White Sox top Tigers in final meeting

The Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers are two similar teams battling for the same goal. It was no surprise then that in their final meeting of the year, the teams played nearly the exact same game. And a look at the standings indicates no surprise that the White Sox won, barely.

Entering the contest separated by two games, the Sox and the Tigers each sent a quality starting pitcher to the mound. Both men were treated rudely. Both men lasted four innings.

Jose Quintana, the 23-year-old rookie lefty, pitted Chicago down 3-0 in the top of the third when the bottom part of the Detroit order gave him trouble. Singles by #8 hitter, Avisail Garcia, and #9 hitter, Gerald Laird, preceded an RBI single by Detroit’s superb leadoff man, Austin Jackson. Detroit’s Omar Infante followed with a sacrifice bunt, which moved the runners to second and third. Chicago manager Robin Ventura countered by intentionally walking Miguel Cabrera. Quintana followed the walk by striking out Prince Fielder, but then allowed a two-run single to Delmon Young. A wild pitch, an intentional walk, and a Brandon Boesch strikeout later, the White Sox were lucky to find themselves only down three.

The White Sox responded in the bottom of the fourth. With the bases loaded, Tigers pitcher Doug Fister hit Chicago second baseman (and #9 hitter) Gordon Beckham for a hurts so good RBI. Dewayne Wise followed with a two-run single to tie the game at 3-3.

The Tigers responded immediately, reclaiming the lead in the top of the fifth with Delmon Young’s third RBI of the game. Following a Miguel Cabrera double and an exceedingly rare Prince Fielder infield single that bounced Jose Quintana from the game, Young welcomed reliever Nate Jones with a single to center. That would be the last Tigers hit of the game.

Following his opponent’s lead, Doug Fister exited the game after allowing a leadoff single and double in the bottom of the fifth. In the play of the game, following an Alex Rios walk and an A.J. Pierzynski lineout, Infante booted a potential double play ball. The error cost the Tigers two runs, and potentially a whole lot more.

Five Chicago White Sox bullpen pitchers combined to allow one hit over five innings. Trade deadline acquisition Brett Myers pitched a spotless inning-and-a-third and rookie closer Addison Reed recorded the final out for his 27th save of the season.

Detroit’s bullpen pitched admirably as well, allowing two hits over four scoreless innings.

The win leaves Chicago three games up in the AL Central with 16 games left. The respective teams’ next three games loom large. Detroit, desperate to make up ground, host the surging Oakland Athletics while Chicago visits the Kansas City Royals, against whom the Sox are 5-10 this season. Now would be a good time for the Sox to beat up on a team everyone has whooped this season.

The Tigers do end the season with 13 games against the Royals and fellow AL Central cellar dweller Minnesota, but by that point they may be in need of nothing less than a miracle. The Sox have held off the Tigers all season. In the final stretch of the season these two similar teams will need suddenly disparate finales.

The Big Guy

A Night in the American League

Every night The Big Guy breaks down the action in the American League.

Biggest Win

White Sox 4-Mariners 3: On a night when the AL Central-second place Tigers defeated the Angels, Chicago was able to beat both Seattle and the elements. In a rain-shortened seven inning game, the Sox scored two in the bottom of the seventh on Tyler Flowers’ two-run 453 feet bomb. Starting pitcher Gavin Floyd exited after two innings pitched with right elbow (pitching arm) discomfort. At 71-55, the White Sox remain 2.5 games ahead of the Detroit Tigers.

Best Hitter

Boston Red Sox infielder Pedro Ciriaco went 3-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI in an 8-6 victory over the Kansas City Royals. The 26-year-old Dominican has 13 hits over his last six games. He now owns a .360/.374/.500 line through 42 games. The non-roster invitee has made quite an impression on his new club after signing in free agency from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Best Pitcher

Max Scherzer allowed one run and two hits over 7 IP with 9 Ks in a 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. The win was Scherzer’s 14th on the season. His 11.35 K/9 puts him first in the statistic through Major League Baseball, 0.02 K/9 ahead of Washington’s Stephen Strasburg.

Stat to know

Remember Josh Hamilton’s June and July woes? Forget ’em. The Texas Rangers left fielder is batting .292 in August with 5 HR and 23 RBI. His seven doubles is the most of any month this season and his August on-base percentage is a respectable .343.

