The Buttery Buzzsaw, Montgomery Baseball History, Numbers Game

 

A flaky, home baked, steaming hot buttery buzzsaw. That's what this Montgomery Biscuits club has been so far, chalking up victory after victory and able to dismantle Southern League opponents with five different weapons: hitting, pitching, defense, mojo and swagger.

Mojo and swagger, not technically a metric for analytics but certainly part of the eye test and this Biscuits squad is leading the league in both. The Gumpskitz look to keep the good times rolling at home with a ten game homestand against Pensacola and Biloxi. 

So far the Biscuits hurlers have combined for one no hitter and are chucking a combined ERA under 4.00, good for third in the circuit, which longtime Montgomery fans have rarely seen in early season stats. "Give the bullpen time to gel" has been the annual mantra through the end of May as long as most of us can remember. But these guys have turned the tables, pitching top shelf stuff and looking good doing it.

The Biscuits haven't even needed an opener in the first three series! 

 

THERE GOES JOE

Joe LaSorsa was promoted to Durham, continuing a tradition of not making it thru the series that the coverboys face adorns the program cover for. At least this guy went the right direction!

MANFREDS TREATED BALLS

The Southern League this year is using pre-tacked baseballs. Well, they are pre-tacked but they aren't exactly pre-tacked baseballs. What I mean is, the balls are normal MLB standard orbs. But in order to improve grip they have been sprayed with a chemical treatment developed by 3M and MLB in an experiment that would end the tradition of using mud to rub baseball before the game.

Upsides include better grip, more uniform application, makes baseball extra white

Downsides include short-lasting, sometimes spray obscures logo, makes baseball extra white

 

NUMBERS GAME

Graham Spraker

Biscuits pitchers are punching out opponents at a rate of over 12 per nine innings and are tied for fewest free passes in the league.

1.249 Biscuits pitchers lead the Southern League in WhIP.

32 203 .762 Biscuits hitters lead the league in stolen bases, total bases, OPS

6  Stolen bases thru fifteen games for Greg Jones and Ronny Simon, tied for third in the SL.

Heriberto Hernandez has more walks (11) than hits (10).

Starter Sean Hunley has been posting eye-popping numbers through three starts, allowing just one earned in 13 innings while punching out 17 against only six hits and has yet to allow a free pass. 

Want more eye popping strikeout numbers? Montgomery reliever Mike Mercado has whiffed 13 men thru just five and two-thirds innings!

Logan Driscoll

.361 Logan Driscoll's batting average, good for third in the circuit. Logans four homers also gives him a share of the league lead in round trippers.

Biscuits reliever Victor Munoz is a work in progress through three games. His strikeouts (12) are great for his number of innings (7 2/3 IP) but Victor has surrendered a whopping 16 hits and six walks resulting in a ballooning ERA over 14.00 in the early going.

NEXT TIME:

THE RETURN OF YUKON CORNELIUS 

Graeme Stinson returns to the Biscuits after a short absence. More later as it becomes available.

#BULLPENLIFE

HISTORY TIME

 

No we have not stopped having history! Here is this weeks history file, with the ever-dangerous Ike Durett involved in his infamous ump-beating that led to a ban from the Southern circuits. Also Steve Trella's No-Hitter vs the Suns and the Negro league great Cuban Stars visit!

APRIL 24 1976 Steve Trella no hits Jacksonville 1-0

April 25, 1966 Southern League/ Michael D. Kilkenny of the Montgomery Rebels had 5 wild pitches v the Macon Peaches.

APRIL 25 1926 Montgomery Grey Sox host Cuban Stars in two game series at North Side Park

APRIL 26 1906 Montgomery manager Ike Durett, in a game at Birmingham, assaults umpire Buckley. This would be a factor two days later, when Durett is refused permission to sit in the dugout during the game and results in a forfeit when Durett refuses to leave.

APRIL 26 1916 Grey Sox vs Cuban Stars of Havana in Montgomery.

APRIL 27 1893 Montgomery Colored Baseball Club organized in Montgomery Alabama

Ike Durett

APRIL 27 1956 The Rebels host the Augusta Tigers in Sally League play, losing 6-4 in a game that takes 4:24 to play, finishing at 12:09 am

APRIL 28 1906 Montgomery forfeits to Birmingham Barons after manager Ike Durett is refused permission to sit in the dugout by an umpire he attacked two days before. Durett will be fined $300 by President Kavanaugh and eventually released by Montgomery.