I suppose the famed Mr. Answer Man column has fallen to me, though I feel unworthy. I do miss those posts in which our famed Commissioner would wax eloquently about questions asked of him. Maybe the well of questions has run dry among EFL owners? Maybe the new database has removed many of the question that would arise? Whatever the reason, I am grateful for a chance to answer some questions, though admittedly, some of these are quite challenging:
How can the light go out so suddenly and dramatically on Carlos Correa? Is something going on in Carlos’ life? Yes, there is! Doing a smidgen of research I was able to find this information (https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/status/1417234414166151175?s=20). If you don’t want to watch the clip, apparently Carlos had a nasty virus (not COVID) that wiped him out for week. Then, he struggled with his timing once returning. It doesn’t help, certainly, that he is not allowed to us a buzzer anymore to help with his pitch selection, but Wolverine fans should take consolation in the fact soon he will be back to hitting as he had been all season.
So why was Crochet’s outing deemed worse than all the others? including Garrett Whitlock’s 1.3 ip outing without allowing a run… that ranked 131st out of 132? The rankings in the Daily Log for pitchers are ranked by Game Score, but there are not scores given to every pitcher who appeared, only to those who started. Since the question here refers to relievers, I am afraid I do not have an answer, only a guess. The top relievers on the list are those who were credited with a win. After that? I have no idea. For instance, yesterday Jordan Holloway’s line was 3.2IP, 2ER, 5BB, and one K to finish 33rd on the day. Danny Coloumbe ranked 44th, and his line was 2IP, 0ER and 4 strikeouts. This leads me to believe there is not actual ranking system used for relievers who do not get a win.
Why is Arozarena just a normal human being now (OPSing “only” .817 in July at the moment)? To answer your question, let me pose another: why is Yermin Mercedes in AAA announcing his retirement one night and returning the next night to play? Baseball is hard, and Arozarena was lucky last October. To be fair, he is also good, as his .817 OPS shows – but sometimes the (juiced) ball bounces your way. Surprisingly, once spider tack was eliminated, he started hitting home runs again…
Do we create karrasses for our players, so they become subject to unseen common causes, so their random results can be bent by common experiences like a real team’s can? While I have some idea of who Vonnegut is, I have not read his works. I suppose if you are famous enough or on enough drugs you can make up words and people accept them as real? That I am being asked to answer a question about a made-up word from an author I have never read is proof enough that I should not be the Mr. EFL Answer Man.
But why is there no mystery about the Alleghenys? I was Mark’s student 22 years ago, and I wish then I would have learned from him his secret to repeated success in the EFL. The mystery now, perhaps, is that he hasn’t shared his secrets to domination while also allowing other people to try and figure them out before he inevitably makes another run at a decade’s worth of championships.
How did the Rosebuds turn the sow’s ear of Eric Lauer this spring (with ERA’s in double digits, as I recall, while he was still a Wolverine through spring training) into this silky person whose July ERA is 1.04? And how do I get him back? Considering Eric Lauer is outperforming his ERA by an entire run (his ERA is 3.52 but his FIP is 4.50) I think Mark might be willing to trade him to you for the right price. To be fair, the Brewers have a recent track record of making pedestrian pitchers into stars, so that might be one answer. But I imagine he would gladly trade him to you for someone like Walker Buehler, or even Eloy Jimenez. Getting him back isn’t an issue’ him performing like this for longer? That’s where the real mystery lies.
