Oriole Brian Matusz makes his season debut tonight.
This edition of One Night Only contains:
1. Expanded previews for three games: Baltimore at Seattle, Los Angeles (NL) at Kansas City, and Milwaukee at Cincinnati.
2. A spirited, sometimes irrational, defense of newest Royal Felipe Paulino.
3. Pitcher and Team NERD scores for every one of tonight’s games.
Moving the Needle: Justin Smoak ruins Jeremy Guthrie’s start with a three run homer, +.750 WPA. That’s one of the biggest swings you’ll see without a walk-off. Through seven Guthrie was rolling. He had struck out eight and allowed just three hits. Even in the eighth he should have been out of it, though it was kind of his own fault. With two down he got Ichiro to hit one on the ground. Luke Scott dived to field it and led Guthrie with a throw from his knees, but Guthrie didn’t catch it. Brendan Ryan followed with a single, and then Smoak hammered a hanger over the right field wall to flip the 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead.
Notables
Erik Bedard: 6.1 IP, 6 H 2, R, 2 BB, 7 K, 1 HR. With Bedard healthy and effective, it’s little surprise that the Mariners have allowed the second fewest runs per game in the AL.
Also in this issue: White Sox 10, Red Sox 7 | Marlins 5, Diamondbacks 2 | Tigers 8, Twins 7 | Padres 5, Braves 4 | Royals 7, Angels 3 | Astros 7, Cubs 3 | Yankees 10, A’s 3 | Brewers 7, Reds 2 | Dodgers 8, Rockies 2 | Rays 5, Rangers 4 | Nationals 10, Phillies 2 | Indians 6, Blue Jays 3 | Pirates 5, Mets 1 | Cardinals 4, Giants 3
Continuing our Trade Targets series, here are five center fielders who could be available at (or before) the deadline.
PLAYER: Matt Kemp
TEAM: Dodgers
POSSIBLE DESTINATION: Reds
CONTRACT STATUS: $6.95M (up to $7.1 million based on plate appearances), arbitration-eligible after this season (free agent after 2012)
PROJECTED WAR: 1.8
It is common knowledge that starting pitchers take the mound every five games, but what happens between starts isn’t as widely know. A lot of work goes into those days between starts, and it typically happens within the parameters of a set routine. The routine itself can differ from pitcher to pitcher, but for almost everyone, it includes a bullpen session. Tigers right-hander Max Scherzer, and his pitching coach, Rick Knapp, talked about their respective approaches to getting ready for day five.
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David Laurila: Max, what do you do on the day after a start?
Max Scherzer: For me, the next day is one of the hardest-working days to get my body right. I’ll do a total body lift, lifting every major area. I’ll exercise my legs, back, chest, arms — kind of the whole nine yards. Then I’ll go out and run for awhile, trying to get as tired as I can. Throwing is very minimal. I just kind of loosen up, getting the arm moving to get ready for my pen the next day.
DL: Rick, what do you expect from a pitcher in his bullpen session?
