Tag Archives: Julio Teheran

July 29, 2023

Games of the Day

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The White Sox still have a decent starting pitcher left as Cleveland sends Logan Allen against Mike Clevinger. The rookie Allen comes into the game with a 3.39 ERA. He appears to have tamed his wildness in July, with just one walk in twelve innings. Clevinger improved his ERA over last season despite a higher walk rate. He issued 35 free passes in 2022 in 114 1/3 innings. In 2023, he already allowed 26 walks in 62 2/3 innings.

First place teams clash in Atlanta as former Braves starter Julio Teheran leads the Brewers against Bryce Elder. Teheran is giving the Brewers solid innings, averaging nearly six per start after missing most of 2021 and all of 2022. His strength lies in his low walk numbers, which moderates his high home run total. Elder allowed nine of his twelve home runs at home.

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July 23, 2023

Games of the Day

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The Braves and Milwaukee play the rubber game of their series with Bryce Elder taking on former Braves ace Julio Teheran. Elder doubled his innings from last season. He decrease his walk rate, but is giving up more home runs. That means a slightly higher ERA, 3.31 compared to 3.17 last year. Teheran plugged an injury hole for the Brewers rotation. He’s showing excellent control with just eleven walks in 51 2/3 innings, but he did allow eight home runs.

The White Sox take on the Twins with Lucas Giolito battling Bailey Ober. Giolito had his problems with the Twins over his career. This will be his 23rd start against Minnesota, and he stands 8-9 with a 3.88 ERA. The Twins drew a decent amount of walks against him and dinged him for the long ball. Ober is just 2-3 at home, where he allowed seven of his nine home runs.

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June 21, 2023

Games of the Day

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The Diamondbacks and Brewers play the rubber game of their series with Zac Gallen taking on Julio Teheran. Gallen cut his home run rate by 1/3 compared to last season. He gave up 15 dingers in 184 innings in 2022, just five in 91 1/3 innings this season. Teheran looks like the favorite for comeback player of the year at this point, posting a 1.78 ERA in five starts. He walked just four batters in 30 1/3 innings.

Oakland and Cleveland play one of the few evening games, with Paul Blackburn facing Gavin Williams, Williams making his MLB debut. Blackburn proved to be a bright spot for the Athletics since coming off the illjured list. He walked six and struck out 23 in 20 2/3 innings. Williams posted a 2.10 ERA in 175 1/3 MLB innings. His high K rate led to a very low hit rate. The Guardians give him a somewhat easy assignment for his first MLB start.

Shohei Ohtani pitches against the Dodgers, who have not announced a starter. This will be his first start against Los Angeles. Ohtani had some trouble on the road this season where his ERA stands at 4.03. Seven of the eleven home runs he allowed came away.

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June 5, 2023

Games of the Day

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The Rays and Red Sox finish their series at Fenway with a late afternoon game. Shane McClanahan faces Brayan Bello. McClanahan allowed nine of his sixteen runs on seven homers. With his low OBP allowed, he can challenge batters and survive a higher home run rate. Bello owns a 3.89 ERA despite allowing seven homers in just 39 1/3 innings. While his OBP allowed is high at .341, six of the seven homers were solo shots.

The Brewers face the Reds with Julio Teheran taking on Andrew Abbott, Abbott making his MLB debut. Teheran looks like his old self after two starts. He allowed two runs, one earned, in his first two starts. He allowed eight hits and one walk in eleven innings. Abbott blew away batters in the minors throughout this career. At seasonal age 24, he struck out 90 batters in 54 innings at AA and AAA combined. He reached the point where he has nothing left to prove.

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April 9, 2021

Games of the Day

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The depleted Nationals travel to Los Angeles for the Dodgers home opener, a match-up of the last two World Series winners. Joe Ross faces Walker Buehler. In four games, the Dodgers pummeled Ross, collecting twenty two hits in 16 2/3 innings, scoring 14 runs. Buehler owns a 3.38 ERA against the Nationals, but has just an 0-1 record in three games to show for it.

Julio Teheran takes on Zach Plesac as the Tigers visit the Indians. Teheran allowed a solo home run in his first start of the season, the only run he allowed. He allowed 16 home runs in 31 1/3 innings in 2020. Plesac now has 30 MLB starts, over three seasons. His 3.31 ERA with a 12-9 record is a nice start to his career.

