Friday early game notes: Pitchers in control

Sanchez, Sanchez everywhere, but that’s not where we start….

@Nationals 1, Reds 0: Jordan Zimmermann used just 91 pitches in his first career shutout, allowing a single in the 3rd and a walk in the 8th, neither man advancing. It’s the first 1-hitter in Washington Nationals history.

 

Zimmermann fanned just 4, conserving his energy. He got the last 3 outs on 5 pitches, retiring noted walkers Shin-Soo Choo on 2 pitches and Joey Votto on 1, both flyouts to LF. It’s the low-hit CG of the year so far, completed in 2 hours, 8 minutes. Zimmermann is 4-1 with a 2.00 ERA this year, and a 2.95 ERA since 2011.

  • Hard-luck Homer Bailey made it a splendid duel, going 7 on 5 hits, no walks and 89 pitches, departing for a PH. The run came in the 4th on back-to-back hits, Bryce Harper’s triple (on a full count after 0-2) and a single by Jayson Werth, just past the dive of a drawn-in Brandon Phillips. Bailey, who saved a run with this nifty play, has 4 very good starts out of 5 and trimmed his ERA to 2.81, but fell to 1-2. The Reds were blanked in both losses, and he got ND for a brilliant 8 scoreless, 10-K outing in a 1-0 walk-off win.
  • The last no-hitter in Expos/Nats history was by Dennis Martinez in 1991. Javier Vazquez had the last 1-hitter in 1999.
  • 10th 1-0 game this year. There were 41 last year

Braves @Tigers: The unstoppable force met the immovable object, and evaporated. Atlanta came in #1 with 35 HRs, while Anibal Sanchez had not allowed a HR yet in 4 starts, 25.2 IP. Sanchez fanned 2 in the 1st and never stopped, ending with 17 Ks in 8 IP a franchise record (in regulation), while walking 1. He did not come out for the 9th and a chance to match the MLB record, having thrown 121 pitches, his most since 2011. (His 2006 no-hitter took 104 pitches, with 6 Ks.) Sanchez is 3-1 with a 1.34 ERA and 41 Ks in 33.2 IP. Detroit scored all their runs in the 3rd and 4th innings, handing Paul Maholm his worst mark as a Brave (3.2 IP, 8 runs, 10 hits).

  • He had at least 2 Ks in every inning but the 4th, which began with a whiff and ended with a DP. None of the strikeouts was against a pitcher, since the game was played in Detroit.
  • It’s the highest total since 2010-08-08, when Brandon Morrow combined the Gio and Anibal feats. The last with 18 was Ben Sheets in 2004.
  • Sanchez had lost his last 5 starts to Atlanta, those all with the Marlins. In 17 starts, he had never held the Braves scoreless.
  • Since 1916, Mickey Lolich was the only Tiger with 16 Ks in a game, doing it twice in a 3-start span of 1969. Max Scherzer had 15 last year in a 7-IP stint. Justin Verlander‘s career high is 14.
  • The AL & NL batting leaders went at it: Torii Hunter, 3-5, .386; Chris Johnson, 2-4, .403. Hunter, who turns 38 in July, has 201 hits in 160 games since the start of 2012 and a .323 BA; he had a .274 career mark before that and had never hit .300.

Phillies 4, @Mets 0: Kyle Kendrick spun his 2nd career shutout, baffling the top-scoring team in the majors (!) on 3 singles and a walk. No Met reached 2nd after the opening frame, and there was hardly a loud out all night. Dillon Gee was just as sharp through 5 stanzas, but suddenly lost his command in the 6th, yielding 3 hard singles and a 3-run moonbeam by Ryan Howard. The hobbled slugger has 4 hits in 12 ABs against Gee, all taters, one per game.

  • Every team but Arizona has now suffered a shutout this year.

@Rangers 4, Twins 3: In his 3rd game, rookie Justin Grimm blanked Minnesota for 7 innings, besting Scott Diamond in every facet. Texas led 3-0 after 8 and tacked on in the 9th, helped by a leadoff walk — the only pass of the game by the Twins, who lead the majors in walk prevention. That run seemed relevant only to fantasy owners deprived of a Joe Nathan save chance. But the Twins got the first 2 aboard against the mighty-mite rookie Joe Ortiz, and after a blown-call strikeout (ump missed the foul tip), Nathan came in and whiffed another. Oswaldo Arcia drilled his 2nd HR, both 3-run drives on the first pitch, but Nathan got Ryan Doumit on a flyout for the craptastically cheap save.

  • Texas (16-7) will play some good teams this year, eventually.

