I’ve got a couple items to share with the class today.

One benefit of Ducksnorts’ inclusion in the SweetSpot network is that occasionally I am asked to contribute content to ESPN. Currently they are running a series called “The Dog Days of August” that examines “various teams in the hunt for a playoff spot to assess whether they have what it takes to survive the dog days of August and remain in contention come October.”

It’s kind of a cool little package. I’ve got a couple paragraphs in the entry on the Padres, as do Mark Simon of ESPN’s Stats and Info Blog and the good folks at FanGraphs.

My segment touches on Mat Latos and Kevin Correia. Those of us who have watched Latos all year know he’s good. But did you know just how good he’s been since May 1? Thanks to David Pinto’s handy Day by Day Database, we can find out easily enough. Through games of August 16, here are the top 5 ERAs in MLB since May 1 (minimum 15 starts):

Player             IP  ERA  K/9
Mat Latos       115.1 1.64 9.44
Tim Hudson      140.0 1.93 5.01
Adam Wainwright 138.1 1.95 8.33
Josh Johnson    127.2 2.04 8.60
Trevor Cahill   135.2 2.19 5.17

Neat, huh? And for those wondering, Latos’s success this year is not a product of Petco Park:

       IP  ERA   BA  OBP  SLG  K/9
Home 49.1 2.19 .201 .263 .296 7.84
Road 86.1 2.40 .187 .249 .311 9.49

Our only legitimate gripe, then, is that we haven’t gotten to see him in person as much as folks in other parts of the country have. Eh, I don’t mind.

* * *

My other article appears at Hardball Times and recaps the 2010 Aflac All-American Baseball Classic, which took place at Petco Park on Sunday, August 15. There isn’t any Padres relevance… at least not yet. Some years from now, that may change. After all, alumni of the annual showcase include current big leaguers Justin Upton and Jason Heyward.

Enjoy…

Tagged as: adam wainwright, aflac all-american baseball classic, dog days, espn, hardball times, josh johnson, kevin correia, mat latos, petco park, tim hudson, trevor cahill