The Denver Brewers of the W.P. Kinsella League

[BirdWatcher]

Although it was a close game most of the way, the MGL pulled away with a 5-run 9th inning to easily defeat the SJL, 7-0, in the 1977 All-Star game.



L.A.'s young catcher Jason Ott as named MVP. It should be noted that with Ott and Elvis Iniguez, Boston's 24-year old fan favorite and defensive stalwart, leading the way, it is becoming a golden era for catchers in the WPK.




Denver's Ben Flynn gets credit for the win in his first All-Star game. Rich White played the entire game at short, driving in the first run of the game with his 5th inning single and drawing an important walk in the midst of the 9th run rally while also playing his usual superb defense. Sadahige Kawasaki pitched the first inning and gave up a two-out double but then was bailed out when teammate Bobby Erbakan made a tremendous play to end the inning. Bobby was hitless in 2 at-bats. Joe McPhillips was also hitless in his 2 at-bats, striking out both times. Josh Schaeffer had an uneventful 3 at-bats. Brett Taranto walked once in 3 plate appearances and drove in a run.

[BirdWatcher]

Brewers record: 0-4 (week), 48-26, 1st place, MGL (season)

June 26, versus Oklahoma City: 2-4.

June 28-30, at Brooklyn: 4-13, 4-5, 2-4.

July 1-3: All-Star Break

It was perhaps good timing for the Brewers that the All-Star came along when it did, as the team had settled into a rough patch just before the break, including dropping three straight in Brooklyn.

In the week's opener, the final game of a 3-game series against Oklahoma City, the Brewers fell to the Diamond Kings to lose the series and Sekien Hamasaki was handed his first loss of the season. Hamasaki (9-1, 3.32) gave up 4 runs on 8 hits over 5 1/3rd innings. Young outfielder Jon Williams went 3 for 4 with an RBI in the loss (though he was also caught stealing twice) and fellow rookie outfielder Val Guzman hit his 5th homer of the season.

In Brooklyn's Heritage Field on Tuesday the Brewers were humiliated, largely on the strength of a 9-run Brooklyn bottom of the 4th. Steve Green (7-2, 4.97) was the victimized pitcher. Green only lasted 3 1/3rd, giving up 10 runs on 12 hits. Andrew Kennedy hit his 3rd homer of the season in the loss and Bobby Erbakan collected his 23rd double.
It was much closer in Wednesday's game 2, when the Brewers blew a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the 9th inning only to see Brooklyn win in a 12th inning walk-off. Tough luck for veteran starter Cheol-han Lee, who pitched a solid 6 2/3rds, giving up 2 runs on 8 hits. Rookie reliever Brandon Veach, in just his 4th big league appearance, took the loss. Rookie outfielder Jon Williams had another terrific game, going 5 for 6 with 2 runs scored, hitting his second triple of the season and two doubles to get to 6. He also swiped his 4th base.


And the Brewers got swept by Brooklyn when they just couldn't give Erik Sloan (2-2, 4.83) enough run support in game 3. The veteran lefty gave up 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits over 6 innings in the loss. RodRod went 2 for 4 in the loss but also committed his 3rd error of the season.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



Last Sunday saw a match-up of two teams in the middle of the SJL pack fighting to stay in contact with the first division. And in this match San Antonio had the edge due to the tremendous pitching of veteran right-hander Ramon Garduno. Over 9 innings Garduno gave up just 2 runs on 9 hits while striking out 11 batters and has tied his single-season best of 10 wins and with over a half of the season left. On the other hand, Milwaukee starter Walt Lent, in the first season in which he has been used exclusively as a starter, is having a terrible time and falls to 1-5 with a 7.04 ERA. His one brief moment of joy in the game came when, in the 5th inning, he hit not only the first home run of his big league career but the first of his professional baseball career period.

\

MGL:



The Los Angeles Spinners end the week just 3 1/2 games behind Denver in second place, and one big reason why is the return of a healthy Eduardo Obando. The 1976 MGL Pitcher of the Year started the season on the IL but has been solid since returning and is a key contributor in the Spinners push to the top of the league again. Then there is the ageless and incomparable (even if also despised) Jamel McNeil. He may not be quite what he was at age 24 now that he is 36, but he's still quite a force out of the 'pen.

[BirdWatcher]

Speaking of the L.A. Spinners and the pressure they are putting on the Denver Brewers for the top spot in the MGL, one has to see 24-year old catcher Jason Ott as integral to their chances of winning the pennant.
In a time when there are several very fine catchers in the league: Elvis Iniguez with Boston, probably the best defender at the position the league has ever seen, veteran Bryan Wojtach with Jacksonville, who has already clubbed 15 homers this season, All-Star Kyle Luker in Portland, the ever steady and valuable Zacarias Martell in Denver- the young L.A. backstop may just be the best all-around catcher of the them all.



