The Giants acquire Marlon Byrd from the Phillies, as another team uses the August waiver wire to replace an injured player. The Tigers grabbed Randy Wolf from the Blue Jays, and the Dodgers got Chase Utley from the Phillies.
Francisco Rodriguez comes on the pitch the bottom of the eighth for Milwaukee, the Brewers leading the Cardinals 4-2. Randy Wolf records a quality start, allowing two runs in seven innings of work. His control was good as he walked one an struck out six, his only problem was two home runs allowed. He gave his offense a chance to take the lead, and now he hands the game over to the two closers.
Update: K-Rod allows a single but that’s it. The Brewers are three outs away from tying the series at two.
Randy Wolf doubles in the top of the third with one out to try to help his cause. He’s set the table for Nyjer Morgan. The Cardinals lead the Brewers 1-0.
Update: Kyle Loshe hits Morgan, putting runners on first and second.
Update: Wolf has 33 career doubles, but this one was his first post-season hit.
Update: Mark Kotsay flies out to bring up Ryan Braun.
Update: Braun pops out to first to end the inning. Braun hasn’t had too many opportunities with runners in scoring position in this series. That was just his second at bat. He needs to make the most of his opportunities.
Randy Wolf retires the Cardinals in order in the bottom of the first, striking out Albert Pujols. Wolf threw just 12 pitches.
With the World Series in sight, the Rangers send C.J. Wilson to the mound Thursday afternoon against the Tigers and Justin Verlander in a rematch of game one of the ALCS. Due to the rain delay that shortened the two outings, we have an incomplete picture of the starts. Verlander seemed on, walking two and striking out five in his four innings of work, but he allowed three runs. C.J. Wilson appeared to be wild, walking five and striking out six, but the Tigers managed just two runs despite adding six hits to the walks. The Tigers only went 1 for 6 against him with runners in scoring position.
The Brewers try to even their series against St. Louis and ensure they return to Milwaukee in game four of the NLCS. Randy Wolf faces Kyle Lohse. Wolf lasted just three innings against the Diamondbacks in the NLDS, allowing seven runs on eight hits and three walks. His overall post-season numbers aren’t much better, as he has allowed 12 runs in 12 innings, walking 10 and striking out just six. Randy was a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde against the Cardinals this season. He went 3-2 against St. Louis despite a 5.34 ERA. He pitched two high quality starts, but three very poor ones as well.
Lohse did not fare much better in the NLDS. He walked one and struck out four in his game, but lasted just 5 1/3 innings as he allowed six runs on seven hits. That included two home runs. He only allowed 16 homers on the season, but 11 of those came in his home park. He went 1-2 against Milwaukee despite a good 2.37 ERA.
Enjoy!
The Phillies get their first chance to eliminate the Cardinals this afternoon as Roy Oswalt faces Edwin Jackson. Roy’s injury filled season caused him to start his fewest games since 2003 and post the second highest ERA of his career. The 2011 season also marked the first time he finished with a losing record. Roy experienced mixed success at the new Busch Stadium during his career. In nine starts his ERA stands at 3.54, but his record stands at 1-4. He’s only struck out 28 batters in 53 1/3 innings there. Jackson managed a 3.79 ERA for the season despite being hittable. His slash line combined with the White Sox and the Cardinals comes in at .290/.342/.427. His saving grace was that a .342 OBP isn’t that high for a .290 BA. He kept his walks and home runs low, and time his hits allowed well, holding batters to a .216 BA with runners in scoring position. This should be an interesting match-up between flawed pitchers.
Arizona tries to stave off elimination for the second night in a row as they host the Brewers. Randy Wolf and Joe Saunders star in the battle of fourth starters. They come into the game with identical 3.69 ERAs. This side-by-side comparison shows that Wolf is actually the better pitcher. He strikes out a batter more per game and allowed fewer home runs. Despite the lower K rate, Saunders allowed fewer hits. The difference is the Diamondbacks defense, which ranked best in the league at preventing runs according to UZR. In general, however, I don’t think you could ask for two more evenly matched pitchers.
