Tag Archives: Yovani Gallardo

September 23, 2011

Brewers Win!

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John Axford pitched the ninth inning against the Marlins and retires them in order as the Brewers guarantee no worse than a tie with the Cardinals as Milwaukee beats Florida 4-1. This was Ryan Braun‘s game as he beat the Marlins, first with his glove, then with his bat.

Yovani Gallardo pitched seven strong innings, giving up the one run as he walked non and struck out 11. That’s his third straight game with at least 10 strikeouts, and he reached that level in four of his last six starts.

Milwaukee now waits for the result of the Cubs/Cardinals game in which St. Louis trails 4-1 in the bottom of the eighth. If that holds up, the Brewers are NL Central champs.

September 23, 2011

Games of the Day

The reeling Red Sox head for New York to play under the clouds as Jon Lester faces Freddy Garcia. Lester pitched fine down the stretch, with a 3.52 ERA in four September starts, but that was only good for a 1-2 record. He’s been a bit wild, walking 11 in 23 innings, but allowed just one home run. Garcia, on the other hand, owns a 10.95 ERA in September and a 6.92 ERA against Boston this season. He walked nine and struck out seven Boston batters in 13 innings.

The reeling Braves make their way to Washington as they send Tim Hudson against Stephen Strasburg. Hudson owns the Nationals this season with a 2.16 in four starts, walking six and striking out 20 in 25 innings. Strasburg has logged 14 innings since returning from Tommy John surgery, allowing nine hits and no walks while striking out 11. It looks like the surgery was a success.

The Rangers can clinch a division title with a win and an Angels loss. Anthony Vazquez and the Mariners try to stop Matt Harrison from achieving that feat. Vazquez pitches to contact, with eight walks and 11 strikeouts in 24 innings. Unfortunately for him, many of the pitches put in play end up out of the park, as he allowed nine home runs so far. Harrison is finishing up the best season of his career, with an ERA a run lower than his career average. He did an excellent job of cutting down his home run rate.

Milwaukee can clinch the NL Central with a win and a St. Louis loss. Yovani Gallardo hosts Chris Volstad and the Marlins. Volstad got killed by left-handed batters this season, with a .313/.374/.550 slash line against the righty. Gallardo pitched great at home in 2011, 10-2 with a 3.13 ERA. He only allowed 10 of his 27 home runs at Miller Park.

Finally, the Diamondbacks clinch the NL West with a win over the Giants tonight as Matt Cain visits Joe Saunders. Cain had his best season keeping the ball in the park, with just nine home runs allowed in 214 1/3 innings. Saunders has trouble in Arizona with a 4.46 ERA there, despite giving up many more home runs on the road. He gives up a lot more singles at home.

Enjoy!

September 11, 2011

The Whiffs in Milwaukee

Milwaukee ends the Philadelphia winning streak as Yovani Gallardo out duels Vance Worley for a 3-2 Brewers win. Yovani allowed two solo home runs but struck out 12. Both staffs showed great control as the starts and bullpens combined for four walks and 23 strikeouts on the day. Gallardo added a double as well as he finishes the game with a .234/.269/.344 slash line on offense.

Miwaukee’s magic number drops to ten, while the Phillies are down to six with the Braves loss.

September 11, 2011

Games of the Day

Two quick notes on pitcher come backs. Dustin McGowan takes the mound for the Blue Jays against Baltimore. He has not started in the majors since 2008, and made one four inning relief appearance this season. Stephen Strasburg makes his second start of the season, at home against Houston. At least the Nationals are giving him easy opponents early.

Jon Lester tries to halt Boston’s slide as he faces James Shields in Tampa Bay. The Red Sox are 2-8 in September, and Lester owns one of those wins. He allowed two runs of less in each of his last five starts, never more than one of those runs earned. He struck out 32 in his last 31 innings. Shields can earn his 12th complete game this afternoon. He would be the first at that level since Randy Johnson in 1999. Sheilds is 1-2 against the Red Sox this season with a 3.52 ERA. He only allowed 14 hits in 23 innings against them.

