Quick recap – Early games of 9/7/11, etc.
Posted by John Autin on September 7, 2011
Games of Wednesday, 9/7/11:
-- Oakland's Guillermo Moscoso no-hit the Royals for 7.2 innings before a single by rookie catcher Salvador Perez. Moscoso retired the first 17 batters before walking Alcides Escobar (I kid you not), the only other baserunner in 8 innings. Will he get to try for the shutout? Moscoso is at 106 pitches; he's never pitched beyond 8 IP or 110 pitches in the majors.
- There still have been just 2 no-hitters thrown against KC in their 43-year history, by Jon Lester in 2008 and Nolan Ryan in 1973.
-- Name that hurler: 6+ IP, 7 hits, 4 runs, 4 walks, 3 wild pitches, 3 SB in 3 tries, 1 HR, 108 pitches, leadoff man reached safely in 6 of 7 innings. (The answer is here.)
-- It's been a great year for Justin Verlander, but a little luck never hurts. In Cleveland Wednesday, Verlander allowed a pair of 2-run HRs to Shelley Duncan -- the 2nd multi-HR game in 4 days for Duncan, giving him 8 HRs this year -- and trailed 4-2 after 6 innings, his work likely finished after throwing 113 pitches. Five batters and 2 pitching changes later, the Tigers led, 7-4, a big inning built around an error by (yep) Shelley Duncan and capped by a Victor Martinez grand slam on the first pitch from reliever Tony Sipp. Detroit held on for an 8-6 win, Verlander's 22nd.
- It was the 2nd time in his last 3 outings that his teammates took the lead in the top of the 7th when Verlander was pretty clearly done after 6.
- The 4-year, $50-million contract Detroit gave to Victor Martinez last offseason raised a few eyebrows, since he's not a good enough catcher to be the regular at that position, nor a big enough hitter to justify regular DH duty. But V-Mart's primary function is neither of those things; rather, it's Get Enough RBI Hits Behind Miguel Cabrera to Discourage Opponents from Giving Him 32 Intentional Walks Again. And Martinez has performed that task brilliantly, with a .326 BA and 89 RBI in 126 games this year. He's hitting .397 with RISP and .406 with men on base, and is 3rd among AL regulars in baserunners scored %, bringing in 21% of all men on base during his PAs.
- One more save converted by Jose Valverde, who tied the franchise record with #42. (Pleaseohplease let him expunge Todd Jones from our record books!)
-- Ian Kinsler homered twice, including a 9th-inning leveler off Kyle Farnsworth. But in the bottom of the 10th, Desmond "Who Says I'm Not a Slugger?" Jennings hit Mark Lowe's first pitch over the LF wall for the first game-ending RBI of his young career, helping preserve a bit of tension in a couple of races.
- Mike Napoli had 4 hits, including his 24th HR. Among players with at least 300 PAs and 40 games caught, Napoli is #1 in HRs, OBP and slugging, and #2 in Wins Above Replacement.
- Kinsler has 7 HRs in 7 games this month, and 28 HRs and 101 Runs for the season. All 28 HRs have come while batting #1.
