Tag Archives: Tom Koehler

September 27, 2016

Games of the Day

Boston clinched a tie for the AL East Championship, and can win outright by beating the Yankees Tuesday night (or with a Toronto loss). David Price takes the mound for the clincher against Luis Cessa. Price pitched poorly against the Yankees in all four starts this season, striking out just 15 batters in 23 1/3 innings. That low K rate led to 35 hits. Cessa allowed more home runs than walks this season, but 15 home runs in 58 2/3 innings is way too many.

The Orioles and Blue Jays meet for their last series of the season. They occupy the top two slots in the AL Wild Card race. Toronto leads the season series 9-7, so a single win in the series by Toronto would mean the Blue Jays would get the top slot in case of a two-way tie. Kevin Gausman takes on Aaron Sanchez. Gausman is terrible on the road, 2-9 with a 4.36 ERA. He owns a poor history at Skydome. Sanchez walked nine in 16 2/3 September innings, helping him to a 5.40 ERA.

The Mets try to stay on top of the NL Wild Card race as Noah Syndergaard takes on the Marlins and Tom Koehler. Syndergaard ranks third in the NL in ERA among those pitchers already qualifying for the title. Of the top five, he owns the best K per 9 IP and the lowest HR per 9 IP. Koehler holds a 5.40 ERA against the Mets this season, allowing five home runs in 16 innings.

Finally, the King, Felix Hernandez tries to send the Astros to the precipice of the wild card race as the Mariners face Mike Fiers. Hernandez is 7-2 since the All-Star break despite a 4.19 ERA. He is not pitching well, with 12 home runs and 37 walks in 81 2/3 innings during that time span. The Mariners scored six or more runs seven times in those 13 starts, and when they haven’t score many, Hernandez managed to pitch well. Fiers turned out to be an effective innings eater for Houston, but he may not be the pitcher you want with the season on the line.

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September 21, 2016

Games of the Day

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The Blue Jays and Mariners finish their series with Aaron Sanchez facing Felix Hernandez. Sanhez is now 22-10 in his short career with a 2.96 ERA. The most impressive thing about his is while his strikeout rate is good but not great, his batting average allowed is very low, .218. Part of that comes from an extremely high ground ball rate. Hernandez stands 11-6 this season despite a rather high for him 3.79 ERA. This year is making up a bit for all those seasons he posted great ERAs and didn’t win many games.

Ian Kennedy tries to stop Corey Kluber from reaching 18 wins as the Royals battle the Indians. Kennedy pitched well down the stretch, not losing in his last ten starts. He is 5-0 with a 2.14 ERA, and allowed just five home runs in 63 innings. Kluber struck out 21 Royals in 18 innings this season, so even the Royals have trouble putting the ball in play against the Indians ace.

Max Scherzer tries to retake the Cy Young Tracker point lead as the Nationals face the Marlins and Tom Koehler. Scherzer may get the prize due to his outstanding last three months of the season, in which he so far posted a 2.16 ERA. He also brought his home runs allowed under control. Koehler is one of Bryce Harper‘s favorite home run targets. Harper hit six home runs in 34 PA against Koehler, the most he hit against any pitcher.

Finally, Masahiro Tanaka battles Alex Cobb as the Yankees face the Rays. Tanaka owned the Rays this season, 3-0 with a 2.22 ERA in four starts. He struck out 29 and walked one in those games. Cobb makes his fourth start since returning from Tommy John surgery. So far, he held batters to a .271 OBP.

While not a game of the day, Texas can clinch the AL West with a win over the Angels and a Houston loss to the Athletics. The Astros play in the afternoon, so Texas will know if they are playing for the title when they take the field.

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August 30, 2016

Games of the Day

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Toronto tries to drive Baltimore further from an AL East division win as J.A. Happ takes Ubaldo Jimenez. Happ attempts to become the second pitcher to reach 18 wins in the majors this season. He is 2-0 against the Orioles this season, striking out 16 and walking just three in 14 innings of work. Jimenez comes into the game with a 6.62 ERA, the highest in the majors among pitchers with at least 100 innings. Toronto pummeled him this season.

The Marlins and Mets are tied at 2 1/2 games back in the NL Wild Card race as Tom Koehler faces rookie Seth Lugo. Koehler is in the midst of one of his best seasons as he kept his walk and home run rates low. Lugo is an old rookie at seasonal age 26. He’s shown power with 24 K in 28 2/3 innings, and has yet to allow a home run.