@Cardinals 9, Pirates 1: Way down on the other end of the Sanchez spectrum … Both teams came in hot, Pittsburgh winning 6 of 7, while St. Louis came home from a sweep in D.C. The Cards opened with HR-HR-single off Jonathan Sanchez, all with 2 strikes. His next pitch hit Allen Craig, and J-San was tossed, with Clint Hurdle tumbling after. He’s just not a major-league pitcher right now.

  • Carlos Beltran homered from both sides and has 340 career HRs, 10 back of Chili Davis for #5 among switch-hitters. If he stays healthy, Beltran will reach 1,300 Runs and RBI this year, which only 5 other switchies have done. He has 4 HRs in 5 games batting 2nd this year, and now has more HRs from that slot than he has at cleanup, and a better HR% hitting 2nd than anywhere else in the order. In fact, of the 5 spots where he’s hit at least 40 games, all his best averages are hitting 2nd, with an OPS over .930.
  • Lance Lynn last year won his first 6 starts and his last 5; now 4-0 in 5 starts this year … and once again among the run-support leaders. He’s pitched well, but not as well as you’d think from his record of 22-6 in 36 career starts.

@Red Sox 7, Astros 3: Backup catcher David Ross came in 3 for 25 on the season, then went 4 for 4 with 2 HRs. Mike Napoli had 2 more doubles and now has 13 out of 26 hits, adding his 27th RBI. The BoSox saw 186 pitches in 8 innings and rapped 17 hits, but took no walks against the team that led the majors in charity.

  • Dustin Pedroia hit 2 doubles. He averaged 47 doubles per 162 G through last year, but came in with just 3 out of 25 hits (and no HRs) in the first 22 games.
  • Another 14 strikeouts by the Houston hack squad, who average 10.6 Ks per game and 27% of PAs. Their offense isn’t so bad, though — 10th in AL R/G and 7th in OPS+. It’s the pitching you really need to fear — last in the AL in almost all measures, including a 1.59 WHIP.
  • Erik Bedard in 3 IP allowed 8 hits, 5 runs and 3 HRs, using 91 pitches. At least he’s past the restrictive pitch count.
  • The day will come when I stop looking for Houston in the NL tables. But today is not that day.

@Yankees 6, Blue Jays 4: Won the battle, lost the battery. Francisco Cervelli left after 5 pitches when a foul tip fractured his hand, out 6 weeks or so. Ivan Nova struggled early again and walked off in the 3rd with a bum elbow. Three hits in the 9th off Mariano, but he got Colby Rasmus swinging to end it.

  • I knew Toronto had claimed Aaron Laffey … did not think they meant to start him. Five walks in 2.2 IP. There may be a place for this soft-tossing lefty, but Yankee Stadium ain’t it.

Cubs 4, @Marlins 2: Anthony Rizzo hit 2-run HRs his first 2 trips, and the second one landed in an upstairs mannequin warehouse. That’s 8 HRs for Rizzo, half on the first pitch; now to work on that .200 BA.

  • Dear Joe Mahoney from Albany, NY — Congratulations on your first HR. I hope it shuts up those smart-aleck bloggers.
  • The teams combined for only 7 strikeouts, but still went 1 for 13 with RISP. Contact isn’t everything.

@White Sox 5, Rays 4: Three ChiSox HRs, by the usual suspects — Hector Gimenez, Tyler Greene, and of course, Conor Gillaspie. (OK, Gillaspie is their more-or-less regular 3B … I should have heard of him, I guess.)

Orioles 3, @Athletics 0 (9th): Scoreless until the 7th, when Baltimore capitalized on Josh Reddick’s momentary loss of muscular coordination to scoot the leadoff man to 2nd base, whence he scored on a Steve Pearce single. They added 2 in the 9th with a fat-free rally — infield hit, 2 walks, FC+error, sac fly.

  • Wei-Yin Chen allowed 2 hits in 8 IP, with a season-high 5(!) strikeouts, shaving his ERA to 2.53.

__________

Seems there was far more buzz last year about 19-year-old Bryce Harper and 20-year-old Mike Trout than there is now about the 20-year-old Harper, who’s been rampaging since Opening Day and leads the NL in OPS+. It’s natural, I guess; been there, seen that. Just thought I’d mention that, while it’s still very early, Harper’s on pace for a bunch of 20-and-under records, including:

  • BA: .358 (A-Rod), Harper .364
  • SLG: .635 (Ott), Harper .740
  • OPS+: 171 (Trout), Harper 224 (through Thursday)

Remember the angst when Harper didn’t have a walk after 8 games? He has 11 in the last 14 games.

