Newberg did not burn to the ground yesterday, although there were some who thought it might. (Or so I am told — I spent the day in sunny Seattle, where fires are far away.)
Some other places were not so lucky. Wildfires tore through Detroit and the visiting Marlins endured an even hotter fiery furnace in Atlanta Wednesday, leaving shellshocked fans wandering glassy-eyed through the embers. The Tigers lost 19 – 0 to the Brewers. Meanwhile, the Marlins were the helpless victims of a National League record 29 runs by the Braves.
Empathy and compassion are the proper responses to such catastrophes, as pastor Jamie would no doubt remind us.
But Jamie is off today trying to teach compassionate empathy to college students. You are in my hands this morning. I will go this far toward the proper response: you will feel better than a Marlins or Tigers fan after reading this update. Unless you are a Marlins or Tigers fan. In that case, there’s nothing I can do for you.
Fear not. Jamie will be back tomorrow.
EFL Standings for 2020
| EFL | ||||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB | RS | RA |
| Kaline Drive | 24 | 17 | .579 | — | 191.4 | 161.7 |
| Haviland Dragons | 23 | 18 | .555 | 1 | 212.2 | 190.1 |
| Flint Hill Tornadoes | 22 | 21 | .521 | 2.3 | 235.6 | 229.7 |
| Bellingham Cascades | 21 | 22 | .488 | 3.8 | 229.2 | 246.8 |
| Peshastin Pears | 21 | 23 | .467 | 4.7 | 218.7 | 231.3 |
| Cottage Cheese | 20 | 24 | .450 | 5.4 | 227.6 | 257.0 |
| D.C. Balk | 19 | 24 | .445 | 5.6 | 195.3 | 218.3 |
| Canberra Kangaroos | 19 | 24 | .444 | 5.6 | 223.0 | 250.3 |
| Pittsburgh Alleghenys | 17 | 26 | .398 | 7.7 | 206.7 | 253.9 |
| Old Detroit Wolverines | 16 | 27 | .373 | 8.7 | 196.2 | 254.2 |
| Portland Rosebuds | 14 | 30 | .326 | 10.9 | 214.4 | 308.8 |
KALINE: W, 5 – 4.
| AVG: 0.286 | OBP: 0.375 | SLG: 0.543 | OPS: 0.918 | PA: 40 |
| ERA: 9.00 | WHIP: 2.000 | IP: 1.0 | |||||||||||
Kaline, sheltering far from the conflagrations, took advantage of the fiery furor to restore its full 1-game lead over the Dragons. I have been there before, where a long, slow, inexorable erosion of one’s lead leaves one in despair. To have a day when 9 days of lead erosion are erased all at once is a big deal.
The only Drive involved in the firestorms was Orlando Arcia, who took good advantage of the Brewers’ torching of the Tigers. Arcia went 4 for 6 with a double.
HAVILAND: L, 4 – 10
| AVG: 0.214 | OBP: 0.290 | SLG: 0.429 | OPS: 0.719 | PA: 31 |
| ERA: 7.80 | WHIP: 1.333 | IP: 15.0 | |||||||||||
Jed Gyorko blasted two homers in Comerica Park, while the other Dragons stood by watching the fun. On the other hand, Pablo Lopez was the unfortunate starting pitcher for Miami, who got two outs in the second inning while surrendering the first 7 of the 11 earned runs the Braves scored that inning.
So here we have the first clear EFL victim of the fires this time: Pablo Lopez, whose season ERA soared to 4.50 (his September ERA is now 18.95); and the Dragons, who fell back to a full 1.0 games behind the Drive.
FLINT HILL: DNP, 2 – 2
| AVG: 0.250 | OBP: 0.382 | SLG: 0.429 | OPS: 0.811 | PA: 34 |
| ERA: 1.43 | WHIP: 1.111 | IP: 12.6 | |||||||||||
Keston Hiura was in the Brewers lineup, but showed more compassion than most of his teammates, limiting himself to a walk in three plate appearances. Tornados Joe Jimenez and Willi Castro were heroes in Detroit. Jimenez was the only Tiger pitcher who didn’t surrender any runs to the Brewer arsonists. And Castro’s two hits — a single and a triple — were the only hits the Tigers managed amid the disaster. If the Brewers were Smaug and Detroit was Laketown, Castro would be Bard making his solo last stand. Too bad he had no black arrows.