Tomorrow’s Note

The Rays and Rangers open a three-game series between AL titans. The 70-57 Rays lead the Wild Card race and the 75-52 Rangers lead the AL West by 5.5 games over the Oakland Athletics. Tampa ace David Price takes his 2.28 ERA to the Texas bump against 8-6 Derek Holland and his 4.92 ERA.

The Big Guy

Who is the AL MVP?

With more than 50 games to go in the season, baseball writers have grown bored with the regular season and opened a hasty Most Valuable Player conversation. The debate squares between Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera and Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout.

Trout, a 20-year-old phenom, has the Rookie of the Year award wrapped up like an early Christmas gift. Cabrera, a former 20-year-old big leaguer himself, is in the midst of perhaps his most productive offensive season ever. The numbers:

Mike Trout

87 games, .348/.411/.598, 19 home runs, 59 RBI, 36 stolen bases, 21 doubles, 5 triples, 6.1 oWAR, 1.2 dWAR, 86 runs, team record: 59-51 (53-37 since April 28 call up)

Miguel Cabrera

109 games, .324/.385/.583, 28 home runs, 92 RBI, 4 stolen bases, 28 doubles, 0 triples, 4.7 oWAR, 0.2 dWAR, 72 runs, team record: 59-50

If you want to know just how good Prince Fielder is, don’t ask AL pitchers, ask Cabrera. With Fielder backing him, Cabrera is batting .346 in his 130 at-bats with runners in scoring position. The .020 drop in his batting average from last season (not to mention .063 drop in OB%) has been more than covered by his 15.4 at-bats per home run. The straw that stirs the Detroit drink, Cabrera is on pace to finish with career highs in home runs and RBI.

However, he is no Mike Trout. In 22 less games, Trout’s WAR is 2.4 games higher than Cabrera’s. Trout’s defensive impact unquestionably outweighs Cabrera’s, and while Cabrera’s offensive role is different than Trout’s, the 20-year-old makes a greater impact than the Tiger third sacker.

From the leadoff position, Trout has stolen the most bases in the majors while also posting a higher slugging percentage than Cabrera. The numbers suggest that Trout would likely have better numbers than Cabrera’s real ones if Trout were a #3 hitter. Vice versa, that cannot be said.

So who is the AL MVP? No one knows yet. It is too early to tell. Maybe AL pitchers will stumble upon a hole in Trout’s swing. Maybe Cabrera will make way for a surging Prince Fielder. No ones. But if the vote were today, Trout would be most deserving.

The Big Guy

A Night in the American League

Every night The Big Guy breaks down the action in the American League.

Biggest Win

White Sox 4-Angels 2: Chicago remained hot as they picked up their 7th win in 10 games and remain 1.5 games ahead of the Detroit Tigers for the AL Central lead. Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski hit a home run in his fifth straight game and the bullpen allowed one run over four innings following start Francisco Liriano’s injury-induced exit after five. The loss sends Los Angeles into third place in the AL West, a half game behind the Oakland Athletics.

Best Hitter

The Detroit Tigers matched the White Sox with a 10-8 win over the Cleveland Racists. Detroits #1-2 hitters, Austin Jackson and Omar Infante combined to hit 8-12. With so many at-bats with Jackson on base, Infante’s 3 RBI earn him the nod. Overall, he went 4-6, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R. A fun fact on the .287 hitting Infante: in 366 at-bats, he has 13 walks. Nice .310 OBP, buddy.

Best Pitcher

The Tampa Bay Rays fell to division rival Baltimore Sunday, but don’t blame David Price. The 14-4 lefty went 8 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 5 K. Price lowered his ERA to 2.49. The Vanderbilt product has thrown at least 7 innings in each of his last nine starts, each of which have been quality starts.

Stat To Know

Detroit Tigers centerfielder Austin Jackson extended his hitting streak to eight games Sunday. The toolsy 25-year-old posted a single hit in his first seven games before breaking out for four hits against the Cleveland Racists on Sunday. His third season in the league has been quite a bounce back after his sophomore slump.

• Jackson in 2011: .249/.317/.374
• Jackson in 2012: .322/.409/.518

Tomorrow’s Note

The Baltimore Orioles will start a three game set against the Seattle Mariners. The AL West basement dwellers are 8-2 in their last ten, making Seattle the hottest team in the league. The home Orioles are 6-4 in their last ten. The red hot Jason Vargas will take the bump for the Mariners against Baltimore’s 24-year-old Chris Tillman.