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December 19, 2019

Ohtani and Teheran

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The Angels received good news on Shohei Ohtani today:

Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani has completed his throwing program, the final step in his rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery, and was cleared to return to his native Japan, where he will rest and recover for his anticipated return to a two-way role in 2020.

ESPN.com

The also shored up their rotation with a deal for Julio Teheran:

The right-hander has had higher walk rates and no longer has the huge velocity that led to him getting a six-year, $32.4 million deal in 2013. Teheran is one of the only true sinkerballers among MLB starters, which has improved his ground-ball rate after hitters have caught up with his four-seamer.

ESPN.com

When I first saw the deal, I thought $9 million for one year was low, but he’s basically been a one WAR pitcher on average over the last three seasons. He peaked early. Maybe the Angels can get a little of that back. For Teheran, this is a chance to show he can still pitch well, and maybe get a bigger pay day next season.

The Angels are also talking about using Ohtani as a starter one day a week. That would certainly provide opportunities for the opener/bullpen game.

October 7, 2019

Playoffs Today

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It’s a four-game Monday as all four league division series feature elimination games. The action gets started at 1 PM EDT as the Astros visit the Rays, Houston leading the series 2-0. Zack Greinke faces former Astros pitcher Charlie Morton. Greinke came over in a mid-season trade to give the Astros three number one starters. He pitched well, very similar to his stats with the Diamondbacks, although he did allow more hits. That may have just been the difference between facing a pitcher and a designated hitter. For the third season in a row, Morton posted the best season ERA of his career, this time bringing it down to 3.05. He allowed the lowest home run rate of any ERA qualifier in the majors this season.

At 3 PM EDT, the Braves try to end the Cardinals season. The Braves will either send game one starter Dallas Keuchel or injury replacement Julio Teheran. The Cardinals start Dakota Hudson. Hudson appears to be one of those pitchers whose three-true outcome statistics fail to explain his ERA. FanGraphs has his FIP at 4.93 and his xFIP at 4.55. Hudson walks a lot of batter and owns a low K rate for this era. He does not allow many hits, however, mostly due to a high ground ball rate. His BABIP allowed is low, and was also low in the minors. For him, allowing batters to hit the ball works well.

The 6:30 PM EDT time slot belongs to the Dodgers and Nationals, the Nationals season on the line. Rich Hill faces Max Scherzer. Hill’s pitching in the post-season is a mixed bag. In eleven starts and one relief appearance, he owns a 3.03 ERA, but does not go deep in games. That led to a 1-2 record. Scherzer pitched some brilliant games, but some clunkers, too. In 88 post-season innings, he walked 34 an allowed ten home runs, so batters can get to him.

Finally, the Yankees visit the Twins with Luis Severino taking on Jake Odorizzi. The Twins try to stay alive and end a record post-season losing streak. Severino spent nearly the entire season on the disabled list, but may be worth the wait as he posted a 1.50 ERA in his three September starts. Odorizzi upped his strikeout rate this season and lower his home run rate to bring his ERA down about a run to 3.51. He makes his first post-season appearance.

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August 26, 2019

Rare Starts

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Julio Teheran and Tim Melville started for the Braves and Rockies at Coors Field Monday afternoon. Teheran pitched six shutout innings, Melville five shutout innings. It’s just the seventh time that the two starters each went at least five innings at Coors with no runs allowed. It is the second time this season, however. Hyun-Jin Ryu and German Marquez each pitched six shutout innings on July 31. There were also two such games in 2008, one in 1995, one in 2013, and one in 2017.

The Rockies win 3-1 on Ryan McMahon‘s walk-off home run.

July 30, 2019

Games of the Day

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The Braves and Nationals continue their important NL East series with Julio Teheran facing Erick Fedde. Teheran pitched decently in Washington during his career, and held the Nationals four runs in his last 27 innings there. Fedde struck out just 26 batters in 50 1/3 innings this season, but managed to allow just 45 hits.

The Rays and Red Sox find themselves just out of the top two wild card slots as they meet at Fenway Park Monday night. Charlie Morton takes on David Price. Morton goes for his 13th win, and two of those came against the Red Sox. He held Boston to one home run in 19 innings this year. Price had some back luck against Tampa Bay this season, 1-2 against his old team despite a 3.13 ERA. He walked nine and struck out 35 Rays in 23 innings.