One last thing: Harper now has 161 career games, with 113 Runs, 30 HRs, 10 triples, 31 doubles.

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bstar
11 years ago

I guess a pitch count of 121 after 8 innings in a 10-0 game is a pretty good reason to take your starting pitcher out, but it sure would have been nice to see Anibal Sanchez come out for the ninth with 17 strikeouts already in tow against the Braves last night. The 17 strikeouts by Sanchez is tied for the second-highest game total ever for most K’s in 8 IP or less, surpassed only by Randy Johnson with 18 K in this game in ’92: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TEX/TEX199209270.shtml Things have changes since ’92. Big Unit’s pitch count was 160 after 8… Read more »

bstar
11 years ago
Reply to  John Autin

Oh, you’re totally right. I was speaking from the unconscious inner fan in me, the guy at the stadium who’s had one beer too many and is caught up in the spirit of the game.

That, and I had slogged thru 8 innings of a 10-0 Braves defeat and was looking for some emotional payback. I wanted to see Sanchez come out again, practicalities be damned.

But I get it.

bstar
11 years ago
Reply to  John Autin

Hmmm, hard to tell with a team that can put together a string of non-quality at-bats together pretty quickly.

I really didn’t get a sense that the Braves quit at any point, no.

Sanchez was just dominant. They couldn’t touch his fastball and his slider was dropping off the table. Tim Pea’s cat would have been going crazy.

Doug
Editor
11 years ago

The Reds were held to a single hit in back-to-back games, only the 6th time a team has been so stymied in the game-searchable era. As with the previous 5 instances, the feeble efforts came against the same opponent. Leading the group are the 2008 Astros who, at the hands of the Cubs, were no-hit by Carlos Zambrano and one-hit by Ted Lilly. ESPN reported that this was the first time since the 1900 season that a Reds team had been one-hit successively. Rk Strk Start End Games W L AB R H Opp 1 HOU 2008-09-14 2008-09-15 2 0… Read more »

Doug
Editor
11 years ago

When David Ortiz joined the 400 HR club at the end of last season, he joined Vlad and Jeff Bagwell as the only players with 400-450 HR and 450-500 doubles. Ortiz, with 485 doubles, will soon be moving out of this club, but there will be someone who will soon take his place, none other than Alfonso Soriano, currently sitting on 373 HR and 438 two-baggers. I mention this because of their WAR totals: Ortiz (40.1), Vlad (59.7), Bagwell (79.6), Soriano (26.2). Including his 2.0 WAR season in 2012, Alfonso is a cumulative 0.7 WAR over his past 4+ seasons,… Read more »

bstar
11 years ago
Reply to  Doug

Fangraphs and UZR have a little more positive view of Soriano’s numbers, but certainly not enough to make him worth his paycheck:

Soriano 2009-2013: +7.1 fWAR / +15.6 UZR runs
Soriano 2009-2013: +0.7 rWAR / -44.0 DRS runs

RJ
RJ
11 years ago

Does that Jonathan Sanchez ejection strike anyone else as a little strange? Surely after giving up two homers and a hit to start the game, the last thing he wants to be doing is putting another man on. I didn’t realise umpires could toss out pitchers for being terrible. Even more bizarre is that three Pirates were subsequently hit, with no ejections. Ah, Conor Gillaspie. I was sure he’d done *something* notable with San Francisco, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. So I looked it up: his first home run was this inside-the-park job, featuring triples alley, a… Read more »

Ed
Ed
11 years ago
Reply to  RJ

RJ – I agree. I watched the video and it looks to me like Craig is WAY out over the plate. No surprise he got hit. If anyone should have been tossed, I would go with:

1) Jared Hughes for throwing at Lance Lynn on the bunt attempt (likely retaliation for Lynn hitting Marte twice).

2) Mitchell Boggs for hitting Gaby Sanchez. That one looked intentional and was likely payback for the brushback pitch against Lynn (Sanchez was pinch hitting for Hughes).

Ed
Ed
11 years ago
Reply to  Ed

Wow, and now MLB has suspended Sanchez for 6 games. No idea what they were looking at. Horrible decision in my opinion.

