"Goodbye To 'The Mack': The 1916 A's In Peril

[jksander]

July 10, 1916: It’s hard not to see the Browns as a legit contender this year, and they come into this series trailing Chicago by a game and leading us by half of one in what has been an incredibly tight AL pennant chase all season. With Dick Rudolph pitching for us, we had four shutout innings before taking the lead in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI triple by Wally Schang to go up 1-0. But the Browns took the lead in the top of the sixth, when Ward Miller hit a two-run triple to change our fortunes. We answered in the bottom of the inning with RBI singles by Nap Lajoie and Rube Oldring to retake the lead 3-2, and that time it proved to be good enough for us to hold the lead and take the one-run win. Rudolph pitched a complete game six-hitter, walking one and striking out four with two runs (only one of which was earned), and we won despite being outhit 6-5. Schang led the way offensively with two hits, a run and an RBI, while Lajoie had two hits and an RBI.

July 11, 1916: George Sisler hit a two-run homer for St. Louis in the top of the third, but Mike Mowrey hit an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth to help us keep things close. Unfortunately that was the only scoring we were able to manage and though this game remained close, we never were able to find a way to tie it up, losing to the Browns 2-1. Gene Packard took the loss, falling to 5-3 with a 2.18 ERA despite seven innings with just four hits, four walks, four strikeouts and two earned runs. This time we outhit them 6-4, but only Lajoie (a hit and a run) and Mowrey (a hit and an RBI) managed to put anything on the scoreboard.

July 12, 1916: Pedro Dibut pitched seven shutout innings, but in the eighth he gave up an RBI double to Burt Shotton, and Byron Houck came in to finish the inning after two outs. Our offense again came up completely empty, and that was all she wrote as we lost this one 1-0 ... that’s three pitching duels in a row, all finishing within a run, and we lost two of them. Dibut fell to 11-8 despite pitching 7.2 innings with four hits, three walks, three strikeouts and the one earned run, and though we outhit them 6-5 and had three walks, none of our nine baserunners could do anything.

July 13, 1916: The scoring drought ended in the first inning ... after St. Louis scored two in the top of the inning (thanks to a run-scoring walk by Jimmy Austin and an RBI single from Hank Severeid), we answered with an RBI double by Wally Schang and and RBI single by Amos Strunk, which was aided by an E8 error and allowed us to tie the score at 2-2. Severeid grounded out but drove in a run in the top of the third, but we responded again with a big inning in the bottom of the frame, tying the game off a single by Stuffy McInnis, taking the lead off a double by Rube Oldring, and then added on with an RBI single from Nap Lajoie and a groundout by Mike Mowrey to lead 6-3 after three full innings. We shut them down handily from there and were able to get out of this one with a 6-3 win, splitting the series. Dick Rudolph got the win with eight innings and six hits, walking five and striking out five with three earned runs. He’s now 7-5 since joining our team, and has a 10-8 record and a 1.70 ERA on the season as a whole. We outhit them 13-7, led by Wally Schang who had two hits, two runs and an RBI.

The top half of the American League standings remain incredibly tight heading into our series against the White Sox:

1. Chicago White Sox (46-37)
2. St. Louis Browns (46-39, 1 GB)
3. Philadelphia Athletics (44-38, 1.5 GB)
4. New York Yankees (43-39, 2.5 GB)

[jksander]

July 14, 1916: We took the lead in the bottom of the first with a groundout by Wally Schang and an RBI single by Nap Lajoie, and in the bottom of the third we extended our lead to 3-0 thanks to an RBI single by Schang that was aided by an E8 error. But Gene Packard gave it all back in the top of the fourth ... they got on the board when, on a strike that made the count on Happy Felsch 1-1, Joe Jackson stole second and an E2 error allowed Shano Collins to score. Felsch would go on to strike out swinging, but back to back RBI triples for Buck Weaver and Ray Schalk allowed Chicago to tie it up 3-3 midway through the inning, and in the top of the fifth Felsch hit an RBI double to put them into the lead 4-3. We held it at that margin until, desperation time, Amos Strunk hit an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to tie things up and send us into the 10th knotted 4-4. In the bottom of the 11th inning, with one out, Stuffy McInnis hit an RBI single to walk it off and we got out of this one with a 5-4 win after having to claw our way back in. Bill Morrisette was our third reliever of the night, and he got the win with an inning of work and nobody making it on base ... he’s now 6-3 with a 3.89 ERA through 34.2 innings over 22 appearances. We outhit them 16-11, led by McInnis who had four hits a run and an RBI.

July 15, 1916: After yesterday’s win, coupled with a 3-2 loss by St. Louis in Brooklyn, we’re now just half a game out of a tie for first place! But tonight we couldn’t seem to do anything right ... the White Sox scored a run in the third, another in the fourth, two in the fifth and one in the seventh to build a commanding 5-0 lead on us before Jimmy Walsh hit an RBI single and Amos Strunk added an RBI double to give us two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. But Chicago got three more in the eighth and let us stumble our way into a miserable 8-3 loss as a result, outhitting us 12-8. Pedro Dibut has now lost two in a row, and this time he can’t blame anyone but himself -- he only lasted 6.2 innings and allowed eight hits, two walks and five earned runs with two strikeouts, letting them have three home runs off his pitches, including two by Happy Felsch who finished with three hits, two runs and two RBIs. Jimmy Walsh had a hit, two walks, a run and an RBI, and Amos Strunk added two hits and an RBI. But we were off our game all day and it showed in pretty much every phase of our game.

July 17, 1916: We had yesterday to rest a bit and regroup for the back half of this four-game set, and we took the lead quickly in the bottom of the first with an RBI single by Stuffy McInnis. But they took the lead back in the fifth, Buck Weaver tying the score off an RBI single and Ray Schalk hitting a sac-fly to flip the script to them leading 2-1. In the top of the ninth Happy Felsch hit a solo homer, his seventh of the season, to extend their lead to two, but pinch hitter Shag Thompson hit a two-run blast for us on one out in the bottom of the inning to help us force it into extras once again. Dick Rudolph got us through the 10th inning and then let Byron Houck take the ball in the 11th after he’d thrown 136 pitches and was completely gassed. Jack Nabors took over in the 13th and Happy Felsch sac-flied his team’s way into the lead ... and that was all she wrote, we had nothing left in us, stranding a pair in the bottom of the inning as we lost this one 4-3. Nabors took the hit, falling to 5-4 with a 4.66 ERA thanks to a hit, a walk and a run, and though Dick Rudolph had lasted 10 innings, he finished with nine hits, a walk, seven strikeouts and a trio of runs to go with a no-decision. They out hit us 11-9, our team led by Thompson with his first homer of the seaosn as a pinch hitter.
 
