Category Archives: Pitchers

October 14, 2025

How to Avoid a Bullpen

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Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitches a complete game as the Dodgers beat the Brewers 5-1. He allowed a home on his first pitch of the game, and that was all the Brewers would get. He gave up two more hits and a walk, throwing 111 pitches. Los Angeles wins the first two games of the best of seven series on the road.

The Dodgers bullpen appeared to be their weak spot coming into this series. They only pitched one inning so far, as Blake Snell and Yamamoto combined four one run in seventeen innings.

By the way, I didn’t mean for this to be prophetic. And this paragraph holds up well:

This is one time that the overall numbers may not tell the full story. The Dodgers recovered good pitchers from injury late in the season, most importantly Shohei Ohtani and Blake Snell. The Brewers lost Brandon Woodruff to an injury after he made a triumphant return to the rotation. The Two teams are closer on the pitching and defense side of the equation that they appear in the table.

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Both the Mariners and Dodgers are in a great position to finish these series at home.

October 14, 2025

A Pitch Too Many

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According to the broadcast, Freddy Peralta of the Brewers told his manager Pat Murphy he had one more inning left, and Murphy allowed him to pitch. After getting the first two batters, Max Muncy of the Dodgers worked the count full and fouled off what Ron Darling called “his last pitch.” You never know what the last pitch will be, but on the next on, Muncy hit a long homer of the centerfield fence for a 3-1 Dodgers lead, and that was it for Peralta.

October 14, 2025

Playoffs Today

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Game two of the NLCS takes place in Milwaukee at 8 PM EDT as the Brewers try to even the series with the Dodgers. Yoshinobu Yamamoto battles Freddy Peralta. One of the worst starts of Yamamoto’s career came against the Brewers on July 7, 2025. He lasted just 2/3 of an inning, giving up four hits, two walks, and a home run. That led to five runs, three of them earned. So far in his post-season career he stands 3-1 with a 3.38 ERA in four starts.

Peralta owns two extreme post-season numbers. He struck out 37 batters in 27 2/3 innings, leading to just 16 hits. Five of those hits turned out to be home runs, however, leading to 13 runs, all earned. So in eight games, five of those starts, he owns a 1-2 record and a 4.23 ERA. Hitting home runs is a Dodgers strength.

Enjoy!

October 13, 2025

Playoffs Today

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The Mariners and Blue Jays play game two of the ALCS starting at 5 PM EDT with Logan Gilbert battling rookie sensation Trey Yesavage. Gilbert pitched eight strong inning in the ALDS, including two innings totaling 34 pitches in the fifteen innings game five. Like Bryce Miller in game one, Gilbert is basically starting on short rest. So far in the 2025 post season he allowed one run, seven hits, and an intentional walk while striking out nine. Yesavage pitched 5 1/3 innings in his MLB post-season debut, holding the Yankees to just one walk while striking out eleven.

The Dodgers visit the Brewers for game one of the NLCS at 8 PM EDT. Blake Snell takes the ball for the Dodgers, while the Brewers are still deciding how to approach the game. Snell allowed just five hits in his two starts this post season, striking out 18 in 13 innings. He did walk five batters. All of that is good for a 1.38 ERA. Jose Quintana of the Brewers likely will try to pitch the bulk of the innings for Milwaukee. He has yet to record a win in the post season covering nine appearances and seven starts. In the starter-relief role against the Cubs he pitched three shutout innings.

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Update: Alan Ashby opens for the Brewers. He opened on October 6th in game two of the NLDS and gave up three runs in the first inning. The Brewers answered with three in the bottom of the inning and went on to a 7-3 win. So far in the post-season, Ashby allowed five hits, four walks, and hit a batter in 4 2/3 innings. Maybe the Brewers want him for the lefties Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman?

October 12, 2025

Playoffs Today

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The Mariners visit the Blue Jays to start the 2025 ALCS at 8 PM EDT on Fox. Bryce Miller takes the mound for Seattle against Kevin Gausman. Miller did not walk a batter in his 4 1/3 inning during the ALDS, showing one of the strengths of the Mariners staff. For his career he walked just 2.35 batters per game. Although both his K and BB rates are low, batters own just a .267 BABIP against him. He is a good pitcher to face a team that likes to put the ball in play.