The Phillies go for a sweep of the Brewers as they continue to pound their possible playoff competition. Vance Worley battles Yovani Gallardo. Vance stands at 7-0 since the All-Star break. He improved his walk rate, but allowed six of his eight home runs in that time. Gallardo is at about the same number of innings as he pitched in 2010. His walks are down, but so are his strikeouts, and he doubled the number of home runs allowed. Despite that, his ERA is 0.13 runs lower.

The Braves came into their series at St. Louis with a magic number of 12, and they might leave with that intact as Tim Hudson takes on Jake Westbrook. Hudson started getting better results after the All-Star break, with an ERA of 3.57 before, 2.50 after. He allowed a .255 BA with men in scoring position before the break, .178 after. Westbrook sports a 5.74 ERA at home this season.

Rangers ace C.J Wilson tries to keep some distance between Texas and LAnaheim as he hosts Josh Outman and the Athletics. Outman makes just his ninth start of the season, but he has held opponents to a .358 slugging percentage, despite a high fly ball percentage. Wilson improved both his strike out and walk rates versus 2010, one reason he’s going for his 16th win today, one more than last season.

Finally, Freddy Garcia tries to put the brakes on the Yankees slide as he visits Ervin Santana and the Angels. The Yankees offense is really the culprit here, as they’ve scored nine runs during the four game losing streak. Garcia pitches better away from Yankee Stadium where just three of his 12 home runs have left the park. Santana owns a 2.13 ERA since the All-Star break, giving up just four of his 17 home runs since the middle of July.

Enjoy!

September 1, 2011

Games of the Day

The Cardinals go for a sweep of the Brewers as they send Brandon Dickson against Yovani Gallardo. Dickson makes his first major league start, as deuces were wild for the pitcher in two relief appearances. He pitched four innings, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out two. His did not allow a run, however. At seasonal age 26, Dickson is not a prospect, but his walk rate did drop in his second season at AAA. Gallardo has walked just 13 batters in 73 innings since the beginning of July.

The Yankees and Red Sox play the rubber game of their series as A.J. Burnett faces Jon Lester. Pitchers have gone against form in this series, with CC Sabathia pitching well against the Sox and Josh Beckett pitching poorly against the Yankees. Does that mean Burnett will pitch well? His spot in the rotation is on the line. He only made one start against Boston this season, but allowed eight runs in 5 2/3 innings, giving up seven hits, four walks and a home run. Lester hasn’t pitched all that well against the Yankees this year, allowing ten runs in 18 innings.

Finally, the Tampa Bay Rays finish their series with Texas as Jeff Niemann faces C.J. Wilson. As far as the three true outcomes go, Niemann is fairly even home and road. He allows many fewer hits on the road, however, where his ERA stands at 2.83, versus 4.03 in Florida. Wilson did a very good job of repeating his 2010 success. He should up his innings pitched while greatly lowering his walk rate.

Enjoy!

August 11, 2011

Games of the Day

The Rockies and Reds offer a nice afternoon pitching matchup as Jhoulys Chacin takes on Johnny Cueto. Chacin’s season is very interesting. He’s a few innings over his total from 2010, with a lower strikeout rate and a much higher home run rate. Jhoulys allowed many fewer hits however, so his ERA is not up that much. Cueto has a shot at leading the NL in ERA. At 2.06 right now, he’ll need to pitch 48 2/3 more innings to qualify for the title.

The Indians go for a sweep of the Tigers as Justin Verlander visits Fausto Carmona. Verlander goes for his 17th win as he’s looking more and more like the Cy Young winner this season. He threw a 2-hit, 12 K shutout the only time he faced Cleveland this year, and that wasn’t his best pitched game of the season! Carmona has pitched better since the start of July, with a 2.60 ERA in his last five starts. He only walked seven in 27 2/3 innings in that time, but he allowed three home runs and struck out just nine batters.

