The Denver Brewers of the W.P. Kinsella League

[BirdWatcher]

Brewers record: 5-2 (week), 84-49, 1st place, MGL (season)

August 28-30, at Brooklyn: 5-3, 7-6, 3-2.

August 31-September 2, versus Detroit: 5-6, 7-10, 3-1.

September 3, versus Baltimore: 9-6.

After having swept a 3-game series against the 4th place Oklahoma City Diamond Kings, the Brewers then traveled to the East coast to take on the 3rd place Brooklyn Aces. And while the sweep of the Diamond Kings was more resounding, this sweep of the dangerously talented Aces was even more impressive.
In game 1 the Brewers defense saddled starter Sadahige Kawasaki (14-7, 2.44) with 3 unearned runs in the 3rd inning (Val Guzman made a costly blunder in center field on a playable ball and catcher Zacarias Martell followed up by throwing a ball away on a squibber near the plate) but mostly Kawasaki was great, giving up just 4 hits over 8 2/3rds innings and he gets the win. Victor Colon came on to get the last out when Sadahige tired at the end and earned his 2nd save as a Brewer. Bobby Erbakan led the way offensively with a 2 for 5, 2 runs scored, 2 RBI game in which he hit his 24th homer of the year. In spite of his error, Val Guzman did contribute with a 2 for 3, 1 RBI day and stole his 22nd base.
The second game saw the Brewers score a pair of runs in the 5th, 6th, and 7th innings to propel them to a narrow victory. Brett Taranto, having a great run lately, went 3 for 5 with 1 run and 2 RBI. John Weaver (6-5, 3.77) got the win, allowing 3 runs on 8 hits over 5 innings pitched. Ben Flynn gave up 2 runs in his 2 innings pitched but still got credit for the hold but he also drove in 2 runs by hitting his 7th homer of 1977. Evan Perez has pitched great since joining the team and he pitched the final 2 innings for his 3rd save (to go with a 1.15 ERA.) Also homering for the Brewers was Casey Bromwell (4). And Josh Schaeffer contributed to the win by drawing 3 walks, scoring a run, and throwing out two runners trying to advance to third base (11 outfield assists on the year.)
And the sweep was completed on Tuesday evening when the Brewers broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the 9th when RodRod got a pinch-hit single and Joe Willemse scored thanks to an errant throw by the center fielder. Erik Sloan was the starter but got a no decision after having allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on just 3 hits over 6 2/3rds. Victor Colon (2-1, 2.84) got the win in relief and Tim Shore worked the 9th for his 22nd save. Bobby (MVP) Erbakan was 3 for 5 in the game, scoring 1 run and driving in another and hitting his 34th double and stealing his 14th base.

The Brewers then traveled back home to Denver to take on the pesky Detroit Falcons (in spite of the fact that Detroit is never a good team, they often seem to have Denver's number) to end the month of August and begin the month of September.
In game 1 the Brewers see their 6-game win streak come to an end when they battle back from a deficit in the late innings but fall just short. In what many think may have been Cheol-han Lee's last chance to prove he still belongs in the Denver rotation, things once again didn't go well. Cheol-han (6-7, 7.06) gave up 5 runs on 9 hits, including a pair of homers, in just 5 innings pitched. It is sad to see a future Hall-of-Famer so suddenly and precipitously lose his stuff. The bullpen was mostly very good but the damage had largely been done. Val Guzman had a good game, going 2 for 4 with a run scored and 3 driven in and hit his 13th homer. Unfortunately he also committed his 4th error.
The Brewers also went down in defeat in game 2 when Sekien Hamasaki (14-5, 3.68) had a rough outing. Hamasaki gave up 9 runs, 7 earned, on 11 hits in just 4 innings pitched. Certainly his worst outing of the season (a game score of 8!) (Okay, looking more closely I realize that this was probably his 2nd worst start and the other one came just 2 starts earlier, when he put up a similar line and had a game score of 6 against L.A. He might need a breather.) Joe McPhillips, in his first start back with the club, hit his 12th homer of the season. And Josh Schaefer went 2 for 4 with a run scored, 2 RBI and 2 walks. Val Guzman had an interesting line that shows a lot of what makes him a valuable player for the team. With just one official at-bat Val walked 3 times, was hit by a pitch once (he leads the WPK in this category with 14 HBP) and scored twice.
The Brewers avoided being swept at home by the lowly Falcons when they got a strong start from veteran Steve Green (11-6, 4.75) and a timely hit from a reliable source. Green allowed just 1 run on 4 hits with 5 K's and 1 walk over 8 innings pitched. Tim Shore pitched the 9th for his 23rd save. The hit that won the game? A two-out, bases-loaded (and clearing) triple by Brett Taranto (.350/.396/.546). It was Taranto's 8th triple and he also hit his 31st double in the game.