Only 9 players have ever hit 30+ HRs from the leadoff spot in a season:
| Player | Year | PA | AB | H | 2B 6 | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SH | SF | IBB | HBP | GDP | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfonso Soriano | 2006 | Ind. Games | 161 | 141 | 58 | 5 | 0 | 39 | 59 | 16 | 24 | .411 | .475 | 1.277 | 1.752 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Alfonso Soriano | 2002 | Ind. Games | 178 | 171 | 73 | 10 | 0 | 38 | 62 | 2 | 37 | .427 | .438 | 1.152 | 1.590 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Bobby Bonds | 1973 | Ind. Games | 166 | 142 | 67 | 6 | 0 | 35 | 62 | 24 | 28 | .472 | .548 | 1.254 | 1.802 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Brady Anderson | 1996 | Ind. Games | 145 | 122 | 54 | 4 | 0 | 35 | 52 | 17 | 24 | .443 | .510 | 1.336 | 1.846 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Alfonso Soriano | 2003 | Ind. Games | 165 | 154 | 69 | 7 | 2 | 35 | 58 | 9 | 24 | .448 | .479 | 1.201 | 1.680 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Grady Sizemore | 2008 | Ind. Games | 142 | 123 | 52 | 6 | 3 | 33 | 61 | 18 | 19 | .423 | .500 | 1.325 | 1.825 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Alfonso Soriano | 2007 | Ind. Games | 128 | 125 | 61 | 9 | 1 | 33 | 52 | 3 | 28 | .488 | .500 | 1.368 | 1.868 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Hanley Ramirez | 2008 | Ind. Games | 133 | 121 | 55 | 8 | 0 | 32 | 50 | 10 | 20 | .455 | .496 | 1.314 | 1.810 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Tommy Harper | 1970 | Ind. Games | 137 | 123 | 56 | 7 | 2 | 31 | 49 | 12 | 12 | .455 | .507 | 1.301 | 1.808 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Rick Monday | 1976 | Ind. Games | 131 | 120 | 53 | 4 | 0 | 31 | 55 | 9 | 23 | .442 | .485 | 1.250 | 1.735 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Nomar Garciaparra | 1997 | Ind. Games | 138 | 128 | 68 | 13 | 2 | 30 | 55 | 9 | 11 | .531 | .565 | 1.367 | 1.932 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jimmy Rollins | 2007 | Ind. Games | 136 | 127 | 54 | 3 | 3 | 30 | 48 | 9 | 14 | .425 | .463 | 1.205 | 1.668 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
______________________________
Etc.:
-- Vance Worley is 11-1 in 18 starts. His .917 W% would be the best ever by a Phillies pitcher with at least 10 decisions.
-- Hey, remember when folks were saying that Carlos Beltran hadn't helped the Giants? All of a sudden he's hitting .337 for them, with 10 extra-base hits in 24 games, and has the exact same .904 OPS as he had with the Mets. A look at Beltran's recent binge might provide some clues to the Giants' woes: In his last 4 games, Carlos went 11 for 15 with 2 walks and 5 XBH, including a HR -- but scored just 2 runs, as the next batter went 0-16 in those games.
- Giants 1B Brett Pill became the 4th player this year to homer in his debut game, and the 3rd to do it in his 1st time up:
| Player | Date | Tm | Opp | Rslt | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | HBP | SH | SF | ROE | GDP | SB | CS | WPA | RE24 | BOP | Pos. Summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brett Pill | 2011-09-06 | SFG | SDP | W 6-4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.138 | 1.229 | 1.097 | 6 | 1B |
| Tom Milone | 2011-09-03 | WSN | NYM | W 8-7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.071 | 1.545 | 1.200 | 9 | P |
| Brandon Crawford | 2011-05-27 | SFG | MIL | W 5-4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.300 | 1.703 | 1.825 | 7 | SS |
| Brandon Guyer | 2011-05-06 | TBR | BAL | W 6-2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.091 | 0.744 | .797 | 6 | LF |
- The cast includes pitcher Tom Milone (3-run HR in 1st trip despite a name that will always look like a typo) and 2 guys named Brandon, both of whom were sent back to the minors at some point before being recalled in September. Brandon Crawford was the one who waited until later in the game for his mantelpiece blast, but he made it worthwhile, hitting a go-ahead grand slam for his first career hit. All 4 HRs came with at least 1 man aboard.
- For a little perspective on Brett Pill's "good" minor-league line, find him among the PCL batting leaders.
September 7th, 2011 at 7:42 pm
What about Eric Gagne's 55 saves without a BSV in 2003? Wasn't that a perfect season?
And wow, what a season Napoli is having! Despite playing a little more than half the season, he is 3rd on the Rangers in WAR (behind Kinsler and Wilson). I've always liked him as a raw hitter and I dread seeing him come to the plate when he bats against the Mariners...
