Friday, April 8
(5-2) Philadelphia Phillies - 3
(4-4) Atlanta Braves - 6
The Significance of Bombing Cliff Lee:
It's only fitting that the headliner from this game is Cliff Lee's failures. The left-hander allowed six runs on 10 hits in only 3.1 innings. It was Lee's shortest outing since 2009, when he only lasted three innings twice, and it was the seventh-shortest start in his career. If you want to count only his time with the Mariners, Rangers and Phillies, it was Lee's second-shortest start.
It's safe to say Lee had nothing going for him in the pitch department, but it's interesting that he threw almost all cutters and two-seamers. Eight of his 10 hits allowed came on cutters, and the other two were two-seamers. Of his 73 pitches thrown, only nine were changeups and seven were curves. His command was off all night, constantly leaving the pitches in the middle of the plate, no matter the pitch.
(Courtesy of Brooks Baseball)
Brian McCann Continues To Rake:
Our lovable catcher now has three multi-hit games in a row after recording two singles in Friday's game. McCann is 13-30 with five RBI. But perhaps the biggest part of his effort Friday was picking up his first walk off Lee in the first inning. McCann is coming off a career-high 13% BB% in 2010, which upped his OBP to .375. Banking on a repeat of that may not be smart, but it is interesting to see how he fares following that number last season.
Stat of the Day:
Tim Hudson induced 20 ground balls and only three line drives.
WPA Winners:
(ATL) Chipper Jones: .156
(ATL) Martin Prado: .154
(PHI) Ben Francisco: .139
WPA Losers:
(PHI) Cliff Lee: -.498
(PHI) Ryan Howard: -.190
(PHI) Raul Ibanez: -.109
The Game-Changer:
Chipper Jones' three-run double in the fourth broke the tie and gave the Braves a 6-3 lead, where it remained. The play was worth .202 WPA.
For more on the series, Braves fans check out Talking Chop and Phillies fans check out The Good Phight.