Alas for the Drive — the Tornados somehow skated through the blazes untouched. Perhaps this is just firestorms showing professional courtesy toward their fellow catastrophes.
BELLINGHAM: L, 6 – 9.
| AVG: 0.235 | OBP: 0.350 | SLG: 0.441 | OPS: 0.791 | PA: 40 |
| ERA: 7.64 | WHIP: 1.887 | IP: 10.6 | |||||||||||
Tommy Milone had a very bad day in Atlanta… for the Braves! He gave up the second-most earned runs of any pitcher in Atlanta or Detroit — 8 — in 3.3 innings. When he was done in the bottom of the 4th, the Marlins had “almost” caught up, down only 8 to 13.
On the other hand, Ronald Acuna abused Marlins pitchers (and, as we will see, some EFL ones) with a homer, a double, a single and a walk in 7 plate appearances, to lead the Cascades offense. Even little-known Jacob Nottingham got into the action. He only went 1 for 5 for the Brewers, but the one was a homer, and he added a walk, for a 1.133 daily OPS.
COTTAGE: L, 3 – 15.
| AVG: 0.205 | OBP: 0.244 | SLG: 0.308 | OPS: 0.552 | PA: 41 |
| ERA: 11.49 | WHIP: 2.340 | IP: 9.4 | |||||||||||
The saddest case in all the conflagrations is Cheese hurler Jordan Yamamoto. Thrown into the fire in Atlanta with two out in the second inning, Yamamoto bravely absorbed 2.2 innings of abuse, battered for 12 earned runs. That’s more than a septuple chulk, trashing his season ERA (now 18.26) and utterly destroying his September mark (40.00). They’ll put up monuments someday to ex-Wolverine Yamamoto’s brave sacrifice. (And yes, Yamamoto was once a Wolverine, for about a month when he was deep in the minors. I kept him from the Yelich trade, but needed his spot for the next monthly draft.)
DC: L, 6 – 7
| AVG: 0.381 | OBP: 0.409 | SLG: 0.667 | OPS: 1.076 | PA: 22 |
| ERA: 6.92 | WHIP: 2.308 | IP: 1.3 | |||||||||||
Jorge Alfaro was part of the courageous doomed Marlin resistance, going 2 for 4 amid the ruins.
Otherwise, the Balk chose to stay clear of the fires. Off in peaceful New York, Pete Alonso went 3 for 4 with a homer.
CANBERRA: L, 3 – 7.
| AVG: 0.167 | OBP: 0.231 | SLG: 0.278 | OPS: 0.509 | PA: 39 |
| ERA: 0.00 | WHIP: 0.000 | IP: 1.0 | |||||||||||
The Kangaroos also steered clear of the disasters in Detroit and Atlanta. Not that it did them much good. Austin Nola went 2 for 4 with a walk, Marucio Dubon went 2 for 4 without a walk, and Michael Confort spent his 4 plate appearances on a homer and a HBP. But the rest of the ‘Roos went 1 for 26, diluting the offense to below-replacement level.
Canberra is still in contact with the main peleton in the EFL race, but it has drifted to the back. Perhaps it is just drafting, poised to make a last dash toward the front.
PITTSBURGH: W, 9 – 2.
| AVG: 0.412 | OBP: 0.545 | SLG: 0.647 | OPS: 1.193 | PA: 22 |
| ERA: 1.13 | WHIP: 1.125 | IP: 8.0 | |||||||||||
Dansby Swanson participated enthusiastically in the mayhem in Atlanta, going 3 for 6 plus a walk and a HBP. On the other hand, Allegheny management shrewdly kept its pitchers out of the fire zones, so they were free to pitch 8 ip, surrendering only 1 earned run.
I am getting kind of grumpy about this. The W’s were supposed to pass the Alleghenys almost a week ago. The A’s were supposed to just roll over, not put up this kind of resistance.
