David Pinto worked for ten years as the chief researcher for ESPN’s Baseball Tonight. Starting in 2002, David brought his research and insights to a wider audience through his blog, Baseball Musings.

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Buscher of Runs

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June 26, 7:50 AM

by David Pinto, Baseball Examiner

Brian Buscher bats against the Padres on 6/25/2008.
Photo: Icon SMI

The Minnesota Twins extended their winning streak to eight games, defeating the San Diego Padres Wednesday night 9-3. They're rolling through Cy Young award winners:

Randy Johnson. Brandon Webb. Jake Peavy. Greg Maddux.
When it comes to National League pitching, that's Mount Rushmore.
Between them, they've won 11 Cy Young Awards. But in a span of five games, the Twins have handled all four, without taking a loss.

One reason for the Twins surge is the play of Brian Buscher. The veteran minor leaguer started playing regularly on June 14, and posted excellent numbers since. He's turned an offensive hole at third base into a positive:

Twins Third Basemen, 2008
Stat	All Twins 3B	Buscher as 3B
Batting Average	.273	.405
On-Base Average	.307	.415
Slugging Percentage	.369	.541

It's a very small sample size for Buscher, but his recent years in the minors show a big upturn in his OBA numbers. If he does nothing else but put up an above average OBA the rest of the season, that will be a big boost to the Twins offense. He scored three runs last night, and ten in eight games since being recalled. Overall for 2008, Minnesota is 9-3 when Buscher plays.

For more info: Baseball Musings

Topics: Baseball , Interleague , Twins , Brian Buscher

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What happened to Moyer?

1 comment

October 13, 10:17 AM

So far the Phillies two postseason losses have one thing in common: Jamie Moyer pitching. That pretty much goes against Moyer's career and recent histories. Coming into 2008, Moyer pitched very well in the postseason. In addition, Charlie Manuel made... Read More
Topics: Pitchers , MLB , League Championship Series

ALCS: Red Sox versus Rays

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October 9, 5:47 PM

The following table compares the 2008 seasons of the Red Sox and Rays, opponents in the ALCS. AL Ranks 2008 Red Sox Rays Runs/Game 5.22 (3rd)... Read More
Topics: MLB , League Championship Series

NLCS: Dodgers versus Phillies

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October 8, 10:44 AM

The following table compares major batting and pitching stats for the Dodgers and Phillies with NL ranks:NL Ranks2008DodgersPhilliesRuns/Game4.32 (13th)4.93 (2nd-T)Batting Avg..264 (5th).255 (10th)On-Base Average.333 (6th).332 (7th)Slugging Pct..399... Read More
Topics: MLB , League Championship Series

Lovable no more

2 comments

October 5, 10:43 AM

The Cubs choked. This wasn't a typical Cubs bizarre defeat. There was no unprecedented comeback, no fan knocking the ball away. It wasn't even a hard-fought set of games in which luck just went the other way. The Cubs simply stunk in a series in which... Read More
Topics: League Division Series , MLB

ALDS: White Sox versus Rays

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October 2, 10:25 AM

The following table compares the 2008 seasons of the White Sox and Rays, opponents in the ALDS.AL Ranks2008White SoxRaysRuns/Game5.00 (5th)4.78 (9th)Batting Avg..263 (11th).260 (13th)On-Base Average.332 (9th).340 (6th)Slugging Pct..448 (2nd).422 (8th)ERA4.06... Read More
Topics: League Division Series , MLB

ALDS: Red Sox versus Angels

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October 1, 1:24 PM

The following table compares the 2008 seasons of the Red Sox and Angels, opponents in the ALDS.AL Ranks2008Red SoxAngelsRuns/Game5.22 (3rd)4.72 (10th)Batting Avg..280 (2nd).268 (7th)On-Base Average.358 (1st).330 (11th)/Slugging Pct..447 (3rd).413 (9th)ERA4.01... Read More
Topics: League Division Series , MLB

The best baseball statistics web sites

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September 30, 8:48 PM

For statistically minded baseball fans, the internet offers a bevy of sites to find the numbers on your favorite players or teams.It all starts with Baseball Reference. I remember buying my Baseball Encyclopedia in the mid 1980s and paging through the... Read More
Topics: MLB , Statistics

NLDS: Dodgers versus Cubs

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September 30, 5:27 PM

The following table compares the 2008 seasons of the Dodgers and Cubs, opponents in the NLDS.NL Ranks2008DodgersCubsRuns/Game4.32 (13th)5.31 (1st)Batting Avg..264 (5th).278 (2nd)On-Base Average.333 (6th).354 (1st)/Slugging Pct..399 (13th).443 (1st)ERA3.68... Read More
Topics: League Division Series , MLB

NLDS: Brewers versus Phillies

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September 30, 5:25 AM

NL Ranks2008BrewersPhilliesRuns/Game4.63 (7th)4.93 (2nd-T)Batting Avg..253 (12th).255 (10th)On-Base Average.325 (10th).332 (7th)/Slugging Pct..431 (5th).438 (2nd)ERA3.85 (2nd)3.88 (4th)Strikeouts/9 IP6.9 (9th)6.7 (12th)Walks/9 IP3.3 (5th-T)3.3 (5th-T)HR/200... Read More
Topics: League Division Series , MLB