A Night in the American League

Every night The Big Guy breaks down the action in the American League.

Biggest Win

Angels 6-Rangers 2: Los Angeles’ #1-3 hitters combined to go 6-14, 6 RBI while Texas’ #1-3 hitters went 0-12. Los Angeles starting pitcher Jered Weaver threw 6.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER on the way to his 14th win. That #3 hitter for L.A., some guy named Albert Pujols, blasted two home runs in the game. He finished July with 8 home runs, 20 RBI and a .330 batting average. Los Angeles now sits 3 games behind the AL East-leading Rangers after taking the first two of this four game series. With one of the Greatest Players of All-Time heating up and rookie Mike Trout playing MVP-caliber ball, the Rangers should be very, very afraid.

Best Hitter

Nick Markakis was a problem Yankee pitchers could not figure out Tuesday. The Baltimore leadoff hitter went 3-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R in an 11-5 victory. Baltimore batted with clutch as ten of their 11 RBI came with two outs. The Big Guy is a recorded believer in the O’s, and they will go for the three-game sweep Wednesday against the AL East-leading Yankees. Baltimore is 5.5 back from the Yanks and 1.5 back from the second AL Wild Card.

Best Pitcher

Remember the James Shields that threw 11 complete games in 2011? That Shields posted a 2.82 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, struck out 225 batters and a 4.7 WAR. James Shields 2012 is a different animal: 4.24 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, -0.2 WAR. James Shields 2012 rediscovered JS ’11 for nine innings Tuesday night. The Tampa Bay righty threw a complete game shutout with 11 K, 0 BB, 3 H. The outing against the Oakland Athletics lowered his ERA 0.28. The 54-50 Rays will need more JS ’11 appearances if they are to claim a postseason position.

Stat to Know

New White Sox starting pitcher Francisco Liriano went 6 IP, 2 ER, 8 K, 4 BB against his old team Tuesday. The solid stats did not surprise any Minnesota Twins fans. Liriano’s season statistics are skewed by poor performances away from Target Field.

Stats at Target Field: 4.45 ERA, .196 BA against, 10.7 K/9

Stats away from Target Field: 6.31 ERA, .292 BA against, 8.7 K/9

Tomorrow’s Note

Trying for their third straight win over division rival Texas, the L.A. Angels turn to 24-year-old Garrett Richards. The 6’3″ righty owns a 3.91 ERA but has greatly benefited from outstanding defense behind him. Batters are hitting .266 against him and his WHIP is 1.55.

Is Francisco Liriano Any Good?

The Chicago White Sox made their third significant trade of the season Saturday when they acquired left-handed starter Francisco Liriano from the Minnesota Twins for infielder Eduardo Escobar and left-handed pitcher Pedro Hernandez.

The move my White Sox G.M. Kenny Williams seeks to add quality starting pitching depth to a team full of young flame-throwing relievers but short on healthy starters. The irony is that Liriano once was a thrower.

Liriano burst onto the scene in 2006 as an overpowering 22-year-old. Initially a reliever, the Twins promoted Liriano to the rotation where he finished the season 12-3 with a flossy 2.16 ERA and 1.000 WHIP. Relying on a 95 mph fastball and a sweeping 88 mph slider, Liriano averaged 10.7 K/9. However, Liriano’s impressive rookie year was derailed when he underwent Tommy John surgery on November 6, 2006. He would miss the entire 2007 campaign.

Liriano’s 2008 return brought a 6-4 record with a 3.91 ERA. However, Liriano’s pitches dropped about 4 mph and his K/9 dropped to 7.9. His WHIP increased to 1.395. Liriano’s troubles ballooned in 2009 when he finished with a 5.80 ERA and 1.551 WHIP.

Liriano appeared to have recreated himself in 2010 when he bounced back with a 14-10 record. He lowered his ERA to 3.62 and his WHIP settled to 1.263. His HR/9 also dropped to a career low 0.4. However, the last two seasons have been unkind to Liriano.

He is 12-20 over the last two years and his ERA has exceed 5.00. Part of Liriano’s 2010 resurgence can be attribued to a near return to his original velocity. His fastball averaged 93.7 mph in 2010. His fastball this year averages 92.8 mph.

