As far as pitchers’ statistics in baseball, earned run average (ERA) is the batting average of those stats. ERA is how many earned runs a pitcher gives up per nine innings, and anything under 4.00 is pretty good while anything under 3.00 is very good and anything under 2.00 is bordering on sick. So here is a list of your Top 10 active pitchers in ERA:

1. Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees (2.28)—You want to know why this guy comes in and shuts the door every time he’s brought in for a save? Look no further than this statistic. Mo has been the most dominant closer in the game for over a decade and shows no signs of slowing down.

2. Pedro Martinez, free agent (2.91)—Sure, he’s not the same guy he was in Boston or even Montreal, but Pedro’s a gamer and it’s hard to believe he still isn’t on a major league roster right now.

3. Johan Santana, New York Mets (3.10)—You have to watch this guy work to fully appreciate his art of pitching. He doesn’t have an overpowering fastball, but he locates all his pitches beautifully and his change-up sometimes makes batters swing out of their shoes. He’s like a lefty Greg Maddux.

4. Roy Oswalt, Houston Astros (3.14)—At 31, Oswalt has a lot of career left, and he has one of the game’s best fastballs.

5. Jake Peavy, San Diego Padres (3.26)—Peavy was rumored to be traded to the Cubs about 12 times in this past off-season. If you close your eyes, you can someday picture him in Yankee pinstripes.

5. John Smoltz, Boston Red Sox (3.26)—One of the game’s good guys, and as a Mets’ fan, that is not easy for me to say. I’m just glad he’s now in the American League.

7. Brandon Webb, Arizona Diamondbacks (3.27)—At 30, Webb is another of the game’s bright young stars and he’ll be in contention for many more Cy Young Awards.

7. Randy Johnson, San Francisco Giants (3.27)—The Big Unit is 45 years old and creeping up on 300 wins. And yeah, he’s racked up an incredible 4801 strikeouts. But his 3.27 ERA over 22 seasons is just awesome.

9. Carlos Zambrano, Chicago Cubs (3.50)—Is it possible that Carlos Zambrano is only 28 years old? Yes, and he’s going to be dominant for quite some time.

10. Tim Hudson, Atlanta Braves (3.48)—He’s battled injuries, but when he’s on top of his game, Hudson is one of the best in the game. And he turned out to be the best among that awesome young trio in Oakland that included Mark Mulder and Barry Zito.

Source: Baseball Reference

Team USA’s run in 2009 World Baseball Classic is over following their 9-4 loss to Japan.

Japan used a five-run fourth inning keyed by a critical error by USA second baseman Brian Roberts, and Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched 4 2/3 effective innings to guide Japan to a 9-4 win over the United States in front of 43,630 at Dodger Stadium on Sunday. It was the second-largest crowd in Classic history and the biggest on U.S. soil.

Now, Japan is set to face Korea for the fifth time in the tournament, but this time it’s for the championship on Monday night at 9 ET.

Japan actually found itself down, 2-1, entering the bottom of the fourth inning after Roberts led off the game with a home run and David Wright hit an RBI double in the third.

But Japan’s Atsunori Inaba led off the fourth with a single just past the glove of Roberts, and Michihiro Ogasawara followed with a single to center field.

And then Kosuke Fukudome hit what appeared to be a double-play ground ball to second base, but Roberts muffed the play and everyone was safe.

Kenji Johjima then hit a sacrifice fly before Akinori Iwamura tripled home a run. Japan’s Munenori Kawasaki followed with an RBI single and scored on a double by Hiroyuki Nakajima.

United States starter Roy Oswalt was removed after Nakajima’s double, but the damage was already done. Oswalt lasted just 3 2/3 innings, allowing six runs (four earned) on six hits.

Even though it would have been nice to see them go all the way, it was a nice run for the red, white and blue. Now bring on Opening Day, damn it.

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Offseason Movement: The ‘Stros signed Aaron Boone in the offseason, but he recently announced that he’s scheduled to undergo open heart surgery and therefore his season, if not his career, is over. Houston also added pitchers Mike Hampton and Clay Hensley, as well as outfielder Jason Michaels and shortstop Jason Smith.

Top Prospect: Jason Castro, C
The 21-year old catcher was the first of five draft selections for Houston in 2008. Castro has flashed good plate discipline and if he develops, could add power to an already above-average bat. He probably won’t blow anyone away defensively, but he’s more than adequate behind the dish and should make a solid overall player in the future.

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Since we focused on the offensive side last week when listing the Top 10 in active OPS in Major League Baseball, this week we’ll take a look at the active WHIP leaders for pitchers. That stands for Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched, and is an extremely important statistic when you’re considering pitchers to draft for your fantasy team. Not only do most fantasy leagues count points for WHIP, but it’s a great indicator of overall pitching prowess. Here is that Top 10 in WHIP, and it includes only pitchers who are active going into the 2009 season:

1. Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees (1.0199)—Rivera has been the hammer in the Yankees’ bullpen for over a decade and still shows no signs of slowing down. At the age of 38 in 2008, Mo struck out 77 in 70 innings, and racked up 39 saves.

