Can We Talk About R.A. Dickey? Posted by Nate Kreichman (06/19/2012 @ 6:50 am) 
The Texas Rangers drafted R.A. Dickey with the 18th overall pick in the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft. Back then, his stuff was dime-a-dozen. His fastball could hit the high-80’s, he had a breaking ball when he needed it, and a forkball he called “The Thing.” Dickey first broke into the bigs in 2001. Between then and 2006 he posted a 5.72 ERA in 266 innings. A lot of people thought 2004 was going to be the turning point in Dickey’s career. He started that season 4-1, but when things were all said and done he’d gone 6-7 with an ERA of 5.61. Dickey first began experimenting with the knuckleball in 2005, and Texas gave him a chance to use it as a starter in 2006. In his first time on the mound that year, Dickey gave up six home runs. Six. Matching the record of another knuckleballer, Tim Wakefield. He never pitched for the Rangers again. Fast forward to 2010. The New York Mets are making their first spring cuts, and the 35-year-old Dickey, who’d been trying to latch on as the team’s last guy out of the bullpen, is sent to minor league camp. Alright, let’s fast forward again, to last night, when the very same Dickey (well, he’s 37 now) threw his second one-hitter… in a row. To top it off, he did it against Buck Showalter’s Baltimore Orioles. Guess who was managing the Rangers when Dickey gave up those six home runs. Guess whose idea it was for Dickey to start throwing the knuckler. “I would be remiss if I didn’t say thank you to [Showalter]. He’s the one that gave me the opportunity to cultivate that pitch at the foundational levels down in the minor leagues with the Texas Rangers. He believed I could do it. Now, it took a while for me to get it. He gave me the… I’m trying to think of the right word. He gave me the canvas to be able to operate on. He was the guy; he and Orel [Hershisher] kind of pushed me in that direction. I’m thankful they did,” Dickey told ESPN. Now get this: it’s the first time since 1988, when Dave Stieb of the Toronto Blue Jays did it, that any Major Leaguer has thrown two consecutive one-hitters. The last time a National Leaguer did it was in 1944, 65 years ago, when Jim Tobin of the Boston Braves accomplished the feat. Only 10 pitchers have allowed one hit or fewer in consecutive games since 1900. And R.A. Dickey? R.A. Dickey is the only man in the history of modern baseball to throw back-to-back one-hitters with at least 10 strikeouts in each. Last night, Dickey fanned 13 Orioles, and on June 13 in Tampa Bay, the man struck out 12. R.A. Dickey was a “bust” of a first-round pick who had an RADickeylous (sorry) name for his forkball. Was. Now, with 68 games (or 42 percent) of the season in the books, R.A. Dickey is the leading candidate for the NL Cy Young. He’s also the Mets’ ace, which might not mean much if their roster didn’t contain the two-time Cy Young winning, no-hitter throwing, Johan Santana. But it does. Dickey is now 11-1, no other Mets pitcher has ever reached 10 games over .500 so quickly. While Dickey did it in 68 games, the previous Met record belong to Tom Seaver, who reached 13-3 in the 77th game of the Mets’ 1969 season. Dickey already owns the Mets record for most consecutive scoreless innings with 32 2/3, but he’s also gone 42 2/3 innings without giving up an earned run, the second best streak in franchise history. The team record is Doc Gooden’s, who went 49 innings in 1985. But enough about the Mets. Dickey’s 11 wins lead the majors, and he’s tied for the league lead in ERA (2.00), strikeouts (103), and complete games (three). And for those who complain about baseball being a “slow” game, last night’s contest took all of 127 minutes. Anything could happen from now until October, but R.A. Dickey is the best pitcher in the majors this season, and 42 percent is by no means insignificant. Top 10 active innings eaters Posted by Mike Farley (05/29/2010 @ 8:00 am) 
