I heard an interesting fact while watching Matt Cain pitch last night. In 20% of his career starts, Cain has allowed less than 3 hits in his starts. Translated, when Matt is on, he is tough to get hits off of. Last night was no different.
I watched through the first four innings and Cain was shutting down the Rockies. He held them hitless. Then he got the next two outs and after 4 2/3 I thought a no hitter was a possibility. He ended up giving up a hit at that point, and allowed only 2 other hits on the night. His statistics went up again slightly as a result of another great outing.
Cain improved his record on the year to a lofty 12-2. His ERA is 2.27 and he has only given up 3 ER in his last 4 starts. For the first time in a long time he did struggle with his control walking four batters but he still pitched out of some jams. He has almost brought his career record to .500 with a record of 42-45.
Justin Verlander put together another stellar start on Friday. Verlander moved to 11-5 on the year and pitched his second shutout in his last three starts. A complete game is nothing new for Verlander and one with a shutout is not uncommon either. The 26 year old is now 57-39 in his career of 4 years. He did have a couple of starts five years ago so basically he is a four year pitcher. He is averaging approximately 15 wins a season which is a great way to start a career. His win totals have been 17, 18,11 in the previous three years.
Most of the pitchers I enjoy following have something in common. They get the ball back from the catcher and they go to work. They are hard workers and they are legitimate, non cheating hurlers. If any of them were ever found to be using steroids, my discussion of their career would cease. They do need to have an asterick beside their name indicating they have tainted numbers.
Along thee lines there is a great article written today on CBS Sports: http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/story/11986162
You need to read it. It features quotes by Hank Aaron, regarding how players who were steroid users should be viewed and if they should be recognized by fellow Hall of Famers. I agree with Aaron that any record set by Bonds, McGwire, Sosa, Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Clemens and others should have an asterick. Because they were and are cheaters. You will never see me write about the feats of steroid users in my blog.
Somedays I have had my fill with professional athletes. More money more problems! Vehicular manslaughter, rape, narcotic possession, assault. Steroid use just add it to the list. Not only is it cheating but also illegal.
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