picked up the win to even his record at 1-1.

The Sea Dogs have some good decisions to make on the mound. Wade Miller‘s fantastic turns in the starting rotation mean that Smokey Joe Wood returns from injury to the bullpen instead of his starting spot. Bob Porterfield and Randy Myers both did well in Portland, but Wood and Jim Kern‘s return send them back to AAA, along with Frank Williams.

On the bench, the Greg Litton question persists: Litton serves as a reserve at a ton of positions, but is struggling to reach a .400 OPS. He remains for now, but the team is considering a bench shake up, returning Litton, Jeff Burroughs, and Gary Pettis to AAA due to their offensive struggles.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

The Sea Lions overcame a 5 run deficit, winning the game against Detroit 8-7 with a walk-off homerun from Jack Clark in the bottom of the 10th. Jimmy Bloodworth homered and had 4 RBIs and Reggie Jackson continued his torrid season going 3-for-5. The win went to Ron Robinson, who is now 3-1.

Dennis Eckersley was returned to AAA to try to find his rhythm on the mound again, with Huston Street being recalled to shore up the middle of the bullpen. Charlie Root will replace Eckersley in the rotation.

In a somewhat surprising move, Charlie Reilly was sent to AAA, while Eddie Joost and Mickey Cochrane remain on the roster. Bob Cerv, who had impressed in a brief stint with the Sea Lions, was recalled into a very crowded OF.

TWIWBL Special Edition: All Star Preview – Second Basemen

By mknn

On July 26, 2021

In All Star Games, TWIWBL

{ The All-Star game is about a month away. We’ll post occasional articles about the contenders for participation in the mid-season classic. These are written “as of now,” so the final selections may vary dramatically, but hopefully these will add to the ongoing flavor of the league. }

#AL Second Basemen – Bill James & Cum Posey Divisions

Right now, all of the AL 2B will likely come from teams in the Cum Posey division.

Eddie Collins was the best 2B in the WBL when he got injured. He’s just off the disabled list, so we’ll see how that goes. But he was hitting 305/455/505 with 15 stolen bases for Chicago, to go along with the best defensive numbers in the league.

But choosing the other two is hard. Larry Gardner has been key to Baltimore’s surprising season. and his raw numbers–308/434/484–are hard to ignore. Ottawa’s Tim Raines trails only Collins in WAR, and in addition to hitting 290/383/477 with 7 homeruns and scoring 28 runs, he’s stolen 30 bases while only being caught 3 times.

But either a slight slump from Gardner, or a hot streak by either Kansas City’s Rogers Hornsby (285/363/474) or Houston’s HR Johnson (333/373/448) could change the considerations.

The AI selects Collins and Raines, so no argument there.

#NL Second Basemen – Effa Manley & Marvin Miller Divisions

In the NL, it’s a pretty easy choice, but one that I suspect will change. Right now, the best at second is Philadelphia’s Chase Utley, who is hitting 296/372/557 with decent defense. San Francisco’s Jimmy Bloodworth (305/353/500) should make it as well

And that brings us to Tommy Herr, who is slashing 356/385/442 for Birmingham. Herr began the year as a reserve, and is unlikely to keep this level of performance up … but if he does, he should be in. Regardless, it’s one of the better stories in a miserable first half for the Black Barons.

The AI currently favors Utley and Birmingham’s Frank Isbell. Isbell is having a good season at 353/390/426, but he’s really been moved to DH (where his numbers don’t really warrant an all-star selection) by Herr’s emergence.

Series X Featured Game: Birmingham Black Barons @ Homestead Grays

By mknn

On July 18, 2021

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

This one is a little different …

Birmingham‘s Alejandro Pena came into the game on a bit of a roll, having improved his numbers to a record of 3-3 and an ERA of 3.35. Homestead‘s Corey Kluber was just trying to stay in the league, with a record of 0-6 and an ERA over 6.

Kluber lasted only 2 innings before injury forced him from the game. He had given up one unearned run when, in the top of the first, an error by Mike Epstein allowed Tom Herr to score. Carlos Zambrano who, if anything, has been hit harder than Kluber, relieved him.

Pena allowed a run in the bottom of the 3rd and the bottom of the 4th on a sacrifice fly from Andrew McCutcheon and a bases-loaded walk to Honus Wagner that scored Josh Gibson.

So, 2-1 Homestead after 4 innings.

And then … that was it.

Pena put in 8 innings, allowing 6 hits and the 2 runs (only 1 was earned), and the combination of Kluber, Zambrano, Billy Pierce, and Michael Jackson had kept Birmingham from scoring again.

