Career Year Continues for Cy Buchholz
8/17/2010: Red Sox 6, Angels 0
The Red Sox continue to dominate the 2010 iteration of the 21st century rivalry they’ve developed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Boston moves to 8-0 against the Angels this season after another terrific effort from Clay Buchholz, who now leads the American League in ERA.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the AL Cy Young race (the top 6 candidates in my opinion, sorted by innings count):
| Pitcher | IP | ERA+ | W | L | K/9 | BB/9 |
| Felix Hernandez | 189.0 | 154 | 8 | 10 | 8.2 | 2.5 |
| C.C. Sabathia | 181.7 | 128 | 16 | 5 | 7.1 | 3.0 |
| Cliff Lee | 169.0 | 150 | 10 | 6 | 7.8 | 0.5 |
| Jeff Weaver | 168.0 | 135 | 11 | 8 | 10.0 | 2.3 |
| Jon Lester | 161.0 | 156 | 13 | 7 | 9.2 | 3.1 |
| Clay Buchholz | 133.3 | 185 | 14 | 5 | 6.0 | 3.0 |
While King Felix should be in the discussion, his W/L record will disqualify him among the out-of-touch dinosaurs in the journalism community who cling to bubble-gum card statistics like an old teddy bear. Buchholz has the Pedro-esque ERA+, but his relatively low innings total and low K rate will hurt his cause.
Jon Lester has a strong argument to be the leader here with strong numbers across the board, which is amazing given the streak of inconsistency he’s experienced recently. I’m trying to be as objective as I can, but I think my vote would go in this direction if the season were to end today.
Notes and Takeaways:
- If you see throngs of chain-smoking, mildly attractive 23-year-old women sobbing outside of Fenway Park, it probably has something to do with this news. Wicked sad.
- I kid around about Ellsbury, but his injury (another broken rib) is legit. Just a terribly unlucky lost year for a guy who should be entering his prime. A pet peeve of mine is when fans who have trouble walking up a flight of stairs without gasping for air decide to comment on the mental toughness of professional athletes.
- The starting outfield from here on out, barring a waiver wire deal, should be Nava-Kalish-Drew, with Darnell McDonald available as a defensive replacement.
Love your second bullet and the mental toughness comment. I totally agree!
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:-) cool!
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