At least he didn’t get the Loss
Posted by Andy on July 30, 2007
What's the surest way for a starting pitcher to earn a win? You'd have to think this would be high on the list: when his team scores 11 runs in the top of the first inning.
Yesterday, the Padres scored 11 in the top of the 1st inning and then their stating pitcher Tim Stauffer gave up 7 ER in just 3.2 innings. Since he didn't go at least 5 innings, he was not eligible for the win (Doug Brocail was awarded the winning decision.)
My question is:
How many times in 2007 has a pitcher gone 3.2 or fewer innings, allowing 7 ER or more, but not gotten the loss?
Well, after Stauffer's "gem" today, there have been 59 such games this year. And aside from him, 4 others have escaped without the loss:
Cnt Player Date Tm Opp GmReslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO HR Pit Str GmSc IR IS BF AB 2B 3B IBB HBP SH SF GDP SB CS Pk BK WP ERA +----+-----------------+-------------+---+----+-------+---------+----+--+--+--+--+--+--+---+---+----+--+--+--+--+--+--+---+---+--+--+---+--+--+--+--+--+------+ 1 Bartolo Colon 2007-07-06 LAA @NYY L 9-14 GS-3 2 7 7 7 2 2 0 61 36 14 15 12 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 31.50 2 Roy Halladay 2007-06-05 TOR TBD W 12-11 GS-4 3.1 12 8 7 1 1 2 77 48 6 23 22 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18.90 3 Micah Owings 2007-05-19 ARI @PIT W 9-8 GS-3 2.2 6 7 7 4 2 0 75 43 16 18 14 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 23.62 4 Cha Seung Baek 2007-05-04 SEA @NYY W 15-11 GS-4 3.2 8 7 7 2 4 1 84 51 19 20 18 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 17.18
Interestingly, not one of these other games was similar to yesterday's Padres-Astros game. In all four cases above, the starter got knocked out early, then his team came back to at least tie the game. (In Colon's game, the Angels rallied but the Yankees eventually won, whereas in the 3 other cases the starter's team came all the way back to win.)