Rangers' Odor, Astros' Gregerson top players in pair of opening ALDS games for Thursday, Oct. 8

Rougned Odor of the Rangers and Luke Gregerson of the Astros are Box-Toppers Players of the Game in Thursday’s pair of American League Division Series openers.

Odor homered and scored three runs in the 5-3 win over the Blue Jays in Game 1 of the AL Division Series. The Rangers lead the best-of-five series, 1-0.

During the regular season, Odor earned 3.0 Box-Toppers points, 337th among all players, 76th among AL batters.

Blue Jays pitcher David Price, Box-Toppers’ fifth-ranked player, started the game and picked up the loss. Price (7IP 5H 5R 5K) had a Box-Toppers game score of −5. He had 21.1 Box-Toppers points for the season, ranked second among AL pitchers.

Astros closing pitcher Luke Gregerson is Player of the Game in the other AL Division Series Game 1. Gregerson picked up the save, pitching a scoreless ninth inning, allowing no hits and striking out two, in the 5-2 win over the Royals. The Astros lead the best-of-five series, 1-0.

Gregerson had 6.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, 150th among all players, 53rd among AL pitchers and sixth among AL closing pitchers.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

10/8	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
POG	3.0	Rangers	Rougned Odor, 2B	2	3	1	1	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
POG	3.0	Astros	Luke Gregerson (S,1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	2

Coming Friday: The National League Division Series playoffs begin with two Game 1s and the American League Division Series resume with two Game 2s:

AL Division Series Game 2, Rangers lead Blue Jays, 1-0

The pitching matchup Friday:

Rangers—Cole Hamels, 15.4 Box-Toppers points, 15th among all players, eighth among AL pitchers.

Blue Jays—Marcus Stroman, 2.7 Box-Toppers points, 368th among all players, 105th among AL pitchers. (Stroman was out recovering from injury much of 2015. In 2014, he had 13.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 12th among AL pitchers.)

See the season Box-Toppers point totals of all Rangers and Blue Jays players who earned Player of the Game honors in 2015.

AL Division Series Game 2, Astros lead Royals, 1-0

The pitching matchup Friday:

Astros—Scott Kazmir, 12.7 Box-Toppers points, 26th among all players, 14th among AL pitchers, 

Royals—Johnny Cueto, 12.8 Box-Toppers points, 25th among all players, 13th among AL pitchers.

See the season Box-Toppers point totals of all Astros and Royals players who earned Player of the Game honors in 2015.

NL Division Series Game 1, Cubs at Cardinals

Though the Chicago Cubs are the Wild Card team and have a lesser win-loss record than the NL Central champ St. Louis Cardinals, they have an edge in Box-Toppers team rankings. The Cubs passed the Cardinals in the final 10 days of the season to rank third in Box-Toppers team points with 127.4. The Cardinals, with baseball’s best record, rank fourth with 124.3. The Cubs surged at the end of the season, earning 11.0 Box-Toppers points in the final 10 days of the season. The Cardinals, by comparison, picked up only 3.5 during that period.

The two teams are the highest ranked NL teams remaining in the playoffs after the Cubs knocked off the top-rated Pittsburgh Pirates (129.6) in the NL Wild Card playoff.

The pitching matchup Friday:

Cubs—Jon Lester, 12.0 Box-Toppers points, 28th among all players, 13th among NL pitchers.

Cardinals—John Lackey, 9.7 Box-Toppers points, 51st among all players, 21st among NL pitchers.

Cubs vs. Cardinals

Here are players for both teams in the NL Divisional Series beginning Friday. Players are listed for both teams ranked by Box-Toppers points earned in 2015. All players listed were on active Major or Minor League rosters at the end of the season—not necessarily all of them will be included on postseason rosters.  

Chicago Cubs				St. Louis Cardinals
Player	Pos	BTP		Player	Pos	BTP
Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	29.1		Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	13.7
Lester, Jon 2173	pi sp	12.0		Lynn, Lance 2992	pi sp	11.4
Hammel, Jason 2235	pi sp	9.7		Lackey, John 1640	pi sp	9.7
Hendricks, Kyle 3386	pi sp	9.7		Wacha, Michael 3276	pi sp	9.7
Rizzo, Anthony 3063	1b	8.5		Grichuk, Randal 3474	rf lf cf	9.5
Bryant, Kris 3465	3b	8.5		Garcia, Jaime 2508	pi sp	9.4
Montero, Miguel 2304	ca	5.5		Rosenthal, Trevor 3124	pi cp	6.0
Haren, Danny 1787	pi sp	5.0		Carpenter, Matt 2987	3b	5.5
Schwarber, Kyle 3536	lf ca	5.0		Moss, Brandon 2520	rf lf	5.0
Castro, Starlin 2767	ss 2b	4.5		Piscotty, Stephen 3570	lf rf 1b	4.2
Wada, Tsuyoshi 3389	pi sp	3.7		Wong, Kolten 3377	2b	4.0
Soler, Jorge 3403	rf ph	3.2		Reynolds, Mark 2297	1b	4.0
Wood, Travis 2777	pi sp	3.0		Siegrist, Kevin 3260	pi mr	4.0
Fowler, Dexter 2698	cf	2.5		Villanueva, Carlos 2241	pi mr cp	3.7
Russell, Addison 3559	ss	2.5		Wainwright, Adam 2150	pi sp	3.0
Jackson, Austin 2694	cf	2.0		Lyons, Tyler 3178	pi sp	3.0
Rondon, Hector 3201	pi cp	2.0		Adams, Matt 3220	1b ph	2.5
Strop, Pedro 3005	pi mr	2.0		Maness, Seth 3362	pi cp mr	2.0
Coghlan, Chris 2610	lf	1.0		Kozma, Pete 3138	2b pr	2.0
Rodney, Fernando 1803	pi cp mr	1.0		Scruggs, Xavier 3514	1b	2.0
Cahill, Trevor 2658	pi mr	1.0		Holliday, Matt 1836	lf dh	1.5
Hunter, Tommy 2623	pi mr	1.0		Pham, Thomas 3596	lf cf	1.5
Grimm, Justin 3153	pi mr	1.0		Cishek, Steve 2997	pi cp	1.0
Richard, Clayton 2584	pi sp	1.0		Bourjos, Peter 2790	cf ph	1.0
Motte, Jason 2926	pi mr	1.0		Garcia, Greg 3331	ph	1.0
Beeler, Dallas 3528	pi sp	1.0		Molina, Yadier 1967	ca	1.0
Ramirez, Neil 3439	pi mr	1.0		Walden, Jordan 2864	pi mr	1.0
				Broxton, Jonathan 2108	pi mr	1.0
				Socolovich, Miguel 3456	pi cp	1.0
Totals		127.4		Totals		124.3

