Read + Write + Report
Home | Start a blog | About Orble | FAQ | Blogs | Writers | Paid | My Orble | Login

Performance Pitching

Monday brought its share of dominant pitching performances. Yesterday alone, seven pitchers went at least 7 innings and gave up no more than 1 earned run. This stat isn't even including the Pirate's Kevin Correia who threw a complete game against the Reds, only surrendering 2 earned runs.

Daisuke Matsuzaka
Red Sox find hope in Monday's outing


The Red Sox Daisuke Matsuzaka started off the day holding the Blue Jays to only one hit over seven innings. Matsuzaka only needed 89 pitches to get through his 7 innings of work, in which he struck out 3 and walked 1.

As the day turned into night, MLB's evening schedule began, and the strong pitching continued. David Price shut out the offensive force of the White Sox over 8 innings, giving up only 4 hits while striking out 9.

david price
Price helps Rays continue hot streak


C.J. Wilson of the Rangers faced off against the team's AL West rival Angels. While his counterpart Ervin Santana did not add to the list of performances, Wilson had a good night. He was able to scatter 9 hits and limit the damage, only allowing 1 earned run and striking out 9.

In a West vs. East battle, Ted Lilly led the Dodgers to a victory over Tim Hudson and the Braves. The Dodgers gave Lilly an early 3 run lead and that's all that he needed, going 7 scoreless innings. Lilly allowed only 4 hits and punched out 6 Braves.

While most games offered one strong pitching performance, there was one match up where both pitchers wanted to get in on the action. The Cubs faced off against the Padres and both sides pitched so well that extra innings was needed to decide the outcome. Both starters were very solid, Tim Stauffer of the Padres going 7 scoreless, allowing only 4 hits. However, Stauffer was bested by Cub’s enigma Carlos Zambrano, who struck out 10 over 8 scoreless innings.

tim lincecum
Lincecum has been dominant


While these were certainly some great match ups and performances, Monday saved its best show for last. The Freak Tim Lincecum faced off against the red hot Colorado Rockies. The Rockies and Coors Field were no match for the former Cy Young winner as Lincecum held the Rockies hitless over 6 innings. Colorado was able to get to Timmy in the 7th but they only managed one run. Lincecum finished the night going 7.2 innings; he allowed a single run and struck out 10.

On Monday, pitching was king. We will see what Tuesday brings, if the pitching continues or if the offense controls the night.
Comments (2)Comments (2) Add CommentsAdd Comments
32
Vote
   


NL Studs and Duds 4/16/11

Earlier today I shared this week's studs and duds from the AL. Now it's time to see how the NL fared over the past 7 days.

matt kemp
Kemp brought all 5 tools to work this week


This week's NL Stud hitter had an all around great offensive week. Matt Kemp not only managed a .538 batting average, he also was able to swipe 7 bases. Living up to his 5-tool listing, Kemp showed his power (3 extra base hits) and patience (5 walks) at the plate.

dan uggla
Uggla did not receive any love from his bat this week


Next to AL dud Olivo, Dan Uggla's performance this week could garner him All Star votes. However, I don't think the Braves are feeling so great about Uggla's ugly stats. He managed only 2 hits in 23 plate appearances this week, leaving him with a .087 batting average. However, Uggla was kind enough to provide fans with a steady breeze this week, as he struck out 6 times. The good news for Dan was that both of his hits were for extra bases, one being a homerun.

josh johnson
Johnson just missed making history Wednesday


Like the AL, the National League produced some great pitching this week. The Phillies collected back to back complete games from studs Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. Lee was one of several starters who saw action in 2 games this week. None on the list had performances that jumped out at me, so instead I looked to an individual that made one great start. That man was Josh Johnson. The Marlins' 6-7 monster carried a no-hitter into the 8th inning this week against the Atlanta Braves. He finished the night allowing 1 hit and striking out 9 over 7.1 innings. Johnson got into the mix at the plate as well, singling home a run in the victory.

