B. Chuck: 2013 Multi-homer Games

So far this season there have been 106 multi-homer games.

• There have been 20 players who have had at least two multi-homer games with Jose Bautista and Adam LaRoche having three each.

• Adam Dunn who has two-multi-homer games this season now has 36 in his career.
• Jose Bautista now has 20 multi-homer games.

There have been five three-homer games this season

Rk	Player	Date	Tm	Opp	Rslt	PA	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO
1	Carlos Gonzalez	2013-06-05	COL	CIN	W 12-4	5	5	3	3	0	3	6	0	1
2	Dioner Navarro	2013-05-29	CHC	CHW	W 9-3	4	3	4	3	0	3	6	1	0
3	Ryan Zimmerman	2013-05-29	WSN	BAL	L 6-9	4	4	3	3	0	3	4	0	1
4	Miguel Cabrera	2013-05-19	DET	TEX	L 8-11	5	4	4	4	0	3	5	1	0
5	Will Middlebrooks	2013-04-07	BOS	TOR	W 13-0	5	5	4	4	1	3	4	0	0

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used Generated 6/11/2013.

The Dodgers (and others) struggles with runners in scoring position

In today's Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo writes extensively about the Dodgers troubles hitting with runners in scoring position.

Cafardo points out that the Dodgers entered the weekend ranked fifth in batting average (.255), and second in on-base percentage (.330) in the NL, but 14th in slugging and 11th in OPS. With runners in scoring position, the Dodgers are hitting .213, 13th in the NL.

They’re also 12th in OBP, 15th in slugging, and 14th in OPS in the NL with runners in scoring position.

“The key for us is execution,” Dodger GM Ned Colletti told Cafardo. “We’re getting runners on base but we just can’t seem to get that one hit at the right time.”

The Dodgers are just one of the teams struggling when hitting with RISP.

The major league average for hitting w/RISP this season is .255.

Their American League neighbors, the Angels, are equally awful also hit .223. Then again neither of these two teams' fan base should be complaining as much as those who follow the residents of "the friendly confines." The Cubs are the only team in baseball hitting under .200 with runners in scoring position. And their Second City neighbors, the White Sox are only hitting .221.

The Marlins, Mariners, Jays and Diamondbacks are all under .220 in their miserable displays of hitting when it matters.

15 players whose career average with runners in scoring position fall below .255

(at least 2000 PA w/RISP)

Rk	I	Player	From	To	G	BA	PA	AB	H	RBI
1		Adam Dunn	2001	2013	1268	.222	2044	1542	342	607
2		Tom Brunansky	1981	1994	1232	.239	2023	1676	400	632
3		Dave Kingman	1971	1986	1302	.240	2066	1774	425	771
4		Royce Clayton	1991	2007	1374	.243	2133	1808	440	598
5		Lance Parrish	1977	1995	1396	.244	2244	1954	477	692
6	I	Jim Wynn	1963	1977	1334	.245	2201	1704	418	638
7		Bobby Grich	1970	1986	1368	.248	2169	1712	425	609
8		Andruw Jones	1996	2012	1585	.249	2632	2154	537	824
9		Darrell Porter	1971	1987	1238	.251	2000	1550	389	623
10		Graig Nettles	1968	1988	1781	.252	2689	2218	560	886
11		Chris Speier	1971	1989	1409	.252	2153	1745	439	576
12	I	Darrell Evans	1969	1989	1825	.253	2919	2242	568	895
13		Ron Gant	1987	2003	1285	.254	2040	1680	427	674
14	I	Bill Mazeroski	1956	1972	1354	.254	2113	1806	459	641
15		Benito Santiago	1986	2005	1339	.254	2125	1841	467	696

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 5/12/2013.

There are 121 batters who this season have to the plate at least 20 times with runners in scoring position who are hitting under .255, 56 of them are under .200.

Here are the 25 under .150

Rk	Player	BA	PA	AB	H	RBI
1	Eduardo Nunez	.000	24	16	0	4
2	Luis Cruz	.038	29	26	1	2
3	Dan Uggla	.050	26	20	1	4
4	Ryan Flaherty	.050	25	20	1	3
5	Darwin Barney	.063	23	16	1	1
6	Martin Prado	.063	37	32	2	4
7	Nolan Reimold	.067	22	15	1	4
8	B.J. Upton	.083	33	24	2	3
9	Rickie Weeks	.088	45	34	3	8
10	Nick Hundley	.091	27	22	2	7
11	Mike Moustakas	.091	30	22	2	4
12	Miguel Montero	.095	36	21	2	10
13	Alex Avila	.103	32	29	3	3
14	Josh Hamilton	.103	36	29	3	6
15	Mike Morse	.108	41	37	4	7
16	Chris Iannetta	.118	29	17	2	6
17	Eric Sogard	.125	28	24	3	3
18	Maicer Izturis	.130	25	23	3	3
19	Ike Davis	.133	36	30	4	6
20	Tyler Flowers	.136	23	22	3	8
21	Skip Schumaker	.136	27	22	3	4
22	Cliff Pennington	.136	30	22	3	8
23	Will Middlebrooks	.138	33	29	4	9
24	Justin Smoak	.148	35	27	4	5
25	Chris Parmelee	.148	31	27	4	5

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 5/12/2013.

The Dodgers individual batters with runners in scoring position.

Fans certainly can have no complaints with Adrian Gonzalez or Mark Ellis.

But Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier are very different stories.

Rk	Player	BA	PA	AB	H	RBI
1	Mark Ellis	.545	14	11	6	10
2	Adrian Gonzalez	.500	38	28	14	23
3	Juan Uribe	.273	17	11	3	4
4	Carl Crawford	.269	31	26	7	3
5	Nick Punto	.250	15	12	3	4
6	A.J. Ellis	.241	37	29	7	7
7	Justin Sellers	.231	15	13	3	1
8	Andre Ethier	.200	40	35	7	8
9	Matt Kemp	.171	44	35	6	11
10	Skip Schumaker	.136	27	22	3	4
11	Jerry Hairston	.071	16	14	1	3
12	Luis Cruz	.038	29	26	1	2

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 5/12/2013.

It appears, that even when the Dodgers recover from their injuries, if they don't recover their hitting stroke with runners in scoring position, this season will continue to be ugly.

Francona, Dunn and 0-2 Walks

Francona-The Red Sox Years, the terrific new book by Terry Francona and Dan Shaughnessy is filled with great stories and shiny anecdotal nuggets.

Tito's relationship with Dustin Pedroia was renowned for their give-and-take teasing. On page 26, after Shaughnessy addresses Francona's self-deprecating style when he talks about his own playing days, Dan points out that Francona "swung at everything, and he almost never struck out." After extolling a number of Francona's amateur achievements, Shaughnessy adds this fun quote:

There's one other stat that nobody knows about, said Dustin Pedroia (kiddingly)...."He is the only player with a minimum of 1,000 plate appearances to never work an 0-2 walk. How awesome is that? He had no fight in him. None! That's unbelievable!"

Well, of course, Pedey was right (about the absence of whiffs, not about the competitive nature of Francona). While all the data is not available, we do know that Tito had 1827 plate appearances from 1981-90. And of the 72 PA he had from 1988 on that he had an 0-2 count, after that Tito drew no walks. He struck out 14 times and picked up 14 hits.

The 2012 leader in walks, after an 0-2 count, was not surprisingly Adam Dunn.

Here are the 0-2 walk leaders

Walks after 0-2 Counts | Create infographics

Get the Francona book here