2. Pedro Martinez, free agent (1.0512)—True, Pedro is about a lifetime removed from his dominating days with the Red Sox, but dude can still pitch effectively and has no MLB team at the moment.

3. Johan Santana, New York Mets (1.1024)—Will Johan be the guy to lead the Mets to their first title in almost 25 years? He had a brilliant first season in New York but was hurt by lousy run support and an even lousier bullpen.

4. Curt Schilling, Boston Red Sox (1.1374)—It’s hard to believe Schilling is not done yet, because he hasn’t pitched in a real game in almost two years. But if and when he goes back out there, I’m still picking him for my fantasy team.

5. Randy Johnson, San Francisco Giants (1.1673)—The Big Unit is five wins shy of 300 for his career, and reaching 300 is something that seemed impossible when he had back surgery before last season. But dude is still a beast and still blowing the ball past hitters, and he’s in his mid-40’s.

6. John Smoltz, Boston Red Sox (1.1697)—It’s going to be strange seeing Smoltz in a Red Sox uniform, but as a diehard Mets’ fan, I couldn’t be happier about that.

7. Jake Peavy, San Diego Padres (1.1864)—When you think of the game’s top pitchers, do you think of this dude? Well, you should. Peavy has already racked up 1256 strikeouts and he’s only 27.

8. Roy Oswalt, Houston Astros (1.1979)—Another amazing young pitcher, Oswalt is 31 years old and has a lifetime record of 129-64 for a usually-less-than-awesome Astros’ team. That’s just sick.

9. Ben Sheets, free agent (1.2010)—If he ever pitched a full season, Sheets would be a lock for the Hall of Fame by now. But you just never see an injury report without his name on it.

10. Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays (1.2076)—Playing north of the border, Halladay has won the AL Cy Young Award once and finished in the top 5 in voting three other times. How have the Yankees kept their paws off of this guy?

Source: Baseball Reference

Admit it, you passed on Tim Lincecum last year. You took one look at his 2007 record (7-5), his ball boy-type frame (he only stands 5’11� and is 170-pounds soaking wet) and the fact that he played on a team with one of the worst offenses in baseball and you said, “no thanks.�

But there was one owner (the smart one) in your league that bought into the hype, took a shot and reaped the benefits of Lincecum earning the NL Cy Young Award while going 18-5 with a major league-leading 265 strikeouts and 2.62 ERA.

Don’t feel bad; you weren’t the only fantasy owner last year that just couldn’t pull the trigger on Lincecum. Truth be told, he was a bit of a risk last season given his inexperience and the fact that the Giants weren’t expected to give him much run support. And assuming you’ve played a fair share of fantasy baseball, you’ve probably been burned once or twice in the past by taking a risk on that perfect young sleeper that everyone is gaga for in spring training, yet fizzles once the season starts.

If Astros’ pitcher Roy Oswalt had things his way, any player who admits or is caught using performance-enhancing drugs would have all of his numbers erased from baseball’s record books.

That includes Alex Rodriguez, who on Monday admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs after a Sports Illustrated report revealed he had failed a drug test in 2003.

“A-Rod’s numbers shouldn’t count for anything,” Oswalt said in a phone interview with MLB.com. “I feel like he cheated me out of the game.”

“It does bother me,” Oswalt said. “Especially for the guys that went out there and did it on talent. We’re always going to have a cloud on us, and that’s not fair at all.

“The ones that have come out and admitted it, and are proven guilty, [their numbers] should not count. I’ve been cheated out of the game,” Oswalt continued. “This is my ninth year, and I’ve done nothing to enhance my performance, other than work my butt off to get guys out. These guys [who took PEDs] have all the talent in the world. All-Star talent. And they put times two on it.

“I’m going out there with the ability God gave me. They have that ability, too, and they’re putting something on top of it.”

Oswalt said he considers Henry Aaron to be the all-time home run leader, despite Barry Bonds’ official place at the top of the record books in that category.

I think you speak for all baseball fans, Roy. Viva la Oswalt!

If I’ve said it once this week, I’ve said it a million times – the sad part is that A-Rod didn’t even need the riods. He’s always been better than any player in the league and the fact that he sought the aid of performance-enhancers is what is most disturbing regarding this situation. Instead of going down as one of the best players to ever play the game, he’ll be remembered for cheating. Well done, Alex.

Show me a pitcher who wins games at a two to one ratio, and I’ll show you a guy I want at the front of my rotation. That, along with a low ERA and a high strikeout to walk ratio, are good indicators of excellence in pitching. It also helps if you have a guy who isn’t afraid to brush a hitter off the plate, like, ahem, the first guy on this list of all-time Top 10 in winning percentage for active pitchers…..

1. Pedro Martinez, New York Mets (.689)—Like I said, Pedro isn’t afraid to throw inside. He also is one of the baddest badasses ever to take the mound, and for about a decade he had the nastiest stuff in the game. In 1999, his best season, Pedro went 23-4 for Boston, with a 2.07 ERA (in the American League!) and 313 strikeouts. That’s just sick.