RJ
RJ
11 years ago
Reply to  John Autin

I’d understand if was Utley again, but it wasn’t. Even then, Sanchez famously suffers from control issues. In 2010, his best year by far, he led the league in walks, was third in wild pitches and sixth in HBP. And if Sanchez is deliberatly trying to hit Utley in a tied game with a man on first and no out when a win would send you to the World Series, then all I can say is thank heavens he no longer pitches for us. If the powers that be have decided he has a reputation based on hitting Chase Utley,… Read more »

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
11 years ago
Reply to  RJ

Most batters faced by a starter without retiring one is 8 by the following pitchers (1916-2013):

Paul Wilson 5-6-2005
Paul Wilson 7-10-2003
Blake Stein 8-31-98
Bobby Jones 9-17-97
Bill Krueger 6-25-84
Frank Gabler 6-2-38

In Wilson’s 2005 game he gave up 2 HRs, 2 2Bs, 1 1B, 1 BB and 2 HBPs.

james braswell
11 years ago

Could someone research this nugget? During last night’s Cubs @ Marlins radio broadcast, announcer Pat Hughes said that no players in Miami’s starting lineup had a home run this year. When did this last occur so late in April? The Deadball Era? Thanks if anyone can check this out. James

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
11 years ago
Reply to  james braswell

I don’t have the time now to research it but in 1943, the year of the balata ball, at least half the teams went through all of April without a single HR by anybody. The season began on April 20 that year.

birtelcom
Editor
11 years ago

The Cubs as an entire team (not just starters) had their first homer in 1943 in their 33rd game of the season, on May 30. That’s the longest team homerless streak to start a season since 1920. Of the four longest such streaks since 1920, three came in the 1943 season. Pre-1920, the streaks are very long. The 1917 Washington Senators had only 4 homers as a team all season, and didn’t get the first of the four until game 67 on June 30. The 1908 White Sox had only three homers all season, the first one of which was… Read more »

GrandyMan
GrandyMan
11 years ago

Before last night’s game, the Marlins had just 6 home runs in their first 22 games. The last team to do this was the ’96 Royals; before that, it was the ’84 Indians. Both teams won exactly 75 games.

birtelcom
Editor
11 years ago
Reply to  GrandyMan

The Marlins at 5-18 are one game behind (or ahead of, depending on your point of view) the pace of the 1962 Mets, who were 6-17 after 23 games. Those ’62 Mets got up to as close to .500 as 12-19 through 31 games before reeling off a 17-game losing streak over late May and early June.

GrandyMan
GrandyMan
11 years ago
Reply to  birtelcom

Is there a way to search for all teams with X number of wins after Y number of games? I’m curious as to how other teams that have started 5-18 have finished.

It is pretty unlikely that they win 75 games like the other two teams I mentioned, though. They would have to go 70-69 the rest of the way to get to that point.

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
11 years ago
Reply to  birtelcom

Reply to #29 There have been 30 teams (not counting Miami this year) that started the season 5-18. Here is how they finished. Team Year W L BAL 2010 66 96 CHC 1997 68 94 CHC 1962 59 103 CHC 1944 75 79 CHW 1950 60 94 CHW 1942 66 82 CIN 1934 52 99 CIN 1931 58 96 DET 1998 65 97 DET 1953 60 94 DET 1952 50 104 DET 1920 61 93 FLA 1995 67 76 KCA 1965 59 103 KCR 2006 62 100 KCR 2005 56 106 MIL 1970 65 97 MON 2004 67 95 PHA… Read more »

GrandyMan
GrandyMan
11 years ago
Reply to  birtelcom

@Richard 31 So I suppose I could reasonably expect the Marlins to lose 100 games this year — that comes as little surprise. I noticed a couple of outliers on your list – the ’44 Cubs (which may have had something to do with the absurdity of the war years) and the ’73 Cards. Looking more closely, the ’73 Cards might be one of the strangest teams in baseball history. They actually started 5-20, then went 19-5 in their next 24. After the Cubs imploded in July, the Cards held at least a share of the division lead from July… Read more »

Doug
Doug
11 years ago

Since 1946, the last team to go 0 for April in home runs was the 1972 Red Sox who hit their first home run on May 5th, in their 12th game (the season started late due to a strike). The 1947 Senators were also 0 for April, homering first in game 10 on May 1st. The 1966 Kansas City Athletics didn’t have their first homer by a player in the starting lineup until game 23 on May 11, when right-fielder Larry Stahl connected. Stahl had earlier homered as a pinch-hitter in game 12 on April 28. In the final game… Read more »

Ed
Ed
11 years ago
Reply to  james braswell

I’m not sure I understand this notion that the Marlins have yet to have a home run from someone in the starting lineup. They have 7 home runs so far and only one of them was of the pinch hit variety. The rest were by starters. What am I missing?

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
11 years ago
Reply to  Ed

I haven’t checked this but in post #7 maybe Pat Hughes meant that no one in last night’s Marlins’ starting line-up had a HR this year.

