Friday performance notes, etc.

Friday’s best and worst in Win Probability Added (WPA):

PitchersC.J. Wilson, 0.382 (8 IP, 1 R in a game that was fairly close until the 9th); Brian Fuentes, -0.909 (4th-worst of the year; he also owns the worst — see below).

HittersRyan Roberts, 0.956 (see below); Colby Rasmus, -0.238 (0-5 in a close game, including the last out of the 9th with the go-ahead run on 3rd).

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Best and Worst Ballparks for No-Hitters

Since the Mets finally got over the hump to record a no-hitter last week, the question has been “What took them so long?” After all, they have had no shortage of capable pitchers over the years, including several who had no-hitters for other teams, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden, David Cone and Al Leiter among them.

But, actually, it’s a lot more than several – 16 pitchers who have played for the Mets have thrown no-hitters for another team or teams, but not for the Mets. So, why is that? After the jump, I’ll take a look at ballparks and see what (if anything) might be learned.

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Future Perfect: A Balanced Schedule for 2013

Beginning next season, Houston will move to the AL West and there will be two leagues of 15 teams, each with three five-team divisions. Although my plan for how to handle this new arrangement is no more likely to be adopted than a re-make of Love Story with Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee in the roles of Ryan O’Neal and Ali McGraw, I’ll share it after the jump. Continue reading

The Mount Rushmore of the Detroit Tigers

1984 Topps #666 Tigers Leaders - Lou Whitaker and Jack Morris

OK…let’s get one of the big franchises out of the way. The Tigers are another team that joined MLB in 1901 (although they were founded in 1894). In 111 years, the Tigers have had only 12 first-place finishes. Three of them came in 1907 to 1909 but they lost the World Series each year. They made 7 more World Series and won it in 1984, 1968, 1945, and 1935. Continue reading

A smattering of Wednesday games

Wish I had more time for this. Here I try to cover some of the teams that don’t always make it into the roundup.

@Diamondbacks 6, Rockies 1Paul Goldschmidt hit RBI doubles in his first 2 ABs, then closed the scoring with his 7th HR in the 7th. Wade Miley (7-2, 2.53) has won 4 of his last 5 starts, averaging 7 IP and 1 walk; here he set a new personal best with a 77 Game Score.

  • Goldschmidt weathered a rough April that had some folks saying he needed more seasoning. His bat woke up on April 30 and hasn’t slept since, lifting his BA/OPS from .185/.540 to a healthy .288/.872. He leads the team’s regulars in BA, SLG and OPS, as well as doubles and HRs.
  • Since scoring at least 11 runs in 3 straight games last week, the Rox have scored a total of 10 in their next 5 games.

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The Mount Rushmore of the Texas Rangers

Josh Hamilton crushes a homer against the Orioles a few weeks ago / Joy R. Absalon-US PRESSWIRE

Let’s take a look at the Texas Rangers, including their years as the second version of the Washington Senators.

When the Senators came into the league in 1961, they were pretty bad. In their first four seasons, they lost at least 100 games every season. They didn’t finish higher than 6th until their 9th season in 1969, and that’s only because the leagues were split into divisions. From 1972 to 1993, the relocated Rangers finished 2nd six times and were in first when the season was aborted in 1994.

The Rangers finally made the playoffs for the first time in 1996 and had a nice run of 3 post-season appearances in 4 seasons, but won only 1 game over all the series. They didn’t make the playoffs again until 2010, when they made the World Series, a feat they duplicated last year. The franchise is at its peak right now.
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Catching up on Monday’s games

@Athletics 10, Rangers 1: Oakland cruised after an 8-run 2nd — 3 more than their previous high inning — while rookie Jarrod Parker held the Rangers hitless through 7 IP before Michael Young‘s clean single up the middle.

  • Through 9 career starts, Parker has allowed 13 runs in 54.1 IP for a 2.15 ERA. Six runs came in one start; in the other 8, he went 5+ IP on 2 runs or less. Crank up the Play Index … Parker tied Dave “Boo” Ferriss for the most such starts (since 1918) within the first 9 career games. And his 6 starts of 5+ IP and 1 run or less also ties the known record, shared by Zach Britton and Andy Rincon. (Always bear in mind that breaking in as a starter is a relatively recent phenomenon; even someone as proven as Lefty Grove relieved in 60% of his rookie games.)
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