There were plenty of highlights in August – pennant races, a trio of Immaculate Innings, landmark home runs by rookies and veterans, near-perfect games, a team hitting over .300 for the month and more.  We will get into all that in this post – the traditional Baseball Roundtable monthly wrap of stats and stories – but from this vantage point, the highlight of the month was MLB’s first-ever Little League Classic.

http://Embed from Getty Images

On August 20, MLB held its first Little League Classic (in conjunction with the Little League World Series).  It included an MLB game between the Pirates and Cardinals played in a venerable minor league ballpark (91-year-old Bowman Field) across town (Williamsport, PA) from the Little League World Series. The 2,366-seat ballpark was packed for the event – primarily with Little Leaguers and their families.

The Pirates came away with a 6-3 victory and the star of the contest was Pirates’ 1B and cleanup hitter Josh Bell, who had a single, home run (his 21^st of the season) and four RBI. The real winners, however, were in Little League uniforms, as the Pirates and Cardinals players, coaches and staff spent most of the pre-game day mingling with the youngsters – touring the facilities, answering questions, signing autographs, taking selfies and watching their games. (How cool when the guy watching you in a Matt Carpenter jersey IS Matt Carpenter.) Cardinals’ players Tommy Pham and Carlos Martinez even popped for snow cones for the kids seated near them (200 snow cones in all) as they watched the Little Leaguers compete.

Clearly, the players (both Little League and Major League) and fans all had a good – no make that GREAT – time and I hope MLB will make the Little League Classic an annual event. In another effort to add excitement for players and fans, August also saw the first-ever MLB Players Weekend – bringing a little color to the game and offering players a chance to express themselves in personalized socks, equipment and nicknames.  For BBRT’s take on that successful promotion, click here.

_________________________________________

Now, let’s get down to the traditinal monthly wrap up.  As usual, there will be plenty of stats AND plenty of stories.  We’ll look at the month of August first – and drop in the year-to-date (through August 31) standings and stastical leaders at the end of the post.  For those who are less statistically inclined, it’s pretty easy to skip over the stat-heavy sections and go right to the stories that caught Baseball Roundtable’s interest over the course of the month.  Along the way, you’ll also find BBRT’s Players and Pitchers of the Month and a look at August’s most successful teams.

BASEBALL ROUNDTABLE’S AUGUST PLAYER(S) AND PITCHER(S) OF THE MONTH

National League Player of the Month – Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins

Photo by Corn Farmer

What can you say about the numbers Giancarlo Stanton put up in August?  He was a beast. The Marlins’ RF banged out an MLB-leading 18 home runs (tying Rudy York’s record for August – set in 1937 – and second in MLB history for any month, trailing only Sammy Sosa’s 20 home runs in June of 1998.) Stanton also led all of MLB in August RBI (37) and runs scored (28), while hitting .349.  Our August NL Player of the Month, ended August at .289-51-110 on the season.  Also in the running, but well behind Stanton, were Phillies’ rookie Rhys Hoskins – who made his MLB debut August 10 – and put together a .304-11-25 line for the month. More on RH in the stories section. The Diamondbacks’ Paul Goldschmidt also had an honor-worthy month – .330-11-31.  But, ultimately and easily, Stanton is the guy.

National League Pitcher of the Month – Corey Knebel Brewers

Photo by Geoff Livingston

BBRT’s NL Pitcher of the Month is Brewers’ closer Corey Knebel, who went 13-f0r-13 in save opportunities, posted a 0.00 ERA and fanned 21 batters in 15 1/3 innnigs.  Knebel – saving 13 of the Brewers’ 15 August wins – kept the Brew Crew in the NL Central race.

The Cubs’ Jake Arrieta also drew consideration after an August record of 4-1, with a 1.21 ERA in six starts, as  did the Nationals’ Geo Gonzalez,who who went 4-1, 2.23 in five starts (but for a loss and five earned run in six innings on August 31, Gonzalez might have slipped past Knebel.

AL Player of the Month – Manny Machado, Orioles

Photo by Keith Allison

Picking an AL Player of the Month was a bit more challenging than selecting Giancarlo Stanton for the NL recognition. Ultimately, BBRT selected Orioles’ 3B Manny Machado, who hit .341, led the AL in RBI (35) and tied for the league lead in August home runs (12) – while also continuing to deliver plus defense at the hot corner. One unusual stat from Machado’s August performance – despite his strong numbers, he only drew three walks over the entire  month (also only 11 strikeouts).

Running a very close second was Tim Beckham, who celebrated his move from the Rays to the O’s (and his new job as the Orioles’ shortstop) by leading MLB with 50 August hits and a .394 average. Beckham also led the AL in runs scored for August with 27 – and added six home runs and 19 RBI. Before joining the Orioles, Beckham’s 2017 line with the Rays was .259-12-36 in 87 games. Looks like crab cakes agree with him. I also looked at the Rangers’ ageless Adrian Beltre, who went .330-7-30 for the month (one of only five major leaguers to reach 30 RBI).

AL Pitcher of the Month – Corey Kluber, Indians

Photo by apardavila

Corey Kluber earned the honor by going 5-1, with a sub-2.00 ERA (1.96) in six starts. The Indians’ righty averaged 7 2/3 innings per start and fanned an MLB-leading  54 batters (against just six walks) in 46 innings.  In his six starts (including a pair of complete games), Kluber never gave up more than six hits and only once surrended more than two runs (three).  In his only loss, he gave up two runs on four hits  in 7 2/3 innnigs, while walking one and fanning 12.

Also in the runnig were the Orioles’ Dylan Bundy, who went 4-0, 2.00 in four starts, fanning 45 in 36 innings; the Indians’ Trevor Bauer (5-0, 2.31); and the Rays’ Alex Colome, ten-for-ten in save opportunities, with a 0.75 ERA for the month.

__________________________________________________

TEAM STATS – TWINS AND NATIONALS; MOST AUGUST WINS

We saw a bit of shifting in the standings in August.  First, nobody won more games (or even as many) as the Twins, who went 20-10 and moved into the second AL Wild Card spot. Ironically, Minnesota closed out July by losing six of their last seven and became sellers rather than buyers at the trade deadline (most notably dealing their All Star closer Brandon Kintzler). Then, in August, their young bats got hot and the Twin scored an AL-high 177 runs. Among the keys to the Twins’ resurgence were 24-year-old SS Jorge Polanco (.373-6-23 for the month); veteran (and former AL MVP) 1b Joe Mauer (.336-1-12); 23-year-old CF and defensive whiz Byron Buxton (.324-8-22); and 25-year-old LF Eddie Rosario (.307-9-25). Overall, the Twins hit .280 with 50 roundtrippers for August (both second only to Baltimore in the AL), and also logged the fifth-best staff ERA in the AL (3.78).

ROLLING A 300

In August, the Orioles hit .306 as a team – the only MLB squad to hit .300 or better.  They also led all of MLB with 57 August round trippers.  The only other team to reach 50 was the Twins. 

While the  Twins moved into a Wild Card spot, they didn’t gain much ground on the Central Division-leading Indians, who rode a pitching staff with the AL’s best August ERA (3.08), fewest walks and most strikeouts to a 19-win (versus nine losses) month. Leading the way for the Indians were Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer – a combined 10-1, 2.11 for the month. Other AL teams hot during the dog days of August were the Red Sox (18-9), Angels (18-10) and Orioles (17-12).  At the other end of the spectrum were the White Sox (11-18); Tigers (11-17) and A’s (11-16). The Red Sox’ strong month enabled them to overtake (and build a 4 1/2 game lead over) the Yankees, who were in first place August 1, but faded with a 14-15 record for the month.

RUNS – WE DON’T COUNT THE STINKIN’ RUNS

Of the teams that would qualify for the playoffs as of August 31, only the Twins have a negative run-differential on the season – having scored 646 runs and given up 661 for a -15. The Dodgers have the largest postive run differential year-to-date at +209, while the Padres have the largest negative at -150.  (Ouch!)

The Nationals led the pack in the NL, with 18 wins (versus 11 losses) – driven by a pitching staff that turned in an NL -low ERA of 3.19 for the month. The names of the biggest contributors might surprise you. Gio Gonzalez was the staff leader at 4-1, 2.23 in five August starts and in the bullpen, trade-deadline newcomer Sean Doolittle chipped in nine saves and a 1.38 ERA. The offense wasn’t bad, tallying the NL’s fifth-most runs for the month, but it was really the pitching that enabled the Nats to expand their division lead by a game, despite the Marlins solid 17-12 August (led by Giancarlo Stanton’s .349-18-37 performance). The Dodgers lost their last five games in August, but still finished 17-10 – with a 16-game lead over the Diamondbacks. At the bottom of the NL’s August results were the Mets (10-20) and the Phillies (11-19).

As we go into September, the closest division races are in the NL Central, where the Cubs lead the Brewers by 3 1/2 and the AL East, where the Red Sox lead the Yankees by 4 1/2.  The team farthest out of first place is the Giants, 40 games out. The best race going may be for the two AL Wild Card spots – with a 3 1/2 game spread among the Yankees, Twins, Angels and Orioles.  FULL STANDINGS AND EACH TEAM’S AUGUST RECORD IN THE CHART NEAR THE END OF THE POST. 

IF THE SEASON ENDED AUGUST 31, YOUR PLAYOFF TEAMS WOULD BE …

NL: Dodgers, Nationals, Cubs.  Wild Cards: Diamondbacks, Rockies

AL: Indians; Astros; Red Sox; Wild Cards: Yankees, Twins  

__________________________________________

NOW FOR AUGUST TEAM STATISTICAL LEADERS

TEAM BATTING LEADERS FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST

Runs Scored (MLB Average – 132)

NL: Cubs – 191; Reds – 165; Cardinals – 162

AL: Twins – 177; Orioles – 175; Rangers – 156

FEWEST TALLIES

No team scored fewer runs in August than the Rays, with just 94 – the only team with less than 100 tallies for the month. The Brewers trailed all NL teams with just 103 August runs. The Padres had the lowest team batting average for the month at just .225 (the NL average was .254); while the Rays put up the lowest average in the AL at .228 (leaguer average – .258).

Average (MLB Average – .256)

NL:  Cubs – .290; Cardinals – .280; Braves – .273

AL: Orioles – .306; Twins – .280; Rangers – .275

SLUGGING PERCENTAGE

The Orioles were the only team  with a slugging percentage above .500 for the month (.534 – more than 100 points above the MLB average for August), while three teams finished with slugging percentages under .400 (Pirates – .367; Padres – .381; Giants – .392).

Home Runs (MLB Average – 37)

NL: Reds -49; Cubs – 48; D-backs – 42

AL:  Orioles – 57; Twins – 50; Indians – 46

Stolen Bases (MLB Average – 15)

NL: Reds – 20; Nationals – 19; Padres & Brewers – 18

AL: Angels- 27; Red Sox – 25;  Twins – 22

 GOTCHA!

The only teams to swipe fewer than ten bases in August were the Pirates, Cardinals and Orfioles (nine each). Atlanta had the worst success rate – with 14 steals in 25 attempts (56 percent). Cleveland was successful a MLB-best 89 percent in August (17-for-19). 

Walks (MLB Average – 92)

NL: Reds – 141; Cardinals – 114; Cubs – 110

AL: Twins – 106; Red Sox – 104; Angels & Rangers – 103

FREE SWINGERS

When you talk about free swingers, look to the Brewers and Cubs, who each fanned an MLB-leading 274 times in August.  The White Sox led the AL with 265 . 

 TEAM PITCHING LEADERS FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST

Earned Run Average (MLB average – 4.38)

NL: Nationals – 3.30; Dodgers – 3.60; Brewers – 3.72

AL: Indians – 3.08; Rays – 3.34; Angels – 3.62

Send Reinforcements. Quickly!

Seven teams had ERAs over 5.00 for August – topped by the Royals at 5.89. Then came the Tigers (5.69); White Sox (5.63); Reds (5.42); Phillies (5.40); and A’s (5.26); and Mariners (5.03). 

Fewest Runs Allowed (MLB average – 132)

NL: Dodgers – 97; Nationals – 98; Brewers – 111

AL: Indians – 87; Rays – 96; Angels – 110

Strikeouts (MLB Average – 230)

NL: Dodgers – 260; Cubs – 259; Mets – 255

AL: Indians – 290; Yankees – 268; Red Sox – 266

FATTENING UP THE OLD AVERAGES

Opponents hit a lusty .294 against Tiger pitching in August (MLB’s worst Batting Average Against). The Phillies’ staff was the most accommodating in the NL at .287.

Fewest Walks Allowed (MLB Average – 92)

NL: Dodgers – 71; Rockies – 75; Giants – 82

AL: Indians – 68; Twins – 70; Rays – 71

POWER AND PRECISION

The league leaders in August pitchers’ strikeouts – Dodgers and Indians – also each gave up the fewest walks in thier leagues. I guess they were not only throwing hard – but knew where the ball was going. 

Saves (MLB average – 8)

NL: Brewers – 14; D-backs – 13; three with 10

AL: Angels – 12; Mariners &  Rays – 11

Blown Saves

The Royals’ pen blew the most saves in August with six – and also had the lowest save percentage (40 percent).

Now on to the MLB August stats and stories.

 

_______________________________________

YOU’VE SEEN SOME (TEAM) STATS, HOW ABOUT A FEW AUGUST STORIES?

THE RH FACTOR

There were some “powerful” stories in August.  Number-one – at least from Baseball Roundtable’s vantage point – was the fast start of RH, Phillies’ rookie Rhys Hoskins. The 24-year-old rookie LF/1B made his debut August 10 (He was hitting .284, with 29 home runs and 91 RBI for the Triple A Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.).In his first major league at bat, Hoskins struck out looking versus the Mets’ Jacob deGrom. His next trip to the plate, he hit into a 4-6-3 double play. And in his final plate appearance of the day, he drew a six-pitch walk. After four games, things did not look much better. Hoskins was one-for-sixteen (.077), with one run scored and one RBI.

In Hoskins’ fifth game (August 14), things began to get interesting, as he went two-for-four with a pair of home runs.  Then between, August 14 and 27, Hoskins went on a tear – 18-for-51 (.353) in 14 games, with 11 home runs and 23 RBI.   That gave Hoskins the record (we do track everything in baseball) for the fewest games played by a player reaching 11 home runs (18), as well as the fewest at bats to reach that number (64). Note: Hoskins was also the fastest to reach the nine- and ten-home run marks, but who’s counting. And,  just to top it off, young Mr. Hoskins – on August 27 –  made a sliding, shoestring catch to start a 7-4-3 triple play.

6 – 20- 25: CUBS LUCKY NUMBERS

On August 30, Cubs’ 22-year-old rookie Ian Happ (who, by the way, has played second base, third base and all three outfield positions this season) hit his 20th home run of 2017.  Nice job for a rookie – and he helped set an MLB record (another that falls into the “We count everything” category). With that homer, the Cubs became the first team with six players, age 25-or-under with 20 home runs.  The others are: Anthony Rizzo (31 HR this season); Kris Bryant (25); Kyle Schwarber (24); Wilson Contreras (21); Javier Baez (20).

FORTY-FOUR GOING ON THIRTY

On August 20, the Twins (still in the Wild Card chase, looked to 44-year-old July pickup Bartolo Colon to win a big game (against the Diamondbacks) for Minnesota. Colon, in his twentieth MLB season, came through – going six innings (seven hits, two walks, four runs and six strikeouts) in 12-5 Twins win.  (The nine runs the Twins put on the board in the first inning certainly helped.) It was Colon’s third win in five decisions (with a 4.46 ERA in seven starts) since joining the Twins. Colon had been 2-8, 8.14 with the Braves at the time of the trade.

That’s not what made this contest special, however. Colon’s victory was his first against the Diamondbacks and made him the 18^th pitcher to record a victory against all thirty current MLB franchises. On his way to completing the victory circuit, Colon (who ended August with 239 MLB wins) pitched for the Indians, Expos, White Sox, Angels, Athletics, Mets, Braves and Twins. Here is your list of pitchers who have carved a victory notch in their belt (a little Bartolo-pun there) against each of the thirty franchises: Al Leiter; Kevin Brown; Terry Mulholland, Curt Schilling; Woody Williams; Jamie Moyer; Randy Johnson; Barry Zito; A.J. Burnett; Javier Vazquez; Vincente Padilla; Derek Lowe; Dan Haren; Kyle Lohse; Tim Hudson; John Lackey; Max Scherzer; Bartolo Colon.   Colon, by the way, had a strong August – going 4-1, 3.40 for the month – and helping the Twins stay in the Wild Card hunt. 

