Brett Myers (SP-HOU) Myers pitched well against the Pirates last night as he improved his ERA to 4.66 and saw his record go to 4-13. He allowed 1 run on 4 hits (1 home run), and struck out 6 in 7.2 innings of work. Myers' overall numbers have been hurt because his HR/FB ratio has increased from a career best 8.5 percent in 2010 to 14.8 percent this season. Additionally, he has lost some break on both his slider and curveball and his average fastball velocity has decreased from 89.3 last season to 88.4 mph. As a result his strikeout rate has dropped from 7.24 K/9 to 6.75 K/9, and his swinging strike rate has declined to 7.5 percent. His xFIP of 3.82 suggests he will pitch better this season, but his career rate is much lower than his ERA because his HR/FB ratio is 14.3 percent.
Carlos Pena (1B-CHC) Pena went hitless in 5 at-bats including 3 strikeouts against the Reds last night, and he saw his slash line drop to .225/.354/.452 for the season. He does have 25 home runs, but his .227 ISO is the second lowest since his breakout season in 2007 and his 18 percent HR/FB is the lowest since that season. While he has improved his batting average this season, he has received more luck this season and his line drive rate of 14.2 percent is the lowest of his career. However, he has improved his walk rate from 14.9 percent to 16.3 percent, and he has lowered his strikeout rate from 27.1 to 25.8 percent. Pena looks to have passed his peak, but he will provide a decent OBP and power next season for owners. He has a shot to reach 30 home runs this season, but he looks like he will fall short.
Stephen Strasburg (SP-WAS) Strasburg was impressive in his first big league start since last year's Tommy John surgery. He shutout the Dodgers for 5 innings and allowed only 2 hits while striking out 4. His average fastball velocity was very good at 96.1 mph, but he still has a way to go before reaching last seasons average of 97.3 mph. Strasburg only threw 7 curveballs along with 5 change-ups, and he seemed to be focusing on throwing his both of his fastballs for strikes early in the count. I don't know how much Strasburg will help in the playoffs since some pitchers coming back from Tommy John will have off days early on, but Nationals fans and keeper league players should be encouraged by Tuesday's start. His overall command was impressive, 77.3 percent of fastballs were strikes, since pitchers say that is the last thing to comeback when rehabbing.
Dee Gordon (SS-LAD) Gordon went 3-for-5 with a stolen base and one run scored in the Dodgers' 7-3 victory over the Nationals. The stolen base was his sixteenth of the season, and he improved his slash line to .277/.288/.336 in 140 plate appearances in 2011. He has yet to hit a home run, but that is expected since he has only hit 7 in his four-year professional career. Gordon's speed has been just as advertised, but his plate discipline needs to be improved. He has a 1.4 percent walk rate, and he has chased pitches out of the strike zone at a 46.5 percent rate. However, pitchers have established a first pitch strike rate of 72.1 percent, which is an unsustainable number. His walk rate should improve somewhat by the end of the season, and it should improve to the 4 to 5 percent range next season. He is an interesting candidate for next season because of his 50-plus stolen base potential.
Angel Pagan (CF-NYM) Pagan went 2-for-4 with 2 doubles, 2 runs scored and 1 RBI against the Marlins last night, and he has hit .400 since September. He has improved his overall slash line to .268/.322/.388 for the season, and he has 29 stolen bases and 7 home runs in 46 0 plate appearances this season. Pagan's batting average has dropped because of a drop in his BABIP from .331 last season to .288 in 2011. However, this drop is purely the product of luck since he has improved his line drive rate to 24 percent, which ranks in the top 10 among qualified hitters this season. Additionally, he has dropped his infield fly ball percentage from 10.7 to 7.9 percent and reduced his strikeout rate from 15.3 to 10.9 percent. I expect Pagan to have a better 2011 season at the plate since his BABIP should be closer to his career rate of .316.
