“And down the stretch they come!” – Games of Thursday 9/1/2011
Posted by John Autin on September 2, 2011
-- St. Louis completed a 3-game sweep in Milwaukee. Albert Pujols went 4 for 4 with 2 HRs, including his 12th career grand slam -- his first since 2009, when he hit 5 slams in 21 chances. Yovani Gallardo allowed 8 runs in 4.2 IP, including 4 HRs, twice his previous high.
- Milwaukee leads by 7.5 games. These same teams play again in St. Louis next weekend.
- The Brewers got their 4 runs on 3 HRs, but went 1 for 9 with RISP.
- Matt Holliday hit his 200th career HR and reached 20 HRs for the 6th straight year.
-- In a game that seemed to have been recorded earlier and then televised in slow-motion, the Yankees beat the Red Sox, 4-2, in a regulation game lasting 4 hours, 21 minutes. Coincidentally, that's exactly how long it takes to watch the two good Star Wars movies in their entirety and then replay the classic scene where Cashman tells Theo, "No; I am your father!"
- Jon Lester allowed 10 baserunners in 5 IP, but left in line for the win, thanks to Dustin Pedroia's 2-run HR, the only damage off A.J. Burnett. Lester was seeking his 10th career win against 2 defeats vs. the Yankees.
- In 24 career starts batting cleanup, Pedroia has hit .398 with 7 HRs, 22 RBI, 20 runs, and a .714 slugging average.
- The Yanks left 12 on base in the first 6 innings, but finally broke on top in the 7th on Russell Martin's 2-run double, which followed the 3rd walk to Andruw Jones and a HBP to DH Jesus Montero (0-4 in his MLB debut).
- You tell me: With the tying run on 2nd and 1 out in the 5th, Nick Swisher was credited with his 1st sac bunt of the year. Of course, I'm just reading the play-by-play; there must be a hidden story there -- a missed sign, or maybe the P-B-P is wrong; maybe Swisher was in a mental funk after striking out with 2 RISP and 1 out in the 1st. If Swisher was bunting for a hit, that's nuts -- he's hitting .326 off lefties this year, and his career OPS off Lester was about .900 at the time. Even with Andruw "Will Hit Lefties for Food" Jones on deck, there's no justification for a bunt there. (Is there?)
- Despite admitting that even he finds a 4-hour game "brutal," Mark Teixeira could not have been pleased to depart tonight's slog in the 7th after being hit on the knee by a pitch -- one of two Yankees who got plunked by former teammate Alfredo Aceves. The BoSox swingman has hit 11 batters, 3rd in the AL, in just 90 IP. Teixeira has been hit 11 times this year (4th in AL) and 36 times in his 3 Yankee years.
- Aceves took his first relief loss since May 26, 2009. He had 17 relief wins since then.
- Some would call it a sign of just how far A.J. has fallen that he was praised for allowing 2 runs in 5.1 IP, throwing 42 balls and 54 strikes (1st-pitch strike to 8 of 23 batters), and departing with 2 men aboard. But the bottom line is, Burnett did a good job against the toughest lineup in the game, a team that hits .298 and averages 5.6 R/G at home. Give the man his due.
- The Yankees evened their record at 19-19 this year when failing to hit a HR.
-- KC scored the game's last 5 runs and won in Detroit, 11-8. The Royals went 8-16 with RISP.
- Eric Hosmer reached in all 5 trips, including his 15th HR, tying Alex Gordon's franchise record for a 1st-year player. In his 10-game hitting streak, Hosmer is batting .425 with 5 HRs.
- How many games can Justin Verlander start in the postseason? The Tigers have a combined 4.21 ERA from their SPs: 2.38 for Verlander, 4.86 for all others.
-- Cleveland couldn't capitalize on Detroit's loss, as they were shut down on 5 singles by Gio Gonzalez and Craig Breslow.
- Gonzalez leads the AL in walks, but he also has the 4th-best K/9 and a solid 3.21 ERA.
