Catching Up with Jamie Moyer

Date	Team	Opp	GS	W	L	CG	ShO	SV	BS	IP	TBF	H	HR	R	ER	SO	BB	IBB	FB	GB	LD	Stk	Bal	Pit	RS	WPA
8/22	Phillies	@Cubs	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	6.0	26	6	0	3	3	4	1	0	4	10	5	58	36	94	6	0.07
8/28	Phillies	@Mets	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	6.0	28	9	0	7	5	4	0	0	6	12	4	63	35	98	2	-0.29
9/3	Phillies	Braves	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	7.1	28	6	2	3	3	3	2	0	5	13	5	60	43	103	6	0.13
9/8	Phillies	@Marlins	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	8.0	29	5	0	1	1	4	0	0	7	11	6	64	26	90	3	0.45
9/14	Phillies	@Braves	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	6.0	23	5	2	4	4	2	0	0	7	12	2	46	25	71	0	-0.09
9/19	Phillies	Cubs	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	7.0	27	6	1	1	1	3	0	0	7	10	5	66	32	98	3	0.35
9/24	Phillies	Marlins	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	6.0	26	8	3	5	5	3	2	1	7	10	4	55	42	97	9	-0.16

Moyer is 4-2 on 7 starts with a pair of wins extracted from the Cubs and the Marlins. Unsurprisingly, 6 of his 8 home runs allowed have come at home in that tiny ballpark.

The Dodgers reclaimed the lead in the Wild Card today with a win against the backdrop of a disappointing Philadelphia loss in Washington. And the Astros continue to streak alarmingly into this final week of the season. Let's hope for better results tomorrow.

Oh... and the Athletics have clinched the right to be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

Will Someone Please Eliminate the Astros

(Graphing by Fangraphs)

I just watched Houston complete their four-game sweep of the Cardinals. I am not impressed with any team in that division this year and pulling for a Twins-Phillies world series more than ever. The division leader sends Jeff Weaver to oppose Roger Clemens? And can we put the "killer B's" thing to bed now? It's as if the Astros can't spell bat because they get stuck on that first letter. Which might be the problem they have with that offense. Even Boof Bonser would keep those B's silent. Stinkin' 'stros.

Freddy Flirts with Perfection

(Win Probability graphing by Fangraphs)

This one was just too cool. I've always been a big Freddy Garcia fan ever since watching him come up with the Mariners and enjoyed his successes since being traded to Chicago. (He was the starting pitcher in game 4 of the '05 World Series). In this outstanding effort he went 7 and two-thirds innings before giving up a hit. And with no errors or walks that was incredibly close to perfection. This one was just one-hit allowed on a combined effort. Wow!

Chicago White Sox pitching:
Freddy Garcia: 8.0IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 3SO, 0HR - Win
Neal Cotts: 1.0IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 0SO, 0HR

Los Angeles Angels pitching:
Joe Saunders: 3.1IP, 8H, 7R, 7ER, 3BB, 5SO, 0HR - Loss
JC Romero: 0.1IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 0SO
Kevin Gregg: 2.1IP, 2H, 0R, 0ER, 2BB, 1SO, 0HR
Greg Jones: 2.0IP, 3H, 1R, 0ER, 0BB, 0SO, 0HR
Chris Bootcheck: 1.0IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 0SO, 0HR

Webb's One-Hit Wonder

(Win Probability Graph by Fangraphs)

St. Louis Pitching:
Jason Marquis: 7.0IP, 6H, 3R, 3ER, 3BB, 4SO, 1HR - Loss
Adam Wainwright: 1.0IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 0SO, 0HR

Arizona Pitching:
Brandon Webb: 9.0IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 5SO, 0HR - Win

This is the same Arizona Diamondbacks club that had the no-hitter thrown against them earlier in the week. This time, Brandon Webb was one hit and 2 errors away from perfection. When it comes time to award the 2006 NL Cy Young award Webb is going to be right on top of a short list.

