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Matthew Leach has worked for MLB.com since 2001 and was the site's Cardinals beat reporter from 2002-11.
![]() | It's probably for the best that the Astros and Dodgers got a break on Monday. Sure, cross-country travel can be draining, but it would have been asking a lot for them to get back at it following Sunday's jaw-dropping Game 5 World Series epic. So it's worth asking the question, when two teams play that kind of epic game, how do they follow it up?
More» McMaster, Morris, Nelson preview Game 6 |
![]() | It's not as though the Dodgers need a lot of offensive help. As they head east for Game 3 of the World Series tonight, though, they're going to get some.
More» Roberts discusses DH options for Game 3 |
![]() | As the 2017 season draws to a close, we get a few more chances to see Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge try to make additional home run history. They've already written their names all over the record books, and they have six more days to add to them.
More» Judge sets MLB rookie home run record |
![]() | There's no one perfect formula that takes teams to October success. With that said, you won't find many clubs in recent years that went deep in the postseason without excellent defense. Enter Statcast™, and its new metric, outs above average.
More» Buxton dives for game-ending four-star grab |
![]() | Nats rotation anchor Gio Gonzalez is relying more heavily on his curveball than he has since his days with the A's, and he's not just using it as a chase or strikeout pitch. In fact, Gonzalez is throwing it to get ahead.
More» Gonzalez fans six over 8 1/3 scoreless |
![]() | If you're going to give Phillies phenom Rhys Hoskins something to hit, it had better be hard stuff. If you can't get your fastball into the 90s, it's best to stay away.
More» Statcast measures Hoskins' 445-foot home run |
![]() | There's a reason we play six months in this sport. Well, there are a lot of reasons. But one big one is that from day to day, week to week, everything can change. It takes a full season to get a complete read on a team or a player. These days, Manny Machado is probably awfully thankful for that full season.
More» Statcast measures Machado's 465-ft. home run |
![]() | As the season grinds into its final quarter, one thing you'll occasionally hear is that getting a key player back is "like making a trade." Sure, it can be -- but it's not always a great trade. With the help of Statcast, here's a look at some of those "trades." All of these players spent time on the disabled list, then returned at some point in July.
More» Salazar K's 12 over seven frames vs. Yankees |
![]() | Justin Smoak's 20 home runs have put him squarely in contention for a starting spot on the American League All-Star team. So much so that the Blue Jays are pushing a #SmoakTheVote campaign for the veteran first baseman.
More» Smoak slugs solo homer, 20th of season |
![]() | How does the best pitcher east of Clayton Kershaw get better? Because Max Scherzer has done just that this year.
More»Statcast measures Scherzer's wicked slider |
![]() | Buster Posey has driven in a Giants teammate eight times in two months. He has not hit a home run with a runner on base this year. Does that mean that Posey has forgotten how to drive in runs? That he's somehow lost the clutch gene? Nope. It means he's not getting a doggone thing to hit with men on base. And unlike some hitters in those situations, he's taking his walks.
More» Posey notches an RBI double to left field |
![]() | You may have missed it. No one could blame you if you had. But in the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium on Monday night, Royals pitcher Seth Maness did something unusual. He threw Aaron Judge a curveball, in the strike zone, and got away with it.
More» Judge lines long RBI triple to deep center |
![]() | If you're a Tigers fan who swears that your team has hit into some amazing bad luck this year, you're not wrong. By basically any measure, the Tigers have tattooed the ball this year. They just don't have the results to match. No team has hit into worse luck so far in 2017.
More» Statcast analyzes Bradley Jr. robbing Miggy |
![]() | A year ago, Chris Sale reinvented himself. A great deal was made of it. He pitched to contact, prioritizing efficiency over dominance. And it worked. He reached a career high in innings and saw his pitches per plate appearance drop. It lasted all of a year. Sale is back to blowing hitters away, and he's better than ever at it.
More» Sale fans 10, holds Yanks to two earned runs |
![]() | It's nearly as common a Spring Training refrain as the ubiquitous "best shape of my life," though it usually starts being uttered a couple of weeks later.
More» Syndergaard fans Ozuna in the 2nd inning |
![]() | Here's a look at 3 players enjoying early-season breakouts, and what Statcast™ says about the abilities, rather than just the numbers.
More» Sano connects for 440-ft. home run |
![]() | Mets general manager Sandy Alderson emphasized collaboration and communication as the keys for incorporating new ideas like defensive shifts and catcher framing at the annual Sloan Sports Analytics Conference on Saturday.
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