Infinitesimals

EFL
TEAM	WINS	LOSSES	PCT.	GB	RS	RA
Old Detroit Wolverines	91	50	.643	—	698.6	511.6
Portland Rosebuds	89	50	.643	0.2	745.5	543.5
Brookland Outs	80	60	.574	9.8	746.1	649.9
Canberra Kangaroos	78	62	.560	11.7	648.4	578.9
Pittsburgh Alleghenys	75	65	.536	15.1	741.0	694.3
Flint Hill Tornadoes	73	68	.520	17.3	651.4	620.5
Haviland Dragons	70	70	.503	19.7	649.3	640.5
Cottage Cheese	67	73	.481	22.8	667.5	693.0
Kaline Drive	66	74	.471	24.2	606.8	645.3
Peshastin Pears	65	74	.464	25.1	593.2	638.8
D.C. Balk	62	78	.440	28.6	611.1	689.5

Old Detroit:  W 1, L (-1); 0.2 – (-1.1). (26 PA, .227, .346, .409; 1 ip,  0 er,  0.00 ERA).  The W’s switched a loss to a win, barely — adding only .001 to their winning percentage.  This was enough to move the W’s 0.1 games closer to Boston, who didn’t play and thus provide a handy fixed point against which to measure.  This is the tiny margin by which Old Detroit led Portland at the end of August.

Portland: DNP, 1.3 – o.2. (19 PA, .263, .263, .526; 7.3 ip, 3 er, 3.68 ERA)  Portland’s hitters added a sliver to their team’s September raw OPS — about .002, I’d guess, although I think the positive influence might have been greater by being concentrated in the right places.  Their pitchers (Bieber and Andriese) raised the team’s ERA ever so slightly — just barely less than the hitters raised the OPS, apparently.  Portland’s winning percentage didn’t change perceptibly, they remained o.2 behind, but the Wolverines erased the Rosebud’s ,001 winning percentage advantage from yesterday.  If the ‘Buds suddenly added their  two missing games without changing their winning percentage, the two teams would be tied, rather than the ‘Buds being 1.1 games ahead as I projected yesterday.

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Infinitesimally small changes add up; the ‘Buds’ eventual assumption of first place is delayed a day, maybe. Do that 23 more times and it won’t happen until October, which will suit the Wolverines just fine.

Brookland: L, 6.7 – 6.8. (5 PA, .200, .200, .800; 5 ip, 3 er). Yes, the Brookland offense can provide almost 6 runs entirely on momentum, to which Schott Schebler added a homer.  Sanchez’ 3 er in 5 ip, supplemented by two innings of replacement relief, left the Outs slightly underwater for the day.

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Canberra: “L”, 3.9 – 1.8.  (9 PA, .222, .222, .333; 1 ip, 0 er, 0.00 ERA). The Kangaroos not only have a miniscule 1.82 ERA this month, they have enough innings to handle playing a game with only 1 inning of relief pitching.  I should say the had enough innings: they currently have 12 relief innings for 6 September games, exactly enough to cover the 6 games they’ve played, thanks to the heroic inning provided by newly-pilfered-from-the-Rosebuds Kirby Yates yesterday.  I am feeling much better about the Paxton/Yates trade right now…

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Pittsburgh: W, 6.3 – 3.3. (17 PA, .286, .412, .500; 5.7 ip., 2 er, 3.18 ERA).  The Alleghenys got a little more than half a game’s production from yesterday’s 4/15ths of an MLB schedule. This allowed them to gain 0.1 games on the Wolverines, and similar amounts on the teams just north and south of them.

Flint Hill: DNP, 2.6 – 0.0. (12 PA, .250, .250, .833; no pitching). Francisco Mejia’s 2 homer starting debut for the Padres lifted the Tornados, too, lifting their winning percentage .001 and keeping them on the Wolverines’ pace. Probably the worst news of the day for the Wolverines, since now Mejia will eat into Austin Hedges’ playing time. Sigh.

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Haviland: W (-1), L 1; (-2.8 – 1.7) (24 PA, .150, .292, .200;  1.3 ip, 2 er).  Almost a game’s worth of poor offense, and a sliver or two of poor pitching… When I came up with this infinitesimal theme, I was thinking about snowflakes piling up to make a beautiful scene.  But infinitesimals can also compound into unpleasant things, too, like a peach gone a little too bad just a few hours after it was still really good.