What are those numbers after players' names?

NL Division Series Game 1, Mets at Dodgers

In Box-Toppers team rankings, the Dodgers and the Mets are almost identical.

The Dodgers hold the slight edge, ranking sixth among all teams, with 122.5 Box-Toppers points. But the Mets are only 0.5 points behind, with 122.0, ranking seventh among all teams. During the final 10 days of the season, the Dodgers picked up 6.0 Box-Toppers points, while the Mets earned 4.7.

The pitching matchup Friday:

Mets—Jacob deGrom, 22.4 Box-Toppers points, third among all players, third among NL pitchers.

Dodgers—Clayton Kershaw, 25.7 Box-Toppers points, second among all players, second among NL pitchers.

Mets vs. Dodgers

Here are players for both teams in the NL Divisional Series beginning Friday. Players are listed for both teams ranked by Box-Toppers points earned in 2015. All players listed were on active Major or Minor League rosters at the end of the season—not necessarily all of them will be included on postseason rosters.  

New York Mets				Los Angeles Dodgers
Player	Pos	BTP		Player	Pos	BTP
deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	22.4		Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	25.7
Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	15.4		Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	20.7
Cespedes, Yoenis 3008	lf cf	10.9		Wood, Alex 3246	pi sp	7.7
Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	10.4		Ethier, Andre 2137	rf lf	6.5
Familia, Jeurys 3446	pi cp	8.0		Anderson, Brett 2597	pi sp	6.0
Colon, Bartolo	pi sp	6.7		Bolsinger, Mike 3318	pi sp	5.7
Niese, Jonathon 2531	pi sp	6.0		Gonzalez, Adrian 2193	1b	4.0
Granderson, Curtis 2051	rf	4.0		Jansen, Kenley 2871	pi cp	4.0
Nieuwenhuis, Kirk 3022	cf rf lf ph	4.0		Kendrick, Howie 2191	2b	4.0
Matz, Steven 3516	pi sp	3.5		Van Slyke, Scott 3033	cf lf 1b	4.0
Uribe, Juan 1542	3b ph	3.0		Turner, Justin 2865	2b 3b ph	4.0
Verrett, Logan 3518	pi mr	3.0		Puig, Yasiel 3193	rf	3.5
Robles, Hansel 3580	pi mr	2.7		Guerrero, Alex 3442	lf ph	3.5
Duda, Lucas 2818	1b	2.5		Rollins, Jimmy 1516	ss	3.0
d’Arnaud, Travis 3384	ca	2.5		McCarthy, Brandon 2082	pi sp	2.0
Flores, Wilmer 3345	ss 2b	2.5		Grandal, Yasmani 3058	ca 1b	2.0
Tejada, Ruben 2801	ss	2.0		Ruggiano, Justin 2396	lf ph	2.0
Johnson, Kelly 2018	lf 1b	2.0		Frias, Carlos 3434	pi sp	2.0
Murphy, Daniel 2589	2b	1.5		Johnson, Jim 2417	pi mr	2.0
Gee, Dillon 2808	pi sp	1.0		Thomas, Ian 3539	pi sp	1.7
Lagares, Juan 3243	cf ph	1.0		Seager, Corey 3587	ss	1.5
Cuddyer, Michael 1826	lf 1b	1.0		Heisey, Chris 2866	cf rf	1.0
Reed, Addison 3023	pi mr cp	1.0		Nicasio, Juan 2888	pi sp	1.0
Torres, Carlos 2668	pi mr	1.0		Hatcher, Chris 3420	pi cp	1.0
Blevins, Jerry 2788	pi mr	1.0		Howell, J.P. 2016	pi mr	1.0
Clippard, Tyler 2291	pi cp	1.0		Garcia, Yimi 3440	pi cp	1.0
Gilmartin, Sean 3500	pi mr	1.0		Hernandez, Enrique 3541	ph	1.0
Monell, Johnny 3463	ph	1.0		Ravin, Josh 3501	pi mr	1.0
Total		122.0		Total		122.5

What are those numbers after players' names?

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Box-Toppers points leader Jake Arrieta tops players as Cubs beat Pirates in NL Wild Card Game

Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta is Box-Toppers Player of the Day in Wednesday’s National League Wild Card game.

Arrieta pitched a complete game shutout, striking out 11 and allowing four hits, in the 4-0 win over the Pirates.

Arrieta led all players during the regular season with 29.1 Box-Toppers points, the eighth-highest single-season total since 1995. He outdueled Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole, who had 19.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ninth among all players and sixth among NL pitchers. Cole (5IP 6H 4R 4K L) had a Box-Toppers game score of -6.

The Pirates’ loss means the top-ranked team in Box-Toppers rankings is eliminated from the playoffs. The Pirates had 129.6 Box-Toppers points on the season. The Cubs, rank third with 127.4, are now the top-ranked NL team remaining in the playoffs.