July 18, 1916: I’m amazed we had anything left in our tank after that brutal loss yesterday, and tonight Chicago took the lead in the top of the fourth with an RBI triple by Joe Jackson and an RBI double by Jack Fournier, further knocking the wind out of our sails. Amos Strunk grounded out in the bottom of the sixth but drove home our only run of the game, but it was all we could manage and we limped into yet another one-run loss, this time by a 2-1 margin, the White Sox outhitting us 8-7. Gene Packard took the loss, falling to 5-4 with a 2.34 ERA, allowing seven hits and two earned runs with two strikeouts and no walks, Amos Strunk’s sac-fly RBI being our only offense of the day.

Losing three of four to the White Sox on our field is a powerful blow against our chances to win the AL ... they now have a 3.5 game lead on us, though we’re just half a game back of St. Louis. But we’re now 3-8 against them this season, and the more times we play them the more we can see the thin margins we’re bettting against to stay competitive with teams built way stronger than ours. We’ll now host Cleveland (42-44) for four critical games as we need to snap our skid and figure out how to start winning close games again. With nobody in the league out of it by more than 10 games, it would be way too easy to start a free-fall and wind up crashing out completely.

[jksander]

July 19, 1916: We let Cleveland score off a sac-fly by Braggo Roth in the first inning and off a groundout by Ray Chapman in the second to build a quick 2-0 lead. And though Wally Schang got us on the board with an RBI single in the bottom of the third, we did nothing the rest of the afternoon and squandered anotther real opportunity by losing 2-1. Rookie starter Pedro Dibut pitched another 7.1 inning gem, with just two hits, two walks, a strikeout and two earned runs, but he took the loss and is now 11-10 with a 2.26 ERA ... three losses in a row for him, four losses in a row for us. We outhit them 6-2 and still couldn’t find ways to turn this into a victory.

July 20, 1916: It looked like another case of déjà vu when Cleveland took the lead in the top of the first off a sac-fly by Chick Gandil. But on a 2-0 count with Amos Strunk at the plate in the bottom of the inning, Jimmy Walsh stole third and then came around to score thanks to an E2 error! And though Strunk grounded out, Stuffy McInnis followed him at the plate with an RBI single to give us the lead. Schang hit an RBI single in the bottom of the second to add on, and an RBI single by Nap Lajoie in the bottom of the fifth and a passed ball that scored Stuffy McInnis later in the inning helped us extend our advantage to 5-1! We were not to be denied, trading runs with them down the stretch and finishing this one as a 7-2 victory. Dick Rudolph won his third game in four starts as he improved to 11-8 overall with a 1.76 ERA, allowing just six hits with a walk, five K’s and two earned runs in today’s complete game effort ... and we were able to outhit them 9-6, led by Wally Schang, who had two hits, two runs and RBI. We also snapped Tris Speaker’s hitting streak at 26 games, though the Indians’ star center fielder remains the best hitter in the league with a .382 average, 31 doubles, 34 stolen bases and 5.9 total WAR ... “The Grey Eagle” refuses to be fully contained.

July 21, 1916: Stuffy McInnis hit a sac-fly to put us up 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, but Chick Grandil hit an RBI single to tie it up in the top of the sixth. This one seemed destined to drag into extra innings, but in the bottom of the ninth Shag Thompson walked it off with a pinch-hit single as we stunned the Indians 2-1. Byron Houck got the win, improving to 7-3 with a 2.64 ERA, but Glen Packard was the guy who fought hard to keep us in the position, pitching 7.2 innings with five hits, a walk, two strikeouts and the one (unearned) run. We outhit them 8-5, and nobody hit more than once (though Strunk had a hit and a walk). McInnis led the way with a hit and an RBI.

July 22, 1916: We took the lead in the bottom of the first with back to back sac-flies by Stuffy McInnis and Rube Oldring, and Oldring hit an RBI single in the third to add on. Alex McCarthy further extended our lead with an RBI single in the fourth, and though Braggo Roth got the Indians on the board with a single in the top of the seventh, Pedro Dibut redeemed himself with a complete game 4-1 victory! He allowed 10 hits and walked six, but only allowed the one run and he stayed in despite throwing 142 pitches, determined to make sure we’d hold on to the win. That helped him improve his record to 12-10 with a 2.20 ERA through his 25th game (24 of them starts!) and he has now pitched through 184 innings as a rookie! They outhit us 10-9, but Wally Schang led the way with two hits, a walk and two runs on the ground.

We’ll have two days off, and then will play a three week road stretch including four games against St. Louis (49-45) and two against Chicago (52-41), before hitting up Cleveland (43-48) for four, Detroit (44-49) for four and the Yankees (47-43) for four including an August 12th Saturday doubleheader. We’re currently in second place in the AL despite our recent struggles, just 2.5 games back of Chicago and a single game up on the Yankees. With just over ten weeks left in the season, there’s still plenty of baseball yet to be played and absolutely NOTHING has been decided.

[jksander]

July 25, 1916: Dave Davenport and Dick Rudolph got into an epic pitching duel in this first game of the St. Louis series, and in the bottom of the eighth the Browns capitalized, Ward Miller hitting an RBI single to put them ahead 1-0. With our backs suddenly up against the wall, Wally Schang walked with one out in the top of the ninth, and managed to take second off an E2 error on an attempted pick-off, getting him into scoring position! They made a pitching change and Lew Malone grounded out to first, driving Schang over to third with one out remaining, and then McInnis hit a weak squib to their pitcher and the game came to a quiet end as a 1-0 loss. Rudolph fell to 8-6 with a 1.91 ERA, despite pitching eight innings with just six hits, a walk, two strikeouts and the one earned run. But we only managed three hits ourselves, and even with three walks added in it wasn’t enough. Jimmy Walsh walked twice without a hit and was our only baserunner to get there (and get stranded) more than once.

We made a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals for Hi Jasper, a 30-year-old right handed reliever, in exchange for borderline reserve squad starter Tom Sheehan and reliever Michael Driscoll who is, in my opinion, borderline ready to just hang up his cleats. But they proposed the deal and I see some promise in adding Jasper to our bullpen as a third middle relief option, so we’ve agreed to the move, dropping backup right fielder Jim Brown to the reserves to make room for him. Jasper has a 6-0 record and a 1.95 ERA through 38 appearances for the Cardinals, to go with five saves.
 
July 26, 1916: In the bottom of the fifth St. Louis took a 1-0 lead off a solo homer by Del Pratt, at which point we’d gone 14 innings against them without a run scoring for us. And considering the prior game on the 22nd, with the Alex McCarthy RBI single in the fourth inning, we’d gone 19 innings consecutively without scoring a run. And since the Browns managed to stifle us completely from there, winning another 1-0 decision, we found ourselves going into game three having not scored a single run in 23 innings. Gene Packard pitched our second complete game in a row, allowing just seven hits with three walks, two strikeouts and the one earned run. But even great pitching can’t sustain itself when the bats go this quiet. Today we managed five total hits ourselves, walking once, with Amos Strunk (two hits) being our only baserunner to get there more than one time.

