The Liberty League, Est. 1876

[Questdog]

Tuesday, May 31, 1887

Owner George Crane (50-6.3) of the Indianapolis Hoosiers has relieved LF Ed Wakefield (27-5.8) of his managerial duties and hired Erastus Garrett (38-6.9) to run the team. As a player, Garrett was a first baseman, but never played above the low minors. He has not managed before.

In the GNA, first year owner Mike Haak (59-6.7) grew tired of watching his Grays lose and fired manager John Wells (43-5.6). He has handed the reins of the team over to 1B Pat Ross (30-5.4), who has never managed before.

Our game with Pittsburgh was washed out today, so the team is on its way back home were we will start a little home stand the day after tomorrow. But I am on my way to Syracuse, where I will look over some players and talk to manager Dave Robertson (42-8.5) and maybe even spend a few hours harassing the telegraph operator in an effort to get the Wolverines to be able to score runs like all the other teams seem to be doing.

Liberty League:
Cincinnati (9) at Indianapolis (10): Sal DeVaux (32-3.5) (2-3) over Charlie Branham (27-4.2) (6-8). Rookie C Sandy McKinnon (27-4.0) had 4 hits, including the game-winning single in the bottom of the 9th. He had a double and a walk, scored 2 runs and had 3 RBIs. The Reds made 10 errors.

Louisville (9) at New York (2): Sammy Berry (27-5.5) (1-2) over Jack Roberts (35-6.1) (3-8). Berry allowed 3 hits, 4 walks and struck out 2.

Cleveland (3) at Boston (5): William Little (26-6.0) (6-4) over Ed Pedersen (25-5.1) (5-9). Little allowed 8 hits, no walks and struck out 5.

Grand National Association:
Milwaukee (9) at Providence (8) in 11 innings: Freddy Wood (31-6.3) (6-8) over Ed Wison (26-7.3) (3-6). 2B Tom Kelly (23-5.3) had 4 hits, stole a base, scored a run and had an RBI. Rookie CF Al Blanchette (22-7.7) now has a 20 game hitting streak going. For the Grays, C John Toler (29-6.4) had 4 hits with 3 doubles, scored 3 runs and had 2 RBIs.

[Questdog]

[Questdog]

[Questdog]

Wednesday, June 1, 1887

I was in Syracuse today and spent all morning in the telegraph office trying to work out a trade or two to bring some bats to Detroit, but in the end I decided not to make any deals. I almost pulled the trigger on a trade with New York for 1B John Hilliard (27-7.2) and 3B Ed Glass (27-4.5), but chickened out at the last minute.

After lunch, I went to the ballpark and talked to Dave Robertson (42-8.5), the manager of the Syracuse Stars, about who might help us in Detroit. After watching them work out, I decided to take LF Al Lewis (21-9.1) and CF Tom Panozzo (22-2.0) back to Detroit with me. Robertson thinks P Al Rice (22-7.6) is ready, but I decided to leave him in Syracuse to get regular work instead of only pitching once a week in Detroit. I was also tempted to take SS Al Hartford (22-5.0) just from his stats and watching him field ground balls, but he has never hit before anywhere he has played, so he'll have to keep it up for a while longer. He's a good fielding shortstop, but would be even better at second with his average arm.

CF Fred Bianco (28-6.9) and LF Sy Geller (28-5.7) are on their way to Syracuse to make room for the new rookies.

Liberty League:
Boston (1) at Indianapolis (12): Bill Crawford (28-7.2) (7-5) over William Little (26-6.0) (6-5). Crawford allowed 10 hits, 5 walks and struck out 1. He also beaned a batter, but only gave up the 1 run because his Hoosier mates did not make an error. RF Ed Wakefield (27-5.8), without the stress of managing hanging on him anymore, hit a home run. For the Red Caps, SS John Ingling (27-4.6) had 4 hits, but no runs or RBIs and made 3 errors. RF Dan Abrams (28-5.1) injured his shoulder and will miss 2 weeks.

Grand National Association:
Milwaukee (10) at Providence (5): Zachary Buchanan (26-4.0) (8-7) over Bill Henson (30-6.5) (1-10).

Chicago (2) at Baltimore (4): Pop Yurkovich (35-5.6) (7-7) over Pat Seguin (23-4.4) (11-5). Yurkovich allowed 8 hits, 4 walks and struck out 4. Seguin allowed 11 hits, no walks and struck out 6.

[Questdog]

Thursday, June 2, 1887

We are back in Detroit for only a week before we have to go on the road again. Today, we begin a 3 game series with manager Hi Lynch (36-7.5) and his Gothams. 3 weeks ago, they beat is 2 of 3 in New York. They are 5th in the League in scoring runs with 6.5 per game (Detroit is still last with 5.4, but hoping the 2 rookies will give us a boost). They are 7th in runs allowed with 7.6 per game (Detroit is still #1 with 4.4), but it really depends on who the pitcher is: with Miah Turner (26-5.3) in the box they are tough to score on, but when ol' Jack Roberts (35-6.1) has started, the runs have flown freely (except when we faced him).

I'm thinking 1B John Hilliard (27-7.2) and 3B Ed Glass (27-4.5) are going to abuse us this series since I jinxed us by almost trading for them....

New York Gothams (12-12 .500 5 GB tied for 4th place in the Liberty League) at
Detroit Wolverines (19-9 .679 1st place)

Miah Turner, N.Y. (26-5.3) (R 7-3 2.71 8.9-1.5-3.6 H-BB-K/9) vs. Lou Townley, Det. (25-3.4) (R 9-2 1.91 9.1-1.2-3.4)

The 2 new rookies are going to spend today getting acclimated to their surroundings. I did not want their first game to be a humiliating experience against Turner, who is probably the best pitcher in the League.

Lost - 5 to 0

Townley allowed 6 hits, 2 walks and struck out 3. At bat, he had 2 hits.

Turner gave us 4 hits, no walks and struck out 2.

Each team made 1 error.

Alright, now that we got that out of the way, let's move on.....

Liberty League:
Indianapolis (7) at Pittsburgh (6): Sal DeVaux (32-3.5) (3-3) over Tom Lilly (27-6.4) (6-6). The Puddlers scored 4 times in the bottom of the 9th to come up a run short of a miracle. With 2 outs and the tying run on 3rd, 1B Jumbo Lynn (27-3.8) hit one to deep left center, but rookie LF Dick Thacker (26-7.6) chased it down to preserve the win. For Pittsburgh, 3B Adam Trombley (33-6.8) hit a home run.

Boston (6) at Louisville (17): William McLeod (28-5.6) (6-6) over Charlie Morlock (37-6.7) (5-7). RF John Rodgers (35-4.4) hit his 2nd home run of the season. Boston made 8 errors. For the Red Caps, C Frank Douglas (32-5.8) hit a home run. CF Pat Stafford (26-5.4) hit his league-leading 6th of the year.

Grand National Association:
St. Louis (1) at Brooklyn (7): Al Green (24-3.8) (9-7) over Ted Ryther (33-4.3) (5-10). Green allowed 3 hits, 4 walks and struck out 2. C Billy Boblett (29-5.4) had a hit and 2 walks, stole a base and scored 4 runs.

Chicago (17) at Baltimore (1): Pete Rinehart (28-6.2) (3-3) over Tom Wilmarth (27-5.4) (8-9). Rinehart allowed 7 hits, 3 walks and struck out 1. At bat, he walked 3 times and scored 3 runs and also had an RBI. SS Bob Robertson (24-4.1) had 3 hits with a double and a triple, walked once and scored 4 runs. 1B Tom Jackson (23-5.8), in his 1st major start, had 4 hits with a double and a triple, scored 2 runs and had 5 RBIs. LF George Everman (30-6.3) had 4 hits with a triple, scored 2 runs and had 3 RBIs.

[Questdog]

Friday, June 3, 1887

New York Gothams (13-12 .520 4 GB in 2nd place in the Liberty League) at
Detroit Wolverines (19-10 .655 1st place)

Jack Roberts, N.Y. (35-6.1) (R 3-8 6.46 12.2-5.1-1.7 H-BB-K/9) vs. Ed Bush, Det. (27-5.3) (R 9-5 2.75 7.3-2.6-2.7)

Roberts has looked washed up against everyone but us. He beat us 3 weeks ago, 5 to 3, only giving us 6 hits and 2 walks.

Won - 12 to 3

Bush allowed 5 hits (4 for extra bases), 3 walks and struck out 3. At bat, he had 2 hits with a double and a walk and scored 3 runs.

We had 13 hits and each team had 3 errors.

