Random Recap for Friday, July 1
Posted by John Autin on July 2, 2011
[A bit late, but here are notes on a few of the Friday games that closed up before my eyelids did. With a big "thanks" to Andy for some technical assistance, and apologies for any grumpiness caused by the sloppy play of both my teams....]
-- In the bottom of the 6th in Wrigley, A. Ramirez homered to LF (383 feet) for Chicago. In the top of the 7th, A. Ramirez homered to LF (385 feet) for Chicago. But the game was decided on (yes) a 2-run triple, by (yes) Juan Pierre.
-- Jair Jurrjens twirled a 1-hit shutout, the 7th CG of 1 hit or less this season. Jurrjens retired the first 15 Orioles, but walked Mark Reynolds on a 3-1 pitch leading off the 6th and lost the no-hitter on a single by Adam Jones with 1 down in the 7th. He had not gone more than 7 IP since May.
- The 92 Game Score by Jurrjens was the Braves' best since 2001, when Greg Maddux fanned a career-high 14 in a 2-hit, 1-0 win.
- Only 2 Atlanta Braves have ever thrown a no-hitter, the last in 1994 by Kent Mercker. Phil Niekro threw the other in 1973.
-- Antonio Bastardo threw another perfect inning to save Philly's come-from-behind win in Toronto. Since the last run he allowed in May 25, Bastardo has pitched 12 innings and allowed 1 hit -- in infield single by Lyle Overbay. He has allowed no hits and 1 walk in his last 8 IP.
-- In the Yanks-Mets game, I saw a play so quirky that it fooled ESPN's online play-by-play narrator: With runners on the corners and 1 out, Eduardo Nunez hit a blooper over shortstop that Jose Reyes chased into shallow left-center with his back to the infield. The ball dropped just beyond his reach, but he grabbed it smoothly on one hop without breaking stride, and Robinson Cano and the 3B coach were both screened from seeing it fall safely. Cano had gone several steps down the line with the ball in the air, but retreated to the bag to tag up after what he thought was a catch, and had to hold his base. The Yankees did not score in the inning, but for about 10 minutes ESPN's play-by-play had Cano scoring for a 4-1 lead. (Alas, that was pretty much the highlight of the game for Mets fans.)
-- In the Battle of Ohio, Cleveland's Justin Masterson picked up his first win since reeling off 5 straight in April. Masterson did not pitch badly the last 2 months (3.34 ERA), but his team was shut out 4 times (including two 1-0 losses for Masterson) and averaged just 2 runs in his 11 starts. Tonight they ripped Bronson Arroyo for 8 runs in 4.2 IP, with Asdrubal Cabrera's 14th HR among their 3 circuit clouts. Masterson allowed 1 run in 8 IP.
- Updating Grady Sizemore's boycott of singles: Sizemore had a HR and a double in 4 trips, giving him more doubles (18) than singles (17), and 27 extra-base hits out of 44 total hits (61.3%). Only 3 qualifying hitters have ever had XBH for at least 60% of their hits in a season: Jose Bautista last year, Carlos Pena in 2009, and Barry Bonds in 2001, his 73-HR season (all-time record of 68.6% XBH). And no player has ever had more than 16 doubles and more doubles than singles.
-- In Houston, "Tough Luck, Bud" Norris checked the Red Sox on one hit with 10 Ks through 6 innings, but was lifted (with a 5-2 lead) after yielding 3 straight hits to open the 7th. Boston added 5 more runs in the inning, taking the lead on a 2-run double by Adrian Gonzalez, and held on for a 7-5 win.
- Norris was involved in 1-0 losses in 2 of his previous 3 starts.
-- Brian Wilson's Bristles blew a 1-0 save chance for the 2nd day in a row, leading to a wild finish in Detroit, but the Giants wound up with yet another 1-run win. Wilson allowed a tying hit to Magglio Ordonez, the first batter he faced in the bottom of the 8th, which scored an inherited runner. The Giants tallied 3 in the top of the 9th off Jose Valverde, but the Tigers rallied in the 9th against Burma-Shave's Nemesis, driving him from the game with one run home and the bases with 1 out. They closed the gap to 1 run on an error by Emmanuel Burriss, but Brennan Boesch lined out to short and Brandon Inge was doubled off 2nd to end the game.
- SF is now 23-12 in 1-run games; their record is 11 games over .500 despite just a +2 run differential.
- Shame on Inge for getting doubled off 2nd base in that situation. Baserunning 101: in a non-aggressive situation (not to mention one in which a line-drive DP ends the game), you break back to your base on a liner hit near any infielder. Why is it a non-aggressive situation, given that Inge represented the winning run? Because when you're at home, the tying run in the 9th or later is far more important; you have to maximize your chance of scoring that run before you think about anything else. Play it safe, and if the liner does go through, the game is tied and the bases loaded with 1 out for Magglio Ordonez, with Miguel Cabrera on deck.
- Jim Leyland added another chapter to the saga of why I hate the IBB to load the bases. After Pablo Sandoval doubled in the go-ahead run in the 9th, leaving runners on 3rd and 2nd with 1 out, Valverde passed Aubrey Huff to load the bases for righty Cody Ross. After Ross popped out, Valverde got an 0-2 count on Nate Schierholtz, but wound up walking him to force in a run. Brayan Villarreal followed and walked in another run, which proved decisive. Valverde does get a fair number of DPs, but his poor control -- 4.5 BB/9 since 2010 -- makes loading the bases too risky.
- Welcome to the big leagues, Lester Jesus Oliveros. The righty reliever from Venezuela debuted for Detroit with a scoreless 8th inning. Lester Jesus Oliveros. Don't ask me. (Oh, and Oliveros was called up to replace -- sob! -- Al Alburquerque, who went on the DL with inflammation in his pitching arm.)
