3. Pitching still wins ball games
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
One interesting juxtaposition this year pits the Cardinals versus the Blue Jays. Not on the actual field of play, though that would be a fun series to take in. St. Louis has the lowest team ERA in the league at 2.71 and the most wins in the league with 56. Toronto has scored 77 more runs than the next closest team with 486 total, yet they will start the second half a game below .500 at 45-46.
Of the 10 clubs with the lowest ERAs in the league, four lead their divisions, three hold a current Wild Card position and the only one with a winning percentage below .500 are the 41-51 Oakland Athletics, whose pythagorean record actually works out to 51-40.
Redbird Rants
The formula still works. High scoring, exciting offenses are nice for the fans and fantasy baseball, but a stout pitching staff and defense plays a larger role in getting to the postseason, and it’s certainly the model a manager wants in place while playing in October. Just look with Kansas City’s bullpen and San Francisco’s Madison Bumgarner were able to accomplish in 2014. Both were main factors that led to the Royals and Giants making the World Series.
Teams that score runs in bunches like the first ranked Blue Jays and second ranked Yankees will need to get better from the mound. Right now, the Tampa Bay Rays have only scored 332 runs (24th), but have the eighth lowest ERA in MLB and have only two fewer wins than the first place Yankees.
What the Cardinals are doing with their rotation and team is a remarkable thing, especially when you consider the pitching staff has been without their ace Adam Wainwright, since late April.
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