Aug. 20, 1984
Game 1984-125: Candlestick Park - Giants 13, Phillies 1 / 52-73
This isn’t getting better. John Denny allows seven runs. Dave Wehrmeister gives up six. We only get one. Chili Davis goes 3-for-5 with 6 RBI including a home run. Brutal.
Aug. 21, 1984
Bad news from Reading. CF Toss Soares is out for the season, it seems, with a fractured wrist. His final AA numbers: 282 PA, .254/.333/.444, 21 XBH. Not bad, and his defense improved. He might start the season back in Reading, though it may be in left field to accommodate Luis Polonia.
- CF Dion Lowe promoted to AA Reading
Paper move to keep that roster in decent shape.
Meanwhile, I’m wondering if this is when I move on from manager Paul Owens. On July 26 I said to give it a month. It’s been 26 days since the 18-1 drubbing against the Cubs, and we’re at 9-15 since that day. Not exactly inspired. It would be nice to get the ball rolling now for a new skipper. Sigh. I hate blowing things up because it’s not going well, but at this point, it’s ridiculous.
Game 1984-126: Candlestick Park - Phillies 7, Giants 6 / 53-73
Boy, oh boy. Tie game at 4-4 and then the Giants score two in the seventh off Kevin Gross, who now totes a 4.08 ERA. Then we tie it in the hardest way possible in the eighth before Von Hayes doubles home the go-ahead run in the ninth. Larry Andersen ends it cleanly. We scrape for this one.
Aug. 22, 1984
Game 1984-127: Candlestick Park - Giants 2, Phillies 1 / 53-74
Come on. A ninth-inning sacrifice fly walks it off for San Francisco, who is up on us by 1.5 games. Sheesh.
Aug. 23, 1984
After sleeping on it, I’ve decided not to make any moves with the coaching staff and let Paul Owens play out the rest of the season. Essentially there’s no better solution at the moment (what’s available in the personnel market is fair, at best), and bench coach J.P. Dissmore needs much more seasoning before he gets a managerial job.
Aug. 24, 1984
Game 1984-128: Veterans Stadium - Dodgers 6, Phillies 2 / 53-75
Fernando Valenzuela does his usual thing against us (7.1 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 8 K, 1 BB). Mike Schmidt and Juan Samuel contribute two hits.
Aug. 25, 1984
Game 1984-129: Veterans Stadium - Dodgers 8, Phillies 2 / 53-76
Greg Brock goes 4-for-5 with a HR in another schelaking. Just not our year.
Aug. 26, 1984
Game 1984-130: Veterans Stadium - Phillies 7, Dodgers 6 / 54-76
Despite Mike Marshall’s four-hit game, we do enough offensively to take it. Dave Stegman hits a triple and a homer, while John Denny gives up four runs in six innings.
Meanwhile, AA Reading SP William Jester has a shoulder injury, taking him out for the rest of the season. He was pitching well, too (47.2 IP, 2.83 ERA, 29 K, 7 BB).
- SP William Jester placed on 15-day injured list
- SP Steve Witt promoted to AA Reading
I wanted just one of Witt’s secondary pitches to reach a 40 rating, and his forkball did just that. His numbers at A Peninsula: 139.2 IP, 3.48 ERA, 71 K, 44 BB. Still needs work, and he’ll start 1985 in Reading.
Power ranking time, and somehow we’re just 22nd. The top-five:
1. Toronto Blue Jays - 87-43
2. St. Louis Cardinals - 76-55
3. Pittsburgh Pirates - 75-54
4. Los Angeles Dodgers - 79-52
5. Detroit Tigers - 84-47
Baltimore has been eliminated from the postseason race, primarily because Toronto has a 33-game lead on them. We’re down by 21.5. Still another three weeks, probably.