The most disappointing news is Babe Ruth‘s absence, as the Black Yankees’ slugger is still recovering form a hip injury–hopefully Ruth will be available for the game itself.
Ruth was replaced by his teammate, Mickey Mantle, with the opening round matchups being Miami’s José Canseco and Birmingham’s Hank Aaron, the House of David’s Ernie Banks and Brooklyn’s Mike Piazza, Mantle and Cleveland’s Ron Blomberg, and the Gotham’s Willie Mays and Ottawa’s Larry Walker.
The match of the opening round was Canseco and Aaron, with Miami’s slugger winning, 11-10. Willie Mays had the most bombs in the opening round, beating walker 12-6. The other two matchups were close, but less thrilling: Banks beat Piazza 9-8 and Blomberg edged Mantle, 5-4.
Canseco did himself one better in the second round, leaving Banks with quite a challenge. The House of David shortstop could only manage 7, so Canseco advanced to the final, where he will face off with Mays, who edged Blomberg, 8-7.
Mays hit 9 out in the final round, quite a reachable target for Canseco. Canseco delivered his worst result of the day … but it was enough, and he took home the crown, 10-9, earning himself a hug from his pop star girlfriend.
#The 2001 All Star Game
The only bad news for the day: the Black Yankees’ superstar Babe Ruth will be sitting this one out as he’s still recovering from a bruised hip.
The NL will, as expected, start Toad Ramsey, planning to run the Houston starter for 2 innings. For the AL, San Francisco’s Lefty Grove insisted on taking the ball despite being a little short on rest; as such the Sea Lions’ hurler is likely to only throw 1 inning. He was followed by his teammate, Bump Hadley.
Hadley ran into trouble, with walks to Larry Walker (OTT) and Ernie Banks (HOD) sandwiched around an error by Mike Schmidt (NYY) at third. But Hadley struck out Willie Stargell (HOM) and induced a popup from Will Clark (NYG) to end the threat.
Kansas City’s A. Rube Foster‘s turn on the mound was a bit rougher: Arky Vaughan (CLE) greeted the WBL ERA leader with a double, followed by a single to Vaughan’s teammate, Tris Speaker. Vaughan scored on a double-play from Rogers Hornsby (POR), putting the AL up, 1-0.
In the bottom of the frame, Doc Gooden (LAA) got 2 quick outs before walking Josh Gibson (HOM). Charles Rogan (PHI) pinch-ran for Gibson, stole 2nd, and scored on a single from Walker. Rogan’s use meant we would not see the 2-way player on the mound during the contest.
Ron Blomberg (CLE) put the AL back on top, greeting Hardie Henderson (PHI) with a homer to left, but Stargell justified his inclusion in the game by taking Chicago’s Ed Walsh out to tie the score at 2.
The pattern continued: Evan Longoria (CLE) took Frank Castillo (KCM) deep, and the AL was back up, 3-2, but Rogan greeted Andy Pettitte (NYY) with a moonshot to center, tying us up again at 3. But this time, something different: Walker followed Rogan with a homerun of his own, and the NL led for the first time, 4-3.
It wasn’t to last. After a single by Blomberg, Boston’s Ted Williams took Jim Whitney (BBB) out of the park, and the AL was back on top, 5-4. A single from Aaron Judge and Longoria went deep for the 2nd time in the game, putting the AL up 7-4. Turkey Stearnes (SFS) added a 2 run shot, Ty Cobb (DET) a solo dinger, and Frank Thomas (CAG) a 3 run shot, and by the time the dust cleared, the AL had a 13-4 lead.
The NL scored a few more times–an RBI double from Judge, another homer from Rogan being the big hits–but it was never actually close.
ELEVEN homeruns. That’s a fun game, for sure.
Longoria was named the MVP, although Rogan’s performance–2 for 3 with 3 runs scored and 2 homers–certainly drew raves.
AL 13 (Pettitte W) @ NL 8 (Whitney L, B Sv) HRs: AL – Blomberg, Longoria 2, Williams, Thomas, Stearnes, Cobb; NL – Stargell, Walker, Rogan 2. Box Score
For each section, if a player doesn’t qualify for batting stats (roughly 270 PA), their G and PA are listed. Bold indicates a leader at that position for the stat; top 3 listed for most stats.
One thing became quite clear through all this: the AL is far more potent at the plate than the NL. Here, the challenge is omitting some players with 30 homeruns or near 1.000 OPS.
#C
Name
OPS
Slash
Reg Stats
Other
Ed Bailey (DET)
.985
269/365/619
20 HR; 46 RBI; 2.1 WAR
62 G/230 PA 43.2 RTO%
Mickey Cochrane (SFS)
.899
297/368/531
1.9 WAR
1.6 FRM; 4.31 CERA
Joe Mauer (POR)
.850
297/373/477
1.7 WAR
2.7 FRM
Curt Blefary (BAL)
.814
251/348/465
16 HR; 47 RBI
Carlton Fisk (CAG)
.801
222/285/516
21 HR; 56 RBI
40.2 RTO%; 2.2 FRM
FRM = Framing Runs | RTO% = Runners Thrown Out | CERA = Catcher ERA
Ed Bailey (whose defensive performance has been surprisingly good) and Mickey Cochrane are clearly in, with Bailey starting. That leaves Joe Mauer in a bit of no-man’s land: if the AL goes with 3 catchers, he’d be the 3rd. With Portland needing representation in the game, and a general desire for 3 backstops, Mauer makes the cut.
Iván Rodríguez has probably been the best defensive catcher in the AL (although Mauer has been quite good), but Pudge’s 237/272/448 slash line is just too weak to merit much consideration.
#1B
Name
OPS
Slash
Reg Stats
Other
Lou Gehrig (NYY)
1.029
283/394/635
28 HR; 67 RBI; 2.5 WAR
.995 Fldg
Frank Thomas (CAG)
.994
297/418/576
1.8 WAR
8.84 RF
Lance Berkman (CLE)
.980
271/364/615
28 HR; 69 RBI
Hank Greenberg (DET)
.976
276/347/629
28 HR; 2.0 WAR
.998 Fldg; 3.1 ZR
Jim Thome (MCG)
.954
231/352/603
32 HR; 72 RBI
8.84 RF
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
It’s hard to imagine that 32 HR and 72 RBI at the all star game doesn’t make the roster, but that’s what Jim Thome is facing. Lou Gehrig and Frank Thomas clearly are on the roster and while Lance Berkman and Hank Greenberg have better overall numbers than Thome, his power is gaudy enough to have the 3 in a dead heat. Perhaps Greenberg’s defense edges him in front?
In the end, none of the 3 of them made it, which is remarkable.
#2B & SS
Because Dick Lundy and Bobby Grich–two strong contenders–essentially split their time between 2B and SS, we’ll consider the two positions together. First the 2Bs.
Name
OPS
Slash
Reg Stats
Other
Rogers Hornsby (POR)
.867
280/386/481
11 HR; 33 RBI
58 G / 254 PA
Bobby Grich (LAA)
.829
238/367/462
15 HR; 44 RBI; 1.8 WAR
1.3 ZR
Eddie Collins (CAG)
.828
310/404/424
19 2B; 38 SB; 1.3 WAR
4.60 RF
Charlie Gehringer (DET)
.823
260/335/488
11 HR; 34 RBI
62 G / 242 PA; 4.96 RF
Cookie Rojas (MCG)
.800
321/365/436
29 2B
.988 Fldg; 4.51 RF
Miller Huggins (BAL)
.795
302/423/372
1.9 WAR
67 G / 241 PA; 6.4 ZR
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
And now the SS
Name
OPS
Slash
Reg Stats
Other
Cal Ripken, Jr. (BAL)
.926
293/339/587
45 G / 1655 PA
Arky Vaughan (CLE)
.906
312/400/506
19 2B; 44 RBI; 2.8 WAR
6.7 ZR
Bobby Grich (LAA)
.829
238/367/462
15 HR; 44 RBI; 1.8 WAR
Robin Yount (MCG)
.828
273/313/515
16 HR; 42 RBI
.983 Fldg; 4.42 RF
Dick Lundy (SFS)
.799
296/357/442
18 2B; 7 3B; 35 SB; 2.3 WAR
4.40 RF; 5.9 ZR
Jim Fregosi (POR)
.795
259/351/444
16 2B
.985 Fldg
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
This is rough all around.
Arky Vaughan is just about the only clear choice here, with the best all around performance by a SS if you discount Cal Ripken, Jr., who just hasn’t played enough (likewise, a lack of playing time eliminates both Miller Huggins and, most controversially, Charlie Gehringer from consideration).
If we need 4 more middle infielders, they should come from Rogers Hornsby, Grich, Lundy, Eddie Collins, and Robin Yount.
Hornsby has been the best hitting 2B, which is no surprise, but he’s also missed some time and is somewhat of a liability defensively. Still, the best OPS of the group has to count for something, so he’s in as the starting 2B for the AL.
Eddie Collins is having a bit of an off year compared to last year season. Grich, Collins, and Yount are almost indistinguishable: as such, Grich’s versatility earns him a roster spot, and Collins edges Yount for the final spot, leaving Lundy in the cold as well.
#3B
Name
OPS
Slash
Reg Stats
Other
Evan Longoria (CLE)
.958
296/352/606
26 2B; 55 RBI; 2.3 WAR
.962 Fldg; 1.5 ZR
Mike Schmidt (NYY)
.951
251/367/584
26 HR; 60 RBI; 2.4 WAR
2.57 RF; 2.2 ZR
Gary Sheffield (MCG)
.937
281/327/611
22 2B; 60 RBI; 2.0 WAR
1.3 ZR
Wade Boggs (MEM)
.887
325/396/491
28 2B
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
Wade Boggs is really just there for comparison. Mike Schmidt gets the starter’s nod over Evan Longoria, as much for his team’s performance as any discernable statistical edge.