And the Brewers end the week by earning a come from behind victory in a high scoring game. Leading the way? Why Bobby Erbakan (.369/.404/.615) of course. All Bobby did was go 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 4 RBI and his 8th inning 2-out 3-run homer was the most impactful hit of the game. As he rounded the bases chants of MVP, MVP, MVP rained down from the stands of Centennial Stadium. It was Bobby's 25th homer and he also collected his 35th double in the game. Oh, and his 15th stolen base. Man is he having some kind of season! Now if it weren't for Erbakan, Brett Taranto would probably be the MVP of the Brewers this season. Taranto (.354/.400/.547) is now second to Bobby in the batting title race and he went 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored, and a walk in this one. It wasn't Sadahige Kawasaki's best start. He gave up 5 runs on 9 hits over 6 innings pitched and didn't get the decision. Ben Flynn (7-3, 3.38) pitched 2 effective innings for the win. And naturally went 2 for 2 at the plate and hit his 8th homer of the season. (Flynn's slash line numbers: .422/.431/.875.) Tim Shore closed it out for save number 24. Jon Williams (.327/.371/.469) has also been impressive in his limited action and was 3 for 4 with a run scored in this one.

At the end of the week the Brewers hold a half game lead over the slumping Los Angeles Spinners. Brooklyn has fallen to 8 back in 3rd place.

Over in the SJL, the Columbus Whalers and Jacksonville Wolf Pack end the week tied for first with matching 76-56 records. The surging Pittsburgh Roadrunners are next at just 2 1/2 games out. The Boston Berserkers are not playing as well right now but still hold 4th place, 3 1/2 games off the pace.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:




On Thursday, on the first day of the last full month of the 1977 regular season, the Columbus Whalers gave the upstart Boston Berserkers and the rest of the SJL a little reminder of just how mighty they are. They were led in this effort by their staff ace, Jim Norris, the reigning SJL Pitcher of the Year. It seems very likely that Norris will end up with the best ERA in the WPK this season and should be a strong contender for another Pitcher of the Year award.

MGL:



On the other hand, on the same day, with arguably the best pitcher in the game on the mound for the Brooklyn Aces- Aaron McNally- and with that pitcher earning Player of the Game honors, the under-achieving Aces still managed to loss a close one to the not-so-mighty San Francisco Velocity and once again it looks like the Aces will fall short in spite of having the best run differential in the league. Poor Aaron McNally who is pitching probably as well as he did in his back-to-back triple crown and Pitcher of the Year seasons of 1974 and 1975 but only has an 11-6 record to show for it. He does lead the MGL in ERA at 2.25 and will probably be competing with Sadahige Kawasaki for the MGL Pitcher of the Year honors at the end of the season.

[BirdWatcher]

As expected, the single season home runs allowed record, not a coveted one to hold, has fallen and poor old Willie Morales is off the hook. Marty O'Brien, of the Phoenix Speed Devils, allowed 3 home runs in his start on Friday against the power-hitting Baltimore Lords and has now allowed a record 43 bombs on the season. To add insult to injury, this was also his 20th loss of the season to go with 4 wins and a 7.19 ERA. Ouch!

