Frogs in the Pros, May 16-22, 2016

Jake Arrieta (P/Chicago Cubs) -€” It's always nice to be reminded that Pros and their families are just like us, and Brittany Arrieta wins the award this week for my favorite "human moment" with this tweet:

Hate West Coast games unless I'm there.... Sitting here waiting for a 9pm game like.... pic.twitter.com/F9bGEnMlSn

— Brittany Arrieta (@MrsArrieta49) May 20, 2016

Jake and the Cubs stayed up past their bedtime to face the Giants, with a chance to continue his winning streak.  At the plate, Arrieta hit a single to center in the top of the 2^nd, bringing Jorge Soler home.  That put the Cubs up 1-0.  Dexter Fowler got Arrieta to second, and then Tommy La Stella hit a single to deep right.  Arrieta made the push to home but he was thrown out at the plate.  On the mound, Arrieta held the Giants scoreless until the bottom of the 3^rd, when Joe Panik singled to right center, allowing Angel Pagan to score.  Arrieta pitched a total of 7 innings and allowed 1 run on 4 hits.  He walked 2 and struck out 8.  The Cubs beat the mighty Giants 8-1.  His ERA is currently 1.29 with a .84 WHIP.  You can see more stats from his 2016 season here.

Matt Carpenter (3B/St. Louis Cardinals) -€” The Cardinals were home against the Rockies on May 17.  Carpenter had a tough game and just couldn't manage to get on base.  He also had an error on a ground ball while playing 3^rd base in the top of the 5^th.  The Cardinals lost 3-1.  On May 18, the Cardinals had better luck.  Carpenter walked in the bottom of the 3^rd and came home on a Matt Holliday double to left.  He walked again in the bottom of the 7^th, but was thrown out at 3^rd on Stephen Piscotty's single to left center.  The Cardinals won 2-0.  The third and final game of the series against the Rockies took place May 19.  Carpenter had a great game, with a double to deep right in the bottom of the 2^nd to bring in Randal Grihuk.  Then he doubled to deep left center in the bottom of the 4^th, bringing Yadier Molina and Jeremy Hazelbaker home.  Carpenter was brought home that inning on Piscotty's double to left.  And to accentuate the win, Carpenter hammered a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 8^th to make the final score 13-7 and take the series.  May 20 began a series against the Diamondbacks.  Carpenter doubled to deep center and got to third on an error.  Aledmys Diaz grounded out to shortstop and Carpenter got the run.  He didn't have much luck the rest of the game, but the Cardinals pulled off an 11-7 win.  Then on May 21, Carpenter had a single to right in the bottom of the 1^st and got to second on a wild pitch.  He got to third before the end of the inning.  He got back on base in the bottom of the 6^th, when he was intentionally walked.  Unfortunately, the inning ended shortly after.  The Cardinals won 6-2.  On May 22, the Cardinals played the final game of the series against the Diamondbacks.  Carpenter had a single to right in the bottom of the 5^th, but otherwise, didn't see much action.  The Cardinals lost 7-2 but still took the series.  May 23 began a series against the Cubs.  Carpenter didn't see any time on base, except briefly in the the bottom of the 3^rd.  It was a close game, but the Cardinals pulled off the 4-3 win.  Carpenter's AVG is .253, and he has a total of 6 homeruns and 15 RBIs.  For more stats from Carpenter's 2016 season, click here.

Andrew Cashner (P/San Diego Padres) -€” Cashner hasn't played since he was injured on May 8, but returned Tuesday to face the Giants, who currently lead the NL West. Cashner went six innings, allowing three runs on four hits in six innings in a tough loss.  Cashner's ERA is 4.93 with a WHIP of 1.47.  For more of Cashner's stats, click here.

Brandon Finnegan (P/Cincinnati Reds) – Finnegan and the Reds were home against the Indians on May 18.  Finnegan pitched 5.2 innings and allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 8 hits, including 1 homerun in the top of the 3^rd.  He struck out 6.  Cincinnati lost the game in 12 innings, with a score of 8-7.  Finnegan pitched again on May 23, this time facing the Dodgers on the road.  He had a much better game and held LA scoreless until the bottom of the 6^th, when Howie Kendrick grounded into a double play that allowed Justin Turner to score.  Finnegan kept the Dodgers scoreless after that, and while the Reds 1-0, it was a much better show from Finnegan, who has struggle the past month.  Finny’s final stats included 8 full innings.  He allowed 1 run on 5 hits.  He walked 4 and struck out 2.  His ERA dropped to 3.97 with a 1.36 WHIP.  For more on Finnegan's season, you can go here.

Bryan Holaday (C/Texas Rangers) -€” On May 18, the Rangers met the Athletics on the road. Holaday didn't have much luck at the plate, with a strike out, ground out, and line out.  In the bottom of the 8^th, the A's Valencia singled to right and advanced to second on a passed ball by Holaday.  If you don't know what a passed ball is, you can find a definition and example HERE.  But the short version is, a passed ball is one that the catcher couldn't keep hold of, and a runner advances on it.  It's similar to an error, but it's awarded by the ump when he thinks the catcher should've maintained control of the ball (vs. a wild pitch scenario, where the catcher's lack of control is blamed on the pitcher).  Fortunately, no runner scored in this case, as Holaday maintained enough control to hold Valencia at second and Reddick at third.  The Rangers lost the game 8-1.  On May 21, Holaday and the Rangers played the Astros in Houston.  Holaday doubled to deep left center in the top of the 3^rd.  Odor was next up and singled to deep right, bringing Holaday home.  Holaday had another double in the top of the 5^th, but he couldn't get any further before the inning ended.  That run put the Rangers up 2-1, which ended up being the final score.  Holaday's AVG is .241.  You can find his stats here.