Category Archives: Games

May 5, 2013

A Little Knowledge

Via Giants Win, the Giants received walk-off home runs from each of their catchers on consecutive nights. Guillermo Quiroz (Scrabble value, 36) used his knowledge of the pitcher to connect:

Quiroz had the good fortune of facing a pitcher he knew. He caught League in Toronto and Seattle and knew his stuff.

“I knew what pitch he was trying to get me out with,” Quiroz said. “He hung a split-finger fastball. The one before was really nasty.

“I just tried to hit something hard to give us a chance to win the ballgame. In this situation late in the ballgame, I learned not too long ago you’ve got to swing hard and see what happens.”

With the Saturday homer, Quiroz’s career slugging percentage stands at .293. Brandon should have been out of his league.

May 4, 2013

200 RBI

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Miguel Cabrera

Miguel Cabrera watches his second home run of the night leave the park in Houston. Photo: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Miguel Cabrera picked up four hits so far Saturday night, hitting two homers and driving in six runs. That gives Miguel 36 RBI this season in 29 games. That’s a torrid pace, one that would work out to 201 RBI over a full season. He may get more as the Tigers bat in the top of the eighth leading Houston 13-1.

Since the start of the 2012 season, Cabrera has nearly 40 more RBI than his next closest competitor. He’s in the sweet spot in the lineup, with Austin Jackson getting on base in front and Prince Fielder preventing pitchers from working around Miguel. We could see a record season from the big slugger. He’s also hitting .390, so another triple crown is not out of the question.

May 4, 2013

Worth the Wait

In his tenth season in the majors, Jeremy Guthrie finally throws a shutout as the Royals beat the White Sox 2-0. The goose eggs come in his 189th start. Since 1957, only two players made at least 189 starts without a shutout, Adam Eaton and Jason Bere.

Guthrie allowed just four hits and one walk. He did it letting the White Sox put the ball in play, as they only struck out three times. Jeremy retired the leadoff batter in each inning. He’s now 4-0 with a 2.40 ERA as the Royals rotation is looking pretty good.

May 4, 2013

Ready Freddy

Freddy Garcia just finished his sixth inning against the Angels, and LAnaheim remains hitless. Garcia only struck out two so far so the Angels are having no problem putting the ball in play. They’re just not making great contact.

Garcia walked one, but the Orioles defense removed him with a double play, so Freddy faced 18 batters through six innings. Not a bad way to debut in 2013. The Orioles lead 3-0.

May 4, 2013

Twenty First Century Triples

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Raul Ibanez hit his 47th career triple Saturday afternoon, part of a six extra-base hit attack that resulted in an 8-1 Mariners victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. I don’t think of Ibanez as fast, but since 2001, he hit multiple triples in all but two seasons. Since the start of the 21st century in 2001, Ibanez is one of only 33 hitters with at least 40 triples. It’s the toughest hit to record, and Raul still does it well.

May 4, 2013

Phil Up

Phil Hughes pitches his best game of the season, pitching eight shutout innings against the Oakland Athletics as the Yankees win 4-2. That’s Phil’s fourth quality start in a row, the second in a row in which he struck out nine batters. He seems to finally be both healthy and getting comfortable in the rotation.

May 4, 2013

Great Scott

Scott Kazmir earns his first win since 2010 as he dominated the Twins Saturday afternoon, walking one and striking out seven in six innings of work. When Kazmir went bad, he lost his control, but today he threw 95 pitches, 67 of them for strikes as Cleveland wins 7-3. Scott improved in each of his starts, so the Indians may have a bonus quality starter for their rotation.

May 4, 2013

Rays Horror Pitcher Show

After Matt Moore and Jeff Francis drew for five innings, each allowing four runs, the bullpens took over in the Rays at Rockies and kept the game scoreless into the tenth. A double, single and homer in the top of that inning gave the Rays a 7-3 lead, and Fernando Rodney brought the tying run to the plate, but finished the job for the Rays win.

The Rays pen pitched an outstanding five innings. They allowed just four hits and one walk while recording nine strikeouts. The Rays relievers are having a tough year in terms of ERA with 4.81 mark. Friday night’s performance should be closer to expectations, however, as the group is striking out batters at a high rate and allowing few walks. So far, however, their high K rate has not led to a low BA allowed.

May 3, 2013

A.J. and Andrew

The Pirates used the A-Team to beat the Nationals 3-1 on Friday night. A.J. Burnett continued his dominance, walking one and striking out nine. Andrew McCutchen collected two singles and a home run to help Pittsburgh to the win. For McCutchen, that was his 11th home run against the Nationals in 90 at bats.