-- Brett Lawrie hit a go-ahead 2-run HR in the 8th (more on him below), and Toronto went back over .500 ... for the 14th time this season. Of their 137 games, 112 ended with them +/- 2 games of .500.
- With a HR and 2 doubles, Vlad Guerrero had his 16th career game of 3 XBH, but his first in over a year. Despite the flurry, Vladdy still sports career lows in all 3 slash stats, and is facing his first-ever year with an OPS+ below 100.
- Matt Wieters homered for the 6th time in his last 13 starts; he's hitting .370 with 15 RBI, 8 walks and just 5 Ks in that span.
- Yunel Escobar had 2 doubles among his 4 hits. The 2011 leaders in SS Wins Above Replacement before today:
| Rk | Player | WAR/pos | Year | Age | Tm | Lg | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | HBP | SH | SF | GDP | SB | CS | Pos | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Troy Tulowitzki | 5.5 | 2011 | 26 | COL | NL | 132 | 566 | 502 | 74 | 152 | 35 | 2 | 28 | 94 | 55 | 11 | 71 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 9 | 3 | .303 | .373 | .548 | .921 | *6 |
| 2 | Jose Reyes | 4.3 | 2011 | 28 | NYM | NL | 101 | 474 | 440 | 82 | 148 | 27 | 16 | 5 | 37 | 30 | 7 | 31 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 35 | 7 | .336 | .376 | .505 | .881 | *6 |
| 3 | Yunel Escobar | 4.0 | 2011 | 28 | TOR | AL | 125 | 559 | 489 | 73 | 141 | 20 | 3 | 11 | 46 | 55 | 1 | 67 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 3 | 2 | .288 | .363 | .409 | .772 | *6/D |
| 4 | Jhonny Peralta | 3.9 | 2011 | 29 | DET | AL | 123 | 485 | 444 | 58 | 136 | 22 | 3 | 18 | 68 | 34 | 2 | 78 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 2 | .306 | .355 | .491 | .846 | *6/3 |
| 5 | Asdrubal Cabrera | 3.8 | 2011 | 25 | CLE | AL | 131 | 585 | 527 | 78 | 147 | 29 | 3 | 21 | 78 | 40 | 5 | 103 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 16 | 4 | .279 | .339 | .465 | .804 | *6 |
| 6 | Jimmy Rollins | 3.4 | 2011 | 32 | PHI | NL | 121 | 553 | 493 | 79 | 132 | 22 | 1 | 14 | 58 | 54 | 4 | 53 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 28 | 7 | .268 | .342 | .402 | .743 | *6/D |
| 7 | J.J. Hardy | 3.3 | 2011 | 28 | BAL | AL | 104 | 455 | 421 | 62 | 115 | 23 | 0 | 26 | 65 | 25 | 2 | 76 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0 | .273 | .313 | .513 | .827 | *6 |
| 8 | Erick Aybar | 3.2 | 2011 | 27 | LAA | AL | 119 | 505 | 471 | 54 | 124 | 27 | 6 | 7 | 51 | 20 | 1 | 60 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 13 | 27 | 4 | .263 | .296 | .391 | .687 | *6 |
- In 26 games, Brett Lawrie is hitting .340 with 7 HRs, 20 RBI, and 17 extra-base hits, for a .713 slugging average. He has also made a ton of plays at third base, with by far the highest range factor of any 3B this year (min. 20 starts). He rates well by the advanced metrics, but there still may be a lot of team noise in his number; Jose Bautista played 25 games at 3B and put up the 2nd-best range factor in MLB, while 2 other Blue Jays with 20+ games at 3B also have high range factors. (As Jays fans know all too well, Edwin Encarnacion is not among that group.)
-- C.J. Wilson was perfect through 5 innings, Ian Kinsler hit 2 HRs for the 11th time in his career, and Texas maintained its 3.5-game lead on the Angels while knocking the Rays 8.5 back of the Yankees.
-- Philly beat the Reds for the 6th straight time, and kept up a couple of other trends:
- They're 15-2 in Vance Worley's starts.
