SHL American Midwest: Hose, O’s Battling for First

The team once known as the “Hitless Wonders” are anything but, while in typical fashion, the Orioles rely on their moundsmen to keep pace.

We’re just shy of the quarter pole and the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles are separated by only one game in the American Midwest division, the former boasting a record of 23-12, while the latter stands at 22-13.  The Sox also hold a slim edge over the O’s in head-to-head competition, beating Baltimore in consecutive one-run games to start the season, before losing the third by only two runs.  But those games were in Comiskey Park; the teams have a three-game set later this month at Camden Yards and the O’s will be looking to even things up.

Thanks to a quintet of regulars who are all batting over .300, including catcher Carlton “Pudge” Fisk who leads the SHL with a gaudy and surprising .410 mark, the White Sox rank first in the league with a .299 team average.  Fisk has been hot all season and has recorded at least one hit in 27 of the 30 games in which he’s appeared.  He’s not just putting the ball in play either, he’s putting the ball in play with authority, slugging at a .600 clip.  Fisk has been as valuable on defense as he’s been on offense, cutting down 34.7% of would-be base thieves.

Frank Thomas boasts a 1.038 OPS and leads the team in homers with six and RBIs with 22; Joe Jackson is hitting .350 with 12 doubles and nine steals and is tied with Fisk with 21 RBIs; Eddie Collins is batting .321 with a .400 OBA and is 19-for-24 in stolen base attempts; Buck Weaver is hitting .360 so far in May and has his overall mark up to .304, and his 26 runs rank second behind team-leader Tommie Agee who has 29.

What makes the Pale Hose dangerous is that their bench is as strong as their starting lineup.  Dick Allen is leading the team with a 1.107 OPS and is batting .370/.412/.696 with 13 RBIs in only 46 at-bats, but he hasn’t cracked the starting lineup yet.  Luis Aparicio and Luke Appling are splitting the shortstop position and both are doing well, combining for a .306 average and 22 runs.  And Minnie Minoso is batting .346 and slugging .500 in part-time duty.

All of the above has the White Sox leading the SHL in runs scored (196, 5.6 per game), and among the top five in OPS, OBA, SLG, hits and stolen bases.  Interestingly, they also pace the league in strikeouts with 141.

Lest you think the Sox are all about the bats, though, think again.  The Pale Hose’s pitching staff is also among the league’s elite.  They’re third in ERA at 3.22, third in hits and walks allowed, and fourth in runs allowed and starters’ ERA (3.17).  The staff boasts three aces—Eddie Cicotte (6-1, 2.83), Billy Pierce (6-1, 2.95), and Ed Walsh (4-5, 2.36)—a few solid complements in Early Wynn, Ted Lyons, and La Marr Hoyt, and a fantastic closer in Hoyt Wilhelm (11 saves, 1.54 ERA).

Cicotte tossed quality starts in five of his first eight assignments and bolted out to a 6-0 mark before losing to Cleveland on May 12.  He could have easily started off the year 7-0 had Wilhelm not suffered his only blown save of the year thus far in a 4-3 loss to the Braves on April 21.  At his current pace, Cicotte could finish the season at 26-4.  Pierce has the same projected record, but he followed a completely different path than Cicotte, losing his first start of the year to the Orioles, before reeling off six straight wins.  He’s been fantastic in May so far, going 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA.

Walsh began the year with three straight magnificent starts, winning all three while surrendering only two earned runs in his first 26 innings (0.69 ERA), but he ran into a rough patch and lost five straight before recovering to win his last start.  Walsh was a victim of poor run support (3.2 runs per game during his losing streak), but he didn’t help himself either, allowing four or more runs in three of the five losses.  Walsh’s ERA is not a true indicator of his performance so far, and it would appear that he’s pitching with a great deal of luck.  Based on the number of baserunners he’s allowed, his “Component ERA” is 4.08.  So perhaps that 4-5 record isn’t an aberration.

In case anyone on the active roster falters or gets injured, the Sox have plenty of firepower in Triple-A Charlotte, led by Oscar Gamble (.387, nine homers, 28 RBIs) and Robin Ventura (.394, 8, 37).

The Orioles don’t boast as many .300 hitters—only Al Bumbry (.317), Frank Robinson (.310), and Cal Ripken Jr. (.301) are hitting that high (among qualifiers)—but they’re tied for fifth in home runs with 36 and they’re averaging 5.14 runs per game, which is good for 10th.  Robinson is tied for the league lead with 10 homers and only Willie Stargell (37) and Jim Edmonds (36) have as many RBIs as the slugging outfielder.  He’s also leading the regulars with a .419 on base percentage.  Bumbry is leading the team in steals with eight, and Ripken is second in home runs with five and RBIs with 26.

The rest of the starting lineup has holes—catcher Chris Hoiles is batting only .154; Brooks Robinson is batting .226 with a .270 OBA; Roberto Alomar has an OPS of .654—but for the most part they’re producing runs.  And Eddie Murray is back after injuring his medial collateral ligament on April 22, which should give the team a boost.  He was hitting .426/.448/.557 with 14 RBIs in 17 games before the injury.  Boog Powell filled in ably during Murray’s absence, belting four homers in 75 at-bats, and Ken Singleton has provided offense in a platoon role, hitting .300/.383/.429.

The Orioles’ mound corps doesn’t have a true ace yet, although Mike Flanagan (5-1, 2.89) is close, but the staff is as solid from 1-10 as any in the league.  Only two pitchers have earned run averages north of 4.00—Jim Palmer (3-2, 4.76) and Robin Roberts (4-3, 4.14); the rest are at 3.86 or below.

Flanagan, the only southpaw in the rotation, has been every bit as good as his numbers indicate, if not better.  He’s recorded six quality starts in seven trips to the hill, his 2.47 ERC is almost half a run better than his actual ERA, and his only loss was a 3-2 heartbreaker to the Tigers.  Palmer is also pitching better than his ERA would indicate (ERC of 4.23), but he’s been inconsistent—after posting a 3.23 ERA in April, he’s recorded an 8.15 ERA in three May starts.  Still, the team does well in Palmer’s starts, going 6-2 when the underwear model takes the hill, but that’s mostly due to the offense, which consistently bails him out after he’s already left the game.

Mike Mussina (2-2, 3.50) and Milt Pappas (2-0, 3.68) round out the rotation, and Pappas may move up a notch or two in the pecking order if he continues to pitch well out of the #5 hole.  He’s gotten only three starts so far, but two have been quality and he’s allowed only four earned runs over his last 17 innings (2.12 ERA).  If Palmer doesn’t get it together soon, Pappas may eat into some of his starts.

The bullpen is solid from top to bottom and boasts the seventh-best ERA in the SHL.  Closer Stu Miller hasn’t been lights out like some stoppers, but he’s 10-for-12 in save opportunities with a 3.71 ERA.  Hoyt Wilhelm (2-1, 3.72) and Tippy Martinez (1 save, 3.86) have been very good in middle relief, and Randy Myers (2-1, 1 save, 3.77) and Dick Hall (0 runs in two appearances) have provided strong support in the setup role.

If the O’s should require help in the future (Mussina has battled back spasms already this season), Scott McGregor (4-1, 2.21) and Mike Cuellar (3-2, 2.91) have been very good for Triple-A Norfolk (although Cuellar stumbled in his earlier cup-of-coffee).  And if the offense should require a shot in the arm, Nick Markakis (.386, 9, 36) and Jim Gentile (.301, 7, 27) could provide just what the doctor ordered.