Kenta Maeda has the best two game stretch in his three year career

Phil Gurnee ♦ May 24, 2018 ♦ 4 Comments

Fresh off of his best game ever in the major leagues, Kenta followed it up with another gem giving him a two-game, game score total of 164, by far his best two games back to back.  Kenta has had only five games out of sixty-six starts with a game score >= 75 and two of those five have come in his last two starts.

Date         Opp  Rslt  IP H ER BB SO GSc
2018-05-23   COL W 3-0 6.2 2  0  4 12  78
2018-05-17   MIA W 7-0 8.0 2  0  0  8  86
2017-08-01   ATL W 3-2 7.0 2  0  1  6  78
2017-06-27   LAA W 4-0 7.0 4  0  0  6  75
2016-07-10   SDP W 3-1 7.0 2  1  0 13  82

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Generated 5/24/2018.

Yikes, this was not supposed to be a massive column but the deeper I got the deeper I got.

For a little perspective on this, let’s see how other pitchers on this Dodger team besides Kershaw have done compared to this two-game stretch by Kenta. Rich Hill has had two outstanding sets of back to back games. The first set was right after his blister problems of 2016 where he pitched a one-hitter and the abbreviated no-hitter in back to back games in Sept of 2016 to total a combined 157 game score points.  In 2017 Rich Hill stepped into July with back to back outstanding starts and tallied up 162 total game score points.

Rk         Date  Tm Opp  Rslt  IP H ER BB SO GSc
3    2017-07-06 LAD ARI W 5-4 7.0 2  1  0  9  78
4    2017-07-01 LAD SDP W 8-0 7.0 4  0  1 11  79
5    2016-09-10 LAD MIA W 5-0 7.0 0  0  0  9  86
6    2016-09-03 LAD SDP W 5-1 6.0 1  0  2  8  76

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Generated 5/24/2018.

How about Alex Wood? Alex has had four games scores >= 75 as a Dodger and none have come in back to back games.

Hyun-Jin Ryu never had a two-game stretch that matches Kenta but earlier this year Ryu did have a three-game stretch where he put up game scores of 77, 67, and 78. In 2014 Ryu had a game score of 75 on March 30th, and a game score of 80 on April 11th, but in between those brilliant starts was one of the worse games of his career on April 4th in which he gave up eight hits and six runs in just two innings.

Now I’m going to go back to the year 2000 and forward. These are pitchers with at least one game score of 75. How many of them did it in back to back games.

Randy Wolf  – one game score >= 75, did not

Jeff Weaver – six games scores >= 75 did not but he did come close with a game score start of 78 on 8/28/2005 and a game score of 89 on 9/12/2005 but in between he put up two stinkers of 30 and 41. See how hard it is.

Brett Tomko – one game score >= 75, did not

Eric Stults – two games scores >= 75, did not

Aaron Sele  – one game score >= 75, did not

Odalis Perez – eleven game scores > 75, did not. I fully expected him to have done this but the closest he came was in 2002. On June 9th he had a game score of 79 and on June 25th a brilliant 90 but in between, he had two starts of 63 and 66. That might have been his best four-game stretch as a Dodger but it was bookended by a 44 and 45 which is why he drove us crazy and didn’t get his moment in the sun.

Brad Penny – five games scores >= 75, did not.

Chan Ho Park – nineteen games scores, twelve in the 21st century  >= 75,  and yes he did. On 9/24/2000 Chan Ho had a game score of 87, and he followed that up with a game score of 95 for a two-game total of 182.  The game score of 95 is one of the greatest game scores by a right-handed LAD since 2000.