Finally, the Brewers go for a sweep of the Cardinals and a commanding lead in the NL Central. St. Louis send Chris Carpenter against Yovani Gallardo. Milwaukee knocked Chris around this season, with 12 hits and 10 runs in 11 innings of work, including two home runs. All those hits are despite 10 strikeouts by Carpenter. Gallardo can match his 2010 win total of 14 with a victory today, which is his single season high. He’s also on pace to reach a new high in home runs allowed, beating the 21 given up in 2009. In his one start against St. Louis this season, he pitched eight shutout innings, allowing one hit and four walks.

Enjoy!

July 14, 2011

Games of the Day

Fourteen teams don’t get an extra day off as seven games grace the schedule Thursday night. The Blue Jays trail the Yankees by ten games in the wild card race as they open a four-game series in Toronto. The long balls may be flying as the Yankees lead the AL in home runs hit, with the Blue Jays tied for third. Jose Bautista leads the league among individuals with 31 dingers, while Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira are tied for second at 25. It’s a diverse group, with a righty, lefty, and a switch hitter. Both starting pitchers, Bartolo Colon and Jo-Jo Reyes have a bit of a weakness in allowing home runs, so watch for a slugfest in this one.

Yovani Gallardo faces Ubaldo Jimenez as the Brewers start the post-break season in Colorado. Yovani’s run into trouble early in games this season, with six of his 13 home runs allowed in the first 30 pitches of games. If he can get by that mark, he’s usually okay the rest of the way. Coors hurt Jimenez this season. In the past he was master of the big park, but with seven of his eight home runs allowed at home, his ERA is four points higher there than on the road.

Enjoy!

May 29, 2011

Mayovani Gallardo

Yovani Gallardo finished May on a strong note, pitching eight shutout innings against the Giants. That and 13 hits by the offense helped the Brewers to a 6-0 win. Gallardo ends May 5-1 with a 2.25 ERA. The rest of the staff is 11-10 for the month.

May 29, 2011

Games of the Day

The Rays try to earn a split with the Indians as Justin Masterson faces Jeremy Hellickson in Tampa Bay. Masterson sports a 1.65 ERA on the road this season, having not allowed a home run in 27 1/3 innings. Hellickson shows much better control at home, with 5 walks in 21 2/3 innings compared to 20 in 35 2/3 innings on the road.

The Giants and Brewers split two one-run games as Matt Cain takes on Yovani Gallardo in Milwaukee. Cain posts an extreme reverse platoon split this season with lefties earning a .191/.277/.275 slash line against him, righties .283/.327/.462. All five stolen base attempts against Matt succeeded. Gallaro found his strikeout pitch in May, with 36 K in 32 innings. He comes into his final start of the month with a 2.81 ERA for May.

The Cardinals and Rockies each won a blow out as they play the rubber game of their series in Colorado with Kyle Lohse battling Jhoulys Chacin. Lohse sports a 2.06 ERA thanks to a WHIP one half runner lower than his career average. He has yet to allow a home run on the road this season. Chacin allows a low .301 slugging percentage at home, with only 10 or the 29 hits against there going for extra bases.

Aces battle in game two in Detroit as Boston sends Josh Beckett against Justin Verlander. Beckett comes into this weekend game with a 0.60 May ERA, allowing just two runs in 30 innings. The 21 hits he allowed in the month are all singles. Verlander’s May included a no-hitter, and he has not walked a batter in his last two starts.

Finally, ESPN features the Red and Braves with Johnny Cueto facing Jair Jurrjens. After two outstanding starts right after returning from the disabled list, Cueto allowed six runs in 11 innings over his last two starts as his walks went up. Jurrjens leads the NL with a 1.56 ERA, having walked just nine in 57 2/3 innings.

Enjoy!

May 7, 2011

Hit in the Eighth

Daniel Descalso grounds a ball up the middle leading off the eighth inning against Yovani Gallardo, and it remains out of reach for the shortstop for the first hit of the game. The Brewers still lead 1-0 over the Cardinals as Yovani tries to hang on for the shutout and the win.