Gustavo Breaks the Halo's Winning Streak

(Win Probability Graphing by Fangraphs)

Toronto Pitching:
Gustavo Chacin: 7.0IP, 6H, 1R, 1ER, 2BB, 3SO, 0HR - Win
Brandon League: 1.0IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 1SO, 0HR - Hold
BJ Ryan: 1.0IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 2BB, 1SO, 0HR - Save

Los Angeles Angels Pitching:
Kelvim Escobar: 7.0IP, 9H, 2R, 2ER, 1BB, 5SO, 0HR - Loss
Brendan Donnelly: 1.0IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 1SO, 0HR
Hector Carrasco: 1.0IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 1SO, 0HR

I took this one in from the third base side. It's always nice to physically watch the delivery in person for a game as well pitched as this one. Low scoring, and very well pitched by both starters. That's my kind of game. Chacin's mechanics were fascinating as he just seems to muscle the ball over in one fluid motion with his left hand from his knee to the plate. He rarely cracked 90 on the radar gun and was bit wild in the zone. The faster his pitches got, the higher they came over in the strike zone. Which seems to flirt with getting hit hard. But he's not afraid to put that defense behind him to work as the ball was frequently hit into play and it worked out for him in this one.

Gustavo Chacin was simply more efficient with is pitches and could have gone all the way as he lasted 7 complete with less than 90 pitches thrown versus Escobar's 100+ thrown over 7 complete. Escobar has great control and ultimately fell victim to poor run support from the Angel's offense. The new batting order for the Halos had me scratching my head. I understand that Quinlan hits left handed pitchers well, but playing him instead of Izturis seems like a steep trade-off to me.

Moyer Defeats Olsen

(Win Probability Graphing by Fangraphs)

Philadelphia Pitching:
Jamie Moyer: 8.0IP, 5H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 4SO, 0HR - Win
Tom Gordon: 1.0IP, 1H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 1SO, 0HR - Save

Florida Pitching:
Scott Olsen: 7.2IP, 8H, 3R, 3ER, 2BB, 7SO, 2HR - Loss
Taylor Tankersley: 0.1IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 1SO, 0HR
Joe Borowski: 1.0IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 0SO, 0HR

Jamie Moyer deftly out pitched the hot rookie starter from Miami. I think Moyer is at his best against these young, rookie-heavy clubs as he uses his control (no walks allowed) to use the opposing hitters lack of patience against them.

Blue Jays @ Angels

Here's another matchup I'll be paying attention to for September 9:

Gustavo Chacin (7-3) TOR vs. Kelvim Escobar (10-12) LAA

I'll actually be sitting along the third base side at the Big A to watch this one. Chacin in particular is one starting pitcher I've wanted to see as I expect him to have a breakout year if he can stay healthy. His control is a bit off this year as he's averaging about one walk for every two innings pitched. That's way up from his rookie year last year. I'll be looking to see if he gets his control working for him against the Angels.

Fillies @ Phlorida

I'll definitely be tracking this matchup on Friday, September 8:

Jamie Moyer (7-13) PHI vs. Scott Olsen (12-7) FLA

Lefty versus lefty. Veteran versus rookie. Two teams in the same division with a clear shot at the Wild Card. This one looks promising.

Those Marlins Rookie Starting Pitchers

So Anibal Sanchez pitched a no-hitter yesterday. It's going to be hard to keep Anibal Sanchez off the radar now. And there hasn't been nearly enough press on just how amazing these rookie starters have been for Florida this year.

(Win Probability Graph by Fangraphs)

Arizona Pitching:
Edgar Gonzalez: 6.0IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 2BB, 5SO, 2HR - Loss
Tony Pena: 1.0IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 0SO, 0HR
Juan Cruz: 1.0IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 3SO, 0HR

Florida Pitching:
Anibal Sanchez: 9.0IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 4BB, 6SO, 0HR - Win

Florida goes to 70-69 on this game. They were once 20 games under .500 earlier this year and now have a realistic shot at that Wild Card berth. And even though I'm pulling for Philladelphia to pull this one off it would be hard to be upset to see these Fish swim all the way up stream on performances like this.

After the full fire sale over the last season I looked at the Marlins and this cast of unknowns and expected to see Dontrelle Willis as the only bright light in that starting rotation. Well, the D-Train is a bit off of his Cy Young caliber numbers from last year and these rookies are impressive:

Josh Johnson. With a 2.99 ERA this season - that's third best in the majors! I'm surpirsed he isn't the one to pull off the no-hitter this year.
Scott Olsen. With 12 wins on 26 starts I've actually bumped Barry Zito off my fantasy roster to carry this guy full-time.
Ricky Nolasco. Another double-digit win rookie starter. With young lions like these in the rotation this team is a viable threat should they make the playoffs.

Teahen Ends his Season Early

(Mark Teahen batting average graph by Fangraphs)

One of the bright stars to emerge late in the Kansas City Royals season will have season ending surgery on his shoulder and miss the final 22 games. With KC well out of any kind of contention I hope that this move will preserve this promising career and pay dividends in the years ahead. Teahen was an exciting addition to my fantasy team this year and he leaves a big power hole at third base.

