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July 31, 2007
These two were traded for each other, and it was neat to sue Ty’s batter-vs-pitcher page to find the three times he faced Dan:
Car# Year Date Tm Opp Score Inn RoB Out Cnt Pit Play Desc.
+-----+----+-------------+---+----+-----------+---+---+---+---+---+-------------------------+
1 2004 2004-09-03 PIT @HOU down 6-8 t 8 — 1 1-1 3 Flyball: CF
2 2004-09-05 PIT @HOU down 5-10 t 9 — 0 0-2 4 Flyball: LF
3 2004-09-10 PIT HOU ahead 5-1 b 8 -23 0 2-2 3 Groundout: SS-1B
They all happened when Wigginton was with Pittsburgh. I can’t believe they never met in any exciting interleague battles between Houston and Tampa Bay!
I also like that Wigginton’s B-R abbreviation is “wiggity”. Wasn’t that a hit for the Fresh Prince? 
He’s in the news as a new Met this trade line. Strange career - how many guys in this day & age have OBP higher than their SLG?
One fun thing you can do with the PI is find similar players and see how they aged to get an idea how Castilo might age.
Let’s look at guys who from ages 23-31, played at least 1150 G at key defensive positions (2B, SS, 3B, & CF - I’m leaving out catcher because it’s a very different position) who had SLG under .370 and OBP over .350.
I’m aware Castillo’s on the border of many of that criteria, but think that’s actually appropriate here. He’ll have more games played by the end of the year, his SLG should be higher than those I’m comparing him to because of the era adjustment, and I want a higher OBP to toss out the real no-hit Belanger types.
Here are his similar hitters. Clyde Milan fell apart at age 33. Randolph was good through 32, but then was hit-of-miss thereafter. Bucky Harris disintegrated at age 31. Donie Bush flopped in his early 30s and completely fell apart at ag 33. I think he’s slightly better than Bush, definately better than Harris, but nowhere near as good as the other two. I’d expect him to flop next year.
I have no idea if he’s under contract next year, mind you, but this is the sort of thing you can look up ith PI.
There’s a fellow named Rasmussen who has been in the news with regards to the Tour de France, which made me think of former pitcher Dennis Rasmussen (no relation, as far as I know.)
Looking at Dennis Rasmussen’s main B-R.com page, did you know that he was twice the “player to be named later” in a trade? Once in a trade for Tommy John, and the other in a trade for John Montefusco.
Just for curiosity, who hit the most homers of Rasmussen?
The answer isTom Brunansky with 5, followed by George Bell with 4, and several guys with 3.
Top OPS vs. Rasmussen, minimum 25 PAs?
The answer is Lloyd McClendon, with a robust 1.408 OPS over 26 PAs (11 hits, 3 2Bs, 2 HRs, 5 RBI in 23 ABs), followed by Larry Herndon at 1.293 and Alan Trammell at 1.217.
And finally, a positive stat: lowest OPS vs. Rasmussen, again minimum 25 PA:
Four guys have OPS under .400:
PA AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG **OPS** SH SF IBB HBP GDP G_miss YR_miss
+-----------------+---+---+---+--+--+--+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+---------+---+---+---+---+---+------+-------+
Lance Parrish 25 23 2 0 0 0 0 2 7 .087 .160 .087 .247 0 0 0 0 0
Spike Owen 33 30 3 0 0 0 2 3 7 .100 .182 .100 .282 0 0 0 0 1
Craig Biggio 32 29 4 0 0 0 0 3 6 .138 .219 .138 .357 0 0 0 0 1
Alfredo Griffin 38 34 5 0 0 0 1 3 8 .147 .216 .147 .363 1 0 0 0 0
On second thought, maybe Craig Biggio isn’t a Hall of Famer (just kidding.)
July 30, 2007
If you didn’t catch Sunday’s Astros-Padres game, you missed history being made. Astros starter Jason Jennings allowed 11 runs (all earned) and got only 2 outs.
Using PI, we can find the pitchers who allowed the most runs in a game while not getting even three outs. We see that Jennings joins Luke Hudson as the only guys to allow even 10 runs (let alone 11) while not pitching an inning.
You might recall that Hudson’s 2006 start made news, as he was the first pitcher since Hall of Famer Kid Nichols to allow 11 runs in the first inning of a game. But neither Hudson nor Nichols can match Jenning’s 11 earned runs allowed in the first inning. Based on my research, Jennings is the first pitcher to allow 11 earned runs to start a game since Tony Mullaneallowed SIXTEEN earned runs in the first inning on June 18, 1894, against Boston. Sorry, baseball-reference.com doesn’t have that box score online quite yet.
