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Circuit Clouts
May 1, 1996 • Opening Day Edition
May 1, 1996 • Opening Day Edition
East W L GB R RA
Keystone 17 11 - 10 15
Havana 16 12 1 5 9
Manhattan 16 12 1 11 4
Washington 15 13 2 13 3
Brooklyn 15 13 2 8 5
Boston 14 14 3 7 11
Toronto 13 15 4 3 17
Montreal 13 15 4 14 15
Florida 8 20 9 18 12
West W L GB R RA
Cleveland 18 10 - 1 7
Atlanta 16 12 2 6 1
Chicago 15 13 3 2 13
St. Louis 15 13 3 15 2
Los Angeles 15 13 3 4 5
Detroit 12 16 6 9 18
Denver 12 16 6 17 8
Seattle 11 17 7 16 10
Minneapolis 11 17 7 12 14
Explosive Barons Power to 1st
Delgado Leads Top Offense
The Cleveland Barons bludgeoned the opposition in April, scoring 9.8 runs per game with an .853 team OPS. RF Carlos Delgado won Batter of the Month honors after batting .404-13-36 with a 1.307 OPS. The 23-year-old Puerto Rican right fielder was torrid out of the gate, slugging .564-7-23 with a 1.805 OPS in his first 10 games.
The Barons hit double digits six times during the month, including a 10-8, 13-3, and 12-5 wins in the first four games of the season. Sophomore shortstop Alex Rodriguez hit .301-4-28, .805; and CF Jim Edmonds hit .371-9-22, 1.131.
The move from Municipal Stadium to Johnny Podres Field has been a happy one for Cleveland hitters. The Barons scored 5.1 runs per game last year after averaging 3.6 the previous decade. The cavernous "Mistake by the Lake" was on of three pitchers' parks decommissioned in the last two years. San Francisco's Seals Stadium was left behind when the Spiders moved to Minneapolis, and most recently, the Chicago Colts have returned to Wrigley Field after a 36-year run at Comiskey Park. Scoring was up 30 percent to 4.9 runs per game last year, the fourth highest in league history, and figures to increase again this season.
Downs Tosses No-Hitter
Toppers' 4th Starter Shines
ATLANTA (Apr. 4) — In a rotation with Pedro Martinez, Fernie Valenzuela, and Dwight Gooden, it was fourth starter Kelly Downs who turned in the season's first pitching gem. Downs, a 34-year-old righthander, shut down the Florida Flamingos with a no-hit, eight-strikeout day in his first start as a Hilltopper.
Downs was 113-104 with six different clubs in his first 10 seasons and joined Atlanta on a five-year contract in the offseason. Downs is the fourth pitching in club history with a no-hitter, joining Johnny Antonelli (1959), Pedro Martinez (1994), and Ed Whitson (1994).
Opening Day 1996
Opening Day 1996
STL 4, ATL 1
Bret Saberhagen shone in his Maroons debut, tossing 5+ shutout innings, and Chipper Jones was 3-for-4 with a homer in his new cleanup role, as the host rolled to a 4-1 win over Pedro Martinez.
SEA 5, DET 4, 10 inn.
Johnny Damon's 10th inning homer won the game for the visiting Rainiers after Joey Hamilton and three relievers held the Griffins to seven singles and a double. #1 overall pick Nomar Garciaparra doubled in his first UL at bat and 16-year veteran Jesse Barfield collected three hits.
CHI 4, FLO 3
At the first UL game in Wrigley Field since 1959, Peter Vays' new club rallied for a 4-3 win after falling behind 0-3 after Glenallen Hill's two-run shot in the fourth. Steve Cooke beat Mike Mussina, fanning 10 in seven innings. Albert Belle and Gary Sheffield homered for the Ponies.
KEY 6, DEN 4
Tim Salmon spoiled Joe Magrane's 14ers debut, launching a first inning grand slam to silence the Ralph Carr Field faithful. Denver rallied and tied it up in the fourth on Luis Gonzalez' two-run homer, but the Starlings pulled away with an RBI single by Mike Stanley in the sixth and a run-scoring error by Mark McLemore in the eighth. Leadoff man Tim Raines was 4-for-4 with two doubles for the hosts.
MIN 4, LA 3
The Foxes plated two in the first and never trailed. A nervous Greg Swindell beaned Bernie Williams then walked Chris Gomez on four pitches to start the game. Garret Anderson homered twice, both solo pokes, and Frank Thomas homered for the Outlaws, who began their title defense with a loss.
WAS 10, MON 0
At Griffith Stadium, Mike Mason went the distance, shutout out the Canoeists while scattering eight hits. The first-year Monument got plenty of run support, with Ryne Sandberg delivering a three-run home in his first at-bat and new CF Lenny Dykstra driving in three.
