No team has gotten more innings from its starting pitchers this season : 0xbt

No team has gotten more innings from its starting pitchers this season

    laiyongcai92
    By laiyongcai92
     than the Cleveland Indians. No team has gotten fewer than the Tampa Bay Rays.Yet the Indians and Rays have ended up in a similar spot. Cleveland’s team ERA is 3.84. Tampa Bay’s is 3.82.The Rays have been unorthodox in their approach Mike Moustakas Jersey , eschewing a normal starting rotation in favor of a system in which one of their usual relievers might take the mound at the beginning of a game. Right now, Tampa Bay’s depth chart on MLB.com only lists three pitchers in the rotation — yet the Rays are 60-58 and have a chance for their first winning season since 2013.Tampa Bay has tried using an “opener” at the start of games. One of the team’s relievers might start the game and pitch an inning or two. Then another pitcher — who might normally have been the starter — comes in and perhaps pitches through the middle innings. If his outing begins in the third, for example, he may benefit from not having to face the top hitters as often.The result is that the Rays’ stats are significantly skewed. Tampa Bay’s starters have thrown only 485 1/3 innings in 118 games. Cleveland, led by its stellar foursome of Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco and Mike Clevinger, has gotten 737 1/3 innings from its starters. The Indians are atop the AL Central, but the Rays are comparable in terms of run prevention.The starting pitchers for the 2012 Colorado Rockies threw only 765 innings Salvador Perez Jersey , and according to the database at Baseball-Reference.com, that’s the lowest total since at least 1908 in any season that wasn’t shortened by a work stoppage. The Rays appear well on their way to finishing below 700.Other developments from around the majors:NO RESTE.D. stands for Edwin Diaz, and it also stands for every day.The Seattle closer saved all four games of his team’s series sweep of the Houston Astros. The last victory came in 10 innings Sunday.Diaz now has 46 saves for the playoff-chasing Mariners, and he could threaten Francisco Rodriguez’s record of 62, set in 2008. Diaz has also posted a 1.98 ERA.Problem is, his career high in innings is 66, set last season. He’s already at 59 this year. Diaz has also made 59 appearances. Only Jose Alvarez of the Angels (60) has more.HIGHLIGHTSDavid Bote and Cesar Hernandez both circled the bases in memorable fashion.Bote, pinch-hitting for the Chicago Cubs, won Sunday night’s game over Washington with a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth. The Cubs were down 3-0 with two outs before Bote’s drive to center .Hernandez went all the way around the bases after dropping a bunt in Philadelphia’s 5-2 win over Arizona on Tuesday night. There were two throwing errors by the Diamondbacks on the play . The Phillies play the Mets next weekend in the Little League Classic at Williamsport http://www.royalsfanproshop.com/authentic-brandon-moss-jersey , Pennsylvania, so Hernandez should already be in the right spirit after taking advantage of Arizona’s carelessness.LINE OF THE WEEKMookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox continued his push for the American League MVP award, hitting for the cycle in an 8-5 win over Toronto on Thursday night. He completed the cycle in style, with a home run in the ninth inning. Sonny Gray was acquired by the New York Yankees at last year's non-waiver trade deadline to be a front-line starter for the postseason, but after struggling mightily this season, he has lost his spot in the rotation.New York general manager Brian Cashman told WFAN's Chris Carlin on Thursday that Gray will be moved to the bullpen, and recent acquisition Lance Lynn will join the rotation.Gray understood the decision, according to YES Network'sMeredith Marakovits: "I've struggled and they've given me ample opportunity to figure it out. I continued to grind ... I'm going to go to the pen and continue to try to figure it out."It was just a few years ago thatGray appeared to be the next great pitcher, as he was named to the American League All-Star team and finished third in AL Cy Young award voting in 2015 Bo Jackson Jersey , just his second full season in the majors. However, he has not been able to build on that early success.The right-hander had mixed results after being acquired in a midseason trade last year, going 4-7 with a 3.72 ERA in 11 starts. He allowed five runs in just 8.1 innings over two postseason starts as well.This year, though, has not featured many bright spots for Gray. The 28-year-old has managed an 8-8 record despite a 5.56 ERA and a 1.524 WHIP in 21 starts. His strikeouts per nine innings (8.6) are slightly up, but his walks per nine (4.0) and hits per nine (9.7) are among the worst of his career.New York hoped Gray could shake off the struggles eventually, and he even seemed to be getting on track in July allowing just two earned runs over his final three starts of the month. However, he was roughed up for seven runs in just 2.2 innings against the 33-75 Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday. To make matters worse, he was caughtsmilingwhile being booed off the field.He revealed to reporters after the game that smiling was his way of handling his frustration Paulo Orlando Jersey , via ESPN (around the 1:09 mark):And then there's his off-the-field controversy. Gray recently became one of a handful of players around the league to come under fire for racist tweets from the past. He wrote that off as an "inside joke" between him and a former teammate, and he has since deleted all of his tweets.The Yankees made starting pitching a priority at the deadline, trading for Lynn and J.A. Happ. Happ has since landed on the disabled list, but New York (68-38) is now turning to Lynn over Gray as it looks to catch the Boston Red Sox (75-34) in the AL East.