While waiting for the massive opener of tonight's Yankees-Orioles series, I've been checking some stats out. Consider:
---The Braves posted their second straight 1-0 win over the Rockies Thursday afternoon -- and neither game featured an earned run. According to Stats Inc., Atlanta is the first team to win back-to-back 1-0 affairs with unearned runs since the Dodgers did that to the Reds in 1984!
---How did the Braves score Thursday? When Rockies pitcher Jhoulys Chacin missed the throw back to the mound and allowed Juan Francisco to scoot him from third. Little League stuff.
---The Braves went the last 32 innings of their series with the Rox without scoring an earned run. Somehow, they still won three out of four games!
---How are the Dodgers still in the playoff hunt batting .197 with runners in scoring position and two out?
---Gio Gonzalez's 18th win for the Nationals makes him the franchise's first 18-game winner since Bryn Smith did it for the late, great Montreal Expos in 1985.
---The Marlins' tragic number to be eliminated from the NL East is two. Who had them as the third team ousted from division contention this season? Nobody. And it's really the first real team out, because the pathetic Cubs and Astros are both headed to 100-loss seasons.
---Mike Harrington
(twitter.com/bnharrington)