Speaking of home runs, Devin Schwisow of those same Phoenix Speed Devils hit a pair of homers this week and now sits at 48 on the season, still on target for 59 to shatter the single season record. He only needs 2 more to tie the record and 3 to set a new mark. We'll keep you posted.

L.A. veteran slugger Nate Bennett drove in a bunch of runs this week and is now on pace for 152 RBI, which would equal the record set by Jesus Casiano in 1970. Stay tuned.

Nothing else significant to report on from this past week in terms of single season records.

[BirdWatcher]

The Denver Brewers rookie left fielder Val Guzman has been hit by pitches a league-leading 15 times this season. But apparently number 15 was one too many for the highly respected young man.



Now, just to put things in context, when Charlotte closer and team captain Mark Wachholz hit Guzman in the 8th inning of Thursday's game it was just after Joe McPhillips had hit the third home run of the game for the Brewers. And Guzman himself had hit one just an inning prior. (He had also swiped his 25th base earlier in the game.) In the eyes of the Brewers Wachholz pitch did not get away from him but very much did what he intended it to do. And this led to Guzman charging the mound and the benches clearing.

The outcome didn't break in favor of the home club Sting as Guzman's replacement in left field, John Flores, would homer in his only at-bat to pad the lead in the 9th inning and help secure the sixth straight win for Denver.

Guzman will miss 3 games but fortunately the Brewers outfield is deep and talented.

[BirdWatcher]

Brewers record: 6-0 (week), 90-49, 1st place, MGL (season)

September 4-5, versus Baltimore: 10-6, 3-2.

September 7-9, at Charlotte: 8-6, 9-6, 5-1.

September 10, versus Portland: 6-4.

The Brewers are playing inspired baseball right now, having won 8 straight games. Unfortunately, they are still having a hard time shaking the L.A. Spinners from their tail and the Spinners remain a well within reach game and half out. The Brooklyn Aces, on the other hand, have dropped to an impossible 12 games off the pace and it is clearly just a two team race the rest of the way.

Having won the first game of a three game set against the power-hitting Baltimore Lords, the Brewers prevailed in a slugfest in the middle game of the series. The Brewers got three homers to power them to a win: Joe McPhillips' 13th, Josh Schaeffer's 10th, and RodRod's 9th. Erik Sloan (8-5, 4.06) got a somewhat undeserved win, having allowed 5 runs on 10 hits over 7 innings. Val Guzman had a nice game, going 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored and a walk and swiping two bags to get to 24 on the season.

The Brewers got the series sweep on Monday in a pitching duel between veteran Lords great Jesse Hartong and the Brewers under-rated 24-year old righty John Weaver. Weaver pitched 6 2/3rds effective innings, giving up 2 runs on just 4 hits but did not get the decision. The win instead went to Ben Flynn (8-3, 3.31) who pitched the final 2 innings. Bobby Erbakan, in a bit of a slump, did produce the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the 8th inning, his 108th RBI of 1977.

After a day off, the Brewers traveled to Charlotte to take on the Sting.
In game 1, the Brewers scored two 8th inning runs to break a 6-6 tie and keep their winning streak alive. The runs came from an unlikely source, as little Joe Willemse hit his 2nd home run of the season, a 2-run blast that proved the game winner. Brett Taranto also homered for the Brewers, his 16th of the season. A pair of youngsters in the lower half of the lineup did much of the damage as Jake DiCesare went 3 for 5 with a run and 2 RBI, hit his 9th double and stole his 4th base, and catcher Erik Bettencourt, starting to show his bat skills, went 3 for 4 with 2 runs and an RBI, hitting his first two big league doubles.

In game 2 Sadahige Kawasaki suffered another tough start, allowing 6 runs on 6 hits over 5 2/3rd innings, not getting a decision. Fortunately the bats and the bullpen bailed him out. The win went to young Ryan Muilenburg (1-0, 9.64), recently re-called from AAA to bolster the bullpen. Ben Flynn picked up his 10th save of the year and more importantly hit a two-run pinch-hit single in the 8th that put the Brewers up for good in this one. The Brewers hit 4 homers in the game: Joe McPhillips (14), Val Guzman (14), Zacarias Martell (8), and John Flores (3). (Note: this was the game in which Guzman was ejected after being hit by a pitch and starting a bench-clearing brawl.) The final score may have been very different if it weren't for RodRod going 0 for 6 and stranding 11 runners.

