Opening Day, of course, leads to opening month.
It’s May 1, which also means, it’s time for BBRT’s look back at the previous month in major league baseball. This means touching upon:
- the expected and unexpected – like the Dodgers (expected) and Astros (unexpected) sitting atop their respective NL and AL West Divisions;
- the ups and downs – like the Mets’ eleven-game winning streak and the World Champion Giants’ eight losses in a row;
- a few unique events that caught BBRT’s attention – like Nelson Cruz’ 483-foot home run (longest in the majors so far this year) and Paulo Orlando’s first three MLB base hits being triples; Mark Teixeira finishing a game a year older than when he started it; and
- more.
First, however, I’d like to honor a May 1 anniversary that really brings home how the game has changed.
On May 1, 1920, the Brooklyn Robins (later Dodgers) took on the home team Boston Braves (later Milwaukee and Atlanta) in a 26-inning contest that was suspended due to darkness with the score tied 1-1. It remains, in terms of innings, the longest MLB game ever. It is not just this game’s length that makes it special. On that day, 95 years ago, both starting pitchers (Leon Cadore of Brooklyn and Joe Oeschger of Boston) went the distance – each throwing more than 300 pitches. And, as far as pace of game issues, it took the two squads just 3 hours and 50 minutes to complete 26 innings.
What prompted this look back was the Twins-Mariners contest of April 24, when the Mariners topped the Twins 2-0 behind Felix Hernandez. Not only did both starting pitchers go the distance (Phil Hughes for Minnesota), but the game was completed in a nifty two hours and three minutes.
These days the likelihood of two opposing hurlers going the distance is pretty limited. In April, MLB saw only five complete games – and, in 2014, the 30 MLB teams achieved a total of only 118 CG, just 2.4 percent of games started and just under four complete games per team. Here’s a look at the “devolution” of the complete game.
– In 1900, 82.3% of games started were complete games;
– 1925 – 49.2%
– 1950 – 40.3%
– 1975 – 27.2%
– 2000 – 4.8%
– 2014 – 3.9%
For a look at BBRT’s take on how the approach to pitching has changed over the years, click here to go to a post from May of 2012.
Now let’s take a look at some April observations. A number of things have gone as expected – The Dodgers and Cardinals, for example, sit atop their divisions and the Cubs, Mets and Padres all look improved. There also have been a few surprises – positives like the first-place Astros and Yankees and negatives like the last-place (defending World Champion) Giants and slow-starting Washington Nationals.
If the post season began May 1, the playing field would look like this:
AL: Division leaders – New York, Kansas City, Houston. Wild Cards: Detroit , Tampa Bay/Boston (tie).
NL: Division Leaders – New York, Saint Louis, Los Angeles. Wild Cards: Chicago, Pittsburgh.
For the month, only the Saint Louis Cardinals played .700-or better ball (15-6, .714) and only the Milwaukee Brewers ended the month below .300 (5-17, .227).
At the close of April, the closest race was in the AL East, where only one team was below .500 (Blue Jays 11-12) and only 2 ½ games separated first and last place. The biggest gap between first and second was in the NL East, where the Mets finished April 4 ½ games ahead of the Braves and Marlins – and only the Mets were above .500.
For full standings, go to the end of this post.
Winning Streaks
No team got off to a better start than the Kansas City Royals, who shot out of the gate by winning their first seven contes
ts. The longest winning streak during the month belonged to the Mets, who took advantage of a ten-game home stand to fuel an eleven-game winning streak – in which they won five one-run contests and outscored their opponents 57-31. Note: The Mets nearly completed a perfect 11-0 home April. They lost their first home game – to the Nationals by an 8-2 score – on April 30. The hottest team at the close of the month was the Houston Astros, who won their final seven April games.
