Tag Archives: Stephen Strasburg

April 6, 2024

Strasburg’s Retirement Deal

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The Washington Post reports that Stephen Strasburg retired having reached a deal with the Nationals on his remaining contract:

The retirement, long expected, also brings some clarity on his contract — a seven-year, $245 million deal inked in December 2019, after the team’s World Series triumph. Strasburg, who pitched just 4? innings since undergoing surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in 2021, is expected to be paid the entirety of his contract. He has agreed to defer some of his remaining salary, according to a person familiar with the matter. The extent of those deferrals is not known.

WashingtonPost.com

So Washington frees up some money they can use to rebuild. There will be no resurrection for Baseball Jesus.

September 8, 2023

Reports of Stephen Strasburg’s News Conference Were Greatly Exaggerated

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The Nationals owner chided the media for reporting on a press conference that was never scheduled:

Owner Mark Lerner released a rare statement Friday to respond to a variety of reports about a news conference, which was being planned for Saturday but never announced by the team.

“While we have been following the process required by the collective bargaining agreement, behind-the-scenes preparations for a press conference had begun internally,” Lerner said in a statement. “However, no such event was ever confirmed by the team or promoted publicly.”

…

“It is regrettable that private discussions have been made public through anonymous sources attempting to negotiate through the media,” Lerner said.

ESPN.com

I thought something might be up when I was hearing that Strasburg was not giving up his salary. Retirement basically means canceling the deal, which is what happened with Alex Rodriguez. So until the salary is settled, we won’t be hearing anything official.

August 24, 2023

Strasburg to Retire

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The Washington Post reports that Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg plans to announce his retirement on September 9th.

Strasburg, 35, continues to deal with “severe nerve damage,” according to three people with knowledge of his situation. He has struggled with mundane tasks, such as lifting his young daughters or opening a door with his right hand. Last summer, when he tried and failed to return — making three rehab outings before that final start in Miami — Strasburg sometimes couldn’t stand for long without his hand going completely numb. To manage it, he would lie down on his side and press his hand against his chest.

Those close to him quietly worried more about his life beyond pitching again. And Strasburg kept grappling with his baseball mortality.

WashingtonPost.com

This is a big deal, as retirement means forgoing his guaranteed salary. I won’t be surprised if there is some kind of buyout or offer of employment to Strasburg, but he’s leaving $105 million on the table.

This of course is a big help to the Nationals as the team improves. At some point in the next two seasons they may want to spend big in the free agent market, and $35 million a year buys a lot of talent.

I’m glad Strasburg got the World Series win. He was fun to watch. Here’s hoping that he heals enough to lead a normal life.

June 3, 2023

Baseball Jesus Not Rising

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The Washington Post reports that Stephen Strasburg’s career may be over:

Three people have described those complications as “severe nerve damage.” Strasburg is technically eligible to come off the 60-day injured list, which he was placed on ahead of Opening Day. But there’s no sign of that happening in the near future, if at all. His plan, according to a person familiar with his thinking, is to rest and see whether he can manage the nerve issues enough to make another attempt at pitching. His outlook is not promising.

WashingtonPost.com

That’s sad. Given the amount of time he missed from the game, there’s no guarantee that he’ll be effective if he does return healthy.

June 14, 2022

From Baseball Jesus to Adam’s Rib

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Stephen Strasburg suffered a rib injury that returned him to the illjured list:

Unprompted, Dave Martinez answered the question on everyone’s mind, no matter how obvious it seemed. Stephen Strasburg’s latest reason for going on the injured list — a stress reaction in the second and third ribs on the right side of his body — is connected to the surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome that he underwent last summer.

“There are so many unknowns about this surgery and what can happen,” Martinez, the Washington Nationals’ manager, said before Tuesday night’s game against the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park. “This is part of it. So it is related. We’re at a point now where, honestly, Stephen has put all the work in, he’s done everything that he needed to do, and it’s just … this surgery, you don’t know where it’s going to go.”

WashingtonPost.com

Here’s wishing Strasburg a full recovery.

