How Was The Game? (April 19, 2013)
Full of missed opportunities.
Angels 8, Tigers 1
I’m not entirely sure how to describe the game in which the Tigers fell to 9-7 on the season, but it goes something like this. Pitchers allowed runners to reach base, but didn’t allow many of them to score. Anibal Sanchez went 6.2 innings, allowed 11 hits, and allowed 3 runs (2 earned). Hanson went 6 innings, allowed 6 hits, and 4 walks, but allowed no runs. The Tigers had a ton of opportunities to score but ended up leaving 20 men on base over the course of the evening. In the 8th inning, the game got away from the Tigers when with the bases loaded, Jackson and Tuiasosopo misplayed a catchable fly ball with two outs. I wouldn’t consider this one a well played game as far as these things go, as both offenses failed to capitalize on chances and both pitching staffs got into a lot of trouble. The Tigers will send Rick Porcello to the hill Saturday on big Fox (read: where I can’t watch them because of stupid blackout rules that end after this season) and will look for their 10th win of the season at 3pm eastern after not scoring over the last 18 innings.
The Moment: Anibal Sanchez avoids being struck in the head by a Pujols line drive and quite literally gets his hat knocked off. In the next inning, he would actually be hit in the arm with a batted ball.
The Morning Edition (April 19, 2013)
From Last Night:
- Dickey finally delivers a strong start as the Jays beat the White Sox
- Wainwright keeps his walk-less streak alive in a 4-3 win over the Phillies
- Derek Jeter suffers a setback, will be out until at least the All Star Break
What I’m Watching Today:
- Halladay looks to stay on track against the Cards (7p Eastern)
- Buchholz faces Shields in the first game at Fenway since the marathon bombings, pending the current manhunt’s resolution (7p Eastern)
- Stephen Strasburg faces Matt Harvey at Citi Field (7p Eastern)
The Big Question:
- How will Halladay fare against a tough lineup after handling the Marlins last week?
We had some close finishes on Thursday that didn’t make the headlines above like the Rays/O’s and Yankees/Dbacks, but the only thing I can talk about here is Strasburg versus Harvey tonight. Easily the most exciting two right handers in the NL right now square off in the same game, which makes for super-appointment television. The problem for me is that I live in North Carolina, so I can’t watch the game. What are you talking about, you ask? Well, NC is in Nationals territory so it’s blacked out on MLB.TV and local cable companies do not carry MASN, so it’s literally impossible to watch the Nats or O’s while remaining within the confines of the law. Someone please call me and describe this game in great detail! I’m pretty sure not letting me watch this game is a violation of my civil liberties.
How Was The Game? (April 18, 2013)
The appropriate length!
Mariners 2, Tigers 0
Just 13 hours after taking the second game of the series in 14 innings, the Tigers and Mariners hooked up for the final game of the three game set and runs were just as hard to come by in this one, but they played the standard 9 innings. The only scoring came in the bottom of the 7th as the Mariners worked two runs across against Verlander who was otherwise brilliant over 7 innings, striking out 12 while walking just one. The bats made some hard contact from time to time but never got anything going against the Mariners. At any rate, the Tigers won the series and head to LA 9-6 after winning four straight series. They will send Anibal Sanchez to the hill tomorrow against Mike Trout and the Angels.
The Moment: Endy Chavez makes a diving catch to keep Prince Fielder off the bases in the 9th
The Morning Edition (April 18, 2013)
From Last Night:
- Three games were washed out due to inclement weather
- AJ Burnett flirts with a no-hitter enroute to a 5-0 win over the Cardinals at PNC
- Bryce Harper delivers four hits as the Nationals roll the Fish
- Wade Davis leads the Royals to a 1-0 win over the Braves, who lost for the first time in 11 tries
What I’m Watching Today:
- Matt Cain faces recent criminal Gallardo at Miller Park (1p Eastern)
- Jon Lester looks to stay hot in Cleveland (7p Eastern)
- Wainwright tries to keeps his walk-less streak going against Hamels and the Phillies (7p Eastern)
- Fernandez and Cingrani match up at GABP in a prospect-off (7p Eastern)
The Big Question:
- Did Kershaw actually give up homeruns to Everth Cabrera and Chris Denorfia or did I make that up?
AJ Burnett probably had the most interesting night for anyone that didn’t play in the Tigers game (see How Was The Game?) by nearly no-hitting a very good Cardinals lineup. It’s often easy to dismiss Burnett as some sort of headcase due to certain struggles he’s had over the years, but his stuff is really good and he’s had a pretty sneaky good career that is starting to really come full circle in the NL. Harper continues to look great in the early goings with another big game, but the power hitter I have my eye on is Giancarlo Stanton who should be back from his recent injury tomorrow.