May 3, 2013

Mr. Control

Felix Hernandez threw eight shutout innings against the Blue Jays Friday night running his record to 4-2 and reducing his ERA to 1.60. The King walked none and stuck out seven. In his last four starts including Friday, Hernandez walked just two batters while striking out 35 in thirty innings. He pitched eight innings in three of those starts. Felix is setting himself up for a run at a second Cy Young Award.

The Mariners beat the Blue Jays 4-0, the hot Kyle Seager hitting a home run and driving in two.

May 3, 2013

Games of the Day

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Ross Detwiler and A.J. Burnett put their low ERAs on the line as the Nationals visit Pittsburgh. Ross. PNC Park should help Ross keep the ball in the stadium as he’s allowed just one home run this season in 31 innings pitched. Burnett tries to continue his strikeout roll as he comes into the game with 48 in just 35 innings of work. There might be quite a few K’s tonight, as Pittsburgh and Washington batters rank 3rd and 4th in the NL in most strikeouts.

St. Louis continues their series in Milwaukee as they send Shelby Miller against former Cardinals pitcher Kyle Lohse. Miller pitched his best game of the season against the Brewers, holding them to one hit while striking out eight in seven scoreless innings of work on April 12th. Lohse was the losing pitching that night despite allowing just two runs in seven innings. Kyle walked just two batters this season as his 2.53 ERA does not match his 1-2 record.

Finally, Matt Moore won’t be in Tampa any more as the Rays make the climb to Denver to take on the Rockies and Jeff Francis. Temperatures will be in the low 50s, so the Rays won’t see snow. Moore allowed just 13 hits in 32 innings, but the big park in Colorado allows more balls to fall in than most parks. Francis pitched poorly at home and away, with four home runs allowed and 10 walks in just 21 innings.

Enjoy!

May 2, 2013

I’m Walkin’

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The Red Sox and the Blue Jays combined for 15 walks Thursday night, ten by the Blue Jays pitchers, seven of those from J.A. Happ. The team only scored four runs, however, as Boston wins 3-1. The Red Sox went 2 for 13 with runners in scoring position, Toronto 0 for 3. Boston turned three double plays to lessen the impact of the walks, while the Blue Jays turned two. That’s an impressively low score for 32 batters reaching base by a hit or a walk.

May 2, 2013

Got Away Day

Rays Index offers a picture of the sparse crowd in Kansas City:

We mentioned earlier that today’s game in Kansas City would have all the conditions that usually lead to bad attendance (day game, bad weather, expected to be postponed). Well, the size of the crowd is even worse than I imagined.

At least people are watching on TV.

May 2, 2013

Games of the Day

Boston and Toronto play the rubber game of their series with Ryan Dempster facing J.A. Happ. Dempster contributes to Boston’s high pitcher strikeout rate with 43 Ks in 30 innings, well above his career average. It’s come at a cost, however, as both his walk and home run rates are up as well. Happ holds batters to a low average with runners on base, but four of his ten hits allowed went for extra bases.

It may be a grim night for the White Sox as they battle the Rangers in Texas. Jake Peavy takes on Justin Grimm. Peavy allowed 12 runs so far this season, eight of those on six home runs. Texas tends to help home runs, so Jake might be in a bit of trouble. Grimm prevents opponents from reaping runs, as he held them to a 1 for 19 with runners in scoring position.

Finally, the Cardinals send Jake Westbrook against the Brewers and Wily Peralta. I’m waiting for Westbrook to implode. With 14 walks and 14 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings, he’s performing poorly in two of the three true outcomes. He has yet to allow a home run, however, and is holding batters to a .067 BA with runners in scoring position. If he regresses to the mean, it’s going to be ugly.

Enjoy!

Update: Peavy was scratched due to back spasms.

May 2, 2013

Relentless Royals

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The Royals overcame a poor start by Luis Mendoza to come back from a 6-1 deficit to beat the Rays 9-8. The Royals bullpen continue it’s dominance with five strong innings, holding the Rays to two runs as they walked one and struck out six. As a group, the pen walked 24 and struck out 79 in 67 1/3 innings, providing plenty of cover for Royals starters.

The Royals won three games this season in which they trailed by at least four runs. That’s the most in the majors. Only ten teams have wins in games in which they trailed by four runs or more.

May 1, 2013

Power and Power

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Clay Buchholz struck out eight Blue Jays in seven innings of work, and the Red Sox offense hit five home runs as Boston blew out Toronto 10-1. Power on both sides of the ball seems to be the trade mark of this team. The hitters collected 31 homers in 27 games, while the pitchers collected 266 K in 240 innings. Note that a 9.98 K per 9 rate would be great for any individual pitcher. For a team it’s amazing.

