History repeats itself...Astros acquire catcher Martin Maldonado at the trade deadline, last year we got him from the Angels same time of the day. Still nothing about adding a pitcher. Maldonado for Tony Kemp was an easy deal, they had cut Kemp a couple of days ago and it was either a trade or he becomes a free agent next week I think. He's a good guy and a fan favorite here in Houston, just no room for him with the emergence of other options in the outfield.
HOLY COW...Greinke! Don't know what the cost was in terms of prospects yet though. How do you like this for a 1-2-3 Your 2019 leaders in WHIP: 1-Justin Verlander 0.81 2-Zack Greinke 0.94 5-Gerrit Cole 1.00
Watched the replay of that several times, it was a great baseball fight, but as is the norm I saw no blood! Hockey players laugh at baseball players!
Wow..Astros closed with a rush by adding another Starter in Aron Sanchez of the Blue Jays and another bullpen pitcher in Joe Biagini. Giving up Derek Fisher doesn't look like much right now.
What's an ERA + 140? <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Zack Greinke gives the <a href="#Astros hashtag on Twitter">#Astros</a> four starting pitchers with an ERA+ over 140 (Verlander, Cole, Miley)<br><br>No team has had four starters with an ERA+ over 140 since the 1907 Cubs <a href="Pitching Season & Career Finder | Baseball-Reference.com">Pitching Season & Career Finder | Baseball-Reference.com</a> <a href="Baseball Reference on Twitter">pic.twitter.com/ZGGQZbYKek</a></p>— Baseball Reference (@baseball_ref) <a href="">July 31, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
OK found out what it is.. Adjusted Earned Run Average (ERA+) Definition ERA+ takes a player's ERA and normalizes it across the entire league. It accounts for external factors like ballparks and opponents. It then adjusts, so a score of 100 is league average, and 150 is 50 percent better than the league average. For example, Mariano Rivera's 2.21 career ERA was 105 percent better than the MLB average during the time he pitched (including adjustments for park and league). That gives him a 205 career ERA+ (the best all-time). The formula League ERA, adjusted for park factors x 100 / ERA. Why it's useful ERA is the most universally accepted tool for measuring the performance of a pitcher. But ERA+ is actually a more accurate league-wide barometer, because it evens the playing field for all pitchers. Fantasy advantage
Re: Adjusted ERA. I fully comprehend the need for this kind of comparative statistic, as well as other sabremetric stats as crucial tools for GMs in evaluating players and trades, etc.. However, as an old-school - and old - fan, I'll stick with the traditional stats. TMI is likely to make my feeble head explode.
Tonight should be interesting anyway...don't like the Tribe's chances against Gerrit Cole but Danny Salazar will be on the mound for the first time since his shoulder problems started in 2017. He'll be on a short pitch count. Puig and Reyes will be playing for the Indians.
Salazar could keep it tight and Puig is always a wild card. Some nights, he just goes 3 for 5 with 2 HRs and a SB...
Puig and Reyes add a ton of power to an already powerful Cleveland lineup. This will be interesting...
Dodger dogs are VERY happy not to part with any of it's potential superstars. There's a reason the Pirates are in dead last place and the Dodgers win big every year. Pittsburgh now has a shut-down closer with nothing to close, because his team rarely gets to the 9th inning with a lead and he'll be throwing to the worst catchers in the National League. I suggest that he call his own game...
When Greinke signed with AZ; turning down the Dodgers $31 million per year offer, the Dodgers received a #1 compensation pick from the Snakes. They used that pick to choose catcher Will Smith, "The Fresh Prince of Beverly Hills" who goes into tonight's game as the #1 catcher batting .333. Tomorrow night's starting pitcher will be "The Red Nightmare"; 21 year old, red haired, 6'6", flame thrower Dustin May...the kid we DIDN'T trade to Pittsburgh...
Feel sorry for the Pirate fans. The ownership is both cheap and inept. Last year, they gave up talented young prospects to the Rays in return for Chris Archer thinking they had a chance to make the playoffs. Archer has been horrible and the Pirates have sunk to the bottom of the NLC while the Rays, who also operate on a very limited budget, have put together a pretty nice young team. The team that stuns me is San Francisco. Their lineup is looks like an amalgam of fading stars and cast offs from other teams but they have a real shot at a wild card slot. Back in May, I thought they would end up with the worst record in the NL.