Game Day Quick Hits - April 16th
Chicago Cubs @ Los Angeles Dodgers
Julio Urias gets touched for the first time all season. by touched I mean he gave up two earned runs and eight hits. The pitchers have had to work hard for the Dodgers in the last 5 games. The pitching staff has surrendered 4.4 runs over the last 5 games. This is where we get to the real story for the Dodgers.
The bats have scored 2 runs in all three games of the Cubs series and averaged 3.2 runs per game. Hidden in the average is the fact that the Dodgers have a shutout against and 10 runs in one game.
After a slow start, the Cubs are 7-3 in their last ten games. They have tossed a shutout in there and have 3 games where they scored double-digit runs.
The NL Central might be more interesting this year than I thought it would have been. The Cubs sit in second and the Pirates are in third, both with records above 500.
Roberts Likes His Guys Tracker: 106 AB 25 Hits 23 RBI 12 BB 45 K .235 AVG .301 OBP WPA Pos/Neg 16/13 Games
Muncy & Martinez are a conundrum in the middle of the lineup. Their WPA scores suggest they are having a positive impact more often than not, but from the heart of the lineup, you want more. I don’t think that is too much to ask. Striking out almost half of their collective at-bats jumps out but the average has certainly improved. I can’t help but notice that their Pos v Neg WPA scores are in line with the Dodgers’ overall record. It will be interesting to see if they pick up their contribution and if that will translate into more wins for the team.
Baltimore Orioles @ Chicago White Sox
Another signature win for the Orioles who are one game behind the Blue Jays and Yankees in the standings. The encouraging part for the Orioles is that they got behind early, didn’t panic, started getting hits and runs, and kept getting runs for the rest of the game. There is no giving up in this team and if they are going to become the team that can hang around, they could be part of the wild card conversation after the trade deadline. They don’t play a really scary team until May. The Orioles can bank some wins over the next couple of weeks and build that momentum that will take them into summer.
Grayson Rodriguez gave up 4 runs in the first and those were the only runs the White Sox scored the rest of the game. Looking at his WPA on its own is not pretty but keeping his team in the game while they got going against the White Sox ace. This was a win you can hang your hat on.
Bunt Singles
Luis Castillo took a perfect game into the 7th inning against the Rockies. He struck out 9, and only gave up 2 hits. What a game from the Mariners’ ace when they only scored 1 run themselves. The good news is that they have averaged 6 runs a game in the previous 5 games. Hopefully, this was more just a bad game than the end of a hot streak.
What are the Padres missing? They have so much talent and they are stuck at 500, in the middle of the division when the division is there for the taking. The bats have struggles, but there are 10 run games in this lineup. The pitching staff has only given up one double-digit game this season. Tough start to the season. Thankfully the NL West is accommodating for their slow start for Tatis Jr to come back from suspension.
Zac Gallen had another good game for the Diamondback and they lead the NL West. The bats scored 4 earned runs off Sandy Alcantra. Read that sentence again. Who are the DBacks and what is this team all about? I may have to find out.
Will the Angels ever put it together? One game is one game, but what I’ve seen of the series in Boston, they have not looked good and they lost today 2-1. Boston pitchers are not that good. Trout, Ohtani, and Rendon should be able to do more than 1 run against the Red Sox, or yellow sox. I really don’t understand their city connect jerseys and I don’t feel like doing a google either.
