Random thoughts, statistics
A few items prior to the Wild Things beginning their second homestand of the season:
* Washington's 10-5 start is the tied for the best 15-game start in franchise history. The Wild Things also were 10-5 in 2003 and 2007. That was the second year with Jeff Isom as manager and fourth under John Massarelli. Both of those teams made the Frontier League playoffs.
* According to Frontier League deputy commissioner Steve Tahsler, the Wild Things' 19-inning game Saturday/Sunday at Windy City was the longest in league history, eclipsing the 18-inning game July 13, 2007, between Florence and Southern Illinois.
* The Wild Things return home tonight in first place in the East Division. Has anybody noticed? In other words, what will the attendance be tonight when Washington hosts the Greys, the Frontier League's traveling team, which is off to a respectable 6-9 start?
Tuesday night home games, especially when some area schools are not yet on summer break, have never been top draws, but the Wild Things have been playing some of their best baseball in years. Though it will be on the cool side, the weather forecast is for 0% chance of rain tonight. The turnstile count should be worth noting.
* Darian Sandford is on pace to steal 89 bases, which would obliterate his league record of 71 steals.
* If there is one alarming trend in the Wild Things' play thus far, it's the high strikeout rate of their hitters. Washington leads the league with 159 strikeouts. Windy City is second with 141, but the ThunderBolts have played one more game than Washington. Florence is a distant third in whiffs with 120.
Strikeouts are unproductive outs. They do not advance baserunners. Washington already has had seven games with at least 10 strikeouts, and had nine in a six-inning game at Joliet. In the 19-inning game with Windy City, Wild Things hitters struck out 20 times and had 22 at-bats in which they failed to advance a baserunner. That's way too many. Over the course of an entire season, those kind of strikeout numbers will haunt you, especially when you're not a power-hitting team.
When the Wild Things do put the ball in play, good things have been happening. They are hitting .281 with runners in scoring position. It's the strikeouts, though, that have kept them from being, let's say, 13-2 instead of 10-5.
* The best statistic for Washington, other than its league-best 2.69 team ERA, is only Traverse City, River City and Rockford have issued fewer walks than the Wild Things' pitching staff. Washington has walked 45 batters in 134 innings. Of the three teams with fewer walks, none of those has pitched at least 121 innings.
* Washington's 10-5 start is the tied for the best 15-game start in franchise history. The Wild Things also were 10-5 in 2003 and 2007. That was the second year with Jeff Isom as manager and fourth under John Massarelli. Both of those teams made the Frontier League playoffs.
* According to Frontier League deputy commissioner Steve Tahsler, the Wild Things' 19-inning game Saturday/Sunday at Windy City was the longest in league history, eclipsing the 18-inning game July 13, 2007, between Florence and Southern Illinois.
* The Wild Things return home tonight in first place in the East Division. Has anybody noticed? In other words, what will the attendance be tonight when Washington hosts the Greys, the Frontier League's traveling team, which is off to a respectable 6-9 start?
Tuesday night home games, especially when some area schools are not yet on summer break, have never been top draws, but the Wild Things have been playing some of their best baseball in years. Though it will be on the cool side, the weather forecast is for 0% chance of rain tonight. The turnstile count should be worth noting.
* Darian Sandford is on pace to steal 89 bases, which would obliterate his league record of 71 steals.
* If there is one alarming trend in the Wild Things' play thus far, it's the high strikeout rate of their hitters. Washington leads the league with 159 strikeouts. Windy City is second with 141, but the ThunderBolts have played one more game than Washington. Florence is a distant third in whiffs with 120.
Strikeouts are unproductive outs. They do not advance baserunners. Washington already has had seven games with at least 10 strikeouts, and had nine in a six-inning game at Joliet. In the 19-inning game with Windy City, Wild Things hitters struck out 20 times and had 22 at-bats in which they failed to advance a baserunner. That's way too many. Over the course of an entire season, those kind of strikeout numbers will haunt you, especially when you're not a power-hitting team.
When the Wild Things do put the ball in play, good things have been happening. They are hitting .281 with runners in scoring position. It's the strikeouts, though, that have kept them from being, let's say, 13-2 instead of 10-5.
* The best statistic for Washington, other than its league-best 2.69 team ERA, is only Traverse City, River City and Rockford have issued fewer walks than the Wild Things' pitching staff. Washington has walked 45 batters in 134 innings. Of the three teams with fewer walks, none of those has pitched at least 121 innings.
posted by Chris Dugan at
7:26 AM
1 Comments:
What's wrong with yevoli this year
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