July 27, 1916: Alex McCarthy hit an RBI double in the third to snap our scoreless streak at 25 innings, a streak that started after he hit an RBI single in the fourth inning of our game on the 22nd against Cleveland. Mike Mowrey singled in a run in the sixth to add on, but St. Louis answered with an RBI triple by Del Pratt and an RBI single for George Sisler to tie the score at 2-2 heading into the seventh inning. In the top of the eighth Rube Oldring hit a two-run single to get us back into the lead, and Stuffy McInnis hit an RBI single in the ninth to give us a three-run advantage. Byron Houck, who had taken the ball with two outs in the seventh, held tough from there and we were able to get out of here with a 5-2 win, having outhit them 13-4! Dibut had 6.2 innings with three hits, five walks and two runs, shortening his night though he did strike out three as well. Thankfully, Houck held his own through 2.1 innings, allowing one hit and avoiding any runs scoring on himself despite walking four. He improved to 8-3 with a 2.58 ERA through 94.1 innings over eight starts and thirty bullpen appearances. Rube Oldring led the offense with three hits, a run and two RBIs, while McCarthy added two hits and an RBI.and Wally Schang had three walks, scoring twice.

Cincinnati, the worst team in the majors, offered us third baseman Buck Herzog, who at 31 has been hitting .259 with 33 RBIs and 13 stolen bases for an absolutely abominable team (somehow putting up 1.5 WAR in the process!) But in exchange, they’d want Pedro Dibut, who has put up a 12-10 record with a 2.22 ERA, with a 1.14 WHIP through 190.2 innings of work. It’s a tough decision, because Dibut’s been so good for us right out of the gate ... but he’s reliant on his control because his actual pitches aren’t great. His upside, in turn, is not high, while Herzog makes great contact and is a smooth defender at both third base and shortstop. He’d immediately be a huge improvement over the solid (but inconsistent) Alex McCarthy, who is batting .233 right now with incredibly sketchy defense.

But I wasn’t sold on moving Dibut for him ... to me, a young pitcher is a hell of a lot more valuable long term than a shortstop who is entering his thirties while leading an absolutely terrible team. So I’ve rejected the offer.

July 28, 1916: Ward Miller got the Browns into the lead with a sac-fly by Ward Miller in the bottom of the first, but Amos Strunk singled in a run in the top of the third to even the score. But St. Louis scored off singles by Del Pratt and Ward Miller to retake the lead in the bottom of the inning, and though Eddie Murphy hit an RBI single for us in the top of the sixth, we were unable to close the gap, losing 3-2 as the Browns took the series three games to one. Dick Rudolph pitched eight innings with eight hits, a strikeout and three (UNEARNED) runs, falling to 8-7 with a 1.98 ERA, while we outhit them 10-8. Stuffy McInnis led the way with two hits and a run, but we just didn’t have the comeback power against a truly tough defensive team. St. Louis is legit this year, and between them, Chicago, New York, Washington and ourselves, this is going to remain a brutal dogfight well into the fall.

We’re on the road now to face Chicago, who at 55-42 have a 3.5 game lead on St. Louis and a 4.5 game lead on us. But as the trade deadline nears, we remain in the race and a strong showing on this trip could help us shoot right back into the fray.

[jksander]

July 29, 1916: Chicago took the lead in the bottom of the first with an RBI single from Joe Jackson, and Happy Felsch hit a solo homer for them in the bottom of the fourth, extending their lead to 2-0. We were showing signs of a comeback in the top of the seventh, when, with one out and Lew Malone on second via a double, the umpires called the game as the sky unleashed in downpours. I’d like to think we would have made a comeback, but it didn’t matter, the game goes down as a 2-0 loss regardless. Gene Packard took the loss, falling to 5-6 after a six inning effort that allowed just three hits, two walks, two strikeouts and two runs, only one of which was earned. We actually outhit them 4-3, McInnis hitting twice and Malone picking up the seventh inning double along with a walk. The kicker? Bullet Joe Bush got the win, and he’s now 2-0 with a save and a 1.67 ERA since our trade back on July 1.

July 30, 1916: Amos Strunk hit a single in the top of the first, stole second, took third on a wild pitch, and came around to score when Stuffy McInnis reached on an E6 error to put us up 1-0! What a hell of a sequence THAT was! Too bad Chicago retook the lead in the bottom of the inning off an RBI double by Joe Jackson and an RBI single for Buck Weaver to go ahead 2-1. We answered with a sac-fly by Dibut that tied the score in the top of the second, retaking the lead in the third with an RBI single by Nap Lajoie, but Chicago found their answer to tie it in the bottom of the sixth off a sac-fly of their own by Jackson. Dibut gave up a sac-fly to Red Tabor which put the White Sox back into the lead, and they added an RBI single (again by Joe Jackson) to make it a 5-3 deficit heading into the top of the seventh. They bought an insurance run in the eighth and we went down without another punch, losing 6-3 as our hopes of a pennant seem to be fading into the sunset. They outhit us 11-7, and Dibut took the loss, lasing just six innings, allowing eight hits, four walks and five earned runs. Amos Strunk led with two hits and a run, while Lajoie added two hits and an RBI.
 
July 31, 1916: We’ve engaged in a ton of trade talks, but nothing has come of it ... nobody is willing to offer up the bats we need to make real improvements, so we’re going to stick with the players we’ve got and hope we can make some magic happen down the stretch. Joe Jackson broke a 0-0 tie in the botom of the sixth today with an RBI double, but Amos Strunk hit an RBI single in the top of the eighth to give us some life. Happy Felsch hammered us with a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning, but pinch-hitter Eddie Murphy stunned the home crowd when he hit a two-run double in the top of the ninth to keep us in this one as he tied it 3-3. But the bottom of the 10th inning was an abject disaster as reliever Hi Jasper loaded the bases for the home team on two outs and then hit Buck Thrasher with a pitch, Jack Fournier literally walking in the winning run for Chicago as they taunted us with a 4-3 loss -- our team facing another rough skid as we continue to slide out of the race. They outhit us 10-5, Nap Lajoie leading our lineup with two hits and a run, while Jasper took the loss with 1.2 innings and one hit, though critically he walked three. Dick Rudolph only lasted seven innings, and our manager is going to take heat for pulling him after allowing just six hits, with three strikeouts, a walk and a single earned run.

We’ll stumble our way into August (and the final game of this series against Chicago) having lost six of our last seven games including our current four-game skid. We’re now in fourth place at 49-48, trailing the Yankees (50-47, 6.5 GB), St. Louis (53-48, 5.5 GB) and Chicago (58-42) in the standings, while holding a 2.5 game lead on Washington (47-51) that no longer feels safe in the least.