KalineCountry Ron
11 years ago

I was curious after reading this elsewhere, that in the Tigers – braves game with Sanchez’s team record setting 17 K’s, there were no – zero putouts by a Tigers outfielder.
Do one of you know the last time that has happened with a Tigers team in a game, and last time in an mlb game?

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
11 years ago

I did some searching of games with a high number of SO and found that on 7-14-68, when Don Wilson of the Astros struck out 18 Reds, the Astro outfielders had no putouts. I have no way of knowing if that was the last time it happened.

KalineCountry Ron
11 years ago

Thanks for finding that game Richard.

KalineCountry Ron
11 years ago
Reply to  John Autin

Thankyou for finding that info for me John.
I will pass it over to the game thread we have.

I did find out from the Man at the Tigers media.
KalineCountry 27 April. @Thompson_Tigers Rick, Last time the Tigers had no – 0 – zero putouts by an outfielder in a Tigers game? None in Sanchez’s record K’s game.

Thompson_Tigers @KalineCountry That’s a great question — answer is August 19, 1997 against Minnesota.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bo…99708190.shtml
Tuesday, August 19, 1997, 7:06, Tiger Stadium.
Attendance: 15,478, Time of Game: 2:37.
Higginson, Hunter, Nieves….0 putouts.

Doug
Editor
11 years ago
Reply to  John Autin

Both of the outfield putouts in the 5-9-30 game were by the Yankees. George Uhle went the distance for Detroit, fanning 8 Yankees, while 3 Yankee pitchers struck out 7 Tigers.

james braswell
11 years ago

Thank you Chester. The balata ball was not a rabbit ball was it!! James

Brent
Brent
11 years ago

The cursed rain seems to be following the Royals around, as they got rained out again last night (this time at home). The Royals’ record of 11-8 is a far cry from last year’s start, and frankly they are actually a little better than their record (13 of the first 19 games were on the road for ome thing). They have had bullpen collapes a couple times that blew games they seemed to have in hand. And if a fan can ever consider a 4-3 road trip a rousing success, it would the Royals’ fans after the road trip they… Read more »

james braswell
11 years ago

Thanks Birtelcom! What great research! Thanks again Chester. This is such a nice site for us stat freaks. Now how the heck did Tuffy Rhodes homer his first 3 plate appearances in the Cub’s 1994 season opener? I think the wind had to be blowing out at Wrigley Field that day! James (Cub fan since 1968 in Chicago)

james braswell
11 years ago

Thanks for the added data on “power outtages” Doug. Excellent! James

james braswell
11 years ago

Ed, The Cubs radio announcer said that LAST NIGHT’S starting lineup for Miami as an aggregrate had hit no home runs. He did say that as a team (before last night’s game), Miami had hit only 6 home runs in 2O13. In other words, the announcer did acknowledge the 6 team home runs, he was only talking about the starting lineup for Miami that played LAST NIGHT, came into the game without any of them having at least one home run. Sorry to confuse you or anyone else. James

Hank G.
Hank G.
11 years ago

“@Nationals 1, Reds 0: Jordan Zimmermann used just 91 pitches in his first career shutout, allowing a single in the 3rd and a walk in the 8th, neither man advancing. It’s the first 1-hitter in Washington Nationals history.”

If you don’t count the one they had the day before.

Ed
Ed
11 years ago

Earlier today (Saturday), Joey Votto got only his second double of the year. Not sure what’s going on with him. Two years ago he led the NL in doubles and last year he was on pace to break the single season record before getting hurt.

GrandyMan
GrandyMan
11 years ago
Reply to  Ed

In spite of that, he’s still slashing a very nice .278/.445/.456. It really helps when you walk in over 20 percent of your PAs.

Doug
Doug
11 years ago
Reply to  John Autin

There were similar first innings by Bob Sykes of the Cardinals on 8-20-80, and by Chad Gaudin of the Devil Rays on 6-22-04.

Miley: BB, BB, GIDP, BB, BB, SO
Sykes: BB, BB, GIDP, BB, SO
Gaudin: BB, BB, GIDP, BB, BB, removed

Similar relief innings by Juan Perez (4-13-07), Vinnie Chulk (8-5-04), Jesse Orosco (9-28-88) and Jim Maloney (9-16-61)

Perez: BB, BB, GIDP, BB, BB, Flyout
Chulk: BB, GIDP, BB, BB, BB, Flyout
Orosco: Flyout, BB, CS, BB, BB, BB, Flyout
Maloney: BB, GIDP, BB, BB, BB, removed

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
11 years ago
Reply to  Doug

Francisco Cordero did it as a reliever on 9-27-11 in the bottom of the 13th inning.
BB, CS, BB, Balk, BB, BB, Line drive DP