Houston visits a resurgent Cleveland as Justin Verlander takes on Shane Bieber. Verland and Bieber are ranked first and sixth respectively in lowest BA allowed in the majors (400 batters faced).

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July 19, 2019

Games of the Day

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The Nationals try to gain another game on the Braves as Patrick Corbin takes on Julio Teheran. Corbin allowed a low batting average this season, but the long hits he allowed tend to come with men on base, raising his ERA. Teheran allowed thirteen home runs this season, but ten came with the bases empty.

The Rangers and Astros meet again, as Cy Young candidates square off. Mike Minor faces Justin Verlander. Minor tops Verlander in ERA and home run rate, Verlander dominates in strikeout and walk rate.

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July 5, 2019

Games of the Day

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The Yankees continue their series with the Rays as Masahiro Tanaka faces rookie Rays starter Brendan McKay. Tanaka comes off a horrible start in London, which saw his ERA rise by half a run. He dominated the Rays this season, allowing just one run and ten hits in 22 innings, walking one and striking out 23. McKay allowed one hit and no runs in six innings in his first MLB start, facing the Rangers. He also lectures elementary school students:

Rookie Jordan Yamamoto goes for his fourth win in his fifth MLB start as he and the Marlins battle Julio Teheran and the Braves. Yamamoto walked 12 in his first 23 innings, but struck out 23 to limit batters to ten hits. Teheran owns a 3.08 ERA at home versus 4.61 on the road.

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June 24, 2019

Games of the Day

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First place teams clash in Chicago as the Braves visit the Cubs. Julio Teheran faces Jon Lester. Teheran saw a huge improvement in his walk rate in 2016, but he regressed to his mean in 2017 and appears to have stayed there. He cut down his home run rate this season, and owns a very respectable 3.40 ERA. Lester, on the other hand, posts the highest home run rate of his career, a big reason for his 4.47 ERA.

Titans clash in Arizona as Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers take on former teammate Zack Greinke and the Diamondbacks. Kershaw no longer dominates batters with strikeouts at the rate of a few years ago, but he seldom walks batters, and remains difficult to hit. Greinke moved in the same direction, with both a lower walk and K rate than Kershaw. Greinke and Kershaw are both in the top ten of lowest OBP allowed.

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June 8, 2019

Games of the Day

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The Pirates and Brewers continue their NL Central series with Jordan Lyles facing Zach Davies. Lyles owns a 2.61 ERA on the road, where he struck out 36 batters in 27 innings. Davies lowered his ERA two and a half runs compared to last season, and one and a half runs compared to his career. His three true outcomes are about the same, but Davies is pitching much better with men on base this season.

The Braves face the Marlins with Julio Teheran taking on Trevor Richards. Teheran pitched better than his record, posting a 3.28 ERA. He’s cut down on his home run rate this season. Richards ERA improved in his sophomore season, despite some worsening of his three-true outcome rates. He’s pitched better lately, with a 2.43 ERA since the start of May.

Jack Flaherty and Jon Lester battle in Chicago as the Cardinals visit the Cubs. Flaherty’s high strikeout rate limits opposition hits, but 20% of those hits have left the ballpark. Lester owns a very consistent WHIP the last three season, 1.32, 1.31, and 1.31 this year.

Finally, the Dodgers-Giants rivalry continues with Rich Hill facing Jeff Samardzjia. Hill struck out 46 batters in 40 innings while allowing just nine walks. Samardzjia owns a 2.03 ERA at home, with just three of his eleven home runs coming in San Francisco.

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April 3, 2019

Games of the Day

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German Marquez is the latest pitcher to sign a big extension. He faces the Rays and Charlie Morton.


Starter Germán Márquez and the Colorado Rockies agreed Tuesday on a five-year, $43 million contract extension, pending a physical, locking up the right-hander whose breakout second half helped fuel the Rockies to the 2018 postseason, league sources familiar with the deal told ESPN.


Márquez, 24, capped off one of the best seasons ever by a Rockies starter. He struck out 230 in 196 innings and finished with a 3.77 ERA, building on a solid 2017, his first full season.


Acquired in a 2016 trade from the Tampa Bay Rays for outfielder Corey Dickerson, Márquez parlayed an increased use of his slider after the All-Star break to smashing success. Over 14 starts, he punched out 124 in 93 innings with a 2.61 ERA and six double-digit strikeout games — including four 11-strikeout games in September.

