Tag Archives: Yordano Ventura

October 3, 2014

Playoffs Today

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It’s at least twelve hours of baseball today as all four series are scheduled for Friday. The action starts at noon EDT with the Tigers and Orioles playing game two of their ALDS series. Justin Verlander faces Wei-Yin Chen. Verlander lost some power this season, with just 159 strikeouts in 206 innings. It was the first time since his 2006 rookie season that he allowed more hits than innings pitched. He did finish with two strong starts, however, allowing two runs and no walks in 15 1/3 innings, striking out ten. Chen lowered his ERA half a run compared to his first two seasons with the Orioles, good for a 16=6 record. He figured out how to keep the ball in the park in the second half, allowing just six home runs after the All-Star break in 81 2/3 innings after giving up 17 HR in 104 innings before the break.

The Giants and Nationals begin their NLDS series at 3 PM EDT with Jake Peavy battling Stephen Strasburg. Peavy turned his season around after joining the Giants cutting both his walk and home runs rates compared to pitching for the Red Sox. This wasn’t a home park effect per se, as Peavy pitched worse on the road with Boston this season. Strasbrug posted great strikeout and walk rates, but was susceptible to the home run. He was especially effective at home, with a 2.56 ERA, walking 18 and striking out 140 in 116 innings. He was extremely strong in September, 3-1 with a 1.13 ERA in five starts, with just one home run allowed.

The best pitching match-up of the day takes place at Dodger Stadium with Adam Wainwright facing Clayton Kershaw. Since 2009, Kershaw and Wainwright are 1-2 in the National League in ERA, Kershaw at 2.33, Wainwright at 2.83. (The linked list is the major league leaders with at least 800 innings. Of the top 20, 11 are in the playoffs this year, and there would have been 12 if Matt Cain were healthy. It even works better as the top 23 contain 14 pitchers in the playoffs.) In that time Kershaw wins strikeouts by a wide margin, Wainwright is better at preventing walks, and they are about even at preventing home runs. Clayton owns a 93-44 record, Wainwright 92-50. Note that Wainwright missed all of the 2011 season.

Finally, the Royals try to make it two games in row over the Angels as Yordano Ventura takes on Matt Shoemaker. Ventura did pitch in relief on Tuesday getting one out and giving up two runs. He had a reverse platoon advantage this year, pitching better against left-handed batters. Ventura held them to a .232/.299/.343 slash line. Shoemaker found his groove in late July, posting a 1.49 ERA over his last 11 appearances. He allowed just three home runs in those 66 2/3 innings.

Enjoy!

September 30, 2014

Shields Down

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The Athletics start the top of the sixth with a single and a walk, and Ned Yost pulls James Shields from the game. He was strong for five innings, but in a one and done game, Yost can’t take the chance that Shields blows up here. Yordano Ventura, usually a starter, comes on to pitch.

Update: Ventura faces Brandon Moss, and Moss hits a smash over the fence in centerfield. Moss hits his second home run of the game, and Oakland takes a 5-3 lead.

I haven’t heard Kauffman Stadium this quiet since Freddie Patek grounded into a double play to end the 1976 ALCS.

Update: You have to wonder, with the great bullpen of the Royals, why not go to the live arms early and let each one pitch an extra out? Yost will be skewered for this decision.

Update: Oakland is pouring it on in the sixth. They keep picking up hits, and are still batting with two more runs in and a 7-3 lead. They’ve batted around in the inning already.

September 28, 2014 September 28, 2014

Games of the Day

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There are six games that matter on this last day of the season, which is really quite remarkable. Two division titles and a second wild card slot need to be decided. While we know nine of the ten playoff teams, and we know which teams will host the opening games of the LDS, we know little else. The Giants will play the wild card game at Pittsburgh or St. Louis. The Angles will host one of Detroit, Kansas City, Oakland, or Seattle. The Orioles will host Kansas City or Detroit. The Nationals will host San Francisco, St. Louis, or Pittsburgh. The Dodgers will host Pittsburgh or St. Louis. Obviously, a lot of travel plans are in flux.

The Twins try to prevent the Tigers from clinching the AL Central as they send Kyle Gibson against David Price. The Tigers pounded Gibson this season. In four starts against the Tigers he allowed 15 runs in 19 2/3 innings, walking ten and allowing 27 hits. Price comes into the game with 241 innings pitched this season, about 17 more than his previous single season high. There’s a chance he’s running on fumes. Against the Twins this season, he struck out 26 and walked four in 22 2/3 innings. A win by the Tigers settles the AL Central in their favor.