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:42 am
Cano went down the line a bit because the ball was too shallow to tag up on, so he wanted to be able to score if it did drop in.
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:13 am
@2, M'ed R -- Yes, on second thought I guess there's no fault in how Cano played it. I don't think he needed to go as far as he did, in order to be able to score if it fell in, but it didn't cost him anything either way. Just a weird play.
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:22 pm
@1, 2: Cano, had he stayed on the base all the way, still could and should have tagged and scored had Reyes caught the ball. Reyes momentum is going toward the OF, away from the possible play at the plate. For him (and his speed) to suddenly just stop whirl and throw a strike to the plate would have been difficult. Even a 1954 Willie Mays-like catch and throw would have been difficult, especially for accuracy. Had Reyes caught the ball, there also was the good chance that his momentum takes him to the ground. Cano should have stayed on the bag the whole time, then take off once the ball made contact with Reyes (since it didn't, then Cano takes off at the time he thought the catch was made). Had he done that, he scores easily.
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:23 pm
The Braves did have that combined no-hitter (Mercker, Pena, & Wohlers) in September 1991.
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:24 pm
I should add, that Cano then has to be sure that it is Reyes going to field the ball (momentum going out) rather than the incoming outfielder (momentum coming in) ...
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:28 pm
What, JA, more in the nightly recap on the Tigers game than the Mets? 🙂
Two blown saves for the Beach Boy in two games! He scavenged the win to go 6-1. How does Wilson end up with six wins already in his role?
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:52 pm
@4, RogerB -- Good catch; I'll correct the language.
@6, Neil -- I'd guess that when 28% of a team's games are 1-run wins, late-inning relievers tend to scarf up a lotta dubya's.
July 2nd, 2011 at 1:40 pm
On a total tangent ... Can't Bud Selig invoke his "best interests of baseball" powers to do something about this Philly rotation? It's devastating to the morale of at least 15 fan bases, if not 29.
July 2nd, 2011 at 1:45 pm
Also, through games of July 1, 17 teams are within 4 games of a playoff spot.
July 2nd, 2011 at 2:03 pm
@9
Alas, John, there are teams who are (realistically) out of the post-season. The Mets are NOT one of them.
July 2nd, 2011 at 2:06 pm
Yes! Bautista, just lit up Halladay after a great at bat.
He hit it off the windows of the restaurant in dead center field well above the wall. Jays will still lose the game but a great moment.
Can't wait to see the MLB video and the estimated distance.
July 2nd, 2011 at 2:42 pm
Neil, I just viewed the Bautista HR here:
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?tcid=mm_mlb_vid
July 2nd, 2011 at 2:46 pm
@8 - Is there a problem with a rotation that includes both Kyle Kendrick and Vance Worley? And Tuesday's game may be started by someone from AAA (due to slight injury to Cole Hamels). I've never seen the names of any of the current Lehigh Valley starters on any prospect lists. Andrew Carpenter and Scott Mathieson, former starter prospects, had been moved to the AAA bullpen for grooming as postential future major league closers and are now with the big club as a result of other injuries.
July 2nd, 2011 at 3:06 pm
@13, DoubleD -- In case it wasn't clear, my post @8 was meant satirically. Anyway, I'm not sure how to treat your question. Worley's got a 149 ERA+ so far this year, and his AAA numbers look good; he shut down the BoSox on 1 run in 7 IP his last time out. Do you think he's not a fine #4 starter? And Kendrick seems OK for a #5 guy; anyway, I'd say a #5 SP is less important to the Phils than to any other team.
July 2nd, 2011 at 3:08 pm
I just posted in the 1-0 unearned runs game, in response to this topic being brought up there, that the Atlanta Braves pitching staff also pitched another no-hitter. It was a planned bullpen game in 1991 featuring Kent Mercker (who would later have that complete one of his own), Mark Wohlers, and Alejandro Pena. I forgot to post the link to the box score then, so here it is now:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ATL/ATL199109110.shtml
It was on a Wednesday the 11th, just like what is probably the most famous combined no-hitter, the one by the Astros against the Yankees.
July 3rd, 2011 at 3:43 am
Bastardo did look outstanding in closing out the Jays, but the pivotal inning was the top of the 9th where the Phils came from behind and scored two to stake Bastardo to a 1-run lead.
That top of the 9th turned on a completely catchable ball that Juan Rivera misplayed into a double (since he did get his glove on the ball, I'm at at loss as to why it wasn't an error). Rivera took a seat for today's game as the Jays continued their experiment of moving Jose to third to (ostensibly) get more innings for their other outfielders. The real reason - to keep iron-gloved Edwin Encarnacion's bat in the lineup. You might ask why that would be so important, but Edwin's splits this year when he DH's (.315 / .337 / .533) versus playing in the field (.184 / .226 / .284) are truly astounding.
July 3rd, 2011 at 10:37 am
Doug, good points as usual, and nice find on the EE splits. It seems to me, anecdotally, that it's more common for a player who is normally a fielder to hit much worse as a DH. I wonder if there's any difference for players who (must) know that they're atrocious fielders.
I notice that Encarnacion had just 1 game at DH last year, and went 2-4 with a HR.
July 3rd, 2011 at 11:17 am
@16
Doug, I've purposely avoided posting anything about the Blue Jays' nightmarish defence the last few weeks. It's too disheartening.
And many of the misplays can't even be scored as errors.
The Toronto 2011 defense is a poster child for all the weaknesses in fielding and defensive stats because they don't tell the real story.