August 1, 1916: Chicago put up four quick runs on us in the bottom of the first, added another pair in the sixth, and then sat back and watched us melt down. The 6-0 shutout, our fifth loss in a row, will either serve as a true wake-up fall for this roster or it’s going to be our swan song, because despite outhitting them 10-7 we managed to make NOTHING happen on the basepaths, while commiting four critical errors. Gene Packard took the loss, falling to 5-7 while allowing just six hits, four of his six runs being unearned. Amos Strunk hit three times and got nowhere, while Jimmy Walsh hit twice and walked once.

As we head to Cleveland to face the 48-52 Indians on their field after a day off tomorrow, we are looking at a dozen games on this road trip and no sign that we can beat anybody. Our only hope is that we’re facing the bottom half of the standings, with Cleveland and Detroit (46-55) giving us a chance to hopefully breathe a bit before playing four against the Yankees (50-48) and our former manager Connie Mack.

[jksander]

August 3, 1916: In our first game of the Indians series we took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second thanks to a groundout by Mike Mowrey and an RBI single for Pedro Dibut, and Rube Oldring walked in a run with the bases loaded in the fifth to extend our lead to three. Steve O’Neill scored for Cleveland in the bottom of the fifth off a single by Tris Speaker, but we answered in the seventh when Wally Schang hit into a fielder’s choice, allowing Mike Mowrey to get that run back. Nap Lajoie continued to hit well as well, adding an RBI double in the eighth to cement our eventual 7-1 win over Cleveland, snapping our losing streak at last. Dibut got himself his second win in three tries, improving to 13-11 thanks to six innings with three hits, a walk, three strikeouts and one unearned run ... and we outhit them 12-6, led by Wally Schang who had a hit, a walk and three RBIs. Strunk, Oldring, Lajoie and Dibut each had two hits as well, helping us maintain our offense as we held Cleveland back all afternoon.

August 4, 1916: Alex McCarthy put us into the lead in the top of the second off an RBI single, but Ivan Howard answered with an RBI triple in the botom of the inning, tying it up. Dick Rudolph stunned everyone when he hit a home run in the top of the fifth to put us back in the lead, a rare exercise in raw power for the pitcher, just the second four-bagger of the 28-year-old’s career! But Cleveland quickly answered in the bottom of the inning, Braggo Roth hitting a groundout that drove home Tris Speaker to tie the game, Chick Gandil then hitting a sac-fly to push them back into the lead 3-2 after five. Nap Lajoie remained hot, and in the top of the ninth he managed to tie the game with a homer himself, the almost-42-year-old’s first of the year as well, and this one went into extra innings as a result. In the top of the 13th, Amos Strunk scored off a double by Stuffy McInnis to give us the lead, and Byron Houck closed it out from there as we gutted Cleveland with a 4-3 come-from-behind victory! We outhit them 13-12, led by Strunk with three hits and a run, while Lajoie had two hits, a run and an RBI as well. Jack Nabors pitched three innings with four hits and a walk, earning the win as he improved to 6-4 with a 4.60 ERA, and Byron Houck saved his 11th game of the season with just nine pitches thrown and nobody making it on base, improving his ERA to 2.47 through 98.1 innings!

August 5, 1916: Nap Lajoie hit an RBI double to give us a lead in the top of the second, and we picked up four runs in the third thanks to a groundout by Rube Oldring, a two-run triple by Lajoie and a groundout by Mike Mowrey! But we let them climb back in ... Ivan Howard homered and Tris Speaker hit an RBI single in the third to get them two of the runs back, and a Braggo Roth RBI double in the sixth made it a two-run game. We still held that same two-run advantage in the bottom of the ninth with Hi Jasper taking the mound ... but this time the 30-year-old reliever held his own, getting a groundout and two fly-outs to secure the 5-3 win, earning his first save of the season as he pitched 1.1 innings without a baserunner, setting down four batters on 16 pitches. We outhit them 10-7, and Glen Packard got the win, pitching 7.2 innings with seven hits, a walk and three earned runs. But Nap Lajoie was the one to win it for us, with three hits, a run and three RBIs for the living legend .... his average has leapt to .265 as he’s now hit in six consecutive games, five of them multi-hit efforts.

August 6, 1916: Cleveland scored three in the bottom of the first, with Chick Gandil reaching on an error to drive in one, Ray Chapman adding an RBI single and then Ivan Howard hitting a sac-fly for the third. But Stuffy McInnis hit a two-run single in the top of the third, and Wally Schang doubled him home to make it a 3-3 tie midway through the inning. We took control in the top of the seventh off a McInnis RBI single and a two-run triple for Schang, and that was all she wrote ... we completed the sweep with a 6-3 win, improving to 53-49. Pedro Dibut got the win and improved to 14-11 with a 2.21 ERA, allowing six hits, two walks and three unearned runs in 8.2 innings of work. Houck came in for the final out and picked up his 12th save, getting Ivan Howard to ground out and stranding Joe Leonard on second. We outhit them 12-6, led by McInnis with two hits, two runs and three RBIs, while Schang added two hits and three RBIs of his own. Nap Lajoie went hitless, bringing his brief hitting streak to a close. Next up: Detroit’s Tigers, who are 49-56, trailing us by 5.5 games. We, meanwhile, have climbed past New York and now sit in third, a game back of St. Louis and 7.5 out of first. The Indians, meanwhile, fell to dead last, as Boston (48-55, 13 GB) now sits in a three-way tie with Washington and Detroit for fifth. That’s how close this league is right now.

[jksander]

August 7, 1916: We started out on a good foot, with an RBI single by Rube Oldring in the top of the first pushing us quickly into the lead. But Detroit got a leadoff triple from Bobby Veach in the bottom of the inning, and Harry Heilmann grounded out to drive him in to tie it. They took the lead in the second when Veach hit an RBI single to push them ahead 2-1, and Ty Cobb scored off a single by Donie Bush to extend the lead in the bottom of the third. Bush hit a sac-fly to extend their lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the fifth, but we finally answered when Dick Rudolph hit into a fielder’s choice in the seventh, allowing Eddie Murphy to cut our deficit to two. And in the top of the eighth we tied things up with a two-run double by Wally Schang to make it a 4-4 ballgame! Unfortunately in the bottom of the ninth, bases loaded with two outs, Donie Bush walked it off for the Tigers with a single to win the game for them 5-4. He finished with three hits for the Tigers, walking once as well and scoring a run with three RBIs, a dominating performance. Dick Rudolph got us eight innings with just 10 hits, three walks and four earned runs, but it wasn’t enough for a decision. Instead, Jack Nabors (6-5, 4.53 ERA) took the loss, giving up two hits and a walk though the run was unearned due to an error to start the final frame. They outhit us 12-6, so honestly we were incredibly lucky to have even been in a position to win the game ... Scotty McInnis led with three walks and a run scored, while Amos Strunk walked twice and scored for us. In total we had seven walks, and that’s what gave us a chance in the first place.