LF Al Lewis (21-9.1), in his major league debut, hit a double, scored a run and had an RBI. RF Willie Kirby (25-2.1) had a hit, scored 2 runs and had an RBI. SS Al Shaffer (26-5.6) had a hit, scored 2 runs and had an RBI. CF Tom Panozzo (22-2.0), in his major league debut, had 4 hits with a triple and an inside-the-park home run, scored 2 runs and had 5 RBIs. No one has had a better day at the plate for the Wolverines this season. 1B Tom Duncan (22-6.6) had 2 hits with a triple, scored a run and had 2 RBIs.

For the Gothams, 1B John Hilliard (27-7.2) hit his 6th home run of the season, to tie for the league lead.

Liberty League:
Boston (5) at Louisville (4): Dave Wolf (24-4.7) (5-2) over Count Childs (31-3.1) (5-6). Wolf allowed 8 hits, no walks and struck out no one.

Indianapolis (5) at Pittsburgh (3): Dad Marshall (28-4.4) (4-6) over Whitey Mathews (24-4.1) (5-5). Marshall allowed 9 hits, 2 walks and struck out 5.

Cincinnati (9) at Cleveland (10): Bill Henrichs (28-7.4) (1-1) in relief of Ed Pedersen (25-5.1) over John Stevens (30-8.2) (6-6). Rookie RF Tom Steiner (20-4.9) doubled home the winning run with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th. He had 4 hits with 2 doubles, scored a run and had 3 RBIs. For the Reds, CF Fred Kerr (25-5.2) hit a home run. 3B Tacks Strange (33-5.4) broke his knee cap and is done for the season.

Grand National Association:
St. Louis (1) at Brooklyn (4): Ren French (25-4.9) (7-5) over Fred Barrow (35-4.7) (7-7). French allowed 4 hits, 2 walks and struck out 3. Barrow allowed 7 hits, 3 walks and struck out no one.

Kansas City (8) at Omaha (6) in 10 innings: Al McClaughry (23-5.6) (10-8) over Lee Sprague (27-3.5) (8-9). Omaha has lost 4 in a row.

[Questdog]

Saturday, June 4, 1887

New York Gothams (13-13 .500 5 GB in 3rd place in the Liberty League) at
Detroit Wolverines (20-10 .667 1st place)

Miah Turner, N.Y. (26-5.3) (R 8-3 2.48 8.5-1.4-3.4 H-BB-K/9) vs. Dave Frazier, Det. (27-5.7) (L 1-1 2.50 10.5-1.5-2.5)

Won - 10 to 2

Frazier allowed 4 hits (all singles), 1 walk and struck out 2. At bat, he had a hit and scored a run.

Turner gave us 13 hits, 1 walk and struck out 5. At bat, he had a hit.

We made 2 errors and New York made 3.

LF Al Lewis (21-9.1) led off the game with a triple and later walked. He scored 2 runs and stole a base. 2B Jocko Cole (25-6.1) had 5 hits with a double and a triple, stole a base, scored 2 runs and had 4 RBIs. CF Tom Panozzo (22-2.0) hit a double, scored a run and had 2 RBIs. 3B John Powers (34-6.2) had 2 hits with a double and scored a run and started 2 around-the-horn double-plays.

Liberty League:
Boston (9) at Louisville (10): Sammy Berry (27-5.5) (2-2) over William Little (26-6.0) (6-6). The game was tied at 7 apiece entering the 9th inning. Boston scored twice in the top, but Louisville scored 3 times to win in the bottom. A 2-run triple by rookie 3B Dave Odekirk (22-6.5) ended the game. 1B Pete Hinde (31-7.9) had 4 hits with a triple, stole a base, scored 2 runs, including the final one, and had an RBI. SS Freddy Parsley (27-7.5) hit his 2nd home run of the year. For the Red Caps, rookie 3B Highball Baxter (21-5.7) sprained his ankle and will miss about 3 weeks.

Indianapolis (7) at Pittsburgh (8): Tom Adams (32-6.0) (2-2) over Joe Osborne (29-3.0) (0-4) in relief of Bill Crawford (28-7.2). Crawford suffered a serious head wound sliding into 2nd base to break up a double-play and will he in the hospital for quite a while. The doctors are saying he'll live, but never play ball again.

Cincinnati (6) at Cleveland (2): Charlie Branham (27-4.2) (7-8) over Henry Rawls (33-4.3) (6-6). Branham allowed 5 hits, 1 walk and struck out 2. 3B Ed Sawyer (27-4.7), an ex-Wolverine, hit a home run.

Grand National Association:
Kansas City (2) at Brooklyn (4): Ren French (25-4.9) (8-5) over Lew Burnett (26-4.5) (9-5). French allowed 10 hits, 2 walks and struck out 3. Burnett allowed 8 hits, 2 walks and struck out 2.

Chicago (13) at Providence (10): Pony Stanley (24-6.2) (10-5) in relief of Pat Seguin (23-4.4) over Ed Hodges (27-3.2) (6-8). Seguin had to leave in the 2nd inning when he planting his foot wrong on a pitch and twisted his ankle slightly. They say he'll be fine in a few days. Rookie 3B Stub Nelson (25-5.6) had 4 hits, stole a base, scored 3 runs and had 3 RBIs.

Milwaukee (7) at Baltimore (14): Pop Yurkovich (35-5.6) (8-7) over Freddy Wood (31-6.3) (6-9). Oh my, could this be the year? Yurkovich allowed 7 hits, 6 walks and struck out 3. Rookie CF Jimmy Sleeman (24-3.3) had 4 hits with a double, scored 3 runs and had an RBI. For the Brewers, RF Ed Capps (24-6.1) hit his league-leading 4th home run of the year.

St. Louis (7) at Omaha (4): Ted Ryther (33-4.3) (6-10) over Tom Lee (29-6.0) (5-4). Omaha out-hit St. Louis 13 to 8, but Lee walked 8.

[Questdog]

Sunday, June 5, 1887

Grand National Association:
Kansas City (4) at Brooklyn (1): Al McClaughry (23-5.6) (11-8) over Al Green (24-3.8) (9-8). McClaughry allowed 6 hits, 2 walks and struck out 5. Green allowed 8 hits, 5 walks and struck out 8. LF Joe Nichols (30-5.3) will miss about 3 weeks with a strained rub cage muscle.

At their annual convention, the National Association of Amateur Base Ball Players named LF Tom Paul (17-5.4) of Kirksville, Missouri the top amateur player in the country. Note: Before 1871 and the advent of professional baseball there were three awards given. One each for the best player and pitcher in the country and one for the best newcomer to the national scene. The winners listed below are the winners of the latter, as it more closely reflects the current award. The winners of the overall best player and pitcher awards before 1871 are listed below.

Past Recipients of the Award:
1857: Art Walker, lf, Kansas City, Kansas (21-7.6)
1858: George Rush, c, New York, New York (21-6.5)
1859: John Foster, p, Columbus, Ohio (19-5.5)
1860: Jim Emerson, lf, Dallas, Texas (22-5.1)
1861: Sam Yates, 3b, Memphis, Tennessee (20-7.9)
1862: Fred Swanger, lf, Portland, Oregon (21-6.8)
1863: Buck Redfearn, rf, Linglestown, Pennsylvania (22-4.5)
1864: Gil Bechard, lf, Chicago, Illinois (21-4.7)
1865: Tom Dore, rf, Streemwood, Illinois (21-4.0)
1866: Pete Bucolo, 1B, Dyersburg, Tennessee (18-4.1)
1867: George Kennedy, cf, Atlanta, Georgia (21-8.9)
1868: Nehemiah Robinson, ss, Brooklyn, New York (19-6.2)
1869: Bill Rosenthal, c, Killingly, Connecticut (22-5.5)
1870: Milt Wright, cf, Santa Ana, California (23-8.1)
1871: Bill Sears, 3B, Burlington, Vermont (22-4.0)
1872: Charlie Warner, rf, Chattanooga, Tennessee (18-9.2)
1873: Frank McSherry, p, Chicago, Illinois (17-4.1)
1874: Jim Ware, ss, Longueuil, Quebec, Canada (20-5.6)
1875: Sam Cowan, ss, Cedar Hill, Texas (19-5.1)
1876: George Thomas, c, Straughn, Indiana (19-6.3)
1877: Jim Granier, c, Houston, Texas (21-5.7)
1878: Joe Turner, rf, Yale, Michigan (18-6.6)
1879: Harry Hooks, 1b, Brooklyn, New York (20-6.1)
1880: William McLeod, p, Yardville, New Jersey (21-5.6)
1881: Cowboy Gray, ss, San Francisco, California (19-7.8)
1882: Lou Townley, p, Shelby, North Carolina (20-3.4)
1883: Pat Stafford, cf, Los Angeles, California (22-5.4)
1884: Ed Aldrich, ss, St. Louis, Missouri (20-6.8)
1885: Heinie Ashmore, cf, Elgin, Illinois (20-6.0)
1886: Ed Robling, cf, Port Clinton, Ohio (23-7.3)

Editor's Note: This is the first player taken in the draft of amateurs the B Leagues have every year. Reddy Ricker was the 4th player drafted in 1865.

