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Post by chiyankee on Jul 28, 2024 17:08:45 GMT -5
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Post by chiyankee on Jul 28, 2024 17:14:49 GMT -5
Winning this series would be a nice way to end the weekend.
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Post by chiyankee on Jul 28, 2024 17:17:05 GMT -5
Bullpen usage chart. I'd think that Holmes and Kahnle are out for tonight.
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Post by qwik3457bb on Jul 28, 2024 17:40:39 GMT -5
The Sox start righty Tanner Houck in the series finale at Fenway, (the ESPN Sunday Night Maladroit Cast, unfortunately). This is his 2nd start against the Yanks this year. The first was interrupted by rain, and after the delay was over, Houck lost his control and was quickly out of the game. As he has faced the Yanks before, there's no reason to rehash his personal hstory. Since that start, a bit over three weeks ago, he's made two more starts, 6 shutout innings against the A's for a win, and 6 poor innings in Coors Field, allowing 10 hits and 4 runs in a no-decision in a game the Sox would go on to blow twice, 9-8 in 12 innings. Houk is 8-6 on the season with an ERA of 2.71, good for 4th in the league. In 20 starts, he's pitched 123 innings, allowing 105 hits, 48 runs, 37 earned, 6 HR, 29 BB with 114 K's. He's 8th in the AL in innings pitched and leads the AL in fewest HR per 9 innings at 0.44 (2nd in MLB to Cristofer Sanchez of the Phillies). He's struggled a bit lately, giving up 12 earned runs in his last 4 starts in 19 2/3 innings.
Houck has made 8 starts and 5 relief appearances against the Yanks before tonight. He's 3-2 with a 2.11 ERA against them. In 47 innings, allowed just 31 hits, 16 runs, 11 earned, just 2 HR, but also 26 walks,a nd struck out 41. His WHIP against them is 1.213 and the Yankee team quadruple slash line against him is .187/.315/.259/574. He most recent start against them was the rain-interrupted start at the Stadium on July 5th. Before the delay, Houck pitched three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk. He can out after the delay, gave up three walks, a hit, and with the aid of a throwing error, the Yanks pushed across 2 runs before Cora lifted him after the 3rd walk of the inning with 1 out. A 3rd run was driven in by a grounder, and Cortes had a 3-1 lead. But Holmes had a meltdown in the 9th, given up a 2-run HR to Yoshida to blow the save and get Houck off the hook, and Kahnle had his own meltdown in the 10th, giving up a leadoff 2-run HR to Rafaela. Soto led off the Yanks' half with a single that didn't score the ghost runnner, and after Judge and Verdugo popped up, Jensen got Cabrera to groundout for yet another disheartening loss in this long stretch of bad play.
Repertoire: A brief review of Houck's pitching so far this year: He throws 4 pitches, but he's basically a 3-pitch righty, slider at 83 about 42% of the time, Sinker averaging 93-4 about 30%, splitter 88-9 about 26% of the time, and a rarely used cutter 87 about 1-2 pitches per start. He gets elite drop on his sinker and his splitter, sharp tail on the splitter, and his gets more drop than average and elite break away from righties and into lefties on the slider; top 1% in MLB. He has a low barrel rate and a very low hard hit rate, those are partly due to a very high chase rate. His sinker is below average in velocity and spin, but that's not unusual for a sinker. His extension is way below average. His slider has a big plus value, the splitter's plus value per pitch is just as high, but he throws 60% more sliders than splitters. Both are top 5% in the majors. The sinker has a neutral run value. His strand % and BABIP are league average, his HR per flyball percentage is well below average, and that's why his ERA estimators think Houck's ERA should be more like 3.40 than 2.71. His swinging strike rate is average, but his called strike rate is well above average, and that makes his CSW rate a good one, 30%. He gets very few popups, but has the 5th highest ground ball rate among 70 qualified MLB starters.