Rk            Player       Date  Tm Opp  Rslt  IP H ER BB SO GSc
1       Chan Ho Park 2000-09-29 LAD SDP W 3-0 9.0 2  0  1 13  95
2       Chan Ho Park 2001-07-18 LAD MIL W 5-0 9.0 2  0  0  9  92
3       Zack Greinke 2013-07-13 LAD COL W 1-0 9.0 2  0  1  9  91
4      Hiroki Kuroda 2008-07-07 LAD ATL W 3-0 9.0 1  0  0  6  91
5        Kevin Brown 2000-09-23 LAD SDP W 2-1 9.0 2  1  1 13  91
6       Josh Beckett 2014-05-25 LAD PHI W 6-0 9.0 0  0  3  6  90
7    Vicente Padilla 2010-08-04 LAD SDP W 9-0 9.0 2  0  2  9  90
8      Hiroki Kuroda 2008-06-06 LAD CHC W 3-0 9.0 4  0  0 11  90
9         Derek Lowe 2005-08-31 LAD CHC W 7-0 9.0 1  0  2  7  90

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Generated 5/24/2018.

Hideo Nomo – twenty-two game scores >= 75, but only five since 2000.  Hideo did not do it in the 21st century but he did it several times in 1995 and 1996. In 1996 he preceded his no-hitter at Coors with a game score of 77. His no-hitter was a 91 for a combined two-game, game score of 168.  His 1995 was ridiculous. From May 28th, 1995 until Aug 5th, Nomo made fifteen starts, and had eight-game scores of at least 75.  That has to be the best fifteen game run by a right handed LAD since the days of the Bulldog.

Date          Tm Opp  Rslt  IP H ER BB SO GSc
2003-06-25   LAD SFG W 6-0 7.0 2  0  1  7  79
2003-06-15   LAD CLE W 4-3 7.0 2  1  1  8  76
1996-09-17   LAD COL W 9-0 9.0 0  0  4  8  91
1996-09-12   LAD STL W 4-1 8.0 2  1  3  6  77
1995-08-05   LAD SFG W 3-0 9.0 1  0  3 11  93
1995-07-30   LAD CIN W 5-4 8.0 5  1  0 11  79
1995-07-15   LAD FLA W 3-1 9.0 3  1  0 10  87
1995-06-29   LAD COL W 3-0 9.0 6  0  1 13  87
1995-06-24   LAD SFG W 7-0 9.0 2  0  3 13  93
1995-06-19   LAD STL W 5-2 8.1 3  1  3  8  76
1995-06-02   LAD NYM W 2-1 8.0 2  1  3  6  77
1995-05-17   LAD PIT L 2-3 7.0 2  0  3 14  84

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Generated 5/24/2018.

Ricky Nolasco – two games scores >= 75, and yes they came back to back. Who’d thunk it. If someone told me that I’d demand proof so here it is.

Date          Tm Opp  Rslt  IP H ER BB SO GSc
2013-08-28   LAD CHC W 4-0 8.0 3  0  1 11  86
2013-08-23   LAD BOS W 2-0 8.0 2  0  0  6  84

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Generated 5/24/2018.

Greg Maddox – two games scores >= 75, did not

Derek Lowe – ten game scores >=75, and yes he did. Twice. We forget just how good Derek Lowe was for us in his brief Dodger time. In fact, his two games in 2005 put up a combined total of 174 game score points which is the 2nd highest two-game total so far.

Date          Tm Opp  Rslt  IP H ER BB SO GSc
2007-06-15   LAD LAA W 2-1 7.0 4  1  1 11  75
2007-06-09   LAD TOR L 0-1 9.0 4  1  0  3  78
2005-08-31   LAD CHC W 7-0 9.0 1  0  2  7  90
2005-07-25   LAD CIN W 4-0 8.0 1  0  1  5  84

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 5/24/2018.

Jose Lima – one game score >= 75

Ted Lilly – three games scores >75, he did not

Hiroki Kuroda – ten games scores >= 75, he did not

Scott Kazmir – three games scores >= 75, he did not

Kaz Ishii – three game scores >= 75, he did not

DJ Houlton – one game score >= 75, Really? Does this shock anyone else?

Dan Haren – two games scores >= 75, he did not

Aaron Harang – one game score >=75, surprisingly it was not the strikeout game

Zack Greinke – seventeen game scores >= 75, and of course he did. Twice.