Gausman held the Yankees to one run in 5 2/3 innings in his ALDS start. He only struck out three batters, but he did not allow a home run. Since the start of the 2021 season, Gausman ranks as one of the best pitchers in the game at limiting home runs, so he is a good choice against a long-ball team.

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October 9, 2025

Playoffs Today

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The Phillies at the Dodgers kicks off the evening at 6 PM EDT with Cristopher Sanchez facing Tyler Glasnow both having pitched in game one. The extra off days allow teams in the NL LDS to go with a three-man rotation. Sanchez pitched well in the opener, walking two and striking out eight in 5 2/3 innings, but did not figure in the decision. Glasnow came on in relief of Shohei Ohtani and allowed two hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings, not allowing a run.

MLB lists the starting pitchers for game four of the series between the Brewers and Cubs as undecided. It may be game one starters Freddy Peralta and Matthew Boyd, or it may be those two in combination with openers and a bullpen game. The wheels will be turning as the Cubs try to send the series back to Milwaukee.

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October 8, 2025

Priester Goes to Confession

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Quinn Priester of the Brewers, given a 1-0 lead after half an inning, does not get out of the bottom of the first inning. He gives up a lead-off homer to Michael Busch, then a bases loaded single to Pete Crow-Armstrong, and the Cubs take a 3-1 lead. It will be a bullpen game for the Brewers.

Nick Mears comes in and throws a wild pitch to make the score 4-1.

October 8, 2025

Playoffs Today

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Wednesday features four elimination games as two National League teams go for sweeps and two AL teams go for 3-1 victories. The day starts at 3 PM EDT with the Mariners sending Bryce Miller against the Tigers and Casey Mize. Miller pitched poorly in 2025, with a low K rate, an okay walk rate, and a high home run rate. It could have been worse, but opponents generated a .288 BABIP against him, limiting the damage somewhat. Mize allowed just one hit in his start against the Guardians, a solo home run, but was pulled after three innings.

At 5 PM EDT, the Brewers and Cubs move to Chicago, Milwaukee going for the sweep. Quinn Priester takes on Jameson Taillon. Priester brought his K rate up to 7.55 per 9 IP this season, which is still low, but it helped him lower his ERA to 3.32, over a run better than his career average. Taillon pitched well in his two post-season starts, allowing one run in 8 1/3 innings, but did have a poor relief outing to give him a 3.24 playoff ERA.

Toronto plays their second match point as the Blue Jays send Louis Varland against Cam Schlittler at 7 PM EDT in The Bronx. Varland serves as the opener in a bullpen game. He appeared in each game of the series so far, the Yankees reaching him for two home runs on Tuesday night. The Yankees are hitting .352/.403/.611 against the Blue jays pen. Schlittler made a great start in his first MLB post-season appearance, winning the Wild Card series for the Yankees. The Blue Jays did rough him up a bit this year.

Finally, the Dodgers return home to attempt a sweep of the Phillies, Philadelphia sending Aaron Nola against Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Nola finished the regular season with a 6.01 ERA in 17 starts, by far the highest of his career. He did post some strong starts during the season, but seldom carried that into the next outing. After two seasons in the majors, Yamamoto owns outstanding three true outcomes, with 10.45 K per 9 and 0.72 HR per nine his strongest numbers. He owns a 2.84 ERA in five post-season starts.

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October 7, 2025

Rodon Roughed Up

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The Blue Jays score six runs on six hits and two walks against the Yankees Carlos Rodon, chasing him after 2 1/3 innings with a man on first. The scored four runs so far in the top of the third inning to extend their lead to 6-1, and the Yankees have a lot of work to do to avoid elimination.

Update: The Yankees respond with two runs so far in the bottom of the third inning and chase Shane Bieber with two out and two on. The bullpens will get a work out in this game.

October 7, 2025

Playoffs Today

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The Mariners travel to Detroit for two games, tied with the Tigers at one game apiece in their ALDS series. Logan Gilbert faces Jack Flaherty. Gilbert owned a 3.44 ERA in 2025, but that ballooned to 4.74 on the road, where he allowed 12 of his 20 home runs. He did pitch well in his one start at Detroit, allowing two unearned runs in 5 1/3 innings, striking out nine. Flaherty’s 4.64 ERA dropped to 4.18 at home. He struck out 109 batters in 92 2/3 innings in Detroit.

