Stat of the Day: April 26th

I. Kennedy (ARI): 9 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K vs. Phillies

J. Weaver (LAA): 9 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K vs. Athletics

Ian Kennedy had his best start of the 2011 season
last night in the desert.

Baseball fans saw two complete-game shutouts out West last night, as the Angels' Jered Weaver and the Diamondbacks' Ian Kennedy (see right) tossed gems for their respective teams.  Both pitchers cruised through nine innings, striking out 10 batters along the way.  Kennedy was probably the more impressive pitcher last night just by virtue of his lower WHIP (and higher gamescore, 91 to 82).  Weaver allowed seven hits and a walk, for a game WHIP of 0.88; Kennedy, by contrast, allowed only three hits, for a WHIP of 0.33.  Though both pitchers achieved the shutout, Weaver came closer to giving up a run.  He gave Oakland six at-bats with runners in scoring position, while Kennedy only allowed the Phillies four of those.  For the duration of the young 2011 season, however, Weaver is the one who stands head and shoulders above the competition--including Kennedy.  The Angels' ace is now 6-0, having completed at least six innings in all six of his starts to date.  Weaver also pitched a complete game last time out, and he has allowed more than one earned run in a game only once this season.  Ian Kennedy, by contrast, gave up nine runs in 3.0 innings of work in his third start of the year, so this dominating performance represents a departure from the norm for him.  Either way, both pitchers were outstanding last night, and they are the major reason that their respective teams racked up a "W."

Honorable Mention:

T. Chandler (DAL): 14 points, 20 rebounds (13 offensive) vs. Trailblazers

In the pivotal fifth game of the Mavericks' first round series against Portland, Dallas center Tyson Chandler came up huge in a game his team had to have.  Chandler needed only four field goal attempts to rack up 14 points, as he went 8-12 from the free throw line.  He was most impressive on the boards, though, pulling down 20 rebounds on the night--that's three more than starting Portland big-men Marcus Camby and LaMarcus Aldridge had combined.  Chandler's truly incredible statistic, though, is his offensive rebounds: 13!  While the entire Trailblazers squad grabbed nine offensive boards in Game Five, Chandler pulled in 13 himself.  That led the Mavericks to an 11-rebound advantage on the offensive glass, giving them 11 extra possessions--and 11 extra points, most importantly, for the game.