Whirled Ball: The Way Baseball Never Was

[Makonnen]

This is the second featured series for Los Angeles, the first team to come through for a second round. The Angels come into the series with a 17-13 record, tied atop the Bill James Division with the Wandering House of David. They have won their last 4 games, a series sweep over the Homestead Grays.

Kansas City has an identical record, 17-13, but trail Chicago by 1 game in the Cum Posey Division. They split their 4 games with Memphis, and are struggling a little, only 4-6 over their last 10 games.

Anticipated pitching matchups are (LA first) Doc Gooden (1-4, 6.06) v. Andy Pettite (2-2, 4.30); Gerrit Cole (4-1, 4.04) v. Frank Castillo (2-2, 2.95); Brett Anderson (2-3, 3.93) v. Rube Marquard (2-2, 5.91); Pud Galvin (1-1, 4.23) v. Luke Hamlin (2-3, 4.28).

The Cole - Castillo is easily the most anticipated, as both have been quite good so far.

The Angels are led by SS George Wright (345/398/607) and the OF pair of Kal Daniels (329/441/579) and Elmer Valo (337/440/469). Daniels and Valo are a little susceptible to left-handed pitchers. Wright has 6 HRs and Doug Radar 5, but the team lacks power overall--partially because Mike Trout has struggled to hit for power, slashing 289/387/404. Radar has been their MVP so far, hitting 333/365/533 with 34 RBIs (which is tied for 2nd in the league).

Both Chuck Finley (1-0, 3H, 2.35 ERA, 1.04 WHIP) and Nolan Ryan (4.80 ERA, 1.00 WHIP) have been fantastic out of the bullpen, and are in line for a spot start at some point. Closer Joe Nathan has been busy, with a record of 2-1 with 3 saves and a hold.

The Monarchs still feel like they are figuring themselves out offensively, but they are a solid ballclub top to bottom, ranked in the top half of the league in almost every category other than HRs (they do lack some in the power department). Stan Musial leads the way at 381/449/585, but Boog Powell, Albert Pujols, and Rogers Hornsby all have an OPS over .800 and the catcher platoon of Ted Simmons (356/408/578) and Salvador Perez (310/322/460) has been very productive. Musial has 5 HRs, with Powell, Pujols, and Perez adding 4 each.

[luckymann]

Originally Posted by Makonnen

Yes, please.

I play every game manually for the WBL. Do you (or anyone) know of a combination of settings where teams (that is, the AI) can "propose" trades that I (as commish) can then approve?

This is a big obstacle for me, as the work of going through each franchise to try to create "fair" trades is a bit daunting, but I need trading and economics to be an ongoing gear in dispersing talent.

Look I can't say unequivocally, but I'm pretty sure what you're seeking is not possible in the game as is.

And of course even if you do it manually, presumably by WAR, there are great discrepancies between that metric and the ratings players are assigned in-game.

For mine, I'd plan the whole thing out well in advance and then just force the trades or move the players to different teams with the editor, then assign them appropriate contracts.

Messy, but the only real way I see for this to be achieved.

It's problematic when you try to step outside the straightforward structure of the game. The manual I have drawn up for my ACBA college save is about a dozen pages long full of instructions that need to be done at least once a season. Hard yards, but ultimately worth it if you're an OC control freak like me.

In my Bucs save with the Legacies, I am allocating them a fairly-priced 10-year contract from the day they enter the league, with a no-trade clause built in. After that, I'm just letting come what may. Hopefully that will be enough to keep the big names where I want them to be.

[Makonnen]

{On the first of every month, we'll take a trip through the two levels of the WBL Minor Leagues.}

Featured Team: The Atlanta X-Giants

The Atlanta X-Giants (Birmingham) are off to a spectacular start, with a 22-3 record, best in AAA by 8 games in the young season. They opened the season with a 4 game sweep of Washington, "struggled" to a 5-3 record, and have since then reeled off 13 straight victories, including series sweeps of Milwaukee, Seattle, Orlando, and Louisville. That puts them 8 games ahead of second-place Hartford after only a month of play.

Larry Benton (4-0, 1.44 ERA) and Tim Hudson (3-0, 2.78 ERA with a WHIP of 0.84) have already been called up to Birmingham. John Malarkey is the current ace of the X-Giants' staff, at 4-1, 2.85. Peter Moylan has been hit hard, but has still managed a half-dozen saves despite an ERA over 6.

Offensively, Birmingham has already raided Atlanta's outfield for Bob Nieman (293/379/569) and Curtis Granderson (340/358/660), leaving their best hitters as 1B Jake Beckley (299/398/536) and 3B Pie Traynor (351/361/468). SS Herman Long (381/395/762) has been on an extreme hot streak, but has started only 9 games so far. Beckley and C Del Crandall (206/247/485) lead the X-Giants with 19 RBIs each.

Given how Birmingham is struggling across the board, any of these players could find themselves in the WBL soon. But the best actual prospect may be OF Joe Rudi, who at 22 was just promoted to AAA.

AAA Leaders

Robinson Cano (423/461/634) has already been called up to the WBL. There are four other batters whose performance is crying out for a chance with their big league clubs:

• Quebec's Hi Myers is leading AAA with a .452 average, slashing 452/462/808. Given the struggles of Ottawa's OF, Myers should be given a chance soon.
• New Orleans' Freddy Lynn is slashing 415/465/908, and while Memphis' OF looks full at the moment, at some point that level of production is impossible to ignore.
• Joey Votto, playing for Indianapolis' AAA affiliate in Cincinnati, is slashing 370/500/630, and likely to to be the next player called up to the ABC's.
• Finally, Orlando's Gary Sheffield is pounding along at a 357/449/655 clip, and may find himself in Miami sooner than later.

In addition to the Atlanta pitchers mentioned above, San Jose's Carlos Carrasco was pounded with San Francisco, but has been almost unhittable at AAA, posting a 1.90 ERA. Cincinnati's Doc White has been stellar over 3 starts, allowing a WHIP of only 0.85, just slightly behind Hudson.

From the bullpen, the most dominant performer has been Quebec's Darren Dreifort, who has gotten a decision in each of his 12 appearances, sitting at 2-1 with 9 saves. Non-prospect, 39 year-old, Doug Jones is 1-0 with 2 saves and 4 holds, and has yet to give up an earned run.

Awards

AAA Player of the Month: Freddy Lynn (New Orleans/Memphis)
AAA Pitcher of the Month: Darren Dreifort (Quebec/Ottawa)

AAA Players of the Week: Joe Cronin (New Orleans/Memphis), Lynn, Al Kaline (Toronto/Detroit), Marlon Byrd (Norfolk/Philadelphia).

Hottest Prospects

SP: Hardie Henderson (20, Buffalo/Cleveland): 4-1, 2.73 ERA; Jock Menefee (24, St. Louis/Kansas City): 2-1, 2.20 ERA, 3 CG.
RP: Darren Dreifort (24, Quebec/Ottawa): 2-1, 9 Sv, 1.42 ERA; Matt Anderson (24, Toronto/Detroit): 1 H, 0.87 ERA.
C: Mike Scioscia (25, Norfolk/Philadelphia): 303/425/485
1B: Anthony Rizzo (22, Columbus/House of David): 302/371//698, 10 HR.
2B: Robinson Cano (23, St. Louis/Kansas City): 423/461/634 [*]
3B: Gary Sheffield (23, Orlando/Miami): 357/449/655
SS: Cal Ripken, Jr. (21, Washington/Baltimore): 247/350/461
OF: Paul Waner (23, Louisville/Homestead): 326/413/640; Sandy Amoros (24, Orlando/Miami): 299/408/644, 15 ExBH; Yasiel Puig (22, Hartford/New York Gothams): 323/413/624.

Bold indicates league leader; * indicates already recalled to WBL team.

[Makonnen]

Originally Posted by luckymann

Look I can't say unequivocally, but I'm pretty sure what you're seeking is not possible in the game as is.

Yeah, the Independent Leagues are successfully AI trading amongst themselves, but even though I have the Independent and WBL leagues joined in the game, there are no trade offers.

I plan to start offering trades *to* the Independent AI's, and we'll see if that does anything.