And oh yeah, lost in all the hubbub of Jennings doing something that hasn’t happened in 113 seasons, we almost missed the fact that Jeremy Bonderman also gave up 11 runs on Sunday night. Thanks to PI, we can find the other dates since 1957 where two different pitchers each allowed 11 runs or more; just search for pitchers who allowed 11+ runs, then sort by date:
This means that Sunday was just the third day since 1957 where two pitchers each allowed 11+ runs; the others were:
4/29/1999: Mel Rojas (DET, 11 runs) and Roy Halladay (TOR, 11 runs)
8/24/2002: Jose Lima (DET, 11 runs) and Jose Cabrera (MIL, 11 runs)
7/29/2007: Jeremy Bonderman (DET, 11 runs) and Jason Jennings (HOU, 11 runs)
Notice a trend there? Maybe Tigers fans will…..
I’ve read that the Yankees are 2-13 this season against left-handed starters on the road. That’s a big reason why their overall W-L record this season is not great. But, I was curious as to what happened in those 13 losses. So, I turned to Baseball-Reference.com’s Play Index Game Log Finder and set it for “For 2007, Against NYY, Throws LH, Team Won, At Home, as Starter” and this is what I found - sorting the results by Game Score for the starter facing New York:
Cnt Player Date Tm Opp GmReslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO HR Pit Str **GmSc** IR IS BF AB 2B 3B IBB HBP SH SF GDP SB CS Pk BK WP ERA
+----+-----------------+-------------+---+----+-------+---------+----+--+--+--+--+--+--+---+---+--------+--+--+--+--+--+--+---+---+--+--+---+--+--+--+--+--+------+
1 Erik Bedard 2007-06-27 BAL NYY W 4-0 GS-7 ,W 7 2 0 0 1 8 0 108 62 80 24 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
2 Jarrod Washburn 2007-05-11 SEA NYY W 3-0 GS-8 ,W 8 6 0 0 1 6 0 109 69 75 32 31 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
3 Jeff Francis 2007-06-20 COL NYY W 6-1 GS-7 ,W 7 5 1 1 1 9 0 100 59 71 26 25 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1.29
4 Scott Kazmir 2007-07-13 TBD NYY W 6-4 GS-6 ,W 6 4 1 0 4 7 0 117 71 65 25 21 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
5 Brian Burres 2007-07-28 BAL NYY W 7-5 GS-6 ,W 6 4 1 1 3 7 1 98 58 64 24 20 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 1.50
6 Oliver Perez 2007-05-18 NYM NYY W 3-2 GS-8 ,W 7.2 5 2 2 2 5 1 111 67 64 28 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2.35
7 Jorge de la Rosa 2007-07-26 KCR NYY W 7-0 GS-6 ,W 5.1 6 0 0 2 5 0 96 56 59 26 23 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0.00
8 Horacio Ramirez 2007-05-13 SEA NYY W 2-1 GS-7 ,W 6.1 5 1 1 1 1 0 82 50 59 25 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.42
9 Scott Kazmir 2007-04-24 TBD NYY W 6-4 GS-7 6.2 5 3 1 2 5 1 108 59 59 28 25 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1.35
10 Noah Lowry 2007-06-24 SFG NYY W 7-2 GS-6 ,W 5.2 2 1 1 5 2 0 91 52 58 22 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1.59
11 John Danks 2007-05-16(1) CHW NYY W 5-3 GS-7 ,W 6.1 7 2 2 2 7 1 88 56 56 28 26 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.84
12 Tom Glavine 2007-05-19 NYM NYY W 10-7 GS-6 ,W 6 9 3 3 2 2 1 101 58 42 26 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 4.50
13 Casey Fossum 2007-04-23 TBD NYY W 10-8 GS-6 ,W 5.2 10 6 6 1 2 2 82 51 26 26 21 3 0 0 1 1 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 9.53
In the top 6 games listed here, you could say that the Yankees just ran into a pitcher who shut them down - period. And, in the last 2 games listed here, you could say that the Yankees pitching staff was more to blame for the loss than New York’s hitters.
