Filed under: Pitching, Preview | Tags: Baltimore Orioles, Carlos Zambrano, Chicago Cubs, Derek Lowe, Ervin Santana, Joba Chamberlin, Kansas City Royals, LA Angels, LA Dodgers, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Radhames Liz, Rich Harden, Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays, Zach Grienke
Here is a look at some of the match-ups on tap for this weekend:
Saturday:
Carlos Zambrano vs. Derek Lowe
– Zambrano is hitting well (his .537 slugging pct would be good for 20th best in MLB), and has put together some great starts this season. The last time Zambrano went against the Dodgers, he threw 8 innings of one run ball and 130 pitches in a 2-1 Chicago win. D-Lowe has been hot as of late, compiling a 1.23 ERA over his last three starts.
Sunday:
Zach Grienke vs. Joba Chamberlin
-Grienke was a man possessed to start the season, giving up just five earned runs in his first five starts. Since then his ERA has risen from 1.25 to 3.56, as he has given up 17 earned runs in his last 19 innings (an 8.05 ERA in three starts for those of you calculating at home). Joba is still transitioning into a starter from his role of the next Mariano. He only lasted 2.2 innings in his first start in the majors.
Radhames Liz vs. Roy Halladay
-Orioles prospect Liz goes up against one of the leagues best in Halladay. Doc has gone 8+ innings in seven of his twelve starts this season, but hasn’t received much run support. Here are Toronto’s average runs during Halladay’s wins and loses:
Wins: 4.0 (28 runs in 7 vicotries)
Loses: 1.4 (7 runs in 5 loses)
Not really rocket science, and it shows how stupid and overvalued wins and loses are. Halladay has just been dominant (a K/BB of over 6/1) and would probably receive more recognition if he had a record more deserving of his stats.
Ervin Santana vs. Rich Harden
-Santana has put up much better numbers this year than he had last year. One difference is his home/road splits. He has never pitched well away from Angel Stadium, but this year he has improved his road numbers. In his career, he has pitched in 48 games both at home and on the road. Here are his numbers:
Home: 316.2 IP, 3.04 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 25 HR
Away: 254.1 IP, 6.48 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 46 HR
This year his road numbers have been much better: 3.59 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 4 HR in 47.2 IP. At McAfee Coliseum, he has a 1.57 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and a 5/2 K/BB rate in five games.
ghost man on third... 