21 – GOING PAST 30

On August 2, Dodgers’ 21-year-old rookie first baseman Cody Bellinger hit his 30^th home run of the 2017 seasons (in a Dodgers 5-3 loss to the Braves). The long ball made Bellinger just the tenth NL rookie to reach the 30-HR mark. Bellinger ended the month of August 34 home runs on the season,well within striking distance of the NL rookie record of 38 (shared by the Braves’ Wally Berger, 1930 and the Reds’ Frank Robinson, 1956).  The overall record for rookies – 49 by the Mark McGwire of the A’s in 1987) seems out of reach.  Surprisingly, despite his 34 dingers, Bellinger does not lead MLB rookies in 2017 homeruns.  That honor goes to the Yankees’ Aaron Judge with 37 at the end of August.

A SHIFTY SITUATION

On August 29, Dylan Bundy of the Orioles got the start against the Mariners – and came away with a complete-game, shutout victory (4-0). He almost came away with a whole lot more, however. With one out in the fourth inning, Bundy had allowed three base runners – one on an error and two on walks – and no hits. That brought up Mariners’ 3B Kyle Seager and brought on a defensive shift that moved Orioles’ 3B Manny Machado over to shortstop territory and left the hot corner vacant. Seager beat the shift with a bunt toward first base, logging the Mariners’ first hit.

Seager’s shift-beating bunt single would, ultimately, turn out to be the Mariners’ ONLY hit – as Bundy allowed only a safe-on-error and hit-by-pitch the rest of the way.  He finished with a one-hit, twelve-strikeout shutout.  For another August near no-hitter that caught my eye, read on after the sidebar box below.

WHERE WERE YOU WHEN THE SHIFT HIT THE FANS?

Probably in the stands.  In the 2017 edition of the “Bill James Handbook” (Acta Sports, Chicago Il), writer/researcher John Dewan reports that MLB teams used defensive shifts 2,350 times in 2011 – and 28,074 times in 2016.  (Note: I highly recommend the Bill James Handbook, lots of great info for fans.)

On August 23, Dodgers’ southpaw Rich Hill took a perfect game (versus the Pirates) into the ninth inning, only to lose the “perfecto” on an error by LA third baseman Logan Forsythe on a ball hit by the leadoff hitter in the ninth (Pittsburgh SS Jordy Mercer). Hill got the next three hitters to keep the shutout and no-hitter intact. Unfortunately, for Hill, Pirates’ hurlers Trevor Williams (eight innings) and Felipe Rivero (one inning) held the Dodgers scoreless. Juan Nicosia came on to pitch a clean tenth for Pittsburgh – setting the stage for heartbreak. Pirates’ 2B Josh Harrison led off the tenth with a walk-off home run.   Hill not only lost the perfect game, but also the no-hitter, shutout and the game itself.  His line in the loss: nine innings pitched, one hit, one run, ten strikeouts.  For more on perfect games lost late, click here.

ANOTHER IMMACULATE INNING

In the month of August, three pitchers threw Immaculate Innings (three strikeouts on nine pitches):

• Dellin Betances, Yankees – August 2 versus Tigers (Jim Adduci, Justin Upton, Miguel Cabrera)
• Jose Alvarado, Rays – August 4 versus Brewers (Travis Shaw, Jesus Aguilar, Herman Perez)
• Rick Porcello, Red Sox – August 9 versus Rays (Trevor Plouffe, Wilson Ramos, Mallex Smith)

This brings 2017’s total Immaculate Innings to an MLB single-season record eight. For more on Immaculate Innnigs, click here.

I LIKE IKE
Okay, you have to be pretty old to remember the Presidential campaign slogan “I Like Ike,” but you don’t have to be very old to like Ike Davis, who once had a 32-homer season while playing 1B for the Mets.  Davis, who hit .239, with 81 home runs and 291 RBI in seven MLB seasons is working to  revitalize his career (at age 30) as a relief pitcher in the Dodgers’ system. Not a total surprise, Ike’s dad – Ron Davis – racked up 130 saves in 11 MLB seasons and young Ike pitched in relief for Arizona State. (It was the Ron Davis connection – he came in to close for my home town Twins to the tune of “Eye of the Tiger” – that captured my attention.)

In his first appearance in the Arizona Fall League, Davis pitched one inning – striking out the side. As August ended, Davis had thrown 5 2/3 Fall League innings without surrenduring an earned run (three hits, four walks, six strikeouts).  Side note: in 2015, Davis made two pitching appearances for the Oakland A’s, giving up one hit and one walk (no runs) and fanning one. (He also played 65 games at 1B.)

A LONG WAY FROM HOME

The Angels’ Albert Pujols hit five home runs in August, bringing his season total to 21. Like most of Pujols’ long flies these days, they were a bit historic.  They brought his career total 612– moving him past  Sammy Sosa (609) and giving Pujols the most MLB home runs of any foreign-born player.  They also enabled Pujols  to catch Jim Thome for seventh place all time on the HR list.  Pujols finished August at .232-21-83.  Next up – Ken Griffey Jr. 630.

COMPARING THE KIDS

On August 7, as the Nationals topped the Marlins 3-2, Bryce Harper hit his 150^th career round tripper – becoming only the 14^th player to reach that milestone before reaching age 25. Harper, of course, is often compared to another young MLB Star – the Angels’ Mike Trout.  Trout also hit 150 long balls before 25.  In fact, Harper and Trout reached that milemarker at EXACTLY the same age – 24-year and 295-days.

 

 

RUN THAT BY ME AGAIN

The Ray’s 3B Evan Longoria opened August with a bang – an August first cycle. Longoria’s cycle included a two-run home run in the first inning; a run-scoring triple in the third; a fly out to second in the fifth; a single in the seventh.   Then with two out in the ninth, and needing a double to complete the cycle, he hit a liner down the left-field and turned on the after-burners.  The play ended in a head-first slide into second – and Longoria called out. After a review, however, the call was overturned and Longoria had run/slid his way into the record books – by way of the replay.

KNOW A GOOD RESEARCHER?

On August 29th, the Twins’ Jorge Polanco became just the fifth Twin to homer from both sides of the plate in a game (as the Twins topped the White Sox 6-4). That’s not what caught my eye, however (after all, it has been done more than 300 times – a record 14 by Mark Teixiera and Nick Swisher). What intrigued me was that, the following day, LF Ehire Adrianza became just the third Twin to hit a triple from both sides of the plate in a game (joining Polanco and Christian Guzman). If there are any great researchers out there who can answer this question, it could save me a lot of time.  How many times has that been done?

13 – LUCKY AND UNLUCKY

On August 19, the red-hot Dodgers topped the Tigers 3-0 in Detroit.  It was the Dodgers 13^th interleague victory of the 2017 season – tying a record for consecutive interleague victories shared by the 2004 Tigers and 2006 Red Sox. The win was also the Dodgers sixth in a row and 13^th (against just three losses) in August.  Thirteen, however, also marked the end of the streak. In the next game, a pair of Justins brought justice to Detroit – as the Tigers topped LA 6-1, with Justin Erlanger giving up just two hits, one  walk and one run (nine strikeouts) over eight innings and LF Justin Upton stroking a two-run home run.  Side note: Two key Justins (Upton and Verlander) were traded away by the Tigers in  September. 

SOUTHPAW TAKES NORTHERNMOST SPOT IN THE RECORD BOOKS

On August 19, Yankee veteran southpaw C.C. Sabathia picked up his tenth win of the seasons (10-5, 3.99) as the Yankees topped the rival Red Sox 4-3 in Boston. Sabathia went six innings and gave up four hits and two runs, walking one and fanning four.    His second strikeout of the game – Chris Young for the second out in the second inning –  gave Sabathia 2,680 AL strikeouts; setting a new record for AL lefthanders. (Mickey Lolich had held the record at 2,679). Sabathia, in his 17th MLB season ended the month 11-5, 3.70 on the season.  For his career (as of August 31), he is 234-146,  3.70 – with 2,822 strikeouts in 3,289 2/3 innings.

 

EDDIE MATHEWS, FRANK ROBINSON, MIKE TROUT – HITING ‘EM HARD AND HITTING ‘EM EARLY

On August 19, Mike Trout hit his 25^th and 26^th round trippers of the season as the Angels beat the Orioles 5-1 in Baltimore. In the process, Trout became just the third MLB player to have six seasons of 25 or more home runs before his age-26 season. He joined Hall of Famers Eddie Mathews and Frank Robinson with that distinction.  For the full story, click here.

SPEED KILLS – IN A GOOD WAY

August was a big month for MLB’s speed merchants, as eight players recorded inside-the-park home runs – the most in a month in forty years. At the top of my list is Twins’ CF Byron Buxton (Disclaimer: I am from Minnesota, so I am a bit biased on this one.)  Statcast™  clocked Buxton circling the bases in 13.85 second on August 18 (in Minnesota versus the Diamondbacks), breaking his own Statcast™ record of 14.05 seconds set last October 2. Here’s your list of August I-T-P home runs.

 

 

August 7, Javier Baez, SS, Cubs (versus Giants).

August 12, David Peralta, LF, D-backs (versus Cubs)

August 17, Daniel Descalso, 2B, D-backs (versus Astros)

August 18, Byron Buxton, CF, Twins (versus D-backs)

August 18, Nicky Delmonico, DH, White Sox (versus Rangers)

August 19, Denard Span, CF, Giants (versus Phillies)

August 22, Nick Castellanos, 3B, Tigers (versus Yankees)

August 24, J.T. Realmuto, 1B, Marlins (versus Phillies)

ALL STAR ALL AROUND THE BASES

In 2007, Ichiro Suzuki became the first (and still only) player to hit an inside-the-park home run in the All Star Game. 

ANOTHER ANGLE ON SPEED

On August 16, Padres 1B Wil Meyers turned on the after-burners.  In the fourth inning of that game, with a runner on second and two out, Meyers broke up a scoreless game with a run-scoring single to left. Myers then stole second and, after catcher Austin Hedges walked, successfully stole third. Meyer topped off his inning successful stealing home on the front end of a double steal. It was just the 51^st time in MLB history that a player stole second, third and home in one inning. Forty-one different players have stolen their way around the bases in an inning, with only four doing it more than once in their careers: Ty Cobb (four times); Honus Wagner (four times): Max Carey (twice); Jackie Tavener (twice).

“WHIFF “- EL BALL

Yankee rookie phenom Aaron Judge set a new single-season  major league record for consecutive games with a strike out by a position player at 37 (July 8 – August 20) topping Adam Dunn’s 2012 record of 32 (with the White Sox). Judge also broke pitcher Bill Stoneman’s overall single-single season (1971) record for consecutive games played with a strikeout (35) and tied Stoneman’s record for consecutive games played with strikeout of 37 over more than one seasons (set in 1971-72). For more on Judge’s streak, click here.

_____________________________________

SO MUCH FOR STORIES – NOW, AUGUST STATISTICES

 

—–INDIVIDUAL BATTING LEADERS FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST—-

Average (minimum 50 at bats)

NL:  Charlie Blackmon, Rockies – .383; Jonathan Villar, Brewers – .364; Ender Inciarte, Braves – .362

AL: Avisail Garcia, White Sox – .423; Tim Beckman, Orioles – .394; Christian Vazquez, Red Sox – .385

Reverse Order

The lowest batting average for a player with at least 50 at bats in August was .113 – Adam Engel of the White Sox (9-for-80). In the NL, that dubious spot on the BA list went to Dominic Smith of the Mets at .164 (11-for-67).

Home Runs

NL: Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins – 18; Rhys Hoskins, Phillies & Paul Goldschmidt, D-backs – 11

AL: Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays, Gary Sanchez, Yankees & Manny Machado, Orioles – 12

RBI

NL: Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins – 37; Paul Goldschmidt, D-backs – 31; Anthony Rizzo, Cubs – 30

AL: Manny Machado, Orioles – 35; Adrian Beltre, Rangers – 30; Justin Upton, Tigers & Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays – 27

Runs Scored

NL: Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins – 28; Charlie Blackmon, Rockies – 27; Dee Gordon, Marlins – 26

AL: Tim Beckham, Orioles & Brian Dozier, Twins – 27; Mike Trout, Angels – 26

Stolen Bases

NL:  Billy Hamilton, Reds – 11; Dee Gordon, Marlins – 10; Starling Marte, Pirates – 7

AL: Rajai Davis, A’s, Whit Merrifield, Royals & Andrew Benitendi, Red Sox – 9

Walks

NL:  Joey Votto, Reds – 35; Eugene Suarez, Reds – 24; Matt Carpenter, Cardinals – 21

AL: Mike Trout, Angels – 27;  Aaron Judge, Yankees – 23; Edwin Encarnacion, Indians – 22

A SWING AND A MISS

Nobody fanned more in August than Yankee rookie Aaron Judge with 41 whiffs in 92 at bats. Over in the NL, the Phillies’ Nick Williams led the swing-and-miss parade with 37 strikeouts in 106 at bats.

—–INDIVIDUAL PITCHING LEADERS FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST—–

Wins

NL:  Jake Arrieta, Cubs – 4-1, 1.21; Gio Gonzalez, Nationals – 4-1, 2.23; Jeff Samardzija, Giants – 4-1, 3.05; Zach Davies, Brewers, 4-2, 2.06; Pat Corbin, D-backs – 4-2, 2.52

AL:  Trevor Bauer,  Indians 5-0, 2.32; Corey Kluber, Indians – 5-1, 1.96; Rick Porcello, Red Sox – 5-1, 4.04; Martin Perez, Rangers – 5-1, 4.19

ERA (Minimum 25 June innings)

NL:  Jake Arrieta, Cubs – 1.21; Mike Montgomery, Cubs – 1.73; Zach Davies, Brewers – 2.06

AL:  Corey Kluber, Indians – 1.96; Dylan Bundy, Oriole – 2.00; Drew Pomeranz, Red Sox – 2.28

Ouch!

The worst ERA among pitchers with at least four starts or 15 innings pitched in August went to the Phillies’ Nick Pivetta, who put up a 11.57 ERA  and a 1-3 record in five August starts.  In the AL, given those parameters, the highest ERA goes to Ian Kennedy of the Royals (0-4, 9.57).  On the other side of the coin, the most innings pitched by a hurler with an August ERA of 0.00 was 15 1/3 by Brewers’ closer Corey Knebel. 

Strikeouts

NL: Jacob deGrom, Mets – 44 (39 IP); Patrick Corbin, D-backs – 42 (39 1/3 IP); two with 39

AL:  Corey Kluber, Indians – 54 (46 IP); Chris Sale, Red Sox – 53 (37 IP);  Justin Verlander, Tigers – 50 (42 IP)

Saves

NL:  Corey Knebel, Brewers – 13; Fernando Rodney, D-backs – 12; Brad Zeigler, Marlins & Sean Doolittle, Nationals – 9

AL: Edwin Diaz, Mariners & Alex Colome, Rays – 10; Robert Osuna, Blue Jays – 9

______________________________________________________

NOW, A LOOK AT THE STANDINGS AS OF (END OF DAY) AUGUST 31

AND THEN THE YEAR-TO-DATE (THROUGH AUGUST 31) TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL STATS

______________________________________________

NOW FOR ALL YOU STAT LOVERS, HERE WE GO.

—–TEAM BATTING LEADERS THROUGH AUGUST—–

Average (MLB Average – .255)

NL: Rockies – .273; Nationals – .272; Marlins – .265

AL: Astros – .284; Orioles – .268; Red Sox – .261

TALLY-HO

The Orioles have the top batting average with runners in scoring position through August at .303 (the only team over .300). The NL lead in average with runners in scoring position is shared by the Rockies and Nationals at .297.

Runs Scored: (MLB average – 621)

NL: Nationals – 704; Rockies – 681; Cubs – 675

AL: Astros – 735; Yankees – 689; Rangers – 672

 TALLY-NO!

The Padres have plated the fewest runs through August (509). At the bottom of the AL, you’ll find the White Sox at 567.

Toronto has the lowest batting average with runners in scoring position (through August) at .222. The Padres are at the bottom of the NL at .228. (MLB average – .260)

The Giants have proven the most power challenged with an MLB-low 104 home runs through August – 101 behind MLB leader Baltimore.  Boston has the fewest round trippers in the AL at 140.

Home Runs (MLB Average – 169)

NL: Mets & Cubs – 193; Brewers – 192

AL:  Orioles – 205; Rangers & Astros -204

 SWINGING ON THE AIR WAVES

Brewers’ batters are “hitting the air waves” this season, with 1,314 strikeouts through August. The AL leader is the Rays, with 1,287. 

