Games of the Day

The weekend worked out well for the Yankees so far as they go for their eighth win in a row Sunday afternoon against the Rays. The four teams ahead of them in the AL East/Wild Card races played head-to-head and split their first two games, while the Yankees took the first three from Tampa Bay. So the Yankees gained one game on all four teams and now are tied with Detroit, one game out of the second wild card, and three games back of Boston for the division title (in fourth place). The play 14 games against the three teams ahead of them in the division race down the stretch. On Sunday Matt Andriese takes on Luis Cessa. Andriese’s 4.58 ERA seems much higher than it should be. He owns a great strikeout to walk ratio, and a reverse platoon split, where righties hit him much better than lefties. He is easy to run on, however, as opponents are 14-0 against him in stolen base attempts. Cessa ERA is 3.09 as a starter versus 5.30 as a reliever, but his three-true outcome rates are about the same. His whole season is a small sample size.

Meanwhile, Clay Buchholz gets another chance as a starter as Boston faces Toronto and Aaron Sanchez. Buchholz allowed 18 home runs in 94 2/3 innings as a starter this season, and Toronto is a team that can rake. Buchholz has held the Blue Jays scoreless in 8 2/3 innings he pitched against them this season. Sanchez makes his third start against Boston this year, 1-0 with a 2.63 ERA. He has not allowed a home run to the Red Sox in 13 2/3 innings.

The Orioles try to hold off the Tigers from tying for the second wild card slot as Chris Tillman battle Justin Verlander. Tillman pitched well on the road this season, 7-3 with a 3.18 ERA, over a run better than pitching in Baltimore. Both his walks and strikeouts allowed are lower away. Verlander recorded 209 strikeouts this season, having gone the previous two seasons without reaching that milestone. Since the All-Star break he is 6-1 with a 2.09 ERA, walking 14 and striking out 89 in 77 2/3 innings.

The NL Wild Card race is very tight as well, with 1 1/2 games separating the Giants, Cardinals, and Mets. New York sends Seth Lugo against the Braves and Williams Perez. Lugo is off to a great start in his career, allowing just two home runs in his first 41 2/3 innings. Perez allowed six home runs in 51 innings this season.

Milwaukee sends Zack Davies against the Cardinals and Luke Weaver. Davies is a bit of bright spot for the Brewers in 2016, 10-7 with a 4.01 ERA. He shows great control, striking out 120 and walking just 36 in 146 innings. Weaver is another power pitcher the Cardinals had in stock in the minors. He struck out 31 in his first 25 MLB innings, at seasonal age 22.

Finally, the Giants send Matt Moore against the Diamondbacks and Zack Greinke. Moore has been a bit of a disappointment for San Francisco, walking 25 batters in 39 2/3 innings, resulting in a 4.31 ERA. Grienke has been an even bigger disappointment for the Diamondbacks, and his signing, along with Shelby Miller, may lead to a shake up in the front office. Grienke is 2-2 with 7.76 ERA in six starts since the All-Star break, allowing nine home runs in 31 1/3 innings

Enjoy!

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