See yesterday’s post for my thoughts on the Danks/Buchholz matchup.
Colby Lewis and Carl Pavano square off in Minnesota as the Twins hold a 2 1/2 game lead for ALDS home field advantage. Lewis ranks fifth in the AL in strikeouts per nine innings at 8.78. This helped him to a .230 BA allowed. That goes down to .185 with runners in scoring position. Pavano is four wins away from a new single season high as he looks to top his 18-8 mark from 2004. Note that it took him almost five years to win another 18 games.
Two pitchers who should get more Cy Young attention then they will actually draw take the mound in Oakland as Jered Weaver faces Trevor Cahill. Weaver is extremely strong in two of the three legs of the pitching tripod, striking out more than nine batters per nine innings and walking a batter about every four innings. His home runs are about average. He does give up extra base stealing, as thieves are 24 for 28 against him. Cahill produces a low batting average, not due to his strike outs, but due to a great defense playing behind him and a high ground ball percentage.
Travis Wood tries to stop the Cardinals winning streak against the Reds as he takes on Cy Young candidate Adam Wainwright. Wood allowed six home runs this season, but with a .276 OBP allowed, five of those were solo shots. Wainwright is part of a tight group of pitchers battling for the NL ERA lead, three of whom are pitching today. Wainwright is in a place where he can gain ground, as he owns an 11-1 record with a 1.42 ERA in St. Louis.
The second pitcher going for the NL ERA crown is Roy Halladay, who hosts the Brewers and David Bush. The batting line against Bush would garner MVP votes in most years. Opponents post a .293/.352/.505 slash line, stealing 20 bases in 25 attempts. The Phillies won three of Halladay’s last five starts by a combined score of 12-11. The offense does not make it easy for Roy.
The “Dyn-O-Mite!!!” game of the day features two J.J.s as Jair Jurrjens faces Josh Johnson. Jurrjens high ERA is mostly from pitching injured early in the season. Since he’s returned he lowered both is walk and home run rate and posted a 6-1 record with a 3.76 ERA. Johnson is the third pitcher battling for the NL ERA title. Like Wainwright, he’s lights out at home with a 1.48 ERA.
Finally, Ted Lilly and Matt Cain battle in Los Angeles with the Dodgers trying to gain ground on the Giants. The trade for Lilly proved to be a good one as Ted is 5-1 with a 3.29 ERA, six walks and 36 strikeouts for the Dodgers. Unfortunately, he could not single handedly keep the Dodgers from dropping in the NL West. Cain has never won at Dodger Stadium. He holds an 0-2 record in six starts, despite a 3.31 ERA. He has been wild in the park, walking 5.0 batters per nine innings, four each in his last two starts there.
Enjoy!