And of course even if you do it manually, presumably by WAR, there are great discrepancies between that metric and the ratings players are assigned in-game.

For mine, I'd plan the whole thing out well in advance and then just force the trades or move the players to different teams with the editor, then assign them appropriate contracts.

Yeah, at the end of the day, the contracts and the editor are the ultimate hammer.

One of the things I had no clue about was what the economic structure would look like. Now that I am seeing the kind of contracts players are asking for, after this season, I will up the value of the franchise-tied players, for sure.

Messy, but the only real way I see for this to be achieved.

It's problematic when you try to step outside the straightforward structure of the game. The manual I have drawn up for my ACBA college save is about a dozen pages long full of instructions that need to be done at least once a season. Hard yards, but ultimately worth it if you're an OC control freak like me.

Agree.

[luckymann]

Originally Posted by Makonnen

Yeah, the Independent Leagues are successfully AI trading amongst themselves, but even though I have the Independent and WBL leagues joined in the game, there are no trade offers.

I plan to start offering trades *to* the Independent AI's, and we'll see if that does anything.

Yeah, at the end of the day, the contracts and the editor are the ultimate hammer.

One of the things I had no clue about was what the economic structure would look like. Now that I am seeing the kind of contracts players are asking for, after this season, I will up the value of the franchise-tied players, for sure.


Agree.

What I'm doing with my Legacy Players is editing them to have 10-year contracts using their IRL salaries where available or thereabouts if not, and adding a no-trade clause. I'll then need to keep tabs on how these align with the overall financial settings and adjust accordingly. After 10 years I'm OK with them becoming FAs if circumstances dictate.

[Makonnen]

Featured Team: Madison Black Wolf (Chicago)

Chicago's AA affiliate in Madison started the year fine, with a 6-5 record after 11 games. Since then, they've lost fifteen consecutive games. They are certainly not that bad of a team, as 7 of the defeats have been by a single run. But still, 6-20--and 12 games back after a month--is not good.

No pitcher has more than a single win, with Harry "Green River" Buckner having probably been the best of them, despite a 1-4, 5.63 ERA showing so far. Ted Lyons (1-3, 5.52) and Sean Gallagher (0-3, 5.89) have pitched better than their records as well. Closer Scott Radinsky does have 2 saves and a 1.69 ERA but, as you may expect, has not had many opportunities.

The best offensive performer for the Black Wolf was OF Magglio Ordonez (320/397/660), but he was promoted to AAA Milwaukee. That leaves 20-year old SS/OF Jack Doyle (280/342/500) at the heart of Madison's lineup. OF Henry Cotto has 7 HRs and 20 RBIs and is slashing 245/286/481. And there's not a lot else.

Lyons, Gallagher, and Doyle are all under 22, and are currently the brightest prospects on the Black Wolf.

Top AA Performers

Jimmie Foxx (Sacramento/San Francisco) and Joe Rudi (Montgomery/Birmingham) have been the dominant offensive forces at AA, with both recently promoted to AAA. Foxx slashed 358/456/821 with 9 HRs at Sacramento and Rudi 359/400/859 for Montgomery. Atlantic City (Philadelphia)'s Prince Fielder leads AA with 13 HRs, and Fort Worth (Detroit)'s Bill Sweeney is hitting .400. More impressively, Oklahoma City (Kansas City)'s Johnny Bassler is keeping his OBP just shy of .500 at .495.

Of those, none are over the age of 22, and Bassler is only 17, so all should be considered prospects.

On the mound, three starters still have sub-2.00 ERAs: Sacramento (San Francisco)'s Turk Wendell at 2-0, 1.19; Charlotte (Baltimore)'s Dave Smith at 2-0, 1.64; and San Diego (Los Angeles)'s Sean O'Sullivan at 2-0, 1.71. Wendell also has a stellar 0.79 WHIP. Syracuse (Homestead)'s Vern Law is 5-0 with a 2.97 ERA, but his future may be at 1B and not on the mound--clearly, though, if he keeps this up, he'll progress as a hurler. Steve Bedrosian (Montgomery/Birmingham) and Mark Williamson (Charlotte/Baltimore) lead AA with 9 saves each.

Awards

AA Pitcher of the Month: Mark Williamson (Charlotte/Baltimore), 2-0, 9 Sv, 0.00 ERA.
AA Batter of the Month: Cy Williams (Albuquerque/House of David), .333, 9 HRs, 31 RBIs.

AA Player of the Week: Willie Crawford (Tulsa/Memphis); Richie Ashburn (Atlantic City/Philadelphia); Harry Stovey (Rochester/Cleveland); Adam Dunn (Nashville/Indianapolis).

Top Prospects

SP: Joe Nuxhall (15, Albuquerque/House of David), 3-0, 2.23 ERA; Larry Dierker (17, Albuquerque/House of David), 3-2, 2.51 ERA; Lew Krausse (21, Troy/New York Gothams), 2-2, 3.08 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 44 K.
RP: Steve Bedrosian (24, Montgomery/Birmingham), 1-0, 9 Sv, 0.00 ERA; Rick Camp (23, Montgomery/Birmingham), 2-1, 4 H, 3.09 ERA.
C: Frankie Hayes (19, Vancouver/Portland), 314/407/771.
1B: Jimmie Foxx (20, Sacramento/San Francisco), 358/456/821.
2B: Wally Backman (22, San Diego/Los Angeles), 337/419/554.
3B: Bill Sweeney (22, Fort Worth/Detroit), 400/467/550.
SS: Bert Campaneris (22, Albuquerque/House of David), 375/432/675.
OF: Joe Kelley (20, Tulsa/Memphis), 323/404/646; Willie Crawford (17, Tulsa/Memphis), 344/447/583, 11 2B, 21 R; Richie Ashburn (21, Atlantic City/Philadelphia), 379/426/544, 39 H, 3 3B.

Bold indicates league leader.

[Makonnen]

Series preview here.

#Game 1: Doc Gooden @ Andy Pettitte

Things started well for Los Angeles, as Don Buford led off the game with a homerun to left off Andy Pettitte.

But that was about all that went well for him, as Pettite quickly settled down, allowing 5 hits over 8 innings, with Buford's blast the only run he allowed.

The Angels' starter, Doc Gooden, was nowhere near as good, allowing 8 runs--5 earned--in just under 3 innings to the potent Monarchs' offense. Albert Pujols had 3 RBIs and Lou Brock, Willie McGee, Gene Freese, and Ozzie Smith each chipped in with 2 hits for Kansas City as they cruised to a 10-1 win in the opening game of the series.

Gooden fell to 1-5 on the year, and his immediate future in the WBL has to be coming into question. Nolan Ryan and Armando Benitez combined for just over 5 innings of decent relief (1 earned run and a dozen strikeouts between them). Pettitte's win improved his record to 3-2.

LAA 1 (Gooden 1-5) @ KCM 10 (Pettitte 3-2)
HRs: LAA - Buford (3)
Box Score

#Game 2: Gerrit Cole @ Frank Castillo

Gerrit Cole succeeded where so many others failed, becoming the WBL's first 5-game winner, despite a rough outing against Kansas City in the second game of their series. Cole allowed 7 hits in 5.2 innings, with 4 runs scoring against him (1 unearned).

Los Angeles took the lead in the top of the 3rd on a triple by Don Buford that scored Jim Stephens and a single from Mike Trout, giving the Angels a 2-1 lead. Albert Pujols tied the game in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single.

The top of the 4th would see the Angels strike again against Frank Castillo, with an RBI single from Buford and a sacrifice fly from Kal Daniels giving them a 4-2 edge.

Cole would be chased from the game in the bottom of the 6th when, after giving up an RBI single to Gene Freese, he walked Ozzie Smith with the bases loaded. Aaron Heilman relieved Cole, and got out of the inning with the Angels ahead, 5-4.

Los Angeles would gain some buffer in the top of the 7th, with Derrek Lee leading the inning off with a homerun, and Doug Radar hitting a bases-loaded triple, putting the Angels up, 9-4.

The Monarchs scored 4 times in the bottom of the 8th, with RBIs from Fielder Jones, Smith, Boog Powell, and Pujols, but Jeurys Familia was able to close the door, and Los Angeles evened the series with the 1-run victory.