- They're 24-3 in C Brian Schneider's starts.
- Ryan Howard reached 30 HRs for the 6th year in a row. Despite getting less than 400 PAs in his first 2 years, Howard has 283 HRs in his first 8 seasons, 4th in MLB history after Ralph Kiner (329), Albert Pujols (319) and Eddie Mathews (299).
-- Popular whipping boy Jayson Werth reached base in all 4 trips, including his 17th HR, but the rest of the lineup did little and the Nats fell in Atlanta, 5-2.
- Chipper Jones hit his 451st HR, his 5th in his last 10 games.
- Tim Hudson got his 14th win this year and 179th of his career, #3 on the active list, after Tim Wakefield (199) and Roy Halladay (185).
-- After posting a .901 OPS in 20 August starts, 21-year-old Ruben Tejada (no, really!) had a double and 2 HBP in 4 trips, raising his season OBP to .368. Unfortunately, the 2nd HBP sent him out of the game for an X-ray on his hand. Starting C Josh Thole also left the game after taking a pitch off his wrist on a cross-up.
- 40-year-old Miguel Batista earned his 100th career win (75th as a SP) with a quality start in his Mets debut. Batista, who debuted in April 1992 -- when Mike Trout was 8 months old, and before 4 current teams were born -- has a career ERA+ of exactly 100.
- Odd splits: The Mets are 36-33 on the road, but 30-36 at home, despite winning 5 of 6 on this homestand. The Marlins are 35-35 away, but 25-41 at home.
September 2nd, 2011 at 1:46 am
Maybe the main reason I hate these long Yankee-Sox games is they give Michael the Kay more opportunities to talk and give me agita. If I spend 20 minutes of every hour yelling at him, just think how much a 4.5 hr game is doing to my mental and physical well-being.
September 2nd, 2011 at 1:50 am
Swisher forgot how many outs there were; he thought there was nobody out when Cano doubled.
September 2nd, 2011 at 2:38 am
@Twisto: We have the same problem here in Philly. (Yes, I feel I can speak for all Phillies fans). I hate the sound of Tom McCarthey's voice.
September 2nd, 2011 at 2:55 am
@1 I've said it before Twisto that the Yankees broadcasts sound like they're being done by hostages with guns to their heads. Everything is so tense and not natural.
September 2nd, 2011 at 3:23 am
So, with a month to go in the season, the Blue Jays have 5 guys (Lawrie, Bautista, Encarnacion, Nix, McDonald) who have STARTED 14+ games at 3B, with only Nix (37 starts) over 30 (Lawrie looks like he will pass Nix by the end of the year).
Anyone know of another team splitting time at 3B like that?
September 2nd, 2011 at 3:44 am
Yankees / Red Sox and long games.
Don't know how or if time of game can be searched directly in PI, but here's an indirect stab at it.
Since 2000, the Yankees have had 27 regular-season 9-inning games against the Red Sox where they (the Yankees) have thrown 175+ pitches. On the flip side, it's 25 games for Red Sox pitchers. That's a lot of times going deep into the bullpen.
Another indicator: the Dodgers and Giants played the then longest 9-inning "regular season" game in their 3-game pennant playoff in 1962, going 4 hours 18 minutes in the Dodgers 8-7 win in game 2. That record stood for a long time (25+ years at least, anyone know when it was broken?). Now, though, it seems most Yankees/Red Sox series will have one or more games (like tonight) where that mark is threatened or ecliped.
It's too long for me. If I watch one of these games, I'll usually tune in about the 2-hour mark - if I'm lucky, they're into at least the 5th inning by then.
September 2nd, 2011 at 3:54 am
Have to say I'm childishly excited about Pujols' run to another .300 / 100 /100 season. (Yes, that's R and RBI - sorry about that.)