The Cubs carried more momentum into the postseason, picking up 11.0 Box-Toppers points in the final 10 days of the season. The Pirates, by comparison, had 5.5 during that period.

The Cubs will face face the St. Louis Cardinals in the best-of-five NL Divisional Series beginning Friday in St. Louis. The Cardinals have baseball’s best record, but rank fourth in Box-Toppers team rankings, behind both the Cubs and Pirates, with 124.3 Box-Toppers points.

Top player from NL Wild Card Game

10/7	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
POG	16.0	Cubs	Jake Arrieta (W,1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	4	0	0	0	11

Coming Thursday: The American League begins both division playoff series Thursday.

AL Division Series Game 1, Rangers at Blue Jays

The Blue Jays rank fifth in Box-Toppers team rankings with 124.1 Box-Toppers points. The Rangers rank 10th with 107.2. In the final 10 days of the season, the Blue Jays picked up 6.5 Box-Toppers points, while the Rangers earned 5.7

The pitching matchup Thursday:

Rangers—Yovani Gallardo, 5.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 176th among all players, 62nd among AL pitchers.

Blue Jays—David Price, 21.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fifth among all players, second among AL pitchers.

Rangers vs. Blue Jays

Here are players for both teams in the AL Division Series beginning Thursday. Players are listed for both teams ranked by Box-Toppers points earned in 2015. All players listed were on active Major or Minor League rosters at the end of the season—not necessarily all of them will be included on postseason rosters.  

Texas Rangers				Toronto Blue Jays
Player	Pos	BTP		Player	Pos	BTP
Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	15.4		Price, David 2593	pi sp	21.1
Beltre, Adrian 1141	3b	12.5		Encarnacion, Edwin 2098	dh	10.4
Fielder, Prince 2029	dh	11.5		Bautista, Jose 2169	rf	10.0
Lewis, Colby 1567	pi sp	7.7		Donaldson, Josh 3144	3b	9.9
Moreland, Mitch 2799	1b	6.2		Hutchison, Drew 3038	pi sp	9.0
Tolleson, Shawn 3077	pi cp	6.0		Estrada, Marco 2847	pi sp	8.0
Gallardo, Yovani 2333	pi sp	5.0		Tulowitzki, Troy 2308	ss	6.0
Napoli, Mike 2161	1b	4.5		Dickey, R.A. 1734	pi sp	5.0
Choo, Shin-Soo 2267	rf	4.5		Martin, Russell 2202	ca	5.0
DeShields, Delino 3557	cf	4.5		Smoak, Justin 2731	1b	5.0
Hamilton, Josh 2332	lf dh ph	3.5		Goins, Ryan 3478	ss 2b	4.5
Chirinos, Robinson 2924	ca	3.5		Osuna, Roberto 3512	pi cp	4.0
Odor, Rougned 3336	2b	3.0		Pillar, Kevin 3486	cf	3.5
Holland, Derek 2634	pi sp	2.7		Travis, Devon 3436	2b	3.0
Martinez, Nick 3430	pi sp	2.0		Stroman, Marcus 3327	pi sp	2.7
Dyson, Sam 3399	pi mr cp	2.0		Buehrle, Mark 1407	pi sp	2.0
Patton, Spencer 3416	pi mr	2.0		Colabello, Chris 3235	lf dh 1b	2.0
Gonzalez, Chi Chi 3490	pi sp	1.7		Sanchez, Aaron 3392	pi sp	2.0
Blanks, Kyle 2661	1b	1.5		Cecil, Brett 2566	pi cp mr	2.0
Gallo, Joey 3485	3b	1.5		Pennington, Cliff 2641	ss 3b	2.0
Perez, Martin 3213	pi sp	1.0		Navarro, Dioner 2087	ca	1.0
Gimenez, Chris 2870	ca	1.0		Revere, Ben 2886	lf	1.0
Ohlendorf, Ross 2457	pi mr	1.0		Loup, Aaron 3146	pi mr cp	1.0
Claudio, Alex 3459	pi mr	1.0		Hendriks, Liam 3339	pi mr	1.0
Klein, Phil 3477	pi sp	1.0		Delabar, Steve 3020	pi mr	1.0
Strausborger, Ryan 3560	lf	1.0		Carrera, Ezequiel 2873	lf ph	1.0
				Pompey, Dalton 3450	cf	1.0
Total		107.2		Total		124.1

AL Division Series Game 1, Astros at Royals

The Royals have the most Box-Toppers team points in the AL with 127.5, ranked second overall, behind the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Astros rank eighth with 118.4. In the final 10 days of the season, the Astros were slightly hotter than the Royals—7.9 vs. 6.0.

The pitching matchup Thursday:

Astros—Collin McHugh, 9.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 49th among all players, 19th among AL pitchers.

Royals—Yordano Ventura, 11.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 30th among all players, 15th among AL pitchers.

Astros vs. Royals

Here are players for both teams in the AL Division Series beginning Thursday. Players are listed for both teams ranked by Box-Toppers points earned in 2015. All players listed were on active Major or Minor League rosters at the end of the season—not necessarily all of them will be included on postseason rosters.  

