The EFL race got tighter, at the top (with a new/old/new/old/new/old/very old leader) and overall (with Sunday’s best team being the DC Balk).
EFL Standings for 2016
EFL | ||||||
TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB | RS | RA |
Old Detroit Wolverines | 58 | 33 | .636 | — | 492.2 | 371.1 |
Haviland Dragons | 59 | 35 | .631 | 0.1 | 469.4 | 361.6 |
Portland Rosebuds | 58 | 35 | .620 | 1.2 | 483.6 | 372.8 |
Pittsburgh Alleghenys | 54 | 38 | .590 | 4.1 | 503.1 | 417.0 |
Canberra Kangaroos | 51 | 42 | .544 | 8.3 | 446.9 | 406.5 |
Peshastin Pears | 50 | 43 | .538 | 8.9 | 432.4 | 394.1 |
Flint Hill Tornadoes | 46 | 45 | .505 | 11.9 | 390.5 | 385.6 |
Cottage Cheese | 44 | 48 | .476 | 14.6 | 443.2 | 461.1 |
Kaline Drive | 39 | 55 | .415 | 20.4 | 459.9 | 545.1 |
D.C. Balk | 32 | 61 | .341 | 27.2 | 370.3 | 521.4 |
Old Detroit: W, 5 – 1. (.235, .316, .382; 7 ip, 0 er). Corey Kluber (7 ip, 0 er) saved the day for a persistently moribund Wolverine offense.
Haviland: “L”, 5 – 3. (.222, .323, .333; 6.7 ip, 2 er). The Dragons almost paralleled the Wolverines, but the difference was just enough to give the Wolverines a 0.3-game boost against the Dragons. This wasn’t Trevor Story’s fault (2 for 3 with a homer and a double).
Portland: DNP, (-1) – (-2). (.231, .300, .346; 14.3 ip, 4 er). On the same pattern as the Wolverines and the Dragons — apparently this is how EFL -leading teams roll: lax on offense, putting all the pressure on the pitchers. The difference here is this: the Rosebuds had the day off. They were, in effect, storing up good things for release during later games – not good news for the D’s or the W’s.
Pittsburgh: “L”, 7 – 6. (.273, .333, .515; 2 ip, 0 er.) This is NOT how it’s done. OPS over .800? Pshaw. Only two innings of pitching? Crazy. Would an experienced winning team be content with such stuff? An interesting note: The A’s sent 9 men to the plate Monday. Four OPSed 1.000 or over. 4 OPSed 0.000. And one guy drew a walk in three plate appearances.
Canberra: DNP, 1 – 1. (.333, .333, .407; 6 ip, 4 er) Michael Conforto is back from the minor leagues, complete with a pinch-hit single.
Peshastin: DNP, 1 – 0. (.280, .400, .520; 19 ip, 9 er). A very busy day on the mound considering the Pears did not have a game on their schedule. The hitters also put in a nice day’s work — 28 plate appearances – so when a counting game rolls around, they’ll have some nice offense in the bank.
Flint Hill: W, 4 – 3. (.250, .333, .438; 1 ip, 0 er). Only 18 plate appearances, and just one inning, so it’s not like the Tornados were overworked. Still, they put a little more distance between them and .500.
Cottage: L, 1 – 9. (.184, .244, .342; 10 ip, 10 er.) Look at that pitching line. What fearful symmetry! And even more so when you see that the components of that 10-10 line are two 5-5 lines — 5 ip, 5 er each from Drew Smyly and Matt Wisler. It’s the kind of thing that makes you cringe when you start to open your box scores. Oh, please, not a 10 – 10 pitching day! Please?!?
Kaline: L, 1 – 5. (.150, .250, .150; 1 ip, 0 er). The Drive got 3 hits in 20 AB, plus a walk and 2 HBP. Add a SF and that’s how you get this unusual batting line.
D.C.: W 1, (; (-1); 7 – (-1). (.529, .636, .941; 1 ip, 0 er). Wow! Which Balks accounted for all that offense? Ex-Drive/Wolverine/Drive Mitch Moreland (2 for 3 with a homer and a HBP); Adonis Garcia (3 for 4 with a homer); Bobby Wilson (2 for 3 with a double), and Franklin Gutierrez (2 for 3 with a HBP). There were only two other Balk batters, both of whom reached base on walks — so it was a team effort, on a Welington Castillo day off. The Balk are now back in a near-tie with the Braves for 39th in MLB/EFL. They also gained 0.6 games on first place in the EFL, a pace that will bring them into first place in mid-September. Why not?
AL East | ||||
TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
Old Detroit Wolverines | 58 | 33 | .636 | — |
Baltimore Orioles | 53 | 38 | .582 | 4.9 |
Boston Red Sox | 51 | 39 | .567 | 6.4 |
Toronto Blue Jays | 52 | 42 | .553 | 7.4 |
Flint Hill Tornadoes | 46 | 45 | .505 | 11.9 |
New York Yankees | 46 | 46 | .500 | 12.4 |
Tampa Bay Rays | 35 | 57 | .380 | 23.4 |
NL East | ||||
TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
Washington Nationals | 56 | 37 | .602 | — |
Canberra Kangaroos | 51 | 42 | .544 | 5.4 |
Miami Marlins | 50 | 42 | .543 | 5.5 |
New York Mets | 49 | 43 | .533 | 6.5 |
Philadelphia Phillies | 43 | 51 | .457 | 13.5 |
Atlanta Braves | 32 | 61 | .344 | 24 |
D.C. Balk | 32 | 61 | .341 | 24.3 |
AL Central | ||||
TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
Pittsburgh Alleghenys | 54 | 38 | .590 | — |
Cleveland Indians | 54 | 38 | .587 | 0.3 |
Detroit Tigers | 49 | 44 | .527 | 5.8 |
Kansas City Royals | 47 | 45 | .511 | 7.3 |
Chicago White Sox | 45 | 47 | .489 | 9.3 |
Minnesota Twins | 33 | 59 | .359 | 21.3 |
NL Central | ||||
TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
Chicago Cubs | 56 | 36 | .609 | — |
St. Louis Cardinals | 48 | 44 | .522 | 8 |
Pittsburgh Pirates | 47 | 45 | .511 | 9 |
Cottage Cheese | 44 | 48 | .476 | 12.2 |
Milwaukee Brewers | 39 | 51 | .433 | 16 |
Cincinnati Reds | 35 | 58 | .376 | 21.5 |
AL West | ||||
TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
Haviland Dragons | 59 | 35 | .631 | — |
Texas Rangers | 55 | 39 | .585 | 4.3 |
Houston Astros | 50 | 43 | .538 | 8.8 |
Seattle Mariners | 47 | 46 | .505 | 11.8 |
Oakland A’s | 41 | 52 | .441 | 17.8 |
Los Angeles Angels | 41 | 52 | .441 | 17.8 |
Kaline Drive | 39 | 55 | .415 | 20.3 |
NL West | ||||
TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
Portland Rosebuds | 58 | 35 | .620 | — |
San Francisco Giants | 57 | 36 | .613 | 0.7 |
Los Angeles Dodgers | 52 | 42 | .553 | 6.2 |
Peshastin Pears | 50 | 43 | .538 | 7.7 |
Colorado Rockies | 42 | 49 | .462 | 14.7 |
San Diego Padres | 41 | 52 | .441 | 16.7 |
Arizona Diamondbacks | 40 | 53 | .430 | 17. |
Seems to be feast or famine with us Balkans — gotta enjoy the feast days!