#LF/RF
We’ll treat the corner OF’s together.
Name
OPS
Slash
Reg Stats
Other
Babe Ruth (NYY)
1.191
288/428/763
41 HR; 94 RBI; 5.4 WAR
6.7 ZR
José Canseco (MCG)
1.101
258/378/723
38 HR
Ted Williams (MEM)
1.059
310/425/634
69 RBI
Frank Robinson (BAL)
1.038
305/398/640
1.000 Fldg
Mickey Mantle (NYY)
1.009
270/380/629
32 HR; 82 RBI
Joe Jackson (CAG)
.981
354/397/584
40 2B; 31 SB
Rickey Henderson (SFS)
.866
264/386/479
62 SB; 3.0 WAR
7.3 ZR
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
Babe Ruth, José Canseco, and Ted Williams are locks. After that, it would seem criminal to omit either Frank Robinson or Mickey Mantle, although it must be noted that Uncle Robbie’s performance is ever-so-stronger than Mantle’s, earning him one of the final spots.
That would leave the electric Rickey Henderson and the extraordinary Joe Jackson on the outside looking in.
#CF
Name
OPS
Slash
Reg Stats
Other
Tris Speaker (CLE)
1.113
341/413/700
32 2B; 64 RBI; 4.6 WAR
6.2 ZR; 6 Kills
Eric Davis (NYY)
1.080
319/399/681
29 SB
45 G / 208 PA
Turkey Stearnes (SFS)
1.063
334/373/690
9 3B; 24 HR; 61 RBI; 2.9 WAR
Julio Rodríguez (MCG)
1.061
346/369/691
43 G/195 PA
Mike Trout (LAA)
.987
309/389/598
25 2B; 4 3B; 57 RBI; 3.0 WAR
1.000 Fldg
Alejandro Oms (MCG)
.881
344/406/474
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
Look, I don’t like Tris Speaker either, but the man can flat out play. So, he’s in, as is Stearnes, perhaps the leading candidate for the AL Rookie of the Year. And neither Eric Davis nor the surprising Julio Rodríguez have played enough to make the cut. So that leaves Mike Trout as the open question: Trout is clearly deserving, so the question is whether the AL goes with 2 pure CF’s or 3.
Alejandro Oms misses out, despite being 3rd in the league in BA.
#DH
Name
OPS
Slash
Reg Stats
Ty Cobb (DET)
1.299
399/450/849
38 2B; 9 3B; 75 RBI; 32 SB; 5.6 WAR
Ron Blomberg (CLE)
1.032
288/361/671
32 HR; 85 RBI
Reggie Jackson (SFS)
1.029
300/422/608
21 2B; 24 SB; 3.0 WAR
Kal Daniels (LAA)
1.013
326/425/589
21 2B; 31 SB; 2.3 WAR
Ryan Braun (MCG)
.975
280/327/648
31 HR
Gavvy Cravath (BAL)
.956
247/349/607
23 2B; 28 HR; 71 RBI
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
My lord. 31 homeruns at the all star break and a possibility of not being selected? Welcome to your life, Ryan Braun.
Obviously, Ty Cobb and Ron Blomberg are in. And it seems ridiculous to omit either Kal Daniels or Reggie Jackson.
#SP
And now we move into the AL’s weakness–there are strong top-end candidates here, but far less depth than over in the NL.
Name
W-L; ERA
Reg Stats
Other
Doc Gooden (LAA)
7-6, 3.26
.240 BABIP
58% QS
Ed Walsh (CAG)
6-3, 3.36
1.05 WHIP; .199 BABIP
0.6 WPA
Eddie Plank (SFS)
13-3, 3.73
0.5 WPA
Lefty Grove (SFS)
10-4, 3.80
140 K; 3.2 WAR
3 SHO; 2.87 SIERA; 0.5 WPA
Andy Pettitte (NYY)
10-5, 3.90
Brett Anderson (LAA)
8-2, 3.93
1.05 WHIP; .234 BABIP
Bump Hadley (SFS)
12-4, 3.98
3.67 FIP; 3.1 WAR
58% QS
Cy Young (CLE)
9-3, 4.37
3.81 FIP; 3.3 WAR
2 SHO
Ron Guidry (NYY)
8-5, 4.15
150 K
2.52 SIERA
FIP = Fielding Independent Pitching | BABPI = BA Allowed on Balls In Play | QS = Quality Starts | SHO = Shutouts | SIERA = Skill Interactive ERA | WPA = Win Probability Added
The spots fill up quickly. Eddie Plank will start the game for the AL, and his teammates Bump Hadley and Lefty Grove clearly belong. It seems silly to omit the ERA leader, Doc Gooden.
After that, it gets confusing. Ed Walsh has been almost unhittable, but is only 6-3. Andy Pettitte has 10 wins and a sub 4.00 ERA.
That would leave the overall WAR leader, Cy Young, the strikeout and SIERA leader, Ron Guidry, and the overall excellence of Brett Anderson missing out.
#RP
Name
W-L; ERA
Reg Stats
Other
Ron Robinson (SFS)
1-0, 1.64
3 Sv; 3 H; 1.00 WHIP
{ injured }
Ken Howell (SFS)
4-1, 1.72
1 Sv; 4 H
Ross Reynolds (LAA)
2-0, 2.30
1 Sv; 2 H; 1.88 FIP
Goose Gossage (NYY)
2-3, 2.41
10 Sv; 8 H
.90 Sv%
Akinori Otsuka (CAG)
3-1, 2.48
1 Sv; 5 H
Skel Roach (MEM)
1-0, 2.62
7 H; .160 BABIP
Justin Hampson (BAL)
0-0, 2.86
7 H; .159 BABIP; 1.05 WHIP
Rod Beck (SFS)
3-2, 3.20
23 Sv; .156 BABIP; 0.67 WHIP
15 SD; 2.83 SIERA; .885 Sv%
Terry Adams (CLE)
1-3, 3.80
15 Sv; 2 H
.882 Sv%
Sparky Lyle (NYY)
2-1, 4.37
3 Sv; 8 H
Rheal Cormier (NYY)
0-2, 5.75
11 H
FIP = Fielding Independent Pitching | BABPI = BA Allowed on Balls In Play | SD = Shutdowns | SIERA = Skill Interactive ERA | Sv% = Save %
The AL is a little weak in bullpen depth as well. Rod Beck is easily the class of the closers, with Terry Adams close behind. The overall excellence of Ken Howell and Goose Gossage also merit a spot, leaving Ross Reynolds, Skel Roach, and Justin Hampson on the bubble.
Hampson gets the nod, both because of how surprising his season has been and as a nod to the paucity of lefties in the AL pen.
#AL All Stars
The final 2 spots came down to choices between Mike Trout, Reggie Jackson, Kal Daniels, Mickey Mantle, Eddie Collins, and Robin Yount. A fourth middle infielder seemed like a requirement, giving the nod to Collins.
So. Reggie or Kal. Kal or Reggie. I mean. Kal Daniels is having an incredible year. But there’s just no way to argue he is more deserving than Reggie.
There is an argument to be made that the AL should only take 2 3B, replacing Gary Sheffield with Daniels. But the final choice is always going to be onerous.
Some more arguments about who was wronged (these are the highest ranked layers in each stat not to make the game).
Joe Jackson (CAG). #2 in H (109); #1 in the league in 2B (40); #2 in BA (.354). Mickey Mantle (NYY). #3 in HR (32); #3 in RBI (82). Kal Daniels (LAA). #4 in OBP (.425); #11 in OPS (1.013). Ryan Braun (MCG). #7 in SLG (.648). Rickey Henderson (SFS). #1 in SB (62); #4 in WAR (3.0). Dick Lundy (SFS). #3 in 3B (7).
And, on the mound
Cy Young (CLE). #5 in W (9); #2 in FIP (3.81); #1 in WAR (3.3). Ron Guidry (NYY). #1 in K (150); #1 in SIERA (2.52). Brett Anderson (LAA). #5 in ERA (3.93); #2 in WHIP (1.05). Walter Johnson (POR). #2 in IP (125). 4 Players have 14 saves, tied for #3. Of those, Only Ricky Nolasco (MCG) has an ERA below 4.00. Rheal Cormier (NYY). #1 in H (11).
Starters in bold.
C: Ed Bailey (DET); Mickey Cochrane (SFS); Joe Mauer (POR). 1B: Lou Gehrig (NYY); Frank Thomas (CAG). 2B: Eddie Collins (CAG); Bobby Grich (LAA); Rogers Hornsby (POR). SS: Arky Vaughan (CLE). 3B: Evan Longoria (CLE); Mike Schmidt (NYY); Gary Sheffield (MCG). LF: Frank Robinson (BAL); Ted Williams (MEM). CF: Tris Speaker (CLE), Turkey Stearnes (SFS). RF: José Canseco (MCG), Babe Ruth (NYY). DH: Ron Blomberg (CLE); Reggie Jackson (SFS), Ty Cobb (DET). SP: Doc Gooden (LAA), Lefty Grove (SFS), Bump Hadley (SFS), Andy Pettitte (NYY); Eddie Plank (SFS), Ed Walsh (CAG). RP: Terry Adams (CLE); Rod Beck (SFS); Goose Gossage (NYY); Justin Hampson (BAL); Ken Howell (SFS).
And, by team. Unsurprisingly, the 3 American League teams with records over .500 (San Francisco, the Black Yankees, and Cleveland) are supplying 18 of the 32 players.