May 1, 2013

Nice Comeback

The Pirates turned a poor start by Jeanmar Gomez into a win as the hitters provided late power and the bullpen posted five strong innings against the Brewers. Milwaukee led 3-1 after six innings. A Mike McKenry homer cut the lead to one, but Milwaukee got that run back in the bottom of the seventh. Starling Marte‘s two-run homer tied it in the eighth, then later in the inning Brandon Inge drove home the winning run as the Pirates take the game 6-4. The bullpen struck out five and allowed just three hits to keep the team in the game and allow the comeback.

Pittsburgh saves their home runs until late in the game this season. They have hit 12 in innings 1-6, 13 from the seventh on. The pitcher do the opposite, allowing 22 in innings 1-6, just seven after that.

The Pirates keep pace with the Cardinals, who beat the Reds 4-2.

May 1, 2013

Games of the Day

There’s plenty of afternoon action in the tight NL Central. The Pirates try to prevent a sweep by the Brewers as Jeanmar Gomez faces Hiram Burgos. Gomez makes his first start for the Pirates after five relief appearances. Despite seven walks and just seven strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings, Gomez comes into the game with a 2.63 ERA. He pitched to contact throughout his career, so the Pirates defense will get a workout. Rookie Burgos maintained his low walk rate from the minors, but hasn’t brought along his good K rate. This could be a very fast game if the defenses are up to catching the ball.

In St. Louis, the Reds send Homer Bailey against Pi Young contender Lance Lynn. Homer continued his 2012 improvement, increasing his strikeout rate and lowering his home run rate. Lynn comes into the game with a 3.10 ERA. He’s blowing away the competition with 34 strikeouts in 29 innings and just 20 hits allowed.

Finally, the Nationals send Jordan Zimmermann against the Braves and Paul Maholm as Washington tries to win a game against Atlanta this season. Zimmermann is using his defense and low walk total to hold batters to a .186 BA and a .232 OBP. Team can’t score if they can’t get on base. Maholm held Washington scoreless for 7 2/3 innings the first time they met this season, allowing just four hits and one walk.

Enjoy!

May 1, 2013

Hanley Being Healthy

Hanley Ramirez made his first start since coming off the disabled list Tuesday night and helped the Dodgers to a 6-2 win over the Rockies. Hanley collected two hits, both for extra bases, as four Dodgers hitters compiled multi-hit games.

Dodgers shortstops hit .171/.242/.220 while Ramirez was gone. As a point of comparison, the Los Angeles pitchers hit .154/.214/.256, out slugging the shortstops. Even Ramirez having a poor season should greatly improve the offense.

April 30, 2013

Big Night for the Tribe

The Indians smacked seven home runs, blowing out the Phillies 14-2. In the 57 seasons of the Day by Day Database, that’s just the fourth time the Indians reached seven home runs in a single game. The last time was on July 16, 2004 when they hit 8.

Maybe the most impressive thing about this performance is that three of the homers came off Roy Halladay in just 3 2/3 innings. In his last great season, 2011, Roy allowed 10 home runs in 233 2/3 innings. He already gave up eight this year.

April 30, 2013

Throwing Away a Win

The Marlins beat the Mets 2-1 and Miami scores both runs in the bottom of the ninth. The Mets seem to have thrown the ball all over the place in that inning, with a passed ball, a failed fielder’s choice on a bunt, and a wild pitch that brought the winning run home. New York was near the bottom o of the NL in wild pitches, and they picked a poor time for their 8th. Jeremy Hefner walked none and struck out eight, but ends up taking the loss. Kevin Slowey also walked none and struck out eight, but the win gives him a no-decision.

April 30, 2013

Games of the Day

A pair of second year pitchers square off in Texas as Jose Quintana and the White Sox face Yu Darvish. A left-hander, Quintana handled right-handed batters well this season, holding them to a .193/.246/.316 slash line. Darvish’s control is returning to the levels we saw in Japan, as he walked 10 and struck out 49 so far in 32 2/3 innings. His 1.65 ERA ranks fourth in the AL.

The Rays visit the Royals with Alex Cobb taking on former Tampa teammate James Shields. Cobb keeps batters off base, with only 32 hitters reaching by a hit, walk, or HBP, good for a .278 OBP allowed. Four of those were wiped out by double plays. Shields allowed just two home runs so far, averaging 11.4 per 200 IP. For his career, that average stands at 25.0.

Finally, the Giants try to move into a second play tie with the Diamondbacks as Madison Bumgarner visits Trevor Cahill. Bumgarner is tough to hit, with a .190 BA allowed. That drops to .125 with runners in scoring position. Only 16 of the 116 AB against him have come in that situation. Cahill suffers from poor run support, with the DBacks scoring a total of 11 runs in his five starts.