Overall best player awards before 1871:
1857: Bill Childs, cf, Philadelphia (28-4.4)
1858: Anson Davidson, 1B, Lowell (31-5.5)
1859: Jim Boatright, lf, Philadelphia (32-6.8)
1860: Nathan Wood, ss, New Haven (33-5.5)
1861: Nathan Wood, ss, New Haven (34-5.5)
1862: Al Bates, 3b, Hartford (24-4.2)
1863: Dave Campbell, ss, Washington (29-5.4)
1864: Mike Haack, 1B, Wilmington (36-6.7)
1865: Bill Griffin, cf, Providence (27-7.3)
1866: Buck Redfearn, rf, Baltimore (25-4.5)
1867: Buck Redfearn, rf, Baltimore (26-4.5)
1868: Buck Redfearn, rf, Baltimore (27-4.5)
1869: Buck Redfearn, rf, Baltimore (28-4.5)
1870: Pete Bucolo, 1B, Albany (22-4.1)

Best Pitcher awards before 1871:
1857: Joe Watson, Washington (24-6.2)
1858: Hezekiah Marish, Lowell (27-7.3)
1859: Hezekiah Marish, Lowell (28-7.3)
1860: Hezekiah Marish, Lowell (29-7.3)
1861: Frank Sager, Brooklyn (30-4.1)
1862: Frank Sager, Brooklyn (31-4.1)
1863: Adonis Hotchkiss, New Haven (32-4.6)
1864: Hank Boyle, Boston (33-6.4)
1865: Hezekiah Marish, Providence (34-7.3)
1866: Frank Sager, Brooklyn (35-4.1)
1867: Charlie Moss, Providence (26-6.3)
1868: Al Hill, Wilmington (30-5.4)
1869: Al Hill, Wilmington (31-5.4)
1870: Al Hill, Wilmington (32-5.4)

Editor's Note: The above were the MVP and Hurler Trophy winners of the seasons I pre-simmed back to 1857, the year the real NABBP was established. The pre-sim actually started in 1801. I thought the Civil War would have stopped baseball for a few years, but it did not in real life, so I list those years the same as any other.

And as long as we are here, we might as well list the Professional Awards:

For the old National Association:
MVP
1871: Pete Bucolo, of, Cincinnati (23-4.1)
1872: Reddy Ricker, 2b, Albany (25-6.0)
1873: Ike Noel, lf, Albany (29-6.1)
1874: Bill Thompson, 2b, Louisville (23-4.2)
1875: Bill Thompson, 2b, Louisville (24-4.2)

Pitcher of the Year
1871: Charlie Moss, New York (30-6.3)
1872: Bill McClean, Albany (26-6.0)
1873: Lemuel Cross, Baltimore (33-5.9)
1874: Bill McClean, Albany (28-6.0)
1875: Bill McClean, Albany (29-6.0)

For the Liberty League:
MVP
1876: Al Cannon, c, Washington (31-5.4)
1877: Silver Borresen, lf, Pittsburgh (23-6.9)
1878: Pete Green, rf, Boston (29-9.3)
1879: Bill Thompson, 2b, Boston (28-4.2)
1880: Joe Vaughan, 1b, Cincinnati (25-5.2)
1881: Pete Bucolo, 1b, Boston (33-4.1)
1882: Bill Thompson, 2b, Boston (31-4.2)
1883: Fleet Wilcox, cf, Cincinnati (26-4.9)
1884: Fleet Wilcox, cf, Cincinnati (27-4.9)
1885: Ben Smith, lf, Detroit (25-6.7)
1886: Mike Stables, 2b, Boston (30-7.1)

Hurler Trophy
1876: John Bendickson, Troy (24-6.0)
1877: Abe Everette, Troy (28-6.9)
1878: John Bendickson, Troy (26-6.0)
1879: John Bendickson, Troy (27-6.0)
1880: John Stevens, Cincinnati (23-8.2)
1881: Charlie Morlock, Boston (31-6.7)
1882: Charlie Morlock, Boston (32-6.7)
1883: Joe Peters, Boston (27-4.9)
1884: Charlie Morlock, Boston (34-6.7)
1885: Joe Peters, Boston (29-4.9)
1886: Miah Turner, New York (25-5.3)

For the Grand National Association:
MVP
1882: Otis York, lf, Brooklyn (26-6.3)
1883: Candy Simpson, lf, Chicago (24-6.8)
1884: Charlie Gregor, 1b, Providence (25-5.2)
1885: Jim Ware, ss, Pittsburgh (31-5.6)
1886: Ed Aldrich, ss, Omaha (22-6.8)

Hurler Trophy
1882: Tom Adams, Pittsburgh (27-6.0)
1883: Lee Sprague, Omaha (23-3.5)
1884: Tom Lee, Omaha (26-6.0)
1885: Lee Sprague, Omaha (25-3.5)
1886: Tom Lee, Omaha (28-6.0)

[Questdog]

Monday, June 6, 1887

Our game scheduled against the Cincinnati Reds was rained out today.

Grand National Association:
St. Louis (19) at Omaha (3): Fred Barrow (35-4.7) (8-7) over Lee Sprague (27-3.5) (8-10). Barrow allowed 9 hits, 5 walks and struck out 3. Sprague has lost 4 of his last 5. The Terriers scored 12 runs off Sprague in the 4th inning. 1B Jack Warren (35-7.2), an ex-Wolverine, had 3 hits with a double and a triple, 2 walks, scored 4 runs and had 2 RBIs. C Willie Ticknor (30-3.1) had 2 hits with a triple and a walk, scored a run and had 4 RBIs.

[Questdog]

Tuesday, June 7, 1887

We begin what will now be a 2 game series against manager/CF Silver Borresen (33-6.9) and his Reds today. We are 5-1 against them on the season and swept them in 3 games in Cincinnati a month ago. They are 4th in runs scored with 6.7 per game (Detroit is still last, but climbing, at 5.5). They are 4th in runs allowed with 6.5 per game (Detroit is still #1 with 4.3).

1B Zenas Woodard (27-4.6) is healed up and ready to play, so 1B Al Pickens (29-5.8) is on his way back to Syracuse. Woodard will stay on the bench for now.

Cincinnati Reds (14-14 .500 5.5 GB tied for 3rd place in the Liberty League) at
Detroit Wolverines (21-10 .677 1st place)

John Stevens, Cin. (30-8.2) (R 6-6 4.56 11.3-2.7-2.7 H-BB-K/9) vs. Lou Townley, Det. (25-3.4) (R 9-3 2.17 8.8-1.3-3.3)

Historically, we have not done well against Stevens. So far this year, we are 1-1.

The wind is blowing very hard straight out towards that short right field fence....

Won - 8 to 7

The Reds loaded the bases up with 2 outs in the 9th and then Townley beaned a batter to force in a run, but then he got a ground out to second to end the game.

Townley allowed 13 hits, 1 walk and struck out 2.

Stevens gave us 11 hits, 2 walks and struck out no one. At bat, he had 2 hits and scored a run.

We made 2 errors and Cincinnati made 4.

LF Al Lewis (21-9.1) had 3 hits and one of them got up into the wind and went over the right field fence for a home run. He stole a base and scored 2 runs. One reason I wanted Lewis and Panozzo up here so desperately is that they are both left-handed bats that can shoot for that short fence. Before, Ben Smith (27-6.7) was the only lefty we had in the lineup. Smith had 2 hits with his 2nd home run of the year and had 3 RBIs. CF Tom Panozzo (22-2.0) hit a double, stole a base and scored a run.

For the Reds, rookie SS Tub Saslow (22-5.8) hit 2 doubles, scored 3 runs and had an RBI. RF Fleet Wilcox (30-4.9) had 4 hits with a triple, stole a base, scored 2 runs and had 3 RBIs.

Liberty League:
Indianapolis (7) at Louisville (8): William McLeod (28-5.6) (7-6) over Sal DeVaux (32-3.5) (3-4). Two pitchers that toiled for Detroit last year faced off. C Wiley Fobes (36-2.5) hit his 2nd home run of the year. SS Freddy Parsley (27-7.5) fractured a bone in his hand and will miss about 5 weeks. For the Hoosiers, rookie 3B Kid Stevens (25-8.4) hit a home run.

New York (16) at Cleveland (8): Miah Turner (26-5.3) (9-4) over Ed Pedersen (25-5.1) (5-10). SS Dave Hay (25-5.7) had 4 hits, stole 3 bases, scored 5 runs and had an RBI. 2B Bill Baker (25-3.6) had 3 hits with a double, stole 3 bases, scored 3 runs and had 4 RBIs. 1B John Hilliard (27-7.2) had 2 hits, scored a run and had 4 RBIs. LF Lorenzo Chappell (27-5.2) hit his 2nd home run of the season.