If Teahen comes back healthy next year along with David DeJesus and Zack Grienke there should be some good ball played in KC.

Phillies Beat the Astros!

Scoring just two runs is typical of the kind of run support the Rocket can expect from these no-bat Astros.

Houston Pitching:
Roger Clemens: 5.0IP, 1H, 1R, 1ER, 2BB, 6SO, 0HR - ND
Russ Springer: 1.0IP, 1H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 0SO, 1HR
Dan Wheeler: 1.1IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 1SO, 0HR
Trever Miller: 0.2IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 1SO, 0HR
Chad Qualls: 1.0IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 2BB, 1SO, 0HR
Dave Borkowski: 0.2IP, 1H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 0SO, 1HR - Loss

Philadelphia Pitching:
Cole Hamels: 8.0IP, 3H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, 8SO, 2HR - ND
Ryan Madson: 0.1IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 0SO, 0HR
Matt Smith: 0.2IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 1SO, 0HR
Rick White: 1.0IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 1SO, 0HR - Win

With 8 innings pitched and 8 strikeouts I'd say Hamels handily out pitched and out lasted the "senior circuit." With all due respect to the talent on that Houston team, the Astros are a franchise I really don't care for. Bad ballpark, bad history and currently bad bats. So any Astros defeat is savored at Leather, Runs and Repeat. Especially when it helps the Phillies with that Wild Card (and staves off an Astros repeat of that same berth).

Moyer Makes His Home Philly Debut

(Win Probability Graph by Fangraphs)

So Jamie Moyer made his first home start with the Phils in the first game of a double-header and pitched well enough to win. But came away with a no decision in a game that went to the Phillies and ultimately helped Philadelphia's drive toward that the Wild Card berth. The home run ball only bit Jamie twice in that tiny ballpark and any start that reaches into the 8th inning with only three runs allowed is the definition of a "quality start."

Atlanta Pitching:
Tim Hudson: 7.0IP, 6H, 6R, 6ER, 2BB, 4SO, 3HR - ND
Macay McBride: 0.2IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 0SO, 0HR
Peter Moylan: 0.1IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 1SO, 0HR
Bob Wickman: 0.1IP, 3H, 2R, 2ER, 1BB, 0SO, 0HR - L (Blown Save)

Philadelphia Pitching:
Jamie Moyer: 7.1IP, 6H, 3R, 3ER, 2BB, 3SO, 2HR - ND
Ryan Madson: 0.2IP, 3H, 3R, 3ER, 0BB, 0SO, 0HR - Hold
Fabio Castro: 0.1IP, 1H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 0SO, 1HR - Blown Save
Geoff Geary: 0.2IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 0SO, 0HR - Win

In the other half of the double header the Phillies lost despite an excellent start by Bret Myers. The continued absence of Flash Gordon as the closer along with the inconsistency of the closing committee of Arthur Rhodes, Ryan Madson and Fabio Castro is troubling.Next, the Phillies take on another team with Wild Card ambitions as they host the Houston Astros. And the matchup going on at the moment of this writing is an intriguing duel of great pitching of the past against great pitching of the future: Roger Clemens (6-4) HOU vs. Cole Hamels (7-7) PHI. (Currently scoreless in the third).

D-Rays Turn the Triple Play

I've been watching replays of the triple play the Devil Rays turned in the first inning against the Mariners on 9/2/2006. What an excellent defensive feat! Apparently this is the first ever strike-out, throw-out, throw-out turned from catcher to shortstop and back to catcher again (2-6-2). Nice work by catcher Dionar Navarro. As is often the case with the triple play that last out is a gift of extremely poor base running. Though I wasn't impressed with Adrian Beltre's steal attempt on the second out either.

It seems like every triple play I've seen involves the Mariners (they've hit into nine over franchise history) and I don't recall ever seeing them on the good end. At least they took the 4-3 victory at the end of this game.

(Win Probability Graphing by Fangraphs)

September Baseball

(Phil Nevin season batting Average graph by Fangraphs)

I can't believe it's September already. This is the month when those Wild Card races appeal to my insatiable underdog appetite. Go Twins and Phillies!

Phil Nevin has worn more than his share of team uniforms this year. It would be nice if his bat could make the difference for Minnesota through this last month. I'm optimistic yet skeptical.