June 13, 2022

Short Comeback

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Stephen Strasburg returns to the illjured list after one poor start:

Manager Dave Martinez said Monday that Strasburg experienced discomfort Sunday after he threw a bullpen session on Saturday and was set to have an MRI. He had been scheduled to start Tuesday night against the Atlanta Braves after making his season debut last week.

ESPN.com

I’m starting to wonder if Strasburg’s career is over. He may achieve the ultimate goal of no work and pay.

https://youtu.be/LTk1A-O1cyI?t=478
June 9, 2022

Games of the Day

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Miles Mikolas takes on Shane McClanahan as the Cardinals and Rays finish their series in Tampa Bay. Mikolas pitched better on the road this season, 3-1 with a 2.54 ERA. Only one of his six HR allowed came away from St. Louis. McClanahan blows batters away with 89 strikeouts and just twelve walks in 64 1/3 innings.

The Dodgers and White Sox battle in Chicago with Tyler Anderson facing Dylan Cease. Anderson owns a 7-0 record and a 2.59 ERA. This would be his first season with an ERA below four since his rookie year of 2016. Cease struck out 81 batters in 58 1/3 innings, but without McClanahan’s control. Cease walked 30 so far.

Baseball Jesus rises from the illjured list as Stephen Strasburg of the Nationals makes his 2022 debut against the Marlins and Trevor Rogers. Injuries the last two years limited Strasburg to seven appearances in which he went 1-3 with a 5.74 ERA. He allowed four hits in 13 2/3 innings in his rehab assignment. Rogers owns a 5.80 ERA as he is one of the few pitchers who is giving up more home runs this season.

Enjoy!

May 22, 2022 July 27, 2021

Strasburg Under the Knife

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Stephen Strasburg needs surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. He will miss the rest of the 2021 season:

Injuries have limited Strasburg to seven starts since he was named MVP of Washington’s World Series win over Houston two years ago. He last pitched on June 1.

ESPN.com

He should be ready for spring 2022, but this is another reason for the Nationals to be sellers at the trade deadline.

February 21, 2021

Strasburg Ahead

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Stephen Strasburg recovered from his carpal tunnel surgery faster than expected:

The 2019 World Series MVP began preparing for this season much earlier than usual, doing a light catch on Nov. 1 instead of mid-December, and throwing bullpens early in January instead of late in the month.

“Endurance-wise, stamina-wise, I feel like I’m a lot further along than I have [been] in years past,” the right-handed starter explained. “I wanted to give myself some extra time to work through some mechanical things and be ready to go on day one.”

ESPN.com

That’s good news for the Nationals.

August 22, 2020

Strasburg Done

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Stephen Strasburg needs carpal tunnel surgery and will be on the 60-day disabled list for the rest of the season.

“Hopefully surgery goes well,” Martinez said. “The biggest thing is that surgery relieves anything he has and he’s able to rehab and come back strong next spring training. Long-term goal, that’s what we’re hoping for.”

Chron.com

That statement by Martinez does not seem very optimistic. Here is the Cleveland Clinic on the surgery:

Surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome has a very high success rate of over 90%. Many symptoms are relieved quickly after treatment, including tingling sensation in the hands and waking up at night. Numbness may take longer to be relieved, even up to three months. 

My.ClevelandClinic.org

At least the odds are in Straburg’s favor. If someone has to miss a season, this is the season to miss.

July 25, 2020

The Nerve of Him

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Stephen Strasburg did not start for Washington Saturday night due to a nerve problem with his hand:

Strasburg described the problem as a nerve impingement in his wrist and said it initially arose early this month when teams reconvened for a ramp-up to the regular season. One of the first symptoms was that his hand would fall asleep.

PressHerald.com

Strasburg hopes that rest will make it better.

Erick Fedde started in Strasbrugh’s stead, and the Nationals lead the Yankees 3-2 in the top of the fourth inning.

