Post by Commissioner Erick on Jan 22, 2018 19:25:57 GMT -5
Colorado Rockies (22-16) @ Pittsburgh Pirates (19-19)
COL: Tyler Anderson (4-2, 3.52)
PIT: Casey Sadler (4-1, 4.66)
On May 4th, the Pittsburgh Pirates were 8-15 and fading fast. They lost the first game of a series against the New York Mets with three to go, and four games upcoming against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Instead of finding out they were sellers, the Pirates got themselves back into National League Playoff race.
The NL Central leading Pittsburgh Pirates and Second NL Wild Card Colorado Rockies square off in a battle of current playoff teams who got off to rough starts.
The Pirates have won nine in a row, and 12 of 15 against a difficult slate after scuffling until early May. Pittsburgh had the third worst starter's ERA in April, with a 6.14 mark. That's been cut down to a more palatable 4.75 ERA in May. The team's 4.64 reliever ERA has also done an about face, and is 2.89 in May, fourth best in the league for the month. The team has simply started to pitch better.
They also started to hit home runs. While Pittsburgh's offensive output in April was roughly league average, the team's 12 home runs was fourteenth in the league, and seven behind thirteenth place Miami. A very high doubles output was able to keep the offense afloat early on, but it wasn't very dangerous. In May, the team is a more respectable ninth in home runs, which is enough to lead the month's best NL OPS. The Pirates still crank out doubles, they've run the bases well, and they have the highest average in the month. That has led the team to the second most runs scored in the month of May, which is remarkable considering roughly half their games have come against the Dodgers and Mets.
Some of the usual faces are leading the offensive charge. If he had the plate appearances to qualify, Josh Harrison would have the fourth highest average in the league, and fully healthy now, Austin Meadows has produced like the number 10 prospect in the league when on the field. Kevin Newman is following up a strong rookie year with the bat with a strong sophomore year, and Josh Bell has knocked in 15 RBI's in May.
The biggest catalysts though are an unheralded rookie catcher playing like a starter, and an underwhelming outfielder putting things together. Jin-de Jhang rapidly developed his bat in a taste of three minor league levels last season. After Francisco Cervelli's career was somberly derailed, Jhang was given a spot on the roster this year. He's produced a .384 average with seven doubles in 76 plate appearances thus far, carving out a time-share with Elias Diaz. Diaz for his part, turned a .368 April OPS (!!!) into a 1.007 OPS thus far in May, as the previously inept catcher spot has turned into a weapon.
Also for Pittsburgh, Gregory Polanco's bat has come alive. He was a solid starter last year, but the Pirates needed him to be the best player on the team if they wanted to compete this season. He responded with a .203 average in April. This month, however, he's hitting .418 with four home runs and four doubles, plus three steals. He's hitting everything, driving the ball over the fence, and doing an efficient job on the bases. When Polanco is playing this way, he gives the Pirates a swagger that they can compete with anybody.
He and the Pirates will be competing against a surprisingly pitching-focused Colorado team. After winning 13 games last year, Anderson has cut his home runs numbers, cut his walk rate, and seen his BABIP drop. His RA/9 has declined as a result, and his ERA is more than a full run lower than last year. The tradeoff is that he doesn't strike many guys out, and is in the 24th percentile in the National League in strikeout rate. Anderson has made only three starts at Coors Field, and one was cut short due to injury, so he circumstances surrounding his performance are favorable in that regard. However, he's also made starts in pitching-unfavorable environments in Milwaukee and Arizona, plus in San Francisco against the Giants' second best offense. He's worked at least six innings in all but one of his healthy outings, and can say the same about allowing three runs or fewer.
Anderson was hit hard in Pittsburgh last year, getting beat up to the tune of seven runs, six earned, in 6.1 innings. He allowed 11 hits and struck out only two, despite facing a backup heavy lineup. As a result, he'll want to save face tonight.
The Rockies had a disappointing offense last year given the run-environment of Coors Field. They're enjoying a return to the good blessings Coors bestows on hitters. Charlie Blackmon has upped his average to .327 with seven stolen bases atop the Colorado lineup. His OBP has jumped from .341 to .382, which has fueled the sixth best offense in the league.
The biggest improvement has been David Dahl blossoming. Dahl was excellent defensively in 2017, but he was a bit raw with the bat, posting just a .306 OBP. While his plate discipline skills are largely the same, Dahl has learned to crush pitches earlier in the count and to be better with two strikes.
Half of Dahl's at bats last year went to two-strikes, and he was awful in them, even in full counts. He had a .510 OPS in two-strike counts and he was reaching half the time. This year the percentage of full counts reached has dipped to 43%, and he has a .759 OPS in them. Shockingly, Dahl has an OPS above .700 in all two-strike counts this year except Full Counts, which is weird. Thanks to his overall two-strike improvements, and his getting into more favorable counts, Dahl has a .327 average and 11 home runs, which is second in the NL.
The Rockies are currently getting rough years from All-Star Tom Murphy, prospect Raimel Tapia, and glove-first D.J. LeMahieu. If two of those three can turn things around, Colorado can boost from having the sixth best offense to the best one without a hitch.
Questions for the GMs:
For Erick Blasco, will you make any changes to your normal lineup or rotation for this game, and why?
You thought that your offense would get better this season merely by regression. You thought your pitching would get better by young players improving. How have those assumptions held up?
Your team has been challenged by injuries. How have your depth pieces held up?
For Mike McAvoy, your relief pitching has been terrific in May after a shaky April. What turned things around?
Your team has hit a lot more home runs in May compared to April. Was there anything you did to generate more power or are guys just simply making better contact?