September 2nd, 2011 at 4:14 am
Andrew Romine replaced Maicer Izturis at short in tonight's game against the Mariners, and went 0-2, bringing his 2011 season stats (in 6 games) to:
12 PA, 11 AB, 1 H, 1 SH, 4 SO, 0 BB, .091 / .091 / .091.
Why do I mention this? In 2010, his season stats (in 5 games) were:
12 PA, 11 AB, 1 H, 1 SH, 4 SO, 0 BB, .091 / .091 / .091
September 2nd, 2011 at 7:05 am
One of the major reasons that Sox/Yanks games go long, even when they are low scoring, is because they are two of the most patient teams in the league. I can't find the numbers for the team average of pitches per plate appearance, but the Sox/Yanks combine for 5 of the top 10, 7 of the top 20, 8 of the top 30, and 10 of the top 40 (which represents basically half of the two teams' starting lineups). All those pitches eventually start to add up. That will generally lead to more pitching changes, which there already seem to be too many of because the managers tend to micro-manage these games as if they were playoff games (even when they aren't particularly meaningful to the teams' standing or playoff chances). There are other things at play as well, but it is a bit comforting to know that at least part of the reason is a function of real baseball stuff and not all the other crap that slows down games.
September 2nd, 2011 at 7:22 am
RE: long yankees/red sox games:
who cares? more baseball is a good thing, especially when boston and lester lose
September 2nd, 2011 at 8:14 am
"Down the stretch" is the right phrase for a Reds fan. The Phillies are making a stretch run...the Reds are acting like they have stretch marks, the way they p[layed this week. Only someone in labor {fitting for Labor Day weekend?} could reflect the pain of the first-in-decades {if ever!} Philadelphia sweep of Cincy.
September 2nd, 2011 at 9:24 am
A couple of things with the Red Sox/Yankees series:
1) Swisher should not be bunting in that situation regardless. He has been one of the hottest hitters going and it is ridiciulous to be sacrificing there.
2) These games take way to freaking long to play. Last night, right after I saw Martin hit the double, I was out like a light. I get up at 5am to hit the gym. They have to do a better job of wrapping these games up earlier.
3) Yankee batters routinely get plunked every time against the Sox. This needs to stop at some point.
4) The Yankee announcers have become unmanagable to deal with. The fact that when I go to the home games and have to hear Suzyn Waldman on the radio when I use the restroom makes me sick.
Other items
@7-The fact that Pujols missed 2 weeks and is leading the NL in homers is unreal. I hope he reaches .300/30/100/100.
For the Phillies Fans- After Halladay, Lee and Hamels, do you believe that Worley deserves a playoff start over Oswalt?
September 2nd, 2011 at 9:24 am
Alright, I'll ask the burning question...Which of the Star Wars movies are the "2 good ones"?
September 2nd, 2011 at 9:57 am
Alright, I'll ask the burning question...Which of the Star Wars movies are the "2 good ones"?
The first two, generally, are seen as the best ones. If you don't like any of them, especially after seeing the most recent three, it's understandable. On a Star Wars scale (1 worst, 10 best), in order of making rather than numbering, I think the general consensus would be something like 9, 10, 6.5, 1, 4, 6. Star Wars movies resemble which ball player's career arc? Andruw Jones maybe?
September 2nd, 2011 at 10:49 am
@12, At this point, Worley deserves the playoff start in Game 4 of any LCS or World Series. If Oswalt pitches better in September, he deserves the spot due to his experience.
September 2nd, 2011 at 10:51 am
The Jays/Orioles and the Yankees/Red Sox should have switched umpiring crews. Joe West apparently hassled JP Arencebia for making a trip to the mound, trying to speed up the game.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:26 am
Length of 3 Phillies games against the Red Sox this year: 2:37, 2:25, 3:03. The 3:03 game was only because Hamels was knocked out of the game with an injury otherwise it surely would have come in under 3 hours[though it was also the only game where they played the bottom of the ninth]. So stop pretending that it is somehow intrinsic to how the Sox/Yankees play the game that it has to take 4+ hours.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:45 am
In which Star Wars Movie did they use "parsec" as a unit of time?
September 2nd, 2011 at 12:02 pm
more baseball is a good thing
It's not more baseball. It's more stepping out of the box, more catcher visits to the mound**, just more BS all around.
