Trevor Bauer, who was called up in order to make a spot start necessitated by Monday's rain out, pitched a very good game. He went 6 innings, struck out 8, and allowed just 4 hits and 2 walks, leading to 2 runs (one of which was unearned, on account of an Asdrubal Cabrera error). There's a good argument that it was the best game Bauer has pitched in an Indians uniform.
Not only did the Cabrera error lead to one of those runs, there was also a strange play in which Indians right fielder Elliot Johnson made a catch near the wall, then dropped the ball while transferring it to his throwing hand, and had the umpire rule that it was not a catch. Take a look:
That's a catch.
MLB rules state a player must complete a transfer from glove to hand before a play is deemed an out, but there has to be a limit on that. After all, Johnson took two or three steps with the ball in his glove, then stopped and turned before the ball came out.
Anyway...
The Tribe offense floundered, putting only 8 men on base all game. A sacrifice fly in the 3rd inning scored a run, but the next real scoring opportunity didn't come until the 9th inning, when Ryan Raburn singled, pinch runner Nyjer Morgan stole second, and Michael Brantley drew a walk to put runners on 1st and 2nd with one out. Yan Gomes hit an easy fly ball for the second out though, and Cabrera did the same thing for out number three, ending the game.
I would really have liked to see Lonnie Chisenhall pinch hit for Cabrera, because Lonnie (the reigning Indians PLayer of the Week) has been swinging the bat much better and is probably a better hitter against righties than Cabrera even if you ignore the small sample of this season's early results. Instead, the Indians played 18 innings this afternoon and Chisenhall never had reason to get off the bench beyond passing out a few high fives.
Bauer looked as good as we could have hoped, after also doing well in his first start of the season (for Columbus). I don't think we should read too much into things just yet, but if he puts together a couple more good outing for the Clippers, he could be knocking on the door for a permanent promotion.
The Indians are now 5-4, and will leave town in the morning for a big road trip that takes them to Chicago for 4 games and then to Detroit for 3. Let's hope they return home next week with their winning record still intact.
The Padres split a pair of low-scoring games in today's doubleheader, losing 2-0 in the morning game while eking out a 2-1 win in the afternoon game.
Game 1
The morning game was a bit of an unexpected pitchers' duel, staying scoreless until the bottom of the sixth, when Eric Stults served up a 2-run shot to Jason Kipnis. It would have been a solo shot had Alexi Amarista's throwing error not allowed Nick Swisher to reach base safely. But seeing as how Alexi also picked up 2 of the team's paltry 6 hits, I'm not going to give him a whole lot of grief for an error that didn't mean much of anything.
And that's really all that's worth saying about Game 1, so let's move on to the good stuff.
Game 2
Robbie Erlin made his first start of the season in Game 2, allowing just one run in his 6 innings of work on 4 hits. He also struck out 6 without giving up a single free pass. He got run support early, as the offense got its first early lead of the season. Everth Cabrera reached on an error by Asdrubal Cabrera (everybody have that straight?) to start the game. Chris Denorfia followed that up with a long fly ball that looked like an out but was called a double. Elliot Johnson dropped the ball on the transfer (which no longer counts as a catch this season). The Indians challenged, but the ruling was upheld. Everth then scored on a grounder from Seth Smith.
The Indians managed to tie the game back up in the third. Yan Gomes and that other Cabrera hit a pair of back to back singles, allowing Gomes to score easily on Mike Aviles's sacrifice fly. The game stayed tied until the sixth inning.
Cabrera singled, then Smith took one for the team. Yonder Alonso walked to load the bases for Chase Headley. With one out, Cleveland was desperate for Chase to hit into another bases loaded double play. He singled instead. 2-1 Padres. Erlin finished the inning, then handed the ball off to Dale Thayer, Joaquin Benoit, and Huston Street to wrap it up.
Tomorrow's an off day as our boys rest up for a 10-game homestand against the Tigers, Rockies, and Giants. Andrew Cashner will vie for his first win of the season at 7:10 PM on Friday.
Wonko was far and away the best at avoiding work today, and there were way too many recs all around to count. But if you want a quick quality check, the most recced comments came from Jodes, Drama, Axion, and myself, with 3 recs each.
It was a great start for Carlos Pimentel, who got his first win in the Cubs organization. Pimentel allowed a solo home run in the second inning, but that was one of only three hits he allowed over six innings. Even better, Pimentel struck out ten and only walked one.
It was "Old Top Prospects Day" at Principal Park today. First, right fielder Brett Jacksonhit a solo home run in the sixth inning. Jackson was 1 for 4.
Next, in the seventh inning, Josh Vitters hit a two-run home run to put the game out of reach at 6-1. It was Vitters' second home run this year. He was 1 for 3 with a walk.
Shortstop Javier Baez was 2 for 4 with a double. He scored twice.
C.J. Edwards had some control issues tonight, but his results weren't too bad as he allowed only one run on five hits over 5.2 innings. He did walk four and had a wild pitch. Edwards struck out five.
P.J. Francescon relieved Edwards with the bases loaded and two out in the sixth and got a ground out to end the threat. He stayed in the game to pitch another inning and he retired all four batters he faced, striking out two. He got his second win when Tennessee took the lead in the bottom of the sixth.
A.J.Armando Rivero recorded a four-out save, retiring every batter he faced. Three of them went down on strikes, swinging.
All three Smokies runs scored when catcher Rafael Lopezdoubled with two men on the bottom of the sixth inning. Both runners scored and then Lopez came around to score on a throwing error. Lopez was 2 for 3 with a walk.
The Daytona Cubs dropped a doubleheader to the Dunedin Blue Jays, 1-0 and 6-4.
In the first game, Felix Pena took the hard-luck loss. Pena allowed only one run on five hits over six innings. Three of those hits were in the third inning when he allowed the run. He struck out five and didn't walk anyone.
Center fielder Albert Almoradoubled twice but failed to score in a 2 for 3 game. He had two of the D-Cubs four hits.
Jose Rosario started game two and didn't pitch poorly, but took the loss anyway. Rosario pitched five innings and gave up two runs, one earned, on three hits. He walked three and struck out four.
Starling Peralta relieved Rosario in the sixth and gave up three hits and one batter reached on an error. All four runners eventually came around to score, three of them on a double against Andrew McKirahan. Peralta struck out the first batter he faced, but that was the only out he recorded.
Daytona made it close when Dan Vogelbach hit his first home run of the season in the bottom of the sixth with two men on. Vogelbach went 1 for 3.
Paul Blackburn's second Kane County start was better than the first. He gave up a two-run home run in the second inning, but those were the only runs he allowed over five innings. Blackburn allowed only two hits. He walked two, hit a batter (who scored on the home run) and struck out four.
It was a tough outing for Jose Arias, who blew the one-run save opportunity in the top of the ninth on a solo home run and then gave up three unearned runs in the top of the tenth after an error by center fielder Jacob Hannemann. Arias pitched two innings and allowed four runs on three hits and a walk, although only one of the four runs were earned. He walked one and did not have a strikeout.
