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MLB's diamond and cubic zirconia of June
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San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum smiles as he sits in the dugout during
the seventh inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, June 29, 2009, in St. Louis.
Lincecum threw a two-hitter for his third complete game of the season in the Giants' 10-0
victory. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
The month of June has quickly crept in and out of our lives and July is now wrapping its warm arms around us. Almost at the mid-point of the baseball season, there has been a number of highs (Randy Johnson winning #300) and lows (last-place Baltimore Orioles coming back from a 10-1 deficit to beat first-place Boston Red Sox 11-10).
No matter the situation, a team cannot find success without good pitching—which brings us to this month’s Diamond and Cubic Zirconia of June: Pitcher’s Edition.
Diamond of June: Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants
How can one ignore the pure brilliance of “the Freak”? It was in June that Lincecum recorded his MLB-leading three complete games. The last two CGs were in his last two starts, while his most recent was a shutout. Not only is the reigning Cy Young Award winner good, he’s getting better.
Based on the last 30 days, Lincecum leads MLB pitchers in strikeouts (48), innings pitched (48.2), complete games (3), and shutouts (2). He was fourth in ERA with a 1.48 ERA in the month of June.
Milwaukee Brewers manager Ken Macha takes the ball from
starting pitcher Manny Parra on Saturday, June 13, 2009, in
Milwaukee. The White Sox scored six runs in the inning. At left
is catcher Jason Kendall. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
June has not treated Parra well. In his three starts for the Brewers, Parra has given up 21 earned runs in just 11.1 innings of work. On June 13th, he lasted only 1.2 innings, where he allowed 6 runs against the Chicago White Sox.
Following that poor performance, Parra was sent down to the Minors. His first two starts were decent, but his most recent start (Sunday) revealed the real Manny Parra may be the one who gives up too many runs. In his last start for Triple-A Nashville, he worked only 4.2 innings and allowed six runs on five hits and five walks.
Parra’s ERA for June was an embarrassing 16.68.
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Brandon League (AP Photo)
Sparkly Icing on June’s Cake: Brandon League, Toronto Blue Jays
Brandon League, this month’s Sparkly Icing, has not done all too well this month, so he gets sparkly-points taken off. The points he lost with his 7.90 June ERA is earned back through his tattooed arms. If it weren’t for those sleeves, I may have given this title to a deserving reliever in the National League.
The Hawaii resident also wears glasses, when worn on others are quite the turn-off, but on him, they are a bit charming. It’s like learning that bad boy from high school is part of the school’s marching band.
Sidenote: This being a pitcher edition, I didn’t want to ignore the middle relievers. They are essential to a team’s bullpen success, but hardly receive recognition. So this is my head nod toward the pitchers who usually stand in the closer’s shadow.
There may be a reason for that, however. It was damn hard to find a “sparkly” middle reliever. Seriously.
Who is your vote for June's Diamond, Cubic Zirconia, and/or Sparkly Icing?
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