June 16, 1986
It's a trade! And look who's involved … Cleveland! They send prospects (!) Chris Padget and Junior Noboa to Minnesota for reliever Ken Schrom. Not sure why the 31-31 Indians, who are 11.5 games behind Boston, are making deals like this. But then again … they're the Indians.
Meantime, we're starting a series in Chicago. You know what that means … craziness!
Game 1986-61: Wrigley Field - Cubs 8, Phillies 3 / 35-26
We tie the game at 3-3 in the seventh inning, but then it goes awry. And you can thank Jay Howell for that - he hasn't been very solid this year (17 IP, 4.24 ERA, 16 K, 10 BB), further showing that either I'm not good at finding relief talent on the free agent market, or that it's just not the way to go anyway. To our credit, however, Rickey Henderson and Glenn Wilson both homer, and Steve Jeltz triples.
June 17, 1986
Back to UL Washington trade options, and if we take on 80 percent of his salary, we could get a prospect. The only team offering players on minor league deals (and thus players that don't have to be on a 40-man roster) is the Tigers, so we'll start talking to them.
Game 1986-62: Wrigley Field - Cubs 4, Phillies 3 / 35-27
This one hurts. Down 4-3 in the ninth, with Steve Jeltz on third and one out, Von Hayes flies one to center field. Oddibe McDowell catches it, then throws a strike to the plate. Jeltz is out, Cubs win. Sure, Darren Daulton homers, and Paul Molitor strikes three hits, but we lose. Stinks that we're at least losing two to the Cubs after sweeping the Expos.
June 18, 1986
Really need a win today, and how about some offense?
Game 1986-63: Wrigley Field - Cubs 7, Phillies 3 / 35-28
Yuck. After sweeping Montreal, we're swept in Chicago and are now just a half-game ahead of the Cubs. Mike Schmidt and Rickey Henderson both homer, and Blaise Ilsley makes his major league debut, striking out his first batter. But still … shoot. We're now 10.5 games behind the Mets.
Big news elsewhere: Don Sutton earns his 300th major league win as the Blue Jays beat the Brewers. He's the 17th pitcher to reach 300. Meantime, Nolan Ryan hit 250 as well, and he's 38th all-time on the list.
During the afternoon we engage a bit with the Tigers. The best offers they're throwing at us for UL are:
- SP - Don Woyce - 23 - 34/34 - 35 stuff / 35 movement / 35 control
- SP - Rick Rodriguez - 25 - 32/32 - 40 / 35 / 40
- RP - Kevin Ochs - 25 - 33/33 - 50 / 35 / 35
- RF - Jim Daughtery - 25 - 36/38 - 45 contact / 50 gap / 35 home run / 50 eye / 50 avoid Ks
Not the best list, but that's to be expected. We find out the Yankees are also interested and would give up a minor league contract, long as we eat 90 percent of Washington's salary (I don't mind if I eat all of it, to be honest). The best of the lot is 24-year-old catcher Bob Caffrey (25/36). We could actually use a catcher at this point, especially down in the high-A / AA level.
June 19, 1986
We have a relatively big four-game set on deck with the Cardinals. Three of four would be terrific and would put us ahead of them.
Game 1986-64: Veterans Stadium - Cardinals 8, Phillies 4 / 35-29
An uninspired (redacted) fest. John Denny pukes up another bad one, giving up five runs (though it's two earned) in less than four frames and raising his ERA to a worrisome 4.48. The offense gets going a little later, helped by a Von Hayes double (he's up to .195!).
I look at Denny's game log, and he's given up four or more runs (earned and unearned) seven times in 13 starts. His high game score this year is 67 (May 5 vs Montreal).
Compare that to our best pitcher Kevin Gross, who in 13 starts has give up four or more runs just twice, and has reached or amassed a 67 game score nine times. Yes, NINE TIMES. (Sorry, everyone's talking about the new John Hughes comedy
Ferris Bueller's Day Off.)
All this to say I'm starting to wonder about Denny's future. He's a free agent after this season (and a Type A very likely), so we could hold onto him and see if he fetches us back a first-rounder next year, or we could deal him before the deadline, betting his value still could be decent. It should be - he's still just 33 and is coming off a solid three-season run in the National League that includes a Cy Young.
In fact, since coming to Philly in 1982, Denny has gone 47-30 with a 2.95 ERA, 468 K, and 197 BB, worth 21.3 WAR. That's pretty darn good. So maybe he has value. Or we could gamble when the season ends. We'll see.
June 20, 1986
Early in the day, news breaks that the Mets have extended Jesse Orosco for two years and $960K. He'll be a free agent after 1988.
Game 1986-65: Veterans Stadium - Cardinals 3, Phillies 2 / 35-30
Not looking good for us. Up 2-0, but the Cardinals get three in the seventh on back-to-back home runs by Steve Balboni amd Darrell Porter. The 34 home runs between them equal the number of'em I get from Mike Schmidt, Rickey Henderson, Von Hayes, Juan Samuel, and Darren Daulton. We're now 12.5 games behind the Mets and fading fast.
June 21, 1986
It's Steve Carlton against Bert Blyleven here. Number of strikeouts between them: 6,956.
Game 1986-66: Veterans Stadium - Cardinals 10, Phillies 1 / 35-31
It's getting ugly. A bunch of errors, Steve Carlton pitching poorly, and yet another offensive turd mean we're nearly out of the NL East race by late June.
