THT Awards

Welcome to the awards.

All stats are for the games starting Monday, July 25 and ending Sunday, July 31. If you are a new reader, reference the week one column for category explanations.

This week’s proof that assigning wins and losses to a pitcher is an archaic practice that must stop

Good luck division

Chris Capuano improved his record to 9-10 despite yielding six runs in five and a third on eight hits and three walks. Homer Bailey gave up nine runs to the Mets offense and Capuano just had to hold on and make it out of the fifth.

Joel Pineiro escaped with a no-decision when he gave up six runs in three and a third and failed to strike a single Tiger out.

Danny Duffy and Andrew Miller were torched in a wild game, giving up a combined 13 runs in seven and a third on 15 hits and five walks. Duffy also added a wild pitch and a hit batter. The decisions went to the bullpens.

Jake Arrieta got the win despite yielding four runs in five innings. His bullpen threw four scoreless frames as the Orioles offense pummeled the Brandon Morrow and the Jays pen.

Guillermo Moscoso gave up five in five innings, not striking a single batter out and walking four. But the Tampa bullpen bailed him out and he walked away without the loss.

Jonathon Niese was credited with a win after getting shelled for five runs in five innings. Johnny Cueto and the Cincinnati defense allowed six runs in that same period of time.

Carl Pavano and C.J. Wilson gave up 14 of the 17 runs that were scored in a combined nine innings. Neither absorbed the loss.

Wade Davis: five runs, six innings, win.

Bad luck division

As was suggested in last week’s comments section, Braves reliever Carlos Martinez threw six shutout innings in the controversial 19-inning marathon between the Braves and the Pirates. At any point in his time on the mound he would have received a win had Atlanta found a way to score a run. But they did not do so until after he left having thrown 88 pitches and having struck out six and allowing two base runners. He had by far the biggest WPA in the game, doubling Scott Proctor and Jason Grilli.

Dan Haren allowed one run in seven and two thirds, striking out 10. But Jordan Walden blew the save and Haren received a no-decision.

Paul Maholm and Jair Jurrjens each pitched seven frames, each allowed one run, each received a no-decision.

A Hardball Times Update
Goodbye for now.

Vulture Award

I was worried that I would go the whole week without writing up a reliever who blew the save and witnessed his mates picking him up and handing him an undeserved win. But then on Sunday Drew Storen let Scott Hairston belt his second home run of the game and it set the table for the Nats to score a run on Bobby Parnell and Storen got the win.

Then as if to say we’re not done, former closer Francisco Rodriguez blew the save for Milwaukee, only to watch the Astros bullpen give the lead back and Rodriguez got the win.

Wes Littleton Award

For his 18th save of the season, Ryan Madson retired Michael McKenry, Xavier Paul, and Garrett Jones. He was protecting a three-run lead with nobody on base.

Please hold the applause

J.P. Howell got the hold and the loss with help from Joel Peralta against the A’s.

Jason Motte entered the game up four runs with two on and one out. He faced Geovany Soto and Alfonso Soriano. Soto ended the game batting .241/.328/.404, Soriano .247/.286/.444. Should he have failed to secure either of those outs, Tyler Colvin’s .111/.176/.212 awaited.

Any sufficiently advanced defense is indistinguishable from pitching

Matt Cain struck out only one of the 27 Phillies he faced but batted balls found gloves instead of pasture and he threw seven innings of one run ball with only four hits against him.

Joe Carter Award

Carlos Lee drove in seven runs and batted .207/.207/.414. That’s the same number of RBIs as Dustin Pedroia, who went .433/.457/.733.

Sanchez Award

Casey Kotchman has hit well this year, though without the power you would expect from a first baseman. His .326/.384/.444 season line is what Oakland was hoping to get from Daric Barton. But this weekend, Kotchman rapped out eight singles, only one extra base hit, and he failed to walk, leading to a .321/.321/.357 line.

Martin Prado went .306/.306/.333 in 36 PA.

Nyjer Morgan went .286/.286/.333 for the Brewers.

Harmon Killebrew Award

Bobby Abreu went .238/.360/.476, powered mostly by four walks, a triple, and a home run in 25 PA.

Adam Dunn has had a lot of terrible weeks, so it was refreshing to see him walk seven times and homer to put up a .235/.458/.412 line, which is helpful.

Steve Balboni Award

Miguel Olivo was busy being Miguel Olivo. .063/.063/.063 is a bad week, but the nine strikeouts in 16 PA with no walks sounds awfully familiar to this Royals fan.

Pedro Alvarez needs a little less swing and miss in his game if he is going to help the Pirates much at all. The big Vandy product fanned 13 times in 32 PA and ended at .138/.242/.276.

Kyle Blanks had a rough one, going .000/.167/.000 with nine K’s in 17 PA.

Three true outcomes

Jayson Werth has an extra “Y” in his first name and a lot of TTO’s in his week. He hit one home run, walked three times, and struck out nine times in 21 PA.

Dunn went 1-7-8 in 24 PA.

Billy Butler missed one category, but made up for it with the power: 5-0-8 in 33 PA.

Paul Konerko posted a 3-3-6 in 19 PA.

Evan Longoria: 1-10-7 in 30 PA, which goes a long way to explain a very strange looking .100/.400/.250 line.

The anti-TTO

Aaron Miles showed dedication to making contact at all cost with no true outcomes in 26 PA.

The subject of Martin Prado came up in the Sanchez Award category. Related, he qualifies here with zero home runs and walks and only one strikeout.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka went zero-zero-two in 23 PA.

This week’s MVP

AL: Ben Zobrist was great with six singles, three doubles, three home runs, and four walks for a .429/.520/.857 in 32 PA. He is the winner, but I have to mention Billy Butler and Alex Gordon who went .406/.412/.938 and .345/.486/.828 respectively.

NL: Jesus Guzman is really making the most of his first real shot at major league playing time. This week he went off for three doubles, two home runs, and four walks in 25 PA, most of which came at home in Petco. .429/.520/.857 is impressive. We’re still in the small sample size portion of the show, but a 27-year-old minor league free agent utilityman is batting .333/.378/.607 in 90 PA. He’s probably nowhere near MVP candidate good, but he does have a career minor league line of .305/.373/.480 in 3800 PA. Stranger things have happened.


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