J.R., Big Daddy Lead Barons on Pennant Hunt
Richard Throws 34 Consecutive Shutout Innings
CLEVELAND (Sep. 1) - J.R. Richard and Rick Reuschel were a perfect 9-0 in August, leading the Cleveland Barons to a solid four-game lead with a month to play.  Richard is 5-0, 0.88 in his last six starts, and pitched 34.3 consecutive shutout innings between July 25 and Aug. 16.  Big Daddy was 5-0 with a 2.20 in 6 starts, including a four-hit shutout of Atlanta on Aug. 30.  The run of wins vaulted the 23-year-old sophomore into a third place tie in wins and fifth in the league in VORP.

The Barons swept St. Louis, then had a 5-3 road trip to Brooklyn, San Francisco, and Detroit and split a pair against Atlanta.  Washington, meanwhile, lost seven of its last nine and finds itself on the ropes with 28 games to play.  Johnny Podres cannot return to the rotation soon enough.  His replacement in the Mons rotation, Mike Torrez, was 1-3 with a 5.02 ERA in six August starts.  But Podres is not set to return until the last week of the season, and the task falls to Don Wilson, Andy Messersmith, Rick Wise, Clay Kirby, and Torrez to keep the Mons in the race until then.  The schedule makers were kind to Washington in opponents, but not venues, for the last two weeks.  Their last 10 games are against division bottom-feeders Manhattan and Brooklyn, but all 10 are on the road.  Cleveland has three more games vs. Washington (Sept. 7-9) and six vs. Boston (Sept. 11-13, 24-26) -- all nine at home.
 
Wading Pool?
Thin Year for Free Agency
by Eric Holthaus
Now that the trading deadline has come and gone, the only way to improve your team is to wait for the offseason when free agents become available.  This year, there's a twist thrown into free agency, because of the upcoming expansion draft.  Teams looking to spend big must also consider the likely loss of a few key parts to either Denver or Montreal.  The field is especially thin this year, with really only three players worth 8 figures.  What's more, all the top 5 currently play for playoff contenders who may want to re-sign their star players.  With that said, let's dig into the likely field of free agents:

1. SP Johnny Podres, 40
At age 40, if Podres is running out of time, he's not showing signs of slowing yet.  In an injury shortened 1973, the 3-time Cy Young winner's numbers are filthier than ever, with the lowest WHIP of his career behind an average Washington defense.  At this point, it's still worth paying whatever he's asking.
Risk of re-sign by current team: high

2. OF Roger Maris, 38
Maris is still a monster, though his production has definitely slipped in 1973 partly due to injury.  An excellent fielder, and a sure-win at the ticket gate, expect at least 20 HR, and an .850 OPS if he remains healthy in 1974.
Risk of re-sign by current team: moderate

3. OF Frank Robinson, 37
A defensive liability, Robinson's offensive ratings have begun to decline in 1973.  A contender may be able to get one more decent year out of him, but don't sign him to a multi-year contract.
Risk of re-sign by current team: low

4. CL Don Drysdale, 37
A converted starter, Drysdale has been the anchor of the Mon's bullpen for three seasons now, with good results.  A bit expensive at age 37, but he's still getting the job done, and I see no reason to change course yet.
Risk of re-sign by current team: high

5. 3B Ed Charles, 40
"The Glider" has completely lost all defensive ratings at the hot corner in 1973, carrying an abysmal fielding percentage of .893.  That said, you can't deny his offensive production in limited playing time -- a slap hitting, run scoring machine.  If you have no other option, you could move him to first and get another year out of him.
Risk of re-sign by current team: low

Also rans:
SP Bob Anderson, 37 -- 1B Mickey Mantle, 40 -- 3B Felix Mantilla, 39