Batters one through eight in the Cougars lineup each had one of the eight hits the team had on Wednesday afternoon. First baseman Jacob Rogers hit his first home run this season with the bases empty in the second inning. Rogers went 1 for 4.
Hannemann was 1 for 5. He tripled and scored in the bottom of the first inning.
The Tigers are 11-3 in their last 14 games against the San Diego Padres, something we didn't bring up when speaking with the folks at Gaslamp Ball.
The Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres have played 14 games in the past 30 years, dating back to the 1984 World Series, and have not faced one another since 2008. To get familiar with the Padres, we asked Richard Garfinkel -- a.k.a. Darklighter -- of Gaslamp Ball, SB Nation's Padres site, a few questions about the upcoming series.
1. On Saturday, we Tigers fans get to see one of the best kept secrets in baseball: Andrew Cashner. How long have Padres fans been excited about him, and what made him so successful in 2013?
You don’t even have to wait that long! He’ll be on the mound Friday night. (Ed.: Oops.) There was a lot of skepticism right after Anthony Rizzo was sent to the Cubs for Cashner, and there were a few who thought he was just a reliever (despite the protestations of the front office and his entire minor league career). Fans definitely started to take notice after his move to the rotation last season. His time there started a little rough, but he was going deep into games early on and keeping things competitive. The day everybody sat up and took notice, of course, was September 16th, the day he through a complete game shutout while facing the minimum 27 batters. It was best start by a Padres pitcher in the history of the franchise.
2. Two years ago, Chase Headley was the hottest trade ticket in baseball after a monster 2012 season. What happened last season (and to start 2014)? Did the Padres make a mistake by not trading him when his value was so high?
Honestly, it’s looking a lot like 2012 was a fluke. While his 2013 numbers pale in comparison to the year before, he’s had more seasons like 2013 than 2012. I still wouldn’t call hanging onto Headley a mistake; he was good for 3.5 WAR last year, making him the 8th most valuable third baseman in the majors.
3. Tyson Ross had a solid year in 2013, tallying a 3.17 ERA and 3.20 FIP with 119 strikeouts in 125 innings. What are the Padres expecting out of him in 2014?
More innings, mostly. There’s not a huge expectation for improvement in his performance, but there is a need for him to stay healthy all year, especially given the number of injuries San Diego pitchers have suffered over the last couple years. It would be fantastic if he could toss 200 innings, but that might be stretching it.
4. The Padres don't have a big name (or "run producer," as the term goes) in the middle of their lineup, but a number of guys seem like they could fit the bill if things go right this season. Who should Tigers pitchers look out for during this series?
Nobody. It’s a perfectly mundane lineup and Tigers pitcher should feel perfectly safe throwing nothing but 90 mph fastballs down the middle. Please tell Justin Verlander I said that. In all seriousness, Yasmani Grandal is off to an incredibly hot start. Who would have thought that a guy who had ACL surgery in August would be hitting .368 right now, let alone make the Opening Day roster? I’d keep an eye out for Jedd Gyorko, too. He’s off to a slow start, but he led all rookies last year with 23 home runs.
5. Former Tiger Joaquin Benoit has gotten off to a slow start, but the rest of the Padres bullpen seems to be pitching well. What is it like having a bullpen you can trust? Or do Padres fans get the same sense of dread that teams with less-than-stellar pens (like us) have anytime a starter is pulled from the game? Also, who's the best non-closer reliever on the team?
After 2010’s insanely talented bullpen, everything feels a little so much worse. I know it’s not true, but everything suffers in comparison. And the Padres low-scoring ways mean the pen is always walking a tightrope, and the crowd is on the verge of a heart attack. I couldn’t tell you who the best non-closer reliever on the team is, but my favorite is Tim Stauffer. He’s the longest tenured Padre, and he’s spent time in the rotation and in the bullpen. When he struggles, it can get ugly, but when he’s on top of his game, he’s so much fun to watch.
BONUS: Various counties across the state of Michigan broke records this year for the number of consecutive days with below freezing temperatures. What was the coldest it got in San Diego this winter?
I don’t know. It probably dropped below 40 overnight at some point. And I definitely saw frost once or twice. One day I even wore a light sweater AND a jacket.
Once again, thank you to Richard for answering our questions and being somewhat merciful about his city's beautiful weather. My responses to his questions are here. To read up on all things Padres, click on over to Gaslamp Ball.
In which we discuss Brad Ausmus, Kate Upton, and just about anything other than the 1984 World Series.
The Padres continue interleague play this weekend as the Detroit Tigers come to town this weekend. I had a chance to talk to Rob Rogacki of Bless You Boys about what we should look forward to and what we should dread.
1. Miguel Cabrera just signed a giant contract. There's certainly no doubt he's worth it in the short term, but are Tigers fans concerned about paying a 40 year old $32 million 9 years from now?
The last few years of that contract definitely look daunting, but evidence suggests that Cabrera should be a very productive player throughout the majority of the deal. Hall of Fame talents like Cabrera have typically aged very well, producing huge numbers well into their late 30s. For instance, Baseball Reference's similarity scores rank Hank Aaron as Miguel Cabrera's #1 comparable player through age 30. Hammerin' Hank had a lengthy career after his 30s (and 40s), and I don't think Cabrera will come anywhere close to Aaron's homer totals. Still, Cabrera should be a productive hitter for several more seasons, and his recent move back to first base should only help prolong his career.
2. The last time the Padres saw Justin Verlander was in 2008, which was a rocky year for your ace. Since then, he's won a Cy Young, an MVP, and dated Kate Upton. And then he had to be a showoff and throw 20 scoreless innings this spring. Is he in Cy Young form again this season, or is there another Tiger pitcher we should fear more?
Verlander had a down year in 2013 by his excellent standards, but was still good enough to produce a 3.46 ERA and 5.2 fWAR in 218 1/3 innings. He cited mechanical difficulties throughout the season, but seemed to figure things out in time for the postseason, when he allowed one run in 23 innings. He had "core muscle repair" surgery in the offseason -- I'll let you make your own Kate Upton jokes there -- but his scoreless spring alleviated any doubts as to whether he would be ready for the start of the season. His strikeout numbers are down through his first couple starts, but he is still the ace of the staff no matter how much Max Scherzer tries to prove otherwise.
3. Former Friar Brad Ausmus is in his first season as manager of the Tigers. How did Detroit react to the hire? Are Tiger diehards as in love with the dreamboat as Padres fans?
Reaction to the hire has been very positive, and Ausmus hasn't done anything to change that during his short tenure as the Tigers' skipper. He has done well to preserve the excellent clubhouse atmosphere that Jim Leyland maintained, including retaining Leyland's bench coach (Gene Lamont) and pitching coach (Jeff Jones). I don't know if Ausmus' playing days resonate as well with Tigers fans due to his short tenure with the team and the club's horrific record during that era, but the simple fact that he isn't Jim Leyland is enough to win many casual fans over. It was a bold hire, but it seems to be paying off so far.
4. Smart people who know more about prospects than I do say Nick Castellanos is the young Tiger to watch. He had a solid September call-up last year and is off to a great start this year. What makes him so good?