Chances are, you need a few pitchers on your fantasy baseball roster that can eat up innings. You know, that silly rule that prevents you from loading up on closers? Well, here is a list you could use, especially if your team if floundering and you need some steady pitchers to deliver quality innings of work. This is the list of active leaders in innings pitched. Some of the names will surprise you, but certainly not all of them: 1. Jamie Moyer, Philadelphia Phillies (3966 innings)—Remember when Jamie Moyer pitched for the Cubs? Yeah, neither does anyone else. He was a rookie in 1986, the year Mookie Wilson hit the ball through Bill Buckner’s legs. I know, most of you don’t remember that, either. 2. Andy Pettitte, New York Yankees (2984)—Though it’s early, Andy Pettitte is having a career year at age 38. And I’m just glad I had the foresight (errr, luck) to draft him for my fantasy team. 3. Tim Wakefield, Boston Red Sox (2980)—Remember when Tim Wakefield pitched for the Pirates? Seriously, he started out there in 1992 and joined the Sox in 1995. And dude is still beloved by the chowder heads. 4. Livan Hernandez, Washington Nationals (2795)—Two things are baffling. One, that Livan’s age is listed as 35. Thirty-freaking-five! Um, no. And two, that this guy is still getting hitters out with that blistering 80 mph fastball of his. 5. Javier Vasquez, New York Yankees (2532)—So this guy has banked $92 million in his career to date for losing as many games as he wins (145-144). That’s proof right there that innings eaters are worth something, but still sounds like highway robbery to me. 6. Jeff Suppan, Milwaukee Brewers (2437)—He’s relegated to the bullpen for the most part, but still racking up innings of work. 7. Kevin Millwood, Baltimore Orioles (2382)—Remember when Kevin Millwood was the fourth starter behind Smoltz, Maddux and Glavine in Atlanta? That was in 1997 but seems like it was 50 years ago. 8. Derek Lowe, Atlanta Braves (2191)—He may have peaked a few years ago, but this guy still has some of the nastiest stuff in the game. 9. Tim Hudson, Atlanta Braves (2124)—Through all of the injuries, it’s truly amazing that Tim Hudson has pitched that many innings. And hey, Javier, put this in your pipe and smoke it—a 153-79 career record. 10. Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies (2123)—This dude just keeps winning, but even he’s only got 154 wins to date. Does that seem right? Source: Baseball Reference Posted in: MLB Tags: Andy Pettitte, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Bill Buckner, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Derek Lowe, great active pitchers, great pitchers, Greg Maddux, innings eaters, innings pitched leaders, Jamie Moyer, Javier Vasquez, Jeff Suppan, John Smoltz, Kevin Millwood, Livan Hernandez, Major League Baseball, Milwaukee Brewers, MLB, Mookie Wilson, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Roy Halladay, Tim Hudson, Tim Wakefield, Tom Glavine, Washington Nationals
Wakefield replaces Penny in the rotation Posted by Christopher Glotfelty (08/22/2009 @ 5:47 pm) 
After a decent first half, Brad Penny has looked horrid in his last few starts, most notably allowing eight earned runs against the Yankees in yesterday’s blowout. In 24 starts this season, Penny has a 7-8 record with a 5.61 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. That not going to cut if for Terry Francona and the Bo Sox. Returning from this DL is veteran Tim Wakefield and he will start in Penny’s place against the White Sox next Wednesday. Wakefield (11-3) last pitched for Boston on July 8 and made his second rehab start Friday night since going on the disabled list July 21 with a strained lower back, left hamstring and left calf. In 5 2-3 innings for Triple-A Pawtucket, the knuckleballer allowed one run and two hits in a 2-1 win over Rochester.
At 43 years-old, Wakefield is having one of the most impressive seasons of his long career. Sporting an 11-3 record, I’m sure the Red Sox are eager to have Wakefield back. Judging by their play against the Yankees, the Red Sox Nation must be freaking out right now. Remember when everyone was in awe of the Red Sox pitching staff coming into this season? They had added free agents Brad Penny, John Smoltz, and Takashi Saito to their already dominant staff of Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Jonathan Papelbon. Well, Smoltz is gone, Dice-K is on the DL, and now Penny’s future is in question. Lucky for them, Beckett and Lester are having solid seasons, but who would have thought the Sox would ever be in dire need of Wakefield’s arm? It’s going to be very exciting to watch the Sox, Yankees, and Rays compete for their division and the wild card spot. All these teams can hit, so it’s the teams with the stronger rotation that will achieve a playoff spot. With Kazmir and Garza of the Rays finally starting to pitch with some authority, Wakefield’s return comes at just the right time. Top 10 Active Gopher Ball Leaders Posted by Mike Farley (05/09/2009 @ 6:17 am) 