He almost certainly has the most complete offensive package at the position, with no apparent weaknesses at the plate. He is also a fine defender, though his arm is merely average. Still, given his durable and athletic frame and good makeup the future should be very bright indeed for the young man from Springfield, Massachusetts.

[BirdWatcher]

Jacksonville Wolf Pack veteran center fielder Greg Koenig hit for the cycle yesterday, the first player to do so this season.



It is also the second time in his WPK career (all of it with Jacksonville) that Koenig has hit for the cycle and he is the only player yet in WPK history to have done so twice.

[BirdWatcher]

Brewers record: 3-3 (week), 51-29, 1st place, MGL (season)

July 4-6, versus Detroit: 8-11, 5-7, 6-3.

July 7-9, versus Baltimore: 3-4, 11-10, 7-4.

Coming off the All-Star break, there were indeed fireworks in Denver on the 4th of July, but unfortunately more of them created by the Falcons batters than Brewers batters. It was a back-and-forth game in which the Brewers got a good start from Sekien Hamasaki, came from behind to tie the game at 7 runs apiece in the 8th inning with a 5-run outburst only to see the bullpen give up 4 runs in the top of the 10th and a bottom of the inning rally fall short with the Brewers having only gotten 1 run back. Hamasaki lasted 7 innings, giving up 3 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits. Ben Flynn (4-2, 2.78), fresh off his first All-Star game (and win) had his worst outing of the season, giving up 5 runs on 6 hits, including 2 homers, in 2 innings pitched to take the loss. Obscured in the loss was the great effort of rookie right fielder Jon Williams, who went 4 for 5 with a run scored and 2 RBI. Joe McPhillips chipped in with a pair of triples in the game. And Ben Flynn, who was eventually the goat of the game, was first the potential hero, when he hit a grand slam homer in the 5-run 8th inning. For Flynn it is his 2nd homer of the year in 36 plate appearances. (He is hitting .429/.444/.686.)

The Brewers again give up late runs to lose in game 2. Steve Green (7-3, 5.17) can't get a single out in the 8th after having pitched pretty well up to that point and ends up having allowed 6 runs on 11 hits over his 7 innings pitched. Great game by Bobby Erbakan goes to waste. Bobby went 3 for 5 with 2 runs and 2 RBI, hitting his 3rd triple and 13th home run.

In the final game of the series finally get a win, breaking a 6-game losing streak. Staff ace Sadahige Kawasaki (9-6, 2.23) goes the distance for the win, giving up 3 runs on 9 hits. Bobby Erbakan once again leads the offense with a 2 for 4, 1 run scored, 3 RBI performance, homering for the 14th time in 1977.

The Brewers then drop the first of three against Baltimore in spite of a solid start from veteran lefty Erik Sloan. Sloan (2-3, 4.79) gave up 3 runs on 10 hits over 6 innings, while striking out 7 and walking none. But the Brewers batters really struggle against starter Pablo Bernal and though they do get to the Lords star closer Brian Burke for 2 runs in the 9th, they ultimately fall short. Joe McPhillips goes 3 for 4 in the loss.

Game 2 looks like it will be another loss for the Brewers until they score 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th to tie it at 9-9 and then manage to overcome a 10-9 deficit in the bottom of the 10th inning for the walk-off victory. Joe McPhillips, who went 2 for 5 with 2 RBI was the author of the game-winning walk-off single. Josh Schaeffer (4 for 5, 3 runs scored, 2 triples) and Rodrigo "RodRod" Rodriguez (4 for 6, 2 runs, 2 RBI) were fantastic in the top two spots of the batting order. Cheol-han Lee, coming off a few fine appearances, got the start for the Brewers, and returned to his early season form, which is to say crappy. Lee lasted just 4 innings, giving up 6 runs on 8 hits. Walter Hackler (3-0, 3.50) pitched the 10th for the win.

And the rubber match of the series looked like another potential loss for the Brewers which again they avoided with a late rally, scoring all 7 of their runs in the bottom of the 8th to erase a 4-0 deficit. Brett Taranto was the Player of the Game, going 3 for 4 with a run and 2 RBI and hitting his 15th double of the season. Another win for Sekien Hamasaki (10-1, 3.36). Hamasaki lasted 8 innings, giving up 4 runs on 7 hits, including 2 homers. Tim Shore pitches the 9th for his 13th save.

