[Questdog]

Thursday, July 4, 1889 Independence Day

Time for some holiday double-headers!

We are in Kansas City to begin a 4 game series with a double-header today against manager/LF Connie Frenette (34-4.7) and his Cowboys. Then we will all ride the same train to Detroit and play 3 more games there. We beat them 2 of 3 in Detroit back in May, but in the one they won they scored 14 times. Kansas City is 2nd in the League in scoring with 6.6 runs per game (Detroit is #3 with 5.6). They are 6th in runs allowed with 6.3 per game (Detroit is #1 with 3.5).

Exposition Park is a tough place to be a pitcher. Home runs are not cheap, but their infield has no grass and is as hard as a rock and a lot of ground balls are too quick for the fielders to stop before they reach the outfield.

Detroit Wolverines (34-15 .694 in 1st place in the Liberty League) at
Kansas City Cowboys (31-24 .564 6 GB in 3rd place)

Game 1
Al Rice, Det. (24-7.6) (R 14-6 1.23 6.0-2.0-4.6 H/9-BB/9-SO/9) vs. Al McClaughry, K.C. (25-5.6) (R 15-6 3.14 8.5-2.1-3.4)

We scored 9 runs off McClaughry the 1st time we faced him.

LINEUPS (* = LHB # = SHB)
DET - 1: 3B Ed Aldrich (25-6.8) 2: SS John Ingling (29-4.6) 3: Al Lewis* (23-9.1) 4: RF Ben Smith* (29-6.7) 5: 1B Dave Odekirk# (24-6.5) 6: C Jimmy Babcock (32-6.9) 7: 2B Ed Engelhardt (24-5.0) 8: CF Sam King (23-6.0)

KC - 1: RF Ed Anderson# (21-7.5) 2: C Evan Eckberg (33-3.5) 3: LF Lou Baggett (27-4.2) 4: CF Heinie Ashmore (24-6.0) 5: 1B John Hilliard* (29-7.2) 6: SS Bev Bradley# (24-6.2) 7: 3B Lou Kelsey (24-5.2) 8: 2B Jim McCarthy# (27-7.5)

1st inning, 1st 2 batted balls, 1st 2 errors by John Ingling. If the trade deadline wasn't already passed, he'd be headed somewheres else. Worst trade I ever made. Baggett then singled, but Smith averted immediate disaster by throwing Anderson out at the plate. But Ashmore doubled to score 2. 2 to 1, Cowboys.

We tied it up in the 4th on a double by Sam King and a single by Al Rice. King's was the 1st hit by a center fielder for us in about a week.

We scored 3 times in the top of the 7th. In the bottom, Ed Engelhardt got taken out by Bev Bradley when trying to turn a double-play and sprained his wrist. Ducky Foster went in to play.

In the 9th, Jimmy Babcock hurt his ankle sliding into home.

Won - 9 to 4

Rice allowed 7 hits, 3 walks and struck out 8. At bat, he had 2 hits, scored a run and had an RBI.

McClaughry gave us 15 hits, 2 walks and struck out 2.

We made 5 errors (3 by Ingling, who is officially banished to the bench) and the Cowboys made 4.

Ed Aldrich hit a double, stole a base, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBIs. Ben Smith had 2 hits with a triple and a walk, scored a run and had an RBI. Dave Odekirk had 2 hits, scored a run and had 2 RBIs. He has 16 hits in his last 8 games, batting .457 over the stretch! Jimmy Babcock had 2 hits with a double and scored a run, but I wish he hadn't. His gimpy ankle will keep him out 4 or 5 days. Ed Engelhardt will be out a couple of weeks, but if I call to Syracuse for a replacement, it will leave them short-handed, so we'll try to get by on what we have. Foster and Pat Dunbar (27-8.3) will be the nicest DP combo ever and Ingling can sit and grumble at me on the bench. His fielding average was an excellent .934 for Washington before the trade. He was the only GNA shortstop with a FA over .900. For us, his FA is an even .800. He's made as many errors for us as he did for Washington in a third of the games. 17 errors in 15 games for us and 17 in 42 for them. Hopefully some time off will fix him. Sam King hit 2 doubles and scored a run. It is time for him to break out and claim the center field job for his own.

Game 2
Ed Price, Det. (25-5.7) (R 5-0 3.89 10.5-2.2-4.6 H/9-BB/9-SO/9) vs. Dan Butler, K.C. (32-4.7) (R 6-10 6.45 12.4-7.5-3.1)

Believe it or not, Butler is the one that beat us in that 3 game series in Detroit back in May. We scored 9 runs off him, but they scored 14 off us. Hard to believe that they don't think they have a better option for their rotation than a guy who's walking 7.5 per game. And I am pretty sure I am jinxing us with these comments.

LINEUPS (* = LHB # = SHB)
DET - 1: 3B Ed Aldrich (25-6.8) 2: 2B Ducky Foster (24-9.0) 3: Al Lewis* (23-9.1) 4: RF Ben Smith* (29-6.7) 5: 1B Dave Odekirk# (24-6.5) 6: SS Pat Dunbar (27-8.3) 7: CF Sam King (23-6.0) 8: C Pony Lanza (29-4.9)

KC - 1: RF Ed Anderson# (21-7.5) 2: C Gene Stone (32-5.4) 3: LF Lou Baggett (27-4.2) 4: CF Heinie Ashmore (24-6.0) 5: 1B John Hilliard* (29-7.2) 6: SS Bev Bradley# (24-6.2) 7: 3B Lou Kelsey (24-5.2) 8: 2B Jim McCarthy# (27-7.5)

It is official: I am a jinxer.