Reviewing his name game quickly: 11 MLB players with 1st name Tanner; maybe Tanner Bibee will winding up fighting Houck for the title of Best Tanner. Currently, the wonderfully named 19th centurty shortstop and outfielder Sadie Houck is still barely ahead of Tanner in career bWAR, but Tanner should roar right by him before the year is over. Those are two of the three Houcks in MLB history.
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Post by qwik3457bb on Jul 28, 2024 17:43:49 GMT -5
The Yanks send Carlos Rodon out to the mound for the series finale, hoping that his last game, a brilliant start against the Rays, is not a fluke but the harginger of a turnaround. Coming after 6 awful starts in a row, there's no way to know, and hope is dubious, but his back leg slider showed up againist the Rays, and that makes a huge difference in his game. The Sox are a much tougher lineup. On the season, Rodon is 10-7 with a 4.42 ERA. In 21 starts, he's pitched 114 innings, allowing 106 hits, 58 runs, 56 earned, 21 HR, and 35 BB while striking out 122. His WHIP is slightly better than average: 1.237. The 21 HRs he's allowed is tied for 2nd most in MLB, and his HR allowed per 9 innings is 1.7 and is also 2nd most among 70 qualified starters.
Against the Red Sox, Rodon has made 7 starts, going 2-4 with a 4.05 ERA. in 40 innings, he's allowed 38 hits, 21 runs, 18 earned, 8 HR, and 14 BB with 51 K's. His WHIP against them is 1.300, and their team quadruple slash line against him is .238/.307/.438/.744. His last start against them was the game that triggered this current awful 10-22 stretch of games over the last six weeks. He had no location at all, leaving pitch after pitch in crushable spots. He wound up making it through 5, giving up 7 hits, 5 runs, all earned, with 3 BB and 7 K, and despite not allowing a HR, left the Yanks buried in a 5-2 hole after 3 innings. The Sox won, 8-4. Starting with that game, Rodon is 1-5 with an ERA of 7.94 in 7 starts, and 10 HR allowed in 34 innings.
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Post by qwik3457bb on Jul 28, 2024 17:45:23 GMT -5
Yankees lineup vs Houck:
1. Verdugo (LF) is 0-2
2. Soto (RF) is 0-3 with 1 BB and 2 K
3. Judge (DH) is 3-10 with 2 BB and 2 K
4. Wells (C) is 0-5 with a RBI and a K
5. Chisholm (CF) is 0-2 with 1 K
6. Torres (2B) 6-20 with 2 double, a HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP and 2 GIDP
6. Rice (1B) is 0-7
8. Volpe (SS) is 1-5 with 1 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K and 1 GIDP
9. Cabrera (3B) has faced him twice and walked twice
On the bench: Jones is 0-1; LeMahieu (3B) is 0-12 with 1 BB and 1; Grisham (CF) has faced Houck once and walked once.
J.D. Davis...we hardly knew ye'.
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Red Sox lineup vs. Rodon:
