Six years later, Rich Hill’s still got it
We rediscovered Rich Hill. The Pirates must press on without their one-legged shortstop. Despite clinching a playoff spot, the Cardinals may not be the immortal team we thought they were.
This is The Week That Was.
Back on the Hill
After not starting a game on the mound since 2009 as an Oriole, Rich Hill finally got another chance to start with the Red Sox. The result? Seven scoreless innings, 10 strikeouts, two hit by pitches and only one (questionable) hit allowed in 109 pitches. The hit could have been scored as an error from Xander Bogaerts. Regardless, it was a phenomenal showing for a man who fully transitioned to relief pitching (making 119 relief appearances since his last start) and was forced to become a sidearm hurler after Tommy John and shoulder labrum surgeries.
The 35-year-old was chugging 92 mph fastballs with vitality, and his 74-76 mph curveball was just as filthy as it was the last time he started an MLB game. The sharp contrast in speed between those pitches threw off batters enough to strikeout each one he faced at least once. His phenomenal effort helped the Sox win a 13-inning contest 2-0 against a Rays squad that’s 28th in offense. Regardless, of how inept Tampa Bay’s hitting is, this is still a monumental feat for a man who’d been written off as a starter in this league. That’s even despite putting up a 1.14 ERA in 40 relief appearances with Boston from 2010-12. That’s the best ERA in Red Sox history among all pitchers with at least 15 innings under their belt.
Pegleg Pirates
While losing three games of a four-game series against their division rival Chicago Cubs, a key member of the Pittsburgh Pirates literally got his leg taken out from underneath him. Chris Coghlan performed a takeout slide on Jung Ho Kang while he was turning a double play during the first inning of Thursday’s 9-6 loss to the Cubs. Kang suffered a tibial plateau fracture and torn MCL as a result and underwent season-ending surgery that night. A timetable of six to eight months has been announced.
Kang’s surging play later in the season was the catalyst behind Pittsburgh’s playoff push. In his rookie season, he’s already managed to cement himself as the team’s second-best hitter behind Andrew McCutchen, putting up 15 dingers with a .287/.355/.461 line and a 123 OPS+. Kang wasn’t a bad defender, either, having proven all season that he could hold his own at both third base and shortstop. With the Pirates looking destined to take on a dangerous Cubs’ offense in the one-game Wild Card playoff, going in without your second-best hitter is almost a death knell. It’s hard to feel like this crippled squad has enough juice to make to the NLDS.
Cardinals Clinch
Despite losing to the Cubs in a crazy 5-4 game on Saturday, the St. Louis Cardinals managed to be the first team to clinch a playoff birth, thanks to the Diamondbacks’ victory over the Giants. This latest playoff trip will be their franchise-record fifth in a row. The organization’s prowess in drafting players with high potential and developing them to reach their ceiling was on display this season, as injuries to many key guys forced the club to use their younger assets. As a result, the club is far out in front with a league-leading 92-56 record. However, they’ve started to fall off their throne a little bit just before the playoffs.
As of the morning of Sept. 20, the Cardinals are 7-11 on the month. What’s even stranger is that the people responsible for their undoing were considered to be the strongest part of their team all season. Their pitching staff was unarguably the league’s best from April through August, sporting a 2.65 ERA, which was the only team ERA under 3.00. In September, the team fell all the way to 22nd in ERA on the month with a laughable 5.01 ERA. It’s possible the pitching turns around, but things are going wrong for them at the worst time.
Jonathan Ebanks is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Jonathan, check out his archive and follow him @hogz4lyfe.
