TGIB-B 6/13

IT'S A FRIDAY BILLY-BALL

HERE’S WHAT I’M LOOKING AT…

TARIK SKUBAL (7-2, 1.99 ERA. 0.81 WHIP)

Has anyone considered that Tarik Skubal is from Krypton? He certainly seems to exhibit incredible powers, similar to those of Kal-El (Superman). Perhaps his name on Krypton was Skub-Al.

Yesterday, Skubal (no known nickname or alternative identity) tossed his sixth game this season in which he went at least six innings without permitting a run. The guy has done that within the 14 starts he has made. Before we go on about Skubal, Sonny Gray, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, each has five starts in which they have gone at least six innings without permitting a run.

Skubal has thrown 90.1 innings and has not allowed a run in 79 of them. Lefties are hitting .156 against the lefty. Lefties are hitting just .210 against him. Overall, he has a .499 OPSA. He has 111 strikeouts and has walked just 20.

He is on his way to becoming the first repeat CYA winner since Pedro Martinez in 1999-2000.

Please stay healthy, Skub-Al.

AARON JUDGE IS NOT GOOD AT EVERYTHING

I want to go on record as an Aaron Judge lover, not a hater. I think it's thrilling to watch baseball during his era. However, the guy is a lousy pinch-hitter. After striking out last night in the Yankees 1-0 win over the Royals, Judge is now 1-18 (.056) in his career as a pinch-hitter with 11 strikeouts. In games in his career when he came off the bench, he is now 2-27 (.074) with four walks and 17 Ks. Considering those numbers, I think Aaron Boone should consider making him a starter.

Last night, Judge did not get a deserved break from the HP umpire Alfonso Márquez. The last two pitches were the ones he took on the lower left. The first was called ball three, the second was called strike three. Márquez had a correct call rate on pitches that were taken of 91.4%. No matter what the rate is, umps need to be consistent on calls like this.

ANOTHER 1-0 WIN FOR THE YANKEES

The Yankees lead the majors with four 1-0 wins. This is truly unexpected when you consider it. The Padres and the Rangers are next with three 1-0 wins apiece. Twenty teams have the 29 1-0 games this season. There were 38 all of last season throughout the majors. The Yankees had none. The last time the Yankees had as many as four was in 1976. The last time the Yankees had more than four 1-0 wins was in 1968, when they had six, their franchise record (1908 as well).