Around the Diamond: June 23

Jun/10

Around the Diamond: June 23

Jamie Moyer was bombed on June 11, allowing nine runs and nine hits in one inning in a loss to the Red Sox. However since then, in two starts against the Yankees and the Indians, he has allowed only three runs and five hits in 16 innings.

He is currently tied with Bob Feller and Eppa Rixey with 266 lifetime wins, good for 36th on the all-time wins list. He needs three wins to pass Jim Palmer, who has 268 wins, and he needs five wins to pass Mike Mussina and Burleigh Grimes with 270 wins each.

The White Sox were the only team in the American League Central to win yesterday. The White Sox moved to within three games of the second place Tigers and four-and-a-half games behind the first-place Twins. The White Sox, with a 35-34 record, have their first winning record since opening day.

Mat Latos of the Padres pitched 50.2 innings in his rookie season, making him ineligible for the Rookie of the Year award in 2010 since he needed to pitch fewer than 50 innings to be eligible. Otherwise he would have been a strong candidate with his 8-4 record and 2.93 ERA. His most impressive stat is that he has allowed 26 fewer hits than innings pitched.

Brennan Boesch of the Tigers has hit consistently since making his major league debut with the team. He hit .261 in April, .345 in May, and .366 in June. He has not had a prolonged slump, unlike most rookies who hit well at the start and then struggle when the pitchers figure them out.

They still haven’t figured out Boesch, since he hit three home runs and drove in 15 runs in May but has hit even better in June with seven home runs and 17 runs batted in with seven days remaining in the month. He has an incredible .438 OBP for June and is slugging .718 for the month for a 1.156 OPS in June. He is a left-handed hitter hitting .462. His numbers are amazing for a rookie.

Boesch leads all players with at least 150 at-bats in slugging with a .635 slugging percentage, and his 1.027 OPS is third in the majors behind Justin Morneau and Miguel Cabrera.

Josh Hamilton is proving he is an All-Star again, since he is hitting .476 in June with a .878 slugging percentage for the month and has hit eight home runs and driven in 26 runs with seven days remaining in the month….Prince Fielder has half as many RBI as the Brewers’ team leader Corey Hart, who has 54. Fielder is fifth for the Brewers in runs batted in.

Andy Pettitte (9-2) is on track for a 20-win season. His 2.48 ERA is the third lowest of his 16 year career….Tim Lincecum (8-2) lost back-to-back games in May to the Nationals and the Rockies but since then has allowed only seven runs in his last four starts.

Roy Halladay allowed only three home runs in his first 101 innings. However, he has allowed five in his last 14 innings and is 1-3 since his perfect game against the Marlins on May 29.

Stephen Strasburg faces a test today starting against the the Royals, the best-hitting team in the majors with a .280 average.

Ubaldo Jimenez puts his 13-1 record on the line against the Red Sox, who are hitting .278, the second highest average in the majors. John Lackey (8-3) will take the mound against Jimenez and the Rockies.