July 25, 2020

Games of the Day

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The Brewers and Cubs take the field for an early afternoon game in Chicago as Corbin Burnes faces Yu Darvish. Burnes begins his third season in the majors after a disastrous 2019 ended in a shoulder injury. He showed great promise as a reliever in 2018, going 7-0 with a 2.61 ERA, striking out 35 in 38 innings, while allowing 27 hits. In 2019, he ramped up his strikeouts to 70 in 49 innings, but also allowed 70 hits. That is an extremely odd combination, that translates to a .414 BABIP against. He wound up with a shoulder injury. Darvish pitched extremely well against Milwaukee in his time with the Cubs, posting an 0.82 ERA in four starts covering twenty two innings. He only has one win to show for that ERA, however.

In the evening, the Yankees and Nationals resume with James Paxton taking on Stephen Strasburg. The season delay certainly helped the Yankees, as Paxton, along with Aaron Hicks, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton all had the time to get healthy. Paxton allowed 46 home runs in the last two seasons, after allowing 31 HR in his first five seasons. Strasburg’s career now spans ten seasons. In that time he ranks fourth in the majors in strikeouts per nine innings. Ranking just ahead of him is Max Scherzer, and notice how close the two are in terms of the three-true outcome averages and ERA. They are the Washington buzz saw.

Enjoy!

December 9, 2019

Strasburg Stays Home

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Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals reached a record setting deal:

Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals have reached agreement on a seven-year deal, the team announced. Sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan that the value of the deal is a record-setting $245 million.

That deal surpasses the previous high for a pitcher’s contract, set by David Price when he signed a seven-year, $217 million deal with the Boston Red Sox. Strasburg also has the highest annual average value, eclipsing Zack Greinke‘s $31.5 million. Both records might not last long, with former Houston Astros right-hander Gerrit Cole drawing interest.

“We are very excited to welcome Stephen Strasburg and his family back to the Washington Nationals,” Nationals owner Mark D. Lerner said in a statement. “His tremendous talent, work ethic and leadership have been a staple of our organization since the day we selected him in the 2009 MLB Draft. We would not have won the 2019 World Series or accomplished everything we have these last 10 seasons if not for Stephen’s many contributions.”

ESPN.com

Strasburg, unlike many who signed this off-season, appeared to get a higher contract than my valuation. His three-season fWAR average comes in at 4.7, and if you discount that 10% over the next six years, his total would be 24.3 WAR. At $9 million per WAR, his contract would come in at $219 million. Using rWAR, the valuation comes in at $239 million. I suspect the Nationals are giving him credit for his 2018 injury that limited Strasburg to 130 innings.

This contract has to make Gerrit Cole very happy. The Yankees reportedly offered him $245 million for seven years. He has good reason to believe he is worth more. Maybe that’s was part of Washington’s intent with this deal; drive up the price of the elite pitchers so other teams have to pay more to compete.

November 3, 2019

Free Strasburg

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Stephen Strasburg opted out of his contract with the Washington Nationals:

Stephen Strasburg opted out of the final four years of his contract with the Washington Nationals, three days after the star pitcher was chosen MVP of the World Series.


The move Saturday makes the 31-year-old right-hander a free agent. Strasburg — who was one of the stars in the Nationals celebration parade earier in the day — gave up $100 million he had been guaranteed from 2020-23 as part of a $175 million, seven-year contract he agreed to with the Washington in May 2016.

NYPost.com

Strasburg averaged 4.76 fWAR the last three seasons. At roughly nine million per WAR, that would be worth $42.9 million. The problem with free agency today is that players want largest contract, not largest average value. With a 10% decline in his WAR, since he is over age 30, a four year deal should gross about $147 million, about $50 million more than he would have received staying with the Nationals. My guess is most teams interested in Strasburg would go for that deal. The maximum teams are likely to go in years would be eight years, which would take Strasburg through his age 39 season. That would be a $244 million deal. Pitchers are tougher to predict than position players. While it is likely that a team would get most of their money back on a four-year deal, the extra $100 million for an eight-year deal probably goes down the drain.

