CC Sabathia won his 7th in a row – moving to a major league high 14 wins – as he shut down the Blue Jays yesterday (8 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 8 K).
Jered Weaver stayed on top in the AL with his 1.90 ERA as he won his 12th, beating the A’s (6.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R 2 BB, 3 K).
These two guys, plus Justin Verlander, are currently the top contenders for the AL Cy Young award. The OC Midseason “hardware” went to Verlander by a hair over Weaver, but since then Sabathia extended his scoreless streak to 24 innings. Right now it’s anyone’s game (and don’t sleep on James Shields, Dan Haren, or Felix Hernandez).
Sabathia: 14-4, 2.64 ERA, 7.9 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 0.3 HR/9
Weaver: 12-4, 1.90 ERA, 7.5 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 0.3 HR/9
Verlander: 12-5, 2.29 ERA, 8.8 K/9, 1.9 BB/9, 0.7 HR/9
The Tigers’ ace is actually the guy who’s been most dominant (easily the most strike-outs, but also the fewest walks), but he’s given up home runs at over twice the rate of the other two.
It’s actually a little refreshing to have the top three guys in the league in wins actually be the three guys in the league having the best seasons. Hopefully this season doesn’t move the process made in disconnecting those two points in the wrong direction though.
Also last night: Edwin Jackson “scatters” 9 hits as he tosses a complete game shutout against the Tigers; two homers from Mike Stanton and one from Logan Morrison are more than enough as the Marlins rough up the Cubs 13-3; the Padres forget what park they play in, as they hit two homers and put 11 on the board at Petco versus the Giants; and much more.
What to watch tonight: The Cardinals send Jamie Garcia to the mound against the Reds, as they try to hold off the Brewers and the Pirates in the NL Central; the Nationals look to get back above .500, but will need to beat the NL’s win leader, Jair Jurrjens, to do so. Full schedule with probable pitchers here.
