Sunday's Streaking and Slumping Starting Pitchers
Streaking
John Lackey, Los Angeles Angels
Lackey is hitting top form with the playoffs just around the corner. In his last 33 2-3 innings of work, the right-hander has allowed just three earned runs but boasts a ho-hum 2-1 record in that span.
"I've been feeling good, seriously, probably a couple months now," Lackey told the media last week. "I want to keep things rolling. The best way to stay on a roll is not analyze it too much. You've got to look ahead."
Lackey has two shutout efforts during this streak and is coming off a two-run, 7 2-3-inning performance against Boston in which he struck out six batters.
Tommy Hanson, Atlanta Braves
The Braves' young stud has been the invisible man in his last two trips to the bump. Hanson hasn't allowed a run in his last 15 innings, striking out 15 batters while just walking three in those two starts.
In his 18 big-league starts, the budding ace has a 10-3 record and 2.65 ERA. Since the All-Star break, Hanson has rolled to a 6-3 record.
"I didn't know what to envision. I didn't know what to expect," Hanson told the media. "I just wanted to come up and do my best and make adjustments when I needed to. I couldn't be happier with the way everything's going. I feel like I've already learned a lot and still have a lot more stuff to learn. Hopefully I'll keep doing it at this pace and everything will be good."
Slumping
Derek Holland, Texas Rangers
The Rangers' fall from grace has a lot to do with their struggling pitchers. Holland is one of those arms, going 0-4 with an ERA above 13.00 in his last four trips to the mound. He's lasted just three innings in two of those starts and has served up five home runs during this skid.
In his most recent nightmarish start, the lefty went six innings and gave up five runs on eight hits against Seattle.
Fausto Carmona, Cleveland Indians
The once-promising left-hander has been among the worst pitchers in baseball in recent weeks. Carmona, who is 3-11 this year, has lost three of his last four starts, posting 19 total runs in just 17 innings pitched in that span.
"It's frustrating for everybody and for him, first and foremost," manager Eric Wedge told the press. "But you never give into the fight. He'll keep working, and what we really need for him to do is start stringing things together."
In his most recent outing, Carmona gave up five runs in just over five innings against the Twins. He also allowed a home run in that contest, bring his total to five round trippers in his last five starts.
Baseball Today
SCOREBOARD
Sunday, Sept. 20
Philadelphia at Atlanta (1:35 p.m. EDT). Tommy Hanson (10-3) hasn't allowed a run in his past two starts, and will face Cliff Lee (7-2), coming off a six-hit shutout.
STARS
Saturday
-CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira, Yankees. Sabathia won his AL leading 18th game allowing four hits and one run in seven innings. Teixeira homered twice and drove in a season-high five runs and the Yankees resumed their cruise to the AL East title with a 10-1 win over the Mariners.
-Mark Ellis, Athletics, homered to break the franchise record for second basemen and the Athletics extended their winning streak to six games with an 8-4 win over Cleveland.
-Matt Garza, Rays, struck out 10 while stopping a personal nine-game winless streak and Tampa Bay beat Toronto 4-0.
-Jon Lester, Red Sox, pitched into the seventh inning to win his sixth straight decision, and Boston feasted on the Orioles bullpen in an 11-5 win.
-Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies, homered for a career-best fourth game in a row, and the Rockies beat the Diamondbacks 10-4 to open a little breathing space in the wild-card race.
-Ross Gload, Marlins, hit a pinch-hit two-run homer in the eighth inning to lift Florida to a 3-2 win over Cincinnati.
-Tim Redding, Mets, pitched splendidly into the eighth inning and New York ended its six-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over Washington.
-Henry Blanco, Padres, hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning to lead San Diego to a 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh.
OUT OF THE PEN
San Francisco's Randy Johnson made his first relief appearance since pitching for the Yankees in the 2005 American League division series. He faced three batters in the sixth, giving up consecutive doubles to Rafael Furcal and Andre Ethier before retiring pinch-hitter Juan Pierre. Johnson was activated from the 60-day DL on Wednesday. Johnson's last regular-season relief outing came on July 18, 2001, at San Diego, when he struck out 16 in completion of a suspended game.
FINALLY SOME RUNS
Texas ended a 25-inning scoreless drought with a run in the third inning of a 3-2 victory over the Angels. The Rangers finished three innings shy of the club record set in 1972. Texas had scored once in 48 innings before that run. Texas' scoreless streak was the most since going 25 innings without a run Sept. 1-4, 2004.
MOVE OVER CECIL
Prince Fielder's sacrifice fly in the eighth inning gave him 127 RBIs to set the Brewers' record for a single season, passing current Astros manager Cecil Cooper, who set the mark for Milwaukee with 126 in 1983. Fielder is now tied with St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols for the National League RBI lead.
PASSING GREEN
Oakland's Mark Ellis homered to break the franchise record for second baseman set by Dick Green. Ellis' shot in the second inning off Indians starter Jeremy Sowers was the 79th of his career and the 77th he's hit while playing second base for the A's. That's one more than Green, who played for the team from 1968-74.
WELCOME BACK
Jake Peavy made his first start in over three months and pitched five solid innings to earn a win over Kansas City. Peavy hadn't pitched in a major league game since June 8, when he beat the Diamondbacks while with the Padres. Five days later, he went on the disabled list with a strained tendon in his right ankle.
SPEAKING
"Once you get out there, it's like riding a bike. It comes back to you,'' - White Sox pitcher Jake Peavy, who made his first start in over three months and earned a win in a 13-3 rout of Kansas City.