Don't see Year One. I'm not quite sure why I did. It has enough funny people in it that you get a few laughs, but that's about it. There were several instances when the theater bursted with laughter. Then the lights came on, and I realized 75 percent of the crowd was under the age of 16. It's that kind of humor.
Any way. Here's what the RW army and I will be watching.....
PIT @ COL
This will be Mr. Morton's first start since his Pirates' debut when a hammy injury got him pulled after one inning... He was fairly sharp in that lone inning, throwing nine of his 12 pitches for strikes and allowing only one hit… He threw seven scoreless innings (with seven strikeouts) in his only start for Triple-A Indy, and he had a 1.057 WHIP in 10 starts for Triple-A Gwinnett… DVR displays his man love for Mr. Hammel in this week's Chin Music… It would be fair to say Mr. Hammel has far exceeded our expectations in his move to the Rockies' rotation, but his home/road splits are what you would expect out of Coors Field pitcher… .Opponents hit 360/.388/.595 of him at home, .248/.296/.338 on the road… Five of the six home runs hit off him came at home, as did six of the eight bags stolen while he was on the hill… He has been fairly strong in three June starts, posting a .206 BAA and a 15:3 K:BB ratio… Two of those starts came on the road, and the home game was against the hapless Mariners
BAL @ PHI
Bradley Bergesen v J.A. Happ
Bergesen is coming off his best start as a MLB pitcher, throwing a two-run complete game against the Braves… He made two mistakes, and both ended up as David Ross solo home runs… He only had three strikeouts in the game, which was a bit below his season average of 4.2 per nine… Mr. Bergesen averaged 5.8 K/9 in 93 minor league games, but most of that time was spent in levels below Double-A… He only has one MLB game with more than three K's…Mr. Happ has not lost through 17 appearances (five starts)… He came away with no-decisions in his past two starts despite allowing a combined five home runs and throwing only 58 percent of his pitches for strikes… He faced two good offenses in those games (Mets, Red Sox), but chances are those starts are more indicative of his potential than his seven shutout innings against the Padres
TOR @ WAS
The Jays will recall Mr. Cecil prior to the game to take Roy Halladay's (groin) spot in the rotation… He made four starts for the Jays earlier in the season before being shipped back to Triple-A Las Vegas, where he reportedly worked on mixing up his pitches… He allowed five home runs in a game against the Red Sox that earned him his demotion, but he only allowed two in nine minor league games… He had a 18:6 K:BB in his four MLB starts, and a 23:11 in the 31.2 innings since getting demoted… Mr. Detwiler did not strike out a batter and walked five in a June 14 no-decision to the Rays… He struck out 11 over his first two June starts, but batters also hit .300 of him in those games…He has only allowed two home runs all season (Craig Monroe and Gabe Kapler)… He has yet to win a game at home
ATL @ BOS
This will be Mr. Lowe's first start against the Red Sox, a team for which he threw 1037 innings from 1997 until 2004… He threw a season-low 2.1 innings against the Orioles June 14… he allowed seven runs on eight hits in that game, including a two-run blast to Ty Wigginton… That was only the third home run he allowed all year… He had gone at least seven innings in his five starts prior…. He held opposing batters to a .262 OBP in those five games… His 5.1 K/9 is a three-season low… Mr. Beckett is also coming off a rough start… He allowed six earned runs in six innings against the Phillies… On the plus side, he did not walk a batter in the game, his first time accomplishing that feat this season… His 3.5 BB/9 this year is his highest during his four-year tenure in Boston…Only two of the seven home runs he has given up have come in Fenway
NY-A @ FLA
Mr. Burnett's 41 bases on balls tie him with Fausto Carmona and Kyle Davies for the most allowed in the American League… He has the wild pitch lead all to himself (he has eight)… He allowed four walks while striking out eight over seven scoreless innings against the Mets in his last start… Take away his one-strikeout performance against the Red Sox June 9, and he has at least seven in his last five starts… He has thrown 110+ pitches in seven of his 13 starts…This will be Mr. Burnett's first start against he Marlins, a team he threw 853.2 for between 1999 and 2005… Mr. Johnson comes off his second complete game of the season… He struck out six over those nine innings but allowed two home runs… He has pitched 37.2 innings over his past five starts, during which he struck out 31 (to 10 walks)… He has a 3.11 ERA in those starts, but a .214 BAA… The Marlins are 11-3 in his 14 starts