Stolen Bases (MLB Average – 70)

NL: Brewers – 107; Reds – 103; Nationals – 88

AL: Angels – 115; Rangers – 102; Red Sox – 90

—–TEAM PITCHING LEADERS THROUGH AUGUST  —–

ERA (MLB average – 4.35)

NL: Dodgers – 3.20; D-backs – 3.64; Nationals – 3.89

AL: Indians –  3.57; Red Sox 3.71; Yankees – 3.81

HOW DO YOU SPELL RELIEF?

The Dodgers boast MLB’s best relief ERA through August at 2.90, but the Indians aren’t far behind at 3.01. The Tigers have the only bullpen ERA over 5.00 at 5.20.

The Dodgers’ staff also has the best starting rotation ERA at 3.38. Clevand is best in the AL at 3.87.  Each league’s worst starters’ ERA?  The Reds (5.87) and Orioles (5.59).

Fewest Runs Allowed (MLB average – 621)

NL: Dodgers – 447; D-backs –  543; Nationals – 557

AL: Indians – 496; Red Sox – 553; Yankees – 560

WILD AND CRAZY

Through August, no team’s staff has hit more batters than the Padres with 44 HBP.  The Astros top the AL with 43 HBP.  San Diego also tops the NL with 44 wild pitches, second in MLB to the A’s 48. The Giants’ staff goes easy on hitters – they are the only team with less than 20 HBP (18).  Most often victimized? Pirates’ hitters have been plunked an MLB-leading 75 times; while Nationals’ batters have spent the least time rubbing out pain – being hit just twenty times (no other team has suffered fewer than 30 HBP). 

Strikeouts (MLB average – 1,097)

NL: Dodgers – 1,251; D-backs – 1,225; Nationals – 1,189

AL: Astros – 1,315; Indians – 1,312; Red Sox – 1,273

Fewest Walks Allowed (MLB average – 434)

NL: Dodgers – 356; Cardinals – 399; Nationals & Pirates – 405

AL:  Indians – 349; Red Sox – 373; Angels – 391

Saves (MLB Average – 33)

NL: Brewers – 46; Dodgers – 43; Rockies – 41

AL: Rays – 46; Blue Jays – 38; Twins – 37

BONUS STAT – HAVE AN OUT ON US

The Oakland A’s have given away the most free outs (errors made) this season at 105. Over in the NL that dubious distinction goes to the Brewers at 97. (MLB average – 78 errors.) The Royals and Rockies have committed the fewest errors through August (59) – and share the best fielding percentage at .988

__________________________________

ENOUGH OF TEAM STATS, LET’S MOVE ON TO …

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICAL LEADERS THROUGH AUGUST 31

Batting Average

NL:  Charlie Blackmon, Rockies- .339; Justin Turner, Dodgers – .327; Bryce Harper, Nationals – .326

AL: Jose Altuve, Astros –  .355; Avisail, Garcia, White Sox – .324; Eric Hosmer, Royals – .318

EVERY COIN HAS TWO SIDES

The lowest average through August (minimum 250 at bats) belongs to the Rays’ Danny Espinosa at .164 (41-for-250).  The Cubs’ Kyle Schwarber has the NL’s bottom spot at .199 (72-for-362). Just five  players with at least 250 at bats are under the Mendoza line. In addition to Espinosa and Schwarber, that list includes the: Rangers’ Mike Napoli (.195); Rays’ Brad Miller (.196); Royals’ Alex Gordon (.199).    

Home Runs

NL: Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins – 51; Cody Bellinger, Dodgers & Joey Votto, Reds – 34

AL: Aaron Judge, Yankees – 37; Khris Davis, A’s, Joey Gallo, Rangers & Khris Davis, A’s – 36

LIKE FREE SWINGERS?

Three MLB players – all in the AL – have fanned at least 170 times this season: Aaron Judge, Yankees (176); Khris Davis, A’s (175); Miguel Sano, Twins (170). Note: Those three have been productive despite the whiffs, with a combined stat line of  .258-101-250.

RBI

NL: Nolan Arenado, Rockies – 111; Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins – 110; Paul Goldschmidt, D-backs – 109

AL: Nelson Cruz, Mariners – 101; Johnathon Schoop, Orioles – 100; Justin Upton, Tigers/Angels – 94

Runs Scored

NL: Charlie Blackmon, Rockies – 120; Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins – 103; Paul Goldschmidt, D-backs – 100

AL: Aaron Judge, Yankees – 99; George Springer, Astros – 92; Jose Altuve, Astros – 89

Stolen Bases

NL:  Billy Hamilton, Reds – 55; Dee Gordon, Marlins – 48; Trea Turner, Nationals – 37

AL: Cameron Maybin, Angels & Jose Altuve, Astros – 29; Rajai Davis, A’s & Jarrod Dyson, Mariners – 28

Walks

NL:  Joey Votto, Reds – 113; Matt Carpenter, Cardinals – 89; Paul Goldschmidt, D-backs – 85

AL: Aaron Judge, Yankees – 99; Edwin Encarnacion, Indians – 89; Jose Bautista, Blue Jays – 74.

JUST WAVE ‘EM OVER

No player has drawn more intentional walks this season then the D-backs’ Paul Goldschmidt  and Reds’ Joey Votto – each with 14. Mike Trout of the Angels leads the AL with 13.

—–PITCHING LEADERS THROUGH THE MONTH OF AUGUST—–

Wins

NL:   Zack Greinke, D-backs – 16-6, 3.08; Zach Davies, Brewers – 16-7, 3.85; Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers – 15-2, 2.04

AL:  Chris Sale, Red Sox – 15-6, 2.77; four with 14

ERA (Minimum 125 innings)

NL:  Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers – 2.04; Max Scherzer, Nationals – 2.21; Gio Gonzalez, Nationals – 2.58

AL:  Corey Kluber, Indians – 2.63; Chris Sale, Red Sox – 2.77; Marcos Stroman, Blue Jays – 3.11

BANG ‘EM HIGH

The Mariners’ Ariel Miranda gave up the most home runs through August at 35 (150 1/3 IP). The NL leader is the Cubs’ John Lackey (32 in 141 IP). 

The highest opponents’ batting average  (at least 100 IP) belongs to the Twins’ (and Braves’) Bartolo Colon (.327). The only other pitchers with a Batting Average Against of .300+ are the Giants’ Matt Cain (.316); Tigers’ Jordan Zimmerman (.312); Padres’ Clayton Richard (.309);  Rangers’ Martin Perez (.304) and Twins’ Kyle Gibson (.303).

Strikeouts

NL: Max Scherzer, Nationals – 230 (167 1/3 IP); Jacob deGrom, Mets – 206 (178 2/3 IP); Zack Greinke, D-backs – 188 (172 1/3 IP)

AL: Chris Sale, Red Sox – 264 (185 1/3 IP); Chris Archer, Rays – 225 (179 1/3 IP); Corey Kluber, Indians – 215 (160 2/3 IP)

K’S PER NINE

Among pitchers with at least 100 innings pitched, the Red Sox’ Chris Sale has fanned an MLB-best 12.8 batters per nine innings through August. The NL leader is the Nationals’ Max Scherzer at 12.4. The only other pitcher to fan at least 12 per nine innings is the Indians’ Corey Kluber at 12.0.

Saves

NL:  Greg Holland Rockies – 36; Kenley Jansen, Dodgers – 35;  Fernando Rodney, D-backs – 34

AL: Alex Colome, Rays – 40; Robert Osuna, Blue Jays – 35; Craig Kimbrel Red Sox – 31

THE ONES THAT GOT AWAY

Jim Johnson of the Braves leads MLB in blown saves through August at nine (in 31 opportunities). The AL leader is the Blue Jays’ Robert Osuma with eight (43 opportunities).

 

Primary Resources: ESPN.com; MLB.com; Baseball-Reference.com; Baseball-Almanac.com; StarTribune.

I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT

Like/Follow the Baseball Roundtable Facebook page here. Additional baseball commentary blog post notifications and PRIZES. (So far this season, we’ve given away four bobbleheads – Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Harmon Killibrew and Miguel Sano.  More to come.)

Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); The Baseball Reliquary; The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; Baseball Bloggers Alliance. 

 

Posting this a little late:  It was Twins’ Hall of Fame Day and the boys put up twelve tallies.

On Saturday (August 19), Angels’ center fielder Mike Trout bashed a pair of home runs (left-center and center field) as the Angels topped the Orioles 5-1 in Baltimore.  You’ve probably read plenty about how Trout became just the third MLB player to have six campaigns of 25 or more home runs before his “Age-26” season.   It should be clear by now that, in baseball, we not only keep track of pretty much everything – we also (with the advances in information technology) find unique ways to divide those statistics up to create new “first to…” or “just the third MLB player to …” categories.  For example, Trout was actually 26-years-old when he belted that qualifying 25^th home run (giving him six 25+ home runs seasons before his “Age-26” season.  You see, a players’ baseball-age season is defined as the age the player is on July 1 of any specific season.  For example, Trout hit his season’s 25^th home run in his Age-25 season, despite being 26 at the time. (He turned 26 on August 7, but was still 25 on July 1.)

Now, I have not made it a general practice to comment on this page on particularly unique records (think, most consecutive, two-hit games, by switch-hitters, batting left handed in June).  However, sometimes achievements come along that catch my eye or pique my interest.  In this case, Trout’s six seasons of 25 or more home runs before his Age-26 season drew me in because of the players he now shares that distinction with – Eddie Mathews (my all-time favorite player) and Frank Robinson (who holds a host of even more substantial honors). Further, while  Mathews and Robinson are both Hall of Famers, they seem an unusual pair to share a record – having “shared” one of the most renowned on-field dustups in MLB lore (more on that later).  So, let’s look at each of member of the “Six Seasons of 25 or More Home Runs before His Age-26 Season” Club – in the order they achieved the feat.

Eddie Mathews, Third Base, Boston/Milwaukee Braves (1952-57)

Mathews was the first member of this club – and he’s also the only one to complete his Age-25 season while still (real) age 25. (His birth date was October 31, 1931). Mathews made it to the Boston Braves in 1952 and hit .242, with 25 home runs and 58 RBI in 140 games. The following season, the Braves moved to Milwaukee and the 21-year-old Mathews came into his own – hitting .302, leading the NL with 47 home runs and driving in 135. Over the next four seasons, Mathews hit 40, 41, 37 and 32 home runs – completing the first-ever qualifying streak of six season of at least 25 home runs before age 26. Note: They didn’t really focus on this kind of thing back then, but Mathews ran off another five straight seasons of 25 or more round trippers. So, he also holds the record for seven consecutive seasons of 25 or more home runs before age 27, eight before age 28 and so on … right up to eleven before age 30. Who knows, maybe Mike Trout will keep Eddie’s name in the new for a while.

ONE OF THE GREATS TALKS ABOUT EDDIE MATHEWS

I’ve only known three or four perfect  swings in my time.  This lad has one of them.

                                                                                      Ty Cobb

Mathews played 17 major league seasons and hit .271, with 512 home runs and 1,453 RBI. He led the NL in home runs twice, hit 40 or more in a season four times and thirty or more another six times.  He was a nine-time All Star

STATISTICS OVER THE SIX SEASONS WITH 25 OR MORE HOME RUNS BEFORE AGE-26 SEASON

Eddie Mathews, Braves (1952-57) …       .281 average; 222 HRs; 586 RBI

Frank Robinson, Reds (1956-61) …          .302 average; 202 HRs; 573 RBI

Mike Trout, Angels (2011-2017)* …          .309 average; 194 HRs; 556 RBI

*As of August 19, 2017: Reasonable projection through season’s end: .311-202-580

Frank Robinson, Left Field/Center Field, Reds (1956-61)

Robinson came to the Reds in 1956 as a 20-year-old rookie (he turned 21 August 31). He immediately went to work at a high level – tying the (since broken) rookie record for home runs with 38 – to go with a .290 average and 83 RBI. Robinson then ran off season home run totals of 29, 31, 36, 31 and 37 to complete the six seasons of 25+ home runs before his Age-26 campaign. He added one more season of 39 long balls, before falling to 21 dingers in 1963.

Robinson played 21 MLB seasons and was a 14-time All Star. His career average was .294, he slugged 586 home runs and drove in 1,812.  He also won nearly every MLB honor imaginable: Rookie of the Year (1956); NL MVP (1961); AL MVP (1966); AL Triple Crown (1966); World Series MVP (1966); All Star Game MVP (1971). Then he topped it off by becoming the first Black manager in the American League (Indians, 1975) and National League (Giants, 1982) and winning the AL Manager of the Year Award (1989).

THAT MAN DESERVES A STATUE … OR TWO … OR THREE

Photo by kowarski

You’ll find bronze statues of Frank Robinson at Great America Ballpark (Reds); Oriole Ballpark at Camden Yards (Orioles): and Progressive Field (Indians) – all three teams have retired his number 20.

 

 

 

Mike Trout, Center Field, Angels (2011-17; 25+ HR streak (2012-17)

Unlike Eddie Mathews and Frank Robinson, Mike Trout didn’t start his Six Seasons of 25 or More Home Runs before  his Age-26 Season streak from his first day in the majors.  The Angels brought him up for 40 games as a 19-year-old (2011) and he hit .220-5-16.  Better things were on the way.  As a 20-year-old, he played in 139 games and hit .326, with 30 home runs, 83 RBI and a league-leading 49 stolen bases (in just 54 attempts). That earned Trout All Star honors and AL Rookie of the Year. He followed that with HR totals of 27, 36, 41. 29 and (as of August 19) 26.   For his career (to date), Trout is .309-194-556.

Barring injury, Trout seems destined to join Mathews and Robinson in the Hall of Fame.  In just five full seasons, he has won the AL Rookie of the Year Award and two AL MVP Awards (and has yet to finish lower than second in the AL MVP balloting). He’s also led the AL in runs scored four times, RBI once and stolen bases once.

A COUPLE OF SLUGGERS MEET ON THE DIAMOND

Eddie Mathews and Frank Robinson are not only both Hall of Famers and members of the 500 home run club; they were both known as gritty, rough-and-tumble, 110-percent ballplayers.  And, they proved it on August 15, 1960.

The Braves were playing a double header against the Reds in Cincinnati. In Game One Mathews was at third base, batting in the three-hole – ahead of Hank Aaron. Robinson was in left field, also batting third, with Reds’ right fielder Wally Post at cleanup.

With two outs and no one on in the seventh (and the Reds up 5-3) Robinson tried to stretch a double into a triple.  (There are conflicting reports about whether the ball was hit to the right side or left side. (Baseball Reference says LF, while Mathews, in his own book Eddie Mathews and the National Pastime, and Bob Buege in his book, The Milwaukee Braves – A Baseball Eulogy, says it went to the right side.  There is no disagreement, however, on the mayhem that followed.

Robinson slid hard into third, his arm hitting Mathews on the side of the head.  Mathews placed a heavy tag on the Reds’ runner – words were exchanged (very briefly) before blows were landed. (In his book, Mathews notes that “He (Robinson) was not a dirty player, but he could be rough.  Sometimes he was too aggressive.”    He also indicated he and Robinson had had run-ins before. (On a side note: Mathews himself was no stranger to being labeled aggressive). By all accounts, Mathews – who had a reputation for being both quick and good with his fists – got the better of the deal. He was relatively unmarked, but Robinson suffered a jammed thumb, bloody nose and badly swollen eye.  Later Braves’ Hall of Fame pitcher Warrant Spahn would say “Eddie hit him with three punched not even Muhammad Al could have stopped.”  Click here to see a photo from the press coverage.

In the end, Mathews was ejected and Robinson left the field holding a bloody towel to his face. Side note: Gus Bell came in to replace Robinson.  It was more complicated for the Braves. 2b Mel Roach moved to 3B; Hank Aaron moved from CF to 2B; and Al Spangler took over for Aaron in CF. Just a few names from the past for my fellow oldsters.

While Mathews may have won the battle, Robinson appeared to win the war.  The Reds won Game One 5-3. The gritty Robinson was back in left and batting cleanup – nose still bleeding occasionally and one eye nearly swollen shut – in Game Two. The Reds took that game as well, by a 4-0 score. Robinson led the way with a home run and a double and also robbed Mathews of an extra base hit with a fine fielding play.

—–EDDIE MATHEWS WAS INDEED A SLUGGER—–

What teammates had to say about Mathews:

“I didn’t mind starting fights. Mathews was always there to finish them for me.”

                                                                               Johnny Logan, Shortstop

“All I remember is that it was very comforting, not trying to hit anyone, but if you wanted to pitch inside, you didn’t have to worry about (the batter) making it to the mound with Eddie at third.”

