[blogguy]

FRIDAY AMERICAN LEAGUE

KANSAS CITY: REDMAN
5.33 ERA and 5.7 IP in all starts
5.34 ERA and 6.0 IP on the road
2.2 strikeouts per game
1.45 WHIP
1.16 GB/FB ratio (neutral)
Bullpen Ranking out of 30 teams: 28th
Nutshell: Yup...an all-star, lol. He has pitched better lately (3.15 ERA last 3 starts), and the Royals are 7-7 in his 14 starts...24-50 with everyone else. Must be getting great run support. He doesn't strike anyone out...and is getting hit pretty hard overall.

DETROIT: ROGERS
3.86 ERA and 6.3 IP in all starts
2.54 ERA and 6.5 IP at home
3.6 strikeouts per game
1.19 WHIP
1.29 GB/FB ratio (neutral, towards ground balls)
Bullpen Ranking out of 30 teams: 4th
Nutshell: Look at those home numbers before dismissing Rogers as a premier pitcher. He certainly has been great in this park...then he's backed up by a great bullpen. Only concern would be that all-star appearance messing up his rotation rhythm. Definitely a guy to take at home in general when affordable.

OAKLAND: ZITO
3.29 ERA and 6.6 IP in all starts
3.46 ERA and 6.5 IP on the road
4.8 strikeouts per game
1.29 WHIP
1.00 GB/FB ratio (fly ball)
Bullpen Ranking out of 30 teams: 6th
Nutshell: Still great. Strong bullpen as well. A's still know how to put together quality on a budget. They wouldn't have made the trade that the Reds did the other day.

BOSTON: BECKETT
4.75 ERA and 6.1 IP in all starts
2.54 ERA and 6.5 IP at home
5.1 strikeouts per game
1.24 WHIP
1.09 GB/FB ratio (fly ball)
Bullpen Ranking out of 30 teams: 11th
Nutshell: Strong at home...surprising for a fly ball guy in Fenway.

TEXAS: MILLWOOD
4.83 ERA and 6.1 IP in all starts
3.00 ERA and 6.7 IP on the road
4.1 strikeouts per game
1.43 WHIP
1.21 GB/FB ratio (neutral)
Bullpen Ranking out of 30 teams: 9th
Nutshell: Mentioned something early in the season about Millwood likely being a good road/bad home pitcher in Arlington. That's held up so far. Very strong road numbers...leading into a surprisingly effective bullpen. Got to bug Orel Hershiser that the pitching staff got better after he left. How's he going to be a manager now? If readers are right that Baltimore's thrown in the towel, then Millwood will make some sense tonight. Coming back from an injury layoff...but the reports from the tune-ups have been good.

BALTIMORE: BENSON
4.81 ERA and 5.9 IP in all starts
3.41 ERA and 6.2 IP at home
2.8 strikeouts per game
1.40 WHIP
0.97 GB/FB ratio (fly ball)
Bullpen Ranking out of 30 teams: 27th
Nutshell: Good ERA at home...but you've got to be concerned about the lack of strikeouts. Not as good as his contract...but not as bad as all the bashers have been saying.

SEATTLE: MECHE
3.84 ERA and 6.1 IP in all starts
5.13 ERA and 5.4 IP on the road
5.0 strikeouts per game
1.32 WHIP
0.97 GB/FB ratio (fly ball)
Bullpen Ranking out of 30 teams: 15th
Nutshell: Bad road numbers...and a fly ball pitcher against a good power team. Tough spot in Toronto

TORONTO: JANSSEN
4.73 ERA and 5.2 IP in all starts
4.01 ERA and 5.4 IP at home
2.6 strikeouts per game
1.27 WHIP
1.53 GB/FB ratio (ground ball)
Bullpen Ranking out of 30 teams: 17th
Nutshell: Low strikeouts is a horrible sign for a young pitcher. Doesn't typically foreshadow success. Numbers have been generic this year...and generic is actually better than many new pitchers do.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX: CONTRERAS
3.38 ERA and 6.8 IP in all starts
4.39 ERA and 6.7 IP on the road
4.8 strikeouts per game
1.18 WHIP
1.04 GB/FB ratio (fly ball)
Bullpen Ranking out of 30 teams: 12th
Nutshell: His long winning streak has been pretty amazing. He hasn't been any better than a lot of ace caliber guys. But....he's got ace stats on a championship team...and that puts you in position to have long winning streaks. Strong numbers.

NY YANKEES: JOHNSON
5.13 ERA and 6.0 IP in all starts
4.94 ERA and 5.6 IP at home
5.1 strikeouts per game
1.28 WHIP
0.89 GB/FB ratio (fly ball)
Bullpen Ranking out of 30 teams: 3rd (great closer, weaker in the middle)
Nutshell: ERA is better of late...3.97 over the last 5 starts. Still not his old self...but not the automatic go-against he seemed to be earlier in the season.

CLEVELAND: BYRD
4.32 ERA and 6.0 IP in all starts
3.42 ERA and 6.2 IP on the road
3.4 strikeouts per game
1.33 WHIP
0.70 GB/FB ratio (fly ball)
Bullpen Ranking out of 30 teams: 25th
Nutshell: Strong road numbers...but he's not in a pitcher's park tonight. Bullpen still an issue.

MINNESOTA: RADKE
5.14 ERA and 5.8 IP in all starts
3.95 ERA and 6.3 IP at home
3.0 strikeouts per game
1.60 WHIP
1.05 GB/FB ratio (fly ball)
Bullpen Ranking out of 30 teams: 3rd
Nutshell: Radke got things figured out a few weeks ago, and has been strong of late. His ERA is 2.61 his last five starts...and 1.89 his last 3 starts. His numbers have been okay at home all year...leading up to a great bullpen.

TAMPA BAY: SEO
5.22 ERA and 3.6 IP in all starts
5.58 ERA and 4.8 IP on the road
2.5 strikeouts per game
1.14 WHIP
0.52 GB/FB ratio (fly ball)
Bullpen Ranking out of 30 teams: 26th
Nutshell: Not much of a sample here...which is why the IP numbers look so weird. Bad road team...inconsistent pitcher...struggling bullpen.

LA ANGELS: LACKEY
2.90 ERA and 6.7 IP in all starts
3.48 ERA and 6.7 IP at home
5.3 strikeouts per game
1.02 WHIP
0.87 GB/FB ratio (fly ball)
Bullpen Ranking out of 30 teams: 13th
Nutshell: Very strong year for Lackey. If the Angels do get their act together in the second half...he's the guy most likely to benefit. Angels are 10-8 in his starts even with those great numbers. Note that the Angels finished the first half on an 8-2 run...suggesting they might be a team to watch out of the gate now. They're just 2.5 games out of first even though they were in last place a couple of weeks ago.

Share your comments about the AL!

I can tell you these take a lot longer to type up than to just log the numbers on a legal pad or something...lol...so I won't be doing all 30 teams every day for long!