The Mariners try to chip away at Texas with James Paxton battling Cole Hamels. Paxton made a successful return from the disabled list his last time out, walking one and striking out five batters in five innings in a game the Mariners bullpen lost. Hamels shot ahead recently in the AL Cy Young race. Since the All-Star break he is 5-2 with a 1.59 ERA. His K, BB, and HR rates are all excellent.

Finally, the Yankees try to make up the game they lost to the Royals Monday night, while Kansas City tried to inch closer to a wild card berth. Masahiro Tanaka faces Edinson Volquez. Tanaka pitched well since the start of July, 6-2 in ten starts with a 2.70 ERA. Four time he pitched at least six innings without allowing a run. Volquez appears to be the designated innings eater for the Royals. Batters get on base against him, but he keeps their power in check. Otherwise his ERA might be runs higher.

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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.

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August 14, 2016

Games of the Day

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The White Sox send Chris Sale against the Marlins and Tom Koehler. Sale last won a game on July 2nd, his ERA standing at 2.92. Since then, he is 0-3 with a 3.97 ERA, as his 15 win proved tough to achieve. Koehler 3.83 ERA is impressive for someone who doesn’t do any of the three-true outcomes all that well. His home field helps, as his ERA is 3.23 in Miami.

Zack Greinke and Rick Porcello face off in Boston as the Diamondbacks conclude their series with the Red Sox. Greinke is perfect on the road, 6-0 in eight starts with a 2.14 ERA. Procello is perfect at home, 11-0 with a 3.12 ERA. This should be a fun game.

The Cardinals try to earn a split with the Cubs as they send Mike Leake against John Lackey. Batters hammered Leake since the All-Star break, hitting .336 against him with a .543 slugging percentage. They’ve also stolen five bases in six attempts. Lackey shut batters down in the same period, holding them to a .200/.241/.344 slash line.

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April 10, 2016

Games of the Day

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The Orioles are the last undefeated team in the majors. They host Tampa Bay as Jake Odorizzi takes on Vance Worley. Odorizzi got off to a good start in 2016 with 10 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings against the Blue Jays. Worley went through the Pittsburgh re-education process and greatly lowered his walk rate. We’ll see if the Orioles can make that stick.

Tom Koehler faces Joe Ross as the Marlins and Nationals play in D.C. Bryce Harper stands at 99 home runs, and has hit more home runs off Koehler than any other pitcher, 5. Ross pitched a solid rookie season, and needs to cut down on his home runs allowed a bit to move to the next level. If he just repeats his averages from 2015, he’ll be a solid fifth starter.

The Dodgers and Giants feature two new-comers to the team as Scott Kazmir and Johnny Cueto make their second starts of the season. Kazmir pitched nearly perfectly against the Padres in his first start, allowing just one hit and no walks. Cueto allowed a run in seven innings, and also kept his walks allowed at zero.

Finally, the Sunday Night Game features Masahiro Tanaka and the Yankees battling Justin Verlander and the Tigers. Tanaka faced the Tigers twice in 2015, pitching well in one game and getting hammered in the other. Verlander pitched well in his first start, holding the Marlins to three hits in six innings. The three hits came in the same inning, however, the last a two-run shot by Giancarlo Stanton. Poor timing.

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July 29, 2015

Power Slump Ends

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Bryce Harper was in an RBI slump. In his previous nine games he did not drive in a run, and six of his eight hits were singles, the other two doubles. He walked seven times, so he was doing a great job of getting on base, but given the lack of offense around him, he only scored five runs.

Tonight he face Tom Koehler, against whom Harper hit three home runs in a game earlier this season. Harper hit a three-run homer off Koehler tonight to break a 2-2 tie, then went deep off the bullpen into the upper deck in Miami, a monster shot. He breaks the three-tie for first in home runs in the National League, and moves back into the top five in RBI.

June 27, 2015

Games of the Day

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Yovani Gallardo leads the Rangers against the Blue Jays, with Matt Boyd making his major league debut for Toronto. Gallardo did a great job stepping into the ace role after Texas lost Yu Darvish. In June, Gallardo posted an 0.72 ERA so far, but is just 1-0 in four starts. Boyd comes to the majors with three seasons of great three-true outcome numbers and very few hits allowed.

The Royals are starting to pull away from the AL Central as they send Chris Young against Oakland and Scott Kazmir. Young seems rejuvenated with the Royals, allowing just 45 hits in 63 2/3 innings, with a 3.14 ERA as a starter. Kazmir owns a 1.27 ERA at home and has not allowed a home run in Oakland this season.

