James Shields dominated the Royals last night, throwing a six hit shutout. He walked three and struck out eight. It’s been a great bounceback year for Shields, who had a 5.18 ERA last year for Tampa Bay. On the season, he has eight complete games and four shutouts, which both lead the American League. In fact, he’s got more complete games than Roy Halladay, and the only pitcher in the NL with more shutouts is Cliff Lee with five.
Since Shields made his debut in 2006, the only names ahead of him on the complete games list are household names. Guys like Halladay, Sabathia, Lee, Hernandez, and Verlander. Shields has thrown eight complete games this year…and threw a total of five in his first five seasons, including none over the past two seasons. What’s the big difference in Shields’ game this year? Homers. His strikeout and walk rates are consistent with his marks last year, but he’s slashed the homers he’s allowed by a third. That’s allowed him to come into his own as a pitcher and become more of a complete pitcher in today’s game.
Around the League. Chien-Ming Wang gets his first win since 2009 … Rivera blows another game for the Yankees … the White Sox are making a play for first place
Today’s Matchups. Tim Hudson vs Anibal Sanchez is a good one. Vance Worley vs Chad Billingsley is a sneaky good one. Henderson Alvarez makes his major league debut for Toronto, and Garrett Richards makes his debut for the Angels.
