Play Index
One of the things I've been doing lately is playing with something called the Play Index on www.baseball-reference.com. Basically, this is a tool for sorting all the massive database of statistics that the Major Leagues have accrued over the last many several years, dating back in some cases to the beginning of baseball itself, somewhere around 1876. You can find out some very interesting things...
Stolen bases has been a fun category to look at, because it's one of those things that a player either does really well, or doesn't do at all. As an example, among players with at least 3000 plate appearances, everyone has a least one stolen base, though three only have that one. Gus Triandos, late of the Orioles, had only one in 4426 PA, but he was a catcher. Interesting to note he was never caught stealing. I figure it was so surprising that the catcher just dropped the ball and stared in wonder. Second on that list is Steve "Bye-Bye" Balboni, which isn't really a surprise to those of us who remember him (it's more surprising to see that the man had 11 triples in his career!) The third is an active player: Vic Martinez of the Indians, who now has 3076 PA.
But among active players, there is an impressive light on the horizon. Russ Nixon, a catcher with the Red Sox during the 60s, has the distinction of having the most plate appearances without ever having stolen a base (2714), but right behind him and gaining fast is Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzalez is the starting first baseman for the Padres, so you have never heard of him - playing for the Padres is like joining the Federal Witness Protection Program - but he's a darn good player, with a .282 lifetime average and over 100 HR in the 551 games he has played. His lifetime stolen base record, however, is 0-for-1. He tried it once, in his first full season in the majors, and never tried it again. I gotta wonder what happened that game. God, the trauma that guy must be going through.
Last Tuesday, there were four games in the majors that ended with the score 2-0. One of them was in Arlington, Texas, as the visiting Royals beat the Rangers behind the fantastic pitching of Zack Greinke. Talk about a great start to the year: thus far, in 20 innings, he's struck out 26, walked only 5, and has yet to give up a run at all. Greinke finished the game for the win, giving up seven hits and no walks, and whiffing 10. The Rangers' pitcher, Kevin Millwood, was also pretty good: he too finished the game, giving up two runs on five hits, walking three and striking out three, but he ended with a tough loss.
That's a complete game from both pitchers which is becoming a real rarity these days. The last game where both pitchers went the distance was all the way back to last season, on July 24, when Matt Cain of the Giants beat Tim Redding of the Washington Nats, 1-0. In that game, however, the home team won...so Redding only went eight innings, as he didn't have to come back to pitch the ninth. For a game where both starters went a complete nine innings, you have to go back to April 25, 2007: Seattle's Jarrod Washburn beat the home team Oakland A's and Joe Blanton, 2-0. Interestingly enough, there was only one other game during that time where both starters went the distance, and that time - June 2, 2007 - Blanton was the nine-inning 1-0 victor over the visiting Minnesota Twins and Carlos Silva, who went 8 IP in the loss.
But that's good pitchers. Now, let's talk about bad ones. There are some painful things about being an Orioles fan, and one of them is named Radhames Liz.
Now, Liz is a pretty good minor leaguer. He has an ERA of 3.39 in a four year minor league career. But the problem is, the Orioles keep thinking he's a major leaguer. Holy Magoo, are they wrong.
Liz has had two appearances this year, as they are attempting to turn him into a reliever. Undeterred, Liz has piled up an entire game's worth of baserunners in his short appearances. He gave up four runs on five hits in a single inning against the Rangers, and proceeded to outdo himself with a six-run performance lasting only one out against the Red Sox. But this is not simply a matter of a few bad outings. Radhames Liz is historically bad.
After his outing against Texas, he had pitched 110 innings in his career. With the Play Index, I listed the worst ERAs ever of anyone who has pitched 110 innings or more in the majors. Aaron Myette, an American League explosive flameout from the first half of this decade, tops the list, with a hair-raising 8.16, but with his six-run hairball he coughed up in Boston, Radhames Liz has a lifetime ERA of 7.50, good enough for a strong second place. Gack!
In all, the man has had three appearances in his career where he hasn't given up a run - and one of those was a single batter that he retired on two pitches.
And what was he doing against the Red Sox? He's appeared in three games against the Sox previously, all starts. In one in 2007, he lasted three innings, giving up four hits, walking three, and surrendering only two runs; somehow, we won that one. But in 2008? He lasted 2 1/3 in one game, giving up 8 runs, and 3 1/3 in the next, giving up 9. We lost those 12-1 and 14-2. In nine full innings of work lifetime against Boston, he's struck out 7, walked 10, and given up 25 runs. If Dave Trembley ever calls out to the bullpen for this guy ever again, he should be hit with a cattle prod.
