No long introduction today – Ron and I switched days at the last second – but there were some interesting things happening in the EFL yesterday! Enjoy the sunshine, and best of luck this weekend.
Oh, and apparently the Orioles are going to win the AL East this year?
EFL Standings for 2021
| EFL | ||||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB | RS | RA |
| Haviland Dragons | 5 | 1 | .903 | — | 32.0 | 10.5 |
| Old Detroit Wolverines | 5 | 1 | .840 | 0.4 | 40.2 | 17.5 |
| Flint Hill Tornadoes | 5 | 1 | .762 | 0.8 | 21.5 | 12.0 |
| D.C. Balk | 4 | 2 | .733 | 1 | 37.8 | 22.8 |
| Pittsburgh Alleghenys | 4 | 2 | .675 | 1.4 | 48.0 | 33.3 |
| Portland Rosebuds | 4 | 3 | .526 | 2.2 | 29.2 | 27.7 |
| Kaline Drive | 3 | 3 | .495 | 2.4 | 18.9 | 19.1 |
| Canberra Kangaroos | 3 | 3 | .483 | 2.5 | 33.4 | 34.5 |
| Bellingham Cascades | 3 | 3 | .463 | 2.6 | 22.0 | 23.7 |
| Peshastin Pears | 3 | 4 | .367 | 3.3 | 22.1 | 29.0 |
| Cottage Cheese | 1 | 5 | .196 | 4.2 | 25.3 | 51.3 |
Haviland: DNP, 2-1
| AVG: 0.237 | OBP: 0.326 | SLG: 0.526 | OPS: 0.852 | PA: 44 |
| ERA: 2.03 | WHIP: 1.203 | IP: 13.3 | |||||||||||
The Dragons didn’t play yesterday, though their pitchers didn’t get the memo. Pablo Lopez led the way with 6.2IP and 1ER allowed, and Jesus Luzardo nearly matched him, tossing 5.1IP allowing 2ER. But the Dragons are no longer alone with the best record (though they are still ahead in Winning %). Nearly all of yesterday’s Dragon offense was delivered by Yankees, with Urshela, Sanchez and Gardner contributing 6 of the 9 team hits. The other three hits? HRs contributed by non-Yankees (Realmuto, Aquino, and the waffle-loving Joc Pederson).
Old Detroit: “W,” 0-3
| AVG: 0.196 | OBP: 0.245 | SLG: 0.217 | OPS: 0.462 | PA: 49 |
| ERA: 2.69 | WHIP: 0.448 | IP: 6.7 | |||||||||||
A tale of two sicknesses yesterday for the Wolverines/Woeverines. The good sick? A pitching staff combining for almost the required 7IP and giving up only 2 runs. The bad sick? The entire offense except for Tommy Edman (3 for 5 with a SB) and Byron Buxton (1 for 4 with a 2b and 2 SB). Everyone else? Apparently too sick to hit. The Wolverines, however, did gain .1 games on the Dragons, so I imagine all feels ok in OD for a day.
Flint Hill: “W,” 1-2
| AVG: 0.175 | OBP: 0.233 | SLG: 0.200 | OPS: 0.433 | PA: 43 |
| ERA: 1.43 | WHIP: 1.111 | IP: 6.3 | |||||||||||
The Tornadoes were feeling some kind of empathy for the Wolverines, putting up similar numbers and getting a nearly identical outcome – a fake win that moved them .1 games closer to the Dragons while matching their overall record. Blake Snell continued his good start for the Tornadoes (5IP and 1ER) and Tanner Scott added a shutout inning. But the hitting continues to abysmal in Flint Hill. Our monthly slash line is currently .225/.293/.311 which is not even worthy of being called a dust devil.
DC: “L,” 8-5
| AVG: 0.355 | OBP: 0.394 | SLG: 0.581 | OPS: 0.975 | PA: 33 |
No pitching
The Balk are one of the hottest offenses in the EFL after the first week of the season. Yesterday they were led by Xander Bogaerts, Bryce Harper and Matt Chapman, who combined to go 7 for 11 with 2 2B and a HR. If they keep hitting like this, it won’t be long before they leap over the team in front of them.
Pittsburgh: W(2), L(0); 15-7
| AVG: 0.250 | OBP: 0.400 | SLG: 0.389 | OPS: 0.789 | PA: 45 |
| ERA: 1.13 | WHIP: 1.000 | IP: 8.0 | |||||||||||
The best EFL offense after week one belongs to the Alleghenys. Averaging 8 runs a game, their TEAM slash line is nearly Edgarian at .298/.400/.495. Yesterday’s offensive output was meager compared to previous days, but the pitching was solid, with Nathan Eovaldi twirling 7IP and giving up only 1ER. The Alleghenys gained .5 games on the leading Dragons in one day.
Portland: “W,” 4-7
| AVG: 0.231 | OBP: 0.311 | SLG: 0.513 | OPS: 0.824 | PA: 45 |
| ERA: 0.00 | WHIP: 0.000 | IP: 1 | |||||||||||
Another fake win (several of these today!), but this time it led to a loss of .3 games off the leading Dragons. There was not a lot of hitting by the Rosebuds, but the balls hit were hit far, with three 2Bs, a 3B, and 2 HRs (yes, the Rosebuds hit for a team cycle!). Nick Senzel (yes, we know he was a Wolverine, Ron) led the way going 2 for 3 with a 2B and a 3B.
