Redeeming the Time

Old Detroit:  W, 8 – 3.  (34 PA, .387, .441, .613;   12.3 ip, 4 er, 2.93 ERA)  Eloy Jimenez returned to action yesterday, redeemed from the IL a month earlier than expected.  He went 0 for 4, but the day was redeemed when both Wolverine shortstops awoke from their offensive slumbers, playing against each other in Seattle last night.  Carlos Correa hit 2 doubles in 5 trips to the plate, driving in the first run in the Astros’ 6-run first inning.  JP Crawford went 3 for 4 with a HBP.  He scored the Mariners’ first run in the 4^th inning, and was the brunt of a retaliatory HBP after Dylan Moore put the M’s ahead 11 – 8 with a two-out grand slam home run in the bottom of the 8^th.

With the sparkplugs both freed from their slump prison cells, other Wolverines joined in the fun.  Rafael Devers homered and singled, Josh Bell tripled and walked, and Austin Riley went 3 for 6 with a walk.

Wolverine pitchers were solid. Mike Minor covered 6 ip, 2 er; Marcus Stroman added 5 ip, 2 er;  Craig Kimbrel went a scoreless inning, and Sam Clay topped everything by striking out the only batter he faced.

The net result was a well-rounded win, the kind that built the W’s lead in May and June.

Flint Hill: W, 6 – 4.  (32 PA,  .214, .313, .393;  6.3 ip, 3 er, 4.29 ERA).  The Tornados parlayed a modest offensive line into a full 6 runs scored, with Bo Bichette’s homer the key blow, and Tyler Naquin and Brad Miller’s inactivation erasing 3 hitless ABs the key allocations, elevating the batting line to .240, .345, .440.   German Marquez was the only Tornado pitcher.  He pitched moderately well, good enough to secure the win. 

The win wasn’t enough to keep pace with the Wolverines on this day, as the Tornados slid almost 0.4 games off the Oldie pace, restoring a 2-game margin. 

 Peshastin: DNP, (-3) – (-1). (29 PA, .167, .310,  .208;  1 ip, 0 er, 0.00 ERA).  Both the Mariners and the Pears rely heavily on Mitch Haniger for offensive firepower.  But Mitch went 0 for 4 last night.  The M’s found some offense elsewhere, but the Pears did not.  Haniger was the only one of the 7 Pear hitters who failed to reach base safely, but the offense consisted entirely of 3 singles and 5 walks, plus a Yoan Moncada double, but minus two  GIDP’s.  It was enough to sink the Pears’ runs created per game average for July and, on an off-day, suck 3 runs from their total.

Kendall Graveman got a win for the Mariners, but not for the Pears, with his scoreless inning.

DC: W 1, L 1; 9 – 9.  (27 PA, .273, .407, .273;  2 ip, 0, 0.00 ERA).   The Mets had a double-header Monday, as they work to dig out from their early-season deficit in games played.  This imposed extra burdens on the Balk (and the Kangaroos).

The outstanding feature of the Balk offense during their Monday doubleheader was their on-base percentage.  Four walks and a HBP in 27 PA drive up that percentage.  But the Balk’s problem was lack of volume: not even one game’s plate appearances to spread out over two games.

Similar problems could have plagued the Balky pitching, with only 2 innings when at least 14 were required.  But the Balk burned through their saved-up innings, leaving less than one in the bank. So the team’s 4.53 July ERA generated those 9 runs allowed.  These efforts left the Balk a half-game further out of first place.

Kaline:  L, 6 – 7.   (44 PA, .231, .318, .385; 1 ip, 0 er, ERA 0.00 )  The Drive squeezed 6 runs out of a subpar batting line, apparently using plate appearance suppression to bolster their so-so batting line the way other teams use benching the right players.  Unfortunately for the Drive, they don’t have the abundant surpluses in their pitching stats they have on the hitting side.  The one inning they got was great, but not enough to redeem the 6 replacement innings they took on, which left the Drive with a loss on the day (and 0.6 games further from first).

Haviland:  L, 5 – 10. (20 PA, .300, .300, .500;  3.7 ip, 4 er, 9.73 ERA).  Only 4 Dragon hitters appeared Monday. They all got at least one hit plus something.  Jose Iglesias singled a second time.  Joc Pederson added a double.  Brendan Rodgers added three total bases by making his one hit a homer.  And JT Realmuto stole a base, of course.  

But 20 PA does not redeem the day offensively.  The Tornados are carrying only 19 replacement PA, all at third base, but adding 3.1 more to that list yesterday sucked a bit out of the Dragon offense.  And unfortunately, Spencer Howard’s weak  pitching, plus 3.3 replacement innings, left the team in a tough loss, and pushed them across the 10 GB line,  0.9 games further from first.