AJ Schugel has been prone to some blowups this year, but he's pitched frequently and fairly well. He has as many shutdowns as meltdowns so far. What are your thoughts on his season so far?
COL: Tyler Anderson (4-2, 3.52)
PIT: Casey Sadler (4-1, 4.66)
On May 4th, the Pittsburgh Pirates were 8-15 and fading fast. They lost the first game of a series against the New York Mets with three to go, and four games upcoming against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Instead of finding out they were sellers, the Pirates got themselves back into National League Playoff race.
The NL Central leading Pittsburgh Pirates and Second NL Wild Card Colorado Rockies square off in a battle of current playoff teams who got off to rough starts.
The Pirates have won nine in a row, and 12 of 15 against a difficult slate after scuffling until early May. Pittsburgh had the third worst starter's ERA in April, with a 6.14 mark. That's been cut down to a more palatable 4.75 ERA in May. The team's 4.64 reliever ERA has also done an about face, and is 2.89 in May, fourth best in the league for the month. The team has simply started to pitch better.
They also started to hit home runs. While Pittsburgh's offensive output in April was roughly league average, the team's 12 home runs was fourteenth in the league, and seven behind thirteenth place Miami. A very high doubles output was able to keep the offense afloat early on, but it wasn't very dangerous. In May, the team is a more respectable ninth in home runs, which is enough to lead the month's best NL OPS. The Pirates still crank out doubles, they've run the bases well, and they have the highest average in the month. That has led the team to the second most runs scored in the month of May, which is remarkable considering roughly half their games have come against the Dodgers and Mets.
Some of the usual faces are leading the offensive charge. If he had the plate appearances to qualify, Josh Harrison would have the fourth highest average in the league, and fully healthy now, Austin Meadows has produced like the number 10 prospect in the league when on the field. Kevin Newman is following up a strong rookie year with the bat with a strong sophomore year, and Josh Bell has knocked in 15 RBI's in May.
The biggest catalysts though are an unheralded rookie catcher playing like a starter, and an underwhelming outfielder putting things together. Jin-de Jhang rapidly developed his bat in a taste of three minor league levels last season. After Francisco Cervelli's career was somberly derailed, Jhang was given a spot on the roster this year. He's produced a .384 average with seven doubles in 76 plate appearances thus far, carving out a time-share with Elias Diaz. Diaz for his part, turned a .368 April OPS (!!!) into a 1.007 OPS thus far in May, as the previously inept catcher spot has turned into a weapon.
Also for Pittsburgh, Gregory Polanco's bat has come alive. He was a solid starter last year, but the Pirates needed him to be the best player on the team if they wanted to compete this season. He responded with a .203 average in April. This month, however, he's hitting .418 with four home runs and four doubles, plus three steals. He's hitting everything, driving the ball over the fence, and doing an efficient job on the bases. When Polanco is playing this way, he gives the Pirates a swagger that they can compete with anybody.
He and the Pirates will be competing against a surprisingly pitching-focused Colorado team. After winning 13 games last year, Anderson has cut his home runs numbers, cut his walk rate, and seen his BABIP drop. His RA/9 has declined as a result, and his ERA is more than a full run lower than last year. The tradeoff is that he doesn't strike many guys out, and is in the 24th percentile in the National League in strikeout rate. Anderson has made only three starts at Coors Field, and one was cut short due to injury, so he circumstances surrounding his performance are favorable in that regard. However, he's also made starts in pitching-unfavorable environments in Milwaukee and Arizona, plus in San Francisco against the Giants' second best offense. He's worked at least six innings in all but one of his healthy outings, and can say the same about allowing three runs or fewer.
Anderson was hit hard in Pittsburgh last year, getting beat up to the tune of seven runs, six earned, in 6.1 innings. He allowed 11 hits and struck out only two, despite facing a backup heavy lineup. As a result, he'll want to save face tonight.
The Rockies had a disappointing offense last year given the run-environment of Coors Field. They're enjoying a return to the good blessings Coors bestows on hitters. Charlie Blackmon has upped his average to .327 with seven stolen bases atop the Colorado lineup. His OBP has jumped from .341 to .382, which has fueled the sixth best offense in the league.
The biggest improvement has been David Dahl blossoming. Dahl was excellent defensively in 2017, but he was a bit raw with the bat, posting just a .306 OBP. While his plate discipline skills are largely the same, Dahl has learned to crush pitches earlier in the count and to be better with two strikes.
Half of Dahl's at bats last year went to two-strikes, and he was awful in them, even in full counts. He had a .510 OPS in two-strike counts and he was reaching half the time. This year the percentage of full counts reached has dipped to 43%, and he has a .759 OPS in them. Shockingly, Dahl has an OPS above .700 in all two-strike counts this year except Full Counts, which is weird. Thanks to his overall two-strike improvements, and his getting into more favorable counts, Dahl has a .327 average and 11 home runs, which is second in the NL.
The Rockies are currently getting rough years from All-Star Tom Murphy, prospect Raimel Tapia, and glove-first D.J. LeMahieu. If two of those three can turn things around, Colorado can boost from having the sixth best offense to the best one without a hitch.
Questions for the GMs:
For Erick Blasco, will you make any changes to your normal lineup or rotation for this game, and why?
You thought that your offense would get better this season merely by regression. You thought your pitching would get better by young players improving. How have those assumptions held up?
Your team has been challenged by injuries. How have your depth pieces held up?
For Mike McAvoy, your relief pitching has been terrific in May after a shaky April. What turned things around?
Your team has hit a lot more home runs in May compared to April. Was there anything you did to generate more power or are guys just simply making better contact?
AJ Schugel has been prone to some blowups this year, but he's pitched frequently and fairly well. He has as many shutdowns as meltdowns so far. What are your thoughts on his season so far?
