We have a new leader atop the EFL standings this morning, but he is not too different from our previous leader (who stood atop the standings for 34 straight days!). Let’s look more closely:
- Both have the last name Johnson, and if you say their first names quietly and quickly enough, you could almost mistake them for the same name.
- They have an identical record.
- They are playing in the same division – the AL West.
- Their run differentials are essentially equal (21 to 20.6)
- Both mascots begin with Dr.
The list could continue, I’m sure. And who knows? Maybe tomorrow a different Johnson will be on top of the standings (there is another Johnson who could do that, you know). But for now, we congratulate Tom on an incredible run in first place, and we begrudge the Dragons for knocking him out of first for the time being. Why? Because the Dragons have enough shiny things, and I know the trope is that Dragons can never have enough shiny things, but I am here to say I wouldn’t mind if this Dragon didn’t get another shiny thing this season. There, I said it. The only thing the Dragons can do, in order to repay the Drive, is to allow the race to stay close all the way until the end of the season, even letting others creep into the lead at the very end. No other outcome will suffice.
EFL Standings for 2020
| TEAM |
WINS |
LOSSES |
PCT. |
GB |
RS |
RA |
| Haviland Dragons |
25 |
20 |
.548 |
— |
228.5 |
207.5 |
| Kaline Drive |
25 |
20 |
.546 |
— |
204.6 |
184.0 |
| Flint Hill Tornadoes |
25 |
21 |
.543 |
0.2 |
252.7 |
236.7 |
| Peshastin Pears |
22 |
24 |
.484 |
2.9 |
234.5 |
238.1 |
| Bellingham Cascades |
21 |
24 |
.466 |
3.7 |
234.0 |
263.3 |
| Cottage Cheese |
22 |
25 |
.459 |
4.1 |
242.7 |
266.4 |
| D.C. Balk |
20 |
26 |
.445 |
4.7 |
211.0 |
235.6 |
| Canberra Kangaroos |
19 |
27 |
.422 |
5.7 |
232.6 |
274.7 |
| Old Detroit Wolverines |
18 |
28 |
.395 |
7 |
218.0 |
268.9 |
| Pittsburgh Alleghenys |
17 |
28 |
.372 |
7.9 |
210.4 |
273.4 |
| Portland Rosebuds |
14 |
32 |
.308 |
11 |
218.4 |
329.2 |
Haviland: W1, L1 10-10 (58PA; 13.3IP)
| AVG: 0.255 |
OBP: 0.316 |
SLG: 0.471 |
OPS: 0.786 |
We’ve got a new first place team! And it’s by mere percentage points, which could mean a bit of volatility over the final two weeks of the season. The Dragons had two games yesterday, and all things considered, they weren’t great games. One good thing is that of the 13 players sent to the plate, 11 of them collected a hit. But except for Amed Rosario, who was 3 for 4 with a 2B, everyone else only got one hit. The pitching was better than what you see above, mostly because Trevor Williams (a new Dragon who gave up 6 runs in 5IP yesterday) is not allocated this month. Tyler Glasnow was good enough for their one win, going 7IP and giving up 4 runs. In order to stay in first, the Dragons really need their offense to get going. At the moment they are third from the bottom in runs score this month, averaging 4.26/game. Combined with their team ERA of 4.31 this month, that won’t win as many games as they need to win to claim the crown. But for now? They are on top.
Kaline: W1, L1 4-10 (46PA; 3.7IP)
| AVG: 0.146 |
OBP: 0.217 |
SLG: 0.317 |
OPS: 0.534 |
You have to travel back in time to August 8th to find the last time the Drive were not in first place. In what has been a very tumultuous season in the EFL standings, the Drive have been a model of consistency for 34 straight days! I don’t think they are done being in first this season, though some things will have to change in regard to their recent performance. You can start with the hitting, which has hit rock bottom for now. The Drive are last in the league in runs created per game at 3.45 this month. Their incredible ERA has kept them afloat, though, (3.93 this month) which is good enough for second place. Yesterday they got more of what has ailed them lately – 9 hitters went hitless, though Michael Chavis and Jose Marmolejos each hit a HR. The pitching was, like the Dragons, not as bad as the line above, because Michael Fulmer is only allocated for 33% this month, but even 33% of a 12+ ERA is tough to swallow.
Flint Hill: W, 6-2 (45PA; 9.7IP)
| AVG: 0.256 |
OBP: 0.356 |
SLG: 0.487 |
OPS: 0.843 |
The Tornadoes won yesterday, but we did lose something (which you’ll read about in the Pears write-up). Yesterday’s win was fueled by an excellent outing from the newly acquired Julio Urias, who went 7IP and gave up 1ER (on a cheap bloop base hit in the first inning). The bullpen came in and delivered excellent relief pitching, giving up 0 runs in their 2IP (a couple of those guys are not allocated this month), to help the Tornado pitching staff stay atop the league in team ERA this month at 2.30. This is so far the storyline of the season for the Tornadoes, after last month posting a third-worst team ERA of 5.72. The hitting has been serviceable, though not what it can be, though I know a lot of teams in the EFL can make that same claim. Yesterday new Tornado Joey Gallo went 2 for 5 with a 2B and a HR, which might be a good indication he is working his way out of his current slump.
