Rays Tank: On managers and luck

Dave Cameron explains why the Orioles recent run of over-performing their peripherals doesn't mean that they've figured out a way to constantly over-perform their peripherals. He's right of course, about how what appears to be exceptional is usually just the expected random variation, but I'm going to go on believing that Joe Maddon is the wizard of late-season comebacks.

What exactly is Maddon's and Showalter's MO? Ben Lindbergh gives a fantastic chart. Apparently, Maddon is very active, while Showalter is not. Maddon is most active in challenging calls and calling for sacrifice attempts. Huh.

Tommy Rancel with a good breakdown of Drew Smyly's latest appearance.

Other Links:

• Is there wage discrimination in MLB based on race? Matt Swartz takes a detailed look.
• Lindbergh also published a fascinating look yesterday at how Japanese Baseball teams acquire talent from MLB (or more likely, from triple-A)
• So, this is pretty fun. How-tos on getting R to work for you for baseball, and other good stuff too (h/t Tango).
• Does losing the element of surprise hurt stolen base success rates? Chris Teeter investigates.
• Troy Tulowitzki is having surgery for a torn labrum, and Carlos Gonzales is out for surgery on his knee. Yikes, Rockies.