Grand National Association:
Kansas City (7) at Brooklyn (2): Lew Burnett (26-4.5) (10-5) over Ren French (25-4.9) (8-6). Burnett allowed 8 hits, 6 walks and struck out 2. Kansas City made 7 errors.

Chicago (4) at Providence (3): Pat Seguin (23-4.4) (12-5) over Ed Hodges (27-3.2) (6-9). Seguin allowed 8 hits, 2 walks and struck out 1. LF Washington Macho (37-8.3) hit a home run.

Milwaukee (6) at Baltimore (5) in 10 innings: Freddy Wood (31-6.3) (7-9) over Pop Yurkovich (35-5.6) (8-8). You just knew the baseball gods could not let Yurky keep his record over .500.

St. Louis (21) over Omaha (4): Ted Ryther (33-4.3) (7-10) over Tom Lee (29-6.0) (5-5). The expansion Terriers scored 38 runs in 2 games against Sprague and Lee! Unbelievable! They scored 7 in the 1st inning. 1B Jack Warren (35-7.2) had 3 hits with a double, stole a base, scored a run and had 4 RBIs. CF James McClellan (29-4.7) did not have a hit, but walked 4 times and scored 5 runs to tie the record for both walks and runs in a GNA game. SS Harry Robinson (28-3.3) had 4 hits and 2 walks, scored 4 runs and had 3 RBIs. 2B Smith Yocum (29-5.5) had 2 hits, scored 4 runs and had 4 RBIs. Omaha made 10 errors.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, June 8, 1887

Trade! Cleveland sent P Bill Henrichs (28-7.4) to Pittsburgh for 3 minor leaguers: P Willard Clapp (24-4.3), SS Tom Scott (22-5.9) and RF Chief Shaw (23-3.9). Henrichs will supplant Tom Adams (32-6.0) as the Puddlers' #3 man. Clapp looks like the only real prospect among the three, but he was only a 7th round pick in this past B Leagues draft.

Cincinnati Reds (14-15 .483 6.5 GB in 5th place in the Liberty League) at
Detroit Wolverines (22-10 .688 1st place)

Charlie Branham, Cin. (27-4.2) (R 7-8 3.59 9.8-2.4-2.2 H-BB-K/9) vs. Ed Bush, Det. (27-5.3) (R 10-5 2.69 7.2-2.6-2.8)

After starting the season 2-6 (4 losses to Detroit), Branham has won 5 of his last 7. He has allowed only 5 hits in 2 of his last 3 starts.

Lost - 14 to 6

The Reds went up 5 to 1 in the 5th inning, but we battled back and tied it up in the bottom of the 6th. But Bush went out and gave them 4 runs in the top of the 7th and it was over. An oddity of Bush's horrible game is that he did not allow a home run, which has been his achilles heel.

In 8 innings, Bush allowed 14 hits, 4 walks and struck out 1.
Dave Frazier (27-5.7) pitched the 9th and gave them 4 more runs, though an error and a passed ball helped.

Branham gave us 10 hits, 3 walks and struck out 3. At bat, he had a hit, scored a run and had an RBI.

We made 3 errors and Cincinnati made 5.

SS Al Shaffer (26-5.6) had 2 hits, scored a run and had an RBI. 2B Jocko Cole (25-6.1) had 3 hits, stole a base and scored 2 runs. He has finally come to life with 9 hits in the last 3 games, raising his batting average almost 50 points (.277). LF Ben Smith (27-6.7) has also snapped out of his coma. He had 2 hits with his 3rd home run of the year and 2nd in 2 games. He scored twice and had 3 RBIs. CF Tom Panozzo (22-2.0) only had 1 hit, but knocked in 2 runs. 1B Tom Duncan (22-6.6) hit a triple.

For the Reds, rookie SS Tub Saslow (22-5.8) had 4 hits, stole 3 bases and scored 3 runs. RF Fleet Wilcox (30-4.9) had 2 hits with a double and a walk, scored a run and had an RBI. C Cliff Robinson (29-6.1) hit a triple and drew 2 walks and scored 3 runs and had 3 passed balls. 3B Lew Sheen (32-6.1) hit a double and a triple, scored 2 runs and had 4 RBIs.

Liberty League:
Boston (4) at Pittsburgh (5): Bill Henrichs (28-7.4) (2-1) in relief of Tom Lilly (27-6.4) over William Little (26-6.0) (6-7). Boston was up 4 to 2 heading to the bottom of the 9th and Little retired the 1st 2 batters of the inning. He had 2 strikes on 2B Jim Ware (33-5.6), but Ware tripled and the Puddlers rallied for 3 runs and won the game. Lilly had to leave the game when he was beaned in the face, but it luckily was a glancing blow and he only suffered a badly bruised cheek. A few days rest and he should be good as new. Henrichs pitched a perfect 9th inning to earn the win in his first day as a Puddler. Boston is now 4-10 in their last 14 games.

Indianapolis (7) at Louisville (8): Count Childs (31-3.1) (6-6) over Dad Marshall (28-4.4) (4-7).

Grand National Association:
Chicago (11) at Providence (4) Game 1: Pete Rinehart (28-6.2) (4-3) over Ed Wison (26-7.3) (3-7). Rinehart allowed 8 hits, 1 walk and struck out 1. C George Sandefur (31-5.8) had 4 hits with a double and a triple, but though everyone was scoring all around him, he only managed a single RBI.

Chicago (0) at Providence (2) Game 2: Ed Wison (26-7.3) (4-7) over Pat Seguin (23-4.4) (12-6). Talk about redeeming yourself! After giving up 16 hits and 5 walks in the 1st game, Wison convinced his manager that he could do better (maybe his strategy was to tire all the Colts out in the first game by making them keep running around the bases). He only allowed 6 hits, 1 walk and struck out 2. Seguin only allowed 5 hits, no walks and did not strike out anyone. At bat, he hit 2 doubles.

Kansas City (9) at Brooklyn (1): Al McClaughry (23-5.6) (12-8) over Al Green (24-3.8) (9-9). McClaughry allowed 4 hits, 2 walks and struck out 2. Brooklyn made 9 errors. RF Tommy Dyer (29-3.8) hit a home run.

Milwaukee (2) at Baltimore (3): Tom Wilmarth (27-5.4) (9-9) over Zachary Buchanan (26-4.0) (8-8). Wilmarth allowed 7 hits, 2 walks and struck out 3. Buchanan allowed 8 hits, 1 walk and struck out 2. For the Brewers, rookie CF Al Blanchette (22-7.7) went hitless, ending his hitting streak at 23 games, 1 shy of the all-time GNA record. Candy Simpson (28-6.8) of Chicago had a 24 game streak in 1883. That same season, Joe Turner (27-6.6) had a 34 game streak for the Reds in the Liberty League, which is the all-time record.

St. Louis (13) over Omaha (14) in 10 innings: Lou Ellard (29-6.3) (1-1) in relief of Lee Sprague (27-3.5) over Con Arnold (23-6.3) (2-4). Omaha scored 6 times in the bottom of the 9th to tied the game. RF Bill Hammack (34-5.0) doubled to end the game in the bottom of the 10th. He had 4 hits with 2 doubles, scored 3 runs and had 2 RBIs. 1B Tom Anglin (34-5.6) had 4 hits with a double, scored 2 runs and had 3 RBIs. Ellard pitched 4 innings of relief and only gave up an unearned run to earn the win. Sprague is in a serious funk: he has allowed 50 runs in his last 4 starts. The GNA is now batting .305 against him on the season.

[Questdog]

Thursday, June 9, 1887

Back on the road again for a week before we finally get to have a proper home-stand. We are in Cleveland today to begin a 3 game series with manager/C Deacon Dubin (30-8.8) and his Spiders. We are only 3-3 against Cleveland so far and they beat us 2 out of 3 a month ago right here the last time we met. The last 2 games were especially humiliating. First we got shut out by Ed Pedersen, 7 to 0, and then we were thumped 18 to 4. I have reminded our fellas of those games and expect some payback in this series. The Spiders are 4th in scoring runs with 6.8 per game (Detroit is still last, but closing the gap, with 5.6). They are 6th in runs allowed with 7.4 per game (Detroit is still #1, even after that last game, with 4.7). Their League Park is pretty fair to all concerned, except that it is nigh on impossible to hit one over the left field fence.

Detroit Wolverines (22-11 .667 1st place in the Liberty League) at
Cleveland Spiders (13-18 .419 8 GB in 7th place)

Lou Townley, Det. (25-3.4) (R 10-3 2.31 9.2-1.2-3.2 H-BB-K/9) vs. Ed Pedersen, Det. (25-5.1) (R 5-10 5.40 12.4-2.1-1.7)

Pedersen is 5-10, but is 2-1 against us with a shutout his last time facing us.