The Brewers get the series sweep when Sekien Hamasaki (15-5, 3.59), who has been struggling lately, finally had a really strong start again. Hamasaki lasted 7 innings, allowing just 1 run on 5 hits while striking out 7 and walking 3 batters. Jon Williams (.332/.374/.473) continued his surprising rookie season with a 3 for 5, 1 run scored performance and hit his 12th double. Brett Taranto's lone hit of the game was also his 32nd double of the season and drove in 2 runs to open up a nice lead that the Brewers would not relinquish.

The Brewers end the week by returning home to Denver to take on the Portland Wild Things. Josh Schaeffer (.333/.486/.506) had a great game to lead the team to their 8th straight win. Schaeffer was 3 for 4 with 4 runs scored, 1 driven in, and hit his 21st double and 11th home run while also swiping two bases to get to 15 stolen bases on the season. Steve Green continues to have a mediocre season and gave up 4 runs on 9 hits over 7 innings with no decision. The win went to left-handed reliever Victor Colon (3-1, 2.65) who pitched the 9th inning and kept the game tied 4-4. It was RodRod, who had failed to get hits in the game two days ago in spite of being up many times with runners in scoring position, who got the walk-off game winner in this one, his 10th home run of the season, sending the fans home happy. He went 3 for 5 in the game, scoring 1 run and driving in 3 and also hit his 5th triple of the season earlier in the game.


Meanwhile, things remain very tight in the SJL, with Columbus and Jacksonville again tied for first at the end of the week (with 79-59 records) and the red-hot Pittsburgh Roadrunners right on their tail, just a half game back. The Boston Berserkers have fallen to 3 1/2 back in 4th place, followed by Milwaukee and El Paso both at 5 1/2 behind.

[pauwoo]

I’m disappointed in my guy, Steve Green. But, I dig that the brew crew is getting after it.

[BirdWatcher]

Originally Posted by pauwoo

I’m disappointed in my guy, Steve Green. But, I dig that the brew crew is getting after it.

Yeah, it's been a bit of a challenging season for Green. Though to be fair to him, his BABIP is far higher than his career numbers (.327 to .282), he has a FIP of 3.46 and a FIP- of 76, the second highest WAR on the staff (behind ace Sadahige Kawasaki) at 4.8, his 6.9 K/9 is slightly higher than his career average (6.6), his 2.0 BB/9 slightly lower (2.2) and his HR/9 is right at his career average of 0.8. And interestingly he has a ground out percentage of .59, the best of his career.
So really he's been pretty unlucky and mostly he's been better than his traditional stats have indicated.

[BirdWatcher]

Veteran left-handed starting pitcher Erik Sloan, who began the 1977 season on the IL, will now be ending it that way as well. Sloan, the 1972 MGL Pitcher of the Year, had to leave Sunday's game after recording just a single out (while giving up 1 run on 2 hits) with what has now been diagnosed as a partially torn UCL. He will be undergoing surgery soon and is expected to be out of action for at least 9 months.



With team captain Matt Helm still sidelined with a strained oblique muscle and no word on when he might be able to return, it leaves the Brewers starting rotation without a left-hander heading into the stretch run. It's not an ideal situation, to the say the least.

And with Sloan having turned 34 years old earlier this season, and having not pitched very well over the course of his 20 starts with the Brewers this year, there are concerns about his ability to come back from this injury to give them anything like the production he has since joining the team in late June of 1972.

[BirdWatcher]

For the remainder of the season I am going to shift away from the Games of the Week format a bit to instead focus on the pennant races and share some highlights from the week that impact on that.