With their come-from-behind wins in the last two games of the week the Brewers manage to stay in first place ahead of the now surging L.A. Spinners (2 1/2 games back in 2nd place) and the even hotter Brooklyn Aces (3 1/2 games back). We reached the official half-way point of the season this week and things in the WPK are starting to look the way they were expected to- with the Brewers, Spinners, and Aces battling it out for MGL supremacy.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



The mighty Columbus Whalers are rolling once again and have stretched their lead in the SJL to 6 games (over the Boston Berserkers), led as always by their terrific starting rotation. In their narrow victory over El Paso on Thursday night it was last year's SJL Pitcher of the Year, Jim Norris, who faced off against the Dawgs Dan Bottom, the 1974 SJL Pitcher of the Year. Although Bottom won the home run derby between the two, hitting his 2nd of the season and 3rd of his career, it was Norris who got the victory. Norris' 1.87 ERA trails only teammate Luis Ramirez for best in the league.




MGL:



To be fair, Tuesday's 2-1 win for Phoenix over Baltimore wasn't the most riveting or best game of the week in the MGL on its own merits (certainly Aaron McNally's 2-hit shutout over Oklahoma City two days later deserves mention as does the 1-0 shutout victory for Brooklyn over San Francisco hurled by Shannon Petrik on the same day as our chosen Game of the Week), but taken in context it was a bit breathtaking. First of all, the Phoenix Speed Devils have a team ERA of 7.33. Then factor in that Baltimore is tied for 2nd in the league in runs scored, and are alone in 2nd in home runs and several other offensive categories, while being 7th in the league in runs allowed. On the following day, Wednesday, Baltimore defeated Phoenix by a score of 21-4. Yup, that's what you expect from a match-up of these two teams. But 2-1, with Phoenix and their veteran lefty prevailing (Jesse Hartong, the most celebrated Lords pitcher, was on the mound for Baltimore). No, that's just not natural. But, as Jayson Stark likes to say, because...baseball.

[BirdWatcher]

Shane Tokarski of the Jacksonville Wolf Pack was the team's 5th round draft pick in the 1969 amateur draft out of Stuart High School in Falls Church, Virginia. Other than winning a Gold Glove award in his first minor league season and being a member of two different minor league championship teams in the Jacksonville farm system, Tokarski had a mostly undistinguished minor league career. As a lesser prospect, at best, Tokarski did receive a few late-season call-ups to the big league club in 1975 and 1976, and while he didn't entirely embarrass himself, nor did he stand out in any way.
And indeed, when the 1977 season began, Tokarski once again found himself relegated to the AAA Louisville Mud Hens until he was recalled to the team on April 24th to take the spot of injured center fielder Danny Craft on the roster. At that point, the veteran starting right fielder for the Wolf Pack, Alex Reyes, was off to a strong start, especially with the long ball, a trend that would continue into May. But at 32, Reyes struggles making contact at the plate, is not the strongest fielder (though he has a cannon for an arm), and mostly always seems just the slightest tweak away from a major injury (Wrecked).
And as the season went on Tokarski found himself called on more and more to start, in left field at first but more recently as the newly appointed starting right fielder. The hard-working, smart, and well-liked young man with moderate skills has responded by becoming one of the best players on the team, the number 3 hitter in the lineup, the only Jacksonville starter hitting over .300, and is on pace for an 18 home run, 3.6 WAR season.
It should be noted that when we say Tokarski is hitting 3rd in the order, this is on a team that is 2nd in the league in runs scored and 1st in home runs. He is surrounded in the order by All-Star shortstop Bruce Heath and possible future Hall-of-Fame first baseman (third baseman most of his career) Jesus Casiano. This is a really good lineup. And the kid's in the middle of it now. Impressive!

Can Tokarski keep it up and exceed expectations? Maybe. If he does, you can probably chalk it up to the value of hard work and smarts over sheer talent. Count us among those wishing the best for the young man.

Oh, and he ended this week with an eye-catching 5-hit game!

[BirdWatcher]

With the Brewers playing a bit flat here in the middle of the season and the trading deadline not far away, the front office shook things up a bit with a few trades.




The first involved sending second baseman Brad Sherman and left-handed reliever Eric Marino (along with a borderline outfield prospect) to the El Paso Dawgs for a pair of relievers- right-hander Evan Perez and left-hander Victor Colon- and a young, defensively gifted but offensively challenged, minor league outfielder.

Sherman can flat out hit and the Dawgs should get good value from this trade but the reality was that the Brewers couldn't find enough opportunities to use him, what with Bobby Erbakan blocking the way at second and with the high level of importance the team places on infield defense up the middle. Marino, having given the Brewers a tremendous season in 1976 following a pretty solid '75, has had a very poor first half of the season (0-1, 1 sv, 5.85 ERA, 1.80 WHIP), largely due to his lack of control (5.8 BB/9). Granted, his BABIP of .359 also indicates a good deal of bad luck, but the feeling was that a change of scenery might be good for him and that the team needed someone perhaps a bit more consistent as their primary left-handed bullpen arm.



