Frogs in the MLB: Carpenter takes revenge; Arrieta and Cashner get wins, and Holaday helps Miami

Jake Arrieta (P/Philadelphia Phillies) -

Arrieta was on the road against Carpenter and the Cards on May 18. He lasted a short 3 innings, allowing 4 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits. (That included a single by Carpenter, in case you were wondering.) He walked 2 and struck out 1. It was a bad night all-around for the Phillies, who lost 12-4.

Arrieta’s efforts haven’t helped the Phillies win lately, but the stars finally aligned on May 23 while playing at home against the Braves. Arrieta went almost 7 innings, allowing 7 hits but keeping the Braves scoreless. He walked just 1 batter, while racking up 7 strikeouts. The Phillies won 4-0.

Also, it was Star Wars Night.

Arrieta has an ERA of 2.45 with a WHIP of 1.15. He’s got a .86 ERA while pitching at home right now, and the Phillies are now half a game behind 1st place. You can see Arrieta’s full stats here. He’ll pitch Tuesday against the Dodgers in L.A.

Matt Carpenter (1B/St. Louis Cardinals) -

Rarely do I lead off with a tweet, but in this case, it’s appropriate. Carpenter had a stellar week, beginning with a game against Arrieta and the Phillies on May 18. He hit a single off his college pal, and later singled to right field, bringing in Tommy Pham for the run, making it 7-2. Jose Martinez homered and brought Carpenter across the plate, making it 9-2 in the bottom of the 6th. The Cardinals won 12-4.

On May 19, Carpenter walked in the bottom of the 4th and was brought home on a throwing error after Marcell Ozuna hit a fielder’s choice to first. Then in the bottom of the 7th, he hit an RBI double to bring Pham around and give the Cardinals the 6-5 lead. The Phillies were able to come back and hand the Cards a 7-6 loss.

On May 20, Carpenter had 3 hits on the day, including a double in the bottom of the 7th to get on base. He was driven in by J. Martinez on a single to right field. The Cardinals ended the series with a 5-1 win over the Phillies.

May 21 saw the Cards welcoming the Royals to town. Carpenter had a single in the bottom of the 3rd and was brought home by Ozuna. Then in the bottom of the 7th, Carpenter hit his 4th home run of the season, a 381-footer to right field. The Cardinals took a 6-0 victory in game 1.

May 22 brought Game 2 and a rough night for Carp and the Cards. There was little luck at the plate all night, and the Royals took their revenge for the previous night with a 5-1 win.

May 23 was another tough game for the Cardinals, with Carpenter striking out 3 times and walking once. The Cardinals lost 5-2.

Carpenter currently has 17 runs and 29 hits, with 4 home runs and 17 RBIs on the season. He has an average went from .164 to .199 this past week. The Cardinals play the Pirates on the road tonight. You can see his full stats here.

Andrew Cashner (P/Baltimore Orioles) -

Ahhh the taste of victory! Cashner’s efforts finally paid off for the Orioles on May 21 in Chicago against the White Sox. Cashner pitched 5 innings, allowin just 2 runs on 8 hits. He walked 3 while striking out 4. The Orioles squeaked out a 3-2 win, giving Cashner his first win since April 5. Cashner also showed off some fancy footwork during the game, helping the Orioles get the out.

Cashner currently has a 4.72 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. Cashner will pitch Saturday in Tampa Bay. You can see his full stats here.

Brandon Finnegan (P/Cincinnati Reds) -

Finnegan is still with Triple-A Louisville. Hopefully the Reds can tweak a few things and bring him back to the rotation soon.

Finnegan currently has a 7.40 ERA. You can see his full stats here.

Bryan Holaday (C/Miami Marlins) -

Holaday may not have the best batting average on the Marlins, but his talent behind the plate has kept him with the team this season. On May 19, the Marlins were in Atlanta to play the Braves. Holaday managed to make and break a few records. It was a scoreless game in the top of the 2nd when Holaday hit a groundout that brought in Cameron Maybin, making it a 1-0 ballgame. That would turn out to be the only run of the game for the Marlins, and it broke Braves’ pitcher Sean Newcomb’s scoreless record of 21 ¹⁄₃ innings. BOOM.

Also, why do players try to steal against Holaday?

1. He played for TCU—otherwise known as University of Base-Stealing. He had plenty of practice catching guys stealing.
2. He can pitch. Meaning he can throw a ball 90+ miles per hour while watching you try to wobble your way to 2nd base. And he won’t even break a sweat.
3. He’s now thrown out 7 runners attempting to steal, which is a Marlins record.

Thou shalt not steal bases on Holaday’s watch.

The Marlins lost 8-1. But Holaday had himself a day, so we’ll take it.

Holaday currently has 4 runs and 7 hits, with 4 RBIs and 1 home run. His AVG is .152. You can see his full stats here. Miami will play at home against the Nationals tomorrow.