The Blue Jays try to take a last bite out of the Big Apple as they face the Yankees in The Bronx with a win sending them to the ALCS. Shane Bieber battles Carlos Rodon. This is Bieber’s third post-season start against the Yankees. He struck out 14 batters in 10 1/3 innings, but also allowed five walks and three home runs as New York won the three-true outcomes batter. Rodon has a similar history overall in the playoffs. Lots of strikeouts are balanced by allowing allowing six home runs in 26 1/3 innings. There might be a lot of long balls tonight.

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October 6, 2025 October 6, 2025

Playoffs Today

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The Dodgers and Phillies start off day two of the NLDS at 6 PM EDT with Blake Snell facing Jesus Luzardo. Snell owns a good post-season record of 5-3 with a 3.23 ERA, blowing away batters with 70 K in 55 2/3 innings. He has allowed seven home runs, which plays into a Phillies strength. Luzardo, despite 16 K in 14 2/3 post-season innings, allowed 20 hits, four of them for home runs, for a 6.14 ERA. The Dodgers lead the series 1-0.

The Cubs try to even their series with the Brewers as Shota Imanaga takes on Aaron Ashby. Imanaga pitched decently against Milwaukee this season, with a 3.57 ERA in three starts. The Brewers won two of those games, however. Ashby posted a 2.16 ERA for the season, mostly out of the bullpen. In his one start as an opener this season he pitched two no-hit innings, striking out three.

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October 5, 2025

Yesavage Done

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The Blue Jays pull Trey Yesavage after 5 1/3 no-hit innings against the Yankees. He threw 78 pitches. He walked one and struck out 11. He’s likely to get the win as Toronto leads New York 12-0.

Update: Aaron Judge singles to break up the no-hitter, and Cody Bellinger follows with a home run to get the Yankees on the board. Down 12-2, they have a long way to go.

October 5, 2025 October 5, 2025

Playoffs Today

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Because the playoffs are not long enough, the senior circuit gets three days off in a five-game series and the AL takes center stage for game two of the League Division Series (LDS). Note that in a sweep, teams get four days off before the start of the League Championship series, plenty of time for fans to forget the playoffs are happening. There is no need for a travel day between games four and five. Teams travel from one city to another without an off day all year. Time to get rid of that ridiculous waste of time.

The Yankees face the Blue Jays at 4 PM EDT with Max Fried taking on rookie Trey Yesavage. Fried made a great start early this season against the Toronto, a high run quality start late, and in between gave up 10 runs in 11 1/3 innings. The Blue Jays saw him enough that they should not be surprised by anything Sunday afternoon. Yesavage owns three MLB starts, all again teams with two-named locations. He has yet to allow a home run in 14 innings. In his very short minor league career, he allowed eight homers in 98 innings.

At 8 PM EDT, 5 PM PDT, the Mariners try to make the Tigers sweepless in Seattle. That may be tough as Detroit sends Tarik Skubal to the mound against Luis Castillo. Skubal went at least six innings in each of his four post-season starts. Even with one poor start against Cleveland in 2024, his ERA in the playoffs stands at 2.02, and he allowed just one home run in 26 2/3 innings. Castillo pitched well in his three post-season starts as well, owning a 1.83 ERA. He walked just one batter in 19 2/3 innings while striking out 19.

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October 4, 2025

Playoffs Today

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The first seed round of the NLDS kicks off the second round of the playoffs at 2 PM EDT with the Cubs facing the Brewers in Milwaukee. Matthew Boyd takes on Freddy Peralta. The Brewers roughed up Boyd this season, scoring nine runs in 10 1/3 innings covering two starts. Boyd walked eight and struck out five, although Boyd won one of those games. With a 3.14 ERA overall, his ERA was 2.92 when not pitching against Milwaukee. Peralta made four starts against the Cubs going 3-1 with a 3.43 ERA. He walked ten batters in 21 innings but allowed just 12 hits.