They hope that they got this in Victor Colon, who doesn't have near the stuff Marino does but has much better control, is an extreme groundball pitcher, and has the stamina to provide multiple innings with very little split differential. (Right handed hitters just killed Marino!) Neither Colon nor Perez are premium arms, but they should help solidify the 'pen a bit and look to fit well in the Brewers scheme.




Having gently introduced the concept of change to the team an its fans, the bigger news was to come a bit later in the day.

[BirdWatcher]

Andrew Kennedy was a member of the Brewers organization for over eleven years after having been acquired as a minor leaguer in a multi-player deal with the Philadelphia Mud Hens on May 24th of 1966.
This was his 10th year of being in a Brewer uniform for at least part of a season and over the years he has been one of the front office's favorite players and also became quite popular with local fans.
Andrew has always hit, spraying line drives around the field and into the gaps, and over the past four seasons he never finished with a batting average below .330. But even given that, his value as measured in WAR has never been that great as he is an average fielder at best (trending now towards a liability), at age 30 his already not great speed is deteriorating even more and he's very prone to hitting into double plays, he rarely will draw a walk, and he has little power. His numbers this season are well below average for him (though a lower BABIP may indicate some amount of poor luck) and at this stage he is on track to finish the season with 0.1 WAR.



At the end of this season the team had an option to buy-out his contract, which pays him 130K per year, and there was a good chance they would have done just that. But with the emergence of young Val Guzman as a solid alternative in left field, the feeling was that it was time to part company with Andrew and get some value in the process. In getting John Flores, who played parts of three seasons with the Brewers at the beginning of his big league career, they get a power-hitting right-handed bat to complement the left-handed Guzman and one who, it appears, will be content to play second fiddle to the speedy and defensively gifted youngster. The biggest loser in this trade might be AAA outfielder Casey Bromwell, who it was expected might back-up Guzman in the future.



The Brewers also got a minor league left-handed reliever with marginal potential but who should at least provide a bit of depth to the bullpen options going forward. (I am a bit mystified though how this young man out of Princeton is of low intelligence.)

[BirdWatcher]

I meant to do this before moving ahead and making some trades so I apologize for being a bit late with this. Just got caught up in the game.


So, having reached the mid-way point of the season last week, let's take a bit of a look at how things went in the first half of the season and what might be in store for the second half.

The rotation has been mostly pretty good but with some glaring exceptions. Let's start with the good. Staff ace Sadahige Kawasaki continues to be what we expect him to be. At 10-6 on the season he leads the league in ERA with a 2.21 mark, and FIP at 2.82. He is tied for 1st in WAR at 4.5 and is 2nd in rWAR at 5.1. He is 3rd in K/BB at 3.2 and in Quality Starts with 13. So why the rather unimpressive win-loss mark on a 1st place team? As usual, the Brewers just don't give him the run support they give other pitchers. The team this year has scored 5.87 runs per game and have only given Kawasaki 3.9 per start.

On the other hand, Sekien Hamasaki has received a healthier 5.5 of RS per game and this has helped lead to his impressive 10-2 record. Hamasaki has an ERA of 3.40, a WHIP of 1.18, leads the team in strikeouts with 84. He is also, however, among the league leaders in home runs allowed at 18.

Steve Green is an interesting case. He has had a bad string of starts lately and is now 7-4 with a 5.22 ERA. His 1.32 WHIP is certainly high for him but this seems to be mostly driven by a BABIP of .340. Green has a FIP of 3.34 and a FIP- of 73. He is 8th in the league in WAR, 1st in K/BB at 4.4, 2nd in K/9 at 7.0, 2nd in BB/9 at 1.6, and his FIP ranks as 4th best in the league. Clearly when you look below the surface a bit Green remains a very good pitcher and his basic numbers are likely to reflect that by season's end.

Matt Helm was off to a pretty typical start- 4-2, 3.93, 1.32 WHIP- prior to having to go to the IL with shoulder inflammation.

On the less bright side, Erik Sloan has struggled a bit since returning from an early season IL trip that kept him off the big league squad for approximately a month. Sloan, in his 9 starts thus far, is 3-3 with a 4.50 ERA but is showing signs of coming into form of late.

Cheol-han Lee, on the other hand, continues to be a train wreck at age 36. Over 15 appearances (9 starts), Cheol-han is 4-4 with a 7.15 ERA. While his great movement remains and his control is still above average, his pitches have nothing on them anymore and they get hit hard. Lee is the highest paid player in the WPK (600K per annum) and is under contract through 1980 (though there is a team option to buy out that season.) How this is going to play out is anyone's guess, but with #1 prospect Jim Atwell basically ready for the bigs, it is hard to see a clear role for Lee going forward.

