TWO OUTS FRIDAY

PLUS, A GOOD 'ON THIS DATE' GROUP

THERE ARE TWO OUTS…

There are two outs who do you want at the plate? Who do you want on the mound? Which teams thrive and falter in those settings?

Two-out situations are simple in concept. The pitcher wants to close out the inning, the batter wants to extend the inning because you never know what might happen.

This season, teams are hitting .236 with two outs. As a frame of reference, teams are hitting .251 with no outs, and teams are hitting .246 with one out. So as you can see, as the inning progresses, the pitcher has more of an edge.

This is why the Padres are so impressive (and dangerous). The Padres are hitting .282 with two outs. The Astros are next, 16 points behind the Friars at .266. The Angels are hitting .196, the worst in the majors.

With men on and two outs, the league average is even lower at .234. The OPS is .693. So, if you are wondering why the Tigers are one of the best teams in baseball, just look at their .280 BA with runners on base and two outs. They have an .844 OPS.

Let’s up the ante. There are two outs, and there are runners in scoring position. The league is hitting .230 with an OPS of .691. The Dodgers pitching staff is plagued by injuries. How do they continue to win? Well, for one thing in two-out situations w/RISP, they are hitting .295 with a .920 OPS. BTW: in those situations, the Rangers are hitting .173 with a .536 OPS, the worst in the majors.

Now, this weekend, keep in mind what I just told you about the Dodgers two-out hitting success because they will need to be really good when facing the Yankees. You will know that your national announcers are reading Billy-Ball if they mention that with two outs, Yankee pitchers have the lowest BAA in the majors, holding opponents to a .189 BAA and a .571 OPSA.

Those Tigers who thrive at the plate with two outs, also thrive on the mound with two outs and the bases empty, holding opponents to a .176 BAA (.509 BAA). The Yankees have a .180 BAA and a .552 OPSA.

The Blue Jays are the best with two down and runners on. Their pitchers have a .189 BAA and a .595 OPSA. Next, are the Yankees’ pitchers with a .197 BAA and a .588 OPSA.

Toronto is even better with two outs and runners in scoring position, holding opponents to a .174 BAA and a .583 OPS. Next are the Dodgers at .181 BAA and an even lower .570 OPSA.

Tigers starters hold opponents to a .183 BAA (.536 OPSA) with two down. Yankee starters are next at .187 (.573 OPSA).

Framber Valdez is the pitcher with two outs, holding opponents to a .127 BAA and .450 BAA. The pitcher who is not getting enough love this season, Carlos Rodón, has a .141 BAA and .449 OPSA with two outs.

Batters are 1-26 (.033) against the Astros reliever Bryan King and the Jays reliever Yariel Rodríguez with two outs. The A’s T.J. McFarland, w/RISP and two outs has not allowed a hit in nine AB.

One of the best pickups of the offseason, Paul Goldschmidt, is hitting .420 with two down. He has an OPS of 1.054. You may have heard of his teammate, Aaron Judge. He’s hitting .397, with a 1.148 OPS. Boston’s Jarren Duran is hitting .413 with a 1.083 OPS.

Seattle’s Jorge Polanco is the guy you want at the plate with two down and RISP. He’s 8-12 with a 1.714 OPS and 11 RBI. Teoscar Hernández is hitting .565 with a 1.652 OPS and 19 RBI. He has 23 two-out RBI. The major league leader with 24 two-out RBI is the Cubs’ star Seiya Suzuki.

Elly De La Cruz leads the majors with 29 two-out strikeouts at the plate. MacKenzie Gore leads the majors with 38 two-out strikeouts from the mound.

The side is retired.

OUR WORD OF THE DAY IS ÉCLAIRCISSEMENT

The meaning of ÉCLAIRCISSEMENT is a clearing up of something obscure : enlightenment.

As in “The éclaircissement provided by Billy-Ball helped us understand the two-out situation.”

Why is éclaircissement the word of the day? It’s in honor of 13-year-old Faizan Zaki who won the 100th anniversary edition of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. His winning word? Éclaircissement.

Take a look.