How Was The Game? (April 17, 2013)
A thing of beauty.
Tigers 2, Mariners 1 (14 innings)
For my birthday, baseball got me a Max Scherzer, Felix Hernandez pitching duel. It was exactly what I wanted. Both were dazzling on Wednesday in Seattle. They each allowed single runs, Felix in the 5th, Scherzer in the 7th, and dominated the rest of the evening. Scherzer went 8, allowed 6 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, and struck out 12. Felix, not to be outdone, went 8, allowed 4 hits, 1 run, no walks, and struck out 12. It was a thing of beauty in every way. One of the better pitched games on both sides that you’ll see this season. I said yesterday they could combine for 25 strikeouts, they nearly did, topping out at 24. It was so much fun. Eight innings of magic, and then they handed it off to the children who allowed more baserunners, but no runs until Brayan Pena delivered an RBI groundout in the 14th inning to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead. Benoit handled the bottom half of the inning and a game that featured 40 strikeouts came to a glorious end at 237am in the east as Torii Hunter gunned down Justin Smoak at the plate via Prince Fielder’s relay to Brayan Pena, who had to withstand a serious collision. There are probably a great many subtle storylines worthy of discussion from this game that is an early contender for Game of the Year, but I’m simply too exhausted to analyze them. I left it all on the couch tonight. Tigers improve to 9-5 and go for the sweep behind Verlander later today.
The Moment: All of it. Just all of it.
Dynamic Standings Projection (April 17, 2013)
In case you missed it, last week we launched our Dynamic Standings Projection feature on New English D. A full explanation of the methodology can be found here or by clicking the tab at the top of the page. This project seeks to provide a reasoned and cautious approach to updating our beliefs about the baseball future. You can find a summarization of the original projections here. You’ll notice a new column this week on the far right that indicates the difference in projected wins from the preseason prediction. Positive numbers mean teams are now projected to win more games and negative numbers mean a team is now projected to win fewer games.
This Dynamic Standings Projection is updated through the April 16 games.
The Morning Edition (April 17, 2013)
From Last Night:
- Phillies and Reds remain tied in the 9th inning as play was suspended with the score 0-0
- In a wonderful display of patriotism, Yankee Stadium plays “Sweet Caroline” between innings of a 4-2 win
- Braves hit five homeruns and improve to 12-1 on the season
What I’m Watching Today:
- Justin Masterson takes on the Red Sox in Cleveland looking to build on strong start (7p Eastern)
- Cards’ rookie Shelby Miller takes the hill against AJ Burnett and the Pirates (7p Eastern)
- The brilliant and wild Matt Moore takes on the O’s (7p Eastern)
- Clayton Kershaw is pitching (10p Eastern)
- Felix Hernandez and Max Scherzer face off in the battle for the soul of Fangraphs (10p Eastern)
The Big Question:
- What’s the record for most games ahead of 2nd place for a team through 13 games? Braves have to be close. 4.5 ahead of the Mets and Nats as I write this.
Of note on Tuesday was hearing “Sweet Caroline” at Yankee Stadium in honor of those affected by the tragedy in Boston. That’s a relatively powerful statement of solidarity that should bring fear to the hearts of those responsible. Additionally, the Braves won a baseball game, which should not surprise us at this point. They’re 12-1 over their first 13 games but the only offensive star who is producing is Justin Upton. The other guys who are contributing are names like Evan Gattis, Chris Johnson, Juan Francisco, and, I kid you not, Ramiro Pena. Uggla, Simmons, Heyward, and the elder Upton are all struggling. The NL East should shudder at the thought of a Braves team in which all of those players are performing even reasonably well. I would also like to point out Edwin Jackson’s stat line for the season because it is just ridiculous. He’s 0-2 in 3 starts over 16.1 innings and has a 6.06 ERA which sounds awful. But he has an 11.02 K/9, 5.51 BB/9, and .260 FIP. Early season numbers mean very little, but that’s just silly. That’s a technical term, silly.
How Was The Game? (April 16, 2013)
Good, but I only saw 2/3 of it.
