Independence
Day Fireworks and the MLB All-Star game always go hand-in-hand during the month
of July. It also signals the start of the second half of the MLB
campaign. And as we've come to learn the key to every team's fortune
lies within the pitching staff. Can these pitchers sew up critical
wins or will they unravel like a Salvation Army suit? Stay
tuned. What we do know is that certain pitchers love hurling this
time of the season while others tend to get lit up like a roman candle.
Listed below are hurlers that have enjoyed a
two-to-one or better success ratio in team-starts over the course of the last
three seasons during the month of July. On the flip side, we've also listed
pitchers that struggle in July, winning 33% percent or less of their team-start
efforts. To qualify pitchers must have made a minimum of 10 starts, with at
least one start each July over the last three years. And for your convenience
alongside each record, we break down each pitcher's greatest success, or
greatest failure rate either home (H) or away (A) within his good or bad month.
Note: * designates a categorical repeat
appearance by this pitcher (none this month), maintaining status quo from last
season's July list.
GOOD MONTH PITCHERS:
Boyd, Matthew • 8-4 / 5-1 A
The young emerging Tigers ace was rumored to
be in trade talks with the New York Yankees, but it appeared Detroit's asking
price was too high. He was on a 6-2 dog run until a recent 0-5 effort since
mid-May reared its head. Boyd is distantly related to Hall Of Fame hurler Bob
Feller.
Carrasco, Carlos • 10-4 / 5-2 A
Out with a blood condition, no timetable for
his return.
Chacin, Jhoulys • 9-2 / 5-0 H
The Brewers Chacin is having a very difficult
season at 3-8 with a 5.60 ERA. His inability to spot pitches has really hurt
him, allowing more walks and home runs after last year's 15-8 campaign. Let's
see if July perks him up.
Cole, Gerrit • 9-4 / 5-2 A
Cole is having a very good year with only one
issue, but it still counts. Opposing batters are hitting just .211 against him,
compared to .240 lifetime. His ERA is very close to career norm of 3.38, but
like most pitchers this season he's been plagued by the long ball, with 16
allowed after permitting 19 in all of 2018.
Hendricks, Kyle • 8-4 / 5-2 H
Currently on the DL with a shoulder
impingement, and Cubs officials have stated they will take their time to get
Hendricks 100 percent healthy.
Hill, Rich • 9-3 / 5-1 A
This dude is 39 years old and a little crazy
but is super effective. Nobody we've seen in recent years swears as much out
loud as Hill, as you don't even have to be a lip reader to see that. However,
the left-hander is ultra-competitive and has more variations of the curveball
than an out of town salesman has singles going to a strip club. Unfortunately,
Hill has a strained flexor tendon in his forearm and probably won't pitch this
month.
Paxton, James • 10-5 / 6-2 A
Because the Yankees have played so well,
Paxton having an ERA of a run higher than his career norm has been overlooked.
He's catching too much of the plate and surrendering too many base-knocks. His
worst outings are easy to tell, as his fly ball to groundball ratio is at least
2-to-1. Manager Aaron Boone is looking for a turn around in July.
Quintana, Jose • 11-3 / 6-0 A
Quintana's been in a major slump and the Cubs
really need him to come out of it. Almost nothing has worked for the 30-year of
late and you can tell by his body language that if he allows a hit or a walk to
start an inning, trouble is brewing. His inability to work inside up and down
the strike zone is hurting him.
Scherzer, Max • 11-4 / 8-1 A
Mad Max - the best hurler in MLB - is a
regular on our monthly charts and he's back to mowing down batters after a
sluggish start. Always known for great control and striking out hitters,
Scherzer is at nearly an insane 8-to-1 for strikeouts to walks this season.
Warning label: This guy is hotter than a firecracker!
Wacha, Michael • 7-3 / 5-1 H
Its clear Wacha is not right this season,
battling an assortment of injuries, all of which are all contributing to
lackluster results thus far. It's hard to determine when and if he will feel as
close to 100 percent as possible, but maybe the heat of July will loosen
everything up.
BAD MONTH PITCHERS:
Bumgarner, Madison • 4-10 / 0-6 A
Mad Bum has been an elite pitcher for a long
time, but did you realize he's not had a winning season since 2016? Granted,
the Giants are not close to their championship ways in the first part of this
decade, but shouldn't he have a better record than 14-23 the last three years?
Could be more of the same this month.
Leake, Mike • 5-10 / 2-5 H
Mike Leake was never a great pitcher, as his
100-94 career record proves. At 31, he's lost something off the fastball and
his breaking pitches no longer have the same bite. At this juncture, he's a
back of the rotation hurler on a losing team, just like the one he's on in
Seattle.
Matz, Steven • 4-12 / 1-6 H
The lefthander has never quite figured it
out. At times Matz has looked devastating for innings at a time, then, he
allows four or five runs and is yanked out of the game. In his five years with
the Mets, he's given up better than a hit an inning and that is no recipe for
success. Expect the negative numbers to continue.
Ray, Robbie • 3-12 / 1-7 A
A super talented lefty who's never solved the
mental part of the game. Ray averages 1.2 strikeouts an inning, which
high-level stuff for a starter. His problem is he can be sailing along for five
or six innings, then, two walks, a single and home run allowed and suddenly
Ray's given up a four-spot just like that. Focus has always been his undoing,
particularly in July it seems.
Samardzija, Jeff • 3-9 / 1-4 A
Samardzija's main attribute is that he's
gotten paid along the way to still be pitching at 34 and making close to 20
million a year, despite having a 73-99 career record. Obviously, he's had a
great agent. Samards use to have a decent sinker/slider mix, but at his current
age, the velocity has dropped and too often he's tossing slop, while just trying
to miss bats, without a great deal of success.
Teheran, Julio • 5-10 /2-6 A
Once thought of as an ace, the 28-year is
just another pitcher who makes mistakes at the most critical times, which
causes him and Atlanta to lose. His .225 batting average allowed this season is
below what he's done in the past (.235), but too much nibbling has led to too
many free passes and ultimately Teheran gets burned.
For more on Marc Lawrence click here.