Kaline: DNP, (-4)-(-3)
| AVG: 0.161 | OBP: 0.188 | SLG: 0.161 | OPS: 0.349 | PA: 32 |
| ERA: 5.17 | WHIP: 2.069 | IP: 8.7 | |||||||||||
The Drive were in the subtraction game yesterday, which is good on the pitching side but not great for the offense. John Means not only threw well (4.7IP with 1ER), but also beat the Yankees! The only only offense on the day was 5 singles, 2 of them from Bobby Dalbec.
Canberra: “W,” (-1)-(-1)
| AVG: 0.091 | OBP: 0.130 | SLG: 0.136 | OPS: 0.267 |
| ERA: 0.00 | WHIP: 0.805 | IP: 8.7 | |||||||||||
As was the case for many EFL teams yesterday, the pitching was great while the offense struggled (and in the Roos’ case, they really struggled). First, the pitching was dominant, led by 5 relief pitchers who combined to give up 0 runs over nearly 9IP. But the hitting was exactly the opposite. The team tallied 2 hits, both of them from Vladito, while striking our 12 times (the team, not Vlady) and walking once. The good news? They gained .1 games on the Dragons!
Bellingham: W(1), L(1); 8-6
| AVG: 0.250 | OBP: 0.314 | SLG: 0.438 | OPS: 0.752 | PA: 35 |
| ERA: 2.45 | WHIP: 1.088 | IP: 14.7 | |||||||||||
The Cascades had a good day, and it’s surprising it only resulted in one win. The pitching, as was the EFL norm, excelled on the backs of Kevin Gausman and Justin Dunn (12IP and 3ER) with another 3 relief innings of 1 run pitching. Three hitters combined to lead the way – DJLM, Acuna, Jr., and Hoskins – who combined to go 8 for 17 with 3 2Bs and a HR. The Cascades gained .3 games on the Dragons.
Peshastin: W(2), L(-1); 6-(-3)
| AVG: 0.267 | OBP: 0.465 | SLG: 0.267 | OPS: 0.732 | PA: 44 |
| ERA: 0.64 | WHIP: 0.786 | IP: 14.0 | |||||||||||
The best performance from yesterday belongs to the Pears, who’s owner us undoubtedly sighing in relief to no longer be a fruit with a pit in the pit of the EFL. The pitching line was sterling, with 14IP and only 1ER allowed on the day. Jack Flaherty and Huascar Ynoa combined for 11 of this innings without giving up a single run. Willi Castro and Ozzie Albies chipped in 5 singles and the team earned a total of 11 walks on the day with Juan Soto earning 4 of those.
Cottage: L, 7-9
| AVG: 0.262 | OBP: 0.311 | SLG: 0.571 | OPS: 0.883 | PA: 45 |
No Pitching
Well, someone had to take the Pears place in the pit, and today it was the Cheese. The good news is the Cheese did not get any bad innings from their actual pitchers, while their hitters were able to put up 7 runs, with the best work coming from the bats of Trea Turner (yes, we know, Ron), Brandon Nimmo, Marcus Semien and Corey Dickerson (a combined 8 for 17 with 2 2Bs and 2 HRs).
Combined MLB + EFL Standings for 2021
| AL East | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Old Detroit Wolverines | 5 | 1 | .840 | — |
| Flint Hill Tornadoes | 5 | 1 | .762 | 0.5 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 4 | 2 | .667 | 1 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 3 | 3 | .500 | 2 |
| Boston Red Sox | 3 | 3 | .500 | 2 |
| New York Yankees | 3 | 3 | .500 | 2 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 2 | 4 | .333 | 3 |
| NL East | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 5 | 1 | .833 | — |
| D.C. Balk | 4 | 2 | .733 | 0.6 |
| Canberra Kangaroos | 3 | 3 | .483 | 2.1 |
| Washington Nationals | 1 | 2 | .333 | 2.5 |
| New York Mets | 1 | 2 | .333 | 2.5 |
| Atlanta Braves | 2 | 4 | .333 | 3 |
| Miami Marlins | 1 | 5 | .167 | 4 |
| AL Central | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Pittsburgh Alleghenys | 4 | 2 | .675 | — |
| Minnesota Twins | 4 | 2 | .667 | 0.1 |
| Kansas City Royals | 3 | 2 | .600 | 0.6 |
| Detroit Tigers | 3 | 3 | .500 | 1.1 |
| Bellingham Cascades | 3 | 3 | .463 | 1.3 |
| Chicago White Sox | 3 | 4 | .429 | 1.6 |
| Cleveland Indians | 2 | 3 | .400 | 1.6 |
| NL Central | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Cincinnati Reds | 5 | 1 | .833 | — |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 4 | 2 | .667 | 1 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 3 | 3 | .500 | 2 |
| Chicago Cubs | 3 | 3 | .500 | 2 |
| Cottage Cheese | 1 | 5 | .196 | 3.8 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 1 | 5 | .167 | 4 |
| AL West | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Haviland Dragons | 5 | 1 | .903 | — |
| Houston Astros | 5 | 1 | .833 | 0.4 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 4 | 2 | .667 | 1.4 |
| Seattle Mariners | 3 | 3 | .500 | 2.4 |
| Texas Rangers | 3 | 3 | .500 | 2.4 |
| Kaline Drive | 3 | 3 | .495 | 2.4 |
| Oakland A’s | 1 | 6 | .143 | 4.9 |
| NL West | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 5 | 2 | .714 | — |
| San Diego Padres | 4 | 3 | .571 | 1 |
| Portland Rosebuds | 4 | 3 | .526 | 1.3 |
| San Francisco Giants | 3 | 3 | .500 | 1.5 |
| Peshastin Pears | 3 | 4 | .367 | 2.4 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 2 | 4 | .333 | 2.5 |
| Colorado Rockies | 2 | 4 | .333 | 2.5 |