1. Duran (CF) is 1-3 with 1 double and 1 K
2. Refsnyder (LF) is 3-9 with 2 doubles and 3 BB
3. Wong (C) is 1-4 with a RBI, 1 BB, and 1 K
4. Devers (3B) is 3-10 with 1 RBI, 1 BB and 3 K
5. O'Neill (RF) 2-3 with a double, 1 RBI and 1 K
6. Gonzalez (1B) has never faced Rodon
7. Jansen (DH) is 0-2 with 1 K
8. Rafaela (SS) is 2-5 with a solo HR, and a K.
9. Westbrook (2B) is 1-3 with a double a RBI and 2 K
On the bench: None
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Post by qwik3457bb on Jul 28, 2024 17:47:15 GMT -5
Yesterday, A common downside of the modern pitching usage is expressed in the adage that the manager will keeping bringing in relievers until he finds the one who doesn't have it that night, and that reliever will cost the team the game. Last night, the Yanks staged a rare example of the inverse, they kept bringing in relievers that kept failing (well, not Kahnle) until they found one who had his stuff, and that reliever, Clay Holmes, earned the W in the 9th, and then saved his own win in the 10th. Throughout the game, the offense gave the Yanks leads or tied the game up after the pitchers let the Red Sox take back the lead, no less than 4 times, but the Yanks got an enormous break when Tyler O'Neill grossly misplayed Trent Grisham's high fly to the Monster into a 2-out game tying double in the 9th. The Yanks then called in Holmes, and he retired the Sox 1-2-3. In the top of the 10th, Soto's single moved ghost runner Oswaldo Cabrera to 3rd; Judge was unintentionally intentionally walked on 5 pitches to load the bases with 1 out. Austin Wells hit a sinking liner to center, and even though Jurran Duran made a great diving catch, Cabrera scored fairly easily to give the Yanks the lead for good. Gleyber Torres doubled off the Monster in left center, scoring Soto and Judge, and the lead was 3. Holmes had a ghost runner of his own to deal with, got two outs including a grounder that moved Hamilton to 3rd, then walked Wilyer Abreu. Finally, he got Masataka Yoshida to roll over to DJ Lemahieu at 1st to end the game, and the Yanks had evened the series. Holmes got just his 2nd win of the year against 4 losses, and Sox reliever Chase Anderson took the loss, dropping to 0-2. Soto, Judge and Cabrera hit HRs for the Yanks; O'Neill hit 2 HRs for the Sox, and Abreu added a solo shot. The win snapped the Yanks' 3-game losting streak, was just their 11th win in 34 games, but got them back to 16 games over .500 at 61-45. The Sox loss was their 5th in 7 games since the Break.
In other AL East games, Daulton Varsho hit a grand slam in the 1st and Kevin Gausman went the whole game on a 4-hitter with 8 K's, and the Jays beat the Rangers 7-3. Gausman got to 9-8 on the season for the Jays, Michael Lorenzen got knocked out by the granny and dropped to 5-6. The Jays won the series with the win; the Rangers have lost 2 straight after winning 5 in a row. The Padres scored in 3 of the first 4 innings, built up an 8-0 lead and coasted to a 9-2 win over the O's, winning the series in Camden Yards. Xander Bogaerts was a HR short of a cycle and Manny Machado had three hits including his 14th HR and knocked in 3. Ex-Yankee Mike King improved his record to 9-6 with 6 1/3 innings of 2-hit, 2-run ball, striking out 9, and Dean Kramer dopped to 4-7 with the loss. The win was the 7th in a row for the Padres; the O's have now lost 5 in a row and 12 out of 18. Zack Littell threw 7 innings of 3-hit shutout ball, and the Rays knocked out Reds' starter Andrew Abbott after just 4 innings on 8 hits and 4 runs, and the Rays shut out the Reds, 4-0. Littell improved to 4-7, and Abbott dropped to 9-7 on the season.
Going into today's games, the Yanks are just 1 game back of the Orioles for 1st in the East, 4 1/2 up on the Sox, 8 up on the Rays and 12 up on the Jays.
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Post by qwik3457bb on Jul 28, 2024 17:51:18 GMT -5
Elsewhere in the AL East today...The Rays seem not to care how many valuable veterans the club trades away. Even after they dealt Paredes to the Cubs, the Rays won another bullpen game with opener Shawn Armstrong and five relievers holding the Reds to 6 hits and a run, and squeaked across two runs in the 8th on a bases loaded two-out dropped 3rd strike, followed by a walk to force in a second run for a 2-1 win in Tampa, winning the series as well. Pete Fairbanks pitched a scoreless 9th for his 20th save, even though he might be the next Ray out the door. Cleavinger had pitched a 1-2-3 8th and got the win, his 7th in relief this year. The Rays have gone 6-3 in their last 9 games. The O's pummeled ex-Yankee Randy Vasquez for three hits, three walks and 6 runs in in the 3rd inning, knocking him out to take a 6-0 lead. The Padres rallied in the 6th and 7th to cut it to 6-5, but the O's got a 2-run single in the 8th from Mountcastle for the insurance runs they needed. Yennier Cano gave up three hits and a run in the 9th, he got both Profar and Cronenworth to ground out and hold on for his 4th save as Baltimore avoided being swept by San Diego with an 8-6 win over the Padres. Mountcastle also had a 2-run single in the 6-run 3rd for 4 RBI on the day. The win broke a 1-5 skid for the O's, and also broke the Padres 7-game win streak. The Jays got 3 in the 1st and 3 more in the 3rd, and rode seven strong innings from Jose Berrios (3 hits, 1 run, 0 BB and 5 K), coasting to a 7-3 win for a sweep of the Rangers in Toronto. Daulton Varsho homered in the 1st for the 2nd straight day, his 13th of the season, and Vlad Guerrero hit his 19th later in the game. Berrios' good start halted a recent 4-start slump and got his record back over .500 at 9-8.
