SHL Expansion One: Walk-offs in Houston, an Identity Crisis in Arlington

This week featured the first inter-divisional games for the Expansion One division of the  Seamheads Historical League , with  Houston  squaring off against the  Mets  and the  Rangers  meeting the  Angels . Given the current jumble in the standings, this was an excellent chance to sort the wheat from the chaff, the contenders from the pretenders.

The first Angels-Rangers matchup featured two 1970s stalwarts, Frank Tanana for the visitors and Gaylord Perry for the home team. Tanana has been struggling in the early going, and things did not improve in this outing, as Washington/Texas pounced on the lefty for six runs in the second inning. After a walk to Rafael Palmeiro and singles by Milton Bradley, Hank Blalock, Ian Kinsler and Al Oliver, Alex Rodriguez lined a deep three-run homer to clear the bases. A-Rod went 2-4 on the day also knocking a triple, and Al Oliver was 5-5 with a double, a home run and four runs scored. On the other side of the ball, Perry was at his slippery best, going eight innings and striking out 14 beleaguered Angels, second most in the young season behind Nolan Ryan’s 15 Ks for Houston on April 5. The  final score was 10-1 .

With this latest setback, one might expect the morale to be low in California, but the Angels bounced back the next night with a nicely balanced offensive attack. Nine different players scored in  the 10-6 pounding , which was highlighted by Tony Phillips’ pinch-hit grand slam in the seventh inning. Andy Messersmith pitched acceptably, and Jose Arredondo defused a ninth inning threat to secure the victory. For the Rangers, Rafael Palmeiro went 3-4 with his sixth home run, raising his batting average to .420.

After two nights of offensive fireworks, the rubber match was a a  highly anticipated pitchers’ duel  between two of the game’s most feared hurlers: Nolan Ryan and Nolan Ryan. Ranger Ryan allowed just two hits in seven innings, striking out nine and walking four, but he couldn’t match Angel Ryan, who lasted eight innings and matched his nemesis with nine strikeouts. In the end, the outcome was decided in the bullpens, as Orlando Cabrera hit a two-out double off of Akinori Otsuka in the top of the ninth, scoring Brian Downing to account for the game’s only run.

Not only did the Angels secure two badly needed victories, they also got a big lift from recently promoted Frank Robinson, who had been hitting the cover off the ball in Salt Lake City. Robinson started the middle game of the series in left field, going 3-4 with 2 RBIs. He and Doug DeCinces, the other new Angel, could play a large role in turning this club around.

As for the Rangers, their main problem is  on the mound . No pitcher on their staff has a WHIP under 1.30, and they’ve allowed more runs (104) than any other team in the league. On the positive side, Alex Rodriguez may be showing signs of breaking out of his early season slump; this team badly needs production from him as well as his fellow underperforming sluggers Juan Gonzalez, Ivan Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Hank Blalock.

Elsewhere in the Lone Star State, the Astros were hosting the Mets in a match-up of first and second place teams. In the first game, Houston got a wretched performance from Roger Clemens, who allowed three runs in each of the first two innings and was pulled in the third. The Mets did their damage with a barrage of base hits, led by Darryl Strawberry and Carlos Beltran. The Astros did not fold, however, picking up tallies in the third and fifth innings, then scoring three runs in the eighth to make it a one-run game. After the Mets went quietly in the top of the ninth, Billy Wagner was summoned to save the victory for David Cone, who allowed ten hits in eight innings with ten strikeouts and only one walk. All, unfortunately, for naught: Miguel Tejada led off with a double, Dickie Thon followed with a single, and Craig Biggio broke the tension with a dramatic walk-off three-run homer, sending the the crowd home happy with  an 8-6 victory . Biggio finished with three hits in five at-bats, also including a double in the eighth to help set up his later heroics.

In game two, the Mets sent Jerry Koosman to the hill to face off against Houston’s Mike Scott. Both men were effective out of the gate, allowing a combined four hits through the first four innings. The two teams traded pairs of runs in the fifth, but Houston scored a single tally in each of the next three innings to establish a 5-2 lead after eight innings. In the Mets’ last ups, Darryl Strawberry set himself up as the hero with a clutch three-run homer off reliever Dave Smith, tying the game at five and sending the Houston fans to the edge of their collective seat. Unfortunately for the Metropolitans, the home team was up to the challenge, this time at the expense of Randy Myers. Playing the role of Craig Biggio was ‘El Caballo,’ Carlos Lee, who smacked an 0-1 offering deep into the night, giving Houston its  second straight ninth inning victory . For the Astros, Jeff Kent was 3-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored, while Darryl Strawberry led the Mets’ offense with three hits for five RBIs, giving him 20 on the season.

A victory on Thursday night would have given Houston a series sweep and a share of first place in the division. Unfortunately, sloppy defense and timely New York hitting put the kibosh on any grand plans they may have held. Jose Reyes hit a bases-loaded triple in the seventh and Tom Seaver pitched seven strong innings, despite not having his usual command, as the  Mets won 7-2 . Howard Johnson and Edgardo Alfonso both had two hits for the Mets, and Seaver gave up just three hits in addition to five walks.

Houston’s downfall in the finale was the same it has been all season, namely defense. They committed three errors in the game,  giving them 30 in 18 games ; the team with the second-most errors, Boston, has 20. Fortunately for management, the problem is easy to trace, as Miguel Tejada has committed a whopping 17 by his lonesome. By way of comparison, there are fourteen TEAMS in the league that  haven’t yet reached that number of errors . Considering that he’s only hitting .200/.233/.364, with two walks and twelve strikeouts, it’s not clear what he’s contributing to the team. Unless Tejada can improve drastically, at the plate and on the field, it may be necessary to call up Mark Loretta, who’s getting on base at a .415 clip at Triple-A. That would remove a lot of potential power from the lineup, but would be a considerable boost for the defense, as Loretta has committed just one error in eight games.

The Mets, despite losing two games, look strong. Darryl Strawberry has been a machine on offense, and Jose Reyes has already stolen 13 bases and hit four triples.  The offense is well-balanced , with almost all the regulars hitting over .300. On the mound, Tom Seaver has gotten little support from the other starters, but help could be on the way: Bret Saberhagen, pitching for the Buffalo Bisons,  has struck out 37 men in as many innings  while walking only three. In his last four starts, all victories, Saberhagen has allowed 20 hits in 34 innings, giving up four runs, two walks, and striking out 29. Indeed, the Mets have one of the best assemblages of minor league pitching in all the game; s ources suggest  that every member of their Triple-A staff could contribute right now in the Big Apple. If and when the team chooses to tap that strength, it should be able to open up a bit of a lead in this weak division.