jksander

May 9, 1966: Cincinnati�s off to a 14-11 start and we haven�t played them yet this season, so this four-game homestand has fans excited to see some good baseball. Denny Lemaster (2-1, 2.31 ERA, 35.0 IP, 27 K�s, 0.89 WHIP) got the start against Mel Queen (2-1, 2.63 ERA, 37.2 IP, 41 K�s, 1.25 WHIP) on a cool, rainy, windy afternoon in Atlanta. The Reds got on the board quickly with an RBI double by Eddie Bressoud in the top of the first, and with just one out, Lemaster got himself into real trouble with loaded bases. Bressoud scored on a fielder�s choice that put Ken Berry on first and which moved Tony Perez into scoring position at third, but we got Ron Fairly to hit one straight to Carty in left, bringing us up to bat in the bottom of the first trailing 2-0. And as the rain fell, the score remained unchanged through the next four innings. Dick Kelley came in to pitch in the top of the sixth with one out and men on first and second, getting us into the bottom of the inning with the lead still at two runs for Cincinnati. Alou led off with a single into right, Queen walked Flood .... AND THEN THE UMP CALLED THE F---ING GAME! I would have thoroughly supported the crowd beating the prick to death, but as it was, we just had to leave the field with a 2-0 loss that was official. Son of a bitch!

Lemaster fell to 2-2 with a six-hit effort in 5.1 innings, throwing 100 pitches with four walks, four strikeouts and two earned runs. Kelley got us the other two outs, and was prepared to go deep into this one had we not gotten completely screwed. They outhit us 6-4, but we were finally getting on a roll ... Alou hit twice, while our other two hits came from Torre and Carty.

Tomorrow�s a doubleheader, and we're going to have to put aside our frustration and fight to keep the Reds from using this momentum to derail the series.

May 10, 1966: Pat Jarvis (3-0, 4.70 ERA, 30.2 IP, 12 K�s, 1.47 WHIP) got the start in our first of two games today, facing Gary Nolan (5-1, 2.93 ERA, 46.0 IP, 38 K�s, 1.33 WHIP). The weather at least was better, with partly cloudy skies, mid-70s temperatures, and a nice cross breeze. Hank Aaron batted a single into right field and drove in a run quickly in the bottom of the first inning with a single, but in the top of the third they got the run back, tying things up with an RBI double by Ron Fairly. We left a pair stranded in the bottom of the inning, and in the top of the sixth they took the lead thanks to an RBI double by Elston Howard, and they added another with a sac-fly Gary Nolan hit all the way to the damned warning track. Phil Niekro came in with two outs and a man on first, getting the final out off a grounder to first, but sending us into the bottom of the sixth trailing by two runs. But Eddie Mathews hit a two-run blast out of right field to tie us all up in the bottom of the frame, his fifth homer of the season, to make up for the team�s earlier lapses. Hank Aaron led off with a single into center field in the bottom of the eighth, but Carty batted into a fielder�s choice that took Aaron out at second to give us our second out of the inning and Mantilla popped out to the catcher to send us into the top of the ninth still knotted up at three. Earl Wilson came in to pitch, getting us three quick outs, and we brought in Sandy Alomar as a pinch hitter and defensive substitute at shorstop to lead off in the bottom of the inning ... alas, he didn�t pick up a hit in his first major league at-bat, and neither did pinch-hitter Roger Maris, batting in place of our pitcher, though Felipe Alou did walk to give us a baserunner. But Flood hit one straight to the right fielder and we were bound for extras.

Dick Kelley came out to pitch in the top of the 10th, and he started strong but with two outs allowed a base hit by Ken Berry that batted in the go-ahead run for the Reds. A groundout to short ended the frame, but sent us up to bat with some work to do. Mack Jones pinch-hit for Torre and made it safely to first off an E5 error, bringing Hank Aaron up to the plate -- but he hit into a double play, and Carty popped out to center. For the first time this year we lost in extra innings, and we�re now halfway throgh the series and still haven�t gotten a win against Cincinnati.

Jarvis had a rough night, allowing eight hits in 5.2 innings, walking one, striking out two and allowing three runs (two earned), but he didn�t get the loss. Niekro remained rock solid, throwing 2.1 innings with a walk, two strikeouts and no hits, improving his ERA to a phenomenal 0.54 through 16.2 innings, and Earl Wilson got us into extras thanks to a no-hit inning of his own. But Kelley came in and allowed two hits and an earned run with one strikeout, taking the loss as he fell to 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA. Each team hit ten times -- ours was led by Alou with three hits, a walk and a run, while Hank Aaron had two hits and an RBI.