Homestead’s closer, Josh Lindblom, came into the game in the top of the 9th to close out the impressive win … and, after getting the first out, gave up a single to Billy Southworth, a walk to Troy Tulowitzki, a single to Herr, and a sacrifice fly to Frank McCormick, tying the game.

And then … that was it. For a long time, that was it.

For Birmingham, Wilhelm added 2 more innings, closer Carlos Diaz followed with 2 more, and Larry Benton added 3. For Homestead, Kent Tekulve added 2.2 and then Hal Carlson stepped in with the bullpen deeply depleted and delivered 4 crucial innings.

All scoreless. Through the 12th, scoreless. Through the 16th, scoreless. Through the 18th, scoreless.

And then … that was it.

Earl Hamilton had followed Carlson, and held Birmingham scoreless for 1.2 innings. He took the mound in the top of the 19th, and induced a groundout from Hank Aaron.

But then the floodgates opened: Omar Infante doubled, Southworth singled, and Tulowitzki broke the tie with an RBI single. Herr singled to load the bases, and McCormick walked. Then the Black Barons really took control, with Frank Isbell doubling home 2 more runs.

With Hamilton clearly gassed, the Grays called on Ray Brown, who got out of the inning, but not before allowing RBI singles to Gene Tenace, Eddie Mathews, and Infante.

So, inning after inning of no offense and then, in the top of the 19th, 7 runs for Birmingham.

It was enough: Warren Spahn retired the side in order and the Black Barons left with the win, 9-2. Honestly, Birmingham deserved to win much earlier: they banged out 28 hits during the 19 innings, with Herr and Isbell each going 5-for-10, Aaron adding 4 hits, and Infante and Southworth 3 hits apiece. But 24 of their 28 hits were singles: the Black Barons left a whopping 23 batters on base in the game.

Homestead had only 10 hits on the day, with 3 of them coming off the bat of Rick Reichardt. All 10 were singles, and the Grays had their own struggles with timing base knocks, leaving 14 runners on base.

A remarkable, and totally unexpected pitching performance from Birmingham. Even with that, both teams bullpens are likely to suffer for a few games from this one.

BBB 9 (Spahn 2-4) @ HOM 2 (Hamilton 0-1; Jackson 2 H; Lindblom 2 BS) [19 Innings]
HRs: none
Box Score

TWIWBL 10.4: Series VIII Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On July 7, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Warren Spahn was recalled to make a spot start, with Vic Willis heading back to AAA. Spahn, who had struggled earlier in the season, turned in his best performance of the year in a game Birmingham eventually dropped in 10 innings, unable to overcome errors by Troy Tulowitzki, Tommy Herr, and Chipper Jones.

2 homeruns from Eddie Mathews led the Black Barons to an 8-3 win in game 2, with Dick Rudolph leveling his record at 2-2 and Hoyt Wilhelm picking up his first save of the year with 3 innings of scoreless relief.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Like every other hurler who has attempted it, Don Drysedale was denied in his attempt to reach 5 wins on the year. Drysedale went 7 innings, allowing 5 hits and 2 runs, and seeing his ERA rise all the way to 1.26. Sandy Koufax took the loss in relief, giving up a walk-off sacrifice fly to Houston‘s Carlos Correa.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Kent Hrbek went 3-for-4 with 2 homeruns, 4 runs scored and 5 RBIs, leading the Sea Dogs to a romp over Memphis, 14-6. Bobby Murcer added 4 hits, and Murcer, Buddy Bell, and Kiki Cuyler all went deep. Joseito Munoz made his WBL debut with 3.2 IP in relief of Smokey Joe Wood, who improved to 4-2 with the victory.

Walter Johnson had his worst outing of the year–5 runs in just over 5 innings along with 5 walks–but still improved to 5-0. Hrbek, Gil Hodges, Joe Mauer, and Jim Fregosi went deep, and Johan Santana escaped a bases-loaded jam in the 9th for his 13th save. Cuyler was injured in the game, and placed on the DL afterwards, with Jeff Burroughs being recalled from AAA.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Mickey Cochrane continues to climb out of an early season slump, hitting 2 homeruns and driving in 7, doubling his RBI total and lifting his average to .258. Jack Clark added 4 RBI’s in the 13-9 victory over the New York Gothams.

A homerun in the bottom of the eleventh by Reggie Jackson lifted the Sea Lions to a 4-2 win in extra innings. Bobby Bonds had 3 hits and 4 stolen bases in the game, with Charlie Root improving his record to 3-0 on the season.