ESPN.com

Marquez is off to a good start in 2019, allowing two hits and striking out seven in six innings, allowing just one run. Morton struck out 372 batters in 318 2/3 innings since returning from an injury filled 2016.

The Orioles and Blue Jays send 0.00 ERA pitchers to the mound as Nate Karns faces Matt Shoemaker. Karns only went two innings in his first start of the year, and managed to not allow a run despite three walks and one hit. Shoemaker was more impressive, going seven shutout innings with two hits allowed and seven strikeouts.

Finally, Jon Lester leads the Cubs against Julio Teheran and the Braves. Lester pitched well against the Braves in his career, 6-2 in nine starts with a 2.47 ERA. He walked just 13 batters in 58 1/3 innings. Teheran pitched mostly well against the Cubs, 3-1 with a 3.44 ERA in eight starts.

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March 28, 2019

Games of the Day

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The Mets and Nationals play the first game on the NL Season at 1 PM EDT with Jacob deGrom battling Max Scherzer. deGrom comes off a career year in which he posted a 1.70 ERA. Compared to 2017, deGrom increased his innings by 15 2/3, his strikeouts by 30, and lowered his hits allowed by 28. The Mets ace comes out of his peak years with not that much MLB wear and tear on his arm. He’s likely to regress a bit back to his career 2.67 ERA, but that would still put him in Cy Young contention. Scherzer posted ERAs below three in each of the last four seasons (all with Washington) and if five of the last six seasons. Only Clayton Kershaw and deGrom own lower ERAs in that time (800 IP), but no one pitched more innings.

At 3 PM EDT, the Braves visit the Phillies as the home town fans get introduced to Bryce Harper. Julio Teheran and Aaron Nola take the hill. Harper crushed Teheran in their careers, with eight home runs and three doubles to go along with 18 hits. Nola is the third great ace of the NL East, breaking out with a 2.37 ERA in the first season of his prime. Unlike the older deGrom and Scherzer, Nola should still be getting better.

The powerhouse Astros take on the upstart Rays at 4 PM, with Justin Verlander facing Blake Snell. (The season opener for the Rays is not an opener. ) Verlander posted an amazing 2018, setting a career single-season high with 290 strikeouts. He also cut his walks from 72 to 37 compared to 2017, all at seasonal age 35. Snell, ten years younger, became a 20-game winner for the first time, improving all three of his true outcomes while increasing his workload by about 50 innings.

Finally, the evening game features the World Champion Red Sox against the undefeated Mariners. Chris Sale battles Marco Gonzales. Sale missed qualifying for the ERA leader board by four innings in 2018, and would have finished second in the AL. Batters on the road hit .188/.238/.311 against Sale since he joined the Red Sox. Gonzales makes batters hit the ball, walking just 1.9 batters per 9 IP since joining the Mariners.

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September 8, 2018

Games of the Day

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Charlie Morton takes on Eduardo Rodriguez as the Astros continue their series with the Red Sox. Morton owns a 27-10 record since joining the Astros after going 46-71 in the rest of his career. Rodriguez allowed just three of his 12 home runs at Fenway this season.

Walker Buehler and Kyle Freeland square off as the Dodgers and Rockies vie for first place in the NL West. The rookie Buehler struck out 115 batters in 104 2/3 innings while walking just 28. Freeland may deserve the NL Cy Young award for posting a 2.96 ERA while pitching 43% of his games at Coors Field.

Julio Teheran faces Clay Buchholz as the Braves and Diamondbacks battle in Arizona. Teheran allowed just 110 hits in 153 1/3 innings, but comes into the game with a 4.05 ERA. A high percentage of the hits against him went for extra bases, and a relatively high percentage of those came with men on base. Buchholz made 2/3 of his starts away from home this season, but is 3-0 with a 2.79 ERA in Arizona.

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June 17, 2018

Productive Return

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Julio Teheran returned from the disabled list to throw six hitless, scoreless innings against the Padres as the Braves win 4-1. Teheran walked three and struck out 11, and was held to 95 pitches. The Braves bullpen allowed six hits and one run in their three innings of work.

Teheran came into the game with a 4.31 ERA despite a .214 BA allowed. He walked a ton of batters, leading to a .314 OBP allowed. More than half the hits he allowed were for extra-bases. He solved the power problem today by simply not allowing a hit.

With Washington losing 8-6 to Toronto, the Braves lead in the NL East is up to 3 1/2 games.

