Extreme tectonic activity warning

 

All that is amazing, but here are two items of extra encouragement to Wolverine fans the world over:   Austin Riley is on a tear.  Through April 17 he was just 8 for 51, all singles, with four free passes (walks or hbp), for a .157, .157, .209 line, a .366 OPS.  I looked for a way to bench him, but with all my injured players I had no choice but to play him.  

 

On April 18 he got two hits, both singles.  Then he got a hit and a walk. Then a big day: a homer, a single and a walk. Then a homer and a walk, then two walks — a 1.112 OPS for those five days.  Then a three-game lull … and then yesterday:  4 for 5 with a homer and a double, a 2.400 daily OPS bringing his season total up to 0.843.  

 

So Buxton’s first career 5-hit day was quickly followed by a second earthquake, Austin Riley.  And then there was an aftershock… and I do mean “shock”:  Josh Bell got a hit.  It was a home run.  Now wouldn’t it be something if he elevated his season OPS from yesterday morning’s .353 to over .800 in 9 days?

 

All this tectonic activity overcame a fourth straight starting pitcher fiasco: Mike Minor’s 4.3 ip, 4 er.

 

 

 

In fact, while the W’s winning percentage went up 0.010 with their 18 run game, the Dragon’s winning percentage rocketed up 0.053 in a single day — which I suspect will be by far the biggest leap in the league. Note how both teams outscored their opponents by 10 runs, but the Wolverines got less bang for their ten bucks because they were piling both runs scored and runs allowed onto very tall piles.  The Dragons, on the other hand, subtracted runs from the league’s shortest pile… a much bigger deal, leading to that much-bigger improvement in winning percentage.

 

There were 6 0-fers in the 12-man Balkan lineup Wednesday. Myles Straw was the hitting star, going 2 for 4 and adding a walk and a stolen base. Not Byron Buxton, but not $9,000,000, either.   

 

 

 

I thought I read somewhere yesterday that hitting was hard.  We have three teams already OPSing easily over 1.000, and another over .900… where’s the difficulty?

 

In fact, the big thing the Pears did wasn’t their hitting. It was their nearly lights-out pitching. Alex Wood had a fine 6 ip, 2 er outing.  Then Huascar Ynoa certainly ynoied other EFL teams with his 5.3 scoreless innings.  This allowed the Pears to improve their winning percentage by 0.029 and  gain 0.4 games in the standings despite the W’s huge win.  

 

 

 

 

And the Wizard can also take satisfaction in not showing up any pitchers who might be struggling.    He arranged for Rafael Montero to triple chulk, even though it cost the Mariners a win.   Mark Minor and German Marquez are grateful for the Drive compassion. 

 

But what caused Kaline to be so merciful?  Might it be the result of massive forces at work in the league?   A huge fault has opened up between the top 5 teams and the bottom 6.  From the Oldies to the Pesties, 5 teams span only 2.3 games in the standings, less than a half-game apart on average.    From the Kalies to the Cotties, six teams occupy only 2.9 games in the standings, also an average of less than half a game apart.  

 

Between Peshastin and Kaline, however, a 2.3 game gap has suddenly appeared — big enough to hold all 5 of the top teams.   Kaline trailed Peshastin by only 0.4 games yesterday, but slid 1.5 games further from first place, losing 0.042 in winning percentage.  

 

In this light the fires this time among the top 5 teams seem less like coincidence, and more like a pattern, conflagrations stemming from a massive single cause.  Are there tectonic forces beneath the surface pulling the two halves of the league in different directions?

 

 

 

 

The Cascades slid 0.010 in winning percentage, and  0.7 games further behind the lead. 

 

 

No one will complain about those things, because they won’t have the breath left after they finish discussing Logan Allen’s day: 1.3 ip, 6 earned runs. 4 outs (one by a strikeout), 5 hits, 3 homers.  Anthony Rizzo managed to  strike out Freddy Freeman yesterday on what appeared to be a filthy change-up… so why couldn’t professional pitcher Logan Allen do his job a little better? 

 

In the end, the Portlies slipped a notched in the standings, 0.5 games further  behind, and 0.017 in winning percentage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But then Mitch Keller took the mound.  In a patter familiar to Wolverine fans, this highly touted, very talented young pitcher … lost focus? Something.  Of the 16 batters he faced, 5 walked, 3 got hits, 2 struck out, and 6 made other outs — and 4 scored earned runs. Had he had a GOOD day —  maybe a 3.00 ERA, which is certainly within his reach — the Cheese may have dodged the Kangaroos falling out of the sky and escaped last place.