The Yankees now have a lot of money to spend. If they offered Strasburg $160 million for four years, would he take it? If he pitches well, he gets to resign at an even higher $/WAR. He would beat Mike Trout‘s $37.6 million average salary by quite a bit. The Yankees would also go back to something they used to do; drive up the price of free agents for everyone else.

October 31, 2019 October 30, 2019

Strasmas in October

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Stephen Strasburg turned in a masterful performance Tuesday night, bring his record this post-season to 5-0. That’s half the Nationals ten wins:

Strasburg had helped carry them to Game 6 in the first place. His three scoreless innings in his first career relief appearance during the wild-card game staved off elimination. So did his gutty, six-inning start in Game 5 of the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The win Tuesday made him the second pitcher ever to go 5-0 in one postseason.

WashingtonPost.com

For all the praise rightly heaped on Gerrit Cole, Strasburg is right with him in the post-season. Cole made one fewer start, and has gone deeper in games. Strasburg walked batters at a much lower rate, giving him the better three-true outcomes.

Strasburg pitching into the ninth also covered the weakness of the Washington bullpen. That may come into play in game seven, as an injured Max Scherzer takes the mound and might not last long in the game.

October 29, 2019 October 29, 2019

Strasburg in the Ninth

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Stephen Strasburg comes out for the ninth inning to face Yuli Gurriel, Yordan Alvarez, and Carlos Correa. Gurriel grounds out to second to start the inning. He leaves the game after the one out.

Update: Sean Doolittle comes in to pitch to Alvarez, lefty on lefty.

Update: Alvarez flies out on a 1-1 pitch. Two down.

Update: Correa hits a ball off the top of the wall in leftfield, missing a home run by inches. His double keeps the inning alive for the Astros.

Update: Robinson Chirinos gets ahead 2-1. On a full count he pops up to second base, and the Nationals win game six! Game seven tomorrow night for all the marbles. It’s the first time road teams won the first six games of a World Series.

October 29, 2019 October 29, 2019

Playoffs Today

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The first elimination game of the 2019 World Series takes place Tuesday night in Houston, the Astros leading the Nationals three games to two. So far, all the games were won by the road team.

Washington sends Stephen Strasbrug to the mound against Justin Verlander. Strasburg’s most famous game for the Nationals came in this situation. Down two games to one to the Cubs in the 2017 NLDS, Strasburg was ill. Dusty Baker kind of threw him under the bus, which I believe was a big reason Baker was fired. Strasburg woke up the day of the feeling fine, pitched seven shutout innings, striking out twelve, and the Nationals advanced to game five. Baseball Jesus is all about resurrection.

Justin Verlander won elimination games in 2013 against the Athletics, pitching eight shutout innings, and in relief against the Red Sox in 2017. Twice this season he had the chance to end a series and lost to both the Rays and the Yankees with games in hand.

Strasburg pitched much better than Verlander in the 2019 post season, blowing Verlander away in terms of three true outcomes. That Nationals hope those numbers hold up Tuesday night.

Enjoy!

October 23, 2019

Playoffs Today

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The Nationals take a 1-0 series lead into game two against the Astros Wednesday night at 8 PM EDT. Stephen Strasburg takes the mound against Justin Verlander. Here’s an article on how Strasburg loosened up over the years. I found this bit the most interesting, however:

First baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who has been Strasburg’s teammate longer than anyone else on the Nationals, said the players had come to look at Strasburg as a veteran leader.


“He doesn’t say much; when he does, you take it pretty heavy,” Zimmerman said.

NYTimes.com

A word at the right time can be more effective than constant cheer leading.

Going back to 2006, Verlander’s first season in the playoffs, Strasburg owns the lowest ERA of any pitcher with at least 40 innings, 1.10. Strasburg cannot match Verlander’s volume of work, as the Houston ace leads in innings pitched in that time with 176 2/3 innings, eighteen more than Clayton Kershaw. He owns a 14-9 record with a 3.26 ERA, impressive given the level of competition in the post season.

Once again, bring plenty of K signs. Enjoy!