Losing Streaks
On the negative side, The Brewers went the longest before their first victory – starting the season with four straight losses. Milwaukee also shared April’s longest losing streak, an 8-gamer stretching from April 15 through April 22. During the streak, they scored a total of only 21 runs – with nearly half of those coming in a 16-10 loss to the Reds on April 21. The reigning World Champion Giants also suffered through an eight-game losing streak – April 10 through April 17 – during which they were shut out three times and outscored 43-15.
Those Surprising Astros
Jose Altuve – Like the Astros, flying high.
Between 2010 and 2014, the Astros won 308 and lost 502, never finished higher than fourth, and ended up an average of 34 games out of first place. The Houston squad ended this April in first place in the AL West – staking their claim to a competitive season on the strength of their pitching. Houston ended April with the AL’s lowest ERA (3.04). The staff was led by starters southpaw Dallas Keuchel (3-0, 0.73 ERA) and righty Collin McHugh (3-0, 2.92) – a pair who showed their potential last season, both posting winning records and sub-3.00 ERAs for the 70-92 Astros. Offensively, the team’s 103 runs scored area respectable eighth in the AL. Notably, Houston led the AL in both home runs (29, tied with the Orioles and Yankees) and stolen bases (also 29) through April 30. Who is leading the charge? A big guy and a little guy who both play up the middle. Six-foot-four CF Jake Marisnik – hit .379 in April, with 2 home runs, 10 RBI, 12 runs scored and eight steals. Right there with him was last year’s NL batting champ, Jose Altuve (at five-feet five-inches currently the shortest MLB player), who hit .367, with two home runs, 16 RBI, 13 runs scored and a league-leading nine steals for the month.
Ahh, the DH
As you might expect – given the DH – the top seven run-scoring teams for April were in the AL – led by the Toronto Blue Jays (122 runs). The retooled San Diego Padres – not known in the past for offense – led the NL with 105 runs (thank you very much newcomers – Kemp, Upton and Myers).
League Leaders – Runs Scored (through April 30)
AL
Blue Jays – 122
Royals – 119
Red Sox – 113
NL
Padres – 105
Nationals – 103
Dodgers – 100
The fewest runs plated in April? The Phillies in the NL with just 63 and the White Sox in the AL at 64.
Hitting .300 – AS A TEAM
Mike Moustakas – hit .356 in April.
The Kansas City Royals hit .306 – as a team – for April; twenty points ahead of the next best mark (Orioles and Tigers). The NL’s leading team batting average for the month was the Colorado Rockies’ .280. The Royals line up on April 30th included six .300+ hitters: Alex Gordon (LF-.303); Mike Moustakas (3B-.356); Lorenzo Cain (CF-.329); Eric Hosmer (1B-.310); Kendrys Morales (DH-.315); Salvador Perez (C-.326).
The Rangers and Phillies had the lowest team batting averages for April, at .210 and .223, respectively.
A Couple of Free Agent Pickups that Really Worked Out
The off season saw the Mariners signing free agent outfielder Nelson Cruz (the 2014 AL HR leader) and the Red Sox signing (the then soon-to-be) outfielder Hanley Ramirez. In response to the old “Where are they now?” question – they are tied for the AL and MLB lead in both home runs (10) and RBI (22) through April. To go along with the power, Cruz is hitting .322 and Ramirez .293
RBI Leaders (through April 30)
AL
Nelson Cruz, Seattle – 22
Hanley Ramirez – Boston – 22
NL
Giancarlo Stanton, Miami – 21
Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona – 20
HR Leaders
AL
Nelson Cruz, Seattle – 10
Hanley Ramirez, Boston – 10
NL
Adrian Gonzalez, Los Angeles – 8
Todd Frazier, Cincinnati – 7
Joey Votto, Cincinnati – 7
Trades Can Work Out, Too
Dee Gordon – Looking even better in a Miami uniform.
