Major League Baseball

MLB Who's Hot, Who's Not: Nats closing season with vigor

Published Sep. 26, 2014 2:00 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

Some have slumped, while others have simmered. Here's our weekly review of who's running hot and cold around Major League Baseball.

Stats through Sept. 25

HOT PITCHERS

AL -- Yordano Ventura, Kansas City Royals

Ventura went 4-1 with a 1.62 ERA in five starts from Sept. 1-23. The right-hander allowed eight runs (six earned), 23 hits and struck out 28 in the span. He lasted at least six innings in each of the appearances, and he went at least seven innings three times. Since the beginning of July, he has won nine of 12 decisions. Overall, he's 14-10 with a 3.07 ERA and 153 strikeouts this season.

NL -- Francisco Liriano, Pittsburgh Pirates

Liriano went 4-0 with a 0.82 ERA in five starts from Aug. 31-Sept. 22. The left-hander allowed three runs, 18 hits and struck out 35 in the span. He lasted no fewer than six innings in each outing within the window, and he went at least seven innings twice. Overall, he's 7-10 with a 3.32 ERA and 170 strikeouts this season.

HOT HITTERS

AL -- Michael Brantley, Cleveland Indians

Brantley hit .520 (13 for 25) with one home run and three RBI in six games from Sept. 19-24. He had five multi-hit contests in the span, including two with three hits each. He has hit .329 with 20 home runs and 97 RBI this season.

NL -- Curtis Granderson, New York Mets

Granderson hit .476 (10 for 21) with one home run and four RBI in six games from Sept. 19-25. He had three multi-hit contests in the span, the highlight being when he went 3 for 4 with three RBI in a victory over the Washington Nationals on Sept. 25. He has hit .230 with 19 home runs and 65 RBI this season.

HOT TEAMS

AL -- Texas Rangers

The Rangers went 6-1 in games from Sept. 19-25, a run that included three victories over the Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics, two of the American League West's best. After a 1-9 start to September, Texas went 12-1 from Sept. 12-25. The Rangers' 13-10 mark for the month ranks second-best in the AL West, behind the Angels' 15-8 record. Still, the recent sprint is much too little, much too late. At 66-93, the Rangers own the AL's worst record.

NL -- Washington Nationals

The Nationals went 5-1 in games from Sept. 19-25, a span that included the completion of a four-game sweep of the Miami Marlins and wins in two of three games against the New York Mets. Washington has lost consecutive games just once this month (Sept. 5-6 against the Philadelphia Phillies), and its 16-7 record in September stands tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the best in the majors. The Nationals own the National League's best record at 93-65.

(Clockwise from top left) Minnesota's Trevor May, San Diego's Andrew Cashner, San Francisco's Hunter Pence and Baltimore's Caleb Joseph are this week's struggling pitchers and hitters.

COLD PITCHERS

AL -- Trevor May, Minnesota Twins

May went 0-2 with an 8.44 ERA in starts against the Cleveland Indians on Sept. 20 and Detroit Tigers on Sept. 25. The right-hander allowed 10 runs, 13 hits and walked three in 10 2/3 innings during the appearances. The losses snapped a streak of three consecutive winning starts from Sept. 3-14. Overall, he's 3-6 with a 7.88 ERA and 44 strikeouts this season.

NL -- Andrew Cashner, San Diego Padres

Cashner went 1-0 with a 5.54 ERA in starts against the San Francisco Giants on Sept. 20 and Sept. 25. The right-hander allowed a season-worst six earned runs in the no-decision on Sept. 25, and the five innings pitched that day marked his shortest appearance since going five in a no-decision against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Aug. 23. Overall, he's 5-7 with a 2.55 ERA and 93 strikeouts this season.

COLD HITTERS

AL -- Caleb Joseph, Baltimore Orioles

Joseph went 0 for 15 with seven strikeouts in five games from Sept. 19-25. The slide is part of a nine-game hitting slump from Sept. 12-25. He has a terrible .083 batting average with a .266 OPS for September. Overall, he has hit .209 with nine home runs and 28 RBI this season.

NL -- Hunter Pence, San Francisco Giants

Pence hit .034 (1 for 29) with 11 strikeouts in seven games from Sept. 19-25. The lone hit in the span came on a solo home run in a loss to the San Diego Padres on Sept. 20. He has hit an anemic .167 with a .477 OPS for September. Overall, he has hit .278 with 20 home runs and 74 RBI this season.

COLD TEAMS

AL -- Oakland Athletics

The Athletics went 3-4 in games from Sept. 19-25. The losing mark in the span includes three consecutive defeats from Sept. 23-25, two of which came against the Los Angeles Angels and another against the Texas Rangers. September has been cruel to Oakland, once the class of the American League West. The Athletics are 8-15 for the month, the worst record in the AL. Overall, they're 86-73 and fighting to earn a wild-card berth.

NL -- Atlanta Braves

The Braves went 1-6 in games from Sept. 19-25. The slide included a three-game sweep by the New York Mets and losses in three of four games against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Atlanta is a dreadful 5-17 in September, the majors' worst record for the month. At 77-82, the Braves are guaranteed a losing record for the first time since finishing 72-90 in 2008.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

What better way to cap a classic career at Yankee Stadium? Derek Jeter, the New York Yankees' Captain now and forever, gifted an image for everyone to remember with his final at-bat in home pinstripes Thursday. With Antoan Richardson on second base in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles, Jeter smacked an RBI single to right field off reliever Evan Meek to give New York a 6-5 victory to treasure for a long while. The whole scene was fitting: The cheers, the celebration, the tingle fit for a Hollywood screenplay felt long into the night. That's a true moment. That's true RE2PECT.

You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.

share

Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Major League Baseball