                                                                              Tony Cloninger, Pitcher

Primary Sources: Basseball-Reference.com; MLB.com; Eddie Mathews and the National Pastime; Society For American Baseball Research (SABR).

I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT

Follow/Like the Baseball Roundtable Facebook page here. Baseball commentary; blog notification; and PRIZES!

Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); The Baseball Reliquary; The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; Baseball Bloggers Alliance.

It’s All Over Now – The Rolling Stones (the cover was their first #1 hit)

The July 31 (Non-Waiver) Trade Deadline has passed and, as always, there was a flurry of activity as contenders looked to bolster their squads for the division races and post season – and non-contenders looked to bring new prospects into their systems.  In this post, Baseball Roundtable will take a look at some of the most significant acquisitions – made by the most active “buyers.”  Here’s my take on the nine teams that most improved their chances to be a part of the 2017 post-season – with a Walk-Up Song for each.

YANKEES – GRADE: A

Gray Skies Are Gonna Clear up – from Tony Bennet’s “Put On A Happy Face”

The Bronx Bombers – in a battle with the rival Red Sox for the AL East – added pitching and power. They won the sweepstakes for much sought after right-handed starter (2015 All Star) Sonny GRAY of the A’s and added lefty starter Jaime Garcia (67-52, 3.65 over nine seasons) from the Braves (after Garcia made a one-appearance cameo with the Twins). Those moves addressed the Yankees’ biggest shortcoming – starting pitching.

The Yankees, however, did not stop there.  The pinstripers also added bullpen strength in David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle from the White Sox. Robertson is a former closer, with a 2.95 ERA over 561 career appearances, while Kahnle boasted a 2.50 ERA in 37 appearances this season.   And, to put just a little frosting on the cake, they picked up veteran power hitter Todd Frazier – also from the White Sox.  It was quite a July haul for the Bombers.

_________________________________

DODGERS – GRADE: A

It Had to Be Y(o)u … Frank Sinatra

While they may have the best record in baseball, the Dodgers did not rest on their laurels – they were wheeling and dealing right up until the final bell. In fact, at the bell, they picked up the top prize of the trading season – four-time All Star RHP YU Darvish from the Rangers.  Darvish makes an already strong rotation even stronger; fills a temporary void left by Clayton Kershaw’s stint on the DL; and sets up a post-season rotation of Kershaw, Darvish, Rich Hill and Alex Wood.

But Darvish isn’t the only factor in Los Angeles’ “A” rating. The Dodgers also needed to bolster their portside bullpen options.  They earned a Tony Award there, with the acquisition of lefty relievers Tony Watson from the Pirates (3.66 ERA in 47 appearances this season) and Tony Cingrani (a 17-save season in 2016) from the Reds.  Watson is likely make the biggest difference of that pair.

So, the team with the best record in baseball got even better.  That’s clearly worth an A.

WHAT’S THE BIG HURRY?

For those who don’t know why there is such a rush to beat the deadline – trades after the July 31 Non-Waiver Deadline get a bit more complicated.  Before the deadline, teams can make trades without putting the affected players on waivers. After July 31, traded players must clear (revocable) waivers. This means any other team may claim the player – with claims considered in reverse order the teams’ won-loss records. The team with the worst record gets the first opportunity to make a claim, the team with the second-worst record (if the first team does not make a claim) gets the next opportunity and on up the line.

If a claim is made, the team putting the player’s name up can: 1) Make a trade with the claiming club; 2) Let the player go to the claiming club for no return; 3) Keep the player (take him off waivers). So, in order to make a preferred trade, the player has to make it through the waivers process (at least up the line to the waiver position of the team that the offering team wants to deal with.)

NATIONALS – GRADE: B+

Feelin’ Stronger Everyday – Chicago

The Nationals may be running away with the AL East, but they recognized the need to build a STRONGER bullpen (with its ERA north of 5.00) if they were going to advance in the post season. (Read, “Get past the Dodgers.”)

They earned a solid B+  by getting that job done.  The Nationals added Twins’ All Star closer Brandon Kintzler (28 saves this season) and two relievers from the A’s:  Ryan Madson (a 12-year veteran with a 2.06 ERA with Oakland this season and a 30-save season in 2016) and Sean Doolittle (an All Star closer for the A’s in 2014.)  Suddenly, a weakness has the potential to be a strength.

Earlier in July, Washington also added versatile Howie Kendrick – a dependable bat off the bench – who was hitting .340 in 39 games for the Phillies at the time of the trade. Kendrick a 12-year MLB veteran has a career average just over .290.

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE … FROM “BUYER” TO “SELLER”

The Twins went into their July 24 game with a 49-48 record, trailing the AL Central leading Indians by just 2 ½ games.  In the trade deadline market, they were buyers (not sellers) announcing the acquisition of Braves’ starting pitcher Jaime Garcia to bolster a suspect Minnesota rotation.  A week – and five losses in six games –  later,  the Twins were 50-53, seven games out and had become “sellers.”   Garcia, after just one start (the team’s lone win while he was on the Minnesota roster), was gone to the Yankees. Soon after, Twins’ All Star closer Brandon Kintzler (and his 28 saves) was on his way to the Nationals.

CUBS – GRADE: B+

This Could be the Start of Something Good – Exile

The defending World Champions, who recently chased down the Brewers to take first place in the NL Central, made one of the earlier moves of the July “trading season,” acquiring STARTer Jose Quintana from the White Sox. The 2016 All Star was off to a bit of a rough start this season (4-8, 4.49 for the ChiSox), but went 2-1, 2.37 in three starts since moving across town. He should provide plenty of quality starts down the stretch and into the post season.

The Cubs also added reserve catcher Alex Avila and southpaw reliever Justin Wilson from the Tigers.  Avila provides a bit more punch from the backup-backstop spot, but the gem in the Tigers’ trade is Wilson – a proven power arm for the pen. At the time of the trade, Wilson had a 2.68 ERA in 42 appearances and had fanned 55 batters in 40 1/3 innings.

__________________________

DIAMONDBACKS – GRADE B

The Force Behind the Power – Diana Ross

The D-backs added Tigers’ slugger J.D. Martinez (hitting .305-16-39 for Detroit) – adding a veteran POWER source to the lineup.  Martinez was the best offensive player moved in July.  Martinez’ bat bolsters the middle of the D-backs’ lineup and provides much-need protection for Arizona MVP candidate Paul Goldschmidt. (Martinez hit five home runs in his first nine games for the D-backs.)

The D-backs also traded for A’s utility player Adam Rosales – to compensate for injuries to the infield corps – and added  veteran reliever David Hernandez from the Angels (2.23 ERA in 38 appearances this season) to help out in the bullpen. Not as flashy as some of the other contenders, but positive additions. Considering where the Dodgers are, the Diamondbacks are fighting for a Wild Card spot – and Martinez should win a few games for them.

__________________________________

RED SOX – GRADE: B

Sparks Will Fly – Rolling Stones

Boston added depth to their offense by picking up Eduardo Nunez from the Giants. Nunez brings plenty of offensive SPARK.  In 2016, he hit .288, with 16 home runs and 40 stolen bases for the Twins/Giants – and he can hold his own defensively at multiple positions. The Red Sox also added hard-throwing southpaw Addison Reed to serve a key setup role in the pen. Reed consistently fans 1+  batters per inning and has 125 MLB saves to his credit.  Still, the Yankees appear to have won the July trade market battle – and perhaps the East Division as well.

_________________________________________

ROCKIES – GRADE: B-

Catcher in the Rye – Guns and Roses  (Dang, couldn’t come up with a Pat song)

Like Arizona, Colorado is a legitimate Wild Card contender. (Unfortunately, in the AL West 14 games over .500 leaves you 14 games out of the division lead.) The Rockies took a cautious approach to the July trade market, but did add to the offense and the bullpen.  Veteran reliever Pat Neshek (a two-time All Star with a 2.77 ERA over 11 seasons), acquired from the Phillies, should give the Rockies some solid innings. Neshek was an All Star this season and brought a 3-2 record with a 1.12 ERA to the Rocks.

In addition, the acquisition of CATCHER Jonathan Lucroy (Rangers) gives the Rockies a veteran presence to help a young pitching staff.  Lucroy – who hit .292, with 24 home runs, in 2016 – has the potential add to the offense (particularly in Coors’ light air).  At the time of the trade, he was hitting .242, with four homers and 27 RBI (in 77 gamers) for the Rangers. He’ll need to up is game to help the Rockies.

____________________________

RAYS – GRADE: B

Zip-A-Dee-“DOO-DAH ” – Johnny Mercer

The Rays are trying to stay in the AL East chase, but a Wild Card spot seems more likely.  They added a needed power-bat in 1B/OF Lucas DUDA from the Mets. Duda is a solid 20-30 home run power source – and hit three homers in his first four games as a Ray. In addition, the Rays bolstered their bullpen with the acquisitions of three veteran arms in Sergio Romo (who was having a rough season with the Dodgers, but has a career 2.79 ERA over 10 campaigns);  Steve Cishek (who was carrying a 3.15 ERA with the Mariners and has a 2.81 ERA over eight MLB seasons) and Dan Jennings (with a 2.88 ERA over six seasons).

_______________________________

ROYALS – GRADE: C

Hey, Hey, We’re the Melky(s) – The Monkees (Okay, I took some liberties here>)

The Royals reinserted themselves into the AL Central race and became buyers in the July marketplace. They added MELKY Cabrera from the White Sox. Cabrera was hitting .295-13-56, typical of the production you can expect from him.  The Royals also bolstered the rotation by picking up Trevor Cahill form the Padres (where he had a 3.69 ERA in 11 starts this season). Newcomers Brandon Mauer (Padres) and Ryan Buchter (Padres) may provide bullpen help.  Overall, Cabrera is likely to be the biggest difference maker. Still looks like the Indians have too much to be overtaken.

I tweet basesball @DavidBBRT

Like/Follow Baseball Roundtable’s Facebook page, here.

Member:  Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); The Baseball Reliquary; The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; Baseball Bloggers Alliance.

It’s August 1, which means it’s time for Baseball Roundtable’s look back at July – the stats, the stories and the highlights. We could call July Dodger Month, Beltre Month, Altuve Month,  Paxton Month or maybe even Devers Month.  Here are a few notable highlights:

• Adrian Beltre had a milestone month – picking up his 3,000^th base hit (July 30); 5,000^th total base (July 7); and 1,600^th RBI (July 14). Better start clearing a sport on the wall at Cooperstown.
• The Dodgers went a sparkling 20-3 for the month, expanding their NL West Division lead to 14 games over the Diamondbacks.
• The Astros’ Jose Altuve’s month of July included a 19-game hitting streak, during which he hit .524.
• James Paxton was the only pitcher to win six games – going 6-0, with a 1.37 ERA for the Mariners – who went only 8-12 in the games Paxton didn’t start.
• Boston Red Sox’ rookie Rafael Devers was a .296 hitter over four minor league seasons, but he appears to like major league pitching even better. The 20-year-old made his major league debut on July 25 (becoming MLB’s youngest active player) and, in six July games, hit .417 (10-for-24) with two home runs, four RBI and four runs scored.
• The Astros hit a remarkable .323 at a team for July (the only team above .300), while the Dodgers put up a stingy 2.60 ERA for the montk (the only team below 3.00).

Still, the best moniker for July might be trade deadline month – as lots of players were moved as we approached the July 31 trade deadline.   We’ll take a look at all this and the month’s highlight and statistical leaders coming up.  But first the standings and Baseball Roundtable’s Players and Pitchers of the Month.

THE STANDINGS

The Dodgers went 20-3 for the month (an .870 winning percentage) and are now 74-31 on the season – the only team playing .700 ball. Pitching led the way for the boys from LA, as their 2.60 earned run average was far and away the lowest in MLB for the month. While the Dodgers 107 runs scored in July ranked 22nd among MLB teams, they still managed to outscore the opposition by 38 runs.  Leading the way for the Dodgers in July was the now DL-ed Clayton Kershaw (3-0, 0.72 ERA); the surprising Rich Hill (4-0, 1.45); and, of course, Kenley Jansen with nine saves in ten opportunities.

If you are looking for offense, the Astros rode a month in which they led the majors in runs scored (174); batting average (a resounding .323); and home runs (44) to a 15-9 July record – despite MLB’s ninth worst ERA for the month (5.08).  Leading the way for the Astros were Jose Altuve (.485 for the month); George Springer (.403); Alex Bregman (.329); and Evan Gattis (.322).

Other squads putting up solid July results (at least 15 wins) were the Cubs and Nationals (16-8), Royals (16-10) and Indians  (15-11).

The worst July record belonged to the White Sox (6-19) in the AL and the Reds (8-18) in the NL.

If the season ended July 31, your playoff teams would be.

AL:  Division Leaders – Yankees, Indians, Astros. Wild Cards: Red Sox and Royals.

NL: Division Leaders: Nationals, Cubs and Dodgers; Wild Cards: Diamondbacks anad Rockies/

Notably, there are three competitive division races: In the NL Central, the Cubs lead the Brewers by 2 ½ games; in the AL Central the Royals are two games back of the Indians; and in the AL East, the Yankees jhold just a ½-game dge on the Red Sox.

A full chart of July 31 standings and month of July won-lost records appears at the end of this  post. 

_______________________________________________________________

BASEBALL ROUNDTABLE PLAYERS AND PITCHERS OF THE MONTH

NL Player of the Month – Nolan Arenado, 3B, Rockies

Photo by jenniferlinneaphotography

I love those players who give you plenty of offense AND defense and no one does it better than four-time (in four seasons) Gold Glover at third base Nolan Arenado. He’s also a two-time NL RBI leader (and current 2017 leader) and two-time league home run champ. So, what did he do to earn Player of the Month for July? He hit .389, with eight home runs, 18 runs scored and an MLB-leading 30 RBI (in just 22 games played). Also under consideration were Rockies’ CF Charlie Blackmon, who hit .370, with seven home runs, 13 RBI and an MLB-leading 29 July runs scored. Blackmon also had three triples in July, adding to his season total of 13 three-baggers – six more than the next-best total.  I also took a look at the Marlins’  RF Giancalo Stanton. who led MLB with 12 July home runs – to go with a .289 average and 23 RBI. 

NL Pitcher of the Month – Rich Hill, LHP, Dodgers

This was a tough choice, but I went with Dodgers’ veteran Rich Hill. He went 4-0 in five starts (no NL pitcher won more than four games in July), with a nifty 1.45 ERA (behind only fellow Dodger Clayton Kershaw and the Phillies’ Aaron Nola among National Leaguers with at least 25 innings pitched in July).  The 37-year-old southpaw also walked just five batters, while fanning 40, in 31 innings. Also in the running were Kershaw (3-0, 0.72 in four starts); Nola (3-1, 1.32 with 43 strikeouts in 34 innings); and Max Scherzer (3-0, 2.84 with a league-topping 50 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings.)

AL Player of the Month – Jose Altuve, 2B, Astros

What can you say about a guy who hits an MLB-leading .485 for the month, raps out an MLB-tops 48 hits, gives you a little power (four home runs) and speed (eight stolen bases), while also scoring 22 times and driving  in 21? Jose  Altuve’s July totals incuded a 19-game hitting streak, during which he hit .524, with ten doubles, one triple, four home runs, 21 runs scored and 19 RBI. Clearly, Altuve does it all – and is a deserving Player of the Month.  Also considered were Rangers’ 3B Adrian Beltre who – as noted earlier –  achieved several milestone including his 3,000^th MLB hit.  At age 38, Beltre went .341-4-14 for the month.  Clearly, twenty years into an MLB career and Beltre can still rake.   Orioles’ 2B Jonathan Schoop was also on the radar for this recognition after a .343-9-28 month of July. 

AL Pitcher of the Month – James Paxton, LHP, Mariners

Photo by hj_west

Mariners’ southpaw James Paxton put up stellar numbers in July – going 6-0, with a 1.37 ERA in six starts.  (Numbers which look even better given Seattle’s 14-12 record for the month.) Paxton also fanned 46 batters, while walking just six, in 39 1/3 Innings. The 28-year-old Paxton is now 11-3 on the season, with a 2.68 ERA.  So, how does it add up?  For July, Paxton was in the AL’s top five  in starts, wins, inning pitched, strikeouts and ERA. Coming into 2017, Paxton was 18-15, 3.43 in fifty MLB starts over four seasons.  Also in the running was Red Sox’ ace Chris Sale (3-1, 1.04 with a league-leading 56 strikeouts in 34 2/3 innings.)  

