Article: MIN 5, SDP 2: Don’t Need a Closer When You’ve Got Erv

[Taildragger8791]

 

Do you consider 5 complete games to also be a useless statistic? Without looking it up, I would guess that's the highest total in at least 10 years. That's the kind of ace I want. That's the kind of ace Jack Morris and to some extent Bert Blyleven were. They didn't always dominate lineups the way Nolan Ryan or Tom Seaver did. But they gave their team the chance to win the overwhelming majority of the time AND pitched deep into games taking pressure off the pen. That is vitally important in today's game. There is more to being an ace than racking up a lot of strikeouts.

 

You'd be wrong. Only one year in the last 10 has there not been a starter with 5+ CGs (there were several with 4 instead), and usually there are multiple. It's a great feat and indicative of a very good pitcher, but it doesn't make someone an ace. His ERA is over 5 since the start of June. It's still over 4 since the start of May. That's because he's been highly volatile, flipping between good/great and poor. Like I said, a very good pitcher and is a decent #2 or very solid #3 as it stands today. But given the choice there are probably 15-20 pitchers that you'd take before him to start game 1 in the playoffs. That alone kind of knocks him out of the argument of being a #1 on a contender.

 

Also, his FIP is a run and a half higher than his ERA because his peripherals are much more middle-of-the-road. Not that I think his FIP represents the 'true' Santana but it does point to some underlying issues which manifest during his blow-up games.

[Otto von Ballpark]

I still think it's amazing that Santana has more complete games than any other team in baseball.

As of tonight, there is now one team that has more complete games than Ervin.

 

(Yes, I know you said "other team" but I like my joke.)