Over the course of the afternoon it clouded up and the temperatures dropped into the low 60s with a stiff wind blowing out to left ... hopefully no rain crops up tonight! Ron Reed (3-1, 3.26 ERA, 30.1 IP, 12 K�s, 1.32 WHIP) started the game, facing Cincy�s Joe Nuxhall, 37, who was making his first start of the season -- he was 5-9 for the Reds last year with a 4.08 ERA while throwing more than 114 innings of work. Denis Menke got us a lead in the bottom of the first with a bases-loaded single into right field, but we were disappointed to come out of it with just the one run. Especially when the Reds were easily able to tie it up with an RBI single by Manny Sanguillen in the top of the second. Menke stayed solid though, and batted in another pair of runs with a double in the bottom of the third, sending us into the top of the fourth leading 3-1. Mantilla batted in a run in the bottom of the fourth with a double, but the Reds got one back in the top of the fifth off a Sonny Jackson sac-fly to center. Hank Fischer came in for a quickly tiring Reed with one out and men on first and second, and he got the outs we needed to protect the lead. Mantilla batted in a run with a single into right in the bottom of the sixth, and with one out and a man on first in the top of the seventh we brought in Ray Culp to throw. Unfortunately he was injured pitching to his very first batter -- we got the out, but he strained something in his shoulder and we had to bring in Earl Wilson who got us into the break still leading 5-2. The Reds got two runs back in the top of the eighth thanks to a homer by Sanguillen, but Wilson got us through the frame without conceding the lead. But Mantilla remained red hot, hitting a two-run blast out of right field to get the lead back to three runs in the bottom of the eighth, his second homer of the season! Menke then came up, still with two outs, and hit another two-run blast into the left field seats, extending the lead to five runs via his fourth four-bagger of the year! Phil Gagliano hit a double, driving Roger Maris over to third, and he advanced to the corner when Maris decided to gun for home, scoring our 10th run of the game! Wilson stayed out for the final frame and shut them down efficiently as we won this one 10-4.

Ron Reed, pitching on short rest, gave us 4.1 innings with five hits, two walks, two strikeouts and two earned runs, keeping his ERA at 3.38, while Fisher, who threw two solid innings with two hits, a walk and a strikeout, took the win -- he�s now 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA through his first seven innings of work. Culp only got a single out before leaving with a day-to-day injury, mild shoulder strain, but Earl Wilson pitched the last 2.1 frames and got his first save of the season, with four hits, a walk, two strikeouts and a pair of earned runs that brought his ERA to 4.02. We outhit the Reds 13-11, led by Mantilla (four hits, a walk, two runs, four RBIs) and Menke (three hits, a walk, a run, five RBIs).
 
May 11, 1966: It�s still cool for this time of May in central Georgia, with temps in the upper 50s though the skies have at least cleared. The wind�s still briskly blowing out to left, but nearly 19,000 fans braved the chill to come see if we could even the series with the Reds before they leave town. Mudcat Grant (2-1, 4.03 ERA, 22.1 IP, 6 K�s, 1.21 WHIP) got the start against George Brunet (1-1, 2.10 ERA, 27 K�s, 0.96 WHIP), and our bullpen�s pretty beat-up after the doubleheader, so we need him to give us a solid start, with only Dave Baldwin and Bill Henry available. Luckily Cincinnati�s in the same boat going in. Carty hit us an RBI double in the bottom of the first to get us on the board quickly, and Eddie Matthews hit a grand slam home run with just one out, propelling us to a 5-0 lead thanks to his sixth homer of the year, this one at an opportune moment! Grant batted in a run with a double in the bottom of the fourth, increasing his batting average to .400 through his first 10 at-bats. The Reds spoiled the shutout in the top of the fifth, their pitcher batting in a run with a single on two outs, but Grant got us out of the inning without much difficulty, still leading by five runs. Eddie Mathews wasn�t done showing off, however -- he hit his second homer of the game, this time scoring two runs with a shot over the wall at center, sending us into the top of the sixth leading 8-1. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth, Eddie Mathews walked in another run, the Reds afraid (rightly) of giving him anything to hit, and Roger Maris batted out to center to keep the damage to just the one run. Grant gave up a homer to Ron Fairly that gave the Reds a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, and Mel Queen hit a solo homer moments later as Dave Baldwin warmed in the pen, cutting the lead to five runs. With two outs and the bases empty, Baldwin came in to pitch, getting us into the bottom of the inning still leading by five and he kept it that way the remainder of the way -- we easily beat the Reds this afternoon by a 9-4 margin.

