Will Brian Fuentes Best Neftali Feliz?
by Rev Halofan on Aug 12, 2010 2:15 AM PDT
in Angels News
Email
Print
Well look at what we have here: As the season progresses, the Texas hotshots of Arlington have gassed their bullpen and it shows in the fact that their closer, Neftali Feliz, has been stinking to the point where his stats are now close to even with the Angels closer Brian Fuentes, the veteran who got it together recently and is on a roll.
The numbers do not lie: Feliz is allowing 6.66 H/9, Fuentes is below him at 6.44 - and while Fuentes has a higher walk ratio, you can note that those hits Feliz has been giving up lately are what have been hurting the Rangers. For all of Neftali's heat, Fuentes' 9.41 K/9 is just a bit behind Feliz averaging 9.62. Aftr blowing the game Wednesday night, Neftali's ERA is 3.7 while Brian has seen his dip to 3.22.
But here is the best part: Feliz is getting shaky and unreliable for a team that historically wilts down the stretch. He has thrown 48.2 innings. Fuentes has only thrown 36.1 innings so far and knows how to manage his strength late in the season while the whole thing is all pretty new to Kid Feliz.
So as Feliz falls apart slowly and Fuentes gets it together, their numbers meet, decline to incline, and if their teams follow suit, you will have a coke-snorter and the reigning AL Manager of the Year to compare bullpen usage patterns in your future analysis.
11 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Well, we're still 7.5 games out and the Rangers keep finding ways to win....
You won’t see me become overly optimistic just yet, though this is my very nature. We still face the Rangers 7 more times this season, if we can grab 5 of those, this lead dwindles to 4 games. All that means is we have to outplay them by 2 games in August and 2 games in September. This is all dependent upon the Angels going 5-2 against the Rangers from here on out. It’s all VERY possible. Back to the matter at hand, closers. They are all a bunch of heart attacks, all of them. Who’s to say one heart attack is any bette or worse than another.
We betrayed Vlad, the greatest Angel. Epic fail.
Game by Game
Right on buddy! sounds good to me..actually i think if we win the next 15 series,we will make it…just win 2 of 3 games from each series….just remember that from here on, every game is a playoff game…
"WE GOT GRENADES MAN"
Interesting point. Feliz still gets all the press
…while Fuentes, rightfully or wrongfully, gets ignored by almost everyone and maligned by us.
Think a lot of it comes down to remembering that most closers are around the same level: just okay. Very rarely do you have one of Mariano-type dominance.
I mean, some people moan for Frankie returning, but remember all the Maalox you took during his save ops?
Years later, Clutch still needs to chill.
The Payoff Pitch
Fuentes
Fuentes is awesome…he blew 1 save in the last 17 games…and the game he blew was cuz Sciocia left Saunders in the game too long,so Fuentes took over with a runner on…all you have to do is start him in the 9th and game is over…his name use to be Scary or Daisy Fuentes but now we call him MR. Automatic…peace
"WE GOT GRENADES MAN"
Damn Highland Park 2.6 earthquake woke me up. Doh!
It was great watching the Ranger bullpen meltdown against the MFY in tonight’s game. It definitely showed their weakness which is not at all unlike the Angels weakness with their bullpen.
I hate the Texas Rangers
Rangers Lost
that game was awesome! Texas looks very vulnerable. also it’s giving us hope…
"WE GOT GRENADES MAN"
Feliz seems fine.
If he was gassed, I would expect declining velocity. But so far his fastball has been very consistent during the course of the 2010 season.
In addition, his monthly xFIP numbers have been pretty steady.
April: 3.52
May: 4.08
June: 3.93
July: 3.04
August: 3.25
It’s unfortunate that the Angels have been plagued with a season-long malaise. That 7.5 game cushion allows the Rangers to withstand epic meltdowns like the one they experienced last night.
did you watch the game?
He only faced 4 batters:
Berkman walked after fouling off what seemed like 7 or 8 pitches.
Gardner flicked a single just inside the LF line after fouling off a ton of pitches.
Jeter grounded a ball up the middle that would have been an easy out if the IF wasn’t in.
Swisher struck out.
Let’s not act like Feliz is throwing 85mph meatballs that are getting swatted all over the ballpark. His stuff still looks great (maybe you’re ignoring how he dominated the Yankees the night before). Just one of those games…got to give credit to the Yankees for being pesky/lucky.
Greatest Inventions Ever? 1. TiVO, 2. Boobs, 3. Baseball
In an unrelated but similar topic
Did you all see how KRod punched out his Father-in-law. Methinks holidays will never be the same again at his house….
I'd Rather Have Feliz
Fuentes has done this in the past. He is a streaky pitcher. He can go through stretches of excellence (in the middle of one now). Then he can suck it up.
While his ERA is a sparkling low 3’s his FIP and xFIP show that he has been lucky. Both numbers are not far off from his 2009 campaign.
Don’t be fooled. Fuentes is always a pitch away from a meltdown.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
- Photo: Padres fan regrets letting mother capture moment with Trevor Hoffman
- Marlins agree to unretire No. 5 for Logan Morrison, who will honor his father’s favorite player
- Weatherman Derek Holland does Dallas TV
- Ask Alex: Will Julio Teheran or Matt Moore win rookie of the year?
- Ku Klux Klan, umpires and bowling: Why the minor leagues tossed out Jim Evans academy
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