May 25, 2018 April 9, 2018

Games of the Day

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The Cubs become the last team to open at home as they host the Pirates. Ivan Nova takes on Tyler Chatwood. Nova is off to a poor start in 2018, with a 6.10 ERA in 10 1/3 innings. He walked four batters already, after walking 36 in all of 2017. Chatwood walked six in his six inning first start, but only allowed one run as opponents went one for nine with runners in scoring position.

The evening sees Francisco Lirano and Detroit facing Corey Kluber and Cleveland. Lirano had some bad luck in Cleveland over the years. Despite striking out 54 batters in 39 1/3 innings, his ERA stands at 4.81. He gave up 44 hits and 25 walks. It seems to be an all or nothing park for Liriano. Kluber is pitching great, but the Indians scored just three runs for him this season in two games.

The red hot Braves invade D.C. as Julio Teheran faces Max Scherzer. The Braves scored seven runs or more in five of their nine games played. That includes a game in which they scored five runs off Scherzer. Scherzer was hurt by an error in that game, but his three-true outcomes are great, with one home run, three walks, and seventeen strikeouts in 11 IP.

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August 14, 2017

Games of the Day

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The Indians travel to Boston for a possible preview of the ALDS. Trevor Bauer faces Doug Fister. Bauer’s high ERA is especially poor on the road, 6.69. He walked 23 batters in 40 1/3 road innings, 21 walks in 80 home innings. Fister in his prime was a great control artist, but this season walked 19 batters in 39 1/3 innings.

The Braves take on the Rockies in Colorado, but the story is the return of Chad Bettis from testicular cancer. He’ll face Julio Teheran. Bettis walked seven, struck out 17, and allowed three home runs in 23 1/3 minor league rehabilitation innings. Teheran is posting the highest season ERA of his career since he became a full time starter. Both his walk and home run rates are way up.

A possible World Series preview pits the Astros against the Diamondbacks in Arizona. Colin McHugh battles Zack Greinke. McHugh mistakes have come with runners on base, as opponents are slugging .605 in that situation, with six of the 11 hits against him going for extra bases. Greinke walked just 31 batters in 149 innings. He is 2-0 with a 0.86 ERA against AL teams in three starts this year.

Finally, the Orioles and Mariners fight for a wild card as Kevin Gausman faces Yovani Gallardo. Both have ERAs over 5.00. Gallardo allowed six home runs in 22 innings since the All-Star break, and Gausman allowed seven HR in 36 innings in the same time period. Expect a slugfest in this game.

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April 3, 2017

Too Little Teheran

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Julio Teheran pitched six strong innings for the Braves, matching goose eggs with Noah Syndergaard as the Mets and Braves were scoreless through six innings. Teheran did not come out for the seventh, and the Mets teed off on the Braves bullpen for six runs so far. Teheran walked three batters in six innings, the pen walked five in their first 2/3 of an inning. The Mets lead the Braves 6-0 after seven innings.

October 2, 2016

Games of the Day

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All games Sunday begin at 3:05 PM EDT.

The Blue Jays and the Red Sox play an extremely meaningful game. A win by the Blue Jays clinches the top wild card seed. A win by the Red Sox gives them a shot at the second seed in the AL playoffs. Aaron Sanchez takes on David Price. Sanchez pretty much blew away any innings limit that was in place, as the playoffs took precedence over protecting his career, basically making the opposite decision of the Nationals in 2012. Sanchez is 8-1 with a 2.56 ERA on the road, allowing just six home runs in 105 2/3 innings. The Red Sox, however, have scored 11 runs in 17 1/3 innings against him. Price is 9-3 at home, but with a 4.21 ERA. He allowed 16 home runs in 109 innings at Fenway this season, but has a 2.66 ERA against Toronto this year. Flip a coin.

The Orioles can clinch a wild card slot with a win against the Yankees. Kevin Gausman takes on Luis Cessa. Gausman dominated the Yankees this season with a 0.80 ERA in five starts. He struck out 32, walked five, and allowed one home run to New York in 33 2/3 innings. Despite that, his record is just 2-1. Cessa threw a lot of gopher balls this season, 15 in 64 2/3 innings. Nine of those came in 31 2/3 innings at Yankee Stadium. His OBP against is just .290, so the great majority of his 32 runs allowed came on homers.