________________________________________________________

NOW FOR SOME JULY HIGHLIGHTS

WHAT GOES AROUND, COME AROUND

On July 15,  Cody Bellinger become the first Dodgers’  rookie to hit for the cycle – going four-for-five  – with the requisite single, double, triple and home run – notching three RBI and two runs scored in a 7-1 Dodgers’ win over the Marlins. It was the first four-hit game of the 22-year-old rookie’s career – and his 26^th home run of the season. For a look at all the MLB rookies who have hit for the cycle, click here.

IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT THE HOME RUN – HOW ABOUT A WALK-OFF WALK

Dodgers’ rookie Cody Bellinger added four home runs to his rookie-season total in July – and ended the month at 28.  However, it wasn’t all about the long ball. On July 8, Bellinger propelled the Dodgers to their 60^th win of the season (the first team to reach 60 wins in 2017) by waiting out a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the tenth inning – giving  the Dodgers a 5-4 win over Rays in LA.  Of course, as it seems is always the case this year, the long ball did play a part. Bellinger had tied the game with a home run in the bottom of the eighth. Keep an eye of this rookie.  After nine home runs in May and 13 in June, he slipped to four in July.  Time for some adjustment?

LOOK OUT JOE! HERE COMES THE JUDGE!

On July 7, Yankees’ rookie phenom Aaron Judge hit his 30^th home run of the season – eclipsing Joe DiMaggio’s Yankee rookie record of 29 home runs – with plenty of season left. Judege ended July with a stat line of .303-34-75 – leading MLB in home runs and slugging percentage and topping the AL in runs scored and walks. Oh yeah, and he won the All Star Game Home Run Derby.

 

 

CRUZIN’ TO NUMBER 300

On July 7, Seattle DH Nelson Cruz hit his 300^th round tripper as the Mariners bested the Oakland A’s 7-2 to snap an eight-game losing streak – it was his 16th home run of the season and his second in July.  He finished the month with seven July homers, 21 on the season and 305 career blasts.

WOMEN BELONG IN BASEBALL

On July 15, Stacy Piagno made her first start on the mound for the  Sonoma Stompers of the  (independent) Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs – as they took on the Pittsburg Diamonds. Piagno pitched seven innings, giving up just one run on four hits and notching four strikeouts as Sonoma prevailed 16-1.  With that outing, Piagno became the third women to notch a professional baseball victory since the 1950s – following Ila Borders and Eri Yoshida to victories from the hill.

HOW ABOUT SHOWING A LITTLE RESPECT

Two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer came into his July 21 start against the Diamondacks with an  11-5, record and a sparkling 2.01 ERA.  The Diamondbacks showed the Nationals’ ace very little respect, however.  After three batters and just ten pitches, the Diamondbacks had three homne runs and a 3-0 lead.  Lead off hitter/RF  David Peralta homered to deep  right, followed by CF  A.J. Pollock’s blast down the left field line and 3B Jake Lamb’s RF home run. The three round trippers tied the MLB record for consecutive home runs to start a game.

How unexpected was the three-homer barrage? Scherzer had allowed just one home run over 34 2/3 innings in his past five starts. Scherzer did settle down and lasted five innings (eight hits, two walks, five runs and nine strikeouts – no decision) as the Nationals fell to the D-backs 6-5.

PARITY?

The MLB All Star competition is as even as can be: 43 AL wins, 43 NL wins, two ties – AND both teams have scored exactly 361 runs over the 88 games.

ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS

On July 23, The Orioles’ Zach Britton set a new AL record by converting his 55th straight save opportunity – pitching a scoreless ninth in a 9-7 win over the Astros.   Britton extended his record with saves (versus the Rangers) on July 29 and July 30.  He’s still a long way form the MLB record, however.  That belongs to  the Dodgers’ Eric Gagne, with 84 straight  conversions from August 28, 2002 to July 3, 2004.

A BALANCED ATTACK

On July 24, 1B Carlos Santana provide some well-balanced offense for the Indians.  The switch hitter homered both left-handed and right-handed, as the Indians stopped the Reds 6-2. It was the fourth time in his career that Santana had homered from both sides of the plate in the same game. For those interested – through June of this year, the feat had been accomplished 312 times at the major league level.  In 2017 alone, the Indians have accomplished it four times (Jose Ramirez twice, Francisco Lindor and Santana). Others to go yard from both sides in a game this season include the Yankees’ Aaron Hicks, Astros’ Marwin Gonzalez, Blue Jays’ Kendrys Morales, Dodgers’ Yasmani Grandal and Phillies’ Freddie Galvis. Nick Swisher and Mark Tiexiera share the MLB record for career games with home runs both left- and right-handed at 13.

 

MINOR LEAGUE NO-O-OTE

On Sunday, July 23, the Rookie Level Gulf Cost League (GCL) Nationals used four pitchers to throw a pair of seven-inning no-hitters. In Game One of a doubleheader (a 4-0 Nationals’ win over the Marlins), Joan Baez went six innings (no hits, one walk, seven strikeouts), with Jose Jimenez throwing the final frame. Game Two (Nationals 1 – Marlins 0) saw Jared Johnson go four no-hit innings (one walk, two strikeouts), with Gilberto Chu tossing the final three (no walks, four whiffs.)

A TRIPLE PLAY PRODUCES A RUN – A FIRST FOR FRAZIER

On July 25, in his first at bat at Yankee Stadium, Todd Frazier came to the plate in the bottom of the second inning, with the sacks full and no one out. Matt Holliday was on third, Didi Gregorius on second and Chase Headley on first.  All had reached via singles. Frazier, facing rookie starter Luis Castillo, hit a one-hopper to Reds’ SS Jose Peraza. Peraza tagged second for out number one, then threw to 1B Joey Votto for the second out.  As this traditional double play was completed, Holliday scored from third. Things then got interesting. Gregorius, who had been on second, stopped between second and third and basically found himself in the proverbial “pickle” between Reds’ 3B Eugenio Suarez and Peraza.   In the end, the Reds recorded a 6-6-3-3-5-6 triple play and the Yankees recorded a run.  Ultimately, the Bronx Bombers prevailed 4-2 – but it was a pretty memorable first Yankee Stadium at bat for Frazier.  It also was just the tenth time (in 712 triple plays) that a run has scored on an MLB triple killing.

BACK – TO BACK-TO BACK-TO BACK  … AND THEN SOME

On July 27, the Washington Nationals put an exclamation point on what some are calling “The Year of the Home Run” by tying a pair of MLB long-ball records – powering an MLB-record-tying four consecutive home runs and a record-tying five home runs  in an inning. The third-inning outburst led to seven runs as Washington topped the Brewers 15-2 in D.C.  It was the only the sixth time an MLB team has notched a five-dinger inning (and the eighth time a team had rapped four consecutive home runs) and featured long balls by CF Brian Goodwin (his tenth of the season); SS Wilmer Difo (third of the season); RF Bryce Harper (27th); 1B Ryan Zimmerman (21st); and 3B Anthony Rendon (21st).  For full details on the other record holders, click  here.

WORKING ON THE SOUTH 40

No player has ever hit 40 home runs in a Royals’ uniform (they are the only team without a 40-HR player in their history), but Mike Moustakas seems to be on his way. On July 28, Moustakas ripped his 30th home run of the 2017 season – a three-run shot as the Royals topped the Red Sox 4-2 in Boston.  (It was the streaking Royals ninth straight win.)  The home run made “Moose” the fastest Royal to reach thirty long balls – coming in his 364th at bat of the season. Previously, another third sacker – Gary Gaetti – was the quickest Royal to thirty dingers in a campaign at 410 ats bats (in 1995).  Gaetti hit 35 that season, one short of Steve Balboni’s Royals’ record.  Nicknames seem to be all the rage for Royals’ home run hitters – Moustakas is known as “Moose,” Gaetti as “G-Man” or “Rat” and Balboni as “Bye Bye.”

 

——STAT TIME … FOR THE MONT OF JULY AND YEAR-TO-DATE (throogh July 31)—-

—–TEAM BATTING LEADERS … MONTH OF JULY—–

Average (MLB Average – .257)

NL:  Rockies- .297;  Marlins – .279; Dodgers – .275; Nationals – .275

AL: Astros – .323; Tigers – .280; Royals – 279

Runs Scored (MLB Average – 117)

NL: Rockies – 148; Marlins – 139; Nationals – 128

AL: Astros  – 174; Royals – 141; Indians – 135; Tigers – 135

WE’LL TAKE THE LOW ROAD

The White Sox and Angels plated the fewest runs in MLB in July – with only 88 runners  crossing the plate for each squad.  (The Reds were the lowest in the NL with 93 tallies.) The White Sox also had the lowest batting average for the month at .229; while the Giants showed the least power with an MLB-low 14 round trippers during the month. The Astros hit more than 100-points higher than the White Sox and bashed more than three times as many home runs as the Giants. 

Home Runs (MLB Average – 31)

NL: Cubs  – 40; Nationals – 37; Marlins – 35; Dodgers – 35

AL:  Astros – 44; Rangers – 41; Royals – 38

Stolen Bases (MLB Average – 12)

NL: Brewers – 20; Reds – 15; Braves – 15

AL: Astros – 23; Royals – 22; Indians – 20

I THINK I’LL JUST WAIT HERE

The Mets attempted (and achieved) MLB’s fewest stolen bases in July – going three-for-five in steals. The Blue Jays had the worst rate of success – swiping four bags in eight tries.

Walks (MLB Average – 82)

NL: D-backs – 101; Reds – 96; Marlins – 91

AL: A’s – 112; Indians – 106;  Blue Jays – 105

GRABBING A LITTLE AIR

The Brewers led all of MLB in strikeouts in July with 254 whiffs – which equates to just over ten per game. 

—–TEAM PITCHING LEADERS … MONTH OF JULY—–

Earned Run Average (MLB Average – 4.37)

NL: Dodgers – 2.60; Cardinals – 3.06; D-backs – 3.48

AL:  Red Sox – 3.24; Indians – 3.36; Mariners – 3.68

PUTTING UP SOME CROOKED NUMBERS

Eleven teams had ERA’s over 5.00 for July. The White Sox led (trailed?) all of MLB at 5.68, while the Rockies gave up an NL-leading 5.38 earned runs per nine innings.

Fewest Runs Allowed (MLB Average – 117)

NL: Dodgers – 69; D-backs – 87; Cardinals -94; Pirates – 94.

AL: Indians – 94; Red Sox – 101;  Angels – 102

IT’S OUTTA HERE

Your team leader in home runs allowed in July was the White Sox – the ChiSox staff gave up 47 long balls; while the Reds topped the NL with 44. On the other side of the coin, the Dodgers gave up an MLB-low 17 July dingers.

Strikeouts (MLB Average – 209)

NL: Nationals – 229; Reds – 227; Brewers – 220

AL: Red Sox – 265; Yankees – 264; Indians – 251

Fewest Walks Allowed (MLB Average – 82)

NL: Dodgers – 49; D-backs – 62; Cardinals – 64

AL: Twins – 65; Indians – 68;  Orioles – 72

LET ME TAKE YOU ON A FREE RIDE

The Blue Jays gave up an MLB-high 118 walks in July; while the Braves provided an NL-leading 108 free passes.  The only other teams to exceed 100 walks allowed were the White Sox and Marlins (106 each).    

Saves (MLB average – 6)

NL: Dodgers – 10; Padres – 10; five with seven

AL: Rays – 9; Mariners – 8; two with seven

OUCH!

The Diamondbacks had the worst save/opportunity percentage in July – blowing five of seven save opportunities – for a 28.6 percent success rate.  The MLB average for the month was 66.0 percent. 

______________________________________________________________

—–INDIVIDUAL BATTING LEADERS FOR THE MONTH OF JUlY—–

Average (minimum 50 at bats)

NL:  Gerardo Parra, Rockies .443; Chris Taylor, Dodgers  – .394; Anthony Rendon, Nationals – .392

AL: Jose Altuve, Astros – .485;  George Springer, Astros – .403; Alex Pressley, Tigers – .380

Home Runs

NL: Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins – 12; Bryce Harper, Nationals – 9; three with eight

AL: Rougned Odor, Rangers – 10; Mike Moustakas, Royals – 9; Jonathan Schoop, Orioles – 9

IT SEEMS LIKE HE’S ALWAYS ON BASE

Among players with at least 50 July at bats, only two got on base at least half the time.  Your on-base-percentage leaders were: Jose Altuve, Astros – .523; Anthony Rendon, Nationals – .500.

RBI

NL: Nolan Arenado, Rockies – 30;  Marcel Ozuna Marlins – 27; Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins – 23

AL: Jonathan Schoop, Orioles – 28; Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox – 25; Mookie Betts, Red Sox – 23

Runs Scored

NL: Charlie Blackmon, Rockies – 29; Bryce Harper, Nationals – 26; Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins – 25

AL: Alex Bregman, Astros – 24; Eric Hosmer, Royals – 22; Jose Altuve – Astros -22

WAIT FOR IT. WAIT FOR IT.

The Blue Jays’ Josh Donaldson was MLB’s most patient hitter in July – averaging 4.83 pitched per plate appearance – edging the Twins’ Joe Mauer at 4.82. 

Stolen Bases

NL:  Billy Hamilton, Reds – 11; Dee Gordon, Marlins – 9; four with five

AL: Rajai Davis, A’s – 9; Whit Merrifield, Royals – 9; Jose Altuve, Astros – 8

Walks

NL:  Joey Votto, Reds – 23; Paul Goldschmidt, D-backs – 22; two with 19

AL: Edwin Encarnacion, Indians – 20; Brett Gardner , Yankees – 20; Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays – 19

WAY BELOW THE M-LINE

The lowest average (minimum 50 June at bats) for the month went to the Twins’  Jorge Polanco at .078 (four-for-51).  

—–INDIVIDUAL PITCHING LEADERS … THE MONTH OF JULY—–

Wins

NL:  Seven pitchers with four

AL:  James Paxton, Mariners – 6-0, 1.37;  three with four

ERA (Minimum 25 July innings)

NL:  Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers  – 0.72;  Aaron Nola, Phillies – 1.32; Rich Hill, Dodgers – 1.45

AL:  Chris Sale, Red Sox – 1.04; James Paxton, Mariners – 1.37; Sonny Gray, A’s – 1.48

GETTING UP THERE A BIT

The worst ERA among pitchers with at least four starts or 15 innings pitched in July went to the Marlins’ Tom Koehler, who had four July starts and put up a 9.87 ERA in 17 1/3 innings. Using those same parameters in the AL,we find the  Astros’ Lance McCullers Jr., with an ERA of   9.64 in four June starts (18 2/3 innings). 

Strikeouts

NL: Max Scherzer – 50 (31 2/3 IP); Aaron Nola, Phillies 43 (34 IP); Rich Hill, Dodgers – 40 (31 IP)

AL: Corey Kluber, Indians – 56 (34 1/3 IP); Chris Sale, Red Sox – 56 (34 2/3 IP); three with 46

Saves

NL:  Kenley Jansen, Dodgers – 9; Greg Holland, Rockies – 7; A.J. Ramos, Mets/Marlins – 7

AL: Alex Colome, Rays – 9; Edwin Diaz, Mariners – 8; two with seven

TOUGHEST OUTING OF THE MONTH

The Blue Jays’ Glenn Sparkman may have had the toughest outing of the month.  The rookie righty was brought into a July 2 game against the Red Sox in the top of the seventh and the Blue Jays already down 7-1.  Sparkman’s appearance went: single; single; single; strikeout; double; single; double; double. Ultimately, he gave up seven earned runs  in 1/3 of an inning – for a July ERA of 189.00.  In his only previous MLB appearance (June 30), also against the Red Sox, he went 2/3 of an inning, giving up no earned runs, despite allowing two hits and a walk.  There is clearly a potential for better things to come – Sparkman has a 2.65 ERA in five minor league seasons, with 267 strikeouts in 268 1/3 innings. 

_________________________________________________

NOW THE YEAR-TO-DATE STATS (Still with me?)

—–TEAM BATTING … YEAR-TO-DATE LEADERS—–

Average  (MLB Average – .255)

NL:  Nationals – .275; Rockies – .274; Marlins – .266

AL: Astros – .292; Indians – .264; Yankees – .262

THAT’LL DO IN A PINCH

No  team pinch hits more successfully than the St. Louis Cardinals – whose batters have gone 45-for-141 in pinch-hitting appearances this season, leading MLB in pinch hits and PH batting average (.319).  Just down I-70, you’ll find the Royals, with the fewest pinch hits (two) and the lowest pinch-hitting average through July (.105). 