Buford had 3 hits for Los Angeles, and Pujols and Freese had 3 for Kansas City.

Cole moved to 5-1 on the year, with Familia picking up his first save. Castillo took the loss, falling to 2-3, and Connie Johnson got hit hard, giving up 5 runs in 1 innings. Adam Wainwright closed out the game for Kansas City with 3 hitless innings.

LAA 9 (Cole 5-1; Heilman 2 H; Familia 1 Sv) - KCM 8 (Castillo 2-3)
HRs: LAA - Lee (2)
Box Score

#Game 3: Brett Anderson @ Rube Marquard

Fresh off a shutout, Los Angeles' Brett Anderson is hoping to keep improving on his year. He sits at 2-3 with an ERA just under 4 while his opposition, Rube Marquard, comes in with a 2-2 record and an ERA 2 runs higher.

It didn't really work out for either of them. Both starters lasted 5 innings, with Anderson giving up 4 runs and Marquard 5. Kansas City beat up Armando Benitez, who followed Anderson, for 5 runs in under an inning, then tagged Chuck Finley for 3 more on the way to an 11-5 victory.

The Monarchs' relievers--Trevor Rosenthal, Craig Kimbrel, and Frank DiPino--combined for 4 inning of scoreless, 2-hit relief, with Rosenthal getting the win.

Willie McGee, newly promoted Ducky Medwick, and Gene Freese each had 3 hits for Kansas City, with Medwick (who is now 6-for-11 in his WBL career) driving in 3.

For the Angels, Don Buford was 3-for-3, raising his average to .325.

LAA 5 (Benitez 0-1) @ KCM 11 (Rosenthal 3-0; Kimbrel 5 H)
HRs: None
Box Score

#Game 4: Pud Galvin @ Luke Hamlin

Luke Hamlin has had some great starts and some rough ones, but overall he's been solid for Kansas City, coming into the game with a 2-3 record and a 4.28 ERA. Pud Galvin has similar underlying numbers, sitting with a record of 1-1 and a 4.23 ERA.

Galvin struggled more, leaving the game after 5 innings, having given up 8 hits and 4 runs (3 earned), including a solo homerun to Lou Brock.
Hamlin lasted longer, but with similar results: 6.2 innings, 4 runs (3 earned), and a homerun to Brian Downing. Connie Johnson struggled again in relief, and after the top of the 7th, Los Angeles was in front, 5-4.

It was a sloppy game up to that point, with errors by Mike Trout and Bobby Grich for the Angels and two by Albert Pujols for Kansas City.

The score held, and when Joe Nathan retired the first two batters in the bottom of the 9th, all looked good for Los Angeles. But Stan Musial and Pujols singled, and Ducky Medwick scored Musial with a double. Nathan fanned Ted Simmons to end the inning, but we were tied at 5, and headed to extra innings.

In the top of the 10th, Kansas City's Frank DiPino walked Tim Wallach. Don Buford was inserted as a pinch runner, and, after Jim Stephens bunted him to second, George Wright singled him home as a pinch-hitter. Wright would score on a single by Kal Daniels, giving Los Angeles a 2-run cushion at 7-5.

Despite giving up two walks in the bottom of the 10th, Jonny Venters managed to get Robinson Cano to ground into a game-ending double play to preserve the victory.

Elmer Valo, Trout, and Doug Radar each had 2 hits for Los Angeles. Pujols had 4 hits and 2 RBIs for Kansas City.

Nolan Ryan was the most effective pitcher all day, but his 3 innings of 1-hit relief resulted in a no-decision, with the victory going to Nathan, who improves to 3-1, and Venters picking up his 2nd save of the season. Dipino took the loss for Kansas City.

LAA 7 (Nathan 3-1, 1 BS; Venters 2 Sv) - KCM 5 (DiPino 0-2; Johnson 1 BS)
HRs: LAA - Downing (2); KCM - Brock (3)
Box Score

#Series Notes

A series split, with the two teams alternating victories.

For Kansas City, Gene Freese went 8-15 with 4 RBIs; Ducky Medwick was 5-for-11 with 4 RBIs; and Albert Pujols was 9-for-17 with 8 RBIs. Medwick's start is demanding more playing time for the recently recalled rookie.

Los Angeles was led by Don Buford, who was 7-for-9 with 2 triples, 4 runs and 4 RBIs and Mike Trout, who had 7 hits in the 4 games. Trout's emergence is probably the most important event for Los Angeles, as the infinitely talented CF is key to their success.

[Makonnen]

These are, simply, fair-to-middling teams with more promise than performance so far on the season. Houston has won the first three games of the series, raising their record to 15-18 while lowering Brooklyn's to 18-14.

The final game would see Brooklyn's Don Sutton face the Colt 45's Roy Oswalt, a well anticipated matchup as both hurlers have shown flashes of strong performances.

In the top of the first, Oswalt gave up a 1-out double to Beals Becker, but he struck out Duke Snider and seemed to be out of danger when Roy White lashed the first pitch he saw into right field for an RBI single, giving the Royal Giants an early 1-0 lead.

Houston would tie it up in the bottom of the frame when Casey Stengel sent a pitch from Sutton deep into the night for a solo homerun.

Oswalt struggled all day, never really finding his rhythm, giving up 2 more runs in the top of the second on RBI hits from Jackie Robinson and Becker, and then another in the top of the third on a double from Robinson. He would get through 5 innings, leaving the game with Houston down 4-2 (they scored their second run in the bottom of the 5th on an RBI groundout from DJ LeMahieu, scoring Carlos Correa who had led off the inning with a double down the left field line).

Houston would tie it up in the bottom of the 6th on doubles from Jimmie Wynn, Jeff Bagwell, and Lance Berkman. Despite the 4 runs, Sutton was actually in control for most of the game, and lasted 8 innings, allowing only 6 hits and 1 walk.

Houston's Leon Day followed Oswalt with 2 scoreless innings, and he was followed by Trevor Hoffman, who pitched a scoreless 8th.
That brought us to the top of the 9th, with Hoffman still on the mound. Dickie Thon led it off with a single, then stole second and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Robinson. Becker hit a ball deep enough to centerfield to score Thon, and Brooklyn had a 5-4 lead. Hoffman served a gopher ball into the short left field seats to Snider, giving the Royal Giants a 2-run cushion.

Brooklyn's closer, Watty Clark, relieved Sutton in the bottom of the 9th. His first 16 pitches included 11 balls and a wild pitch, with George Brett and Correa starting the inning with walks before Jorge Posada doubled them both home to tie the game at 6. That was enough for Clark, who was relieved by Terry Forster ... who had similar problems, walking pinch-hitter Paul Goldschmidt on five pitches (HR Johnson replaced Posada as a pinch-runner) and Tony Gwynn on four to load the bases. Forster got Wynn to ground weakly to Robinson at second, who threw to Mike Piazza to force Johnson at the plate, and when Stengel flew out in shallow right field, it looked like extra innings were likely.

Bagwell worked Forster from a 1-2 count to 3-2 ... and looked on as his next pitch was low and outside, forcing in the winning run.

Bagwell finished the game 2-for-4 with a run and 2 RBIs, Correa scored twice and Posada drove in 2 as well as the Colt 45's left only 3 runners on base all day.

Brooklyn outhit Houston 11 to 7, with Robinson, Becker, White, and Thon each having 2. Thon scored three times and Robinson and Becker drove in 2 each.

Clark suffered both his 2nd blown save of the year and his first loss, giving up 3 runs on a hit and 2 walks without recording an out. Mark Melancon picked up the win for one-third of an inning in relief of Hoffman.

BRK 6 (Clark 2-1, 2 BS) @ HOU 7 (Melancon 2-1)
HRs: BRK - Snider (8); HOU - Stengel (4)
Box Score

[Makonnen]

{I forgot to finish this out, so a few teams played their first Series IX games before doing so.}

May 4th

Awards

The first monthly awards brought no surprises, as the Brooklyn Royal Giants' Don Drysedale won the inaugural Pitcher of the Month in the WBL, notching a 4-0 record and a 1.26 ERA and the New York Black Yankeess' Babe Ruth was the Player of the Month, hitting .404 with 10 homeruns, 27 RBIs, and 32 runs scored.

