Top 30 Starts of 2009 - Part 5

This is part 5 of the 6 part series on the best 30 starts for the Rays in our most recent season.  So far we have seen 11 - 30 and there have been some real humdingers in there.  As a review, here are positions for each starter:

James Shields - 24, 23, 20, 19, 12

Matt Garza - 29, 28

Jeff Neimann - 25, 22, 21,16

Scott Kazmir - 14

David Price - 30, 26, 15, 13, 11

Wade Davis - 27, 18

Andy Sonnanstine - 17

If we assign points, such that 1st would be worth 30 and 30th worth 1, we can sum up for these guys to get an idea of who is beating whom.  It would look something like this:

Of course, we aren't quite done yet, as there are still the 10 best to go. 

10) Jeff Niemann on August 30th at Detroit Tigers  Box  Highlights  Pitch F/x

This game is a great reason why R, ER, and ERA are poor indicators of performance.  Look at that line above, nothing special right?  Well if you saw the game you would know that Niemann left in the 8th with a 3-1 lead in a patented Joe Maddon let the starter go one more and yank him if a guy gets on.  Stop me if you've heard this before, but Balfour comes in and promptly gives up a 3-run homer to Polanco, one of which goes on Niemann's totals.  As for Jeff, I think the video above does him justice.  Nobody made solid contact all night and he left with the lead.  Thanks Grant.  One thing that I really like is how Niemann challenged lefties inside for the most part:

via brooksbaseball.net

9) James Shields at Baltimore Orioles on April 12th  Box  Highlights  Pitch F/x

James got an early lead in his second start of the year.  The lead allowed him to throw 66% strikes with only 5 swinging on 88 total pitches.  He threw the change 21 times for 76% strikes, although all were looking.  A running theme for James has been his declining velocity late in the game.  This start is not really indicative one way or another because it was his second start of the year and he only threw 88 pitches, but peep this:

via brooksbaseball.net

James went 7 strong without giving up a  run.  With only 2 singles, a double, and a walk against him.  The 3 K's are nice, but it's even nicer to see James not giving up multiple base-hits.  In fact this was the 3rd best start of the year by a Rays starter according to wOBA.  Lastly, how's this for an embarrassment of pitches:

via brooksbaseball.net

8) Scott Kazmir on August 26th at Toronto Blue Jays  Box  Highlights  Pitch F/x

In Scott Kazmir's last start as a Tampa Bay Ray he gave us a glimpse of his former self.  Perhaps it was this start that sealed the deal and got us Sean Rodriguez instead of a different PTBNL.  We'll never know, until Andrew Friedman writes his tell-all book "Ball On A Budget: The Story of How Rich Wall Street Bankers Took A Team of Also-Rans to the Top."  Back to the man formerly known as Scotty Dangerous.  Of course he only got through 6 with Russ Springer starting in the 7th ::gasp::, but in that time Kaz rang up 10 on 13 swinging strikes (12%) while only walking 1.  He did hit a guy and give up 3 doubles and a single, but the change and the fastball were dynamite, throwing both for over 2/3 strikes (12 of the swinging variety).  The fastball was averaging 93 while touching 95, though if you watch the vid the Toronto gun only had him in the high 80's.  Kaz only gave up 1, but this was during the height of the failpen, and those that remember this was an especially hurtful game as Pizzle gave up a solo jack, walked the bases loaded, and then let the winning run cross on a wild pitch.  You can see below that Kaz used the slider to keep guys honest, while the money pitch was his change just f-f-fading away.

via brooksbaseball.net

7) Matt Garza on September 7th at New York Yankees  Box  Highlights  Pitch F/x

Did someone say Failpen?  In the first game of a doubleheader at New Yankee Bandbox Matt Garza threw an absolute gem.  Garza went seven solid giving up only the one unearned run.  Cormier started the 8th and wasn't good.  Let's leave it at that.  As usual Garza brought his A-game against an elite starter, this time C. C. Sabathia.  Matty threw 96 four-seamers and when he's on it's diving away from lefties out of the zone allowing him to leave it on the corner for strike 3 when he needs to. 

via brooksbaseball.net

Matt gave up 4 singles, a double, and just the one walk while K'ing 7 on 5 whiffs.  Garz has been known to have a long-leash when it comes to pitch-counts.  Perhaps this is why:

via brooksbaseball.net

No real appreciable drop in velocity ever after 115 pitches.  The Crane was flapping his wings on this night and deserved better.

6) James Shields on June 4th vs. Kansas City Royals  Box  Highlights  Pitch F/x

Before you do anything, click that "highlights" link above.  You'll get to see James Shields v. Coco Crisp, a couple of nifty double plays, and James fielding his position at a Maddux-ian level.  I really like this start, a lot.  He allowed 2 doubles and a single and allowed 2 runs, but he only faced 5 over the minimum over 8 occasionally shaky, but overall solid innings.  Granted it's the Royals, but he threw the change, 4-seamer, and curve in almost equal proportions, with slightly less sliders.  Even better he didn't throw many cutters.  On the season he threw 18% cut fastballs at -0.19 wCT/c, his 4th best pitch by linear weights.  (To be fair he only threw the slider 0.3% of the time.)  This pitching pattern garnered him 17 WHIFFS, how very Hellickson-ian of him.  I love this right here, when he can throw all of his pitches with confidence Shieldsy can keep batters completely off balance:

via brooksbaseball.net

That's 6 - 10 of the greatest starts for the Rays this year.  Here's the updated standings:

As always, thanks to Baseball-reference.com, Brooksbaseball.net, fangraphs.com, and MLB.com