The Sport Spy Saturday MLB Report - Best You'll Find Anywhere!

TheSportSpy · Apr 17, 2010

Friday MLB Recap
-Houston OF Carlos Lee singled in the sixth to snap a career-worst 0-for-18 slump. The Astros' cleanup man is still hitting just .103 and has yet to drive in a run.
-The Chicago Cubs have homered in their last 20 games against the Astros - the longest streak against one team in franchise history.
-The attendance of 10,421 was Cleveland's third straight under 11,000 - after going more than 17 years without a crowd that low.
-Indians SS Asdrubal Cabrera entered the game in a 1-for-18 slump, but went 2 for 4.
-New York Yankees have won five of six for its best 10-game start since a 9-1 beginning in 2003.
-Yankees SP C.C. Sabathia improved to 8-3 with a 4.29 ERA in 14 career starts against the Rangers. It was his first start against Texas since June 2008.
-Philadelphia SP Roy Halladay threw 100 pitches in moving his record to 3-0 for the year with a 1.13 ERA.
-The Phillies are averaging 7.7 runs per game.
-The Marlins have won nine of their last 11 games in Philadelphia.
-Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker and pitching coach Bryan Price held a pregame meeting with Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto and Homer Baily, who combined to allow 22 runs in 20 1/3 innings in a four-game series split at Florida.
-Los Angeles Angels SP Jered Weaver improved to 6-1 with a 2.93 ERA in seven career starts against the Blue Jays.
-Minnesota Twins lineup forced Kansas City SP Zach Greinke to throw 108 pitches in five innings.

TheSportSpy · Apr 17, 2010

Chicago White Sox
-The Chicago White Sox continue a seven-game trip this afternoon in Cleveland. RHP Jake Peavy, who is 7-1 with a 3.60 ERA in his last 10 starts, takes the mound for the White Sox.
-Chicago is 2-5 vs the American League Central after going 34-38 in 2009, their first losing record within the division since 1996.
-Team has used 7 different lineups this season after using 126 in 2009.
-The White Sox have lost three straight games versus the Indians en route to a 1-3 series mark. Chicago is hitting .167 with a 3.16 ERA against them, being outscored by the Indians, 16-14.
-Rank 2nd in the AL with 16 home runs this season and have hit 12 in their last 6 games. In contrast, Sox pitchers have allowed a major-league low 5 home runs.
-Chicago went 20-6 on Saturdays in 2009, including an 8-5 mark on the road. The White Sox also went 7-1 in games televised on FOX.
-Bullpen leads the major leagues with a 1.78 ERA and an average of 12.7 strikeouts per 9 IP.
-Peavy has gone 5-3 with a 3.59 ERA in 11 starts against the AL Central. The right-hander is 3-0 with a 3.82 ERA in his last 5 starts vs the AL. He had trouble in his last start against Toronto, as Peavy is 1-2 with a 7.88 ERA in three career starts in Canada.

TheSportSpy · Apr 17, 2010

Milwaukee Brewers
-Is Game 5 of a 9-game, 11-day road trip to Chicago-NL (1-2), Washington (0-1) and Pittsburgh. Following this trip, the team returns to Miller Park for a six-game homestand.
-The Brewers are 15-8 in their last 23 games against the Nationals, as they've carried a winning record against the club in every year since 2006.
-Milwaukee has used a different lineup in each of the first 10 games of the season.
-IF Rickie Weeks (.324) has hit safely in each of his first 10 games this season.
-Pitching staff has allowed 18 HR through the first 10 games of the year, which is the most every allowed by the team through its first 10 games.
-SP Randy Wolf's 2.78 road ERA last season ranked 5th in the National League. The left-hander is 9-4 with a 4.43 ERA in 20 starts against the Nationals, including 3-0 with a 3.68 ERA over his last 7 starts. Wolf has never pitched at Nationals Park.

