For the first time since its first year, I believe, the EFL is under .500 in the middle of the season. We woke up today with a 443 – 447 record. The stenotic cockles of the old commissioner’s heart are warmed by this evidence of the success of his reforms to restore competitive balance to the league.
But glory days for some usually means suffering for others, at least in zero sum games. The EFL is not a zero sum game. On the one hand, at the end of the season one person wins and everyone else loses. That’s solidly negative sum. And on the other, for almost its entire existence, teams in the EFL have (on average) won more games than they lost.
We often start the season below .500 but usually we’ve corrected that by the fifth day of the season (our rotations having rotated, our players platooned in the MLB having plated, etc.). We did that this year, too — except we haven’t ever gotten very far above .500. I don’t calculate it every day, but today is the first time I have noticed us slipping below the waves.
So who is to blame? Is this the Commissioner’s fault, for being such a skinflint, obsessed with his made up competitive balance with the MLB? Or might there be an EFL franchise — or two! — to blame for our shared humiliation?
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EFL Standings for 2019
| EFL | ||||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB | RS | RA |
| Portland Rosebuds | 51 | 24 | .678 | — | 450.8 | 312.7 |
| Flint Hill Tornadoes | 46 | 27 | .634 | 3.5 | 475.0 | 360.8 |
| Old Detroit Wolverines | 43 | 30 | .583 | 7.3 | 431.8 | 360.3 |
| Peshastin Pears | 38 | 37 | .506 | 12.8 | 383.9 | 380.1 |
| Canberra Kangaroos | 38 | 37 | .504 | 13 | 408.2 | 407.8 |
| Pittsburgh Alleghenys | 36 | 37 | .496 | 13.6 | 351.5 | 353.3 |
| Kaline Drive | 36 | 39 | .477 | 15.1 | 319.7 | 338.6 |
| Haviland Dragons | 35 | 40 | .466 | 15.9 | 378.4 | 402.3 |
| Cottage Cheese | 33 | 41 | .449 | 17.1 | 406.2 | 446.7 |
| Bellingham Cascades | 32 | 41 | .438 | 17.8 | 353.1 | 403.8 |
| Brookland Outs | 29 | 45 | .398 | 20.8 | 366.9 | 454.7 |
| D.C. Balk | 26 | 49 | .345 | 24.9 | 320.7 | 444.8 |
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Portland: W,3 – 3. (47 PA, .244, .277, .422; 2.3 ip, 1 er, 3.86 ERA).
I should write something about the Rosebuds. But you know what? No one all season long has asked me to write more about the Rosebuds. Who wants to hear one more word about the league leaders who are cruising for their second straight championship? Raise your hand…
I’m not seeing any hands.
Flint Hill: W, 9 – (-3). (37 PA, .250, .351, .688; 14.3 ip, 3 er, 1.88 ERA).
Mike Trout was touted on MLB.com as being on a hot streak lately. He looked like it last night: 3 for 6 with two homers.
Old Detroit: W, 10 – 8. (53 PA, .295, .396, .659; 6.3 ip, 7 er, 9.95 ERA).
OK, good for the Tornados, but Willson Contreras got his 2 homers and walked in only 4 PAs. His 3.417 OPS is way better than Trout’s puny 2.000. So where are all the glowing encomia in Contreras’ honor?
Peshastin: L, 6 – 11. (45 PA, .293, .356, .463; 9 ip, 8 er, 8.00 ERA).
The last third of the Pears’ batter list (Robles, Semien, and Soto) all OPSed over 1.300. The last third of the Pears’ list of pitchers (Nick Ramirez) triple chulked and then some (1.3 ip, 5 er). It turns out a good chulk can trump a great night at the plate.
Canberra: W (-1), L 2; 3 – 22.
This is, I believe, the worst single-game drubbing I have ever seen an EFL team suffer. It transformed the ‘Roos from being 4 games over .500 to being just one game up — and imposed a parallel collapse for the entire league. Four pitchers allowed at least as many runs as innings pitched. Blake Snell was the wort of them: 6 earned runs, only one batter retired, 162.00 ERA, a WHIP of 18.0, one of the most royal Royal chulks you’ll ever see.
The first batter to face nell singled on a ground ball to the pitcher, deflected by the third baseman. I can’t visualize that play, but I don’t have time to watch it. Then it went walk, homer, walk, force out, walk, walk.
Pittsburgh: L, 0 – 8. (42 PA, .231, .286, .436; no pitching).
Allegheny pitchers all called in sick after they saw what happened to their Canberra colleagues. And they weren’t sandbagging. They were actually sick. Thus the Alleghenys went below .500 along with the rest of the league. Or maybe it was the A’s who dragged us all under.
Kaline: W, 7 – 1. (43 PA, .359, .419, .590 — Happy Edgar Martinez Day!; 12.7 ip, 3 er, 2.13 ERA).
What a great day! Six trans-1.000 OPSes, the highest being Danny Santana’s 5.000 for a pinch hit homer.
Haviland: W, 8 – 8. (41 PA, .324, .390, .595; 1 ip, 0 er, 0.00 ERA).