Ron Blomberg of the Cleveland Spiders was the Player of the Week, posting a.688 average over the past 7 days.

Performance

League Standings | League Statistics

The league saw its first two five game winners in Series VIII in Los Angeles' Gerrit Cole (5-1) and Portland's Walter Johnson (5-0).

Perhaps more noteworthy, a slight slump from the Black Yankees' Babe Ruth (he was dominant enough in early April that he was still, easily, the strongest offensive force in the league) has reduced his grip on the offensive categories. Ruth still leads the league in SLG, R, and WAR, but is only tied for the HR league at 12 (with Baltimore's Curt Blefary).

Leading SP: Walter Johnson (POR) 5-0, 3.21 ERA, 1.6 WAR; Gerrit Cole (LAA) 5-1, 4.12 ERA; Don Drysedale (BRK) 4-0, 1.26 ERA, 1.09 WHIP; Ron Guidry (NYY) 4-2, 3.31 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 60 K.

Leading RP: Johan Santana (POR) 0-1, 3.48 ERA, 13 Sv; Bob Howry (PHI) 0-2, 9 Sv, 6.92 ERA; Ron Reed (PHI) 0-0, 2.16 ERA, 2 Sv, 8 H; Tom Niedenfuer (HOD) 0-0, 0.90 ERA, 7 Sv, 1 H; Joe Beggs (MEM) 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 3 Sv, 0.90 WHIP; Jonathan Papelbon (MEM) 0-1, 0.96 ERA, 3 Sv, 2 H, 0.70 WHIP.

Leading Batters: Buster Posey (NYG) 407/471/720, 2.3 WAR; Reggie Jackson (SFS) 392/508/686; Babe Ruth (NYY) 373/462/731, 12 HR, 36 RBI, 38 R, 2.5 WAR; Joe Jackson (CAG) 368/459/692, 37 RBI, 2.4 WAR; Rico Carty (PHI) 330/389/554, 13 2B; Kal Daniels (LAA) 314/413/535, 13 2B; Terry Puhl (OTT) 246/315/412, 5 3B; Louis Santop (CLE) 305/348/475, 5 3B; Curt Blefary (BAL) 297/421/714, 12 HR; Eric Davis (NYY) 292/331/533, 42 RBI; Rickey Henderson (SFS) 292/456/416, 33 BB, 28 SB.

We're getting to the point where projections begin to return to the world of possibility--Blefary and Ruth are on pace to clear 50 HR; Davis and Doug Radar (LAA) are on pace for over 180 RBI, and Henderson for over 125 SBs. All great marks, for sure, but none that are world-breaking.

Streaks

Memphis' Eddie Rosario has a 14 game hitting streak going into Series IX. Brooklyn's Beals Becker and Baltimore's Bobby Wallace have reached base in 16 consecutive games.

San Francisco is just running amok on the base paths, with Henderson stealing 17 straight bases and Bobby Bonds and Dick Lundy successful on their last ten attempts.

Camilo Pascual saw his scoreless streak end at 19 innings, but Houston's Toad Ramsey now has a 15 inning streak going.

Detroit's Bob Bailey has the most impressive hot streak in the league right now, hitting 403/469/778 over his last 18 games with 7 HRs. Brooklyn's Duke Snider has 6 HRs in his last 10 games, hitting at a 439/477/878 clip over that span.

Cleveland's Cy Young has a 1.89 ERA over his last 5 starts, but has come out of that with only a 2-1 record.

At the other end of the scale, Baltimore is struggling with three of the coldest hitters in the league: Paul Blair is hitting 102/197/136 over 19 games, Miller Huggins is hitless in his last 27 ABs, and Brooks Robinson is at 138/194/138 over 15 games.

Ottawa finally gave up on the Randy Johnson experiment after the Big Unit posted a 9.61 ERA over his last 4 starts. Hopefully some time at AAA might help the big left hander turn it around.

Series Results

Series VIII Sweeps

Houston over Brooklyn

Taking 3 out of 4 in Series VIII

House of David over Birmingham
Detroit over Miami
Indianapolis over Ottawa
San Francisco over New York Gothams

Series Splits in Series VIII

Baltimore v Philadelphia
Chicago v New York Black Yankees
Cleveland v Homestead
Kansas City v Los Angeles
Memphis v Portland

[Makonnen]

#Detroit Wolverines

Hal Newhouser may be the spark Detroit has been searching for: while he didn't figure in the decision, in his second start back from the DL, Newhouser delivered a sparkling 7 innings, striking out 8 and giving up only 2 unearned runs. A Hank Greenberg triple keyed a come-from-behind, 3-2 victory over Miami with Gene Conley getting the win, moving to 2-1 on the year, and Mike Henneman picking up his 4th save with a scoreless 9th.

#Memphis Red Sox

In a difficult roster position, the Red Sox waived Mel Parnell to bring Eddie Cicotte up to the WBL for a start. It did not go well, with Cicotte giving up 8 runs in 3 innings and likely earning himself a trip back to AAA in short order.

Nixey Callahan finally caught some breaks as another decent performance (3 runs in 6.1 innings) brought Callahan his 2nd win of the year. Reggie Smith and Ted Williams had 3 hits each, with Williams going deep twice, and Dustin Pedroia drove in 4 as the Red Sox took the opening game of a doubleheader in a rout, 13 to 4 over Portland.

Memphis swept the twin bill, using a timely 3-run homerun from Bill White to triumph 5-4 in the second game. Jon Lester got the win, improving to 3-2; Roger Clemens, in a relief appearance necessitated by a worn out bullpen, got a hold; and Jonathan Papelbon picked up his 3rd save of the year.

#New York Gothams

DH/OF Wally Berger will miss about 6 weeks with a fractured cheekbone, clearing the way for Yasiel Puig, who is tearing up AAA at a 327/420/604 clip, to make his WBL debt. Matt Thornton was released to make room for Puig.

[Makonnen]

#Baltimore Black Sox

Ned Garvin shut out Philadelphia on 3 hits, walking 1 and striking out 4, improving his record to 2-1 in easily his best performance of the year.

A pinch-hit grand slam from Frank Robinson helped power the Black Sox past the Stars in the second game. Dennis Martinez had another strong outing, improving to 3-1 and Ken Singleton also went deep.

#Chicago American Giants

Frank Thomas hit 2 homeruns, leading Chicago past the New York Black Yankees, 8-4. Ben Sheets moved to 4-1 on the year with a strong effort, and Carlton Fisk and Joe Jackson also went deep.

In game two of the series, down 4-2 in the top of the 7th, the American Giants responded with 6 runs, shocking the Black Yankees and providing the final score in the 8-4 victory. The inning started with hits from Luke Appling and Dave Nilsson, chasing New York's starter, Jake Scott, from the game. He was relieved by A.J. Burnett, who allowed a run to score on a wild pitch, then surrendered a single toJackson to tie the game ... and then things got rough, with Dick Allen hitting a 2 run homerun and Mike Fiore scoring on a fielders' choice. Thomas went 3-for-5, and both Adrian Gonzalez and Duffy Lewis hit homers as well. The win went to Ed Walsh, who struggled through 126 pitches over 7 innings, allowing 4 runs. Akinori Otsuka and A.J. Minter combined for 2 scoreless innings in relief.

#Houston Colt 45's

Stubby Overmire got a spot start and made the most of it, allowing only 2 runs in 7 innings against Brooklyn in a game Houston eventually won in the bottom of the 9th, with the victory going to Andrew Chafin, who evened his record at 1-1.

Jeff Bagwell went deep twice--perhaps an indication he's finding his swing at last--to lead Houston to a 6-2 victory in the 2nd game, with Tony Gwynn adding 3 RBI's as well. Trevor Hoffman moved to 3-0 on the year, after a decent effort from Stephen Strasburg.

#Ottawa Mounties

Jamie Moyer's WBL debut was a thing of beauty: 7.2 innings, 6 hits, 4 strikeouts, and a single earned run. Tom Henke's total meltdown was not--4 runs on three hits in the 9th inning, turning a 2-1 lead into a 5-2 defeat to Indianapolis.