Mudcat Grant improved his record to 3-1 though he did see his ERA rise to 4.34 after allowing seven hits and four earned runs with a walk and no strikeouts through 6.2 innings, throwing a season high 107 pitches. But in only his second bullpen appearance of the season, Dave Baldwin was solid, pitching 2.1 innings and allowing just one hit with a pair of strikeouts, giving him a 2.10 ERA through 3.1 innings. We outhit the Reds 14-8, led by Eddie Mathews who hit twice, walked twice, scored twice and drove in SEVEN RUNS with his homers. But rookie Sandy Alomar quietly had a great night as well, picking up his first three major league hits and scoring a run, while Alou hit twice and scored two runs, bringing his average up to .336 for the season in the leadoff spot.

Next up: four road games over a four day stretch in St. Louis (12-14), and then we can take it a bit easy the following week, with two days off surrounding a pair of road games against Pittsburgh (16-11) and then a four-game weekend series in Atlanta as we host the Cubs (8-19). We have a 21-9 record and lead the Pirates by 3.5 games.

__________________
"Beyond Astrodome" -- The Managerial Career of Dale McGovern -- An OOTP 25 Dynasty

jksander

May 12, 1966: Whitey Ford (5-1, 1.34 ERA, 47.0 IP, 31 K�s, 0.72 WHIP) got the start tonight at Busch Stadium, facing Bob Bruce (0-2, 6.50 ERA, 18.0 IP, 8 K�s, 1.78 WHIP). Joe Torre hit a two-run homer in the top of the third to put us on the board first, his fifth of the season. Ford got a little �loose� in the bottom of the fourth, loading the bases but getting out of it with a fielder�s choice out at second to keep them scoreless. We took our turn loading the bases in the top of the seventh, but came up empty when Torre grounded out to first to send us into the stretch still leading by a pair. Phil Niekro came in for the bottom of the frame, and he immediately had bad luck, giving up back to back hits to Lou Clinton and Tim McCarver to put runners on the corners. He got an out on a fielder�s choice moments later, but Clinton scored a run. We got through the inning without the Cardinals finding a way to tie it up, but this was going to be a tight game from here if we couldn�t find a way to add insurance runs. Earl Wilson came in to pitch in the bottom of the eighth with one out and runners on first and second, striking out Clinton and getting McCarver to hit one out to Gagliano at second base to get us out of the inning safely. Bill Henry came in to pitch in the bottom of the ninth, but though he got the first out with ease, he messed up against pinch-hitter Willie Mays, giving him a big fat fastball which the legend promptly hit for an RBI triple, tying the game and putting everything in jeopardy. A sac-fly to center was all they needed ... Lou Brock delivered, and Mays came loping home as they walked the game off 3-2.

Ford, pitching on four days� rest, gave us six innings of scoreless ball, allowing just two hits with two walks and five strikeouts. He threw 75 pitches and said his arm was feeling stiff so we went to the pen ... Niekro allowed four hits through 1.1 innings, giving up a run (just his second this year) but earning his third hold while throwing 31 pitches and maintaining a 1-run ERA. Wilson then earned a hold by getting us out of the eighth with a strikeout and no hits ... we should have kept him in, but Henry hadn�t pitched in eight days and there was no reason to think he couldn�t handle it. He came out of the game with his second blown save and loss of the year, giving him a 1-2 record and a 3.38 ERA in his 10th appearance. Each team hit eight times, ours led by Alou who had three hits and a run, bringing his average up to .346.

May 13, 1966: Denny Lemaster (2-2, 2.45 ERA, 40.1 IP, 31 K�s, 1.02 WHIP) pitched against Dick Hughes (1-2, 1.94 ERA, 46.1 IP, 33 K�s, 1.01 WHIP) in the second game of this series, on a rainy cool St. Louis night. The Cardinals got out to an early lead thanks to an RBI double by Willie Mays in the bottom of the first, which was not optimal since Dick Hughes was having the game of his life early on and we were struggling to make any offense happen. With two outs in the top of the fourth we got our first baserunner when Hank Aaron singled into right, after which Rico Carty took a walk to give us a runner in scoring position, but Mantilla batted out to first and stifled the rally. Denny Lemaster took a walk to lead off the top of the sixth, still trailing by a run, but Curt Flood hit into a double play and we weren�t able to make anything happen. Hank Aaron doubled to start the top of the seventh, however, and Mantilla tied it up with an RBI single! Denis Menke walked the bases loaded with two outs, and Lemaster stunned everyone by getting a great line drive into center on a full count, driving in two to give us a solid lead heading into the stretch. Lemaster tried to stay out for the bottom of the seventh but immediately surrendered a solo homer to Don Mincher, and we brought in Hank Fischer to pitch with empty bases and no outs. He got three quick outs to get us into the eighth inning still leading by a run, and he held the lead the remainder of the night, staying out to finish the bottom of the ninth as we shut the Cardinals down to win 3-2!

