The Rockies and Phillies kick off the day once again with a 2:37 PM EDT start as Aaron Cook faces Cole Hamels. Cook suffered a late season injury, but came back to pitch well in two starts, despite a lack of strikeouts (3 in 13 innings, but only one walk. Hamels rise in ERA this season was due mostly to giving up more hits. He struck out batters at about the same rate, and his walk and home run rates were comparable as well. I would note that both Jimmy Rollins and Pedro Feliz showed a fall off in their fielding skills this season. For a left-handed pitcher like Hamels, a weak left-side defense can hurt his numbers.
The Cardinals and Dodgers play a late afternoon game in Los Angeles as Adam Wainwright and Clayton Kershaw battle. Wainwright led the National League in wins with 19 as he combined a great ERA with the fourth best run support in the league. The support was especially obvious on the road where his 3.39 ERA yielded him a 12-1 record. He allowed just two runs in 15 innings against the Dodgers this season. Kershaw’s ERA yielded him just a .500 record. Like Cook, he suffered a late season injury but pitched well in his return.
It’s Jon versus John in Anaheim as the Red Sox send Lester against the Angel’s Lackey. Lester’s strikeout rate made an impressive leap this year, and while it lowered the opposition averages against him, it didn’t lower his ERA. Lester also held a reverse platoon advantage this season, getting righties out better than lefties. Lackey reduced the number of home runs he allowed from 26 to 17, but his ERA went up as well. Lackey pitched well against all three AL playoff teams, going 2-1 with a 2.42 ERA, the only loss coming against Boston.
(Red Sox fans may look at the late start time as a bias against Boston fans. After all, with St. Louis in the central time zone, a 6:37 PM PDT start would be more manageable for Cardinals fans. However, the Angels have a worse record in night games, 63-51, .553 than they do in day games, 34-14, .708. Lackey’s record follows this pattern as well. I wonder if the Angels lobbied for the earlier start?)
Enjoy!