Castellanos was drafted for his bat, and that bat will determine what kind of career he has. A natural infielder, the Tigers moved him to the outfield in late 2012 when Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera were manning the corner infield spots. Almost immediately after Fielder was traded last December, news broke that Castellanos would be moving back to the infield. Scouts were never high on his glove in the minors, but he has looked surprisingly comfortable (and miles better than Cabrera) at third so far this season. At the plate, he has a beautiful, compact swing with developing power. He launched his first career home run to dead center field at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, and has shown an impressive ability to hit for average and power to all fields. It's early, but he should be among the favorites for the AL Rookie of the Year award this season.
5. We're playing Senior Circuit baseball this weekend, which can be daunting for AL pitchers. Who's going to reach base, and who's going to strike out while bunting?
As good as he is on the mound, Justin Verlander can't hit his way out of a wet paper bag. He is still searching for his first career hit after 35 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. His biggest career achievement at the plate is hitting a home run over the Green Monster in batting practice while the team was in Boston last season. If Ian Kennedy gives up a hit to Verlander, all hope is lost. Neither Rick Porcello nor Max Scherzer are much better, but they have both reached base before. Porcello has the higher career batting average, while Scherzer smacked an RBI double off Matt Harvey last season.
BONUS: Seriously, how dreamy is Brad Ausmus?
If the talk about Nick Castellanos' swing wasn't enough to get Tigers fans all hot and bothered, thinking of Ausmus should do the trick. The Tigers have a short history of attractive managers -- and by that, I mean it started the minute Ausmus was hired. Some fans may miss the rugged handsomeness of Jim Leyland sitting in his office with his shirt unbuttoned scarfing down potato salad during a post-game interview, but Ausmus is just too pretty to be contained.
Thanks again to Rob for taking a break from his snow shoveling to chat with us. You can see the other side of our conversation over at Bless You Boys.
I've been out of town on bizness since last weekend and had very little access to a computer, so my blogging is a little bit behind. While I was gone, the Padres were shutout for the first time. It happened on April 5th, the 5th game of the season, by a difference of 5 runs, in a city with 5 letters in its name. Weird right?
Here's the table I posted last year with this year's update.
Earliest shutout of the Padres offense
Year
Game
Opponent
Home/Away
Runs
Runs Against
1974
1
LAD
@
0
8
1971
1
SFG
0
4
2002
1
ARI
@
0
2
1975
1
SFG
0
2
1982
1
ATL
0
1
2012
2
LAD
0
6
1978
2
SFG
@
0
6
1976
2
ATL
0
3
1990
2
LAD
0
1
1973
3
LAD
0
4
2011
3
STL
@
0
2
1981
3
SFG
@
0
2
1986
3
LAD
@
0
1
1969
4
SFG
0
8
2010
4
COL
@
0
7
2014
5
MIA
@
0
5
1970
6
LAD
@
0
6
1983
6
ATL
@
0
4
1985
8
LAD
0
5
1997
8
PIT
0
2
1972
8
LAD
@
0
1
1991
8
CIN
0
1
1989
9
ATL
0
5
1987
9
SFG
0
1
2004
10
ARI
0
5
2005
10
LAD
@
0
4
2006
10
ATL
@
0
2
2008
10
SFG
@
0
1
1996
12
ATL
0
4
1988
13
LAD
@
0
6
1994
13
STL
@
0
5
1984
13
LAD
@
0
4
1999
13
PIT
0
3
1977
13
ATL
@
0
2
1992
13
HOU
@
0
1
2001
14
COL
0
8
2003
15
LAD
@
0
3
2009
15
SFG
@
0
1
1995
17
CHC
@
0
5
2013
17
SFG
@
0
2
1979
20
PHI
@
0
2
1998
23
PIT
0
6
2000
32
CIN
@
0
2
1993
35
SFG
0
3
2007
37
STL
0
5
1980
44
HOU
@
0
1
I was curious as to whether the Padres usually shutout a team first or were shutout first. So I created another table.
YEAR
GM # SHUTOUT BY
GM # SHUTOUT OF
EARLIEST
1969
2
4
BY
1970
5
6
BY
1971
27
1
OF
1972
3
8
BY
1973
11
3
OF
1974
60
1
OF
1975
11
1
OF
1976
26
2
OF
1977
54
13
OF
1978
10
2
OF
1979
21
20
OF
1980
10
44
BY
1981
13
3
OF
1982
7
1
OF
1983
24
6
OF
1984
19
13
OF
1985
2
8
BY
1986
2
3
BY
1987
20
9
OF
1988
9
13
BY
1989
21
9
OF
1990
15
2
OF
1991
17
8
OF
1992
8
13
BY
1993
37
35
OF
1994
5
13
BY
1995
20
17
OF
1996
8
12
BY
1997
27
8
OF
1998
11
23
BY
1999
10
13
BY
2000
2
32
BY
2001
22
14
OF
2002
7
1
OF
2003
6
15
BY
2004
15
10
OF
2005
3
10
BY
2006
28
10
OF
2007
1
37
BY
2008
1
10
BY
2009
42
15
OF
2010
11
4
OF
2011
28
3
OF
2012
25
2
OF
2013
32
17
OF
So as you can see the Padres were shutout first by another team 27 times and they did the shutting out 18 times first. This information probably isn't too valuable, but I thought I'd share.
I got an email a couple weeks back with this subject line: "Bastards stole your idea. What's next? Museum of oddities?"
The stolen idea he mentions was for the Padres to hire tattoo artists from around town to ink the Padres logo on fans for free. I eloquently described the idea back in August of 2010.
The Padres should hire 2 or 3 tattoo artists, put them out in the Park at the Park during a game. Then get a few hundred interlocking SD tattoo stencils. Offer to give free tattoos to any fans that wants one, maybe even throw in a couple Padres tickets if they get one. It's a win-win. People that want a tattoo get one and the Padres get free advertising from these fans until their skin gets all saggy, leathery and wrinkly. Plus once you've tattooed these fans, you've locked them into "Padres fan for life" status. They aren't going to stray after that and if they do their friends will mock and ridicule them.
Up until this year they could have been the first major sports team to tattoo their fans. Unfortunately in the beginning of March, the Brooklyn Nets teamed up with the Ink Masters TV show to cross promote each other. You could enter to win a free tattoo as long as it was the Nets logo.
The Nets believe they are the only NBA team to give away real tattoos, a spokesman told The Huffington Post. "The [Memphis] Grizzlies offered fake ones," he said.
It's a shame, that the Padres didn't jump on this idea first. But as the email author reminds us, the Padres could still be the first team to create a Museum of Oddities at the ballpark. It's not too late!
The Miami Marlins fell to the Washington Nationals 7-1 in the final game of a three game series on Thursday afternoon. Steven Strasburg was able to keep the Marlins' offense off the board.
Having won their first two series of the year, losing wasn't something that the Miami Marlins were familiar with heading into Washington with a 5-2 record. After struggling to score runs on Tuesday night and giving up a lead on Wednesday night, the Marlins fell to the Nationals 7-1 on Thursday afternoon and were swept for the first time in 2014.
Coming off of a win against the Padres, Tom Koehler ran into trouble in the third inning. Koehler walked Anthony Rendon with two outs, and Jayson Werth hit his second home run of the series to make it a 2-0 contest early.