Lemaster lasted through six innings on short rest, allowing four hits and two earned runs while striking out five without a walk -- he�s now 3-2 with a 2.53 ERA. Fisher, meanwhile, picked up a three-inning save, his second of the season, with a hit and two strikeouts as he made it to ten innings this year without an earned run. Each team hit five times tonight, ours led by Hank Aaron with two hits and a run, while Mantilla had a hit, a run and an RBI.
 
May 14, 1966: It�s another rainy, chilly evening in St. Louis, but they still think we can get a game in so here we go ... Ron Reed (3-1, 3.38 ERA, 34.2 IP, 14 K�s, 1.36 WHIP) will be up against Steve Carlton (2-2, 4.01 ERA, 42.2 IP, 17 K�s, 1.43 WHIP). Felipe Alou led off in the top of the fourth with a single into right field, only our second hit of the night, and Curt Flood drove him over to second with a single to give us our first runner in scoring position. Hank Aaron hit a screaming line-drive into right to stretch out an RBI double, and we were the first to get on the board in this tightly-fought contest! Carty grounded out to second but allowed Flood to score, sending us into the bottom of the inning with a 2-0 lead. Willie Mays picked up a triple with one out in the bottom of the fourth, but Joe Adcock hit a pop-out to left field, and Carty was able to get the ball quickly to the cutoff man, holding Mays at third, a popout to second ending the frame without the Cardinals managing to score. But in the bottom of the sixth the Cards got everything back and then some, when Willie Mays hit a three-run blast into the right field seats, his 12th of the year, and we went into the top of the seventh trailing 3-2.

Phil Niekro came in to pitch in the bottom of the seventh, keeping us just close enough to feel we had a chance. In the top of the ninth with one out, down by a run, Sandy Alomar beat out an infield hit to take first, and Denis Menke hit a single in to center that allowed him to move over to third! Mack Jones came in to pinch-hit for Niekro, but he popped out to the catcher, bringing up Alou with everything on the line. He hit a weak squib to short, that should have been an out, but Zollo Versalles bobbled the catch for an error, and Alomar scored the tying run! Curt Flood walked the bases loaded as Bill Henry started warming in the pen, and closer Jim Brewer blew it for the Cards as he walked Hank Aaron, driving in the go-ahead run! Joe Torre grounded out to first to send us into the bottom of the inning with an unexpected one-run lead to protect. Henry allowed a baserunner early by walking the leadoff hitter Mike Shannon, but Tim McCarver grounded out to first, Lou Clinton flew out to left, and Bob Uecker flew out to right, stranding Shannon on second as we stunned the Cardinals 4-3!

Ron Reed gave us six innings with five hits, three earned runs and a pair of walks, giving him a 3.54 ERA through seven starts, while Niekro came in for two innings with just two hits, improving to 3-0 with an 0.90 ERA thanks to the runs we picked up in the top of the ninth! Bill Henry came in and earned his eighth save of the year, walking a batter but improving his ERA to 3.09 in his 11th appearance. We outhit the Cardinals 10-7, led by Hank Aaron with two hits a walk and two RBIs.

We have one game left in this series, and it would be great to come out of there with a series win. Right now we�re 23-10 and have a 2.5 game lead on Pittsburgh, who we�ll face this week on their field, so we can use every win we can get.