Enjoy!

April 30, 2013

Late Night Win

I knew something interesting happened when I saw that the stats for the Day by Day Database didn’t come in until 5 AM EDT this morning. The Angels and Athletics played 19 innings Monday night, Oakland prevailing 10-8. Brandon Moss won the game with his second home run of the marathon, a two-run shot off Barry Enright. The Angels led 2-0 early extended the lead to 7-2 before Oakland scored four runs in the eighth inning and one in the ninth to tie.

In the fifteenth inning, the Angels scored on a bases loaded walk, and an Albert Pujols error led to an unearned run in the bottom of the inning. Pujols did hit two home runs in the game among his four hits. The game took 6:32 minutes to play. When I went to bed at 12:30 AM EDT, the Rockies and Dodgers were just in the 6th inning. That 12-2 Colorado victory took 3:22 minutes, so it was a long night on the west coast.

April 29, 2013

Tweet of the Night

This was written as the Astros got off to a big lead over the Yankees. Houston went on to a 9-1 victory:

ANDY PETTITTE: EMBEDDED ASTRO.

— Megs (@YankeeMegs) April 30, 2013

April 29, 2013

Even Dozen

The Brewers unleashed their home run bats Monday night, with five different players homering against the Pirates as they play in the fifth. One of those was the starting pitcher, Yovani Gallardo. His shot gives him 12 homers for his career. He’s only 27, so we could see him put up quite a few, as long as he stays in the National League. Gallardo also has 18 doubles, so 30 of his 67 hits have gone for extra bases.

Milwaukee leads Pittsburgh 9-2 in the bottom of the fifth.

April 29, 2013

Just Power

John Buck hit his ninth home run of the season, giving him 21 hits, 11 for extra bases. In the sixth inning, his slash line stands at .256/.284/.610. He’s an out machine, but when he does connect, Buck does a lot of damage.

We seem to be seeing a lot of this in 2013, players hitting for power and not much else. Another catcher, Evan Gattis, is having a similar year for the Braves. I suppose if a player is going to be one-dimensional offensively, smacking lots of extra base hits is a good way to go.

The Mets lead the Marlins 2-1.

April 29, 2013

Games of the Day

Stephen Strasburg

Stephen Strasburg could use more support from his defense. Photo: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The Braves return home from a cold and wet road trip to face the team right behind them in the division, the Washington Nationals. Stephen Strasburg faces Julio Teheran. Strasburg’s ERA is the same as in 2012, and his WHIP is slightly better, but he owns a 1-4 record. Four unearned runs scored against him after allowing six all last season. Teheran continues to be a gopher ball pitcher, with five home runs allowed in 23 innings. For his career, nine balls have left the park in just 49 innings.

Aces battle in St. Louis as the Reds send Mat Latos against Adam Wainwright. Both are off to terrific starts due to great control Latos walked just five batters in 33 1/3 innings. Wainwright is even better with one BB in 37 1/3. If that wasn’t good enough, both are close to striking out nine batters per nine innings.

Enjoy!

April 28, 2013

Big Strike Zone

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Looking at the pitch totals in the Angels/Mariners boxscore, the first thing that hit me was that the home plate umpire must have called a lot of pitches on the edge of the zone strikes. Jason Vargas threw an eight inning complete game in the 2-1 loss, throwing 107 pitches, only 32 of them balls. The three Seattle pitchers threw 129 pitches, only 36 of them balls. It seems unusual for four pitchers to have that high a strike percentage, unless they were getting some help.

April 28, 2013

Big Return

Yoenis Cespedes made a big return to the Athletics lineup on Sunday, hitting a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to send the game against the Orioles into extra innings, where Oakland one on poor Baltimore defense in the 10th, 9-8. Cespedes went 2 for 5 on the day. So far, four of his ten hits have left the ballpark.

Chris Davis drove in three runs for the Orioles to bring his total to 28 RBI in 25 games. That’s a 181 RBI pace.

April 28, 2013

Two Man Show

Clayton Kershaw struck out 12 Brewers and Carl Crawford hit two solo home runs as the Dodgers shutout Milwaukee 2-0 Sunday afternoon. This was the third time this year Kershaw went at least seven innings without allowing a run, all three of those starts coming at home. He runs his season K total to 47, and with no base on balls his walk total stays at 12.

Crawford is thriving in the lead-off spot with the Dodgers. He is reaching base at a .390 clip, and with 10 extra base hits he’s slugging .523. I suspect this is what the Red Sox were looking for when they signed him to a long-term contract.