The Bucs Start Here - A Pirates Do-Over

[luckymann]

One more key piece of our puzzle locked down for a while.

[luckymann]

[luckymann]

As I had suspected, all it took was for the Babe to be relieved of his pitching duties for him to start dominating at the plate. And boy has he done so in the season so far. Just 40-odd games in, he is within reach of his previous season-high of 24, and is currently projected to crack a whopping 64.



We'll see where that goes over the next few months, but for now he is the newest member of the 100 HR Club. With HJ off his power game this season, Babe could well leapfrog him and then Ben Taylor on the all-time list if things pan out.





More updates to come.

[luckymann]

Man, things got complicated quick.

My comments of a month earlier notwithstanding, there has – despite the healthy W-L record – been some real concerns for us from the off, almost all to do with the top end of our rotation. It had little effect early, with the bats afire, but when they inevitably cool off somewhat the situation makes itself manifest in the form of a 6-game losing streak. We get it together again in the finishing stages to post a 17-13 sectional, but I am keeping an eagle eye on the situation right now, ready to act as needed.





The bats certainly have carried us, a feat made even more impressive by the run of injuries we've had, with Traynor, O'Farrell and late in the month Lundy all out for IL stints. Lundy is the biggest loss, gone for a month just when he really starts hitting his straps, and with Traynor still a week off from returning it will definitely test our thinness at SS.



Train is having arguably the worst start to a season in his storied career, and Cooper is a mess as well. If not for Leblanc and, most of all Streeter (who wins the RotM Award), I'm not sure where we'd be.



Standings, awards, news and leaders.








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[luckymann]

Most RBIs without Scoring a Run (does not include pitchers)

[luckymann]

Win Probability Added, batters - 1921 season to date

Win Probability Added, pitchers - 1921 season to date

[luckymann]

Even with the injury cap applied, this is still a season-ender for poor old Joe, the second straight time his campaign has ended prematurely.

[luckymann]

[luckymann]

A wobbly start to the month but then we get things back on track with a 6-game win string, only for our game to all but come apart at the seams in the latter part of the month, which we finish with a most streaky 14-13 record.





The bats are still going OK, and will hopefully be helped by the return of Lundy on the final day of the month.



And then there’s our pitching...

Train continues to struggle, suffers a bit of a niggle that sidelines him for a week and then throws a 4-hit shutout on his return, then gets shelled the start after that. All of our rotation save Leblanc have an ERA for the month to this point of above 5. After another dreadful performance by Cooper on the final day, I make the move and switch him with Streeter, who now moves into the SP slot. Let’s see how that goes.



Standings, awards, news and leaders.







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[luckymann]

Most Seasons Between Hits

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... for the moment at least.



This also puts him in a three-way tie at the top of the all-time list with Ben Taylor and Heavy J on 113.

[luckymann]

Our devolution continues with an 11-18 month that can only be described as a shocker.

There are times when we seem in absolute freefall, unable to win a game. When the bats are hot, the pitchers get shelled. When the pitchers get it together, the bats go on holidays. That sort of month.



Look, we've had a great run during which plenty of things have gone our way, so I'm not going to sit here and pick things apart. We just need to make sure this is an anomaly, not the start of a trend.

It's all fairly ugly reading here that looks like it has been edited by Stephen King.






At just 5 games back, we certainly aren't thinking the season is lost. But it will take a superhuman effort to turn things around here, that's for sure. Both divisions look set for big finishes so hold onto your hats, folks.



Awards, news, leaders.






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[luckymann]

Most Innings without a No-Decision

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[luckymann]

Not sure I'd be so blasé about this if circumstances were different, but I've only got minors set up to serve a purpose, so watching this unfold is kind of fun.

Without having massively out of whack ratings or anything, after this fine effort George Johnson has now hit 65 for the season.



Meanwhile, up in The Show, this bloke's not going so badly himself...

[luckymann]

Another iffy month but at least we seem to have stemmed the bleeding. We post a 15-11 record characterised by intermittent flashes of brilliance interspersed with absolutely dreadful performances, usually by our pitchers.





Our hitting has solidified with Lundy's return and we are a markedly better side with him in it. Mueller is having a sensational rookie year after his late call-up (OPS+ of 149), Marcell and Williams are providing plenty of pop (our 67 HR leads the NL), and the others are all doing their bit.




Leblanc has pretty much held the pitching together. Cooper's form finally gets too much to bear and he loses his spot in the rotation to Ruether. What an ignominious fall from his 29-win Waddell Medal performance of a season ago. Richter becomes the first player in MLB history to record 100 career saves.




Whether we come out on top or not, this has by far been the most enjoyable season so far for me. The live ball just adds another dimension to things and some days I simply don't know where to look. The fact that our division race is crazy tight doesn't hurt. Over in the AL, the Browns look to have pinched a break, although they aren't home yet.




Awards, news, leaders. I suspect you'll be hearing from me sooner rather than later as these pennant chases play out. And we have two players - Heavy J in the AL and Frankie Frisch in the NL - who seem set to give 400 a real nudge this season.






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[luckymann]

Most RBIs without Scoring a Run (Does not include pitchers)

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Adjusted Weighted Runs Created, 1921 season to date

[luckymann]

He might not get as much fanfare as his NeL cohorts Williams, Rogan, Mendez and Foster, but Dick Redding can lay claim to being the most consistent of them all. And that, along with his ability to stay healthy while the others have been struck at various times by the injury bug, has allowed him to beat them all to the 250 career wins level.

With the exception of his 15-17 rookie campaign in 1911, Dick has won at least 20 games in each of his 11 MLB seasons to date, with a highwater mark of 31 in 1912. Pretty remarkable stuff, capped off with his first Waddell Medal last season. He has amassed almost 64 WAR and, at 31, providing he stays healthy I see no reason why he can't enhance these numbers to a point where he assures his spot in the HOF, if indeed he hasn't already. 300 wins is definitely on the cards if things go his way and nobody can argue that he doesn't deserve it.

[luckymann]

... but perhaps good news for us as our closest rival loses one of their key players - a Legacy - for the season.