Stolen bases has been a fun category to look at, because it's one of those things that a player either does really well, or doesn't do at all. As an example, among players with at least 3000 plate appearances, everyone has a least one stolen base, though three only have that one. Gus Triandos, late of the Orioles, had only one in 4426 PA, but he was a catcher. Interesting to note he was never caught stealing. I figure it was so surprising that the catcher just dropped the ball and stared in wonder. Second on that list is Steve "Bye-Bye" Balboni, which isn't really a surprise to those of us who remember him (it's more surprising to see that the man had 11 triples in his career!) The third is an active player: Vic Martinez of the Indians, who now has 3076 PA.
But among active players, there is an impressive light on the horizon. Russ Nixon, a catcher with the Red Sox during the 60s, has the distinction of having the most plate appearances without ever having stolen a base (2714), but right behind him and gaining fast is Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzalez is the starting first baseman for the Padres, so you have never heard of him - playing for the Padres is like joining the Federal Witness Protection Program - but he's a darn good player, with a .282 lifetime average and over 100 HR in the 551 games he has played. His lifetime stolen base record, however, is 0-for-1. He tried it once, in his first full season in the majors, and never tried it again. I gotta wonder what happened that game. God, the trauma that guy must be going through.
Last Tuesday, there were four games in the majors that ended with the score 2-0. One of them was in Arlington, Texas, as the visiting Royals beat the Rangers behind the fantastic pitching of Zack Greinke. Talk about a great start to the year: thus far, in 20 innings, he's struck out 26, walked only 5, and has yet to give up a run at all. Greinke finished the game for the win, giving up seven hits and no walks, and whiffing 10. The Rangers' pitcher, Kevin Millwood, was also pretty good: he too finished the game, giving up two runs on five hits, walking three and striking out three, but he ended with a tough loss.
That's a complete game from both pitchers which is becoming a real rarity these days. The last game where both pitchers went the distance was all the way back to last season, on July 24, when Matt Cain of the Giants beat Tim Redding of the Washington Nats, 1-0. In that game, however, the home team won...so Redding only went eight innings, as he didn't have to come back to pitch the ninth. For a game where both starters went a complete nine innings, you have to go back to April 25, 2007: Seattle's Jarrod Washburn beat the home team Oakland A's and Joe Blanton, 2-0. Interestingly enough, there was only one other game during that time where both starters went the distance, and that time - June 2, 2007 - Blanton was the nine-inning 1-0 victor over the visiting Minnesota Twins and Carlos Silva, who went 8 IP in the loss.
But that's good pitchers. Now, let's talk about bad ones. There are some painful things about being an Orioles fan, and one of them is named Radhames Liz.
Now, Liz is a pretty good minor leaguer. He has an ERA of 3.39 in a four year minor league career. But the problem is, the Orioles keep thinking he's a major leaguer. Holy Magoo, are they wrong.
Liz has had two appearances this year, as they are attempting to turn him into a reliever. Undeterred, Liz has piled up an entire game's worth of baserunners in his short appearances. He gave up four runs on five hits in a single inning against the Rangers, and proceeded to outdo himself with a six-run performance lasting only one out against the Red Sox. But this is not simply a matter of a few bad outings. Radhames Liz is historically bad.
After his outing against Texas, he had pitched 110 innings in his career. With the Play Index, I listed the worst ERAs ever of anyone who has pitched 110 innings or more in the majors. Aaron Myette, an American League explosive flameout from the first half of this decade, tops the list, with a hair-raising 8.16, but with his six-run hairball he coughed up in Boston, Radhames Liz has a lifetime ERA of 7.50, good enough for a strong second place. Gack!
In all, the man has had three appearances in his career where he hasn't given up a run - and one of those was a single batter that he retired on two pitches.
And what was he doing against the Red Sox? He's appeared in three games against the Sox previously, all starts. In one in 2007, he lasted three innings, giving up four hits, walking three, and surrendering only two runs; somehow, we won that one. But in 2008? He lasted 2 1/3 in one game, giving up 8 runs, and 3 1/3 in the next, giving up 9. We lost those 12-1 and 14-2. In nine full innings of work lifetime against Boston, he's struck out 7, walked 10, and given up 25 runs. If Dave Trembley ever calls out to the bullpen for this guy ever again, he should be hit with a cattle prod.