The question of what it would take for Ottawa to give up on Randy Johnson--at least for a while--was answered: 1-4 with an ERA approaching 9 and a WHIP over 2. It's unclear what the long term plans are in Ottawa: for now, Monk Dubiel gets a start and a likely quick hook, with Greg Holland called up to the bullpen.

Holland did well: 3.1 innings in relief of Dubiel (who gave up 4 runs in 3 innings), allowing only 1 run. It was enough, as Ottawa took advantage of a total implosion by Rob Murphy that included 2 bases-loaded walks and a grand slam by the suddenly red-hot Freddy Parent. It all added up to an 8-5 victory for the Mounties.

[Makonnen]

With two rainouts, the Spiders and the Grays ended up playing two doubleheaders. The losing team scored 1 run ... combined. Three shutouts, and a 3-1 victory, as each twin bill was split.

#Cleveland Spiders

Cy Young delivered a complete game, 4-hit shutout to take the second half of the first doubleheader against Homestead, striking out 5 and evening his record at 2-2. Cleveland's offense was led by John Ellis, who had 3 hits and a homerun, with Ron Blomberg and Bill Knickerbocker adding 2 hits apiece in the 8-0 victory.

Whit Wyatt opened the second doubleheader by combining with Chuck Porter and Terry Adams on a 6-hit shutout. Wyatt improved to 2-1 and brought his ERA under 3, but he also walked 7 in 7.2 innings, making the performance a little less impressive than it may seem.

#Homestead Grays

Vean Gregg and Stan Bahnsen combined on a 5-hit shutout in the first game of the series against Cleveland. Gregg pitched 7.1 innings, improving his record to 2-3, and Bahnsen followed with a perfect 1.2 for his first save. Davey Johnson had 3 hits and drove in 2, and Pops Stargell had 2 hits for the Grays.

Corey Kluber continues to improve his performances, but not his results: Kluber went 6.2 innings, giving up 3 runs in the opening game of the second doubleheader, but fell to 0-6 on the season.

#Indianapolis ABC's

Danny Hoffman delivered a 3-run homerun in the top of the 9th against Ottawa's closer Tom Henke, giving the ABC's a 5-2 comeback win. Hal Morris added 2 hits, and Red Faber, despite not being involved in the decision, had a strong start. The win went to Lefty James, his first of the year, and Rob Dibble picked up his 5th save.

The last game of the series was almost a contender for the featured game. Indianapolis blew the game open in the fifth inning, scoring 5 runs, keyed by a 2-run double from Oscar Charleston and a 2-run single from Edd Roush (Roush had replaced Jake Stenzel, who was tossed for arguing ball and strikes in the first inning). Johnny Cueto was sailing along with one of the better games we've seen all year: a 2-hit shutout through 8 innings.

... and then came the 9th, with the ABC's up, 9-0, thanks to 2 homeruns by Morris.

Cueto walked Tim Raines and Anthony Rendon, but got Freddy Parent to fly out to center for the first out. And then the wheels fell off: Carlos Delgado and Phil Bradly sandwiched RBI singles around a bases-loaded walk to Terry Puhl, and Cueto left the mound, still up 9-3.

Indianapolis called on the controversial Bronson Arroyo, who made waves by refusing to be sent to AAA despite a horrific season to date. Arroyo was as inefficient as ever this year: a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly, an RBI single to Ken Griffey, Jr. and a pinch hit homerun to Gary Carter made the score 9-7 ... but Arroyo finally ended the game with a groundout from Raines.

Arroyo was waived after the game, with Doc White--who had dominated AAA--being recalled.

#New York Black Yankees

New York salvaged a split in their series with Chicago thanks to 3 RBIs each from Don Mattingly and Thurman Munson, and 3 hits from Mike Schmidt. Each of them--as well as Lou Gehrig--went deep in the 12-6 win, which went to Lady Baldwin for 3.1 innings of 1-run relief of a hugely ineffective Dave Righetti.

#Philadelphia Stars

Jaret Wright had been hit hard in his first 5 WBL appearances, so there wasn't much optimism when he was pressed into an emergency start in the Stars' final game against Baltimore. Wright responded with 6.1 innings of 1-run ball, surrendering only 1 run to the Black Sox. Philadelphia made it stand up, winning the game 6-4 behind key 5th inning RBIs from Gavvy Cravath and Ted Kluszewski. Bob Howry picked up the save, his 9th, while Pedro Feliciano continued to collapse out of the bullpen. Feliciano gave up 3 runs in less than an inning, and is likely to lose his setup role as his ERA balloons close to 12.

[Makonnen]

#Birmingham Black Barons

Warren Spahn was recalled to make a spot start, with Vic Willis heading back to AAA. Spahn, who had struggled earlier in the season, turned in his best performance of the year in a game Birmingham eventually dropped in 10 innings, unable to overcome errors by Troy Tulowitzki, Tommy Herr, and Chipper Jones.

2 homeruns from Eddie Mathews led the Black Barons to an 8-3 win in game 2, with Dick Rudolph leveling his record at 2-2 and Hoyt Wilhelm picking up his first save of the year with 3 innings of scoreless relief.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Like every other hurler who has attempted it, Don Drysedale was denied in his attempt to reach 5 wins on the year. Drysedale went 7 innings, allowing 5 hits and 2 runs, and seeing his ERA rise all the way to 1.26. Sandy Koufax took the loss in relief, giving up a walk-off sacrifice fly to Houston's Carlos Correa.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Kent Hrbek went 3-for-4 with 2 homeruns, 4 runs scored and 5 RBIs, leading the Sea Dogs to a romp over Memphis, 14-6. Bobby Murcer added 4 hits, and Murcer, Buddy Bell, and Kiki Cuyler all went deep. Joseito Munoz made his WBL debut with 3.2 IP in relief of Smokey Joe Wood, who improved to 4-2 with the victory.

Walter Johnson had his worst outing of the year--5 runs in just over 5 innings along with 5 walks--but still improved to 5-0. Hrbek, Gil Hodges, Joe Mauer, and Jim Fregosi went deep, and Johan Santana escaped a bases-loaded jam in the 9th for his 13th save. Cuyler was injured in the game, and placed on the DL afterwards, with Jeff Burroughs being recalled from AAA.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Mickey Cochrane continues to climb out of an early season slump, hitting 2 homeruns and driving in 7, doubling his RBI total and lifting his average to .258. Jack Clark added 4 RBI's in the 13-9 victory over the New York Gothams.

A homerun in the bottom of the eleventh by Reggie Jackson lifted the Sea Lions to a 4-2 win in extra innings. Bobby Bonds had 3 hits and 4 stolen bases in the game, with Charlie Root improving his record to 3-0 on the season.

[Makonnen]

Series IX is the debut in our featured matchup for both teams. San Francisco comes into the series at .500, 5 games back in the Marvin Miller Division, while Baltimore is performing above expectations, only 1 game back in the Cum Posey Division with a record of 19-15. Both teams won 3 out of 4 in their prior series (San Francisco against the Gothams, Baltimore against Philadelphia).

Expected matchups for the four games are (SFS first) Eddie Plank (2-1, 5.66) v Bill Byrd (2-2, 4.24); Jim Devlin (0-2, 6.57) v Johnny Sain (3-2, 4.57); Cy Falkenberg (2-0, 4.40) v Dennis Martinez (3-1, 3.63); and Dennis Eckersley (1-3, 9.00) v Mark Baldwin (2-4, 6.62).

Baldwin and Eckersley may be pitching for their lives in the final game; of the rest, perhaps the most interesting thing is Martinez, who is right on the edge of the top tier of WBL starters right now.

[Makonnen]

Series preview here.

#Game 1: Eddie Plank @ Bill Byrd

Eddie Joost is a mystery to San Francisco--and to most fans of the WBL. His batting average sits under .150, but he draws enough walks to have an OBP over 100 points higher, and while he doesn't hit with much power, when he does, the ball leaves the ballpark. In early April, that meant his slash line was 267/333/567. A month later, he's at 131/277/250.
With 2 outs in the top of the 3rd, Joost took Baltimore starter Bill Byrd's second pitch over the right field wall for an early 1-0 lead for the Sea Lions.