August 8, 1916: Alex McCarthy hit an RBI single in the top of the second to put us into the lead 1-0, and in the top of the third Amos Strunk singled home Jimmy Walsh to extend our lead to two. Our starter, Gene Packard, hit an RBI single in the fourth to make it a 3-0 advantage, and Stuffy McInnis got in on the action in the fifth with an RBI double to make it a four-run shutout lead. McInnis added a two-run double in the ninth to seal the deal, and we completed the shutout victory, beating Detroit 6-0. Packard was due a good game, and tonight he delivered with a complete game four-hitter, striking out a pair with no walks on just 101 pitches, improving his record to 7-7 with a 2.11 ERA! We picked up 11 hits ourselves, led by Strunk who had four hits, a run and an RBI, while McInnis had two hits for three RBIs.

August 9, 1916: Our hot hitting continued into game three, Stuffy McInnis hitting an RBI single in the top of the first to put us into the lead. Rube Oldring hit a two-run double in the third, but George Burns hit an RBI flyball double in the bottom of the fifth to get Detroit on the board, our lead at 3-1. Charlie Pick singled in a run by Mike Mowrey in the eighth to buy us a bit of insurance, and we held on to win this one 4-1, a big win! Pedro Dibut pitched seven innings with nine hits, two walks, a strikeout and an earned run, improving to 15-11 with a 2.18 ERA through 218.1 innings of work, and while he’s still unknown outside the AL, he’s made a solid name for himself on pure grit so far in his rookie season. They outhit us 11-10, but McInnis made his count, hitting three times and batting in a run while Rube Oldring hit once and batted in two.

August 10, 1916: Stuffy McInnis bought us the lead once again in the top of the first with a sac-fly, Wally Schang tagging up and scoring after having stolen third moments before the pop-fly. Dick Rudolph and Jimmy Walsh singled in runs in the third to pile on, and we dominated from there, building a 7-0 lead by the end of the fifth inning. The Tigers loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth and left them all stranded in this one as we easily bested them 8-1, each team picking up 11 hits in the contest. Oldring led the way for us with two hits, two runs and an RBI, but Walsh, Strunk and Charlie Pick each had two hits as well, a well-rounded offensive performance. That set Dick Rudolph up nicely for another complete game, allowing 11 hits and striking out seven while giving them just one earned run. He’s gone 9-7 with a 2.04 ERA since the trade from the Boston Braves back in May, and he’s 12-10 for the season with a 1.86 ERA, 98 strikeouts and a 1.04 WHIP, giving him 5.7 WAR ... making him a strong contender for pitcher of the year consideration, having thrown 256.1 innings of work with 27 quality starts and 20 complete games under his belt!

[jksander]

August 12, 1916: We had a day off yesterday for travel, and are now in New York for a doubleheader today against the Yankees, which will be followed by tomorrow off and then games on Monday and Tuesday. In game one New York took the lead in the bottom of the first off a line drive double by Les Nunamaker, but Stuffy McInnis reached on an E5 error in the third to tie it, Rube Oldring hit a sac-fly to take the lead, and Nap Lajoie singled in a run to make it a 3-1 lead midway through the inning! We held our ground until the bottom of the eighth, when New York rallied with a two-run homer by Hal Chase, just his second of the year, and just like that we were tied 3-3 heading into the ninth inning. Unfazed, Lew Malone hit an RBI single in the top of the inning to put us back up a run, and Hi Jasper closed it out as we outlasted the Yankees 4-3! That’s a good way to win the front end of a doubleheader, though we did burn some bullpen arms. Gene Packard lasted 7.2 innings with nine hits, two strikeouts and two earned runs, but Byron Houck blew the save (his second) and wound up coming up with the win, improving to 9-3 with a 2.55 ERA, though he only got one out and allowed a hit, a walk and a run. Hi Jasper earned his third save of the season and improved his ERA to 1.12 since arriving in Philadelphia, and we won despite them outhitting us 10-7. Nap Lajoie, who turns 42 in a few weeks, led the way with two hits and an RBI, while Amos Strunk had a hit, a walk and a run scored.

In game two, Bill Morrisette got the start, just his second spot start of the season, and Hal Chase rung him up for a two-run homer in the bottom of the first. But we played smart baseball from there, and Stuffy McInnis hit an RBI single in the top of the sixth to get us back within a run. Dickey Kerr took over in the bottom of the seventh on one out, getting us out of the inning on a 6-4-3 double play, but he got hit hard in the eighth when Luke Boone reached on an E3 error (Frank Baker scoring) and Les Nunamaker hit an RBI single to drive in Hugh High, giving the Yanks a 4-1 lead. We fought hard in the top of the ninth, Alex McCarthy hitting a sac-fly to score Roy Grover and Charlie Pick singling home Rube Oldring. But with the Yankees lead still at one run, bases loaded and two outs, Lee McElwee popped out harmlessly to left and stranded them all as we lost a heartbreaker 4-3. Morrisette fell to 6-4 on the season with a 3.68 ERA, allowing just three hits with three strikeouts and two earned runs, but he walked seven batters which severely shortened his afternoon. We outhit them 11-4 which made the end result even more galling. Oldring led with three hits and a run, while McInnis added three hits and an RBI.
 
August 14, 1916: Morrisette helped buy Pedro Dibut an extra day’s rest, since we had Sunday off ... he came into tonight’s game on a rarity ... FIVE days of rest! Stuffy McInnis bought him a lead when he reached on an E4 error in the bottom of the first, driving home Jimmy Walsh, but the Yankees answered quickly with a sac-fly by Frank Baker to tie it up 1-1. Paddy Baumann hit an RBI double to give them a lead in the bottom of the fourth, and then they hammered us mercilessly, building a five-run lead as we faced a brutal top-of-the-ninth. Sam Crane hit an RBI single to cut it to four, but we left the bases loaded and lost this one 6-2. Dibut was out of the game long before that point, however, only lasting 5.2 innings, allowing nine hits and five runs (three earned) with five walks and a single strikeout ... one of his worst performances of the season as his record fell to 15-12. Some days go like that ... the Yanks outslugged us 14-6, Rube Oldring walking three times and Jimmy Walsh leading with a hit, a walk and a run.

Chicago is now 9.5 games up on us and 7.5 up on St. Louis, so the American League pennant is looking like theirs to lose ... while we still have a chance, it’s not looking like we have a World Series caliber team at the moment, there’s still work to do here in Philly.

