Ted Lilly and Gavin Floyd had a combined record of 3-11 entering Sunday night's game, which is pretty shocking considering their track records. So maybe their no-hit duel wasn't so much due to the struggling offenses as much as it was some serious return to average.
One of them was going to continue their hard-luck ways, though, and Floyd ended up on the losing side despite, in my opinion, pitching a stronger game. Lilly induced a lot of lazy flyballs out of a naturally low-BABIP lineup, but I think Floyd could have beaten any lineup with his stuff.
The difference? He didn't hang a single breaking ball. Not a curve, not a slider. His walks weren't bad ones -- one came after he pinched his nuts in the first inning, requiring a mound visit from Herm Schneider. Combine it with hit fastball he worked up and down nicely, and it was the best Floyd we've seen in 2010. The decisive two hits came on a good slider and a decent fastball. Credit Alfonso Soriano and Chad Tracy with nice at-bats.
At the very least, Floyd has stabilized himself. He's thrown quality starts in four of his last five outings, and even with a total turd against Texas, he has an ERA of 3.60 and 30 strikeouts over 30 innings during this stretch.
And looking at the bigger picture, Floyd kept a good roll by the rotation going. After Mark Buehrle's shelling at Cleveland on June 6, Floyd picked up the pieces and threw six strong innings. Every start has been a gem since:
Granted, the Tigers and Cubs aren't powerhouse offenses, but considering the way Floyd, Peavy and Buehrle flopped against the Royals and Indians, I don't think we can take quality of the opponent for granted.
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A.J. Pierzynski reached 10-and-5 territory today, so it looks like he'll remain with the Sox at least for another month-plus, if not the entire year.If Pierzynski is traded, it'll be due to an emergency with one of the contenders.
It wasn't due to his performance, as Pierzynski is hitting .333/.366/.615 in June.I wonder if playing against the Cubs brings out his inner wrestler.He definitely seemed to have a spring in his step behind the plate, making a couple big throws to gun down runners at second base.Just like Floyd, he hasn't been more fun to watch this season than he is right now.
More points to the wrestler theory: He took a Lilly fastball to the scapula, making it the ninth time he's been plunked by Cubs pitching.Only the Cleveland Indians have hit Pierzynski more (13), but they've been a divisional rival for almost his entire career.He's played in 131 games against the Indians, and just 38 against the Cubs.
(Also worth noting is that the Rangers have plunked Pierzynski nine times in 60 games, which makes me wonder if Pierzynski would accept a trade to Texas, the one contender that's made its interest in catchers known.Vicente Padilla, who hit Pierzynski twice in the Sean Tracey game back in 2006, is no longer with the team.)
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Ozzie Guillen defended Gordon Beckham's decision to bunt, as well he should. But in making a defense of one justifiable call, it made me question another:
"You bunt in the ninth, that's unprofessional," Guillen said. "But the eighth, Wrigley Field people; the only thing they can do is boo. They boo for every freakin' thing here."
So, when Guillen sent Juan Pierre up to the plate in the ninth inning, was he under orders to not bunt? Not that I'm complaining, given the results, but I am curious. The logic seems backwards.
It's a one-run game in the ninth inning. Guillen pinch-hit with a professional bunter, the turf was wet, and the Sox would very much like their fastest guy and best basestealer to reach. Don't desperate times call for desperate measures? The Sox aren't in a position to dick away wins due to some vague concept of courtesy. I know it's not football, but I'd like to think that baseball teams play to win the game, too.
Of course, it's always possible that Pierre could've bunted if he wanted to, and I'm paying more attention to Guillen's words than Guillen is. These unwritten rules have come up before, and they interest me, so ... hey.
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Christian Marrero Reading Room:
*Bobby Jenks is bummed out by a lack of fan support, and while he's been one of the few Sox who makes his year-round home in Chicago, he's bought a house in Arizona, too.
*I very much enjoyed Carl's post-Stanley Cup cartoon.
*The three worst umpires in baseball, according to a survey of 100 MLB players? C.B. Bucknor, Joe West and Angel Hernandez.
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Minor league roundup:
- Syracuse 3, Charlotte 2
- Outside of a couple homers, Dan Hudson was good: 6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 9 K.
- Dayan Viciedo went 2-for-4 with a double.
- Jordan Danks went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
- Brent Morel singled, walked and struck out over four PAs.
- Montgomery 3, Birmingham 2
- Christian Marrero and C.J. Retherford each went 0-for-4. Marrero struck out three times.
- Winston-Salem vs. Wilmington SUSPENDED