Houston Astros				Kansas City Royals
Player	Pos	BTP		Player	Pos	BTP
Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	21.4		Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	12.8
Kazmir, Scott 1947	pi sp	12.7		Ventura, Yordano 3294	pi sp	11.7
McHugh, Collin 3316	pi sp	9.7		Hosmer, Eric 2886	1b	9.0
Correa, Carlos 3506	ss	7.2		Cain, Lorenzo 3171	cf	8.2
Fiers, Michael 3029	pi sp	7.0		Young, Chris R. 1933	pi sp	8.0
Altuve, Jose 3007	2b	7.0		Holland, Greg 2906	pi cp	8.0
McCullers, Lance 3488	pi sp	6.7		Moustakas, Mike 2967	3b	7.7
Gomez, Carlos 2397	cf	6.0		Volquez, Edinson 2220	pi sp	7.0
Rasmus, Colby 2608	lf rf cf	6.0		Rodriguez, Wandy 2117	pi sp	6.7
Gregerson, Luke 2563	pi cp	6.0		Infante, Omar 1949	2b	5.2
Valbuena, Luis 2600	3b	4.5		Morales, Kendrys 2142	dh	4.7
Gattis, Evan 3179	dh	4.0		Perez, Salvador 2972	ca	4.5
Harris, Will 3093	pi mr cp	3.7		Gomes, Jonny 2059	lf rf	4.5
Qualls, Chad 1958	pi mr cp	3.0		Gordon, Alex 2328	lf	4.5
Lowrie, Jed 2437	ss dh	2.5		Duffy, Danny 2915	pi sp	4.0
Feldman, Scott 2632	pi sp cp	2.0		Davis, Wade 2681	pi cp	4.0
Marisnick, Jake 3428	cf	2.0		Escobar, Alcides 2663	ss	3.5
Tucker, Preston 3525	rf lf	2.0		Rios, Alex 1989	rf	2.5
Carter, Chris 2828	dh	1.0		Guthrie, Jeremy 2290	pi sp	2.0
Springer, George 3337	rf	1.0		Dyson, Jarrod 2813	cf pr	2.0
Fields, Josh 3247	pi mr	1.0		Medlen, Kris 2596	pi sp	2.0
Conger, Hank 2843	ca	1.0		Vargas, Jason 2055	pi sp	1.0
Oberholtzer, Brett 3244	pi sp	1.0		Morales, Franklin 2369	pi mr sp	1.0
				Zobrist, Ben 2216	lf ss	1.0
				Hochevar, Luke 2440	pi mr	1.0
				Orlando, Paulo 3526	cf	1.0
Totals		118.4		Totals		127.5

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

ALCS Preview: Royals may have edge not because their pitching is strong, but because Orioles' pitching is weak

The Kansas City Royals may have an edge over the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Championship Series not because their pitching is so strong but because the Orioles pitching staff is comparatively weaker.

However, the Orioles have the overall higher Box-Toppers team ranking and have two outfielders on Box-Toppers end-of-season 2014 All-Star team. The best-of-seven game ALCS begins Friday in Baltimore.

Below are position-by-position match-ups of each player likely in the starting line-up for both teams, along with the highest-rated starting pitchers in Box-Toppers points, the top closing pitcher and an extra pitcher. Also listed are each player’s Box-Toppers points earned in 2014, along with their overall rank among all players.

The top pitcher for both teams, James Shields of the Royals, had 13.7 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 22nd among all players. The Orioles top pitcher is Bud Norris, with 10.7, ranked 51st among all players. Only three other teams in baseball had their top pitcher earn fewer Box-Toppers points than Norris:

• Padres, Ross Tyson, 9.7.

• Red Sox, Koji Uehara, 9.0.

• Rockies, Tyler Matzek, 4.7.

In fact, the Orioles are one of only two teams in baseball whose leader in Box-Toppers points was a batter—Adam Jones, with 11.5 points, ranked 40th among all players. (The other team was the Rockies—Troy Tulowitzki had 11.6 points.)

Matching up the four top starting pitchers from highest to lowest Box-Toppers points from both teams, the Royals have the edge each time (see the chart below). The Royals also have the edge in closers (Greg Holland with 7.0 over Zachary Britton with 6.0). The Royals also have the edge when matching up the next-highest rated pitcher (Jeremy Guthrie, 7.0 over Ubaldo Jimenez, 3.7). And one more thing, not included in the chart below—the Royals also have the AL’s top middle relief pitcher, Wade Davis, who has 7.0 Box-Toppers points.

The Orioles have the edge in overall Box-Toppers team rankings from 2014. They rank sixth among all teams with 113.4 Box-Toppers points, while the Royals are ranked 10th with 101.1 points—the Royals were the lowest ranked team that qualified for any of the four league division series. However, the Orioles will play the ALCS without suspended first baseman, Chris Davis, who earned 6.2 Box-Toppers points during the regular season.

The Orioles also have two players who will be on Box-Toppers end-of-season AL All-Star team. Adam Jones had the most Box-Toppers points among AL outfielders with 11.5. Nelson Cruz was second with 8.5. The Orioles also have the most notable batter (not included in the prospective starting line-up below) coming off the bench—Delmon Young with 5.5 Box-Toppers points.

However, looking at the prospective starting line-ups below, Royals batters have higher Box-Toppers point totals at five positions, while the Orioles are better in four. Also, adding up Box-Toppers points for the nine batters and six pitchers listed below, the Royals have the point total advantage—83.1 Box-Toppers points vs. 81.5.

Both teams were able to get a lot of bang for their buck this season, spending comparatively little and making it all the way to the ALCS. The Orioles had an opening day payroll of $107 million, ranking 15th among all teams. The Royals’ payroll of $92 million, ranked 19th.

ALCS Game 1, Royals at Orioles

The pitching matchup Friday:

Royals: James Shields, 13.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 22nd among all players, 11th among AL pitchers.

Orioles: Chris Tillman, 6.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 152nd among all players, 53rd among AL pitchers.