Going into tonight's game, the Yanks trail the O's by 1 1/2, and lead the Sox by 4 1/2, the Rays by 7 1/2 and the Jays by 11 1/2.
And, at 7:10 pm this evening at Fenway, it's Rodon vs. Houck.
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Post by qwik3457bb on Jul 28, 2024 17:54:28 GMT -5
And now, The Sunday Standings™ for Sunday, July 28th...
The Guardians are 4-5 since the Break, and still lead the Central with the best record in the league, 62-42. The Twins are 3-4 since the Break and are now 11 games over .500 and 4 1/2 games back. The Royals have won 5 of 8 since the break and are 8 games over in 3rd, 1 1/2 back of the Twins and 6 games out of 1st. The Tigers are 5-4 since the break, and are in 4th, 2 games under, 5 behind the Royals, 6 1/2 behind the Twins and 11 out of 1st. The White Sox are 0-9 since the break, have lost 13 in a row, and once again, are in competition with the 1962 Mets for the worst team in 124 years. At 27-80, they're on pace to go 41-121, which would put them just percentage points better than that horrific Mets team at year's end. Edit: the White Sox lost again today, 6-3 to the Mariners, and are now at even .250, 27-81. It was their 14th loss in a row.
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Post by qwik3457bb on Jul 28, 2024 17:56:09 GMT -5
In the West, the Astros are 5-3 since the break, are now 55-49 and lead the West by 1 game. The Mariners continued slow slide caused them to trade for outfielder Randy Arozarena and releiver Yimi Garcia, but they're 3-5 since the break, are now 4 games over .500 and in 2nd behind the Astros. The defending champ Rangers are making no real progress, going 5-4 since the Break. They're still 3 games under .500 and in 3rd, 3 1/2 back of the M's and 4 1/2 behind the Astros. The Angels are in 4th, having gone 4-5 since the Break. They're 15 games under .500, 6 behind the Rangers, 9 1/2 behind the Mariners and 10 1/2 out of first. The A's hitting has taken off, leading them a 7-2 record since the Break, and 8 wins in their last 10 games. They're scoring 6.8 runs a game in those 10. Now 19 games under, they're 2 behind the Angels, 8 back of Texas, 11 1/2 back of Seattle and 12 1/2 out of 1st. If I remember right, the Yanks still have a series in Oakland in their final West Coast swing ...yep, next to last week of the season, they have 3 in Seattle and 3 in Oakland.
The current AL Wild Cards are the Yankees, Twins and Royals. The teams within 5 games of Kansas City are the Red Sox (1 game behind), the Mariners (2 1/2 behind) and the Rays (4 behind).
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Post by qwik3457bb on Jul 28, 2024 17:58:12 GMT -5
Over in the NL...