 Canberra:  W 0, L 2; 12 – 17.  (25 PA, .348, .400, .739;  no pitching).  The six Kangaroos who hit yesterday all hit well.   Kyle Tucker  and Eric Haase  homered, Mitch Garver doubled twice, and the others singled.  It would have been enough for a single game, but with a double- header on the schedule, and no pitching, the ‘Roos came up well short. 

And it cost them: an entire game in the standings, and ever-more-uncomfortable proximity to the Cheese.

Cottage:  W 1, L (-1);  3 – (-7).  (28 PA, .385; .429, .654;  7 ip, 1 er, 1.29 ERA). Oh that Ohtani. On an off-day, he pitched all seven of those outstanding innings, wiping out 7 replacement innings pitched. And he contributed a single and a stolen base to the offense, which put up numbers big enough to add three runs on an off-day.  Homers came from Alex Verdugo and ex-Wolverine Abraham Toro – the latter burying the Mariners under 6 runs-allowed in the top of the first against the Mariners.

It all added up to the best day in the EFL, allowing the Cheese to gain a half-game in the standings, and pulling them to withing 2.2 games of the Kangaroos.

Pittsburgh:  “L”, 4 – 1.  (29 PA, .200, .310, .480;  6 ip,  0 er, 0.00 ERA).  Jorge Soler blasted two home runs to almost single-handedly produce the Allegheny’s 4 runs. (Dansby Swanson also helped with 2 hits, one of them a double).  Kyle Muller finished 5 scoreless innings, and Keegan Thompson added another.  In toto, this gave the Alleghenys a win – unrecognized by the EFL database.

Bellingham:  L,   4 – 4.   (14 PA, .231, .286, .462; no pitching)  The Cascades had enough innings pitched already to cover the day’s game, so they were not hurt by the lack of new pitching yesterday .  Rhys Hoskins homered, and Jonathan India had two hits.   All the pitching came from reserve innings.

The Cascades have a fascinating mix of replacements and surplus plate appearances among their hitters.  Bellingham lugs 204 replacement plate around, lacking hitting in the OF, at C and SS and at OH.   But they also are suppressing 162 PA at 1b and 2b. 

This pattern isn’t working as well as it was earlier, as the Cascades fade toward .500.

Portland:  W 1, L (-1);  0 – (-5)  (20 PA, .263, .300, .474; 5 ip, 1 er, 1.80 ERA). Andrew Benintendi led the Rosebuds with a homer and a single. Bryse Wilson put up 3 scoreless innings to lead the pitching.  The Rosebuds redeemed a day off to keep up with the Wolverines.

Old Detroit:  W, 8 – 3.  (34 PA, .387, .441, .613;   12.3 ip, 4 er, 2.93 ERA)  Eloy Jimenez returned to action yesterday, released from the IL a month earlier than expected.  He went 0 for 4, but the day was redeemed when both Wolverine shortstops awoke from their offensive slumbers, playing against each other in Seattle last night.  Carlos Correa hit 2 doubles in 5 trips to the plate, driving in the first run in the Astros’ 6-run first inning.  JP Crawford went 3 for 4 with a HBP.  He scored the Mariners’ first run in the 4^th inning, and was the brunt of a retaliatory HBP after Dylan Moore put the M’s ahead 11 – 8 with a two-out grand slam homerun in the bottom of the 8^th.

With the sparkplugs both redeemed from their slump prison cells, other Wolverines joined in the fun.  Rafael Devers homered and singled, Josh Bell tripled and walked, and Austin Riley went 3 for 6 with a walk.

Wolverine pitchers were solid. Mike Minor covered 6 ip, 2 er; Marcus Stroman added 5 ip, 2 er;  Craig Kimbrel went a scoreless inning, and Sam Clay topped everything by striking out the only batter he faced.

The net result was a well-rounded win, the kind that built the W’s lead in May and June.

Flint Hill: W, 6 – 4.  (32 PA,  .214, .313, .393;  6.3 ip, 3 er, 4.29 ERA).  The Tornados parlayed a modest offensive line into a full 6 runs scored, with Bo Bichette’s homer the key blow, and Tyler Naquin and Brad Miller’s inactivation erasing 3 hitless ABs the key allocations, elevating the batting line to .240, .345, .440.   German Marquez was the only Tornado pitcher.  He pitched moderately well, good enough to secure the win. 

The win wasn’t enough to keep pace with the Wolverines on this day, as the Tornados slid almost 0.4 games off the Oldie pace, restoring a 2-game margin. 

 Peshastin: DNP, (-3) – (-1). (29 PA, .167, .310,  .208;  1 ip, 0 er, 0.00 ERA).  Both the Mariners and the Pears rely heavily on Mitch Haniger for offensive firepower.  But Mitch went 0 for 4 last night.  The M’s found some offense elsewhere, but the Pears did not.  Haniger was the only one of the 7 Pear hitters who failed to reach base safely, but the offense consisted entirely of 3 singles and 5 walks, plus a Yoan Moncada double, but minus two  GIDP’s.  It was enough to sink the Pears’ runs created per game average for July and, on an off-day, suck 3 runs from their total.

