Game 98: Rangers at Twins
Posted by ubelmann on Sunday, July 20th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Padilla vs. Light Rail
So far this season, Baker has gotten 84% of his strikeouts as strikeouts swinging. That caught me by surprise. Santana, who got a ton of swinging strikeouts when his change-up dropped off the table, has 82% of his career strikeouts as strikeouts swinging. Average is 74% of strikeouts as strikeouts swinging.
Having looked around a bit, it's kind of difficult (though certainly not impossible) to find pitchers with a ratio that high. I thought maybe Randy Johnson, and he's at 82% this year, but that's a career high, and he's at 74% for his career. Pedro gets to 80-81% sometimes. Tim Wakefield is at 81% for his career, though obviously he's a much different pitcher than Baker.
Radke had a couple of seasons where he didn't get many called strikeouts--90% swinging K's in 2003--and overall was 78% for his career. This made me wonder if it was a control pitcher thing, but then Greg Maddux has just 62% of his career strikeouts as swinging strikeouts. Paul Byrd's at 74% for his career, but is up to 82% this year.
Part of it might be that Baker doesn't go to three ball counts very often. With two strikes on a hitter and fewer than three balls, he's probably more inclined to swing to protect the plate than he is to sit on a borderline pitch, hoping to get the walk--there's a lot more reward in that fourth ball than in the third ball.
Anyway, I'm not sure it's a significant thing, but it's a thing--Baker gets a lot of his strikeouts by making hitters flail and miss (especially at his slider.)
Delmon's hit parade: It's been nice to see Delmon's surge here, but he just now got his SLG over .400 and even if you focus on his stats since June 1st, his power has been short of what PECOTA forecasted. Thankfully, it now seems plausible that Delmon could be an above average corner outfielder some day, but he still has his some work to do.
I was checking out some of the comments on Joe C's blog on the Strib. OMG, who are those people? They've hijacked the Strib blogs with their 6th-grade level idle chatter.
Hope you cleaned out your live wells before you left.
Eurasian milfoil doesn't begin to describe the brain-sucking phenomenon over there
Now that they have comments on everything at the Strib, part of my experience reading articles online is always getting sucked in just for a moment at the end of each story. It seems like every single one has a heady brew of the most idiotic "commentary" I can imagine. It's like driving past a three-car accident every time I click the mouse. I don't see how this adds value to their online product - do people really want to read what the handful of kneejerk reactionaries have to say at the end of each article?
I think the only value is for marketing purposes. I think comments inflate the amount of time the average user stays on the site, and at least in the short term, while it is still novel, it will attract more visitors to the site. But, unless they find a way for it rise above the current level, I don't see how long term it is attractive for the paper or for its advertisers.
Hmm, that's an interesting point, I can see that being a factor.
Plus I think that people that engage in the flaming come back over and over to see what people say about them, etc.
Hopefully the Strib never disables comments. I don't know any other site that wants those people's "analysis" on their websites. Props to the Strib for playing ringleader to the circus freak comments.
And somewhere Patrick Reusse is grumbling, "So this is how it ends."
Not with a bang but a whimper. Seems fitting.
The Strib effectively frightened me away from Twins blog comment sections for a long time...I couldn't believe we had fans that unfamiliar with punctuation, rational argument, etc. The WGOM was welcome relief when I discovered it.
Just remember, "Ben Revere is a beer-league player who will be out of baseball in 12 months."
Pilsner Urquell...not just for breakfast anymore.
By the way, I was testing out an AJAX threaded LTEs plug in today. It works! I have a little tweaking to do, but think of it... AJAXed comments on game threads. Life is going to be better!
what does AJAX mean?
AJAX allows the comments to reload without reloading the whole page. Much faster.
Nerts! National Live Blackout on MLB.tv! And me at the Lake with internet but no TV . . .
Hello, folks...
Why is Josh Hamilton out of the lineup?
Relapse.
... Adding. That's terrible, I know. Kind of weird to give a guy off two days after the break.
Ouch.
Gotta love a good comment firestorm.
Man...Josh needs some aloe for that burn.
His story had a typo, so they had to send him to the editors.
The home run derby messed up his swing.
Hamilton was pulled from last nights game when thescore was a billion to two.
Maybe its an injury? Or maybe its a much needed day off
A four spot for the Royals so far in the first. Good times!
Ugh, bases loaded for the sox and Bannister can't throw strikes in the first ...
Joe Mauer has got a beautiful swing
I don't know if anyone saw this on MLB.com's frontpage today, but I'm pretty sure that isn't Scott Baker...
thats Brian Bass
Its Bass isn't it?
Well, the pitcher looks like at least a teenager, so it's easy to rule out Baker.
Brian Bass, right?
Bass looks like he could be Baker's dad.
wow, the White Sox are wearing the 80's jerseys today (the ones with SOX written across the chest I always think Steve Sax when I see those)
pretty good inning for the Bake man
If you called Central Casting and said, "We need a drifter. You know the type, scary, possibly homicidal. Whaddaya got?" They'd probably send over someone who looked a lot like Vincent Padilla.
Or Jason Giambi, but yeah, I smell what you're cooking.
High Plains Drifter?
There are no words to describe Nick Punto with a mustache.
yuck
David Arquette in Scream
.
Perhaps there are words after all. Yikes.
Not sure YEARRRGH! qualifies as words, but to each his own.
I'm glad I'm at my parents listening to the game, rather than at home watching it...
Wow!!!!
Darnell!!!!
Looks like we're in for a good game from Baker.
dang.
good play by the Rangers
Choo Choo!
lets get a couple runs for Baker now
Gordo interview with advocate for more reading for boys: "You're passionate, and I mean passionate about these young boys."
Uhhh, stick to the enthusiastic description of fly balls, Gordo.
I gotta believe Gordo's interview was more entertaining than the one Dick'n'Bert are conducting.
Bert just dissed Shakespeare.
Dick n Bert toeing to company line about pitching right now
there is always room for a dominate pitcher in the rotation
The Twins have always been at war with Eastasia.
He just overpowered Bradley there.
Alright, it's time for some runs.
I am digging those dipsy-do slow curves by Padilla
Delmon is en fuego.
Whose soul did we buy for Delmon's body?
So is it safe to assume that Liriano isn't going to replace Scott Baker in the rotation?
If Baker gets hurt and Liriano takes his place in the rotation, I'm holding you responsible. You don't want Beth mad at you....
Uh oh...
Don't worry though, nothing I say is ever close to being even remotely similar to being nearly true.
With your track record, you could run for office.
DOH!
Brian Buscher and steal should never coexist in the same sentence.
I think it was a missed sign on a hit and run
"Brian Buscher tagged the guy trying to steal third." But that's the only time.
"Brian Buscher for Adrian Beltre would be a steal."
eff you Crede!!!!
all aboard!
Frick! Teagarden
Awww...
Oh, NO!!! Isn't that his first major league hit?
Yep.
Aw man, that's too bad.
Man...I can't even THINK perfect game without mucking things up...
Dick referencing last August's game right before.
Not superstitious, but man... don't you love baseball, man?