San Francisco Sea Lions (.625). Rod Beck (P), Mickey Cochrane (C), Lefty Grove (P), Bump Hadley (P), Ken Howell (P) Reggie Jackson (DH), Eddie Plank (P), Turkey Stearnes (OF). New York Black Yankees (.618). Lou Gehrig (1B), Goose Gossage (P), Andy Pettitte (P), Babe Ruth (OF), Mike Schmidt (3B). Cleveland Spiders (.558). Terry Adams (P), Ron Blomberg (DH), Evan Longoria (3B), Tris Speaker (OF), Arky Vaughan (SS). Chicago American Giants (.466). Eddie Collins (2B), Frank Thomas (1B), Ed Walsh (P). Miami Cuban Giants (.483). José Canseco (OF), Gary Sheffield (3B). Detroit Wolverines (.453). Ed Bailey (C), Ty Cobb (DH). Los Angeles Angels (.448). Doc Gooden (P), Bobby Grich (2B). Portland Sea Dogs (.438). Rogers Hornsby (2B), Joe Mauer (C). Baltimore Black Sox (.416). Justin Hampson (P), Frank Robinson (OF). Memphis Red Sox (.494). Ted Williams (OF).
A whopping 15 players are repeat all-stars from last season: Terry Adams, Rod Beck, Ron Blomberg, José Canseco, Eddie Collins, Lou Gehrig, Lefty Grove, Rogers Hornsby, Ken Howell, Reggie Jackson, Joe Mauer, Babe Ruth, Frank Thomas, and Ted Williams.
We’ll preview the All Star selections, so this will be a bit of a longer entry.
#Awards
Lots of awards, as we moved into a new month!
First, the smaller ones. Houston‘s Jeff Bagwell was the National League Player of the Week, hitting .409 with 5 homeruns while Eric Davis of the juggernaut New York Black Yankees was the American League Player of the Week, hitting .481 with 5 homers in the same span.
In the monthly awards, the American League Rookie of the Month for June was San Francisco‘s Turkey Stearnes, who hit .378 with 11 homeruns in the month.
Kansas City‘s A. Rube Foster was both the National League Rookie of the Month and the NL Pitcher of the Month, going 3-1 with a 1.65 ERA, as the young hurler announced himself as, at least so far, a premier WBL starter. The American League Pitcher of the Month was Bump Hadley, Stearnes’ teammate in San Francisco. Hadley was 5-0 in June with a 2.66 ERA.
Ottawa‘s star backstop, Gary Carter, was the National League Batter of the Month, hitting .397 with 14 homeruns in June while in the American League, unsurprisingly, the award went to the stellar Ty Cobb. The Detroit OF hit .408 with 11 homers in June, which actually brought his overall average down in that span (Cobb is leading the WBL in BA at .418).
#Team Performance
Yawn.
The Black Yankees and the Sea Lions continue to be the 2 best teams in the league, leading their divisions by 5 and 11 games respectively.
The Effa Manley Division might offer some excitement in the second half, as Brooklyn still leads Homestead by 4 and the New York Gothams by 5.5. But the only true race is in the Marvin Miller Division, where Kansas City has overtaken Indianapolis, now leading the ABC’s by 2.5 games.
The Houston Colt 45’s are 8-2 over their last 10 games, but still sit 5 games under .500. Detroit and Philadelphia are moving in the other direction, with each team managing only 2 wins in their last 10 contests.
Birmingham still has the worst record in the league, but they have moved over .400, sitting at .410 (34-49).
#Player Performance
Batters
It’s still Ty Cobb’s world, although Babe Ruth is doing Babe Ruth things, and reached the 40 homerun plateau during the last week.
José Canseco (MCG). 254/375/734. 36 HR. Oscar Charleston (IND). 336/386/642. 103 H, 9 3B. Ty Cobb (DET). 416/464/885. 116 H, 37 2B, 8 3B, 5.8 WAR. Josh Gibson (HOM). 392/481/748. 5.1 WAR. Tony Gwynn (HOU). 389/425/601. 116 H. Pete Hill (HOU). 291/371/487. 10 3B. Joe Jackson (CAG). 356/398/588. 103 H, 39 2B. Stan Musial (KCM). 329/392/573. 37 2B. Babe Ruth (NYY). 292/426/775. 40 HR, 90 RBI, 82 R, 68 BB, 5.0 WAR. Larry Walker (OTT). 293/369/721. 36 HR, 85 RBI.
Rickey Henderson (San Francisco) and Tim Raines (Ottawa) continue to be 1-2 in the league in steals, but it’s getting closer, with Henderson’s edge now 60 to 53.
Pitchers
Starters
While his performance has been somewhat below par, the New York Gothams’ Christy Mathewson continues to be definition of workhorse, leading the WBL with 20 starts, 2 ahead of a bevy of hurlers with 18.
7 pitchers have reached double-digits in wins, with Luis Padrón (Indianapolis) leading the way at 11-2. All 7 are included below. Houston’s Toad Ramsey was so dominant for so long, he is still the top starter in the league despite a recent dip in form, but I would probably choose Lefty Grove of San Francisco or the emergent A. Rube Foster.
Frank Castillo (KCM). 10-1, 4.22. A. Rube Foster (KCM). 5-1, 2.30. .203 BABIP, 0.98 WHIP, 3.70 FIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 10-4, 3.71. 126 IP, 132 K, 3.1 WAR. Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-4, 3.86. 143 K, 3.80 FIP, 3.2 WAR. Bump Hadley (SFS). 11-4, 4.21, 3.50 FIP, 3.0 WAR. Orel Hershiser (BRK). 10-4, 3.87. Luis Padrón (IND). 11-2, 4.21. 3.57 FIP, 3.3 WAR. Eddie Plank (SFS). 11-3, 3.54. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 11-4, 2.77. 124 IP, 152 K, 0.89 WHIP, 2.80 FIP, 5.2 WAR. Ed Walsh (CAG). 6-3, 3.41. 1 Sv, .201 BABIP. Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). 7-7, 3.41. 3.66 FIP, 3.4 WAR.
Relievers
We’ve listed the top 3 leaders in saves, all 5 of the relievers who have reached double digits in Holds, as well as all 5 with an ERA below 2.00.
18 IP minimum.
Rod Beck (SFS). 3-2, 3.47. 21 Sv. Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-2, 6.03. 11 H. Eric Gagne (BRK). 1-1, 2.92. 19 Sv. Ken Howell (SFS). 4-1, 1.72. 1 Sv, 4 H. Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-4, 4.13. 1 Sv, 10 H. Brad Kilby (PHI). 1-2, 4.39. 2 Sv, 10 H. Craig Kimbrel (KCM). 2-1, 1.14. 2 Sv, 11 H. Josh Lindblom (HOM). 4-2, 3.45. 20 Sv. Rob Murphy (IND). 1-3, 3.75. 1 Sv, 11 H. Robb Nen (NYG). 3-2, 1.95. 9 Sv, 6 H. Ron Robinson (SFS). 1-0, 1.64. 3 Sv, 3 H. BJ Ryan (OTT). 1-2, 4.15. 1 Sv, 10 H. Harley Young (BBB). 1-0, 1.23. 3 Sv, 5 H.
#Injury Report
Portland lost half of their backstop platoon as AJ Pierzynski will be out for close to a month. News was worse for Ottawa, as SP Bob Moose is out for close to a year.
Houston’s Casey Stengel and Kansas City’s Lou Brock are awaiting diagnosis on their current injuries.
Baltimore’s Bobby Wallace, Detroit’s Billy Hoeft, and the Black Yankees’ Dave Righetti should all begin rehab assignments this week.
#The All Star Candidates
We’ll look at these by position, mixing the two leagues for the time being.
For each position, we’ve included as many players as it takes to have at least 3-4 candidates from each league, highlighting some pretty severe disparities in talent between the AL and the NL.
If players don’t qualify for the batting stats, their playing time is noted, as are some other potentially influencing factors. This indicates a leader at that position among the players listed (but not necessarily overall).
Each league can only select 32 players for the All Star Game itself (usually 20 or 21 position players and 11 or 12 pitchers), so quite a few of the players listed here will be left on the outside looking in.
#C
The NL dominates here, with 3 catchers with an OPS over 1.000. That means some worthy candidates–most notably NYG’s Buster Posey –are likely to miss out.
Name
Tm / Lg
OPS
Reg Stats
Other
Josh Gibson
HOM / NL
1.229
5.1 WAR; 67 RBI
3.1 FRM
Gary Carter
OTT /NL
1.073
28 HR
47.1 RTO%
Mike Piazza
BRK / NL
1.042
29 HR; 65 RBI
4.87 CERA
Ed Bailey
DET / AL
.972
57 G/216 PA; 43.6 RTO%
Jim Pagliaroni
BBB / NL
.925
61 G/231 PA
Mickey Cochrane
SFS / AL
.917
10 SB; 4.39 CERA
Ted Simmons
KCM / NL
.900
63 G/256 PA; 4.15 CERA
Buster Posey
NYG / NL
.870
3.8 FRM
Joe Mauer
POR / AL
.856
14 SB
Curt Blefary
BAL /AL
.826
Carlton Fisk
CAG / AL
.800
67 G/254 PA; 11 SB
FRM = Framing Runs | RTO% = Runners Thrown Out | CERA = Catcher ERA
The other stalwart defensive catchers–Miami‘s Iván Rodríguez and Indianapolis’ Johnny Bench–just haven’t hit enough, although a late surge by Bench has moved him up these lists.
I don’t think there is any question in the NL, where it’s Gibson, Carter, and Piazza. Cochrane and Mauer should be in for the AL, with a question of whether you go with Bailey’s bat in more limited appearances or Blefary. Should the NL decide to carry 4 backstops, the choice between Pagliaroni and Simmons (and, perhaps, Posey) is close.