TheSportSpy · Apr 17, 2010

Chicago Cubs
-Won the second of a three-game set agains the Houston Astros, 7-2. SP Carlos Silva recorded the victory, allowing to unearned runs in 7 innings of work. Chicago is looking to win its first two home series of the season since 2003.
-The Cubs have hit .338 in the first four games of this homestand, after batting just .197 on its season-opening road trip (ATL/CIN).
-Two hitters rank among the NL Top-10 in pitches per plate appearance. 1B Derrek Lee leads the Senior Circuit, seeing 4.78 pitches, while 3B Aramis Ramirez is 7th at 4.42.
-Chicago is tied with Arizona for the NL-lead in home runs (16), as Toronto leads baseball with 17.
-Hurlers lead the majors with 8.90 strikeouts per 9 innings. The Dodgers are 2nd with 8.74, while the Astros are averaging just 6.62.
-SP Tom Gorzelanny is 1-4 with a 5.01 ERA in seven games (six starts) against Houston in his career. Houston OF Carlos Lee is hitting .429 against him (3-for-7).

TheSportSpy · Apr 17, 2010

Los Angeles Angels
-The Angels are 0-3 vs left-handed starters this season.
-The Halos were tied for the MLB-lead (Phillies) with 48 road wins in 2009.
-With last night's win, SP Jered Weaver is now 24-14 in his career after an Angels' loss. The Angels are 3-0 in his three starts this season.
-The Halos 40-66 all-time record at Rogers Centre is their worst mark at any ballpark.
-Los Angeles has been out-homered 20-12 overall, allowing the most home runs in baseball. Halos' starting pitchers have surrendered the most home runs in baseball (16), while opponent's starting pitchers have allowed just 6 long balls.
-C Jeff Mathis has hit safely in all eight starts this season. Including the 2009 ALCS, he has hit safely in 12 consecutive games batting .368.
-Relievers have allowed a league-high 24 walks
-Entered 2010 with a career record of 10-1 in April (0-2 this month). The left-hander is the second winningest pitcher in the AL over the last two seasons (2008-09), trailing only Roy Halladay.

TheSportSpy · Apr 17, 2010

New York Yankees
-Team has won five of their last six games and are 7-3 this season, marking their best nine-game start since 2003 (9-1).
-Four lf the Yankees' five runs on Friday were scored without the ball leaving the infield.
-SP C.C. Sabathia improve to 2-0, limiting the Rangers to 1ER in 6IP, while recording his 29th career complete game and first of the season. The left-hander is undefeated in his last eight starts at Yankee Stadium since the All-Star break.
-2B Robinson Cano and SS Derek Jeter have hit safely in each of the club's first 10 games.
-Fielders have not committed an error in their last eight games, after making four in their first two games.
-New York has scored three-or-more runs in each of their first 10 games this season.
-RP Mariano Rivera has converted his last 49 save opportunities at home.
-The Yankees have outscored the Rangers 65-40 over their last seven home games, going 5-3.
-SP AJ Burnett was 5-2 with a 2.96 ERA in his last 11 regular season starts at Yankee Stadium. The Right-hander is 19-12 prior to the All-Star break over the last three seasons.

TheSportSpy · Apr 17, 2010

Kansas City Royals
-The Royals failed for the fourth time this season to win back-to-back games. Minnesota SP Scott Baker improved to 8-3 against the Royals in his career.
-SP Zack Greinke's 5 walks last night were his most since June 2008, when he issued 7 free passes in 7 shutout innings at Arizona, aspan of 53 starts.
-Kansas City has 9 more hits last night and enter todays' game with a team batting average of .303 - the third-best mark in the Majors. The team is also batting .370 (20-for-54) with runners in scoring position.
-Royals SP Gil Mech is 9-6 with a 4.64 ERA in 19 career starts against the Twins. The right-hander is 40-43 in his career away from home, posting a 4.74 ERA in 125 games.