The bullpen , while largely solid this year, has been scuffling a bit of late. The loss prior to the season of primary left-handed set-up man Jason Gottula to a torn back muscle certainly didn't help. Gottula is expected to be laid up at least another month and then will need a fairly extensive rehab assignment before hopefully joining the club for the stretch run.

Closer Tim Shore is having another fine season in a storied career. Shore has appeared in 25 games, has 14 saves and a 4-1 record, with a 1.75 ERA and 0.97 WHIP.
Two rough appearances this month have inflated Ben Flynn's ERA a bit (3.09) but he has also pitched 67 innings with a 4-2 record and 6 saves in as many opportunities and 4 holds and has mostly been fantastic.
Power pitching side-arming righty Walter Hackler has been fine in limited action, like most relievers for the Brewers this year moving back and forth between AAA Chester and Denver. He is 3-0 with a 3.44 ERA and a great 0.93 WHIP in 22 appearances for the Brewers.
Others who have cycled through from AAA and back this year are Cory Degano, Antonio Nieves, Brandon Veach, Ryan Muilenburg, and of course, John Weaver. Most haven't pitched much in a Brewers uniform (though Weaver had 7 starts and a 3-4 record with a 4.15 ERA) but all have some potential to at least play minor roles going forward.

Oh, nearly forgot veteran lefty Ivan Cruz. Probably good reason. He's a good guy, a team leader, and can get you a big strikeout if everything breaks right, but he's not great overall- 2-0, but with an ERA of 6.75 and a WHIP of 2.10. He is used sparingly and usually in blow-outs.

The catchers remain pretty much as they have the past few years. Zacarias Martell is a fine starter with a good bat (.290/.365/.430) and above average defense. Kirk Patnode (.324/.365/.343) is once again exceeding his perceived skill at the plate, as he did in 1975 before seeing a big dip in production last season, and remains a tremendous force behind the plate. And Erik Bettencourt is biding his time at AAA Chester, having a solid but unspectacular season (and unhappy about not being in the majors.)

The infield remains tremendous, both defensively and offensively. Shortstop Rich White is probably the best defender in the game, at his position, and maybe at any position, currently and is having a good year at the plate (.310/.362/.444). Bobby Erbakan (.383/.413/.646) is having an MVP-caliber year thus far. Brett Taranto (.328/.382/.533) is once again a force both at the plate and in the field at first. And Rodrigo "RodRod" Rodriguez (.379/.401/.524) returned from the IL with his bat in fine shape and his fielding better than expected (+0.3 ZR, 3 errors). Joe Willemse (.299/.329/.347) is Joe Willemse: decent little contact hitter who always seems to get the run-scoring single at the right time and great defensive back-up at second and third, solid at short.
Jake DiCesare did a fine job at third while RodRod was on the IL and will likely be up again before too long.

The outfield features two All-Stars in Joe McPhillips and Josh Schaeffer and two rookies having fine seasons in Val Guzman and Jon Williams.
McPhillips (.333/.408/.539) has had a few day-to-day injury scares in the past few weeks but if he can remain healthy he joins Bobby Erbakan as a force in the middle of the lineup.
Schaeffer (.318/.462/.502) just quietly continues to consistently put up fine numbers while being a plus right fielder and strong runner. He's a lead-off hitter with great OBP skills, good speed, and some pop in his bat.
Guzman (.286/.387/.462), now the official starter in left, is a tremendous defender who has shown more on-base ability than hoped for, is the fastest man on the team who just needs a little more polish on the base paths (17 stolen bases, but also 10 CS), and shows potential for more power development.
Williams, (.358/.405/.518) has surprised with the bat (admittedly, at 148 PA still a small sample size) while not surprising with his great defense in right field and his cannon arm. He might actually prove to be an ever better runner and base-stealer than Guzman over time.


A few notes about team roles and personalities. Interestingly, Rich White has recently earned the Fan Fav designation, overpowering his previous description of being outspoken. Ben Flynn is also now considered a Fan Fav. Erik Sloan, who had previously had this honor, is no longer designated as such, though he remains very well-liked. The Brewers team cohesion, as always is tremendous (team chemistry= ecstatic), with the continued strong leadership of captain Matt Helm and a number of other leaders, such as Ivan Cruz, Val Guzman, Ben Flynn, Kirk Patnode, and now also the recently added John Flores.
Some of the best players on the team are also the sparks that drive the club- Joe McPhillilps, Sadahige Kawasaki, and Brett Taranto.