May 7, 2011

No Hitters Through Six

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Yovani Gallardo walked another batter but didn’t allow a hit as he kept his no-hitter going through six innings. He’s also struck out five as the Brewers cling to a 1-0 lead over the Cardinals.

Justin Verlander gave up a hard line drive to Rajai Davis with two out in the seventh, but it was right at Miguel Cabrera as the Tigers starter remains perfect through six innings. He only struck out three so far, and is at 67 pitches. The Tigers lead the Blue Jays 7-0.

Update: Gallardo walks Lance Berkman in the seventh, but he induces a double play to end the inning, and Yovani is just six outs away from a no-hitter.

Update: Verlander hits 100 on the radar gun in the seventh. He retires the side 1-2-3 again to keep the perfect game through seven innings. He’s at 81 pitches thrown, 56 for strikes.

Here’s the box score from Verlander’s 2007 no-hitter against the Brewers.

May 7, 2011

Two Perfectos

Yovani Gallardo and Justin Verlander each have retired the first 12 batters they faced Saturday afternoon. Gallardo struck out four and threw 56 pitches, while Verlander is working a bit more efficiently, with three K and 45 pitches thrown.

The Brewers lead the Cardinals 1-0, while Detroit is up 6-0 on the Blue Jays.

Update: Gallardo walks two in the fifth, but Mark Kotsay makes a great leaping catch with two out to preserve the no-hitter.

Update: Verlander makes a nice fielding play to preserve his perfect game in the fifth. Edwin Encarnacion, with two out, hit one back to the box and it bounced off Justin. Verlander chased it down, and barely threw him out. Miguel Cabrera looked like he got hurt on the play.

May 2, 2011

Gallardo Hit Again

Yovani Gallardo allowed nine hits in five innings as he continues to get rocked despite a decent strikeout rate. He also walked four,as his control went today also. The Braves won 6-2.

May 2, 2011

Games of the Day

The Yankees visit Detroit with Bartolo Colon taking on Justin Verlander. The Tigers are one of the coldest teams in baseball right now, tied with Minnesota for longest current losing streak at six games. Colon is pitching like he did in his peak seasons of 2000 and 2001, with 26 strikeouts in 26 innings. He’s showing better control, however, with just six walks. He’s throwing his fastball with the same movement he did in 2009, but two miles an hour faster, and he’s getting it down in the strike zone.

Bartolo Colon fastball location 2009.

Bartolo Colon fastball location 2009. Heat map: Baseball Analytics.

Bartolo Colon fastball location 2011.

Bartolo Colon fastball location 2011. Heat map: Baseball Analytics.

Verlander is also pitching as well as ever except for the six home runs allowed. He’s giving up long balls at twice the rate of last year, and the Yankees are one of the most powerful teams in the majors.

In the stomach flu contest, Jered Weaver takes on Clay Buchholz as the Angels visit the Red Sox. I’ll quote from Sunday’s post on Weaver:

One key to Weaver’s success is getting the lead-off man in an inning. He’s faced the first batter in 47 innings, allowing three hits and two walks, one of the hits a home run.

He has not pitched well at Fenway in the past, but this isn’t the greatest offense Boston has put on the field, either. Buchholz’s ERA is a reflection of the high number of walks he issued and home runs he allowed. In 27 innings, he’s three short of the number he allowed last season in 173 2/3 innings.

Finally, Yovani Gallardo and Jair Jurrjens battle in Atlanta as the Brewers play the Braves. Gallardo is off to a rough start, bringing a 5.40 ERA into the game. He’s been particularly bad on the road, with a .370/.392/.609 opposition slash line. The good news is that his FIP is about a run and a half lower than his actual ERA, so I suspect he’ll turn around his poor April. Jurrjens has yet to allowed a hit with runners in scoring position, covering 17 at bats. He has walked three. That helps account for his 1.23 ERA

Enjoy!