The Giants can clinch the second NL Wild Card with a win against the Dodgers. Kenta Maeda takes on Matt Moore. Maeda finishes up a fine rookie season in which he pitched as well at Dodger Stadium as he did on the road. To the delight of Dodgers fans, he is 3-0 with a 2.65 ERA against the Giants in three starts. The move of Moore from the AL to the NL did not help his numbers, as his walks and home runs remained high.

Detroit needs to win to have a shot at a wild card, and they send their ace, Justin Verlander, against the Braves and Julio Teheran. Verlander leads the AL in Tom Tango Cy Young tracker points, and a big win in a big game might put him over the top with voters. It’s a great comeback season for Verlander. Teheran represents the best starter on the Braves. It’s good to see Atlanta is not lying down for the last game at Turner Field. Teheran holds a 3.15 ERA against the AL this season, but due to weak offense, he is 0-3 in those three starts.

A win for the Indians could clinch the second AL seed if it is combined with a Boston loss. Otherwise, the Indians may need to play on Monday to decide seeding, even if Detroit is out of the wild card race. Josh Tomlin takes the hill against the Royals and Ian Kennedy. Tomlin is a control artist, with just 20 walks in 166 2/3 innings, limiting the damage from his 35 home runs allowed. Kennedy owns a 5.76 ERA against the Indians in five starts this season, allowing eight home runs in 29 2/3 innings. This could be the slugfest of the day.

Finally, the Cardinals need to win to have a shot at tying the Giants for the second wild card slot in the NL and forcing a playoff game. They host Pittsburgh, with Ryan Vogelsong of the Bucs taking on Adam Wainwright. Vogelsong seems done, as he made five starts in September and posted an 8.72 ERA. Wainwright finished his worst season on a weak note, posting a 5.46 ERA in five September starts. Somehow, he managed a 4-1 record.

Enjoy!

September 20, 2016

Games of the Day

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Atlanta takes on the Mets with Julio Teheran facing Robert Gsellman. Teheran is a good pitcher on a bad team, with a 5-10 record despite a 3.18 ERA. He greatly improved his control this season, reducing his walk rate from 3.3 per 9 IP in 2015 to 2.0 per 9 IP in 2016. So far in his rookie year, Gsellman allows a high OBP but moderates that with few extra base hits off his pitches.

The Nationals continue their series with the Marlins as Tanner Roark battles Jose Fernandez. Roark can top his 2014 win total with a victory Tuesday night. The Marlins, however, hit him pretty well in his career, with a .280/.338/.417 opponents slash line. Fernandez showed no ill effects of Tommy John surgery has he set a new single season high in innings and wins, and struck out 54 more batters than in his 2013 season in about the same number of innings.

Seattle tries to even their series with Toronto with J.A. Happ facing Hisashi Iwakuma. Taking the next two games would great enhance the Mariners wild card chances. Happ goes for his 20th win of the season, the first time he would reach that level. His .294 opposition OBP keeps batters off base, and his .348 slugging percentage allowed with men on mitigates the damage when they do reach. Iwakuma is pitching well down the stretch, although his 3.07 ERA in his last nine starts resulted in a 5-4 record.

Finally, the Giants try to even their series with the Dodgers with Johnny Cueto taking the mound against Rich Hill. Cueto pitched well against the Dodgers this season, 2-1 in four starts with a 3.18 ERA. He struck out 29 batters in 28 1/3 innings with just five walks. Hill gave up four runs his last time out after not allowing a run in his first three Dodgers games. He held the Giants scoreless for six innings in his Dodgers debut.

Enjoy!

August 19, 2016

Games of the Day

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The Pirates and Marlins rank third and fourth respectively in the NL Wild Card race, separated by one game. The meet in Pittsburgh as Tom Koehler takes on Gerrit Cole. Koehler pitched well since the All-Star Break, posting a 2.19 ERA. He walked 10 and struck out 32 in 37 innings in that time frame. Cole comes into the game with just three home runs allowed in 102 1/3 innings. That’s the lowest rate in the majors for pitchers with at least 100 IP.

Division leaders meet in Cleveland as Toronto sends Francisco Liriano against Trevor Bauer. Liriano pitched poorly for Pittsburgh, posting an ERA well over 5.00 with too many walks and home runs allowed. His ERA is still very high with Toronto, as he allowed two home runs in 11 2/3 innings. The four walks allowed is not that bad. Bauer gives up more power at home, opponents slugging .416 against him in Cleveland, .349 on the road.

