The secret of Zach Britton's unique dominance

[tntoriole]

Had lots of choices, decided to put this here.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/zach-brittons-2016-an-all-time-great-season/

An excellent article. It was also amazing that the run he gave up on April 30th was actually charged to him but was given up by Vance Worley who had to replace Zach when he twisted his ankle after starting the ninth and having a runner on. And the other run he is charged with (there are only 3 THREE ERs) was due to a two out single with a three run lead because the runner had gone to second on defensive indifference. So you could really make the argument that the homer to Betts is the ONLY run Zach has truly given up ALL season.

[Can_of_corn]

An excellent article. It was also amazing that the run he gave up on April 30th was actually charged to him but was given up by Vance Worley who had to replace Zach when he twisted his ankle after starting the ninth and having a runner on. And the other run he is charged with (there are only 3 THREE ERs) was due to a two out single with a three run lead because the runner had gone to second on defensive indifference. So you could really make the argument that the homer to Betts is the ONLY run Zach has truly given up ALL season.

Stuff like that evens out over the season. Did he deserve to give up a run last night? Maybe. Has he flirted with trouble over the season? Of course.

[OFFNY]

o

(vs. GIANTS, 8/12)

When in doubt, go to Zach Britton !!! ) :eektf:

Last night, the Orioles' bullpen was cruising, with Mychal Givens and Donnie Hart retiring all 7 batters that they faced.

HOWEVER ........ when the otherwise reliable Brad Brach entered the game in the 9th inning, he immediately ceded a single and an RBI-double, opening the door for the Giants, and giving them a ray of hope.

Yet again, Showalter called on his ace closer to clean up a messy situation ...... just as he had the day before on the other side of the San Francisco Bay, when a 9-2 laugher turned into a 9-6 nail-biter with the Athletics having the potentially winning run at the plate.

Britton retired all 3 batters that he faced, 2 via the strikeout, and the Orioles had another victory ...... thanks largely to a man who is arguably the best relief pitcher in all of baseball.

2016 ERA: OOl. 0.55

2016 WHIP: Oo 0.796

o

[OFFNY]

o

Sweet Relief: Can Zach Britton Win the AL Cy Young Award?

(By Eddie Matz)

http://www.espn.com/blog/baltimore-orioles/post/_/id/1189/sweet-relief-can-zach-britton-win-the-al-cy-young

Jayson Stark and Keith Law weigh in:

Too Closer for Comfort? Debating Whether Orioles Reliever Zach Britton Deserves Cy Young

(By Jayson Stark and Keith Law)

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/17309759/too-closer-comfort-debating-whether-orioles-zach-britton-deserves-cy-young

[Creamsicle]

As great as hes been..and he HAS been great..he usually puts runners on base in nearly every appearance. Thats one flaw he does have and it could come back to bite him.

Allowing baserunners doesn't blow saves. Allowing runs does. ZB hasn't done the latter since, what, April?

The fact that he picks his battles with opposing lineups shouldn't tarnish what he's done and is doing. IMHO.

[OFFNY]

o

I was at one of those 2 games (the 17-3 loss at Yankee Stadium.)

Britton’s Epic Failures in Back-to-Back Starts are now a Distant Memory

(By Roch Kubatko)

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/08/brittons-epic-failures-in-back-to-back-starts-a-distant-memory.html

[Ruzious]

Allowing baserunners doesn't blow saves. Allowing runs does. ZB hasn't done the latter since, what, April?

The fact that he picks his battles with opposing lineups shouldn't tarnish what he's done and is doing. IMHO.

But he really hasn't been allowing base-runners - as several posters have pointed out. His 0.82 WHIP is tremendous. There is no Don Stanhouse situation here.

59 K's vs 25 hits allowed and 16 walks. That's insane.

[OFFNY]

o

(vs. NATIONALS, 8/22)

3 up, 3 down.

2 Strikeouts.

11 Pitches.

2016 ERA: OOl. 0.53

2016 WHIP: Oo 0.799

o

[OFFNY]

(vs. NATIONALS, 8/22)

3 up, 3 down.

2 Strikeouts.

11 Pitches.

2016 ERA: OOl. 0.53

2016 WHIP: Oo 0.799

o

Trea Turner, when he was asked about what it was like to face Zach Britton:

"Invisible ...... I thought I was right 'on' every pitch. Then the ball's not there."

https://twitter.com/ThomasBoswellWP/status/768114703646228480

[O's84]

I liked when he got down in the count he threw a sinker a little higher but with more sideway action on it, almost in a way like Andrew Miller's slider. That did the job nicely.

[allquixotic]

We're going to need Brach to bounce back and get O'Day (or maybe Hart?!) to be good in the 8th inning, or having an elite closer won't hold as much value. If you have to play leaky relievers like Ubaldo in the 7th or 8th, and they give up the lead, you don't end up using your closer. Gotta start earning some holds in the mid to late innings again so Britton has a chance to pick up the SV.

[sportsfan8703]

We're going to need Brach to bounce back and get O'Day (or maybe Hart?!) to be good in the 8th inning, or having an elite closer won't hold as much value. If you have to play leaky relievers like Ubaldo in the 7th or 8th, and they give up the lead, you don't end up using your closer. Gotta start earning some holds in the mid to late innings again so Britton has a chance to pick up the SV.

We've blown the lead in one game recently. In that was in the 2nd and 5th innings against Houston. That's just bad SP. Brach is fine. Givens is fine, just don't have him face LH's. Hart can get LH's. The pieces are there for the pen to be dominant still. But when the starters go less than 5 it really exposes your pen.

[OFFNY]

o

 

(vs. TIGERS, 9/11)

 

A muffed ball (that was ruled a single) by Jonathan Schoop could have ended the game on a double play.

Instead, it put the potential tying run at 1st base and the potential winning run at home plate, with only 1 out.

Britton got the proverbial 4th and 5th outs of the innings anyway, via a strikeout and a groundout.

 

2016 ERA: OlOl. 0.63

2016 WHIP: l...,l 0.842

 

o

[OFFNY]

o

 

(vs. RED SOX, 9/14)

 

After pitching 1.33 innings to close out last night's game, Britton came right back to get the Red Sox in order tonight ....... with his team holding only a 1-0 lead.

Also, he leads the American League in both Games Finished (57) and Saves (43.)

 

2016 ERA: Ol.lO.. 0.61

2016 WHIP: O..l,l 0.826

 

o

[pastorfan]

o

(vs. RED SOX, 9/14)

After pitching 1.33 innings to close out last night's game, Britton came right back to get the Red Sox in order tonight ....... with his team holding only a 1-0 lead.

Also, he leads the American League in both Games Finished (57) and Saves (43.)

2016 ERA: OO.. 0.61

2016 WHIP: O,l 0.826

o

There is no doubt he is the cy young, if not the MVP.