Thanks to Baseball Analytics for the heat maps.

April 27, 2011

Most Vottoable Player

Joey Votto goes deep in the first inning to give the Reds a 3-0 lead over the Brewers. It’s the fifth HR of the season for Joey and the fourth allowed by Yovani Gallardo. The Brewers ace allowed just 12 all of last season.

April 27, 2011

Games of the Day

The first place Marlins battle the Dodgers at noon with Chad Billingsley facing Anibal Sanchez. Chad pitched poorly in the road so far this season with a .323 BA allowed. Sanchez owns a 1.23 ERA at home vs. 6.75 on the road this season.

Milwaukee is tied with the Cardinals for first in the NL Central. They finish their series with Cincinnati, who trails both teams by 1/2 game. Sam LeCure takes on Yovani Gallardo. I love Sam’s 17 K and four BB in 17 1/3 innings, but the four home runs allowed hurt him. Gallardo hasn’t quite been the ace of the staff, as he’s allowing more hits than usual. A lot of those are coming with men on base.

The best pitching match-up of the day goes to Boston at Baltimore, where Josh Beckett visits Jeremy Guthrie. Beckett has his home runs allowed under control and is allowing a hit about every other inning. Guthrie is repeating last year’s performance of keeping his line-drive rate at about 15%. Fewer line drives mean fewer hits.

Enjoy!

April 23, 2011

Brewing a Blowout

The Milwaukee Brewers saw four batters collect three hits each as they pounded the Astros 14-7 Friday night. Even Yovani Gallardo added a home run, the nine of his career. For a pitcher, he can really hit, with a .221 BA and a .425 slugging percentage, as 19 of his 40 hits have gone for extra bases.

The newly extra-rich Ryan Braun was one of the three-hit batters, collecting his sixth homer of the season. He added a walk as well to raise his slash line to .382/.494/.691.

April 17, 2011

Gallardo Trades Off

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Yovani Gallardo improved his control Sunday afternoon, walking none in 5 1/3 innings of work while striking out five. He had only allowed one home run in twenty innings coming into the game, but gave up two three-run shots as the Brewers fell to the Nationals 8-4 in game one of their double header. That was the highest number of runs the Nationals scored this season. Jason Marquis continued to pitch well, giving up just two runs in seven innings of work to lower his ERA to 3.26.

April 17, 2011

Games of the Day

Yovani Gallardo

Yovani Gallardo tries to solve his power issues against the Nationals. Photo: Icon SMI

Toronto and Boston continue their Patriot Day weekend series with Jesse Litsch taking on Jon Lester. While the Blue Jays hope Listch returns to his 2008 form, so far he surpassed that in one regard, his strikeouts. With 11 K in 11 1/3 innings, this is not the low strikeout pitcher the Toronto fans knew. The strikeouts are covering a rise in his walk level, so we’ll see which of the two hold up. If he can maintain the whiffs while regaining control, Jesse will look like an ace. Lester recovered from his poor first start to strike out 17 batters during his last 14 innings without allowing a home run.

Yovani Gallardo and Jason Marquis face off in the first game of the Brewers/Nationals double header. The positive note for Gallardo is his 2.70 ERA. On the negative side, he walked 9 and struck out just eight in 20 innings. Gallardo is a power pitcher, so if his Ks remain low, I would tend to think something is wrong with him. Marquis is just the opposite. He’s never shown much ability to strike out a ton of batters, but owns 11 K with just two walks in his first 12 1/3 innings this season.

Clayton Richard and Brett Myers battle in Houston as the Padres go for a series split with the Astros. Richard, a left-handed pitcher, has been nearly unhittable this season. Left-handed batters are just 3 for 14 with no walks and no extra base hits, while righties post a .195/.267/.317 slash line against him. Myers is not only doing a good job of keeping batters off base (.284 OBP allowed), but does an even better job of stranding them as they are just 1 for 15 with runners in scoring position. Only one of the five extra base hits he allowed came with men on base.