Runs Scored (MLB average – 490)

NL: Nationals – 575; Rockies – 564; Dodgers – 535

AL: Astros – 623; Yankees – 557; Rangers – 516

THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT

Only the Astros topped 600 runs (through July) at 623.  The Padres, on the other hand, have scored more than 200 times fewer than Houston, with San Diego notching just 400 runs. The Astros also lead the majors with 172 home runs, with the Giants the only team under 100 round trippers (82).

Home Runs (MLB Average – 132)

NL: Nationals – 158; Brewers – 156; Mets – 152

AL:  Astros – 172; Rangers – 160;  Rays – 154

A SWING AND A MISS

Only two teams had more than 1,000 batters’ whiffs through July: the Brewers (1,040) and Rays (1,037).  Looks like a tight race for the most free-swinging squad. 

Stolen Bases (MLB Average – 55)

NL: Brewers – 89; Reds – 83; D-backs – 72

AL: Angels- 88; Rangers – 81; Red Sox – 65

—–TEAM PITCHING LEADERS … YEAR-TO-DATE (July 31)—–

Earned Run Average (MLB average – 4.35)

NL: Dodgers – 3.09; D-backs – 3.43; Cardinals – 3.82

AL: Red Sox 3.70; Indians –  3.71;  Yankees – 3.83

I’D GIVE IT A FIVE

Only two teams had ERA’s over five through July – The Reds at 5.28 and the Orioles at 5.07. 

Fewest Runs Allowed (MLB average – 490)

NL: Dodgers – 350; D-backs –  404; Cardinals – 445

AL: Indians – 409; Boston – 435; Yankees – 438

DODGERS’ STAFF AT THE TOP

The Dodgers’ rotation had the best starters’ ERA in the MLB (through July) at 3.25; while the Astros’ starters were best in the AL at 3.96.  In the bullpen, Cleveland ruled at 2.77.  The Dodgers had the best bullpen ERA in the NL (and second-best in MLB) at 2.83.

If you’re wondering why the Nationals (despite a big lead) were active in the trade deadline market for relievers, Washington was one of only two teams with a  bullpen ERA over 5.00 through July 31 – the Tigers at 5.25 and the Nationals at 5.05.

Strikeouts (MLB average – 866)

NL: Dodgers – 991; D-backs – 971; Nationals – 949

AL: Astros – 1064; Indians – 1022; Red Sox – 1007

Fewest Walks Allowed (MLB average – 343)

NL: Dodgers – 275; Pirates  – 297; Cardinals – 314

AL:  Indians – 288; Red Sox – 293; Yankees – 318

PUTTING UP SOME GOOD RATIOS

Through July, the Dodgers lead the NL in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 3.60; while the Indians top the AL at 3.55. Other teams with a better than three-to-one ratio: Red Sox (3.44); Astros (3.16); Yankees (3.12); D-backs (3.02). Common denominator? We’ll likely see all of them in the post season.   Also, only two teams are averaging at least ten strikeouts per nine innings: Astros (10.18); Indians (10.01).  

Saves (MLB Average – 25)

NL: Rockies – 35; Dodgers – 33; Brewers – 32

AL: Rays – 35; Twins – 29; Blue Jays – 29

LETS CONVERT 

The major-league team average for save conversions through July was 64 percent.  No team was under 50 percent, but Texas (17-for-34) was right at the low-water mark.  

—–INDIVIDUAL BATTING LEADERS YEAR TO DATE—-

Average (qualifying)

NL:  Justin Turner, Dodgers – .356; Daniel Murphy, Nationals – .332; Bryce Harper, Nationals – .329

AL: Jose Altuve, Astros – .368; Eric Hosmer, Royals – .323; Jean Segura, Mariners – 322

Home Runs

NL: Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins – 33; Cody Bellinger, Dodgers – 28; four with 27

AL: Aaron Judge, Yankees – 34;  Mike Moustakas, Royals – 30; Justin Smoak, Blue Jays – 30

HE KEEPS HITTING THOSE THREES

The Rockies’ Charlie Blackmon has 13 triples through July – no other player has more than seven.

RBI

NL: Nolan Arenado, Rockies – 91; Marcell Ozuna, Marlins – 81; two at 80

AL: Nelson Cruz, Mariners – 79;  Jonathan Schoop, Orioles – 77;  Aaron Judge, Yankees – 75

Runs Scored

NL: Charlie Blackmon, Rockies – 93; Bryce Harper, Nationals – 86; Paul Goldschmidt, D-backs – 82

 AL: Aaron Judge, Yankees – 83; George Springer, Astros – 82;  Jose Altuve, Astros – 74

Stolen Bases

NL:  Billy Hamilton, Reds – 44; Dee Gordon, Marlins – 38; Trea Turner, Nationals – 35

AL: Cameron Maybin, Angels – 25; Jarrod Dyson, Mariners – 23; Jose Altuve, Astros 22

LEADERS IN A FEW OTHER CATEGORIES

Base Hits: Jose Altuve Astros (AL) – 148; Charlie Blackmon, Rockies (NL) – 141

On Base Pct: Justin Turner, Dodgers (NL) – .455; Jose Altuve, Astros  (AL) – .430

Slugging Pct: Aaron Judge, Yankees (AL) – .639; Bryce Harper, Nationals (NL) – .627

Strikeouts:  Miguel Sano, Twins (AL) – 144; Will Myers,Padres (NL) – 127

—–PITCHING LEADERS … YEAR TO DATE (July 31)—–

Wins

NL:  Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers – 15-2, 2.04; Zack Greinke, D-backs – 13-4, 2.84; four with 12

AL:  Chris Sale, Red Sox – 13-4, 2.37; Jason Vargas, Royals – 13-4, 3.00;  two with 11

ONE (or more) THAT GOT AWAY

Rick Porcello of the Red Sox leads MLB in pitcher’s losses – with 14 losses (versus just four wins) to go with a 4.55 ERA (that would indicate he deserved better).  Over in the NL the loss leader is the Padres’ Clayton Richard (5-12, 5.40).

ERA (qualifying) 

NL:  Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers – 2.04; Max Scherzer, Nationals – 2.23; Gio Gonzalez, Nationals – 2.66

AL:  Chris Sale, Red Sox – 2.37; James Paxton, Mariners – 2.68; Corey Kluber, Indians – 2.90

Strikeouts

NL: Max Scherzer, Nationals – 201 (145 1/3 IP); Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers – 168 (141 1/3 IP); Jacob deGrom, Mets – 162 (139 2/3 IP)

AL: Chris Sale, Red Sox – 211 (148  1/3 IP); Chris Archer, Rays – 177 (142 IP); Corey Kluber, Indians – 161 (114 2/3 IP)

LIKE THE LONG BALL?

If you like big flys, show up when the Angels’ Ricky Nolasco or the Yankees’ Masahiro Tanaka are on the mound.  They share the MLB lead in home runs allowed at 27.

Saves

NL:  Greg Holland Rockies – 33; Kenley Jansen, Dodgers – 27; three  with 22

AL: Alex Colome, Rays – 39; Brandon  Kintzler,Twins – 28; Robert Osuma, Blue Jays – 26

A PITCHER’S BEST FRIEND

No one has induced more double play grounders  this season (through July) than Marcus Stroman of the Blue Jays with 23 … to go with a 9-5, 3.08 record.

 

Primay sources:  Baseball-Reference.com; MLB.com; Society for American Baseball Research.

I tweet baseball @David BBRT

 

Follow/Like Baseball Roundtable’s Facebook page, here.

 

Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); The Baseball Reliquary; The Negro Leagues Baaseball Museum; Baseball Bloggers Alliance. 

http://

Players who rap four home runs in a game (which, by the way is rarer than a pitcher’s perfect game) usually have (well-earned) nicknames like Rocky, The Iron Horse or The Hammerin’ Hoosier.  Yesterday (June 6), an uncharacteristic “Scooter” was added to the list (now 17 players long) of major leaguers with four home runs in a single game.  I’m talking, of course, about the Reds’ Ryan “Scooter” Gennett – the 27-year-old (5’10”, 185-pound) utility player who went four-for-five, with four home runs, four runs scored and ten RBI as the Reds’ topped the Cardinals 13-1 in Cincinnati.  Gennett came into the game with three home runs on the season. Let’s look at how Gennett and his big game compare to others on the four-homer list.

• Gennett blasted his four long balls in front of a home crowd; 12 of the 17 four-homer games have been achieved “on the road.”
• Gennett’s ten RBI were the second most in a four-homer game. The Cardinals’ Mark Whiten’s 12 RBI (September 7, 1993) are the record, not just for a four-homer game, but for any MLB game (tied). The Mariners’ Mike Cameron (May 2, 2002) is the only player to drive in the minimum four runs in a four-homer game.
• Gennett and Mark Whiten are the only players to include a Grand Slam in their four-homer contest.
• Gennett came out on the winning end of the Reds/Cardinals matchup, only two players – the Phillies’ Ed Delahanty (July 13, 1896) and Braves’ Bob Horner (July 6, 1986) hit four home runs in a losing cause.
• At 27-years-old, Gennett is the seventh-youngest player to hit four homers in a game. The youngest is the White Sox’ Pat Seerey (July 18, 1948) at 25 years -four months – one day.  The oldest is the Blue Jays’ Carlos Delgado (September 25, 2003) at 32-years-old.
• Gennett, a utility player, was in left field for the game – the second left fielder to accomplish the feat. Four-homer games have been achieved by: six first baseman; four center fielders; three right fielders; two left fielders; one third baseman; and one second baseman.
• Gennett was batting fifth in the order. Fourth (appropriately cleanup) is the most popular lineup spot for a four-home contest – seven times. Other spots: third – four times; fifth – twice; sixth – twice; seventh – once; leadoff – once.
• Gennett scored four times and had 17 total bases. The Dodgers’ Shawn Green holds the top spot for four homer-games with six runs scored and 19 total bases (also the MLB record for total bases in any MLB game).
• Gennett had a total of 38 career homers before his four-homer game, tied with Mark Whiten for the fewest ever for a player at the time he notched a four-homer contest. (Whiten ended his career with 105 homers).
• Gennett now has a total of 42 career home runs (he is in his fifth MLB season). The Giants’ Willie Mays (April 30, 1961) has the most career home runs of a player with a four-homer game at 660. The player with the fewest is the Beaneaters’ Bobby Lower (May 30, 1894) with 71.
• The fewest home runs hit by a player in the season in which he had a four homer game is 13 by Ed Delahanty, who went .397-13-126 in 1896. (The 13 HR’s did lead the league.) The most home runs hit by a player in a season in which he had a four-homer game is 43 by the Rangers’ Josh Hamilton in 2012.
• Three players have won the home run crown in the year of their four-homer games: the Phillies’ Ed Delahanty (1896); Indians’ Rocky Colavito (1959); Phillies’ Mike Schmidt (1976).

Below is a list – and brief  wrap up – of the 16 players in big league history to record a four-homer game before Scooter Gennett.

Josh Hamilton, CF, Rangers, May 8, 2012 …. Hamilton (hitting in the number-three spot) went five-for-five (four home runs and double), scored four and drove in eight as his Rangers topped the Orioles 10-3 in Baltimore. The homers were his 11^th-14^th of the season. The 6’4”, 240-lb., 30-year-old outfielder finished the 2012 season at .285-43-128 and his nine-season MLB career at .290-200-701.  Hamilton had a career-high 43 home runs in 2012 and also had two seasons of 30+ round trippers.

Carlos Delgado, 1B, Blue Jays, Sept. 25, 2003 … Delgado (batting cleanup) went four-for-four, scored four and drove in six as his Blue Jays bested the Devil Rays 10-8 in Toronto. The homers were his 38th-41st of the season. The 6’3”, 215-lb., 31-year-old finished the 2003 season at .302-42-145 and his 17-season MLB career at .280-473-1,512.  Delgado had a career-high 44 home runs in 1999 and had 11 seasons of 30+ round trippers (three of 40+).

Shawn Green, RF, Dodgers, May 23, 2002 … Green (batting in the number-three hole) went six-for-six (four homers, one double, one single), scored six times and drove in seven as the Dodgers beat the Brewers 16-3 in Milwaukee. The homers were his sixth-ninth of the season. The 6’4”, 190-lb., 29-year-old finished the 2002 season at .285-42-114 and his 15-season MLB career at .283-328-1,070.  Green had a career-high 49 home runs in 2001 and had four seasons of 30+ round trippers (three of 40+).

Mike Cameron, CF, Mariners, May 2, 2002 … Cameron (batting cleanup) went four-for-five, scored four and drove in four as the Mariners blasted the White Sox 15-4 in Chicago. The homers were his sixth-ninth of the season. The 6’2”, 210-lb., 29-year-old finished the 2002 season at .239-25-80 and his 17-season MLB career at .249-278-968.  Cameron had a career-high 30 home runs in 2004; and had seven seasons of 20 or more.

Mark Whiten, CF, Cardinals, Sept. 7, 1993 … Whiten (batting in the seventh spot) went four-for-four, scored four and drove in 12 as the Cardinals battered the Reds 15-2 in Cincinnati. The homers were his 19th-22nd of the season. The 6’3”, 210-lb., 26-year-old finished the 1993 season at .253-25-99 and his 11-season MLB career at .259-105-423.  Whiten’s 25 home runs in 1993 were a career high, he had just one other campaign of 20+ long balls.

Bob Horner, 1B, Braves, July 6, 1986 … Horner (batting cleanup) went four-for-five, scored four and drove in six as his Braves lost to the Expos 11-8 in Atlanta.  The homers were his 14th-17th of the season. The 6’1”, 195-lb., 28-year-old finished the 1986 season at .273-27-87 and his 10-season MLB career at .277-218-685.  Horner had a career-high 35 home runs in 1980 and had three seasons of 30+ round trippers.

Mike Schmidt, 3B, Phillies, April 17, 1976 … Schmidt (batting sixth) went five-for-six (four homers and a single), scored four and drove in eight as his Phillies edged the Cubs 18-16 in Chicago – in a game that featured 43 combined hits and nine homers. The homers were Schmidt’s second-fifth of the young season. The 6’2”, 195-lb., 26-year-old finished the 1976 season at .262-38-107 and his 18-season MLB career at .267-548-1,595.  Schmidt had a career-high 48 home runs in 1980 and had 13 seasons of 30+ round trippers (three of 40+).

Willie Mays, CF, Giants, April 30, 1961 … Mays (batting third) went four-for-five, scored four and drove in eight as his Giants beat the Braves 14-4 in Milwaukee. The homers were his third-fifth of the season. The 5’10”, 170-lb., 29-year-old finished the 1961 season at .308-40-123 and his 22-season MLB career at .302-660-1,903.  Mays had a career-high 52 home runs in 1965 and had 11 seasons of 30+ round trippers (two of 50+ and another four of 40+).

Rocky Colavito, RF, Indians, June 10, 1959 … Colavito (batting fourth) went four-for-four (one walk), scored five and drove in six as the Indians topped the Orioles 11-8 in Baltimore. The homers were his 15th-18th of the season. The 6’3”, 190-lb., 25-year-old finished the 1959 season at .357-42-111 and his 14-season MLB career at .266-374-1,159.  Colavito had a career-high 42 home runs in 1959 and had seven seasons of 30 or more round trippers (three of 40+).

Joe Adcock, 1B, Braves, July 31, 1954 … Adcock (batting fifth) went five-for-five (four home runs and a double), scored five runs and drove in seven, as the Braves beat the Dodgers 15-7 in Brooklyn. The homers were his 16th-19th of the season. The 6’4”, 210-lb., 26-year-old finished the 1954 season at .308-23-87 and his 17-season MLB career at .277-336-1,122.  Adcock had a career-high 38 home runs in 1956 and had two seasons of 30+ round trippers.

Gil Hodges, 1B, Dodgers, Aug. 31, 1950 … Hodges (batting sixth) went five-for-six (four home runs and a single), scored five times and drove in nine as the Dodgers bested the Braves 19-3 in Brooklyn. The homers were his 20th-23rd of the season. The 6’1”, 200-lb., 26-year-old finished the 1950 season at .283-32-113 and his 18-season MLB career at .273-370-1,274.  Hodges had a career-high 42 home runs in 1954 and had six seasons of 30+ round trippers (two of 40 or more).

Pat Seerey, LF, White Sox, July 18, 1948 … Seerey (batting fourth)  went four-for-seven (also had a walk), scored four times and knocked in seven runs as his White Sox topped the Athletics 12-11 in the first game of a double header in Philadelphia. The homers were his eighth-eleventh of the season. The 5’10”, 200-lb., 25-year-old finished the 1948 season at .231-19-70 and his seven-season MLB career at .224-86-261.  Seerey had a career-high 26 home runs in 1946 – his only season of 20 or more.