October 14, 2019

Playoffs Today

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The NLCS moves to Washington for game three as the Cardinals send Jack Flaherty against the Nationals and Stephen Strasburg. Washington leads the series two games to none.

Flaherty led the NL preventing base runners, with a .256 OBP allowed. He suppressed both hits and walks. He allowed 25 home runs, however, so if the Nationals are going to beat him, the long ball appears to be the best tool.

Strasburg did not start against the Cardinals in the 2012 NLDS match-up, and many blamed the front office pitch limit on Strasburg for that series loss. He’s been a great post-season pitcher since then, so maybe the Nationals got that right.

Like Flaherty, it is extremely difficult to reach base against Strasburg, but he did allow 24 home runs during the regular season. This game could easily be determined by the number of home runs hit.

Enjoy!

October 9, 2019

Playoffs Today

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Entry to the NLCS is on the line today as two game fives take place this evening. The Cardinals and Braves open the day in Atlanta, where Cardinals ace Jack Flaherty takes on Mike Foltynewicz. It’s a rematch of game two of the series. Flaherty pitched well, allowing three runs in seven innings with one walk and eight strikeouts. Foltynewicz pitched better, tossing seven shutout innings.

In the late game, the Nationals send Stephen Strasburg against the Dodgers and Walker Buehler. Sam Fortier pens an article about Strasburg’s evolution as a pitcher, and the adjustments he made this year. I like this part about adjusting to the ability of batters to do damage on fastballs:

Three things keyed Strasburg’s transformation. The first was that he had returned from his second stint on the injured list last August with diminished velocity and, instead of pushing through it, he decided to hone his off-speed pitches. The second was that he saw the game evolving: Pitchers couldn’t survive on fastballs anymore because hitters swung more often at the first pitch as they synced up to relievers around the league throwing in the upper 90s. Finally, he and the team understood that he didn’t have upper-90s velocity anymore anyway; his stuff could no longer support a fastball-heavy approach.


The Nationals dug into the analytics. The numbers suggested his fastball could still be effective at 93 to 96 mph if he used his curveball and change-up more often. The contrast would help the fastball “play up,” Menhart explained. If Strasburg could locate his breaking pitches, as well as maintain his fastball velocity, he would unlock a secret to retiring hitters in this era of offense. He would prevent batters from zeroing in on one or two pitches.

WashingtonPost.com

This was very evident down the stretch, as Strasburg allowed a 1.76 ERA in his final eight regular season games, and one run in nine innings this post season.

Buehler dominated the Nationals in game one of the series. He pitched six shutout innings, walking three and striking out eight. He gave up just one hit. He has now faced Washington twice in Los Angeles in his career, with no runs allowed in 13 innings and just five hits.

Enjoy!

October 5, 2019

Legend Builds

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Stephen Strasburg post-season legacy was once built around not pitching in the 2012 playoffs. The Nationals held him back to keep him healthy. Now, he is emerging as one of the great performers on the big stage. In twenty eight post-season innings he allowed five runs, only two earned for a 0.64 ERA, with 38 K and just four walks. He has yet to allow a home run. There is the possibility that he pitches five more times in 2019, and if he does well he would start looking like one of the great post-season performers. It would also make his opt-out a lot more attractive.

October 4, 2019

Jesus in LA

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Stephen Strasburg assumed the baseball Jesus role once again in the playoffs. After pitching three inning in relief on Tuesday, he is perfect through four innings against the Dodgers. He struck out six batter and threw just 47 pitches. I can’t imagine the Nationals will allow him to go very deep on this sort rest, but if he keeps going like this, he might get through seven with less than 100 pitches. The Nationals lead the Dodgers 3-0.

Update: Will Smith singles with two out in the fifth inning to end the no-hit bid. The Nationals still lead the Dodgers 3-0.