SJL:

First, the standings at the end of Week 22:



As you see, two of the more storied franchises of the SJL- the Columbus Whalers and the Jacksonville Wolf Pack- end the week tied for first place. But we also see the surprising upstart Pittsburgh Roadrunners right there at just 1/2 game back. While the SJL remains more competitive than the MGL, a few teams see their chances slipping away: the Washington Night Train, Philadelphia Mud Hens, and San Antonio Keys. Others, like the Milwaukee Cadets and Boston Berserkers remain hopeful that they can still get into the hunt for the pennant, though time is growing short and they will need a lot of help.
A midweek series between Pittsburgh and Washington was particularly impactful as the Roadrunners swept the Night Train, including winning the final two games by just a single run each and scoring a walk-off win in the 11th inning of game 3. They then followed up that by demolishing the San Antonio Keys 24-1 to end the week.

MGL:

Standings:



The Brewers had a great week while the Spinners sputtered a bit and Denver ends the week with a 1 1/2 game lead in the MGL. Third place Brooklyn sees any hopes for this year pretty much vanish as they fall to 12 games back. Four teams in the MGL end the week mathematically eliminated from contention: the Phoenix Speed Devils, Charlotte Sting, Portland Wild Things, and Detroit Falcons.
There is really very little else to say about the MGL where it all comes down, as it so often does, to Denver and L.A. battling it out for supremacy.

[BirdWatcher]

(Note: actually this is as of September 13th, a few days into week 23.)


Home runs, batter:
Not long ago it appeared the Devin Schwisow of the Phoenix Speed Devils was going to get to at least 60 home runs on the season, to shatter the previous single season high of 50 (set by two players: Jamison Bash and Erik Brakeall), but while Schwisow is now within one homer of tying the single season record he has cooled off a bit and is now on pace to hit 56 for the season. Still, almost no chance he doesn't break the current record.

Runs batted in, batter:
Veteran Spinners slugger Nate Bennett is ending the season strong and is now on pace to break the single season RBI mark of 152, set by Jesus Casiano in his MVP 1970 season. Bennett is on pace to collect 157 RBI this season and is also on pace for 47 homers.

Runs scored, batter:
Speaking of Nate Bennett, both he and Baltimore's Chris Tobin are on pace to exceed the current record of 138 runs scored, set by Josh Jenkins in 1970. Tobin is on pace to score 141 runs while Bennett is on pace for 140. Bill Winchester of Pittsburgh is on pace for 136, so he could still exceed Jenkins' total as well.

Hits, batter:
Lazaro Lowndes, of the Houston Cavaliers, remains on pace to set the new single season hits record as he is on pace for 244. The previous high was 238, set by Travis Johnson in 1966.

OPS, batter:
Bill Winchester of Pittsburgh will almost surely be competing for the SJL MVP award this season (with Bud Lindsay and Xiao-mei Mah likely his biggest challengers) and he is on pace to finish 1977 with a 1.085 OPS which would best the previous high of 1.078 set by, you guessed it, Jesus Casiano in 1970.

Doubles, batter:
Winchester will also surely break the single season doubles mark of 54, set by Fred Reinhardt last season. Winchester is at 53 currently and on pace to hit 61 two-baggers.

Home runs against, pitcher:
As previously noted, Marty O'Brien of Phoenix has already set the new mark in this category, having allowed 44 dingers to eclipse the previous record of 40. He is on pace to give up 51.

Strikeouts, pitcher:
Not long ago, Brooklyn hurler Joel Travino was on pace to crack 300 K's for the season, but a late-season slow down has him now on pace to finish with 286. That would still be plenty for him to set the new record, bettering the 261 by Jaime Schardein in 1968. Travino isn't there yet though, as he is currently at 249.

Bases-on-balls, pitcher;
At this point Portland's Brad Evans remains on pace to tie the record of 154 free passes issued in a season.

No other records appear to be in danger at this point though there are a few (stolen bases, saves, OBP) that could still be broken.

[BirdWatcher]

Devin Schwisow of the Phoenix Speed Devils hit a 2-run home run in the 4th inning of his team's loss to Denver yesterday and has now equaled the single season high mark of 50 homers set by Jamison Bash in 1966 and also equaled by Erik Brakeall in 1969.



