/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46077206/usa-today-8507903.0.jpg)
I've always been a fan of a good pitchers' duel. Every runner that gets on base either gets you excited or gets you nervous, and today was no exception.
Graphs for Game 2 (courtesy of Fangraphs):
Stats for Game 2:
Pitcher |
IP |
H |
HR |
ER |
BB |
SO |
pLI |
WPA |
J Arrieta |
7 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
7 |
1.13 |
.416 |
H Rondon |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.86 |
.063 |
N Ramirez |
0.1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1.87 |
.043 |
P Strop |
0.1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1.15 |
.032 |
P Coke |
0.1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1.11 |
-.009 |
Total |
9 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
8 |
1.13 |
.544 |
Batter |
AB |
R |
H |
HR |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
pLI |
WPA |
A Rizzo |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1.56 |
.125 |
J Soler |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0.67 |
.064 |
S Castro |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
1.8 |
.051 |
M Montero |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0.97 |
-.004 |
M Szczur |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.19 |
-.005 |
J Arrieta |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0.63 |
-.030 |
T La Stella |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0.64 |
-.047 |
A Alcantara |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0.67 |
-.048 |
D Fowler |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0.75 |
-.072 |
C Coghlan |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1.26 |
-.078 |
Total |
24 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
11 |
0.99 |
-.044 |
Writer's Note: The daily selections of the three Heroes and three Goats are based solely on the top three and bottom three WPA scores for the game. The selections are not based on my subjective opinion.
THE THREE HEROES:
- Superhero - Jake Arrieta (.416). Had a couple of tough jams that he successfully dodged and had his pitches working great the rest of the time.
- Hero - Anthony Rizzo (.125). Took one for the team when he got plunked in the seventh. He owes Lance Lynn a fruit basket for moving him to the second spot on the podium.
- Sidekick - Jorge Soler (.064). Courtesy of the triple that he bombed to center.
THE THREE GOATS:
- Billy Goat - Chris Coghlan (-.078). Hit one hard in the fourth with two on, but hit it right at Jon Jay.
- Goat - Dexter Fowler (-.072). The lone 0-for-4 on the day.
- Kid - Arismendy Alcantara (-.048). Just nudged out Tommy La Stella in the battle of the 0-for-3's.
RANKINGS THROUGH GAME 2:
Heroes |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
Total |
Phil Coke |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
Jake Arrieta |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
Anthony Rizzo |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
Arismendy Alcantara |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
David Ross |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
Jorge Soler |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
Goats |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
Total |
Jon Lester |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
Chris Coghlan |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
Dexter Fowler |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
Anthony Rizzo |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
Arismendy Alcantara |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
Mike Olt |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
Overall |
Hero |
Goat |
+/- |
Jake Arrieta |
3 |
0 |
3 |
Phil Coke |
3 |
0 |
3 |
Arismendy Alcantara |
2 |
1 |
1 |
David Ross |
1 |
0 |
1 |
Jorge Soler |
1 |
0 |
1 |
Anthony Rizzo |
2 |
2 |
0 |
Mike Olt |
0 |
1 |
-1 |
Dexter Fowler |
0 |
2 |
-2 |
Chris Coghlan |
0 |
3 |
-3 |
Jon Lester |
0 |
3 |
-3 |
Arrieta was the top Hero among the starting pitchers in 2014 by a wide margin; will history repeat itself in 2015?