Tigers 6, Mariners 2
With respect to the phrase above, let it be known that on the eve of my birthday, when all I wished to do was relax on my couch with the Tigers, MLB.TV saw fit to meltdown for a solid three innings. Alas, it returned in the 4th inning and it had not seemed to affect the team. Cabrera drove in Jackson to take an early lead in the 1st inning and Fister sailed smoothly for the first three. The 4th was an adventure as Doug surrendered 2 runs, but Cabrera came to his rescue with a 2 run homerun to right centerfield that returned the Tigers to the lead in the 5th. The Big Fella wasn’t done, however, and drove Jackson in again in the top of the 7th to give the Tigers a 4-2 lead. They would add two more in the 8th thanks to two based loaded walks by Jackson and Hunter. Fister would maneuver his way through 7 and the bullpen did the rest to secure the Tigers’ third straight victory and their 8th overall on the season. The Tigers struggled against the Mariners last season (1-5) and an early win should help reverse that trend for 2013. Max Scherzer will meet Felix Hernandez Wednesday night at 10pm, so schedule an appointment with your television. There could literally be 25 strikeouts, which would be worth seeing with your own eyes.
The Moment: Miguel Cabrera gives the Tigers the lead with a 2 run homerun in the 5th
The Morning Edition (April 16, 2013)
From Last Night:
- The joy of a Sox win on Patriot’s Day is marred by tragedy in Boston
- The Nats pound the Marlins behind a CG from Zimmerman
- The Reds survive a tight one against the Phillies
What I’m Watching Today:
- Kris Medlen takes the mound for the Braves (7p Eastern)
- Barry Zito tries to keep the magic going against the Brewers (8p Eastern)
- Chris Capuano makes his first start in place of Zach Greinke (10p Eastern)
The Big Question:
- Will the teams who didn’t play Monday wear #42?
Baseball took a backseat on Monday after attacks killed and wounded many during the Boston Marathon. Our hearts are heavy for those who lost loved ones and who are currently fighting for their lives. Boston isn’t a city that will stay down for long. For today, this Tigers fan says “Go Red Sox.”
The Morning Edition (April 15, 2013)
From Last Night:
- Clay Buchholz makes a run at his second no-hitter in a 5-0 win over the Rays
- The Braves complete a sweep of the Nats with a 9-0 win
- Halladay goes 8, gives up 1 run in a 2-1 win over the Marlins
- The Giants outslug the Cubs in 10, win 10-7
What I’m Watching Today:
- MLB celebrates Jackie Robinson day
- Rays and Sox play a morning game on Patriot’s Day in Boston (11a Eastern)
- Cliff Lee looks to stay sharp against the Reds (7p Eastern)
- The Padres and Dodgers meet just three days after Quentin injures Greinke, but Quentin will begin serving his suspension and won’t be in the lineup (10p Eastern)
The Big Question:
- Who will stand out on a day meant to honor the great #42?
Roy Halladay pitched deep into the game in Miami yesterday, temporarily quieting the whispers, but it was against one of the worst teams in the league, so we have to be cautiously optimistic. After two rough starts to get the season going, Halladay was much closer to his old self and should get a chance to fully correct his recent woes. The other big story on Sunday was the Braves completing a 3 games sweep of division rival Washington, who most, including the author, believe to be the best team in the league. Certainly one series doesn’t change my opinion of the clubs, but the Braves have played very well out of the gate and are putting early distance between themselves and the Nats. It doesn’t mean they’re a better team, but every game is going to count and I’d rather be ahead than behind after two weeks.
Ahead today is the Padres and Dodgers game that will feature neither of the principals from last Thursday’s melee, but it should feature some tempers. I doubt we’ll see any beanballs given the cost of escalating the conflict further, but I expect the Dodger faithful will have something to say to the Padres as they take the field. Vin Scully will be on the mic at 10pm, try not to miss it.
It’s too early to make meaningful statistical arguments about performance, but Justin Upton and Prince Fielder are leading the MVP races over the first two weeks. In 12 games, Upton has 7 HR, a .348/.415/.891 slash line, and a 242 wRC+, good for 1.1 WAR. Fielder only has 4 HR, but his .429/.527/.833 line and 250 wRC+ are no less impressive alongside his 1.0 WAR. Like I said, it’s too early for these numbers to be predictive of anything, but both players have sustained the performances long enough to consider them noteworthy and impressive in their own rights. Many players are having good fortnights, but these two are leading the way.
Pitchingwise, it’s a bit more difficult to separate the players, but Kershaw, Wainwright, Darvish, and Harvey would be the arms I’d point to as the early year standouts. It’s too early to make much of it, but they, among others, have been the most fun to watch in the early goings.
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