Even their home/road splits are strange in the same way. Wolf’s three-true outcomes are better on the road, yet he earned a lower ERA at home. Saunders finished the season with a much better road ERA, but his home runs and walks allowed were much better at home. Expect a lot of balls in play in this game, and look for the defense to make a difference.
Enjoy!
The Cardinals made contact against Brewers starter Randy Wolf. He struck out one as 27 of 28 St. Louis batters put the ball in play. They only managed five hits against him, however, as the Brewers win 5-1. That extends Milwaukee’s lead to five games as their 13-1 streak puts them in charge of the NL Central. They’ve outscored their opponents 42-18 during the current six-game winning streak.
For some reason, this turned into a very busy day for me, so a very short games of the day post.
The Indians try to gain another game on the Tigers as Rick Porcello takes on Ubaldo Jimenez. Both, I suspect will be allowed to take a beating after the bullpens pitched more than 11 innings Tuesday night.
After a minor league career in which he posted a 27-8 record and a 3.10 ERA, Garrett Richards makes his major league debut for the Angels against Ivan Nova. If Nova pitches well again, do you leave him in the rotation and send A.J. Burnett to the bullpen? Burnett’s lack of stamina in games would make him a great three-inning long man.
Dan Uggla tries to extend his hitting streak to 31 games in a pretty good pitching matchup between Atlanta and Florida. Tim Hudson takes on Anibal Sanchez.
The Cardinals sit four games back of the Brewers after Tuesday night’s game. Randy Wolf takes on Jake Westbrook in St. Louis.
Enjoy!
Edwin Jackson makes his second start for St. Louis as he faces the Brewers and Randy Wolf in the rubber game of this important NL Central series. Jackson held the Cubs to one run in seven innings in his first start. Despite striking out just nine batters in 22 innings since the All-Star break, he’s 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA. The Cardinals knocked around Wolf in his only start against them this season, scoring six runs in five innings against him.
Arizona goes for a sweep of the Giants and first place in the NL West with Jason Marquis taking on Ryan Vogelsong. Marquis makes his first start for Arizona after averaging six innings in his twenty starts for the Nationals. He’s done a good job of keeping the ball in the park this season, thanks to his high ground ball rate. That should when he pitches in Arizona, as it helped him when he pitched for the Rockies. Vogelsong is very tough in San Francisco, with a 1.28 ERA this year at home. He’s allowed just three home runs in 63 1/3 innings by the bay.
Enjoy!
The Rays and Yankees send their aces to the mound as they play the rubber game of their series. James Shields battles CC Sabathia. Shields pitched well in his one start against the Yankees, walking one and striking out nine in seven innings. The Yankees did prey on his weakness, hitting two home runs and pinning a loss on the Rays starter. The Yankees have won nine of Sabathia’s last ten starts, CC getting the decision in each one. His strikeouts have picked up lately, with 33 in his last 22 2/3 innings.
Dontrelle Willis makes his 2011 debut against Randy Wolf as the Reds finish the first half of the season against the Brewers. Dontrelle pitched well at AAA, with a 5-2 record and a 2.63 ERA. He dominated in the three true outcomes, with a 8.0 K/per 9, 2.4 walks per nine, and 13.3 HR per 200 innings. I hope this is for real. Willis is only 29, so if he gets his control back, he can still have a decent career. Wolf lowered his ERA about 0.4 runs from 2010 by cutting down his walks and his home runs.
Finally, Felix Hernandez tries to prevent the Mariners from suffering a four game sweep as he faces Dan Haren and the Angels. Felix does not have a great deal of success against LAnaheim, owning a 4.18 ERA against the division rival in his career. Haren has allowed just eight home runs in 125 2/3 innings this season after giving up 31 in 235 innings last year.
Enjoy!
The Washington Nationals go for their eighth straight win as they continue their series with Baltimore. Brian Matusz faces Jordan Zimmermann. The longest win streak for the team since taking up residence in Washington is ten. Matusz comes off his only bad start of the season, but it was bad enough to push his ERA into the fives. He showed no control, walking 4 in 1 1/3 innings after walking just two in his first 11 innings. With a .276 OBP allowed, Zimmermann does an excellent job of keeping batters off base. He has allowed power with men on base, however, pushing his ERA to 3.10.
