Daily Baseball Update: 7/22

Did You Know?

The Chicago Cubs hold the MLB record for most consecutive shutout losses. On April 27, 1992, the Atlanta Braves shut them out 5-0. The Braves then beat them 1-0 and 8-0 on the 28th and 29th, respectively, then the Reds beat them 4-0 on May 1st to make it four straight shutouts. The offense finally found some life on the 2nd, erupting for a 10-3 win over Cincinnati.

This Day in Baseball History

7/22/1923: Walter Johnson strikes out pitcher Stan Coveleski to become the first pitcher to 3,000 strikeouts. Johnson will go on to strike out 508 more batters from 1923-1927. 

News

Emilio Bonifacio (Marlins) extended his hitting streak to 20 games. Craig Kimbrel (Braves) became the first pitcher to 30 saves. Mariners lost their 12th straight game.

Players to Watch

Brett Gardner (Yankees): Being a die-hard Red Sox fan, it pains me to say this, but it is undeniable that Gardner is on fire at the plate and on the bases. He is 15-29 (.517) in his last 8 games, knocking his AVG up from .265 to .290, as well as stealing 7 bases in his last 6 games. The rest of the Yankees haven't been very helpful, though, as he only has one RBI since June 19th. 

Jimmy Rollins (Phillies): J-Roll has been rolling with the Phillies these past few weeks, going 22-50 (.440) over his last 11 games including 4 home runs and 8 RBI. He has knocked his AVG from .253 to .277 and his slugging percentage all the way from .364 to .410. He highlighted his stretch on Wednesday with a 3-5, 2 homer performance in which he won my Offensive Top Performer. 

C.C. Sabathia (Yankees): Here is another Yankee who has been rolling. He has given up 4 earned runs in his last 6 starts, finally pitching like the ace the Yankees thought they signed after the 2008 season. (I am open to arguments about that matter). He has thrown 47.2 innings over the stretch, accounting for a 0.76 ERA, dropping his season stat from 3.39 to 2.62. It has also dropped his career ERA to exactly 3.50.  

Greg Billo (Royals Class A): The 21-year-old Royals prospect has not given up more than one run in a game since June 12th, a stretch of 33.1 innings in which he has given up 3 earned runs (0.81 ERA) to take over the MiLB ERA lead. He is now 7-2 with a 1.41 ERA, so look for a promotion to High Class A or even AA soon. 

Game Scores

Rays (52-45) beat the Yankees (57-39) 2-1. Braves (58-41) beat the Rockies (47-52) 9-6. Red Sox, Dodgers, Phillies, Nationals, and Cubs didn't play.

Top Scorer: Braves beat the Rockies 9-6. 

Standings

AL East: Red Sox (59-37, .615 WPCT).  

AL Central: Tigers (52-46, .531).  

AL West: Rangers (56-43, .566).  

NL East: Phillies (61-36, .629).  

NL Central: Pirates (51-45, .531).  

NL West: Giants (57-42, .576). 

AL Wild Card: Yankees (57-39, .594).  

NL Wild Card: Braves (58-41, .586).  

Bottom Team: Astros (33-65, .337). 

League Leaders

Offensive: AVG: Jose Reyes (Mets), .349. Home runs: Jose Bautista (Blue Jays), 31. RBI: Adrian Gonzalez (Red Sox), 78. Stolen bases: Michael Bourn (Astros), 35.

Pitching: Wins: C.C. Sabathia (Yankees), 14. K's: Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers), 167. ERA: Jered Weaver (Angels), 1.81 (154 innings, 31 earned runs). Saves: Craig Kimbrel (Braves), 30. 

Top Performers

Offensive: Jhonny Peralta (Tigers): 3-4, double, home run (15), 3 RBI, run, AVG up .005 from .312 to .317, hitting streak to 1 game (3-4, .750). 

Pitching: C.J. Wilson (Rangers): Loss (10-4), 8 shutout innings, 2 hits, 1 walk, 8 K's (132), ERA drop: 0.17 runs from 3.11 to 2.94. 

Worst Pitching Performance: Javier Vazquez (Marlins): Loss (6-9), 4.1 innings, 5 earned runs, 8 hits, 3 walks, 6 K's (82), ERA jump: 0.21 runs from 5.14 to 5.35.

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Teams followed in this blog: Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves

If your team is not included, please email me at zackmatt4@gmail.com and I will add them.

HR: home runs. RBI: runs batted in. AVG: batting average. SB: stolen bases. ERA: earned run average.  BAA: batting average against. K's: strikeouts. WPCT: winning percentage.