[jksander]

July 3, 1916: Boston took the lead with an RBI single by Harry Hooper in the top of the third, adding on with a Tillie Walker homer in the fourth to lead 2-0. Jimmy Walsh got us on the board in the bottom of the fifth by walking in a run with the bases loaded, and in the bottom of the eighth we leaped into the lead with a two-run single by McInnis that was coupled with an E7 error! But Dick Rudolph blew it in the top of the ninth, Del Geiner doubling in the tying run and Jack Barry reaching on an E4 error to push in the go-ahead run by Ray Haley. That took the wind out of our sails and we quietly lost this one 4-3. Rudolph took the loss with a nine hit complete game, walking one and striking out three as he allowed four runs, only two of them earned. But we were outhit 9-4 and committed two errors, damning Rudolph in another game we should have been able to win after fighting all the way back. Stuffy McInnis led the way with a hit and two runs batted in.

July 4, 1916: Happy 140th birthday, America, let’s play two! Gene Packard started game one, and we took the lead in the bottom of the first off a sac-fly by Amos Strunk. That lead held for us until the top of the seventh when Carl Cashion hit an RBI triple to tie the score at 1-1 heading into the seventh inning stretch, the pitcher playing a key offensive role in keeping the Red Sox in the game. But with two outs in the bottom of the seventh we struck back hard, Wally Schang hitting a two-run single into right as we retook the lead 3-1, Byron Houck taking over on the mound as we went into the eighth inning. Houck pitched two excellent innings from there and we were able to hold on to the 3-1 victory in the first game of the afternoon. Packard had pitched 6.1 innings, but Jack Nabors got the final punch-out of the seventh inning, getting a strikeout on five pitches to earn the win -- he’s now 5-3 with a 4.98 ERA through 34.1 innings over 22 appearances. Houck earned his seventh save, with a hit and two K’s in his two innings, giving him a 3.28 ERA through 74 innings over 25 appearances. We outhit them 6-5 in the duel, led by Strunk who had two hits and an RBI, while Wally Schang added a hit and two RBIs, Jimmy Walsh walking twice and scoring a run as well.

In game two I would have preferred to use Bill Morrisette as a spot-starter, but our manager overruled me and started Dibut who was fully rested after throwing 102 pitches three days ago. Dibut pitched a gem, eight scoreless innings, but with the score knotted 0-0 heading into the top of the ninth we had to go to the bullpen, bringing out Houck who had thrown 26 pitches in game one. He got us through the frame on 15 pitches, and in the bottom of the inning Alex McCarthy brought the crowd to its feet with a walk-off RBI double to win the game 1-0! Happy fourth, Philly, now enjoy those fireworks! Boston outhit us 10-6, but it didn’t matter thanks to McCarthy’s late-game heroics. But our pitching deserved all the credit, Dibut lasting seven innings with nine hits and a walk, Nabors with another key out on two pitches to get us out of the eighth, and Houck earning the win with a hit and a strikeout as he improved to 5-3 with a 3.24 ERA. McCarthy’s hit gave him two for the day and the critical RBI, even more impressive considering he’s only hit .231 this season, struggling to find his place in the offense. He came through huge today, that’s for sure!
 
July 5, 1916: Bill Morrisette got his first start of the year in game four against the Red Sox, as I flat-out refused to let our manager start Dick Rudolph on two days’ rest, no matter how “durable” he says he is. We took the lead in the bottom of the first with an RBI single by Amos Strunk that was coupled with an E8 error, and in the bottom of the second we added five more runs, off a single by McCarthy, a single by Wally Schapp and a three-run homer for Amos Strunk, giving the 27-year-old a pair of four-baggers and 42 RBIs on the season. Morrissette gave them a pair of runs back in the top of the third, but held strong with a solid start as McCarthy batted in a run in the fifth to extend our advantage to 7-2. We traded runs in the seventh and went into the eighth still leading 8-3 ... but Sammy Ross and Harry Hooper each hit RBI singles to cut into that, and Larry Gardner hit a two-run single to cut our lead to two heading into the bottom of the inning, Dick Kerr having come in to get the final out. Kerr stayed out in the ninth and was able to hold our ground as we got out of the game with a hard-fought 8-7 win despite nearly letting it all slip away. Morrissette got the win in his first start of the year, improving to 5-2 after pitching 7.2 innings with six hits, three walks, four strikeouts and four runs, though only one was earned. He now holds a 3.29 ERA through 31.2 innings in his 20th appearance. We outslugged them 14-10, led by McCarthy, who had three hits, a run and two RBIs, impoving his average by ten points.

The win gets our record up to 40-35, and we’re now in third place, a full game up on the Yankees and only trailing Chicago, our next opponent, by a game and a half, with St. Louis still leading the AL with a 44-34 record a game up on Chicago. That we’re only 2.5 games back of first this late in the season is a testament to our grit as a team, considering we have a -4 run differential and are performing three full games above our expected pythagorean record. Boston, at 34-42, has been the unluckiest team in baseball, performing six wins under average with a +13 run differential ... they sit nine games out of first when they should be right in the mix ... it’s definitely been a crazy year here in the American League!

Over in the National League, Brooklyn’s Robins (48-27) and the New York baseball Giants (48-28) have been running away with the league, both teams putting up huge hitting numbers (Brooklyn is +78 and the Giants are +52 in run differential). But their whole division is getting a boost off destroying the lowly Cincinnati Reds, who are -137 with a miserable 20-59 record, a full THIRTY GAMES out of the pennant race. And though the Reds haven’t won a “pennant” since 1882, and in the modern era they’ve yet to finish above third, nobody expected them to be this bad ... last season they were 71-83 and finished 22.5 games out of first but at least had shown the ability to fight. This year they’re just .... AWFUL.