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

AL Championship Series player comparisons

Likely starting players for the Royals and Orioles listed by position with their Box-Toppers point total (BTP) for the 2014 regular season and their overall player rank among all players

Pos	Royals	BTP	Rank		Orioles	BTP	Rank
1B	Eric Hosmer	2.5	368		Steve Pearce	7.0	121
2B	Omar Infante	4.0	243		Jonathan Schoop	2.5	395
SS	Alicides Escboar	5.0	190		J.J. Hardy	4.2	236
3B	Mike Moustakas	4.0	251		Ryan Flaherty	0	761
CA	Salvador Perez	4.7	210		Caleb Joseph	2.0	470
CF	Lorenzo Cain	2.0	421		Adam Jones	11.5	40
LF	Alex Gordon	3.0	203		Alejandro De Aza	1.0	537
RF	Norichika Aoki	2.0	443		Nick Markakis	3.0	320
DH	Billy Butler	2.5	365		Nelson Cruz	8.5	77
SP	James Shields	13.7	22		Bud Norris	10.7	51
SP	Danny Duffy	10.0	58		Miguel Gonzalez	8.7	70
SP	Yordano Ventura	8.7	75		Wei-Yin Chen	6.7	131
SP	Jason Vargas	7.0	107		Chris Tillman	6.0	152
CP	Greg Holland	7.0	106		Zachary Britton	6.0	161
PI	Jeremy Guthrie	7.0	113		Ubaldo Jimenez	3.7	270

Box-Toppers recalls 2004's postseason, when Cards-Red Sox also met in World Series

With the Red Sox and the Cardinals matched up against each other for the fourth time in World Series history, let's take a Box-Toppers look back to the last time they faced off, in the 2004 Fall Classic. 

With nine years of separation, there aren't a lot of returning players from the previous Cards-Sox title bout—in fact, only two: 

• Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz.
• Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina.

Ortiz had 10.7 Box-Toppers points during the 2004 regular season, his best at the time and was Player of the Game in two postseason contests—once in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the Yankees and once in Game 1 of the World Series against the Cardinals. This season, Ortiz had 12.4 Box-Toppers points and has already been Player of the Game in Game 2 of the ALCS vs. the Tigers.

Molina was in his first year with the Cardinals in 2004 and had only 1.0 Box-Toppers point. He was playing behind then-starting catcher (now Cardinals manager) Mike Matheny. This season, Molina has 4.0 Box-Toppers points. 

One other current Cardinal player did play a prominent role in 2004's postseason. Carlos Beltran, then of the Astros, was twice Player of the Game during the National League Division series, as the Astros defeated the Braves, three games to two. The Astros lost to the Cardinals in the NLCS, four games to three. 

The 2004 postseason was also notable because it was the first and only time a team with a 3-0 game deficit in a best-of-seven series came back to win it 4-3. That was the Red Sox, beating the Yankees in the ALCS, sparked by Ortiz' Game 4 performance. Ortiz hit a walk-off, 12th-inning, two-run home run to beat the Yankees 6-4. The Sox then trailed that series three games to one.

The 2004 postseason was also notable because it was the first time the Red Sox had won the World Series since 1918—a span of 86 years. The Red Sox went on to sweep the Cardinals in the Fall Classic. Then-Cards stars like Albert Pujols, who contributed to St. Louis wins in the first two rounds of the postseason, were shut out from even once earning Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors during the World Series. However, Ortiz was joined by three other arguably legendary Red Sox as Player of the Game in the other three World Series victories: 

• Game 1: Ortiz, who has 126.4 Box-Toppers points for his career, ranked 24th all-time (since 1995 when Box-Toppers record-keeping began).
• Game 2: Pitcher Curt Schilling, who had 21.0 Box-Toppers points in 2004 and has 194.1 since 1995, ranked third on the all-time (since 1995) list.  
• Game 3: Pitcher Pedro Martinez, who had 17.1 Box-Toppers points in 2004 and has 244.8 since 1995, ranked second on the all-time (since 1995) list, behind only Randy Johnson (278.8). 
• Game 4: Pitcher Derek Lowe, who had a career-low 1.0 Box-Toppers point in 2004, but has 91.5 for his career, ranked 82nd on the all-time list. 

2004 League Division Series Box-Toppers results 

Here are Box-Toppers Players of the Games for each of the league division series games played in 2004. Games are listed by day. The Red Sox beat the Angels 3-0. The Yankees beat the Twins 3-1. The Cardinals beat the Dodgers 3-1. The Astros beat the Braves 3-2.

2004	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Oct 5
MLB	2.0	Red Sox	Manny Ramirez lf	5	2	2	3	0	1				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
NL	2.0	Cardinals	Larry Walker rf	4	2	2	2	0	2				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Twins		0	0	0	0	0	0			Johan Santana (W, 1-0)	7.0	9	0	0	1	5
Oct 6
MLB	5.0	Astros	Carlos Beltran cf	3	3	3	2	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
AL	3.1	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Keith Foulke (S, 1)	1.1	0	0	0	0	2
BAT	3.0	Yankees	Alex Rodriguez 3b	6	2	4	3	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 7
MLB	4.0	`Braves		0	0	0	0	0	0			John Smoltz	3.0	0	0	0	2	3
BAT	3.0	Cardinals	Edgar Renteria ss	4	3	3	1	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 8
MLB	4.0	`Red Sox		0	0	0	0	0	0			Bronson Arroyo	6.0	3	2	2	2	7
BAT	1.0	Yankees	Derek Jeter ss	5	0	3	3	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 9
MLB	7.0	Dodgers		0	0	0	0	0	0			Jose Lima (W, 1-0)	9.0	5	0	0	1	4
NL	3.0	Astros		0	0	0	0	0	0			Brad Lidge (S, 1)	1.0	0	0	0	0	2
BAT	2.0	Yankees	Ruben Sierra dh	4	1	2	3	1	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 10
MLB	3.0	Cardinals	Albert Pujols 1b	4	1	2	4	1	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Braves	Adam LaRoche 1b	3	1	1	3	1	1				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 11
MLB	7.0	Astros	Carlos Beltran cf	5	3	4	5	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0

2004 League Championship Series Box-Toppers results 

Here are Box-Toppers Players of the Games for each of the league championship series games played in 2004. The Red Sox beat the Yankees 4-3. The Cardinals beat the Astros 4-3.