In six innings, Koehler gave up five hits and two runs while walking two and striking out six Nationals. For a lineup that knocked Brad Hand and Kevin Slowey around in the middle innings last night, Koehler was effective in limiting the damage.
Making his first start against the Marlins in 2014, Nationals right-hander Steven Strasburg shut down Miami's lineup, which scored seven runs on Wednesday.
Aside from a one-out home run off the bat of Marcell Ozuna, Strasburg methodically retired the Marlins' lineup. Over his six and two third innings, Strasburg struck out twelve. The Marlins were 0-5 with runners in scoring position, and Ozuna, Yelich, and Koehler were the only three Marlins to get hits.
Mike Dunn pitched a scoreless inning in relief, but Arquimedes Caminero struggled in the eighth inning, during which the Nationals added five more runs. Rendon, Werth, and Adam LaRoche all reached base before Bryce Harper drove in a run with a walk and Ian Desmond cleared the bases with Washington's second grand slam in as many nights.
Rafael Soriano pitched an uneventful ninth to secure the sweep for the Nationals.
Kyle Hendricks shut down the Sounds for seven innings this afternoon, giving up only one run on five hits. Hendricks struck out five and walked only one as he got his first win of the season.
So the Kyle Hendricks Fan Club can all exhale. You know who you are.
Shortstop Javier Baez hit his second home run of the season when he took an 0-2 fastball over the right-center field wall. The two-run home run put Iowa ahead to stay. Baez was 1 for 4.
Second baseman Arismendy Alcantara was 2 for 4 with a double. He also scored once. First baseman Chris Valaika was also 2 for 4 with a double. He had two total RBI.
Center fielder Matt Szczur went 2 for 4 with a stolen base. He scored on the Baez home run.
Left fielder Josh Vitters was 1 for 2 with two walks. He scored two runs.
Jake Arrieta made a rehab start and it certainly looked like it was successful. Arrieta threw 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing three hits, all singles. He struck out four and walked two.
Dae-Eun Rhee came on in the top of the fifth and got stuck with a hard-luck loss when Tony Zych allowed a two-out RBI single in the top of the ninth, scoring a runner inherited from Rhee. Rhee pitched 4.2 innings and allowed the one run on four hits. He struck out three and walked one.
Tennessee managed only four hits on the afternoon. Second baseman Stephen Bruno was 1 for 3 with a double and a walk.
Are you sure you want to hear about this one? Well, OK. You asked for it. Tayler Scott couldn't follow up his strong first start of the season, and he was cuffed around for eight runs on eleven hits over 3+ innings. Four of the eight runs he allowed were unearned. Scott walked three and struck out two.
Arodys Vizcaino pitched the ninth and was throwing gas. According to Sean Kernan of the Daytona Beach News-Journal, his fastball was sitting 96-97 with one at 95 and one at 98. Vizcaino pitched one inning and didn't allow a hit or a run. He did walk one and he struck out one.
Left fielder Bijan Rademacher was a perfect 3 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.
Second baseman Gioskar Amaya left this game in the second inning with an apparent shoulder injury.
Starter Tyler Skulina pitched pretty well for five innings, but then he came out for the six and gave up four runs, which makes his final line look a lot worse than he actually pitched. Skulina lasted 5.2 innings and allowed five runs on six hits. Four of those six hits came in the sixth inning. Skulina struck out six and only walked one.
It was Skulina's first professional win.
Tyler Bremer pitched the ninth inning and got his first save, albeit not without some drama. Bremer allowed two singles and there were runners on first and second with one out, but he got a pop up and a fly out the end the threat and the game. Bremer did not have a strikeout in his inning of work.
Shortstop Carlos Penalver scored three runs in a 2 for 5 effort. One of those hits was a double and he also stole a base.
Second baseman Danny Lockhart was 2 for 5 and scored twice. Right fielder Yasiel Balaguert went 1 for 4 with a walk and three RBI.
Andrew Cashner has been on the radar of many diehard baseball fans and sabermetric enthusiasts for the past couple seasons, but is still virtually unknown to the mainstream. Unless you watch MLB.TV as much as I do or tuned in to the Padres' home opener on ESPN a few weeks ago, you probably don't think much* of his 3.09 ERA and 3.35 FIP from 2013. However, it's how he got there -- and how he ended the season -- that should have your attention.
Cashner struggled with injury issues throughout his minor league career and missed a great deal of the 2011 season due to a shoulder injury. He logged 46 1/3 innings in relief in 2012, and began 2013 in the bullpen as well. He was given a full-time starting role in late April and logged a 3.80 ERA and 2.64 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 90 innings leading up to the All-Star break. After the All-Star break, Cashner went into beast mode. He allowed a 2.14 ERA and 3.21 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 11 starts, including the one-hit shutout that Darklighter mentioned in yesterday's Q&A with Gaslamp Ball.
The main reason why Cashner was able to start dominating is because of increased use of a devastating slider. The world will never know why he was only throwing this pitch 3% of the time before the All-Star break, but he bumped up to 22.8% in the second half and the results speak for themselves. This came at the expense of his curveball, which was decent, but not the plus-plus strikeout pitch that the slider is. He throws his changeup to both right-handers and left-handers, though lefties handled it much better in 2013. Oh, and he also throws a mid-90s fastball that topped out at 98 miles per hour last year.
The first inning of Rick Porcello's first start of the season did nothing to alleviate concerns of the portion of the fanbase that has wanted him off the roster for five years. Porcello allowed a walk, a stolen base, and a single to give the Baltimore Orioles an early lead. After that, the Porcello of late 2013 returned, and he held the Orioles to just two hits and a walk over the next 5 2/3 innings. He was a ground ball monster, tallying 11 of the 20 outs he recorded via groundouts. His biggest asset in that start was getting ahead, throwing first-pitch strikes to 16 of the 23 batters he faced.
*This is also because we are insanely spoiled when it comes to starting pitchers. True story: I watched Stephen Strasburg strike out 12 in 6 2/3 innings yesterday, and when the announcers called it a "gem" at the end of the game I immediately blurted out (to no one in particular) "He didn't even go seven innings!"
Hitter to fear:Seth Smith (.571/.625/1.000 in 8 plate appearances) Hitter to fail: N/A
Smith is the only Padres hitter that Porcello has ever faced, and he has gotten his money's worth. He has four hits, including a double and a triple, in seven at-bats with an RBI and a walk. The two have not faced one another since 2012. So, impress your friends! Tell them that Rick Porcello has held everyone else on the Padres' roster hitless in his five-year career.
On the Tigers' side, Alex Gonzalez is 1-for-1 against Cashner. That's all, which tends to happen when you haven't faced a team since 2008.
Outlook
With a potentially dominant starter on the mound and a spacious venue in front of them, the Tigers' home run streak may be in jeopardy tonight. Petco Park was not quite as stingy when the fences were moved in prior to the 2013 season -- amazing how that works -- but it is still one of the largest ballparks in baseball. In order to be successful against Cashner, the Tigers will need to avoid getting behind in the count. Cashner is primarily a fastball-slider pitcher with two strikes, and the slider is all but unhittable when it is on. The Padres' bullpen is good, but not as good as the ace of the staff. Make Cashner work, get to the bullpen, and don't bring Bad Rick Porcello to the ballpark.