Won - 9 to 2

LF Al Lewis (21-9.1) led off the game and guaranteed all by himself that Pedersen would not shut us out a second time in a row. He singled, stole 2nd and went to 3rd on the errant throw and scored on a passed ball.

Townley allowed 9 hits, 1 walk and struck out 3. At bat, he hit a double, drew 2 walks, scored 2 runs and had an RBI.

Pedersen gave us 8 hits, 6 walks and struck out 1. When is the last time this free swinging bunch of hackers had 6 walks in a game? Well, not as long as I thought: last October, Jack Roberts (35-6.1) of New York walked 8 against us. Pedersen walked 4 total in the 1st 3 games he faced us.

We made 1 error and Cleveland made 6.

LF Al Lewis had 2 hits and a walk, stole a base, scored a run and had an RBI. SS Al Shaffer (26-5.6) hit a bases loaded triple, but I wish he hadn't. He sprained his ankle sliding into third and will miss 5 to 6 weeks. That makes exactly half of our starting 8 from the "Skinny on the Skunkbears" dispatch that are out with an injury. 1B Tom Duncan (22-6.6) hit a triple and scored 2 runs. 3B John Powers (34-6.2) had a hit and 2 walks, stole a base, scored 3 runs and had an RBI.

I sent word to Syracuse to put SS Al Hartford (22-5.0) on a train to Detroit.

Liberty League:
New York (4) at Cincinnati (7): John Stevens (30-8.2) (7-7) over Jack Roberts (35-6.1) (3-10). Rookie SS Tub Saslow (22-5.8) hit his 2nd home run of the year.

Pittsburgh (17) at Indianapolis (3): Whitey Mathews (24-4.1) (6-5) over Sal DeVaux (32-3.5) (3-5). Mathews allowed 7 hits, 4 walks and struck out 3. At bat, he had 4 hits with a double, scored a run and had 2 RBIs. 3B Adam Trombley (33-6.8) had 4 hits with a double and a triple, scored 4 runs and had 2 RBIs. C Bumpus Dowdy (37-7.2) hit a home run. There were fisticuffs in the 9th inning of this game. 1B Tom Coponen (31-7.0) of Pittsburgh and P Joe Osborne (29-3.0) of Indianapolis were both suspended for 8 games. Frankly, I think the Hoosiers would be better off if they suspended Osborne for the rest of the year.

Louisville (12) at Boston (5): William McLeod (28-5.6) (8-6) over Charlie Morlock (37-6.7) (5-8). Someone needs to tell the Bourbons that they are an expansion team. With this win, they climb to .500 and pass Boston in the standings for 4th place. McLeod allowed 7 hits, 5 walks and struck out 4. CF Pat Womack (26-6.3), a Wolverine last season, had 3 hits with a home run and 4 RBIs. 2B Sam Swanger (34-4.8), also a Wolverine last year, had 3 hits, scored 2 runs and had 4 RBIs. Morlock is still 10 wins away from 300 and it is not looking as sure a thing as it did when the season began.

Grand National Association:
Chicago (6) at Brooklyn (9): William David (24-3.6) (2-2) over Pete Rinehart (28-6.2) (4-4). 2B Joe Henry (35-9.2) had 2 hits with his 3rd home run of the season, a walk and 4 RBIs.

St. Louis (5) at Providence (9): Bill Henson (30-6.5) (2-10) over Fred Barrow (35-4.7) (8-8). RF Sy Cullum (24-5.9) had 4 hits, stole a base, scored a run and had 2 RBIs.

Kansas City (1) at Baltimore (6): Tom Wilmarth (27-5.4) (10-9) over Lew Burnett (26-4.5) (10-6). Wilmarth allowed 7 hits, no walks and struck out 2. LF Bill Fogle (28-5.3) had 4 hits, scored 2 runs and had an RBI.

Milwaukee (9) over Omaha (10): Lee Sprague (27-3.5) (9-10) over Zachary Buchanan (26-4.0) (8-9). Remember the days when the Mutuals won games by the scored of 2 to 1? They have not won a game all season in which they scored fewer than 6 runs. They have won 2 in a row and had outscored their opponents 24 to 22 in the 2 games. The 2 games before that they lost and were outscored 40 to 7. 3B Bones Collins (32-4.4) hit a home run. 1B Tom Anglin (34-5.6) hit his 2nd of the year. For the Brewers, 1B Dave Gray (26-4.9) hit a home run.

[Questdog]

Friday, June 10, 1887

Trade! The Cincinnati Reds made another trade today, their 8th since trading was legalized in December. They sent minor league P Jimmy Euler (26-5.5) to Indianapolis for 2 minor leaguers: LF Jumbo Petrillo (24-5.5) and RF Wilson Huenefeld (24-6.0). Euler was the Reds' 1st round pick in the Dec. '85 B Leagues draft. He has been a highly rated prospect since he was an amateur, but with Stevens and Branham on their staff, Euler could not break through to the majors. The Hoosiers have promoted him to their major league roster, but have not said that he will get regular work. Petrillo (3rd round) and Huenefeld (8th round) were both drafted by Indianapolis this past December. Petrillo has only struck out once this season in 140 at bats in A Ball.

Detroit Wolverines (23-11 .676 1st place in the Liberty League) at
Cleveland Spiders (13-19 .406 9 GB in 7th place)

Ed Bush, Det. (27-5.3) (R 10-6 3.13 7.7.-2.7-2.7 H-BB-K/9) vs. Henry Rawls, Clev. (33-4.3) (L 6-6 4.31 11.5-1.7-2.9)

We are 2-1 against Rawls this year, but the last time we faced him, we lost 18 to 4.

Won - 8 to 7

Ben Smith (27-6.7) doubled to lead off the top of the 9th and later scored on an error to give us the lead. He had 2 hits on the day.

This was only our 4th 1-run game of the season, the fewest in baseball. We are also the only team that has not played an extra-inning game yet.

Bush had his 2nd straight crappy outing, but once again, his traditional shortcomings are not what hurt him. He did not give up a home run or walk a batter.

In 7 innings, Bush allowed 13 hits, no walks and struck out 1. At bat, he hit a double.
Dave Frazier (27-5.7) pitched the final 2 innings without allowing a run and got the win. He allowed 2 hits, a walk and struck out 1.

Rawls gave us 13 hits, 2 walks and struck out 2. At bat, he hit a triple, drew a walk and scored a run.

We made 2 errors and Cleveland made 5.

Zenas Woodard (27-4.6) had a 2-out RBI pinch-hit single in the 8th to tie the game. 2B Jocko Cole (25-6.1) had 2 hits, stole 2 bases, scored 2 runs and had an RBI. CF Tom Panozzo (22-2.0) knocked in 2 runs with an RBI single, stole a base and scored a run and threw out 2 base-runners, one at home. 1B Tom Duncan (22-6.6) hit a 2-run double and stole a base. SS Al Hartford (22-5.0) went 0 for 5 in his major league debut, but handled 7 chances at short without a mishap. C Jimmy Babcock (30-6.9) had 3 hits, but no runs or RBIs. C Evan Eckberg (31-3.5) hit a pinch-hit double and scored a run.

For the Spiders, SS Jesse Flanders (27-5.4) hit a double and a triple, scored a run and had 2 RBIs. 3b Cowboy Gray (25-7.8) had 2 hits, stole 3 bases, scored 2 runs and had an RBI. Rookie LF Kid Stryffeler (24-9.2) had 3 hits with a double in only his 2nd start of the season. He is now 8 for 10 to start his career.

Liberty League:
New York (6) at Cincinnati (12): Charlie Branham (27-4.2) (9-8) over Miah Turner (26-5.3) (9-5). RF Fleet Wilcox (30-4.9) had 2 hits with his 5th home run of the season, scored 2 runs and had 4 RBIs.

Pittsburgh (10) at Indianapolis (11): Jimmy Euler (26-5.5) (1-0) in relief of Dad Marshall (28-4.4) over Whitey Mathews (24-4.1) (6-6). Euler, in his 1st day with the Hoosiers and in his major league debut, earned the win with 2 perfect innings of relief. 1B Lew Bell (30-4.2) knocked in the winning run in the bottom of the 9th. C Fred Smith (32-6.8) hit his 3rd home run of the year. RF Ed Wakefield (27-5.8) wrenched his back and will miss about 3 weeks. For the Puddlers, 2B Jim Ware (33-5.6) had 2 hits with a home run, stole 3 bases, scored 4 runs and had 2 RBIs. C Wilson Wendling (26-4.1) hit his 2nd home run of the season.

