Joe Girardi announced last night that Freddy Garcia would be his game 3 starter in the ALDS, but is A.J. Burnett not a better choice?
Take a look and then vote.
Quality Starts -
Freddy has 17 Quality Starts (defined as at least 6 IP and no more than 3 ER) this season to A.J.'s 10. They have the exact same number over the last three seasons (45), but A.J. has started 36 more games.
Adv: Freddy
2011 Stats (W-L/ERA/FIP/WHIP/K:BB) -
Freddy: 12-8, 3.62 ERA, 4.12 FIP, 1.34 WHIP, 2.1 K:BB.
A.J.: 11-11, 5.16 ERA, 4.78 FIP, 1.44 WHIP, 2.1 K:BB.
Adv: Freddy
More analysis and the poll after the jump...
Matchup -
Freddy has faced current Detroit hitters 325 times (remember, he was with Chicago for two years), and they have a combined .802 OPS against him. For A.J., Detroit hitters have 174 PA against him for a .722 OPS. Even just the last three years, A.J. has held the Tigers to a .580 OPS vs. Freddy's .818.
Adv: A.J.
What have you done for me lately -
Since coming off the DL on August 29th, Freddy has started five times: 24.1 IP, 5.92 ERA, 15 K, 8 BB.
A.J.'s last five starts: 29 IP, 4.34 ERA, 36 K, 11 BB
Adv: A.J.
Surprisingly, Burnett seems to come out on top because of his stronger performances of late. I would not have thought so before looking at the numbers.