[jksander]

May 30, 1947: In game one of our Detroit doubleheader, Dutch Leonard (5-3, 2.34 ERA, 77.0 IP, 27 K’s, 1.13 WHIP) pitched against Virgil Trucks, (3-3, 4.61 ERA, 52.2 IP, 32 K, 1.42 WHIP), and for four innings he was doing great ... Jackie Robinson singled in the second, stole second AND third, and came around to score when Phil Cavarretta hit into a 4-6 fielder’s choice, giving us a lead we held until the bottom of the fifth when Hank Greenberg hit a grand slam to put the Tigers ahead 4-1. Leonard pitched a complete game as he attempted to clean up his own mess, but this one got ugly and the Tigers capitalized by whipping us in the end 8-4, outhitting us 13-8. Leonard gave up four walks in addition to all the hits, including eight runs, all of them earned, as he fell to 5-4 with a 2.96 ERA. Vern Stephens and Lee Moss each had two hits, a run and an RBI, but the Tigers were unstoppable late in the game. We were just outplayed all around.

Fred Sanford (2-2, 3.59 ERA, 55.1 IP, 26 K, 1.41 WHIP) started game two against Art Houtteman (2-2, 1 SV, 3.66 ERA, 39.1 IP, 18 K, 1.70 WHIP), and we took the lead in the top of the first off an RBI single by Vern Stephens. But Detroit answered with a sac-fly by Eddie Lake to tie it up in the third, retaking the lead in the fourth off an Eddie Mayo RBI single that scored Hoot Evers. And though Sanford pitched well, he stayed out too long -- in the bottom of the seventh he gave up five runs including a three-run homer by Evers that completely broke him. Sam Zoldak came out to pitch from there, but the damage was done as the Tigers destroyed us 7-1. This time they outhit us 10-6, with Stephens’ RBI single being our only real offense. Sanford took his third loss in a 6.2-inning 10 hit three walk effort, allowing seven runs against just one strikeout off 134 pitches ... his ERA crashed to 4.21 after the effort, which brings our May to an end with a 21-21 record.

We can revive our season with some good luck at home, since this trip will end after five wins and 11 losses. We’ll open June with 12 games at home over the next week and a half, including a doubleheader tomorrow against Philly (26-20) as part of a three-game series, two games against Boston (21-23), four games against the Yankees (27-20) that include another Sunday doubleheader, and three agaainst the Senators (24-23). We’ll then spend three more weeks on the road, playing 15 games in a 17-day stretch. So unless we somehow can manage to find real consistency, it’s looking like this season could start feeling pretty bleak if we let all that early momentum continue to fade.

Jackie Robinson was named the AL’s Rookie of the Month, hitting .261 with 29 hits, four homers, 16 runs scored and 13 RBIs. But it was a down month for him, contact-wise, lowering his average to .286 as the season enters its hotter months.
 
Here’s a standings update for both leagues as of the start of our third month of the season:

American League
New York Yankees (27-20)
Philadelphia Athletics (26-20, 0.5 GB)
Detroit Tigers (24-22, 2.5 GB)
Washington Senators (24-23, 3 GB)
St. Louis Browns (21-21, 3.5 GB)
Cleveland Guardians (21-22, 4 GB)
Boston Red Sox (21-23, 4.5 GB)
Chicago White Sox (16-29, 10 GB)

National League
New York Giants (26-10)
Brooklyn Dodgers (26-19, 0.5 GB)
Pittsburgh Pirates (25-20, 1.5 GB)
St. Louis Cardinals (24-21, 2.5 GB)
Philadelphia Phillies (23-25, 5 GB)
Cincinnati Reds (22-25, 5.5 GB)
Boston Braves (21-25, 6 GB)
Chicago Cubs (16-30, 11 GB)

It’s a great year for fans in New York, and a poor year for those stuck in Boston or Chicago. We’re fighting to keep our heads above .500, but it’s important to remember that, until the war seasons of 1942-45, we were a bottom dweller consistently, and last year we lost 94 games. So being 21-21 at this point in the season is something to be pleased with. If we can work our way into the top half of the standings and stay there, we’ll have plenty of room to build toward a World Series trip before the end of the decade if ownership is willing to continue to spend. This year’s AL has seven teams who could legitimately contend if a hot streak strikes, with the White Sox fading fast in eighth place. So the stretch run toward the All Star break is going to be critical when it comes to creating separation.

We’re in the top tier for runs allowed, hits allowed, opponent BAPIP and walks allowed, with the second best defensive efficiency in the American League. We’re making good contact (.272, good for 2nd) which has our slugging ranked third ... but we’re not scoring off those like we should; we’re ranked 6th in runs scored, sixth in extra base hits and sixth in walks, and we’re dead last in baserunning. So at this point our pitching and defense have been keeping us in contention, we need to give them more offense to work with. Right now our run differential is +18, but our pythagorean record is 23-19, so we’ve been having a bit of bad luck, including a 6-6 record in one run games and a 1-1 record in extra innings.

Richie Ashburn has done well at AAA Toledo -- through 44 games and 170 at-bats, he’s hit .288/.398/.400 with eight doubles, three homers, 18 RBI and 1.2 wins above replacement. He’s fielding incredibly well at center, with a +7.9 zone rating and just one error against 125 putouts and 9 assists. We have decided to call him up to the majors just two and a half months past his 20th birthday, sending Tommy Glaviano back down to the minors to make room for him. He’ll be splitting center field starts with Harry Walker and will be available as a defensive sub in games he doesn’t start. Right now he’s our best defensive center fielder, but he’s going to have an adjustment period learning to hit against big league pitching. But he is ready right now to get his shot.