Lost - 4 to 2

Price allowed 9 hits, 2 walks and struck out no one. At bat, he had 2 hits with a double and scored both of our runs. He's hitting .417 since being called up.

Butler gave us 8 hits, 2 walks and struck out 6. 2 walks!! He walked 15 his last time out!!! And 11 the time before that!!!!

We made 2 errors and the Cowboys made 1.

Al Lewis had 2 hits and stole 2 bases and had an RBI.

2 walks!!!!! 0-2 against Dan Butler!!!!!!

Liberty League:
Pittsburgh (5) at Cincinnati (6) Game 1: John Stevens (32-8.2) (12-8) over Whitey Mathews (26-4.1) (14-7). C John Whelan (28-4.6) hit 2 home runs to give him 3 on the season. He had 5 RBIs.

Pittsburgh (6) at Cincinnati (3) Game 2: Joe Peters (33-4.9) (6-8) over William Butina (26-5.6) (7-9). Peters allowed 7 hits, 3 walks and struck out 3. Butina allowed 7 hits, 2 walks and struck out 7.

Cleveland (19) at Indianapolis (6) Game 1: Lou Townley (27-3.5) (10-11) over Sal DeVaux (34-3.5) (6-14). The Spiders scored 13 runs in the 4th inning! Townley led off the 4th by grounding out to 2nd and then the Spiders had 11 straight hits. Townley allowed 5 hits, 4 walks and struck out 4. At bat, he had a hit and a walk and scored 3 runs. CF Effie Poff (23-8.5) had 4 hits with a double and his 2nd home run of the year, drew a walk, scored 2 runs and had 5 RBIs. 1B Dave Kelly (27-6.0) had 4 hits with his 4th home run of the season and 3 RBIs.

Cleveland (11) at Indianapolis (10) in 10 innings Game 2: Tom McDowell (25-8.0) (8-9) over Dave Campbell (24-8.0) (0-1) in relief of Billy Simonsen (24-8.0). Indy scored twice in the bottom of the 9th to tie the game, but unfortunately had to pinch-hit for their pitcher to do it and did not have another pitcher rested enough to go in for the 10th. Campbell did not give up a hit, but walked 3 and threw a wild pitch. RF Tom Steiner (23-4.9) had 4 hits, scored a run and had 3 RBIs.

Boston (0) at Louisville (6) Game 1: Miah Turner (28-5.3) (15-7) over William Little (28-6.0) (5-16). Turner allowed 6 hits, 1 walk and struck out 5.

Boston (3) at Louisville (1) Game 2: Freddy Wood (33-6.3) (5-8) over William McLeod (30-5.6) (7-10). Wood allowed 9 hits, 1 walk and struck out 3. McLeod allowed 6 hits, 8 walks and struck out 6.

Grand National Association:
Providence (11) at St. Louis (10) Game 1: Ed Wison (28-7.3) (13-8) over Con Arnold (25-6.3) (7-11). At the end of the 1st inning, the Grays led, 6 to 5, and all the scoring was done by the end of the 6th. CF Tom Herold (24-6.4) had 3 hits with a triple and a walk, stole a base, sored 3 runs and had 5 RBIs. 2B Dave Stricker (27-5.2) had 5 hits with a double, stole a base, scored a run and had 3 RBIs.

Providence (3) at St. Louis (4) in 11 innings Game 2: Ed Copeland (23-6.0) (6-11) over Jimmy Harrison (22-4.6) (7-10). Rookie CF Effie Green (24-4.6) hit a 2-out single to tie the game in the bottom of the 9th and the winning run scored on a 2-out error in the 11th. In 11 innings, Copeland allowed 10 hits, 3 walks and struck out 6. Harrison allowed 9 hits, 2 walks and struck out 2.

Buffalo (5) at Omaha (8) Game 1: Lee Sprague (29-3.5) (11-14) over Cal Wright (27-4.5) (2-3). CF Dave Todd (24-5.5) had 3 hits with a double and a triple, scored 3 runs and had 2 RBIs.

Buffalo (9) at Omaha (4) Game 2: Fred Barrow (37-4.7) (10-11) over Tom Lee (31-6.0) (8-8). Barrow allowed 6 hits, 3 walks and struck out 2.

Brooklyn (7) at Milwaukee (8) Game 1: Zachary Buchanan (28-4.0) (4-4) over Al Green (26-3.8) (13-9). The Brewers scored 5 times in the bottom of the 9th to win. 3B Tom Kelly (25-5.3) landed the final blow, a 2-run single.

Brooklyn (10) at Milwaukee (2) Game 2: William David (26-3.6) (11-8) over Dave Ward (24-6.1) (10-14). David allowed 8 hits, 3 walks and struck out 7.

Washington (2) at Chicago (5) Game 1: Pat Seguin (25-4.4) (16-10) over Ed Bush (29-5.3) (12-12). Seguin allowed 8 hits, 1 walk and struck out 4. Bush allowed 10 hits, 1 walk and struck out 4.

Washington (2) at Chicago (7) Game 2: Skyrocket Howard (24-5.4) (11-7) over Jiggs Niedermeyer (25-5.8) (1-6). Howard allowed 7 hits, 1 walk and struck out 3.


After the games were over, Englishman Jim Martin (27-5.0), the hot-hitting young catcher for the Buffalo Bisons, decided to do some holiday celebrating late into the evening and ended up in a gunfight in an Omaha bar. He was shot in the stomach and died in the early morning. Tom Anglin (36-5.6), Omaha's veteran first baseman, was in the same bar and was shot in the knee. He apparently was trying to mediate the dispute between Martin and the bar patron who killed him and was shot accidentally. He will be out for the rest of the season and may be finished as a player.