Prediction
Lots of zeros, with the Tigers pushing across a late run for the W.
Andrew Cashner has been on the radar of many diehard baseball fans and sabermetric enthusiasts for the past couple seasons, but is still virtually unknown to the mainstream. Unless you watch MLB.TV as much as I do or tuned in to the Padres' home opener on ESPN a few weeks ago, you probably don't think much* of his 3.09 ERA and 3.35 FIP from 2013. However, it's how he got there -- and how he ended the season -- that should have your attention.
Cashner struggled with injury issues throughout his minor league career and missed a great deal of the 2011 season due to a shoulder injury. He logged 46 1/3 innings in relief in 2012, and began 2013 in the bullpen as well. He was given a full-time starting role in late April and logged a 3.80 ERA and 2.64 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 90 innings leading up to the All-Star break. After the All-Star break, Cashner went into beast mode. He allowed a 2.14 ERA and 3.21 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 11 starts, including the one-hit shutout that Darklighter mentioned in yesterday's Q&A with Gaslamp Ball.
The main reason why Cashner was able to start dominating is because of increased use of a devastating slider. The world will never know why he was only throwing this pitch 3% of the time before the All-Star break, but he bumped up to 22.8% in the second half and the results speak for themselves. This came at the expense of his curveball, which was decent, but not the plus-plus strikeout pitch that the slider is. He throws his changeup to both right-handers and left-handers, though lefties handled it much better in 2013. Oh, and he also throws a mid-90s fastball that topped out at 98 miles per hour last year.
The first inning of Rick Porcello's first start of the season did nothing to alleviate concerns of the portion of the fanbase that has wanted him off the roster for five years. Porcello allowed a walk, a stolen base, and a single to give the Baltimore Orioles an early lead. After that, the Porcello of late 2013 returned, and he held the Orioles to just two hits and a walk over the next 5 2/3 innings. He was a ground ball monster, tallying 11 of the 20 outs he recorded via groundouts. His biggest asset in that start was getting ahead, throwing first-pitch strikes to 16 of the 23 batters he faced.
*This is also because we are insanely spoiled when it comes to starting pitchers. True story: I watched Stephen Strasburg strike out 12 in 6 2/3 innings yesterday, and when the announcers called it a "gem" at the end of the game I immediately blurted out (to no one in particular) "He didn't even go seven innings!"
Hitter to fear:Seth Smith (.571/.625/1.000 in 8 plate appearances) Hitter to fail: N/A
Smith is the only Padres hitter that Porcello has ever faced, and he has gotten his money's worth. He has four hits, including a double and a triple, in seven at-bats with an RBI and a walk. The two have not faced one another since 2012. So, impress your friends! Tell them that Rick Porcello has held everyone else on the Padres' roster hitless in his five-year career.
On the Tigers' side, Alex Gonzalez is 1-for-1 against Cashner. That's all, which tends to happen when you haven't faced a team since 2008.
Outlook
With a potentially dominant starter on the mound and a spacious venue in front of them, the Tigers' home run streak may be in jeopardy tonight. Petco Park was not quite as stingy when the fences were moved in prior to the 2013 season -- amazing how that works -- but it is still one of the largest ballparks in baseball. In order to be successful against Cashner, the Tigers will need to avoid getting behind in the count. Cashner is primarily a fastball-slider pitcher with two strikes, and the slider is all but unhittable when it is on. The Padres' bullpen is good, but not as good as the ace of the staff. Make Cashner work, get to the bullpen, and don't bring Bad Rick Porcello to the ballpark.
Prediction
Lots of zeros, with the Tigers pushing across a late run for the W.
The Padres were once again unable to win a series, but they were able to salvage the final game against the Indians on the road. Tonight they'll be back home at Petco Park to kick off a series against the Tigers. Tonight's game marks the beginning of a ten-game homestand, and who better to start us off than Andrew Cashner? Cashner is 0-1 over his first two starts of the season. He's kept opponents to just three runs but hasn't received a single run of support from Padres offense. Batters are hitting just 10-for-75 with runners in scoring position and most of their production has come in the later innings, so there has been minimal support for their starting pitchers. Hopefully that trend doesn't continue and the boys can break out of their slump while getting a winning streak doing tonight.
Rick Porcello will be the guy to beat tonight as he takes the mound for Detroit in the series opener. Porcello made a strong season debut last week, pitching 6 2/3 solid innings on one-run ball against the Orioles. But if past games are an indication, it might be easier to get to the Tigers bullpen. Detroit relievers have struggled so far this season. They almost cost Porcello the game his last time out, allowing the O's to come back and put five runs on the board in the 9th.
Detroit has dominated San Diego in the past, winning seven of the last nine contests between the two teams. However, they haven't faced each other since 2008. Head down to the ballpark or tune in at 7:10 when they reunite on the field.
The Tigers never had a chance against a dominant Andrew Cahsner. The Padres' ace took a no-hitter into the sixth, settling for a career high 11 strikeouts and his second career one-hitter.
When most of your games are played while the eastern time zone sleeps, pitching for the San Diego Padres means you will slip under the radar of fans and media.
Padres' starting pitcher Andrew Cashner is no longer under the radar in the eyes of Tigers fans after a dominant one-hit performance in a 6-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers.
Tonight it was Andrew Cashner's world, the Tigers had the misfortune to be living in it.
Cashner (1-1) had no-hit stuff, a first inning walk the only blemish through five innings. Losing the no-no on a seeing eye single in the sixth, the 27-year-old right-hander went on to toss the second complete game shutout one-hitter of his career, striking out a career high 11 while walking just two. Cashner didn't get the no-hitter, but it was as dominant of a performance as you'll ever see. To rub it in, Cashner added a single and scored a run.
Tigers starter and loser Rick Porcello (0-1) was, well, Rick Porcello. He kept the Tigers in the game and pitched into the seventh, exiting with the score 4-0 Padres. But two bad innings did him in. Porcello would allow five runs on ten hits over 6 1/3 innings, striking out five. But facing a pitcher who was throwing the ball like the next coming of Cy Young, Porcello never had a chance.
As for the Tigers' beleaguered bullpen? In his first appearance of the season, Luke Putkonen allowed a hit and run in 2/3 of an inning. Evan Reed pitched the ninth, giving up two hits, but kept the Padres off the scoreboard.
The Padres' have had trouble scoring this season, entering the game hitting .209/.261/.304 as a team. It would be Chase Headley's bat that woke up the Padres, leading their 13 hit attack with a double, a two-run home run and three RBI. Jedd Gyorko also homered, Everth Cabrera adding two hits and two runs scored.
The Tigers' offense could be summed up in two words - Rajai Davis. He broke up Cashner's no-hitter with a softly hit, but clean, sixth inning single. Davis also stole a pair of bases, extending his stolen base streak to four games.
And that was it for the Tigers' offense.