Peshastin: W, 12-4 (42PA; 12IP)
| AVG: 0.368 |
OBP: 0.405 |
SLG: 0.632 |
OPS: 1.036 |
Besides the Drive being overtaken yesterday, this perhaps the biggest surprise of the day. The Pears leaped over both the Cheese and the Cascades in the standings, moving from 4.1 games behind the Drive to now only 2.9 games behind the Dragons. That is a big swing in the final two weeks of the season. To what do they owe this upsurge? First of all, a renewed offense. The Pears overtook the Tornadoes yesterday in terms of runs scored per game, and now lead the league with 7.01 runs/game. Yesterday’s offense was fueled by almost everyone (the only two hitters to not get a hit were Washington teammates Robles and Soto), led particularly by Jesus Aguilar (3 for 4 with a 2B and a HR) and Ryan Mountcastle (2 for 3 with a 2B). On the mound, Justus Sheffield led the way with 7 innings and 2ER. I don’t think the Pears were anticipating being in the race for the crown this late into the season, but here they are!
Bellingham: L, 2-6 (44PA; 2IP)
| AVG: 0.209 |
OBP: 0.227 |
SLG: 0.349 |
OPS: 0.576 |
The Cascades still seem to be in their post-wedding stupor, and who can blame them? The beginning of a marriage makes other things seem a little less important, and that is how it should be. Nick Madrigal collected two hits, and Brad Miller and Paul Goldschmidt both added a HR. The pitching was good, but only for 2 innings. Both Acuna and Bichette returned to the lineup yesterday, and so the Cascades could find their former offensive prowess and make a push to the top in the last two weeks. It would be a wonderful wedding present!
Cottage: L, 1-8 (43PA; no pitching)
| AVG: 0.200 |
OBP: 0.256 |
SLG: 0.325 |
OPS: 0.581 |
The Cheese were able to tread water, remaining exactly 4.1 games behind first place, even though they had a day that was more swiss than pepper jack. Corey Seager was really the only bright spot, going 2-4 with a 3B, though Willians Astudillo chipped in a HR to try and help. But with no other batters contributing much, and no pitchers showing up at all, it was not enough to move up in the standings as many other teams did.
DC: “L,” 5-3 (32PA; 8.6IP)
| AVG: 0.387 |
OBP: 0.406 |
SLG: 0.484 |
OPS: 0.890 |
The Balk may have had the best day in the EFL yesterday in terms of raw stats. It also allowed them to gain .8 games on the leading Dragon, which now means they are just a tad over 4 games out with 14 games to play. Can they make up .3 games, on average, per day? I think it is possible. Tim Anderson collected 4 hits (all singles), and Adalberto Mondesi continued his hot hitting, going 2 for 4 with a HR and a SB. I didn’t even mention Mookie Betts, who only had one hit, but if he can get out of his mini-slump and these other players continue their hot hitting, some excitement might be coming out of DC before November 2. Deb Ian Anderson pitched 7 innings of 1 hit baseball, and if he can do that every night (ok, I guess that is impossible) then look out, Dragons! Word is that Balk management is also very hungry for a ham sandwich, but I think his name engraved on the EFL trophy would suffice.
Canberra: W(-1), L2 1-11 (37PA; 6IP)
| AVG: 0.222 |
OBP: 0.243 |
SLG: 0.306 |
OPS: 0.549 |
The Roos suffered the hardest day in the EFL, but are fairly resilient, seeing as though they only lost .1 games off the leader and managed to stay 1.3 games ahead of the Wolverines. Just one day after having their horn tooted over leading the league in HRs this month, they decided to not hit any, thus relinquishing their title to the Cascades. Manuel Margot was the leading hitter, going 2 for 3 with a 2B – and also his second caught stealing on the season, both of them at the hands of the Red Sox. Kolby Allard gave up 5 ER in 1 inning and Rich Hill gave up 2 in 5IP, and the Roos are looking forward to a new day.
Old Detroit: “L,” 7-7 (51PA; 1.3IP)
| AVG: 0.304 |
OBP: 0.373 |
SLG: 0.457 |
OPS: 0.829 |
Early this morning, at 12:50am to be exact, the Wolverines succumbed to the Brinsonian Effect, taking him off the bench and inserting him into their everyday lineup, beginning with today’s games. Their manager cannot be blamed, for as we mentioned yesterday, Brinson is OPSing over 1.000 this month. But he must surely feel the lack of confident his owner has in him, and it will be interesting to see how he fares now that he is starting. The rest of the hitters had a good day, led Eloy Jimenez’ 3 for 4 and Josh Bell’s 2 for 4 with a HR. But no one pitched. The Wolverines quest to win the month was stalled a bit by the resurgence of the Pears, who knocked them into third for at least a day.
