We're 98 games into the the A to Z League's 168-game season and our quest to determine which letter is better. We'll be taking a quick look this week at all of the teams and division races. Today: the Puget Division.
The Puget is shaping up as a two-club race. Bainbridge Island has the lead by four games over Snoqualmie, and third-place Renton is 14 games off the pace. The Bees come into August on a two-game losing streak, but before that they won five of seven, including taking three of four at home against Snoqualmie.
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND: 62-36, leading the division
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| Barry Bonds |
Barry Bonds is the engine that drives the club. He leads the team with 31 home runs, 81 RBI, 66 runs scored, and a .992 OPS. Combined with father Bobby's 15 homers, their 46 round-trippers give them the best father-son mark in the league. It's the only father-son hitting duo, too, but hey. Six other Bainbridge batters are in double figures in home runs.
Who had Rod Beck on your bingo card for Cy Young Award consideration? Beck is having quite a year out of the bullpen, racking up an 11-2 record and 22 saves with a 2.84 ERA. The starting pitching has been OK. Chief Bender has the best numbers; he's 8-5 and 3.40.
SNOQUALMIE: 58-40, second in the division, 4 games back
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| Duke Snider |
They're sixth in the league in home runs, led by Mike Schmidt, who has pretty gaudy numbers: 27 home runs, 75 RBI. Duke Snider is also putting up some nice numbers. He's "slashing" .317/19/50 and has an OPS of .988. The Duke has been hot lately, named player of the week two weeks ago and a runner-up last week.
The pitching staff's motto is, "Spahn and Seaver and pray for a reliever." The whole starting rotation has been solid. Warren Spahn is 8-4, 2.94; Tom Seaver 9-5, 3.27; Bret Saberhagen 8-2, 3.58; and Don Sutton 6-2, 3.43.
The bullpen has been another story. Snoqualmie has two Hall of Fame-caliber relievers, and neither has done well. Bruce Sutter has saved 15 games, but he's 4-5 with an ERA of 5.59. Lee Smith has seven saves but is 0-6 and has a lofty 6.51 ERA.
RENTON: 48-50, third place, 14 games back
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| Babe Ruth |
In Renton it's all about the Babe. Babe Ruth is "slashing" .271/32/81. He'd be in the Triple Crown chase save for the batting average. He's third in the league in both homers and RBI. He's also eighth in OBP (.389), fourth in SLG (.627), and fourth in OPS (1.016).
Renton has had only two reliable starting pitchers. Nolan Ryan is 10-8 with an ERA of 3.88, and Steve Rogers is 9-7, 3.42. Beyond that, it's been on the weak side, and manager Wilbert Robinson called on Ruth to start taking the mound. The Bambino has done all right, going 2-3 and putting up a 3.46 ERA in six starts.
Bullet Joe Rogan, Double Duty Radcliffe, and Red Ruffing have all been banished to the farm team after putting up ERAs north of 5.5.
TUMWATER: 42-56, fourth place, 20 games back
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| Mike Trout |
The slugging is led by Mike Trout, who has smacked 27 home runs. Jim Thome has 24 and Frank Thomas has belted 21.
As for the pitching, John Tudor has been the stalwart out there, going 7-4 and putting up a 3.42 ERA.
Luis Tiant, Sr. is 6-10 and has an ERA of 3.85, and Luis, Jr. is 7-13 and 4.24. With 13 victories, the two El Tiantes are the winningest father-son pitching duo in the A to Z League. They're the only father-son pitching duo, too, but hey.
NORTH BEND: 36-62, fifth place, 26 games back
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| Bill Nicholson |
The one semi bright spot for North Bend is that they're 11th in home runs, right about the middle of the pack. Slugging Bill Nicholson leads the way with 27 homers, and his 56 runs and 65 RBI lead the team as well. Graig Nettles has 17 homers and Mike Napoli has 15.
As for the mound crew, Gary Nolan has just returned from a month on the injured list. He's done OK when healthy, 6-6 and a nice 3.12 ERA. Hal Newhouser is 6-8 and 3.80. The 3-5 spots in the rotation have been ragged. Phil Niekro, Hideo Nomo, and Mike Norris are in those slots now.