TheSportSpy · Apr 17, 2010

Houston Astros
-Houston was 30-51 overall in 2009 on the road, including a 12-27 mark in NL Central cities. The Astros .208 road batting average trails only the Cubs (.197) as the lowest in the NL this season.
-The Astros have been outscored 52-21 in 2010.
-Tied for 4th in the Majors this season with 11 infield hits, trailing only the Royals (13) and Brewers (12).
-Five of the Asttors six games on the current road trip are day games. The Astros were 24-23 in the daytime last season.
-OF Carlos Lee's 20 home runs at Wrigley Field ranks tied for 2nd with St. Louis' Albert Pujols among active visiting players - trailing only Adam Dunn (24).
-Ranks 2nd in the NL in batting average by No. 1-2 hitters this season with a .329 average, trailing only Philadelphia. On the other end, Houston ranks last in the NL among hitters 3-6 (.168).
-SP Roy Oswalt is winless in his last 8 April starts, posting a 3.96 ERA in those appearances.

TheSportSpy · Apr 17, 2010

Texas Rangers
-The Rangers issued 5 runs on Friday, the 2nd most allowed this season, but have posted a 1.93 ERA over the last 5 games to lower the team's season mark to 2.79, 2nd-lowest in the majors behind Oakland (2.71).
-Texas has held a lead in all 10 games to begin the year. The Rangers have lost 3 times in 2010 when having an advantage through 7 innings - the club was 77-6 in that situation all of last season.
-Starting rotation has the lowest ERA in the majors at 2.18 - best ever in Rangers history through 10 games (Oak, STL, TB).
-Team has compiled a 3-3 record in day games in 2010.
-Offense has gone 0-for-28 with RISP in the club's 5 losses and 20-for-67 (.299) with RISP in their 5 wins.
-Since the beginning of the 2009 season, SP Scott Feldman has gone 18-8 with a 3.98 ERA. His .692 winning percentage is 4th-highest by any AL pitcher during that span.

TheSportSpy · Apr 17, 2010

Baltimore Orioles
-The Birds are off to their worst start since the 1988 season, when they began 0-21. Baltimore looks to end an eight game losing skid since winning April 8 at Tampa Bay.
-Through 11 games, Baltimore is 1-for-38 (.026) with runners in scoring position and two outs - the lowest in the Majors.
-Starting pitchers lead the AL in strikeouts (62) and trail only the Los Angeles Dodgers (64) in all of baseball. The starters are 22nd in the Majors with a 4.86 ERA after being tied for 29th in 2009. They have walked just 17 batters, the third-lowest total in the big leagues and best in the AL.
-Scored 8 times in the first inning this year and just 23 runs in other innings combined.
-Six of the first 11 games have been decided by one or two runs.
-The Orioles have scored a total of four runs in Jeremy Guthrie's two starts. He received two or fewer runs of support in 11 of his 33 starts in 2009.

TheSportSpy · Apr 17, 2010

Washington Nationals
-The Nationals won last night despite getting just two combined at-bats from Adam Dunn (ejection) and Ryan Zimmerman (pinch hit). The victory was Washington's 5th in their last 8 contests.
-At 5-5, the Nationals own the 2nd-best record in their brief history through 10 games of the season. The team was 6-4 in the inaugural season.
-RP Matt Capps is MLB's only closer with multiple saves who has saved every club win in 2010.
-Washington will have faced a left-handed starter in 7 of the season's first 12 contests. To date, the Nationals are 3-2 in games started by opposing left-handers.
-Using 2009 records, the Nationals square off with winning ball clubs in 31 of the season's first 40 games.
-SP Livan Hernandez has averaged 6.2 innings per start in his big league career. The right-hander's career average of 107 pitches per start leads all active players.