Chuck Klein, RF, Phillies, July 10, 1936 … Klein (batting third) went four-for-five, scored four and drove in six as the Phillies beat the Pirates 9-6 in Pittsburgh. The homers were his 11th-14th of the season. The 6’, 185-lb., 31-year-old finished the 1936 season at .306-25-104 and his 17-season MLB career at .320-300-1.201.  Klein had a career-high 43 home runs in 1929 and had four seasons of 30+ round trippers (two of 40+).

Lou Gehrig, 1B, Yankees, June 3, 1932 … Gehrig (batting cleanup) went four-for-six, scored four and drove in six as the Yankees outlasted the Athletics 20-13 in Philadelphia. The homers were his 8th-11th of the season. The 6’, 200-lb., 28-year-old finished the 1932 season at .349-34-151 and his 17-season MLB career at .340-493-1,995.  Gehrig had a career-high 52 home runs in 1927 and had 12 seasons of 30+ round trippers (seven of 40 or more).

Ed Delahanty, 1B, Phillies, July 13, 1896 … Delahanty (batting cleanup) went five-for-five (four homers and a single), scored four and drove in nine as his Phillies lost to the Colts (Cubs) 9-8 in Chicago. The 6’1”, 170-lb., 28-year-old finished the 1896 season at .397-13-126 (the 13 home runs led the NL) and his 16-season MLB career at .346-101-1,466.  Delahanty had a career-high 19 home runs in 1893.

Bobby Lowe, 2B, Beaneaters, May 30, 1894 … Lowe (batting leadoff) went five-for-six (four home runs and a single), scored four and drove in six as his Beaneaters (Braves) beat the Reds 20-11 in Boston.  The 5’10”, 150-lb., 28-year-old finished the 1894 season at .346-17-114 and his 18-season MLB career at .273-71-989.  Lowe’s 17 homers in 1894 were his career high.

Sources: Baseball-reference.com; Society for American Baseball Research; MLB.com.

 

I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT

 

FOLLOW/LIKE Baseball Roundtable’s Facebook page, here – Baseball news and commentary, blog post notifications and great giveaways. 

 

Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); The Baseball Reliquary; The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; Baseball Bloggers Alliance.

It’s June 1, and that means it’s time for Baseball Roundtable’s second monthly wrap up of the 2017 season. We’ll be taking a look at leaders and losers (statistically – for May and season-to-date), as well as unique events and trends that caught BBRT’s attention.

Two things jumnp out when I reflect on May in the Major Leagues – the Houston Astros and the long ball.

 —- The Astros —-

First, the Astros. May was, indeed, their month. How dominate were the boys from Houston? In May, the Astros:

• Went 22-7 – the only team to reach twenty wins and the only team to play .700+ball (.759).
• Led all of MLB with 180 runs scored and gave up MLB’s sixth-fewest (and the AL’s second-fewest) runs at 113.
• Had and MLB-best plus-67 run differential.
• Led MLB in batting average (.280), base hits (281), and home runs (52, tied with the Rays) and total bases (502).
• Led all of MLB in pitchers’ strikeouts (299) and had the AL’s lowest ERA (3.60).
• Tied for the MLB lead in shutouts (3).
• Led MLB in saves (11, tied with the Rays).

All in all, a good month if you were an Astro.

— The Long Ball — 

Major Leaguers mashed 1,060 home runs in May – the second-most of any month in MLB history.  The only month with more long balls was May of 2000 … and, of course, we have a special designation for that “era.”

Looking at the month, Minnesota’s Target Field was the site of the most May roundtrippers (66), while the Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays propelled the most baseballs out of the park (52 each). The Marlins’ Justin Bour did more for the near-record than any other player, going deep eleven times.  The A’s Yonder Alonso and Rays’ Logan Morrison also reach double digits in home runs during the month.

— A Few Additional Observations —

During May:

• The Rockies Charlie Blackmon split up his extra base hits  pretty evenly: six doubles, six homers and an MLB-leading five triples. As of May 31, he leads MLB with eight three-baggers; no one else has more than four.
• The Rangers ran off a season’s-best ten game winning streak – in which ten different pitchers recorded victories.
• Joe Maddon notched his 1,000 career win; Albert Pujols his 599th home run.
• We saw the second and third “immaculate innings” (three strikeouts  on nine pitches).
• With eight saves in May, the Rockies’ Greg Holland is now 19-for-19 in 2017 save opportunities.
• The Red Sox needed FOUR strikes in the ninth inning of a game against the Rangers to tie the record for K’s in a nine-inning contest – and they got them.

These events –  and more on the month and season – covered as you read on. 

_____________________________

First, a look at Baseball Roundtable’s Players and Pitchers of the Month for May.

—–BBRT PLAYERS/PITCHERS OF THE MONTH (MAY 2017)—–

AL Player of the Month – Carlos Correa, SS, Astros

Carlos Correa, the Astros’ 22-year-old SS (already in his third MLB season), had an outstanding month of May, putting up an MLB-best  .386  average, with 22 runs scored, an AL-leading 26 RBI and seven  home runs. The 2015 AL Rookie of the Year – one of the current crop of good young MLB shortstops – just seems to keep getting better (and he has a solid line up around him to help him on that journey). Coming in a close second was Blue Jays’ veteran RF Jose Bautista, who came off a terrible start (.178-1-7 in April) to go  .317-9-21 in May. Bautists also scored 23 runs, and even tossed in a pair fo stolen baes.  Others in the  running were:  Yankees’ LF Brett Gardner (.327-9-21) and  Astros’ LF Marwin Gonzalez (.382-7-22).

AL Pitcher of the Month – Lance McCullers, Astros

Houston righty Lance McCullers went 4-0 (six starts), but more importantly, notched a 0.99 ERA over 36 1/3 innings pitched (37 strikeouts, 21 hits, 10 walks).  In the running were: Twins’ RHP Erwin Santana (3-2, 2.57 in May) and Red Sox’ southpaw Chris Sale (5-0, 4.24, with an AL-high 58 May strikeouts in 40 1/3 innings pitched).

NL Player of the Month – Charlie Blackmon, CF, Rockies

Rockies’ CF Charlie Blackmon put it all together in May – .359 average, six home runs, 24 runs scored and 22 RBI, not to mention five triples and three steals in four attempts. The seven-season MLB veteran (with a .300 career average) is a good part of the reason Colorado is fighting for the lead in the AL West. Finishing close beind were: the Marlns’ 1B Justin Bour, who led MLB in May home runs with 11, adding a .344 average and 21 RBI; and the Reds’ Adam Duvall (.291, with seven homers and an MLB-leading 28 RBI.

NL Pitcher of the Month – Alex Wood, Dodgers

Dodger lefty Alex Wood got off to a rough start in May – giving up five runs (four earned) in five innigns against the Giants on May 2. Still, his Dodgers scored 13 runs for the southpaw and he got the win.  Things turned around after that. The 26-year-old Wood (in his fifth MLB season) reeled off four more wins in May (the only NL pitcher to notch five victories in the month) and did not give up a single earned run in his final four May starts. Wood went 5-0 in May, with a 1.27 ERA and 41 strikeouts (versus seven walks) in 28 1/3 innings.

Unfortunately, he ended the month on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation. Woods now stands 6-0, 1.69 on the season (10 appearances/eight starts). His best season was 2013 – 11-11, 2.78 with 170 strikeouts in 171 2/3 innings for the Braves. Others in the running: Stephen Strasburg, Nationals (4-0, 2.78, 43 strikeouts in 32 ½ innings) and Robbie Ray, Diamondbacks (3-2, 2.56, with 45 strikeouts in 38 2/3 innings).

ROCKIES’ SURPRISES – SOMETHING OLD/SOMETING NEW

A couple of Rockies players have surprised me this season – a 33-year-old veteran and a 22-year-old rookie.  Let’s start with the rookie – RHP Antonio Senzatela. Name not ring a bell?  Check the top of the MLB  leaderboard in wins. Zenzatela finished May at 7-2, 3.49.  In his sixth season in the Rockies’ system (in 2012, as a 17-year-old, he went 5-2, 0.72 in the Domincan Summer League), Senzatela made the jump from Double A to the big leagues. In five minor league seasons, he was 41-19, 2.45.

Now the veteran. In his eleventh MLB season, Mark Reynolds has played for the Diamondbacks, Orioles, Indians, Yankees, Brewers, Cardinals and, now, the Rockies. He’s been known as a low-average, but dependable, source of power.  (He also led his league in strikeouts four straight seasons – 2008-2011 – and holds the record for most whiff in a season at 223 in 2009). In his first nine seasons, Reynolds put up a .230 average, with 237 home runs and one strikeout for every 2.75 at bats. Colorado seems to agree with Reynolds – averaging .291 with one strikeout for every 3.64 at bats since joining the Rockies in 2016.  So far this season (through May 31), Reynolds stands at .308-13-44). 

___________________________________

TEAM PERFORMACE/STANDINGS

Now. lets check on team performance and standings. (More on individual stats later.) If the season ended at the close of play May 31, your playoff teams would be:

AL: Astros, Yankees, Twins or Indians. Wild Cards: Red Sox; Orioles, Twins or Indians.

The Astros have a comfortable 11-game lead in the AL West – where they not only have MLB’s best winning percentage AT .704, but are the only team in their division playing above .500 ball. The closest AL race is in the Central, where the Twins and Indians are tied atop the standings.

The Astros, as noted in the opening paragraphs, were the best team in the AL (all of MLB, really) in May – and expanded their division  lead from three games to eleven. The Blue Jays did make a surge in May, with the AL’s sscond-best record (18-10), thanks to a revival of the team’s power bats.  They still, however reside in last place in the East.  The Orioles, who led the East on May 1, slumped to 12-16 – and third place – in May. The Twins and Indians are tied at the top of the Central, despite each going just one game over .500 for the month.

NL: Nationals; Brewers; Dodgers.  Wild Cards: Rockies; Diamondbacks.

As of May 31, the NL West would put three teams into the post-season (Dodgers, Rockies and Diamondbacks) and they all have winning percentages of .600 or better.  In the NL East, Washington is coasting with an 9 1/2-game lead, and boasts the NL’s top winning percentage (33-19, .635).  The other two division are close, with one major surprise – the Brewers are leading the NL Central by 1 ½ games over the Cardinals, with the defending World Series Champion Cubs trailing by 2 ½.

The Dodgers –  behind solid pitching (May lowest-ERA at 2.94) and offense (an NL-leading 159 May runs) – had the NL’s best May recrord at 19-9, moving from third place to first.  They were, in effect, the NL verson of Astros-lite.  Tne surprising Rockies  and the Diamondback each won 17 games (12 and 11 losses, respectively) and sit just 1/2 game back.  The only other NL team with more than 15 May wins was the Nationals at 16-11.  They expanded their lead from 5 games to 9 1/2.  In the Central, the Brewers (15-12) and Cardinals (13-13), both moved passed the Cubs (12-15) in May.  The Phillies continued to flounder, with only six May wins (fewest in baseball) against 22 lossses.  Ouch.

FULL STANDINGs AND OVERALL AND MONTH-OF-MAY WON-LOST RECORDS

AT THE END OF THIS POST. 

 

_____________________________________

Now here are the stats that are behind May and season-to-date team performance.  If you are not a stat person, scroll ahead to the stories and events of the month. 

— TEAM BATTING LEADERS FOR THE MONTH OF MAY — 

RUNS SCORED (MLB average – 130)

NL: Dodgers – 159; Rockies – 157; Mets – 153

AL: Astros – 180; Red Sox – 159; Rays – 154

AVERAGE (MLB average – .254)

NL: Rockies – .278; Reds – .271; Marlins – .270

AL: Astros – .280; Red Sox – .269; Mariners – .267

HOME RUNS (MLB average – 35)

NL: D-backs – 43; Reds – 40; Cubs – 38

AL: Astros – 52; Rays – 52; Blue Jays – 49

STOLEN BASES (MLB average – 14)

NL: Reds – 34; Nationals – 19; Brewers – 18

AL: Angels – 30; Red Sox – 22; Rangers – 21

Three teams stole five or fewer bases in May: Cubs, three (in six attempts); Mets, four (in seven attempts); Orioles, five (in six attempts).

WALKS DRAWN (MLB average – 94)

NL: Cubs – 112; Dodgers – 110; Pirates – 102

AL: Rays – 120; Tigers 118; Red Sox – 116

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN

Only three teams tallied fewer than 100 runs in May: Padres (88); Giants (96); Philies (99). At the bottom of the AL were the Indians (110). The Cubs had MLB’s lowest May batting average at .216; trailing in the AL were the Angels at .233.

MOST BATTERS’ STRIKEOUTS (MLB average – 231)

NL: Dodgers – 259; Padres – 249; D-backs – 244

AL: Rays – 319; Tigers- 270; Rangers – 261

FEWEST BATTERS STRIKEOUTS

NL: Mets – 197; Marlins – 209; Nationals – 212

AL: Blue Jays – 186; Astros – 189; Red Sox – 195

—TEAM PITCHING LEADERS FOR THE MONTH OF MAY—

EARNED RUN AVERAGE  (MLB average – 4.29)

NL:  Dodgers – 2.94; D-backs – 3.38; Cardinals – 3.47

AL: Astros – 3.60; Indians 3.82; Rays – 3.95

STRIKEOUTS (MLB average – 231)

NL: Cubs – 264; Dodgers – 261; Nationals – 256

AL: Astros – 299; Red Sox – 275; Indians – 268

SAVES

NL: Cardinals – 9; Giants 9; Rockies 9

AL: Astros – 11; Rays – 11; Royals 9;

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN

Four teams had earned run averages over five for the month of May: Phillies (5.49); Twins (5.25); Reds (5.12); Mets (5.06).

YOU’LL FIND SEASON TO DATE STATS, AFTER THE STANDINGS AT THE END OF THIS POST. 

____________________________________________________

Some BBRT observations from May.

Streaking Over .500

On May 9, the Rangers were 13-20.  They broke out of a slump, however, with an 11-0 pounding of the Padres (at San Diego).  Texas went on to fashion the MLB’s longest winning streak so far this year – 10 games from May 9 through May 21. During the streak, they won two on the road and eight at home, outscoring opponents 64-27.  Notably, ten different pitchers picked up a victory each over the ten-win stretch.

On Sale Today – Double-Digit Whiffs

From April 10 to May 19, Red Sox Southpaw Chris Sale made eight starts with ten or more strikeouts in each outing – tying a record he already shared with Pedro Martinez for consecutive games with double-digit K’s.  Here are the steak totals:

• Pedro Martinez, Red Sox, August 19-September 27, 1999: 61 innings; 107 strikeouts; six wins (one loss); 1.18 ERA.
• Chris Sale, White Sox, May 23-June 30, 2015: 60 innings; 97 strikeouts; three wins (three losses); 1.80 ERA.
• Chris Sale, Red Sox, April 10-May 19, 2017: 58 2/3 innings; 88 strikeouts; four wins (two losses); 2.45 ERA.

 

 

A Different – More Positive – Five-for-Twenty

On May 25, The Boston Red Sox used five pitchers to tie the MLB record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game – notching 20 K’s in a 6-2 win over the Rangers. Starter Drew Pomeranz fanned 11 in six innings; Heath Hembree, two in two-thirds of an inning; Robby Scott, one in one-third inning; Matt Barnes, two in one inning; and Craig Kimbrell, four in one inning.

The Red Sox needed a four-whiff ninth inning to reach the record-tying 20 strikeouts in a nine-inning game. Closer Craig Kimbrel provided it. He came in with the Red Sox up on the Rangers 6-2 and promptly fanned Texas RF Nomar Mazara, who reached first on a wild pitch. Kimbrel then got C Jonathan Lucroy looking, DH Rougned Odor swinging and 1B Mike Napoli swinging.

This made Kimbrel just the fourth pitcher to throw a four-strikeout inning AND an “immaculate” inning (three K’s on nine pitches in their careers.  The others are: A.J. Burnett, Kenley Jansen, Felix Hernandez and Justin Masterson.

This was the sixth 20-strikeout, nine-inning contest in MLB history – four of which were completed by a single pitcher (Roger Clemens, Red Sox 1986 & 1996; Kerry Wood, Cubs, 1998; Max Scherzer, Nationals, 2016.)  The Dodgers also used five pitcherS in a 20-strikeout, nine-inning contest September 25, 2012 .  On May 8, Randy Johnson (D-backs) fanned 20 batters in nine innings, but left with the score tied 1-1. Five relievers added one strikeout as the D-backs topped the Reds 4-3 in eleven innings.