OLD DETROIT: DNP, 1 – (-1)
| AVG: 0.244 | OBP: 0.352 | SLG: 0.511 | OPS: 0.863 | PA: 54 |
| ERA: 5.29 | WHIP: 1.765 | IP: 1.7 | |||||||||||
Luis Urias was on the right side of the firefight in Detroit, going 3 for 6 with two doubles. (And a caught stealing? In a 19 – 0 blowout? I need to talk to that young man.) Austin Riley went relatively easy on the Marlins: only 2 for 6 plus two walks.
Also, Lewis Brinson stood up to the Braves, clouting a home run and taking a walk, two rare elements in his “offense.” It was a futile effort from the Marlins’ perspective. But Wolverine management noticed, and its hard heart toward Brinson softened just a little more. Will Brinson — currently 100% on the bench, see EFL action this month? Doubtful. The W’s only have one mid-month roster move left.
PORTLAND: L, 6 – 10
| AVG: 0.333 | OBP: 0.350 | SLG: 0.611 | OPS: 0.961 | PA: 20 |
| ERA: 8.28 | WHIP: 1.724 | IP: 8.7 | |||||||||||
I haven’t mentioned the relatively mild blaze in San Francisco that badly damaged the Mariners’ post-season dreams in a 0 – 10 loss. Nick Margevicius started that game and served up 7 earned runs in 4.7 innings. Bryse Wilson couldn’t fix that despite his 4 ip, 1 er.
On the other hand, Tyrone Taylor (I just discovered) is a Brewer, who took full advantage of the Tigers’ supinity. Taylor went 4 for 5 with two doubles and a homer. It would be a (pleasant) irony if Taylor kept performing like that, ruining the Rosebud’s shot at the top pick in the draft.
Combined MLB + EFL Standings for 2020
| AL East | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 28 | 15 | .651 | — |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 24 | 19 | .558 | 4 |
| Flint Hill Tornadoes | 22 | 21 | .521 | 5.6 |
| New York Yankees | 22 | 21 | .512 | 6 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 20 | 22 | .476 | 7.5 |
| Old Detroit Wolverines | 16 | 27 | .373 | 12 |
| Boston Red Sox | 15 | 29 | .341 | 13.5 |
| NL East | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Atlanta Braves | 25 | 18 | .581 | — |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 21 | 18 | .538 | 2 |
| Miami Marlins | 19 | 19 | .500 | 3.5 |
| New York Mets | 20 | 24 | .455 | 5.5 |
| D.C. Balk | 19 | 24 | .445 | 5.9 |
| Canberra Kangaroos | 19 | 24 | .444 | 5.9 |
| Washington Nationals | 16 | 25 | .390 | 8 |
| AL Central | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Chicago White Sox | 27 | 16 | .628 | — |
| Cleveland Indians | 26 | 17 | .605 | 1 |
| Minnesota Twins | 27 | 18 | .600 | 1 |
| Bellingham Cascades | 21 | 22 | .488 | 6 |
| Detroit Tigers | 19 | 22 | .463 | 7 |
| Pittsburgh Alleghenys | 17 | 26 | .398 | 9.9 |
| Kansas City Royals | 16 | 28 | .364 | 11.5 |
| NL Central | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Chicago Cubs | 25 | 19 | .568 | — |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 18 | 17 | .514 | 2.5 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 19 | 22 | .463 | 4.5 |
| Cottage Cheese | 20 | 24 | .450 | 5.2 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 19 | 24 | .442 | 5.5 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 14 | 27 | .341 | 9.5 |
| AL West | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Oakland A’s | 26 | 15 | .634 | — |
| Kaline Drive | 24 | 17 | .579 | 2.3 |
| Haviland Dragons | 23 | 18 | .555 | 3.2 |
| Houston Astros | 22 | 22 | .500 | 5.5 |
| Seattle Mariners | 19 | 24 | .442 | 8 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 17 | 27 | .386 | 10.5 |
| Texas Rangers | 15 | 27 | .357 | 11.5 |
| NL West | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 32 | 12 | .727 | — |
| San Diego Padres | 28 | 17 | .622 | 4.5 |
| San Francisco Giants | 23 | 21 | .523 | 9 |
| Peshastin Pears | 21 | 23 | .467 | 11.5 |
| Colorado Rockies | 20 | 23 | .465 | 11.5 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 15 | 29 | .341 | 17 |
| Portland Rosebuds | 14 | 30 | .326 | 17.7 |