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Cottage: L, 3.2 – 7.4.  (2 PA, .500, .500, .500; 0.7 ip, 0 er).  This is almost as infinitesimal as you can get and still be there.  2 plate appearances is one more than the minimum, so much so that Margot’s single creates an apparently towering 1.000 OPS (until you realize you are looking through a electron microscope).  Adam Cimber’s 2/3 of an inning pitched, with no baserunners allowed, is one batter more than the minimum, and only takes micron off the 7.50 ERA earned by the replacements who completed yesterday’s game at the Cottage.

Kaline: DNP, 2.1 – (-1.4).  (19 PA, .375, .421, .625; 1 ip, 0 er).  The Drive made good use of their day off, sneaking in 19 marvelous plate appearances and one stellar inning, allowing them to quietly gain 0.8 games on the Cottage on an off day.  Think what they might do with an actual game day!

Peshastin: DNP, (-3.9) – 0. (21 PA, .190, .190, .190; no pitching).  The Pears want you to understand what 4 for 21 looks like: .190.  They didn’t pollute the data with walks or extra bases.  They don’t distract you with pitching numbers.  They tell you simple and straight, three times: 4 for 21 is .190.  It’s .190.  .190.  Don’t forget it.

D.C.: “W”, 2.8 – 4.5  (4 PA, .000, .000, .000; no pitching).  The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a book. By Milos Kundera, as I recall. I have read it. I believe it is in our library.  But you don’t need to read it.  Rob can tell you all about it.

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I do not recall any prior occasion on which an EFL team did so little. This is so little it may be just beyond the limits of the infinitesimal.

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AL East
TEAM	WINS	LOSSES	PCT.	GB
Boston Red Sox	97	44	.688	—
Old Detroit Wolverines	91	50	.643	6.4
New York Yankees	87	53	.621	9.5
Tampa Bay Rays	75	64	.540	21
Flint Hill Tornadoes	73	68	.520	23.7
Toronto Blue Jays	63	77	.450	33.5
Baltimore Orioles	41	99	.293	55.5

NL East
TEAM	WINS	LOSSES	PCT.	GB
Canberra Kangaroos	78	62	.560	—
Atlanta Braves	77	63	.550	1.4
Philadelphia Phillies	73	66	.525	4.9
Washington Nationals	69	72	.489	9.9
New York Mets	63	76	.453	14.9
D.C. Balk	62	78	.440	16.9
Miami Marlins	56	84	.400	22.4

AL Central
TEAM	WINS	LOSSES	PCT.	GB
Cleveland Indians	80	60	.571	—
Pittsburgh Alleghenys	75	65	.536	5
Minnesota Twins	63	76	.453	16.5
Detroit Tigers	57	83	.407	23
Chicago White Sox	56	84	.400	24
Kansas City Royals	46	93	.331	33.5

NL Central
TEAM	WINS	LOSSES	PCT.	GB
Chicago Cubs	83	57	.593	—
Brookland Outs	80	60	.574	2.7
Milwaukee Brewers	79	62	.560	4.5
St. Louis Cardinals	78	62	.557	5
Pittsburgh Pirates	69	71	.493	14
Cottage Cheese	67	73	.481	15.6
Cincinnati Reds	59	82	.418	24.5

AL West
TEAM	WINS	LOSSES	PCT.	GB
Houston Astros	87	53	.621	—
Oakland A’s	84	57	.596	3.5
Seattle Mariners	78	62	.557	9
Haviland Dragons	70	70	.503	16.6
Los Angeles Angels	68	72	.486	19
Kaline Drive	66	74	.471	21.1
Texas Rangers	61	79	.436	26

NL West
TEAM	WINS	LOSSES	PCT.	GB
Portland Rosebuds	89	50	.643	—
Colorado Rockies	77	62	.554	12.4
Los Angeles Dodgers	76	64	.543	13.9
Arizona Diamondbacks	75	65	.536	14.9
San Francisco Giants	68	73	.482	22.4
Peshastin Pears	65	74	.464	24.9
San Diego Padres	56	86	.394	34.9