The second half looks like it will be a challenge with the talented Los Angeles and Brooklyn clubs hot on our heels, but the nucleus is strong, our defense is tremendous and even better now with Andrew Kennedy traded and Val Guzman getting the majority of the starts in left, and hopefully the recent trades will strengthen the bullpen a bit too.

It should be fun, no matter what the outcome.

[BirdWatcher]

The Brooklyn Aces got bad news yesterday as they learned that 29-year old left-hander Shannon Petrik will miss the rest of the season due to a serious case of shoulder inflammation. Petrik led the league in WAR among pitchers in 1976 and while he didn't have a great first half of '77, he is a very talented five-pitch pitcher with an elite change-up. (His biggest issue, when healthy, is that he doesn't have great stamina.)




Now of course the Aces have a strong and deep rotation, led by 2-time Pitcher of the Year award winner and Triple Crown winner Aaron McNally, but for a team that had been recently mounting a challenge to the top two MGL teams- Denver and Los Angeles- only to see things start to slide backwards again, it is not welcome news. Brooklyn, as has been the case for the past several years, appears to be the WPK team that tends to under-achieve to the greatest extent (they are tops in the WPK in run differential and have won 7 fewer games than their pythagorean win expectation.)

[BirdWatcher]

Brewers record: 4-2 (week), 55-31, 1st place, MGL (season).

July 10-12, at Charlotte: 3-5, 3-2, 8-2.

July 13-15, versus Portland: 12-6, 3-11, 4-3.

The Brewers start the week in Charlotte, taking on the 9th place Sting.
And in game 1, the Sting get the upper hand behind knuckleballer Lienhart Brown. Steve Green (7-4, 5.22) gets the loss, giving up 4 runs on just 4 hits and 3 walks over 6 innings. Bobby Erbakan went 3 for 5 in the loss but also committed his 8th error of the season.

Game 2 sees a good pitcher's duel between Sadahige Kawasaki and former Brewer Justin Peacock. Kawasaki (10-6, 2.21) works 9 innings, giving up 2 runs on 8 hits while striking out 7 and walking just 1 for the win. With the game having been tied at 2-2 after 9 innings, the Brewers gave Kawasaki the lead in the top of the 10th on a Bobby Erbakan 2-out RBI single (Josh Schaeffer had singled with 1-out and stole second). Tim Shore pitched the bottom of the 10th for his 14th save. (Shore has been unhittable of late.) Schaeffer went 3 for 5 in the win while stealing 2 bases (though also being caught trying once) and Val Guzman chipped in with a 3 for 4 performance.

The Brewers then get an easy win in the rubber match largely thanks to Bobby Erbakan, who went 3 for 5, hit 2 triples (5) and a home run (15). Erik Sloan (3-3, 4.50) got the start and the win, working 7 innings, giving up 2 runs on 9 hits. The Brewers also twice threw out Sting runners at third base with Val Guzman and Josh Schaeffer each getting an outfield assist.

The Brewers then traveled back to Denver to face the 5th place Portland Wild Things.
They doubled up Portland in the series opener, but it took a 9-run rally in the 7th inning to do so. Bobby Erbakan was once again the hero, going 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 2 driven in, hitting his 16th homer of the year and being in the middle of 3 double plays turned by the Brewers infield. Cheol-han Lee got the start, but not the win, for the Brewers. In fact, Cheol-han put the team behind the 8-ball by allowing 6 runs (5 earned) on 14 hits in 6 and 1/3rd innings pitched. Fortunately the offense and bullpen bailed him out, with veteran lefty reliever Ivan Cruz (2-0, 6.75) getting the win. Brett Taranto (11) and Zacarias Martell (5) also homered for the home club.

The Brewers were then humiliated in game 2. Sekien Hamasaki (10-2, 3.40) gave up 5 runs (3 earned) on 11 hits over 6 1/3rd to take the loss. And Ben Flynn had a bad outing, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits in an inning and two thirds. Val Guzman was a bright spot, going 2 for 4 with 2 RBI and hitting his 7th homer of the season.

But in game 3 the Brewers managed to get a narrow victory to take the series. Steve Green (8-4, 5.12) bounced back with a strong game, which would look even better if newly acquired reliever Victor Colon hadn't allowed the two runners he inherited from Green in the 8th inning to score. Green was charged with 3 runs on 11 hits over 7 1/3rd innings. Fortunately Walter Hackler came in to put out the fire and earn his 6th hold and then Tim Shore was once again perfect in closing out the game for his 15th save. Josh Schaeffer led the offense with a 3 for 5, 2 runs scored, 2 RBI day and hit his 8th home run of the season.