Masahiro Tanaka and Brett Oberholtzer battle as the Yankees continue their series with the Astros. Tanaka gave up quite a few hits in his last two starts. He was able to pitch well in one of those despite the hits, but got knocked around his last time out. His walks and strikeouts were good, but the four home runs hurt. Oberholtzer is a reverse lefty this year, a Tommy John pitcher. His fastball isn’t all that fast, but he induces a high number of ground balls. With a good defense behind him, he’ll do well.

Finally, Clayton Kershaw takes on Tom Koehler as the Dodgers and Marlins continue their series. Kershaw’s “off year” is mostly due to his home runs allowed. He gave up 11 already, after allowing nine for the season in 2014. The most he ever gave up in a season is 16 in 2012. Despite a low OBP allowed, five of the 11 homers came with men on base. Koehler doesn’t allow rallies to start, giving up a .282 OBP with the bases empty. He falls apart with runners on base, however, with a .304/.373/.480 slash line allowed.

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April 19, 2015

Games of the Day

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The Mets go for their eighth straight win as Tom Koehler faces Matt Harvey in Queens. Koehler owns a 3.18 ERA this season despite pitching poorly. He allowed five walks and three home runs in 11 1/3 innings, but gave up just four runs. While he’s had a high number of base runners, they tend to get stuck on first base. Two of the three runs against Harvey came on solo home runs, as he walked one and struck out 17 in 12 innings of work.

The Orioles send Miguel Gonzalez against Rick Porcello as the Patriots Day weekend series continues in Boston. The AL East is extremely tight, two games separating top from bottom, with Boston and Baltimore leading the way. Gonzalez owns a 1.42 ERA thanks to effective wildness. His high strikeout rate keeps his hits allowed low, so his six walks in 12 2/3 innings hasn’t hurt him. Porcello keeps batters off base with a .228 OBP allowed so far, but gives up big extra-base hits. He’s allowed four extra-base hits of the ten hits against him, a triple and three home runs.

Garrett Richards returns to the Angels rotation as they take on Houston and Scott Feldman. The injury to Richards looked like it might sink the Angels season in 2014, but the Angels rotation pitched great down the stretch. Feldman is off to a rough start, allowing four home runs in his first 11 2/3 innings.

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August 29, 2014

Games of the Day

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The Marlins play six of their next nine games against the Braves, starting Friday evening in Atlanta. Miami trails Atlanta by four games for second place in the NL East, and they trail the Giants by 5 1/2 games for the second wild card slot. It’s a do or die stretch for the Fish. Tom Koehler takes on Ervin Santana tonight. Koehler, in his second full year in the majors, upped his strike out rate. That lowered his hit rate and helped bring down his ERA by almost 0.6 runs. Santana is pitching well in the second half, 6-1 with a 2.75 ERA since the All-Star break.

The Indians will try to make a run at the division as they play three with the Royals then four with the Tigers. Danny Salazar visits KC and Jason Vargas to start things off. Salazar owns outstanding strikeout numbers in his 24 major league starts, but gives up a few too many home runs. Vargas is on his way to the lowest single season ERA of his career, right now standing at 3.17. His previous best was 3.78 in 2010.

The Athletics and Angels continue their series with Jon Lester facing Jered Weaver. Both starters came up in 2006. Since that time they rank 3rd (Weaver) and 6th (Lester) in winning percentage among pitchers with at least 100 decisions.

Finally, a Washington-Seattle World Series is not out of the question as the Nationals send Jordan Zimmermann against Felix Hernandez. Zimmermann appears to be back to his strikeout levels before his Tommy John surgery, with 140 K in 159 2/3 innings. Hernandez rivals Clayton Kershaw for title of best pitcher in the majors, or at least best one who has to face a DH constantly. He’s holding opponents to a .196 BA, and keeps both their OBP and slugging percentages under .300. Runners are 17 for 20 stealing against him. He stands as another example of pitchers doing well if they concentrate on getting the batter and not worrying too much about stolen bases.

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May 30, 2014

Games of the Day

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The Braves and Marlins start a series in Miami tied for first as Julio Teheran faces Tom Koehler. The Braves scored 12 runs in Teheran’s last two starts, even though he didn’t need them as he pitched 15 scoreless innings. He also pitched in two 1-0 wins. Koehler allows a .252 OBP this season at home, versus .341 on the road.

On the west coast, the Angels trail the Athletics by 1 1/2 games as Garrett Richards battles Drew Pomeranz. Richards walks a few batters, but makes up for it with home runs and strikeouts. He allowed just one long ball this season in 66 innings. Pomeranz has yet to allow a run in Oakland this season, giving up just five hits and five walks in 14 innings at home.