June 22, 1986
In the NL All-Star voting update, Mike Schmidt is 1st among first basemen still, Paul Molitor is hanging on in third among third basemen, Rickey Henderson is also in third at center field, and both Charles Hudson and Larry Andersen are fifth among starting and relief pitchers.
We need, need, need a win today.
Game 1986-67: Veterans Stadium - Phillies 9, Cardinals 8 (10) / 36-31
A temporary reprieve, and boy what a way to get it. Charles Hudson doesn't pitch well, surrendering five runs in three innings. We're down 5-0, then 5-3 after a big Von Hayes home run (now at .197!), then 6-3. But then we seize the lead with a four-run fifth, including a Rickey Henderson homer. Cards tie it and take the lead in the ninth off Todd Worrell, but we get one back in the bottom half thanks to a Mike Schmidt single. In the 10th, Paul Molitor's fourth hit scores Jim Eisenreich, handing us the W.
New power rankings. We are no longer in the top-five:
1. New York Mets - 50-18
2. Toronto Blue Jays - 46-24
3. Boston Red Sox - 47-22
4. Cincinnati Reds - 42-25
5. Los Angeles Dodgers - 41-28
We are ninth.
June 23, 1986
We check back in with the Tigers, and it's the same old offers for UL Washington. Might need a new approach if we're going to move on from this.
Three coming with the Cubs. Man, do we need wins. Paul Molitor is benched today for rest (well, I guess we don't *need* the wins), and Mike Schmidt moves to third base for the first time since 1984.
Game 1986-68: Veterans Stadium - Cubs 6, Phillies 3 (14) / 36-31
Infuriating loss. It's tied 3-3 in the fourth and stays that way forever. Later in the game, sometime in extra innings when all we need is one stupid run, we load the bases with nobody out and not score. A couple innings later, of course, the Cubs load the bases with nobody on and score three. Von Hayes is killing us, with an 0-for-5 bringing him to .198. Time for a true benching. Rickey Henderson's one-for-seven doesn't help us much, either.
June 24, 1986
We call a few more teams who had some initial interest in UL Washington, and the Cubs say they would entertain some options. We like reliever Scott Ninneman, a 23-year-old in AA with a 3.48 ERA this season and 6.1 K/9. Not bad, though nothing overpowering at the moment. Still, there's potential. We inquire.
For tonight's game, we bench Hayes. Naturally. Also, Henderson. Surprisingly. And a shake-up lineup from Dick Howser:
3B Paul Molitor
C Darren Daulton
RF Enos Cabell
1B Mike Schmidt
CF Jim Eisenreich
RF Glenn Wilson
2B Juan Samuel
SS Steve Jeltz
Game 1986-69: Veterans Stadium - Cubs 4, Phillies 1 / 36-33
It's really looking like the end. Eisenreich gets hurt early, so that's bad news, while the new-look lineup really doesn't do anything. Also, another four-run outing from John Denny. This homestand is showing us that there probably isn't a way we win this division.
June 25, 1986
We get an early morning call from Dan Kacala, GM of the Cubs. Maybe he's feeling charitable because his team is kicking our butt, but he approves the trade to send Scott Ninneman our way in exchange for UL Washington.
I tell Dan we'll accept the trade after today's game, just so we don't have to send someone all the way over from Portland and have a shorter roster. Also, I tell him we'll bench UL, just in case.
Game 70 and our season is on life support. Gregg Jefferies will be with the team in St. Louis, and it's possible another prospect gets a shot, as well, depending on how things are with Eisenreich.
Game 1986-70: Veterans Stadium - Phillies 11, Cubs 1 / 37-33
Why couldn't we take four of these runs and add them to our Monday score, then another four and add them to our Tuesday score? Why is it we score ELEVEN here? Anyway, good games for just about everyone, with Rickey Henderson homering (his 10th), Glenn Wilson and Von Hayes hitting doubles, and Scott Sanderson going 7.1 strong. We're still 14.5 games behind the 52-19 Mets. Shudder.
Once the game ends, I call back Dan Kacala and execute the UL Washington deal.
TRADE
To Chicago Cubs
- SS UL Washington (20 percent of contract)
To Philadelphia Phillies
Apparently we're told the fans aren't very happy about the trade. Well, whatever, because they'll be very happy once they learn who's coming to Philly.
- SS Gregg Jefferies promoted to MLB Philadelphia
The 18-year-old wunderkind shortstop is the No. 4 prospect in Major League Baseball. On the season at AA Reading he's hit .337/.384/.487 with 32 extra-base hits in 328 plate appearances. Also, with superior defense at shortstop (+11.3 ZR, 1.077 EFF), he's been worth 4.8 WAR so far.
Let's start with the offense. Jefferies puts the ball in play a ton, barely striking out (10 this season in 328 AA plate appearances) but also still developing his patience (25 walks this season). There's good news, though: Jefferies has a highly advanced, plus-plus hit tool (70) and plus-plus speed (75). He will hit infield singles, stretch singles to doubles, and steal when possible. But better, he carries plus-plus gap power ability already, proving it with 24 doubles so far in 1986. The power still has a way to go, but at his peak he might be able to hit 20. No worries there: He could also peak as a .330/.420 type with 40 stolen bases. We're talking a short-list MVP candidate at his best.
Defensively, Jefferies is very good at shortstop, and that carries over with better-than-average play at both second base and third base. He has great range, and while he isn't flashy, he makes a lot of plays and is smart on the diamond.
All in all, we're talking a kid who can be a foundational piece for a pennant winner.
I follow the team to St. Louis blasting Kenny Loggins'
Vox Humana. There's no lookin' back, indeed.