Pittsburgh: L, 1-4 (25PA; 10IP)
| AVG: 0.160 |
OBP: 0.160 |
SLG: 0.280 |
OPS: 0.440 |
Just for a moment look away from yesterday’s line, and instead look to see that Pittsburgh was able to gain – yes, I said gain – on the first place Dragons, moving from 8.3 games back to 7.9 games back. At the same time, they also got closer to the basement-dwelling Rosebuds for the first pick in the 2021 draft. How do you do both on the same day? I don’t know, but perhaps it is cause for some celebration, because those daily stats do nothing to help. Precisely 4 batters got a hit, all of them singles except for Byron Buxton’s HR. They had 0 BBs and 5 Ks, and that’s the entirety of their offensive day, which really does feel offensive. A lot of pitchers came to the mound, and Nathan Eovaldi had a solid return from the IL, going 3 innings and giving up only a solo HR to Tornado (and former Pirate…that must sting a little) Austin Meadows.
Portland: L, 5-6 (29PA; 8.3IP)
| AVG: 0.280 |
OBP: 0.345 |
SLG: 0.480 |
OPS: 0.825 |
Though their day yesterday was exponentially better than the day before, it still resulted in a loss for the Buds. At this rate they will finish with the worst record of all MLB and EFL teams, assuring themselves the very first pick overall. Bryce Harper had a great day, going 3 for 4 with a 2B and a HR. And new Rosebud Dakota Hudson threw 6 innings giving up 1 run.
Combined MLB + EFL Standings for 2020
| TEAM |
WINS |
LOSSES |
PCT. |
GB |
| Tampa Bay Rays |
30 |
16 |
.652 |
— |
| Toronto Blue Jays |
25 |
20 |
.556 |
4.5 |
| New York Yankees |
25 |
21 |
.543 |
5 |
| Flint Hill Tornadoes |
25 |
21 |
.543 |
5 |
| Baltimore Orioles |
20 |
25 |
.444 |
9.5 |
| Old Detroit Wolverines |
18 |
28 |
.395 |
11.8 |
| Boston Red Sox |
16 |
31 |
.340 |
14.5 |
| TEAM |
WINS |
LOSSES |
PCT. |
GB |
| Atlanta Braves |
27 |
19 |
.587 |
— |
| Philadelphia Phillies |
23 |
20 |
.535 |
2.5 |
| Miami Marlins |
21 |
21 |
.500 |
4 |
| New York Mets |
21 |
25 |
.457 |
6 |
| D.C. Balk |
20 |
26 |
.445 |
6.5 |
| Canberra Kangaroos |
19 |
27 |
.422 |
7.6 |
| Washington Nationals |
17 |
27 |
.386 |
9 |
| TEAM |
WINS |
LOSSES |
PCT. |
GB |
| Chicago White Sox |
29 |
16 |
.644 |
— |
| Minnesota Twins |
29 |
18 |
.617 |
1 |
| Cleveland Indians |
26 |
20 |
.565 |
3.5 |
| Bellingham Cascades |
21 |
24 |
.466 |
8 |
| Detroit Tigers |
20 |
25 |
.444 |
9 |
| Kansas City Royals |
19 |
28 |
.404 |
11 |
| Pittsburgh Alleghenys |
17 |
28 |
.372 |
12.3 |
| TEAM |
WINS |
LOSSES |
PCT. |
GB |
| Chicago Cubs |
27 |
20 |
.574 |
— |
| St. Louis Cardinals |
20 |
19 |
.513 |
3 |
| Milwaukee Brewers |
20 |
23 |
.465 |
5 |
| Cottage Cheese |
22 |
25 |
.459 |
5.4 |
| Cincinnati Reds |
20 |
26 |
.435 |
6.5 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates |
14 |
29 |
.326 |
11 |
| TEAM |
WINS |
LOSSES |
PCT. |
GB |
| Oakland A’s |
29 |
16 |
.644 |
— |
| Haviland Dragons |
25 |
20 |
.548 |
4.4 |
| Kaline Drive |
25 |
20 |
.546 |
4.4 |
| Houston Astros |
23 |
23 |
.500 |
6.5 |
| Seattle Mariners |
20 |
25 |
.444 |
9 |
| Los Angeles Angels |
19 |
28 |
.404 |
11 |
| Texas Rangers |
16 |
30 |
.348 |
13.5 |
| TEAM |
WINS |
LOSSES |
PCT. |
GB |
| Los Angeles Dodgers |
32 |
14 |
.696 |
— |
| San Diego Padres |
29 |
17 |
.630 |
3 |
| San Francisco Giants |
23 |
22 |
.511 |
8.5 |
| Peshastin Pears |
22 |
24 |
.484 |
9.7 |
| Colorado Rockies |
21 |
24 |
.467 |
10.5 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks |
17 |
30 |
.362 |
15.5 |
| Portland Rosebuds |
14 |
32 |
.308 |
17.8 |
