When it’s not your night: starters taking one for the team

On Monday night, Seattle had its way with Tampa Bay, with a 12-5 thumping that stood at 8-0 after two innings. Mariner hitters feasted on the offerings of Rays’ starter Cesar Ramos who was abandoned by his defense which committed 4 errors in those first two frames.

What was notable about this game, though, was this – Ramos stayed in to pitch 6.2 innings, holding Seattle scoreless over the last 3.2 IP of that stint. It was the first game this season with a starter going 6+ innings and allowing 9 or more runs. There was only one such game last year, by Ramos’s teammate David Price, and none in 2012.

These games haven’t always been so rare (this was the 268th such start since 1946), but staying in for 6+ innings after allowing 8 runs over the first two frames is very rare indeed. More on starters who “take one for the team” after the jump.

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Crossing the Bag: Young Shortstops Moved to Second

After two years of two-way futility at shortstop, Dee Gordon crossed over to second base this season — his fourth in the majors, at age 26 — and is off to a flying start, batting .336 with an MLB-high 24 stolen bases in his first 35 games.

One narrative for a successful SS-to-2B transition goes like this: “Defensive woes got in his head, dragging his whole game down. Playing second eased that pressure, freed his mind, and let his other skills shine.” More on that angle, after the jump.

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Game notes from Saturday, May 10

@Dodgers 6, Giants 2 — LA scored twice in the 6th, 7th and 8th to overcome their rivals’ early edge. Fortunes turned quickly after Matt Cain walked Dee Gordon leading off the 6th. He stole, Puig’s popup fell in front of a lumbering Moose, and Han-Ram walked to load the bags for Adrian Gonzalez. Southpaw Jeremy Affeldt got the slugger on a scoring DP, leaving the tying run on third for Matt Kemp, whose career line says .336/.957 off lefties. What would Bruce Bochy do?

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