Jon Lester goes for his tenth win for the Red Sox as they host Randy Wolf and the Brewers. Lester had some trouble at Fenway this season. His ERA is 4.83 at home versus 3.12 on the road, despite allowing just two of his 11 homers in Boston. Wolf has yet to record a decision in three June starts, despite a 2.41 ERA. He’s only allowed four walks in 18 2/3 innings while striking out 17 this month.
Enjoy!
Alexi Ogando tries to stay undefeated in 2011. Photo: Icon SMI
The Rangers and Indians continue their series in Cleveland with Alexi Ogando facing Justin Masterson. Ogando’s superior control helped him earn a 2.33 ERA. His main weakness this season stems from his seven home runs allowed, but five of those came in April. Masterson walks a few batters, but keeps the ball in the park with just three home runs allowed in 73 1/3 innings of work. He’s particularly effective at home this season, where opposing batters produce a slugging percentage (.311) lower than their OBP (.319).
The Bewers are not only chasing the Cardinals for a division title, but also the Marlins for the wild card lead. Milwaukee visits Miami with Randy Wolf taking on Ricky Nolasco. Wolf pitches very well against lefties, which should neutralize Chris Coghlan and Logan Morrison. Mike Stanton and Gaby Sanchez should be happy about the match-up. Nolasco combined his usual low walk rate with a .181 BA allowed with runners in scoring position to earn his 3.82 ERA. With only two of his eight home runs allowed coming at home, his ERA in Florida is just 2.72.
Finally, the Rockies try to move back up in the NL West race as they send Juan Nicasio against the Giants and Matt Cain. Nicasio made a great major league debut, pitching seven innings and allowing just one unearned run. Cain his pitching his typical above average season, with a low BABIP and a low HR/FB rate. He’s a great example of the limits of our understanding of how pitchers influence the ability of batters to earn hits.
Enjoy!
Roy Halladay tries to stay hot for the Phillies as he hosts Randy Wolf and the Brewers. Wolf is off to a terrific start in terms of strikeouts, downing 20 opponents with the K in 16 2/3 innings of work. That hasn’t cut down on his hits allowed, however, as he’s given up 22, four of those home runs. His ERA remains above 4.00. Halladay has been nearly perfect in terms of his three true outcomes, with 22 K, 3 BB and 0 HR in 22 innings of work. Opponents hold a lower slugging percentage against him than their OBP, and their OBP is just .247.
The Yankees visit Toronto to send former Blue Jays pitcher A.J. Burnett against rookie Kyle Drabek. A.J.’s strikeouts and walks are good so far this season, but the ball still leaves the park against him, which could be a problem against a team like the Blue Jays. Two of the three home runs Burnett allowed came with men on base, helping to raise his ERA. He does prove that if a pitcher can last six innings for the Yankees, there’s a good chance he’ll get a win. Drabek isn’t pitching as well as his 1.93 ERA indicates. He’s wild, with 11 walks so far this season, but is covering that weakness by allowing a .158 BA (3 for 19) with runners in scoring position.
Cleveland brings up Jeanmar Gomez to try to put more distance between them and the Royals. He’ll face Bruce Chen. Gomez pitched unimpressively in his rookie year of 2010, his only positive being a decent walk rate. He was hammered on the road, giving up six of the seven home runs he allowed. Chen’s ERA looks very optimistic given his last few seasons. Since his poor first start, however, he walked just two in 14 innings and hasn’t allowed a home run. He only struck out eight, however.
Ubaldo Jimenez returns to the mound for the Rockies. Photo: Icon SMI
Finally, Ubaldo Jimenez brings his healed finger back to Coors as the Rockies continue their series with the visiting Giants. Jonathan Sanchez takes the ball for San Francisco. Sanchez is fooling batters better than ever with 24 K in his first 16 2/3 innings. He’s not going deep in starts, however. Jimenez has great success against the Giants at home, 3-1 with a 2.68 ERA in seven starts.
Enjoy!
Randy Wolf reached ten or more strikeouts in a game for the 14th time in his career, reaching double digits in just 6 2/3 innings against the Pirates. It was actually not his best performance in terms of strikeouts and innings as he once struck out 11 in six innings and 13 in seven innings. The Brewers win 4-1.
