Six team shutouts Sunday, 129 for the season. On a per-team basis, it’s the most shutouts at this stage of a season since 1989. But this year’s scoring average of 4.17 runs per game is no cause for hysteria. The post-WWII median is 4.34 R/G; the expansion-era median is 4.32. The median for the first 20 years of the DH era was 4.26. This year’s average is just 2%-4% below those marks, and it’s the same as last year’s average. It’s just normal fluctuation. (Oh, and if you’re feeling more historical than current, there’s a random box-score nugget at the bottom of the post.)

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@Cardinals 2, Giants 0 — Welcome to the Show, Oscar Taveras. The highly anticipated prospect broke a scoreless tie with a no-doubt home run in his second time at bat, the first Cardinal debut HR since 2010. (Steven Hill?) Michael Wacha tamed the Jints for six innings before a rain delay, and Trevor Rosenthal whiffed the heart of San Francisco’s order for the save.

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Atlanta 3, @Miami 2 — The Marlins could have claimed first place on their home field, but the guests would not cooperate. Top of the 7th, Atlanta down 2-1, Julio Teheran due to lead off, about 90 pitches in and looking sharp since a 1st-inning homer. What’s your call?

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Game Notes savored every crawfish in the Crescent City. Now, let’s shake off that Abita Purple Haze, and get back to those hardball nines!

@Diamondbacks 4, Reds 0 — A 94-pitch shutout … by Josh Collmenter? A 3-hitter, facing the minimum? Pull the other one! 

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This post is for voting and discussion in the 59th round of balloting for the Circle of Greats (COG).  This round adds to the ballot those players born in 1923.  Rules and lists are after the jump. Continue reading →

John Smoltz started here at the Circle of Greats voting by appearing on exactly 50% of the ballots in his very first round (which was also just the second round of COG voting as a whole). Then, for the next 57 (!) rounds, John never appeared on nearly that high a percentage of the ballots again. Until, that is, he received a stunning level of very late support in the 1924 round of voting to tie Duke Snider, and closed things out with a 50.8% showing in a runoff against the Duke, making Smoltz the 58th inductee into the High Heat Stats Circle of Greats. More on John and the voting after the jump Continue reading →

Reds 3, @Dodgers 4 -Dodger left-hander Hyun-jin Ryu flirted with perfection for 7 innings, one day after teammate Josh Beckett had tossed a no-hitter in Philadelphia. Whether it was the 30 minute-plus Dodger ABs in the bottom of the 7th or something else, Ryu was off the mark in the 8th and barely escaped with the lead, much less a no-hit game. Brian Wilson got the second out of the inning but then allowed a two-run double and two walks, leaving the bases loaded for closer Kenley Jansen, who struck out Brandon Phillips to end the threat.

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Rangers 12, @Tigers 2, Rangers 12, @Tigers 4 – Texas took the four game set 3-1 with these two weekend shellackings of Rick Porcello and Justin Verlander. It was the just the 9th time since at least 1914 that Detroit has surrendered 12+ runs to the same opponent in consecutive games at home. For Verlander, it was only the second start of his career surrendering 9 runs in under 6 innings. His 14 game score is a career low.

More after the jump.

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With apologies to Samuel Beckett, and congratulations to Josh!

Dodger right-hander Josh Beckett has authored the first no-hit, no-run game of his career, and of this season, as the Dodgers took the rubber match of a weekend set in Philadelphia. Beckett walked three and struck out six, including Chase Utley for the game’s final out.

Backett threw 128 pitches, 80 of them for strikes. After going to a 3-0 count on the leadoff hitters in both the first and second innings, Beckett hit his stride and retired 23 Phillies in a row, throwing a first pitch strike to all but two of them. The Phillies helped out by putting 5 first pitches in play, four of them in the last 3 innings.

More after the jump.

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Looking at the NL slate today.

Rockies 2, @Braves 3 – Gerald Laird‘s two-out single in the 8th inning scored Ramiro Pena from second to break a 2-2 tie and Craig Kimbrel did the rest, striking out the side in the 9th for his 13th save. For Kimbrel, it was his 21st time facing 3 batters and striking out all of them, tying him with Armando Benitez for the second highest career total, trailing only Billy Wagner‘s record 32 games.

More after the jump.

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