But the Sea Lions' Eddie Plank struggled mightily with his command, and after an error by John Beckwith helped load the bases, Plank walked in a run, and then allowed two more to score on a wild pitch and a passed ball.

Curt Blefary tripled home a run in the bottom of the fifth, extending the lead to 4-1.

In the top of the 7th, a single by Mickey Cochrane chased Byrd, who was relieved by Mike Mussina. Beckwith--who has showed some signs of life at the plate recently--singled, bringing up Joost. The Sea Lions decided not to pinch hit, and Joost rewarded them with ... a groundball double-play to second base. Cochrane would score on a single by Rickey Henderson, but a great opportunity to get back in the game went by the wayside.

The Black Sox are the only team in the WBL without a designated closer, instead rotating key situations between Bob Miller and Don Bessent. Today was Bessent's turn, and despite struggling with control a bit, he only allowed a double to Beckwith in the 9th, preserving the victory for Baltimore.

Baltimore scored 4 runs on only 5 hits, with Blefary's triple and a double from Paul Blair the only extra-base shots. Byrd moves to 3-2 on the year, allowing 2 runs in 6 innings, with Mussina and Bessent combining for 3 innings of 3-hit, scoreless ball.

The Sea Lions saw Beckwith go 3-for-4 in the losing effort, with Henderson stealing 3 bases in a game for the first time this season. Plank evened his record at 2-2 with the loss, despite only allowing 1 earned run in 5 innings.

SFS 2 (Plank 2-2) @ BAL 4 (Byrd 3-2; Mussina 1 H; Bessent 5 Sv)
HRs: BAL - Joost (4).
Box Score

Game 2: Jim Devlin @ Johnny Sain

This may be a make-or-break game for San Francisco's Jim Devlin, who comes in with an 0-2 record and a 6.57 era, allowing almost 2 baserunners per inning.

Both Devlin and his opposite number, Johnny Sain, gave up runs in the first. For San Francisco, back-to-back doubles by Pedro Guerrero and Reggie Jackson gave the Sea Lions an early 1-0 lead, while the bottom of the first was very Devlin: 2 hits, 1 walk, an HBP, an error ... 8 batters faced, 2 runs scored, 1 earned.

But both would settle down. Sain allowed 1 more run, on an RBI double from Charlie Reilly, scoring Wally Moon and Devlin 2 more, on a double from Dan McGann and a sacrifice fly by Brooks Robinson, leaving the score 4-3, Baltimore, after 7 innings.
It would stay that way, with Ned Garvin, Buddy Groom, Gregg Olson, and Bob Miller combining for 3 innings of 1-hit relief to preserve the Black Sox victory.

Garvin finished with a good enough line for him (7 innings, 6 hits, 2 walks, 3 earned runs)--perhaps enough to stave off the demotion, but not to preserve his spot in the rotation.

SFS 3 (Devlin 0-3) @ BAL 4 (Sain 4-2; Garvin 2 H; Groom 3 H; Olson 2 H; Miller 2 Sv)
HR: SFS - Bloodworth (4)
Box Score

#Game 3: Cy Falkenberg @ Dennis Martinez

Dennis Martinez has been excellent so far, with a 3-1 record and a sub-4.00 ERA; Cy Falkenberg has been solid: his 2-0 record belies some poor outings leading to a 4.40 ERA.

Helped by a homerun from Eddie Joost, San Francisco was up 2-0 in the 6th, but then the wheels fell off for Falkenberg, with Harlond Clift hitting a grand slam as the Black Sox moved out to a 6-2 lead. A 2-run shot by Larry Gardner in the 8th provided the final margin of 8-2 as Baltimore moved to the verge of sweeping the four game series.
Martinez moved to 4-1, lowering his ERA to 3.42 in his 8 innings of work, while Falkenberg too his first loss of the year.

SFS 2 (Falkenberg 2-1) @ BAL 8 (Martinez 4-1)
HR: SFS - Joost (5); BAL - Clift (5), Gardner (3)
Box Score

#Game 4: Dennis Eckersley @ Mark Baldwin

Dennis Eckersley was absolutely hammered in his first start back from the DL, lowering his record to 1-3 and seeing his ERA balloon to 9.00. He'll be opposed by Baltimore's Mark Baldwin, who at 2-4, 6.62 has had his own fair share of struggle.

Both pitchers struggled, but somehow at the end of 5 innings, San Francisco only lead by 1, 3-2. A solo homerun by Jimmy Bloodworth in the 8th extended it to 4-2, and Ron Robinson and Rod Beck each pitched a 1-hit, scoreless inning in relief of Eckersley, who lowered his ERA by well over a run in his 7 innings of work.

Dan McGann and Frank Robinson each had 2 hits in the losing effort.

SFS 4 (Eckersley 2-3; Robinson 4 H; Beck 8 Sv) @ BAL 2 (Baldwin 2-5)
HR: SFS - Bloodworth (5)
Box Score

Series Notes

John Beckwith showed signs of emerging from his season-long slump, going 5-for-11 in the series for San Francisco.

For Baltimore, Dan McGann was 5-for-7 and Ken Singleton 5-for-15 in a series dominated by the pitchers.

[Makonnen]

The first subway series had seen the Gothams take 2 of the first 3 games. They would send an early season workhorse, Christy Mathewson, to the mound against the Black Yankees' Red Ruffing. Mathewson entered the game at 4-4 with a 4.69 ERA while Ruffing brought an undefeated record, at 4-0 with an ERA of 3.43.

The Gothams took the lead in the bottom of the 2nd, when Cookie Rojas delivered a bases loaded single, scoring Willie Mays. But a strong throw from Mickey Mantle in right field beat Yasiel Puig to the plate, keeping the lead 1-0.

Babe Ruth led off the top of the 4th with a line-drive double to left and Mantle walked. Both scored on a double by Albert Belle, putting the Black Yankees up by 2 runs, 3-1. The Gothams would tie it up in the bottom of the frame: Johnny Callison doubled and moved to 3rd on a sacrifice fly from Willie McCovey. Puig--who has hit very well since a recent promotion from AAA--was hit by a pitch from Ruffing. Brandon Crawford plated Callison with a sacrifice fly, and Puig scored on a wild pitch.

Ruffing and Mathewson found some consistency after that, until Ruffing was chased from the game in the bottom of the 7th, relieved by Dellin Betances. who promptly gave up 2 hits and a walk, with a single from McCovey plating Pinky Higgins and Buster Posey.

Mathewson was chased from the game in the top of the 8th by a long solo homerun by Belle, with Mike Norris coming in for the Gothams. Mike Schmidt greeted him with a single, and Thurman Munson followed with a deep shot to the upper deck in right field to put the Black Yankees up by a run, 6-5.

Goose Gossage took over for the Black Yankees in the bottom of the ninth with the 1 run lead, and induced flyball outs from Higgins and Posey. But Mays shot a ball just inside the RF foul pole to tie the game at 6. So ... EXTRA INNINGS!

The deadlock lasted until the top of the 12th, when Ruth led off against Robb Nen by blasting a ball deep into the night. David Robertson closed it out in the bottom of the inning to preserve the victory--and the series split--for the Black Yankees.

Ruffing had a hard time with the strike zone, walking 6 in 6 innings, as did Mathewson, who walked 5 in 7.2 innings. Overall, the Black Yankees' bullpen was just slightly more effective (3 hits and 2 runs in just under 6 innings), which--along with some timely longballs--was the difference maker.

Rojas and Higgins had 2 hits for the Gothams. For the Black Yankees, Derek Jeter went 3-for-6 and five players (Ruth, Davis, Belle, Schmidt, and Munson) had 2 hits each. Belle drove in 3, and Munson's 2 homeruns gave him 5 on the year.

NYY 7 (Robertson 2-1; Citarella 6 H; Gossage 3 BS) @ NYG 6 (Nen 2-3; Norris 2 BS) [12 Innings]
HR: NYY - Belle (5), Munson 2 (5), Ruth (13); NYG - Mays (4)
Box Score

[Makonnen]

This is our first featured series with Indianapolis. Kansas City was featured in Series VIII, where they split 4 games with Los Angeles.

