As the 2023 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Incoming updates on pitcher injuries:
A handful of updates on pitchers are expected around the league today, led by a pair of aces who exited their starts yesterday: Jacob deGrom left his start with the Rangers after four innings with wrist soreness, while Brewers manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy) that Corbin Burnes left his start against the Mariners with a left pec strain. Both aces are expected to be evaluated later today.
We could also receive updates on Reds right-hander Hunter Greene, who left yesterday’s start with a right tibia contusion, with Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer noting that initial x-rays came back negative. Meanwhile, Royals manager Matt Quatraro told reporters (including MLB.com’s Anne Rogers) that Kris Bubic would require a second opinion after tests yesterday revealed a flexor strain for the young lefty.
2. Kershaw goes for No. 200:
Pitcher wins aren’t exactly en vogue among front offices and analysts in 2023, but they still hold an important place in the hearts of many fans and in most pitchers themselves. That’s particularly true when it comes to milestones; round numbers always grab our attention and are often cited when looking back at a player’s career through a historical lens.
Clayton Kershaw will take the mound for the 405th time in his career tonight (402nd start), and with a victory, he’ll become just the 121st pitcher to ever reach 200 wins in his career. In an era where teams have shorter leashes for starters and are more reliant on bullpen arms than ever before, reaching such heights is extra difficult. Howard Cole observes (Twitter link) that Kershaw would become just the third pitcher to ever accumulate 200 wins solely in a Dodgers uniform, joining Hall of Famers Don Sutton and Don Drysdale.
Kershaw’s place in Dodgers lore is already cemented, but this will be another feather in his cap and another achievement on his own eventual case for Cooperstown enshrinement. So far in 2023, his 16th Major League season, the 35-year-old Kershaw has a 3.50 ERA and 17-to-4 K/BB ratio in 18 innings.
3. MLBTR Chat today:
We’re now around 10% of the way through the 2023 regular season, with plenty of interesting early season trends to discuss. If the beginning of this season has spurred any questions in your mind about your favorite team or the league as a whole, MLBTR’s Steve Adams is holding a live chat with readers at 1pm CT today. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete.
Bubic getting a second opinion after tests revealed a flexor strain is way more concerning than deGrom’s sore wrist. One could be a precursor to TJS; the other may miss a start. Hopefully both are fine.
1. It truly would be a weird baseball season if Stanton and deGrom were on the field for the whole season so I’m glad everything is normal.
2. Get rid of the wins statistic. When a pitcher can come in after a starting pitcher and pitch 1 inning where his team scores a run that ultimately wins the game, you know the win category means nothing.
3. Always exciting!
It happened recently, but pitcher of record (RP Jeurys Familia) had what was deemed “a short and ineffective outing” and official scorer chose to give win not to the pitcher of record (when their team took the lead, and won) but to the following RP (Chad Smith). Rarely happens, but interesting that the official scorer has the power to ultimately make exceptions when deemed necessary.
espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/36173995/oakland-chad-smit…
@RunDMC
Yeah, I was going on a rand but true enough. Essentially, the official scorer decides wins and loses for pitchers, which makes it even more irrelevant.
The reason wins are given to pitchers who throw one inning is because the official scorers are media people. They don’t know what they’re doing. Like not calling an obvious error because it’s the home team that committed the error. The media should never, ever be official scorers, vote for awards or have anything else to do with bb other than write about it.
wins have been like that for decades. no reason to stop it now. analytics just makes 5 innings starts en vogue.
Why does it bother you that something that doesn’t affect you continues to exist? Just don’t pay attention to it. The world doesn’t revolve around you, It is perfectly okay for other people to enjoy something you don’t like.
I don’t particularly like the FIP statistic because pitchers are part of the defense not independent of it But I am not saying it needs to be eliminated because I know some people like the stat.
@hiflew
The world revolves around the sun and given that the sun doesn’t care about anything other than being a sun, I guess your point is moot.
You don’t know what the sun cares about.
In fairness to deGrom, he made his starts regularly through the 2020 season. His injury problems really started in 2021.
The idea of playing is to win, it is still a reasonable stat.
True, but you also need a team to win. A pitcher can still be great, but get tagged with an L because the offense or defense didn’t show up.
That’s why losses have never been worried about as much as wins though. But it also kind of evens out over the long haul. Hard luck losses are balanced with “undeserved” wins and they can cancel each other out.
Some starters are able to outpitch their competition and should be rewarded for that. As for relievers, wins can be more random. If you drop wins, it should also mean holds and saves should go. Never liked how holds are awarded, but saves are something not all releivers are capable of.
THIS is the key. The job of a pitcher has never been to get 27 outs by himself or anything. The main job of a pitcher is to simply do better than the other guy.
@stymeedone LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Boy am I glad you’re not a GM LOL! ROFLOL! ROTFLMAO!
@stymeedone It’s basically been proven that “outpitching their competition” or “pitching to the score” is bs. No pitcher has been able to sustainably do that throughout their career. Even the pitchers who often get cited as examples of this phenomenon (I’m looking at you Steve Carlton) had seasons where the opposite was true.
@hiflew No the job of the pitcher is to pitch as many innings as possible while allowing as few runs as possible. The pitcher can’t control what the other guy does.
Basically been proven? In other words, it hasn’t been proven, but you are going to speak as if it was.
You can’t control what the other guy does in a chess match or a tennis match and yet we still have winners and losers in them. It’s not about control what he does, it’s about doing better than him.
