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.
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.
Enjoy!
The Phillies at the Brewers finishes with Ranger Suarez taking on Freddy Peralta. At 2.06 BB per 9, Suarez is having his best season at preventing walks in a career where he’s been very good at that aspect of the game. Peralta goes for his 17th win of the season as he hurtles toward 20 wins.
Blake Snell leads the Dodgers against Paul Skenes of the Pirates. Snell boosted the Los Angeles rotation with a 2.41 ERA this season in seven starts, even though his record is just 3-3. Skenes can show sympathy for that record, as he stands 9-9 despite a 2.05 ERA.
Finally, the Yankees and Astros play the rubber match of their series with Carlos Rodon against Cristian Javier. Rodon goes for his 16th win as he has an outside shot at 20 Ws. He needs 13 more innings for a new career high in IP. Javier makes his fifth start of 2025, coming into the game with a 3.38 ERA. He allowed just one home run in his first 16 innings, but walks a ton of batters.
Enjoy!
The Phillies go for a sweep of the Yankees as the top ranked pitcher in the majors, Zack Wheeler takes on number fifteen, Carlos Rodon. Wheeler is at the height of his power and control this year, averaging 11.5 K per 9 IP and 1.8 BB per 9 IP. Rodon brings a 3.10 ERA into the game, with his three-true outcomes all very close to his career averages.
The Marlins go for a sweep at Milwaukee with Eury Perez facing Brandon Woodruff. Perez is now 130 1/3 innings into his career with a 3.18 ERA. He held opponents to a .274 OBP by limiting hits with a .255 opposition BABIP. Woodruff makes his fourth start of the season. So far he allowed just three runs in 16 1/3 innings, all three runs coming on solo homers.
Enjoy!
The second place Yankees visit the division leading Blue Jays for three games with three games separating the AL East rivals. Carlos Rodon and Kevin Gausman get the game one call. Rodon dopped his ERA nearly a run as he holds the opposition to a .228 BABIP, the lack of hits leading to a .261 OBP allowed. Gausman’s ERA is up this season despite allowing a lower OBP and a lower slugging percentage. It may just be luck, as the situational hitting against him is about the same as 2024.
The Brewers send Brandon Woodruff against the Mariners and George Kirby. Woodruff made two good starts since returning from his injury, striking out 18 batters in 10 1/3 innings. Kirby comes in with a 4.50 ERA. He’s walked 2.00 batters per 9 IP, but that’s high for him. For his career, that rate stands at 1.21 per 9 IP.
Enjoy!
Chris Flexen leads the Cubs into The Bronx to face Carlos Rodon and the Yankees. Flexen makes his first start of the season after 17 relief appearances in which he allowed just 20 hits in 32 2/3 innings, despite just 17 strikeouts. Rodon tries to reach double digits in wins for the fourth time in his career he struck out 127 batters in 111 2/3 innings.
Drew Rasmussen of the Rays tries to stop the Red Sox win streak at seven as Boston sends Hunter Dobbins to the mound. The teams rank three and four in the AL East, Boston 1 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay. Rasmussen comes in with a 2.82 ERA, and holds batters to a .252 BABIP. Dobbins gives up hits, but tempers that with both low walks and low power allowed.
The Mariners send Luis Castillo against the Tigers and Tarik Skubal. Castillo looks like a victim of support, as his 3.31 ERA is only good for a 5-5 record. He is very good at inducing double plays. Skubal leads the majors in enhanced Tom Tango Cy Young points by a wide margin.
Paul Skenes of the Pirates and Joe Ryan of the Twins are in the top 20 of that list as the square off in Minnesota. The Pirates are wasting the efforts of Skenes as his 1.94 ERA produced a 4-7 record for him and a 9-10 record for the team. Ryan’s 2.76 ERA would be the best single season mark of his career. His walk and strikeout rates were always great, but he cut down on home runs this season to take his ERA to the next level.
Enjoy!
The Yankees open a four-game series in Toronto, the Blue Jays in third place in the AL East, three games behind New York. Carlos Rodon takes on Max Scherzer in game one. Rodon brings a 2.92 ERA into the game. Batters in general failed to make solid contact against him this season, with an opposition BABIP of .225 and an opposition slugging percentage of .326. Scherzer allowed five runs in eight innings this season, only striking out five batters. He did manage to blow away AAA hitters, with 12 K in 8 innings.