Rick Porcello goes for his 17th win as the Red Sox face Detroit and rookie sensation Michael Fulmer. Porcello pitched for the Tigers from 2009 through 2014, his last year there setting his previous high in wins, 15. He’s striking out batters at a much higher rate than in that season. Fulmer makes just his sixth start at home, compared to 14 on the road. He owns a 1.41 ERA so far in Detroit.

Tanner Roark of the Nationals and Julio Teheran of the Braves face each other with identical 2.81 ERAs. Roark, pitching for a good team, is 13-6. Teheran, pitching for a bad team, is 3-9. Here is a side-by-side comparison. Teheran is better at striking out and walking batters, Roark is much better keeping the ball in the park. This is one of the best examples of wins and losses being as much a team stat as a pitcher stat.

Finally, I’m on my way to Denver for the Saturday night game between the Cubs and Rockies. They get things started this evening with Kyle Hendricks taking on Tyler Anderson. Kendricks pitched twice at Coors, with one good start and one poor one. He has yet to allow a home run there in 12 1/3 innings. True rookie Anderson makes his 13th start overall and ninth at home. He owns a 3.04 ERA at Coors, with 46 K and 13 BB in 50 1/3 home innings. He is an extreme ground ball pitcher, and that’s working for him so far.

Enjoy!

July 9, 2016

Games of the Day

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The Braves try for three wins in a row as Julio Teheran faces the White Sox and Jose Quintana. Teheran ranks 14th in the majors in ERA (min 80 innings), and is the only pitcher in the top 14 with a losing record. The only other pitcher in the top 20 with a losing record is his opponent today, Jose Quintana. Teheran owns slightly better walk and strikeout rates, but Quintana does a better job of keeping the ball in the park.

CC Sabathia faces his old team, the Indians, as the Yankees try to beat AL Cy Young candidate Danny Salazar. Sabathia had an up and down season. He finished April with a 5.06 ERA due to too many walks and too few strikeouts. He then went on a stretch of seven starts (interrupted by an injury) in which he never allowed more than two runs in a start. His walks were down and his strikeouts up. His last three starts yielded 17 runs, 16 earned, as his old nemesis, the home run, came back to bite him. Salazar pitched particularly well at home this season, posting a 2.05 ERA. He walked just 14 batters in 48 1/3 innings, compared to 30 on the road in two more innings.

Finally, Jerad Eickhoff leads the Phillies against Tyler Anderson and the Rockies. Eickhoff has been on a roll since the start of June, posting a 2.25 ERA with 41 K in 44 innings. Anderson owns a 3.03 ERA in his first five MLB starts, having walked just six in 29 2/3 innings. He is 0-3 in his starts, however, and the Rockies 1-4, as neither the offense nor the bullpen gave him much support.

Enjoy!

June 19, 2016

Making Up for Lost Time

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Julio Teheran pitched well this season with no support. Sunday, he pitched great with great support and picked up just his third win of the season. Teheran gave up a single to Michael Conforto in the third inning and that would be the only Mets batter to reach base in the game. Meanwhile, the Braves scored six runs on 11 hits. Freddie Freeman stayed hot with two doubles and two singles, and Nick Markakis homered. The Braves took home a win 6-0, and have now won (pallidrome alert!) five in a row. The Mets suffered their their third June shutout.

June 19, 2016

Games of the Day

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The Braves send their best pitcher, Julio Teheran against the Mets and Jacob deGrom. Teheran sports a 2.93 ERA, but with no offensive support is just 2-7 on the season. He owns great walk and strikeout numbers, but is susceptible to the home run, a strength of the Mets. deGrom brings a 2.82 ERA into the game, again with a record that does not reflect his ERA, 3-3. He also owns good strikeout and walk rates, but keeps the ball in the park.

Matt Garza looks for his first win of the season as Brewers face the Dodgers and Kenta Maeda. Garza made a decent return from injury in his first start, going four innings, allowing one runs with one walk and five strikeouts. Maeda sees his ERA go up at Dodger Stadium, 3.24 at home versus 2.14 on the road. Batters simply collect more hits there, as he allows a .242 BA at home, .185 on the road.

Gio Gonzalez tries to get the Nationals back in the win column as he takes on the Padres and their excellent starter Drew Pomeranz. Gonzalez is having a strange June, having struck out 27 batters, walked six, and allowed one home run in 19 1/3 innings. Those numbers are all very good, but his ERA stands at 5.12. He has allowed a .364 BA with men in scoring position in those innings. Pomeranz is the third stater in the group with a great ERA and a lousy record, 5-7 with a 2.88 ERA. He’s blowing away batters with 89 K in 75 innings.

