EFL
TEAM	WINS	LOSSES	PCT.	GB	RS	RA
Portland Rosebuds	98	53	.651	—	957.8	699.8
Flint Hill Tornadoes	96	55	.639	1.9	948.6	703.6
Old Detroit Wolverines	88	63	.583	10.4	878.8	739.9
Peshastin Pears	82	69	.543	16.4	798.7	733.6
Pittsburgh Alleghenys	81	68	.542	16.6	790.6	716.9
Haviland Dragons	78	73	.517	20.2	842.4	808.2
Canberra Kangaroos	76	75	.503	22.3	843.8	842.1
Kaline Drive	73	78	.487	24.9	731.5	754.2
Cottage Cheese	67	82	.451	30.2	829.8	907.3
Bellingham Cascades	63	86	.422	34.5	676.5	809.3
Brookland Outs	62	87	.415	35.5	711.6	840.7
D.C. Balk	60	91	.395	38.7	662.8	823.4

.

I am beginning to think the Rosebuds might actually lose this race. Batting like Lewis Brinson, even with a little good pitching, is not the way to defend one’s crown — or even one’s lead.

It’s not like the Tornado were blowing people away.  Just hanging in there and doing respectably was enough to gain 0.2 games and sneak within 2 game of the lead. The T’s two top OPSes were by pinch hitters Tyler Austin ( a triple for a 3.000 OPS) and Keston Hiura (a mere single for a 2.000 OPS).

       Once in a while I write something I want to keep. Like yesterday’s post, “There isn’t going to be another out.”  I want to keep it so bad I’ve been telling the story to practically everyone.  my family, my department’s administrative assistant, my work study student. Melanie and Mark W had to hear oral versions even after they had read the written one.

       I think I have my 2019 season highlight. I can let the championship go. I don’t need it. Sure, the W’s gained a half game because they finally put together good hitting and pitching. Sure it would be nice to finish less than 10 back. But it doesn’t really matter. Let one of the Johnson brothers have the trophy.  I have the story.  So: I hereby free my Wolverines to be whoever they want to be on the ball field. Have fun with the last 11 games of the season, boys.

The Pears sliced past the Alleghenys into fourth place while taking a narrow loss Sunday.  Christian Vazquez led the way forward with 2 homers in 4 AB.  Justus Sheffield — is he big and freckled — let the way backward with his 4.3 ip, 5 er.  Vazquez was stronger this time. .

Mere kids Bo Bichette (1.250 OPS) and Seth Brown (1.500 OPS) combined to go 4 for 8 with three doubles to stave off even utterer humiliation as the Pears blasted through the Alleghenys.

Yecch. True, Sano homered for the second straight day and Nimmo tripled. Buit that was it for highlights.  Only one walk in 38 plate appearances just made it worse.  (I would apologize for the graphic language in this paragraph, but I may have been mild compared to the Chiefest of Calamities’ own response.)

I haven’t said enough about Mitch Garver.  His 1.004 OPS leads the team, although he has only about half the plate appearances Alex Bregman (.999 OPS).  So Garver is OPSing 1.004  — but the entire team OPSed 1.001 Sunday!  They all turned into Mitch Garvers (on average). Which raises the question: why did they only score 5 runs.  Here’s why: of the 6 Kangaroos who OPSed 1.000 or better, three (Dubon 1.667, Edman 1.250, and Hampson 1.550) are sitting on a bench in Wooroloo.

Such a powerful offense! Seven Drives OPSed 1.000 or better, led by Kris Bryan’s 2.400 (3 for 5 with two homers). On the other hand:  such overpowered pitching!  Max Fried and two relievers covered only 4 innings but allowed 9 earned runs.

The Cheese, after toying with a run for the cellar, have made peace with their fate about as well as the Wolverines.  Now that they have accepted their inability to snag the first pick of the draft, they are beginning to leave the Cascades in the dust. Four out of seven Cheese batters OPSed 1.000 or better on Sunday.

There’s nothing wrong with the pitching, other than being about 1/3 of an inning short.  But the only hitter who did anything good — getting the only two hits of the day for his team — was Hanser Alberto (2 for 5).

.

Has Jose Martinez been hurt? I don’t remember typing his name for a while here.  He got a pinch hit single to provide the highlight of a dismal day at the plate for the Outs.  Nick Vincent hurled 2 shutout innings in relief to provide the pitching highlight.

Trevor Williams triple chulked 0ver 2.7 innings (7 er allowed) to definitively sink the Balkan ship Sunday.  Ryan McMahon blasted two homers and a single to try to undo Williams’ work, but it all went to naught because naught is all the pitchers had.

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AL East
TEAM	WINS	LOSSES	PCT.	GB
New York Yankees	98	53	.649	—
Flint Hill Tornadoes	96	55	.639	1.6
Tampa Bay Rays	89	62	.589	9
Old Detroit Wolverines	88	63	.583	10
Boston Red Sox	79	70	.530	18
Toronto Blue Jays	59	91	.393	38.5
Baltimore Orioles	49	100	.329	48

NL East
TEAM	WINS	LOSSES	PCT.	GB
Atlanta Braves	93	58	.616	—
Washington Nationals	82	66	.554	9.5
New York Mets	77	72	.517	15
Philadelphia Phillies	76	72	.514	15.5
Canberra Kangaroos	76	75	.503	17
D.C. Balk	60	91	.395	33.3
Miami Marlins	52	97	.349	40

AL Central
TEAM	WINS	LOSSES	PCT.	GB
Minnesota Twins	91	58	.611	—
Cleveland Indians	87	63	.580	4.5
Pittsburgh Alleghenys	81	68	.542	10.3
Chicago White Sox	65	84	.436	26
Bellingham Cascades	63	86	.422	28.2
Kansas City Royals	55	95	.367	36.5
Detroit Tigers	44	104	.297	46.5

NL Central
TEAM	WINS	LOSSES	PCT.	GB
St. Louis Cardinals	83	66	.557	—
Chicago Cubs	81	68	.544	2
Milwaukee Brewers	80	69	.537	3
Cincinnati Reds	70	80	.467	13.5
Cottage Cheese	67	82	.451	15.8
Pittsburgh Pirates	65	85	.433	18.5
Brookland Outs	62	87	.415	21.1

AL West
TEAM	WINS	LOSSES	PCT.	GB
Houston Astros	98	53	.649	—
Oakland A’s	90	60	.600	7.5
Haviland Dragons	78	73	.517	19.9
Texas Rangers	74	77	.490	24
Kaline Drive	73	78	.487	24.5
Los Angeles Angels	68	82	.453	29.5
Seattle Mariners	62	88	.413	35.5

NL West
TEAM	WINS	LOSSES	PCT.	GB
Portland Rosebuds	98	53	.651	—
Los Angeles Dodgers	97	54	.642	1.4
Peshastin Pears	82	69	.543	16.4
Arizona Diamondbacks	76	74	.507	21.9
San Francisco Giants	72	78	.480	25.9
San Diego Padres	68	81	.456	29.4
Colorado Rockies	65	85	.433	32.9