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Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Getting to Know....Perfect Relievers

Here in the "Getting to Know..." universe we like to keep track of stats. Stats of interesting players, oddities, new kids on the block, that sort of thing. So as I was looking through some sortable stats on ESPN, I noticed a little statistical note that piqued my interest quite a bit: there are three relief pitchers (min 8 IP) that have yet to give up a run this season. One you have heard of, but the other two are young guns making a big splash on the Major League stage. Here is a look at the three pitchers still tossing doughnuts for the season:

Eric Gagne:
Games: 9
IP: 8.1
WHIP: .96
Notes: The Rangers took a bit of a flier on the oft-injured Gagne in the offseason, and thus far things seem to be panning out pretty well for them. After a brief stint on the DL this season Gagne has come back with a vengeance, allowing only one hit in five appearances since his return.

Jeremy Accardo:
Games: 18
IP: 20
WHIP: .80
Notes: The Jays picked Accardo up in the Shea Hillenbrand trade last year, and suffice it to say they are looking pretty smart for it. Accardo had a shaky run to end last season, but has stepped into the closer role for Toronto this season while B.J. Ryan has been on the DL. With Accardo pitching lights out, recording 4 saves in the past ten days, it will be interesting to see if he holds on to the closer's role when Ryan returns.

Kevin Cameron:
Games: 11
IP: 16.1
WHIP: 1.29
Notes: Cameron is a rookie, and not just in that funny MLB "he has not pitched X number of innings in a given season" kind of way, Cameron has been seeing his first major league action this year, and the 27 year old is one of the major reasons why San Diego has the lowest bullpen ERA in all of baseball. A notable point about Cameron's performance is that he has pitched 2 or more innings in a relief appearance five times already this season.