May 15, 1966: We got a break from the rain, with partly cloudy skies and mid-60s for the start of this afternoon�s final game at St. Louis, Pat Jarvis (3-0, 4.46 ERA, 36.1 IP, 14 K�s, 1.49 WHIP) starting against Al Jackson (3-1, 2.86 ERA, 28.1 IP, 13 K�s, 1.31 WHIP). Every game in this series has been won or lost by a single run, so we know we�re in for another tough one. But we weren�t ready for Pat Jarvis to strain his biceps muscle in the bottom of the third while he was in the middle of a damned-near perfect start ... forcing us to bring in Earl Wilson cold. Jarvis may be out until the All Star break, and that�s a tough loss so early in the season. Wilson got us out of the third without lettting St. Louis take advantage, but it altered our game plan big time. Hank Aaron hit an RBI single in the top of the fifth to get us a 1-0 lead, and Wilson pitched very well for having been completely unprepared to play a long-relief role this afternoon. But though we were hitting like crazy, we weren�t getting runs around to score, putting pressure on our defense to stay perfect. It wasn�t happening -- the Cardinals got it tied up 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh when Tim McCarver hit an RBI single, and they took the lead moments later off a Moose Stubbing RBI single plus an E8 throwing error that allowed Tim Carver to come all the way around instead of holding at third. At that point the wheels fell off. Joe Morgan hit an RBI single to make it a two-run game, and we had real work to do heading into the top of the eighth. Hank Fischer came in to pitch in the bottom of the eighth with us still trailing by a pair, and he kept it from getting any worse. But they brought in former Astro Hal Woodeshick to close in the top of the ninth, and things looked bleak. With one out, however, we picked up back to back hits by Mathews and Menke, and Sandy Alomar came in to pinch-hit for Fischer, but he hit a flyout to first and they came out of it with the double play, ending the game as a 3-1 loss.

Pat Jarvis had 2.2 innings with two walks, no hits, and improved his ERA to 4.15 before having to leave with the strained triceps muscle, which is likely to sideline him for a good long while. Earl Wilson took the hit, falling to 0-2 with a 4.35 ERA, pitching 4.1 innings with five hits, three earned runs and a strikeout. Fischer then gave us an inning with just one hit, staying perfect through his first seven appearances. What sticks in my craw is we outhit them 13-6 ... there�s no reason our baserunning shouldn�t have netted us more than a single run. Alou hit three times and scored our only run, and Hank Aaron hit once and batted that run in. But Curt Flood hit three times while Carty and Mathews hit twice apiece, and none of them managed to do anything with the bases they took.

We put Jarvis on the 15-day IL, though he�s likely to miss at least five weeks says our trainer, potentially more. We�ve called up Dave McNally, 23, from AAA ... so far he�s gone 3-3 with a 3.62 ERA and 44 K�s while playing in Richmond, though last year after being traded to us from Baltimore, he did go 10-5 with a 2.86 ERA and 80 K�s at the major league level through 18 starts. So he�ll take Jarvis� spot in the starting five, and we know he�s not coming in as a complete unknown. Luckily we have tomorrow off to rest, and we�ll play two games in Pittsburgh and then take another day to rest -- that should help us reset after a difficult stretch.

__________________
"Beyond Astrodome" -- The Managerial Career of Dale McGovern -- An OOTP 25 Dynasty

jksander

May 17, 1966: It�s a mid-May cold one in Pittsburgh, with temps falling into the upper 40s, but at least there�s no rain. Whitey Ford (5-1, 1.19 ERA, 53.0 IP, 36 K�s, 0.72 WHIP) is ready to go against Jim O�Toole (3-1, 3.52 ERA, 30.2 IP, 20 K�s, 1.27 WHIP) in just our third game against the Pirates this season. Hank Aaron got us on the board in the top of the fourth with a solo homer to right, his seventh four-bagger of the year and the 400th of his career! Felipe Alou hit a line drive double to bat in a run in the top of the fifth, and Curt Flood followed with an RBI single to make it a 3-0 ballgame. Flood advanced to second off a balk, so they walked Aaron to avoid another homer. But Joe Torre came out of his next at-bat with an RBI double, giving us a four-run lead heading into the bottom of the inning, with Whitey Ford pitching about as well as he�s ever pitched. The closest Ford got to a jam was in the bottom of the eighth, runners on the corners, but Jimmie Coker grounded into a 5-4-3 double play to keep the scoreless streak alive! Ford stayed out to complete what he started and we shut them out 4-0.

This was Ford�s second win in a row without allowing a run -- he�s now 6-1 with an absolutely insane 1.02 ERA, allowing five hits tonight with five strikeouts. He�s only had seven earned runs all year! We outhit the Pirates 9-5, led by Alou with two hits a run and an RBI, and by Eddie Mathews with two hits and a run. Hank Aaron�s 400th career homer brings his average up to .342 and gives him a .592 slugging percentage along with 2.5 WAR.