August 15, 1916: This one was an epic duel, and in the top of the eighth we broke the scoreless draw when Dick Rudolph hit a sac-fly to drive in the game’s first run, Nemo Leibold tagging up and scoring off a no-throw by the Yankees’ left fielder. But our joy was short-lived. Hal Chase killed us with another two-run homer, his fourth of the year and third against us, and Les Nunamaker hit an RBI single to give the Yanks a two-run lead heading into the final frame. We had nothing left in the tank, and they got their 3-1 win, taking the series three games to one. Rudolph took the loss with a nine hit one walk three run game, striking out three, and they outhit us 9-4, nobody on our offense making any impression at all outside Rudolph’s sacrifice in the eighth.

The good news is that we’re heading back to Philly, with three games against St. Louis, four against Detroit, three against Cleveland and four against Chicago. We’ll then hit the road over the Labor Day weekend to play four games against Washington, then returning to Philly for three against Boston and three against the Yankees.

The current standings:

1. Chicago White Sox (68-44)
2. St. Louis Browns (61-52, 7.5 GB)
3. Philadelphia Athletics (57-53, 10 GB)
4. New York Yankees (56-54, 11 GB)
5. Boston Red Sox (52-58, 15 GB)
6. Cleveland Indians (51-61, 17 GB)
7. Detroit Tigers (51-62, 17.5 GB)
8. Washington Senators (49-61, 18 GB)

If we’re to have any chance to make a comeback, we need all the wins we can get against St. Louis and Chicago, and then to beat all the teams below us who we’re expected to be able to handle. It’s a tough order, and we’ve dug a nice hole. But at least for now we can still see a way out of it.

[jksander]

August 16, 1916: We traded runs in the third inning, St. Louis taking the lead off a George Sisler single in the top of the inning and Jimmy Walsh grounding into a double play to give Charlie Pick the chance to score the tying run in the bottom of the inning. St. Louis retook the lead in the top of the fourth with a Doc Crandall RBI single, and a Del Pratt homer in the fifth put them up by a pair. But pitcher Gene Packard got us a run back in the bottom of the fifth with a well placed RBI single into left, and in the sixth we tied it with a triple by Wally Schang, taking the lead moments later with an RBI single for Shag Thompson to lead 4-3 heading into the seventh. We were able to hold that lead the rest of the way, beating St. Louis 4-3 and showing a lot of grit in the process. Packard only lasted 5.2 innings, allowing six hits and three earned runs with five walks and one strikeout. But Jack Nabors was lights out, pitching 3.1 innings with three hits, a walk and a strikeout, earning his seventh win and giving himself a 4.20 ERA through 49.1 innings over 33 appearances. They outhit us 9-8, but defensive sub Shag Thompson was a sparkplug, hitting twice with an RBI, while Amos Strunk added two hits and a run scored.

August 17, 1916: In the bottom of the second we took a solid 3-0 lead thanks to a two-run single by Wally Schang and an RBI single by Amos Strunk that gave Pedro Dibut some early room to breathe on the mound. We then added on in the fourth, two runs scoring off an RBI single by Shang, and Stuffy McInnis adding an RBI double to make it a 6-0 lead! Dibut held the shutout into the ninth, getting two outs before letting Del Pratt hit a triple ... and though we were up six runs, our manager pulled him for Dickey Kerr, who immediately let George Sisler single in the run, blowing the shutout. He would get the final out without much fuss, and we won 6-1, but Dibut was clearly miffed that he didn’t get to complete the game. He allowed four hits, walking one and striking out five, so having the run count against him without getting to throw the pitch himself was understandably frustrating. But he got the win, and is now 16-12 with a 2.20 ERA through 232.2 innings as a rookie which is an incredible start. We outhit St. Louis 10-6, led by Wally Schang, who had two hits, a run and four RBIs.
 
August 18, 1916: Nobody has pitched more innings (264.1) than Dick Rudolph this season across his games with us and Boston, and only five have a better ERA than his 1.91 mark. Tonight we gave him a quick 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first with a groundout by Stuffy McInnis that scored Jimmy Walsh from second, and in the bottom of the second we added on five runs, off just three hits -- singles by Walsh and McInnis, followed by a THREE-RUN TRIPLE by Rube Oldring! The game became a total rout when Wally Schang hit a three-run homer in the third, but St. Louis still had teeth. In the top of the fifth they got on the board with an RBI single by Hank Severeid, and then Del Pratt singled in two runs and George Sisler singled in two more (aided by an E9 throwing error). But Rudolph was unfazed, pitching another complete game as he held onto that lead ... in the top of the ninth Burt Shotton hit an RBI single to get St. Louis back within three, but that’s all they’d get as we whipped them 9-6. Rudolph allowed eight hits, two walks and six runs (four earned), giving him his 10th win as an Athletic and his 13th overall this season. We matched them with eight hits, Jimmy Walsh leading from the leadoff spot with two hits, a walk, three runs and an RBI, while Wally Schang added a hit, a walk, two runs and three RBIs.

By completing the sweep, we’re now in second place in the AL, eight games back of Chicago but half a game up on the Browns. We’ll play four games in five days against the Detroit Tigers (53-63, 16.5 GB) and three against Cleveland (51-64, 18 GB) and will then get our much anticipated home rematch series against the White Sox, with a ton on the line. We’ll do it, however, without Nap Lajoie in the lineup, he having severely strained a hip tendon ... he’s out at least two to three weeks, but could return before the end of the season. Lew Malone is going to step into his starting spot at second base, and we’re going to use his roster spot for a fourth starter, bringing in 22-year-old rookie Speed Martin as an extra right-handed pitcher. Martin was acquired in the big Bullet Joe Bush trade back on July 1st with the White Sox, and on the 9th he was named the 24th best prospect in baseball off his reputation for having a blistering slider and splitter combination. His stuff is excellent, but whether his caommand is ready for the majors will depend on how he develops. These next six weeks should help him at least gain some real game experience.

[jksander]

August 19, 1916: We continued to hit well, and in the bottom of the third inning we took a 2-0 lead thanks to an RBI triple for Jimmy Walsh and an RBI groundout by Amos Strunk. But they got them both back in the top of the seventh, scoring off a Harry Heilmann and an RBI double by Marty Kavanaugh. But we were unfazed, and in the bottom of the eighth Nemo Leibold doubled in a run to get us the lead back, scoring himself moments later off a single by Lee McElwee. Amos Strunk hit an RBI single to add on, and we went into the top of the ninth leading by three runs. Byron Houck closed out the ninth inning and we were able to keep our win streak alive with a 5-2 victory! Gene Packard improved to 8-7 with a 2.20 ERA, allowing two hits, two runs and three walks in his eight innings, while Houck earned his 13th save with a strikeout and nobody making ti on base. This was his 100th inning pitched this season and he still has a 2.52 ERA!