Sometimes the other guy just beats the Hell out of you and there not a damn thing you can do about it. Tonight was one of those games. The Tigers were very, very lucky they weren't no-hit.
You could tell early on Cashner was on his game. When the Tigers weren't striking out, they were pounding ball after ball after ball into the Petco Park turf. When the opposing pitcher is throwing that well, he makes everyone, even the Miguel Cabrera's of the world, look completely lost at the plate. Cashner allowed only three balls out of the infield, one of those being Davis' bloop which found green.
All you can do after being nearly no-hit is move on and forget the loss as quickly as possible. The Tigers have proven to be quite resilient over the years, so that just what I expect them to do.
The Tigers manufactured a scoring threat without a hit against Padres' ace Andrew Cashner in the top of the first, but couldn't convert. Miguel Cabrera reached base on third baseman Chase Headley's two-out throwing error, taking second on a Victor Martinez walk. But Austin Jackson was unable to handle Cashner's 98-MPH chest-high fastball, striking out swinging to end the threat.
Bottom of one, the Padres threatened to score as well. Unlike the Tigers, the Padres were able to take a lead. Apparently, SoCal and Rick Porcello don't mix. (No need to remind you of Porcello's first west coast start of 2013, the infamous "death by papercuts" 10-0 loss to the Angels.
Everth Cabrera led off with a single off Porcello, moving station to station on ground outs (including a very nice bare-handed play by Andrew Romine to retire Chris Denorfia). Two down, Jedd Gyorko (yes, that's spelled correctly) lined a drive to deep right. Don Kelly got his glove on the ball, but it popped out a split second before he crashed knee and head-first into an unpadded scoreboard (MLB.com video).
A very lucky Donnie Baseball wasn't hurt, but Cabrera was able to circle the bases on what was scored a triple and RBI for Gyorko.
Rand's test for Don Kelly was "What do you say to someone who cuts you off in traffic?" Answer was, "He must be having a tough day" a-ok
The Padres' extended their lead to 2-0 when Chase Headley's fly ball landed in the right-center field gap for a double. Porcello was hanging his breaking stuff, resulting in a two-out, two run, rally for San Diego. The two runs scored was only the second time this season the Padres had scored in the opening inning.
Cashner was making the most of his two-run lead, motoring through the Tigers' lineup without allowing a hit through three. He had struck out five, including whiffing the side in the third.
How tough was Cashner? Really tough.
I've never faced Cashner, but I've played MLB The Show on the "Veteran" level, so I get it.
How tough was Porcello? More like the "Rookie" level on MLB the Show.
The Padres were hitting the ball hard, Porcello allowing six hits through three innings. Bottom of three, he was bailed out of a one-out, two on jam by Alex Avila. The Tigers' catcher leaped from behind the plate to pick up Headley's nubber off the plate, firing a strike to Romine, starting a beautiful 2-6-3 double play.
But the Tigers' offense could not do a damn thing with Cashner. The hard-throwing 27-year-old was pounding the strike zone with high-90s heat, while keeping the Tigers' out-of-sync with breaking stuff. The fourth was more of the same, three up, three down.
don’t worry it’s another 2 innings before the no-hitter flare gets fired
The Padres continued to rake against Porcello. Yonder Alonso led off the bottom half of the fourth with a double into the right field corner (thankfully, no Tiger crashing into a wall this time), advancing to third on a ground ball. A twin killing would bail out Porcello for a second straight inning, Miguel Cabrera turning an unassisted double play on Rene Rivera's line shot to third, doubling off Alonso, who never had a chance.
Kelly accomplished one thing as the Tigers went down in order ... again. He became the first Tiger to hit a ball out of the infield, flying out leading off the fifth. Since Martinez's first inning walk, Cashner had set down 13 straight Tigers, striking out six.
With everyone's jaw was dropping thanks to Cashner's performance, Porcello was hanging in there for the Tigers, holding the Padres scoreless since the first inning. Porcello set the Padres down 1-2-3 in fifth, the Tigers still within shouting distance at 2-0.
But two runs were going to be more than enough to Cashner.
As the no-hitter alerts were being spread online, Rajai Davis made them moot with a soft, looping liner which just got past a diving Gyorko with one out in the sixth. It wasn't a hard hit ball, but there was no controversy. It was a clean base hit.
Thanks to Davis' legs, the Tigers would manufacture a scoring threat. He started by easily stealing second. Ian Kinsler reached via the second walk Cashner issued, Davis stealing third with Cabrera at the plate. The hope of a rally was quickly extinguished when the Padres' turned Cabrera's ground ball into an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play.
Despite getting hit hard, Porcello had been keeping the Tigers in the game. Unfortunately, he Padres kept hitting the ball hard in the bottom of the sixth, and Porcello's luck ran out.Seth Smith led off the inning with a double and rode home on Headley's one-out bomb to right field. The two-run run homer increased the Padres' lead to 4-0 (MLB.com video).
As well as Cashner was pitching, it might just as well have been 100-0. He motored through the seventh, recording his eighth K as the Tigers, once again, went down in order.
After Porcello gave up a single to of all Padres, Cashner, the lone Tigers pitcher to yet see action took the mound with one down in the seventh.
Luke Putkonen took over for Porcello and was greeted with a bleeder through the right side off the bat of Cabrera, putting runners on the corners. Cabrera proceeded to steal second without a throw.
The infield playing in, Denorfia rocketed a one-hopper to Romine, who fired home. But Cashner was able to just beat Avila's tag to make it 101-0 5-0. A second run would score on a fielder's choice off the bat of Smith, Martinez's off-line throw to second making it impossible to turn a tough 3-6-3 double play. Putkonen would muddle through the inning, allowing an inherited run to score and charged with the second as the Padres took a 6-0 lead into the eighth.
The game entered the eighth essentially in the Padres' hip pocket. It was obvious the Tigers weren't going to score. At that point it was just a matter of seeing if Cahsner could finish off a complete game one-hitter.
Cashner did just that, retiring the last ten Tigers he faced to compete his second career one-hitter. The cherry on top was his striking out Cabrera to end the game, giving him a career high 11 K.
Game over. Your final score is Padres 6, Tigers 0. At least it was a quick loss.
After watching Cashner blow away the Tigers, I now know what the opposition feels like when Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Anibal Sanchez are at the top of their games. Let's hope Verlander gives the Padres a dose of their own medicine on Saturday.
Game two of weekend series features Justin Verlander (0-1, 2.57 ERA) facing Padres' right-hander Ian Kennedy (1-1, 3.27 ERA). Verlander has pitched well, allowing four earned runs in 14 innings, but is still looking for his first win of the season. Kennedy, who was one of the puzzle pieces in the three-team trade which ultimately gave the Tigers Max Scherzer, Austin Jackson and, well, uh...Phil Coke, allowed just one run and three hits in his last start, a victory over the Marlins.
After three straight post 10 P.M. starts, Saturday's first pitch at Petco Park is set for a far more reasonable 8:40 P.M. eastern time.
In the minutes before the start of tonight's telecast on Fox Sports Detroit, the dysfunctional Pistons were on FSD, the playoff bound Red Wings on FSD Plus. With the threat of OT looming in the Red Wings game and the Pistons a hot mess, we at BYB had a well-received suggestion.
