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Monthly archives: September 2007

 

Competitive Balance
2007-09-30 16:59
by Ember Nickel

A league anoints its champions. Within
Tumultuous divisions, they ascend
To the top, or close enough, win by win
Or by losses from rivals. A new friend

In spite of any previous offense
Is chosen by ironic scheduling.
With such balance, the talent pool is dense
And it takes help from others. Though a king

Is hard to find, kingmakers run amok.
Each game erodes numeric magic, but
Makes ephemeral brilliance. With luck
Or skill behind the scenes, the deepest rut

Becomes a hill to climb, and from the peak,
See those that brought you to where you all seek.

Stupid Humbug Stat Tricks - 'Pettitte Fourths' Edition
2007-09-30 14:25
by dianagramr

The Yankees' Andy Pettitte was the beneficiary of a 10-run fourth inning on Saturday night, allowing him to become only the fourth pitcher in the last 50 years to get the win by going only the win-qualifying mininum five innings while giving up at least eight earned runs.

Here's the list:

Name Date Tm Opp Score **ER** H BB SO HR
Andy Pettitte 9/29/2007 NYY @BAL 11-10 8 8 3 0 2
Woody Williams 4/7/2001 SDP @COL 14-10 8 12 0 3 2
Cal Eldred 6/4/1997 MIL BOS 13-11 8 9 1 4 3
Rick Rhoden 4/12/1977 LAD ATL 14-10 8 9 0 4 1
9/11: Headlines In Perspective
2007-09-11 11:52
by Score Bard
Stupid Humbug Stat Tricks - 'Sixteen Candles Torched their ERA' Edition
2007-09-07 11:28
by dianagramr

On the morning of August 22nd, the Orioles stood at 58-65, 16.5 games out of first in the AL East. They had been playing better (at least in terms of their record) under interim manager Dave Trembley. Their team ERA was 4.39, pretty respectable given the powerhouse offenses in the AL East. That day, the O's announced they were naming Trembley manager through the 2008 season.

What happened since then is a 16-game stretch of some of the worst pitching in the modern era. Of course there was the historic 30-3 drubbing at the hands of the Rangers, but its also included four other 10+ run games, and an 11-game streak of giving up at least five runs. Their season ERA is now 4.97.

Here is the sum total of the carnage, including last night's 7-6 loss to the Red Sox:

W L SV IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR ERA WHIP HBP WP BK BA OBP SLG OPS
2 14 1 143 205 156 149 90 112 39 4 27 9.38 2.06 7 10 1 .336 .419 .545 .964

The last time any team gave up more than 156 runs in a 16-game stretch was June and July of 1999, when the Cubs surrendered 163 runs.

And in terms of the five runs or more streaks, the O's came close to the worst streak in the last 50 years.

From 1957 to 2007
Team Start End Games W L SV IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
COL 6/18/01 7/4/01 15 2 13 1 132 166 116 106 83 100 18 7.23
                             
TBD 5/24/99 6/8/99 14 2 12 1 120 163 122 106 63 95 18 7.93
                             
KCR 7/27/05 8/10/05 13 1 12 0 114 159 110 93 63 85 19 7.34
STL 6/3/03 6/16/03 13 7 6 4 116 155 98 97 52 68 23 7.53
PIT 9/9/00 9/21/00 13 3 10 3 115 148 110 100 61 71 20 7.8
                             
HOU 6/18/07 6/30/07 12 4 8 1 107 143 91 84 51 73 22 7.07
MIL 6/3/02 6/16/02 12 3 9 2 107 122 80 72 45 100 19 6.04
COL 4/22/00 5/6/00 12 5 7 1 101 143 95 86 43 57 20 7.66
FLA 9/26/97 4/8/98 12 1 11 0 105 137 89 76 62 77 18 6.51
SDP 6/29/97 7/13/97 12 6 6 3 107 135 83 71 56 81 13 5.93
DET 5/14/96 5/27/96 12 0 12 0 109 130 95 82 68 73 25 6.77
DET 8/19/95 9/1/95 12 2 10 1 106 157 103 97 47 57 23 8.21
                             
BAL 8/22/07 9/1/07 11 1 10 1 101 150 116 109 65 73 17 9.71

Twins 5, Royals 0
2007-09-01 15:35
by Ember Nickel

Thirteen runs scored; one game already played.
"The hitters must be tired." With a grin
The arrogant hope legend will be made
Shines just a little brighter. "Just" a win
Cannot compare to witnessing that which
Cannot be mentioned. But those immature
Dreams, as they're dubbed, are silenced. The first pitch
Comes in. Nobody can be really sure
What will take place. In center field, beset
By controversy for having refused
To come to the groundbreaking: Hunter. Yet
The fact he might not be there when it's used
(It being the new stadium) now seems
Irrelevant, for his field is right there.
The game goes on, between the diverse teams,
But the word "gardener" for once seems fair
To describe an outfielder. Still, the Ks
Rack up as well. The Twins get their first hit
And quickly score. The constant flows of plays
Move the game onward. Voices skirting It
Yell wordlessly. The count is three and one.
Silence falls, but quickly becomes a roar.
United, hopeful, we've already won.
Three outs are nothing next to twenty-four.

Score Bard's blog: now verse than ever!
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