2. Johan Santana, New York Mets (.673)—Santana does not have overpowering stuff, but he throws all of his pitches for strikes and just knows how to get hitters out. His percentage would be even higher if it weren’t for the Mets bullpen blowing five or six games for him this season.

3. Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays (.665)—With 127 wins against 64 losses for a mostly mediocre Toronto team, you could say Roy Halladay is awesome and you’d be telling the truth.

4. Roy Oswalt, Houston Astros (.663)—Oswalt has 124 wins in less than eight seasons. I say this guy is one of the few young pitchers who have a shot to win 300.

5. Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians (.658)—Everyone wants to know where Cliff Lee came from, but did go 18-5 in 2005. Still, at 19-2 on a team that has 65 wins, that’s almost 30% of his team’s wins. Let’s hope the Tribe can hold on to Mr. Lee.

6. Tim Hudson, Atlanta Braves (.655)—When he’s not battling injury, Tim Hudson is a pretty dominant pitcher. I know I always cringe when he faces my Mets.

7. Randy Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks (.649)—When you strike out 4,764 batters over your career, you’re going to win many more games than you lose. The Big Unit is 294-159, and is inching closer to that magic number of 300.

8. Mike Mussina, New York Yankees (.638)—He won a lot of games in Baltimore and he’s won a lot in New York. This guy doesn’t blow hitters away, but he has great stuff and a nose for winning.

9. Andy Pettite, New York Yankees (.635)—When you’re always in the 15-20 win range, you’re going to wind up on this list. Andy Petitte has been winning since he broke into the league in 1995.

10. Mark Mulder, St. Louis Cardinals (.632)—Wait, this guy is still pitching? Sadly, he only lasted 1.7 innings this season and may be done for his career, but Mulder’s 103-60 record is still pretty impressive.

Source: Baseball Reference

Show me a pitcher who doesn’t walk many batters, and I’ll show you a pitcher that wins games. Plain and simple, if you don’t hurt yourself by putting guys on base, you’re going to be in games and win a good portion of them. Here, we take a look at those active pitchers with the best control, i.e. those hurlers who yield the least amount of walks per nine innings. Interestingly, the Top 10 consists of all starting pitchers……

1. Carlos Silva, Seattle Mariners (1.634)–Okay, so Carlos Silva has lost more games than he’s won (59-60), but he’s pitching for the pathetic Mariners this year. What I’m saying is, 4-14 for a team that is 46-75 isn’t bad. And check this out…in 2005 with Minnesota, Silva pitched 188 1/3 innings and walked only nine batters. That’s just sick.

2. Jon Lieber, Chicago Cubs (1.725)–Journeyman Jon Lieber has been in the bigs since 1994, and has never walked more than 51 batters in a season. There’s no doubt his career ERA of 4.26 would be much higher if it weren’t for his excellent control.

3. Greg Maddux, San Diego Padres (1.803)–What, you expected not to see Mr. Maddux on here? Control is to Greg Maddux’ game what hot sauce is to Buffalo wings.

4. Ben Sheets, Milwaukee Brewers (1.960)–Sheets has never won more than twelve games in a season, but part of that is because he can’t stay off the disabled list. Sheets has nearly four times as many career strikeouts (1181) as walks (303) in seven-plus seasons.

5. Curt Schilling, Boston Red Sox (1.962)–It’s too bad that if we play word association, I’ll say “Curt Schilling” and you’ll say “bloody sock.” Then again, that also sums up the grit and determination of this guy. If I need to win a game, he’s one of maybe five pitchers I’ll give the ball to.

6. Mike Mussina, New York Yankees (1.987)–If you can see the concentration in a pitcher’s eyes, you know he’s focused on putting the ball over the plate and trying to get the hitter out. And how about this? In 18 seasons, Mussina has only hit 58 batters and thrown 71 wild pitches. Also, his 265-151 career record shows that my theory above has a bit of validity.

7. Mark Buehrle, Chicago White Sox (2.060)–Though he’s only won 117 games in almost nine seasons, Mark Buehrle is a workhorse (has never pitched less than 200 innings in a full season) who keeps his White Sox in games.

8. Roy Oswalt, Houston Astros (2.084)–Do you get the feeling Roy Oswalt hasn’t yet reached his potential? The guy is 122-62 since breaking into the majors in 2001, with a 3.20 ERA and 1286 strikeouts. And his control (360 walks, 16 wild pitches) isn’t too shabby, either.

9. Paul Byrd, Boston Red Sox (2.119)–I’m not sure that Byrd throws harder than 80 miles per hour, but there’s no doubt he can still get hitters out, which is why the Red Sox just obtained him from the Indians. And he gets better with age….in 2005 with the Angels, Byrd walked 28 batters in 204 1/3 — that’s 1.2 batters per game.

10. Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays (2.127)–With a 124-64 record over 11 seasons with mostly mediocre Toronto, Roy Halladay has consistently been one of the game’s best pitchers during his career.

Source: Baseball Reference