New York visits Toronto in the late afternoon game, starting at 4 PM EDT. Luis Gil of the Yankees takes on Kevin Gausman of the Blue Jays. Gil walks a ton of batters, but gives up very few hits, and the Blue Jays are a bit more hit dependent than the Yankees. The career BABIP against Gil stands at .246. In his one start against Toronto this year, Gil allowed three hits and four walks, but only one run. Walks just don’t advance runners very far. Gausman pitched one bad start against the Yankees out of four this season, but held them to just two home runs in 22 2/3 innings. He also allowing just two runs in his last 15 innings against them, both on solo homers.

The Dodger play at the Phillies in the prime time game, kicking off at 6:30 PM EDT. Shohei Ohtani makes his post-season pitching debut, starting for Los Angeles against Cristopher Sanchez. Ohtani comes in hot as a starter, with a 0.46 ERA in is last four games of the regular season. He can now go five or six innings, no longer an opener. He allowed one run in 19 2/3 innings, giving up ten hits and four walks while striking out 27. Sanchez posted the best season of his career with a 2.50 ERA and a 6.5 fWAR, a nice follow up to his 4.7 fWAR in 2024. He limits home runs and walks, two important elements of the Dodgers offense.

Finally, the Seattle hosts Detroit at 8:30 PM EDT to finish the day. Troy Melton of the Tigers battles George Kirby of the Mariners. Melton pitched mostly in relief in 2025, but posted a 3.05 ERA in four starts covering 20 2/3 innings. He walked four and struck out 19, allowing two home runs in those starts. With Bryan Woo hurt, the Mariners go with Kirby despite his 4.29 season ERA. Kirby’s three true outcome rates are excellent, and FanGraphs puts his FIPs nearly a run lower than his ERA.

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October 2, 2025

He Cam, He Saw, He Conquered

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Cam Schlittler gave the Yankees eight shutout innings as New York beats Boston 4-0 to advance to the ALDS against the Blue Jays. Schlittler struck out twelve and walked none, and was allowed to throw 107 pitches. It was great to see a young pitcher go deep in the game.

The Yankees scored all four runs in the fourth inning as they figured out Connelly Early. The bullpen will be well rested.

October 2, 2025

Playoffs Today

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The Tigers and Guardians play the first of three winner takes all games in Cleveland at 3 PM EDT. Jack Flaherty faces Slade Cecconi. While Flaherty pitched a few good post-season games, his overall ERA stands at 5.36. He allowed eight home runs in 47 innings. Cecconi pitched twice in relief for Arizona two years ago in the post-season, allowing two hits in six inning and nothing else. He allowed three runs in twelve innings against the Tigers this season, all on solo home runs.

At 5 PM EDT, Yu Darvish and the Padres try to stop Jameson Taillon and the Cubs. Darvish pitched better for the Padres in the post season than his overall record in the playoffs. In both cases, however, he tends to allow a high number of home runs. Taillon is extremely stingy issuing walks, which helps make up for his high home run rate. Look for the team that goes deep today to move on to the next round.

Finally, the Red Sox and Yankees battle at 8 PM EDT with a pair of rookies on the mound. Connelly Early faces Cam Schlittler. Early made just four starts at the MLB level, but proved effective as he walked four and struck out 29 in 19 1/3 innings without allowing a home run. He did not face the Yankees. Schlittler, in 73 innings, posted a 2.96 ERA. He did walk 31, but allowed just 58 hits as he struck out 84. He faces Boston for the first time.

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October 1, 2025

Playoffs Today

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Elimination day comes quickly in a best of three series!

The Tigers at the Guardians starts the day at 1 PM EDT with Casey Mize battling Tanner Bibee, Detroit leading the series 1-0. Mize overall pitched well against Cleveland this season, with a 2.08 ERA in three starts. He struck out 18 and walked just four batters in 17 1/3 innings. Mize’s weakness comes from allowing hits, but collecting hits is a Guardian’s weakness. Tanner Bibee takes the hill for Cleveland. He won at least 10 games in each of his first three seasons, but also saw his ERA rise again. He went from 2.98 his rookie year to 3.47 in 2024 to 4.24 in 2025. More walks and home runs hurt him in 2025.

