Table of Contents
Here’s the table of csontents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.

1. Featured Game: St. Louis at New York NL, 16:10 ET (Free Game)
2. One Other Notable Game
3. Today’s Complete Schedule

Featured Game: St. Louis at New York NL, 16:10 ET
A Question Someone Might Ask
A question someone might ask ahead of this game — for rhetorical purposes, say — is this: “What’s more surprising: that the Cardinals are in second place in their division, or that the Mets are in second place in theirs?”

Regarding the Intent of Such a Question
The intent of such a question likely would be to illustrate how the Cardinals’ record (27-25, 2.5 games behind the Reds) is worse than one would expect (given their run scoring and prevention so far) and how the Mets’ record (29-23, 1.0 games behind the Nationals) is better (according to the same criteria).

An Actual Possible Answer
Using each team’s respective WAR record — that is, a theoretical record based on the wins above replacement each club has amassed at the team level — it’s possible to provide something like an actual answer to that question.

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Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.

1. Actual Transaction News: Yesterday’s Three Promotions
2. Featured Game: New York AL at Detroit, 19:05 ET (Free Game)
3. One Other Notable Game
4. Today’s Complete Schedule

Actual Transaction News: Yesterday’s Three Promotions
Yesterday’s Promotions
Three notable players were promoted to the majors yesterday: Atlanta shortstop Andrelton Simmons, Dodgers outfielder Alex Castellanos, and Cardinals right-hander Maikel Cleto.

For More Information on Two of Those Players
For more information on Simmons, read Ben Duronio’s piece from yesterday. For more on Castellanos, read this piece by Jackie Moore — also from yesterday.

For More Information on Cleto
For more information on Cleto, regard these three bullet points.

• Has a fastball that sits — in relief, at least — at around 98 mph.
• Control was an issue (13.8% BB in 71.1 IP) following promotion to Triple-A last season, but less so in lower minors (ca. 8% BB in 63.1 IP) before that.
• Has pitched very well at Triple-A Memphis this season. Line: 26.0 IP, 11.77 K/9, 3.12 BB/9, 0.69 HR/9, 2.85 FIP.

Cleto’s Role
Cleto will pitch in relief for the Cardinals.

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Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.

1. A Note on the Title, Its Decided Ambiguity
2. Every Game Previewed Amazingly
3. Today’s Complete Schedule

A Note on the Title, Its Decided Ambiguity
The reader will note that the title of this post is phrased ambiguously. On the one hand, one might suppose that, within the confines of this post, he will find all of today’s games, previewed in a way — owing to an impressive combination of logic and rhetoric, perhaps — that will amaze readers. One might suppose, alternatively, that the mere fact that every game has been previewed is, itself, the amazing thing.

While it’s true that much of writing is a purposeful struggle against ambiguity — and that the strategic insertion of a comma might make the author’s intentions perfectly clear — I’m prepared to submit that present case represents an instance of pleasant ambiguity.

Every Game Previewed Amazingly
These are all of today’s games today.

Detroit at Boston | 19:10 ET ***MLB.TV Free Game***
Of the 158 pitchers who’ve thrown more than 20 innings as a starter, right-hander Max Scherzer, who goes tonight for Detroit, is one of only ten with a perfect NERD score. (See below for more on NERD.) Owing to a .394 BABIP and 16.7% HR/FB, Scherzer’s ERA is 5.67, but there are indications that he’s pitched much better than that. For example, here’s what two defense-independent ERA estimators say: 2.78 SIERA, 3.16 xFIP (76 xFIP-). Also for example, consider how only Jeff Samardzija (12.9%) and Cole Hamels (12.8%) possess a batter swinging-strike rate better than Scherzer’s (12.5%) — a figure better than even his teammate Justin Verlander’s (12.2%).

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Red Sox Radio.

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Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.

1. Featured Game: Baltimore at Toronto, 19:07 ET (Free Game)
2. Other Notable Games
3. Today’s Complete Schedule

Featured Game: Baltimore at Toronto, 19:07 ET
Regarding These Teams, Their Respective Places in the AL East
I’m not lying to you or your face when I say that these teams enter Wednesday just zero and three games, respectively, out of first place in the AL East.

The Surprising Thing About That, Duh
The surprising thing about that is how Toronto and Baltimore have, generally speaking, been a distant fourth and fifth place in their division for the past three or six years or whatever.

Duh
Duh.

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Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.

1. Featured Game: Milwaukee at Los Angeles NL, 22:10 ET
2. Other Notable Games (Including MLB.TV Free Game)
3. Today’s Complete Schedule
4. Today’s Complete Schedule, With a Playoff-Odds Adjustment

Featured Game: Milwaukee at Los Angeles NL, 22:10 ET
What This Game Features
What this game features, in Brewers right-hander Michael Fiers and Dodgers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, is a pair of starting pitchers with both (a) an above-average minor-league track record and also (b) limited major-league experience.