The five games in the middle are the really interesting group. Four of the five games here were situations where it was the Yankees’ “last game of the series and the day to leave town.” (These dates being 4/24, 5/13, 6/24, and 7/26.) Could the issue here be that the Yankees just checked out of a series mentally before it was actually over - and that’s the reason for their poor performance in these losses? It’s possible. There have been reports this year that the Yankees lack focus at times.
So, take the bottom two games listed here in the list of thirteen (where the Yankees pitchers were to blame) and make them wins (instead of losses). And, then take two of the four “mental checkout” losses and make them wins. This makes the 2-13 record “against lefties on the road” read to be more like 6-9…which is not great…but, it’s a lot better than 2-13. And, with a 6-9 mark, it does not paint the “Can’t beat lefties on the road” pitcture like the 2-13 record would suggest here.
The Yankees’ 2-13 record in these may have more to do with the Yanks’ pitching and their ability to focus than it does with which hand the other team is using to throw and where the games are being played. I stress “may” - still, it’s something to consider here.
Bill Robinson passed away yesterday. He was a member of the 1979 Pirates’ championship team.
Some of his career stats:
Most HR against a particular pitcher:
PA AB H 2B 3B **HR** RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS SH SF IBB HBP GDP G_miss YR_miss
+—————–+—+—+—+–+–+——+—+—+—+—–+—–+—–+—–+—+—+—+—+—+——+——-+
Phil Niekro 58 55 14 4 0 6 13 3 11 .255 .293 .655 .948 0 0 0 0 1
John Curtis 50 46 13 0 0 5 13 4 5 .283 .340 .609 .949 0 0 1 0 3
Jerry Reuss 59 56 15 1 1 5 12 2 8 .268 .305 .589 .894 0 0 1 1 4
Most hits against a particular pitcher:
PA AB **H** 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS SH SF IBB HBP GDP G_miss YR_miss
+—————–+—+—+——-+–+–+–+—+—+—+—–+—–+—–+—–+—+—+—+—+—+——+——-+
Steve Carlton 96 88 28 4 0 4 9 7 10 .318 .368 .500 .868 1 0 3 0 3
Jim Kaat 64 61 17 2 0 1 6 2 4 .279 .313 .361 .674 0 0 2 1 3
Jerry Koosman 59 55 17 6 0 2 9 3 10 .309 .339 .527 .866 0 1 1 0 1
Jon Matlack 63 58 17 6 0 4 8 4 9 .293 .333 .603 .936 0 1 0 0 2
And I noticed an interesting thing in his career splits. Comparing his pre- and post-All-Star performance, he had OBP of .300 exactly both before and after the break, as well as a SLG of .438 exactly both before and after the break. His batting average was 2 points higher before the break, a difference of only about 5 hits over 16 seasons (if normalized to the same number of at-bats.)
Also he was once traded for another played who also passed away this year at too young of an age: Clete Boyer.
What’s the surest way for a starting pitcher to earn a win? You’d have to think this would be high on the list: when his team scores 11 runs in the top of the first inning. (more…)
July 29, 2007
The AP preview on today’s Pirates-Phillies game notes that Kyle Kendrick pitched at least 6 innings in his first 6 starts for the Phillies this year, which were the first 6 starts of his career. That got me to wondering who the leaders are for that category. The results are not too surprising. For year 2000 to present, most consecutive starts with at least 6 innings pitcher to start a career: (more…)
We know that Alex Rodriguez has a zillion homers this season. Well, actually, he has 35 - but, at this stage of the season, that seems like a zillion-something. However, do you know that A-Rod has hit homers off 34 different pitchers this season, to-date? Thanks to Baseball-Reference.com’s Player Index Batting vs. Pitcher tool, we can see who Alex has taken downtown this year:
PA AB H 2B 3B **HR** RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS SH SF IBB HBP GDP G_miss YR_miss
+-----------------+---+---+---+--+--+------+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+-----+---+---+---+---+---+------+-------+