The ABC's come into the game with a record of 17-20, putting them 7.5 games behind the Black Yankees in the Effa Manley division while Kansas City is at .500, 19-19, 4 games back of Chicago in the Cum Posey division.

Both teams have decent potential to be better than their records, predictably given that, there are a few strong perofrmances, but the teams need more players to step forward.

For the ABC's, the best of them has been C Johnny Bench, who is hitting at a 281/383/596 clip while adding great defense behind the plate. Nineteen year old Oscar Charleston looks like the real deal as well, slashing 337/360/494 with speed and defense in the outfield. Indianapolis is looking to the return of Joe Morgan from the DL and the institution of Edd Roush into the lineup on the regular to fire up the offense.

But the pitching needs to improve as well: all five starters have an ERA between 3.98 (Rube Foster, 3-2 on the year) and 4.99 (Dolf Luque, 2-4). That means they've all been solid, but none spectacular. Rob Dibble has been great on the back end of the bullpen, but Rob Murphy hit hard setting him up.

Kansas City's record has been more disappointing in some ways: the Monarchs are top 8 in almost all offensive categories in the league (except homeruns, which, of course, matters), and they are first in the advanced pitching metrics--WAR and FIP. They really have two flaws: not enough homeruns, and a defense that has continually let them down.

The Monarchs knew they had a "Big Three" coming into the year, and Stan Musial (380/448/570), Albert Pujols (320/380/503), and Rogers Hornsby (283/367/467) haven't disappointed. Boog Powell's contribution (300/423/473) has been unexpected, and the real key to the offense is if their speedsters--Willie McGee, Lou Brock, Ozzie Smith--can get on base enough to keep the innings going.

The pitching has been a bit less consistent. Frank Castillo (2-4, 3.62) has pitched far better than his record and Andy Pettite (3-2, 3.83) has been solid. But both Rube Marquard and Jose Rijo are in danger of moving out of the rotation, with ERA's of 5.67 and 6.63 respectively. The bullpen has been pretty fantastic, with the closing trio of Frank DiPino (1 Sv, 1 H, 1.62), Craig Kimbrel (6 H, 2.65), and closer Jeff Pfeffer (3-0, 5 Sv, 2.16) nearly unmatched in the league.

Projected Series Matchups

Indianapolis first: Johnny Cueto (4-2, 4.60) @ Luke Hamlin (2-3, 4.24); David Price (1-1, 4.15) @ Jose Rijo (2-2, 6.63); Rube Foster (3-2, 3.98) @ Andy Pettite (3-2, 3.83); Red Faber (3-2, 4.71) @ Frank Castillo (2-4, 3.62).

The Foster v Pettite matchup is clearly the most intriguing, but there are important questions to be answered about Rijo (can he keep his rotation spot?) and Castillo (can he move into the elite starts in the league?) as well.

[Makonnen]

{ The All-Star game is about a month away. We'll post occasional articles about the contenders for participation in the mid-season classic. These are written "as of now," so the final selections may vary dramatically, but hopefully these will add to the ongoing flavor of the league. }

We'll start with the starting pitchers. Note that the AL is actually the Bill James & Cum Posey Divisions.

As the only 6-game winner in these divisions, Gerrit Cole (LAA) has the inside track on a spot, even if his performance may not strictly warrant it. Still, 6-2 with a WHIP under 1.3 and 1.8 WAR is pretty good, even if his ERA is slightly over 4.

CC Sabathia (HOD) has better numbers (2.73 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 1.9 WAR) and at 5-2 a very similar record. Chicago's Tricky Nichols sits at 4-1 with a 3.93 ERA, and could certainly be selected if the wins keep piling up.

From there, it's pretty wide open.

Baltimore's Johnny Sain and Dennis Martinez are both at 4-1. Martinez has better numbers--a 3.42 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP--but the challenge is whether they can keep those levels up for the next month or so. Kansas City's Andy Petite is 3-2, but with a 3.66 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP and is certainly in the conversation, as is Ben Sheets (CAG), whose 1.18 WHIP and 4-2 record are more impressive than his 3.98 ERA.

If you look past identical 2-3 records, Sad Sam Jones (NYG), Jack Taylor (HOD), and Hank Aguirre (DET) have good numbers. They sit second through fourth in ERA (from 3.15 for Jones to 3.44 for Aguirre) and WHIPs all at roughly 1.2. Aguirre is injured, but it's currently unknown how much time--if any--he'll miss.

Two Memphis hurlers, Roger Clemens and Nixey Callahan, have a shot as well, but you have to look pretty deep at the numbers. Clemens is 0-4 on the season with an ERA approaching 6, but his WHIP is under 1.4 and he has the 3rd lowest FIP at 3.63. Callahan is 3-4 with a far more acceptable 3.68 ERA and is holding opposition batters to a .230 BA.

Similarly, Kansas City's Frank Castillo's record is only 2-4, and his ERA is pushing 4.00. But his FIP is 3.20 and he's racked up 1.7 WAR, so a few wins could move him to the center of the contenders.

Two more long shots: Chicago's Ed Walsh leads these divisions in strikeouts with 55, and the Gothams' Christy Mathewson is third with 47. Walsh sits at 3-3 with a 4.00 ERA and Mathewson is 4-4 with a 4.62 ERA. Both have been hit hard, but if they can improve would have a strong argument.

The AI would select Jones, Martinez, Sabathia, Taylor, and, in a surprise, Stubby Overmire of Houston. Two things led to Overmire's inclusion: first, the AI thinks he is Houston's only player; second, he has pitched well: a 2.35 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP, but it's only over 3 starts and an 0-1 record. So I doubt that happens.

My prediction would be ... Cole, Sabathia, Nichols, Walsh, and Martinez.

[Makonnen]

{ The All-Star game is about a month away. We'll post occasional articles about the contenders for participation in the mid-season classic. These are written "as of now," so the final selections may vary dramatically, but hopefully these will add to the ongoing flavor of the league. }

We'll start with the starting pitchers. Note that the NL is actually the Marvin Miller & Effa Manley Divisions.

First, the shoo-in. Portland's Walter Johnson is 6-0 with a 3.07 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, and 1.9 WAR. Only a massive collapse would prevent Big Train from being the inaugural starter for the NL.

After Johnson, it gets cloudy very quickly.

Brooklyn's Don Drysdale was hit hard in his most recent start, seeing his ERA move all the way to 2.41. That's impressive, but it puts him behind Miami's Camilo Pascual at 2.26, and both hurlers have records of 4-1.

The Black Yankees' Ron Guidry has a record of only 4-3, but a 3.41 ERA and a WBL-leading 76 strikeouts, along with a 1.12 WHIP, given him a strong case. It's an interesting comparison with Ray Collins (PHI), who is 4-1 with a 2.87 ERA, but a WHIP just under 1.3, and more walks than strikeouts.

Cleveland's Whit Wyatt is 3-1, but if he continues to maintain a 2.41 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP, along with a sub 4.00 FIP, he'll have to be in the conversation. Another Spiders' hurler, Cy Young, is emerging as well. Young is only 2-2 for his record, but has a 3.26 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP and 1.2 WAR.

Miami's Tommy Bridges was added to the rotation after the start of the season, but has performed well, with a 3-0 record and a 2.87 ERA.
The AI thinks the NL should take fifteen pitchers, eleven of them starters, to the all-star game. That's not going to happen.

If I had to pick five, thinking about likely future performance, they would be Johnson, Drysedale, Pascual, Guidry, and Young.

[Makonnen]

Series preview here.

This was a very close series, with each game decided by a single run.

Game One: Johnny Cueto @ Luke Hamlin

A matchup of similar hurlers, each of which have turned in some strong starts and each of which have turned in some duds. Johnny Cueto comes in at 4-2 with a 4.60 ERA and Luke Hamlin 2-3 and 4.24.

A 2-run homerun by Stan Musial put the Monarchs up in the bottom of the first, but in the top of the 4th, Oscar Charleston both extended his hitting streak to fourteen games and cut the lead in half with a shot into the left field seats. Johnny Bench and Hal Morris followed with consecutive singles, and the game was tied when Edd Roush lined a pitch into centerfield, scoring Bench. Roush was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double, and a strikeout of Chase Headley got Hamlin out of the inning.

