Coach Fletcher’s Thursday Scouting edge
Thursday, July 30
9:10 am San Diego Padres at New York Mets
Niese Earns Plaudits for Pitching Instead of Attending Birth of 2nd Child
Jon Niese earned cheers from the Met players and the fans in his last start when he chose to pitch instead of attending the birth of his second child. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out for Niese or the Mets because the Dodgers rock him for 6 runs and 8 hits in only 3 innings. I think it is safe to give him a pass on that one when it comes to evaluating his performance. Niese is just 5-9 with a 3.75 era. His poor record can probably be attributed more to the lack of offense than the lack of prowess on Niese’s part. In his last 7 games Niese is 2-3 with a 2.98 era. This is the 4th straight season that Niese has had an era under 4.00, but the Mets lack of production has given him a 35-37 record over that time. In his career he is 57-60 with a 3.85 era. Part of Niese’s problems stem from an inability to pitch well at home. This season he is 3-4 with a 4.61 era at home versus a 3.02 era on the road. He has also failed to show fondness for day games going 1-2 with a 4.60 era in daylight as opposed to a 3.45 era in the dark.
9:10 am Washington Nationals at Miami Marlins
Haren Says Welcome Home !
Dan Haren has had a rough time lately. Not only is he the subject of persistent trade rumors, Haren has only won once in his last 9 starts, despite having 6 quality starts in that span. Part of the problem has been his struggles on the road where his era is a healthy 4.16 and his record 3-4. At home, however, it is a completely different story. Haren is 4 -2 with a 2.83 era at home in 10 starts. He is also a fan of day games where he is 4-1 with a 3.25 era. Three Nats are hitting .500 against Haren in limited at bats – Harper, Ramos, and Uggla. Jayson Werth is hitting .333 vs Haren. Harper and Uggla have tagged him for round-trippers.
4:05 pm Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies
Harang Skips Rehab Assignment to Take Mound Against Braves
Aaron Harang has plantar fasciitis in his left foot. That ailment makes it difficult to walk let alone pitch in the major leagues. Harang was scheduled to make a rehab start in Triple-A yesterday, but problems with the rotation caused the Phils to skip that start and move him to the hill on Thursday. You know they are in trouble when the Phillies started Jerome Williams today. Harang is 4-11 with a 4.08 era. He is 0-7 in his last starts with a bloated era of 7.52. Something is definitely wrong. Harang was 12-12 for the Braves last year with a 3.57 era. He’s 2-6 with a 3.88 era at home. In his last 3 starts Haren has given up 16 runs in 17 innings.
4:10 pm Chicago White Sox at Boston Red Sox
Don’t Look Now – Here Come the White Sox !
The Chisox transformed themselves over the All Star break. Who knows what happened, but whatever it is the White Sox bats have come alive. Whether they can hit Steven Wright’s knuckleball is a whole other story, but the Pale Hose have come alive. Going into Wednesday’s game with Boston and Rick Porcello, the White Sox had taken 6 straight. Make it 7 now. They had raised their record in the second half to 16-8. The offense has been averaging 6.7 runs per game in that streak. The White Sox batting average during the run has been .309. All these numbers are significantly higher than they achieved in the first half of the season. Chicago has moved into 3rd place and have their sights set on the Minnesota Twins who occupy the second spot. The White Sox were purported to be sellers before the trading deadline but this mini-run could change that. And, oh yes, Chris Sale takes the bump for Chicago today.
5:10 pm Los Angeles Angels at Houston Astros
Shoemaker Tries to Restore Angel Pitching Prowess vs Kazmir
The Angels came into Houston with the lead in the AL West. They won’t be leaving with it when Matt Shoemaker squares off with Scott Kazmir. Shoemaker probably threw his best game of the season last week against the Twins going 6 innings, allowing 2 hits, 0 runs and striking out 10. Shoemaker was 16-4 with a 3.04 era last year with the Halos so maybe he is coming around. Kazmir is just Kazmir. After his trade to Houston Kazmir threw 7 scoreless innings against the Twins allowing only 3 singles. But as good as this pitching looks, there are some batters who are licking their chops. Five Astros are hitting .500 or better against Shoemaker in limited at bats. 2 other Astros are hitting .333 versus Shoemaker. They have also had 5 homers against Matt. The Angels Eric Aybar can’t wait to see Kazmir on the hill. Aybar is hitting .750 against him. Kole Calhoun is hitting .571 and 5 other Halos are hitting over .300 vs Kazmir. None, however, have touched him for a 4 bagger and he is holding Albert Pujols to just .125.