*I meant to publish this yesterday, but got caught up in work before I could finish it.
What a game last night. I’ve been on the record that I’m a fan of the current wild card format. In a perfect world I’d rather have it just be the two best teams in each league playing in a long World Series like it was a century ago, but $$$. I feel awful for Geo and Shark and the rest of the former Cubs on that A’s team, as well as their fans. The team made all the right moves to go balls to the wall for building a postseason roster and it sucks that it didn’t get rewarded, but I guess that’s just how things go for the A’s.
I started the game conflicted as to which team I wanted to root for but as the game went on I found myself pulling more and more for the A’s, especially after the announcers kept going on and on about Ned Yost’s hard-on for small ball. I’m not someone who follows the AL very closely so obviously I don’t really know any of the players, but I kind of came away not liking anyone on the Royals, especially Eric Hosmer for no reason in particular that I can pin down. I thought Yost pulled Shields too early but I don’t really have that big of a problem with him going to Yordano Ventura.
Jon Lester pitched a heck of a game yesterday, and was much better than his final statline showed. I’m really hoping that the Cubs bring him to Wrigley next year.
If the Giants-Pirates game is even half as exciting as this one it should be a fun night.
Team Overviews
(respective league rankings in parens)
Athletics
- wRC+: 101 (7th)
- UBR: -1.3 (8th)
- UZR: 24.3 (5th)
- DRS: 32 (3rd)
- SP FIP-: 102 (8th)
- RP FIP-: 94 (6th)
- R+RBI: 1415 (4th)
- Run differential: +157 (1st)
Royals
- wRC+: 94 (11th)
- UBR: -10.4 (15th)
- UZR: 61.1 (1st)
- DRS: 40 (2nd)
- SP FIP-: 101 (7th)
- RP FIP-: 86 (1st)
- R+RBI: 1255 (9th)
- Run differential: +27 (7th)
Giants
- wRC+: 101 (3rd)
- UBR: 2.1 (6th)
- UZR: 2.9 (7th)
- DRS: -5 (12th)
- SP FIP-: 106 (11th)
- RP FIP-: 100 (11th)
- R+RBI: 1301 (5th)
- Run differential: +51 (3rd)
Pirates
- wRC+: 108 (2nd)
- UBR: 7.5 (1st)
- UZR: -40.3 (15th)
- DRS: 36 (4th)
- SP FIP-: 107 (13th)
- RP FIP-: 104 (13th)
- R+RBI: 1341 (3rd)
- Run differential: +51 (3rd)
It’s still strange to see those Giants league rankings – a top offense and below average pitching is not what you expect from the general image the team has had for the past decade or so. Also, looking at Pittsburgh’s numbers you gotta love those defensive stats (dying laughing).
Pitching Matchup
ERA, FIP, xFIP listed for each pitcher
Edinson Volquez, RHP (3.04, 4.15, 4.20)
Is this a typo or something? With the season on the line Edinson Volquez, who has posted a total fWAR of 2.2 over the last five seasons combined (and 0.7 this year) is starting for the Pirates. Granted he’s been avoiding doing Edinson Volquez things for the most part this year, i.e. walking the planet, but wow. To be fair, Pirates ace Gerrit Cole pitched on Sunday when the Pirates still had a shot at winning the division, so I don’t really have a problem there…but Liriano? I guess he’s a higher variance guy, and did walk nearly 15 batters in his last three starts, but he’s on normal rest and is the guy I’d much rather hand the ball to.
Pat Lackey over at WHYGAVS did a long, great write-up on what’s changed for Volquez this year, and it’s worth a read. But the fact is that whatever the changes were at best Volquez went from an awful pitcher to an at best average one.
Madison Bumgarner, LHP (2.98, 3.05, 2.99)
Since joining the Giants rotation full-time in 2010, Bumgarner has been a machine, and 2014 has arguably been the best season of his career. He posted a career high in strikeout rate and career low in walks, and even posted a .329 wOBA with his bat. It’s pretty clear which team has the advantage on paper tonight, but a lot can happen in baseball, and we saw last night what kind of home crowd we can expect in Pittsburgh tonight.
I’ve got the Giants winning 5-2, because reasons.