EFL Standings for 2021
TEAM |
WINS |
LOSSES |
PCT. |
GB |
RS |
RA |
Old Detroit Wolverines |
67 |
30 |
.693 |
— |
548.9 |
364.0 |
Flint Hill Tornadoes |
65 |
32 |
.670 |
2.3 |
500.5 |
347.4 |
Peshastin Pears |
61 |
35 |
.639 |
5.4 |
482.6 |
367.7 |
D.C. Balk |
58 |
35 |
.625 |
7.1 |
508.2 |
393.4 |
Kaline Drive |
60 |
37 |
.619 |
7.2 |
507.7 |
397.1 |
Haviland Dragons |
57 |
40 |
.593 |
9.8 |
491.0 |
418.5 |
Canberra Kangaroos |
55 |
38 |
.591 |
10.3 |
477.9 |
403.6 |
Cottage Cheese |
52 |
45 |
.532 |
15.6 |
550.8 |
529.2 |
Pittsburgh Alleghenys |
49 |
47 |
.512 |
17.6 |
479.9 |
465.9 |
Bellingham Cascades |
49 |
47 |
.510 |
17.8 |
402.4 |
395.9 |
Portland Rosebuds |
41 |
55 |
.426 |
25.8 |
486.1 |
571.7 |
Old Detroit: W, 5-2; 32PA, 7.3IP
AVG: 0.231 |
OBP: 0.375 |
SLG: 0.346 |
OPS: 0.721 |
Fueled by another day of great pitching (though according to BP it was only the second best pitching performance on the day), the Wolverines were able to extend their lead by .1 games over the Tornadoes. Only one pitcher appeared, and his name is Walker Buehler – he of the 2.13 ERA with 30 Ks in 25.3IP this month. His work on the mound was the wind in the sails of OD’s ship, which has caught some life here in the past two days. Buehler’s real life teammate, Will Smith, hit a home run and the team earned 6 total walks just two days after earning 0 walks.
Flint Hill: W, 5-2; 28PA, 7IP
AVG: 0.182 |
OBP: 0.321 |
SLG: 0.273 |
OPS: 0.594 |
In an attempt to keep up with the Wolverines, the Tornadoes produced a pitching performance that was considered by BP to be the best. Yes, Sean Manaea outdueled Buehler in the eyes of BP, giving up only 3 hits and striking out a career high 13 (Mariners) last night. The hitting wasn’t quite as good as the Wolverines average hitting, but due to some allocation wizardry and some stored up good PAs, a win still occurred – though Flint Hill did drop .1 games further back of the lead.
Peshastin: W, 7-2; 16PA, 11.3IP
AVG: 0.333 |
OBP: 0.375 |
SLG: 0.733 |
OPS: 1.108 |
In a statement most assuredly meant to make sure the Wolverines and Tornadoes do not forget about them, the Pears managed to climb .1 games closer to the Wolverines. Most of the damage was done by the batters, namely Ozzie Albies who went 3 for 5 with a double. Tom Murphy was the only one to have success against Manaea last night, hitting a home run for the lone Mariners run. And Willi Castro hit a triple. That means that the Pears hit for the cycle with only 4 batters – impressive! Blake Snell took issue with Ron’s comments from a few days ago, tossing 6 innings and giving up 1 run. Luis Patino, whom the Padres traded for Snell, pitched 5.3 innings and gave up 4 runs, making the Padres look, for one night at least, smart.
DC: L, 2-4; 27PA, 1IP
AVG: 0.125 |
OBP: 0.222 |
SLG: 0.167 |
OPS: 0.389 |
Balk hitters had a tough time making contact last night, striking out nearly every third batter who appeared. Perhaps feeling the pressure to perform enough to escape the Texas heat, Joey Gallo added three strikeouts to the 8 total for the team. Shed Long was similarly fooled by Manaea, striking out two times. Jorge Alfaro was the lone bright spot, going 1 for 2 with a double. Drew Steckenrider did his job, tossing one inning of runless baseball, but the Balk fell .6 more games behind the Wolverines and are now just .1 game in front of the Drive.
Kaline: DNP, (-1)-(-8); 33PA, 8IP
AVG: 0.172 |
OBP: 0.242 |
SLG: 0.345 |
OPS: 0.587 |
On an off day, the Drive managed to shed a significant number of runs allowed, and in doing so, climb .1 games closer to the top of the standings. The climb was led by Kwang Hyun Kim, who for the second outing in a row tossed a gem, giving up 2 runs in 6 innings while striking out 7 batters. Two relievers, Mark Melancon and Darwinzon Hernandez, rebounded from their last outings to toss scoreless innings in solidarity with Kim. The hitting was lackluster for the entire team, with no batter getting more than one hit. However, three of their team’s 5 hits were for extra bases – a home run by Zach Short, and doubles by Mitch Moreland and Jonathan Schoop.