Gibson and Cochrane should be the starters.
#1B
The AL has a slight edge here, but there’s a lot of talent throughout.
Name
Tm / Lg
OPS
Reg Stats
Other
Lou Gehrig
NYY / AL
1.057
28 HR; 21 2B; 65 RBI
.995 Fldg
Will Clark
NYG / NL
1.006
Frank Thomas
CAG / AL
1.004
Hank Greenberg
DET / AL
.991
26 HR
.998 Fldg; 3.1 ZR
Mike Epstein
HOM / NL
.965
Anthony Rizzo
HOD / NL
.964
Lance Berkman
CLE / AL
.957
Jim Thome
MCG / AL
.927
28 HR; 64 RBI
Jeff Bagwell
HOU / NL
.923
66 RBI
.995 Fldg
Boog Powell
KCM / NL
.920
.995 Fldg; 9.23 RF; 2.9 ZR
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
Gehrig and Clark are almost certainly the starters, and the AL will likely take Thomas and Greenberg as well. In the NL, it gets a little trickier, as Powell (along with Greenberg) is one of the better 1B defensively. Epstein’s offense will carry him, but after that my guess is Rizzo gets the selection (but cannot participate via injury), and is replaced by Powell, with Bagwell having a legitimate complaint.
#2B
The NL is ridiculously stacked in terms of offensive-minded 2B.
Name
Tm / Lg
OPS
Reg Stats
Other
Joe Morgan
IND / NL
1.088
47 G/199 PA
Roberto Alomar
OTT/ NL
1.008
21 2B; 18 HR; 64 RBI; 31 SB; 3.5 WAR
Ryne Sandberg
HOD / NL
.995
28 HR; 60 RBI; 2.9 WAR
.997 Fldg; 5.00 RF
Jackie Robinson
BRK / NL
.938
Rogers Hornsby
POR / AL
.919
53 G/234 PA
Charlie Gehringer
DET / AL
.876
57 G/225 PA; .989 Fldg; 5.09 RF
Eddie Collins
CAG / AL
.850
36 SB
Bobby Grich
LAA / AL
.845
15 HR
Craig Biggio
HOU / NL
.841
Chase Utley
PHI / NL
.781
4.92 RF; 9.3 ZR
Cookie Rojas
MCG / AL
.766
27 2B
.987 Fldg
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
Joe Morgan is included just for interest–he missed too much time to injury to warrant serious consideration. Detroit’s Charlie Gehringer, on the other hand, probably makes the cut, despite starting the season in the minors.
In the NL, it’s pretty clear: Alomar, Sandberg, and Robinson, with the starter being decided between Sandberg and Alomar over the next week. The AL is trickier, but I think it ends up going according to form: Eddie Collins to start, with Gehringer and Hornsby behind him.
#SS
It’s pretty impressive there are this many shortstops that can hit, and Ernie Banks‘ production is incredible.
Name
Tm / Lg
OPS
Reg Stats
Other
Ernie Banks
HOD/ NL
.978
30 HR; 71 RBI
Cal Ripken, Jr.
BAL / AL
.967
39 G/140 PA; .993 Fldg; 4.90 RF
Carlos Correa
HOU/ NL
.929
18 2B; 2.8 WAR
Arky Vaughan
CLE / AL
.887
19 2B; 2.4 WAR
6.3 ZR
Álex Rodríguez
OTT / NL
.885
23 HR
Robin Yount
MCG / AL
.845
15 HR
5.8 ZR
Jim Fregosi
POR / AL
.793
Dick Lundy
SFS / AL
.783
7 3B; 2.1 WAR; 33 SB
Derek Jeter
NYY / AL
.762
Dobie Moore
MEM / AL
.750
22 SB
.983 Fldg
Ozzie Smith
KCM / NL
.672
19 2B; 25 SB
.994 Fldg; 6.3 ZR
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
Ripken, Jr. is really not a serious contender, but he has been impressive in the 40 G’s he’s played. That gives us Banks, Correa, and Rodríguez in the NL and Vaughan, Yount, and either Fregosi or Lundy in the AL.
Smith is included because of his superlative defense, but doesn’t probably make the cut.
This is an interesting position: Vaughan and Rodríguez changed teams in the off season, and Correa’s performance has been a bit of a shock.
#3B
The top 5 are locks, beyond that, it gets much trickier, especially in the NL.
Name
Tm / Lg
OPS
Reg Stats
Other
Albert Pujols
KCM / NL
1.046
32 2B; 60 RBI; 2.8 WAR
Ron Cey
BRK / NL
.967
2.4 WAR
.976 Fldg; 3.3 ZR
Gary Sheffield
MCG/ AL
.929
22 HR; 55 RBI; 15 SB
Evan Longoria
CLE / AL
.926
2.2 ZR
Mike Schmidt
NYY / AL
.926
23 HR; 55 RBI
2.59 RF
Scott Rolen
PHI / NL
.922
2.1 WAR
.974 Fldg; 2.7 ZR
Ron Santo
HOD /NL
.906
52 G/192 PA
Eddie Mathews
BBB / NL
.904
24 HR
.978 Fldg; 2.66 RF
Wade Boggs
MEM / AL
.896
26 2B
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
After Pujols and Cey, it’s hard in the NL. Matthews and Rolen edge ahead of Santo due to defense and Santo’s relative low usage, but picking between the two of them is very challenging, to the point the NL may go with 4 players at the hot corner.
#OF
All of the OF spots are a bit combined in the end, but we’re keeping them separate for the sake of comparison.
#LF
When Detroit’s Ty Cobb plays the OF, he plays here as well, making the AL selections pretty simple.
Name
Tm / Lg
OPS
Reg Stats
Other
Babe Ruth
NYY / AL
1.201
40 HR; 90 RBI; 5.0 WAR
.988 Fldg; 5.1 ZR
Ted Williams
MEM / AL
1.063
23 2B; 65 RBI
Frank Robinson
BAL / AL
1.035
24 HR; 64 RBI; 2.3 WAR
1.000 Fldg
Adam Dunn
IND / NL
.906
24 HR
.989 Fldg; 3.41 RF
Roy White
BRK / NL
.866
Oscar Gamble
DET / AL
.852
Rickey Henderson
SFS / AL
.840
2.8 WAR; 60 SB
7.2 ZR
Tim Raines
OTT / NL
.773
7 3B; 53 SB
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
So, Ruth, Williams, and Robinson are in, and perhaps Henderson’s 60+ SB warrant a spot. In the NL, it’s more challenging. Dunn seems to be a lock, and White is a bit of a sentimental choice. It may be just those 2 from this group.
#CF
Tris Speaker, as despicable of a human being as he is, is the best in the AL right now, especially considering the defensive contribution. Over in the NL, Willie Mays probably edges Oscar Charleston as the starter.
Name
Tm / Lg
OPS
Reg Stats
Other
Rick Monday
OTT /NL
1.172
41 G/136 PA
Tris Speaker
CLE / AL
1.088
31 2B; 4.0 WAR
2.68 RF; 5.1 ZR; 6 Kills
Turkey Stearnes
SFS / AL
1.065
7 3B; 24 HR
Eric Davis
NYY / AL
1.058
26 SB
41 G/188 PA; 1.000 Fldg
Julio Rodríguez
MCG / AL
1.052
39 G/177 PA
Oscar Charleston
IND / NL
1.027
9 3B; 60 RBI; 24 SB
Willie Mays
NYG / NL
.977
31 HR; 62 RBI; 2.9 WAR
.990 Fldg; 2.70 RF; 7.7 ZR
Mike Trout
LAA / AL
.965
24 2B; 2.8 WAR; 21 SB
1.000 Fldg
Carlos Beltrán
OTT / NL
.916
63 RBI; 21 SB
Alejandro Oms
MCG / AL
.883
5 3B
6.3 ZR
Curtis Granderson
BBB / NL
.876
26 HR
3.01 RF
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
Monday, Davis, and Rodríguez aren’t really in contention, but their performances in limited action have been pretty spectacular.
Speaker, Stearnes, and Trout are pretty much locks in the AL, with Oms being a hard luck case. Beltrán deserves the spot behind Mays and Charleston.
#RF
A deep, deep group, probably 4 deep in each league.
Name
Tm / Lg
OPS
Reg Stats
Other
José Canseco
MCG / AL
1.109
36 HR
Larry Walker
OTT / NL
1.090
36 HR; 85 RBI; 22.4 WAR
3.89 RF
Reggie Jackson
SFS / AL
1.027
63 RBI; 2.8 WAR; 24 SB
Tony Gwynn
HOU / NL
1.026
6 3B; 24 2B; 2.8 WAR
Aaron Judge
PHI / NL
.994
.992 Fldg
Mickey Mantle
NYY / AL
.993
30 HR; 76 RBI
Joe Jackson
CAG /AL
.986
39 2B; 27 SB
Stan Musial
KCM / NL
.964
37 2B
5.5 ZR
Johnny Callison
NYG / NL
.945
.993 Fldg
Mookie Betts
MEM / AL
.865
24 2B
1.000 Fldg
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
Canseco, Mantle, and the 2 Jacksons seem locks in the AL, with Walker, Gwynn, and Judge in the NL. It’s possible Musial misses the cut, as ridiculous as that sounds.
#DH
The pressure here is immense, given the competition for the other OF spots.