The Brewers end the week clinging to a 2 1/2 game lead over Los Angeles while stretching their lead back to 5 1/2 over Brooklyn and Oklahoma City, now tied for 3rd place.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



In a 12-inning slug-fest the last place Seattle Alligators (ask Palaaemon sometime how he feels about this name ) were victorious over the once mighty (and now mediocre) Washington Night Train. The biggest contributor was their unheralded first baseman Fred Reinhardt, who went 5 for 6 in the game. (Although in the 12th inning it was a Bob Cicia triple that put them on top and a Mike Robinette- possible future HOF'er- single that gave them the 2-run cushion.)
Reinhardt, who is one of the slowest men in the game and just a slightly above average defender at first base, can just pure hit. At age 26 he earned his first All-Star nod this season and is one of the team leaders for the woeful Alligators. While the 6'2", 215 pound first sacker has some over-the-fence power mostly he sprays balls all around the yard and has good gap power, which led to him leading the league in doubles last season with 54. Mostly it will not be a surprise if someday he leads the league in batting average though he will certainly have to do so without the aid of infield hits.



MGL:



In a match-up of two of the premiere right-handed starters in the Moonlight Graham League, the L.A. Spinners and their 38-year old veteran Jason Wilson prevailed over the Brooklyn Ace's and their ace, 26-year old Aaron McNally.
Wilson, the 1969 MGL Pitcher of the Year, has mostly stayed under the radar over his long career, in spite of four times leading the league in wins (3 of those times with 20 or more). He is just a 2-time All-Star.



McNally, of course, was the back-to-back MGL Pitcher of the Year in 1974-75, both years winning the pitching Triple Crown. After a bit of down year in 1976 (by his lofty standards) he has been fantastic this season (though without the win-loss record he deserves) and looks to be competing with Denver's Sadahige Kawasaki for his 3rd POtY award.

[BirdWatcher]

Watch out Shoeless Joe League, Matt Van der Heyden has arrived!




Van der Heyden, a 23-year old center fielder, was chosen 2nd overall in the 1973 draft (behind Justin Ficklin, who is also getting his first taste of the bigs with Portland this year and certainly looking like their future starting shortstop, though also a disruptive force in the clubhouse).
The hard-working and well-respected young outfielder got a bit of a late start this season after being called up in mid-May from AAA, but he's really starting to roll and looks to be the main candidate, outside of Houston's starting pitcher Sandy Morales (13-5, 2.69), for SJL Rookie of the Year.

Although Van der Heyden is a bit undersized, he has decent power but mostly will make his living hitting balls into the gaps, and with his great speed, just running and running and running. He should also maximize his speed with great on-base skills and once he learns to lay off bad pitches a bit more often he should possess plus plus contact skills.
In many ways Van der Heyden profiles as the Joe McPhillips of the SJL, though with even greater contact potential but slightly less defensive value.
This certainly looks like the beginning of a great career.

[BirdWatcher]

This strikes me as an interesting (and logical) under the radar trade in the SJL.



Boston gets a veteran relief pitcher from Seattle- a guy with questionable work habits but some decent skills (great stuff, an elite curveball, and plus fastball)- and with the Berserkers holding on to second place in the SJL and having a very poor bullpen this could be a decent pickup.



Meanwhile, the last place Seattle Alligators get two decent prospects and one throw-in. Antonio Arroyo, a 22-year old second baseman, looks like one of those guys who gets under-rated due to being just an average defender. But man does it look like this kid, who sprays line drives around the park, can hit! He won't walk much and doesn't have any power but he will be really tough to strike out and will get his hits. And once on base he can fly. He also profiles as a hard-worker and a smart ballplayer. For a team like Seattle, with a 32-year old second baseman (admittedly the still very good Mike Robinette) this looks like a really shrewd move.



And while 19-year old outfielder Israel Pomales might never develop the bat-to-ball skills to be a big league starter, he is young, a hard-worker, and has some plus tools (great speed, good defense).



This looks like a sensible move by both teams, but especially for the struggling Alligators.

[stevem810]

Vanderhaden is going to be one of those players that walks more than K's, while knocking the cover off the ball. Great base running skills, and a CF to boot.

[BirdWatcher]

The Jacksonville Wolf Pack, who have just moved into a tie with Boston for second place in the SJL, added a bit of depth to their rotation when they traded away power hitting right fielder Alex Reyes to Baltimore for 34-year old right-handed starter Pablo Bernal. Reyes got off to a great start this season with the power bat but with the emergence of Shane Tokarski and Reyes' own battles making consistent contact (plus he falling apart 32-year old body), he was expendable. While the Wolf Pack starting rotation is strong it also includes several pitchers, including ace Juan Maldonado, who are considered strong injury risks. And with Bernal's leadership qualities, this is thought to be a good move for the Jacksonville club.