The NL West features a matchup of Logan Webb of the Giants against Ryne Nelson of the Diamondbacks. Webb stands 7-5 on the season with a 2.52 ERA, but lost two games in which he allowed two runs. Nelson pitched better as a starter, with a 3.12 ERA in 34 2/3 innings starting versus a 4.50 ERA in 26 relief innings. He walks more batters starting, but does a better job of limiting hits.
Enjoy!
Tuesday night treated the baseball world to a number of outstanding performances for starting pitching, especially with the limits on starters these days. Eight pitchers posted game scores of at least 63. Garrett Crochet of the Red Sox topped the list with a 78, walking three and striking out ten in seven shutout innings. Taj Bradley of the Rays, Ranger Suarez of the Phillies, and Jake Latz of the Rangers took no-hitters fairly deep into games. Carlos Rodon of the Yankees, Framber Valdez of the Astros, and Frankie Montas of the Mets did not allow a run. Ryne Nelson of the Diamondbacks allowed one run in five innings, striking out seven.
For all that great pitching (including the Phillies versus Astros ending in a 1-0 Houston win), the starters went 1-1 with six no decisions!
Special mention goes to Chase Burns of the Reds, making his MLB debut against the Yankees:
Burns, the second overall pick in last July’s amateur draft, became the first starting pitcher in the expansion era to strike out the first five batters he faced in his debut. The 22-year old right-hander allowed three runs and six hits in five innings and struck out eight.
ESPN.com
Now we just need the starters to go a little deeper. Valdez currently stands third in the Bill James Starting Pitcher Rankings.
Cristopher Sanchez leads the Phillies against the Pirates and Paul Skenes. While Sanchez allows a .321 OBP, not terrible but not great, he removes baserunners well with double place. He induced nine GDPs in 46 opportunities this season. Skenes’s 4-6 record belies his 2.05 ERA. After 36 career starts, the Bill James Starting Pitcher Rankings puts him 14th.
The Sunday night game features Hunter Dobbins and the Red Sox against Carlos Rodon of the Yankees. Dobbins limited walks so far in his 44 1/3 MLB innings, but due to a high number of hits, his opposition OBP stands at .323. Rodon comes into the game 8-3 on the season with a 2.49 ERA. In his first two season with New York, Rodon allowed a .314 OBP and a .452 slugging percentage. This season, those are down to .239 and .281.
The Guardians visit New York to take on the Yankees with Tanner Bibee battling Carlos Rodon. Bibee’s strikeout rate fell this season to 7.14 per 9 IP with his walks rising leading to his 3.86 ERA. He also gets dinged by home runs, which is a poor weakness against the Yankees. Rodon returned to his ace status this season, coming into the game with a 2.60 ERA. He allowed just 42 hits in 72 2/3 innings. His .164 BA allowed is the lowest in the majors (min 200 BFP).
Freddy Peralta squares off against Hunter Greene as the Brewers continue their series with the Reds. Peralta’s 2.77 ERA would be the best single season mark of his career. Part of that low ERA comes from a .122 BA allowed with runners in scoring position. Note the defensive use of walks in this case. When his BA drops over 80 points compared to his overall numbers, his OBP goes up about 30 points. It looks like he’s successfully pitching around batters who might hurt him. Greene continued his transformation from a thrower to a pitcher this season, now with a 6:1 strikeout to walk ratio.
The Rangers send Tyler Mahle against the Rays and Drew Rasmussen. Mahle’s 1.64 ERA ranks third in the AL. He’s part of one of the best rotation in MLB, the Rangers posting the highest average game score per start. Rasmussen allowed just 13 walks in 58 innings.
Enjoy!
The Twins continue their series with the Rays as Joe Ryan faces Taj Bradley. The two teams are locked in the AL Wild Card battle. Minnesota is tied with Cleveland for the top spot, with the Rays now two games back in fifth place after winning six in a row. Ryan comes into the game with a 2.68 ERA in 57 innings. His career K per BB stands at 5.06, but this season he upped his game to bring that ratio to 8.38. Bradley improved his home run rate this season, but his K and BB rates moved in the wrong direction. At seasonal age 24, he is not yet in his prime, but he is also not showing much improvement as he approaches his peak years.
The Yankees and Angels meet in game two of their series as Carlos Rodon takes on Tyler Anderson. It took a few starts for Rodon to find his groove. In his last seven starts he owns a 1.43 ERA in 42 2/3 innings, allowing just three home runs. Despite some walks, Anderson holds batters to a .298 OBP this season, but allowed ten home runs in 55 innings. That weakness plays to a Yankees strength.