Varitek was the worst about all the visits to his pitcher, and his protege seems to be picking right up from him. Posada was bad too. I'm absolutely in favor of limiting these visits. One per inning, outside of any coaching visits. Can't get your signs straight? Too effing bad.
I'm childishly excited about Pujols' run to another .300 / 100 /100 season.
I haven't been following his run that closely, but I agree it would be a good thing. It will make his statistical record look so much nicer. Just seeing a run of those seasons when you look a guy up is awesome.
September 2nd, 2011 at 12:04 pm
@7/ Jacob - Pujol's 2011 finish:
There are 25 games left for the Cardinals. Assuming Pujols isn't injured:
- RUNS: with 90, 100+ R seems almost certain
- RBI: with 84, he's got a good chance, as at his current RBI/game rate, he would have 101
- BA: He needs to hit over .340 the rest of the year to finish at .300. This is very possible, but far from a sure thing.
What he really needs are a couple more games like yesterday, to boost his BA and RBI total.
September 2nd, 2011 at 12:09 pm
Miguel Batista holds the record for the most scoreless innings pitched in a World Series game without earning a Win. He threw 7-2/3 scoreless IP for Arizona in Game 5 of the 2001 WS, a game the D-Backs lost 3-2 in 12 innings. Or, to put it a slighlty different way, Batista's Game 5 in 2001 was one of 101 World Series appearances in which a pitcher held the other team scoreless while recording at least 23 outs, but is the only one of those 101 appearances in which the pitcher did not receive credit for a Win.
Only three pitchers have been older at the time of their first start for the Mets: Warren Spahn, Orel Hershiser and Orlando (El Duque) Hernandez. (Hershiser, by the way, was Class of 1972 at Heritage Junior High School in Cherry Hill, NJ -- I was class of 1970 there).
September 2nd, 2011 at 12:15 pm
19 He missed one season scoring 100 with 99.IIncredible career he's had.
September 2nd, 2011 at 12:17 pm
Hardy is good but he is not a guy they should be using near the top of the order.Stupid lineups.
September 2nd, 2011 at 1:06 pm
Down the stretch they come...
I just got a 1986 flashback. "The Mets... moving like a TREMENDOUS machine!.."
I just made myself sad.
@8 - Doug, that's a great find.
September 2nd, 2011 at 2:49 pm
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BAL/BAL199604300.shtml
I think this game broke the time length record for a 9 inning game (since passed many times)
NY-Balt 4/30/96
September 2nd, 2011 at 4:28 pm
Rule 6.02(d)
The batter shall keep at least one foot in the batter’s box throughout the
batter’s time at bat, unless one of the following exceptions applies, in which
case the batter may leave the batter’s box but not the dirt area surrounding
home plate:
(i) The batter swings at a pitch;
(ii) The batter is forced out of the batter’s box by a pitch;
(iii) A member of either team requests and is granted “Time”;
(iv) A defensive player attempts a play on a runner at any base;
(v) The batter feints a bunt;
(vi) A wild pitch or passed ball occurs;
(vii) The pitcher leaves the dirt area of the pitching mound after receiving
the ball; or
(viii)The catcher leaves the catcher’s box to give defensive signals.
If the batter intentionally leaves the batter’s box and delays play, and none
of the exceptions listed in Rule 6.02(d)(1)(i) through (viii) applies, the
umpire shall award a strike without the pitcher having to deliver the pitch.
The ball is dead, and no runners may advance. The umpire shall award
additional strikes, without the pitcher having to deliver the pitch, if the
batter remains outside the batter’s box and further delays play.
If this was enforced it would games much better. Basically if you just take a pitch you have to stay in there.
September 2nd, 2011 at 4:32 pm
Also yesterday Prince Fielder also hit his 30th HR, for the 5th consecutive year.
September 2nd, 2011 at 4:44 pm
27 Think he's going to stay in Milwaukee?
September 2nd, 2011 at 6:01 pm
Topper, agreed. And the key is rule (iii). Stop granting time, to both batters and catchers.