Name
Tm / Lg
OPS
Reg Stats
Other
Ty Cobb
DET / AL
1.350
37 2B; 8 3B; 26 HR; 73 RBI; 5.8 WAR; 31 SB
Kal Daniels
LAA / AL
1.023
21 2B; 2.3 WAR; 30 SB
Manny Ramírez
MEM / AL
.986
56 G/224 PA
Ryan Braun
MCG/ AL
.982
31 HR
Willie Stargell
HOM / NL
.980
27 HR
Gavvy Cravath
BAL / AL
.926
22 2B; 69 RBI
Benny Kauff
NYG / NL
.909
Fldg = Fielding % | RF = Range Factor | ZR = Zone Rating
Cobb is, of course, a lock, and it would be hard to keep Daniels off the roster. Beyond that, though, it gets difficult to justify a pure DH, although Braun, Stargell, and Cravath all have decent arguments.
#P
Pitching is, of course, a constant crapshoot, and a lot could change in the outings this week.
All pitchers are sorted by ERA.
#SP
This list has everyone with an ERA under 4.00 or 10 or more wins.
Name
Tm / Lg
W-L; ERA
Reg Stats
Other
Toad Ramsey
HOU / NL
11-4, 2.77
152 K; 0.89 WHIP; 5.2 WAR; 2.80 FIP
71% QS; 5 CG; 2 SHO; 2.34 SIERA; 1.7 WPA
Doc Gooden
LAA / AL
7-5, 3.17
Hardie Henderson
PHI/ NL
9-6, 3.18
Smokey Joe Williams
BRK / NL
7-7, 3.41
3.4 WAR
Ed Walsh
CAG / AL
6-3, 3.41
1.06 WHIP
Eddie Plank
SFS / AL
11-3, 3.54
Roger Clemens
HOU / NL
9-4, 3.71
65% QS
Lefty Grove
SFS / AL
10-4, 3.71
132 K
4 CG; 3 SHO; 2.87 SIERA
Johnny Cueto
IND / NL
8-4, 3.75
67% QS
Rube Foster
IND / NL
6-4, 3.80
Ron Guidry
NYY / AL
8-4, 3.86
143 K
2.58 SIERA
Orel Hershiser
BRK / NL
10-4, 3.87
Brett Anderson
LAA / AL
7-2, 3.91
1.06 WHIP
Andy Pettitte
NYY / AL
9-5, 4.05
Bump Hadley
SFS / AL
11-4, 4.21
3.50 FIP
Luis Padrón
IND / NL
11-2, 4.21
3.3 WA; 3.57 FIP
Frank Castillo
KCM / NL
10-1, 4.22
3 CG; 2 SHO
José Méndez
MCG / AL
6-4, 4.45
FIP = Fielding Independent Pitching | QS = Quality Starts | SIERA = Skill Interactive ERA | WPA = Win Probability Added
Right now, I would guess the starting matchup is Toad Ramsey for the NL and Eddie Plank for the AL.
Beyond that, in the AL, I see Gooden, Walsh, and Grove as easy picks. Guidry is likely in as well, leaving Anderson and Hadley on the bubble.
The NL is much harder to figure out. Henderson, Hershiser, Padrón, and Castillo feel like they deserve selections, with Williams having a very strong case as well. That would leave some excellent performances–Clemens and Cueto especially–on the outside looking in.
#Swingmen / Long Relivers
These are players who are either swing starters or have seen more innings than the finishers below. As is often the case, there are a few folks here who, for whatever the reason, took a while to be inserted into the rotation.
Name
Tm / Lg
W-L; ERA
Reg Stats
Other
A. Rube Foster
KCM/ NL
5-1, 2.30
0.98 WHIP
7 GS; 90 IP; 86% QS; 2 SHO; 1.0 WPA
Jim Whitney
BBB / NL
4-2, 3.26
1 Sv; 2 H; 1.03 WHIP
11 GS; 94 IP; 73% QS; 1.9 WPA
Tom Brewer
SFS / AL
0-1, 2.33
1 Sv; 2 H
2 GS; 27 IP
Fernando Valenzuela
BRK / NL
5-0, 2.37
1 Sv; 4 H; 0.96 WHIP
1 GS; 60 IP; 1.0 WPA
Rheal Cormier
NYY / AL
0-2, 6.03
11 H
FIP = Fielding Independent Pitching | QS = Quality Starts | SIERA = Skill Interactive ERA | WPA = Win Probability Added
Foster and Valenzuela seem clear selections, with Brewer and Cormier missing the cut and Whitney being on the bubble.
#Closers & Setups
20 IP Minimum, with a possible exception for Brian Wilson of the New York Gothams.
Name
Tm / Lg
W-L; ERA
Reg Stats
Other
Brian Wilson
NYG/ NL
1-0, 1.08
11 Sv
17 IP
Craig Kimbrel
KCM / NL
2-1, 1.14
2 Sv; 11 H; 0.89 WHIP
15 SD; 5.6 IRS%; 2.90 SIERA; 2.0 WPA
Harley Young
BBB / NL
1-0, 1.23
3 Sv; 5 H
Ron Robinson
SFS / AL
1-0, 1.64
3 Sv; 3 H
Ken Howell
SFS / AL
4-1, 1.72
1 Sv; 4 H
Robb Nen
NYG / NL
3-2, 1.95
9 Sv; 6 H
Eddie Guardado
KCM / NL
2-1, 2.08
1 Sv; 5 H
2.92 SIERA
Tug McGraw
HOU / NL
3-3, 2.16
7 Sv
Ross Reynolds
LAA / AL
2-0, 2.19
1 Sv; 1 H
Goose Gossage
NYY / AL
2-3, 2.32
9 Sv; 8 H
.90 Sv%
Lee Smith
HOD / NL
4-1, 2.73
5 Sv; 6 H; 0.73 WHIP
Eric Gagne
BRK / NL
1-1, 2.92
19 Sv
17 SD
Justin Hampson
BAL / AL
0-0, 3.00
7 H; 0.95 WHIP
Terry Adams
CLE / AL
1-2, 3.18
15 Sv; 2 H
.94 Sv%
Josh Lindblom
HOM / NL
4-2, 3.45
20 Sv
.95 Sv%; 16 SD; 1.3 WPA
Rod Beck
SFS / AL
3-2, 3.47
21 Sv; 0.73 WHIP
15 SD
Rob Murphy
IND / NL
1-3, 3.75
1 Sv; 11 H
Michael Jackson
HOM / NL
1-4, 4.13
1 Sv; 10 H
BJ Ryan
OTT / NL
1-2, 4.15
1 Sv; 10 H
Brad Kilby
PHI / NL
1-2, 4.39
2 Sv; 10 H
2.73 SIERA
Rob Dibble
IND / NL
2-2, 5.25
16 Sv
Jeff Pfeffer
KCM / NL
1-3, 5.61
16 Sv
FIP = Fielding Independent Pitching | QS = Quality Starts | SIERA = Skill Interactive ERA | WPA = Win Probability Added
A difficult set of choices for sure. Of the true closers, Gagne, Lindblom, and Beck seem locks, with Kimbrel, Young, Howell, Nen, McGraw, Gossage, and Smith deserving nods as well.
That would give the NL 7 selections, likely keeping Wilson from making the team. It would also give the AL only 3, opening the door for Adams and even Reynolds or Hampson.
Jamie Moyer replaced David Price in the American Giants’ rotation.
Paul Konerko went deep twice, leading the American Giants to a 10-4 win over Portland.
The time finally came, with Jack Doyle heading to AAA and Damian Jackson being activated from his rehab assignment. Doyle’s saga made him a fan favorite, but even the most diehard of supporters had to agree that a 107/153/107 slash line needed replacing.
Chicago roared out to a 10-0 lead, then held on for dear life in an eventual 11-10 win over Portland. The American Giants hit 6 homeruns in the game, with Joe Jackson, Eddie Collins, Dick Allen, Konerko, Duffy Lewis, and Carlton Fisk all reaching the seats. Starter Tricky Nichols improved to 4-6 with a decent effort, but the bullpen was roughed up. Still, a win’s a win.
#Los Angeles Angels
Noah Lowry‘s struggles–along with the presence of Elmer Smith and Scott Rice as lefthanded options in the pen–earned him a trip to AAA, with Mike Krukow being called up for his WBL debut.
Doc Gooden struck out 12, improving to 6-4 in a 7-3 win over Miami. Don Buford had 5 hits and 4 Angels–Buford, Kal Daniels, AJ Pierzynski, and Carlos Delgado–went deep in the victory.
Krukow did well enough over 3 appearances, but Ross Reynolds was healthy again, and was recalled from his rehab assignment with Krukow returning to AAA. The MI question is more challenging, and George Wright has been left rehabbing at AAA as the Angels need a few more days to sort out the future roles of him, Mark Ellis, and Eddie Joost.
Brian Anderson struck out 13 in a dominant performance as the Angels topped the Sea Lions, 7-1. Anderson allowed 3 hits and walked none in the complete game effort, improving his record to 6-2.
#Miami Cuban Giants
Ramón Martínez finally got his first win of the year with a strong 7 innings against Los Angeles. José Canseco hit his 30th homer of the year (the first to that milestone) and Martínez fanned 10 as his record improved to 1-7.
Gary Sheffield went deep twice and drove in 5, but the Cuban Giants bullpen couldn’t protect a strong start from Steven Wright as Miami fell 6-5 to Detroit.
#Portland Sea Dogs
The Sea Dogs have overhauled their bullpen, sending Johan Santana to AAA in an attempt to sort out his horrific performance since major surgery along with Elmer Brown who has been, if anything, even worse, as well as Wade Miller. They’ll recall Art Fowler, Tom Zachary, and Scott Terry from AAA, with Trevor Hoffman sliding into the closer role.
Buddy Bell may finally be showing signs of life as the struggling 3B went deep twice in a 9-6 loss to San Francisco.