It is a little less clear what Baltimore's motivation was here. Bernal's absence opens up a whole in the rotation for which there is no clear cut option. The Lords do have a few veteran starters at AAA who could suffice in the short-term but no real good starting pitching prospects. They are second in the league in homers so there was no real need for Reyes power bat and it is hard to see how he fits in to the Lords outfield picture. The other player they received in the trade- 20-year old middle infielder Landon Bates- is a tremendous fielder but doesn't look to have a big league hit tool and reportedly has a poor work ethic.

[pauwoo]

Pablo Bernal‘s fantastic ‘stache may lead Jacksonville to the promised land on its own.

[BirdWatcher]

Brewers record: 5-2 (week), 60-33, 1st place, MGL (season)

July 17-19, at Phoenix: 5-2, 7-5, 6-3.

July 20-22, at Los Angeles: 7-5, 1-9, 5-8.

July 23, versus San Francisco: 5-0.

The Brewers start a 6-game road trip by taking on the last place Speed Devils in Phoenix. Not a bad way to start.
Denver wins game 1 behind Sadahige Kawasaki (11-6, 2.24), who in spite of giving up 13 hits only allows 2 runs over 6 1/3rd innings pitched. Brett Taranto led the offense with a 3 for 4 game, swiping his 7th bag of the season.
Game 2 was more difficult but Bobby Erbakan's 4 for 5, 2 homer (18), 1 double (25), 3 RBI game led the Brewers to victory. Erik Sloan (4-3, 4.25) got the win, having given up 4 runs, but only 1 earned, on 4 hits over 5 1/3rd innings. Newcomer Evan Perez earned his 2nd save in 2 days.
The Brewers finish off the series sweep in spite of allowing a pair of home runs to Devin Schwisow in game 3. Schwisow is on pace to smash the previous season best mark for homers in the WPK. The Brewers got a pair of homers of their own- from Rich White (7) and RodRod (4). Sekien Hamasaki (11-2, 3.40) gets another win. He gave up 3 runs on 6 hits over 8 innings pitched, striking out 8. Veteran closer Tim Shore continues his wonderful season as he strikes out 2 batters in the 9th and earns his 16th save.

The Brewers make it 5 straight wins when they come from behind in game 1 in L.A. against the Spinners. Bobby Erbakan, on an MVP pace this season, was again at the center of things, going 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles (27). Joe McPhillips (11) and Val Guzman (8) both homered in the victory. Steve Green got the start and allowed 5 runs 3 earned on 7 hits over his 6 innings with no decision. Ben Flynn (5-2, 3,01) pitched the final 3 innings for the win, giving up just one hit and one walk but no runs and hitting his 4th double of the season.

But L.A. is not Phoenix and they flexed their muscle in game 2 to get an easy win over the Brewers. With a tired staff and Matt Helm currently on the IL, the Brewers were forced to start Cheol-han Lee again. Cheol-han's disastrous season continued as he falls to 4-5 with a 7.26 ERA after allowing 4 runs on 7 hits, including 3 home runs, over just 4 innings. Granted, the bullpen didn't help him out, but with the Brewers only managing to score 1 run on 3 hits, the damage had already been done. The Brewers did manage two triples in the game, by Joe Willemse (3) and Brett Taranto (4). But basically they were humiliated in this one.
And while game 3 was closer, the Spinners pulled out the series victory. Each team scored 5 runs in the 2nd inning but for the Brewers that was all they could manage while L.A., who had plated 2 in the bottom of the 1st, held on for the win. Almost surely the worst start of the season thus far for Sadahige Kawasaki (11-7, 2.65) in this one, as he allowed 8 runs on 13 hits over 7 innings. Rich White went 3 for 4 in the loss and hit his 19th double of the season. And Josh Schaeffer hit his 4th triple to drive in 3 of the Brewers 5 runs.

In the final game of the week, which saw the Brewers returning home to take on the San Francisco Velocity, there was good news and bad news. The good news was the performance of veteran left-hander Erik Sloan (5-3, 3.69), who got the shutout, scattering 9 hits while striking out 7 and walking just 1.



The bad news was Joe McPhillips making a great diving catch in center field only to have to be pulled from the game with a sore elbow suffered on the play. Although the initial assessment was that he could possibly play through the pain (though with his throwing greatly curtailed), team management decided that it was far better to play it safe with the often injured star and put him on the IL. It is expected it might take as long as a month before he is back at full strength.



Brett Taranto, who continues to solidify his grip on the first base job with Denver (a trade of power-hitting prospect Mike Lovett once he is healthy again possibly on the horizon?), went 3 for 4 in the win, hitting his 18th double and 5th triple. Zacarais Martell clubbed his 6th homer of the season, driving in a pair of runs.