Pirates Trade Nady, Marte

[HoustonGM]

I don't know what factors ERA+ takes into account, but anyone who watched Okajima pitch for most of this year knows that he hasn't been "very good". He hasn't allowed many earned runs, but he had allowed 12 of 17 inherited runners to score as of July 22 (according to http://soxanddawgs.com/?p=5073), which is God-awful. Does ERA+ factor that in?

No. ERA+ is just ERA compared to the league average, adjusted for park. My above "analysis" was very crude and simple.

A better stat would be something like Baseball Prospectus's WXRL - expected wins added over a replacement level pitcher. It measures the effect the reliever has on his team's win expectency, accounting for game situation, inherited runners, and the like.

As a team, the Yankees have 7.801 WXRL to the Red Sox 3.538. However, nearly half of the Yankees WXRL is from Mariano Rivera (3.9).

Take out the two closers (Papelbon has 2.015), and you get the Yankees with 3.901 and the Red Sox with 1.523, still a sizeable advantage to the Yankees. 1.072 of that is Joba Chamberlain. Kyle Farnsworth makes up 1.841 of that.

The Red Sox have nobody over 1. Their three relievers I mentioned - Lopez, Okajima, Aardsma - are at 0.883, 0.755, and 0.765, respectively. For the Yankees, besides the above mentioned Chamberlain and Farnsworth, Jose Veras is higher than that at 0.982 and Edwar Ramirez is a tad below at 0.693.

Again, outside of the vast difference between the two closers, the Red Sox bullpen matches up pretty evenly with the Yankees, except that the Yankees have gotten better performances from the guys at the edges of the bullpen (Giese, Robertson, etc.).

As I said, the Yankees bullpen is better than the Red Sox, but besides the closers, the difference isn't all that huge. Rivera, by himself, makes the gap considerable though..

For completeness, the bullpens with a higher WXRL than the Yankees are the Angels, Dodgers, Phillies, and Rays. The Red Sox are 22nd in the majors.

[Pavelb1]

I don't know what factors ERA+ takes into account, but anyone who watched Okajima pitch for most of this year knows that he hasn't been "very good". He hasn't allowed many earned runs, but he had allowed 12 of 17 inherited runners to score as of July 22 (according to http://soxanddawgs.com/?p=5073), which is God-awful. Does ERA+ factor that in?

Like Dice-K people remember the bad and forget the good.

In the month of July, Oki has given up two hits and six walks in eight appearances. Neither one of the hits he gave up were RBI's and I'm pretty sure he hasn't walked in a run. You take out June and he's had a great year.

[ohms_law]

So, witnessing such 'discussions' as these, am I the only one hoping the Yanks and Red Sox find a way to collectively lose every single game they play the rest of the year? God, would that be sweet.

Nope, you're not the only one...

[dickay]

Umm... WAY better than the **** bullpen that the Red Sox put out there. Look at our bullpen's statistics, and then tell me who the ignorant one is. Sheesh.

Why can't you address the question??? I never tried to portray that the Sox bullpen was better, only asked why the Yankee fans who thought these SAME pitchers minus Marte were horrific two months ago, and now claim they are the "top" bullpen in baseball?

Baseball seasons are long...two months ago Yankee fans would have took Delcarmen, Timlin, and Okajima over Farnsworth, Giese, Veras, Ramirez, and whomever else they want to throw in the mix. Now thats changed........sounds like fair weather fans. Now my originally question had nothing to do with the Sox, but since you brought them into it I'll go on record as saying the way the pens are currently constructed I'll still take the Sox pen over the Yankees pen for the remainder of the year and postseason. I don't base my analysis of a fair weather two month review and won't knock Oki & Co. the way the Yanks knocked Farnsworth & Co.

Ignorance.

[dickay]

I'm also curious why they even need Nady with the 'great' Lou Brock'esk' Brett Gardner on the squad?

And Kool, i'm still trying to figure this one out. You must have missed it