On the other hand, his teammate Marty O'Brien gave up 2 homers to the Brewers to extend his single-season record mark to 46 in that category. He also suffered his 21st loss of the season and the loss also gave the Speed Devils 100 for the season.

The Brewers rookie first baseman Sean Wright hit two bombs in the game, his first two home runs as a big league player.

[pauwoo]

Schwisow ties the single-season record on the same day that his club reaches 100 losses... the definition of bittersweet. :|

[BirdWatcher]

Brewers record: 5-2 (week), 95-51, 1st place, MGL (season)

September 11-12, versus Portland: 7-9, 9-7.

September 13-15, at Phoenix: 9-4, 4-1, 13-4.

September 16-17, at Los Angeles: 8-4, 5-10.

A good week for the Brewers was book-ended by the only two losses.
First the Brewers lost the middle game of three against Portland when Erik Sloan had to leave the game having recorded just a single out (while allowing a run on two hits) because, as we would learn later, he suffered a partially torn UCL and needs surgery to repair it. Cheol-han Lee came on in relief and allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits over 2 2/3rds and the rest of the relievers in the game don't do much better. Cory Degano (0-3, 6.16) takes the loss. Bobby Erbakan hit his 26th homer and drove in 3 runs and Jake DiCesare hit his 6th homer.
The Brewers reversed the score the next day to take the series against the Wild Things. They scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 7th to take the lead that they would not relinquish and the big hit was a Joe Willemse 2-run triple, his 5th of the season. Jim Atwell got the start but not the decision as the youngster allowed 5 runs (4 earned) on 8 hits over 5 1/3rd innings pitched. Ben Flynn (9-3, 3.15) pitched the final 3 innings for the win. Oh, and of course, he also hit his 6th double and drove in a run. Brett Taranto hit his 17th home run of the season in the 5th inning.

The Brewers than traveled to Phoenix to take on the Speed Devils in what our head scout refers to as "a hitters heaven." In the 15 games between these two clubs prior to this series the Brewers had taken 14 of them. And now, with the season series over between these two the final result is Denver-17, Phoenix-1. Oh, the lowly Speed Devils. This is a season they would like to forget.
In game 1, John Weaver (7-5, 3.83) got the start and was solid (as always), giving up 4 runs on 5 hits over 6 innings for the win. And the bullpen, with 4 relievers seeing action, was spectacular over the final 3 frames. This was the game in which Phoenix first baseman Devin Schwisow tied the WPK single season homer mark with his 50th. But it was also a game where Denver's rookie back-up first baseman Sean Wright his his first two big league dingers. Joe McPhillips also homered in the game, his 15th. It was a great game for Zacarias Martell who went 3 for 5 with 2 RBI, hitting his 19th double and 2nd triple.
In game 2, the Brewers got a great start from staff Ace Sadahige Kawasaki (15-7, 2.72). Sadahige allowed 1 run on just 4 hits over 8 innings while striking out 9 and walking 2. Tim Shore pitched the 9th for his 25th save. And what the heck is up with supposedly no-hit, great-field back up utility infielder Nick Ward? Ward just went 2 for 3 with 3 runs scored and 2 RBI and hit 2 home runs to get to 4 on the season.
The Brewers get the series sweep by blowing out the Speed Devils in the final game led by Brett Taranto who went 4 for 5 with 3 runs scored and 2 RBI, hitting his 9th triple and stealing his 10th base. Sekien Hamasaki (16-5, 3.63) got the win, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits over 7 2/3rds innings. RodRod pitched in with a 3 for 6, 3 RBI game and hit his 18th double. And little Joe Willemse was 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored and 2 RBI, hit his 9th double and 7th stolen base. Oh, and I should probably mention that Hamasaki himself went 2 for 3 with 2 RBI. While he is not the equal of reliever Ben Flynn at the plate, Sekien is almost surely the best hitter among the starting rotation and has a slash line of .266/.277/.281 on the season.

