1916 BBW Replay Week 18 Summary - August 7-August 13, 1916

Week Eighteen of the 1916 BBW Replay is in the books, and it was another week of shutouts, extra-inning games, and, when you least expect it, an occasional blowout. The week started with the AL East teams in the Midwest, with the opposite arrangement for the NL teams, but the week ended with all Eastern teams back East and with all Midwestern teams back in the Midwest, but only for a few days because another cross-country trip is looming. There were plenty of doubleheaders this past week - the Boston Braves had four of them - but with only eight weeks remaining, Boston and three of the NL counterparts still have not played 100 games yet. They are close, but time is starting to run out, and there are still a lot of games to be squeezed in.

In the AL, Boston remains atop the standings, as it ended the week with a 7.0-game lead over Detroit. In mid-week, Detroit had whittled it down to 5.5 games, but Boston finished strong with a four-game winning streak to help secure their lead. I am not sure Detroit has what it takes to catch Boston, but manager Hughie Jennings is doing everything he can to exhort his team on to victory.

 

Washington and New York are fighting for third place, with either team unlikely to catch Detroit. Both teams do want to finish ahead of the other, so I am expecting some lively games as we get closer to the end. St. Louis ended the week with three wins over Cleveland and finds itself at .500 for the season. Both St. Louis and Chicago have been fighting to reach the .500 mark for the past month and being able to get close but then slide backwards is frustrating for both teams and fans.

 

Cleveland has remained a mystery. Tris Speaker is the big stud in the middle of their lineup, but they just can't get hot and stay hot. They ended their week losing three in a row to St. Louis, which removed any gains they had accomplished in the week prior. Cleveland is in seventh place, but is comfortable in the fact they know they go any lower. Philadelphia has had the cellar position in the AL wrapped up almost from the beginning of the season. The replay A's have three more wins than the actual A's at this point in the season, but this was definitely a long season for Connie Mack and the Philadelphia fans in either case.

 

In the NL, Brooklyn is cruising along with an 11.5-game lead over both Philadelphia and Cincinnati. Nothing seems to faze them - even when they do lose a game or two, they turn around and make it right back up. At the end of this upcoming week, the Robins will venture out on a 29-game road trip through all seven NL cities. This may offer some hope to those teams behind them in the standings, but Brooklyn has a better road record than it does at home, and with that lead, they should be OK. Note - among those road games, several will be played in New York at the Polo Grounds, so they count as road games, but the Robins players will get an opportunity to spend a few days at home with the wife and kiddies in there somewhere.

 

Philadelphia leads Cincinnati by a few percentage points, as their charge up the standings has taken them from the basement up towards the penthouse. Can they keep it now that they have it? They are in a tough spot, as Cincinnati has been a surprise contender all season, and New York and Boston sit immediately behind them. Boston, in fifth place, is only 2.5 games behind the Phillies and the Reds, so any of these teams is close enough to strike, even if that means not being able to catch Brooklyn.

 

The other NL news from this past week is that Pittsburgh was able to climb out of the cellar past St. Louis. This included not only going on a bit of a hot streak, but also sweeping a doubleheader versus the Cardinals to end the week. The question of whether they can keep it now that they have it remains, but it brought some level of cheer to the loyal Pirates fans.

Teams are still searching for good young ballplayers in the minors to acquire and give an opportunity to, so players are still coming and going. Some players you may have heard of, some not, but it is their opportunity to play ball in the major leagues. Also in the past few weeks, the number of players with bumps and bruises has begun to accumulate, and a few off days of recovery are sometimes required. This has required teams to make some curious lineup adjustments, with left-handed George Sisler getting a pair of starts at third base for St. Louis as an example. The trick is how to maintain lineup stability while at the same time working in a minor league acquisition or two, or to give the injured player the needed rest while not submarining the rest of the team. Pennant races may be more or less decided, but there are still plenty of races farther down the standings yet to be decided.

 

You know what all this means - let's go play!

 


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