Joe Saunders defeated the Dodgers last night while striking out one batter over 7 1/3 innings. For the season, Joe is striking out 3.65 batters per nine, a fairly low rate. That usually means more balls in play, and more of those balls going through for hits. Pitchers like Saunders need a good defense behind them.
Joe isn’t the only low K pitcher doing well this season. Here’s a comparison of the low strikeout pitchers (40 IP through May 16, K/9 < 4.00) in 2007 and 2008:
| Through May 16 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Pitchers | 12 | 11 |
| Record | 27-35 | 42-26 |
| ERA | 4.57 | 3.71 |
| K per 9 | 3.40 | 3.45 |
| BB per 9 | 3.01 | 2.90 |
| HR per 9 | 1.08 | 0.73 |
Note that this is not the same group of pitchers. Only Jon Garland, Zach Duke and Fausto Carmona represent the intersection of the two sets of hurlers. The 2008 crop of pitchers is doing a much better job of keeping the ball in the park. That brings down their ERA and ups their record.