Yasiel Puig and Gary Sanchez aren’t usually seen as being similar. Wednesday they were almost identical: a double, a homer, and a strikeout in 4 PAs. It must be hard for people to tell them apart.
Cottage: W, 14 – 9. (31 PA, .433, .419, .733; 1 ip, 1 er, 9.00 ERA).
Cheese pitchers forced Caleb Ferguson to make a token appearance on their behalf. He didn’t really shine, but he didn’t need to with all that offense. Yesterday I commented on the one walk the Balk took in 72 plate appearances. The Cheese took no walks in 31 PA — and had a sac fly, which I have been counting as plate appearances now that I’ve figured out the rule.
Bellingham: L, 4 – 6. (45 PA, .243, .378, .432; 1.3 ip, 0 er, 0.00 ERA).
A 0.00 ERA isn’t much help when it’s only over 1.3 ip. Rowdy Tellez — a guy I had never heard of before the Cascades drafted him, even though I must have read his name three or for times in preparing for the draft — blasted two more homers. He’s done that twice this season — I remember remarking upon before. But his June OPS is only .604, and only .714 on the season.
Brookland: L, 5 – 7. (46 PA, .244, .326, .512; 1.3 ip, 0 er, 0.00 ERA).
The best four hitters were very good: Bellinger (2 for 3 with a homer and a walk), Dozier (3 for 7 with a double and two homers), Vladito (1 for 3 with a double and two walks), Jose Martinez (1 for 2 with a walk). Manny Machado was ok (2 for 5). The other five went 1 for 21 with a walk (0.048, 0.091, 0.048).
DC: W, 13 – 9. (41 PA, .485, .561, .758; 7 ip, 7 er, 9.00 ERA).
Clearly the best offensive performance in the league Wednesday. Out of 11 hitters, only one failed to reach base safely (JT Riddle). Addison Russell only reached safely once, going 1 for 2 (for a 1.000 OPS), as did Nick Markakis (one for one with a double, 3.000 OPS). Of the other eight, five reached safely 3 times, the other three twice. And what warms my heart most — they did all that damage with only one homer. If I were a Balk fan… well, actually, I am a Balk fan. If I were at that Balk game, I think I would have enjoyed it immensely. As long as the other team wasn’t the Wolverines.
Combined MLB + EFL Standings for 2019
| AL East | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Flint Hill Tornadoes | 46 | 27 | .634 | — |
| New York Yankees | 46 | 27 | .630 | 0.3 |
| Old Detroit Wolverines | 43 | 30 | .583 | 3.7 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 43 | 31 | .581 | 3.8 |
| Boston Red Sox | 41 | 35 | .539 | 6.8 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 26 | 48 | .351 | 20.8 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 21 | 53 | .284 | 25.8 |
| NL East | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Atlanta Braves | 44 | 31 | .587 | — |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 39 | 34 | .534 | 4 |
| Canberra Kangaroos | 38 | 37 | .504 | 6.2 |
| Washington Nationals | 35 | 38 | .479 | 8 |
| New York Mets | 35 | 39 | .473 | 8.5 |
| Miami Marlins | 26 | 46 | .361 | 16.5 |
| D.C. Balk | 26 | 49 | .345 | 18.1 |
| AL Central | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Minnesota Twins | 48 | 25 | .658 | — |
| Cleveland Indians | 39 | 34 | .534 | 9 |
| Pittsburgh Alleghenys | 36 | 37 | .496 | 11.8 |
| Chicago White Sox | 35 | 37 | .486 | 12.5 |
| Bellingham Cascades | 32 | 41 | .438 | 16 |
| Detroit Tigers | 26 | 44 | .371 | 20.5 |
| Kansas City Royals | 25 | 49 | .338 | 23.5 |
| NL Central | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 40 | 34 | .541 | — |
| Chicago Cubs | 40 | 34 | .541 | — |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 38 | 35 | .521 | 1.5 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 34 | 38 | .472 | 5 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 33 | 40 | .452 | 6.5 |
| Cottage Cheese | 33 | 41 | .449 | 6.7 |
| Brookland Outs | 29 | 45 | .398 | 10.5 |
| AL West | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Houston Astros | 48 | 27 | .640 | — |
| Texas Rangers | 39 | 35 | .527 | 8.5 |
| Oakland A’s | 39 | 36 | .520 | 9 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 38 | 37 | .507 | 10 |
| Kaline Drive | 36 | 39 | .477 | 12.3 |
| Haviland Dragons | 35 | 40 | .466 | 13.1 |
| Seattle Mariners | 32 | 46 | .410 | 17.5 |
| NL West | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Portland Rosebuds | 51 | 24 | .678 | — |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 50 | 25 | .667 | 0.8 |
| Colorado Rockies | 39 | 34 | .534 | 10.8 |
| San Diego Padres | 38 | 37 | .507 | 12.8 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 38 | 37 | .507 | 12.8 |
| Peshastin Pears | 38 | 37 | .506 | 12.8 |
| San Francisco Giants | 31 | 41 | .431 | 18.3 |