May 18, 1966: Denny Lemaster (3-2, 2.53 ERA, 46.1 IP, 36 K�s, 0.97 WHIP) started against Bob Veale (3-2, 2.94 ERA, 49.0 IP, 36 K�s, 1.51 WHIP) in our second game in this short series in Pittsburgh. Lemaster did not have a great start to his game, loading the bases before getting Willie Stargell to bat out to center, a sacrifice that scored the Pirates� first run. A two-out double into right field by Gene Alley added another run to their tally, and a wild pitch drove in a third run. Wonderful! The Pirates are a good team, and spotting them a 3-0 lead after one inning is not exactly smart baseball strategy. Curt Flood hit an RBI triple in the top of the third to get us on the board, but the Pirates hammered us again in the bottom of the inning, Willy Stargell hitting an RBI triple to get back to a three-run lead. Joe Torre scored a run off a wild pitch in the top of the fourth, and with two outs Mantilla scored off another wild pitch, but they picked off Menke at first to get the final out, sending us into the bottom of the fourth still trailing 4-3. But Lemaster remained inconsistent, and Roberto Clemente hit an RBI triple with two outs, keeping the lead further out of our reach. Hank Aaron reached first on an E6 error, driving Felipe Alou in to score in the top of the fifth, and Mantilla batted in the tying run with a single into left field! With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Lemaster gave up an RBI single to Jerry Lumpe, giving them back the lead, and I�d had enough, bringing in Phil Niekro who got us out of the inning trailing 6-5.

Mantilla came up to bat with one out in the top of the seventh and hit a run-scoring double to tie the game up yet again, and when Eddie Mathews reached first on an E4 error, driving in the go-ahead, he was able to take second and drive in both Torre and Mantilla to give us a two-run lead! Niekro stayed in the game and remained rock solid, remaining as close to unhittable as a reliever can, until back to back doubles in the bottom of the eighth got the Pirates a run back -- that�s just his third earned run of the season. Vada Pinson hit an RBI single to tie it up, and we had to bring in Earl Wilson to try and get us into the top of the ninth without giving them a lead. And at that, he failed ... Roberto Clemente hit a goddamned RBI triple before Clendenon finally got the last out and we went into the top of the ninth trailing 9-8. But we were still in this one ... Hank Aaron led off with a single into right field, and Joe Torre took the count to 3-2 before driving Aaron into scoring position with a groundout to first. Mantilla took his base on balls, but Carty hit into a double play and that was the ballgame. We lost this one 9-8 in a slugfest we had multiple opportunities to win.

Denny Lemaster was not sharp tonight -- he only lasted 4.2 innings and allowed nine hits, walked four against three strikeouts, and allowed six earned runs. But he didn�t take the loss, thanks to Niekro, who gave us three excellent innings before getting marred in the eighth, allowing three hits, three earned runs and striking out one as he fell to 3-1 with a 1.96 ERA. Earl Wilson got us our final out, allowing a hit with a strikeout, but we couldn�t get the lead back. The Pirates outhit us 13-11, with Flood leading the way for us with a trio of hits, two runs and an RBI while Mantilla also hit three times, walked once and scored two with a pair of RBIs.

We have a chance to get back into our winning ways as we head back to Atlanta for four games in three days against the Chicago Cubs (9-24), currently the worst team in all of baseball. Our record stands at 24-12, leading the Pirates by 2.5 and the Astros by five. In the American League the White Sox and Yankees are tied at 20-13 for the league lead, with Boston (18-16, 2.5 GB), Minnesota (18-18, 3.5 GB) and Cleveland (17-17, 3.5 GB) all nipping at their heels.

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__________________
"Beyond Astrodome" -- The Managerial Career of Dale McGovern -- An OOTP 25 Dynasty

jksander

May 20, 1966: Ron Reed (3-1, 3.54 ERA, 40.2 IP, 14 K�s, 1.33 WHIP) started our first game against the Cubs, facing Ken Holtzman (0-3, 4.15 ERA, 22 K�s, 1.56 WHIP). The Cubs got going quickly, Leon Wagner hitting a two-run homer (his third of the year) over the right field wall to give them a first-inning lead. Reed loaded the bases, but got out of the inning without any additional runs scoring, though he threw 31 pitches in the process. Mack Jones hit an RBI single in the bottom of the second, and Menke hit a solo blast out of center field in the bottom of the fourth (his fifth of the season) to tie it all up! Denis Menke then hit an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth that scored two and propelled us into the lead. Mudcat Grant came in as a pinch-hitter with two outs, hitting one right through the gap to drive in another run with a single, and then stayed in to pitch in the seventh. He got two quick outs and then Len Gabrielson hit his second homer of the season, cutting our lead quickly to just a single run. Grant stayed out and got us through the eighth, and we went into the top of the ninth still leading by a run and needing just three quick outs to end this one. Bill Henry came in to pitch and immediately gave up a double to pinch hitter Jerry May. Clete Boyer popped one out to right field and Jeremy Northrup popped out to left, bringing up Leon Wagner ... who dropped a hit into center field, driving in the tying run. F---! Ken Fischer came in to relieve Henry with just one out needed to get us into the bottom of the frame. He struck Len Gabielson out swinging and we came up to bat with Hank Aaron leading off. Three quick outs from him, Torre and Mantilla and this one was headed for extras.