Some pitching statistics are not very complimentary, most of all the gopher ball line….that is, for pitchers who have a penchant for throwing that big fat pitch that a hitter tends to crush over the fence. Here is a list of the active pitchers who lead the majors in this category, and only includes players who are currently on a major league roster: 1. Jamie Moyer, Philadelphia Phillies (474)—Okay, so he’s been pitching since 1986 and throws mostly slow junk, but Moyer has given up double digits in gopher balls 16 times, including FORTY FOUR in 2004 while with Seattle, the fifth highest total for a single season in baseball history. And he is only 31 behind all-time leader Robin Roberts, who gave up 505 long balls. Way to go, Jamie. 2. Randy Johnson, San Francisco Giants (399)—We can pretty much give the Big Unit a pass, because he’s struck out 4,819 batters and is closing in on 300 wins. 3. Tim Wakefield, Boston Red Sox (363)—All you can say is that sometimes the knuckleball is completely baffling, and sometimes it looks like a soccer ball to the hitter. 4. Tom Glavine, Atlanta Braves (356)—As good as Glavine is and has been throughout his illustrious career, he has always had the penchant for giving up the long ball. 5. Javier Vasquez, Atlanta Braves (304)—Since breaking into the big leagues in 1998, Vasquez has AVERAGED 29 homers given up per season…he’s been as low as 20, and as high as 35. Batter up! 6. Livan Hernandez, New York Mets (301)—I read recently where Livan’s pitches were clocking in the 62 mph range…..are you kidding me? Yet, he’s still getting hitters out with regularity. 6. Jeff Suppan, Milwaukee Brewers (301)—Jeff Suppan has always had decent control, averaging 68 walks per season since breaking in with the Red Sox in 1995. But he’s also given up an average of 27 homers per season. Sometimes control means you leave it out over the plate. 8. John Smoltz, Boston Red Sox (277)—Smoltz has only averaged 16 homers given up per season, including a few years as the Braves’ closer, but still—you pitch since 1988, your numbers are going to add up. 9. Bartolo Colon, Chicago White Sox (245)—In 2004, Bartolo won 18 games but gave up 38 homers. Somebody must have inspired or bribed him with cheeseburgers the next year when he went 21-8 and won the AL Cy Young. 10. Andy Pettitte, New York Yankees (235)—For all those years with the short porch in right field in the old Yankee Stadium, Pettitte gave up a career high 27 homers while pitching for the Astros in 2006. Source: Baseball Reference Posted in: Fantasy Baseball, MLB Tags: Andy Pettitte, Atlanta Braves, Bartolo Colon, Big Unit, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, gopher ball leaders, home run balls, Houston Astros, Jamie Moyer, Javier Vasquez, Jeff Suppan, John Smoltz, knuckleball, Livan Hernandez, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Randy Johnson, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Tim Wakefield, Tom Glavine
It’s all about the pitching Posted by Christopher Glotfelty (10/09/2008 @ 12:01 pm) “Momentum is always as strong as your starting pitcher is the next day.” – Joe Maddon
Leave it to the well-read Rays manger to come up with such a profound statement. Chances are this saying is nailed up in his teams’ clubhouse alongside others from the likes of Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. Maddon’s right, and he’s used this pitching-first philosophy to propel his team into the ALCS. If there’s one quality that ties each of the remaining four teams together, it’s that each of them can hit. They each have at least two big bats, lead-off men that can hit for average, and a bottom of the order that can consistently do some damage. When teams are this evenly matched at the plate, it’s often a single blunder on the part of a pitcher that can decide a game. As we’ve seen in the Division Series between the Angels and Red Sox, it comes down to the pitching. Both teams boasted fabulous rotations and excellent hitting, but it was the Red Sox middle relief and closer that really won the games. Read the rest after the jump...Posted in: MLB Tags: ALDS, Andy Sonnanstine, Boston Red Sox, Brad Lidge, Carlos Zambrano, Chad Billingsley, Championship Series pitching, Chan Ho Park, Charlie Manuel, Chase Utley, Chicago Cubs, Clayton Kershaw, Cory Wade, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Dan Wheeler, David Price, Derek Lowe, Grant Balfour, Greg Maddux, Hiroki Kuroda, Hong-Chi Kuo, J.P. Howell, James Shields, Jimmy Rollins, Joe Blanton, Joe Maddon, Joe Torre, Jon Lester, Jonathan Broxton, Jonathan Papelbon, Josh Beckett, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Manny Ramirez, Matt Garza, NLDS, Philadelphia Phillies, Rich Harden, Ryan Dempster, Ryan Howard, Scott Kazmir, Takashi Saito, Tampa Bay Rays, Terry Francona, Tim Wakefield, Troy Percival, World Series
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