A few days ago, I was watching a baseball game on TV and a former Cy Young winner was on the mound. On the screen, it showed that the pitcher was extremely good and opponents’ batting average is under .200 when runners are in scoring position. To know which pitchers are pitching well when runners are in scoring position, I quickly check on the MLB website.
Max Scherzer has been unbeatable since being traded to the Dodgers and he just joined the 3000-strikeout club. By far, he pitched 8 games for the Dodgers and earned 6 wins. During these 8 games, he posted an outstanding 0.88 ERA and a 0.67 WHIP. Opponents only hit .158 against Scherzer. In total, Scherzer already made 27 starts this season with a 2.17 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP. Opponents hit only .175 against him. When runners are in scoring position, it’s not a big problem since opponents only hit .115 against Scherzer. The ace of the Yankees has been pretty solid this season. Gerrit Cole already threw 163.2 innings over 27 starts, posting a 2.75 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. Opponents hit .210 against Cole, however, batting average against Cole was just .142 with runners in scoring position. Gerrit Cole definitely knows how to limit damage when runners are in scoring position. The Milwaukee Brewers are currently leading in the NL Central and the Cardinals are 13.5 games behind the Brewers. Brandon Woodruff is one of key Brewers that perform well this season. Although Woodruff only has 9 wins, his performance over 27 starts is outstanding. By far, he posts a 2.48 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP over 163.1 innings and opponents bat only .197 against him. In addition, Woodruff doesn’t have any problems with runners in scoring position and opponents hit just .149.
Kevin Gausman now has 14 wins, which are his career high. He already threw 170 innings and has a 2.65 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. Moreover, we should not ignore that Gausman knows how to avoid damage with runners in scoring position. When runners are in scoring position, Gausman hasn’t allowed a home run yet and opponents only hit .152.
By far, Lance McCullers Jr. already tossed a career-high 144.1 innings with a 3.12 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. A 1.24 WHIP doesn’t look very good, but McCullers Jr. knows how to get the job done. With runners in scoring position, batting average against him is just .167.
In addition, AL Cy Young candidate Robbie Ray and NL Cy Young candidate Walker Buehler each let opponents hit below .170 with runners in scoring position.
As we can see, Max Scherzer is dominant on the mound and he doesn’t give up a run easily. It’s extremely hard for batters to collect a hit against Scherzer with runners in scoring position. Will batting average against Scherzer with RISP even lower at the end of the 2021 season? Additionally, Kevin Gausman hasn’t given up a home run with runners in scoring position, are we going to see him finish the 2021 season without giving up a homer when runners are in scoring position?
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