#San Francisco Sea Lions
Tommy Bridges was recalled from a rehab assignment, with Huston Street being waived.
Bump Hadley twirled a masterpiece, striking out 12 in a 2-hit shutout of the New York Black Yankees. Homeruns by Sal Bando and Mickey Cochrane carried the offense to the 6-0 victory.
Turkey Stearnes went deep twice, giving the rookie 15 on the year, as San Francisco triumphed over Portland, 9-6.
Ron Robinson, a key part of the Sea Lions’ bullpen, will miss nearly a year with elbow surgery. San Francisco recalled Street (who had grudgingly accepted his waiver demotion earlier in the week), a major dropoff on past WBL performance from Robinson.
Eddie Plank improved to 8-3 with a 3 hit shutout of Portland. Reggie Jackson and Gene Oliver went deep in support of Plank who struck out 8.
The Sea Lions were pretty disappointing last season, and it wasn’t really clear what to expect from them. Right now, things are going just about as well as could be hoped.
San Francisco inherits players from all the Athletics: Philadelphia, Kansas City, and Oakland.
San Francisco is pulling away from the Cum Posey Division, playing .615 ball and holding a 6-7 game lead over Miami and Chicago. At this point, expectations have been raised to certainly making the playoffs and even making some noise once there.
THE OFFENSE
A balanced offense, with a lot of power and a ton of speed. There are some holes, but more has gone well than not.
#What’s Going Right
Almost everything.
Let’s start with the surprises. C Mickey Cochrane has exploded in a big way, slashing 318/408/581 after a very difficult rookie season. Turkey Stearnes, the 7th pick in last season’s draft, has exceeded all expectations, locking down the CF job and posting an OPS over .950. And, finally, Jimmie Foxx, while still a bit of an enigma, is showing he has at least one spectacular skillset, leading the team with 21 homeruns.
One strength of San Francisco last season was the OF trio of Bobby Bonds, Jack Clark, and Reggie Jackson. Two of them continue to deliver: while Jackson isn’t contending for the triple crown as he did for a lot of last season, he is second on the team in homeruns with 18 and first in RBI with 52. And Clark is just consistent: 259/382/569 with 17 homeruns.
The emergence of Stearnes and Foxx has triggered some changes here, as Clark has shifted to play mostly at 1B with Bonds seeing his playing time drop slightly.
The combination of Rickey Henderson and Dick Lundy put a ton of pressure on the other team: the 2 have combined for 74 steals (against 20 CS), with each of them having an OBP over .350.
#What’s Not Going Right
Bobby Bonds has regressed slightly (although his OPS is still around .875).
And then there is the rest of the IF. Jimmy Bloodworth started the season as the incumbent at 2B, but struggled before being shelved with an injury (Bloodworth may be back within a week or two) while at 3B Sal Bando is adequate at best (he’s hitting for more power than last year, but his other stats are down). The other options so far have struggled: Phil Garner has been downright bad, Roy Hartzell demoted, and the jury is still out on the latest to be given opportunities, Denny Walling and Royce Clayton. Lundy’s flexibility gives the Sea Lions a lot of options here, but a MI seems to be a strong need for the team, assuming Foxx is given more and more time at 3B.
THE PITCHING
Last week, this would be described as going perfectly, but Ron Robinson‘s injury has a shot at disrupting what has been an excellent staff, top to bottom.
#What’s Going Right
Lefty Grove (7-4, 3.26) and Eddie Plank (8-3, 3.51) are as good a top two as any staff in the league can claim. Both are likely all-stars.
After them, nobody has excelled, but nobody has really struggled either, with Bump Hadley, Watty Clark (now a fulltime starter), and Tommy Bridges all pitching quite well in the rotation, with Jim Devlin, Mel Stottlemyre Sr, and the surprising Tom Brewer all filling in quite admirably when needed.
And the back of the pen–Rod Beck, Ken Howell and the now-missing Robinson–has been lights out, with Beck recording 15 saves and Howell sporting a 1.23 ERA.
#What’s Not Going Right
It’s more an issue of the question marks: Dennis Eckersley continues to tempt with potential, but really be quite average, and asking Huston Street and Brewer to step in for Robinson might be far too much of a reach.
It’s really hard to complain about a system that added Stearnes.
But there’s not a lot behind him. John Beckwith–currently sidelined with injury–is starting to show his offensive strength, but at 19 may be a year or two away. Beckwith is also blocked, as his defensive skills are really somewhat identical to Foxx’s.
Red Ehret is heralded as a pitcher, but doesn’t really pass the eye test. Dario Lodigiani may be a long term solution at 2B, but he’s a ways away. OF Jules Thomas and P Steve Ontiveros look good, but are also a few years away.
WHAT’S NEEDED
The pitching needs to continue to excel, with the largest challenge being how to cover for Robinson in the bullpen. If the IF can be resolved, the lineup will be truly scary 1 through 9, always a goal.
Storylines to Watch
Key Questions from Spring Training
On a team full of logjams, who steps forward? Strikes me as a pretty lame question, honestly. The issue was really solved with the trade of Pedro Guerrero to Brooklyn, with Watty Clark being the key piece coming back. That, and Foxx really jumping Bando in the pecking order at 3B.
FEATURED SERIES
The Sea Lions open with 4 games hosting Baltimore; given that the Black Sox are beginning to show signs of life, seemed a good series to focus on.
Projected Starters
Baltimore starter listed first.
John Tudor (2-3, 4.75) @ Bump Hadley (8-4, 4.15) Dennis Martínez (6-3, 4.55) @ Watty Clark (3-2, 4.50) Ned Garvin (3-2, 5.03) @ Lefty Grove (7-4, 3.26) Mike Mussina (3-3, 4.83) @ Tommy Bridges (1-2, 5.59)
Game One
Baltimore’s John Tudor had to leave early via injury, and Phil Garner, whose struggles were mentioned above, took Tudor’s relief, Connie Johnson, deep in the 3rd for a 1-0 lead for the Sea Lions. Turkey Stearnes went deep in the 4th and Johnson was chased as San Francisco added another in the the 5th for a 3-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Bump Hadley had a shutout through 6, allowing the Black Sox only 2 hits. A pair of 2 out walks led to Hadley exiting the game in the 8th, but Ken Howell closed the inning out and Rod Beck pitched a perfect 9th for the combined shutout.
The Sea Lions took the early 3-0 lead on Reggie Jackson‘s 19th homer of the year and a an RBI single from Phil Garner. But Baltimore came back in similar fashion–a solo shot from Manny Machado and a 2 run single from Paul Blair. Both Dennis Martínez for Baltimore and Watty Clark for San Francisco looked strong, and the game remained 3-3 until the top of the 8th.
And here we see the potential impact of Ron Robinson‘s absence. Instead, San Francisco turned to Tom Brewer–who has been excellent so far, but has nowhere near the track record of Robinson. Brewer gave up a hit and a walk and a runner reached on an error, loading the bases and summoning Ken Howell from the Sea Lions’ bullpen. Curt Blefary singled in 2 and a 3rd scored on a sacrifice fly from Cal Ripken, Jr. giving Baltimore a 3 run lead heading to the bottom of the 8th.
Gregg Olson gave up a leadoff walk to Rickey Henderson and a double to Dick Lundy, bringing in Justin Hampson from the Black Sox bullpen to face a couple of lefties. Both Mickey Cochrane and Jackson delivered sacrifice flies, making it a 6-5 game.
Machado’s 2nd of the game and 20th of the year pushed the cushion back up to 2. Joe Beggs closed it out in what felt like a bit of a disappointing loss that evened the series.
BAL 7 (Martínez 7-3; Beggs 11 Sv; Hampson 5 H) @ SFS 5 (Brewer 0-1) HRs: BAL – Machado 2 (20); SFS – Jackson (19). Box Score
Game Three
Baltimore’s Ned Garvin was solid, allowing only a 2 run HR to Reggie Jackson in the bottom of the first over his 6 innings of work. But Lefty Grove was better, striking out 10 in his 8 innings of work. Grove was chased leading 3-1 after a pinch-hit homerun from Gavvy Cravath, but Baltimore could get no closer, with Rod Beck tossing a perfect 9th for the save, his second of the series.
BAL 2 (Garvin 3-3) @ SFS 3 (Grove 8-4; Beck 17 Sv) HRs: BAL – Blefary (14), Cravath (20); SFS – Jackson (20). Box Score
Game Four
Tommy Bridges has been a bit rough since his return from injury, but he was magnificent today, with 7 shutout innings before giving up a longball to Manny Machado in the 8th. Meanwhile, the heart of the Sea Lions’ order (Dick Lundy, Reggie Jackson, and Turkey Stearnes) went 8-for-12 including Stearnes’ 17th homer of the year, building a 5 run lead.
After Bridges’ departure, the mystery that is Dennis Eckersley surrendered a shot to Bryce Harper, making it a 1 run game, but again Rod Beck closed out the victory.
A strong series for the Sea Lions, as they took 3 out of 4 from the defending champs. The wins encapsulated San Francisco’s success so far this year: excellent starting pitching, Rod Beck closing out each of the 3 victories, and a highly productive offense with Stearnes and Jackson each hitting 2 out in the 4 games.
Jamie Moyer replaced David Price in the American Giants’ rotation.
#Los Angeles Angels
Noah Lowry‘s struggles–along with the presence of Elmer Smith and Scott Rice as lefthanded options in the pen–earned him a trip to AAA, with Mike Krukow being called up for his WBL debut.
Doc Gooden struck out 12, improving to 6-4 in a 7-3 win over Miami. Don Buford had 5 hits and 4 Angels–Buford, Kal Daniels, AJ Pierzynski, and Carlos Delgado–went deep in the victory.
