Category Archives: 2010
The King at 15
Image via Wikipedia
“King” Felix Hernandez of your Seattle Mariners has risen to the top of the MLB Quality Starts list for the 2010 season with 25 QS. The last 15 of these quality starts have come in his last 15 starts. That’s right. 15 for 15. The disappointing Mariners are 8-7 in these 15 games, the first of which was on June 13. Before that game, Hernandez’s ERA was 3.77. Going into his next start, tomorrow 8/31 against the Angels, it had dropped all the way down to 2.47. It is good to be the King.
Tied in 2nd in QS in the league are 5 guys at 22:
- Tim Hudson
- CC Sabathia
- Josh Johnson
- Adam Wainwright
- Chris Carpenter
Related Articles
- Felix Hernandez Struggles To Win Games, But He Should Win The Cy Young (bleacherreport.com)
- Felix Hernandez selling East Coast on his Cy Young Award credentials. How about the West Coast? (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Felix Hernandez still realizing wondrous potential (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
QSR Looks at the Oswalt Trade
New Phillie Roy Oswalt
Roy Oswalt gets traded to the Phillies. Boy, that hasn’t been the rumor for 3 months or anything!
Here is a quick Quality Starts Report look at Oswalt:
In 2010, Oswalt has made 20 starts for Houston, 15 of them were Quality Starts, including his 1st 10 of the season. The club earned only 7 wins in those 15 QS, a very poor percentage. In 12 of his starts this year, the Astros scored 2 or fewer runs. Yikes! No wonder he waived his no-trade clause. The Phillies lineup, even with its struggles this season, should give him some more support than that. His best start of the year was a 1-hit complete game gem on July 8th.
In his 10 years in Houston, according to baseball-reference.com, Oswalt was stellar, tossing 200 QS in 291 starts (68.7%). This QS total is 5th most in majors and the most in the NL since his debut. The Astros went 141-59 in those 200 QS, an above average number. The Phillies are getting an ace to go alongside Roy Halladay. If they can get into the playoffs, back-to-back Roys will be tough to beat.
Around the League
No Red Sox game last night, so I’ll take a quick look around MLB at the quality start results in the limited slate of games.
There were 6 games in the National League last night, and a total of 7 QS. Only the Padres/Dodgers game lacked quality yesterday, even though the final was 3-2 Padres, in large part to 4 scoreless relief innings by the winners and 4 1/3 scoreless innings by the Dodgers’ bullpen until another George Sherrill walk-off loss. In the two of the other games, both starters made quality starts. In all three games with one quality starter, the team with quality won!
In the American League Thursday, it is not surprising that cellar-dwellars Baltimore and Kansas City neither has a quality start in their matchup. Neither did Oakland v. Texas. In the other 3 matchups, the winners all received quality starts.
Star Start of the Day
THE BEST OF THE DAY
So, 6 games with one quality start – all these teams won. The best start of the night was by one-time Sox prospect, Florida’s Anibel Sanchez, who tossed a complete game one-hitter against the Giants. He gave up only 1 base on balls and struck out 8. Sanchez gets the Quality Start Report’s Star Start of the Day award for 7/29/10.
A LOOK AT THE SOX TONIGHT: GAME 103
Jon Lester goes for Boston tonight
Tonight’s matchup in Boston pits near-perfecto Armando (Gallarraga) and once-no-no Jon Lester as the Sox return home after a long West Coast trip. Lester has 13 QS in 20 starts this year, including 6 in his last 7. Up-and-down Gallarraga has started 12 times for the Tigers and only had 4 quality starts (or as many as Pirate Charlie Morton, owner of a 9.35 ERA on the season).
Given all that, I would expect lefty Lester to be the more likely to toss a QS tonight and get the Sox another win.
Back for more
For a number of reasons, I put this blog on hold for a while, like the entire 2009 season and the first 4 months of 2010. But today, July 29th, 2010, I feel like starting back up again. Welcome to “The Quality Starts Report, The 2nd Generation”.
What to do now? Well, lets take a snapshot of the league leaders in Quality Starts (QS).
Individual Leaders thru July 28:
- Josh Johnson, FLA – 19 QS in 21 starts
- Adam Wainwright, STL and Felix Hernandez, SEA – 18 QS in 22 starts
- CC Sabathia, NYY; Tim Hudson, ATL; Roy Halladay, PHI; Jared Weaver, LAA – 17 QS each
Impressive list. Josh Johnson has been lights out all season, with a 1.72 ERA.
Team Leaders thru July 28:
- Chicago Cubs 63
- St. Louis Cardinals 62
- San Francisco Giants 62
- Tampa Bay Rays 62
- Chicago White Sox and Oakland A’s 61
The Rays and White Sox are both playoff contenders in the AL, while St. Louis is tied for the lead in the Central and the Giants are in front of the NL Wild Card race.
The NYY are tied for 9th with 58 QS and have the league’s best record. The three worst teams in the league, Washington, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore, are all at the bottom of the list with 43.
What about the Red Sox? Tied for 9th overall in the league in total QS. Six starters have recorded quality starts this season.
- John Lackey (14 QS in 21 starts)
- Jon Lester (13 QS in 20)
- Clay Buchholz (10 QS in 17)
- Tim Wakefield (9 QS in 16)
- Daisuke Matsuzaka (8 QS in 14)
- Josh Beckett (4 QS in 10)
Felix Doubront (3 starts) and Scott Atchison (1 start) did not reach the quality start level.
Last Game: #102
Josh Beckett threw 7 innings, allowing only 3 earned runs, in his second start back from the disabled list. This was his first QS since April 26th.
So, hey, that is where we are right now…. good, maybe even, a quality start to the re-launch of the site.
