Full Count for Mon May 15 2006: The MLB’s worst pitcher

LVP

1. Simply the worst: Who is the worst pitcher in the major leagues this season? Carlos Silva, who blew the game for the Twins, certainly has a valid claim. He is 2-6 with an 8.80 ERA on the year. The Padres’ Dewon Brazelton has been downright awful, with a 12.0 ERA and a laughable 2.06 WHIP. But the title–for now–goes to Toronto’s Josh Towers, who was 0-7 until winning yesterday. Towers’ ERA is 7-98, and he has allowed 59 hits in 38 innings pitched. Before last night’s game, Towers had never lasted more than 6 innings or allowed less than 3 earned runs in a start.

2. On a roll doesn’t even describe this: The Phillies might just be the hottest team in the MLB. On Sunday, they won their 13th game out of the last 14 contests, topping the Reds in a 12-inning battle. Ryan Howard, despite not even being in the starting lineup, proved to be the hero for the Phils. He hit 2 homers, producing the only Phillies runs of the day in a 2-1 victory. Howard didn’t come in until the 8th inning due to the stomach flu, but he still hit his 11th and 12th shots of the season. Now the Phillies are only one game back of the Mets for the division lead. A Philly-New York series next week will likely determine the division leader.

3. Passing Ruth: No, Barry Bonds didn’t hit any homeruns last night. But Luis Gonzalez hit his 507th double, passing the Babe on the all-time list. Gonzalez went 4-5 and scored two runs for the Diamondbacks, who edged St. Louis 7-6 to avoid a sweep. Another start by the Cardinals’ Chris Carpenter was wasted, as he allowed no earned runs (though 3 unearned) yet fell to 3-2. Carpenter’s record is unimpressive despite his 1.98 ERA, which is nearly a full point lower than last year’s. But St. Louis struggled defensively, making 3 errors that likely lost them the game. Of course, don’t fell sorry for St. Louis–they still have the best record in the NL at 24-14.

4. Walk me up: After sweeping the Cleveland Indians last week, the Kansas City Royals have returned to their old ways. Though leading 7-4 entering the 9th inning, they blew the game to complete a series sweep by Baltimore. The Royals allowed 4 runs in the ninth, with Ambiorix Burgos walking the bases loaded to start the inning. After those three runners scored, Kevin Millar won the game with a two-out RBI single. The win excused awful Orioles pitching. They walked 12 Royals in the first 8 innings, including 7 by starter Daniel “Free Pass” Cabrera. Cabrera nearly has a walk per inning on the year. The O’s still managed a win, however, and are a respectable 18-20 this season.

5. Sunday night craziness: The Sunday Night Baseball matchup this week, Twins vs. White Sox, turned out to be unexpectedly entertaining from the start. The first inning was downright wild, with Torii Hunter robbing Jim Thome of a homer but Jermaine Dye hitting a three-run shot in the top of the inning. Then the Twins put on an offensive showcase against Mark Buehrle, ripping the ace for seven runs and seven hits in the first. However, due to two errors, Buehrle was only charged with one earned run. Though down 7-3, the White Sox didn’t allow a run the rest of the game and blasted Twins starter Carlos Silva. Nobody robbed Thome of a homer in the fourth inning, when he crushed an opposite-field shot. AJ Pierzynski also homered for the White Sox, and Beurhle settled down to pitch for six innings and get the win. The White Sox also turned a rare triple play in the 6th inning, catching a Luis Castillo bunt in the air and tagging 1st and 2nd base. They are now virtually tied with streaking Detroit for the division lead.