Games of the Day

The Pirates and Marlins rank third and fourth respectively in the NL Wild Card race, separated by one game. The meet in Pittsburgh as Tom Koehler takes on Gerrit Cole. Koehler pitched well since the All-Star Break, posting a 2.19 ERA. He walked 10 and struck out 32 in 37 innings in that time frame. Cole comes into the game with just three home runs allowed in 102 1/3 innings. That’s the lowest rate in the majors for pitchers with at least 100 IP.

Division leaders meet in Cleveland as Toronto sends Francisco Liriano against Trevor Bauer. Liriano pitched poorly for Pittsburgh, posting an ERA well over 5.00 with too many walks and home runs allowed. His ERA is still very high with Toronto, as he allowed two home runs in 11 2/3 innings. The four walks allowed is not that bad. Bauer gives up more power at home, opponents slugging .416 against him in Cleveland, .349 on the road.

Rick Porcello goes for his 17th win as the Red Sox face Detroit and rookie sensation Michael Fulmer. Porcello pitched for the Tigers from 2009 through 2014, his last year there setting his previous high in wins, 15. He’s striking out batters at a much higher rate than in that season. Fulmer makes just his sixth start at home, compared to 14 on the road. He owns a 1.41 ERA so far in Detroit.

Tanner Roark of the Nationals and Julio Teheran of the Braves face each other with identical 2.81 ERAs. Roark, pitching for a good team, is 13-6. Teheran, pitching for a bad team, is 3-9. Here is a side-by-side comparison. Teheran is better at striking out and walking batters, Roark is much better keeping the ball in the park. This is one of the best examples of wins and losses being as much a team stat as a pitcher stat.

Finally, I’m on my way to Denver for the Saturday night game between the Cubs and Rockies. They get things started this evening with Kyle Hendricks taking on Tyler Anderson. Kendricks pitched twice at Coors, with one good start and one poor one. He has yet to allow a home run there in 12 1/3 innings. True rookie Anderson makes his 13th start overall and ninth at home. He owns a 3.04 ERA at Coors, with 46 K and 13 BB in 50 1/3 home innings. He is an extreme ground ball pitcher, and that’s working for him so far.

Enjoy!

from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/2b5NjjP