Enjoy!
The Rangers and Yankees lead off the day with Nathan Eovaldi facing Carlos Rodon. Both are going fairly deep in games, Eovaldi ranks 8th with 61 1/3 innings, Rodon 14th with 59 2/3 innings. Both should move up after making start eleven.
The Guardians try to gain on the first place Tigers as they open a series in Detroit. The pitching matchup is not great, but Jose Ramirez brings a fourteen game hit streak in the contest. Riley Greene leads a Tiger offense that is hot in May.
Enjoy!
It’s rivalry weekend, because MLB still needs gimmicks.
The Mets at the Yankees does involve some drama as Juan Soto returns to Yankee Stadium with Aaron Judge in the midst of the season of a lifetime, both teams in first place in their respective divisions Tylor Megill takes the mound against Carlos Rodon. Megill allowed just three home runs in 40 2/3 innings, pitting his strength against the best home run hitting team in the majors. Rodon strikes out batter at a rate of 11.03 per 9 IP, but the Mets struck out just 331 times, the fourth lowest total in baseball.
Former Boston rivals the Braves and Red Sox meet at Fenway with Chris Sale facing Garrett Crochet. There is an old baseball adage that it’s better to trade a player too early than too late, and that appears to be what the Red Sox did with Sale. He posted an impressive season in 2024 with a 2.38 ERA, but now he’s back to a more pedestrian 3.97. Crochet enters the game with a 1.93 ERA, with just three home runs allowed in 56 innings.
Finally, the Athletics and Giants are both in the playoff hunt as JP Sears tries to deliver against Logan Webb. Sears limits both hits and walks without a lot of strikeouts. The opposition BABIP against him stands at just .254, and for his career it’s .276. Webb limits power, with just two home runs allowed for an opposition slugging percentage of .325.
Enjoy!
The Yankees at the Athletics feature two pitchers with similar ERAs. Carlos Rodon with a 2.96 ERA faces JP Sears with a 2.93 ERA. Rodon may think his 25 hits allowed in 48 2/3 innings helped get his ERA under three. His K per 9 at 10.54 is the highest in a season since joining New York. Sears catalog of successes include 34 hits and just six walks in 40 innings of work.
The Pirates try to make it two wins in a row under new manager Don Kelly as AJ Smith-Shawver takes on Andrew Heaney. Smith-Shawver allows batters to reach base at a good clip, but limits the power that might drive them home. Heaney limits batters to a .286 OBP, helping him to a 3.18 ERA.
Jacob deGrom and the Rangers take another shot at the red hot Tigers and Jack Flaherty. deGrom’s K rate is down this season, but that just means his ERA is low, instead of astronomically low. Flaherty is pitching better than his ERA, with his xFIP about 0.7 runs lower than his ERA.
Finally, Logan Webb of the Giants battles Joe Ryan of the Twins in Minnesota. Webb blows away batters, with 56 K in 48 1/3 innings, allowing just one home run. Ryan struck out 47 in 40 innings, so expect a lot of breezes at Target Field this evening.
Enjoy!
The Padres visit the Yankees, with Nick Pivetta facing Carlos Rodon. Pivetta owns a 1.78 ERA in his first season with San Diego. Against the Yankees, Pivetta made thirteen appearances in his career, eight as a starter. Mostly due to thirteen home runs allowed in 47 2/3 innings, Pivetta’s ERA against New York stands at 6.99. Rodon made just four starts against the Padres, recording a 2.88 ERA in 25 innings.
The first place Mariners visit the second place Athletics in an AL West show down. Bryce Miller takes on Luis Severino. Miller issued 19 walks in 30 2/3 innings, but held opponents toa .341 slugging percentage for a good ERA of 3.52. Severino allows a .264 BABIP, helping him limit hits to just 38 in 43 2/3 innings.
Enjoy!
Once again, Carlos Rodon fails to give the Yankees length. He leaves after getting one out in the fourth inning with right-handed Dodgers batters coming up. Los Angeles leads New York 4-1 in game two of the World Series.
Carlos Rodon of the Yankees and Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Dodgers square off in game two of the 2024 World Series, the Dodgers leading the series 1-0. From a three-true outcomes perspective, Rodon pitched well in the post-season. He struck out 25, walked five, and allowed two home runs in seventeen innings. In four starts and one relief appearance, however, he only posted one good outing, his ALCS start against Cleveland. So he carries a 5.82 post-season ERA into the game.
