We kick off the month by completing a sweep loss at the Cards, putting us 4 GB and at real risk of falling out of touch. Back-to-back doubleheaders are the last thing we need, but that’s what we face next against the division-leading Cubs, the start of a 13-day run with no off-days.
But then this amazing group lifts to get us wins against Waddell and then Brown, then the next day Chesbro shuts them out on four hits in a 4-0 win against Reulbach and Phillippe pitches his first good game in a long while to get us yet another win. Unbelievable character shown by the lads.
We get a 1-0 win against Waddell the next day in 13 innings but Young is injured in the process and will miss a few rotation turns, because with the heavy workload – exacerbated by the extra-innings game – I have to IL him and call up Ed Barry. Camnitz, who has been doing everything asked of him and seems to be coming along well, will take his spot.
Two more wins cap a stunning 7-game sweep of the Baby Bears. Camnitz’s first start of the year is a beauty in a tight walkoff win over Brooklyn. We run the streak to nine before dropping one to the Superbas and our erstwhile teammate Charlie Smith.
For that break-free run that looked so daunting at its outset, we go an astounding 12-1, taking us from 37-32 to 49-33. The last game features a two-hit CG from Deacon that harks back to his glory days.
How does one get one’s head around a concept as ineffable as form? It’s like trying to catch smoke in a butterfly net. We looked gone for all money after that Cardinals series but then something clicked and it all came together. No idea how or why, but for one of the few times in my life I’m not going to overthink it and simply enjoy for the ride.
Ahh, the best-laid plans...
Our 50th win of the season comes at a huge cost when Bresnahan is struck by an errant throw while legging out a triple, fracturing his hand. Six weeks, minimum, he’ll be on ice.
Oftentimes, as the old saying goes, you can’t win for losing. Heck, I don’t even know what that means.
What his injury means is disarray in the squad and, on my part, uncertainty. Do I put Maloney in at catcher even though he’s hardly played a game there all year and move Cannell to CF? Or do I make Dexter the everyday backstop and use Billy to rest him?
In the end I do something else:
TRADE 2 OF 5: (07/17): C Charlie Luskey traded to New York (AL) for C Fred Abbott.
Simply a slight upgrade. A band-aid. I’ll flip-flop Dexter and Maloney behind the plate and Fred will get some innings as well, mainly as a defensive sub. This, the way I see it, makes the best of a bad situation. Or at least hopefully minimises the damage.
The effect of Duke’s absence is immediate as we drop three on the trot before Jack pitches a four-hitter to get us a 1-0 win in which we only have three hits ourselves. One of those losses is a 10-2 disaster that all but seals Deacon’s fate when Cy returns, as he makes his way to the bullpen until further notice. We score just 9 runs in the first 6 games after Roger’s injury and fall behind the Cubs, before Cy marks his return with a three-hitter and the bats finally awaken for a 10-0 rout of the Giants.
At the end of this month that has seemed like a year, in which we go a streaky-to-the-extreme 18-11, we are leading the Senior Circuit by a game from the Cubs, with the Phillies, Superbas, Giants, and Cards all well within reach.
Hot- Our intestinal fortitude: once again these fantastic ballplayers take some fairly serious adversity in their stride and get it done. Whatever the outcome of this season, it will always be one that I remember fondly because of the application and sheer guts shown by our playing group.
- Harry Steinfeldt: while I am reluctant to single anyone out individually, Harry’s performance is just too good not to, as he hits 383 with 20 RBI (almost double the next best, Dutchie’s 11) and a wRC+ of 175.
Not- Our luck: seriously now, after last year I thought we might get a decent run of good fortune. I, apparently, thought wrong.
Around the Leagues- Unexpectedly, it is the Tigers who drop off the pace in the AL, as the White Sox and Browns gain a slight ascendancy. Then the Browns go cold, leaving the Sox to move five games clear and put themselves in prime position heading into the stretch.
- The Phillies run a 10-game win string early in the month.
- A trade late in the month sees P Fred Glade sent by the Giants to the Browns in return for C Tubby Spencer and 2B Danny Shay.
The updated Top 100 Prospects list is released. Pretty slim pickings for us in this regard, with Charlie Rhodes our highest-ranked player at #30.
Awards- 07/02 POTW: AL – Ed Walsh (Chicago) 2-0 / 0.00 / 12 K / 18 IP; NL – Hans Lobert (Philadelphia) 500 / 0 RBI.
- 07/09 POTW: AL – Jimmy Dygert (Washington) 3-0 / 1.00 / 9 K / 27 IP; NL – Charlie Smith (Brooklyn) 3-0 / 1.00 / 12 K / 27 IP.
- 07/16 POTW: AL – Bill Bernhard (St. Louis) 3-0 / 0.72 / 7 K / 25 IP; NL – Terry Turner (Cincinnati) 481 / 3 RBI.
- 07/23 POTW: AL – George Mullin (Detroit) 2-0 / 1.00 ERA / 6 K / 18 IP; NL – Jack Chesbro (Pittsburgh) 2-0 / 1.00 ERA / 8 K / 18 IP.
- 07/30 POTW: AL – Orval Overall (Cleveland) 2-0 / 0.50 ERA / 15 K / 18 IP; NL – Happy Townsend (New York) 2-0 / 0.50 ERA / 4 K / 18 IP.
- AL Batter of the Month: Mike Donlin (New York) 406 / 0 HR / 17 RBI.
- NL Batter of the Month: Johnny Kling (St. Louis) 368 / 1 HR / 18 RBI.
- AL Pitcher of the Month: Bill Bernhard (St. Louis) 7-1 / 1.57 / 25 K / 69 IP.
- NL Pitcher of the Month: Frank Smith (St. Louis) 7-1 / 2.81 / 44 K / 77 IP.
- AL Rookie of the Month: Slow Joe Doyle (Washington) 3-1 / 2.75 / 17 K / 36 IP.
- NL Rookie of the Month: Ed Karger (St. Louis) 4-2 / 3.05 / 20 K / 62 IP.
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