Random Thoughts

After last night’s effort, Mike Leake is currently the Reds’ top starter with an ERA a shade under 3.00.  After allowing 12 walks in his first two starts, he’s only allowed four in 20 innings pitched (with 14 Ks) in his last three starts.  Maybe he really didn’t need any minor league seasoning…

Livan Hernandez won again today.  He’s now 4-1 with a ridiculous 0.99 ERA.  I can’t see it lasting, though.  In 36.1 innings pitched, he’s allowed 13 walks and struck out only 11.  Eventually, more of those batted balls are going to find holes.

The Astros are having an all-or-nothing season so far.  They lost their first eight and they’ve now last their last eight.  In between they went 8-2.  I doubt it’s going to be a fun year for ‘stros’ fans.

Tim Lincecum picked up another thirteen strikeouts today to regain the major lead with 56.  He didn’t get the win, though, as he served up a three-run homer to Hanley Ramirez and Sergio Romo gave up a three-run dinger to Dan Uggla.

It would seem to be a pretty good rule of thumb that you can beat the Marlins if you can avoid giving up three run homers to Ramirez or Uggla.  I guess it’s harder than it sounds to execute that plan.   Even so, the Giants managed to win in 12.

Lincecum was at one point on a pace to break Christy Matthewson’s 105 year old team record of 16 strikeouts in a game.  Christy must have really been dealing that day (they only played day games in those days), because it was pretty damn hard to strike out 16 in a game in the deadball era, when all the hitters choked up and tried to put the ball in play.

It will be interesting to see if Lincecum ever gets 16 Ks in a game.  He tends to throw a lot of pitches when his Ks count is high, because he’s not afraid to waste pitches or be effectively wild.  It could definitely happen, but it will probably take a two-hits or fewer complete game shutout for Timmy to do it.

In another sign that it might be the Twins’ year, Brewers re-tread J. J. Hardy made a great defensive play in the top of the ninth to possibly prevent the go-ahead run.  Then, in the bottom of the inning he hit a triple and scored on a wild pitch.

Meanwhile, Nick Blackburn threw an eleven-hit complete game in which he threw only 95 pitches.  It’s safe to say that Tim Lincecum will never throw an eleven hit complete game in which he throws fewer than 100 pitches no matter how long his career lasts.

The Yankees won again tonight, 4-1 over the Orioles.  How boring is that?