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Here is some interesting reading for a rainy midwest weekend:
Trolling ESPN's stats page today I found that the Cubs and Brewers were strikingly balanced in the offensive categories. Both teams sport a team batting average of .252. The Brewers average 5.07 runs per game, the Cubs 4.92. The Brewers do have a slight advantage in OBP, due mainly to the fact that they are second in the NL in walks with 180 (Dodgers 189).
Then we turn to pitchers and the real discrepency shows up. As I noted yesterday, the Brewers are second in the NL in team ERA at 3.82, the Cubs are 1oth at 4.48. In fact there are four teams with better team ERA's that are .500 or below (Arizona, Atlanta, San Francisco, Pittsburgh). And while the Cubs (22) are not far behind the Brewers (25) in Quality Starts, it is in the bullpen where we find our biggest difference.
Milwaukee's bullpen is second in the NL with a 3.58 ERA, sixth in the majors. For the Cubs it is a far more troubling number, 5.38. That is good for the fifth worst in all of baseball and only better than the Washington Nationals in the NL. Brewer relievers have limited opponents to 46 runs and a .222 batting average. Cub relievers have allowed 62 earned runs and a .241 BA.
The most troubling of all the numbers however is the walks. Milwaukee has issued 135 walks on the season, third best in the NL. Of those 135, 47 have been while a releiver is on the mound. For all of you math majors that is 35%. The Cubs have walked 151 batters in 2009 and 69 of them have been issued by the bullpen (46%).
The main culprit is Carlos Marmol. Marmol has walked 17 batters in just 18 innings of work. Aaron Heilman has walked 12 in just over 16 innings of work. Closer Kevin Gregg has 10 in 17 1/3. Neil Cotts takes the cake though, having issued nine free passes in just 7 2/3 innings. Only Seth McClung has issued more than 10 walks for the Brewers relievers.
The number of the day though 144. That is the number of walks the Cubs offense has compared to those 151 given out by the pitchers. Only Kosuke Fukudome (25) has walked more than 16 times. The Brewers have three players with over 25 walks (Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Mike Cameron).
Not that I really want to give Roger Clemens any more thought than absolutely neccessary, but in listening to his little interview with Mike and Mike on ESPN this morning I decided I would put down my thoughts.
Clemens who had been quiet for some time now decided to join the guys on the same day that "American Icon: The Fall of Roger Clemens and the Rise of Steroids in America's Pastime," a book by four New York Daily News reporters, was released.
The entire interview was filled with denials, despite the mounting evidence against the seven time Cy Young winner. I will post the entire interview in a moment. In it you will hear Roger deny that his former trainer had ever given him steroids stating that a family history filled with heart disease would make the decision to use steroids "suicidal."
Clemens also claims that his "friend" Andy Pettite is not lying when he claims that he was told by Roger himself that he had used HGH, but rather Pettite "misremembers."
Here is the full interview courtesy of ESPN:
You know what this reminds me of, Seinfeld (but then again, what doesn't). If you watched the show you may remember an episode in which Jerry is being asked to take a polygraph by his cop girlfriend to prove that he does watch the TV show Melrose Place, something Jerry has denied.
We didn't have a lot of time today to make a post, so instead we give you Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake in their follow up video to "Dick In a Box". I wasn't sure when this first started if it was possible to create something as funny as the original, but kudos to Samberg and Timberlake.
Let's start with the top team, the Dodgers. There is no doubt this team is playing well, having won their first 13 home games, a new MLB record. They have also dominated their division early in the season, winning 19 of their 25 games within the NL West. The Dodgers have played more games versus their respective division than any other team in baseball (Colorado and San Fransisco have played 21 division games). If the NL West proves to be as weak as I think it will be, the Dodgers could see a big number in the win column at season's end.
Toronto likes the comforts of home, as proven by their 11-4 record at the Rogers Centre. But unlike the team behind them the Boston Red Sox, the Blue Jays have only played three games against teams in their division (they are 3-0). While the Sox have won 11 of 16 against the East, the Blue Jays have won 17 of their 20 game against the Central and the West. The East is said to be the top division in the league, and if the Jays want to hold on to that top spot, they are going to have to beat up on some very tough opponents.
Kansas City has played more games in the Al Central than any other team in that division, winning 10 of 17 while the rest have a combined record of 20-23. They currently hold a two game lead over the Detroit Tigers, who they are 1-2 against.
The AL West appears to be up for grabs now that the Angels have returned to the pack. Texas currently leads by a half game over the Mariners. The Rangers have no troubles scoring runs, and the Mariners can keep you off the board, unfortunately neither can do both. Texas is 2-0 versus Seattle, the only team above .500 they have a winning record against. Five of Seattle's wins have come against Oakland (9-16). It should be an interesting race in the West.
Only one team in the NL East has a winning record at home, the Mets (7-6), yet they find themselves in third place in the division behind the Phillies and the Marlins. We all know about the hot start Florida got off to, but they have currently won only 4 of their last 10. The Phillies are 8-3 on the road, but like the Marlins have struggled at home. Only 1 1/2 games separates these three teams, and it will most likely come down to whomever can get more wins in their home ballpark.
St. Louis has not had any trouble at Busch Stadium, winning 11 of 15 there on the season so far. They are also 7-5 on the road and for all of you math majors that equates to an 18-10 record, good for the best in the NL Central. In fact his division is the only one in baseball whose top three teams (Cardinals, Brewers, Cubs) have a winning record both at home and on the road. Houston and Pittsburgh have been the doormats thus far, with a combined record of 12-26 on the season versus the NL Central. The Cubs are 5-4 versus the Cards and Brewers and Milwaukee and St. Louis have yet to play one another. Look for this to be decided on a head to head battle all season between these three teams to determine a winner.
We'll check back in about 15 games to see what the standings show us then.
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