The Miami Marlins picked up second baseman Dee Gordon in a trade with the Dodgers – and couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome. Through April, Gordon was leading all of MLB in batting average (.409) and base hits (38) and was second in the NL in steals with eight. Gordon is one of three players who closed out April at .400 or better. Joining him in that rare air were another second baseman – DJ LeMahieu of the Rockies at .406 – and the AL batting leader, Baltimore CF Adam Jones at an even .400.
Batting Leaders
AL
Adam Jones, Baltimore – .400
Jose Iglesias, Detroit – .377
Miguel Cabrera, Detroit – .373
NL
Dee Gordon, Miami – .409
DJ LeMahieu, Colorado – .406
Adrian Gonzalez, Los Angeles – .383
Stolen Base Leaders
NL
Billy Hamilton, Cincinnati – 13
Dee Gordon, Miami – 8
AL
Jose Altuve, Astros – 9
Jake Marisnik, Astros – 8
George Springer, Astros – 8
Jacoby Ellsbury Yankees – 8
If You Really Like Offense
Now, if you really like offense, check out the Blue Jays and Red Sox in the AL. The Blue Jays led all of MLB in runs scored in April (122), while the Red Sox were third (113). They reversed the order when it came to runs given up. The Red Sox gave up the most tallies for the month (119), the Blue Jays the third most (115). How did this go in the W-L columns? The Red Sox were 12-10, the Blue Jays 11-12.
If you have an NL interest, the Padres (as noted earlier) scored the most runs (105) and the Brewers gave up the most runs (118).
Team Power – Or Lack Thereof
Only two teams reached 30 home runs in April, the Dodgers with 32 and the Reds with 31. The Orioles, Astros and Yankees tied for the top in the AL with 29 April dingers. At the bottom of the long ball list were the Twins and White Sox in the AL with 12 home runs and the Phillies and Marlins (despite Giancarlo Stanton) in the NL with thirteen.
Nationals Under-Achievers
Most analysts expected the Nationals to run away with the AL East, largely based on the strength of their pitching staff. Oops! Through April, the Nationals had given up the fourth-most runs in the NL, on the way to a 10-13 record (fourth place). But, the pitching may not be to blame. The Nationals 3.69 ERA was the NL’s fifth best. The team, however, led the major leagues in errors (24) and 24 of the 107 runs (22%) the Nationals gave up in April were unearned. Over in the AL, two teams in the West tied for the lead in errors at 21 – the Athletics and Rangers.
ERA Leaders (through April 30)
NL
Cardinals – 2.43
Pirates – 2.95
Mets – 3.33
AL
Astros – 3.04
Royals – 3.10
Yankees – 3.23
Strikeout Leaders (pitching)
NL
Dodgers – 202
Padres – 198
Pirates – 195
AL
Yankees – 208
Indians – 202
Red Sox 191
First To Four Pitching Victories
Seven pitchers picked up four wins in April, but the surprise was that the first to get there was 41-year-old Mets’ starter Bartolo Colon, who picked up that fourth win on April 23. Colon went 4-1, 3.31 for the month. The remaining four-game winners were: Garrett Cole (Pirates, 4-0, 1.76); Zack Greinke (Dodgers, 4-0, 1.93); Matt Harvey (Mets, 4-0, 3.04); Felix Hernandez (Mariners, 4-0, 1.82); Michael Wacha (Cardinals, 4-0, 2.42); and Alfredo Simon (Tigers, 4-1, 3.13).
Among qualifying ERA leaders, the Rangers’ Nick Martinez has the lowest mark in MLB (0.35 ERA in four starts), while the Reds’ Anthony DeSclafini holds sway in the NL at 1.04. BBRT finds it interesting that all sub-1.00 ERA are in the AL, with its DH.