Been proven because smart people have actually looked into and found that no one has been able to do it sustainably as I said.
Chess and tennis aren’t team sports. Baseball is. Wins are a team stat not an individual stat.
Doubles tennis is.
And it’s pretty easy to tell if one player on a side is significantly better than the other. But then it might not be easy for you seeing how you are the guy who defended the Rockies not trading Trevor Story, Jon Gray and Daniel Bard.
And the win stat tells you nothing about whether the team won because of that pitcher or despite him.
The idea of playing is to win, it is still a reasonable stat…
Or even just 1/3 of an inning
deGrom on pace for 5 wins, assuming he can make 20 starts
As the lady writes in Paragraph 2- pitching wins are not exactly “en vogue” among front offices. And then we have the case of one Clayton Kershaw. What a man, what a man, what a man, what a mighty good man.
5 wins.
And the wrist is history.
I see what you pun there. And raise you a glass
Clayton Chokeshaw.
Angry angster
Clayton Coleslaw?
Ace? More like the Joker. A forgettable card.
Impressive little missive by this new cub reporter: quick snappy tidbits to start off one’s day. What’s not to likey. Long winded ponderers of one’s own navel, your Aaron Suppositorkniks and Samuels, take note. In Elevator. See opportunity. Throw pitch. Boom.
Teams don’t fear the Dodgers like they used to. The Braves are the team to beat now
As a Mets fan it’s hard to tell how teams perceive the Mets, but right now it’s only the Braves that you worry about
Padres really aren’t scary because the lineup is not that difficult
@Camden453
I don’t think teams are that scared of any other team. We saw in the playoffs that if you get on a hot streak, anything can happen. Braves, Brewers and Dodgers can win 162 games but if they aren’t hot in the playoffs, none of that matters in terms of championships.
better to peak late in the season than too early.
@Idosteroids
RIP Rays, Braves & Brewers 2023.
Better to puke late in the evening than too early. Also better in the garden than in the parlor (personal experience).
Kershaw about to tie Tim Wakefield (200) on the all-time wins list
Wakey wakey. Dodgers and Bakey- World Series
Dumpster Divin, there were a few comment threads you didn’t comment on. Better fix that.
Milestone daddy during the regular season but a millstone dud in the playoffs.
So more Milescyrus, less Milesteller? More Millwood, less Kerrywood?
@Camden453
If Scherzer doesn’t get his act together, Kershaw will pass him.
Sense lots of Pshaw for Kershaw
The above post/poster is what untreated mental illness looks like.
The below post/poster is what untreated road rage looks like.
Speaking of wins, Harry Raymond, in 1889, pitched a complete game, giving up 8 hits, 2 runs (1 ER), 11 BBs and 1 K on his way to earning the win. ERA+ of 398, 6.45 FIP and 2.111 WHIP.
baseball-reference.com/players/r/raymoha01-pitch.s…
So what actually happened is less important to you than what could have happened. Got it.
I hope Kershaw doesn’t get his 200th against the Mets but he will get it soon. He’ll be the third to do it entirely as a Dodger, but the first one not named Don. However, he does have the requisite “on” in his first name.
Whole comment cracked me up.
Since I will be this game tonight I hope he does, and it might even happen if the Dodgers can rent a bullpen for the evening.
He did the deed, and it was a master class in pitching besides. But strangely little was made of it at Dodger Stadium. You had to squint at the scoreboard after the game to see that Kersh had reached this career milestone.
2.49 career era doesn’t get enough talk
Maybe “talk” isn’t the right word, but that stat is crazy to think about. I can’t even think of an Orioles starter in my life to have an era under 3 for a season.
Is this a joke or are you 10? You never heard of Jim Palmer?
“In my life”. I’m under 30. I would roast you but I respect my elders.
As an Orioles fan you should know about Jim Palmer and would have to assume he had an ERA under 3.00. That’s like a Red Sox fan saying I didn’t know Cy Young had an ERA under 3.00 because they weren’t born in 1908.
I said in my lifetime. That means when I was alive, I’ve never seen an orioles pitcher with an era under 3. I was not alive when Jim Palmer pitched. I know who Jim Palmer is.
@Orioles2012; sweet thread. Thanks.
2.49 for a career. Truly mind blowing. And ya got me thinking about Os pitchers with a seasonal era below 3.00. I remember Mussina did it a couple of times.
And I was around during that miraculous run of winning from Mid 60s to late 70s when Mr. Hoffberger was owner. Surely there were plenty of stud seasonal era performances and not just from Palmer.
In more recent history maybe a Bedard or possibly a Tilman did it. Fun to think about for sure. Thanks.
Yeah I thought maybe those guys too. Maybe even Chen? No one popped off the page. A little too young for mussina on the O’s. The 4 20 game winners would’ve been something to be around for.
How does this not fall under my dodgers news option?
The post is tagged only as “the opener.” No teams or players.
Thanks BlueSkies!
Wanted Kershaw to come home to Texas but sadly didn’t happen. 1st ballot HOF all the way.
Would be bad for the Rangers, since they’re trying to win their 1st World Series title. Last thing they need for that is a playoff choker like Clayton Chokeshaw.
Please don’t legitimize the pitcher win stat by mentioning it here.
Something about a life and getting one comes to mind here.
Re Kerfraud: “just the 121st” is a hilarious statement. So…not super rare or impressive?