2004	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Oct 12
MLB	5.0	Yankees	Hideki Matsui lf	5	2	3	5	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 13
MLB	4.0	Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jon Lieber (W, 1-0)	7.0	3	1	1	1	3
NL	3.0	Cardinals	Albert Pujols 1b	3	2	2	2	2	1				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 14
MLB	3.0	Cardinals	Scott Rolen 3b	4	2	2	3	0	1				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 16
MLB	9.0	Yankees	Hideki Matsui lf	6	5	5	5	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
NL	5.0	Astros	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Brad Lidge (S, 2)	2.0	1	0	0	1	5
Oct 17
MLB	4.0	Astros	Lance Berkman, RF	2	1	2	3	2	0
AL	2.0	Red Sox	David Ortiz, DH	5	1	2	4	1	1
Oct 18
MLB	9.0	`Astros										Brandon Backe	8.0	1	0	0	2	4
AL	5.0	Red Sox										Tim Wakefield (W,1-0)	3.0	1	0	0	1	4
Oct 19
MLB	5.0	Red Sox										Curt Schilling (W,2-1)	7.0	4	1	1	0	4
Oct 20
MLB	5.0	Red Sox	Johnny Damon cf	6	2	3	6	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
NL	4.0	Cardinals		0	0	0	0	0	0			Julian Tavarez (W, 2-1)	2.0	0	0	0	0	2
Oct 21
MLB	4.0	Cardinals		0	0	0	0	0	0			Jeff Suppan (W, 2-1)	6.0	3	2	1	2	6

2004 World Series Box-Toppers results 

Here are Box-Toppers Players of the Games for each of the World Series games played in 2004. The Red Sox beat the Cardinals 4-0.

2004	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Oct 23
MLB	4.0	Red Sox	David Ortiz, DH	3	1	2	4	2	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 24
MLB	4.0	Red Sox		0	0	0	0	0	0			Curt Schilling (W, 1-0)	6.0	4	1	0	1	4
Oct 26
MLB	8.0	Red Sox		0	0	0	0	0	0			Pedro Martinez (W, 1-0)	7.0	3	0	0	2	6
Oct 27
MLB	7.0	Red Sox		0	0	0	0	0	0			Derek Lowe (W, 1-0)	7.0	3	0	0	1	4

In the first column of each chart, the designation MLB indicates Player of the Day, AL or NL indicates Player of the Day in the opposite league and BAT indicates the player was the top batter of the day in his league. Usually, top players of the game receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point, top batters in the league receive 1.5, top players in the league receive 1.7 and top overall players receive 2.0. However, postseason Box-Toppers points are not counted in regular season Box-Toppers totals.

` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Cardinals-Red Sox World Series features two highly ranked, evenly matched teams

The 2013 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox features two highly ranked and evenly matched teams. 

The Cardinals are ranked third in Box-Toppers Power Rankings with 122.4 Box-Toppers points. The Red Sox are close behind in fourth, with 121.7. So only 0.7 points separate them, which is less than one Box-Toppers Player of the Game honor (worth 1.0 point). 

Both teams also tied with the best regular-season winning percentage in baseball (.599, both with 97 wins). Both teams knocked off teams just ahead of them in Box-Toppers Power Rankings in their respective league championship series, both in six games. The Cardinals beat the second-ranked Dodgers (122.7 Box-Toppers points) and the Red Sox beat the top-ranked Tigers (123.4).

The best-of-seven World Series begins Wednesday in Boston. 

Below are position-by-position match-ups of each player likely in the starting line-up for both teams (we have taken the liberty of inserting Cardinals first baseman Allen Craig into the designated hitter spot), along with the four most likely starting pitchers, the team's top closer and an extra pitcher. Also listed are each player's Box-Toppers points earned in 2013, along with their overall rank among players for the season.

If you simply add together the Box-Toppers points of these 15 key players from each team, the Cardinals have 109 points and the Red Sox 96.2.

If you compare them position-by-position, the Red Sox have more players with higher Box-Toppers points totals. The Red Sox have the edge in eight positions, the Cardinals in seven.

The Red Sox batters tend to have better Box-Toppers points totals than Cardinals batters. Comparing position-by-position, the Red Sox batters beat Cardinals batters in Box-Toppers points by 6-3.

However, the Cardinals tend to have superior pitching when it comes to Box-Toppers points totals, starting with their ace Adam Wainwright, who has 20.2 regular season Box-Toppers points and is ranked second among all players (Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers ranks first). Three Cardinals pitchers rank in the top 20 in Box-Toppers points for the season—Wainwright, Lance Lynn (16.1 points, ranked 11th) and Shelby Miller (15.4 points, ranked 17th). Interestingly, Miller was not in the rotation for the NLCS, bumped in favor of rookie Michael Wacha, who though he has only 3.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, has earned Player of the Game honors for the Cardinals three times already this postseason (twice in the NLCS), more than any other player. 

The Red Sox top player in Box-Toppers rankings is pitcher Jon Lester with 12.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 34th overall. Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz has 12.4 Box-Toppers points and is ranked 36th overall, fifth among all AL batters.

The Cardinals were the top-ranked team in Box-Toppers weekly power rankings reports from May 9 to July 25, 11 straight times. They remained top NL team for four more weeks until they were passed by the Dodgers Sept. 5 and remained the second-ranked NL team for the remainder of the season.

The Red Sox were the top-ranked AL team in Box-Toppers points for seven weeks, from May 30 to July 14. They were top overall team in Power Rankings on Aug. 1, but fell back during August. In September through the end of the season, they were consistently the second-ranked AL team in Box-Toppers points, behind the Tigers. 