ERA Leaders (through April 30)
AL
Nick Martinez (Rangers, 2-0, 0.35)
Dallas Keuchel (Astros, 3-0, 0.73)
Chris Archer (Rays, 3-2, 0.84)
NL
Anthony DeSclafini (Reds, 2-1, 1.04)
Max Scherzer (Nationals, 1-2, 1.26)
Adam Wainwright (Cardinals, 2-1, 1.44)
Strikeout Leaders
AL
Chris Archer (Rays, 37 K/37 1/3 IP)
Felix Hernandez (Mariners, 36 K/34 2/3 IP)
Cory Kluber (Indians, 36 K/ 34 IP)
NL
Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers, 43 K/31 1/3 IP)
James Shields (Padres, 41 K/31 IP)
Johnny Cueto (Reds, 38 K/37 IP)
_______________________________________________________
A FEW OTHER OBSERVATIONS
One Very Cold Start
Evan Gattis, Houston’s new designated hitter, was anything but that to start the season – at one point even striking out eight times in eight plate appearances over two games (losses to Cleveland on April 8 and April 9). The DH, in fact, didn’t get his first “H” until his 23rd at bat – and he had 13 strikeouts in those first 22 at bats.
And, On the Other Hand …
Adrian Gonzalez – a blazing start.
Dodgers’ first baseman Adrian Gonzalez started 2015 as hot as Evan Gattis was cold. Gonzalez went deep in the first three Dodger contests of the season – topped off by a three-homer game in LA’s 7-4 win over San Diego on April 8. Baseball tracks pretty much everything, so we know that Gonzalez became the first MLBer to hit five home runs in a season’s first three games. In those first three contests, Gonzalez was ten-for-thirteen, with five home runs, two doubles, seven runs and seven RBI.
Four Strikeouts on Just Twelve Pitches
Oakland 3B Brett Lawrie had a tough night on April 7 – just his second game as a member of the A’s. After going one-for-four on Opening Day, Lawrie took the collar in game two (0-for-4). It’s how he did it that drew notice. Lawrie came to the plate four times in the 3-1 loss to the Rangers and struck out four times – on a total of just twelve pitches. Lawrie faced three different pitches, had a nice balance of six called strikes and six swinging strikes. His final swinging strike also marked the final out of the contest.
The Game Will Age You
On April 10 (and April 11), the Yankees and Red Sox engaged in the longest game at new Yankee Stadium – 6 hour and 49 minutes (19 innings).
- The game started at 7:05 p.m. on Friday and ended at 2:13 a.m. on Saturday; and included a 16-minute light failure delay.
- The teams used a total of 42 players.
- Seventeen of those players were pitchers and they threw a total of 628 pitches (332 by the Yankees, 296 by the Red Sox.)
- Yankees’ first baseman Mark Teixeira (born on April 11, 1980) started the game as a 34-year-old, and finished it at age 35.
- The Red Sox took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth, a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the 16th and a 5-4 lead into the bottom of the 18th – and gave up the tying run each time – until winning it 6-5 in the 19th.
- The Red Sox’ Steve Wright pitched the last five innings – blowing two leads (16th and 18th innings), before earning the win in the 19th.
Triple Your Pleasure, Tripe Your Fun
On April 9, 29-year-old MLB rookie Paulo Orlando started in left field and hit in the eight spot for the Kansas City Royals. In the bottom of the third inning, facing Chicago southpaw John Danks, Orlando walked in his first-ever MLB plate appearance. One inning later, the right-handed hitter achieved his first-ever MLB at bat and lashed a triple to deep center. It was his only hit in a one-for-three day (remember that number … three.) His triple, however, was a sign of things to come.
Orlando’s next start came on April 12, against the Angels, in Los Angeles. The 6’ 2”, 210-pound rookie was once again manning left field and hitting eighth. This time he collected two hits in five at bats. His first hit of the day came leading off the top of the sixth. Like his very-first (and until then only) MLB hit, it was a triple to deep center. Sensing a pattern here? Orlando picked up his second hit of the game in the eighth and switched things up a bit, lacing the ball to left field for – you may have guessed it – a triple. So, after two games in the major leagues, Orlando had three hits – all triples. He was the first player ever to log triples for his first three MLB hits.