Date          Tm Opp  Rslt  IP H ER BB SO GSc
2014-07-30   LAD ATL W 3-2 8.0 5  1  1 13  80
2014-07-25   LAD SFG W 8-1 7.0 4  0  1 10  78
2013-07-13   LAD COL W 1-0 9.0 2  0  1  9  91
2013-07-08   LAD ARI W 6-1 7.0 2  0  2  7  78

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 5/24/2018.
Jon Garland – one game score >= 75

Eric Gagne – two game scores >= 75, he did not

John Ely – one game score >= 75, who could forget Elymania?

Darren Dreifort – eight games scores >= 75, and yes he did.

Rk         Date  Tm Opp  Rslt  IP H ER BB SO GSc IR
7    2000-07-23 LAD SFG W 5-0 7.0 2  0  1  9     81
8    2000-07-28 LAD PHI W 2-0 7.0 2  0  2  6     77

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 5/24/2018.
Yu Darvish – three times in one year, but none back to back.

Omar Daal – one time

Chris Capuano – five game scores >= 75, and yes he did. Chris debuted with the Dodgers in 2012 and had the interesting first five games scores as he got better and better with each start 43, 55, 54, 62, 75, and 76. And yes I know 54 is less than 55 but you get the point.

Date          Tm Opp  Rslt  IP H ER BB SO GSc
2012-04-29   LAD WSN W 2-0 6.2 3  0  2  9  75
2012-05-05   LAD CHC W 5-1 7.0 3  0  2  7  76

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 5/24/2018.

Walker Frigging Buehler has already done it twice but not back to back yet. Which is amazing for a guy who was supposed to be a five inning pitcher for a while.

Kevin Brown – holy shit, 24 times in just five years and 129 starts. Of course he did. Is this the guy with the highest back to back game score total. He needs to beat 182. Shockingly he did not, but he did have a few notable back to back games. Because he’s a HOF, not just a borderline HOF, a real HOF who for some reason, the voters simply ignored. Kevin Brown had back to back game scores of at least 75, five times but never had a total combined game score in back to back games greater than 170 which is still an awesome score but doesn’t knock of Chan Ho Park and his 182 or even D Lowe and his 174.

Date          Tm Opp  Rslt  IP H ER BB SO GSc
1999-05-19   LAD HOU W 5-2 8.0 4  1  2  8  76
1999-05-25   LAD CIN L 2-3 8.0 5  1  1 12  75
1999-08-04   LAD HOU W 2-1 9.0 4  1  2  7  80
1999-08-09   LAD NYM W 9-2 7.0 2  0  1  3  75
2000-07-19   LAD COL W 9-1 8.0 1  0  1  8  85
2000-07-24   LAD COL W 4-1 8.0 3  1  1  5  76
2001-05-07   LAD FLA W 1-0 8.0 2  0  2 10  86
2001-05-12   LAD ATL W 1-0 8.0 3  0  1  9  84
2003-05-25   LAD MIL W 5-1 8.0 4  1  1  8  77
2003-05-31   LAD MIL W 3-0 8.0 6  0  0  6  76

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Generated 5/24/2018.

Mike Bolsinger – one time

Chad Billingsley – sixteen times the much maligned Chad Billingsley had a game score >= 75. Sixteen times!!!!!!! – but not once did he have back to back game scores of at least 75.

Josh Beckett – three times, and he did not

James Baldwin – one time

Andy Asby – twice

Wilson Alvarez – five times, and yes he did. Time to write a column about the Wilson Alvarez’s. The impact pitchers who were not prospects nor traded for that either came back from the dead or from nowhere.

Date          Tm Opp  Rslt  IP H ER BB SO GSc
2004-05-07   LAD PIT W 4-0 7.0 1  0  0  5  80
2004-05-12   LAD CHC W 4-0 7.2 5  0  1  8  76

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 5/24/2018.

Terry Adams – one time

Whew, finally done.  Did anyone get to the finish line? If so give me a holler.