Louisville (2) at Boston (9): William Little (26-6.0) (7-7) over Count Childs (31-3.1) (6-7). Someone told Louisville they were an expansion team. Little allowed 4 hits, 2 walks and struck out 1. CF Pat Stafford (26-5.4) hit his league-leading 7th home run of the year.

Grand National Association:
Chicago (0) at Brooklyn (7): Ren French (25-4.9) (9-6) over Pat Seguin (23-4.4) (12-7). French allowed 5 hits, no walks and struck out 2. Since starting the year at 10-1, Seguin has lost 6 of his last 8 decisions, though his ERA has stayed about the same. This was the 2nd straight start of his that Chicago was shutout. RF Tom Campbell (28-3.6) hit his 2nd home run of the year.

St. Louis (10) at Providence (5): Ted Ryther (33-4.3) (8-10) over Ed Hodges (27-3.2) (6-10). Ryther has won 4 of his last 5.

Kansas City (4) at Baltimore (3): Al McClaughry (23-5.6) (13-8) over Pop Yurkovich (35-5.6) (8-9). McClaughry allowed 8 hits, 2 walks and struck out 2. Yurkovich allowed only 4 hits, but walked 8. He struck out 4.

Milwaukee (4) over Omaha (12): Tom Lee (29-6.0) (6-5) over Freddy Wood (31-6.3) (7-10). Lee allowed 7 hits, 3 walks and struck out 4. Milwaukee made 10 errors. CF Abe Cupp (26-4.7) hit his 2nd home run of the season.

[Questdog]

Saturday, June 11, 1887

Detroit Wolverines (24-11 .686 1st place in the Liberty League) at
Cleveland Spiders (13-20 .394 10 GB in 8th place)

Dave Frazier, Det. (27-5.7) (L 3-1 2.40 8.4-1.8-2.4 H-BB-K/9) vs. Henry Rawls, Clev. (33-4.3) (L 6-7 4.28 11.6-1.7-2.8)

Won - 6 to 4

Frazier allowed 6 hits, 3 walks and struck out 3. He also beaned 2 batters. At bat, he had a hit and an RBI.

Rawls gave us 10 hits, 3 walks and struck out 2. At bat, he had a hit and a walk.

Each team made 4 errors.

LF Al Lewis (21-9.1) hurt his foot legging out an infield hit and will be gimpy for about a week. Evan Eckberg (31-3.5) hit a pinch-hit 2-out triple that tied the game in the 7th and then scored the go-ahead run. 2B Jocko Cole (25-6.1) had 2 hits and 2 RBIs. SS Al Hartford (22-5.0) had a hit and a walk, stole a base, scored 2 runs and had an RBI and played impressive defense. C Jimmy Babcock (30-6.9) hit a triple and had an RBI.

Liberty League:
New York (10) at Cincinnati (11): Dan Burton (32-4.9) (1-0) in relief of Charlie Branham (27-4.2) over Jack Roberts (35-6.1) (3-11). After 6 innings, New York was up 10 to 1. The Reds scored 4 times in the bottom of the 9th to win. Rookie SS Tub Saslow (22-5.8) hit a 2-out single to end the game. Manager/CF Silver Borresen (33-6.9) had 2 hits with a double and 4 walks and scored a run. The 4 bases on balls ties the major league record. Burton, in his Reds debut, pitched 2 scoreless innings to earn the win. He struck out 2 and the only batter to reach did so on an error.

Pittsburgh (14) at Indianapolis (5): Tom Lilly (27-6.4) (7-6) over Jimmy Euler (26-5.5) (1-1) in his 1st major league start (which was not so successful). SS Dan White (27-5.1) had 5 hits with a double, stole 3 bases, scored 2 runs and had 3 RBIs. For the Hoosiers, rookie LF Dick Thacker (26-7.6) hit a home run.

Louisville (4) at Boston (5): Charlie Morlock (37-6.7) (6-8) over Sammy Berry (27-5.5) (2-3). Rookie RF Tom Tyler (26-5.7) won the game with a single in the bottom of the 9th. RF Charlie Warner (33-9.2) hit his 3rd home run of the year.

Grand National Association:
Milwaukee (7) at Brooklyn (10): Al Green (24-3.8) (10-9) over Wiley Steel (25-5.6) (4-4).

St. Louis (3) at Providence (2): Con Arnold (23-6.3) (3-4) over Ed Wilson (26-7.3) (4-8). Arnold, who gave up 20 hits in his last start, allowed 9 hits, 1 walk and struck out 1. Wison allowed 9 hits, 4 walks and struck out 2.

Kansas City (5) at Baltimore (12): Tom Wilmarth (27-5.4) (11-9) over Lew Burnett (26-4.5) (10-7). Wilmarth allowed 9 hits, 2 walks and struck out 3.

Chicago (4) over Omaha (6): Lou Ellard (29-6.3) (2-1) over Pony Stanley (24-6.2) (10-6). Ellard allowed 7 hits, 5 walks and struck out 4. LF Fred Negus (23-6.7) pulled a muscle and will miss a week or two.

Editor's Note: I spent an hour or two working out a trade with Omaha and finally had one all set to go. I would send 2B Jocko Cole (25-6.1), CF Tom Duncan (22-6.6) and SS Dave Krampe (28-5.5) and get IF Ed Aldrich (23-6.8), 1B Dave Todd (22-5.5) and RF Hank Roberts (28-3.0). But I chickened out again. My plan was to then try to flip Roberts around to someone who will start him. Aldrich was the MVP of the GNA last year and is the best lead-off hitter in the game, though he's batting 3rd for Omaha. Todd looks to have big-time power potential and walks some and bats left-handed.

Aldrich was the #1 prospect in the GNA 2 years ago and Todd was the #2 prospect in the GNA in this pre-season. Jocko Cole was the #1 prospect in the Liberty League 2 years ago and Tom Duncan was the #1 prospect last year.

The biggest reason I would want to do the trade is that the 2 Omaha players walk some and my two guys don't seem like they ever will.

The biggest reasons I would not want to do the trade is 1) I don't like trading in the middle of a season and 2) every time I make a bunch of trades, I seem to lose some interest in the game. I don't know if it is losing the continuity that does it or the feeling that I have made my team more artificial or something else. Maybe I need to see a shrink.....

But anyway, I will stand pat through the rest of this season anyways.

[Questdog]

Sunday, June 12, 1887

Owner Bob Baugh (55-7.5) of the St. Louis Terriers fired manager William Morey (45-7.5). He hired John Wells (43-5.6), who had just been fired from Providence two weeks ago, to run the team. His claim to fame as a manager is the Northwestern League (A) championship of 1884 with Grand Rapids.

Grand National Association:
Chicago (3) at Brooklyn (5): William David (24-3.6) (10-9) over Pete Rinehart (28-6.2) (4-5). David allowed 8 hits, 2 walks and struck out 7.

[Questdog]

Monday, June 13, 1887

Did you ever wonder why Friday the 13th was bad luck? Since Mondays are so bad all by themselves, shouldn't Monday the 13th be the day for extra bad luck?

We are in Cincinnati to begin a 3 game series with manager/CF Silver Borresen (33-6.9) and his Reds today. We are 6-2 against them on the season, but we split 2 games in Detroit last week. In the last game we played with them, they beat us 14 to 6. They now are leading the League in scoring with 7.2 runs per game (Detroit is still last with 5.8). They are 4th in runs allowed with 6.6 per game (Detroit is still #1 with 4.6). As it has always been, Cincinnati's League Park is a kind place to hitters.

Detroit Wolverines (25-11 .694 1st place in the Liberty League) at
Cincinnati Reds (18-15 .454 5.5 GB in 2nd place)

Lou Townley, Det. (25-3.4) (R 11-3 2.29 9.1-1.2-3.2 H-BB-K/9) vs. John Stevens, Cin. (30-8.2) (R 7-7 4.67 11.4-2.6-2.6)

Won - 7 to 2

Townley allowed 4 hits (2 of them triples), 1 walk and struck out 3. At bat, he had a hit and and scored a run.

Stevens gave us 12 hits, 3 walks and struck out 3.

Each team made 1 error.

3B John Powers (34-6.2) had 3 hits and scored 3 runs. 2B Jocko Cole (25-6.1) had 3 hits with a triple and a home run, stole a base, scored 3 runs and had 4 RBIs. RF Tom Panozzo (22-2.0) had 3 hits, stole a base and had 2 RBIs.

For the Reds, rookie LF Ed Kent (23-5.4) had 2 hits with a triple and 2 RBIs.

Liberty League:
Louisville (4) at Indianapolis (3) in 11 innings: William McLeod (28-5.6) (9-6) over Sal DeVaux (32-3.5) (3-6). Two ex-Wolverines showing their stuff! In 11 innings, McLeod allowed 6 hits, 2 walks and struck out 9. DeVaux allowed 9 hits, 3 walks and struck out 4.