At 3 PM, the Cubs go for a sweep of the Padres as Dylan Cease takes on Andrew Kittredge. Cease leads the majors in games started this decade with 162, but is only seventh in innings pitched. Maybe not going deep in games kept him healthy. On the other hand, apart from 2022, his ERA were not outstanding, so there is no reason to keep him in the game a long time. Kittredge opens the game for the Cubs, his first start since 2021 with the Rays. His stats as a starter are not good, with a .286/.327/.505 slash line in 113 batters faced.

At 6 PM, the Red Sox try to finish their 2025 domination of the Yankees with Brayan Bello facing Carlos Rodon. Bello owns a 2.35 career ERA against New York, allowing just three home runs in 65 innings to one of the top power teams in the majors. Boston tends to exhaust Rodon since he joined the Yankees. He only made it through the sixth inning once in seven games as the Red Sox drew 20 walks in 37 1/3 innings and hitting six home runs. That led to a 4.82 ERA for Rodon.

Finally, the Reds send Zack Littell to the mound to save their season against Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Dodgers. After a big home run night on Tuesday, the Dodger face the pitcher with the second highest HR/9 IP in the majors in 2025. Littell was only slightly better on the road. Yamamoto sits at the other end of the scale, with 0.73 HR allowed per nine innings, eight in the majors.

Enjoy!

October 1, 2025

Best Pitcher Today

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Tuesday’s well pitched games brought big changes to the Bill James Pitcher Rankings. Tarik Skubal of the Tigers posted the highest game score of the day, an 80, which moved him past the injured Zack Wheeler of the Phillies into first place. Garrett Crochet of the Red Sox posted the second highest game score of the day, a 78, which moved him past Paul Skenes into third place. Max Fried of the Yankees posted a game score of 68 in the loss to Crochet, moving Fried from eighth to sixth. Blake Snell, with a 69, moved from 24th to 20th.

September 30, 2025

Playoffs Today

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The Tigers and Guardians kick off the 2025 post season at 1 PM EDT with Tarik Skubal facing Gavin Williams. Skubal finished second in the majors and first in the American League in ERA for the 2025 season. His three true outcomes all were outstanding, his slightly weak spot came from allowing home runs. The Guardians ranked low in homers. Skubal allowed the Guardians one home run in 28 innings this season, helping him to a 0.64 ERA against the team.

Four of the top ten pitchers in ERA take the mound today, and Williams is close at 13th with a 3.06 ERA. Williams walked a ton of batters, but gave up few hits. Batters managed just a .158/.265/.256 line against him with runners in scoring position. He is a reverse right-handed pitcher, where LHB hit him poorly this season. He allowed the Tigers, who use a fairly left-handed lineup against righties, just eight hits in 17 IP for a 1.06 ERA.

At 3 PM EDT, the Padres and Cubs begin their wild card round with Nick Pivetta facing Matthew Boyd. Pivetta finished tenth in the majors in ERA with a 2.70 mark. Batters managed just 129 hits against him in 181 2/3 innings, with a low walk rate as well. That led to a .253 opposition OBP. The Cubs did hit him well, however, with a .286/.350/.400 slash line in 40 plate appearances. Boyd finished 15th in the majors in ERA. With a low strikeout rate and a low walk rate, the Padres matchup well against him. They put the ball in play, and it will be easier against someone like Boyd. The Padres slashed .256/.319/.279 against him this season, generating little power.

MLB gets a classic rivalry in prime time as the Red Sox visit the Yankees, game time 6 PM EDT. It’s a battle of left-handed aces as Garret Crochet takes on Max Fried. They ranked sixth and eight in MLB ERA respectively this season. Crochet wins the strikeouts and walks columns, with over two more Ks per 9 than Fried. Fried allowed just 14 home runs to Crochet’s 24, and often in these low scoring games the home runs make the difference. He did allow the Yankees five home runs in 27 1/3 innings, but overall pitched well against the team. Fried pitched poorly in five of his last six post-season starts.

Note that the Red Sox are without Roman Anthony. With him playing, Boston went 44-27, a .620 winning percentage. Without him, they were 45-46.