Suggestion for Fox Sports Detroit: Next year don't show the Pistons at all, no one will notice.
The Red Wings game ended with 10 minutes to spare. Tigers fans would get to see the start of the game.
Due to the knee injury he suffered in the first game of the west coast swing, Torii Hunter didn't get the start in right field, but was available to pinch-hit if needed. It's just precautionary, Hunter remains day-to-day, as are we all. Don Kelly got his first outfield start of the season.
There was a Luke Putkonen sighting in the sixth. The mysterious reliever who is on the team but never pitches was warming up while Pocello was giving up two runs. I was beginning to think Putkonen was only a figment of my imagination. That figment actually got to throw the ball in anger, replacing Porcello in the seventh.
Evan Reed made his first appearance since April 5, getting the ninth inning garbage time assignment. Online reports mentioned Reed's off-field allegations (and at this point, they are just that) were addressed by the radio crew, stating only the facts with no opinion either way.. If you had the TV call, you'd never know there were legal issues over his head.
The Padres deservedly celebrated Cashner's win with the traditional Gatorade bath.
Rajai Davis: A base hit and two stolen bases was the Tigers' entire offensive output. Davis became the first tiger to steal a base in four consecutive games since the immortal Josh Anderson in 2009. Up next for the speedster is Ty Cobb (five straight games in 1915) and Ron LeFlore (five in 1979, six in 1977).
BONUS ROARS:
Andrew Romine's defense: I want to see this kid play the field more and more. The Tigers were going into this season with a shortstop in Jose Iglasias who was a vacuum in the field, with a questionable bat. Romine doesn't have the upside of Iglesias, but I feel far more confident about the Tigers' infield defense when he is in the lineup.
Andrew Cashner: When you were as good as Cahsner was, all you can do is tip your cap. He had no-hit stuff and looked well on his way until Davis broke it up.
THREE HISSES:
Miguel Cabrera: Since his 4-for-5 game against the Orioles, Cabrera has gone into a slump. He's just 3-for-20 in the five games since. An 0-for-4 night drops his average to just .250.
Rick Porcello: The Padres aren't known to be much of a threat on offense, not that you would know it by how they hit the Tigers' starter. Tonight the Padres teed off on Porcello. He didn't allow the game to spin wildly out of control, but he gave up several loud outs and was lucky to only be down 4-0 when pulled in the seventh.
Unprotected outfield walls: I never understood why every MLB stadium doesn't have padding on every bit of wall surrounding the field. Don Kelly was extremely lucky he was not severely injured after running into the scoreboard in the first inning. Kelly's head damn near left a divot in the Petco Park scoreboard, but he was able to remain in the game.
Victor Martinez's three hits, the biggest being a tenth inning, game-winning home run, pushed the Tigers' cleanup man to the top of PotG ballot with 90% of the vote.
The Padres 3-6 start certainly seems rough, and there have been plenty of doubts expressed about this team's true potential. Tonight, we saw the upper limit of that potential, and it was glorious. Andrew Cashner threw the second complete game shutout of his career, and it was another one-hitter. The ace also picked up a career-high 11 strikeouts while only walking two Tigers. And it's not like this was a game against the Astros or the Cubs. Last season, Detroit led the AL in batting average and were second in the league in on base percentage and slugging. Cashner tossed the second best game of his career against one of baseballs offensive powerhouses, and he made it look easy.
But pitching alone doesn't win ballgames, as Padres fans are all too aware. So the offense got things started early, with Everth Cabrera's leadoff single. Then Jedd Gyorko crushed a ball to right field for a triple to score the first run of the night. That was followed by Chase Headley's RBI double. The bats were quiet until the 6th, when Seth Smith hit a double to left. And that's when Headley finally found his swing, launching a two-run blast off of Rick Porcello. And it was no cheap shot. It was the kind of ball you realize is long gone just from the sound it makes off the bat. There was still more piling on to do in the seventh, as Cashner helped his own cause with a single. Cabrera picked up his second single of the night to move him to third. Cabby followed that with a quick steal of second. Chris Denorfia then grounded to shortstop, but everybody was safe as Cashner slid under the tag at home. A ground out scored Cabrera for the sixth and final run of the game. In total, five Friars had multi-hit games, and the only starter to miss out on the hit parade was Will Venable.
There's certainly been a lot of doubt and skepticism in the wake of the first 9 games, and it's not entirely unwarranted. But tonight was a sign of what these Padres are capable of. They won't all be 6-0 complete game shutouts, but when this team performs on all fronts, they look champions.
Ian Kennedy takes on Justin Verlander at 5:40 PM tomorrow. Here's hoping tonight's Padres make an encore appearance.
Ian Kennedy has fallen on hard times since winning 21 games with a 2.88 ERA for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2011. His home run rate and BABIP regressed to league norms in 2012, resulting in a 4.02 ERA and 4.04 FIP in 208 1/3 innings. Last season, his homer rate continued to climb while his walk rate jumped by over 3%, resulting in the worst full-season ERA of his career. A precipitous drop in his strand rate since 2011 has not helped matters either. Kennedy allowed an .859 OPS with men on base in 2013. The move to San Diego did not help his homer troubles, though six of the nine home runs he allowed with the Padres came on the road.
One of the things that gets Kennedy into trouble is how often he elevates his four-seam fastball. He can get away with working upstairs when he hits his spots, and has a healthy whiff rate when he gets there. The only problem with this is that fastballs up in the strike zone that don't hit their spot tend to get hit a long way. Kennedy also uses his changeup quite often and to both right and left-handed hitters. He garnered a 20% whiff rate on the changeup last season, the highest of any of his four pitches. His curveball and cutter are supplemental pitches that induce ground balls at a high rate. He does not use them as often, as his career 41.6% fly ball ratio suggests.
Is it too early to worry about Justin Verlander's low strikeout rate? A growing section of the fanbase -- yes, even here -- is feeling uneasy about Verlander's 8.3% whiff rate. This would be his lowest figure since 2006, and the first time it has dipped below 10% since 2010. The early culprit seems to be his off-speed pitches. He has a respectable 14.9% whiff rate on his curveball, but has not yet gotten anyone to swing through his slider. Meanwhile, hitters are fouling off his changeup at a much higher rate than at any point in his career -- though it's worth noting that there are questions about PitchFX's ability to distinguish Verlander's changeup from his fastball.
Personally, I'm not concerned. As he gets going this season, his breaking balls will become sharper, resulting in an improved strikeout rate. Once again, it is worth pointing out that Verlander had serious April troubles earlier in his career, so a low strikeout rate is much better than the alternative.
Hitter to fear:Xavier Nady (.500/.500/.500 in 2 plate appearances) Hitter to fail:Seth Smith (.143/.333/.286 in 27 plate appearances)
Once again, Smith is the only Padres hitter with any sort of history against a Tigers pitcher. Smith had Porcello's number prior to last night's game, but has not had nearly as much success against Verlander. Other than Smith, no Padres player has more than three plate appearances against Verlander. Chase Headley is hitless in three at-bats, while backup catcher Rene Rivera has drawn a walk and struck out twice.