The Pirates have now struck out 115 times in 13 games. That might be okay if they were hitting the ball really hard when they made contact, but the team slash line looks like a weak hitting middle infielder.
Adam Wainwright tries to pass Ubaldo Jimenez in wins as the Cardinals host Randy Wolf and the Milwaukee Brewers. Wolf comes into the game with a 4.86 ERA, making me wonder if Dodgers fans are less irritated by Los Angeles letting him walk. Batters are getting on base at a high rate against Randy as he owns a .350 opposition OBP. Wainwright leads the NL in ERA, and now has a chance to win well over 20 games. That combination should net him a Cy Young award. He’s 11-0 with a 1.22 ERA in 12 starts at home.
Josh Johnson is another low ERA pitcher in the NL who sported a sub-two ERA for a while. He takes on Ross Ohlendorf in Pittsburgh. The Marlins starter is pitching his finest year in terms of endurance, walks, strikeouts and home runs. He’s suffering through a rough August, however in which he struck out just 10 in 17 1/3 innings, leading to 22 hits and 13 runs. Ohlendorf may be the unluckiest pitcher in the NL. Last season, he posted a 3.92 ERA and an 11-11 record. This season, with a 3.95 ERA, he’s 1-9.
Finally, the White Sox try to even their series with the Twins as they send Gavin Floyd against Francisco Liriano. This is the third year in a row Floyd reduced his home run rate, and he’s only allowed four of his ten since the start of June. The Twins have beaten him up, however. Despite striking out 12 in 11 2/3 innings against Minnesota, the Twins knocked out 17 hits and scored 10 runs. Liriano cut his home runs 90% from last season, and holds a 2.79 ERA against the White Sox in three starts.
Enjoy!
Johan Santana faces his old team for the first time today as the Twins send New York favorite Carl Pavano against the Twins. Santana says his elbow isn’t fully recovered from surgery, which makes sense given his lower strikeout rate this season. Opponents still find him tough to hit, and with a low walk rate, Johan still turns a high percentage of batters into outs.* Pavano’s OBP allowed is even lower, but he does give up more power. He’s also easy to run on, so look for the Mets to take advantage of that.
*He turned me into an out. An out? I got better.
After a stint on the Seattle disabled list, Doug Fister returns to the fold to face Milwaukee’s Randy Wolf. Fister falls just short of inclusion on the ERA leader board, where he would be tied for 2nd with David Price at 2.45. Doug has only walked 10 batters in 69 2/3 innings, so we’ll see how his control is after recovering from a tired shoulder. Wolf has allowed 10 of his 16 home runs at home this season, but Seattle is last in the AL in home runs hit, so that may not be a problem.
Finally, the Red Sox and Clay Buchholz face Madison Bumgarner in his 2010 Giants debut. Bumgarner pitched briefly for the big club in 2009, striking out 10 and walking three in ten innings of work. He owns a 34-6 minor league record and a 2.00 ERA. He only allowed 14 home runs in 355 2/3 innings on the farm, with excellent walk and strikeout rates. At age 25, Buchholz matured into a force this season, posting a 2.47 ERA. He’s at 91 innings compared to 92 in 2009, and allowed 10 fewer home runs, accounting for most of the 15 fewer hits he allowed.
Enjoy!
Randy Wolf continues the theme of well pitched wins with seven shutout innings as the Brewers defeat the Astros 6-1. Felipe Paulino didn’t pitch badly, as he allowed two runs over six innings, but like Kawakami, he falls to 0-7. Given the quality of the Astros this year, I would not be surprised if Paulino actually lost 20.
Wolf only allowed four hits on 20 balls in play. The Astros, with the lowest line drive percentage in the NL, just are not putting good wood on the ball this year.
Randy Wolf gave up four runs to the Rockies tonight, but the Brewers held on for a 7-5 win. Wolf, however, walked none and struck out eight in his 6 2/3 innings of work. One reason for his great 2009 campaign was his low walk numbers. If this start is any indication, he still has that good control.
Ian Stewart collected three hits for the Rockies, missing the cycle by a homer single.