The Mariners send rookie Michael Pineda against the Royals and Jeff Francis as the Royals try to hang on to at least a tie for first in the AL Central. Pineda, in his first year in the majors, showed strength so far in the three true outcomes, with good K, BB and HR rates (he’s yet to allow a long ball). Francis is inducing the highest percentage of ground balls in his career. He’s throwing his change up more, and while it comes in with the same horizontal movement as his fastball, it drops more so batters might top it.

Jeff Francis fastball and change up movement, 2011.

Jeff Francis fastball and change up movement, 2011. Fastball light green, change up blue.

Finally, ESPN offers a contest between first place teams as the Yankees host the Rangers. Alexi Ogando faces CC Sabathia. Ogando allowed just four hits and no runs in his first two starts, covering 13 innings. A right-handed pitcher, lefties are just 2 for 28 against him. Sabathia pitched well enough to win his three starts, but brings an 0-1 record into the game despite a 1.45 ERA. Milliliter has shown some control problems, walking seven batters in his 18 2/3 innings of work. He’s kept out of big trouble, however, with a .125 BA allowed with runners in scoring position.

Enjoy!

Thanks to Baseball Analytics for the heat map.

April 5, 2011

Complete Gallardo

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Yovani Gallardo earned the third shutout of his career as he held the Braves to two hits and two walks. He needed the shutout, too, as Milwaukee managed just one run. They scored early, as Ryan Braun drove in Yovani after he singled in the third, and Gallardo made the run stand up. He’s off to a good start, with two runs allowed in 15 innings.

March 31, 2011

Games of the Day

The Tigers and Yankees kick things off as Justin Verlander battles CC Sabathia. Both pitchers come off outstanding seasons. Justin allowed the lowest home run rate of his career, helping him to the lowest ERA of his career as well. Sabathia continues to show great stamina, as he ranks third in innings pitched in the majors since joining the Yankees. His low walk and home run rates, backed by a great offense, helped him to a 40-15 record since joining the Bronx Bombers and his first 20 win season.

Yovani Gallardo leads the Brewers against the Reds and Edinson Volquez as two teams expected to fight for the NL Central title begin their seasons. Gallardo cut his walks and home runs from 2009 in about the same number of innings, but saw his ERA go up. If he can hold those levels, expect a big drop in his ERA this year. Volquez made just 21 starts over the last two seasons, and while he continues to K batters at a high rate, he’s walked over five per inning over that time.

Finally, ESPN trots out their new Sunday Night Baseball crew for a Thursday night opener as the Dodgers host the World Series Champion Giants. Tim Lincecum faces Clayton Kershaw. Tim failed to three-peat in the Cy Young award race, as a poor August derailed his chances. He found his groove in September, however, contributing a great deal to the Giants strong finish.

Kershaw plays 2011 as a 23-yea-old, and is already a three-year veteran. He posted his first 200 inning season in 2010. For two years in a row, he posted a very low BABIP, helping his ERA come out lower than an already low FIP. We’ll see if the Dodgers defense continues to gobble up balls for him.

Enjoy!

March 10, 2011

Clutch Gallardo

At Baseball Analytics, I look at the clutch ability of Yovani Gallardo.

September 29, 2010

Games of the Day

It’s a seventeen game day as both the Indians and Mets host double headers. Game one in New York feature Yovani Gallardo of the Brewers facing Jonathon Niese. Gallardo’s .891 OPS as a pitcher (he’s 0 for 2 pinch hitting) is the fifth highest mark since 1974, minimum 50 PA. Micah Owings posted a 1.048 in 2007, the best. Niese has drawn eight walks this season, giving him a .300 OBP. Both are pretty good pitchers, too.

The Braves should have a good chance to win against the Marlins as Andrew Miller takes on Derek Lowe. Miller is wild, with 22 walks in 29 2/3 innings to go with 26 K. Combined with five home runs allowed, his ERA stands at 8.19. Lowe has walked 23 in 96 innings at home this season.

