Happy July 4th everyone!
Having faced yesterday's opposing pitcher Ryan Feierabend in the minors, Billy Butler knew what to expect and he entered the game in a comfortable state of mind. The result was a 3- for -5 performance with a three-run HR, bases-loaded double, and 6 Rbi on the day. The HR was his 2nd of the year and helped him double his Rbi total to 12 while raising his average to .286. This is obviously a great day for the young slugger but it probably will not save him from a return trip to the minors when Mike Sweeney returns from the DL. Billy has drawn 1 walk in 70 ABs in this tour. That is taking an important arrow out of his quill. Billy sported a 17.5% BB rate in AA this year and zone command is a big part of his game. He was also striking out at 20.0% clip with the Royals and hitting .262 entering last night. So his numbers look good with this whitewash, but he's not showing his strong zone command here at the MLB level which probably means the 21-year-old needs a little more time.
Ryan Feierabend got lit up by the Royals on Tuesday allowing 10 runs, all earned, in just 4 outs. He gave up 8 hits, 2 walks, and 2 HRs along the way, suffering the loss (1-3) while bloating his ERA to 9.72. Well, needless to say, a 2.5:1 Run:Out Ratio is not good, (I'm a paid professional kids, on a closed course, please don't try this type of analysis at home). Considering his 9 runs allowed in 2.2 IP vs. the Reds back on the 22nd, you shouldn't have had this kid in the lineup anyway, despite his 5 shutout IP against the Red Sox in his last start, so I guess you deserve what you get here if you did. For your 9.7 runs allowed every IP and your 4.3 BBs per 9, and your 2.5 HR/9 you are getting 4.6 Ks, a 1.92 WHIP, and a .338 OBA back. There is no reason to stay in an abusive relationship. Move on.
Joe Blanton went the distance against the Jays on Tuesday allowing just 1 run on 4 hits and a walk while striking out 4. Joe improves to 8-4 by out dueling Jesse Litsch and the Jays to a 3-1 win, while retiring 26- of the final -29 batters he faced. His ERA drops to 3.09 on the year. Joe is benefiting from a good .265 BHIP% but his coming of age, as he crosses the 500 IP mark, can be seen in his 1.6 BB rate (down from 2.5 over his career), and his 0.7 HR rate, which is the result of his career best 1.40 GB ratio. It will be hard for Joe to keep up this pace, and keep in mind that at 128 IP he's on pace for uncharted IP territory (201 IP is his career high). It didn't help that he threw 121 pitches yesterday either. Here is how he has rebounded from high pitch counts games so far this year. After 110 pitches on 4/14 he allowed 3 runs on 7 hits in 6 IP on 4/20 ... After 113 pitches on 5/6 he allowed 2 runs on 5 hits in 7 IP on 5/11 ... After 118 pitches on 5/16, he allowed 4 runs on 8 hits in 5.1 IP on 5/21 ... After 116 pitches on 6/7, he allowed 3 runs on 8 hits in 7 IP on 6/13. Joe has been great but I'm concerned about his next start (scheduled for Sunday vs. the M's) after 121 pitches and I'm concerned about his workload overall. Maybe I shouldn't be, he has a history of being strong second half performer, and Sunday's game is at home where Joe is 4-2 1.69 this year with a .175 OBA (last year however he was 9-5 with a 4.52 ERA and .299 OBA while the year before he was 6-5, 3.35, .226, so make of that split what you will). It seems safe that he will post a sub 4.00 ERA this year, however, and there's nothing wrong with that.
Chien-Ming Wang improved to 8-4 with 7 shutout IP against the Twins on Tuesday. He allowed just 4 hits while walking 4 and striking out 3. Wang did his thing, inducing 12 GBOs against just 3 FBOs, collecting 2 more GIDP, tying him for the MLB lead with the Pirates Zach Duke. Wang remains one the AL's more solid starter options, especially in leagues that do not score strikeouts, as he lowers his ERA to 3.58. The Angels are next.
The Yankees purchased the contract of 26-year-old Dominican native Edwar Ramirez on Tuesday and all he did was finish off yesterday's win by striking out the side in a perfect inning of relief. Edwar has been truly impressive in his ML stint with the Yankees this year, over two levels, striking out 80 in 43.1 IP (16.6/9 ... ! ...) including 47 Ks in 26.2 AAA IP. He had a 0.67 ERA in AAA with a 0.82 WHIP and .147 OBA before being promoted. Ok, I am anxious to see what this kid can do too. Obviously, he has some value in leagues that score strikeouts but just as obviously, with Mo Rivera sitting in the bullpen that will probably be the limit of Edwar's contribution.
Our long National Nightmare is over. Julio Lugo snapped an 0- for -33 train wreck with two-run single in the second inning, which drove in his first runs since June 8th. Maybe he saw the D-Ray unis and remembered that he hit .295 for them just two short years ago. It's interesting ... Julio's plate command is better than his baseline (9.0 BB% and 14.8 K%) ... His GB ratio is up to 1.7 from a 1.5 career rate but that doesn't seem to account for this funk. He is suffering at the hands of a .214 BHIP%, but frankly I see him every day and he has deserved it. He is not hitting the ball well at all. It's not like he is hitting sharp balls right at people. I don't know, maybe you are left to conclude that all of this is happening between his ears. If that is the case, this should help. Maybe he can get a little roll going before the break, come back refreshed, and ready to go.
So far, Daisuke Matsuzaka has been even better than we expected in his first tour of Major League Baseball. He tossed 8 shutout IP at the Rays on Tuesday allowing just 4 hits and a walk while striking out 9. He wins his 10th as a result against 5 loses while lowering his ERA to 3.53 (also while beating Red Sox-killer Scott Kazmir which is a feat in itself). Dice-K has not given up a third run in 6 starts now, lowering his ERA 1.3 runs from 4.83 in that span. The bad news is that he has won just 3 times in those 6 starts, while losing twice. He could just as easily be sitting 13-3 right now. He also lost a 2-1 game to the Jays and a 3-0 game to the M's in April. A 15-1 record would have been entirely within the realm of possibility here in Daisuke's first half season in the Majors. Matsuzaka has reproduced his Japanese League numbers pretty successfully here, striking out 9.3/9 (9.6 in Japan last year), with a .236 OBA (.208), 1.19 WHIP (0.92), and 0.7 HR rate (0.6). His 2.90 BB rate is a bit high against his recent Japanese history but not outlandishly so. Work load could become a factor as Matsuzaka is on pace for a little over 230 IP this year which would be his highest total since 2001, but so far this transplant has gone very well.
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