September 7th, 2011 at 7:52 pm
@1, Genis26 -- Good catch by you on Gagne. Faulty memory by me. Post has been corrected. (Can I pretend that I disqualified him for blowing the All-Star Game? No? OK.)
September 7th, 2011 at 10:46 pm
...and another stupid game in Toronto. You have to feel for Tim Wakefield some.
September 8th, 2011 at 12:23 am
@3.
Crazy game, indeed. It's hard to know where to start talking about this one.
Jose Bautista stole two bases, a straight steal of 3rd and then a steal of home on the back end of a double steal. According to ESPN, the first time since Adam Dunn in 2004 that a player has stolen home in the same season he hit 40 homers.
The series certainly has had a bit of everyting, a 1-0 extra inning game, a 14-0 blowout, and now the craziness tonight. Wonder what's in store for tomorrow.
September 8th, 2011 at 12:31 am
Should also mention the ending of the Boston/Toronto game. After tagging Toronto closer Frank Francisco for two runs and getting the tying run on base, Boston's rally fizzled when the game ended with that tying run (pinch-runner Mike Aviles) being thrown out trying to steal second.
Somehow, a fitting end to a madcap game.
September 8th, 2011 at 12:40 am
"Will he get to try for the shutout?"
He did get to try for it (he went 129 pitches) and would have had it, except for a 2-error meltdown by Scott Sizemore on what should have been the final play of the game.
Fautino De Los Santos came on to get the final out on one pitch, and preserve the team shutout.
September 8th, 2011 at 1:20 am
Interesting list of 30+ HR leadoff hitters. Widening the criteria a bit more, of 29 times a player has had 25+ homers batting leadoff, 16 have occurred since 2000.
For some perspective, here's the progressive record in the game-searchable era (showing only the first player to reach these levels).
1921 - Ray Powell, 12
1929 - Johnny Frederick, 14
1937 - Augie Galan, 17
1949 - Eddie Joost, 23
1966 - Felipe Alou, 24
1970 - Tommy Harper, 31
1973 - Bobby Bonds, 35
2002 - Alfonso Soriano, 38
2006 - Alfonso Soriano, 39
September 8th, 2011 at 1:34 am
Oops. Missed one on the progressive list of leadoff HR hitters. Here's the corrected version.
1921 - Ray Powell, 12
1929 - Johnny Frederick, 14
1935 - Jo-Jo Moore, 15
1937 - Augie Galan, 17
1949 - Eddie Joost, 23
1966 - Felipe Alou, 24
1970 - Tommy Harper, 31
1973 - Bobby Bonds, 35
2002 - Alfonso Soriano, 38
2006 - Alfonso Soriano, 39
September 8th, 2011 at 3:38 am
When the Blue Jays aquired Mike Napoli, I was excited. Then they dealt him right away for nothing. I didn't get it.
September 8th, 2011 at 8:02 am
For a team that is at the bottom of MLB in stolen bases (only the Tigers and Cards have fewer successes, only the Tigers have fewer attempts) - the Orioles have been successful in their last 15 consecutive steal attempts through Wednesday, with 13 of those stolen bases coming against the Yankees (including 5 Wednesday afternoon and 4 against Mariano on Monday).
Is this a post-season weakness for the Bronx Bombers?
September 8th, 2011 at 10:17 am
@10, Tim -- I don't think the opponents' running game will be a big factor for the Yanks in the postseason, especially with A.J. Burnett unlikely to see much mound time.
New York has allowed 108 SB in 145 tries, for a 26% CS rate. Both the total number of SB and the CS% are just a little worse than the league average of 99 SB and 28% CS.
And if it's a problem for them, it could be just as much a problem for most of the other AL contenders. Boston and the Angels have allowed more SB with a worse CS%, and Detroit is in the vicinity. Only Texas has a real good record against base thieves.
None of the AL contenders have a great running game, anyway; the Yanks are actually the best of the lot.
September 8th, 2011 at 10:24 am
@4...Adam Dunn?! The only thing he's stealing now is food off other White Sox player's plates.