As the season rounds the quarter pole and heads into the stretch drive, here’s a compilation of some of this season’s statistical oddities.

Betcha didn’t know that …

Let’s start with the West.

Giants – With Angel Pagan back in the lineup after missing 45 games, San Francisco is on pace to have 3 outfielders aged 30 or older record 110 OPS+ in 100+ games, a franchise first.

Dodgers – Clayton Kershaw is on pace to join Sandy Koufax (1963) as the only Dodger starters with ERA and FIP both under 2.00 in a qualifying season. With Zack Greinke and Hyun-jin Ryu, it would mark back-to-back seasons with those three under 3.33 in both measures, the first time for three Dodgers since 1967-68 (Don Drysdale / Claude Osteen / Bill Singer).

Diamondbacks – Arizona presently has no starters with 100 IP and a 100 ERA+. Chase Anderson (87.1 IP, 102 ERA+) could do it but it’s longer odds for the other starters. If none make it, it would mark a franchise first for starter futility.

Rockies – LaTroy Hawkins is the first Rockie pitcher to record a save after his 40th birthday. He’s on pace to join Rafael Betancourt as the only Rockies to record 20 saves aged 33 or older. When Hawkins faced Bobby Abreu on May 3rd, it was the first (and likely the only) PA of the season with pitcher and batter both aged 40+.

Padres – With Everth Cabrera just placed on the 15-day DL with a hamstring, it would seem a long shot that he will record enough PAs for a qualifying season. That would leave Seth Smith (who isn’t a lock either) as the only Padre to qualify for the batting title, the fewest in franchise history.

Moving on to the Central.

Brewers – Milwaukee already has 5 players (Ryan Braun / Khris Davis / Scooter Gennett / Carlos Gomez / Jonathan Lucroy) with 25 doubles, each of whom is currently above 115 OPS+, a combination only the 1979 club (Cecil Cooper / Sixto Lezcano / Paul Molitor / Ben Oglivie / Gorman Thomas) has achieved. No Brewers team has had more than 3 players at that OPS+ level while stroking 30 or more doubles, a mark this year’s club would seem to have a good shot at breaking.

Cardinals – Matt Adams is on pace to bat .300 in a qualifying season, the 10th time in 11 years that a Cardinal first baseman has done that. What’s different is that Adams bats left-handed, something St. Louis hasn’t had since Keith Hernandez batted .300 in 1979-81 (though switch-hitter Gregg Jeffries posted .342 and .325 marks for the Redbirds in 1993-94).

Reds – Billy Hamilton is on pace to become the first Red since Armando Marsans (1913) to record more than twice as many stolen bases as walks in a qualifying season. Hamilton would be only the fourth rookie on any team to do this since 1901. (more Marsans trivia: Armando was one of 10 players purchased by the Browns before the 1916 season from the St. Louis Terriers of the defunct Federal League. Marsans and  Ward Miller would be regulars that season while Eddie Plank and Bob Groom anchored the pitching staff. The remaining 6 players all saw service, including four who played at least 65 games, as the Browns finished above .500 for the first time in eight years. So much for loyalty to your players who didn’t jump!)

Cubs – Chicago currently has no players on its roster who are batting .300, regardless of AB total. September call-ups could change that but, if not, this would be the first such Cubs team since 1956.

Pirates – Pittsburgh currently has two pitchers (Francisco Liriano / Charlie Morton) with 20 starts and a W-L% under 0.300, a mark matched only by the 1985 club. If their winning percentages hold, 3 more starts by Liriano will make this the first Pirate team with two such pitchers having 25 starts. On the flip side, pitching coach Ray Searage continues his reclamation wizardry, coaxing 100 ERA+ out of  Edinson Volquez, his first season at that level since 2008. If Volquez maintains that mark, he will follow A.J. Burnett and Liriano as the 3rd pitcher in as many years to come off sub-85 ERA+ over his two preceding seasons to post a century ERA+ in 150+ IP in his first campaign under Searage.

And, finishing up with the East.

Nationals – Washington has a chance to join the 2003 Expos as the only teams in franchise history to have 5 pitchers with 20 starts and a 100 ERA+. To do so, Gio Gonzalez will need to get back on the beam. True to his career form (July and August are his worst ERA months), Gonzalez is in a dog day swoon with 6.52 ERA over his last 4 starts (after 1.97 over the 5 starts before that). But, September is historically Gonzalez’s best ERA month, so bumping up his current 92 ERA+ is not out of the question.

Braves – For the first time in franchise history, Atlanta could have two age 23 or younger pitchers (Julio Teheran / Alex Wood) start 20 games and qualify for the ERA title with 100 ERA+ scores. To do so, Wood needs to average about 6 IP over 7 more starts (exactly what he’s done over his last 7 outings).  Wood is also destined to become the youngest Brave pitcher since George Stone in 1969 with a campaign of 20 starts and 10 relief appearances.

Phillies – If they’re shut out twice more, it will mark back-to-back seasons with 15, the first time for a Philladelphia club since 1988-89. The Phillies have 4 players aged 34+ (Marlon Byrd / Ryan Howard / Jimmy Rollins / Chase Utley) who have already reached the the 502 PA season qualifying mark, a first for the franchise (breaking the previous mark of 3 players, set last year). If all four were to reach 600 PA (not at all inconceivable), it would be the most such players on any team, ever.

Marlins – Giancarlo Stanton currently leads the NL in HR and RBI. No Marlin has previously led the league in either category. Stanton also leads the NL in walks and intentional walks, a quadruple black ink combo never before achieved in the NL, and achieved only twice (Harmon Killebrew 1969, Frank Howard 1970) in the AL.

Mets – Jenrry Mejia‘s 18 saves are already the most for any Met pitcher with 5 or more starts in a season. Those 18 saves are also the highest total by a pitcher (on any team) who was undefeated (Mejia is 3-0) in 5 or more starts.

I’ll take a look at the AL next.