Random Statistics For The Geek in All Of Us

It’s fun to play with numbers. They are our friends, especially in terms of baseball statistics. For your reading pleasure and general mind melting please enjoy this random collection of stats you may or may not be aware of. Big thanks to Baseball Reference, Fan Graphs and ESPN for the surrogate data and lists.

Through 144 games played this season Detroit Tigers pitchers have recorded 987 strike outs, or an average of 6.85 per game. If this trend continues at that exact pace the team will finish the season with 1,110 K’s, five short of tying the team record set by the 1968 club.

After a rough start to the season Ryan Raburn has been a hot hitter since August 1st. In limited duty over that stretch Raburn is 27-78 (.346) with six home runs. Despite an OPS of .957 in August and 1.079 in September however, he has just 11 RBI’s since the end of July.

Magglio Ordonez is 19-41 (.463) in the month of September, but has just one RBI to show for it.

Brandon Inge on the other hand is 9-50 (.180) this month, but has 8 RBI’s, second on the team this month behind Aubrey Huff and his 10 runs driven in.

Bobby Seay has two September victories, tied with Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello and Edwin Jackson for the team lead. Bobby boasts a September WHIP of just 0.86, third best among Tigers pitchers this month. His ERA in that span however is an unsightly 5.79. Nate Robertson has posted a WHIP of nearly double Bobby Seay this month, at 1.65, yet his ERA is a paltry 1.74. This game is funny sometimes.

Since the All-Star break Brandon Lyon has pitched as if he were fighting for a belated All-Star selection. In 22 appearances covering 25 innings Lyon has compiled three wins, three saves and six holds with a 1.44 ERA, the best of any Tigers pitcher since the break. His strikeouts per nine innings pitched over that span sits at 9.36, also best on the team. Justin Verlander is second in that category at 9.24.

Prior to the All-Star break Edwin Jackson held a record of 7-4 with a 2.52 ERA and a WHIP of 1.06. Since the break, Jackson is 5-2, despite his ERA for that span rising to 4.48 and his WHIP growing to 1.55. The reason? His offense started helping. In his first 18 starts the Tigers scored four runs or more only nine times (50%). In his 11 starts since the break it’s happened eight times (72.7%).

Catcher Alex Avila is 9-30 (.300) with no runners on base. With runners in scoring position he is 2-11 (.182)

In 226 at-bats with no runners on base Magglio Ordonez is hitting .265 with three RBI’s. In 182 at-bats with at least one runner on base he has driven in 37 while hitting .330.

As a pinch hitter Marcus Thames is 6-12 (.500) with nine RBI’s and a .600 on-base percentage. As a regular hitter in the lineup he is 54-224 (.241) with 26 RBI’s and a .314 OBP.

In 155 at-bats vs. left handed pitchers Curtis Granderson has seven RBI’s and a .472 OPS. In 393 AB’s against righties he’s driven in 55 runs and boasts an OPS of .915. In day games Grandy is 43-191 (.225) with 29 walks against 40 strikeouts, a ratio of .725 walks per every K. In night games his average is .261, yet he has walked 39 times and fanned 86 for a ratio of .453 walks per K.

Of all Tigers hitters this year with at least 50 at-bats in day games Josh Anderson has the best batting average at .328. The highest mark by a regular hitter in day games is Adam Everett at .322 (39-121). In night games Miguel Cabrera leads the team with a .341 mark (117-343).

In 35 games played at Comerica Park Carlos Guillen is hitting .262 (32-122) with an OPS of .807. On the road, Guillen is hitting .222 (24-108) with a .669 OPS. On the flip-side, Curtis Granderson is hitting .264 (73-276) with an .879 OPS on the road, while batting .232 (63-272) with a .700 OPS at home.

In 13 starts at Comerica Park Edwin Jackson holds a 3.44 ERA, and a 7-1 record. On the road his ERA is nearly half a run better at 3.03, yet his record is 5-5. Jackson is holding left handed hitters to a .244 batting average against, and a .239 mark for right handers. However, he has surrendered 16 home runs to righties in 310 at-bats (1 every 19.375 at-bats) while coughing up only eight long balls to lefties in 405 at-bats (1 every 50.625 AB’s). Did I mention this game is funny sometimes?

The Tigers have scored 85 runs in the second inning this season, the most of any inning. The second most productive inning has been the 8th, with 83 runs scored.

The Tigers have scored three runs or less in a game 60 times this season. Their record in those games is 13-47. The 13 wins are the most for any team in the AL Central when scoring three runs or less. In 2008 the Tigers also scored three runs or less 60 times. Their record in those games last year was 4-56. The 2006 team posted three runs or fewer 63 times, and were 19-44 in such contests.

The Tigers 77 wins and 4.5 game lead are the lowest among any division leader, however the team has been in first place for 144 days. Only the LA Dodgers (157 days) have been in first place longer this season.

Finally, the Tigers magic number sits at 14. That one is just fun to say.

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Tags: Adam Everett, Alex Avila, Aubrey Huff, Bobby Seay, Brandon Inge, Brandon Lyon, Carlos Guillen, Curtis Granderson, Detroit Tigers, Detroit Tigers magic number, Edwin Jackson, Josh Anderson, Justin Verlander, Magglio Ordonez, Marcus Thames, Miguel Cabrera, Nate Robertson, random detroit tigers statistics, Rick Porcello