TheSportSpy · Apr 17, 2010

New York Mets
-The Mets are 17-13 versus the Cardinals in the regular season since 2006. New York has won two of its last 10 series in St. Louis.
-OF Jeff Francoeur leads the majors with a .535 on-base percentage. Francoeur is also second in the majors with a .457 batting average.
-New York has to win the last two games of this series to avoid losing their fourth straight series to start the year.
-Since SP Johan Santana joined the Mets in 2008, he has the eighth-lowest April ERA in the majors (2.57).
-Rank 5th in the NL and tied for 8th in the majors with 45 walks. 3B David Wright leads the majors with 14 base-on-balls.
-Pitchers have issued the 5th-most walks in the National League with 42.
-Since becoming a full-time starter in 2004, Santana leads the major leagues with 100 wins, a 2.87 ERA and 1,343 strikeouts.

TheSportSpy · Apr 17, 2010

Florida Marlins
-Tonight is the second game (0-1) of a three-city, nine-game road trip, that sees the Marlins playing in three different times zones against teams from three different divisions.
-Florida has now dropped the first game of all four of their series this season, but have yet to lose a series.
-As a team, the Marlins lead the NL with 30 doubles.
-Through the first 5 games of the season, the Marlins were hitting just .200 with runners in scoring position. Over the last 6 games, Florida has hit .343 with runners in scoring position.
-The Marlins are 5-4 vs right-handed pitchers and 1-1 versus lefties this season.
-SP Ricky Nolasco is making his 9th career start (12th app) against Philadelphia, going 5-3 with a 4.47 ERA. In his career at Citizens Bank Park, he owns a 4-1 record and 3.06 ERA over five starts.

TheSportSpy · Apr 17, 2010

Is anyone reading this?

TheSaint · Apr 17, 2010

good info, thanks

TheSportSpy · Apr 17, 2010

MLB Info (COL): -The Rockies bullpen leads the NL with a 2.25 ERA. Among the Top 4 teams in the NL (in bullpen ERA), the Rockies relievers have logged the most innings. -Batters have logged 137 at-bats against left-handed pitchers - more than any NL club. -Team has used 10 different lineups in 10 games.

MLB Info (BOS): -The Red Sox have won 8 of their last 13 games against the Rays, including each of the last 4. -Boston is 66-48 all-time on Patriots Day and have won six straight, including last year's 12-1 victory. -Team has won 10 of Clay Buchholz's last 11 starts beginning in August 2009.

TheSportSpy · Apr 17, 2010

MLB Info (DET): -Tonight's game against the Mariners continues a stretch where the Tigers battle opponents from the AL West division for 13 of the next 16 games.-IF Miguel Cabrera is tied for the AL lead with a .500 OBP, while he is tied for second with 11RBI, third with a .395 batting average. -SP Justin Verlander is ...making his 6th career start at Safeco Field. In his previous 5 outings, he is 3-2 with a 4.19 ERA.

MLB Info (SD): -With a win in the next 2 games, the Padres would snap a four-series losing streak against the Diamondbacks. -3B Chase Headley is hitting .381 with a .409 OBP and .524 slugging percentage. -Over his last 9 starts at Petco Park, SP Kevin Correia has posted a 2.59 ERA. -Bullpen is 2-0 with a 2.80 ERA over 35.1 IP.

tar_heel_in_sc · Apr 17, 2010

Thanks for posting this info!

TheSportSpy · Apr 17, 2010

Seattle Mariners
-The Mariners have won 3 in a row and have had a lead in 8 of 11 games this season.
-SP Felix Hernandez has recorded a quality start in his last 16 games - a club record and the longest current streak in MLB.
-Every member of the Mariners starting lineup last night either notched a hit, scored a run or collected an RBI.
-Over the last 3 games, Mariners starting pitchers have allowed only 4 earned runs in 20.2 IP (1.74 ERA) and have walked just 2 batters.
-Seattle is 20-7 in their last 27 games at home, including 12-3 in their last 15. The Mariners finished the 2009 season with a 48-33 home record, including 34-19 in their final 53 games.
-SP Ryan Rowland-Smith is 3-2 with a 3.89 ERA in 24 games/10 starts in his career versus the AL Central.