Robinson Cano is an outstanding hitter, but much less so when there are runners in scoring position (RISP). This fact is well known to those who follow the Yankees, but the extent of his struggles, compared to other good hitters, might surprise you. To be clear, this is not an anti-Cano piece; I’d be thrilled […]
Our divisional theme heads west … and just like your morning paper, the scores from the coast come a day late. @Dodgers 3, Angels 0 (box): Hyun-jin Ryu went past the 8th for the first time in America, and it felt so good, he just kept going, polishing off a 2-hit shutout with 7 Ks […]
Miller and Lester, fine — but I’ve got an SP line that hadn’t occurred in 90 years, and it’s not Alex Cobb, either. You’ll have to read through to find it.
Belated happy 82nd birthday, Willie! May 6 is otherwise a dull day in MLB birthday history: no one else had more than Dick Wakefield’s 56 HRs, 315 RBI or 334 Runs, Walton Cruise’s 644 hits or 49 SB, or Mike McCormick’s 748 games (the ’40s OF, not the pitcher). Gerardo Parra and Jose Altuve, you […]
(Didn’t have much time for this set, alas.) Padres 4, @Cubs 2: If it wasn’t for the two pitching changes, you could say the Pads’ 2-out, 4-run rally in the 8th happened quickly: With 2 on already, it went RBI single, pitching change, first-pitch tying passed ball, walk, pitching change, RBI single, steal, RBI single, […]
@Padres 2, Brewers 1: A tricornered streak-buster, as the Pads had skidded through 5 straight overall and 7 straight home games, winning only their opener. In perhaps his most efficient outing ever, Edinson Volquez blanked the Brewers for 7 innings on 94 pitches, a personal low for that distance. Until 2 outs in the 9th, […]
@Reds 10, Marlins 6: Those 8-run innings will get you every time. With the Fish at 4-15, the drumbeat of ’62 Mets comparisons has begun. I suppose anything’s possible, but keep three things in mind:
I’ve been having a lot of fun playing around with the new PI tools. Here are some of the things I have found. The only pitcher of any significance to wear #1: Matt Young In 2012 the Mets scored 43.5% of their runs with 2 outs, the most in baseball. Yankee killers: Players who smacked […]
I was looking up something else when this caught my eye. Among active players with at least 70 career home runs: The highest percentage of HRs hit at home belongs to Andre Ethier — 66% (85 of 129). The lowest percentage of HRs hit at home belongs to James Loney — 34% (25 of 73). Both bat left-handed and have […]
I tried to be clever with the title of the Angels all-time team post, but I’m not even going to attempt that here. How would that go? The All-Time Brooklyn/Los Angeles Atlantics/Grays/Grooms/Bridegrooms/Superbas/Robins/Dodgers Team? Anyway, I want to make the point that this, and every other post in this series, is an all-time team considering the […]