Slam-A-Rama
On April 21, the Brewers and Reds tied an MLB record by hitting a combined three grand slam home runs in a single game – as Cincinnati topped Milwaukee 16-10. The first grand slam came off the bat of the Reds’ Jay Bruce with two outs in the top of the third inning. One inning later, the Red’s Todd Frazier went deep with the bases full – again with two out. The Brewers countered with a grand slam by Elian Herrara in the bottom of the sixth. Overall, the game featured seven round trippers.
It was only the fourth time in MLB history that three grand slams were hit in a single game. The first time was in a 13-11 Texas win over Baltimore (at Baltimore on August 6, 1986) – featuring grand slams by Texas 2B Toby Harrah, Baltimore DH Jim Dwyer and Baltimore LF Larry Sheets. The following season (June 3, 1987) saw the first NL three grand slam game, as the Cubs topped the Astros 22-7 in Chicago. Cranking based loaded homers in that one were Astros’ CF Billy Hatcher, Cubs’ LF Brian Dayett and Cubs’ 3B Keith Moreland. Then on August 25, the Yankees became the first (and still only) team to manage three grand slams in a single game on their own – as they topped the A’s 22-9 in New York. The slams went to 2B Robinson Cano, CF Curtis Granderson and C Russell Martin. The three Yankees totaled 16 RBI in the game.
The Fresh-Faced 100-100 Club
There’s really not stopping Mike Trout – unless he wants to take a breather.
On April 17, when Los Angeles Angels’ center fielder Mike Trout came to the plate in the top of the sixth inning of a tie game (1-1) against the Astros, he was thinking “contact” not “history” – but he quickly made both. Trout made contact, taking Astros’ pitcher Roberto Hernandez deep for a 3-1 Angels’ lead. He made history by hitting his 100th career home run – becoming the youngest player ever to amass 100 career homers and 100 career stolen bases. Trout was 23 years and 253 days old, beating the previous mark for reaching 100-100 (Alex Rodriguez) by 56 days.
Not Exactly a Pitchers’ Duel
On April 11, the Minnesota State (Mankato) Mavericks (NCAA Division II) won the first game of their double header against the Bemidgi State Beavers 10-9 – but compared to game two, that was a pitcher’s duel. In the second game, the Mavericks plated 41 runs (to “just” 20 for Bemidgi State). In a game that went eight innings (mercy rule), the line score looked like this:
Minnesota State 3 6 10 0 3 0 4 14 41 35 2
Bemidgi State 0 7 1 0 3 7 2 0 20 21 6
Minnesota State swept the four game series at Bemidgi – outscoring the home team 88-34.
________________________________________________________
MLB Standings through April 30
AL East
Yankees 13-9 .591
Red Sox 12-10 .545 1.0
Rays 12-10 .545 1.0
Orioles 10-10 .500 2.0
Blue Jays 11-12 .478 2.5
AL Central
Royals 15-7 .682
Tigers 15-8 .652 0.5
Twins 10-12 .455 5.0
White Sox 8-11 .421 5.5
Indians 7-14 .333 7.5
AL West
Astros 15-7 .682
Angels 11-11 .500 4.0
Mariners 10-12 .455 5.0
A’s 9-14 .391 6.5
Rangers 7-14 .333 7.5
NL East
Mets 15-8 .652
Braves 10-12 .455 4.5
Marlins 10-12 .455 4.5
Nationals 10-13 .435 5.0
Phillies 8-15 .348 7.0
NL Central
Cardinals 15-6 .714
Cubs 12-8 .600 2.5
Pirates 12-10 .545 3.5
Reds 11-11 .500 4.5
Brewers 5-17 .227 10.5
NL West
Dodgers 13-8 .619
Rockies 11-10 .524 2.0
San Diego 11-12 .478 3.0
D-backs 10-11 .476 3.0
Giants 9-13 .409 4.5