In Memorial … Started with the Phillies, Ended Up with the Senators

On May 26, baseball lost Hall of Famer Jim Bunning (complications from a stroke).  Bunning not only had a seventeen-season, HOF-worthy baseball career, but went on to become the only Hall of Famer to serve in Congress.  Bunning pitched in the major leagues from 1955 through 1972 (Tigers, Phillies, Dodgers, Pirates). After leaving baseball, Bunning, who had a degree in Economics from Xavier University, served as the U.S. Congressional Representative for Kentucky’s Fourth District from 1987-99 and as a U.S. Senator from Kentucky from 1999-2011.

“I … thought that being able to throw a curveball never was a bad skill for a politician to have.”

      Jim Bunning, Baseball Hall of Famer/United States Senator

The 6’ 3” side-armer was known as an intimidating presence on the mound – once leading the NL in hit batters for four consecutive seasons (1964-67). He was a 20-game winner (20-8, 2.69 in 1957) and a four-time 19-game winner.  A few more Bunning baseball facts, he:

• Was 224-187, with a 3.27 ERA and 2,855 strikeouts over his career;
• Pitched a no-hitter with the Tigers (July 20, 1958);
• Pitched a perfect game for the Phillies (June 21, 1964);
• Was a nine-time All Star;
• Led his league in wins once, strikeouts three times, and shutouts twice;
• Threw an “immaculate” inning (nine pitches, three strikeouts) on August 2, 1959.

Another Immaculate Inning

On May 18, Dodgers’ closer Kenley Jansen closed the door on the Miami Marlins in the Dodgers’ 7-2 win.  Jansen threw the third “immaculate” inning (three strikeouts on the nine pitches) of the 2017 season. Jansen came on in the bottom of the eighth with the Dodgers up 5-2 and got the final out by fanning catcher J.T. Realmuto on five pitches (which would seem inefficient in the ninth). In the bottom of the frame Jansen beat out an infield single (more #WhyIHateTheDH), as the Dodgers up the lead to 7-2.

In the ninth, Jansen fanned 3B Derek Dieterich on three pitches (all looking); SS J.T. Riddle on three pitched (swinging, looking, looking) and pinch hitter Ichiro Suzuki on three pitches (looking, foul ball, swinging).  On April 17, the Reds’ reliever Drew Storen also threw an immaculate inning – while on May 14^th, the Nationals’ Max Scherzeer accomplished the feat.

IMMACULATE INNINGS ON THE RISE

There have been 83 “immaculate” innings (three strikeouts on nine pitches) in MLB history –accomplished by 77 pitchers.  Sandy Koufax holds the MLB the record with three such frames. The emergence of fireballing relievers is reflected in the fact that 36 of the 83 occurrences have come since 2000. By contrast the 1950’s and 1960’s saw only 11.

More #WhyIHateTheDH … The Short and the Long of It

On May 18, the Blue Jays’ Marcus Stroman – who hardly ever gets a chance to step in the batter’s box – hit his first career home run.  It came in the fourth inning of Blue Jays 9-0 win over the Braves in Atlanta. (Stroman pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings for the win.)  The home run was just the 5’8”, 180-pound Stroman’s second career hit (12 at bats) – both this season – a double and the home run.   The last Blue Jays’ pitcher to homer before Stroman was at the other end of the height spectrum – 6’9”, 240-pound  Mark Hendrickson – who went deep back in 2003.

A Grand Occasion

On May 16, Cubs manager Joe Maddon reached a significant milestone – notching his 1,000^th career major league managerial win as his Cubs topped the Reds 9-5.  Maddon is a three-time Manager of the Year and, of course, broke the Cubs’ curse last season – with a 103-win campaign and a World Series Championship.

Slump-Breaking 101 – Do it in Style

Tigers’ outfield Tyler Collins knows how to break a slump. Going into the Tigers’ May 17 game against the Orioles, Collins was in a zero-for-thirty slump (his last hit had come on May 1). During the slump, his average had dropped from .304 to .216  On the 17^th, he broke out in a big way – going three-for-four with two home runs, a double and four RBI (getting his average back up to .238). Unfortunately, that game looks like an outlier – Collins got only two more hits in May (29 at bats) and ended the month at an even .200.

THE NAME GAME

In 2013, Christian Arroyo  graduated from Hernando High School in Brooksville, Florida and was drafted by the San Francisco Giants. Eighteen year earlier another Arroy0 – Bronson Arroyo (no relation) graduated from Hernando High as was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates.  On May 5, the 21-year-old rookie Arroyo (Christian) was playing 3B and batting sixth for the Giants, while the now 40-year-old Arroyo (in his 16th MLB season) was on the mound for the Reds. The first time they faced each other, youth won the day, as Christian homered off Bronson. (It was Christian Arroyo’s only hit of the day. Bronson, however, could leave the contest with a smile – he got the win, as the Reds topped the Giants 13-3.)

On May 6, as the Dodgers faced off against the Padres, CLAYTON Kershaw was on the mound, throwing to battery mate AUSTIN Barnes. The Padres countered with CLAYTON Richard on the mound and AUSTIN Hedges behind the plate. Are those monikers really that popular?  Note: Clayton (the Kershaw one) got the win, while Clayton (the Richard one) took the loss, as the Dodgers triumphed 10-2. The Dodgers’ Austin (Barnes) also outperformed his counterpart Austin (Hedges) – going two-for-four to Hedges’ zero-for-three with a walk.

Finally, The Chicago White Sox have had occasion this season to start an outfield lineup of Avisail GARCIA, Leury GARCIA and Willy GARCIA – not related.

The Big Ouch

On May 29, the Twins went into the eighth inning with an 8-2 lead over the Houston Astros (in a battle of division leaders). According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Astro were 0-659 in their history when trailing by six or more runs after six innings.  Make that 1-659, Houston scored 11 in the eighth and and three more in the ninth for a 16-8 win.

______________________________________

Now individual batting and pitching leaders for May.

MONTH OF MAY BATTING LEADERS

AVERAGE (minimum75 at bats)

NL: Charlie Blackmon, Rockies – .359; Matt Kemp, Braves – .357; Buster Posey, Giants – .344

AL: Carlos Correa, Astros – .386); Marwin Gonzalez, Astros – .382; Eric Hosmer, Royals – .367

HOME RUNS

NL: Justin Bour, Marlins- 11; Jake  Lamb, D-backs – 9; Cody Bellinger, Dodgers – 9

AL: Yonder Alonso, Oakland – 10; Logan Morrison, Rays – 10; four with nine

RBI

NL: Adam Duvall, Reds 28; Cody Bellinger, Dodgers – 27; Jake Lamb – D-backs – 24

AL: Carlos Correa, Astros – 26; four with 22

RUNS SCORED

NL: Billy Hamilton, Reds – 27; Michael Confroto, Mets – 25; Paul Goldschmidt, D-backs – 25

AL: Corey Dickerson, Rays – 27; four with 23

STOLEN BASES

NL: Billy Hamilton, Reds – 18; Dee Gordon, Marlins – 12; Trea Turner, Nationals – 9

AL: Camerin Maybin, Angels – 10; Elvis Andrus, Rangers – 7; five with six

WALKS

NL: Joey Votto, Reds – 28; Matt Carpenter, Cardinals – 19; Kris Bryant, Cubs – 19

AL: Mike Trout, Angels – 22; Camerin Maybin, Angels -21; two with 18

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN

The lowest May average (minimum 50 at bats) goes to the Tigers’ Tyler Collins at .108 (7-for-65). In the NL, the Cubs’ Kyle Schwarber hit .120 in May (10-for 83).

The MLB leader in whiffs for May was the Orioles’ Chris Davis (46 strikeouts in 99 at bats), while the Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger  led the NL with 40 May strikeouts (106 at bats). Still, Davis put up a .222-8-16 line, while Bellinger was even more productive at .245-9-27.  I’d call these Dave “Kingman Country.”

—MAY INDIVIDUAL PITCHING LEADERS—

WINS

NL: Alex Wood, Dodgers – 5-0, 1.27; six with four wins

AL: Chris Sale, White Sox – 5-0, 4.24; four with four wins

EARNED RUN AVERAGE (minimum 25 innings)

NL:  Carlos Martinez, Cardinals  – 2.03; Zack Goldley, D-backs – 2.20; Max Scherzer, Nationals, 2.27

AL: Lance McCullers, Astros – 0.99; Michael Fulmer, Tigers – 2.19; Derek Holland. White Sox – 2.56

STRIKEOUTS

NL:  Max Scherzer, Nationals – 60 (43 2/3 IP); Jeff Samardzija, Giants – 49 (40 2/3 IP); Jacob deGrom, Mets – 48 (36 1/3 IP)

AL: Chris Sale, Red Sox – 58 (40 1/3 IP); Chris Archer, Rays – 58 (40 IP); two with 45

The May leader (among starters) in strikeouts per nine innings was Chris Archer of the Rays at 13.05, followed closely by the Dodgers Alex Wood at 13.02.

SAVES

NL: Greg Holland, Rockies – 8; Fernando Rodney, D-backs – 7; Jim Johnson, Braves – 7

AL: Alex Colome, Rays – 10; Kelvin Herrera, Royals – 9; three with eight

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN

The highest May earned run averages (minimum 25 innings pitched) goes to the Phillies’ Zach Elfin and D-backs’ Pat Corbin – both at 9.00. (Corbin, however, went 2-2 on the month.) Dylan Covey of the White Sox came close in the AL at 8.87.

Individual stats through May follow the standing and team stats below.

____________________________________________

—TEAM OFFENSIVE STATS THROUGH MAY 31—

RUNS SCORED (MLB average – 239)

NL: Nationals – 286; Rockies – 276; Dodgers – 271

AL: Astros – 292; Yankees – 268; Rays – 265

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN

Only three teams scored fewer than 200 runs through May 31: Royals (178); Giants (183); Padres (190). No surprise, those same three teams were at the bottom in terms of average as well: Padres (.221); Giants (.228); Royals (.231).

AVERAGE (MLB average – .251)

NL: Nationals – .275; Marlins – .265; Rockies – .264

AL: Astros – .277; Red Sox – .269; Yankees – .266

HOME RUNS (MLB average – 64)

NL: Nationals – 77; Brewers – 74; D-backs 74

AL: Rays – 83; Astros – 82; Yankees 76

The Rays led all of MLB with 83 home runs through May.  This free-swining group also topped MLB in strikeouts over that period at 577. The Brewers were next at 496.

The Red Sox and Giants were the only two teams to not reach 50 home runs through May 31 – sitting at 48 and 42, respectively.

WALKS DRAWN  (MLB average – 175)

NL: Dodgers – 209; Cubs – 208; Pirates  – 189

AL: Rays – 218; Tigers – 208; Twins – 205

STOLEN BASES (MLB average – 27)

NL: Reds – 57; D-backs – 48; Brewers – 43

AL: Angels – 43; Rangers – 43; Mariners – 34

The Rockies and Orioles stole the fewest sacks through May. The Orioles had 12 (in just 16 attempts) and the Rockies 12 (in 24 attempts.) The Rockies’ 50 percent success rate was MLB’s lowest, while their Reds led the way with an 82.6 percent success rate.

 

—TEAM PITCHING LEADERS THROUGH MAY 31—

EARNED RUN AVERAGE  (MLB average – 4.20)

NL: Dodgers – 3.20; D-backs – 3.59; Cardinals –  3.75

AL: Astros – 3.49; Yankees – 3.82; Rays – 3.83

STRIKEOUTS (MLB average – 433)

NL: D-backs – 506; Dodgers – 503; Cubs – 479

AL: Astros – 537; Red Sox – 504; Indians – 504

FEWEST WALKS (MLB – average – 239)

NL: Dodgers – 147; Pirates – 151; Nationals – 159

AL: Red Sox – 132; Indians – 146; Yankees – 150

 

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN

The NL’s worst earned run average through May belonged to the Phillies (4.95); while the Tigers were at the bottom of the AL (4.70).

The six worst starting rotation ERA’s belonged to NL team, with the Phillies at the bottom (5.95). Cleveland was at the bottom of the AL (4.79).

Two teams had bullpen ERA’s of 5.00 or higher through May: Twins (5.33) and Rangers (5.00). The worst bullpen ERA in the NL belonged to the Nationals at 4.82.

__________________________________________

Now let’s looik at individual leaders.

—BATTING LEADERS THROUGH MAY 31—

AVERAGE (minimum 150 at bats)

NL: Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals – .368; Buster Posey, Giants – .348; Zach Cozart, Reds – .347.

AL: Jean Segura, Mariners – .344; Corey Dickerson, Rays- .341; Mike Trout, .337

HOME RUNS

NL: Scott Schebler, Reds – 16; Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals – 15; Bryce Harper, Nationals- 15; Justin Bour, Marlins – 15

AL: Aaron Judge, Yankees – 17; Mike Trout, Angels – 15; – Khris Davis, A’s – 16;  Joey Gallo, Rangers – 16

RBI

NL: Charlie Blackmon, Rockies – 46; Adam Duvall, Reds – 45; Jake Lamb, D-backs – 45

AL: Nelson Cruz, Mariners – 42; Miguel Sano, Twins – 39; Albert Pujols, Angels – 38

RUNS SCORED

NL: Paul Goldschmidt, D-backs – 46; Bruce Harper, Nationals – 44, Eric Thames, Brewers – 42

AL: Corey Dickerson, Rays – 40; Aaron Judge, Yankees – 40; George Springer Astros – 39

STOLEN BASES

NL: Billy Hamilton, Reds; – 28 Dee Gordon Marlins -16; Jose Pereza, Red – 14

AL: Jarrod Dyson, Mariners – 14; Cameron Maybin, Angels – 13; Lorenzo Cain, Royals – 12; Elvis Andrus, Rangers –  12

EXTRA STAT OF THE DAY

Through May, no hitter has been hit by more pitches than Cubs’ 1B Anthony Rizzo (12). In the AL, the leader is the Angels’ Martin Maldanado with eight. If you are interested, “Brawlin’ Bryce Harper has been plunked once.

WALKS

NL:  Joey Votto, Reds – 39; Paul Goldschmidt, D-backs – 39; Kris Bryant, Cubs – 35

AL: Mike Trout, Angels – 36*; Jose Bautista, Blue Jays – 31; Miguel Sano, Twins – 31

*Ten of Mike Trout’s 31 free passes have been intentinal – which leads all of MLB.

Your strikeout “kings” through May are: Orioles’ Chris Davis – 79 whiffs in 175 at bats to go with a .223-10-18 line; and (in the NL) Brewers’ Kedon Broxton – 67 strikeouts in 161 at bats to go with a .248-5-15 line.

—PITCHING LEADERS THROUGH MAY—

WINS

NL: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers – 7-2, 2.37; Antonio Senzatel – 7-2, 3.49; four with six

AL: Dallas Keuchel, Astros – 8-0, 1.81; Erwin Santans,Twins – 7-2, 1.75; six with six

EARNED RUN AVERAGE (Minimum 50 innings)

NL: Mike Leake, Cardinals – 2.24; Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers – 2.37; Max Scherzer, Nationals – 2.56

AL: Erwin Santana, Twins – 1.75; Dallas Keuchel, Astros – 1.81; Derek Holland, White Sox – 2.37

STRIKEOUTS

NL: Max Scherzer, Nationals – 100 (77 1/3 IP); Jacob deGrom, Mets – 92 (68 IP); three  with 84

AL: Chris Sale, White Sox – 110 (78 IP); Chris Archer, Rays – 95 (79 1/3 IP); Marco Estrada, Blue Jays – 78 (68 2/3 IP)

SAVES

NL: Greg Holland, Rockies – 19; Fernando Rodney, D-backs – 13; Seung-Hwan Oh, 12

AL:  Craig Kimbrel, Red Sox – 15; Alex Colome, Rays – 15; two with 14

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN

The worst ERA among pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched belongs to the Braves’ Bartolo Colon at 6.99. In the AL, the worst ERA  (again, at least 50 IP) goes to Baltimore’s Ubaldo Jimebnez at 6.66.

Among the sources for this post: ESPN.com; MLB.com; SABR; Baseball-Reference.com

FOLLOW/LIKE Baseball Roundtable’s Facebook page – lots of baseball talk, notification of new blog posts, great giveaways.  Click here.

 

I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT

Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); The Baseball Reliquary; The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; Baseball Bloggers Alliance.