And that brings us to the last series of the season between the two contenders for the MGL Pennant- the Brewers and L.A. Spinners, in L.A.
Game 1 broke Denver's way, with the red-hot Brett Taranto (.351/.400/.550) breaking a 4-4 tie with a 2-run double (his 34th) in the 6th inning for what proved to be the game winner. Steve Green (12-6, 4.78) got the win, giving up 4 runs on 6 hits over 7 innings. Val Guzman (.265/.376/.443) hit his 15th bomb of the season.
L.A. evened the series in the middle game of the series. Jim Atwell, who has been the #1 overall prospect in the WPK two years running, is finding out just how big the leap from AAA to the WPK is. Atwell (0-1, 10.43) has made 3 big league starts now and it is safe to say he looks over-matched. In this one he gave up 7 runs (all earned) on 6 hits and 5 walks while only lasting 3 2/3rds innings. Cheol-han Lee then took over, and his disastrous 1977 season continued, as he gave up 3 runs on 7 hits over 3 1/3rd. And that was pretty much that. Val Guzman had a nice game, going 2 for 4 with a run scored and hit his 9th triple while also stealing his 27th stolen base. RodRod (.337/.379/.516) hit his 11th homer and drove in 2 runs. Joe McPhillips (.319/.396/.529) went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and hit his 16th home run.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



The SJL remains extremely competitive, with the Columbus Whalers finishing the week back on top as they look to earn their third straight trip to the Kinsella Classic Series representing the SJL as the best team in the league. But their lead is narrow: just 1 game ahead of 2nd place Jacksonville and 1 1/2 ahead of the surprising and surging Pittsburgh Roadrunners. The Boston Berserkers also remain in the hunt while most other would-be contenders are falling out of the race. It looks like Seattle and Chicago will continue to battle for last place, as they have most of the season.

MGL:



And as it has been for the past several seasons, the MGL pennant race is a two-team affair. And the two teams have remained the same as well: your Denver Brewers and the dreaded L.A. Spinners. Having split the first two games of a three game series the week ends with Denver holding a slim 1 1/2 game margin over L.A. With the Brooklyn Aces in an absolute nose-dive here in September, the Oklahoma City Diamond Kings have moved back into 3rd place, but at 14 games out they are just playing for the honor of being the best of the non-contenders. And what about those Phoenix Speed Devils, losers of 10 games in a row. They currently sit 53 games off the pace and are on pace to lose approximately 115 games. The MGL record for losses is 107, set by the Charlotte Sting in 1969. The MGL record for games behind first place at the end of a season is 46, set by the Portland Wild Things in 1971. So it looks like Phoenix will break both of these unenviable records. On the bright side, they may still avoid compiling the most losses in a single season in the WPK, as the SJL's El Paso Dawgs had a 117-loss season in 1967, a year in which they finished 51 games out of first. (Pittsburgh also finished 51 games out of first in 1973 with a 110 loss season.)

[BirdWatcher]

Home runs, batter:
As already noted, Devin Schwisow of the Phoenix Speed Devils hit his 50th home run of 1977 (against our Brewers) to tie the single season WPK record. He has been slumping though and is still struggling to get his record setting 51st. (Oh, and he is a first baseman who has committed 20 errors on the season. So it's not all good stuff for Schwisow.)

Doubles, batter:
New record set- Pittsburgh's Bill Winchester is having what might prove to be an MVP season (he will have some strong competition from Bud Lindsay, Lazaro Lowndes, and probably Xiao-mei Mah as well) and he has set a new WPK record with 55 doubles, eclipsing the mark of 54 set last year by Seattle's Fred Reinhardt.

Runs batted in, batter:
Veteran slugger Nate Bennett of L.A. has been red-hot down the stretch and is well on pace to set a new RBI mark for the WPK. The current mark is 152, set by Jesus Casiano in his MVP season of 1970. Bennett has driven in 145 this year and is on pace for 161.