Chris Young tries to get the Padres a much needed win as Chicago sends Randy Wells to the mound in San Diego. Wells is keeping the ball in the park down the stretch. After giving up nine home runs during August in 35 innings, he has only allowed one during September in 27 1/3 innings. Young has been effectively wild this season, with nine walks in 15 innings but only seven hits allowed. That gives him a .262 opposition OBP.

Finally, Ian Kennedy takes on Tim Lincecum as the Diamondbacks try to spoil the Giants playoff run. IPK turned in a very good season for Arizona, including a 2.20 ERA against the Giants in four starts. He has not allowed a home run to SF in 28 2/3 innings. The Giants moved Lincecum up a day, but that’s just keeping him on normal rest. The Diamondbacks have given him trouble this year, sticking him with a 4.91 ERA. Thirteen of the 24 Arizona hits against Tim went for extra bases.

Enjoy!

September 18, 2010

Good Pitching, Better Pitching

For the second night in a row, the Brewers out-pitch the Giants, this time winning by the slimmest of margins 2-1. Yovani Gallardo lasted seven innings, giving up five hits and one walk while striking out six. Tim Lincecum only went five as he was lifted for a pinch hitter, who walked to set up the only Giants run of the game and the series. Gallardo is now 5-10 in starts over the last two seasons when the Brewers score two runs or less.

The loss puts San Francisco back into second play in the NL West. With both San Diego and Colorado winning earlier today, the three teams are separated by one game. The Giants also trail Atlanta in the wild card race by two. It’s going to be quite a wild finish in the NL this year.

September 18, 2010

Games of the Day

Tim Hudson and the Braves go against the Mets and late season sensation Dillon Gee. Hudson is fading, and with him the Braves playoff chances. He’s 0-3 with a 6.38 ERA in September, as opponents are finally hitting him. It seems his low BABIP has picked a bad month to regress toward the mean. Gee walked and stuck out seven so far, not something you like to see. He’s been effectively wild, however, as opponents only managed seven hits in 13 innings against him.

Chris Young comes back after five month on the disabled list as San Diego continues their series in St. Louis against Jeff Suppan. Young risks a perfect season as he stands 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. Suppan tends to give up the long ball this season, but San Diego ranks near the bottom of the league in home runs.

CC Sabathia makes his third try at 20 wins as he faces the Orioles and Jeremy Guthrie. Milliliter’s can thank Baltimore for a nice chunk of his win total as he is 4-1 against them this season, and a win would give him 1/4 of his wins against the Birds. He’s also allowed five of his 18 home runs against them. Guthrie has flourished under Buck Showalter, with a 6-2 record and 2.64 ERA in eight starts.

Finally, Yovani Gallardo takes on Tim Lincecum as the Brewers try to make it two in a row against the Giants. Both are very good at winning low scoring games, contests in which their team scores two runs or less. Since the start of 2009, among pitchers with at least 10 starts in low scoring games, Lincecum is 5-12 in 20 starts, a .294 winning percentage, the sixth best WPCT in the majors. Gallardo is 4-10 in 17 starts, a .286 winning percentage, 10th. I could see this game ending 1-0 on a Gallardo home run.

September 12, 2010

Scoring More than the Opposition

Yovani Gallardo doubled and score the Brewers first run Sunday afternoon, and that was all Brewers would need as they go on to a 2-0 win over the Cubs. Gallardo pitched seven shutout innings, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out six. Gallardo has scored seven runs this season, a career high for him. With eight extra base hits, he’s slugging .554, and his .268/.339/.554 slashline would make him much better than a replacement hitter.

September 6, 2010

Games of the Day

The White Sox and Tigers kick off the labor day festivities with Edwin Jackson facing Max Scherzer. Jackson pitched five outstanding starts since coming over from the Diamondbacks. He cut his walk rate in half and upped his K rate to help himself to a 1.47 ERA. Scherzer is even hotter, with a 1.25 ERA over his last seven starts. He’s only allowed one home run in that time.

