first pitch: 12:35 p.m. PT
television: none
matchup: Jake Peavy (2-0, 0.90 ERA) vs Livan Hernandez (1-0, 1.80 ERA)
previews: Padres.com | SI.com
It’s probably too early to call this a trend, but there’s reason to be encouraged by Jake Peavy‘s performance so far in ’07. Forget the ERA, and look at pitch efficiency:
| Date | IP | TBF | #PIT | P/PA | P/IP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3 | 6 | 23 | 98 | 4.26 | 16.3 |
| Apr 8 | 7 | 28 | 103 | 3.68 | 14.7 |
| Apr 14 | 7 | 26 | 100 | 3.85 | 14.3 |
Again, who knows whether Peavy will be able to sustain lower pitch counts over the course of a full season. Wouldn’t it be nice if he could?
Also, here’s info on Rakers …
Enter Rakers, 30, who had allowed one run over nine innings with Portland and – more important – hadn’t pitched in three days.
Rakers appeared in 13 games with Baltimore over the 2004 and ’05 seasons (1-0, 3.50 ERA in 18 innings) before missing the 2006 season because of an injury. He had surgery on March 1, 2006 to repair a tear in the labrum of his right shoulder.
Rakers has a 2.51 ERA in 330 minor league appearances.
Go CLAW!
Wow, pretty quick trigger for Hampson …
To confirm what someone else suggested, biggest factor in Jake’s ERA difference day vs night is in HR/9.
Day: 1.26
Night: 0.89
It’s the improved carry of the ball in drier air.
How about five runs this inning and Rakers?
Here’s a pic of Rakers … http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/padres/xtra/2007/04/who_ya_gonna_call.html … nice grip … might see him today?
Every pitcher is better at night, because the ball is harder to see for batters. This was the case before Petco.
Updated season ERAs:
Peavy: 2.49
Bell: 0.00
Hampson: infinity
Meredith: 0.00
Anybody else’s GameDay puking today?
155 … good idea … seems we’re headed that way …
http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/gamecenter/live/MLB_20070419_ARI@SD … this has been working for me …
re: 159
see 103.
Greene walked. YEAY!
I am on gameday on dial up. The strike zone for Nippert suggested he was getting very squeezed (many balls being in their little zone). Is that true?
Branyan (TTO): RBI walk
Branyan walked too. Nice ABs by the boys.
Nippert has thrown 25 pitches to 4 batters … no outs …
Nipper can’t find the plate with a road map.
#136: James talks about this starting on p. 260 of the ’84 Baseball Abstract. Factors mentioned include the way the ball carries, differences in visibility, and stamina.
157: Not really true. Just a quick look at the career stats for some of the starters on the two teams playing today… David Wells is similar to Peavy’s splits, much worse in the day. But Maddux and Webb are much better at night (ground ball pitchers not affected as much by dry air), and Livan Hernandez and Randy Johnson don’t have much difference, but if anything are also slightly better night time pitchers.
BPro on Rakers:
As far as the good news, it’s always nice to see Rakers up, but that’s in part because I’m always predisposed to favoring anyone who throws a pretty good forkball, and in part because I’m always going to hope that Oriole refugees get a chance to set their careers aright once they escape Clan Angelos’ playpen.
–
Some call it a split finger, some call it a forkball. There is a difference between the two, although not much of one. I hope it’s more of a forkball because not many guys throw one anymore.
Those five dreaded words: “Blum on deck to pinch-hit.”
re: 170
That’s a small smaple size of pitchers. Not every player follows the rule.
See 169.
#172: Hopefully that DP he just hit into is meaningless.
Blum (GIDP) is terrible at his job.
Ground into a force out to the LF. I’ll have to check that on TV.
Anyone else wish we had someone else that could play shortstop so we could get rid of Blum?
175: But don’t expect any broadcaster except maybe Matt V to remember all the times Blum has been useless. He can go 0 for now until September and most of them will talk about his “double” in Chicago.
Up 5 … that’s enough to see Rakers, right?
173: Fly ball pitchers are more likely to be affected, but small sample size explains a lot.
173: Small sample size – absolutely right. But I was just reacting to this phrase:
“Every pitcher is better at night…”
Sorry, a bit petty. I get that way sometimes.
176: Ball should have been caught. Runner on second had to hold up.
So is the consensus of this group that that AB should have gone to KK?
181: Every pitcher should be better at night. If their stats say otherwise, it’s probably due to the small sample size.
183: Yeah. He’s a better hitter than Blum.
It was an error that was called a hit, I think. But the LF and SS had a shot at it, and both muffed it. Then they got the runner at third, I think, on a force. RBI hit or an error, depending on what terrible scorekeeper is there.
Ball game. Drive home safely.
Game over. Yeay! Padres win!!
I think it was ruled a fielders choice with an RBI
Nice W after 2 grueling games …
OT … Klesko with a big day … http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore?gid=270419126
189: That’s kind.
Rakers ERA: 0.00
Greene is slugging .532.
AP notes: Manager Bud Black said the Padres are discussing whether to contact the league office about David Wells’ ejection by umpire Doug Eddings on Wednesday night. Wells, who was jawing at Eddings from the dugout in the 12th inning, said the umpire rubbed his belly and told the pitcher, “You’re fat.” Eddings denied that, saying, “That’s false. I would never.” … Eddings worked behind the plate Thursday. … The Padres recalled LHP Justin Hampson from Triple-A Portland before the game and optioned RHP Mike Thompson to the Beavers. … When Black pulled Peavy in the sixth, Hampson came running in from the bullpen before being waved back. Bell then came on. … Hampson had a shaky Padres debut in the eighth, allowing two singles and falling behind Alberto Callaspo 2-0 before being pulled.
193: .242/.288/.532
It’s hard to complain about the .288 when it’s next to a .532.
195: And how.
195: That’s a pretty crazy .280 iso slugging.
178: Matt V falls prey to the legend of Blum’s clutchness too. Last night he said Blum was the team’s best pinch hitter.
194: I didn’t catch Eddings rubbing his stomach but he was definitley jaw jacking at the bench before and after the ejection, I could see his head bobbing up and down all the way from the upper deck behind home plate.
On other news:
great read on Major League the movie:
http://thesoulofbaseball.blogspot.com/2007/04/movie-scouting-report-3.html
GY … Corey Brock gives you a pretty good plug today …
http://coreybrock.mlblogs.com/coreybrock/2007/04/mandatory_readi.html