BOS 5, MAN 4
The visiting Federals blew a 4-3 lead in the 8th, but then won it in the 9th. Sox ace Andy Pettitte was solid, allowing just one earned run in 7+ frames, but Heathy Slocumb was leaky, allowing runs in the final two innings, including Mike Piazza's game-winning solo shot. Ed Sprague was 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles in a losing effort.
BRO 3, HAV 2, 13 inn.
After falling behind 0-2 in the second, Brooklyn's pitchers shut out Havana for 11 innings before Geronimo Pena's game-winning double in the 13th ended the game. Havana ace Shane Reynolds struck out six and allowed just two runs in nine innings.
CLE 10, TOR 8, 11 inn.
Fans at Johnny Podres Field got their money's worth in a wild one. The game saw six lead changes, 27 hits, including five doubles, a triple, and three homers. The game was 5-5 going into the 8th, when Toronto scored three on a Cory Snyder blast off Sergio Valdez (not to be confused with Ismael Valdez, who was chased in the 5th). With their backs against the wall in the bottom of the 9th, the Barons responded with three runs on a Dion James sac fly, Jim Edmonds single, and Alex Rodriguez single, then won it two innings later when Edmonds hit a two-run shot off Rene Arocha.
West Division
West Division
East Division
East Division
The B's are 11-5 at home, including a season-opneing sweep of Toronto. Three batters are hitting over .350: Delgado (.404), Jim Edmonds (.371), and Dion James (.354). Doug Henry has 3 saves and a 0.75 ERA in 12 games.
The Starlings lead the division despite ranking 10th in runs and 15th in runs against. Their 24 home runs rank 16th and Jeff Bagwell has just two. They were 7-0 Apr. 19-25, including sweeps of Montreal and Chicago.
The Red Blobs' rotation is finally doing what it should. Atlanta ranks #1 in starting pitching (3.45), strikeouts, and pWAR. Defending Cy Young winner Pedro Martinez was 4-1, 1.62 in April and leads the league in ERA, Ks, and WAR. The offense ranks 6th and four-time batting champion Tony Gwynn leads the league with a .429 average.
Havana's hot start was fueled by their 5th-ranked offense, led by Bip Roberts (.358), Matt Lawton (7 HR), and Raffy Palmeiro (25 RBI). Veteran righthander Mike Morgan was 4-1, 2.34 in his first six Leones starts.
The Colts are 13-2 at Wrigley and 2-11 on the road. Their #2-ranked offense features five .300 hitters, led by Gary Sheffield (.400-9-26, 1.233). Mike Henneman is taking well to the closer role (6 SV, 2.38 ERA)
The surprising Sox are 10-6 at home, have the best bullpen, and rank in the top 5 in batting average, OBP, stolen bases, bWAR, ERA, and runs allowed. Jon Nunnally—the pundits choice for worst cleanup hitter in the league—is hitting .337-7-22, 1.052, and SS Tony Graffanino (.316) is 3rd in rookie batting.
Fourth starter Jim Gott (4-0, 2.48) is leading the circuit's second best pitching staff and closer Mark Wohlers co-leads with 9 saves. Chipper Jones hit just .194 in his first 23 games, but hit 10-17 (.588) in his last four.
The Mons rank 3rd in pitching and have the 2nd best rotation. Tom Glavine (3-1, 1.82) is 2nd in ERA, and new arrival Roger Clemens is 3-1 in his first 5 starts. At age 35, future Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg (.304-6-15, .919) is batting 15 points and OPSing 75 higher than his career averages.
The defending champs have struggled at home (7-9), including series losses to MPS, DEN, MAN, and TOR. Frank Thomas' 13 HR, 34 RBI in April ranks as one of the best batting months in UL history. From Apr. 5-11, he homered in 7 of 8 games driving in 18 runs.
After starting 5-9, the Bas are 10-4. New RF Mike Greenwell leads the club with a .333 average and 38-year-old fifth starter Charlie Lea is 3-1, 2.18 in 5 starts.
The Flyin' Lions rotation ranks dead last with a 6.24 ERA. Biggest culprit? Alex Fernandez (9.23 ERA with a 1.75 WHIP). Not to be outdone, RP Yorkis Perez has a 9.95 ERA in 11 appearances. Jeff Treadway's .407 average is 2nd in the league.
Jon Lieber, Julian Tavarez, and Kenny Rogers are a combined 9-2, 2.82 in 17 starts, giving the Feds the 4th best starting rotation. Mike Piazza is the UL's WAR leader (2.0) with a .380 average, 9 HR, and 1.191 OPS.
Denver's offense ranks next-to-last, thanks in part to new SS Barry Larkin's .188-0-2 first month. Veteran LF Tim Raines leads the club with a .357 average, 19 RBI, and 0.9 WAR.
