Just last week, my colleague at Beyond The Box Score, Ron Wolschleger, wrote an article about Nationals left-handed starter Gio Gonzalez, entitled, “Don’t get too excited about Gio Gonzalez.”

To sum it up quickly, Wolschleger discussed Gonzalez’s hot season — a 2.40 ERA over 168 2⁄3innings now — and explained why, despite him pitching like a No. 1, he isn’t a No. 1. It’s not hard to figure out why. Gonzalez’s K-BB% is the lowest mark of his career. His fly ball rate is one of the highest. Hitters have posted a .242 BABIP against him.

Click here to read more on Beyond The Box Score. 

The first pitch was a called strike, a curveball on the inside corner. Pitch No. 2 was fouled off. Sure, the count was 0-2, but Rhys Hoskins seemed unfazed. Three balls and two fouls later, the count was worked to full. On the eighth pitch of the at bat, the ball landed in the seats, off the facing of the second deck, 109 mph off the bat.

That is the quintessential Rhys Hoskins.

Click here to read more on BeyondTheBoxScore.com. 

My Little League career ended just four years ago, but I already knew then that I would be a baseball fan for life.

That’s not always how it works, though. A lot of my friends have told me that they enjoyed playing baseball, but they could never get into following it. While that is a shame, I do get it. For most kids today, baseball isn’t the sport to spend hours in front of the TV watching. It doesn’t have the same moment-to-moment excitement as football, basketball or hockey, and that can draw younger fans away.

Click here to read more on Beyond The Box Score. 

Recently, the Astros haven’t been playing like the dominant team that they have been all season. Since July 18, they are 12-16. Their pitching is falling apart — since that date, Houston’s pitching staff has a 5.11 ERA, bringing the team’s season ERA from 3.94 to 4.22. Yet talks with the Tigers over Justin Verlander are going nowhere. There has been one bright spot amidst the struggles, though: Charlie Morton.

A third-round pick by the Braves in 2002, Morton was one of the three pieces in the 2009 trade with the Pirates that sent Nate McLouthto Atlanta. He pitched in Pittsburgh for seven seasons, never eclipsing 1.6 fWAR in a season. He struggled to strike out hitters at a high rate and couldn’t limit walks to the point where that would not be an issue.

Click here to read more on Beyond The Box Score. 

Win five games in a row, and you have a playoff spot.

That’s been the mantra of the AL Wild Card race thus far this season. With nine teams separated by 5-1/2 games or fewer, virtually every single AL team can consider themselves a playoff hopeful. It made for an interesting trade deadline, and it should make for an exciting rest of the season.
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Click here to read more on Beyond The Box Score.