Liriano’s current 5.31 ERA is marred by a terrible start; his April ERA was 11.02. However, June went smoothly to the tune of a 2.87 ERA and batters only hit .227 against the lefty in July. Signs of improvement?

The White Sox hope so. His FIPx (expected Fielding Independent Pitching) is 3.94, below the league average. The White Sox hope that pitching in front of the second best fielding team in baseball will lower his 64.8% LOB, amongst other unsightly statistics.

Liriano possess a live arm, but not the same arm that dazzled in 2006. The Sox are full of fireballers. They need a reformed hurler to perform like a pitcher.

The Big Guy

The Legend of Lonnie Chisenhall

Lonnie Chisenhall was busted. A freshman on the University of South Carolina baseball team, Chisenhall made for a bad burglar. Attempting to steal electronic equipment in a dorm room, Chisenhall was caught and charged with burglary and grand larceny. He served six months probation.

Drafted in the 11th round of the 2006 MLB Draft as a high school senior, Chisenhall went 29th overall in the 2008 MLB Draft to the Cleveland Racists (Indians). The third baseman signed for a $1.1 million bonus and started in A- ball. As a 19-year-old Chisenhall batted .290 in 305 plate appearances.

Chisenhall spent the following year in A+ and AA ball. The 20-year-old hit hit 22 homers with 92 RBI and 31 doubles. Chisenhall spent the entire 2010 season in AA and posted 17 homers and 84 RBI with a .278 average.

About a year after Chisenhall’s legal trouble he said this: “It taught me to be smarter… I watch my steps closer.”

The only crime in this depraved world is getting caught.

At 22-years old Chisenhall had 7 home runs and 45 RBI over 292 at-bats before being called up to The Show. In 223 at-bats Chisenhall hit 7 bombs with 22 RBI while batting .255. Chisenhall started the 2012 campaign in AAA. He didn’t belong there. In 28 games, Chisenhall batted .324.

Chisenhall went 2-4 in his first big league game of 2012. One of those hits flew over a wall in the outfield. The left-handed bat hit .278 before succumbing to an arm injury at the end of June. He currently occupires the 60-day disabled list.

The Cleveland Racists currently sit 4 games behind the AL Central lead. Their 49-49 record may not put them in the heart of the Wild Card race but they do face a legitimate opportunity to steal the Central from the headline hogging White Sox and Tigers.

The Racists could use a bat like Chisenhall. However, he was placed on the 60-day DL on July 25. The earliest he would be available would be September 24. The Racists have eight games after September 24. Chisenhall could only provide a spark in the tightest of division races.

The Indians have an exciting bat at third in the waiting. Unless the Tigers and White Sox get caught, he won’t make his impact until 2013. Unless he gets caught before then.

The Big Guy

Comparing Verlander 2012 to Verlander 2011

Justin Verlander’s 2011 season went magically. The overpowering righty went 24-5 and won the AL Cy Young as well as the AL MVP.

Verlander posted absurd numbers: 2.40 ERA, 250 K, 8.3 WAR, 0.92 WHIP. He prevented 58 more runs than a normal pitcher would have and batters hit .192 against him. Following a year such as Verlander’s 2011, it is inevitable that fans will feel a let down after a season from the baseball gods. Through 20 starts Verlander is 11-5. While his wins are down, that statistic does not tell the story.

Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP)

Fangraphs tracks this cool stat called FIP. The idea is to take the other eight guys on the field out of the equation when figuring a pitchers ERA. In 2011, Verlander’s FIP was 2.99. This season he improved to 2.93. This may not seem like much but a pitcher of Verlander’s quality only has so much room to improve by.

ERA-

This is the runs prevented statistic. Last year Verlander had an ERA- of 58 in 34 starts. This year he already has -59 in 20 starts.

LOB%

Stranding runners is a must for every pitcher. Last season, Verlander stranded a staggering 80.3% of runners. This year his number is down a bit to 76.1%. That number is still solid and better than his career average of 73.5%

Batting Average on Balls in Play (BABIP)

Last season opponents hit .236 when putting the ball in play against Verlander. He had about one better hop last year than this year. His number in 2012: .238. Of course, this number can be taken with the FIP, which suggests improvement on Verlanders part and perhaps a bit of a defensive downgrade by Detroit this season. The story is a coinflip in WHIP as well; in both seasons it was 0.92.