October 4, 2019

Playoffs Today

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The Rays and Astros kick off the ALDS in Houston at 2 PM EDT Friday afternoon. Tyler Glasnow takes on Justin Verlander. Glasnow spent most of the season on the illjured list, but came back for a strong September. He has not gone deep in games since his return, and might be more of an extended opener right now. In his 60 2/3 innings this season he posted a 1.78 ERA with great three-true outcome numbers. Verlander owns a long and great history in the post-season, 13-7 in twenty four starts and one relief appearance with a 3.19 ERA.

At 4:30 PM EDT, the Cardinals try to take game two on the road as they send ace Jack Flaherty against the Braves and Mike Foltynewicz. Flaherty posted a 4.64 ERA before the All-Star break, giving up 20 home runs in 97 innings. After the break, he allowed five home runs in 99 innings, going 7-2 with a 0.91 ERA. Foltynewicz made just 21 starts this season, and his 4.54 ERA was partially due to allowing 23 home runs in 117.0 innings.

The Twins and the Yankees go at it in the Bronx at 7 PM EDT. You might not be able to see the game as it is an MLB Network exclusive. Jose Berrios faces James Paxton. Berrios posted a similar ERA to his 2018 season, despite allowing many more hits. Since there is nothing in his record to explain why more hits would lead to fewer runs, he may have just had some good luck this year. Paxton also posted a very similar season to 2018, but his higher walk rate and lower strikeout rate did lead to his ERA climbing 0.06 points.

Finally, the legends match-up takes place in Los Angeles where Stephen Strasburg leads the Nationals against Clayton Kershaw. Strasburg pitched three innings in relief on Tuesday, so don’t expect him to go deep in the game. Both pitchers played since 2010, with Kershaw leading the way in ERA during those years. Both posted great numbers, however.

Enjoy!

October 2, 2019

The Fedde Contribution

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Erick Fedde played a small but crucial role in the Nationals win last night:

Erick Fedde was sitting on a bench in the bullpen tunnel, talking with other relievers and watching the wild-card game on TV when he realized something. He scanned the lineup card. The Washington Nationals starter, ace Max Scherzer, was due up fourth in the fifth inning. The Nationals trailed the Milwaukee Brewers by two runs and, if anyone reached, this seemed like a moment to pinch-hit for Scherzer.


Fedde stood up. He was a starter for most of this season, but when he first transitioned to the bullpen, veteran relievers alerted him to situations the team might need him in before they happened. That calculus never would have occurred to him as a starter, but he now understood. He thought: “You know who I should tell? The guy who’s going to pitch.”


The young right-hander walked down the tunnel and over to the veteran, sitting and watching in the bullpen. The potential domino effect surprised Strasburg, but it made sense. He got up to stretch.

WashingtonPost.com

Strasburg pitched three shutout innings, striking out four batters, to keep the game close. The Nationals pulled out all the stops last night to win.

The other good move was saving Ryan Zimmerman for the right situation. Twice he went to the on-deck circle, and twice he went back to the bench. When he faced Josh Hader, a left-hander, he didn’t hit the ball hard, or square, but the bloop single to center helped set up the game winning hit.

October 1, 2019 August 25, 2019

Games of the Day

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Arizona is on the edge of the NL Wild Card race as they try to gain ground on the Brewers. Robbie Ray takes on Zach Davies. Ray’s ERA, 3.99, seems high for his batting against stats. He allowed a .228/.313/.421 slash line. Extra base hits have cost him, despite 18 of the 23 home runs against him coming with the bases empty. Davies is just the opposite, with a 3.74 despite worse batting against stats. He does a better job of limiting extra-base hits.

Stephen Strasburg faces Cole Hamels as the Nationals go for a sweep of the Cubs. Strasburg owns a career 2.05 ERA against the Cubs, not including his outstanding post-season starts. Hamels pitches almost as well against Washington, with over a full season worth of starts against the Nationals.

Finally, the Sunday night game features Domingo German leading the Yankees against Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers in the rubber game of the series. German stands 16-3 despite a 4.15 ERA. The Yankees score 6.8 runs per game in his starts. Kershaw’s 13-2 record is more in line with his 2.71 ERA, but the Dodgers also score 6.8 runs per game in his starts.

Enjoy!