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May 23, 2014

Games of the Day

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Texas tries to tag the Tigers with another loss as Scott Baker takes on Anibal Sanchez. The Rangers won their last two games while the Tigers lost four in a row. Baker was scheduled to be a reliever for the Rangers after returning from Tommy John surgery, but injuries have forced him into a starting role. He did pitch well in long relief in his only outing of the season. Sanchez is only 1-2 despite a 2.89 ERA in six starts. His control is off early, with 14 walks in 28 innings.

Milwaukee battles Miami as Marco Estrada faces Tom Koehler. Estrada owns a good 3.64 ERA despite 12 home runs allowed in 54 1/3 innings pitched. Sixteen of the 23 runs score against him have been the result of those homers. Opponents are hitting just .121, however, with men in scoring position. Koehler is serving as the replacement ace for the Marlins. He’s holding opponents to a .288 OBP and a .291 slugging percentage.

Finally, Danny Duffy and C.J. Wilson square off as the Royals play the Angels in Anaheim. Duffy owned a 2.16 ERA as a reliever this season, but improved on that, with a 1.06 ERA in three starts. He’s yet to allow a home run this season. Wilson has been outstanding in Anaheim this season, allowing just one of his six home runs at home.

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May 12, 2014

Games of the Day

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First place teams battle in Baltimore as Rick Porcello and the Tigers take on Bud Norris and the Orioles. Porcello owns a great career record for a pitcher with a 4.46 ERA, but this season he’s doing a better job of keeping the ball in the park and striking out batters, so his 3.49 ERA helped him to a 5-1 record. He’s always been good at avoiding free passes, he stays healthy, making him a perfect back of the rotation starter for a good offensive team. Norris always posted a strikeout rate that should lead to success, but now he appears to have a defense behind him to help.

The Angels finish their series in Toronto with a battle of lefties as C.J. Wilson faces Mark Buehrle. Wilson may be the best big free agent signed by the Angels in recent years. He sports a 34-19 record and a 3.56 ERA with LAnaheim, his strength coming from a home run rate of 0.74 per nine innings. Buehrle’s low ERA comes mainly from great results with runners in scoring position. Opponents are just 3 for 39 with two walks and nine strikeouts.

Both Florida teams play on the west coast, and both games offer excellent matchups. The Rays send Cesar Ramos against The King, Felix Hernandez. Ramos has been tough to hit as a starter, allowing a .200 BA. He’s walked 14 and struck out 14 in that role, leading to a .319 OBP. He’ll need to find his control to stay successful. Fernandez issued just two intentional walks from 2009 through 2014. He issued 13 in his first four seasons. He either doesn’t get into too many IBB situations, or he just feels he can get anyone out.

Finally, Tom Koehler leads the Marlins into Los Angeles to face the Dodgers and Dan Haren. Koehler, like Ramos walks quite a few batters for a pitcher with a 1.99 ERA. He’s only allowed three homers in 45 1/3 innings, and like Ramos, doesn’t allow many hits. Haren sports an ERA of 1.86 in three starts at Dodger Stadium this season, although he did allow five unearned runs.

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May 2, 2014

Games of the Day

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The I-95 series gets underway as Washington travels to Philadelphia with Stephen Strasburg facing Cliff Lee. Strasburg owns a strange season line. He leads the majors i K per 9 IP at 14.03, but allowed more hits than innings pitched. His ERA stands at 4.24, but his FIP is just 2.30. Either his defense plays poorly behind him, or every mistake he makes gets hammered. The BABIP against him is .407. Lee continues his great control of the last four-plus seasons, a stretch in which he is half a walk per nine innings better than anyone else with 600 innings pitched.

The Marlins scored 23 runs in their last three games as they host the Dodgers and former Miami hero Josh Beckett. Tom Koehler pitches for the home team. Beckett has yet to record a decision in four starts, mostly due to a lack of innings, 22 so far. He does have his strikeouts back, with 22 K in those innings. Koehler owns a 1.38 ERA at home this season, 4.15 on the road.

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April 15, 2014

Field of Robinsons

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A bench clearing discussion just occurred in Miami. With Ian Desmond at the plate, Tom Koehler pitched inside, and Desmond took exception. Jarrod Saltalamacchia didn’t like the comments and got in Desmond’s face. Both benches emptied, but there was no pushing, shoving or punching. Of course, if there had been, it would have been impossible to tell who was fighting, since everyone was wearing 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson. 🙂

The Marlins lead the Nationals 6-0 in the top of the fourth.