It
is hard to imagine, given the 19 runs scored in game #1
of yesterday’s doubleheader … and the 25 hits
… and the 35 players used … but
the Rangers starting pitcher, Vicente
Padilla pitched
pretty well, tossing 6 shutout IP at the Tigers. He allowed
just 3 hits and 3 walks with striking out 6 and he was awarded the win
for his
trouble, lowering his ERA to 5.70 in the process. Vicente had been
trick or
treat since his return on August 15th (0 runs, 6
runs, 1 run, 6, 0
runs in his previous 5 starts) but he has now strung 12 shutout IP
together over
his last two starts. In those dozen IP he has allowed 5 hits and 5
walks (0.83
WHIP) while striking out 11 (8.2/9). He is aimed at the A’s
next, who we
pointed out in yesterday’s First Pitch have the second-worst
home OBP in
baseball. Carlos
Pena
was
3- for -5 on Tuesday at Fenway, less than half and hour from where he
grew up
in Haverhill,
Ma. Pena hit his 39th homer of
the year, and his 13th in
his last 22 games. His average is up to .279 on the year …or
to be accurate, it
is down to .279. Carlos has actually hit just .262 since the break but
he has
matched his great first half with 18 HRs (20 before the break in 28
more ABs),
54 RBI (52), a .609 SLG% (.609) and 1.007 OPS (1.004). He is
taking more walks than ever this year
(16.1%) but that is probably a newfound respect. Otherwise, his
indicators are
level with what we expect to see from Carlos. Even his 27.0% HR/FB is
not much
better than what we saw when he was with the Tigers in 2005 when he had
a 24.7%
HR/FB in 295 ABs. No, he cannot sustain it, but this is not a real
outlier
either. He has done this before. Carlo’s BHIP% is a level
.300. When you look
at the big picture, it is hard to poke holes in his performance this
year.
J.D.
Drew
was 3-
for -4 on Tuesday, hitting his first HR at Fenway since April.
Everything looks
pretty much like it should on Drew’s stat line this year. His
21.1% K rate and
14.1% BB rate are not too far off of his 21.6% and 14.3% career rates.
His GB
ratio of 1.23 is a bit higher than 1.19 career ratio, but
it’s not worth
noting. J.D.’s BHIP% sits at .307, which isn’t
unfavorable even though it is
lower than his .319 rate. The big difference in his SLG% (.383 this
year, .497
career) can probably be found in his 5.6% HR/FB which is less than 25%
of his
rate in all but two of his last 6 seasons.
I don’t know how you explain that. I do know what I see, and
what I see
with J.D. is a skilled hitter who is often fooled badly these days. I
don’t
know how to explain that either. I have to think it is focus and
adjustment. We
saw the AL
make Josh Beckett look bad last year and there has to be some
adjustment to
baseball in the Northeast, but I think the health issues for
J.D.’s son has to
have a part in this. J.D. can hit. He’s a player. Perhaps a
night like last
night provides the spark for a run.
Phillip
Hughes
rode the Yankees offense to his third win of the year on Tuesday,
holding the
Jays to 2 runs, 1 earned in 6 IP. He allowed just 3 hits, but walked 3
and
struck out just 1 in 106 pitches. He improves to 3-3 on the year and
lowers his
ERA to 4.91. He has now paired up two strong starts in a row. He held
the M’s
to 2 runs in 6 IP on 9/5, allowing 5 hits and 2 walks. He gets the
O’s next in
the Bronx again
Daniel Cabrera. If wins score
well in your league, this should be a good bet, but otherwise Phillips
has been
somewhat trick or treat lately.
Alex
Gordon was
4- for -4 on Tuesday with a pair of doubles, giving him 33 on the year.
His 14
HRs in 488 ABs may be a bit disappointing but those doubles give you an
idea of
the power lurking under the surface. Alex gets balls up in the air
enough (0.8
GB ratio) and has suffered from an anemic 8.9% HR/FB. That will get
better. His
25% K rate is still too high and his 6.9% BB rate is nearly half of his
AA rate
in 2006. Still, he has hit .296 since the break with a .528 SLG%
without shaving
that K rate too much (24.6% and his walk rate has actually declined to
5.0%!). This year has not been all you
might have hoped for from Alex but his talent is undeniable. Hang on.
There will
be more nights like last night. John
Danks
was
hammered again on Tuesday, this time by the Tribe who got to him for 3
runs in
2.2 IP on 3 hits and 4 walks. He struck out 3. He is now winless in his
last 9
starts, and since the break he is 1-7 in 10 starts with a 7.11 ERA and
1.64
WHIP. In the first half, he was 5-6, 4.62, 1.48. He will meet Gil Meche
and the
Royals on Tuesday but he is not fit for anyone’s lineup at
this point.
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