Curt Schilling 9 8 3 1 0 2 4 1 1 .375 .444 1.250 1.694 0 0 0 0 0
Erik Bedard 6 6 1 0 0 1 2 0 2 .167 .167 .667 .834 0 0 0 0 0
Joe Blanton 3 2 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 .500 .667 2.000 2.667 0 0 0 0 0
Boof Bonser 6 5 1 0 0 1 3 1 2 .200 .333 .800 1.133 0 0 1 0 0
Chris Bootcheck 2 2 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 .500 .500 2.000 2.500 0 0 0 0 0
Joe Borowski 1 1 1 0 0 1 3 0 0 1.000 1.000 4.000 5.000 0 0 0 0 0
Ryan Bukvich 2 2 2 0 0 1 5 0 0 1.000 1.000 2.500 3.500 0 0 0 0 0
Ambiorix Burgos 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1.000 1.000 4.000 5.000 0 0 0 0 0
Shawn Camp 5 5 1 0 0 1 2 0 3 .200 .200 .800 1.000 0 0 0 0 0
Dewon Day 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1.000 1.000 4.000 5.000 0 0 0 0 0
Casey Fossum 5 4 3 0 0 1 1 1 0 .750 .800 1.500 2.300 0 0 0 0 0
Tom Glavine 6 5 1 0 0 1 2 1 0 .200 .333 .800 1.133 0 0 0 0 0
Brad Hennessey 2 2 2 0 0 1 2 0 0 1.000 1.000 2.500 3.500 0 0 0 0 0
Livan Hernandez 3 3 2 0 0 1 3 0 1 .667 .667 1.667 2.334 0 0 0 0 0
Orlando Hernandez 3 1 1 0 0 1 3 1 0 1.000 .667 4.000 4.667 0 1 0 0 0
Masumi Kuwata 1 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 1.000 1.000 4.000 5.000 0 0 0 0 0
Tom Mastny 3 3 1 0 0 1 2 0 2 .333 .333 1.333 1.666 0 0 0 0 0
Gil Meche 4 4 2 0 0 1 2 0 0 .500 .500 1.250 1.750 0 0 0 0 0
Jonathan Papelbon 2 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 .500 .500 2.000 2.500 0 0 0 0 0
Sidney Ponson 4 4 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 .250 .250 1.000 1.250 0 0 0 0 0
+-----------------+---+---+---+--+--+------+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+-----+---+---+---+---+---+------+-------+
PA AB H 2B 3B **HR** RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS SH SF IBB HBP GDP G_miss YR_miss
+-----------------+---+---+---+--+--+------+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+-----+---+---+---+---+---+------+-------+
Chris Ray 2 2 1 0 0 1 4 0 0 .500 .500 2.000 2.500 0 0 0 0 0
Chris Resop 1 1 1 0 0 1 3 0 0 1.000 1.000 4.000 5.000 0 0 0 0 0
Al Reyes 1 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 1.000 1.000 4.000 5.000 0 0 0 0 0
Juan Salas 1 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 1.000 1.000 4.000 5.000 0 0 0 0 0
Scott Schoeneweis 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1.000 1.000 4.000 5.000 0 0 0 0 0
Josh Sharpless 1 1 1 0 0 1 3 0 0 1.000 1.000 4.000 5.000 0 0 0 0 0
James Shields 6 5 2 0 0 1 2 1 0 .400 .500 1.000 1.500 0 0 0 0 0
Josh Towers 4 4 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 .250 .250 1.000 1.250 0 0 0 0 1
Steve Trachsel 3 3 2 1 0 1 2 0 0 .667 .667 2.000 2.667 0 0 0 0 0
Tim Wakefield 8 5 2 0 0 1 2 3 2 .400 .625 1.000 1.625 0 0 0 0 0
Jered Weaver 3 3 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 .333 .333 1.333 1.666 0 0 0 0 0
Jake Westbrook 2 2 2 0 0 1 3 0 0 1.000 1.000 2.500 3.500 0 0 0 0 0
Jay Witasick 1 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 1.000 1.000 4.000 5.000 0 0 0 0 0
Mike Wood 6 4 1 0 0 1 2 0 1 .250 .500 1.000 1.500 0 0 0 2 0
Curt Schilling is the only pitcher to allow more than one homerun to A-Rod this season - again, so far. It will be interesting to see if Rodriguez continues this trend of hitting homers off different pitchers - just one per customer outside of ol’ Red Light - for the remainder of the season.
July 27, 2007
When Arod recently got to 100 RBI in, I think, 99 games, there was a lot of talk about how he was the third Yankee to do this, following two no-names called Gehrig and DiMaggio.
It got me to thinking about an unrelated stat, which is fewest games played in a complete season while also reaching 100 RBIs. If you don’t limit the search to 2006 and earlier, Arod’s current season shows up since he has 100 RBIs already, but we’re not talking about reaching 100 RBIs in the fewest games.
Anyway, here’s the list (1901-2006):
(more…)
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