Shohei Ohtani is one of three against him with three walks, the one hit a home run. Mookie Betts is just one for nineteen against Rodon with a walk. Teoscar Hernandez is 1 for 9, Tommy Edman two for six with a homer, and Max Muncy is 0 for 4.
Yamamoto, like Rodon, owns one good start in three tries in this, his first post-season. He pitched five shutout innings in his second start against San Diego, but allowed seven runs in 7 1/3 innings in his other two starts combined. His best start of the season did come against the Yankees, when he shut them out for seven innings on June 7th. He allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out seven.
Enjoy!
The Yankees stand one win away from a trip to the World Series as they battle the Guardians in Cleveland in game five of the ALCS. Carlos Rodon faces Tanner Bibee. Rodon pitched well in game one, holding Cleveland to three hits and one run in six innings with no walks and nine strikeouts. Opponents hit him harder on the road this season, with a BA allowed 57 points higher. Those extra hits also make up for his rise in OBP and slugging percentage away.
Bibee comes back on short rest after getting knocked out early in game two. He does hold batters to a lower slugging percentage at home in his brief career, although in terms of ERA and won-loss record, he is very even. Stopping the Yankees power, however, could force a game six.
Enjoy!
At the end of six innings, the Yankees lead the Guardians 4-1 in game one of the ALCS. Brayan Rocchio homered in the top of the sixth to put Cleveland on the board. He’s now seven for 18 in the 2024 post-season.
Carlos Rodon pitched six strong innings, walking none and striking out nine. Rocchio’s homer was one of only three hits against him as Clay Holmes comes on for the seventh inning,
Columbus Day features day baseball on the west coast as the Mets and Dodgers meet in game two of the NLCS at 4 PM EDT, 1 PM PDT. Sean Manaea of the Mets faces the Dodgers bullpen, Los Angeles not announcing a starting pitcher yet. Manaea recorded a dozen innings in the 2024 post season so far, walking just two batters and allowing just one home run. That’s good for a 2.25 ERA. The way the Dodgers are pitching, one run may be enough for the win. Here’s how the Dodgers spread around the workload in game 4 of the NLDS. The staff threw 33 consecutive scoreless innings so far, one more and they set a new post-season record.
At 7:30 PM EDT, the Guardians visit the Yankees for the start of ALCS. Alex Cobb faces Carlos Rodon in a rather underwhelming opening game pitching matchup. Like Kodai Senga of the Mets yesterday, Cobb spent most of the season on the illjured list, pitching just 16 1/3 innings in the regular season. They were good innings as he showed great control and kept the ball in the park to the tune of a 2.76 ERA. The Tigers did chase him after three innings in the ALDS. Rodon stands 9-2 at home this season with a 3.11 ERA. As the season progressed, he went less deep into game at home, and the Royals got to him in the ALDS for four runs in 3 2/3 innings.
Note that Jose Ramirez is the batter who Rodon faced most in his career. Ramirez hasn’t generated many hits in the match-up, but he has posted a very good OBP.
Enjoy!
After a day off to please the TV networks, the American League Division Series continue. The Tigers send ace Tarik Skubal against the Guardians and Matthew Boyd at 4 PM EDT. Skubal, the likely CYA winner, only faced the Cleveland once this season. It was a bend, don’t break game as he allowed ten hits in seven innings but just one run as the Guardians went two for ten against him with runners in scoring position. Boyd did not face the Tigers in 2024. His strength, striking out batters should be effective against the Tigers high season BABIP.
The Royals try to earn a split with the Yankees as Cole Ragans face Carlos Rodon in the battle of the CRs. Ragans was brilliant in his first post-season start, holding the Orioles to four hits in six innings, walking none and striking out eight. Rodon had his problems at Yankee Stadium this season, ending with a 7-7 record in 18 starts and a 4.69 ERA. He allowed 16 home runs in 94 innings.
Enjoy!
Rookies square off in Pittsburgh as Valente Bellozo of the Marlins faces Paul Skenes. Bellozo’s 3.78 ERA isn’t bad for his first nine starts in the majors, but his three true outcomes are low when they should be high and vice-versa. Skenes owns the second lowest ERA in the majors among pitcher with at least 110 innings.
The Royals and the Yankees could revive the old 1970’s playoff rivalry in the 2024 post season. The meet in the Bronx tonight as Brady Singer takes on Carlos Rodon. Singer looks to win his tenth game in a season for the second time in his career. He holds opponents to a .392 slugging percentage, and that could help him against a slugging lineup. Rodon goes for his 15th win, which would set a single season high for him. He pitched well in his last nine starts, sporting a 3.28 ERA. Sixty seven strikeouts in 49 1/3 innings helped.