St. Louis sends recent import Jake Westbrook against Milwaukee’s ace Yovani Gallardo. Westbrook improved both his walk rate since coming from from the Indians, but unlike Jacskson, his ERA stayed above 4.00. Gallardo gets knocked around by the Cardinals, with an 0-4 record in six starts with a 6.32 ERA. He’s allowed 5 home runs and 16 walks in 31 1/3 innings, a deadly combination.

The Rockies get a test a home as the NL’s best team, the Reds, send Aaron Harang against Ubaldo Jimenez. Harang only allowed one earned run in his return from the disabled list, but he only lasted four innings, giving up eight hits and three walks, leading to three runs in total. Jimenez is going through a tough period. Despite a 3.00 ERA, Ubaldo is 0-4 in five starts. He’s allowed just one home run over that span.

Game two of the Marlins/Phillies double header pits Anibal Sanchez against Roy Oswalt. The Phillies have been selective against Anibal, drawing ten walks in 17 innings, beating him twice in three starts. Oswalt is posting a 1.89 ERA since joining the Phillies, cutting down on his home runs allowed despite pitching in a park that favors home runs.

Finally, the Padres host the Dodgers as San Diego tries to break their ten-game losing streak. Vicente Padilla takes on NL ERA leader Mat Latos. Padilla returns from a two-week bulging disk. He pitched well against the Padres this season, with a 1.38 ERA. In 13 innings, he struck out 14 Padres. Latos pitched great in his two starts during the losing streak, allowing one run in each game. The Padres only scored two in each, however, and the bullpen allowed enough to lose.

Enjoy!

August 31, 2010

Games of the Day

Aaron Harang returns to the Reds after two months on the disabled list to host Yovani Gallardo and the Brewers. Gallardo holds a pretty good spread on home runs. He’s allowed nine and hit four, one of those against the Reds. Harang struck out 10 batters and walked two in 11 rehab innings, but also allowed 14 hits and 11 runs. That pretty much was his problem at the major league level this year, not many walks but a lot of hits allowed.

Chris Carpenter tries to right the Cardinals ship as he visits the Astros and Wandy Rodriguez. He’s coming off his worst outing of the season in terms of hits, and one that broke a string of eight straight quality starts. Rodriguez turned his season around after the All-Star break, posting a 1.82 ERA with 56 strikeouts and ten walks in 54 1/3 innings.

Cliff Lee tries to break a four-game cold streak as he faces the Royals and Sean O’Sullivan. Lee walked three and struck out 30 in the 24 2/3 innings covering the time frame, which should result in very good numbers. Opponents, however, collected 34 hits, 11 of those for extra bases to stick Cliff with an 8.39 ERA. O’Sullivan has good walk numbers since joining the Royals, but poor K and HR rates helping him to a 6.00 ERA with the team.

Finally, a great pitching match-up overrides the bad teams involved as Dan Haren and the Angels take on Felix Hernandez and the Mariners. Haren has allowed too many hits for hits K rate, both with the Angels and Diamondbacks, suggesting that the defense behind him was poor. Hernandez’s run support problems are made abundantly clear from his 1.62 ERA since the All-Star break to go with a 3-5 record. The Mariners scored 18 runs in those nine games, getting shutout twice.

Enjoy!

August 27, 2010

Gallardo and the Gun

Yovani Gallardo speaks about being robbed at gun-point Thursday night.

July 22, 2010

Gallardo’s Return

Yovani Gallardo returns from a stint on the disabled list with six shutout innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Given the Pirates recent offensive outbursts, that’s an excellent outing. Yovani gave up five hits and a walk while striking out five.

Prince Fielder hit his league leading 24th home run in the game. I thought Fielder might have a big home run year. He’s not threatening any records, but leading the league is still pretty good. The Brewers lead the Pirates 3-0 in the top of the seventh.