Brandon Webb Deserves Your Attention
Last night, Brandon Webb extended his scoreless streak to 42 innings by throwing a complete game shutout against the Braves (his third straight complete game). In the process, Webb gave up just three baserunners while striking out six. This is the 12th longest such streak in MLB history, and the 5th longest since 1940, surpassed only by Orel Hershiser (59), Don Drysdale (58), Bob Gibson (47), and Sal Maglie (45). He'll attempt to extend the streak when the Diamondbacks face the Brewers next week.
So...is Webb going to ride his devastating sinker to his second consecutive NL Cy Young Award? To date, Jake Peavy has the leg-up on this honor, but Webb is certainly making a strong push as the season winds down.
- Webb: 13-8, 2.63 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 161 K's, 2.82 K/BB
- Peavy: 13-5, 2.19 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 175 K's, 3.80 K/BB
...And, to think that Brandon Webb is being paid Joel Pineiro-type money?? After all, Webb inked a four-year contract extension worth $19.5M after his successful 2005 campaign (14-12, 3.55 ERA, 172 K's).
I know, I know...you're all wondering where Brandon Webb now ranks in my pitching rankings? The exact same place I had ranked him on June 5th (see below link for previous rankings). He's the 4th best pitcher in MLB, only trailing Santana, Bedard, and Peavy. Who's 5th? None other than Red Sox Nation's own Josh Beckett. And, yes, I'm well aware that Dan Haren isn't in my top 5. Quite honestly, Haren's name doesn't belong amongst the aforementioned aces.
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