Enjoy!
The Cubs finish their series against the Giants with Shota Imanaga facing Jordan Hicks. Imanaga comes off the worst start of his short career, and allowed seven home runs in his last five outings covering 25 1/3 innings. Hicks limits hits despite a low K rate. The BABIP against him is just .282, and I suspect he uses walks defensively to avoid good hitters when he can.
Jon Gray squares off against Corbin Burnes as the reeling Rangers visit the Orioles. Gray does a poor job of removing base runners, as he induced just one double play in 31 chances, and base stealers are 7 for 7 against him. Burnes, in a tight ERA race, ranks fifth in the AL at 2.35. He holds opponents to a .271 OBP.
The Yankees stand 2-8 in their last ten games as they visit Toronto. Carlos Rodon battles Jose Berrios. Rodon comes off two poor starts in a row, allowing 13 runs, 12 earned, in 8 2/3 innings. Berrios is another pitcher stopping hits without a high K rate. The BABIP against him is just .258.
Enjoy!
The Braves visit the Yankees with Chris Sale taking on Carlos Rodon. For the first nine years of his career, Sales owned a 1.61 ERA against New York, with 130 K and 20 walks in 100 2/3 innings. He only managed a 6-4 in 17 appearances, including 14 starts. Since then, the start of his injury cycle, Sale is 0-5 with a 10.45 ERA against the Yankees in five starts. Note that his Ks and BBs remain good in the period, but he allowed six home runs in 20 2/3 innings. Rodon cut his ERA in half compared to 2023, and is very close to cutting his home run rate in half as well.
Brady Singer faces Nathan Eovaldi as the Royals visit the Rangers. Texas finds itself eight and a half games out of the division lead and six and a half games out of the third wild card slot. The Royals currently hold the second slot, seven games up on the Rangers. Texas really needs a series sweep to get back in the race. Singer brought his ERA down over two runs from 2023. His K rate returned to his previous levels, helping him reduce the number of hits allowed. Eovaldi gives up very little as he holds opponents to a .213/.297/.361 slash line.
Enjoy!
The Yankees visit the surprising Royals with Carlos Rodon taking out Seth Lugo. They got the 70s backwards, as the Yankees usually faced the Dodgers in the World Series after they faced the Royals in the ALCS. Rodon comes into the game with a 3.08 ERA. After a rough 2023 with injuries and poor performances, Rodon cut down on his walks and home runs allowed to lower his ERA and earn an 8-2 record. Lugo is both a run lower in ERA and a win better. Lugo stands 17-8 with a 3.04 ERA since becoming a full-time starter in 2023.
The Blue Jays send Jose Berrios against the equally surprising Brewers and Colin Rea. Berrios greatly helps his ERA by removing runners with double plays. He induced 11 GDPs in 32 opportunities. Rea’s 3.53 ERA would be the lowest single season mark of his career. He’s done a good job of limiting long hits with men on base.
The Brewers send Bryse Wilson against the Red Sox and Kutter Crawford. Wilson made six appearance this season as a starter or a reliever. He holds the opposition to a.203 BA. Crawford comes into the game with a .217 ERA thanks to just three home runs allowed in 58 innings.
The Cubs and Cardinals features Shota Imanaga taking the mound with his 0.84 ERA. In 53 2/3 innings he allowed just three home runs and nine walks while striking out 58. Four of the seven runs he allowed came on the homers. Imanaga throws mostly fastballs, but mixes them up with a four-seam and a splitter. The two are nine MPH apart in velocity, giving him both a height and speed difference to fool batters. So far, it’s working very well.
Ketel Marte of the Diamondbacks faces the Marlins as he tries to extend his hit streak to 22 games. Marte is one for five with a HBP against Braxton Garrett in his career, with no strikeouts.
Carlos Rodon of the Yankees faces Yu Darvish of the Padres in San Diego. Rodon recovered well from his injury plagued 2023 season to rebound with a 3.27 ERA. He cut his home run rate from last season, but still allowed nine dingers in 55 innings. Darvish, now seasonal age 37, appears to be at the top of his game. He holds batters to a .287 OBP with lots of Ks and few walks. That’s helping him to a 2.08 ERA. The game also features two of the hottest hitters in the majors, Aaron Judge and Luis Arraez.
Enjoy!
