Adam Dunn is enjoying a spectacular bounce-back season from his nightmarish 2011 campaign. Presently, he is on pace for 58 HR, 132 RBI, 127 BB … and 252 Ks. He is also very likely to pass the 400 HR, 1000 RBI and 2000 K career thresholds in this, his 12th major league season.
After the jump, I’ll take a look at some similar sluggers (could be hard to find), and consider the implications of an all-or-nothing approach to hitting.
I’ve added a few more games to the top of this post, above the solid line.
Brewers 5, @Twins 3: Just when it seemed the Crew would waste a leadoff double in the 9th and perhaps skid to a 4th straight loss against weak AL Central foes, Martin Maldonado‘s 2-out, 2-and-2, 2-run HR gave them a lead, and John Axford (working a 3rd straight day) converted his first 1-2-3 save since May 23.
@Reds 12, Indians 7: Joey Votto reversed a 2-0 deficit with a 3-run bomb, Brandon Phillips had a second straight big game, and Cincinnati went on to complete just the 2nd sweep in 26 series against their upstate rivals.
1952 Bowman #115 Larry Doby
The Indians joined the American League in 1901 but were known as the Blues that year. In 1902 they were called the Broncos, and in 1902 they were called the Naps. They stuck with that name until 1915, when they were finally branded as the Indians.
From 1901 to 1947, the Indians finished first just once, in 1920, when the won the World Series. They won it again in 1948, and made it but lost in 1954. They then went through a terrible stretch in the 1960’s, 70’s, and 80’s when they were routinely one of the worst teams in the league (hence why they were the subject of the movie Major League). Come 1994, though, they had a core of good young players. The Indians were the first team to lock up young players prior to free agency, giving them above-market contracts for arbitration-eligible players, and it paid off. After a 2nd-place finish that year, they rung off 5 straight 1st-place finishes (although they made the World Series twice, they lost both times.) Since then, it’s been up-and-down, with additional playoff appearances in 2001 and 2007, but no titles since 1948.
Let’s take a look at who belongs on their monument. Continue reading
Matt Cain recorded the first ever perfect game for the Giants’ franchise, as San Francisco bombed Houston 10-0 at AT&T Park. Cain’s 14 strikeouts tied Sandy Koufax for the most ever in a perfecto. The key defensive play came on a deep fly ball by Jordan Schafer leading off the 7th, as right-fielder Gregor Blanco made a diving catch on the warning track. The final out was recorded on a true Joaquin Arias throw from deep behind 3rd base, on a weak grounder by pinch-hitter Jason Castro.
Cain’s gem is the 9th no-hitter in Giants history, following former teammate Jonathan Sanchez who no-hit the Padres without a walk on July 10th, 2009. Earlier this season, Cain logged a one-hit 1-0 shutout against the Pirates, with opposing starter James McDonald the only Buc to reach base.
This is the second perfect game this season, following Philip Humber of the White Sox who blanked Seattle on April 21st. Two perfect games in a season has happened only twice before – in 2010 by Dallas Braden and Roy Halladay, and way back in 1880 by Lee Richmond and Monte Ward. This is also the 5th perfect game in the past 4 seasons, the most concentrated grouping of perfectos ever. In comparison, the 5 preceding perfect games occurred over 14 seasons, from 1991 to 2004.
[Curse you, human need for sleep! Fortunately, Doug covered the big story.]
Nationals 6, @Blue Jays 2: So what else is new? Six strong by Strasburg (8 Ks, just 89 pitches); two scoreless by Stammen (4 Ks); six straight wins over all for Washington, and 7 straight against three erstwhile AL East powers.
Padres 5, @Mariners 4: Hang on, I’ll think o’ something….
Nationals 6, @Red Sox 4: Washington is 5-2 in interleague play, with a scoring margin of 36-23, which just happens to be their season record. Edwin Jackson continued his strong year with 8 innings of 2-run ball; he has a 1.01 WHIP in 12 starts (prior career average 1.48).
1970 Topps #62: AL Batting Leaders / Rod Carew, Reggie Smith, & Tony Oliva
The Twins began life in MLB as the Washington Senators, joining the AL in 1901 along with a bunch of other teams. It took until their 24th season in 1924 to make the playoffs, but they won the World Series that year. They made the World Series, losing both times, twice in following 9 years.
In 1961, the franchise moved to Minnesota and renamed itself the Twins. The team was a force in the late 1960s, finishing first or second 5 times between 1965 and 1970, but losing in the playoffs each year. The Twins won it all in 1987 and again in 1991, and then went into a period of suffering as a small market team. That changed in 2002 when the team posted a 1st place finish (one of 6 between ’02 and ’10) but again the team has lost all 6 times in the playoffs.
In 2011, the Twins turned suddenly dreadful, losing 99 games, and they have been only a bit better so far in 2012.
Let’s take a look at this team’s long list of great players.
SUNDAY
@Pirates 3, Royals 2: Ladies and gentlemen, your first-place Bucs! Winning 12 of 15 (including 4 of 6 from Cincinnati), they’ve surged from 5th place to forge a tie with the Reds. We can celebrate it, but we can’t explain it. Their offense is last in the majors in scoring and in OPS+, they’ve been outscored by 17 runs, the cleanup spot has been a black hole (.200, 4 HRs), and they have just one player with an OPS+ of 100 or better — not just one regular, but one player, period.