The top of the 10th went terribly ... the Cubs took a two-run lead thanks to a double by Mike Fiore that was followed by a single by Jimmy Stewart, and we melted down from there, going into the bottom of the frame trailing 9-5. But Hank Fischer loaded the bases with a single, bringing up the top of our order and still dangling tantalizing hope in front of us. Alou hit into a fielder�s choice and they got the out at home, but Curt Flood hit a single into center to cut the deficit to three. But Hank Aaron, with the count full against him, popped one up harmlessly to center and we lost this one 9-6, one of the most embarrassing losses of my managerial career.

Reed lasted six innings with seven hits, a walk, two strikeouts and two earned runs, improving his ERA to 3.47, and Mudcat Grant held it for two innings with one hit and two unearned runs. Henry blew his third save of the year and Fischer proved he was human after all, allowing five hits and four earned runs in his 1.1 innings, striking out one and walking another. His record is now 1-1 with a 2.92 ERA through 12.1 innings and eight appearances. Chicago outhit us 15-12, but five of those were in extra innings. Ten players on our team picked up hits, but Menke was our dominant offensive force, hitting three times and walking once to score twice and drive in three.

May 21, 1966: From April 24th through May 5th we won 11 games in a row. Since May 6th we�ve gone 6-8, which definitely has me concerned about our morale. Dave McNally will be making his first MLB start of the season since being promoted from AAA, going up against Lew Krausse (2-1, 4.12 ERA, 19.2 IP, 9 K�s, 1.32 WHIP), and we�re hopeful he can give us a solid five innings at the very least before we end up having to go to the bullpen. But we blew a great scoring opportunity in the bottom of the first, leaving the bases loaded, and in the top of the second the Cubs pounced on McNally, scoring a run off a Jimmy Stewart double, and with two outs Stewart scored thanks to an RBI single by Krausse, their pitcher. Eddie Mathews got us a solo homer into the right field seats to get on the board in the bottom of the inning, his eighth this season, but the Cubs walked in a bases-loaded run in the top of the third to get it right back to a two-run lead. Mantilla batted in a run with a single in the bottom of the fourth, but the Cubs replied yet again, Tito Francona hitting a solo bomb out of right, his third of the year, to put them up 4-2. Dick Kelley came in to pitch in the top of the sixth, but he too couldn�t seem to stop the Cubs� offense. Clete Boyer hit an RBI double to add to our trouble, and it just kept getting worse. By the time we got into the bottom of the inning we trailed by four runs and Kelley had thrown more than 30 pitches. With tomorrow�s doubleheader upcoming, this wasn�t looking good at all. Ray Culp came in to pitch in the seventh, and in the bottom of the inning we loaded the bases only for Hank Aaron to pop out harmlessly to center field. Mantilla hit a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth, cutting their lead to three runs, but the Cubs got the run back in the top of the ninth plus three more for good measure. We didn�t even put up a fight in the bottom of the final inning, losing this one 10-3 and looking like absolute crap out there.

McNally started his season out 0-1 with an abysmal 7.20 ERA, allowing eight hits and four earned runs with three walks and two strikeouts through five innings. But no one else did any better -- Kelley lasted one inning and allowed four hits, two runs and got one strikeout, crashing his ERA to 6.11, and Culp did what Culp does best, coming out and eating up mop-up innings to save arms for tomorrow�s doubleheader. He allowed seven hits, four earned runs, a walk and a strikeout, keeping his ERA at 12.46. But our offense was equally terrible tonight, getting outhit 19-11 ... but even with 11 hits, we only managed to score three times, leaving the bases loaded twice. Mantilla did what he could, hitting twice and walking once for a run and two RBIs, and Eddie Mathews hit twice for two runs and an RBI. But the top five guys in our lineup combined for five empty hits and an empty walk, six baserunners to nowhere. That�s what I call a rally-killer right there.With five players on our team currently hitting .300 or better, it�s as though they all decided to go ice cold at the same time. Absolutely brutal.

We�re 5-5 in our last ten and riding a three-game losing streak, so let�s go ahead and play two games tomorrow! Sounds like a winning plan.
 