August 21, 1916: Detroit got on the board quickly, scoring off a Ty Cobb RBI single in the top of the first, but Stuffy McInnis hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning to flip the lead back to us, just his second homer of the season! Ossie Vitt hit a two run double in the top of the fourth to put them back on top, but we again answered in the bottom of the inning ... Rube Oldring reached base on an E5 error, letting McInnis score, Mike Mowrey hit an RBI single to give us the lead, and Alex McCarthy grounded into a 5-4-3 double play that let Oldring score, giving us a 5-3 lead going into the top of the fifth! Red McKee hit an RBI single in the top of the sixth to get Detroit back within a run, but a Jimmy Walsh RBI single and a two-run triple by Amos Strunk gave us a four-run cushion as the Tigers struggled to keep up. We removed all doubt in the bottom of the seventh, as Malone hit a solo homer, Alex McCarthy got an RBI triple and Nemo Leibold grounded out to score McCarthy, giving us an 11-4 lead heading into the eighth inning. Mowrey walked in a run in the eighth to pile on, and we won with ease 12-4. Pedro Dibut improved to 17-12 with a 2.26 ERA, lasting just six innings with 10 hits, three walks, four runs (three earned) and two K’s, but Hi Jasper earned his fourth save with a three inning effort, allowing five hits and striking out one but allowing nobody to score. This was a hitter’s game, with each team notching 15 ... we were led by McInnis, who had three hits, a walk, three runs and two RBIs, while Mowrey added three hits, a walk, two runs and two RBIs.

August 22, 1916: Jimmy Walsh hit a squeeze bunt to the third base side, reaching safely and allowing Alex McCarthy to score in the bottom of the third, giving us a 1-0 lead. But in the top of the fourth the Tigers bit back, scoring two runs off a single by Sam Crawford and adding on when Crawford stole third and then slid home off an E2 error after a botched pickoff throw. We answered with a groundout by Oldring that scored Strunk, followed by an RBI single by Mowrey to tie it 3-3 in the bottom of the inning, and a two-run homer by Strunk put us up 5-3 after five innings, his third homer of the year as he remains red hot from the plate. We traded runs from there, but were able to hold our own down the stretch, and got out of this one with a 6-5 victory, our sixth in a row! Dick Rudolph pitched another complete game, with nine hits, nine strikeouts and three earned runs, and though they outhit us 9-8, Strunk was dominant with three hits two runs and two RBIs. He’s second on the team only to McInnis in runs batted in, and is now hitting .336 with 4.8 wins above replacement.

August 23, 1916: Detroit took the lead with a Harry Heilmann RBI single in the top of the first, but we answered in the bottom of the second with an RBI double by Mike Mowrey to tie it up. But the Tigers were on a rampage from there, scoring six unanswered runs in the next three innings to take a commanding 7-1 advantage midway through the fifth inning, Gene Packard getting pulled by our skipper after just four frames. We got a pair back in the bottom of the fifth off a single by Lew Malone, and continued to claw runs back in the sixth thanks to a two-run triple by Jimmy Walsh and a groundout by McInnis that scored Walsh. Bill Morrisette continued to pitch well as a long reliever, getting three quick outs in the top of the seventh, and in the bottom of the inning Malone scored after stealing third and getting a careful leadoff prior to a single by Rube Oldring, tying the score at 7-7! Oldring scored moments later off a single by Walsh, and Stuffy McInnis hit an RBI single to score Nemo Leibold, giving us a 9-7 advantage heading into the top of the eighth! Byron Houck took over on the mound from Morrisette from there, pitching the rest of the way as we held on to the 9-7 victory as the win streak lives on. Morrisette earned his win, pitchiung three innings with three hits, two walks, two strikeouts and one earned run, giving him a 7-4 record and a 3.64 ERA through 47 innings. Houck then pitched a two-inning save, his 14th of the year, shutting down six batters in a row off just 17 pitches. We outhit them 19-11 to complete the incredible comeback, led by Malone (three hits, two runs, two RBIs) and Jimmy Walsh (three hits, a walk, a run and three RBIs) while Stuffy McInnis added three hits, a run and an RBI.

Seven wins in a row and back to back sweeps have improved our position greatly ... we now trail Chicago by just six games, and have built a 2.5 game gap between us and the third-place Browns, who only lead the fourth place Yankees by half a game.

[jksander]

August 24, 1916: Speed Martin made his major league debut today agianst the Indians, and it was his misfortune that he gave the Indians a 3-0 lead in the top of the second (thanks to a two-run double for Steve O’Neill and an RBI single for Tris Speaker), because our bats were quiet all night. Lew Malone scored our only run (off a passed ball) in the bottom of the fourth, and we limped our way to a 3-1 loss. Martin pitched well, however, lasting eight innings with just eight hits, a walk and the three earned runs, striking out three as well. We were outhit 8-5, with Malone’s two hits and a run scored being our only real offense.

August 25, 1916: Ivan Howard scored off a Tris Speaker groundout in the top of the third to give Cleveland a 1-0 lead, but we answered with an RBI single by McInnis in the bottom of the fourth to tie it up 1-1. Unfortunately the Indians quickly retook the lead in the fifth off a single by Fred Beebe, adding an RBI single by Chick Gandil for insurance in the sixth, coasting from there to beat us again by a 3-1 margin. Pedro Dibut took the loss, pitching 6.2 innings with six hits, five walks and three earned runs, striking out two, and they outhit us 7-2, another stunningly poor night for our offense. With only three baserunners the entire game, only McInnis managing to bat anything in, it was a long grind to get through this one without becoming frustrated with our team’s inconsistency.

August 26, 1916: In the bottom of the fifth Stuffy McInnis hit an RBI double to put us into the lead 1-0, but they got it back in the top of the seventh, tying the score off a double by Willie Mitchell. But we came to life in the bottom of the inning, retaking the lead with an RBI triple by Jimmy Walsh, who scored himself when Nemo Leibold reached on an E1 error. A two-run triple by Lew Malone added insurance, sending us into the top of the eighth leading by four runs. We’d hold that lead the rest of the way, winning easily 5-1, Dick Rudolph pitching another complete game gem with just seven hits, two walks, five strikeouts and the one earned run. We outhit Cleveland 9-7, led by Walsh with three hits, a walk, two runs and an RBI, while Malone added two hits and two RBIs.

Lew Malone was named the AL’s Player of the Week, batting .500 with a homer and five RBIs! The 19-year-old has hit .247/.340/.416 this year in 65 games playing off the bench, with two doubles, two triples and three homers, stealing four bases. He may never become a star, or even earn a permanent starting spot on an MLB team due to his weak contact, but the kid has been making the most of his opportunities -- there are much less fun ways a 19-year-old could be earning $1,600 a year, that’s for sure!