Outlook
The Tigers offense needs to wash the taste of last night's game out of their collective mouths as soon as possible, and there may be no better way to do so than against a pitcher who has fallen on hard times in recent years. Kennedy has taken a liking to Petco Park thus far, allowing a 2.90 ERA in 40 1/3 innings at home in a Padres uniform. However, the homer troubles are only part of the problem, and Kennedy wasn't very sharp in his first start against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He will need to be with Verlander on the mound.
Pitching Matchup: RHP Justin Verlander (0-1, 2.57 ERA) vs. RHP Ian Kennedy (1-1, 3.27 ERA)
Pitcher
GS
IP
K/9
BB/9
HR/9
WHIP
FIP
SIERA
fWAR
Verlander
2
14.0
3.21
3.21
0.00
1.14
3.48
5.70
0.3
Kennedy
2
11.0
7.36
1.64
0.82
0.91
3.21
3.27
0.1
Ian Kennedy has fallen on hard times since winning 21 games with a 2.88 ERA for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2011. His home run rate and BABIP regressed to league norms in 2012, resulting in a 4.02 ERA and 4.04 FIP in 208 1/3 innings. Last season, his homer rate continued to climb while his walk rate jumped by over 3%, resulting in the worst full-season ERA of his career. A precipitous drop in his strand rate since 2011 has not helped matters either. Kennedy allowed an .859 OPS with men on base in 2013. The move to San Diego did not help his homer troubles, though six of the nine home runs he allowed with the Padres came on the road.
One of the things that gets Kennedy into trouble is how often he elevates his four-seam fastball. He can get away with working upstairs when he hits his spots, and has a healthy whiff rate when he gets there. The only problem with this is that fastballs up in the strike zone that don't hit their spot tend to get hit a long way. Kennedy also uses his changeup quite often and to both right and left-handed hitters. He garnered a 20% whiff rate on the changeup last season, the highest of any of his four pitches. His curveball and cutter are supplemental pitches that induce ground balls at a high rate. He does not use them as often, as his career 41.6% fly ball ratio suggests.
Is it too early to worry about Justin Verlander's low strikeout rate? A growing section of the fanbase -- yes, even here -- is feeling uneasy about Verlander's 8.3% whiff rate. This would be his lowest figure since 2006, and the first time it has dipped below 10% since 2010. The early culprit seems to be his off-speed pitches. He has a respectable 14.9% whiff rate on his curveball, but has not yet gotten anyone to swing through his slider. Meanwhile, hitters are fouling off his changeup at a much higher rate than at any point in his career -- though it's worth noting that there are questions about PitchFX's ability to distinguish Verlander's changeup from his fastball.
Personally, I'm not concerned. As he gets going this season, his breaking balls will become sharper, resulting in an improved strikeout rate. Once again, it is worth pointing out that Verlander had serious April troubles earlier in his career, so a low strikeout rate is much better than the alternative.
Hitter to fear:Xavier Nady (.500/.500/.500 in 2 plate appearances) Hitter to fail:Seth Smith (.143/.333/.286 in 27 plate appearances)
Once again, Smith is the only Padres hitter with any sort of history against a Tigers pitcher. Smith had Porcello's number prior to last night's game, but has not had nearly as much success against Verlander. Other than Smith, no Padres player has more than three plate appearances against Verlander. Chase Headley is hitless in three at-bats, while backup catcher Rene Rivera has drawn a walk and struck out twice.
Outlook
The Tigers offense needs to wash the taste of last night's game out of their collective mouths as soon as possible, and there may be no better way to do so than against a pitcher who has fallen on hard times in recent years. Kennedy has taken a liking to Petco Park thus far, allowing a 2.90 ERA in 40 1/3 innings at home in a Padres uniform. However, the homer troubles are only part of the problem, and Kennedy wasn't very sharp in his first start against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He will need to be with Verlander on the mound.
Ausmus barehanded a foul ball in the third inning of last night's game and should probably start at shortstop tonight.
He may be a bit old to handle catching duties on a full-time basis, but Tigers manager Brad Ausmus still has the hands to play some ball. Exhibit A: Ausmus barehanded a foul ball off the bat of Padres second baseman Jedd Gyorko, then casually flipped the ball to some lesser being out of the camera shot.
This is one of those quizzes where you get a free answer going into it, because you've already heard about the complete-game one-hit shutout gem Andrew Cashner pitched against the Tigers last night. In fact, you get two free answers since that wasn't Cashner's first rodeo. He's the only guy to have done the deed twice -- and both of those times were in his last five starts, at that.
You have three minutes to recall or guess the other thirteen names. As a matter of fact, you only have to get a dozen names since two of the pitchers share a last name. Don't overthink it; it's one you'd likely guess first anyway. There, now you're basically down to 11. I'm going to end this paragraph before I give them all away.
When you're done, you know the drill. Log your results in the poll and comment 'til your little heart's content, remembering to be vigilant in spoiler-proofing names where applicable.
Ian Kennedy and Justin Verlander take the mound in the second game of the series at Petco Park.
Our Padres opened up the series last night with a fantastic showing against Rick Porcello and the Tigers. Tonight they'll try to keep the ball rolling against Justin Verlander and clinch their first series win of the season.
Ian Kennedy will get the ball for San Diego and try to build on a fantastic performance his last time out. He kept the Marlins to just one run on three hits in six innings of work on the road, striking out five batters along the way; the Padres went on to win 4-2. Kennedy hsn't had the best luck in interleague play, going 3-8 with a 5.84 ERA all-time against AL opponents. But his last interleague start saw him snap a five-game losing streak to AL teams when he led the Padres to a win against the Yankees last August. In two career starts against Detroit, Kennedy has posted a 5.56 ERA in 11 1/3 innings. Miguel Cabrera, Torii Hunter, Ian Kinsler, and Victor Martinez have combined for 9 hits in 16 at-bats against the right-hander, but the remaining current Tigers have gone 1-for-9 against him.
Meanwhile, Verlander just hopes to get more run support from the Tigers lineup. In each of his two prior starts this season, the righty has kept opponents to two earned runs, but thanks to a lack of offensive support he has yet to record his first win of the year. Verlander's lone career start against San Diego dates back to 2008. He gave up two runs while racking up ten strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. Xavier Nady, Rene Rivera, Seth Smith, and Chase Headley are the only current Padres to have faced Verlander in the past, combining for just three hits in 13 at-bats.
Make sure to tune in to see if our Padres can clinch the series win tonight. First pitch is at 5:40.
I'll let Pat Murphy the team's manager do the setup:
We all yelled "heads up!" Everybody moved, except Jorge who played it off. Francoeur shook his head and said "That's amazing, he's the only one who didn't move".
"Yeah Jeff, he's deaf."
And so it began. Ever since then the team has continued the prank at Francoeur's expense. Chihuahua 3B Brooks Conrad says Francoeur is the perfect person to play the trick on because he doesn't pay attention to anything, ever. The rest of the team calls him an "idiot".
Cody Decker told the story of the prank through a hilarious YouTube video featuring all of your favorite Padres minor leaguers. It's great and will go viral very soon, if it hasn't already.
