{ Pandemic, yadda. Updated to OOTP22, seems to have imported the fledgling league well. Off we go ... }
The
Detroit Wolverines (6-8) host the
Portland Sea Dogs (8-6) for four games (series preview
here).
Game One: Bert Blyleven v Si Johnson
Game one pitted Portland's
Bert Blyleven against Detroit's
Si Johnson. The game was a blowout for a while, with the Sea Dogs leading 8-1 through 7 innings, led by HR's from
Kent Hrbek,
Bobby Murcer, and
Joe Mauer. Blyleven had easily his best start of the year, with
Bob Bailey's double in the bottom of the 8th only the 4th hit he allowed. Johnson, on the other hand, was chased after 6 IP, replaced by
Gene Conley, who was pretty miserable, giving up 3 runs in 1.2 IP.
In the 8th, Blyleven retired
Jimmy Collins, and was then relieved by
Frank Williams, who came in to face
Chili Davis ... who took him deep for a 2 run HR.
Detroit would add 2 more in the bottom of the 9th, but it wasn't enough, and Portland opened the series with a win. Mauer ended the day 3-4 with 2 runs and 3 RBIs, with
Harry Hooper, Hrbek, Murcer, and
Jeff Burroughs each chipping in with 2 hits apiece. Detroit's
Geoff Jenkins had 2 hits and 2 runs scored.
Blyleven finished with a Game Score of 71 (7.2 IP, 4 hits, 10 strikeouts), upping his record to 2-1 and
Johan Santana got the final out for his 7th save.
Game Two: Smokey Joe Wood v Whitey Wilshire
Detroit would look to
Whitey Wilshire to even up the series against
Smokey Joe Wood.
Oscar Gamble would put the Wolverines in front in the bottom of the first, ripping a double that scored
Jim Fregosi and
Gil Hodges. They would double their lead in the bottom of the 4th when
Hank Greenberg took Wood deep for a 2-run HR.
Portland would finally break through in the top of the 5th on back to back singles from
Kiki Cuyler and Fregosi. They pulled off a double steal, allowing Cuyler to score on a groundout by Hodges. But Jimmy Collins and Chili Davis would hit back-to-back HR's in the bottom of the inning, pushing Detroit's lead to 6-1.
Wilshire was replaced by
John Hiller and
Kevin Hart, who were pretty rough, giving up 3 runs in the 9th. But it was enough to close out the game with Detroit winning 6-4.
Hodges was the offensive star, finishing the game 2-3 with 4 RBIs.
Ivan Rodriguez and
Fred Dunlap added 2 hits each. For Detroit, Collins continued his strong start with a 2-3 day, 2 runs, and 1 RBI.
Wilshere did well for the win, allowing only 1 run in 6.2 IP, improving his record to 2-1 while Wood fell to 1-2.
Mike Cuellar and
Jim Kern were good for Portland in relief of Wood, combining for over 3 IP of scoreless relief.
Game Three: Walter Johnson v Long Tom Hughes
With the series tied 1-1, Portland turned to
Walter Johnson, who came into the game with a 2-0 record, against
Long Tom Hughes for Detroit. This was an old-fashioned blowout with Portland scoring 13 times on 17 hits.
Buddy Bell went 5-6 with 2 runs scored, Bobby Murcer went 2-4 with 4 RBIs, Jeff Burroughs scored 3 times, and Smokey Joe Wood atoned some for his pitching performance the previous day, walloping a 3 run HR as a pinch hitter.
Hughes gave up 6 runs in 3 IP, and while Gene Conley bounced back with a scoreless 3 IP,
Justin Verlander--who had been fantastic so far this season--gave up 7 runs (3 earned) in 1.1 IP.
Johnson improved his record to 3-0 with 7.2 dominant IP, allowing only 3 hits while fanning 7.
Game Four: Jerry Koosman v Hank Aguirre
In the final game, Detroit will look to
Hank Aguirre (1-2) to even the series against Portland's
Jerry Koosman (1-1). Both starters struggled over 4 innings, but Aguirre managed to skate through, allowing a single run in 4 IP despite walking 4. Koosman was far less effective, given up 10 hits and 6 runs in his time.
Frank Williams and
Elmer Brown followed Koosman, with each of them giving up runs as well, while
Johnny Marcum and John Hiller combined for 5 innings of 3 hit, shutout ball for Detroit. Marcum got the win, giving the Wolverines the series split.
Bob Bailey and Chili Davis had 3 hits and 3 RBIs each, with Bailey and Ty Cobb hitting HRs. Ivan Rodriguez had 2 hits for Portland.