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GOG #36 vs Toronto

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1. Series outcome (3 games) [3 points]

2. Starz and Goatz: High roller edition. Name as many players as you want (either team) who will have a positive cumulative WPA for the series. You can name as few or as many players as you like, but here's the catch: for every correct guess, you get 2 points. If you guess ANY player that gets a negative WPA, you get 0 points for this question. If a player doesn't play in the series, or ends up with a WPA of zero, it doesn't count for or against you. [100 points]

3. Bartolo Colon is set to take the mound Tuesday night against his old team. Arguably his best season with the Halos came in 2005 when he finished with a 21-8 record (!), with 1.1 home runs per nine innings, 1.7 walks per nine innings, and a strike out to walk ratio of 3.65, which was good enough to earn the AL Cy Young award. Think those numbers are good? Well so far in 2012, at the ripe old age of 39, Bartolo is throwing 1.0 HR/9, 1.4 BB/9, and 3.86 SO/BB. He's also averaging 2.47 runs per game this year, compared to 2.61 in '05. How many IP/H/ER/BB/pitches (+/-3) for Colon? [3 points each]

4. After a great start that ended with dessert late Friday night, Dan Straily tries again for his first win. Moving up through the farm system, Dan continued to improve the further he progressed, going from a 4.32 ERA in Kane County in 2010, to a 1.36 in a quick stop with Sacramento this year. Do the Angels have enough video to figure Straily out? Predict his IP/H/ER [3 points each] Which A's pitcher relieves Straily? (none is a possible answer) [5 points]

5. Kurt Suzuki is reunited with battery-mate Gio Gonzalez Wednesday night as the Nationals take on the Astros in Houston. How many AB/H/BB/K for Kurt in the first three games of that series? [2 points each] How many runners does he catch stealing in those three games? [2 points] For Gio on Wednesday night, predict whether the following stats are above or below his 2012 season average: 4.5 H/game / 2.2 ER/game / 2.4 BB/game [1 point each]

6. For me personally, the best story of this fairytale season has been the long-awaited emergence of Chris Carter. Chris' ML batting average is currently double what it was last season. Does Carter start all three games this series? [2 points] Guess his AB/H/XBH/ER RBI for the series [2 points each]

7. Scoreboard watching, A's style. Just getting to the playoffs would be amazing for the A's, but screw the wild card, I want the division. Currently the A's are sitting 5.5 games behind the Rangers for the west. While the A's are hosting Anaheim, the Rangers are visiting Boston for three games. How many games back are the A's in the West after Wednesday's action? [3 points if right on, 1 point if 1/2 game either side] Currently, the Tigers and A's hold the two wild card spots. After Wednesday, does any team other than the A's or Tigers hold either one of the wild cards? [1 point]

Answers:

1. 2-1 A's [3 points]

2. See below. The first three columns are for each game; the column on the right is the one that counts.

3. 7.0 IP / 4 H / 0 ER / 0 BB / 93 pitches (90-96 OK) [3 points each]

4. 4.2 IP / 8 H / 5 ER / Jordan Norberto [ 3/ 3/ 3/ 5]

5. Kurt: 7 AB / 2 H / 1 BB / 1 K / 0 CS // G!o: Over (9H) / Over (3ER) / Under (2BB) [2 points each for Kurt; 1 point each for Gio)

6. Yes, starts every game // 10 AB / 4 H / 2 XBH / 2 RBI [ 2 points each]

7. 5.5 games back / Because I failed to see that a tie was a very real possibility, everyone get a point for the second part [ 3 or 1, then 1 point]