We last focused on the
Birmingham Black Barons in
Series III and on the
New York Gothams in
Series II.
Since then, their fortunes have diverged significantly, with Birmingham 12 games back in the
Marvin Miller Division at 22-32 and the Gothams only 1/2 game behind Los Angeles in the
Bill James Division at 28-25.
So we go into this series expecting a dominant performance from the Gothams.
#Birmingham Black Barons
The bright spots are, as you may guess from their record, few and far between.
Offensively, the story of the year has to be 2B
Tom Herr, who has come out of nowhere to lead the team regulars in all 3 categories of his 348/384/464 slash line. Other than Herr, there are some reasons for optimism, as
Pie Traynor,
Bob Nieman,
Del Crandall, and
Al Schweitzer have all hit well in very limited opportunities (Crandall and Traynor are recent recalls from AAA, Schweitzer has just returned from the DL).
Eddie Mathews has 9 homeruns to lead the team, while
Hank Aaron has 28 RBIs.
Herr has a parallel on the mound, where
Tim Hudson has moved from AAA into the rotation, going 4-0 with a 2.51 ERA, although in under 30 innings (3 relief appearances and 3 starts).
Scott Baker leads the team in wins at 5-3, but has an ERA over 5.
Alejandro Pena, with a 4-4 record and a 3.76 ERA, has probably been Birmingham's most dependable starter.
#New York Gothams
The Gothams' offense revolves around
Buster Posey (347/433/568) and
Willie Mays (354/408/561), but the surprise of the season is probably SS
Eugenio Suarez, who continues to hit for power, at 304/349/506 on the season. Posey and Mays have 9 homeruns each, with Mays leading the team with 46 RBIs.
Two minor league callups have been impactful, with
Wes Westrum (318/375/727) taking over the backup C role behind Posey and
Yasiel Puig becoming a nearly everyday player, with an OPS just under .800.
The starting pitching has been a little uneven: while
Juan Marichal (6-1),
Mickey Welch (5-2), and
Christy Mathewson (5-5) have a lot of victories, they all have pretty high ERA's. New York's best starter has probably been
Sad Sam Jones, who is 3-3, but has an ERA of 3.49.
The bullpen has been excellent, with
Mike Norris (2-1, 1 Sv, 3 H, 1.91 ERA) and
Robb Nen (4 Sv) setting up
Brian Wilson, who has 6 saves and a 2.40 ERA.
#Series Matchups
Birmingham's projected starter first:
Scott Baker (5-3, 5.08 ERA) @
Sad Sam Jones (3-3, 3.49 ERA);
Dick Rudolph (3-4, 4.52 ERA) @
Christy Mathewson (5-5, 4.96 ERA);
Tim Hudson (4-0, 2.51 ERA) @
Mickey Welch (5-2, 6.04 ERA);
Sam Streeter (2-3, 5.00 ERA) @
Gaylord Perry (2-4, 3.56 ERA).
You have to think the Gothams will take this series, with a sweep a distinct possibility.