About the same time, the Pirates send Gerrit Cole against Cy Young contender Johnny Cueto in Cincinnati. Cole a win by the Pirates forces the Cardinals to win later in the the day to avoid a tie for the division. A loss by Pittsburgh makes the Cardinals NL Central champs. Cole is having an odd September. He allowed three home runs and six walks in 32 1/3 innings, while striking out 33. Those are good numbers, but he’s allowed a 4.18 ERA. Despite that, he’s 4-1 on the month, so the good an bad luck seem to be evening out. Cueto goes for his 20th win of the season, hoping to pull some Cy Young votes from Clayton Kershaw. He is 4-0 with a 1.89 ERA against the Pirates in five starts this season.

An hour after those two games start, the Royals send Yordano Ventura against the White Sox and rookie Chris Bassitt. Ventura pitched great down the stretch, with a 2.17 ERA in his last nine starts. He has not allowed a home run since giving up one on July 31st. Bassitt has not allowed a home run in 24 2/3 major league innings, and a low home run rate was his strength in the minors as well. The Royals should know around the sixth inning how much this game matters.

Oakland is schedule to send Sonny Gray against Texas and Nick Martinez. Derek Holland was scratched from last night’s start due to a migraine headache, so he may start for Texas. Gray is 3-2 with a 2.60 ERA against Texas this season, allowing just one home run in 34 2/3 innings. Martinez owns a 2.22 ERA in September as he brought his home runs and walks under control. An Oakland win gives them the second wild card slot.

The Cardinals send their Cy Young Award candidate, Adam Wainwright, against the Diamondbacks and Josh Collmenter. If the Pirates lose before this game starts, I would not be surprised to see Wainwright scratched, or just pitch a couple of innings as a warm up to game one of the ALDS. A 21st win would set a new single season high for him and give the Cardinals the NL Central title, regardless of what Pittsburgh does. The Pirates have to be happy to know that if they do go into a playoff game, they won’t face Wainwright. Collmenter lost his ability to strike out batters this season, dropping over two K per 9 IP from his last two seasons.

Finally, the Mariners try to salvage a wild card slot and Felix Hernandez his Cy Young award as they host the Angels and Cory Rasmus. Rasmus has not pitched much this season, 53 innings, mostly in relief. He has walked just 16 and struck out 54, however. Felix was blown out in his last start. This is his fifth season in his last six in which he passed 230 innings. He’s 2-0 with an 0.94 ERA against the Angels this year. The Mariners should know by the sixth or seventh inning if they are playing for a chance at a game on Monday or not.

Enjoy!

September 17, 2014

Games of the Day

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The afternoon games concentrate on the NL West race. The Dodgers and Rockies start the contests with Carlos Frias facing Jorge De La Rosa. Frias allowed three home runs in his 19 relief innings, but with good walk and K numbers. He did not allow a run in his six innings as a starter. de la Rosa pitched much better in Colorado than on the road with a 3.30 ERA at Coors versus 5.24 away.

In Arizona, Madison Bumgarner takes on Andrew Chafin. The Giants ace set a personal single season high this year with 204 strikeouts. Chafin had a successful MLB debut, allowing no runs in five innings in his first MLB start.

The Royals draw a tough opponent as Chris Sale and the White Sox battle Yordano Ventura. Sale qualifies for the ERA title, but his low innings pitched probably keep him from winning the Cy Young award. He has struck out 192 in 163 innings. Ventura holds opponents to a .204 BA with runners in scoring position this season.

Milwaukee needs a win as they send Mike Fiers against the first place Cardinals and ace Adam Wainwright. Fiers owns a 1.84 ERA on the strength of just 33 hits allowed in 53 2/3 innings, thanks to a high strikeout rate. Wainwright would own a 19-9 record for the second season in a row with a win.

The Angels can clinch a tie for the AL West Championship with a win over Seattle, and an outright win if Oakland also loses. James Paxton stands in the way of LAnaheim, which sends C.J. Wilson to the mound. Opponents are just 5 for 50 against Paxton with runners in scoring position. Wilson allowed the Mariners nine runs in 13 1/3 innings this season.

Finally, Derek Holland and the Rangers try to spoil the Athletics run at a wild card as Texas faces Jeff Samardzija. Holland has yet to issue a walk in three starts since coming off the disabled list. Samardzija continues his habit with the the Cubs of pitching well but not picking up wins, mostly due to poor offensive support. The A’s have scored three runs or less six times for Jeff.

Enjoy!

September 7, 2014

Games of the Day

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It’s Derek Jeter Day at Yankee Stadium as the Royals and Yankees play the rubber game of their series. I find it odd that today is that day, as there is another home game on a Sunday closer to the end of the season. I also find it odd they are not waiting until next year, when Jeter is actually retired. I suspect the front office and YES thought that a game against the Royals in September, on the first Sunday of the NFL season, would not be well attended or watched. Little did they know it would a game with playoff implications

Yordano Ventura takes on Shane Greene in the main event (or the secondary event, depending on how much you love Jeter 🙂 ). Ventura has not allowed a home run in his last fives starts, helping him to a 2.90 ERA despite a high walk rate. Greene has not fared well at Yankee Stadium with four home runs and 11 walks allowed in 26 2/3 innings.