chris carpenter
The Cards are waiting for the real Carpenter to show up


I'm going to base my NL pitching dud of the week on a factor of expectation against performance. Christ Carpenter has frequented NL Cy Young voting ballots over the years, but has not been able to get it going yet this year. He has yet to collect his first W, but in his 2 early starts he did not pitch poorly. The one game was a tough luck loss to the Pirates and he carried a very respectable 2.08 ERA into this week's action. Tuesday night against the Diamondbacks Carpenter saw his ERA balloon to 5.82. The Cardinal's starter allowed 8 runs in only 4 innings. He gave up 2 homeruns and 2 doubles along with 3 walks in one of the ugliest outings of the week.

So there you have it, the best and worst of this week in baseball. Be sure to check back next week to see if anyone can outmatch the futility that was Miguel Olivo.
Comments (2)Comments (2) Add CommentsAdd Comments
30
Vote
   


MLB Injury Updates 4/12/2011

Four big names made the headlines today for injury related issues. One had good news of a return while it appears the other three will be missing some time.

Adam Dunn will be in the starting tonight for the Chicago White Sox. Dunn missed the last few games after undergoing an emergency appendectomy. The White Sox were taking it slow with their slugger and have decided that tonight he is back to full go. The team welcomes the power hitter back to an already solid lineup.

Now we'll head onto the bad news. Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals has been placed on the 15 day DL with an abominable strain. The Nationals are certainly hoping for the best with Zimmerman who has been their best hitter of this young season. This type of strain seems to take anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks to fully heal.

Ryan Zimmerman
The Nationals will be without their hottest hitter


Rafael Furcal of the Los Angeles Dodgers was also placed on the 15 day DL today due to a broken thumb. Furcal sustained the injury sliding headfirst into third base Monday against the Giants. Furcal has had his fair share of injuries over the years and was quoted as saying, "I'm thinking about retiring if I can't get back to being healthy". While many think Furcal was just being over emotional upon discovering the extent of his injury, it will be interesting to see if this proves to be the shortstop's last year.

Finally there was a new injury that took place today dealing with one of the league's top hitters. Last year's AL MVP was injured during the first inning of today's game against the Tigers. During a sequence in the first Hamilton slid hard into third after hitting a triple and then again had a hard slide into home trying to score on a shallow popup. After being thrown out, Hamilton stepped away from the plate holding his right hand. I'm sure more news will be out tomorrow regarding the extent of his injury and if he will have to miss time.

Josh Hamilton
The Rangers hope Hamilton won't be out long
Comments (2)Comments (2) Add CommentsAdd Comments
31
Vote
   


Cooperstown Bound?

If athletes could map out their careers they would include things such as Rookie of the Year Awards, MVP's and of course plenty of championship rings. Many would plan a storybook ending, perhaps a tearful sendoff by a stadium full of their devoted fans. No one, if given the choice, would choose Manny Ramirez's exit.

Manny Ramirez
Manny carried the Dodgers in 08

[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
20
Vote
   


Manny Done Being Manny?

It has just been announced that Manny Ramirez will end his illustrious and always entertaining career. Only a week into the new baseball season, the Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter is calling it quits. It appears that Manny was dealing with the league on an issue regarding MLB's Joint Drug Prevention Treatment Program. I'm certain that more information will be coming out of this situation, but I for one am certainly surprised.

Though he has seen his numbers tail off in recent years, Manny ended last season with a combined .298 batting average playing for the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. It is certain that he did not have the start that he wanted this year


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (2)Comments (2) Add CommentsAdd Comments
30
Vote
   


Raymond Mencke Jr's Blogs

I have no other blogs :(
Moderated by Raymond Mencke Jr
Copyright © 2012 On Topic Media PTY LTD. All Rights Reserved. Design by Vimu.com.
On Topic Media ZPages: Sydney |  Melbourne |  Brisbane |  London |  Birmingham |  Leeds     [ Advertise ] [ Contact Us ] [ Privacy Policy ]