Also, What Else
Also, both pitchers are making their season debuts tonight.

Michael Fiers, In Brief
Fiers, in his age-27 season, has pitched very well in the minors (346.2 IP, 9.6 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, 0.8 HR/9) despite a pedigree (he was drafted in the 22nd round of the 2009 draft) and stuff (he has below-average fastball velocity) that might have originally suggested otherwise. According both to Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook and also John Sickels, Fiers’ best pitch is a changeup that one supposes will help him neutralize left-handed batters.

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Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.

1. Reluctantly Featured Game: Houston at Colorado, 20:10 ET
2. MLB.TV Free Game
3. Today’s Complete Schedule
4. Today’s Complete Schedule, Adjusted for Playoff Odds

Reluctantly Featured Game: Houston at Colorado, 20:10 ET
What the Reader Is Likely Saying
The reader is likely saying — with regard to the selection of this game, featuring a pair of teams that are a total of ca. 20 games out of their respective division races — the reader is likely saying, “I protest!”

What a Different Sort of Reader Might Be Saying
A different sort of reader — one who’s not a member of England’s landed gentry, for instance — might be saying something more like, “I hate this author” or “This author’s an idiot” or “I hate this author’s face part of his face.”

Regarding All Those Comments
All those comments by all those fictional readers I just invented are probably reasonable.

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Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.

1. Featured Game: Washington at Atlanta, 20:05 ET
2. Other Notable Games (Including MLB.TV Free Game)
3. Today’s Complete Schedule

Featured Game: Washington at Atlanta, 20:05 ET
Who You’re Watching When You’re Watching This Game
If and when you’re watching this game, you’re watching — in Washington left-hander Gio Gonzalez — the pitcher who currently has the highest strikeout rate (31.5%) and fifth-best SIERA (2.81) and third-highest WAR (2.0) among qualified pitchers.

What Might Be Surprising About That
What might be surprising about that — to the equally bespectacled and muscular reader — is how effective Gonzalez has been so far, given that his season-high strikeout rate entering 2012 was last year’s 24%.

A Question the Reader Might Be Asking
A question the reader might be asking is, “Is Gonzalez throwing anything different this year that would merit such an improvement?”

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Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.

1. Featured Game: Washington at Atlanta, 16:05 ET
2. Other Notable Games (Including MLB.TV Free Game)
3. Today’s Complete Schedule

Featured Game: Washington at Atlanta, 16:05 ET
Regarding Who Pitches for Washington
Right-hander Stephen Strasburg (53.0 IP, 70 xFIP-, 1.8 WAR) pitches for them.

A Notable Comment Regarding Strasburg
Here’s a recent comment — notable because of who made it — regarding Strasburg:

Chipper Jones on #Strasburg: “He has the best stuff, the best repertoire of pitches that I’ve seen on any one single pitcher.” #Nats #MLB

— William Ladson (@washingnats) May 25, 2012

What We Can Say About the Aforementioned Repertoire
According to PITCHf/x, here’s Strasburg’s repertoire this season, accompanied by the average velocity and usage of each pitch:

• Four-Seam Fastball: 96.0 mph, 47.0%
• Two-Seam Fastball: 94.8 mph, 16.4%
• Curveball: 80.3 mph, 21.4%
• Changeup: 88.5 mph, 15.1%

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Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.

1. Actual Transaction News: Three Recent Promotions
2. Today’s Notable Games (Including MLB.TV Free Game)
3. Today’s Complete Schedule

Actual Transaction News: Three Recent Promotions
The following players were promoted from the minors recently. Here we answer the question, “Who are they?”

Player: Quintin Berry, OF, DET
Line: 187 PA, .270/.368/.321 (.377 BABIP) at Triple-A
Notes: The 27-year-old Berry was recalled on Wednesday to replace Austin Jackson (abdomen) and has now batted leadoff twice and played center field in consecutive games. He actually has shown some ability to get on base in the minors (.091 isolated patience), but might see some of those walks evaporate owing to his lack of power (.071 ISO in minors).

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Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.

1. Featured Game: Philadelphia at St. Louis, 20:15 ET
2. Other Notable Games (Including MLB.TV Free Game)
3. Today’s Complete Schedule

Featured Game: Philadelphia at St. Louis, 20:15 ET
Regarding Two Surprisingly Effective Pitchers, Their Names
The names of two surprisingly effective starting pitchers this season are Joe Blanton (53.0 IP, 93 xFIP-, 0.9 WAR) and Jake Westbrook (52.1 IP, 90 xFIP-, 1.0 WAR).

Regarding Those Same Pitchers, An Extraordinary Coincidence
An extraordinary coincidence involving those same pitchers is that they’re both starting tonight, against each other, in this featured game.

Regarding Those Same Pitchers, Another Coincidence
Another coincidence involving those pitchers is that Joe Blanton’s secretary is named Westbrook and Westbrook’s secretary’s name is Blanton.

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