The Dodgers, 61-29 through 90 games, own the best record in the majors at the All-Star break. They’ve gone 26-4 over their last 30 games, during which time the starting pitchers are 19-3 with a 2.68 ERA, 9.9 K per 9 IP, 2.3 walks per 9 IP, and 0.91 HR per nine IP. That kind of line could win an individual starter a Cy Young Award.
This is a three-true outcomes team on both sides of the ball. Dodgers batters are first in walks in the NL, third in home runs, and fifth in strikeouts. That puts them second in runs per game. The Dodgers pitchers struck out the most batters, walked the fewest, and allowed the second fewest home runs. They own the lowest runs allowed average by half a run. If one were to build a successful sabermetric team, this would be it.
The team is a good mix of young and old. Most of the batters are in their primes or younger, with Chase Utely and Adrian Gonzalez coming in at the high end of the age scale. Justin Turner is the odd player in this group, someone past his prime but still not old. The age distribution of this offense indicates the team should be successful for many years ahead.
At the end of the game, Kenley Jansen just keeps getting better. He’s consistently struck out over 13 batters per nine innings pitched throughout his career. In recent seasons he improved his control. He took it to the next level this season with just two walks in 37 2/3 innings. He also allowed just two home runs.
All the work of the new Dodgers ownership appears to be coming together this season. Like the Astros and Cubs, this is a carefully crafted team that should be good for a number of years. The Dodgers are being pushed by two better than expected teams, the Diamondbacks and the Rockies. So far, the Dodgers responded well to the challenge. We’ll see if the other two teams answer in kind.
from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/2uM8LlR
No comments:
Post a Comment