If you're partial to absolutely suffocating pitching performances, then what unfolded in San Francisco on Wednesday night should be to your liking ...
3 UP
Cliff Lee, Phillies and Matt Cain, Giants - Lee and Cain will be sharing top billing. Last night in San Fran, these two combined for the following line: 19.0 IP (!), 9 H, 0 R, 11 K, 1 BB, 21 ground-outs. Yes, Lee worked 10 innings (!) and did so in just 102 pitches. Cain, meanwhile, took the easy route by pitching a mere nine frames in 91 pitches. In other words, much pitching beauty and excellence was on display. Granted, neither offense is particularly impressive, but at a certain level dominance is dominance. If you saw this one unfold, consider yourself fortunate. Oh yeah: The Giants won, 1-0.
David Wright, Mets - The Mets got thumped by the Braves on Wednesday, but Wright carried on with his outstanding season. In the process of going 2-for-5 (which, it should be noted, dropped his average to .500), Wright tied Darryl Strawberry for the most RBI in franchise history (733). Wright also has a real shot at setting the franchise marks for hits and runs scored this season.
Bartolo Colon, A's - Colon tossed eight scoreless against the Angels and at one point recorded 38 consecutive strikes (overall, 82 of his 108 pitches went for strikes). He also struck out five and walked none. For his troubles, Colon picked up his third win of the season and dropped his ERA to 2.63.
3 DOWN
Mat Latos, Reds - Latos disintegrated on Wednesday as he surrendered eight runs and 12 baserunners in 5.2 innings of very hard work. When the Reds paid dearly in trade for Latos this offseason, they thought they were getting an ace. To date, he's been anything but.
Jeff Francoeur, Royals - In a close 4-3 loss to the Tigers, Francoeur went 0-for-4 at the plate and left four crucial runners on base. In doing so, he dropped his OPS for the season to .612.
Albert Pujols, Angels - Another loss for the Angels, another homer-less game for Pujols. It's now been 53 plate appearances in 2012 without a dinger. After a 1-for-4 night in Wednesday's loss to the A's, Pujols's batting line has slipped to .265/.308/.347. It's still early, but at some point the sleeping giant needs to wake up.
Yu3: The results to date have been mixed for marquee import and presumptive Rangers ace Yu Darvish. His control has been woefully lacking thus far, and on Thursday he's tasked with opposing the hard-hitting Tigers. Can Darvish right himself against the likes of Miguel Cabera, Prince Fielder and Alex Avila? It's also a possible ALCS preview. 7:05 p.m. ET
Resistible force meets moveable object: Adam Wainwright, in his bounce-back season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, has struggled badly thus far. In fact, last time out he coughed up eight runs against the lowly Cubs. With the scuttling Reds in town (they've dropped five of six and were throttled by St. Louis 11-1 on Wednesday), something's got to give. Cincy risks dropping 6.0 games off the pace in the NL Central. 1:45 p.m. ET
Thrilla in Milla: The last two nights, the once-scorching Dodgers have fallen to the Brewers in white-knuckled fashion -- each time by a single run and each time in the final at-bat of the night. Will Thursday's tilt provide similar intrigue? 1:10 p.m. ET
Complete Thursday schedule with pitching matchups for all 12 games
• K Street: Pity Nats catcher Wilson Ramos: he's charged with taking abuse from the hardest-throwing rotation in all the land. The Washington Post notes that all five Nationals starters boast a fastball that sits comfortably in the 90s. And they throw those fastballs a lot. In fact, going back to the far end of the data (11 years) no rotation can match the average heater of the D.C. starting five. “Against these guys, it’s like you don’t get a chance to catch your breath,” Reds outfielder Drew Stubbs said. “You get done with one, it’s just on to the next one. We were here for four days. All four guys, and we missed Strasburg, can hit the mid-90s. That’s tough. It’s very rare. Usually, you only have one guy in the rotation who throws like that.”
• Doing the people's work: Want to get to know the guy who does much of the baseball-related heavy lifting over at Wikipedia? The Daily Dot introduces you to "eposty," who should be treated as a conquering hero by all baseball fans.
• Check your head: Rare is the Internet slideshow that is worth your while. However, you should consider this one, the History of the Bobblehead Craze, to be a rare exception. [Orange County Register]
• Matheny's money: Rookie Cards manager Mike Matheny hasn't made a misstep in the dugout thus far, but his finances are in significantly worse shape. As the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes, a recent Missouri Supreme Court ruling could cost Matheny millions as a consequence his failed real-estate investments.
• English patience: What does a novice Brit think of our national pastime? The London Telegraph's Tim Stanley recently took in a game and generally approved of all he surveyed. Money quote: "The rules are simple and any confusion is cleared up by more beer."
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