HOU @ MIN
Brian Moehler v Scot Baker
Mr. Moehler held the Diamondbacks to three runs over six innings in his last start to pick up his third win of the season… He allowed two home runs in the game, brining his 10-game total to nine… He has given up at least one in each of his three June starts… Strikeouts have also been in short supply… He only has 31 in 50 innings despite 64 percent of his pitches going for strikes… Things have turned around for Mr. Baker in his three June starts… He has 23 strikeouts in 22 innings… He has only walked two… Even better, he has only allowed one home run after surrendering 14 between May and April… One has to wonder if the turn-around may have something to do with his opponents (CLE, @OAK, @CHI-N)… Still, the strikeout numbers are way better than expected
CHI-A @ CIN
Clayton Richard v Johnny Cueto
After surprising most when called upon to be a starter in late-May, Mr. Richard has failed to pitch out of the sixth inning in any of his three June starts… Control issues have re-surfaced in June, and he has more walks (12) than strikeouts (11) in 15 innings… He has not pitched in nearly a week due to an off day and a rain out…
LA @ ANA
The battle of the Weavers could jumble this write-up… For the purposes of clarity, Jeff will be referred to as Mr. F and Jered as Mr. R… Mr. F has bounced between the bullpen and rotation this year… He has gone 1-0 in three starts with a .214 BAA… However, he also has posted a 9:7 K:BB in those 15 innings, and opposing teams have stole four bases on him… None of those starts exceeded five innings, and he has yet to cross the 70-pitch mark since May 10… He has only allowed two home runs on the year, but one has to wonder if he has been on the hill long enough this season to allow too many… It is unclear how long Mr. F will remain in the rotation with Eric Stults on the DL… Mr. R has quietly put in one of the better first-halfs in the AL this season… His ERA stood at 3.13 on May 1, and he has gone 5-1 with a 51:16 K:BB ratio and a 1.53 ERA in the 59 innings since… Opponents have hit .184/.239/.295 in that span, and he has not allowed a home run since May 12… Oh yeah, he threw a complete game shutout against the Padres June 14… He averages 102 pitches per start, which is a little concerning for a pitcher with an injury history
TEX @ SF
Mr. Holland held the Dodgers to five hits in his last start, but four walks helped them score four runs in five innings… Those walks helped inflate his pitch count to 89, prompting his pulling… That was his first game with a negative K:BB, as he only struck out two… Opponents have slugged .561 off him in his four starts… They have slugged .530 off him in nine relief appearances… Mr. Cain, they guy who threw incredibly well and received incredibly poor run support during his short major league career, has finally gotten what little support he requires and is 9-1… He comes off his third complete game of the season… He did not walk a single A in his nine innings June 14, but he struck out nine… His 182 ERA+ is third best in the NL…His 1.258 WHIP does not rank in the NL's top 10, and his low ERA can be explained by a fairly high strand rate (.86)
OAK @ SD
Brett Anderson v Walter Silva
Mr. Anderson allowed two home runs in his last start against the Giants, brining his 12-game total to 13… Six of those home runs came with two outs… He also struck out a career-high six in that game against the Giants, which brought his June K:BB to 15:2… His fastball velocities have fluctuated between the low- and mid-90s, which may have something to do with his inconsistency this season… Mr. Silva will be recalled from Triple-A Portland prior to the game to fill out an injury-riddled Padres rotation… He threw seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball in his last start, striking out seven members of Triple-A Fresno… He has not made a major league start since April 13, when he allowed five runs and three walks (two strikeouts) against the Mets… He only allowed two home runs in 10 minor league games
AZ @ SEA
Mr. Buckner landed in the Diamondbacks' rotation May 22, and he has taken five turns… He averages just under six innings per starts and has stuck out 23 to eight walks… The one big downside has been his six home runs… He allowed two in each of his past two starts… He has allowed a total of 14 runs of those two starts (Giants and Astros at home)… He has struck out five in each of his last four, but remains the team's No. 5 starter… Mr. Vargas allowed a franchise-record six doubles in his 4.2 innings of work last Saturday… He had only allowed a total of two doubles this season entering that game… He gave up 12 hits and seven runs that day in Denver… He gets this start after Erik Bedard went on the DL…