Seattle: 49-43
Detroit: 48-42
| MARINERS | TIGERS |
EDGE | |
| HITTING (wOBA) |
-50.3 (27th) |
2.1 (14th) | DET |
| FIELDING (UZR) |
33.8 (4th) |
24.4 (5th) | SEA |
| ROTATION (pRAA) |
6.9 (13th) | -7.2 (18th) |
SEA |
| BULLPEN (pRAA) |
-11.7 (25th) | -5.3 (20th) |
DET |
| OVERALL(RAA) |
-21.3 | 14.0 |
Detroit |
It was a big series, and a big week for our pitching staff. Over 35 innings, we allowed a single home run and just 10 free passes to 28(!) strikeouts. We also matched our season average of 42.4% ground balls. That was a legitimately above averagely played series, though the competition factor should not be ignored. Either way let's hope it carries over.
Game 1: Garrett Olson* vs. Rick Porcello
Game 2: Felix Hernandez vs. Armando Galarraga
Game 3: Jarrod Washburn* vs. Lucas French*
I am still playing massive catch up from a weekend away so these are going to be somewhat appreviated.
Porcello: His issues are home runs and control. Or really, home run rate, because he does not allow many home runs in total thanks to his terrific ground ball rates. However he is not missing many bats (I am still waiting, Porcello boosters) and a patient lineup can work him out of a game. Thankfully, we kind of have a patient line up now (see previous post).
Galarraga walks too many hitters and pairs that up with an average strikeout ratio and an average batted ball profile. Guess what? He is below average! Surprising, I know. He throws a low-90s heater, but less than half the time, splitting it up with a mid-80s slider that he also tosses 40% of the time making up the sum total of 133% of all his pitches thrown.
Lucas French? Never really been good before, French was outstanding earlier this year in Triple-A and earned his way onto the rotation. He has the standard lefty repertoire of a mediocre fastball, a meh change and a decent breaking ball. That is enough to miss bats in Triple-A, but so far not in the Majors.
1 recs | 38 comments
Porcello boosters sounds like some sort of afterburner on a spaceship.
Eyebrows - July 21, 2009
Also, to kind of stay on topic
Baseball! I was so bored yesterday without it.
Eyebrows - July 21, 2009
But it's not about me, that would be LLLJ.
How do you feel about the Ms chances today? Olson v Porcello, Detroit would seem to have the edge tonight.
Eyebrows - July 21, 2009
Well
We will probably lose the first game and win the next two like always.
Pessimistic Optimist - July 21, 2009
Im still playing catch up a bit as well.
Just got back from Cabo a couple days ago. Came back to see that the M’s took 3 from the rangers and 3 from the Indians, so i’m happy.
Pessimistic Optimist - July 21, 2009
Apparently no beer sponsored this game.
CapSea - July 21, 2009
Sponsored by sours
Jeff Sullivan - July 21, 2009
Didn't people make the argument last year that Porcello was delibrately not striking people out?
Might want to quit it, Rick.
Jeff Sullivan - July 21, 2009
Yes, they did.
I found it lacking.
Matthew - July 21, 2009
No shit
Jeff Sullivan - July 21, 2009
Triunfel meant to break his leg
Jeff Sullivan - July 21, 2009
Adenhart meant to get killed by a drunk driver.
Eyebrows - July 21, 2009
I feel like a git for rec'ing this.
marinerdan - July 21, 2009
imagine how the driver of the car feels
pdb - July 21, 2009
Intoxicated?
seattlebruin - July 21, 2009
Probably more hung over by this point
pdb - July 21, 2009
That was a classic.
And also, it was really, really common.
I still never understood what the POINT of that was supposed to be. He’s working on improving his BABIP-against? He’s saving his out-pitches for the majors? Why on earth would a pitcher who could strike anyone out choose not to?
marc w - July 21, 2009
So as not to be seen as fascist?
pdb - July 21, 2009
The same reason our right fielder
chooses not to hit home runs even thought he could hit 40 a year if he wanted to.
Rollo Tomasi - July 21, 2009
Or steal 100 bases.
Eyebrows - July 21, 2009
Rec'd for cool username
Milendriel - July 21, 2009
The Tigers told him to work mainly off the sinker and not use his 4-seamer or his curveball very often.
Seems stupid to me, but that’s the story I saw. A lot.
Teej - July 21, 2009
And now?
Jeff Sullivan - July 21, 2009
Just saying it appears to be an organizational/coaching decision and not a Porcello decision.
Fangraphs says he’s throwing a fastball 76% of the time (doesn’t differentiate between 2- and 4-seamers).
Teej - July 21, 2009
That seems silly to do for a HS pitcher
pitching in pro ball for the first time ever. You do not even know what he has and no matter how good his stuff is at the HS level, he needs to develop it. This isn’t like Felix, who blazed through hitters even w/o his slider.
Matthew - July 21, 2009
I agree.
The guy was/is a hell of a prospect, and he’s still super young. Seems weird to me to make him a contact pitcher when he has plenty of time to become something better. But maybe they truly saw him as necessary to make the playoffs this year, at the expense of some development.
Teej - July 21, 2009
To go deeper into games?
Mariner John - July 21, 2009
This is basically true of every GB pitcher
The two-seamer gets you contact and ground balls. The four-seamer gets you strikeouts and fly balls. Pitchers who choose to throw a ton of two-seamers (like Porcello) are deliberately choosing to forgo strikeouts for ground balls.
davidcameron - July 21, 2009
People argued that he would be able to get the strikeouts back.
Matthew - July 21, 2009
And on top of that
I always thought the Tigers wanted a little more than a worse Jake Westbrook. The kid’s 20 years old.
Jeff Sullivan - July 21, 2009
This is a conscious strategy, and one that can succeed at the MLB level.
It’s not the same thing as saying that once the Tigers give him the thumbs up his K rate will double.
He can succeed in mlb exactly the same way he succeeded in the minors….with low Ks and GBs. But this is clearly not what was implied by the comments from last year.
marc w - July 21, 2009
Well, sure
But his strikeout rate can go up if he changes his pitch mix a bit.
davidcameron - July 21, 2009
Well, sure
But his ground ball rate is likely to go down if he changes his pitch mix a bit.
Matthew - July 22, 2009
Thank fuck we have left handed hitters now
Poochie - July 21, 2009
Well, they're left-handed at least.
Eyebrows - July 21, 2009
.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.cgi?n1=galarar01&year=Career&t=p
Poochie - July 21, 2009
I didn't realize the Tigers were so good at defense.
Pessimistic Optimist - July 21, 2009
Improving the defense seemed to be their plan over the winter,
bringing in Adam Everett and Gerald Laird, and getting Marcus Thames out of the outfield. And making Inge the everyday 3B.
Teej - July 21, 2009
You must Login with your SB Nation account and be a member of Lookout Landing to post a comment.