League Updates

33.3 IP, 2 ER: how to seal a pennant?

Wolverine pitchers are out of control.  Not wild.  Just totally out of control.

OD:  W 1.0 (5.8 – (-0.2)); CK:  L 1.0 (5.1 – 7.3).   James Kaprielian and Marcus Stroman both pitched 6 shutout innings Sunday, bringing the Wolverine weekly ERA down to 0.54 (2 er in 33.3 ip).  No one knows whence came this sudden dominance. The W’s are only 4th in the EFL in pitching-and-defense. The team’s ERA for the season is 3.68.  This week only Nick Lodolo and Domingo Acevedo have allowed earned runs (Domingo’s unbegrudged since it was Cal Raleigh’s playoffs-clinching homer).  Of course, today we’ll see that ERA blossom, now that I’ve mentioned it. 

Put that 0.54 Wolverine ERA together with Canberra’s sudden inability to create runs at much more than replacement level, and the Wolverines are not making things easy for their erstwhile pursuers.  The ‘Roos did better yesterday at the plate — a nice .242, .419, .394 daily line, although cancelled out a bit by the 6 earned runs allowed in 9 innings.  And they get Julio back today. Perhaps they can make a dramatic shift in Canberra’s rs/rc ratio. 

But it won’t do much good as long as the W’s have a raw winning percentage only inches away from 1.000.  A nice Old Detroit triple chulk or two would take care of that problem. 

 

DC:  W 0.7 (5.1 – 6.6), SS: W 0.3 (9.3 – 11.8).  Salem had a giant day yesterday on both sides of the plate. Seraphic hitters had a Super Edgar Day: ..452, .500, .613. But the pitchers out-did them:  23.7 innings pitched!  But it turned out to be a disaster, as they allowed 22 earned runs!  Maximo Castillo carries maximo culpo for this awe-ful line: he pitched 5 innings while surrendering 7 earned runs.  Fortunately, he’s allocated at 0 percent this week, but that still leaves 18.7 ip, 15 earned runs from 5 other angelic arms. 

What was an .883 – .531 ratio of raw winning percentages in favor of Salem of DC is now down to .629 – .461.  That’s like going from 5:3 to 5:3.67.  Salem is still ahead on the week, but lost some of that lead yesterday.  Now the two teams are both further behind the W’s than when the week started, making it harder for them to take decisive advantage of any Wolverine pitching collapse over the last three games of the season. 

 

HC: W 1.0 (10.3 – 4.5), FH: L 1.0 (1.3 – 4.6).  These two teams had practically identical pitching results. Haviland accomplished its 4.5 runs allowed with 3 ip, 2 er. Flint Hill did it with 5 ip, 2 er.  Flint Hill is still using 5 replacement innings, and has a defense rating 2 points worse than Haviland’s, each of which adds runs scored to those reported as pitching runs.  That, and Haviland’s .263, .333, .605 batting line (compared to the Tornados’ .143, .226, .214) led to the Dragons taking an entire win out of Sunday’s play. 

Player of the Day  in Day 3 of the Johnson Family Cup Finals: Daniel Vogelbach: 2 for 2 with a homer for a 3.500 daily OPS.

 

Kaline W 0.6 (7.6 – 2.8), Portland:  W 0.4 (3.7 – (-0.1))  Albert Pujols rewarded the Wizard again for giving him a last chance to shine. In his last regular season at-bat in Busch Stadium, Pujols hit homer #702. He singled in his other plate appearances, posting a 4.000 OPS on the day.  With three teammates also OPSing over 1.000, the team compiled an impressive .294, .351, .588 line. 

Kaline won the day, but Portland got up off the mat.  The Rosebuds started with just 0.2 wins, and now have 0.6. They did NOT hit well (.194, .242, .290), but Pablo Lopez (7 shutout innings) and German Marquez (6 ip, 1 er) were so outstanding, the ‘Buds scored more runs than they allowed. Plus, long-term project/trade acquisition/2099 Rookie Simeon-Woods-Richardson made his first appearance for the Twins, and pitched well (5 ip, 2 er).  He hasn’t appeared for the Rosebuds yet –he’s allocated at zero — so his EFL rookie contract will start next year and run through 2027. This makes him the first 2027 rookie in the EFL!!

 

Pittsburgh Alleghenys: W 0.8 (12.3 – 4.6); Pittsburgh Pirates:  W 0.2 (7 – 5).  The Alleghenys are still FAR ahead in the Steel Throne Cup series, and padded their lead yesterday. In a day of awesome stat lines, the A’s might be the awesomest: .422, .519, .978. Ten Alleghenys (out of 13 who appeared) OPSed over 1.000, which might be an EFL record (with terms of their current EFL contract noted):

  1. Teoscar Hernandez (V 2025): 3 for 4 with 2 homers (3.000 OPS)
  2. Shea Langeliers (D 2022): 2 for 4 with 2 homers and 1 walk (2.600)
  3. Christian Pache (R 2025), Dansby Swanson (V 2025): 1 for 3, HR, walk (1.833)
  4. see above
  5. Adley Rutschman (D 2022): 2 for 3 with a double, 2 walks (1.800)
  6. Bobby Dalbec (R 2025): 2 for 4 with a homer (1.750)
  7. Matt Vierling (R 2026): 2 for 3 with a double (1.667)
  8. Oneil Cruz (R 2026): 2 for 4 with a double and a walk (1.350)
  9. Mitch Haniger (V 2024): 2 for 4 with a double  (1.250)
  10. Jack Suwinski (D 2022): 1 for 2 with two walks (1.250)

That’s 7 home runs overall, plus 4 doubles and 8 walks. With ok pitching (8.3 ip, 4 er), the Alleghenys were sure to win, and probably win big. Except for the three debs, all the rest are signed for at least 2 more season, most for 3, some for 4.  The Allegheny rebuild is just about over, ready next year and thereafter to prevent any upstarts from overtaking them for the lead in most EFL championships.

The Pirates, unfortunately, also scored more runs than they allowed yesterday, so they took a 0.2-game bite out of the Allegheny win.

 

Bellingham:  W 0.6 (2.5 – 4.8), Peshastin W 0.4 (2.4 – 7.4).  The Pears stretched their lead for first EFL pick to 1.2 games — not yet safe, but safer than it was when the day started.  They lulled the Cascades into draft-pick-complacency by faking a big Pear victory, based on Freddy Peralta’s 4 scoreless innings and Jo Adell, Adam Frazier, and Ryan Mountcastle combining for a 3 for 11 with two doubles, a walk, and a HBP: a .273, .333, .455 slash line.  But then the Pears dropped the hammer on the Cascades (picture this in your mind) and finished up with a fat 0 for 6 from Geraldo Perdomo and Victor Robles, plus a juicy quadruple chulk from Penn Mirfee (1 ip, 4 er) to end up with a suitably nasty score.

But the Cascades are no pushovers.  They compiled an equally offensive .136, .240, .318 batting line.   They failed to allow any earned runs, but limited the damage by limiting their innings to just two. Thus they managed to stay within 1.2 games of the Pears for that coveted first EFL pick.