#Miami Cuban Giants
Ramón Martínez finally got his first win of the year with a strong 7 innings against Los Angeles. José Canseco hit his 30th homer of the year (the first to that milestone) and Martínez fanned 10 as his record improved to 1-7.
#Portland Sea Dogs
The Sea Dogs have overhauled their bullpen, sending Johan Santana to AAA in an attempt to sort out his horrific performance since major surgery along with Elmer Brown who has been, if anything, even worse, and Wade Miller. They’ll recall Art Fowler, Tom Zachary, and Scott Terry from AAA, with Trevor Hoffman sliding into the closer role.
Buddy Bell may finally be showing signs of life as the struggling 3B went deep twice in a 9-6 loss to San Francisco.
#San Francisco Sea Lions
Tommy Bridges was recalled from a rehab assignment, with Huston Street being waived.
Bump Hadley twirled a masterpiece, striking out 12 in a 2-hit shutout of the New York Black Yankees. Homeruns by Sal Bando and Mickey Cochrane carried the offense to the 6-0 victory.
Turkey Stearnes went deep twice, giving the rookie 15 on the year, as San Francisco triumphed over Portland, 9-6.
Ron Robinson, a key part of the Sea Lions’ bullpen, will miss nearly a year with elbow surgery. San Francisco recalled Huston Street (who had finally accepted what ended up being a very quick demotion to AAA), a major dropoff on past WBL performance from Robinson.
Eddie Plank improved to 8-3 with a 3 hit shutout of Portland. Reggie Jackson and Gene Oliver went deep in support of Plank who struck out 8.
Gary Sheffield was the key in a back-and-forth game that resulted in a 13-11 win for the Cuban Giants over Portland. Sheffield had 4 hits, 2 homeruns, scored 4, and drove in 7 for Miami.
Julio Rodríguez and José Canseco each went yard twice as the Cuban Giants built a lead and held on for dear life in a 9-8 win over Baltimore.
The same pair–Rodríguez and Canseco–did it again, this time in a wild, 12 inning, back and forth affair won by the Cuban Giants, 12-11. Miami needed homeruns in the bottom of the 9th and 10th to tie the game, and Canseco sent a solo shot out to win it in the 12th.
And then it was Jim Thome‘s turn to hit 2 out (Canseco, Rodríguez, Sheffield, and Ryan Braun also went deep) as Miami topped Baltimore, 10-3 behind a solid outing from Cole Hamels.
#Portland Sea Dogs
Jim Fregosi went deep twice, leading the Sea Dogs to a 5-3 win over Miami. Dizzy Trout evened his record at 3-3 with 6 strong innings.
#San Francisco Sea Lions
The Sea Lions saw enough of Roy Hartzell, jettisoning the backup SS and reaching all the way down to AA to bring up Royce Clayton, presumably for his glove as Dick Lundy’s backup.
Lefty Grove is putting it all together, with his latest outing being a 2-hit whitewash of Cleveland. Grove improved to 6-4, striking out 12 in the complete game, with Clayton being the hitting star with 3 RBI’s including his first homerun of his career. Jimmie Foxx and Rickey Henderson also went deep for the Sea Lions.
Turkey Stearnes went deep twice in a losing effort, as the Sea Lions fell to Los Angeles, 8-3.
Ed Walsh allowed only 2 hits through 8 innings–both to Miami’s Julio Rodríguez as the American Giants blanked the Cuban Giants, 6-0. A rain delay forced Walsh, who improved to 3-1, out of the game in the 8th, but Tom Williams pitched a perfect 9th to preserve the shutout. Much ridiculed Jack Doyle was hit by a pitch 3 times in the game, which is, you know, something.
#Miami Cuban Giants
Lou Fette headed back to AAA with Braden Looper‘s activation from the DL. The promising Kenshin Kawakami will miss over a month with a sprained ankle, with Steven Wright recalled from AAA.
Ryan Braun went deep twice–giving him 20 on the year–as the Cuban Giants came from behind to beat Chicago, 4-3. José Méndez was fantastic, but didn’t figure in the decision while Sandy Consuegra was roughed up, but got the win with Ricky Nolasco earning his 7th save of the season.
#Portland Sea Dogs
Two homeruns from Gil Hodges and an excellent start from Walter Ball led Portland to an 11-1 win over the Black Yankees.
Last year’s reserve darling, Gary Pettis, was sent to AAA. No matter your speed and no matter your glove, a .400 OPS can do that. Jeff Burroughs was recalled from a rehab stint.
Rogers Hornsby and Bobby Murcer went deep twice as the Sea Dogs trounced the Angels, 11-4. Ken Griffey, Jr., Jim Fregosi, Kent Hrbek, and Joe Mauer also went deep for the Sea Dogs as Bert Blyleven improved to 2-1 on the year despite being roughed up for 9 hits and 4 runs in 6 innings.
#San Francisco Sea Lions
Reggie Jackson hit 2 homeruns and Denny Walling went 4 for 5 with a dinger in his WBL debut as the Sea Lions pounded out a 15-4 victory over the Wolverines. San Francisco had 6 homeruns among their 21 hits, with Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Cochrane, and Turkey Stearnes joining Walling and Jackson.
Not to be outdone, Jack Clark went deep 3 times, but it wasn’t enough as the Sea Lions fell to Detroit, 7-6.
Lefty Grove put it all together with a complete game, 4 hit shutout of Memphis, striking out 9 and improving his record to 5-4. The Sea Lions also only managed 4 hits, but managed to score twice, once on a 2-out RBI from Clark and once on a solo shot from Bobby Bonds to win the game, 2-0.
We’re slightly changing how TWIWBL works. Each week, we’ll focus on a new randomly chosen team in detail, and the featured series will be covered there, leaving this entry to focus on awards and individual performances.
#Awards
Houston‘s Jeff Bagwell used his 3 homerun game to take down the NL Player of the Week Award, hitting .381 with 11 RBI over the week. Over in the AL, Detroit‘s Ty Cobb, who is putting together a pretty special campaign so far, earned the AL Player of the Week with a .435 average and 6–SIX–homers and 14 RBI’s.
#Team Performance
The New York Black Yankees are clearly focused on erasing the poor memories of last season’s disappointments, leading the WBL with a .688 winning percentage and currently on a 6 game winning streak. Chicago and the surprising Kansas City Monarchs are the only other teams over .600, and each lead their divisions.
New York and the Detroit Wolverines are each 7-3 over their last 10 games.
At the other end, 3 teams are under .400, including the defending champion Baltimore Black Sox, along with Portland and the Birmingham Black Barons. Baltimore sits 11 games behind the Black Yankees, facing a significant uphill climb to get back into playoff position. It is, however, early May, so it’s certainly doable.
#Player Performance
Batters
Through the first month of the season, the WBL feels a little less like Babe Ruth‘s league offensively, as both Detroit’s Ty Cobb and Ottawa‘s Larry Walker are putting up numbers to rival the Babe, who doesn’t even lead the league in homeruns, sitting 1 behind teammate Mickey Mantle, Walker, and the House of David‘s Ryne Sandberg who all have 13. In addition to Ruth, another Black Yankee, Lou Gehrig, San Francisco‘s Jimmie Foxx, and Cleveland‘s Lance Berkman also have 12 dingers so far.
In fact, with his Player of the Week performance, it’s feeling a bit like Ty Cobb‘s world: Cobb leads the WBL in all 3 slash categories, as well as doubles and overall WAR, and is 2nd in hits and RBI.
Standard stuff: top 2 in most categories, leader in bold.
Ty Cobb (DET). 398/462/858. 45 H, 19 2B, 32 RBI, 2.6 WAR. Mickey Cochrane (SFS). 368/452/667. Eddie Collins (CAG). 311/438/485. 23 BB. Eric Davis (NYY). 274/358/581. 30 R. Tony Gwynn (HOU). 393/430/598. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 295/389/562. 23 SB. Pete Hill (HOU). 290/374/561. 5 3B. Joe Jackson (CAG). 383/422/617. 46 H, 17 2B. Reggie Jackson (SFS). 306/374/621. 32 RBI. Dick Lundy (SFS). 356/430/593. 2.3 WAR, 18 SB. Mickey Mantle (NYY). 313/406/704. 13 HR. Tim Raines (OTT). 286/385/545. 5 3B. Babe Ruth (NYY). 286/406/661. 33 RBI, 32 RBI, 29 R, 23 BB. Ryne Sandberg (HOD). 336/383/755. 13 HR. Turkey Stearnes (SFS). 312/359/667. 5 3B. Larry Walker (OTT). 374/433/776. 13 HR. Bobby Wallace (BAL). 243/391/336. 24 BB.
One thing obvious from this list: the Black Yankees and the San Francisco Sea Lions are both on fire offensively, at least in the top halves of their lineups.
Pitchers
Year 2 is a bit more pitcher friendly than last season, to the point where I would expect to end the year with a handful of sub 3.00 ERAs (last season, there Andy Pettitte, then with Birmingham, led the league with a 3.20 mark).
Starters
Eight pitchers are tied for the league lead in wins with 5 each; we’ve only included the 4 who are undefeated in the list below.
Houston’s rubber-armed Toad Ramsey is having quite a moment, but it’s unlikely the knuckleballer can maintain this level of performance.
Mark Buehrle (CAG). 5-0, 1.49. Frank Castillo (KCM). 5-0, 2.41. Roger Clemens (HOU). 5-0, 3.48. Johnny Cueto (IND). 5-1, 2.66. 0.93 WHIP. Hardie Henderson (PHI). 5-1, 2.17. 1.6 WAR. Christy Mathewson (NYG). 1-5, 4.47. 48 IP, 47 K. Luis Padrón (IND). 5-0, 2.35. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 5-2, 1.53. 53 IP, 65 K, 0.75 WHIP, 2.5 WAR.