Kendall Graveman got a win for the Mariners, but not for the Pears, with his scoreless inning.

DC: W 1, L 1; 9 – 9.  (27 PA, .273, .407, .273;  2 ip, 0, 0.00 ERA).   The Mets had a double-header Monday, as they work to dig out from their early-season deficit in games played.  This imposed extra burdens on the Balk (and the Kangaroos).

The outstanding feature of the Balk offense during their Monday doubleheader was their on-base percentage.  Four walks and a HBP in 27 PA drive up that percentage.  But the Balk’s problem was lack of volume: not even one game’s plate appearances to spread out over two games.

Similar problems could have plagued the Balky pitching, with only 2 innings when at least 14 were required.  But the Balk burned through their saved-up innings, leaving less than one in the bank. So the team’s 4.53 July ERA generated those 9 runs allowed.  These efforts left the Balk a half-game further out of first place.

Kaline:  L, 6 – 7.   (44 PA, .231, .318, .385; 1 ip, 0 er, ERA 0.00 )  The Drive squeezed 6 runs out of a subpar batting line, apparently using plate appearance suppression to bolster their so-so batting line the way other teams use benching the right players.  Unfortunately for the Drive, they don’t have the abundant surpluses in their pitching stats they have on the hitting side.  The one inning they got was great, but not enough to redeem the 6 replacement innings they took on, which left the Drive with a loss on the day (and 0.6 games further from first).

Haviland:  L, 5 – 10. (20 PA, .300, .300, .500;  3.7 ip, 4 er, 9.73 ERA).  Only 4 Dragon hitters appeared Monday. They all got at least one hit plus something.  Jose Iglesias singled a second time.  Joc Pederson added a double.  Brendan Rodgers added three total bases by making his one hit a homer.  And JT Realmuto stole a base, of course.  

But 20 PA does not redeem the day offensively.  The Tornados are carrying only 19 replacement PA, all at third base, but adding 3.1 more to that list yesterday sucked a bit out of the Dragon offense.  And unfortunately, Spencer Howard’s weak  pitching, plus 3.3 replacement innings, left the team in a tough loss, and pushed them across the 10 GB line,  0.9 games further from first.

 Canberra:  W 0, L 2; 12 – 17.  (25 PA, .348, .400, .739;  no pitching).  The six Kangaroos who hit yesterday all hit well.   Kyle Tucker  and Eric Haase  homered, Mitch Garver doubled twice, and the others singled.  It would have been enough for a single game, but with a double- header on the schedule, and no pitching, the ‘Roos came up well short. 

And it cost them: an entire game in the standings, and ever-more-uncomfortable proximity to the Cheese.

Cottage:  W 1, L (-1);  3 – (-7).  (28 PA, .385; .429, .654;  7 ip, 1 er, 1.29 ERA). Oh that Ohtani. On an off-day, he pitched all seven of those outstanding innings, wiping out 7 replacement innings pitched. And he contributed a single and a stolen base to the offense, which put up numbers big enough to add three runs on an off-day.  Homers came from Alex Verdugo and ex-Wolverine Abraham Toro – the latter burying the Mariners under 6 runs-allowed in the top of the first against the Mariners.

It all added up to the best day in the EFL, allowing the Cheese to gain a half-game in the standings, and pulling them to withing 2.2 games of the Kangaroos.

Pittsburgh:  “L”, 4 – 1.  (29 PA, .200, .310, .480;  6 ip,  0 er, 0.00 ERA).  Jorge Soler blasted two home runs to almost single-handedly produce the Allegheny’s 4 runs. (Dansby Swanson also helped with 2 hits, one of them a double).  Kyle Muller finished 5 scoreless innings, and Keegan Thompson added another.  In toto, this gave the Alleghenys a win – unrecognized by the EFL database.

Bellingham:  L,   4 – 4.   (14 PA, .231, .286, .462; no pitching)  The Cascades had enough innings pitched already to cover the day’s game, so they were not hurt by the lack of new pitching yesterday .  Rhys Hoskins homered, and Jonathan India had two hits.   All the pitching came from reserve innings.

The Cascades have a fascinating mix of replacements and surplus plate appearances among their hitters.  Bellingham lugs 204 replacement plate around, lacking hitting in the OF, at C and SS and at OH.   But they also are suppressing 162 PA at 1b and 2b. 

This pattern isn’t working as well as it was earlier, as the Cascades fade toward .500.

Portland:  W 1, L (-1);  0 – (-5)  (20 PA, .263, .300, .474; 5 ip, 1 er, 1.80 ERA). Andrew Benintendi led the Rosebuds with a homer and a single. Bryse Wilson put up 3 scoreless innings to lead the pitching.  The Rosebuds redeemed a day off to keep up with the Wolverines.