Angels lineup giving Washburn help

Updated: June 1, 2004, 4:05 PM ET

The Angels' offense has driven Jarrod Washburn to a 7-1 record in spite of a fairly average ERA of 4.68.

Email Share

STAY AHEAD OF THE GAME Become an Insider Today

By Jim Baker
MLB Insider

How hard would it be to do this? Instead of just showing a pitcher's won-loss record and ERA as his main stats, why not also include his Run Support number? Giving the ERA and not the Run Support stat is only telling half the story. Would it be so hard to squeeze it in when giving a quick numerical snapshot of a pitcher?

How about this: why not combine the two in some way? Instead of showing ERA, why not show Run Support minus ERA. A positive number would help explain a 4-1 record on a pitcher with a 5.21 ERA while a negative number would do the same for the poor unfortunate who is 0-5 in spite of that 3.34 ERA.

In any event, here are some of the biggest mismatched teammates in terms of run support in 2004.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

ESPN The Magazine subscribers

Activate your Insider account »
Need more information?

View Insider Benefits »

ESPN MLB