Relievers
10 IP Minimum.
Rod Beck (SFS). 1-2, 7.20. 9 Sv. Sandy Consuegra (MCG). 1-1, 0.66. 3 Sv, 1 H, 0.59 WHIP. Mike Henneman (DET). 0-2, 0.77. 6 Sv. Bob Howry (PHI). 2-1, 3.75. 7 Sv, 0.58 WHIP. Eric Gagne (BRK). 0-0, 1.59. 9 Sv. Eddie Guardado (KCM). 1-0, 0.77. 1 H. Robb Nen (NYG). 1-0, 0.90. 8 Sv. Jeff Pfeffer (KCM). 0-0, 3.86. 8 Sv.
2 Way Players
A new section for the opening TWIWBL is a check in on the players doing it both on the mound and at the plate led, perhaps surprisingly, by Indianapolis‘ Luis Padrón.
Player
Pitching
Batting
pWAR
bWAR
WAR
Luis Padrón (IND)
5-0, 2.35 (38 IP, 5 GS)
400/455/625 (44 PA)
1.3
0.5
1.8
Joe Rogan (PHI)
1-3, 5.81 (31 IP, 5 GS)
297/343/515 (108 PA)
0.0
0.6
0.6
J.M. Ward (PHI)
0-1, 3.00 (36 IP, 6 GS)
192/192/385 (26 PA)
0.7
-0.1
0.6
Jim Whitney (BBB)
0-1, 1.88 (24 IP, 12 G)
143/200/214 (15 PA)
0.5
-0.1
0.4
Eustaquio Pedroso (MCG)
0-0, 4.26 (19 IP, 10 G)
208/345/208 (29 PA)
0.3
-0.1
0.2
Ted Williams (Memphis), Cristóbal Torriente (CAG), Martín Dihigo (Miami Cuban Giants), and Smokey Joe Wood (KCM) (among others) have yet to really be used in a 2-way capacity.
#INJURY REPORT
Indianapolis’ Joe Morgan should start a rehab assignment mid-week, as should Miami’s José Méndez.
Willie Mays (RIP IRL) of the New York Gothams was the NL Player of the Week after hitting .417 with 3 home runs. Over in the AL, the AL Player of the Week Award went to Miami‘s Ryan Braun, who hit .471 with 5 dingers.
As the calendar flipped from April to May, we also have the first player of the month awards.
Award
Player
AL Player of the Month
Ty Cobb (DET)
.411; 5 HR; 23 RBI; 21 R
AL Pitcher of the Month
Mark Buehrle (CAG)
5-0, 1.24
AL Rookie of the Month
Turkey Stearnes (SFS)
.352; 6 HR; 18 8RBI
NL Player of the Month
Larry Walker (OTT)
.395; .454 OBP; 9 HR; 23 RBI; 22 R
NL Pitcher of the Month
Toad Ramsey (HOU)
5-1, 0.96
NL Rookie of the Month
Adam Dunn (IND)
.253; 5 HR; 13 RBI
#Team Performance
Look, it’s way too early for any of this to matter. But, currently, only 3 games separate the best team in the Effa Manley Division (the Brooklyn Royal Giants at 14-11) and the worst (the Philadelphia Stars mirroring them at 11-14). The Homestead Grays are 1/2 game behind Brooklyn, and the New York Gothams and Ottawa Mounties sit at .500.
Brooklyn, Homestead, and the San Francisco Sea Lions have all gone 7-3 over their last 10 games, while the House of David are in the roughest patch of any team in the league, at 2-8 over their last 10.
#Player Performance
Batters
Some things that jump out: the House of David’s Ryne Sandberg is having an incredible start, the first player in the league to 11 homeruns. Led by Sandberg, 5 players have SLG over .700 but “only” 2 have BA over .400.
Ty Cobb (DET). 389/451/756. 18 2B, 1.8 WAR. Carlos Correa (HOU). 420/474/659. Eric Davis (NYY). 306/373/612. 27 R. Lou Gehrig (NYY). 247/358/634. 10 HR. Josh Gibson (HOM). 379/426/793. Curtis Granderson (BBB). 256/330/654. 10 HR. Tony Gwynn (HOU). 416/442/629. Joe Jackson (CAG). 396/426/635. 38 H, 15 2B. Dick Lundy (SFS). 394/467/681. 4 3B, 15 SB, 2.3 WAR. Mickey Mantle (NYY). 274/361/621. 10 HR. Boog Powell (KCM). 268/344/622. 26 RBI. Tim Raines (OTT). 293/381/576. 5 3B. Babe Ruth (NYY). 308/430/659. 28 RBI, 24 R, 21 BB. Ryne Sandberg (HOD). 365/409/824. 11 HR. Bobby Wallace (BAL). 50/405/364. 22 BB.
Pitchers
Starters
Mark Buehrle (CAG). 5-0, 1.24. Johnny Cueto (IND). 4-1, 2.38. 0.88 WHIP. Bill Doak (MEM). 3-1, 2.76. 1.5 WAR. Lefty Grove (SFS). 2-3, 5.03. 39.1 IP. Frank Knauss (BRK). 5-1, 2.62. Christy Mathewson (NYG). 1-4, 4.15. 43.1 IP, 39 K. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 4-1, 1.19. 0.74 WHIP, 45 K, 1.7 WAR.
Relivers
Rod Beck (SFS). 1-2, 6.75. 7 Sv. Eric Gagne (BRK). 0-0, 1.74. 10 Sv. Craig Kimbrel (KCM). 1-0, 0.00. 1 Sv, 5 H. Troy Percival (NYG). 0-0, 5.40. 5 H. Jeff Pfeffer (KCM). 0-0, 4.32. 7 Sv.
#Featured Series
We’ll check in on a team that looks much improved over last season, the Homestead Grays. The Grays are hitting better than expected, but more importantly, are finally hitting enough to overcome their usual rough performances on the mound. They are visiting Indianapolis for a 4-game set, and are hoping to keep a recent slide by the ABC’s going.
Scheduled Starters
Homestead’s hurler listed first.
Billy Pierce (2-1, 6.55) @ Johnny Cueto (4-1, 2.38) Carlos Zambrano (0-4, 9.15) @ Luis Padrón (3-0, 2.38) Ray Brown (1-2, 6.28) @ Doc White (1-3, 4.93) Francisco Liriano (1-2, 4.36) @ Rube Foster (1-1, 3.86)
Cueto has performed fantastically so far this year, and Padrón, while no Joe Rogan, has been a decent 2-way threat all season.
Game One
With the announcement that the Grays have moved Zambrano out of the rotation, their starters for the series are all a bit up in the air. They’ll lead it off with Doug Drabek, who is taking Zambrano’s spot and will be making his first start of the year.
Drabek was fantastic, allowing 2 hits and 1 run in 7 innings, but Rick Ownbey couldn’t hold the lead, giving up Barry Larkin‘s first homer of the year, a 2 run shot to tie the game in the 8th. Luckily for the Grays, Willie Stargell‘s 2nd homerun of the game gave them the lead in the 10th, and Josh Lindblom was able to hold on for the 4-3 win in extra innings.
HOM 4 (Lindblom 3-0; Ownbey 3 B Sv) @ IND 3 (Murphy 0-1) HRs: HOM – Stargell 2 (10); Epstein (3); IND – Larkin (1). Box Score
Game Two
The Grays turned to Billy Pierce in game 2, putting their rotation back on its expected schedule. His mound opponent, Luis Padrón, tossed a masterful 8 innings in a 14-3 walkover, allowing 5 hits and 1 run while fanning 8. Padrón improved to 4-0 and Tommy Helms had 3 hits and 4 RBI and Helms and Jake Stenzel each scored 3 runs in the rout.
Helms, Stenzel, George Foster, Adam Dunn (fresh off being named Rookie of the Month for April), and Johnny Bench each went yard for Indianapolis as they evened the series at 1 game each.
HOM 3 (Pierce 2-2) @ IND 14 (Padrón 4-0) HRs: HOM – Clemente (3); IND – Helms (3), Foster (2), Stenzel (3), Dunn (6), Bench (7). Box Score
Game Three
Chris Sabo went deep twice, driving in 3, and the Grays held on to take the series lead with a 5-4 win. Ray Brown pitched very well, but the trio of Corey Kluber, Michael Jackson, and Josh Lindblom were all a bit shaky in relief. Still, they got the job done. Tommy Helms and Bob Bescher had 2 hits for the ABC’s and Joey Votto went deep in the losing effort.
Kluber–fresh off an injury–had to leave the game with an elbow issue, and headed to the DL afterwards. Cliff Lee was recalled.
HOM 5 (Brown 2-2; Lindblom 4 Sv; Jackson 2 H) @ IND 4 (White 1-4) HRs: HOM – Sabo 2 (5), Lajoie (2); IND – Votto (3). Box Score
Game Four
Homestead’s bullpen did the job, with Dave Giusti, Rick Ownbey, and Josh Lindblom combining for 3+ innings of 1 hit relief of an effective Francisco Liriano. Mike Epstein went deep for the Grays and Andy Van Slyke showed signs of breaking out of an early season slump with 3 hits. All the ABC’s could muster on the day was a 2 run shot from Adam Dunn to tie the game early.
Homestead takes the series, 3-1, continuing their surprising start to the season.
HOM 4 (Liriano 2-2; Lindblom 5 Sv; Giusti 3 H; Ownbey 2 H) @ IND 2 (Foster 1-2) HRs: HOM – Epstein (4); IND – Dunn (7). Box Score