Finally, the Reds face the Dodgers at 9 PM EDT with Hunter Greene facing Blake Snell. Injuries kept the innings for these starters below the qualifying level, but Greene posted a 2.76 ERA and Snell a 2.35 mark, so they may have wound up on the leader board. Snell pitched well in the post-season during his career, tough to hit but he does allow home runs. Greene makes his first post-season start. His first two seasons produced ERAs well over four, but the last two seasons saw ERAs of 2.75 and 2.76. He lowered his ERA despite reducing his strikeout rate, because he lowered his walk and home run rates. He abandoned his changeup for a splitter, and that seems to have done the trick.

Enjoy!

September 27, 2025 September 25, 2025

Low Run Lodolo

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Nick Lodolo of the Reds gave hit team an excellent start to put them back in the winning column and to put pressure on the Mets. He struck out twelve batters in six and one third scoreless innings, matching his career high for a game. The Reds managed two runs, and that was enough to beat the Pirates 2-1. They are now 1/2 games behind the Mets, waiting for the outcome of New York’s game against the Cubs. The Reds hold the tie breaker in a head to head tie.

September 25, 2025

Games of the Day

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The Reds control own the tie-breaker advantage in the race for the third NL Wild Card slot, but have not been able to stay in at least a tie for the slot. They will try again on Thursday as the Pirates send Braxton Ashcraft against Nick Lodolo. Ashcraft, a seasonal age 25 rookie, showed some promise in his first 25 appearances with a 2.62 ERA. He allowed just three home runs in 65 1/3 innings. Lodolo allowed 22 home runs in 149 1/3 innings, but limited the damage by only walking 28 batters.

The Diamondback are tied with the Reds, one game behind the Mets. In a two way tie, the Diamondbacks and Mets split six games, but Arizona has the better intra-division record. The Reds hold the head-to-head tie breaker against the Diamondbacks. The Dodgers send Yoshinobu Yamamoto against Jalen Beeks. Yamamoto improved on his rookie season with about a 0.4 run reduction in his ERA as he became more more difficult to hit. The BABIP against him dropped from .306 to .244. Beeks pitches as the opener for the second time this season. He did not allow a hit or a walk in his first start.

The Red Sox go for a sweep of the Blue Jays in Toronto with Brayan Bello facing Louis Varland. Brayan finishes up his best regular season, extending his innings on the mound from 2024 with fewer hits and home runs allowed. Varland makes his first stat of the season after 69 2/3 solid relief innings. He allowed just six home runs and 21 walks.

Finally, the Mets and Cubs play the rubber game of their series, and New York needs to stay ahead of both the Red s and the Diamondbacks to make the playoffs. Rookie Nolan McLean takes on Shota Imanaga. McLean showed the ability to go deep in starts for a rookie, averaging six innings. He allowed just one home run in his 42 2/3 innings. Imanaga held batters to a .213 BABIP this season, but did allow 29 homers in 139 innings.

Enjoy!

September 24, 2025

Skenes Goes Out on Top

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Paul Skenes put an exclamation point on his season by finishing 2025 with six shutout innings against the Reds. He allowed four hits and no walks while striking out seven. That lowers his ERA to 1.97, the best in the majors. With a major league leading ERA and great three-true outcomes, Skenes should be a lock for his first Cy Young Award.

The Pirates lead the Reds 2-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning. If Pittsburgh holds on, Skenes would finish with an 11-10 record. At least he would be over .500.

September 24, 2025

Games of the Day

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The Pirates at the Reds offer a great pitching matchup as the Reds pursue a wild card berth. Paul Skenes takes on Hunter Greene. Makes his 32nd start of the season, a full set of starts for someone in a five-man rotation. The Pirates did limit his innings, as he’ll come in under 190. Greene might have competed for the Cy Young award if he stayed healthy, with 11.07 K per 9 IP and just 2.12 BB per 9 IP.

The Tigers try to move ahead of the Guardians with Jack Flaherty facing Tanner Bibee. Flaherty offered a mixed bag of results down the stretch, and even when he pitched well he did not go deep in games. Bibee found his groove in September, including a shutout.