Haviland: W(-1), L(1), (-1)-0; 37PA, 2.7IP
AVG: 0.235 |
OBP: 0.297 |
SLG: 0.353 |
OPS: 0.650 |
Certainly the main focus for the Dragons yesterday was his wife’s birthday. Then, secondarily, the research of the prospects traded for Nelson Cruz. Then, thirdly, and probably a distant third, the performance of his team. It was a good thing he had good things to celebrate, otherwise there would perhaps be some char marks on his living room furniture. Chad Green, after a couple of decent outings, returned to his old ways, giving up 2 runs in 1 inning to overshadow the good outings from Joe Barlow and Alex Reyes. And three batters did their best to lead the team, but the two hit efforts from Ramon Laureano, Jose Iglesias and Brandon Lowe were not enough. At least the Dragons will be able to console themselves with a large purchase at our next monthly meeting!
Canberra: W, 6-6; 19PA, 7.3IP
AVG: 0.267 |
OBP: 0.421 |
SLG: 0.467 |
OPS: 0.888 |
The Kangaroos eked out a win by mere decimal points (6.6-5.7) yesterday, due mostly to their ability to get on base any way possible. They earned the same amount of hits as walks (4), led by Wander Franco (2 for 5) and Austin Nola (2 walks in his return to the MLB after a long injury hiatus). James Karinchak blew the save for the Indians and also hurt the Roos by making the game closer than it needed to be. Chris Flexen continued his string of good starts, tossing 5.3 innings and giving up 2 runs. Amazingly, he only tallied one strike out.
Cottage: W(1), L(-1), 3-0; 22PA, 7IP
AVG: 0.364 |
OBP: 0.364 |
SLG: 0.682 |
OPS: 1.045 |
Cottage had the best all-around day in the EFL, getting strong performances from both its hitters and its pitchers. Really, it was two hitters (Yandy Diaz and Alex Verdugo) and one pitcher (Andrew Heaney) who carried the entire team. Verdugo and Diaz combined to go 7 for 9, with Diaz contributing a triple and home run in addition to Verdugo’s singles. Francisco Mejia, a catcher, also earned a triple. I’ve cracked a smile this morning thinking about both Diaz and Mejia hitting triples in the same game – neither are a typical triple-hitting threat, and yet they each did it. Andrew Heaney was good on the mound, tossing 7 innings and giving up 2 runs while striking out 7 batters.
Pittsburgh: DNP, 1-(-1); 22PA, 2IP
AVG: 0.250 |
OBP: 0.318 |
SLG: 0.400 |
OPS: 0.718 |
The Alleghenys used their off day to shed some runs allowed, but otherwise enjoyed a day to work on their batting skills without the pressure of trying to win. Dansby Swanson enjoyed the more relaxed atmosphere, clubbing a homerun, while Bobby Dalbec also used the day to get two hits (both singles) as he continues to find his swing this season. It was Lou Trivino and Anthony Bender who used the day to do some actual work, combining for two innings and no runs. The off day, coupled with the Cascades’ bad day, moved Pittsburgh back in front of Bellingham for the time being.
Bellingham: DNP, (-2)-1; 13PA, 13IP
AVG: 0.100 |
OBP: 0.308 |
SLG: 0.100 |
OPS: 0.408 |
It’s really too bad that the Cascadian hitters were not prepared to play yesterday, because the pitchers were. When you PAs equal your IPs, it is difficult to win. So I suppose it was good the Cascades had an off day. Their hitting was abysmal, with Joe Panik getting the only hit, though DJ LeMahieu did earn two walks. The pitching was pretty good over the 13 innings pitched, with Anthony DeSclafani, Charlie Morton and Jake McGee all combining for 5 runs allowed in 13 innings pitched.
Portland: L, 6-8; 26PA, 10IP
AVG: 0.261 |
OBP: 0.346 |
SLG: 0.522 |
OPS: 0.868 |
Rosebud hitters showed up in a significant way yesterday, but the pitchers did not. It was really the Dylan Carlson show, to be honest – 3 for 4 with two doubles and a home run. But Nick Solak earned two walks, and Willians Astudillo celebrated Cruz’s imminent departure since it means he will most likely get more ABs for the Twins. Mike Foltynewicz and Adbert Alzolay were not fooling any hitters, giving up a combined 8 runs on 9 hits – including a whopping 5 home runs (3 by Mike and 2 by Adbert), though they did combined for 12 strikeouts – so I suppose some batters were fooled.
