Hideo Nomo Has a Posse

Today’s lesson in the general worthlessness of the earned run average: Dontrelle Willis, 1.80 through two starts with the Arizona Diamondbacks. (Corollary point about the worthlessness of the small sample size). It won’t last. The D-Train has a strikeout to walk ratio of 0.5 (walking 10), an incredibly lucky strand rate of 88%, a mildly low BABIP of .276, and a FIP of 5.4 to counterbalance that misleading ERA.

All signs point to a swift and harsh correction, so don’t let the 1.80 fool you. It sucks, because everyone likes Dontrelle Willis, but he’s done.

In trying to reconcile some data at work tonight, I learned something new: a pitcher can be debited with an earned run that does not count as earned against their team. I’m guessing the situation would be a reliever brought into a game where a baserunner made their way aboard through an error (so not credited to the starter or pitcher before). If the new pitcher should then allow that runner to score, he’s charged with an earned run that’s not debited against the team. Odd.

Was looking at the ESPN.com totals for our guys: they have the team total at 191 (lowest in the bigs, I should say) whereas the totals I was looking at (the sum of all earned runs for the players) said 193. So the two in question were charged to someone relieving in the kind of situation I described above.

So the homework, and a million billion dollars to the winner- which 2010 Padres pitcher allowed two earned runs that were not charged as earned against the team?

Also- felt my first earthquake tonight. A 5.7 rattler that caused a brief delay at the Padres/Blue Jays game as the foul poles swayed. Intense.

From the lovely Shorpy.com, Coleman’s scoreboard invention seen here in Washington, DC in 1924, 11 years after its invention. A photograph from behind the scenes:

Everything… was such… an effort… before the… internet! How did we ever make it?

The Padres squeaked out a win tonight, beating the Cardinals 1-0 in the first of a three-game series. Jon Garland started for the Pads and came out erratic, throwing 61 pitches through the first three innings. He settled down nicely as the game wore on, all in all throwing 106 pitches for seven innings of work, striking out one per, and earning the win.

The Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright arguably pitched better: seven innings of work and twelve strikeouts; the only earned run charged was a solo shot by Jerry Hairston. Wainwright’s stuff was more varied as well- if Gameday’s any true indicator, he threw 15% fastballs, 45% sinkers, and 37% off-speed stuff. Dude’s just got an impressive arsenal, and the Padres were lucky to come across with what they did and have their pitching keep them in it…

.. which it has been doing all year. It’s simply amazing, what they are doing, even though you have to doubt their ability to maintain it. Look at their rankings among all of MLB:

Combine those pitching numbers with a team defense that’s posting a sick 19.9 UZR (second in the league), a 19.7 range runs above average (Fangraphs’ measurement of the number of runs above average a fielder is) for first, and you have one run-suppressing suffocation machine.

How long can it last? We’re watching with our fingers crossed to be sure, but here it is May 25 already; cerainly still early, but a nice body of work.

I don’t know if you know San Diego- but I sure am ready to move out of the Gaslamp District! As I type, type, type this just outside the window is the boom boom boom of some godawful nightclub and the woo woo woo of lots of drunk people.

OK, now have some video footage from the debut of Billy Ray “Rojo” Johnson for the Round Rock Express that I mentioned in an earlier post. Dude throws some serious junk.

You know- I’m really surprised MLB sanctioned this, what with guzzling a beer on the mound. I salute them, though, because it’s awesome.