The Red Sox try to make it two in a row against the Blue Jays with Garrett Crochet battling Max Scherzer. Crochet owns a 2.13 ERA against the Blue Jays in 12 2/3 innings, despite issuing a lot of walks. Three of the six runs against him were unearned. Scherzer allowed 18 home runs this season in just 80 innings.

Finally, Arizona is still in the NL Wild Card race as they host the Dodgers. Blake Snell takes the mound against Ryne Nelson. Snell owns a 2.44 ERA in 55 1/3 innings, while Nelson comes in with a 3.34 mark in 148 innings. It’s been Nelson’s best season by far. His ERA is down 0.9 runs despite his FIPs looking very similar to 2024. His BABIP is down over 60 points, suggesting better defense behind him.

Enjoy!

September 23, 2025

Games of the Day

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The Tigers and Guardians battle for the NL Central title Tuesday night as Tarik Skubal faces Gavin Williams. With the Guardians currently holding the tie breaker, they need to take two of three against Detroit to go into the driver’s seat in the division. Skubal shut down the Guardians in three starts this season, allowing one run in 22 innings with two walks and 32 strikeouts! Williams brings the heat with 161 K in 161 2/3 innings, but walks a batter every other inning.

The Red Sox visit the Blue Jays for a three game series, Boston five games out in the AL East and only one game up for the second wild card slot. They need a sweep to have a decent chance at the AL East title. Lucas Giolito takes on Kevin Gausman. Giolito held the Blue Jays at Bay this season, while Gausman faced Boston just once, with an eight inning performance early in the season.

I will note that in the NL, the Mets visit the Cubs while the Reds host the Pirates. The Cubs still need to win to secure the top wild card slot, while Pittsburgh played poorly as of late. That gives the Red a bit of an advantage in the race for the third wild card slot in the NL.

Enjoy!

September 21, 2025

Games of the Day

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The Yankees send Cam Schlittler against the Orioles and Kyle Bradish. Schlittler’s ERA of 3.41 is good despite a .329 OBP allowed. He removed seven base runners with four GDPs, two caught stealings, and a pickoff. Bradish, making his fifth start of the season, walk eight and struck out 30 in 22 innings.

The Reds sit one-game out of the third NL Wild Card slot as they host the Cubs, not quite eliminated from NL Central title. Jameson Taillon takes on Andrew Abbott. Taillon owns a .271 OBP allowed, the best of his career. While he limits hits, 46 of the 102 safeties against him were extra-base hits. Abbott needs 5 2/3 innings to reach the qualifying level for the first time in his career. He held batters to a .286 OBP and just a .374 slugging percentage.

The Astros need a win as they finish their series hosting the Mariners on Sunday Night Baseball, the last ESPN Sunday night broadcast. Logan Gilbert battles Jason Alexander. Gilbert is just 5-6 despite a 3.53 ERA. He averages just 5 1/3 innings per start, making it tough to get decisions. Alexander is 4-1 with a 2.89 ERA as a starter, giving up 13 runs in nine innings as a reliever.

Enjoy!

September 20, 2025

Pitching Down the Middle

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This ties into the Paul Skenes post from last night, about how the pitcher has the advantage:

I believe this was the Rays great discovery, just having the catcher put the mitt in the middle of the zone. Their pitchers would have some natural movement from the center, but they were less likely to miss the strike zone.

September 20, 2025

Games of the Day

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The AL Central race takes center stage early this afternoon as the Tigers host the Braves at 1 PM EDT and the Guardians visit the Twins at 2 PM EDT in the first game of a split admission doubleheader. None of the pitching matchups are particularly compelling, but today will even the number of game left for both Detroit and Cleveland. The Guardians hold the tie-breaker with the Tigers right now, leading the season series 6-4 with three games left between the clubs.

The AL West battle resumes tonight with the Mariners sending George Kirby against the Astros and Framber Valdez. Seattle leads Houston by one game in the division after a 4-0 victory Friday night. Kirby comes into the game with a 4.46 ERA, and pitched in a number of rough starts lately. Valdez stands 7-3 in 18 appearances against the Mariners in his career, owning a 3.22 ERA. This season, he allowed just one run in twelve innings.

Enjoy!