Combined MLB + EFL Standings for 2021
TEAM |
WINS |
LOSSES |
PCT. |
GB |
Old Detroit Wolverines |
67 |
30 |
.693 |
— |
Flint Hill Tornadoes |
65 |
32 |
.670 |
2.3 |
Boston Red Sox |
59 |
38 |
.608 |
8.2 |
Tampa Bay Rays |
58 |
39 |
.598 |
9.2 |
New York Yankees |
50 |
45 |
.526 |
16.2 |
Toronto Blue Jays |
48 |
44 |
.522 |
16.7 |
Baltimore Orioles |
31 |
64 |
.326 |
35.2 |
TEAM |
WINS |
LOSSES |
PCT. |
GB |
D.C. Balk |
58 |
35 |
.625 |
— |
Canberra Kangaroos |
55 |
38 |
.591 |
3.2 |
New York Mets |
50 |
43 |
.538 |
8.1 |
Atlanta Braves |
47 |
48 |
.495 |
12.1 |
Philadelphia Phillies |
47 |
48 |
.495 |
12.1 |
Washington Nationals |
45 |
50 |
.474 |
14.1 |
Miami Marlins |
41 |
56 |
.423 |
19.1 |
TEAM |
WINS |
LOSSES |
PCT. |
GB |
Chicago White Sox |
58 |
38 |
.604 |
— |
Pittsburgh Alleghenys |
49 |
47 |
.512 |
8.8 |
Cleveland Indians |
48 |
46 |
.511 |
9 |
Bellingham Cascades |
49 |
47 |
.510 |
9.1 |
Detroit Tigers |
47 |
51 |
.480 |
12 |
Minnesota Twins |
41 |
56 |
.423 |
17.5 |
Kansas City Royals |
39 |
55 |
.415 |
18 |
TEAM |
WINS |
LOSSES |
PCT. |
GB |
Milwaukee Brewers |
56 |
41 |
.577 |
— |
Cottage Cheese |
52 |
45 |
.532 |
4.4 |
Cincinnati Reds |
49 |
47 |
.510 |
6.5 |
St. Louis Cardinals |
49 |
48 |
.505 |
7 |
Chicago Cubs |
47 |
50 |
.485 |
9 |
Pittsburgh Pirates |
36 |
60 |
.375 |
19.5 |
TEAM |
WINS |
LOSSES |
PCT. |
GB |
Kaline Drive |
60 |
37 |
.619 |
— |
Houston Astros |
58 |
39 |
.598 |
2 |
Haviland Dragons |
57 |
40 |
.593 |
2.5 |
Oakland A’s |
56 |
42 |
.571 |
4.5 |
Seattle Mariners |
51 |
46 |
.526 |
9 |
Los Angeles Angels |
47 |
48 |
.495 |
12 |
Texas Rangers |
35 |
62 |
.361 |
25 |
TEAM |
WINS |
LOSSES |
PCT. |
GB |
Peshastin Pears |
61 |
35 |
.639 |
— |
San Francisco Giants |
61 |
35 |
.635 |
0.3 |
Los Angeles Dodgers |
59 |
39 |
.602 |
3.3 |
San Diego Padres |
57 |
42 |
.576 |
5.8 |
Colorado Rockies |
42 |
54 |
.438 |
19.3 |
Portland Rosebuds |
41 |
55 |
.426 |
20.4 |
Arizona Diamondbacks |
30 |
68 |
.306 |
32.3 |
As long as you guys are solving mysteries, I have one for you. Two, actually, but they both pitch for the Angels, which may be part of the problem.
Andrew Heaney was doing pretty well for the first part of June (by the Cottage standard, “doing well” means that the IP exceeds the ER allowed). But then he stank it up for four consecutive starts (19 ER in 18.1 IP) so I benched him. His first start for the Angels after being benched by the Cheese: 7 IP, 2 ER.
Alex Cobb was horrible for most of June (14 IP, 16 ER in 3 of his 4 starts) so I benched him for July. His record for July: 19.2 IP, 2 ER in three starts. I did activate him for the third start, and so far it hasn’t destroyed his arm.
My question is this: what is the source of the amazing healing powers displayed by the Cheese bench?