Runs scored, batter:
Speaking of Nate Bennett, he is only on pace to break the runs scored mark of 138 set by Josh Jenkins in 1970. Bennett has scored 127 runs this year and is on pace for 141.

Hits, batter:
Houston's Lazaro Lowndes is also hot heading down the stretch and is on pace to collect 245 hits, which would best Travis Johnson's previous WPK single season high mark by 7 hits.

Home runs allowed, pitcher:
New record set- Also as earlier reported, Phoenix starting pitcher Marty O'Brien has earned the unwanted distinction of having allowed the most home runs in a single season as he has given up 46 (the previous high was 40) and is on pace to allow 51.

Strikeouts, pitcher:
Brooklyn's Joel Travino, like his team, is limping to the finish line but is still on pace to best the single season K mark, which is 261 set by Jaime Schardein in 1968. Travino has recorded 254 K's and is on pace to finish with 280.

Walks, pitcher:
Portland's Brad Evans is a fan favorite and you won't find many more durable starting pitchers, but boy does he struggle with control. Evans is on pace to break the record of walks in the WPK for a single season, which is 154. But he is only barely on pace to break it as he projects to walk 156. He could still avoid this fate with a few good games, or, well, by just not pitching much the rest of the season.

And that is pretty much it. While there are a few other records that could still be in danger, these are the most likely to fall, if they haven't already.

[BirdWatcher]

If it can be said that any one player has lifted the Brewers onto their shoulders and is carrying the team at this stage of the stretch run (and, of course, it really is a team effort, ultimately) that man would have to be first baseman Brett Taranto. And this week his exploits earned him the MGL Player of the Week honors.



Having won the MGL Rookie of the Year award for 1976 there were some who figured Taranto was in for a sophomore slump. Far from it. Having been pushed for the starting job at the beginning of the season by slugging prospect Mike Lovett, Taranto came out strong and has just gotten stronger late in the season as he puts together a terrific campaign, with the injured and sidelined Lovett becoming something of a distant memory in Denver. (Likely he will find himself- Lovett, that is- sent to another organization in the off-season.)

The hard-working (Sparkplug) Taranto is an all-around player who fields his position very well, is battling for the batting title in the MGL (currently tied for 2nd with teammate Bobby Erbakan at .352), has slugged 18 homers and driven in 104 runs, can run and steal bases (11) and profiles as by far the most durable of the four infield starters for the team.

It looks like the 26-year old could have a very long and illustrious career in Brewers' purple!

[BirdWatcher]

Okay, look, I get that this isn't a huge news item and that this kid doesn't look like a future star.




But honestly, this is a rare instance where our scout actually found a kid on one of his scouting missions that could amount to something eventually.

Sure, he doesn't throw very hard and has low stamina, but he's only 17 years old, will likely eventually fill out his 6'4" frame, and has great intangibles. Maybe at best he becomes a somewhat useful swing-man in the 'pen.
But that's something. And with enough time perhaps he develops into even more.

[BirdWatcher]

To add injury to the insult of the Brooklyn Ace's stretch run, they saw their star slugging first baseman Danny Salvador suffer a concussion in their most recent game against Portland.



Salvador's season is over. And though Brooklyn is currently on a 4-game winning streak, their season is over too as they have now been mathematically eliminated from contention in 1977. (Same goes for Oklahoma City so it is now officially just down to Denver and L.A. for the title.)

[BirdWatcher]

And Phoenix slugger Devin Schwisow has finally done it- he is the new single season home run record holder in the WPK, having hit number 51 in the Speed Devil's 11-4 rout of Oklahoma City yesterday.

[BirdWatcher]

The San Francisco Velocity's veteran second baseman Josh Jenkins became just the second WPK player yet in league history to collect 2,500 career hits, joining the great Felix Lopez (who has 2,628 and counting). (It should probably be noted that Jenkins is the all-time career leader in stolen bases with 584 while Felix Lopez is second at 574.)



He did so in the second loss in a row for his team against the first place Denver Brewers, who have now stretched their lead in the MGL over the Los Angeles Spinners to 3 1/2 games.