Shin-Soo Choo- TEX- Inj Update- The curse that has hovered over the Rangers this season wasn't finished. Choo has been declared done for the season with a bone spur in his elbow. Although he had hit 4 homers in 90 PAs this month he was only hitting .238. Choo finishes the season with only a .242 average but still managed to post an OBP of .340. His 3 steals is well below his standards. Choo will be a comeback candidate next season if he can maintain his health, which was not impacted just by the elbow but also a sprained ankle.
Yu Darvish- TEX- Inj Update- This will come as an absolute shock, I'm sure, but Rangers' GM Jon Daniels said that it is getting increasingly unlikely that Darvish will pitch again this season. If that's the case, Darvish will have posted the best BB/9 of his career (3.06.) His WHIP went up to 1.26 from the 1.07 he posted in 2013 but that's due in large part to Darvish's BABIP rising from .264 to .334. With a K/9 of 11.35 Darvish will be a high priced starter in 2015 drafts and probably worth every penny.
Ian Kinsler- DET- Stats- Kinsler has actually improved his average from last season with Texas hitting .282 as opposed to .277. He is also on pace to meet or exceed his 13 homers last season (with 12 in 578 PAs) and steals (13 last season and 12 so far in 2014.) However, Kinsler has had a marked drop in Batting EYE (from .86 in 2013 to .36 this season.) His Swing% has gone up a lot (41.0% to 48.3%) while his contract rate has dropped marginally (89.8% from 90.4%.) Kinsler's walk rate has been cut almost in half (4.2% down from 8.3%.) A lot of the drop has happened in the second half. His Batting EYE is only .24 since the Break. This is a major change to take into account when looking at 2015.
James Shields- KC- Cold- Shields seemed to run out of gas in the 7th last night. After holding the Yankees to 2 runs through the first 6 IP, He allowed 4 runs while getting two outs in the 7th inning. Through the first 6 IP Shields had thrown 55 strikes and 32 balls. Then in the 7th he threw 10 balls and 13 strikes. And 5 of those strikes were hits. Shields might be getting pushed harder as the pennant race has been heating up. In his last 9 starts he has thrown 110 or more pitches 5 times. He had done that 6 times in the previous 19 starts. Watch his next start for signs of fatigue.
Steve Pearce- BAL- Hot- Pearce went 2-for-5 with his 15th homer of the season. At age 31 he has established career highs across the board, with the exception of a .289 average which is only bested by a .294 mark in 73 PAs back in 2007. The most likely explanation for this sudden performance is alien pod people. There isn't a much better reason and it is unlikely that this will be a level that Pearce can be expected to maintain in 2015. It's just one of those seasons that can be marveled at and will give Pearce great stories to tell over the years.
Follow me on Twitter all season - @fantisticspaul
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