The Yankees and Orioles finish their four game series in Baltimore, with the Yankees trying come away with a 2-2 split. Carlos Rodon is set to face Kyle Bradish of the Orioles, although the Orioles starter was not officially announced. Rodon returned to being a tough pitcher as far as home runs are concerned, but his high walk rate and lower K rate indicate his 2.48 ERA is better than expected. Bradish returns from an elbow injury. In 2023, he improved all aspects of his game to lower his ERA two runs from his rookie year.
The Nationals send Mitchell Parker against the Rangers and veteran Nathan Eovaldi. Nationals starters are on a bit of a roll, with a 2.78 ERA in their last thirteen games. The group allowed just three home runs. Parker made two of those starts and allowed one run in eleven innings. Eovaldi walked seventeen batters in 36 innings this season, a rate that is very high given his career rate of 2.63 BB per 9 IP. It hasn’t hurt him that much so far, but might if it were to continue much longer.
Enjoy!
The Giants continue their series at the Marlins with Jordan Hicks against Ryan Weathers. So far, the conversion of Hicks from a reliever to a starter worked well. He pitched eighteen innings in three starts with 1.00 ERA. His strikeout rate is way down, but so is his walk rate. Weathers allowed a .369 OBP so far this season, but the opposition is slugging just .352 against him, so those base runners don’t move very far.
Carlos Rodon faces Yusei Kikuchi as the Yankees and Blue Jays meet under Skydome. Rodon returned to form with a 2.87 ERA through three starts, making it a bit easier for the Yankees to absorb the Gerrit Cole injury. Kikuchi is blowing batters away with twenty strikeouts in his first 15 2/3 innings.
The Cubs play at the Diamondbacks, with rookie Michael Busch on a five-game home run streak. At high altitude in Phoenix, it’s a good day to extend the streak to six.
Dylan Cease leads the Padres against Wade Miley and the Brewers in Milwaukee. Cease comes into the game with a 2.16 ERA as he maintained his high strikeout rate while lowering his walk and home run rates to well below his career averages. Miley did not strike out a batter in his first four innings of work, but used the Milwaukee defense to allow just one hit.
Enjoy!
The teams projected to be the two best in the NL East meet in Philadelphia as the Braves send Spencer Strider against the Phillies and Zack Wheeler. Since the start of the 2022 season, Strider owns the highest K per 9 among pitchers with 300 innings. His 13.66 K/9 is well ahead of second place Blake Snell who comes in at 11.83. Strider also boasts low walk and home run rates in that time. Wheeler brings a long and successful history against the Braves to the game. In 27 starts he went 12-7 with a 3.18 ERA.
The Yankees and Astros continue their series in Houston with Carlos Rodon taking on Cristian Javier. Injuries took their toll on all of Rodon’s three true outcomes in 2023. This bring, only his ability to prevent walks seemed to return. The Astros’ offense is a tough test for any pitcher, so a good outing today will be an excellent sign for the starter. Javier also saw all his three-true outcomes degrade in 2023 compared to 2022. His ERA was more in line with his first two seasons than his excellent 2022, so maybe the league adjusted to whatever changes he made to show an improvement.
Finally, Nick Pivetta and the Red Sox face George Kirby and the Mariners. Pivetta, for his career owns an ERA 0.8 runs higher than his xFIP. Is it bad luck or bad defense? He has performed poorly with men on base through his career, especially when it comes to allowing extra-base hits. Kirby’s strength comes from his extreme ability to limit walks, just 1.15 per 9 IP in his short career.
Enjoy!
The Cubs and Yankees play a return game in New York as Jameson Taillon takes on Carlos Rodon. Taillon returns to his home field of the previous two seasons, where his success led to a four-year deal with Chicago. So far, the money doesn’t seem all that well spent as Taillon comes into the game with a 6.93 ERA. His BABIP is way up, to .337 versus his career average of .298. With his XFIP at 4.85, maybe the Cubs defense hasn’t played well behind him. Rodon returns from the illjured list to make his Yankees debut. He posted the fourth best ERA in the majors from over the previous two seasons.
The first place Reds visit the second place Brewers in an NL Central battle. Andrew Abbott takes on Corbin Burnes. Abbott is another rookie helping to turn around the Reds season. He remains undefeated in his short career. He allowed just 20 hits in 37 1/3 innings, helping him to a 1.21 ERA. Burnes saw his K rate drop this season. He still does a good job of limiting hits, but his ERA rose to 4.00.
Enjoy!