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason.

World Series player comparisons 

Likely starting players for the Red Sox and Cardinals listed by position with their Box-Toppers point total (BTP) for the 2013 regular season and their overall player rank among all players

	Red Sox	BTP	Rank		Cardinals	BTP	Rank
1B	Mike Napoli	5.0	170		Matt Adams	5.0	198
2B	Dustin Pedroia	3.5	286		Matt Carpenter	7.5	100
SS	Stephen Drew	6.0	143		Pete Kozma	2.5	408
3B	Xander Bogaerts	0.0	--*		David Freese	5.5	154
CA	Jarrod Saltalamacchia	4.5	228		Yadier Molina	4.0	253
CF	Jacob Ellsbury	5.5	161		Jon Jay	5.5	162
LF	Jonny Gomes	6.0	156		Matt Holliday	6.5	121
RF	Shane Victorino	4.5	224		Carlos Beltran	2.5	378
DH	David Ortiz	12.4	36		Allen Craig	5.0	173
SP	Jon Lester	12.7	34		Adam Wainwright	20.2	2
SP	Clay Buchholz	11.1	41		Lance Lynn	16.1	11
SP	Jake Peavy	8.0	84		Joe Kelly	4.0	264
SP	John Lackey	6.0	148		Michael Wacha	3.0	361
CP	Koji Uehara	6.0	149		Trevor Rosenthal	6.0	147
PI	Felix Doubront	5.0	179		Shelby Miller	15.4	17

* Xander Bogaerts, who made his Major League debut Aug. 20, has yet to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors and so has no Box-Toppers points. Players do not appear in Box-Toppers player rankings until they have earned Player of the Game honors at least once in their career. Bogaerts is expected to start in place of Will Middlebrooks, who earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point and is ranked 573rd.

ALCS Preview: Tigers, with 3 best AL players in Box-Toppers rankings, may have slight edge on Red Sox

The American League Championship Series beginning Saturday features Box-Toppers' top-ranked AL teams and Box-Toppers' three best AL players—who all happen to be Detroit Tigers.

The Tigers may have a slight edge over the Boston Red Sox as they prepare to face off in the best-of-seven series beginning in Boston.

The Tigers were No. 1 in Box-Toppers Team Rankings at the close of the season with 123.4 Box-Toppers points. The Red Sox ranked fourth overall (second in the AL) with 121.7 points. However, the Red Sox had the better actual winning percentage (.599 vs. .574), giving them home-field advantage for the series. The Red Sox were tied for the best win-loss record in baseball. The Tigers had the sixth-best record—third in the AL, behind the Red Sox and Athletics.

The Tigers beat the Athletics in the American League Division series, three games to two. The Athletics had 115.3 Box-Toppers points for the season, ranked eighth overall. The Red Sox beat the Rays in their ALDS, three games to one. The Rays had 119.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fifth.

The Tigers have the top three AL players in Box-Toppers points for the season:

• Pitcher Max Scherzer has 18.1 Box-Toppers points and is ranked fifth among all Major League players (see the Player Rankings Top 10 list on the home page).
• Pitcher Anibal Sanchez has 17.1 Box-Toppers points and is ranked seventh among all players.
• Third baseman Miguel Cabrera has 16.9 Box-Toppers points, leads among all Major League batters and is the only batter in the Player Rankings Top 10, in eighth place overall.

The Red Sox top player in Box-Toppers rankings is pitcher Jon Lester with 12.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 34th overall. Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz has 12.4 Box-Toppers points and is ranked 36th overall, fifth among all AL batters.

Below are position-by-position match-ups of each player likely in the starting line-up for both teams, along with the four most likely starting pitchers, the team's top closer and an extra pitcher. Also listed are each player's Box-Toppers points earned in 2013, along with their overall rank among players for the season.

If you simply add together the Box-Toppers points of these 15 key players from each team, the Tigers have 104 points and the Red Sox 97.2.

If you compare them position-by-position, the Tigers also have more players with higher Box-Toppers points totals. The Tigers have the edge in eight positions, the Red Sox in seven.

The Red Sox have more highly ranked batters than the Tigers. In a position-by-position match-up of the starting nine, the Red Sox have Box-Toppers-superior players in six positions, the Tigers in three (though one of the three is at third base, where Miguel Cabrera beats Will Middlebrooks 16.9 Box-Toppers points to 1.0).

The Tigers dominate pitching match-ups in each category except closer, where Red Sox pitcher Koji Uehara has 6.0 Box-Toppers point while Tigers pitcher Joaquin Benoit has 1.0.

Coming Saturday: Here is the pitching match-up for Game 1 of the AL Championship Series:

ALCS Game 1, Tigers at Red Sox

Tigers: Anibal Sanchez, 17.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked seventh overall (see the Top 10 Player ranking list on the home page)

Red Sox: Jon Lester, 12.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 34th overall

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason.

AL Championship Series player comparisons 

Likely starting players for the Red Sox and Tigers listed by position with their Box-Toppers point total (BTP) for the 2013 regular season and their overall player rank among all players

	Red Sox	BTP	Rank		Tigers	BTP	Rank
1B	Mike Napoli	5.0	170		Prince Fielder	8.5	78
2B	Dustin Pedroia	3.5	286		Omar Infante	4.5	221
SS	Stephen Drew	6.0	143		Jhonny Peralta	3.0	347
3B	Will Middlebrooks	1.0	573		Miguel Cabrera	16.9	8
CA	Jarod Saltalamacchia	4.5	228		Alex Avila	3.0	334
CF	Jacob Ellsbury	5.5	161		Austin Jackson	1.0	576
LF	Jonny Gomes	6.0	156		Don Kelly	0.0	885
RF	Shane Victorino	4.5	224		Torii Hunter	4.0	248
DH	David Ortiz	12.4	36		Victor Martinez	4.2	235
SP	Jon Lester	12.7	34		Max Scherzer	18.1	5
SP	Clay Buchholz	11.1	41		Anibal Sanchez	17.1	7
SP	Jake Peavy	8.0	84		Justin Verlander	10.0	53
SP	John Lackey	6.0	148		Doug Fister	6.7	113
CP	Koji Uehara	6.0	149		Joaquin Benoit	1.0	628
PI	Felix Doubront	5.0	179		Rick Porcello	6.0	139

NLCS Preview: Cardinals-Dodgers features 2 top-ranked NL Box-Toppers teams, top 3 overall players—Kershaw, Wainwright, Greinke

The National League Championship Series beginning Friday features the top two NL teams in Box-Toppers Team Rankings and the top three players in overall Box-Toppers points.