Enjoy!

June 8, 2016

Games of the Day

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The afternoon offers a pair of good pitchers on poor teams as Julio Teheran of the Braves takes on Drew Pomeranz of the Padres. Teheran owns a 2.92 ERA in 12 starts, thanks to excellent walk and strikeout numbers. He only has one win to show for it, however. Pomeranz is even better, with a 2.22 ERA with only four home runs allowed in 65 innings. With that low ERA, he managed just a 5-5 record.

Noah Syndergaard tries to get the Mets a win against the Pirates as he faces Jameson Taillon, making his major league debut. Syndergaard is in rare air as he’s striking out nine more batters than he walks, with 90 K in 70 2/3 innings. Taillon missed the last two years due to various injuries, including Tommy John surgery. IN 61 2/3 AAA innings this season, he walked 6 and struck out 61. There should be a good breeze from all the bats.

Doug Fister appears to be back in a groove as he leads the Astros against the Rangers and Yu Darvish. (Twisted Fister vs. Whirling Darvish?) Fister walked 24 this year, matching his total from last season in about 36 fewer innings. He’s allowing fewer base runners, however. It may be he was in the strike zone too much in the past, and hitters were being aggressive. Darvish struck out 12 in his first 10 2/3 innings back from Tommy John surgery.

Finally, David Price and Madison Bumgarner come into the Red Sox game against the Giants with identical 7-2 records, but very different ERAs. The Red Sox scored 77 runs in Prices 12 starts, the Giants scored 62 in the same number of Bumgarner starts. Bumgarner is obviously working too hard.

August 14, 2015

Games of the Day

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The Yankees travel to the Great White North as Ivan Nova takes on David Price, recently acquired by the Blue Jays. Toronto leads New York by 1/2 game in the AL East, and which ever team wins the three-game series winds up in first place. Nova has exactly the same record, games started, innings, and ERA home and road. He arrived there two very different ways, however, allowing 16 hits and 10 walks in 23 innings at home, 26 hits and six walks away. Price allowed on run in 16 innings since joining the Blue Jays, walking five and striking out 18.

Arizona is still in the division hunt as they send Robbie Ray against the Braves and Julio Teheran. Ray receives little run support this season as the Diamondbacks scored two runs or less in six of his 13 starts, and only over five runs once. He strikes out about seven for every two he walks. Teheran walked 50 in 138 innings this season after walking 51 in 221 innings in 2014.

Alfredo Simon takes on AL Cy Young Candidate Dallas Keuchel as the Tigers play the Astros. Simon got off to a good start this season with a 2.67 ERA through the end of May. Since then his home runs and walks allowed spiked, leading to a 6.55 ERA in that time span. Keuchel is 10-0 with a 1.26 ERA at home this season in 12 starts. He has yet to allow a home run in Houston this season. His last there was a year ago on 8/10/2014.

Enjoy!

May 9, 2015

Games of the Day

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They Yankees try to solidify their lead in the AL East as the Orioles send Wei-Yin Chen against Chase Whitley. None of Chen’s three true outcomes are that good, but he holds a 2.83 ERA. Somehow, he’s holding batters to a .216 BA overall and .091 with runners in scoring position. The opposition can’t square up his pitches, as only 13.4% of balls in play against him have gone for line drives. Whitley allowed just one run in his first two starts, walking one and striking out 11.

Bryce Harper tries to make it three games in a row with multiple home runs as Julio Teheran and the Braves take on Doug Fister and the Nationals. Harper has a shot, as he is 8 for 19 against Teheran with three doubles and two home runs.

The Phillies try to win another against the Mets as Jonathon Niese visits Aaron Harang. Niese, like Chen, owns an ERA better than his stats. He’s allowing a .205 BA with runners in scoring position, versus .298 overall. Harang is keeping his ERA low by keeping batters off base with a 0.97 WHIP.

Finally, David Phelps leads Miami against the Giants and Madison Bumgarner. Phelps has not allowed a home run in 25 innings after allowing 13 in 113 innings in 2014. After going through a couple of poor starts, Bumgarner allowed just three runs in his last 21 2/3 innings.

Enjoy!