K/9

An ace must have the ability to punch people out. Verlander’s K/9 went down from 8.96 to 8.60 in 2012. This could relate to the fact that Verlander’s velocity is down about 1 MPH on each of his four pitches.

WAR

The tool for Wins Above Replacement suggests that Verlander is better this season. His WAR/start was .244 last season. In 2012 his WAR/start is .255.

When things didn’t take a strong start for Detroit this season, a few rumblings about Verlander not getting it done came out. These complaints are unfounded and it appears Verlander is at his MVP level of last season, if not slightly above it.

The Big Guy

A Night in the American League

Every night The Big Guy breaks down the action in the American League.

Biggest Win

White Sox 11-Twins 4: The Sox regained a share of the AL Central lead Tuesday when they walloped Minnesota. Big Donkey went nuts going 3-5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 3 R. Newly acquired reliever Brett Myers pitched a scoreless ninth and starter Jose Quintana went 6.1 IP, 8 H, 4 ER. First baseman Paul Konerko and shortstop Alexi Ramirez each hit homers. Of course, Chicago would like to thank the Cleveland Racists for making this all possible.

Best Hitter

The aforementioned Adam Dunn. Dunn’s blast was his Major League-best 30th of the season. The only consistent #3 hitter to bat .205 in that hole, Dunn’s on-base percentage is a solid .353. The 32-year-old 6’6″, 285 pound horse is five home runs from 400 and 7 RBI from 1,000. Give him two weeks and he’ll have them both.

Best Pitcher

Kansas City Royals 23-year-old lefty Will Smith cruised to his second major league win Tuesday. The 229th pick of the 2008 Draft went 7 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 4 K against the home Los Angeles Angels. Smith did walk a season-high four, but was able to elude damage after allowing his only run in the first inning. The 6’5″, 240 pound prospect made his debut against the Yankees earlier this season and can expect to remain in the big leagues for the rest of the season.

Stat to know

Former Chicago Cubs legend Sam Fuld made his season debut Tuesday with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Stanford man went 1-3, R, BB, SB. The Rays are undefeated this year when Fuld is in the fold. Tampa beat Baltimore yesterday 3-1.

Tomorrow’s Note

Oakland Athletics starter A.J. Griffin has thrown exactly 6.0 IP in each of his five starts this season; and as his 2.70 ERA suggests, all five starts have been quality. Griffin is yet to allow more than 3 ER and is 2-0. The El Cajon, CA native takes the hill in Toronto against the Blue Jays. Oakland is 15-2 in their last 17 games. They are starting to look like a classic Billy Beane team. Watch out.

A Night in the American League

Every night The Big Guy breaks down the action in the American League.

Best Win

White Sox 7-Twins 4: Why do we fall, Master Wayne? So we ca learn to pick ourselves up. Fresh off of losing the AL Central lead by dropping three straight to the division rival Tigers, not to mention five games overall, Chicago kicked the AL Central dog Monday night. After going 1-11 in Detroit over the weekend, Adam Dunn hit his MLB-best 29th homer. Gavin Floyd went 6 IP, 2 ER, 6 BB and Paul Konerko awoke with 3 RBI. The Sox trail Detroit by 1 game going into Tuesday.

Best Hitter

Nothing like chilling through 7 1/2 innings, taking one hack, and earning hero honors for the day. Los Angeles Angels DH Kendrys Morales had the day off Monday until the bottom of the 8th. With the bases loaded and the score knotted 3-3, Morales singled to deep right to clear the sacks. Half an inning later and the Angeles sealed a 6-3 victory over the hapless Kansas City Royals.

Best Pitcher

Don’t look now, but Hiroki Kuroda is pitching light out for the Yanks. Kuroda went 7 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 9 K against the Ichiroless Mariners. The $10 million man allowed only 4 fly ball outs on the way to his 10th win of the season. Kuroda lowered his ERA to 3.34 and has won his last four decisions. The Yankees have won his last six starts.

Stat to know

Cleveland Racists reliever Vinnie Pestano has not allowed an earned run in his last 11 appearances. The 27-year-old righty has a 1.54 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. After making 67 relief appearances in 2011 with a 2.32 ERA, Pestano is only improving.

Tomorrow’s note

Seattle fans will experience mixed emotions Tuesday when traded hero Ichiro Suzuki will face current Mariners franchise face, and Big Guy favorite, Felix Hernandez. Prediction: Ichiro goes 1-3 against King Felix.