Game 1 of the best-of-seven series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers begins in St. Louis. The Dodgers just edged out the Cardinals as top NL team in Box-Toppers points for the season with 122.7 (second place overall, behind the Detroit Tigers). The Cardinals were in second in the NL (third overall) with 122.4. 

The Cardinals had the best actual winning percentage in the NL (.599). The Dodgers were in fourth (.568), behind the Cardinals, Braves and Pirates. 

The Cardinals prevailed over the Pirates in the National League Division Series. The Pirates had 115.6 Box-Toppers points for the season, ranked seventh overall. The Dodgers beat the Braves in their NLDS. The Braves had 111.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 11th overall. 

The NLCS between the Cardinals and Dodgers features the top three players in Box-Toppers Player Rankings for the season:

• Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw has 21.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked first in player rankings.
• Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright has 20.2 points, ranked second. 
• Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke has 19.4 points, ranked third. 

In addition, Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn and Shelby Miller are both in the top 10 in Box-Toppers points among NL pitchers. Lynn ranks seventh with 16.1 points and Miller ranks ninth with 15.4. 

Below are position-by-position match-ups of each player likely in the starting line-up for both teams, along with the four most likely starting pitchers, the team's top closer and an extra pitcher. Also listed are each player's Box-Toppers points earned in 2013, along with their overall rank among players for the season.

If you simply add together the Box-Toppers points of these 14 key players from each team, the Cardinals have 103.7 points and the Dodgers 98.7.

If you compare them position-by-position, the Cardinals have more players with higher Box-Toppers points totals. The Cardinals have the edge in seven positions, the Dodgers in six and they tie in one position (both first basemen Matt Adams and Adrian Gonzalez have 5.0 Box-Toppers points).

In general, the Cardinals edge the Dodgers among batters, with more offensive players with higher Box-Toppers points—in fact, Hanley Ramirez is the only Dodger batter with a higher Box-Toppers point total (5.0) than his Cardinals shortstop counterpart Pete Kozma (2.5).

All three likely starting outfielders for the Dodgers have Box-Toppers point totals of 2.0 or less, meaning they were very rarely the key contributor to Dodgers wins. Carl Crawford was Player of the Game twice during the season earning 2.0 Box-Toppers points. Rookie sensation Yasiel Puig was NL Batter of the Day in his second career game June 4, earning 1.5 points, his only points of the season. And Skip Schumaker, though he appeared in 125 games, did not earn Player of the Game honors during the season, earning 0.0 Box-Toppers points.

To be fair, Dodgers pitchers were often the key contributor to the team's wins, with higher Box-Toppers game scores and earning Player of the Game honors. In fact, Dodgers pitchers have a slight edge over the Cardinals, with two of the three top overall players in Box-Toppers points (Kershaw and Greinke). The Dodgers' closer, Kenley Jansen has more Box-Toppers points than Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal (9.7 to 6.0).

So: The Dodgers have the overall higher Box-Toppers Team Ranking. The Cardinals have a better winning percentage. The Dodgers have a slight edge in pitching. The Cardinals have a seeming clear edge among batters. The Dodgers have the edge in the pitching match-up in Game 1. The Cardinals have home-field advantage. Baseball's best three players this season (by Box-Toppers measures) will be in action. It promises to be a great series. 

Coming Friday: Here is the pitching match-up for Game 1 of the NL Championship Series:

NLCS Game 1, Dodgers at Cardinals

Dodgers: Zack Greinke, 19.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked third overall (see the Top 10 Player ranking list on the home page)

Cardinals: Joe Kelly, 4.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 264th overall

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

NL Championship Series player comparisons 

Likely starting players for the Cardinals and Dodgers listed by position with their Box-Toppers point total (BTP) for the 2013 regular season and their overall player rank among all players

	Cardinals	BTP	Rank		Dodgers	BTP	Rank
1B	Matt Adams	5.0	198		Adrian Gonzalez	5.0	175
2B	Matt Carpenter	7.5	100		Mark Ellis	3.5	295
SS	Pete Kozma	2.5	408		Hanley Ramirez	5.0	177
3B	David Freese	5.5	154		Juan Uribe	3.0	323
CA	Yadier Molina	4.0	253		A.J. Ellis	2.5	387
CF	Jon Jay	5.5	162		Skip Schumaker	0.0	920
LF	Matt Holliday	6.5	121		Carl Crawford	2.0	450
RF	Carlos Beltran	2.5	378		Yasiel Puig	1.5	542
SP	Adam Wainwright	20.2	2		Clayton Kershaw	21.7	1
SP	Lance Lynn	16.1	11		Zack Greinke	19.4	3
SP	Joe Kelly	4.0	264		Hyun-Jin Ryu	9.7	61
SP	Michael Wacha	3.0	361		Ricky Nolasco	9.7	60
CP	Trevor Rosenthal	6.0	147		Kenley Jansen	9.7	59
PI	Shelby Miller	15.4	17		Chris Capuano	6.0	134