May 22, 1966: Whitey Ford (6-1, 1.02 ERA, 62.0 IP, 41 K�s, 0.69 WHIP) started the first of our two games this afternoon, facing Lee Stange (1-3, 4.25 ERA, 29.2 IP, 14 K�s, 1.11 HWIP). And this time we didn�t waste any time ... Alou, Flood and Torre each picked up singles, and Hank Aaron came up like he had a bazooka in his hand instead of a bat, powering a grand slam into the left field seats. That�ll wake �em up! And it was like someone turned the spigot on and started flooding the field with hits ... Sandy Alomar drove in a fifth run with a sac-fly to center, and Ford completed the inning with a strikeout to complete our run through the order, going into the second inning with a commanding 5-0 lead! Hank Aaron hit an RBI double in the top of the second to add another run, and though Ford gave up some hits, he remained impossible to score against. Eddie Mathews hit a solo bomb out of right to make it 7-0 in the bottom of the sixth, and Alou added another run with a one-out double. Curt Flood grounded out to first but allowed a ninth run to score before the Cubs were able to end the inning. Menke grounded out to first in the bottom of the seventh to add another run, and with one out in the bottom of the eighth Joe Torre batted in another with an RBI double. Hank Aaron walked the bases loaded, but they got out of it with a double play. Whitey Ford stayed in to complete the game, and with two outs secured, he finally gave up a pair of runs off a Felix Milan homer, snapping a scoreless streak that goes back through part of four games. But he got us the final out and we won 11-2, preserving the bullpen for the second game of the afternoon.

Whitey Ford improved to 7-1 with another complete game, allowing just seven hits with two earned runs, three walks and two strikeouts. He now has a 1.14 ERA through his first nine starts, which is incredible! It helped that we outhit them 16-7, led by Hank Aaron with two hits, two walks, a run and five RBIs, while Alou added three hits three runs and an RBI, and Eddie Mathews put up three hits a run and an RBI.

Ford going the distance in game one left us room to start Earl Wilson (0-2, 4.29 ERA, 21.0 IP, 8 K�s, 1.33 WHIP) in a bullpen game for the second, to give Denny Lemaster an extra day of rest. He pitched against Fergie Jenkins (2-4, 4.97 ERA, 50.2 IP, 29 K�s, 1.46 WHIP). And as much offense was we put up in the early game, the opposite held true in the afternoon one, as neither team was able to find any scoring opportunities early on. Thankfully we got efficient innings from Wilson, who finished the sixth inning with just 61 pitches thrown. The Cubs got on the board in the top of the seventh with a solo homer by Leon Wagner, and with two outs they got a second run thanks to an RBI double by Jimmy Stewart. We brought Phil Niekro in to get the final out, but now had some work to do if we didn�t want to blow this one. But Eddie Mathews got us back into the game singlehandedly, hitting his 10th homer of the year to score three and put us right back in the lead as we headed into the top of the eighth. Niekro got an out in the top of the inning, then proceeded to load the bases with a hit, a walk and a f---ing balk, before we got sucked into a 49 minute rain delay. Hank Fischer came in to try and get us through with the lead intact, but Len Gabrielson hit into a fielder�s choice that still allowed the tying run to score. In the bottom of the eighth with two outs, Hank Aaron reached base on an error, taking second thanks to the E5 error and allowing Denis Menke to score the go-ahead! Fischer stayed out to complete the remainder of the game and we held tough to win 4-3!

Earl Wilson was excellent in his first start of the season, lasting 6.2 innings with five hits, two earned runs and four strikeouts, improving his ERA to 3.90. Phil Niekro got two outs but walked two, struck out one and allowed an earned run, though it was Fischer who allowed the run to come around. He blew the save, but came out of the game with the win, improving to 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA thanks to a no-hit night in his 1.2 innings after the rain delay. Each team hit five times in this game, our team led by Eddie Mathews with a hit, a run and three RBIs thanks to his homer.

The two wins tonight helped us maintain our three game lead on the 21-15 Pirates. We�re now 26-14 heading into a week of road games, first a trio against Philly (20-18) and then three at Chicago (11-26), before we return home to finish the month with a pair at home against the Dodgers (19-19). I�ve decided to send Ray Culp back down to AAA to get more experience under his belt, and we�ve called up Clay Carroll, 25, to join the bullpen -- so far through 27.2 innings of AAA ball, he�s put up a 2-2 record with a 3.58 ERA, eight saves, 24 K�s and a 1.12 WHIP).

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"Beyond Astrodome" -- The Managerial Career of Dale McGovern -- An OOTP 25 Dynasty