September 2nd, 2011 at 6:02 pm
A briskly played game is great fun to watch. It shouldn't be painful to watch my favorite team play its greatest rival (Michael Kay aside).
September 2nd, 2011 at 7:07 pm
If watching the Yankee broadcasts aren't your cup of tea, then one can turn down the sound and turn up the radio to the smooth pipes of Sterling and Waldman. Sterling always gives credit to the other team, and Waldman, well he's great too.
@3
The Phillies broadcasters get much worse after McCarthy. Matthews Sr. sounds like a corpse, and Andersen is the biggest homer this side of John Sterling. Everyone in Philly hates Wheeler but he's easily the best one they have.
September 2nd, 2011 at 7:17 pm
After another bad Mets loss I was toying with the idea of just becoming a Yankee fan.Than I started thinking,"you'll have to listen to Kay or Sterling."Can't do it.
September 2nd, 2011 at 7:22 pm
If watching the Yankee broadcasts aren't your cup of tea, then one can turn down the sound and turn up the radio to the smooth pipes of Sterling and Waldman. Sterling always gives credit to the other team, and Waldman, well he's great too.
This sounds very tempting! You wouldn't lead me astray now, would you?
September 2nd, 2011 at 7:24 pm
@ 32
You'll have to watch yankeeography too, and that might well kill you.
September 2nd, 2011 at 8:34 pm
@18, Stan -- Wasn't it a Star Trek episode (original series) that used "parsec" as a unit of time?
I don't remember that happening in any of the first S.W. trilogy ... and of course I don't remember anything at all about the second set. 🙂
September 2nd, 2011 at 8:40 pm
@21, Birtelcom (2nd point) -- Glad you mentioned El Duque being the 3rd pitcher older than Batista in his Mets debut. The broadcast team mentioned only Spahn and Hershiser, if I recall correctly.
September 2nd, 2011 at 8:45 pm
On the subject of radio & TV men ... Mets fans, what do you think of Wayne Hagin?
I'm sorry to say, I can't stand his voice. I have hardly even formed an opinion of his general ability, because I just can't keep the radio on for more than a few minutes when he's doing the call.
I can't say exactly what it is about his voice that I can't tolerate. Is it his accent? It's true that he doesn't sound right for New York, but on the other hand, I'm not even from New York, and I've lived all over the country and gotten used to all kinds of accents.
Is it just me?
September 2nd, 2011 at 9:45 pm
How about Lucas Harrell. What's odd about this pitching line?
5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, 102 pitches (59 strikes).
Don't think we'll see him in the 6th, although Brad Mills has surprised me many times before.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:07 pm
Glad you mentioned El Duque being the 3rd pitcher older than Batista in his Mets debut. The broadcast team mentioned only Spahn and Hershiser, if I recall correctly.
They must have been relying on the age he circulated when he arrived from Cuba. B-R shows his correct age, which is 4 years older than that. I don't think MLB** ever acknowledged the older age.
** I don't even know who would be responsible for the "official" acceptance of a different birth date. Elias? Team media guides?
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:20 pm
@17 Travis -- VERY interesting...among other things, DH/no DH, should that matter that much?
Onto the non-baseball related items:
@14 Aweb -- "Return of Whatever" better than the original? C'mon. Mere filler, as was the last one in the series (NOTE: the most recent three? four? five? were cartoons, not "Star Wars" movies).
@18 Stan -- in the first Star Wars movie (meaning, ahem, "Star Wars", as it was called at the time), I believe Han Solo brags that the Millennium Falcon "[is] the ship that made the Kessel run in 12 parsecs".
September 3rd, 2011 at 2:46 am
@40, Chief -- I stand corrected re: "parsecs" in Star Wars. Thanks for jogging my memory.
The Star Trek goof I was thinking of was misusing the term "light year" as a unit of time:
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Talk:Elaan_of_Troyius_(episode)#misuse_of_the_term_light-year
September 6th, 2011 at 9:43 pm
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