Cleveland (8) at New York (5): Ed Pedersen (25-5.1) (6-11) over John Allen (29-6.4) (1-1) in relief of Miah Turner (26-5.3). Turner sprained his knee running the bases and will miss 2 to 3 weeks. SS Jesse Flanders (27-5.4) had 4 hits with a triple, scored a run and had 2 RBIs.

Pittsburgh (7) at Boston (8) in 11 innings: Dave Wolf (24-4.7) (6-2) in relief of William Little (26-6.0) over Tom Lilly (27-6.4) (7-7). A lead-off double by manager/1B Pete Bucolo (39-4.1) and a 1-out double by RF Charlie Warner (33-9.2) won the game in the bottom of the 11th. CF Pat Stafford (26-5.4) had 3 hits with his league-leading 8th home run of the year, stole 2 bases, scored 2 runs and had 5 RBIs.

Grand National Association:
Milwaukee (5) at Brooklyn (8): Ren French (25-4.9) (10-6) over Freddy Wood (31-6.3) (7-11). French allowed 8 hits, no walks and struck out 3. LF Monte Moody (29-6.9) hit his 3rd home run of the season. For the Brewers, RF Ed Capps (24-6.1) hit his league-leading 5th home run of the year.

St. Louis (4) at Providence (5) in 10 innings: Ed Hodges (27-3.2) (7-10) over Ted Ryther (33-4.3) (8-11). In 10 innings, Hodges allowed 8 hits, 2 walks and struck out 1.

Kansas City (3) at Baltimore (2): Al McClaughry (23-5.6) (14-8) over Pop Yurkovich (35-5.6) (8-10). McClaughry allowed 2 hits, 2 walks and struck out 3. Yurkovich allowed 9 hits, 3 walks and struck out 2.

Chicago (9) at Omaha (10): Lee Sprague (27-3.5) (10-10) over Pat Seguin (23-4.4) (12-8). Omaha scored 6 times in the bottom of the 9th to win. 1B Tom Anglin (34-5.6) won the game with a 2-out single. 3B Bones Collins (32-4.4) hit his 2nd home run of the year. Tom Lee (29-6.0) was sent out to Waterbury of the Eastern League (A). He has won the GNA Hurler Trophy twice, including last season when he went 34-17 while leading the league in ERA. The new pitching rules seem to be giving him a very hard time. He is 6-5 with a 4.66 ERA and is walking 5.1 batters per 9 innings, the 2nd worst rate in the GNA.

[Questdog]

Tuesday, June 14, 1887

Detroit Wolverines (26-11 .703 1st place in the Liberty League) at
Cincinnati Reds (18-16 .529 6.5 GB in 2nd place)

Ed Bush, Det. (27-5.3) (R 10-6 3.30 8.1-2.6-2.6 H-BB-K/9) vs. Charlie Branham, Cin. (27-4.2) (R 9-8 3.88 10.0-2.4-2.2)

Branham is 7-2 in his last 9 decisions, including a win over us.

Lost - 9 to 8 in 12 innings

Our 1st extra-inning game of the year did not end well, but we had some high points before the curtain closed. 1st, Evan Eckberg (31-3.5) saved our butts in the top of the 9th by hitting a pinch-hit triple to knock in a run and then scored on a passed ball to tie the game. Then in the top of the 12th, LF Ben Smith (27-6.7) tripled to knock in a run and scored to put us up 2. But in the bottom of the 12th, RF Fleet Wilcox (30-4.9) hit a 2-out, 2-run home run to win the game.

In 8 innings, Bush allowed 6 runs, 8 hits, 2 walks and struck out 3. His 3rd straight not-so-great start.
Dave Frazier (27-5.7) pitched 3 great innings of relief, but the 4th inning was not do good.

In 12 innings, Branham gave us 11 hits, 4 walks and struck out 2. At bat, he had a hit and an RBI.

We made 3 errors and Cincinnati made 6.

1B Zenas Woodard (27-4.6) only had 1 hit, but it was an inside-the-park home run with 2 runners on base. He scored twice. 2B Jocko Cole (25-6.1) had 2 hits and scored a run. LF Ben Smith (27-6.7) had 2 hits with a triple and a walk, scored a run and had an RBI. SS Al Hartford (22-5.0) had 2 hits with a triple and a walk and scored 2 runs.

For the Reds, rookie SS Tub Saslow (22-5.8) had 2 hits with a triple, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBIs. 1B Willie Burton (32-8.5) hit a double and a triple, scored a run and had 2 RBIs. RF Fleet Wilcox walked and scored 3 times besides hitting his 6th home run of the year.

Liberty League:
Louisville (18) at Indianapolis (0): Count Childs (31-3.1) (7-7) over Dad Marshall (28-4.4) (4-8). Childs allowed 3 hits, 2 walks and struck out 4. This was his league-leading 3rd shutout of the season. C Wiley Fobes (36-2.5) had 2 hits with a double, scored 4 runs and had 2 RBIs. CF Pat Womack (26-6.3) hit his 2nd home run of the year.

Cleveland (10) at New York (6): Henry Rawls (33-4.3) (7-8) over Jack Roberts (35-6.1) (3-12). New York made 10 errors.

Pittsburgh (6) at Boston (8): Charlie Morlock (37-6.7) (7-8) over Whitey Mathews (24-4.1) (6-7). 2B Mike Stables (31-7.1) hit his 3rd home run of the season. For the Puddlers, RF Joe Coffey (31-5.2) had 3 hits with a double and his 4th home run of the year and had 4 RBIs.

Grand National Association:
Kansas City (3) at Providence (13): Ed Wison (26-7.3) (5-8) over Lew Burnett (26-4.5) (10-8). Wison allowed 6 hits, 4 walks and struck out 2. Burnett has lost 4 of his last 5. 3B Herman Bonjour (34-5.6) had 3 hits with a triple and 4 RBIs.

St. Louis (7) at Baltimore (4): Fred Barrow (35-4.7) (9-8) over Tom Wilmarth (27-5.4) (11-10). Barrow allowed 11 hits, 1 walk and struck out 3. C Cy Morton (27-4.6) hit a home run. For the Orioles, 1B Lou Knight (38-5.2) hit a home run.

Milwaukee (10) at Omaha (6): Zachary Buchanan (26-4.0) (9-9) over Royal Parmelee (26-6.5) (0-1). At bat, Buchanan had 3 hits, scored 2 runs and had an RBI. In his 1st start in A Ball for Waterbury, Tom Lee (29-6.0) gave up 17 hits and 10 runs, but nevertheless was recalled to Omaha and Parmelee was sent back to Waterbury.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, June 15, 1887

SS Tom Nelson (20-6.6) is ready to play, so IF Russell Gardner (33-6.4) was shipped back to Syracuse. I hope Nelson can remember how he was hitting before he got hurt (.429).

Detroit Wolverines (26-12 .684 1st place in the Liberty League) at
Cincinnati Reds (19-16 .543 5.5 GB in 2nd place)

Lou Townley, Det. (25-3.4) (R 12-3 2.27 8.8-1.2-3.2 H-BB-K/9) vs. John Stevens, Cin. (30-8.2) (R 7-8 4.84 11.4-2.7-2.6)

Lost - 9 to 7

For the 2nd straight day, Cincinnati wins the game on a sudden death home run. This time a 3-run blast by 1B Willie Burton (32-8.5)

Townley allowed 11 hits, 3 walks and struck out 3.

Stevens gave us 11 hits, 2 walks and struck out 6. At bat, he had a hit.

We made 7 errors and Cincinnati made 5.

LF Ben Spencer (26-4.2) had 3 hits, stole 2 bases and scored 2 runs. RF Tom Panozzo (22-2.0) had a hit and 2 walks, got hit by a pitch, stole a base and scored 2 runs. 3B Tom Nelson took up right where he left off. He had 3 hits and 4 RBIs. 2B Dave Krampe (28-5.5) had 2 hits.


For the Reds, rookie LF Ed Kent (23-3.6) hit a triple and an inside-the-park home run, scored 3 runs and had 2 RBIs. 2B Bill Parsons (29-8.3) had 3 hits and scored a run.

Liberty League:
Louisville (12) at Indianapolis (1): William McLeod (28-5.6) (10-6) over Sal DeVaux (32-3.5) (3-7). McLeod allowed 8 hits, 5 walks and struck out 5. Louisville out-scored Indianapolis 30 to 1 in the last 2 games. 1B Pete Hinde (31-7.9) had 4 hits and scored 3 runs. RF John Rodgers (35-4.4) had 4 hits, scored 2 runs and had an RBI.

Cleveland (6) at New York (7): Tom McDowell (23-8.0) (2-1) over Ed Pedersen (25-5.1) (6-12). New York made 10 errors.