In the East, the Phillies still hold the best record in baseball, 65-39, but are just 3-5 since the break. The Braves are not taking advantage, having dropped 6 of 8 themselves in the 2nd half. They're just 7 games over .500 now, and are 9 1/2 back. The Mets saw their 5 game win streak stopped by the Braves and especially rookie Spencer Schwellenbach, who struck out 11 in 7 scoreless innings in a 4-0 Mets loss. New York is 6-3 since the Break, and fell back into 3rd with the loss, 6 games over .500, 1/2 game behind Atlanta and 10 behind Philly. The Nats are 5-3 since the Break, but acknowledged their status by starting to sell off pieces like Jesse Winkler (to the Mets). Washington is now 7 games under .500, 6 1/2 behind the Mets, 7 behind the Braves and 16 1/2 out of 1st. Despite winning 6 of 9 since the Break, the Marlins' status as trade deadline sellers was settled a while ago, and they sold off reliever A.J. Puk to the D'backs, and infielder/outfielder/energy burst Jazz Chisholm to the Yanks this week. Supposedly the Yanks are one of at least 6 teams trying to pry loose lefty closere Tanner Scott from Miami as well. The Marlins are 27 under, 26 1/2 out of first, and 16 1/2 games behind even the last Wild Card.
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In the Central:
The Brewers are 4-3 in the 2nd half, and lead the division at 59-45. The Cards have hit a mini-skid, losing 4 of their last 5 after winning 34 of 56. They're still in 2nd, but back to just 2 games over .500 and 6 behind Milwaukee. The Pirates are 2-4 since their 6 game win streak was snapped, and their 4-4 in the 2nd half. At even .500, they're 1 behind the Cards and 7 back of the Brewers. The Reds brief 5-2 surge has tailed off; they're 3-4 since the break and are now 4 games under, 2 behind the Pirates, 3 behind the Cards and 9 out of 1st. The Cubs are selling too, apparently. I guess not, they just traded FOR Isaac Paredes. They've dropped 5 of 8 since the Break, and 6 games under .500 and in the cellar. They're 1 behind the Reds, 3 behind the Pirates, 4 behind the Cards and 10 games out of 1st.
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Post by qwik3457bb on Jul 28, 2024 18:00:27 GMT -5
Out West, the Dodgers opened the 2nd half by winning 5 in a row, including an impressive sweep over the hot Red Sox in LA, but have since lost 3 of 4. They're back to 18 games over .500, and lead the West at 62-44. The hottest team in MLB is the Padres again; After winning 9 of 10, then dropping 9 of 13, they've won 7 in a row, moving them to 7 games over .500 and 5 1/2 back of LA. The defending NL champ Diamondbacks are playing and buying players with some urgency; they picked up reliever A.J. Puk from the Marlins this week, and are also one of the six teams supposedly in on his teammate, closer Tanner Scott. They've won 6 of 8 since the break and 10 of their last 13. Arizona is in 3rd, 5 games over, 1 behind San Diego and 6 1/2 back of LA. The Giants swept a double header from the Rockies yesterday, but are treading water at 5-5 since the Break. They're in 4th, 3 games under, 4 back of the D'backs, 6 back of the Padres and 11 1/2 out of 1st. Colorado had a brief week of competence, winning series against both the Giants and Red Sox at home, but have lost the first 3 games of their series in San Fran and are now 4-5 in the 2nd half. Firmly in the NL West cellar at 30 games under .500, they're 13 1/2 out of 4th, and 24 out of 1st.
The NL Wild Cards are currently held by the Braves, the Padres and the Mets. There are 5 teams within 5 games of New York for the last Wild Card; the D'backs are just 1/2 game behind, the Cards are 2 back, the Pirates are 3 back, the Giants are 4 1/2 back, and the Reds are exactly 5 games behind the Mets.
And that concludes The Sunday Standings™ for this week, and also the pre-game dispatches. 1st pitch in roughly 10 minutes.
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Post by rizzuto on Jul 28, 2024 18:08:57 GMT -5
Bullpen usage chart. I'd think that Holmes and Kahnle are out for tonight. Rodon goes seven and Weaver goes two. Easy peasy. |
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Post by qwik3457bb on Jul 28, 2024 18:09:19 GMT -5
Chisholm wears A-Rod's #13?
I don't know if that's a good omen or a bad omen...
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Post by qwik3457bb on Jul 28, 2024 18:09:55 GMT -5
Bullpen usage chart. I'd think that Holmes and Kahnle are out for tonight. Rodon goes seven and Weaver goes two. Easy peasy. Or Rodon goes 4 and Gomez goes 5.  |
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