Cueto would give up one more run in the bottom of the sixth: Rogers Hornsby singled, moved to second on a passed ball, tagged up to take third on a fly to deep CF by Ducky Medwick, and scored on a single by Ted Simmons. The bottom of the seventh was more traditional: an infield single by Ozzie Smith and a smash into the left field stands by Boog Powell put Kansas City up 5-2 and chased Cueto from the mound, to be relieved by Lefty James.

Indianapolis scored once in the 8th on a triple by Joe Morgan (in his first game back from the DL) and a sac fly from Charleston, closing the score to 5-3.

That only served to setup the top of the 9th. Frank DiPino came in for Kansas City, and gave up a double to Roush. He was relieved by Craig Kimbrel, who induced a groundout from Ernie Lombardi before giving way to the Monarchs' closer, Jeff Pfeffer. Pfeffer walked Bob Bescher, but got a flyout from Danny Hoffman for the second out, bring up Morgan once again.

Little Joe came through with a single, scoring Roush, and Charleston doubled down the right field line, scoring 2 and putting the ABC's on top, 6-5.

It was enough as Doc White pitched a perfect 9th for his first save.

Morgan had 3 hits and Charleston 4 RBIs for Indianapolis; Hornsby, Simmons, and Lou Brock had 2 hits each for Kansas City.

IND 6 (James 2-0; White 1 Sv) @ KAN 5 (Pfeffer 3-1, 2 BS; Wainwright 1 H; Kimbrel 7 H)
HRs: IND - Charleston (2); KAN - Powell (5), Musial (6)
Box Score

Game 2: David Price @ Jose Rijo

Jose Rijo has struggled this year, with an ERA approaching 7 while David Price--despite only two decisions on the year--is dragging his down towards a sub-4.00 level.

Once more the Monarchs took the early lead: a double from Stan Musial and an RBI single from Albert Pujols made it 1-0 Kansas City after 1 inning. The ABC's tied it up in the top of the second, but then both pitchers settled down, until, with 2 outs in the bottom of the fifth, Lou Brock and Ozzie Smith delivered back-to-back doubles against Price, putting Kansas City ahead, 2-1.

Rijo got out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the 6th by striking out Ed Charles for the final out. That was it for the Kansas City hurler--6 innings, 5 hits, 1 run was a very good day for him, and the somewhat shaky Connie Johnson took over in the top of the 7th.

The score remained 2-1, and again the Monarchs turned to Jeff Pfeffer in the 9th. The big right-hander walked Edd Roush, got two batters to fly out to Willie McGee in center, and then walked Danny Hoffman. So, two on and two out, and once again Joe Morgan at the plate in a key situation. This time, a lazy fly ball to left ended the game, evening the series at one with the Kansas City victory.

Both starters were excellent: Price gave up 7 hits and 2 runs in 7 innings, but still took the loss.

Johnny Bench and Hal Morris had 2 hits each for Indianapolis and Oscar Charleston was hitless, ending his streak at 14 games. McGee and Musial had 2 hits apiece for Kansas City.

IND 1 (Price 1-2) @ KAN 2 (Rijo 3-2; Johnson 1 H; Pfeffer 6 Sv)
HRs: none
Box Score

Game 3: Rube Foster @ Andy Petite

An interesting game where Indianapolis took the lead without a hit (Bob Bescher walked, stole second, and scored on an error Kansas City's Gene Freese at 3B). They doubled the lead when a Joe Morgan double scored a laboring Ernie Lombardi all the way from first in the top of the 4th.

But the Monarchs answered immediately, with a leadoff homerun from Albert Pujols and then, after two quick outs, five consecutive hits: a double from Freese and singles from Fielder Jones, Lou Brock, Ozzie Smith, and Ted Simmons. Those hits scored 2, with the inning ending when Bescher gunned down Brock at the plate. The Monarchs were now ahead, 3-2.

Rube Foster gave up 10 hits in 6 innings, but only 3 runs while Andy Petite was spectacular, allowing 4 hits and only 2 earned runs in just over 7 innings.

Careful readers would know, then, that Indianapolis would score again: after Dave Henderson walked with 2 outs in the top of the 7th, Johnny Bench was sent to the plate to pinch-hit for Davey Concepcion. Bench sliced a triple down the right-field line, scoring Henderson and tying the game at 3.

It stayed that way to the bottom of the 9th, when Kansas City scored a run in what has become a bit of a trademark style: Brock reached on a walk (OK, that's not so common), stole second, moved to third on a soft single to CF by Smith, and scored on a fly ball to right by Simmons, ending the game.

Willie Mitchell pitched well, but took the loss, with Craig Kimbrel earning the victory with 1.2 innings of hitless relief.

IND 3 (Mitchell 1-1) @ KAN 4 (Kimbrel 1-1)
HRs: KAN - Pujols (6)
Box Score

Game 4: Red Faber @ Frank Castillo

Attempting to gain a series split, Indianapolis jumped on Frank Castillo quickly, with consecutive doubles by Oscar Charleston and Johnny Bench and a single from Joe Morgan leading to an early 3-0 lead. After a Boog Powell RBI put Kansas City on the board, the ABC's used an unexpected source to re-establish their 3-run lead when light-hitting Chase Headley doubled home Jake Stenzel.

Red Faber sailed along until the fifth, when another RBI from Powell--this one a double that scored Ozzie Smith--opened the floodgates. Albert Pujols singled home Powell, and then Rogers Hornsby hit a long homerun to right-center, putting the Monarchs in front, 5-4. That meant that, despite a subpar performance, Castillo turned the game over to Trevor Rosenthal with the lead and a chance for a victory.

Rosenthal allowed a run on a wild pitch, tying the game at 5, and putting the match in the hands of the two bullpens. Kansas City would strike first, with a 2-run homerun from Willie McGee putting them up, 7-5. But Rosenthal would be unable to hold it, allowing consecutive doubles to Bob Bescher and Hal Morris before giving way to Adam Wainwright. Wainwright would allow one more run on a sacrifice fly, so once again we were tied, this time 7-7.

Once again the ABC's found success from an unlikely source, as Dennis Menke--called on to pinch hit for Bescher--delivered a single to center to score the go-ahead run. The ABC's Rob Murphy, who has struggled most of the year, retired Kansas City in order in the bottom of the 8th. That setup Indianapolis' closer, Rob Dibble, to face the heart of Kansas City's lineup in the bottom of the 9th.

Stan Musial walked, and was replaced at first by pinch-runner Fielder Jones. Pujols whiffed, but Hornsby lifted a ball to shallow center. It fell for a single, putting runners on 1st and 2nd with one out. Dibble induced a groundball to second base by Lou Brock, but Headley--called into emergency service at shortstop--couldn't handle the throw, loading the bases for Ducky Medwick, hitting .359 since being recalled from AAA a few weeks back.

Medwick lifted it deep enough into the OF for Jones to score easily, tying the game. Dibble struck out Salvador Perez, sending us into extra innings.

It was the bottom of the 11th, and Medwick once again: he delivered a single, scoring Jones to win the game--and the series--for Kansas City. Hornsby had 3 hits for the Monarchs.

The win went to Jeff Pfeffer, who moved to 4-1 on the year, with Lefty James suffering the loss.

IND 8 (James 2-1; Murphy 3 H; Dibble 1 BS) @ KAN 9 (Pfeffer 4-1; Rosenthal 4 BS; Wainwright 1 BS)
HRs: KAN - McGee (3), Hornsby (4)
Box Score

Series Notes

Joe Morgan returned from the DL in strong form, going 5-for-18 and Hal Morris went 6-for-17. But the offensive leader for Indianapolis was Johnny Bench, who had 6 hits in 13 at-bats.

Ted Simmons led the way for the Monarchs, with 6 hits in 11 at-bats. Ozzie Smith went 6-for-17 and Rogers Hornsby 5-for-14. Jeff Pfeffer was involved in the decision in all four games, going 2-0 with 1 save and 1 blown save.