The Mariners hope to solidify their lead in the AL Wild Card race as James Paxton takes on Derek Holland of the Rangers. Paxton holds opponents to a .118 BA with runners in scoring position, 4 for 34 so far this season. That goes a long way to explaining his low ERA. Holland made a triumphant return from knee surgery, allowing one run, walking none, and striking out six in his return to the rotation.

Enjoy!

August 11, 2014

Games of the Day

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The Yankees travel to Baltimore to try to make a run at the first place Orioles. Chris Capuano takes on Bud Norris. Capuano cleared up his control problems since joining the Yankees, with five walks and 17 K in 19 innings, helping him to a 2.84 ERA. Norris owns a 2.61 ERA at home, thank to allowing just four of his 13 homers in Baltimore.

Possible playoff opponents Oakland and Kansas City meet in Missouri with Sonny Gray facing Yordano Ventura. Gray is off to a rough start in August, with an 0-2 record and 5.56 ERA. Ventura holds opponents to a .207 BA with runners in scoring position.

Enjoy!

July 20, 2014

Games of the Day

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Johnny Cueto tries to work his way back to the top of the NL Cy Young Tracker Points race as the Reds face the Yankees and Hiroki Kuroda. Cueto slipped a bit so far in July, having already allowed three home runs in the month. Kuroda, on the other hand, allowed just four home runs since the start of June after allowing nine in the first two months.

The Royals go for their first post-break win as Yordano Ventura takes on Red Sox ace Jon Lester. Ventura owns a better record and ERA on the road this season despite a higher walk rate and a higher home run rate. He does a better job of limiting hits and non-home run power. Lester allowed just two of his eight home runs at Fenway this season.

Young pitchers battle in Oakland as the Orioles send Kevin Gausman against Sonny Gray. Gausman beat Oakland once this season, holding them to four hits and one walk in seven innings. Gray was the loser in that game, one of his two terrible performances this season.

Finally, Clayton Kershaw is showcased on the Sunday night game as the Dodgers finish their series in St. Louis. Carlos Martinez pitches for the Cardinals. Kershaw allowed just three runs in his last seven starts. Note that while his ERA leads the league in that time, he’s not the only pitcher posting fantastic numbers in that span. He’s just at the top of pile of dominant pitchers in 2014. LHB hammered Martinez this season to a .327/.416//523 slash line.

Enjoy!

June 17, 2014

Games of the Day

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Toronto travels to New York with a 4 1/2 game lead on the Yankees as Marcus Stroman takes on Masahiro Tanaka. Stroman pitched much better as a starter this season, striking out 17 and walking just two in 18 innings. Tanaka holds opponents to a .197/.246/.325 slash line at home.

The improving Astros visit Washington as Dallas Keuchel faces Tanner Roark in battle of good, young pitchers. Keuchel pitches lights out on the road, with a 6-0 records and 1.42 ERA. Roark is the master of Nationals Park, with a 1.55 ERA there this season, although just a 2-3 record. He allowed just two of his seven home runs at home in about the same number of innings.

Yordano Ventura tries to pitch the Royals into first place against Max Scherzer and the Tigers. Ventura struck out just four batters in his 13 June innings, but walked just two and has not allowed a home run. Scherzer’s .789 winning percentage since the start of the 2012 season is the highest for any pitcher with at least 60 starts in that time. (Number two, Zack Greinke, also pitches tonight.)

Finally, the Rangers try to gain more ground on the Athletics as Yu Darvish faces Tommy Milone. Darvish pitched poorly in consecutive starts against the A’s. Milone owns a 2.00 ERA over his last seven starts, holding opponents to a low number of walks and home runs.

Enjoy!

June 5, 2014

Games of the Day

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The Giants and Reds finish their series with an excellent match-up as Madison Bumgarner faces Mike Leake. The butt collector is blowing away batters better than ever with 85 K in 72 2/3 innings. Leake went with improved control this season, walking just 15 batters in 77 innings.

The Athletics and Yankees are scheduled for 1 PM EDT, with Drew Pomeranz taking on Masahiro Tanaka. Pomeranz stands 4-1 since moving to the rotation, surviving a high walk rate with lots of strikeouts and few home runs. Tanaka holds batters to a .194/.245/.321 slash line at Yankee Stadium. In other words, he turns entire teams into pitchers who hit well. 🙂

Finally, the Cardinals try for the reverse road split of their four-game home and home against the Royals. KC won the two games in St. Louis, and the Cardinals took the first game on the border of Kansas. Michael Wacha battles Yordano Ventura. Wacha has not lost at home this season, but has not won on the road, despite very similar ERAs, 2.42 in St. Louis, 2.51 away. Ventura stands 2-5 despite a good ERA. The Royals scored three runs or less in his starts five times.