[jksander]

August 28, 1916: We took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first thanks to an RBI single by Lew Malone, and Jimmy Walsh got us some insurance in the second inning with an RBI single of his own. Chicago got on the board with an RBI single by Buck Weaver in the top of the fourth, however, and in the top of the eighth they tied us up 2-2 off a Joe Jackson RBI triple. This game went into extra innings, where in the bottom of the 11th we were able to finally walk it off, an RBI single by Shag Thompson doing the deed as we won 3-2! Hi Jasper got the win, improving to 7-1 with a 1.70 ERA between his time in St. Louis and here, getting through the 11th inning on eight pitches. Gene Packard had 8.1 innings with six hits, a walk, two runs (one earned) and three K’s in his start, and Houck gave us 1.2 innings with a hit, two walks and a strikeout. We outhit the AL leaders 11-7, led by Amos Strunk and Nemo Leibold who each had two hits and a run.

We now trail Chicago by six games in the pennant chase, with just six games remaining against them this season.

August 29, 1916: Chicago got out to a quick start, scoring off an RBI triple by Joe Jackson and a 5-3 groundout by Happy Felsch to take a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. But Amos Strunk hit a two-run single in the bottom of the third to tie it up, and in the bottom of the fourth we took the lead thanks to a single by Mike Mowrey! Chicago retied the score at 3-3 when Eddie Collins scored off a wild pitch in the top of the seventh, and they took control in the eighth with a two-run triple by Jack Ness, quickly running away with the game. We got a run back in the ninth off an E5 error that scored Mike Mowrey, but by then they’d already added three more runs in the top of the frame, crushing us 8-4. We’d known our chances of overcoming them were slim, but it still hurt to lose a game in that way, getting crushed in the final three frames by a 6-1 margin. We matched them on hits with nine each, led by Mowrey and Oldring with two hits and a run apiece. Jack Nabors took the loss out of the bullpen, falling to 7-6 with a 4.82 ERA after allowing six hits, a walk and six runs (five earned) in 1.2 innings, Dibut having only lasted six innings in his start, allowing three hits and three runs off EIGHT walks ... his lack of control remains concerning.

August 30, 1916: Buck Weaver hit a sac-fly in the top of the second to put Chicago up 1-0, and that was actually all they needed as our bats took a long afternoon nap. That didn’t stop them from getting an RBI single from Zeb Terry and a sac-fly by Eddie Collins to add a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, as the White Sox put us in our place with a 3-0 beatdown. Dick Rudolph actually got pulled after seven innings, allowing seven hits with a walk, four strikeouts and three runs (two earned) in the loss, while Houck gave us two innings with a hit and two K’s as he tried to will us back into the game. No dice. They outhit us just 8-7, and we had five walks (though they had six) ... of our 12 baserunners, Strunk (a hit and a walk) and McInnis (two hits and a walk) fared the best, but nobody could find a way to score.

August 31, 1916: Chicago took the lead in the top of the first off a single by Joe Jackson that was coupled with an E7 throwing error, and for almost two hours this looked like a repeat of yesterday, our offense looking completely impotent. Then came the bottom of the eighth inning ... Shag Thompson singled and took second on a wild pitch ... after a Shag Thompson flyout, Jimmy Walsh and Wally Schang walked, loading the bags, and another wild pitch scored Crane to get us on the board, tying the score at 1-1! Stuffy McInnis then hit an RBI single, and an E7 error by the White Sox let Schang score, giving us a sudden two-run lead, and we weren’t finished with them. Lee McElwee hit a sac-fly to drive home Amos Strunk, and after a Rube Oldring walk, Roy Grover singled home McInnis! Having cycled through the entire lineup, Sam Crane took a walk, Shag Thompson hit an RBI single, and Jimmy Walsh reached on an E4 error as we destroyed them with a seven run inning! That brought Bill Morrisette out to pitch in the ninth with a six-run lead out of nowhere, and he shut them down quietly as we won 7-1! Hi Jasper got the win, throwing seven pitches to shut down two batters in the top of the eighth, and he now has a 0.66 ERA since joining our club ... and it wasn’t like Gene Packard had a bad start, he’d kept us in this one with 7.1 innings and just seven hits, two walks, a run and a strikeout. We managed to outhit them 8-7, led by McInnis with two hits, a run and a pair of RBIs.
 
We’re going to start the month of September with four games against Washington, including a Labor Day doubleheader scheduled for next Monday. With just thirty games remaining, two thirds of them coming on the road, we have a tough slate ahead of us as we fight both for a slim chance at a pennant and a much more reasonable chance to finish in the top half of the standings:

1. Chicago White Sox (75-51)
2. Philadelphia Athletics (67-57, 7 GB)
3. New York Yankees (66-58, 8 GB)
4. St. Louis Browns (66-61, 9.5 GB)
5. Boston Red Sox (61-63, 13 GB)
6. Washington Senators (56-68, 18 GB)
7. Cleveland Indians (56-70, 19 GB)
8. Detroit Tigers (54-73, 21.5 GB)

While nobody in the AL has been mathematically eliminated, the same can’t be said for Cincinnati (42-86, 39.5 GB) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (50-78, 31.5 GB) over in the National League. With the Brooklyn Robins currently holding a magic number of 31, the top six are still fighting it out, though only Brooklyn and the New York baseball Giants look like they have any real chance of taking the pennant, and either team has proven they are good enough to deserve their shot at the World Series:

1. Brooklyn Robins (79-44)
2. New York Giants (78-45, 1 GB)
3. Philadelphia Phillies (67-56, 12 GB)
4. Chicago Cubs (68-59, 13 GB)
5. Boston Braves (61-63, 18.5 GB)
6. St. Louis Cardinals (57-71, 24.5 GB)
7. Pittsburgh Pirates (50-78, 31.5 GB) -- eliminated
8. Cincinnati Reds (42-86, 39.5 GB) -- eliminated

It’s been a great year for Philadelphia baseball so far ... our team has already improved on last year’s 43-109 record (and last place AL finish) by 24 wins, and though the Phillies, who were in the World Series last year, only have 67 wins right now, they’re 11 games over .500 and still have a chance, though they’d need a pretty damned solid finish to overtake the two New York juggernauts. It’s looking like we’ve got two teams in this “City of Brotherly Love” that can provide real entertainment for fans throughout the city, and that’s a great thing for baseball.

With rosters expanding, we’ve decided to call up the following players from our reserve roster:

RF - Bill Lamar -- 15th ranked prospect
C - Val Picinich -- 36th ranked prospect
SP Socks Seibold -- 53rd ranked prospect
RP - Jing Johnson -- 59th ranked prospect
SP - Marsh Williams -- 73rd ranked prospect
CF - Bill Johnson -- 76th ranked prospect

Aside from Bill Lamar, who will be our primary defensive sub in both left and right field, none are expected to get particularly significant playing time, but they’ll give us added depth to give our manager added options as we fight through these final thirty games. Speed Martin will maintain his spot as our fourth starter, while Johnson, Seibold and Williams will join Dickie Kerr as long relief options. Picinich will be a third catcher option behind Jimmy Bassler, and Bill Johnson will be our fourth option at CF, unlikely to play at all unless we have a major injury explosion.