Saturday 13th May, 1972 – Atlantic City Bacharach Giants (11-26) @ Brooklyn Royal Giants (21-16)
7.05pm ET, Dexter Park, Brooklyn NY
NB In lieu of any in-depth team-by-team analysis this season, we'll be seeing all 20 EL teams in action over the course of the year in ten Featured Games.
Coming to you tonight from downtown Brooklyn where the home team Royal Giants are playing host to the Bacharach Giants in an FC American Association rivalry game.
It has been a tough old run for the RGs since that excellent 1968 season that saw them make the playoffs, with three consecutive fourth-place finishes in the years intervening. And, while they find themselves in exactly that spot entering this game, I think they'd be happy with how things are going. To be fair, they are actually tied for third with Pittsburgh and just five off the pace set by Newark. More importantly, they are finally playing good, consistent baseball and look to have their squad headed in the right direction once more after that early misstep.
The addition of Roberto Alomar via this year's Draft is already paying dividends as they look much more solid around the diamond, and his DP partnership with Elvis Andrus should be one of the league's best for many years if they can keep them together. Last year's first-rounder Ken Singleton has in just one season and a bit become one of the absolute guns of the EL, and they now possess one of the more potent lineups in the league.
Their pitching is what is holding them back, with their Starter ERA of 3.79 currently 9th. Tonight's starter Shawn Chacon projects as the best of their current staff, but it's a fairly steep dropoff from there. None of their present rotation are dreadful, but neither are they the types who strike fear into hitters or dominate games on a regular basis. Young Ule Mahoney is an interesting type for sure, but the jury is still out as to whether or not he has what it takes.
As I mentioned,
Shawn Chacon is up for them tonight. After a rocky rookie year, he has struggled again so far in '72 and comes in tonight at 3-6 / 5.94. Brooklyn can take some heart from the fact that his per-9 stats have each moved in the right direction so far this season, but that 292 OBA and 1.53 WHIP show that he isn't throwing too many pitchers past the hitters, at least not enough. His curve is elite, but he lacks any other plus pitches to help set it up properly, and that's something he'll need to keep working away it if he wants prolonged and continuous success at the major league level.
What can I say about the visiting Bacharach Giants? I called them "a club in disarray" in my midterm report card last year, and in fact it appears I grossly understated how badly the rot had set in. They have gone 45-73 since I wrote that, including their woeful start to this season, which even with us only in mid-May is looking forlorn to say the least.
Of course, the flip-side to their horror run is high Draft picks, and they did well this time around in taking Frank "Big Hurt" Thomas first overall, with handy ensuing picks as well in pitchers Tyson Ross and Ray Burris. With Thomas on board, they also did OK with their trade of incumbent 1B Donn Clendenon by picking up reliever Vet Barnes to bolster their really weak BP, and a couple other moves in the new year are a sign that the club's management is getting its you-know-what together. Unless things change in the most dramatic fashion, they'll get another whack at the piñata this December as well. But until these acquisitions get some experience under their belts and start developing as hoped, the BG faithful are likely going to see their fair share of ugliness in the box scores.
Their starter tonight,
William Ross, played 7 seasons in the NeL spanning 1917 thru 1930 and had about as average a career as possible, going 48-48 lifetime with an ERA+ of 98.
Given his fairly ordinary pitch repertoire, he is obviously a gamer as his performance in the EL since joining last season (drafted 74th overall) has been fairly decent, with already more than 4 pWAR to his credit. He enters tonight with a 3-3 record and a sparkling 2.21 ERA.
So forget about the standings and keep an eye out for the array of talent on show tonight, I think this will be one of those games that might not look like much on paper but turns out an excellent contest.
Here's who'll be taking part in it for the two clubs:
No Thomas in the BGs starting lineup tonight, but hopefully we'll see him at some point. Time for the first pitch.
The hosts take a 2nd-inning lead on a passed ball by AC catcher Hal Jones and narrowly escape giving it straight back in the next after an error by 1B Jerald Clark puts them under the pump. They do so, however, in the 4th as James Lynch triples and Jones atones with a single to bring him home. Another error, this time by Andrus at short, goes unpunished.
The pitchers remain in control and it is still 1-1 entering the bottom 6th. But more iffy defence opens the door for trouble as BGs shortstop Jerry Kenney throws one into the stands and the home side loads the bases with one out. A sac fly by Fred Rico gets Brooklyn's noses in front and a two-out single by Luis Arraez makes it 3-1.
Emery Adams takes over on the mound for Brooklyn in the 7th and Thomas does enter the game, singling with one out. Yet another error sees him get all the way to third but the AC bats can't do their job and he is left there.
LaTroy Hawkins enters the game and Andrus boots another one - the RGs' fourth error of the game - to bring the tying run to the plate, one down. Once again, however, the visitors fail to capitalise.
And that's the last chance the BGs get, as Hawkins sends them down in order to lock down a fairly unconvincing win.
Still plenty of work to be done for the Royal Giants, but they were too good tonight. As I said at the top, Atlantic City fans best get used to being at the short end of the scoreline as they have done in this one.