Sox Machine: Mark Buehrle needs help

If you ignore the big three stats -- wins, losses and ERA -- Mark Buehrle is not having a bad year. Consider:

No. 1: He's striking more guys out than ever before. He's averaging 6.19 strikeouts per nine innings, and he hasn't come close to 6.00 in his last three seasons.

No. 2: He's getting a ton of ground balls. 52.5 percent of batted balls have been hit on the ground off Buehrle; his previous high was 49.4.

No. 3: Line drive and home run rates are right around his career averages. He's actually giving up homers at a slightly lower rate, because he's not giving up nearly as many flies.

No. 4: His fastball is still rebounding. He's averaging over 86 m.p.h. on his heater for the first time in a couple years.

Really, the only thing out of whack is his walk rate, but not ridiculously so. As a result, his fielding-indepedent ERA is 3.89 (or 3.91, if you're looking at The Hardball Times), which is below his career average, which FanGraphs pegs at an even 4.00. ...

3 months ago The Wizard Comment 11 comments 0 recs |

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Don't worry...

Everything will be ok…The central is ours.

Bringing the awesome?I'm down!

by Swish30 on May 13, 2008 6:33 PM CDT 0 recs

you know who this is and who he describes

His walk is still the same slow-paced strut, right out of a bad spaghetti western.
His approach to the media is still the same ’’you need me more than I need you’’ attitude.

thanks to jim for that pointer too

The greatest trick the White Sox ever pulled was convincing their fan base that "Ozzieball" ever existed.

by The Wizard on May 13, 2008 6:37 PM CDT 0 recs

My initial thought was BA.

But I think it’s got to be OCab being described by some Angels person.

gonna out-energy a lot of guys, simply by over-attituding them

by defensive indifference on May 13, 2008 6:53 PM CDT up 0 recs

Konerko, Dye flipped in lineup

By Mark Gonzales, 6:52 p.m.
The White Sox moved Jermaine Dye to cleanup and dropped Paul Konerko to fifth for Tuesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Angels.

Each player downplayed the significance of the switch.

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports_hardball/2008/05/konerko-dye-fli.html

The greatest trick the White Sox ever pulled was convincing their fan base that "Ozzieball" ever existed.

by The Wizard on May 13, 2008 7:16 PM CDT 0 recs

Train pulling out of St. Pete

Rays 1-0 in the 6th. Jackson just stranded Jeter on 3rd with one out – Abreu and Matsui, grab some bench. Look like our 3rd and 4th hitters.

Hey, it’s the only televised game here. And it looks like the Rays have some fans – one of them with a sign that says “THIS IS OUR HOUSE”.

Naivete is so refreshing…

I took the "under".

by winningugly on May 13, 2008 8:00 PM CDT 0 recs

I imagine the tropicana bells are ringing loudly!

The greatest trick the White Sox ever pulled was convincing their fan base that "Ozzieball" ever existed.

by The Wizard on May 13, 2008 8:19 PM CDT up 0 recs

I got a fever

and the only cure…is more cowbell!

I took the "under".

by winningugly on May 13, 2008 8:34 PM CDT up 0 recs

"care to be on the field"!

Buehrle was decent enough until his defense decided to go home early in the fifth. Things got no better in the sixth, though unlike in the fifth, the defense’s primary blunder was ruled an error, and Buehrle was taken out with two outs in the inning. If he was pitching for a team that cared to be on the field, Buehrle probably would have had a respectable outing tonight. May. 13 – 1:08 am et

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/playerbreakingnews.asp?sport=MLB&id=3074&line=237447

The greatest trick the White Sox ever pulled was convincing their fan base that "Ozzieball" ever existed.

by The Wizard on May 13, 2008 8:08 PM CDT 0 recs