Enjoy!

May 15, 2014

Games of the Day

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See yesterday’s post for comments on Ian Kennedy versus Johnny Cueto in the game between the Padres and Reds, as well as Jason Hammel and the Cubs facing Michael Wacha and the Cardinals.

The Yankees and Mets offer a rare game as both starters make their major league debuts. For the Mets, it will be the second debut in as many games. Chase Whitley hurls for the Bronx Bombers against Jacob deGrom and the Metropolitans. The last time this happened was on Sept. 7, 2010 when Dillon Gee of the Mets faced Yunesky Maya of the Nationals. It will be just the fifth time this century that both starters make their debut.

Whitley was in his third season at AAA, where he is 15-9 with a 3.05 ERA in 174 1/3 innings. He has shown good control and the ability to keep the ball in the park during his career. He’s not young, seasonal age 25, so he’s coming into the majors in his prime and should be ready to contribute. deGrom is even older, seasonal age 26, and also pitched well at AAA. His 3.87 ERA playing for Las Vegas should not be taken lightly, since it is a tough place to pitch. I would not be surprised to see a lot of ground balls induced by him.

Finally, Wei-Yin Chen and Yordano Ventura lead the Orioles against the Royals. Chen own strong underlying pitching stats, keeping his walks and home runs low, but opponents are hitting him at a .301 clip. That’s the main reason for their .333 OBP. Better defense might help. Ventura strikes out better than a batter per inning, helping him to a 2.34 ERA.

Enjoy!

April 20, 2014

Game of the Day

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The Twins face the Royals with Phil Hughes taking on Yordano Ventura. Hughes is off to an odd start this season. He struck out 17 and walked five in 15 innings of work, two very respectable numbers for a pitcher, and numbers that would normally indicate success. Hughes allowed 20 hits so far, however, two of them home runs, leading to a 7.20 ERA. Even stranger is that right-handed batters, without the platoon advantage, hit .407 against him, 11 for 27, with five doubles. It seems that Hughes experience a great deal of bad luck so far. This is Phil Hughes, however, and he always seems to be pitching in bad luck. Ventura, with 13 K and 3 BB in 13 innings, allowed just six hits so far, good for an 0.69 ERA. These two pitchers are a great comparison, with similar rates in K’s and walks, but early season sample sizes result in very different ERAs.

Enjoy!

April 3, 2014

Games of the Day

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There’s lots of afternoon action this Thursday, so take lunch late and stay out for awhile. 🙂 It’s also a great day for great names.

Lance Lynn, Secret Chimp, leads the Cardinals against Homer Bailey and the Reds, who may beat Bob Walk for worst name for a pitcher.

Yordano Ventura takes the mound for Kansas City, ringing in his season against the Tigers and Anibal Sanchez. They are the only major league players ever with those first names.

Crafts of the 19th century will be on display as Tanner Roark faces Zack Wheeler as the Nationals go for a sweep of the Mets in New York.

Finally, Roenis Elias makes his major league debut as Seattle moves to Oakland to face Jesse Chavez. Elias has not pitched above AA. At age 24 in 2013, he had a break-out year at AA, increasing his K rate and lowering his home run rate. We’ll see if it translates to the majors.

Enjoy!

September 17, 2013

Games of the Day

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The Orioles try to stop the Red Sox run machine as they send Scott Feldman against Ryan Dempster. Feldman doesn’t have much of a history at Fenway Park, making one relief appearance and one start. The start in 2008 was a disaster, as he allowed 12 runs (six earned) in 2 2/3 innings. Dempster owns a 4.99 ERA at home this season versus 4.15 on the road, but almost twice his innings came in Fenway. It seems Ryan was not set up to succeed this year.

Cleveland and Kansas City continue their wild card important series with Corey Kluber facing Yordano Ventura. Kluber worked back from injury well, lasting five innings in each of his two outings since returning from the disabled list, walking just two. If you have not heard of Ventura before, he makes his major league debut in a rather stressful situation. In the minors, his strikeout and home run rates were impressive, but he tends to be a bit wild.

The Diamondbacks kept the Dodgers from lowering their magic number on Monday and now Zack Greinke gets a shot against Patrick Corbin. Zack pitched well in his two starts against the Diamondbacks this season, striking out 12 and walking four in 14 innings, good for a 1.29 ERA. Corbin regressed since his great start, with a 4.05 ERA since the All-Star break. That’s mostly due to allowing home runs at a higher rate.

There are lots of other compelling games this evening as well, given the wild AL Wild Card race and the NL Central race.

Enjoy!