The P-Bears already have four batters with at least 6 HR (36 HR pace), led by Cory Snyder's 8. Eric Karros (.360-7-21, 1.145) is pacing the offense. #4 and #5 starters Kirk McCaskill and Larry Luebbers both have ERAs over 7.00.
SS Nomar Garciaparra took Rookie of the Month honors with a .315-5-15, .940 OPS. The #1 overall pick had a 3-for-5, 4-RBI day in his third UL game Apr. 3.
After an 8-14 start, the Canoeists won five of their last six, including Steve Avery's last two starts. Sophomore 3B Edgardo Alfonzo leads the club with a .340 average and #2 overall pick Vladi Guerrero hit six homers in his first month.
CF Garrett Anderson leads the Foxes with a .330 average, 8 HR, and 22 RBI. He hit a grand slam off Dwight Gooden in a 7-5 at Atlanta Apr. 14.
Florida's .221 average and .621 OPS ranked dead last, with Brad Ausmus (.160) and Terry Jones (.169) being particulary anemic. Steve Karsay notched five saves with a 0.00 ERA in 8 appearances.
League Leaders
League Leaders
Batting Average
Tony Gwynn ATL .429
Jeff Treadway DET .407
Carlos Delgado CLE .404
Gary Sheffield CHI .400
Mike Piazza BOS .380
Jim Edmonds CLE .371
Frank E Thomas LA .365
Eric Karros TOR .360
Bip Roberts HAV .358
Tim Raines DEN .357
RBIs
Carlos Delgado CLE 36
Frank E Thomas LA 34
Mike Piazza BOS 29
Alex Rodriguez CLE 28
Tim Salmon KEY 26
Gary Sheffield CHI 26
Rafael Palmeiro HAV 25
Mike Stanley KEY 25
Kevin Seitzer HAV 24
Matt Williams BRO 24
Infield Zone Rating
Tony Batista STL 7.0
Tony Graffanino MAN 6.9
Rey Ordonez BOS 5.0
Jay Bell CHI 4.2
Eric Young FLO
Home Runs
Carlos Delgado CLE 13
Frank E Thomas LA 13
Jim Edmonds CLE 9
Mike Piazza BOS 9
Gary Sheffield CHI 9
Matt Williams BRO 9
Garret Anderson MPS 8
Ken Griffey Jr BRO 8
Cory Snyder TOR 8
bWAR
Mike Piazza BOS 2.0
Gary Sheffield CHI 2.0
Carlos Delgado CLE 1.8
Frank E Thomas LA 1.8
Jim Edmonds CLE 1.6
Eric Davis LA 1.6
Jim Thome BOS 1.5
Rondell White ATL 1.5
Tony Graffanino MAN 1.5
Eric Karros TOR 1.4
Outfield Zone Rating
Stan Javier LA 5.5
Michael Tucker STL 4.9
Darin Erstad DEN 4.3
Ken Griffey Jr BRO 3.9
F.P. Santangelo MAN 3.9
Earned Run Average
Pedro Martinez ATL 1.62
Tom Glavine WAS 1.82
Darryl Kile ATL 2.06
Charlie Lea BRO 2.18
Mike Morgan HAV 2.34
Joey Hamilton SEA 2.37
Jim Gott STL 2.48
Jon Lieber BOS 2.50
Salomon Torres CLE 2.51
J. Isringhausen MPS 2.66
Strikeouts
Pedro Martinez ATL 53
Steve Cooke CHI 44
Tom Glavine WAS 44
Mike Mussina FLO 39
Greg Swindell LA 37
Jon Lieber BOS 36
Shane Reynolds HAV 36
Darryl Kile ATL 34
Matt Beach LA 33
Erik Hanson BOS 32
Wins
Toby Borland CLE 4
Jim Gott STL 4
Darryl Kile ATL 4
Pedro Martinez ATL 4
Mike Morgan HAV 4
Don Robinson TOR 4
Greg Swindell LA 4
Floyd Youmans LA 4
pWAR
Pedro Martinez ATL 2.1
Jon Lieber BOS 1.7
Tom Glavine WAS 1.4
Darryl Kile ATL 1.3
Don Robinson TOR 1.2
Steve Cooke CHI 1.1
Greg Swindell LA 1.1
Fern Valenzuela ATL 1.0
Charlie Lea BRO 1.0
Scott Sanderson CLE 0.9
Awards
Awards
Batter of the Month
APR Carlos Delgado CLE
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
Pitcher of the Month
APR Pedro Martinez ATL
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
Rookie of the Month
APR N. Garciaparra ATL
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
Player of the Week
4/8 Carlos Delgado CLE
4/15 Frank Thomas LA
4/22 Jon Nunnally MAN
4/29 Mike Piazza BOS
5/6
5/13
5/20
5/27
6/3
6/10
6/17
6/24
7/1
7/8
7/15
7/22
7/29
8/5
8/12
8/19
8/26
9/2
9/9
9/16
9/23
9/30
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