Pittsburgh (6) at Boston (7) in 10 innings: William Little (26-6.0) (8-7) over Tom Adams (32-6.0) (2-3). 3B Ed Tummino (25-5.8) won the game with a 2-out single. He also hit his 2nd home run of the year. 2B Mike Stables (31-7.1) hit his 4th home run of the season and CF Pat Stafford (26-5.4) hit his league-leading 9th. The Red Caps have won 5 in a row.

Grand National Association:
Chicago (8) at Brooklyn (4): Pat Seguin (23-4.4) (13-8) over Al Green (24-3.8) (10-10). Seguin allowed 5 hits, 4 walks and struck out 3.

Kansas City (5) at Providence (7): Bill Henson (30-6.5) (3-10) over Al McClaughry (23-5.6) (14-9). McClaughry only allowed 5 hits, 3 walks and struck out 2, but the Cowboys made 7 errors.

St. Louis (9) at Baltimore (6): Fred Barrow (35-4.7) (10-8) over Bill McGee (29-7.9) (0-1). The Terriers scored 3 runs in the top of the 9th. 2B Harry Robinson (28-3.3) had 3 hits with a walk, stole 2 bases, scored 2 runs and had 4 RBIs. For the Orioles, 1B Sol Renaud (30-5.) hit a home run.

Milwaukee (10) at Omaha (7): Zachary Buchanan (26-4.0) (10-9) over Lee Sprague (27-3.5) (10-11). The Brewers scored 8 times in the top of the 9th. 1B Dave Gray (26-4.9) had 4 hits and a walk, scored a run and had 2 RBIs.

[Questdog]

Thursday, June 16, 1887

The trading deadline passed without any new trades and we are now officially stuck with what we got.

We are back home in Detroit to begin our first real home-stand of the season. We will be here for almost 3 weeks before we have to take to the rails again. We start off with a 3 game series against manager Hi Lynch (36-7.5) and his Gothams. So far, we are 3-3 against them and we beat them 2 of 3 the last time we met, which was right here 2 weeks ago. They are 6th in runs scored with 6.5 per game (Detroit is still last, getting better at 5.9. We have scored at least 6 runs in 10 straight games). They are 7th in runs allowed with 7.9 per game (Detroit is still #1 with 4.8)

3B Sam Boullion (27-4.8) is ready to resume his baseball career today, so IF Dave Krampe (28-5.5) is on his way to Syracuse.

New York Gothams (15-19 .441 8.5 GB in 6th place in the Liberty League) at
Detroit Wolverines (26-13 .667 1st place)

Tom McDowell, N.Y. (23-8.0) (R 2-1 7.47 14.1-2.3-2.6 H-BB-K/9) vs. Ed Bush, Det. (27-5.3) (R 10-6 3.42 8.2-2.6-2.6)

Lost - 5 to 2

For the 3rd straight day, we lose in the final inning. Entering the 9th, we were up 2 to 0.

Bush allowed 8 hits (4 in the 9th), 1 walk and struck out 5. He has not won in 4 straight starts.

McDowell gave us 6 hits, 1 walk and struck out 1. At bat, he hit and RBI double.

We made 2 errors and New York made 4.

3B Sam Boullion had 2 hits with a double.

For the Gothams, 1B John Hilliard (27-7.2) hit a double and his 7th home run of the season and had 2 RBIs.

Liberty League:
Cleveland (2) at Cincinnati (6): Charlie Branham (27-4.2) (11-8) over Ed Pedersen (25-5.1) (6-13). Branham allowed 4 hits, 1 walk and struck out 2. He has won 5 in a row and 9 of his last 11 decisions. 1B Willie Burton (32-8.5) hit his 4th home run of the year.

Pittsburgh (10) at Louisville (7): Tom Lilly (27-6.4) (8-7) over Count Childs (31-3.1) (7-8). Lilly allowed 6 hits, 3 walks and struck out no one. SS Dan White (27-5.1) had 4 hits with a triple, stole a base, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBIs. C Wilson Wendling (26-4.1) hit his 3rd home run of the season. For the Bourbons, rookie 3B Dave Odekirk (22-6.5) hit his 2nd home run of the year.

Indianapolis (1) at Boston (5): Dave Wolf (24-4.7) (7-2) over Jimmy Euler (26-5.5) (1-2). Wolf allowed 7 hits, no walks and struck out 4. The Red Caps have won 6 on a row.

Grand National Association:
Kansas City (8) at Providence (7): Lew Burnett (26-4.5) (11-8) over Ed Hodges (27-3.2) (7-11). The Cowboys won despite making 9 errors and the Grays making none.

Milwaukee (11) at Brooklyn (6): Freddy Wood (31-6.3) (8-11) over Ren French (25-4.9) (10-7). Wood allowed 8 hits, 2 walks and struck out 6. Milwaukee made 9 errors. 2B Tom Kelly (23-5.3) will miss the next 2 weeks with a bruised knee.

Chicago (10) at Omaha (12): Tom Lee (29-6.0) (7-5) over Pete Rinehart (28-6.2) (4-6). 1B Tom Anglin (34-5.6) had 2 hits and got hit by a pitch, scored 4 runs and had 2 RBIs. For the Colts, C Fred Blevins (28-6.4), in only his 2nd game of the season, had 4 hits with a home run, scored 2 runs and had 4 RBIs.

[Questdog]

Friday, June 17, 1887

New York Gothams (16-19 .457 7.5 GB in 6th place in the Liberty League) at
Detroit Wolverines (26-14 .650 1st place)

Jack Roberts, N.Y. (35-6.1) (R 3-12 6.50 12.5-4.8-1.8 H-BB-K/9) vs. Dave Frazier, Det. (27-5.7) (L 4-2 2.42 8.0-2.1-2.5)

Frazier is currently leading the League in ERA. As yet, there are no plans for him to move up in the pecking order ahead of Ed Bush (27-5.3), but if Bush does not right his ship soon, there well may be.

Lost - 9 to 7

4th straight loss. However, we did not lose this one in the 9th, but in the 8th, so maybe that is progress?

Frazier allowed 11 hits (3 home runs), 3 walks and struck out 1.

Roberts gave us 11 hits, no walks and struck out 5. At bat, he had a hit and 2 RBIs.

Each team made 5 errors.

LF Ben Smith (27-6.7) had hit a double and his 4th home run of the season for 2 RBIs. SS Tom Nelson (20-6.6) had 2 hits with a triple, scored 2 runs and had an RBI. CF Tom Duncan (22-6.6) hit a triple, scored a run and had an RBI. C Jimmy Babcock (30-6.9) had 3 hits and 2 RBIs.

For the Gothams, 3B Ed Glass (27-4.5) had 3 hits with his 2nd home run of the season, an 8th inning 3-run blast with 2 outs that put New York in the lead. He scored twice. 1B John Hilliard (27-7.2) hit 2 home runs, one inside the park and one outside the park. He now has 9 on the season to tie for the League lead. He also now has 4 home runs in games against Detroit, which means he has hit as many home runs in our games as any Wolverine hitter has.

Liberty League:
Indianapolis (3) at Boston (2) Game 1: Jimmy Euler (26-5.5) (2-2) over Charlie Morlock (37-6.7) (7-9). Euler allowed 6 hits, 6 walks and struck out 2. Morlock allowed 8 hits, 2 walks and struck out 4.

Indianapolis (3) at Boston (2) Game 2: Dad Marshall (28-4.4) (5-8) over Dave Wolf (24-4.7) (7-3). Marshall allowed 8 hits, 4 walks and struck out 2. Wolf allowed 11 hits, 1 walk and struck out 6. All the scoring was done by the 4th inning.

Pittsburgh (8) at Louisville (9) in 11 innings: Sammy Berry (27-5.5) (3-3) over Bill Henrichs (28-7.4) (2-2) in relief of Whitey Mathews (24-4.1). 39 hits in this game, but nobody had 4. Berry gave up 20 hits and managed to win. The winning run was scored on an error. For the Puddlers, LF Billy Galloway (25-5.3) hit his 2nd home run of the season. SS Dan White (27-5.1) had a hit for the 20th straight game.

Cleveland (6) at Cincinnati (8): Charlie Branham (27-4.2) (12-8) over Henry Rawls (33-4.3) (7-9). Branham has won 6 in a row and 10 of his last 12 decisions. RF Fleet Wilcox (30-4.9) hit his 7th home run of the year.

Grand National Association:
Kansas City (6) at Providence (4): Al McClaughry (23-5.6) (15-9) over Ed Wison (26-7.3) (5-9).

St. Louis (7) at Baltimore (4): Ted Ryther (33-4.3) (9-11) over Pop Yurkovich (35-5.6) (8-11). The game was tied at 4 going to the 9th inning. Ryther allowed 7 hits, 3 walks and struck out no one. SS Smith Yocum (29-5.5) pulled a muscle and will miss 2 to 3 weeks.